Generally I do not send you out to other websites.  You have so little time in the day to begin with that I'm lucky you even have time to read my blog much less go to a bunch of the other places I could send you. 

However today I am going to break that general rule of thumb.  I found a website that will give you a new fitness tip everyday for the entire month of January, pretty cool huh?  I think everyone needs a little bit of extra motivation once in a while.  Bookmark it and visit as often as necessary throughout the month.

Total Body Transformation Workout – I am going to be pretty busy over the next couple of days so I am going to give you days 4, 5 and 6 just in case I do not get the blog posts written.

Day 4 you will stretch the calves, chest and piriformis

Day 5 you will do 2×15 strength B workout and then foam roll the glutes, TFL and hamstrings

• Pushup
• Alternating lunge
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Dumbbell row
• Stability ball leg curl

Day 6 you will do an aerobic activity of your choice for 14 minutes and then do the shoulder sleeper stretch, spiderman stretch and the psoas stretch

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Breaking a habit is hard work, and for some next to impossible.  When you are trying to change a behavior I think you stand a far greater success rate if you know why the behavior is present in the first place.

For example, if you stop and grab take out on your way home from work most days because you are too hungry to make it to your house, you could pack a healthy snack and eat it in the car when you leave work. 

Knowing why you have the habits you do makes it so much easier to be able to break them when the time comes.

Total Body Transformation Workout – this will be day 13 in the workout program.  You actually have the day off enjoy it.  I am going to give you the next few days as I will be heading away for the weekend (taking the family tubing).

Day 14 you are going to foam roll the quads, lats and do the angel.

Congratulations if you have been following along and participating with Rob you have made it through the Get Moving Level.  If you can do 2 sets of 20 reps you are ready to move on to the Beginner level -4 Weeks.  If you still feel like 2 sets is pushing it a little just go back and repeat the second week one more time.

Day 1 of the Beginner level take a day off and enjoy it.

Day 2 you are going to do Strength A 2×15 it is a new round of exercises so be sure to check them out below:

• stability ball squat
• inverted row, hanging under a barbell
• inline lunge
• pushup
• straight leg deadlift

After you lift you will use a foam roll and roll the lats and perform the angel.

Enjoy your weekend.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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I have given you 5 fitness safety tips to help get you started.

1. First and for most always consult with your doctor before you begin any new exercise program.
2. Take a look at your shoes and the other articles of clothing you will use and make sure it is appropriate for your activity.  Exercising in old shoes is one of the leading causes of lower body overuse injuries.  If you are exercising in the elements make sure you are dressed appropriately and are well hydrated.  Remember the sunscreen if you are outdoors. 
3. When doing a new strength exercise for the first time start with about 50% of your actual weight and make sure you have good form and understand the exercise before you add.
4. Be sure to use reflective gear if you are outside in low visibility.
5. If you are using trails in unfamiliar areas do not use headphones and be sure to have a partner.  It is always a good idea to have some form of ID on your person.

I hope these tips will help keep you safe when you begin your fitness program.

Total Body Transformation Workout – You will perform 1-2 sets of 20 reps using workout B.  Use the same warm up you used when you did workout A.

Workout B

• Inline lunge
• Stability ball push up
• Dumbbell row
• Cook hip lift
• Hand/foot plank
• Dumbbell reverse fly

Enjoy your workout.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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2 years later here we are:

Weight: 201

Body Fat: 22.3%

Waist: 41 1/4 Inches

You may wonder how is this going to help you?  Think of Rob as your motivation and your workout partner.  He is going through the exact same things you are.  For the past year he has talked about needing to get back in shape, needing to eat more healthy and needing to be more active to name a few.

So what was the problem?  He knew what he needed to do, but the desire to actually do it was not there.  His why wasn't big enough.  The why is the most important factor when starting a fitness program.  It is your desire, your motivation, your action, your drive, your passion.  I think you get the point.  It is what will keep you going when week 3 hits and you want to quit.

I am going to give you every single workout I have put together for my husband to help you create your total body transformation.  Before you begin take some time and make sure you are ready.  Do you have your why and is it big enough?  Go to my 30 Days post and let us know what you are doing.

The first two weeks are the Get Moving Level.  A nice gentle warm up to get you moving again.  Day 1 you will perform the following workout - Strength A.

Warm up 1-2 rounds

• Inline lunge 10 each
• Push up 10
• Body weight squat 10

Strength A 1-2 sets 20 reps

• Stability ball squat
• Stability ball push up
• Dumbbell Reverse Fly
• Cook Hip Lift
• Plank
• Dumbbell Row

Over the next 12 weeks along with my regular posts I will continue to insert the daily workout.  Rob will also periodically leave a comment here and there to let you know how he is doing.  Feel free to leave one yourself and let him know how you are doing etc.  Good luck.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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• Squat
• Lunge
• Push-up
• Pull-up
• Deadlift

Of course she wanted to know more, what was my rationale for picking those exercises, why not the kickback or the leg curl?  Maybe had she given me more time to think I could have added a few more exercises to the list, but one thing's for sure it would not have included the kickback or the leg curl. 

Here's why – the kickback involves one very small muscle group to do the majority of the work (with a few muscles assisting).  The leg curl machine is the exact same thing except this time the machine does the assisting for you.  (And when is the last time you sat or laid down to activate your hamstrings in real life situations)?

Every exercise on my list involves multiple muscle groups and the exercises mimic things we do everyday in our daily routine.  The more you can make your body work for each exercise the better.  You can also combine exercises such as a squat with a bicep curl or a lunge-curl. 

I still like my first answer best – just get moving a do what you like to do, but for those of you, like my lady who needed an answer there it is.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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New studies show exercising as little as 17 minutes a day can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Try this 8 minute workout the next time you think you would like to put some baby steps into your daily routine:

• Jumping Jacks
• Alternating Front Lunge
• Bicycle Crunch
• Push Up
• Prisoner Squat

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds take a 20 second break in between and repeat for 2 rounds.  If this workout is too hard or you do not have 8 minutes to spare just do 1 round instead.  Enjoy.

 Stay Motivated,

Karen

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• Bicycle
• Floor Bridge
• Push-up
• Lunge
• Inchworm
• Quadruped Hip Extension
• Squat Jumps
• Mountain Climbers

Depending on your fitness level perform each exercise anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute with up to 30 seconds rest in between exercises.  For a tougher workout do not rest between exercises.  Try to build up to 4 circuits.  If you find you are conditioned enough for 1 minute of exercise but are not strong enough to do 1 minute worth of push ups try this variation.  Do the exercise until you fatigue and then for the remainder of the time add jumping jacks into the mix.

 This body weight workout is great when you are traveling and do not have access to a gym.  Print it and go.  Short on time?  In 8 short minutes you could hit every body part. 

It is a good idea to always check with your health-care provider before beginning any exercise routine.

Stay Motivated, 

 Karen

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1. Intermediate Metabolic Workout As promised here is the video for the intermediate metabolic...

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