HIIT of the Day

Tags

Cardio, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Heart, High Intensity Interval Training, High Intensity Training, HIIT, Interval Training, Metabolism, Metcon, Power, Weight Loss, Wellness, Work Out, Workout

Equipment: soccer field

10 Rounds for time:
Sprint/run from the goal line to the halfway line.
Jog/walk from halfway line to the other goal line.
Equals one round.

Cool down

Post time in comments.

Compound Pulls – Bands/Cables

Tags

core, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, High Intensity Training, Interval Training, Metabolism, Metcon, Power, Resistance Training, Strength, Strength Training, Total Body, Weightlifting, Wellness, Work Out, Workout

Muscles Used

• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Back
• Arms

Start Position

• Grab handles, walk backwards as you pull hands to sides to find your end range
• Stand tall
• Pinch shoulder blades
• Brace core

Movement

• Shift your hips back and lower your chest towards the ground at the same time straighten your arms
• Stop when upper body is parallel to the ground and arms are straight
• Reverse movement to complete rep
• Repeat for prescribed number of reps

General Pointers

•  Coordinate the bending of your hips and straightening of arms so upper body is parallel to ground and arms are straight at the same time
• Keep back flat throughout movement, do not let your back round
• As you come close to parallel let your shoulder blades spread apart, pulling them back together as you begin to straighten up and move arms

Quote of the Day

Tags

CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Henry Ford, Inspiration, Motivation, Quote, Quotes, Wellness, Workout

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

- Henry Ford

HIIT of the Day

Tags

Cardio, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Heart, High Intensity Interval Training, High Intensity Training, HIIT, Interval Training, Metabolism, Metcon, Power, Weight Loss, Wellness, Work Out, Workout

Equipment: VersaClimber or stairclimber

8 Rounds of:
30 sec fast (highest level/least resistance)
30 sec slow (lower level: 3 or 5)

Cool down

Post time in comments.

Quote of the Day

Tags

CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, God, Health, Inspiration, Motivation, Quote, Quotes, Serenity Prayer, Wellness, Workout

”God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change; Courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference”.

- Reinhold Niebuhr

HIIT of the Day

Tags

Cardio, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, healthy-living, Heart, High Intensity Interval Training, High Intensity Training, HIIT, Interval Training, Metabolism, Metcon, Power, rpe, Weight Loss, Wellness, Work Out, Workout

Equipment: Your choice

30 – 45 mins 5 RPE

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

Tags

CrossFit, Diet, Exercise, Food, Health, Metabolism, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Spice, Recipes, Smoothie, Weight Loss, Wellness

Ingredients

1 serving of vanilla Jay Robb egg protein or Vega sport performance protein

½ cup pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or you can just combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice)
1 cup of spinach

Quote of the Day

Tags

Benjamin Franklin, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Inspiration, Motivation, Quote, Quotes, Wellness, Workout

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

- Benjamin Franklin

HIIT of the Day

Tags

Cardio, CrossFit, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Heart, High Intensity Interval Training, High Intensity Training, HIIT, Interval Training, Metabolism, Metcon, Power, Weight Loss, Wellness, Work Out, Workout

Equipment: Jump rope

8 Rounds:
20 sec work (as fast as you can)
10 sec rest (dead stop)

Cool down

Post total jumps in comments.

This Week’s Odds and Ends!

Fun Fact #62

41% of women apply body and hand moisturizer at least three times a day.

1 in 9 Elective Angioplasties Could Be Unnecessary

 Angioplasty can ease the crushing chest pains of heart disease and help save the lives of people having heart attacks.

But it’s also a $12 billion industry, with more than 600,000 patients getting the procedure each year. With so much at stake, heart specialists and government investigators have asked whether some patients are getting treatment they don’t need.

A new study by researchers at Kansas City’s St. Luke’s Hospital of more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide offers some of the clearest evidence yet.

It found that 1 in 9 nonemergency angioplasties-for patients who weren’t in the throes of a heart attack-may have been inappropriate. For these patients, the procedures were judged unlikely to have done anything to improve health or longevity.

Food For Your Thought

 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported, a nutrient found in eggs, called choline, may protect you brain from dementia. Researchers found that people who ate the most choline did better on memory tests. Aim for 425 milligrams per day – the amount in two hard boiled eggs.

Low Testosterone Appearing More in Young Males

 Low T (testosterone) is occurring more often, and at younger ages resulting in male feminization and hormone imbalances in women.  Scientists believe that environmental pollutants including pesticides, herbicides, industrial solvents, female hormones in municipal water supplies, and bisphenol A (BPA) leaching from plastics may be related.  Avoid chemical exposure in foods by buying organic, filter water, and avoid food contact with plastics, especially microwaving foods in plastic or coated containers to minimize exposure.

Less Stress In 5 Minutes

 Step 1: Viva Vitamin C

Vitamin C allows the body to quickly clear out cortisol, a primary stress hormone that increases sugars in the bloodstream. Although helpful in a fight or flight scenario, regularly elevated levels of cortisol in your body suppress normal functioning of the digestive system, reproductive system and growth processes. Vitamin C helps to regulate cortisol and prevent blood pressure from spiking in response to stressful situations.

Grab an orange, a kiwi or try a supplement of 3,000mg for maximum benefit.

Step 2: Have a Cup of Black Tea

It seems that slowing down your day an enjoying a cup of tea would be a calming practice in itself. And when you order black tea, you’ll get the calming benefits of flavonoids, which help block fight or flight divisions in the nervous system. Black tea does contain caffeine though, so limit yourself to one cup.

Step 3: Snack on Pistachios

Pistachios are one of the lowest calorie, lowest fat, and highest fiber nuts. They are also full of nutrients that can help prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol and help stop cell damage. During times of stress, this nutritious nut helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate. One serving is roughly 50 kernels – so crack into a few!

Step 4: Massage Your Ears

Borrowing from the ancient secrets of acupuncture, acupressure allows you to give yourself an ear massage pressure points on the lobes and outer rims of the ear, both of which help to relax all the muscles of the face and body.

Start by applying light pressure to your earlobes using your thumb and index finger. Then, rub the earlobes and move up the outer rim of the ear to the top of your ear. Apply pressure very gently and then work your way back down. You can do this for about 1-2 minutes.

Step 5: The Forehead Massage

The acupressure point you want to massage here is located between the eyebrows. It’s connected to the pineal gland, a small endocrine gland responsible for the production of melatonin. Begin by placing gentle pressure right between the eyebrows, then move toward the middle of the brow. You can move back and forth or pull your fingers along your eyebrow.

All of these steps can be done in less than five minutes – but remember that the massages are free and there’s no harm in performing them more than once a day.

These quick steps are vital to your health; reduced stress is directly correlated with reduced risk for heart disease.

And remember, if you’re experiencing symptoms such as teeth grinding or Tinnitus, you may need to seek medical help. These physical manifestations of stress can cause chronic headaches or even depression.

Bee Pollen Speeds Up Metabolism

 One of Mother Nature’s best, most efficient diet foods is fresh bee pollen.  Studies have shown that taking bee pollen daily can help to correct metabolic imbalances as well as speeding up metabolic processes and the burning of calories.  The lecithin in the bee pollen also is believed to break up and burn fatty deposits in the body as well.  Start with a quarter teaspoon of bee pollen granules first thing in the morning each day and, if there is no adverse or allergic reaction, then work up to one heaping teaspoon daily.

Put Off Your Cravings

 The next time you have a craving, tell yourself that you’ll have it later. Recent research reports that when participants postponed having a snack, they ate less than those who indulged right away. The studies author  says putting off a bite allows your desire to fade. The key is to be vague about when later will be. Giving a specific time could drive you to eat only because you said you would, not because you’re hungry.

Workout of the Week

 Strength

Clean 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Conditioning

3 Rounds for time of:
10 Dips
20 Burpees
30 American swings

Post time in comments.

Health Tip #39

 You’re more likely to snore if you’re lying on your back, and sleeping on your stomach is stressful on your neck.

Fun Fact #47

 Men loose about 40 hairs a day. Women loose about 70 hairs a day.

5 Things To Help You Sleep

 For those who have a difficult time getting to sleep try these five things.

1. Moderate exercise throughout the day improves sleep quality, as long as it’s not too close to bedtime.
2. A glass of wine, or warm milk can take the edge off and improve relaxation.
3. Tart (unsweetened) cherry juice 2 times per day increases melatonin naturally, which improves sleep quality.
4. Warm baths, meditation, deep breathing, and reading may all provide relaxation in preparation for sleep.
5. Snack on small portions of protein at least 3 hours before bed, avoiding stimulating carbs and caffeine. 

Stay Hydrated, Stay Happy

 A study in The Journal of Nutrition, when participants lost as little as 1% of body weight fluid led to decreases in mood, concentration, memory, and energy.

Fun Fact #10

 The longest hiccups on record was by an American pig farmer whose hiccups persisted from 1922 to 1987.

Studies Say Soy Is Good Only If…

 New studies show that soy must be fermented and organic (not genetically modified) to bestow the health benefits illustrated in other cultures.  Avoid processed foods and soy products that are not organic or fermented.

Spirituality or Religion and Physical Health

 Over 800 worldwide studies have found that patients receiving medical treatments that have a connection to spirituality or religion demonstrate significantly better physical health outcomes than those who do not.  Investigate developing a sense of connectedness to a greater being for support during a health crisis.

Something To Make You Laugh… maybe!

I hate the people that work at the gym. I don’t even know what they’re talking about. They’re like, ‘Hey man, what are you gonna target today, your lats or your quads? What are you gonna work on, your delts?’ ‘I’m gonna work on getting  laid. That’s why I’m here. If you could just point me to that machine.’

- Wayne Federman