The Gym as a Job

The gym, it's our get away right? It's a place we can all go and forget about the world for a while. But how serious do YOU take the gym? If you are dedicated to the gym, it is a job. You get paid to go to the gym. Not monetary wise, but you get paid off with your body and the enormous health benefits received. Since this is a job, how serious do you really take it?

This is a question that you need to have an answer too. Do you slack in the gym, or do you take it serious? Is it a social place, or a place where you really dedicate your time to making yourself better? I see people all the time at the gym that just don't look like they want to be there. If you don't want to be there, then QUIT! Don't do something and not give it your all. A job is to be taken seriously. How serious do you take your real job, how serious do you take class if you are a student? These are a bunch of questions that should really make you think.

If you don't take the gym seriously, you won't see results. It's a simple equation. If you don't work hard, you won't succeed. Just because you go to the gym, doesn't mean you will magically turn into Hercules. What matters is the work you put IN the gym, not the time SPENT in the gym. Saying you workout for two hours every day DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. You can spend 60% of the time, just talking to people and not working out. Saying you workout for 45 minutes, doesn't mean you didn't have a successful workout. 45 minutes is a lot of time if you don't slack. The person that goes balls to the wall for 45 minutes WILL get a better workout, than the person that sits in the gym for two hours and doesn't workout. It's not about the time PUT IN, but the work put INTO the time.

This is just like sitting in class. We can have two people that go to every class of the semester and spend the same amount of time in class. Do you know the difference between the two, even though they never missed a class? The difference is the amount of work put in. Just because you attended every class, doesn't mean that you know all the concepts and material. The one person takes notes every class, asks questions and LISTENS to everything the teacher is saying. The second person goes to class, sits in the back, no notebook, attempts to listen and sleeps half of the class. 

Do you see the difference between the two? Do you understand why it's about the work put into the time and not the actual time? Good. We're getting somewhere.

Tools To Stay Motivated Every Single Day

I woke up one recent Saturday morning feeling inspired. I don't know why, but I just felt motivated. I realize most days I DON'T wake up this way. This is our problem, most days we don't wake up motivated, most days we wake up NOT wanting to do whatever we have to do. We need to remind ourselves why we should be motivated and inspired every day we wake up. In a day we find more reasons on why NOT to do something, than reasons to actually do it. You usually come up with more excuses to not go to the gym, then actually reasons to go. There are people everyday that won't have the chance we had to continue our lives for another day, we should wake up feeling motivated every day because we have this chance.

I wanted to share a video series on youtube that is EXTREMELY inspiring and motivating. If you watched this every morning, I guarantee it would change the way you go about your days.

Part 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NwyXwn72kc

The speaker is Eric Thomas, who has to be one of the best motivational speakers I've ever come across. He's a high school dropout from Detroit, that NEVER gave up. Now, he has his Master's Degree and is working on his Ph.D. This guy makes me feel like I can wake up at 4 in the morning and run up and down Mount Everest five times. I listen to him a lot of times when I'm writing these blog articles, because I just feel like he makes me write better. Inspired writing is awesome stuff.

Watch this full Eric Thomas speech too, which was featured in the video series above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTFnmsCnr6g

It's okay that we have to remind ourselves to be motivated and to be inspired. Sometimes we forget, we're human, it happens. But, the key is to put motivation indicators in your life to remind you how you should attack each day. You should open those eyes every morning and read something, watch something, look at something that INSPIRES you. Give yourself something to remind yourself everyday to do everything in your power to win the day.

We have to do this everyday, because as humans we become complacent. You change for a day or two, then resort back to your old ways, its human nature. We say we will change, we do, but it's not permanent. We need to put things in our lives that remind us to be a certain way. I suggest you all watch these videos every morning. I guarantee it will change the way you go about life.

Eric Thomas also has some FREE mixtapes available, which will play his motivational speaking and stories behind instrumentals: http://etinspires.com/media/mixtape/

I've downloaded these to my phone, amazing stuff to have whenever you need some motivation. Have a big project at work, presentation at school; pop these in! I know I'll be listening to these before I head to class this semester for a presentation or test.

Sometimes we all need reminders or things to get motivated for the day. You may be surprised how much this stuff can actually impact your life. Whenever your feeling down, find something that motivates you. It can be a picture of something, a quote, music, just something that will turn your day down. We all need to be reminded to be motivated sometimes, because as humans complacency is natural unfortunately. I've given you some tools (Eric Thomas) to remain inspired and motivated. The rest is up to you. What will you do to make today the best it can be?

Cardio: A Way To Make It Fun

I don't know about you guys, but I HATE cardio! I probably hate cardio because today's form of cardio typically involves running on a treadmill staring at the same wall for twenty minutes, or the same on the eliptical. I HATE IT! I hate having to do cardio for 20-30 minutes after working out over an hour. I like my cardio in short, quick, and fast bursts so my mind can't even have the time to think of reasons to stop. This may just seem like I'm venting (that may be partially true), but I'm bringing this up, because theres an amazing cardio tool that you probably have laying around the house collecting DUST (costs less than $5 if you don't have one too). According to WebMD, you'd have to run an 8 MINUTE MILE to burn more calories than one would doing this secret form of cardio. Well, it's not really a secret, it's just forgotten about. Wanna know? Well..its....

JUMPING ROPE!

Yes, that’s right, jumping rope is this secret form of cardio I'm talking about. Who would of guessed? The jump rope is really a forgotten piece of equipment these days by everyone except one profession. Those would be boxers. Boxers are notorious for jumping rope, if you ever walk into a boxing gym, bet you'll hear a ton of thumps of the rope hitting the ground. These boxers don't jump rope for fun guys. They jump rope because of the amazing benefits it has. Think about attributes boxers need to be successful: speed, elusiveness, quickness, footwork, movement, endurance, stamina. The jump rope helps them excel in all these categories! I don't believe there is another piece of workout equipment that can give you as much bang for your buck as a jump rope can.

The best part about a jump rope is the bang for the buck you get. I just bought a new jump rope today at Marshalls. Here it is. It's actually a pretty sweet jump rope, and it was only $5.99. I know that site says $14.99, but trust me. You shouldn't be paying over $10.00 for your jump rope, hit stores like Ross and Marshalls, they carry quality jump ropes. Five Below even has a decent selection of ropes.

I like to do quick intervals when I'm jumping rope and vary the type of jumps I do. I suggest doing anywhere from 20-30 second intervals when starting and working your way up to 1 to 3 minute intervals of jumping rope. I prefer to take the same amount of time I do jumping as a break. So if I'm doing 30 second intervals, I'll jump for 30, break for 30, jump for 30, break for 30, etc. Doing these kind of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, really gets the heart pumping and the sweat racing. You people can keep your slow jogs at one pace, I'd rather jump my rope and get that heart rate going.

There's so many different things you can do with a jump rope too. I like to alternate between the basic jump, one legged jumps, and jogging jumps. I'm still learning too. The best thing about jumping rope is that there is always something different you can do. With an elliptical or treadmill, it's ALWAYS the same thing, just running and staring at a wall for 20 minutes, BORING. You can go on youtube and see all the different type of things you can do, it's really amazing the skill you can acquire if you work hard enough.

Check out these awesome jump roping videos, to see how far you can really take it if you want too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlbM7Mew0Ys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLAFbNQtm1U

Jump roping is a good form of cardio because it comes in quick bursts. Whenever I'm on the treadmill, I'll be on there for like 4 minutes and it feels like an hour. With the rope, I can combine a bunch of different things and make my own little circuit that kicks my ass in 20 minutes. But it isn't a dragging 20 minutes, its quick. Along with what I mentioned above, sometimes I like to set goals in my head when I jump. I'll say “Okay, I'm gonna go for 100 basic jumps and I'm not stopping until I get there”. After some of my sets, I'll take off for a jog around the yard for a few times. It's just a fun workout that doesn't feel like I'm watching paint dry like when I'm on a treadmill/elliptical. You can also freestyle, which is fun too. Free styling is just doing a bunch of different combinations of jump rope techniques and just having fun with it.

The jump rope is a great alternative for people who are tired of the deathmill and other cardio machines. It's just adding a little spice to your cardio workout. Plus, jumping rope can look pretty cool when you get good at it. The cardiovascular benefits are there and you will feel the rope working your heart when you get going. I'm all about finding FUN ways to do cardio, and this is definitely one of them. Try jumping rope and please let me know what you think. Look up some youtube videos and see how skilled you can get. It's always fun to look at something and imagine where you could be with a skill one day. Have a great weekend everyone!

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@Dcorrigan50

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A Beginner's Guide to Nutrition

THE INTRODUCTION

Last Wednesday we covered nutrition and why it is more important than training. Now, I want to go over some steps you can take to have a cleaner diet overall. Follow this guide and you should be on your way. It's not easy, but it will be worth it guys. Consider this a guide to a healthy nutrition. Any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

No fast food

This should be an obvious, but still needs to be stated. I don't need to explain how and why fast food is bad for you, its something anyone with common sense knows. 99% of the stuff is bad for you, even the salads. I worked at McDonald's for a summer and was surprised at how many salads we sold, none of it's fresh, all comes out of a bag from who knows where. Avoid at all costs. I rarely eat fast food, few times a year. You should be striving for the same, avoid the drive thru, go home and make a nice salad that will take less than five minutes. It is impossible to eat healthy at a fast food joint.

Understanding carb/fat/protein high foods

This is huge, especially so you don't overload on fats or carbs. Understanding this principle is key to having your nutrition balanced. Be able to identify foods by what macro-nutrient they represent. What I mean by this, is if your having dinner and you have a pasta/rice based side, you don't want to go and throw bread on your plate too. Pasta, rice, and bread are all full of carbohydrates, so you would definitely be putting way more carbs in your body than necessary in that meal. Always make sure to read the nutrition labels on EVERYTHING, your mind will be BLOWN when you find out how many carbs are in that mac & cheese.

Some high protein foods are chicken, lean beef/turkey, fish, milk, beans, avocados. High fat foods are mainly nuts, well that’s what I use for my GOOD fat source primarily. When you see these foods, they should scream carbs, protein, fats, not their actual name, so you can easier represent them and balance meals easier. A well balanced meal would be something like I had for dinner tonight. I had chicken, pasta, and a whey protein/flax seed/milk shake, and some nuts after. Hit all of my areas without going overboard in any category! Protein is a category where it is okay to overdo, because you are supposed to get around a gram of protein for every 1 lb you weigh (185 lbs = 185g of protein goal per day).

Base diet off of 3 basics

This is just to make things easier on you. If you have a diet that consists of roughly the same things that can cover your major macro-nutrients, then meal planning will be a lot easier. Like, my diet is based off of chicken, spinach leaves (salads), and nuts. This basically covers the three major macro-nutrient categories. Of course I eat things other than these three, but the basis of my nutrition is revolved around them. I know what I'm getting out of them and don't struggle to get any nutrition in that I'm missing. Usually pick a meat and two other foods that will cover fats/carbs (good ones) that you enjoy. Make sure you pick foods that have GOOD fats (nuts, nuts, more nuts) and GOOD carbs (spinach leaves are filled with fiber).

Cut down fried foods

The oils that foods are fried in are typically saturated with bad fats, although the taste is awesome. Severely limit these in your diet. Fried anything is NO GOOD for your body! Plus, I think fried foods just taste like a whole lot of grease, and who wants that? I think a sizzling piece of juicy grilled chicken tastes better than a piece of fat filled fried chicken! Don't you?

Understanding different fats, carbohydrates, etc.

In order to understand nutrition, you have to understand the different macro-nutrients and the different subsections of those macro-nutrients, the good and the bad. The key here is to be able to differ the good from the bad, so we know whats crap and whats not.

• Saturated and Trans fats are the devil, avoid these as much as possible!
• Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats are “good” fats, these lead to healthy hearts.
• Fats (good & bad) should always be in moderation, never have a ton of fat in your diet.
• With carbohydrates, see what the base of the carbs in the food is from. Carbs are mainly made up of Dietary Fibers and Sugars.
• Avoid foods with high sugar counts and lean more toward foods with high fiber counts in the carbohydrate department.
• Protein is PROTEIN! You should be striving for 1 lb of protein per lb of body weight (185 lbs = 185 g of protein a day).
• Anything high in sodium is typically processed junk and should also be avoided.
• Check cholesterol levels and avoid foods with high counts
•  Like I said before, ALWAYS READ THE NUTRITIONAL LABEL.
• If it sounds like it came out of a medical dictionary, PUT IT DOWN!

Don't watch numbers

Number watching (calorie wise) is something I don't advocate. It just makes you into a person that over analyzes everything you eat, which is not our goal. We want to have freedom with our food, while still eating very healthy. Don't worry about counting calories, you know how much is too much or not enough for you. I've never counted calories and I’ve been able to gain/lose weight because I know how much I eat and how to adjust to lose weight or gain. Listen to your body and react to it.

The difference between 50 calories is so minimal that it's stupid to waste time and energy counting all of those calories. Worry about the nutritional value of your food, not how many calories it has. Just because Iceberg lettuce doesn't have a lot of calories doesn't mean it's the healthiest lettuce out there, its tricking you because you are looking at just calorie numbers. Spinach leaves show a higher fiber count, which is healthier for you. When we understand nutrition and how it works, we can figure problems like these out and make healthier decisions for our body.

Water, water, water

Water is so important for being healthy. While it is well known how good and important water is for you, there is another reason I think it's so important. Water does not add any calories to your diet and will keep you from drinking those other drinks like soda and fruit juices loaded with sugar. Besides water, the only thing I drink is coffee and a Naked juice every once in a while. A bottle of soda can hold over 60g of carbs just in ONE BOTTLE! Do you see how much crap you are putting in your body just in one bottle? Those carbs are almost always 100% sugar too, so its 100% crap! Replacing a bottle of soda with a bottle of water will save you 60g worth of carbs every time you make this decision, so why are you still drinking soda again? I haven't had one in years and it's a great feeling!

Watch toppings/cheese/dressings/etc

There are so many hidden calories in dressing toppings, cheese, things of that nature. They may be tasty delights but they definitely aren't helping you at all in the nutrition department. The calories and bad carbs/fats can pile up just in a few slices or tablespoons of dressings, so be careful! One slice of American cheese has almost 100 calories, with 7g of fat (4g saturated). You think that sandwich looks healthy right? Well how healthy is it really after you add all that cheese on it? I love cheese just like everyone else, but it should be used in moderation. I wouldn't use more than two pieces on a sandwich, that's my advice.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Using these steps should help you clean up your diet. You know what foods are good for you and what ones are not. You know you should avoid the donuts and eat some fruit, this is stuff you guys know. Now hopefully you have a better understanding of what is actually going into your body. Nutrition is a topic that there is always more to learn about, so I challenge you to find out more about nutrition! I'm always learning and you guys should be too! Hope you enjoyed this guide and if anyone needs any help or has any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

I've decided to start posting 1 article a week on Wednesday's. I feel as if my first article is getting over shadowed by the second one. One article a week really allows me to take my time with a piece, instead of feeling like I need to rush it out. You guys will get quality stuff like this. Also, especially with school starting up in two weeks, this is a good opportunity to let me balance everything.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

@dcorrigan50

https://www.facebook.com/DrewsHealthAndFitnessBlog

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Nutrition: More Important Than Lifting

 Nutrition: More Important Than Lifting

 

THE INTRODUCTION:

Let me start off by saying this, you can lift all the weights you want, but if you aren't eating right then your body will NEVER look the way you want it too. If you put cheap gas in a Mercedes Benz, it will run like crap, so will your body if you put CRAP in it. Consider bodybuilding a bicycle for a second (stay with me!). First, we must learn how to ride this bike (how to train). This bike has two wheels, that we have to learn to pedal and balance for them BOTH to work. The bike will not work if one wheel goes off balance, or falls off. One wheel is nutrition and the other wheel is lifting, do you see how they will not work without each other?

Most of us aren't elite athletes who are CONSTANTLY moving throughout the day and burning calories in most things they do. Whether its practice or training, they burn more calories in a daily routine than regular people may burn all week. Athletes job is to train, while most of us do training to stay healthy, they do it for a paycheck. These athletes might be able to get away with a not so great diet, but us regular people cannot. That's why people like Chad Johnson can get away with eating McDonald's everyday and still look like they came straight out of a magazine. Most of us also remember that diet Michael Phelps was on in the 2008 Olympics. These athletes burn an INSANE amount of calories per day, so let's consider them the exception to this article.

Outside of our training, most of us probably lead lifestyles that aren't in constant motion. The point I'm trying to drive home here, is that we all have to have a grip on our nutrition in order to see results from our training. You may be getting stronger with that crap diet, but you won't be looking any leaner or stronger in the mirror.

THE GOOD STUFF:

This is information I wish I was aware of when I first began lifting. In the past year I really began to understand nutrition the consequences of what I put into my body. When I first began lifting, it was training for football. I wasn't conscious of the health benefits or anything, I was just a young high school kid trying to get as big as possible and eat whatever was put in front of me. Basic nutrition was all I really understood, which didn't do that well for me. I was as strong as an ox, but my body wasn't looking ideal at all in my eyes.

Now that I'm solely training for my benefit, I understand nutrition a lot more and how important it is. Ever since I switched to Intermittent Fasting and just eating a lot more healthier, I've seen a transformation in my body that I never saw my in my five previous years of training. Lifting is 80% nutrition, without a doubt.

If someone is putting hours on top of hours in the gym every week, why wouldn't they want to make sure the right foods are going in their body to actually benefit from the training? Food is the ONLY thing our body has to recover from the damage done to our muscles during lifting, so why would you neglect that? Do you really want those french fries repairing your muscles instead of a super salad with all the right fixings? Didn't think so.

Unfortunately most people don't realize this until they have been training for a year or longer. Most people begin lifting with bad nutrition and get fooled by the newbie gains they see in the first few months. Once these gains and their physique stops changing, the alarm rings off that their bad diet is killing their progress. Nutrition and training go hand in hand. You can't see gains in the gym without eating a wholesome diet, and vice versa.

Setting goals for your bench press next month should be as important as setting goals for what you need to achieve in the nutrition department. Whether its cutting down the fried foods, eating more greens, more protein, or anything else that makes you a healthier person. Spend just as much time on your nutrition plan, as your lifting plan.

THE END:

If you guys read this blog consistently, then you know I am a believer in having a plan for EVERYTHING. This doesn't mean you have to write it down, you can make a plan in your head. Every day I have a plan in my head of the food I'm going to put in my body and I plan accordingly to make sure it's as healthy as it can get. 

Even if you don't have a good grip on nutrition, EVERYONE has a general idea of what is good for them and what isn't. Having a good nutrition isn't hard, but it's harder than ordering that value meal at McDonald's. Don't be lazy, if you are gonna spend years training your body, give it the right fuel it needs to work. Proper nutrition is a lot more difficult than training, it takes a lot of time to understand. I'm still learning and will always be learning. But, I promise, it will all be worth it. If any of you want help on understanding nutrition, just email me and I'd love to help you on your path to a new body. Next week's article will further this nutrition lesson, look forward to that guys. Have a good week.

P.S.

I've decided to cut down to 1 post a week on Wednesdays. I feel this will give my articles a better chance to be read more, instead of being overshadowed by the other article. It will give me more time to promote my one article, then juggle two. School starts up in two weeks also, so this is a good time to try to make a way to balance everything out.

Avoiding Temptations

Avoiding Temptations

Temptations, aren't they a beautiful ugly? It's always that piece of cake staring you in the face, that sizzling hot cheese steak. Whatever your dream guilty pleasure, imagine that. Now that you are imagining it, can you imagine shoving it away? Can you imagine having this food in front of you and being able to pass it up, because you are aware that it is unhealthy for you and that you have the mental strength to push it away?

This is all what this article is about. Having the mental strength to push away these things. This is probably one of the hardest things to do, because it's so easy to just say yes. It's easy to just eat these foods and not think twice about it. But you and I wouldn't have gotten this far if we took the easy way out. We train hard and we take the hard way when the goals are more beneficial in the end in this community. You guys are my warriors and I know we all have the ability to say no to our favorite unhealthy foods.

For a long time, I didn't have the ability to say no to any of my guilty pleasures. Goldfish were a love of mine and I swear every time I opened a bag, it didn't close until it was empty. I would sit there and just keep eating more fish and more fish AND MORE FISH! Until I reach my hand in the bag, and..there's no more! I felt so bad about it, but they were so good, how could I resist? I couldn't, I was weak, the goldfish had me and they knew it. Does this sound like you?! I know it sounded exactly like me for a long time.

It sounds so simple but all we have to do is say NO! No, no, no, no, no. Personally, it's easier to think about why I shouldn't eat this food and guilt myself into NOT eating it; instead of the other way around. Think about the negative things this food will do to your body, compared to something like a healthy spinach salad going into that stomach. This will probably make you not even want to eat the food anymore.

The best way to resist our guilty pleasures is easy, DON'T BUY THEM! If it's not in your house, not in your sight, you won't eat it. I mean how can you eat something that isn't there, you can't. We can't eat things we don't buy, so a lot of this can be done in the food store. Limit yourself to your guilty pleasure. Only buy it once a month, maybe on a specific date, so you know when you are going to have it and can hold out until then. If you limit yourself, then you won't feel as bad when you do eat it.

We aren't built mentally strong, actually we're all born as frail little weak beings. We learn strengths and we work on our strengths. Everything starts out as being weak and us warriors must put in the work and dedication to make ourselves stronger in ANY aspect of life. A person has to have a ton of mental strength to be able to push away a favorite food, it's just not an easy task. Accepting this fate is step one.

Most times, we all cave in and eat the food, right? As I've mentioned in previous article, we must learn from our failures to become successful. We have to build our mental strength from the ground up to be able to deny ourselves that tasty delight. Honestly, from my experiences, having the mental strength to deny my guilty pleasure is way more delicious than that meal would ever be. If you cave in, remember what you are working towards. Never forget the goal we have in mind: too deny that favorite food. We should be proud of every step closer we get to that goal. We will get to the goal and when we do, that meal of victory will be DELICIOUS! Have a great weekend everyone.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

The Missing Link of Your Ab Routine

THE INTRODUCTION:

When most people think about abdominal development, an image of washboard abs and a six pack comes to mind. The most forgotten part of ab development, is the oblique region. The obliques are like the next-door neighbor that people rarely see outside of the house. They consist of the external abdominal oblique muscles, the internal abdominal oblique and the serratus anterior. I guess I did pay attention to something in Anatomy class.

These muscles are often ignored, because they don't appear part of the “six pack” mindset. Although they are necessary to complete full ab development and core strength; along with being able to increase weights on compound lifts. Adding oblique training will increase core strength, which will help with increasing your weights on the squat, dead-lift, bench press, etc. Obliques are definitely an integral piece of the masterpiece called the abdominals.

THE MIDDLE:

I rarely see anyone at the gym doing oblique workouts, I even forget to do them from time to time. The obliques are almost like the leg workouts of the core, because they are easily forgotten and skipped. It's true they are the most neglected and forgotten part of the abdominals. If we all want a strong core, then it's important that we also include oblique exercises in our ab workout.

Without them, it's like making a peanut butter & jelly, with only putting peanut butter on the inside and forgetting to spread the outside. It's just incomplete. I did some oblique exercises last week and woke up with soreness in my obliques, reminding me they haven't been hit in a while and I should change that.

Obliques are critical for stabilization. Since they are on the side of the body, they are involved in any sort of bending/stretching motion. A lot of the movements in everyday life require bending or stretching, which is why oblique strength is so important. I was throwing away couches, toilets, and bags last week at work and when launching some of them into the truck, I definitely felt a stretch in my obliques. Just because you may not be able to see your obliques protruding out of your body like Arnold, doesn't mean they aren't important. Every muscle in your body deserves a workout and the obliques are no different.

If you are a person who constantly does ab workouts at the gym, without obliques, start adding them in. They are necessary and shouldn't be ignored. You can do exercises such as side planks or oblique bends. I prefer oblique bends. I will grab a 45 lb plate in one hand, standing completely straight, and side bend towards the side the plate is on for 20+ reps then switch to the other side. After 2-3 sets of these, you will feel the sweet joy of pain in those oblique muscles. Keep building those oblique muscles, don't slack on them. Just add some side planks or oblique bends at the end of an ab workout a few times a week.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Well trained and developed obliques can actually improve the overall look of the abdominals. So, if you don't train obliques because they aren't apart of the six pack, then you may be neglecting that same six pack you are busting your ass for. Obliques are a part of the full picture of the abdominals we should be picturing, so lets remember to work them. Think forest, not tree (think about it). Although the oblique is a tree, it's a necessity to have a complete forest. Wow, thats some imagery there huh? Haha! Add those oblique bends and planks into your ab routine, you won't be sorry. Until Saturday everyone! Have a great week.

Sanctuary of Stress

Sanctuary of Stress

 

Introduction:

When you think of stress, it's usually in a negative sense right? Whenever we hear someone discussing about their stress, it has to do with a something that it causing them problems, not taking them away. Contrary to belief, there is good stress and bad stress. And even more contrary to very popular belief, stress is a NECESSITY in life. You can not live life without stress, as crazy as that sounds, it's true. Stress can have a negative effect on health, along with a positive effect. If your life includes no stress, then you'll be six feet under, no joke! Anyone that has no stress in life, is no long with us unfortunately. It's generally accepted knowledge (I HATE THAT STUFF) that stress is always negative. If you read my articles, you know that generally accepted knowledge is typically the farthest thing from the truth. I wanted to discuss stress, because I believe it's important to know the different types of stress and ways to manage. Plus the fact that the gym is one of the healthiest ways to manage any sort of stress. Especially since everyone goes through stress (good and bad). This article will explain the differences between good stress, bad stress, and why stress is necessary in life.

Eustress:

This is the positive type of stress, eustress. You know when you get challenged at work or school and suddenly get motivated to push forward and destroy that challenge? That challenge put a certain amount of stress on you that actually had a positive effect. We all need a little stress in our lives to keep everything structured and working correctly. Stress can keep us on our toes and alert, it certainly isn't always negative. Eustress can also be a way someone responds to stress. If someone is under some type of stress and they solve it by going to the gym or doing some sort of physical activity, that would be eustress. Positive stress can be fun, but challenging, it will make us a better person in the end.

Distress:

If you didn't guess already, distress is the negative type of stress. Distress happens when the stress begins to pile on and has a negative effect on life. We start to act different, treat people differently. We all know this type of stress, because it's usually what we associate stress with; negative things. Bad stress is associated with drinking problems away and just making bad life decisions in general. Distress is overwhelming, it seems like there will never be an end, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

BACK TO NORMAL:

Okay, I'm done sounding like a medial dictionary explaining stress. Stress can be negative and positive, that's a fact. We all go through situations in life that can make us do good things, or bad things. It's unavoidable, so let's not try to AVOID stress. The key here is to work on ways to MANAGE stress. If you try to avoid something, you wind up running into it most of the time, every time. Talking about stress, the gym is probably the BEST place to rid yourself of bad stress. I want us all to look at stress as a POSITIVE thing. Lets smile when faced with stress, instead of buckling down and cracking. There's nothing like the feeling of smiling in the face of an enemy. Let's even make bad stress positive, because if we have bad stress, we're going to kick it's ass right out of our system!

STRESS SANCTUARY:

The gym is a sanctuary for eliminating stress. I've had some of my best workouts when I'm stressed out and pissed off about something. There no feeling like going into a gym with the weight of the world on your shoulders and actually having something to take it out on. The iron won't lie to you, it will kick your ass to the ground and let you know who you really are. We can go crazy at the gym, we can let everything out at the gym, there is nothing that the gym won't solve. Stress can never be eliminated, but it can be managed, the gym is a perfect way to manage stress. Don't become addicted to drugs, become addicted to the gym.

We all have stress in our life, both good and bad. Everyone has problems that sometimes overwhelm them. Even when no one is there, the gym will be there for you. When you are having major problems, turn to the gym. I promise you that whatever adversity is in front of you, that you can overcome it, and you will. We are all warriors on this planet, because we all have to fight for things we believe in. The gym will make you a better warrior.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

How someone deals with stress can all be about an individuals mindset/outlook. If someone has a negative outlook in general, all sorts of stress may be bad and cause them problems. On the other hand, a positive person may be able to deal with an inordinate amount of bad stress, but have the adversity to get through it, just because of the way they see things. Perception can be everything a lot of times.

When going through the problems of life, know that you can get through them. Mindset is everything, so believe you can do something and you will do it. Believe in success, spit on failure. Don't let stress ruin you, you can defeat it and you will defeat it. Stress is just a test to see how strong we are, lets make sure we crush that test every time. The gym will be there for you whenever you are going through negative stress. Use it as a gateway to solving and managing your problems. There is always a solution my warriors. Have a great weekend everyone!

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The Dreaded Weight Scale (TIPS FOR WEIGHING IN)

The Dreaded Weight Scale (TIPS FOR WEIGHING IN)

 

THE INTRODUCTION:

The weight scale is one piece of equipment that holds the power to brighten or ruin someones day. Lets be honest, if your number is lower than you expected, you will be happy, and if it's higher, you are going to be in a bad mood. It's happened to everyone and it's happened to me. A big thing with weighing in is knowing when and how to weigh in. There are certain things one should avoid while weighing in. This article will cover these steps with some tips for weighing in.

DON'T BECOME ADDICTED:

Constantly weighing yourself everyday is a terrible habit. It's inaccurate and the numbers really never change. It's bad for the mental state to weigh yourself everyday too, it's just not a good idea. Don't let a simple number consume your mind, you are still you no matter what the scale says. I weigh myself once a week on Friday and keep track of my numbers. It's only once a week so it's not obsessive and I know this is my day to step on the scale. It's kind of something I can look forward too, because I know I'm working all week to see my new number. If you want to keep track of weight, weigh yourself once a week and nothing more. Stepping on the scale more than that will only mess with your mental, which is a bad idea.

CHEAPER THE SCALES, THE CHEAPER THE WEIGHT:

You know the saying, you get what you pay for? This statement also holds weight (LOL) when talking about scales. Those traditional and cheap $10 scales found in home bathrooms are notoriously inaccurate and light. Whatever number it gives you, most likely won't be correct, so don't bet on it. Scales found at gyms are typically heavy duty and will give an accurate reading. I just ordered this scale from amazon for $30. It had great reviews and seems like a good scale for a good price. I'd suggest something in this price range if you want an accurate scale (why wouldn't you). Regardless, just avoid using and buying those cheap scales, cheap is not accurate!

CLOTHING IS IMPORTANT:

Always make sure you aren't wearing anything ridiculously heavy while weighing in like hiking boots or pants, stuff like that. I'm not sure why you would, but people these days never amaze me with the things they do. I usually weigh myself in a shirt, shorts, and socks. These articles of clothing won't add any barely noticeable weight. You don't have to strip down to nothing to weigh yourself, but if you feel the need, go right ahead. Just avoid the heavy clothing articles while weighing in, it will obviously sky rocket the number. The less the better, is a good way to go here.

DON'T WEIGH IN AFTER A STRENUOUS WORKOUT:

If your just finishing up an intense cardio session or anything that involved a lot of sweating, don't weigh yourself. A body can lose a couple of pounds during a serious and long sweat session with all the water weight being lost. This will give you an inaccurate reading on the scales, since your body typically carries around this water weight. So, don't hop on the scale after playing a full court basketball game and be excited that your weight is 4 lbs lower than it usually is. Besides some fake happiness, you might be in for a rude awakening the next time you really weigh yourself. Don't fool yourself by giving yourself a low reading for the day. I typically weigh myself in after a lifting session, but always before any sort of cardio or serious sweating is done. Now that I have my own scale, my weigh in's will be done in the morning when I wake up.

BEST TIME TO WEIGH YOURSELF:

Typically, humans are lighter in the morning and heavier at night. This being said, weigh yourself in the morning once a week when you wake-up, hop on the scale and record the weight (before you eat typically). Avoid weighing yourself at night (you will be heavier, up to 3+ lbs) and after eating a huge meal, because the numbers will be inaccurate. It's always a good idea to get into a routine with weighing yourself. Weigh yourself at the same time, wearing the same amount of clothes every week, so you know the number is accurate. Weighing yourself can be a fun activity too, it's almost something to look forward too. I weigh in on Friday's and it's something to look forward too at the end of the week. Waiting to see if my number went up, down, or stayed steady. It also gives me an idea at the end of the week, how hard I need to push myself the next week.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Weighing yourself and having a scale can be a gift and a curse. This article hopefully armed you with the tools to have the gift, not the curse. Don't become a nut over you weight, always remember, IT'S JUST A NUMBER PEOPLE! The only person the number matters really is to you. Be happy with yourself no matter what the scale says if you are putting in the work everyday to better yourself and your health. Keep track of your weight, set a goal, and work your ass off to reach that goal. Set a plan, execute, and the results will always be worth it. Until next time everyone!

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

Failures Build The House Of Success

 Why Failures Build The House Of Success

One of the worst myths that people have about being dedicated to health and fitness, is that it has to be perfect. That if you don't dedicate your whole life to health, that you will fail. Every meal must be perfect and every lift must be executed correctly. This can not be any further from the truth. Many of these people will feel terrible after a bad meal or bad workout and just give up on being healthy. The road to being healthy is a long one, one that has ups and downs, and one road bump should not stop you from going down that road. Mistakes are inevitable, the most important thing is that we learn from them, not quit because of them.

Everyone has had bumps on the way to becoming healthy. We've all had a late nite trip to McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, whatever place you prefer. This is not a reason to believe that our goals are impossible. Nothing is impossible. If you have a bad meal, or over eat, WHO CARES? It's called a journey for a reason, it isn't short! Health and fitness is all about longevity, what you do over the course of months and years, not a day. The worst thing someone can do is lose track for a week and never get back in the gym again. Just because you miss one week, doesn't mean you can't get it back! Even if you miss a month, IT'S OKAY! There's never a reason to quit, but there is always a reason to come back.

If you slip up, don't look at what you've did last night, look at what you did that WHOLE week. If your whole week outweighs that one bad day, then smile. You completed the goal of having a successful week, even if you had a bump. This journey is long and takes years to accomplish, not days or week. Say you gain a 1 lb one week, but overall for the month you lost 4 lbs, THEN BE HAPPY! You were successful over the long term. 

We should be concerned about our long term progress, not the short term. Always look at the grand scheme of things instead of what happened yesterday. For example, last night I went to the Hibachi buffet and probably ate more than my weight in Chinese food with a friend. Mistake? I guess in a health sense, but I was with a friend and that's what we do when we see each other, so not really. Even though I slipped up, I had a healthy eating week overall that outweighs that one Hibachi trip. I'll hit the gym today too, which will make me feel a lot better about last night. These are the steps we have to take to become successful. Look forward, not behind.

The best thing about looking at health in the long term, is the ability to look over your mistakes. Instead of beating yourself up over the two McDouble's you had last night, you can look at the week and say, “Wow I really did eat healthy, next week I just won't have that slip up”. Let your failures build the bricks of your house to success, not tear it apart. I just want you guys to be thinking positively here. It's okay to mess up, because it happens to all of us and it will happen again. I have it tattooed on my right arm, “Before you succeed, you must fail” and there is no saying more true than that. We will fail, possibly more than we succeed, but those failures will build our house to success, I promise you that.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas for blog topics! I love writing on things I know you guys want to see. Have a great weekend! Be successful!

Overcoming Distractions at the Gym

Overcoming Distractions at the Gym

THE INTRO:

 

Distractions at the gym can easily be the downfall of a great workout. A few simple distractions here or there can turn a 45 minute workout into an hour. Simple conversations or plugging away at the phone for a few minutes can really damage your workout. Plenty of times I'll catch myself on my phone after a set and BOOM, three minutes go by. Time can go really quick when one isn't paying attention, especially at the gym. It seems like half an hour lasts 10 minutes for me. This article will focus on ways to overcome distractions and avoid them at the gym so we can all get the most out of our workout.

LOOK UNAPPROACHABLE:

I mean this is pretty simple. If you appear unapproachable at the gym, not many people will stop you for a chat that could ruin your workout. I don't know about you guys, but I go to the gym to get my workout in and leave, not to talk to people. Maybe a quick 30 second convo here or there, but nothing too serious during my lift. The big key here is just staying focused on what your doing. Look mean, look focused in the gym, people won't bother you! I don't enjoy being bothered at the gym, so I keep a mean face on. This isn't social hour, this is when we crush our muscles people!

AIRPLANE MODE FOR THE PHONE:

This is a great tip. I know social media is distracting and this is so true at the gym. You can get done a set, check twitter, see something interesting, then get distracted for the next FIVE minutes. Five minutes!? You already should of done two sets in that time, but you sat there on your phone! This is exactly where airplane mode comes in and saves the day. Airplane mode basically turns off your service (saves a ton of battery too) but still allows you to use things that wouldn't require WiFi or your 3G/4G service. You can still listen to music on it, which is great. When I don't wanna be distracted during the gym, I turn airplane mode on, so when I go to take my phone out, I know I can't use it. I'll think, yeah I shouldn't do this, and then get back to my life. Airplane mode really keeps you in the lifting mindset, since you know twitter/facebook/WHATEVER won't work when it's on. It works for me and I bet it will work for you too!

KEEP THE MUSIC TURNED UP:

I can't life without music, I don't know about you guys. I don't see how people lift without music and if I don't have my headphones, I'd rather go back and get them rather than try to lift without them. The louder my music is, the less I'm concerned with whats going on around me. When it's loud, I'm focused. Whenever I'm doing a serious lift (bench, squat, dead lift) my music is always turned up very loud, so I'm completely locked in on my lift and nothing will knock me off my path. My music rarely leaves my ears, it will keep me concentrated and less likely to be distracted by something around me. Keep that music in and turned up.

MOVE APPS OFF THE HOME SCREEN:

This tip goes along with trying to stay off the phone during the gym. A few weeks ago, I noticed I was clicking on my social media apps too much while at the gym, it was burning up a lot of time. Minutes definitely add up in the gym! I decided to completely move them off (twitter, facebook, and instagram) my home screen on my phone. To get to these apps, I have too go into my menu and click them. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but to not see them on the home screen makes me less likely to click them. It's definitely the little things that add up when saving time and getting that workout done in a reasonable amount of time.

DON'T BECOME SEDENTARY:

Becoming sedentary (not moving much) at the gym can be a cancer! I don't like to just sit around when I'm done a set. I like to get up walk around, get a drink, just keep myself moving all the time. The more I move, the less likely I'm going to be on my phone or let my mind wander off for a few minutes. Walk around, get a drink, then get back to the next set. Maybe you want to throw some core exercises during set breaks so you really have something to do while resting! A body in motion stay in motion, something I try to preach at the gym!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

It's extremely easy to become distracted at the gym. A 1-2 minute rest can easily turn into 3-4 without even noticing. I really tried to highlight the things I've noticed by my patterns at the gym about becoming distracted. Make sure you keep that mean face on at the gym! Just remember when you leave to smile, don't want anyone thinking you are a grump, right?! I hope you guys enjoyed this article. Not sure what I'm doing for Saturday, but I'm sure it will be awesome :) Have a great week people!!!!

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

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Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting

Hey all, I know some of you have asked me about IF (Intermittent Fasting, will be using this acronym) and I've been meaning to do this article, so here it is! If you have any other questions about IF at the end, don't hesitate to email me and ask.

THE INTRODUCTION:

Intermittent Fasting is not a diet at all, so throw away all those notions. It is simply a different way of eating, a different scheduling. I've been practicing IF since the beginning of the summer and have no bad things to say about it. There are a couple ways you can practice IF, but I'm going to discuss the way I use it, because I think it's the simplest and most effective form. This form of IF consists of an 8 hour eating period, with a 16 hour fasting period. It also involves skipping breakfast, which I wrote an article on here. Typically wake up and take 3-5 hours before you have your first meal (I'll have coffee with a splash of cream and splenda with some water when I wake up); I use to eat my first meal around 1:30-2 pm and my last one around 8 pm. Since I've began working, I have my first meal around 9-10 am and my last one around 6 pm. While in the fasting period, make sure to stay under 50 calories to keep your body in this unique fat burning state. But, it doesn't matter when you start it, just do what works for you. Whenever you start, count out 8 hours after and that's when your eating period ends. Since I've began IF, I've seen weight loss along with a muscle increase. I'm stronger and leaner, who wouldn't want that? I'm eating the same things, just in a different and more structured pattern. IF has stopped my snacking completely, which is probably one of the best things I’ve gotten out of it, because I was a huge snacker (I know a lot of you are too!). So, now you probably have some questions on how this is all possible. Let's get to the explanation about IF and why it's so effective.

WHY IS INTERMITTENT FASTING BECOMING MORE POPULAR?:

Intermittent Fasting is becoming popular, because it's an effective way to lose weight without changing WHAT you eat. Like I said before, it's not changing what you eat, but how you eat. This being said, it's also a lot easier than the crazy diets out there, so you will be more likely to stick with it. With eating two meals a day, you usually wind up trying to get all your calories in these two meals. Unless you go completely insane and eat five cows a day, you will have a rough time doing this. So, you are creating a calorie deficit which is a necessity to lose any type of weight. IF requires little change and has endless benefits, why wouldn't you do it?

WHY HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF INTERMITTENT FASTING?:

This answer is simple. A lot of people are unaware of IF, because it has ZERO marketing ability. There is nothing to sell about IF, except less meals and less food. Not one company out there will make money from you practicing IF, so no one is going to try to sell you on it. These companies will only make money from marketing there products and getting you to buy them. Why do you think that the whole 6 meals a day strategy was so popular for a while, BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGED YOU TO EAT AND BUY MORE FREQUENTLY! No matter if you eat 6 meals a day or 2 meals a day, THE AMOUNT OF CALORIES IS THE SAME, so it will do the SAME THING TO YOUR BODY. Really trying to stress that point there people. If the 6 meals or 2 meals add up to the same amount of calories, it will affect your body the same exact way. IF seems strange because it can't be marketed, but it really does work guys.

MY EXPERIENCE:

I started IF a little over a month ago. I use the 8 hour eating period and the 16 hour fasting period. The breakfast article in the introduction has the science on the 16 hour fasting period and why it works. I've dropped about 5 lbs since I've began, but that's not the best benefit. Having my two scheduled eating period has stopped my snacking completely. I know when I'm going to eat and when my next meal is going to come, so I never want to ruin it by mindless snacking. Especially after my last meal, I KNOW my eating is over till tomorrow, so that bag of goldfish will remain closed no matter what! I don't want to mess up my eating period for tomorrow, so that really makes me not even think about snacking. With the eating periods, my mental strength has increased by leaps and bounds. I don't revolve my life around food and I know I can go long periods of times without it. I've gone 24 hours without eating multiple times and have been completely fine. You WILL BE OKAY! Also, with only eating two meals a day, if I have a huge meal, I don't feel bad. I know its one of my only meals of the day and I need my calories, so there really is no guilt with having a huge meal.

SIMPLE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING:

With IF you'll be eating less, so you won't have to buy as much. So one, you'll be saving money in the food store. Especially with not eating breakfast it will save a ton. I know every week last semester I went to the food store and bought a half gallon of milk and two boxes of cereal for the week, I loved breakfast. Thinking back on it, I spent quite a bit of money buy that stuff every week. Thinking now, I'm a lot happier knowing I won't have to make that trip and will save that $10 every week. Since you are only eating two meals a day, that's one less meal to worry about preparing also. Put the snacks down in the food store too, you won't be needing them. Plus, if you don't buy them, you can't eat them, so don't even buy them in the first place. Your saving yourself over 10 meals a week, around 40 meals a month, that adds up, doesn't it? This is a GREAT article on the health benefits on IF, I suggest you all read it.

THE MENTAL BARRIER:

This is the hardest thing to get over with intermittent fasting. Just the idea of skipping breakfast, or only eating twice a day might sound crazy. Not eating for 24 hours might also sound crazy, well hell, it probably does. Even if you don't decide to implement IF into your life, I suggest you all try a 24 hour fast once, just so you know you CAN and WILL live without food! You can all do it and your body will adjust to it, the human body always adapts to change, that's how it works. Don't worry about hunger pains from skipping breakfast, I go to work on an empty stomach every day (my job requires hard labor) and I am completely fine 100% of the time. You will not die if you don't eat, you will be fine, you will probably benefit more from eating than not eating. I knew the mental aspect would be the hardest part to get over with intermittent fasting, just adjusting. A little over a month into it and I can say that I've gained so much mental strength and completely destroyed the mental barrier.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The bottom line, is that IF is a simple way to drop weight. Everyone wants to drop a couple pounds and intermittent fasting can help you achieve this without changing your life. Have your eating period and then your fasting period (sleeping hours count as fasting hours). If you want to gain weight, eat more in your eating period, if you want to lose weight, eat less and keep it down to two meals. The best thing about intermittent fasting is that it will make you realize that you don't need food and that you can refuse food when it's put in front of you easily. Intermittent fasting also put some structure in life with eating, which really makes it easier to say no. If your eating periods are structured, you know when to say no and when you can eat, its simple. I believe the benefits of intermittent fasting are astronomical, it just makes so much sense. Still getting all the calories you need, putting your body in an exclusive fat burning state for 2-4 hours a day, and improved mental strength and clarity. Plus all the money one can save in the food store from eating one less meal a day and not eating breakfast anymore. Intermittent fasting is becoming more popular, because it offers tons of awesome benefits, without changing your life. No calorie counting, no crazy diet plan, no eating like a squirrel all day. It just makes sense guys and I hope some of you try it and begin to reap all of these benefits!

I hope everyone enjoyed this article. If anyone has ANY questions about Intermittent Fasting, please don't hesitate to e-mail me and I'll gladly help you out. Remember to click the ads on the side PLEASE and tell your friends about this blog! Have a great weekend.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

The State of Overweight America

The State of Overweight America:

I originally had a different topic for this article, but I felt like I had some things I wanted to discuss about the overall state of America in a health point of view. Over the past few weeks, I've been out and about a bit, and I've just seen a numerous amount of overweight people at all ages. Is this a surprise to me? No, but it sure as hell bothers me. As a health enthusiast this bothers me, because I live and breathe this stuff. Now, I'm not judging these people at all, because I don't know them or their situation at all, it was just something I observed. I would love nothing more than to try to sit down with these individuals and attempt to inspire them, but I can't, so this is my attempt to reach them or anyone that wants a change. If you want to be overweight for the rest of your life then GO AHEAD! I want to reach the people that want CHANGE and want to live a HEALTHY life. It's not the easiest thing to do, especially on your own, this is why I'm here. I just want to speak on this topic and throw some facts out there to see if I can make people realize the State of Overweight America.

OLDER AMERICA:

As a country, obesity is on the rise unfortunately. According to the CDC website, more than a third of older adults (65+) were considered obese from information taken from 2007-2010. This more than one third is around 35% of older America, which is around 13 MILLION OBESE OLDER AMERICANS. We know America is overweight, but when you look at these numbers, it's really shocking at how bad the problem is. Thirteen million older Americans are obese, just OLDER AMERICANS, we haven't even scratched the surface yet. Wait until we discuss the youth and adults in this country. I'm not blaming the older generation at all, I just want them to know, IT'S POSSIBLE! Healthy is possible, even if you don't think it is, nothing is impossible really. This goes for all ages, not just older Americans. I'm not asking you to run 5 miles a day, but just be active! You will be amazed at how great you feel.

YOUNG AMERICA:

Healthy People 2020 identified obesity as a leading health indicator for this decade, with a call for reduction in children and adolescent obesity. Unfortunately, the United States has made little progress towards this goal. Since statistics taken during the years 1976-1980 there has been a significant increase in obesity among young children to statistics taken from 2009-2010. The percentage of obese children ages 2-5 increased from 5.0% to 12.1%, children ages 6-11 increased from 6.5% to 18.0%, and children ages 12-19 increased from 5.5% to 18.4%. It's amazing that in the past 30 years, obesity has more than doubled percentage wise with our young children. There has obviously been a culture change the past 30 years. Even though health is more prevalent now than it ever was, fast food markets have undeniably became more popular than 30 years ago. I believe this fact, along with the parents intentions of giving the kids what they want to make them be quiet, doesn't help at all. I know for damn sure, my child will not be entering this realm of statistics, and you should do the same. I was an obese child, although I was able to recover, not all will be as lucky as I was to make a change. We have to look at the parents here for the cause of this and that's probably the most disappointing thing about it.

ADULT AMERICA:

Statistics show that 33% of U.S. Adults 20+ are overweight, 35.7% are obese, and 6.3% are extremely obese. ARE YOU SERIOUS? While this is a wide range of ages, the statistics are still surprising to me, just because young adult America is apart of this. Why are these numbers so high? I believe health is more wide known now than it has ever been, importance wise, but how much change have we really made? While there is a bigger emphasis on health, the fast food and sedentary lifestyles sure seem to crush the huge health emphasis of this generation. Over a quarter of adults are overweight or obese, why just why? I think adult America really struggles with the motivation part of actually getting up to go workout, or just be healthy in general. I would advise just trying to exercise for an hour a few times a week, you don't have to start out in full Rambo mode. Grab a jump rope, shoot some hoops, go for a jog, JUST DO SOMETHING ACTIVE! I promise you'll feel 100x better when you are done. Asking for an hour a few times a week really isn't a huge commitment.

HOW DANGEROUS IS OBESITY?:

One of the worst things about obesity is the fact that it can lead to death. The WORST thing, is that people are losing their lives from something that is preventable. According to this study, approximately 280,000 US adults die from attributions from obesity per year. As a country, we're losing almost a quarter of a million people a year to obesity, isn't that sad? It's the second leading preventable death in the country next to smoking. IF DEATH CAN BE PREVENTABLE, THEN WHY DON'T WE PREVENT IT?

WHAT CAN WE DO?:

As a community of people who care about their health, all we can do is try and help people who WANT a CHANGE. There are some people in this world who don't want to change and we shouldn't waste time and energy on them. We need to focus on the people who want help, who want change, people that want to extend their life. I would never look down on an overweight/obese person, because I was once in there shoes and totally understand. When I was obese, I wasn't educated about health, I educated myself and changed my life. If these people want help, lets educate them and make them realize that becoming healthy is possible, no matter how far away you are. We can do this, we will do this. The obesity rates will drop and we will become a healthier America, one person at a time.

WHAT CAN YOU DO AS AN OVERWEIGHT INDIVIDUAL?:

My best advice is to make a plan. First, step back and look at what you are doing, realize where the bad is and where the good is. Get active if you aren't, eat healthier, all that fun stuff. Have a plan, so you know where you are going, set a goal and nail it. The best thing to do is become more educated about health, so you understand what you are doing. If anyone reading this wants help, PLEASE e-mail me. I will be more than happy to help you change your life. We all have struggles in life, but your health is something you can control for the most part.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I focused this article on reputable FACTS. Everyone knows that obesity and being overweight is bad, but I don't believe many people are aware of how many people this country loses a year due to it. Look at these numbers, this country needs help. We can't sit around and expect the government to help us by getting rid of fast food or things like that, so we need to help this country ourselves. If anyone needs help, lets help them! If you want help, REACH OUT, and you will get help! Cut out the fast food, add some vegetables, fruits, greens, lean meats, nuts, etc. Get active 3-4 times a week for an hour of the day, take a jog, lift some weights, shoot hops, do something you enjoy doing. All I'm asking for is an HOUR OF YOUR DAY, to CHANGE your LIFE, and add YEARS onto your life

Everyone have a safe and blessed end of the week.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

Breaking Through A Plateau

Understanding a Plateau and Breaking Through It:

A plateau when lifting is definitely one of the more discouraging things that can happen and trust me, it WILL happen. Hitting a plateau means that you haven't been able to increase weights with your lifts for a increased period of time (over a month +). So if your bench press increased 10 lbs over a month and then the next couple months you haven't been able to lift anything more than that +10 increase, you my friend, are plateauing. This is so discouraging, because a lot of times it will happen after a pretty decent weight increase over a consistent period. There are many reasons why someone can hit a plateau, this article will try and explain the reasons, while also giving some tips to break through these plateaus.

WHY?:

Plateaus can happen for many reasons. A lot of times I'll hear about plateaus from people that just began lifting and had their “noob gains”, where their weight will rapidly increase over a few weeks then suddenly halt. This may not be really a plateau by definition, but just meaning that your body is now use to weight training and will go through normal strength gains, not 10 lb increases

every week. Plateaus can happen from muscles becoming over trained, exhausted, and stale. They can also be contributed to things like never changing workouts and choosing the same exercises for the same muscles every week. These will be explained below as ways to break a plateau.

VARYING EXERCISES:

Varying your exercises is a great way to break through a plateau. You know when you do something all the time and you get tired of it, most likely become lazy while doing it? Don't you think your muscles feel the same way when you make them go through the same exercises every day, without any change? Just like you need some spice in your life to feel energized, so do your muscles! Varying exercises will keep you energized in the gym also, so you don't become sedentary doing the same exercises daily. If you always do barbell bench, switch to dumbbell; if you always do cable curls for biceps, try using barbell or dumbbell; you get the point here. It's always a good idea to switch things up and give those stale muscles a break from being used every week, while also activating some new muscles. If you feel like your doing the same thing every week, break that habit and work some new exercises in. You and your muscles will appreciate it.

TAKE A BREAK!:

Everyone should know that muscles need REST to grow, they won't grow without it. This being said, your muscles may be over trained and exhausted if you haven't taken a weeks break in 2+ months. A whole week off can do so much for muscle strength and growth, if you can get over the mental barrier of not going to the gym for a week (hard for me). When hitting a serious strength plateau, a week off might do your body exactly what it needs to break off. Make sure during this week off, your still sticking with a healthy diet and getting the proper amount of protein so the muscles grow and recharge. The week off will allow you to come back more focused and energized, and also have a mental break from the gym. Personally, its hard for me to skip the gym for a WHOLE week, even a day for that matter. Stay positive and know your body is going to be a lot better once you get back in the gym after a whole week of rest and recharge. Just like we all need a break from work/school every once in a while, your body requires the same thing while lifting. But if you are in an obvious strength plateau, I recommend it to get through it; don’t work through it, rest through it.

CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE:

When going through a plateau, the body just isn't responding to what you're doing anymore. Something in your routine needs a change, whether it be nutrition, rest between sets, or the whole routine. Typically, when I see my gains start to halt, I'll completely change my routine. I know this works, because after I get use to a routine, I usually don't wake up sore after a workout. But with a new routine, I'll wake up with some sore muscles in my body during the first week or two. So I know that I'm crushing my plateau, since my muscles are being worked harder and differently than before, so gains will come. My best advice to break a plateau would be to completely switch your routine. I usually find great routines on www.bodybuilding.com, they have everything on that site. Try to change your routine every 2 months or so, this way you'll avoid a plateau before it hits. You may want to try resting more or less between sets, maybe add some super sets into your workout, just attempt some type of chance and see if it helps. A plateau is also a good time to look at your diet and make some appropriate changes that may be costing you in the gym also. Take a step back and look at the whole spectrum, see where you can make a change, make a plan, and put it into action!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The bottom line is that plateaus are a part of life, in every way. For sure in the gym, but even in life, everyone always comes to a standstill. I challenge you after reading this article to look at plateaus you may be going through in life and try to adapt these workout plateau tips to real life. Take a break, vary some things in your life, try to change something and make it fresh! I write these articles to help the world stay/become healthy, but a lot of my articles can be applied to real life situations also, outside of the gym. Breaking through a plateau should feel like a victory, because once we breakthrough ANY plateau, we should realize that we cannot be stopped by anyone. The only person that can stop you is YOU! When we hit a plateau, lets not be discouraged, lets use it as fuel to power through it. The mind is stronger than the body, so conquer your own mind and the possibilities are endless.

Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend and wasn't around the laptop. Hope everyone enjoys the article and is looking forward to Wednesdays. Make sure to just click the ads on the side so I can receive a small payment for my blogging. Please like the FB page too: https://www.facebook.com/DrewsHealthAndFitnessBlog

As always, email me if you want advice, have questions, or anything related to this blog or health in general. I'm willing to help anyone.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com

Why You Shouldn't Skip Leg Day

LEG DAY:

 

Any lifters hate leg day, I don’t think I’ve ever ran into a person that enjoys leg day. If you are anything like me, every time leg day pops up on my workout, a million reasons to skip it pop up in my head too. You know, it’s just your legs, biceps are better to look at; no one will ever see my legs anyways. But for every excuse like that, we are reminded of that person in the gym with the huge upper body, but chicken legs and non-existent calves. But seriously, every leg day there seems to be a million better things to do, or how easy it seems to push it back another day. I use to be this way for YEARS until recently. I’ll share what made me complete leg day consistently and why leg day is so darn important!

HOW I STOPPED SKIPPING LEG DAY:

My leg day use to be on Friday, no matter what type of workout I was doing, always Friday. From the beginning I was setting myself up for failure. Why put the most skipped workout day on planet earth on the least desirable body workout of the week!? When I think about it now, it makes no sense, except that it made it 10x easier to skip it weekly. The most important thing about leg day (and this can apply to life in general) is to NOT set yourself up for failure! The way my workouts were structured I was already setting myself up to fail before I even entered (or didn’t for this matter) the gym. About two months ago I switched to a new routine and this one had legs on TUESDAY! Wow, how revolutionary is that? Seriously, who ever can come up with a good enough excuse to skip the gym on a Tuesday? You kind of just go and get it over with on Tuesday's..and that's exactly what I do. Since starting this routine I haven't skipped a leg day on Tuesday and it has me doing back on Friday (I love dead lifts) so there's no skipping of that either! All I needed was a change, if you are having the same problem I was, try switching leg day to another day in the week, bet it'll work!

WHY IS LEG DAY SO IMPORTANT?:

Valid question, no doubt, and one I will attempt to answer. First of all, no one wants to be this guy, no matter how much you bench/curl the insults will NEVER stop! We all should be wanting to look like this guy instead (Georges St. Pierre has some jacked legs any lifter should die for!) (P.S. It's not homosexual at all to marvel at another mans legs, those things are awesome!). Okay, well now we know our target right. It should be noted that every great physique is carried by strong legs; just like a building is only as good as its base.

I don't know about you guys, but compared to every other day I'm in the gym, I sweat the MOST during leg day! It's insane how much I can sweat from a few sets of heavy squats. This is, of course, because of the extreme intensity leg day usually comes with, which is a good thing. The quadriceps are the main muscle being worked during leg day, which is actually the LARGEST muscle group in the body. This is important, because the larger the muscle, the more calories it burns. See what I'm getting out here? Leg workouts will burn more calories than any other workout! The big guns on your body aren't the biceps and triceps, its your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes!

Heavy compound lifts done during leg day (squats & leg presses) actually help release extra hormones in the body, which can only lead to positive outcomes. Also, during these compound lifts the core is heavily stabilized and worked, so it's getting stronger every squat completed. There can be a lot of injuries that can happen because of a weak core, especially back/spine problems. This makes squat that much more important, because of the pounding it puts on the core!Whenever you start moaning about doing squats, just think about the core baby!

WHAT SHOULD LEG DAY CONSIST OF?:

First and foremost, every leg day should consist of squats! Hitting a bunch of leg machines doesn't constitute as a complete leg day. My personal leg day consists of mostly barbell free weight exercises. I'll usually do Squats, Front Squats, Barbell Lunges, and Leg Presses; with some leg machines mixed in for the hamstrings. This routine is so intense, but I LOVE IT! I'm probably the only person I EVER see doing front squats, but their so beneficial. I recommend doing the crossed arm grip compared to the clean grip. As you can see in the photos, the clean grip puts an excruciating amount of pressure and pain on the wrists, which will lead to some problems down the road. I love doing two squat variations because it works the quads great in different ways and my core takes a pounding too. Leg days are typically short (45 min-1 hr) for me, so I really like to put a lot of intensity with my leg lifts. Always make sure you are getting your compounds done, they are essential to building muscle.

IN THE END:

Leg day is a necessity, regardless of how much you may hate it. Usually in life, the things you hate the most are the things that you have to get done to succeed, THIS IS NO DIFFERENT! Get on the squat rack and bend those knees baby! I just got done my leg day about 20 minutes ago, my walking might look at little funny and my behind might be sore tomorrow, BUT I FEEL AWESOME! If you hate something, the best feeling is when you get done doing what you hate, because its OVER! Always consider this fact when thinking about skipping leg day, it's not gonna go anywhere. It will still be there tomorrow if you skip it, so get in the gym and get it over with people! My golden rule for leg day: If you aren't walking weird when leaving the gym, LEG DAY ISN"T OVER!

Not sure what I'm doing for Saturday's article, if anyone want's to see anything let me know! I'm open for anything guys. Appreciate all the love. Have a wonderful end of the week.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com