My mother turned 70 today and she looks amazing! What’s her secret? Well, about 31 years ago when I joined my first gym she was this 39 year-old mother of three who never worked out. One year later – at the ripe age of 40 and after much cajoling on my part – she joined a health club and never looked back. Thirty years later she’s been working out 4-5 times a week – and it shows because she doesn’t look a day over 60. Kudos to your workouts and your healthy lifestyle Mom! So for anyone not currently on a daily fitness program, let’s get you started with Workout #15. And I’ll see you next time – R
Tip of the Iceberg
For anyone just getting started with a daily fitness or weight loss program, consider my 5 minute fat burning workouts as the tip of the iceberg. Designed to be simple, quick and effective, each workout is like the spark that ignites a more complete fitness regimen that includes anything cardiovascular, weight lifting or yoga. Better yet, combine several 5 minute workouts and create your own customized program that fits your busy schedule and targets your body parts that require the most fat burning. And always remember to include at least one workout to strengthen your core & abs! Enjoy – R
Ignorance corrodes
This morning I was speaking with a friend and practitioner of my new workout series. We were discussing how ignorance corrodes the inside of an individual’s soul. Ignorance being defined here as the willful lack of knowledge or awareness. And it’s the willfulness part that speeds the corrosion. Heavy stuff, I know, but think about it. That’s why my 5 minute fat burning workouts are good for you. Especially if you’re not a fitness person. Because they teach you a plethora of super effective and easy-to-follow exercises you can do in only 5 minutes – anywhere. There’s no need for special clothing, or a mat, or a specific area or room to practice in. They’re designed to prime the pump, to get you going, to put a spark in your day. Plus, they’re really simple and they’re really attainable. Check out Workout #11 – and let’s tighten that buttocks and stop corrosion today! Rich
Combine your efforts
What’s the best way to burn fat and trim your waistline? If you said doing 1,000 abdominal crunches, well, you’re wrong. The answer is a bit more complex: it takes a combination of efforts that include a positive mindset, a healthy diet and a plethora of fitness activities including anything cardiovascular, weightlifting, yoga, and of course abdominal workouts. It certainly helps to do something core & ab related everyday – as you’re well aware of my zealous approach to a daily fitness program. So if you haven’t already tried one of my 5 minute fat burning workouts, check out Workout #7 – Sculpt those Abs – then keep it going with a vigorous walk, swim, bike, jog or run. Be well – R
Another day, another fat burning workout
In keeping with our theme to burn fat while sculpting your thighs, workout #3 of my 5 minute fat burning series employs the age old exercise most commonly referred to as the lunge. For anyone looking to start a new fitness program, keep it simple and make sure you do something everyday – even for only 5 minutes. It will help establish a strong foundation that will propel you to greater fitness heights. Enjoy your workout – R
5 Minutes of Fat Burning
Today marks the start of a new fat burning campaign – only 5 minutes a day with me leading you through different exercises that’ll kick-start your fat burning initiatives. Workout #1 focuses on your thighs. Check us out on YouTube! Enjoy – R
Top 10 Excuses
So what’s your excuse for not making fitness a daily part of your life? Here are the top 10 excuses I’ve heard this year:
1. It’s too expensive. Well, if you can’t afford the $13.93 to download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts – only $1.99 per workout – or the $14.99 to download my Yoga Survival Guide, then go for a free 15 minute walk or just lay on your back and stretch and work your core & abs – for any amount of time.
2. I don’t have the time. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to respect themselves? And if 1% a day is too much time for you, then make it 5 minutes.
3. I don’t know what to do. Educate yourself for free on the Internet, or better yet, purchase any fitness or yoga video that resonates with you – hopefully mine.
4. I’m injured. Speak with your doctor about what you can do to avoid that area of your body – and mindfully and cautiously workout around your injury.
5. I’m afraid of getting hurt. Before you begin any fitness program, check with your doctor about what you can and cannot do, and really listen to your body at all times.
6. I’m too old. Nonsense! Everyday – including this morning – I exchange hellos with this eighty-something year old man in the gym. Plus, my oldest yoga student was an 88 year-old woman who could barely walk. Need I say more?
7. I don’t have the desire. Who does? I mean, what’s desire got to do with strengthening and preserving your body and your mind for the long term. It’s a necessity.
8. I don’t like working out. Same as above. Plus, try working out everyday for 30 years then tell me if you really like doing it.
9. It’s too cold outside where I live. Who says you have to go outside to workout?
10. I’m going to start in the New Year. Great. Now download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts or my Yoga Survival Guide, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
All the best in 2011 – R
What are friends for?
This morning I met this fifty-something gal in the gym with a great body who’s always there. The first thing I asked her was if she worked out everyday. She said yes. Then I said, 5 days as week, and she gave me this look like are you crazy, and emphatically says, “No, 7 days”. Then along comes her fifty-something guy friend who meekly says, “ahhhhh, I won’t be here tomorrow so Merry Christmas”. She then gives him the exact look she gave me and asks why not. The man hesitates and says he won’t be there because he has to baby-sit his grandkids. So she proclaims, “At 5 o’clock in the morning, oh come on Johnny, you better be here!” Now what are friends for, right? Just that. To care about you, to support you, to motivate you, and to make you accountable when things get hard – like working out everyday at 5am. I totally understand why some people have more success with a fitness or weight loss program when they have a partner, or network of like-minded, mutually supportive individuals to help them through the tough times. So if you’re that type of person who benefits from the extra push from your friends, then embrace it and find your workout partner today! And get started with your daily fitness program – whatever it may be. Because who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to respect themselves? R
No judgment
In my opinion, this is the most important lifestyle and yoga principle that everyone should embrace. And I truly dislike that word should because it implies that one is projecting their personal standards and opinions upon another. But in this case it applies. Because whether or not you did or didn’t do something, like shirking a responsibility, or not working out, or partying too much, or being mean to your parents or your dog, well, forget about it and don’t judge yourself for doing it. It’s in the past and every new moment gives you a new beginning. No reason to waste energy, effort and feelings on something you can’t change. Especially when it comes to other people. Because for sure we can’t change what others do or say. And why should we or even want to? That’s what makes life interesting. The uniqueness of people we meet who impact our lives and help us evolve in whatever subtle or major way. All this coming from a guy who was once the life of the party who also judged. Believe me, anyone can change at any given moment, if you really want to. Or like my father used to say to me in baseball, “you gotta wanna bunt”. So let go of any judgment you may have for anything you did today or this holiday season. And I’ll see you tomorrow. R
A little above the weather
Everyone knows the feeling when the weather’s got you down and you’re ‘a little under the weather’ right? Well how about turning the tables on today’s bad weather and telling yourself exactly the opposite – that you’re a little above the weather! Because that weather malaise is just a temporary mindset you can enthusiastically change. I know for most of you Mother Nature has been rather frigid and snowy and all around nasty, but for those of us in LA it feels like we should be boarding Noah’s Arc right about now. And since we’re relatively spoiled with our clear blue sunny skies – well, who says you can’t move to LA – it’s especially easy to feel under the weather and fall off your daily routine. Don’t do it. Or if you do, just make it one day only, not two or three in a row. Because while everyone else around you feels a bit more weather-like with each passing day, you’ll be the bright a cheerful one who got your workout in. For sure you’ll feel better and for sure your positive energy will radiantly affect everyone around you. And maybe you’ll even motivate your loved ones to do the same, so they can bask in the sunshine of their own positive energy. So get your 15 Minute Fat Burning Workout in today. And I’ll see you tomorrow. R