I love total-body exercises.  They’re quick and you get to work your whole body all at the same time…just like real life.  This is functional fitness in action.

Check out tomorrow’s post for details on putting all 5 exercises together to create your own intense, short, body-changing workout in minutes.

Triceps, the bane of every woman’s existence. Master this exercise and you will be tank-top ready every day of the year.

Now that we’ve got you warmed up, it’s time to get those arms and shoulders into action. Watch this video and learn how to do my favorite upper body exercise.

With apologies, I said I would have 5 exercises for you…one per day. Well, it’s been a busy week and I’m a little behind. So, you get two exercises today…well, okay, it’s really tonight and you’ll get #3 tomorrow. Consider it a condensed version or for those of you who love instant gratification…here you go.

Our first exercise is a warm-up exercise called Wood Chops. It’s a total body exercise that will get the joints lubricated and warm all of the muscles in the body. Here ya go…

Next up, Ice Skaters…a great warm up for the hips and glutes, plus a little cardio kick.

Tomorrow, a little upper body work.

Have a great week!

Losing weight and losing fat are similar, but they do have some distinctions. When you’re shooting for the latter, toning up and building muscle is one of the most helpful things to do. Learning how to build muscle, however, is not exactly as easy as it sounds. Most trainers will tell you an approach that involves both diet and exercise is the best.

Muscle mass is extremely useful for fat loss for a very good reason. Lean muscles demand more calories per day to maintain. This means you will burn more calories, even when you’re “not doing anything.” The more muscle mass, the greater the body’s natural consumption of energy. This translates into a higher Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).  When the right diet and exercise program is put into place, muscle mass can help with fat burning and weight maintenance.

Building muscle and toning up the entire body for a better look and increased calorie burning can be helped along by following these tips:

• Work with a trainer to create a good overall program – When you are trying to tone up and lose fat at the same time, you want to use a multifaceted approach to exercise. A program that contains both cardiovascular and strength training exercises is generally best. If drawn-out cardio sessions do not appeal, interval training might be in order. On the strength training end, it is especially important to consult fitness professionals or join us at a Boot Camp class (your first one is free) to make sure a safe, targeted approach is taken. Overdoing or proceeding without proper form can be lead to injury.
• Vary the exercise program – You may have heard the “new” term “Muscle Confusion.”  This is just a new name for an old technique.  You never want to get into a workout “routine.”  Once your brain is used to a workout, your body is too.   Seek out alternatives and options that can work your cardio system and your muscle groups. The more variety built into a plan, the more fun and exciting it is and the more likely it is you will stick with it.
• Consume a healthy diet – When the goal is to tone up and gain muscle, diet is especially important. Even if fat loss is a part of the plan, starving the body of enough calories and proper nutrition can actually hamper efforts, or worse, cause you to gain weight. A portion-controlled diet that is well-rounded and includes fruits, vegetables and lean protein can help with muscle building efforts. We can help with this by testing your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and giving you a step-by-step meal plan with a grocery shopping list that takes all the guesswork out of your healthy eating plan.
• Drink plenty of water – Water is essential for hydrating the body – and the muscles. Make sure to keep the body well-hydrated while trying to build muscle and lose fat. Avoid sugary drinks with empty calories as they can undermine positive efforts.
• Get plenty of sleep – Rest is important for good overall health. Make sure to get at least the minimum seven to eight hours to prime your body for each full day ahead.

Toning up and gaining muscle mass can supercharge the fat-loss process. Make sure to consult a fitness professional to create a program that works for you and takes health and safety into consideration.

About the Author
Ginny Grupp is the owner of AlaskaFit, LLC, Anchorage’s premier fitness and wellness business. If you’re ready to begin your journey on the road to health, please call 783-1241 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $97).

If you’re not yet ready for our free consultation offer, please click the Free Reports section to the right of this article and get instant access to any of our great reports. Covering topics like, “The Only 3 Exercises You Need,” “Healthy Meals in 10 Minutes or Less,” and “The Ultimate Weight-Loss Secret.” Get yours today!

This is why I love living in Alaska.  After spending much of Sunday morning tied to my laptop, I hopped on my bicycle to get my body moving.  Yes, I love our Boot Camp classes, but every once in a while, a girl needs some variety in her life.

I haven’t had my road bike out for a spin yet this summer, so it was really about time to get out there.

As always with this bike ride, it’s a bit of a head game for me.  Will it be windy on the arm?  Will my legs take me all the way to Indian?  Will I get bored on the trail and just decide to turn around?  Worse, will my cell phone ring and  put an end to the entire outing?  Will there be bears on the trail, turning me around before I get anywhere?

Each time I set out, I do what I tell my clients to do.  Take it one step at a time…or in this case, one rotation of the pedals at a time.  My first goal is getting up the first hill.  Got through that, on to the next goal, Bird Point.  Once I get there, I either relish a fast and furious pace through the flats (I pretend I’m the female version of Lance Armstrong flying at blinding pace through the finish line).  Or, I put my head down and fight the wind with every pedal stroke til I get to the tunnel that takes me under the highway at the other end of the flats.

Yesterday, it was a Lance Armstrong kind of day…at least on the way to Indian.  Once I’m through the flats it just seems silly not to make it all the way to the other end.  On a warm, sunny day like Sunday, I took it a step further and went to visit my friends Kathy and Dee at Forget-me-Not-Nursery.

I make this trip an annual rite of spring.  We don’t get to see each other much all winter and it always makes the ride to Indian seem not so far when I get to catch up with friends at the other end.

That’s the other part of the game I play to complete the ride.  Once I’m in Indian, I have no choice but to pedal til I get back home to Girdwood.  Doesn’t matter what the wind is doing, or the rain, or the bears.  Gotta get home.

So after a brief catch-up, it’s back on the bike to go the 13 miles home.

What’s always interesting to me is how the wind knows I’m coming back and almost always greets me by blowing hard and fast against me all the way home.  The flats go from super-fun speedway to full-on pedal even on the slight downhills.

Once through them though, I get the peace and quiet of the more protected portion of the trail and the even more fun, downhill glides on the return to Girdwood.

Made it back, the sun was still shining and I was feeling surprisingly good.  Proud of taking it one pedal at a time and laughing at myself for having to play a game to get out to do what I wanted to do.

Take all of your health and fitness goals one small step at a time.  You don’t get to the end of the marathon without taking the first step.  Take your first step today.  After all, it’s Alaska…get out and play.

Are you ready to take the first step towards improving your health and fitness?  Join us for Boot Camp…your first class is free!  Click here for more info.

A few weeks ago, I sent out a survey asking our Boot Campers  how I could improve AlaskaFit Boot Camp.

What I heard back from most everyone was that we Alaskans are awfully busy in the summer.  You would like to attend, but can’t commit to full-on camp due to various obligations (like fishing, camping, trips Outside, wedding planning).

I’ve heard you and for the first time and offering a super-flexible option I’m calling Create Your Own Punchcard.

For just $12 per Boot Camp Class, you can choose how often you can attend.  Minimum purchase is just 1 class (giving you a pay-as-you-go option) and maximum is 20 classes.   Join us when you can and you don’t pay for classes that you don’t attend.

Punchcard sign ups begin today! I’m only offering a limited number of these Summer Special Punch cards and I fully expect them to sell out, especially after our amazing May Boot Camp turnout.  Click the link below to buy your punchcard today.  

http://secure.ezfacility.com/TMSSelfService/NoAuth/Login.aspx?FID=2869

Cheers,
Gin

P.S.  If you can commit to full-on boot camp, the 4x per week option is still the best value, coming in at about $11 per class.  A truly amazing value!  For the price of a sandwich at lunch with a drink, you can make incredible changes to your body and your life.  Sign up today!

What is Your Body Balance Challenge?

It’s an 8-week fitness and nutrition challenge. We focus not only on exercise and food, but we’ll include info on stress management and finding balance in your life.  Experience real, lasting changes in your body and your life in just 8 weeks. To find out more click here.  Oh, and did I mention the $700 prize if you win the challenge?

I was visiting my family in NY for the past 10 days.  While I was there, I picked up the local paper’s “health and fitness” Sunday supplement.  I was hoping tofind some new, interesting information.  What I found instead was 16 pages of “advertorials.”

What’s an advertorial? It’s an advertisement cleverly designedto look like a real news article.  I was halfway through an article about the latest “magic bullet” diet pill before I realized that I was reading a glorified commercial. The entire Sunday supplement was nothing more than page after page of commercials!

How can you tell the difference between these types of “articles” and real research?

• Read the fine print. Most of these types of articles say somewhere that they are paid advedrtising.  Sometimes it’s at the top of the page, sometimes it’s buried.
• Look for the source.  Every true research article has lots of footnotes and documented sources.  Look for them in every health and fitness story you read.
• Analyze the source. If the “article” quotes a study, there should be specific details about the study either in the article or noted at the end.  You’re looking for things like the numberof participants in the study, who conducted the study, what university is associated with the study, who conducted the study.

There are mountains of misinformation out there.  Be careful what you read and more careful of what you believe.

To your health!

Gin

P.S.  Do you have health and fitness questions that you want to get answered?  I’m starting a new “Ask Ginny” page on our site.  Stay tuned for launch details.