New Year´s Resolution 2014

With the new year just around the corner, now’s the time to start thinking about your 2014 resolutions.

We all know the drill: we start the year with good intentions, motivated and completely focused on what we want to achieve. Yet, how many of us actually keep our new year’s resolutions past January? A study found that 52% of resolution-makers were confident that they’d achieve their goals, yet only 12% succeeded.

The secret to keeping your new year’s resolutions

So, what’s the secret? The success is to plan ahead, identified a single resolution, set step-by-step goals, tracked their progress and made their commitment known publicly.

Plan ahead

Don’t wait until the new year to think about your resolution. Last minute decisions tend to be based on what is on your mind at that time. Instead, take some time now and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

Identify one resolution only

Once you’ve really thought about what it is you want to accomplish in 2014, it is important you narrow it down to only one resolution. Many people often make the mistake of trying to achieve too much. The chances of success are greater when people channel their energy into changing just one aspect of their behavior.

Start small

There’s is literally nothing more daunting and demotivating than being faced with a huge task. Let’s take improving your fitness as an example, just thinking about it down makes it feel somewhat impossible. So, start by breaking it down into smaller and more tangible to-dos, like go for a jog twice a week, develop a healthy weekly menu plan, walk to work, instead of catching the bus, etc. Then set one main to-do for each week that is related to your fitness goal. All the steps are then visible from the beginning, so it’s clear the path you need to take.

Keep track of your progress

It’s very important to know where you’re heading and to make a note of your progress on the way. Tracking your goals (complete with Due Dates and Reminders) helps to maintain momentum and can help to ward off disillusionment. Plus there is nothing more satisfying than checking off your to-dos along the way.

Ask for support

Once you’ve set out all the steps you need to take to smash your new year’s resolution, try sharing your list with a trusted friend or loved one. Not only will you be ten times more likely to stick to your resolutions, they’ll also be able to help keep you honest, provide moral support and be there to celebrate with you, when you accomplish your goals.

Write down a Checklist 

• Measure yourself (not only by scale, but also with your tapeline)
• Although esp. at the beginning its difficult, but essential: make some ‘before’-selfies (just for you!! – you´ll be very proud of yourself how far you come!!)
• Set your goals
• Write down your goals
• Identify and choose only one resolution and focus
• Break down your goals into small steps
• Include some motivational rewards – you deserve it! What are the requirements to earn that reward? New athletic apparel? A new haircut ? Keep it in budget, but it should be something you can get excited about.
• Start tracking (if you need a good template, I would choose one of the following: [MOLESKINE WELLNESS JOURNAL] or [FITBOOK by FITLOSOPHY]. You canalso keep tracking on your personalized app [FITAPP] for android or IOS.
• Focus on your goal by illustration your look after reaching your goal and by imagination of your new body feeling - in case of a athletic resolution. You´ll find a lot of motivational pics on [Pinterest]
• Review your progress
• Sign up for participation in a sporting event
• Don´t forget to be too strict, if you get off course. Review what happened and jump back on track!!

MY RESOLUTION OF 2014 WILL BE TO CONTINUE MY WAY OF GETTING BACK IN SHAPE BY LOSING THE LAST POUNDS UNTIL REACHING MY (HEALTHY) BODY WEIGHT.

PASSING IN REVIEW, [2013] I STUMBLED TOO OFTEN IN TERMS OF MY CLEAN EATING-NUTRITION AND MY CONTINUOUSLY TRAINING: I'LL TRACK MY PROGRESS BY SHARING WITH YOU ALL GUYS. THAT MEANS, I'LL PROMISE TO POST MORE DETAILS ON MY BLOG.

Beachbody Challenge 2013 - Week 5

My own Beachbody Challenge has started on Feb 1, 2013.
In the following 20 weeks - until beginning of summer in Germany - I want to move up a gear and keep my eyes on low-carb clean eating in combination with 4-5 times training a week.

First, I want to thank you all for following me on facebook. This week we welcomed the 50th follower!!

Here´s my diary of Week 5:

Friday, March 1:

Another month - but same Sport: every Friday I attend the Bootcamp class... I love it, because you know, what you did after a class...!

Saturday, March 2:

- Rest - 

I bought new babes: Nike Free Running Shoes! I love it!

Sunday, March 3:

I went to the gym and did some cardio on the treadmill. 

Monday, March 4:

Normally Monday is Zumba-Day.... but today I was a little bit bored of Zumba - so I decided to do some weight lifting in the gym. 

Tuesday, March 5:

- Rest -  

Wednesday, March 6:

Today my bf and I did some weight training and cardio at the gym... oooh - I augur ill. I know, I´ll have sore muscles in the next days :o)

Thursday, March 7:
-Rest- 

Here are my new lovely shoes:

Stay healthy and eat clean!

Beachbody Challenge 2013 - Week 4

My own Beachbody Challenge has started on Feb 1, 2013.
In the following 20 weeks - until beginning of summer in Germany - I want to move up a gear and keep my eyes on low-carb clean eating in combination with 4-5 times training a week.

Here´s my diary of Week 4:

Friday, Feb 22

Friday is Bootcamp-Time. We do sport outdoor - in any wind and weather. It´s a high intensive mixture of cardio and strength training..like HIIT or Tabata...sometimes with elastics, but almost with our own body weight.

Saturday, Feb 23

- Rest -

Sunday, Feb 24

I did the Zumba Masterclass and rocked over 1136 kcal in two sweaty hours. Here and here you can read the summaries of my both last Masterclasses.

Monday, Feb 25

Every Monday evening I do Zumba. This is a routine since Summer last year. And it makes a lot of fun: Dancing and jumping to the beat - I think, it looks very funny!

Tuesday, Feb 26

- Rest -

Wednesday, Feb 27

I pushed my boyfriend to do some sports with me in the gym. 

And now he push me with weight training and cardio, too. That´s pure motivation.

Thursday, Feb 28

- Rest - 

 

Stay healthy and push youself to your own limit to reach the best shape of your life!

Dear Fat: Be Prepared to Die!

A few weeks ago, I told you in one of my last post, I met my personal trainer Timo asking for feedback of my training and nutrition plan.

He gave me the following advices:

NUTRITION:

• my nutrition plan is almost perfect

• instead of natural yoghurt and cereals I should use the metabolism effect on morning and strengthen it until midday with a low-carb/no-carb breakfast (e.g. protein shake)
  

• after 4 pm strictly no carb

TRAINING:

• my training plan is also almost perfect (1x fun training Zumba and 3x Weight/Cardio Training)

• instead of 1x Weight/Cardio Training I should do a short and high-intensive muscle-confusion training.....

• therefore: he invited me to participate in his boot camp. (link only in german)

I think, most of my readers will have now a picture of an 'camouflage drill sergeant with wearing combat boots and face paints' in their minds....or like Major Payne... (do you remember of this funny movie of the 90s??) :o)

via google-research, source: Movie "Major Payne"

Don´t worry...! :o)
 
Today I tried out -for the very first time- his "Winter Outdoor Boot Camp"-Class..... !!!!

And that was so incredible!! But here are my first impressions:

This Boot camp is a combination of cross-fit, strength-training, calisthenics, plyometrics, functional training and aerobic training...everything outdoor with no excuses of bad weather!!

After warm-up with a sprint , we did some stretchings and short exercises for the arms, shoulders, chest, legs, butt, abs,.....and for the finish another short sprint for to boost the heart rate one more time.

I started sweating profusely within the first five minutes of class as the tough instructor Timo encouraged us with a series of training exercises that had me gasping for breath.

Some of these 60 minutes of training was a real mental fight with the bastard inside of me, because I didn´t have enough muscles for making push-ups.

But I won´t give up, because I know, that I will feel a million times stronger and more resilient.
Hey, in this workout I rocked 547 kcals!!!

via pinterest

If you are also considering taking your first bootcamp class, feel prepared and confident to dominate this intense workout by following my tips:

• Finding the Right Camp. First check to see if there are any starting requirements—like being able to run a 10-minute mile or do a certain number of push-ups in a minute, and what level classes are offered. Another tip: If you’re nervous about adding a boot camp fitness program to your workout schedule, see if you can pay for one trial class.

• Doing the Prep Work You don't have to be in peak condition for a boot camp workout, but you should have at least a base. 

• Hydrate one or two hours before class. Definitely bring water or a sports drink to class, but it's difficult to bounce around when your belly is full of liquid. 

• Enter with a good, can-do attitude. The workout will be challenging, but it's so important to continue to motivate yourself and keep your mind calm when your heart is racing and your muscles are burning. I try to smile and laugh to help release tension in my face. 

• Stay present, and listen to the instructor. If you concentrate on how much it hurts and how much you want to quit, you might forget the next sequence or next relay move. Actively focus your attention on the instructor, and you will distract yourself from the pain. 

• Remember your breath and your abs. Breathe through tough exercises, and simultaneously, be sure to contract your abs to protect your back. It may seem awkward and uncomfortable at first, but you will eventually train your body to breathe deeper while your abs are engaged. 

• Push yourself to stay up front. Be the first person in the relay race line; stand in the front of the room; and run towards the front of the jog line. Being last will make you feel lethargic and more prone to giving up. 

• Don't stop moving. If delayed onset muscle soreness usually gets you down, challenge yourself to move around rather than take mini breaks. My bootcamp instructor kept yelling at us to jog in place throughout the entire hour to prevent muscle soreness by sending fresh blood to the muscles. 

• Load up on electrolytes after class. Intense workouts and sweating cause you to lose essential electrolytes. Be sure to replenish them with an electrolyte-filled snack.

 Stay healthy and keep in progress.

New Year's Resolutions

What's your #1 health & fitness goal for 2013? Lose weight, healthier diet, get in shape, drop a bad habit? 

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The whole point of a New Year’s resolution is to start the year with a positive outlook and the hope for a better you. When you set goals that you can’t reach, the opposite tends to happen. Set realistic goals for yourself this year by following these tips. 

Be realistic. If you wake up on 1 January with a hangover and a strong urge for a double espresso and a bacon sandwich, is this really the day to begin the 'first day of the rest of your life?' Start on the 2nd, instead, and use the 1st to finish up the stilton and the Quality Street and to clear the cupboards of any other tempting food that is not in keeping with your new regime! 

Set a goal you can keep - take baby steps. First, choose a resolution that is attainable. Forget about losing 100 pounds or saving enough cash to buy a house. When you make goals that are unreachable, you set yourself up to fail. Instead, set small goals that you know you can reach. If you succeed, you can just keep going, and you'll feel great about accomplishing your goal. For example, set a time frame that within 3 months, you will lose 10 pounds. This would be a healthy way to lose weight, about 1-2 pounds per week. It is possible that you could actually lose more weight, which would make you feel that losing weight is easy. If you were trying to be healthier either through diet or exercise, set a more realistic goal. For instance, plan to exercise for 30 minutes 2-3 days per week, and gradually increase throughout the year. Set goals for the week or month. When trying to eat healthier, make small changes, such as eating one fruit per day, and increase as this becomes a daily habit.

Don´t go it alone - Get help. If you're setting a big goal, find someone to help you along the way. Want to lose weight? Hire a personal trainer or look for an workout buddy. Want to find a new job? Visit a career counselor. A professional who is trained to help you meet your goals will have an arsenal of tools to get you where you want to be. If you can't afford a professional, look for a friend, a websites or support groups to help you meet your goals. There you can motivate each other and share ideas. Most of life's challenges become less daunting when you aren't in them alone; working with a friend to reach your goal may mean the difference between success and failure.

Be patient. Fitness and weight loss don't happen overnight. That's why it is important to have a time frame for your goal. Set mini goals to work towards along the way - these give you something more immediate to aim for, and help you build confidence and faith in yourself.

Keep track. Spend some time formulating and writing down your health and fitness goals, ensuring they are challenging but realistic. Be positive and confident about your ability to achieve them. Keep a food and/or exercise diary to monitor your progress and help motivate you to stay focused on your goals. I use an excel-file for my plans and documentations of weight and training.

Make your health a priority Perhaps the most difficult thing to do is to make all of this work in your hectic schedule. It usually helps to maintain a list of things you need to do. To help with your cooking, try to plan a menu each week so you will know exactly what you need at the grocery store - and to minimize the possibility of ordering take-out. If you must eat lunch or dinner out, remember that healthy choices, such as salads or wraps, are better options. However, moderation is also OK. Occasionally having the dinner that you enjoy will not hinder your ultimate weight loss goal. As the saying is: Take care of your body.  It's the only place you have to live.  Jim Rohn

via google

In sum, don't try to put too much on your plate. Take each day as it comes, and do not get frustrated if you slip up every now and then. Don't be afraid to start again! Once you establish healthy habits, the rest will be that much easier. Treat yourself for reaching each goal or staying on track for a certain amount of time. Good luck with your resolutions!


As you know, I already set my cornerstones for 2013 so I don´t need a new year´s resolution. My plans and wishes are to be staying on track for reaching my goals of loosing weight, shaping and strengthen my body (with clean eating) and get into the best form of my body I ever have.

Take care!

Starting Training – What women need to know about training

There is no “one size fits all” plan and while following a generic plan can help you get started, it is often a frustrating path. The best investment you can make is to get yourself a trainer. A trainer who will design and individualize a training and nutrition plan specifically for you, your goals and needs. You will start out doing things the RIGHT way, instead of just randomly going in and doing whatever you feel like when you feel like. The benefits of having a trainer also includes accountability (which is very important), having someone there to show you the correct technique for each exercise (also very important – poor form leads to injury, ineffective and inefficient training, and is detrimental overall), and teach you about what you are doing and why, so that you can understand everything, with the eventual goal of being able to know what to do for yourself. If you don´t want to invest in a trainer you should have a good knowledge in the field of nutrition, biology and kinematics.

via pinterest

Training

Learn and understand the importance of resistance training, cardio should not be the focus (in all honesty, you do not even have to do cardio to get the figure you want, but as you get more experienced with training or want to improve your cardiovascular fitness, then it can be beneficial to include).

Weights

Anything from two to four days of training per week is ideal to start with, especially in the gym. Each body part should be trained once a week, giving it plenty of time to recover before the next training session for the same body part.
Resistance exercises you should be doing are multi-joint, compound exercises, as they use more than one muscle, and are the most effective for not only building muscle, but also in burning fat. Compound exercises require more body parts  to perform than isolation exercises. The best compound exercises that you can do are the squat and the deadlift, as they use pretty much every muscle in your body. Other compound exercises that are good to include are the power clean, bench press, shoulder press, pull-ups, dips, and calf raises (the only isolation exercise that’s really good).
Complete at least two exercises for each muscle group, with four sets of 6-10 (even up to 12) reps per exercise, with 1-2 minutes recovery in between. Always lift as heavy as you can for the number of reps you are set; the weight should challenge you... if it is too easy, you are not doing yourself any favours.
Be sure that you always use good form for EVERY exercise; otherwise you are putting yourself at risk for injury. All reps should be controlled and with good form. It is not about how much you can lift, but how well you lift. You WILL get stronger as you keep at it.
An ideal training time is 40 - 45 minutes; otherwise you become too catabolic and can end up losing muscle, which is not desirable.
So that your body does not get used to your training and stop adapting, every 4 - 12 weeks make small adjustments to your weight sessions. Adjustments do not have to be drastic and simply increasing the weight for the same session from one week to the next is a change that can make a difference. Other adjustments can include changing the order of exercises in a session or the number of sets and/or reps that you do for an exercise (and it only needs to be one exercise changed at a time, small adjustments over the weeks, not a complete overhaul of everything!).

Cardio

If you ARE going to do cardio, make it as efficient and effective as possible. If you do High Intensity Cardio or High Intensity Interval training, you can get the same, if not BETTER results with a brief 12 - 20 minute cardio session instead of spending two or more hours a day doing it! If you feel that you need to do more cardio, then you can add a couple of additional 20 - 30 minute moderate intensity sessions to your training week. Skipping, stair sprinting/running, or rowing, are the next highest calorie burners after sprinting.

Flexibility

Don’t forget about adding in some flexibility exercises, ideally 20 - 30 minutes a day on the days you train, preferably after you have done either cardio or weights, while your muscles are still warm, as this decreases the risk of injury. Stretching makes sure that you can move more freely and easily and helps elongate the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, for overall joint health and fitness.

Consistency

Understand that CONSISTENCY is essential; nothing is achieved without it. If you miss days, don’t stress over it; there is no need to “make up” for them either by doing more on another day - just forget about them and get back on track the next day. Remember the 70/30 Rule: As long as you do everything right 70% of the time, the other 30% allows for when things don’t go as planned because life gets in the way or some other reason.

Efficacy

Never forget that when it comes to exercise more is not always best! You want maximal results for minimal time. You also need to remember that some of this is experimental, and about finding what works best for YOU, since everyone is different and responds differently to different exercise programmes.

Let´s start!

The eat-clean principles – Part One

As already announced, since a few days ago I started to eat clean. For sure, at the beginning it won´t works for 100 percent to change completely your nutrition from one day to another, but I try to involve peux-a-peux the rules into my daily life. And I see, that it works from day to day even better.  

The following information are some excerpts from the book:  The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged: Lasting Fat Loss That´s Better than Ever! http://www.amazon.com/The-Eat-Clean-Diet-Recharged-Lasting/dp/1552100677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355309548&sr=8-1&keywords=the+clean+eat+diet+recharged

But, what does eat-clean exactly mean?

So, let´s start with the basics: To get a beautiful and healthy body, there´s a simple rule: You have to focus on the right nutrition (80%), clean and regularly training (10%) and have the right genetics (10%). You are certainly wondering, why 80% nutrition and only 10% training instead of 80% training and 10% nutrition? A popular quote is: “Abs were made in the kitchen, not in the gym!”

In some ways you do have to live with the genetic package your parents gave you, but nutrition is far more responsible for creating your shape and your health than you ever could have imagined.

Eat poorly and you become sick and overweight. Eat well and you become a glowing example of health and vibrancy.

I need to recognize that some “foods”, which I ate are “anti-foods” - and I  must work hard to avoid these. The improved food choices I make along with moderate amounts of exercise, mostly in the form of strength training, should be the catalyst for change.

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What to do:

• Eat more – eat six small meals each day (at the end of this blog you´ll find a sample schedule)
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal (55% complex carbohydrates, 27% lean protein and 18% healthy fats)
• Eat sufficient (2-3 servings) healthy fats every day
• Drink 2-3 liters of water each day
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes
• Adhere to proper portion sizes (use your hands for the right portions)

What to avoid:

• Aviod all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar
• Avoid chemically charged food
• Avoid foods containing presercatives
• Avoid artificial sugars
• Avoid artificial foods (such as processed cheese slides)
• Avoid saturated and trans fats
• Avoid sugar-loaded beverage, including colas and juices
• Avoid (or do your best to limit) alcohol intake
• Avoid all calorie-dense foods containing little or no nutritional value (=anti-foods)
• Avoid super-sizing your meals

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These principles are as easy to follow as brushing your teeth or combing your hair. If you decide right now to embrace just one of these principles you will be immediately living a healthier lifestyle. That’s because each one of these steps is empowering and entirely doable. Imagine what could happen if you cement in your mind that you will accept them all right now! Look out world – here you come!

Another catalyst for change is the right food at the same time with the right frequency: Eat six meals a day (every two-and-a-half hours to three hours). 

As promised, here´s a sample schedule:

7 am – First Meal = Breakfast
10 am – Second Meal = Mid Morning
1 pm – Third Meal = Lunch
4 pm – Forth Meal = Mid Afternoon
7 pm – Fifth Meal = Dinner
10 pm – Sixth Meal = Evening

You´ll get more information in one of my next posts!!

Stay healthy!