Happy Birthday to #ChrisHemsworth! We lo

Happy Birthday to #ChrisHemsworth! We love that your into dogs too!

#CelebrityBirthdays #Birthdays #Celebrities http://ow.ly/i/lSXLe

#FitCoin is an app that taps into your fitness tracking device

#FitCoin is an app that taps into your #fitness #trackingDevice to convert the length & intensity of your workout into digital currency! http://htl.li/Kp6i9

#fitfam #digitalcurrency #bitcoin #fitlife #workout #fitfab #besuper #fitnesswear #fitnessgear

5 Small Steps to a Long Lasting Positive Change in Your Body

5 Small Steps to a Long Lasting Positive Change to Your Body
As the owner and head health coach for Posh Fitness I always recommend small steps to making any permanent changes to your behavior & hence your body. Here are some of the first steps/tips I give:
1. Try eating a vegetable at almost every meal. This will increase the amount of nutrients and the fiber you eat .
2. Take a multivitamin/mineral. Ensuring that you’re getting all of the nutrients your body needs will allow your body to let go of fat and work with you toward your weight loss goals. Not getting enough nutrients makes your body think you’re starved or missing out so it will work against you in weight loss. Taking a multivitamin/mineral is an easy preventative fix.
3. Don’t work out too much. Change should come gradual and although your will power is high in the New Year it is natural for your interest to peter out. Therefore, work out as little as possible to get the results you desire. You can always dial it up more as you get more fit. Taking this approach will ease you into fitness without the risk of injury and prevent burn out.
4. Eat according to your activity level. Eat less on days that you don’t work out and more on the days that you do. You need to have a caloric deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose one pound so aim to eat 250 calories less on workout days while burning at least 250 calories at the gym. On the days you don’t work out eat 500 calories less to make up for the lower activity.
5. Measure progress. Use apps like MyFitnessPal to track your progress. Measurements should include weight, body circumferences, body fat percentage as well as meal & workout tracking. Progress should be measured to keep you motivated and to let you know what is and isn’t working. If taking bodyfat measurements be sure to use a seasoned personal trainer or nutritionist to measure it properly with calipers.
http://ow.ly/i/87LcA

I always like my clients to know that I practice everything I preach

I always like my clients to know that I practice everything I preach so I sometimes like to make inspirational videos showing me working out. If you like I’ll show more! http://youtu.be/Dtyd_qPvxEo

Kettlebell Clean Preparation: Straddle k

Kettlebell Clean
Preparation:
Straddle kettlebell with feet slightly wider apart than shoulder width. Squat down with arm extended downward between legs and grasp kettlebell handle with overhand grip. Position shoulder over kettlebell with taut low back and trunk close to vertical.
Execution:
Pull kettlebell up off floor by extending hips and knees. Once kettlebell is off of ground, vigorously raise shoulder above kettlebell while keeping it close to body. Jump upward extending body. Raise shoulder and pull kettlebell upward with arm allowing elbow to bend out to side, keeping kettlebell close to body. Drop under kettlebell, rotating arm under kettlebell. Catch kettlebell on outside of arm with wrist straight while moving into partial squat position. Extend both legs.
Return:
Drop kettlebell by pulling elbow back. Immediately hop upward with elbow pointed outward continuing to hold on to kettlebell handle as it falls. Decelerate decent of kettlebell as heels make contact with ground and arm straightens. Lower kettlebell to ground between legs while squatting down with taut lower back and trunk close to vertical.
http://ow.ly/i/7nvry

Kettlebell Clean

Here is a picture for you to save or print to show you how to execute a kettlebell clean.

Sugar accelerates aging process as much

Sugar accelerates aging process as much as smoking does, U.S. study says http://htl.li/Dt73o

Lateral Lunge Pass & Press:

Lateral Lunge Pass & Press: Hold the kettlebell in your right hand at shoulder height, elbow bent (A). Take a big step to the left and sit back into a side lunge, passing the weight under your left knee and grabbing it with your left hand (B). Release your right hand and press through your left heel to return to standing, (C) raising the kettlebell to your left shoulder and then press. That’s one rep.
Alternate sides for 15-20 reps.

Old Adage for the Size and Timing of Meals Seems to Be Correct for Weight Loss

It appears the old adage to “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper” may be good advice after all according to a new study by the International Journal of Obesity.  Of course many personal trainers, health coaches and nutritionists already knew and taught this but now we have scientific proof that it works.  As a health coach I would take it a step further and advise a client to surround the highest calorie meals around their workout.  Think of it as calories on demand nutrition.  I’m going to discuss this in a future article that will show you exactly how to spread out your meals, by calories and by macronutrients, i.e. protein, carbohydrate and fat.  Meanwhile take a look at the study below to see how timing is important to the success of weight loss.

Garaulet, M. et al. (2013). Timing of food intake predicts weight loss effectiveness. International Journal of Obesity.  

 

By Peter Marino, the owner and health coach of PoshFitness.com.

How to Get Your Abs Cut

Peter Marino at 3% body-fat!

Most people want to look their best, especially during the warmer spring/summer months when people dress lighter. To look your best, many people focus on strengthening and tightening up their stomach muscles. If you look online you can find many stomach exercises to consider for your exercise program. So which exercises would be best for you whether you’re a beginner or advanced trainee?

There are a few things to consider before choosing the actual exercise program to strengthen and shape your midsection. Since no exercise program will yield results if you don’t consistently workout the first thing you need to do is pick a program you are willing to complete and stick with. The second thing to consider is to choose a set of exercises that work all the various muscles groups that form the abdomen from the obliques to the upper and lower abdominal muscles. Lastly, you must be willing to embark on a healthy but lower calorie diet that will help you reveal those abdominals you’re working so hard on from the fat tissue covering them up.

Crunches have always been a popular and effective stomach exercise. Regular crunches work the front stomach muscles while side crunches work the obliques more so. Crunches are not perfect though, and for some it can cause back and neck strain.

An example of a crunchless stomach muscle exercise is called the vacuum which is practiced by many bodybuilders and yoga instructors but often overlooked by the mainstream. It is a lower abdominal and transverse abdominus core exercise (transverse abdominus is important at keeping your gut from protruding, especially as you get older). To perform the exercise pull the lower abdominal muscles at the belly button inward toward your spine and hold for 10-25 seconds performing 2-4 sets. This really works abdominal muscles that you probably weren’t even aware of. This type of exercise is done while kneeling or when lying on your stomach. This exercise also eliminates the back and neck strain you may get with a normal crunch and is a great alternative to crunches when trying to prevent lower back pain.

A long arm crunch involves lying on your back and with knees bent and feet flat. Put your arms straight back as if to reach over your head and then contract your stomach muscles slowly and lift your arms head and shoulders off the floor to about a 30 degree angle. Hold this position for a few seconds and then slowly go back to your original position. Repeat 15-30 times for a set.

The hip lift involves lying on your back with arms at your sides and palms up. Then lift your legs straight to about a 90 degree angle to your torso and hold. Now contract your lower abdominal muscles at your belly button to your spine. At the same time, lift your hips off the floor to a height of 2-3 inches and hold there, your legs still being held straight upward. Then lower your hips back to the floor and repeat for 10-30 reps (depending on abdominal strength) for a set.

Another good stomach muscle exercise is called the plank. Get into pushup position on the floor.  Now bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms (a high plank is staying in the pushup position, a low plank is performed on your elbows). Your elbows should be placed directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Hold the position for as long as you can. Your goal should be to hold it for one to two minutes. Once you can do this exercise for one to two minutes try raising one foot off the ground then switch feet every 20 seconds. You may also bring your knees off to the side and up to your waist for increased difficulty.

A Pilates workout is also great for the stomach muscles because each Pilates exercise focuses on strengthening the core of the body. Almost every movement in Pilates will work the stomach muscles directly or indirectly so Pilates is a good choice to consider.

No routine would be complete without mentioning the Russian twist. There are two versions of the Russian twist; one with feet touching the ground and one with feet off the ground. The latter is more advanced of course and should be performed by more advanced trainees. To perform the Russian twist sit on the floor with your knees bent at about a 45 degree angle. Lean slightly back but do not round your spine. It’s really difficult but very important to keep your back straight. Place your arms straight out in front of you if you’re not using resistance; if you are using a weight there may be a bend in your arms as to not fatigue the arms before the abdominals. Pull your navel to your spine slightly and twist at a slow to moderate speed to the left and then to the right. The movement emanates from the ribs rotating and not from swinging your arms. Perform 15-30 repetitions.

There are dozens of more stomach muscle exercises out there not mentioned here so I have inserted a great abdominal workout video by Jillian Michaels for more great abdominal/core exercises below. Next article will help you out with a diet plan that can help you reveal those hard worked abdominals.

 

By Peter Marino, owner of PoshFitness.com a Westchester NY in home personal training company.