Built to last – Fitness Challenge – Day 7

Hello! Let’s conquer this week!

Don’t give up, you still have time
to reach up and start anew,
Accept your shadows,
Bury your fears,
Free your burdens,
Fly again.

Don’t give up, that’s what life is
Continue the journey,
Follow your dreams,
Unstuck time,
Move the rubble,
And uncover the sky.

Don’t give up, please don’t give way,
Even if the cold burns,
Even if fear bites,
Even if the sun sets,
And the wind goes silent,
There is still fire in your soul
There is still life in your dreams.

Because life is yours and yours is the desire
Because you have loved it and because I love you
Because wine exists and love is true.
Because there are no wounds that time doesn’t cure.

To open the doors,
Take away the locks,
Abandon the walls that have protected you,
To live life and accept the challenge
Get back laughter,
Practice a song,
Lower the guard and extend the hands
Open the wings
And try again,
Celebrate life and take back the skies.

Don’t give up, please don’t give way,
Even if the cold burns,
Even if fear bites,
Even if the sun sets,
And the wind goes silent,
There is still fire in your soul
There is still life in your dreams.

Because every day is a new beginning, 
Because this is the hour and the best moment.
Because you are not alone, because I love you.

Mario Benedetti

Pre-workout Talk:

1. Perform each exercise for the prescribed amount of time, doing as many repetitions as possible.
2. Watch the technique, a poor technique leads to injuries and we do not want that.
3. Once you have completed one exercise, go to the next one.
4. Complete this circuit three times.
5. If you have questions, reach me at the Facebook group.

RECOMMENDATION: Use Evernote to track your workout. Here is the note corresponding to this workout.

Here is a playlist to help you maintain a high training pace.

Today we´re going to work our core, thighs, pecs, rear shoulder, triceps, and biceps. This is the exercise list:

1. Plank Twist – 40 seconds
2. Bird-Dog and Crunch (Left) – 40 seconds
3. Bird-Dog and Crunch (Right) – 40 seconds
4. REST – 20 seconds
5. Resistance Band Squat – 40 seconds
6. Bodyweight Forward Lunges – 40 seconds
7. REST – 20 seconds
8. Push ups – 40 seconds
9. Rear Shoulder High Row – 40 seconds
10. REST – 20 seconds
11. Triceps Pulldown – 40 seconds
12. Standing Biceps Curl – 40 seconds
13. REST – 20 seconds

Once you have finished the third round:

COOL-DOWN/STRETCHING

1. Cat-Cow – 40 seconds
2. Lying Quad Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
3. Lying Quad Stretch (right) – 40 seconds
4. Hurdler Hamstring stretch (left) – 40 seconds
5. Hurdler Hamstring stretch (right) – 40 seconds
6. Standing Chest Stretch – 40 seconds
7. Standing Shoulder Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
8. Standing Shoulder Stretch (right) – 40 seconds
9. Standing Triceps Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
10. Standing Triceps Stretch (right) – 40 seconds
11. Standing Biceps Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
12. Standing Biceps Stretch (right) – 40 seconds

Eating to succeed

The suggested food for today was Chickpeas. What recipe have you prepared today? Take a picture of your plate and share it with us in the Facebook group.

For the next day, I suggest you: Salmon. Read my blog about the salmon health benefits.

Trainer Tips: #10 Reasons Why You Should Be Stretching

Flexibility training is an essential, yet often overlooked health-related component of fitness. Numerous studies support the short- and long-term benefits of various types of stretching, including static stretching, dynamic stretching, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), just to name a few. Here are 10 reasons why you should be stretching on a regular basis.

1. Decreased stress: Chronic stress can produce a number of undesirable responses in the body, including increased feelings of anxiety, fatigue and tension. Regularly stretching has been shown to reduce mental tension and, when combined with mindful breathing techniques, may also help to decrease anxiety and depression.

2. Reduced pain and stiffness: Excessive muscular tension can increase discomfort throughout the body. However, studies have shown that regularly performing static stretching can help to decrease stiffness, reduce pain levels (especially in individuals with chronic neck or low-back pain), and may even reduce the frequency and severity of muscle cramps.

3. Improved health: Regularly performing stretching exercises, such as PNF stretching, static stretching, and stretches from mind-body disciplines such as yoga, can help to reduce blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate, counteracting the body’s physiological responses to stress and muscular tension.

4. Enhanced range of motion: Various types of stretching as well as other supportive self-care strategies, such as self-myofascial releasing using a foam roller, can help to enhance unrestricted movement of the major joints of the body, including key areas that are designed to be mobile, such as the hips and shoulders.

5. Improved function: As a result of poor posture, repetitive movement patterns, improper body mechanics, and spending long periods of time seated, muscles in the body can become chronically tense, tight and contracted, causing them to become less strong and supple. Regular stretching helps to improve overall function by ensuring that the body can more effectively respond to the stresses imposed by various types of daily movement and activity.

6. May reduce risk of injury: Although the evidence is far from definitive, there are some promising findings regarding the role that stretching may play in helping to reduce the risk for injury.

7. Enhanced performance: When included as part of a well-rounded fitness routine, regular flexibility training, can help enhance agility, power, speed and muscular strength.

8. Improved blood flow and circulation: Regular flexibility training can help to improve blood flow and circulation, thereby allowing for the enhanced transportation of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body.

9. Minimized wear and tear on joints: When muscles become chronically tight and tense, opposing muscles become weakened, producing unnecessary wear and tear on various joint and structures within the body. Regular stretching helps to ensure the muscles on each side of a joint maintain an equal degree of pull so that the joint is able to move freely and efficiently in all directions, allowing for optimal movement and less stress on the body.

10. Improved quality of life: Although there are physiological changes that occur as we grow older, regularly stretching and performing range of motion exercises can improve flexibility at any age, helping to increase longevity and enhance overall quality of life.

See you on Wednesday!