Fitness on the go

The challenge to work fitness into business travel

Just got back from a three-day business trip. Traveling can be a real challenge to stay fit. Lots of sitting on the flights as well as sitting in meetings. There's dessert and alcohol temptations as well.

I managed to do a decent job in the hotel workout room in the mornings for about 25-30 minutes of combined cardio and weights. The effort was fair, but as I've said recently, an effort is better than no effort.

I found an article on work-outs for those on the go and share it. I hope it helps you find new ideas and stay motivated.

Former Biggest Loser Contestant Update

Jay and Jennifer Jacobs 

Biggest Loser Season 11 finalist, Jay Jacob, and his daughter Jennifer have struggled since leaving the show. You may recall that Jay was voted off in week 7 and returned in week 12. Jay did have a decent performance overall and lost a little over 45% of his body weight. He ultimately lost out to Irene Alvarado for the 3rd finalist spot at the finale weigh-in. It seemed to me that Jay was never really checked-in after his return to BL in week 12. Like father, Jennifer also lost around 40% of her body weight.

Both Jay and Jennifer appear to have struggled with regaining the weight and are striking out to something new. They will be partnering with the author, Jonathan Bailor, to try out his program, the Smarter Side of Slim. .

The program says that it focuses on eating and a smart approach to exercise. You can check out the book, The Smarter Side of Slim (affiliate link).

You can check out more information about Jennifer and Jay as well as information regarding the program at the Smarter Side of Slim blog.

Just Gotta Run

End of the summer season and start of school is coming rapidly, and I've switched my workout routine a bit. Motivation and time have both been problems lately, Going to the gym just isn't as appealing these days.

It's important to keep some focus and realize that an effort and a game plan are better than nothing.



Lower intensity workouts like a slow jog or a brisk walk are still a good fitness tool. You'll have to walk longer to burn the same amount of calories that a short, more intense workout would burn. However, when you are working at a lower intensity, you burn fat for your energy.

Combining a jog or brisk walk with some basic exercises like crunches or push-ups provides additional benefit.

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid for Bodybuilding Success

Have you been visiting the gym, or working out at  home, for a long time but still haven't met the fat loss/muscle mass levels you want?  Maybe the problem is one of these five reasons:

1.  Do you have a training plan that is suitable for your level of fitness?  If you try to do too much, too soon, you may get frustrated and quit.  Or if you don't even have a plan, you can feel scattered and not organized.  You can spend more time trying to decide what to do, than actually doing anything.  Talk to a personal trainer at your gym and have him/her help you develop a plan tailored just for you.

2.  Besides a good training program, you need to  have a sensible meal plan that will enable you to lose fat and increase muscle mass.  You have to eat properly so you supply your body with what it needs to recover from your training and give you adequate energy.

3.  Have you set realistic goals?  Do you know what you want to accomplish with your body building training?  It is essential to have a clear picture of what you want your final results to be.  You need to identify and focus on this target each and every day.  At night, before you go to sleep, visualize what you want to look like and keep a "vision board" where you see it often.  On this vision board, put pictures to inspire and motivate you to keep working towards your goals.

4.  If you expect to just take supplements to reach your goals, you must realize that supplements only work hand-in-hand with your training regime and a good body building diet.  Supplements by themselves won't get you where you want to go.  Get your diet and workout programs finalized and then add supplements.

5.  Make sure you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night.  This is when your muscles grow.  They become fatigued during a workout and need time to rest and recover.  Don't waste your workout efforts by not getting enough rest!  Remember, also, that if you are lacking in adequate rest, your body produces more cortisol.  This adds body fat and reduces muscle mass.  If you have trouble falling asleep, try not to eat late in the evening, don't watch disturbing programs on television, don't do something that requires intense concentration, and try to spend time just relaxing and being calm before it's time to go to bed.

Achieve Fitness by Swimming

U.S. Men's 2012 Olympic Swim Team 

The London 2012 Olympics got me thinking about different exercise programs for fitness. Swimming is an often overlooked fitness approach that has some benefits.

Swimming is an option for those who are injured with reduced exercise options. Here are some reasons to consider a swimming program for exercise.


1.  Swimming is probably the gentlest aerobic exercise available to you!  Unlike jogging, aerobic dancing, or even brisk walking, it doesn't damage your joints, bones, or feet.  If you are overweight, have joint problems, or have been injured, this is the perfect exercise for you.  It's great for people with arthritis as it improves the body's fitness without pressure, which could make some ailments worse.

2.  The water in the pool is a form of resistance, and as your body moves through the water, the resistance improves your muscle tone.  Your body becomes more flexible and your cardio fitness also improves.

3.  Take a class at your a local YMCA, gym, or health club.  Even public pools offer classes.  You may not need many lessons to relearn the proper way to do the different strokes, but having these lessons can make your swimming workout more effective.  Learn a variety of strokes so you can vary your workouts as your fitness increases.

4.  Find different places for your swimming workouts.  You can chose to go to a public pool, swim outdoors, go to the local YMCA, or a community center.  Maybe you have a friend who has their own pool!  Vary your routine so sometimes you are swimming indoors and other times you are swimming outdoors where you can enjoy nature.

5.  If you are extremely out of shape, learn strokes that are not as intense as others.  As you gain in fitness, you can add more strenuous strokes and vary your workout.

6.  As with any exercise program, be sure to check with your doctor before you begin.  Even if you have a health concern that precludes other exercise regimes, you might be able to begin swimming with the aid of a kickboard, paddles, or flippers.  This is also true if you have recently been injured and are still recovering.  There is no reason you cannot begin an exercise regime, with the consent of your doctor, to decrease the time it takes to recover and begin getting your body totally in shape.

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High protein food sources

I'm a big fan of cooking light. The magazine has tons of recipes and articles that help and motivate me for healthy living and healthy eating.

I ran across an article on Cooking Light on daily protein needs to build muscle and share it here.

Easy-to-Follow Weight Training Program For Beginners

Are you ready to get into shape, or improve the shape you're already in?  This muscle and basic-strength weight training program may be just what you need.

As with any new exercise program, visit your healthcare professional first to see if there are any restrictions on what you can do.  Also, changing your eating habits to eat a healthy diet will go a long ways towards increasing your fitness and safeguarding your health.

Before you begin this formal program, remember that any plan works well if it's designed for your body and fitness goals.  Talk to a personal trainer at your health/fitness club to see what he/she advises.

You will be able to find the equipment and free weights you need at almost any health/fitness club.  If you prefer, and you have the equipment at home, you can do your workout there.

Remember, it's important to take your medical condition into consideration before beginning.  If you have injuries, joint damage, or have just had surgery, factor these conditions into your training routine.  As your fitness level improves, you can ramp your routines up a little bit at a time.

Here are the steps to follow.  For each of the nine exercises, do one set of twelve repetitions, gradually increasing the number of repetitions, so by week eight, you are up to three sets of twelve repetitions:

1.  Warm Up:  The best way to warm up is with aerobics.  This should only take ten minutes or so.

2.  Squats or Leg Presses:  If you're just beginning, leave the squats for later and use the machine leg press for starters.

3.  Chest or bench press.

4.  Dead Lift.

5.  Crunch.

6.  Seated cable row.

7.  Triceps push down.

8.  Lateral pull down.

9.  Over head press.

10.  Biceps curl.

11.  Cool down and stretch - Yoga stretches would be nice to incorporate into your cool down.

Pay attention to your form or have a friend or someone at the health club "spot" for you to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly for the maximum benefit.

Talk to the personal trainer at the health fitness club to determine how long you should rest between repetitions.  This will depend on what your fitness goals are.  Also, have him/her help you determine how heavy your beginning weight should be.  There are a lot of different formulas to help with this.