100 Workouts in 100 Days

When you read this you might think, what’s so special about exercising 5 minutes a day, everyday, for 100 straight days?  I mean, you walk around and climb stairs everyday at work and home, and even work-up a sweat doing the household chores like scrubbing the bath tub.  But are you really embracing a daily fitness program?  One that’s effective, simple and attainable, and most importantly, one that becomes an integral part of your subconscious. Because moving the body around isn’t the same as exercising the body. With exercise there’s a purpose and a goal.  And if you exercise daily, you will see results. You’ll not only benefit from having more strength and flexibility, increased bone mass, better posture, better circulation, and better breathing, but also from the mental clarity and strength you’ll get from succeeding everyday at something quite challenging. All it takes is the belief and the courage to try.  So believe and achieve with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #100-Bridge Pose II. It’s also the finale of this fat burning series, with details coming soon about my Burn Fat America Tour.  Thanks for tuning in!  – R

Longer days for better bodies

In exactly three weeks (June 21st), the summer solstice will occur when the days are longest and the nights are shortest.  I’m not sure about you, but I certainly prefer the daytime when it comes to working out or doing anything fitness related.  With longer days and the hot summer weather, it’s a great time to go for that after dinner walk or scenic bike ride.  And why not consider adding a few 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts to the mix to round out your evening.  Either before or after, these bite-size workouts will provide you with a quick and effective warm-up or cool-down to complement your stroll. So let that extra sunlight help you achieve that better body, and enjoy sculpting your entire body with today’s 97th consecutive fat burning workout – Side Plank.  – R

Make it a Religion

I met a thirty-something year old gal in the gym this morning who’s there religiously, Monday-Friday, but never on the weekends.  When I asked why, she said “because she likes to sleep a lot to get ready for Monday”.  Interesting, I thought, then she asked me why I workout everyday, even on the weekends.  Because working out everyday is a religion to me, I responded, and I believe that rest is more pertinent to strength training than it is to a comprehensive daily fitness program.  One that includes weight training, yoga, cardio, abdominals, and stretching, all combined with a moving meditative mindset. As described by Dictionary.com, the noun religion is also defined as “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects”.  Thus, my fervent belief in a daily fitness program makes it a religion for me, albeit, in an unconventional way.  No worries if you believe otherwise.  Just consider the results you’re getting from whatever fitness program you believe in, and if they’re not too satisfying, then perhaps consider embracing my religion.  And enjoy another 5 Minutes of Fat Burning with today’s 92nd consecutive workout – Killer Thighs.  My best – R

Be as unique as a fingerprint

Oprah Winfrey said, “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”  I love Oprah’s belief because it lets you be you, and incorporates the collective energy of everything and everyone around you as part of your destiny.  So be as unique as a fingerprint today and everyday, and don’t forget your 5 minutes of fat burning with Workout #87 – Dancing Warrior.  Enjoy  – R

Power and economy go hand in hand

I read this in my Horoscope this morning and immediately thought how it relates to almost everything in life, including the correct fitness program.  I say correct because the power comes from doing a combination of simple, full body workouts using the proper technique, and the economy comes from maximizing your time and results by doing them on a daily basis.  So maximize your power and economy today by getting started with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #86 – Terrific Triceps II.  Enjoy – R

Fitness + Family = Fun

Yesterday I taught a one-hour fat burning class at a domestic violence shelter in San Diego on behalf of my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation.  I was excited to teach about ten children (ages 3 – 12), with a few ever-so shy moms and grandmothers too.  It was certainly a family affair, with the kids leading the charge!  Since I don’t have any children of my own – at least not yet – I’m always fascinated by the pure joy kids find in the simplest of activities.  And with their moms and grand-moms joining in, they had FUN, regardless of how challenging it was.  Simply put, Fitness + Family = Fun.  So gather your entire family today and enjoy strengthening your legs, and your family bond, with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #85 – Chair Twists (the exact same exercises we practiced at the shelter).  And have fun!  – R

Slow and steady wins the race

Everybody’s read Aesop’s fable, The Hare and the Tortoise, right?  It’s about a hare who vainly boasts of his great running speed and challenges the slow tortoise to a race. However outpaced, in the end the tortoise wins because the hare decides to take a nap en route to the finish line.  The moral lesson here:  slow and steady wins the race.  Just like with your daily fitness program.  It may seem to progress slowly, but in the long run you’ll certainly see the results you desire as well as feel the rejuvenating affects of doing a little something to strengthen your mind and body every single day.  So enjoy getting Fantastic Forearms with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #83.  – R

Don’t Make Assumptions

When was last time your friend called to say someone hasn’t called her back because she thinks “blah-blah-blah”?  And the reason for “blah-blah-blah” is because what your friend thinks doesn’t really matter.  Because if your friend is assuming, which is usually the case when our feelings get hurt, than she’s probably wrong.  We all know what ass-u-me means, right?  Have patience for the truth, it’s much easier to handle. Don’t make Assumptions.  Like, with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts.  What the heck can you get done in 5 minutes, right? Well, these bite-size workouts are little gems because if you rarely exercise, than working out a little bit each day is priceless.  If you do workout a few times a week, you’ll empower yourself with a DAILY fitness routine.  A routine that’ll soon eclipse 5 minutes, as well as make you feel better about yourself, give you more energy and awareness, and increase your body image as your subconscious registers these daily workouts as wins.  Or, as I like to call them, small victories in the war.  Not to mention the preservation aspects of strengthening your muscles and bones. Because battling Mother Nature and Father Time is a war. So don’t make assumptions and get off to an easy start with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #82 – Easy Abs.  – R

Don’t let time waste you

William Shakespeare once said, “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”  For anyone who’s ever read the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, this is some pretty straightforward prose.  Or is it?  Because like anything by Shakespeare, it helps to read it a few times and let the true meaning of the words really sink in.  In this case, the concept of wasting time has a double meaning – time being wasted and time doing the wasting.  If you really think about it, whenever you waste time it has a tendency come back and bite you in the butt.  That is to say, wasting time can negatively impact you as well as prevent you from reaching your goals.  Whatever it is you’re doing.  Especially with fitness.  So don’t waste time planning and talking about your new exercise program.  Keep it simple and workout everyday.  And enjoy strengthening your core and toning your abdominal muscles with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #81 – Plank Crunches.  – R

Offset today’s fear with a new fitness routine

Superstition holds today, Friday the 13th, to be a day of bad luck.  Nonsense, right?  Well, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, “an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed.”  So does this superstition prevent you from leaving the house today and sticking with your daily routine?  Then how about offsetting today’s fear with a new fitness routine, and join me for some good old fat burning!  Because who says friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13thhas to be a bad thing.  Enjoy today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #79 – Leg Hops.  – R