20 minute Jump Rope Workout

20 minute jump rope workout. 

Repeat this 4 times 

2 minute boxer shuffle,

 I minute in/out jumps ( like jumping jacks), 

30 seconds right leg only, 30 seconds left leg only, 

one minute high knees, 

then rest 30 second! 

Good luck! 

Use it or Lose it... Time to be Proactive instead of Reactive

Wake up calls can be the catalyst to changing up unhealthy habits and lifestyles. Your doctor diagnoses you with diabetes, you have no choice but to exercise and watch your diet. You realize you can't walk up a flight of stairs without heaving and gasping for breath,  you know you need to quit your smoking habit. Maybe a family member has to go through extensive heart surgery, from high high blood pressure and clogged arteries, as a result of not exercising and eating unhealthy their whole life.  Maybe a friend's liver fails because they have been drinking heavily for the last 10 years... Maybe your lower back is aching all the time, and you injure it at work because your core is weak..... When your health begins to effect the quality of your  life, it can really be an eye opener, a game changer. Your health is priceless. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are unhealthy and weak, your quality of life will be poor.

But why wait until you get to that point? Start being proactive about your health now, before it's too late. It's selfish not to take care of your body. If you are a parent, you need to stay healthy to provide for your family and be a role model for your children. It's not fair to your  spouse or partner if you don't take pride in your health, your looks will diminish faster, you won't be a good lover, your life span will be shorter...  It isn't fair to your grand children, if you won't be able to play and enjoy a healthy life with your grand kids. It isn't fair to your family and friends that want to spend as much time on this planet with you as possible... You owe it to yourself and the people you love to treat your health with utmost importance.
Why wait until you get to the point of no return?

Don't be reactive and wait till you hit the absolute rock bottom! Be proactive about your health and the way you want to live out the rest of your life. Eat healthy, exercise, manage your stress, try to be the best human you can be, not only for yourself but for those that care about you. Don't wait until it's too late to do anything. It's tough to exercise when you are extremely overweight, don't let yourself get to that point! Strengthen your  body and core to prevent injuries! It's much tougher trying to get back to the gym or an exercise regimen  after a back or knee surgery. Quit smoking now, instead of waiting 10 years down the road, and seeing your skin and lungs health suffer.  Today is the first day of the rest of your life, it's never too late to make positive changes in your life.

If you are overweight, smoke, drink excessively,  addicted to drugs, sedentary, extremely stressed out-  you really need to give yourself a wake up call. Sometimes it's tough to admit it, but it will save you a hell of a lot of complications down the road if you make the changes NOW!  Not only can a unhealthy lifestyle  cost you lots of money on health care bills, it can cost you your life.


Answer the following questions honestly. I believe that these are bare minimum  physical fitness  requirements for any healthy adult. And with this I mean, BARE minimum....  If you can help it, don't ever let yourself get to the point of not being able to do the following in your adult years... I'll give you some slack after 70! :)

Can you  speed walk, jog, or run a mile without stopping? (  running 8-10 minute per mile, jogging should take 10-12 minutes, walking 12-15 minutes)

Can you do one pushup from your toes?  From the knees if you are a women?

Can you do one pull up? Can you hold your chin above a bar for 5-10 seconds if you are a woman?

Can you do bench step ups for 2 minutes without having to stop. ( just stepping up and down on a bench)


I'm not trying to be harsh, but if you cannot complete the exercises above, you are teetering at borderline... it's time to turn it around, before it's too late.

Being able to jog, climb stairs, push and pull your body weight are all functional movements to living a healthy and normal life. What if you fall down, and need to get up quickly in an emergency? What happens if you don't have the strength to push yourself up?  What if your child is hurt at the park, and you need to run 400 meters to get a first aid kit, and you don't have the stamina?  What if your kids want to play tag, and you can't keep up or don't have the energy? What if you are attacked, and you can't run away, or you can't pull yourself up from a fall? What if you can't pick up a package at work correctly by using your legs, and put your back out?  I'm not trying to scare you, but by being fit and strong, you have more power and control over situations in your life. It's a nice feeling when you feel capable in your body.

So the motto, "use it or lose it" is really is true. If you don't incorporate exercise in your daily routine, your muscles wills start to atrophy... you will get weaker and weaker. A body with lower muscle composition, has a slower metabolism, so not only are you getting weaker, it's much easier to gain weight. It can be a viscous cycle.  As the years go by, you get weaker and weaker, and pack on the pounds... who can honestly say that's how you want your life to be?

Start by making small steps in the right direction towards living healthier lifestyle. Most of us know how to live a healthy lifestyle, it's really taking the steps and actually implementing what you need to do that is the tough part. It can be frustrating working with 45, 50 year olds that waited their whole life to exercise and eat right. It's tough to undo all the previous unhealthy years. Make the changes in your 20's or early thirties, before your unhealthy habits catch up to you! But whatever age you are, taking the steps to controlling your health and exercise habits is the smartest move you can make.   Not taking responsibility for your health is selfish. The outcome of being unhealthy can negatively affect your family and friends. You owe it to yourself and the ones that love you.

Ok, I'll step off my soap box. That was my rant of the day!

Cheers to your health!
Joc

Bringing Intention and Purpose to your workouts

I see the same mistake happen day in and day out at the gym.  People come to workout  with the intent to do something with purpose, something worthwhile, something to make a positive change. The problem? Although they have all the best intentions in the world...  they are treading water, not seeing results, not making the most of their time.  I  observe people coming in to work out, they are in a good mood usually, knowing that they are making an attempt to do something worthwhile and with meaning... but the second they hit the floor, a clueless expression hits their face. They look around at all the people lifting weights, doing classes, and wander into the cardio area.

"What are you gonna do today?"
"I think I'm just gonna do what I always do, maybe  some cardio on the elliptical or treadmill   and then abs, I don't know?"


Walking into a gym can be intimidating. There's lots of equipment, machines, gadgets, guys grunting,  that can make your experience overwhelming. But this is no excuse to bee line it to the nearest elliptical, pop on your headphones and zone out for an hour on a few episode of Friends.  Sure there's a few benefits to zoning out on cardio, it's a good stress reliever, great for a recovery workout, it lifts your spirits, and it's good for those who are just starting off. But most of us go to the gym for more... at least that's what I'm told when people come up to me asking questions and saying things like:

"How can I lose my belly?"
"I want to do 10 pushups from my toes,  but I'm too weak to do even one!"
"I want to lose this last 10 lbs, but I just can't!"
"How can firm my butt?"
"I want to do a pull up!"
"I workout for an hour a day, why aren't I seeing results?"
"I'm trying to improve my 5k time from last year, what should I do?"
"How do you get a six pack?"
"I just had surgery on my knee, how can I get my strength back?"

Ask yourself, why do you workout? What is your purpose and intention when you come to the gym?

Here's my answer.   I workout because it makes me feel better, I like to feel challenged. I love putting my body to the test, and pushing farther than I thought I could go. I like to feel and look fit, healthy and in shape. I like to feel like I'm getting stronger, faster, more flexible. I could go on and on... but you get the picture. We all have our reasons of why we exercise and workout, the point I'm trying to get to is that you must bring that purpose and intent with you to the gym, to every workout!

Before I head out to do my workout, I set aside a few minutes to think about the intention of my workout that day.   If it's a strength day,  I have my workout either printed out, written down or on my phone....
If it's one of my running days,  I have my speed work planned, or my mileage/time  goal set.  If I'm trying to get in my cardio and strength at the gym, I have a HIIT, Tabata etc workout planned and mapped out.  If it's a recovery workout, I decide on a light to moderate workout, and make time for stretching and using the foam roller, or doing some Yoga.  My point is.... don't waste your time aimlessly  when you get to the gym!
Have your game plan ready before you get to the gym!

What if you don't even know where to start in the first place? You've been doing the same thing for months, not seeing results, and it's getting frustrated right? Don't you want something to show for all that sweat?

Here's some advice that will help you get out of that rut, and bring some purpose to your workouts!  Break out of your comfort zone and back each and every workout with intention!

• Try taking new classes! Group exercise classes are a great way to break out of your routine. Being in a group dynamic pushes you, and it's a great opportunity to learn new exercises that you can incorporate in your own workouts.  If you want to improve your cardio endurance, try a Spin Class. If you want to strengthen your core, do an Ab class or Yoga class. If you want to tone up and lean out,  try a strength training class.  If you are looking to step it up to the next level, try  boot camp or Cross fit. There's so many classes out there now, there's sure to be one you find that suits your style and goals. 
• Hire a personal trainer to teach you how to safely work out efficiently and effectively. Most trainers will be more than happy to put you on a weekly routine, push you, and monitor your progress.
• Use an application like NTC for your smartphone, which guides you through simple, yet challenging workouts. http://www.nike.com/nikewomen/features/ntc?locale=en_HK
• Create a specific goal and train specifically for it. For example, if you are training for a half marathon, use a mapped out training guide such as Hal Higdon's plan and follow it... http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program
• If you plan on running on the treadmill, incorporate hills, sprints, interval training instead of doing the same level and same pace day in and day out.
• If you want to lose weight and lean out, then try HIIT, Tabata or Circuit training workout that maximize your time, burns calories, and build lean muscle. 

Bringing purpose and intent to your workout  will benefit you by maximizing your time,  having a game plan will keep you focused on your goals, and you will reap the rewards of training effectively. 

So, the next time you go to the gym or prepare for a workout, think about what you intend to accomplish that day or even that week for that matter.Write down your workout and game plan for the week, and then execute each day! Mapping out your week, and daily workouts  will keep you on point, help you manage your time and help you get to your next level of fitness! 

Good luck!

Shit girls say....

40 minute Challenge Workout of the week

40 minute workout challenge

Our Wednesday night class has been working really hard the last few months, so they were up to the 40 minute challenge today.

Here was the breakdown:

Equipment: Weights, Mats and a clock

Do 10 reps of each exercise and repeat for 40 MINUTES! Thats right! See how many rounds you can get in 40 minutes. A few people almost made it to 6 rounds completed, they were half way through the 5th round before the timer went off. 

1. Around the world lunge  Alternate legs (Forward, side and reverse lunge with dumbbells on shoulders. Count all 3 directions as one rep- so a forward, side and reverse lunge on left leg is one rep. )

2. Star Jumps   Squat low- legs close, hug knees to chest- explode up in the air like a jumping jack - legs and arms out and land in the low squat hugging knees

3. Triceps pushup Frogger combination.  Hands close together- aim chest hands - you can do these on knees on toes. Jump feet to outside of arms and back out.

4. Lateral Plank Jumps.  In plank position, jump both legs to the left, then both legs to the right, keeping core tight.

5. Dumbbell Reverse Fly with Row combination . One fly and one row- equate one rep

6. Tuck jumps   Jump up in air, bringing both knees up as high as you can

7. Sit up to squat with dumbbell. Squat to floor, roll back to a sit up, bring weight out in front for counter balance and squat back up

8. Snow Boarders. Get low in a squat, jump up in air, do 180 turn and land in squat stance, trying to touch the floor each time.

9. 4 high knees  4 mountain climber combination ( this was the toughest!)  One combo counts as one rep!

10. Burpees with a push up

This is a great workout if you want an efficient workout that combines cardio with strength.  You can do it almost anywhere!

20 minute Jump Rope Work out

Here's an intense, quick calorie blasting workout for you to try. This 20 minute workout is really similar to the Cardio Jump class I teach and is  great workout if you are short on time.

 Equipment:  Jump Rope, Watch or Timer

Take breaks when necessary- but your goal is to work the whole 20 minutes. I would not advise anyone with knee issues or knee injuries to do this workout.  Ideally you want to jump on a shock absorbent floor, such as wood.... stay away from concrete if you can!

Warm up with some light skipping

Do one minute of each of the following drills

1. Normal Skipping
2. Out/In Jumps
3. High Knees
4. Burpee Jacks

5. Normal Skipping
6. Cross Country Skiers
7. Alternating single leg jump
8. Lateral Hop Burpee Tuck Jumps

9. Up and Back Jumps
10. Front Kicks
11. High Knees
12. Forward and Backward hops with Tuck jump

13. Normal Skipping
14. Twisters
15. Alternating single leg jumps
16. 8 high knees and 8 mountain climbers

17. Normal Skipping
18. Out/In Jumps
19. Cross Country Skiers
20. Alternating single leg jumps!

Cool Down and Stretch

See Video Below for Demo