Tabata Training - Just Do It!

Some of you may have heard of this style of training, but for those who haven't, here is what its all about.  The Tabata Workout is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes.  That means you can fit in a full body interval workout in under 20 minutes!

Note the 10-second rest periods in the Tabata workout are important, both physically and mentally. Not only do they allow partial recovery, they also provide psychological relief. Switching back and forth from work to rest makes the workout go quickly. Plus, it allows you to train at a higher level of intensity, which what intervals are all about.

Sound exhausting?  Well, it is, but the results are truly amazing.  You can apply this protocol to almost any exercise, and the more muscles you use, the better.  Some examples of great exercises to do are Burpees, Squats, Skipping, or Push Ups just to name a few.

Your challenge this week:  step outside your comfort zone and incorporate a Tabata-style workout to your repertoire.  Be sure to have a watch or timer, or pick up my favourite which is the GYMBOSS Interval Timer.  You can also download the GYMBOSS app for iPhone and iPad for free from the App store!

Let`s Stop Killing Our Kids

If its one thing that breaks my heart more than overweight, out of shape adults its overweight kids.  In our world of technology, social networking, texting - you name it - more people are spending more time on their ass than off of it, and the biggest losers in all of this are our kids.

If you are over the age of 30, you know what its like to have a conversation in person with an actual living, breathing person or to talk on the phone.  Going out and socializing and playing sports was just part of life for a lot of us, but today, exercise and proper nutrition have gone the way of the Do-Do Bird due to "busy lives" and the ever-elusive thing called Time.  Honestly, I say bullshit to this - its just another excuse.

Eating clean, healthy food definitely takes more effort than going through the drive-thru, but in the end, that time you think you are saving now will only get docked off the end of your life when you are dealing with deteriorating health.  Sounds harsh, I know, but people just don't get it.

I got this awesome article in a newsletter I subscribe to called 9 Unhealthiest Kid Foods, so take a few moments to have a read and see how you can find ways to make improvements in your own family.  Remember, small changes can have the best long-term effects, so this isn't about doing a complete 360 in the kitchen, but about baby steps towards positive change.

Have Cooler, Eat Clean

If you have not heard of "clean eating" then you have been living with Osama in a cave in Afghanistan, in a coma, or buried under a pile of fast-food menus.  One of the best books I have purchased in a long time is the Eat Clean Diet Recharged, by Tosca Reno.  Inside this treasure trove of healthy eating are what's called "Cooler Plans".  Basically, different levels of a clean eating diet that require you to pack a cooler full of healthy, clean foods each day to ensure you stay on track and fuel your body with goodness and not badness.

I am extremely proud of my eating, but lately my schedule has gotten so crazy that I feel like I have not been true to my food, so decided to go forth with a cooler plan, specifically Cooler 1.  This is the most restrictive and hard core of the plans in the book, but if followed correctly, the results can be incredible.  Its not a huge stretch for me since my diet is already very clean, but today I am craving carbs!!  Not the good, complex carbs you are allowed when you eat clean, no - that would be too simple.  It is Day 2 and I want to devour a bowl of pasta!  I can't remember the last time I ate pasta, but there it is, taunting me with its starchy loveliness.  Damn you pasta.