Built to last – Fitness Challenge – Day 9

Hi! Last workout this week.

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, delts, and triceps. This is the exercise list:

1. Alternating Shoulder Tap Plank – 40 seconds
2. Mountain Climbers – 40 seconds
3. REST – 20 seconds
4. Resistance Band Squat – 40 seconds
5. Bodyweight Backward Lunges – 40 seconds
6. REST – 20 seconds
7. Hand Release Push Ups – 40 seconds
8. Resistance Band Shoulder Press – 40 seconds
9. REST – 20 seconds
10. Standing 1 arm Triceps Extension (Left) – 40 seconds
11. Standing 1 arm Triceps Extension (Right) – 40 seconds
12. REST – 20 seconds

Once you have finished the third round:

COOL-DOWN/STRETCHING

1. Lying Quad Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
2. Lying Quad Stretch (right) – 40 seconds
3. Hurdler Hamstring stretch (left) – 40 seconds
4. Hurdler Hamstring stretch (right) – 40 seconds
5. Standing Chest Stretch – 40 seconds
6. Standing Triceps Stretch (left) – 40 seconds
7. Standing Triceps Stretch (right) – 40 seconds

Eating to succeed

The suggested food for today was Quinoa. 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: Eggs. Read my blog about the Eggs health benefits.

Trainer Tip: #4 Drinks That Can Help You Lose Weight

Is what you drink affecting your ability to lose weight? The short answer is yes. Liquid calories play a huge part in our health, and the amount you consume is directly related to your ability to control the number on that scale. Beverages go down quicker and easier than food. But that’s also the definition of “mindless” consumption: not paying attention while we’re doing other things.

Sodas, as most of you know, are liquid sugar. But that’s also true of many other beverages, including energy drinks, iced lattes, bottled green teas, smoothies, sports drinks, alcoholic beverages, sweetened teas and, yes, even those fresh-pressed organic juices from your local juice bar. Most of these contain a lot of sugar and very little fiber to help keep you full. A few hundred calories per day can add up quickly, as many people fail to factor liquid calories into their daily intake.

Most sodas, bottled teas, energy drinks and sports drinks have sugar and calories listed on the container. Always read labels, and choose beverages with little- to no-added sugar and calories.

Alcohol is where things can get tricky, as calories, fat, sugar, and carbohydrates aren’t required to be listed on labels. With 7 calories per gram of alcohol, it’s the second most concentrated source of calories, more than both carbohydrates and fat. It’s also absorbed directly into the bloodstream, meaning your body doesn’t burn extra calories in order to process and break it down. Many of today’s trending craft beers have as much as 200–250 calories per pint, and that’s just for one. Wine has around 120 calories per 5-ounce pour if you can limit it to just a glass. Cocktails mixed with sodas, simple syrups, and tonic waters add up quickly, too. Limiting alcoholic beverages is one of the first steps you can take for successful weight loss.

But wait: The good news is there are a few things (other than water) that you can start sipping that may aid your efforts to shed some pounds. Drinking to promote better hydration, sleep and digestion can also help with weight-loss efforts.

1. Green Tea: Drinking green tea regularly may not only boost your fat-fighting metabolism but may also play a key role in weight maintenance and hunger suppression. Green tea is also brimming with antioxidants and flavonoids that are good for overall health. Drink freshly brewed tea with no added sugar or cream. Bottled store-bought varieties have fewer antioxidants (the concentration decreases the longer tea sits after brewing) and are often pumped full of honey or sugar.

2. Coffee: A 2015 study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that participants could do almost 20% more leg presses and 12% more bench presses when they drank 2–3 cups of coffee before their workout. A similar 2011 study found an increase in energy expenditure both before and after exercise in the group that drank coffee before exercise. In addition, coffee positively affects the hormones that help improve blood-sugar regulation. Maintaining stable blood sugar is essential to your well-being, overall fitness, regulating your hormones and plays a role in how much fat your body is able to store and burn. But before you get too excited, I recommend you skip the sugar and heavy cream, the benefits noted above are singular to black coffee, not the mostly sugar and milk-based lattes, frappes, and mochas from Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts, which sell drinks that may contain more than 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar!

3. Kombucha: This fizzy, pleasantly puckery fermented beverage is made by adding a probiotic-rich bacteria to lightly sweetened tea. More and more research is looking into gut health and how it relates to obesity and weight, finding that the millions of bacteria that live in our guts may play a large role by altering the way we store fat, how we balance blood sugar and how we respond to the hormones that make us feel hungry and full. Fueling our gut with beverages and foods that stimulate good bacteria may make losing weight easier than we ever thought possible. Kombucha is readily available in most supermarkets and comes loaded with probiotics, just be sure to look for brands with less than 5 grams sugar per serving.

4. Turmeric Milk Tea: I’ve said it here before: Sleep is essential for more efficient weight loss. Drinking turmeric-steeped warm milk before bed may help you catch more sleep. The brain uses calcium and tryptophan (both of which are found in dairy products) to make sleep-inducing melatonin. Turmeric contains a component called curcumin, which may shrink the size of adipose cells and limit fat accumulation. Curcumin also stimulates antioxidant effects, reduces inflammation and may help relieve anxiety. Research on turmeric is still young, but it certainly can’t hurt to add this warming spice to your nightly routine.

Wish you a great weekend!