Gotta love ‘Opening Day’

As a child, my brother and I used to play baseball for hours on end with my tireless father hitting us popups and grounders until the sun went down.  To this day my father and brother coach kids of all ages from childhood through high school.  My two nephews are also following in our footsteps, becoming quite the ballplayers we knew they would. So of course I’m a huge fan of ‘Opening Day‘.   The smell of freshly cut grass, the sounds of the crack of the bat, the pop you hear when the pitcher fires one past the batter right into the catcher’s mitt. Hmmm, hmmm, good!  There’s also that feeling of a new beginning. Because once the season starts, nobody cares about last year, let alone what happened yesterday. Everybody gets a fresh start – something we all can use from time to time.  So if you’re a baseball fan like me, take this time to start something new.  Like a daily fitness program. Because just like ballplayers forgetting their past seasons, you can forget about the workout you didn’t do yesterday and start anew.  Why not?  It’s Opening Day!  Have fun getting terrific triceps with my 5 minute fat burning workout #36.  Let’s play ball – R

The door is open

You may have heard the old Chinese proverb, “Teachers open the door.  You enter by yourself.”  When it comes to working out, this is 100% true.  Because the hard part of physical fitness is that no one can do it for you.  Knowing what to do is the easy part.  It is, when you’re practicing along with my 5 minute fat burning workouts.  Short, effective and uniquely challenging, these workouts are meant to teach you the right exercises using the proper technique. They’ll also motivate you to do more, and serve as a confidence builder if you’re new to fitness.  The door is open, but you must enter by yourself.  So enter freely with some detoxifying lunge twists in today’s daily workout #35.  Enjoy – R

48 and Feeling Great

By the time you reach 48 there’s not much hoopla about your birthday, right?  The true celebration is in the continued evolution of your soul.  Which also applies to your body. And with that evolution of your body brings new challenges each year.  Challenges that include dealing with a slower metabolism rate, a weakening of muscles and bones, and an increasing waistline.  Go figure, right?  So what can be done to counter these challenges? This:  what I’ve been doing everyday for the past 32 years – working out.  I hate to blow my own horn here, but maintaining a daily fitness program really works. Yesterday I met a 20 year old gal who thought I was 33.  That’s 15 years younger folks. Plus, I’m not a fanatic about what I eat – just smart – so I must attribute my success to working out. Everyday.  Trust me, it works.  Here’s a few of my favorite abdominal exercises in today’s 5 minute fat burning workout #34 – Birthday Abs.  Enjoy – Rich

Healthy Diet + Daily Exercise = Success

We all know the meaning of a healthy diet, right?   And we all know what it means to exercise daily – or at least if you’ve been following along the past 33 days you know you can exercise for as little as 5 minutes a day.  So why is it so hard to combine the two to achieve a successful result?  Well, although the definition of success may be different for each of us, the certainty in the above referenced equation is the plus and the equals part.  If you eat healthy and workout everyday you will certainly achieve success as it relates to preserving your body for the long term.  And hopefully you’re not fooling yourself when it comes to a healthy diet and daily exercise – because there is no substitute.  So watch your diet, do something physical fitness everyday, and keep with your positive thoughts and feelings!  Enjoy shaping your legs and biceps with today’s 5 minute fat burning workout #33.  And I’ll see you next time – R

Why procrastinate?

Did you know that today is National Procrastination Day? Well, it was actually yesterday but it was pushed off until today.  Easy to do with just about anything that’s not a life or death situation. Especially physical fitness.  Because exercising usually involves time and money, and of course, the rather undesirable fatigue and discomfort you experience from doing it. Everyone knows the benefits of fitness, so why procrastinate and push if off until tomorrow, or Monday, or the first of the month?  Don’t do it.  Don’t procrastinate. Especially with your daily fitness program.  Here’s another great abdominal workout using tabletop crunches anyone can do.  My 5 minute fat burning workout #31 completes a month’s worth of workouts you can do anywhere.  No people.  No props.  No special clothing.  No money.  Just 5 minutes and your non-procrastinating self.  Enjoy – R

30 workouts in 30 days

Today marks day 30 and workout #30 of my 5 minute fat burning web series.  For those following along, you now have 30 different short workouts to choose from – covering all body parts and muscles from your fingers to your toes (check out Workout #19 for women who wear high heels a lot).  No worries if you have not – so long as you’ve been keeping up with a daily fitness routine that includes anything cardiovascular and/or fat burning.  For the newcomers out there, the main objective of this web series is to provide you will a super quick and painless alternative to the gym or yoga studio. However brief my 5 minute workouts may be, don’t let that fool you.  They’re certainly challenging, effective and attainable for anyone of any size, weight, age or gender.  Just like my 5 minutes of yoga anywhere in my Yoga Survival Guide, and my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy sculpting your butt & legs with moving squats in Workout #30.  As always, keep it going and I’ll see you next time!  – R

Be reverent

I was speaking with a friend today about the concept of being reverent vs. irreverent. Sometimes, the only way to succeed in a particular situation is to be irreverent.  To be disrespectful of your opponent, confident in your abilities to get the job done. Like a baseball hitter who’s irreverent toward the Cy Young winning pitcher staring him down, all the while knowing he’ll get a hit.  On the other hand, when it comes to working out every day, one should be reverent.  That is to say, it would be wise to respect the power of a daily fitness program because of its proven, healthy, long term affects.  So be reverent with your workouts and enjoy soft leg squats in my 5 minute Workout #29 – R

 

Years teach us patience

Elizabeth Taylor, one of the greatest and most beautiful actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Years once said, “It is very strange that the years teach us patience – that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.”  As I myself get ready to turn the page on another year, I certainly agree with Liz’s assessment of our capacity for waiting. Especially in Tinseltown, where patience is truly a virtue.  And especially when it comes to seeing results with a new fitness program.  As you grow older, the need to strengthen your body as well as accept the fact that everything worth doing takes time becomes more apparent.  So be patient with your workouts and your fat burning…and enjoy sculpting your shoulders & abs with my 5 minute Workout #28.  And to the lovely and exquisite Ms. Taylor, thanks for the wonderful memories!  Rest in Peace – Rich

 

Resist the temptation

You may have heard the ancient proverb, ‘good habits result from resisting temptation’.  I would go one step further and say that good habits result from resisting temptation and embracing change.  Because good habits are derived by doing things that are considered good for you, versus bad habits that are usually derived from the not-so-good things that constantly tempt us – like unhealthy food groups and the aversion to exercise.  So if you haven’t already, get with a new habit in the form of a daily fitness program.  And resist the temptation NOT to workout because who doesn’t have 5 minutes a day to respect themselves?  Enjoy opening your hips and hamstrings with fat burning workout #26 – R

Spring into it

Rebirth, renewal and regrowth.  That’s what Spring personifies.  With Spring also comes longer days, better weather and the blossoming of all things earthy.  It’s also a great time to shake off those Winter pounds with a daily fitness program. Whatever suits your fancy will work.  And here’s another 5 minute fat burning workout to choose from.  Have fun toning your shoulders and legs with Workout #25, and I’ll see you next time – R