Training Tuesday (8/31/10)

Training Tuesday #1

First of all let me apologize for missing the first post for Meal Mondays, I became overwhelmed with work and school that I did not get a chance to post a recipe for you guys. I will try to make up for it next week with something really great. For now, check out this delicious stuffed bell pepper recipe Here. Definitely one of my favorites and you can change it up anyway you like!

Alright so let's jump into training Tuesdays. My goal for each Tuesday post is to present you guys with a new routine or exercise that you may or may not have heard of yet. Since we are still on the topic of being specific, many of these routines I present may really seem out of the ordinary or pretty interesting.

This is important as it keeps the working out scene fresh and not cluttered with the same old "bench press" ideology.

So for this post I will be talking about a great workout for your forearms. This one involves getting some type of small bar or "short pole" and attaching a small nylon rope to it to where you can roll the rope around it. (If you can makeshift one you can always order one if you would like, they are known as "wrist rollers" and can be purchased here)

They key here is to add some weight at the end of this rope and let it hang down. With your arms fully extended straight out in front of you, your goal is to use only your forearms and wrist to twist the bar/pole around until the rope has completely wrapped around and the weight has come up. Slowly lower it back down and repeat.

This workout may seem silly but trust me, after a few repetitions of this your forearms will be burning in no time. Try doing 3 sets of 8 to start (one up and down is a rep), increase or decrease accordingly.

People oftentimes neglect certain areas of the body such as the forearms. A simple exercise like this though thrown into any routine can really balance things out!

Good luck!

Shannon

Fitness Friday (8/27/2010)

First Post for Fitness Friday

Well unfortunately, I was unable to post for Thursday due to conflicts in my schedule but I will make up for it here with my Friday post.


I'm thinking fitness Friday is an appropriate title for this day, as this and future posts will be a general rounding up of the week when pertaining to the ideas discussed over the previous days.

Now obviously this will be a bit difficult on this post, as we have yet to do our other days but it will all be in good time. So I figured to start this one off we could at least discuss the importance of planning out a good weekend while still remaining physically sound.

To me, if you take physically fitness (or anything for that matter) TOO seriously then you wind up disliking it and often times "rebelling" against it. I see this happen far too often with many people, especially when the weekend rolls around.

I generally see one of two things coming from someone who is regularly active as the weekend approaches.

-One, the person is so convinced that they do so much physical activity and eat healthy that the weekend is a complete free pass to do anything and everything for two to three days straight and then get back into the rhythm on Monday.

-Two, the person is so wrapped up in the fitness lifestyle that the weekends are a mere two days that allow for more time to be in the gym, eating healthy, etc. thus missing out on having any sort of life outside of the fitness one they know.

As with anything, the happy medium must be met between these two extremes. Do you have to find it? Well, no of course not. You may be perfectly happy with doing one of the above and I'm not one to say otherwise.

However, looking at the normal person he/she would likely do much better finding that central balance.

For example, many physically sound people often discount fast food and look upon it as if it should top the list of the worst sins that can be committed. However, everything in moderation is actually what we should all be leaning towards.

I myself used to use a method somewhere along these lines: I would eat correctly and healthy for the week, and allow myself a fast food outing perhaps once a week. Yes I know, we are stepping into the "cheat meal" territory but I myself hate that term.

Cheat meal? To me this makes working out and staying physically fit sound like an exam that nobody wants to take which makes the idea of fitness THAT much less appealing.

Anyway, this is a more general post (you can expect them to be more specific next week) to get things rolling but there is more to come.

I will have recipes, routines, and much more starting next week so please stick around!

Have a good weekend!

-Shannon

New "Specific" Ideas

Time to Follow My Own Advice

So I have recently been posting and talking about the importance of being specific when it comes to not only physical fitness, but living everyday life. Well I think it is time that I practice what I preach.

I have a few new ideas that I will try out for this blog in hopes that I can reach a larger audience as well as present more information that is more easily accessible.

My thought process is this: people love organization and things broken up into bite sized pieces when it comes to almost anything. With this idea in mind I figured that I should apply this concept to this blog about specific fitness.

From here on out I will post a different style post everyday that is - you guessed it - specific to whichever day of the week it is.

For example: I might do "Meal Mondays" or "Fitness Fridays", etc. By doing this hopefully overtime people will catch on and have a place that they can go to every day to get a new tidbit of information or perhaps a new delicious recipe.

With all of this in mind I truly hope that by narrowing down the contents of this blog to be more specifically catered to everyone, I will be able to really reach out and provide some content that anyone can enjoy.

Cheers!

Shannon

Just Dropping By

Just A Quick Hello

Hey everyone, just wanted to stop by really quick to share some thoughts and see how everything is going.

I know that right now the information I present is may seem minimal but getting such a broad spectrum of information across to the masses takes much time and effort.

I truly hope that over time more and more information, reviews, products, and more can be placed here for you guys to take a look at and enjoy. As always it is hard maintaining a blog and getting the right type of traffic to those you want to get your information out to. So if you guys ever have any ideas or comments please don't hesitate to contact me anytime!

I always check my email so if anyone has any questions related to fitness, this blog, or anything for that matter I would be more than happy to chat with you!

Have a great day!

Shannon

Staying Motivated

How Being Specific Can Keep You On Track

As we have been talking about before the importance of specific fitness spans all areas of the physical fitness spectrum. This is important to understand because knowing how to apply this knowledge to a broader range of ideas and actions increases physical fitness success.

What is the one thing you have always been taught about reaching your goals? Take your ultimate (or larger goal) and break it down into smaller, more manageable goals until you reach your destination. This same concept can be applied here as well.

For example: You want to become the better soccer player that we have been discussing. Well what does that mean? Take a minute and really think about that. "Be a better soccer player." That statement in and of itself literally could mean ANYTHING.

This is where being specific comes into play. Take that statement and break it down into perhaps 3 to 5 more manageable details. For instance, I want to have more stamina, kick further, and run faster. Only after you have established these principles can you work toward each one individually.

The beauty of all this is the fact that often times when pertaining to fitness (and specificity of fitness) you will find that one goal you are working towards overlaps with another. So let's say you try to increase your speed. Well naturally you will get faster, likely have stronger legs (that lead to further kicking), and probably more stamina.

You just tackled the three goals without truly realizing it or over thinking it! This is why I stress the importance of being specific in almost anything you do.

Have a great one!

Shannon