WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Getting the most out of a short workout!

Short on time? Want to know how to get the most bang for your buck with your workouts? Having worked a lot with young moms who are crazy busy juggling life, and being a busy woman myself, I’ve learned how to make the most out of precious workout time. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get results. Its all about Quality, not Quantity. Your eating plays a huge part as well, but thats a discussion for another day. Whether you’re traveling and don’t have much equipment, or you have 30 minutes in between carpool pick ups, these are the tips I’ve discovered to get the most out of a quick workout.

1. More muscles = greater calorie burn. Think of your muscles as calorie burners. Exercises that incorporate more muscles at once will burn more calories than a single muscle isolation exercise. For example, a squat with a shoulder press is going to burn a lot more calories than just sitting at a shoulder press machine and isolating the shoulder muscle. Take away message: When you’re short on time, combine exercises to work multiple muscles at one time.
2. The bigger muscle groups will burn more calories than smaller muscle groups. This may seem obvious, but I thought I’d point it out anyways. Similar to my last tip, if muscles are calorie burners, the bigger once will burn more right? So for example, your legs and back are bigger muscle groups than your arms or abs. When you want to burn more calories quickly, add in some explosive leg movements to the workout. Take away message: work bigger muscle groups for a bigger calorie burn. Stay clear from single muscle isolation exercises if you’re short on time.
3. Minimize your rest time. When you only have 1/2 hour you want to be working through as much of that 1/2 hour as you can! this means shortening the rest time in between workouts. HIIT and Tabata are great styles for quick and effective workouts. With tabata you typically do 20-30 seconds full out intensity, with 10-15 seconds rest in between. Keep spiking your heart rate through the entire workout. Avoid resting over 30 seconds between exercises. This means getting rid of distractions and committing yourself for the time you have. Take away message: When you’re short on time, use it effectively, working more, resting less.

So there you have it! 3 easy tips to follow when creating an effective, time efficient workout. Now here’s a little circuit I put together using only your body weight, and maximizing calorie burn with multi-muscle exercises, and incorporating larger muscle groups. 

THE CIRCUIT: (do 45 seconds each, with 15 seconds rest in between)

• Plank with cross knee crunch (alternating legs)
• Forward and Back squat jacks
• Push up - Pike toe taps
• Surfer Get ups

(FULL VIDEO HERE.)

Rest 30-40 seconds after each round. Repeat circuit 3 rounds for a 15 minute workout. 

You can check out more of my Time Efficient, Body weight workouts in my online trainer programs at www.bodydesignbybrit.com/store

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Are some fruits better than others? Breaking down High Sugar VS. Low Sugar Fruits

Since its summer time, I thought I'd write a little bit about my favorite summer treat, FRUIT! So many good fruits are in season this time of year, I love it! But fruit definitely fits in the category of "moderation is key". Fruit is healthy, of course, but it contains sugar. Sugar is the main cause of weight gain, and by controlling our sugar intake, we can better reach goals of weight loss if that's what we're aiming towards. With my clients I suggest sticking around 35g or less of sugar per day for weight loss. This adds up quicker than you think! I typically recommend 1-2 pieces of fruit per day. Sugar from fruit is much better than reaching for a bag of skittles or a donut because you're getting the fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc, that comes with a piece of fruit. But I was curious, what fruits should I be more cautious about with my sugar intake?

Here's a list of 5 low sugar fruits to keep around this summer, and also my favorite way to eat them! I have also included the top 5 highest sugar fruit which you should try to limit in your diet. 

Hope you enjoy this Wednesday wisdom!

Lowest sugar fruit:

1. Avocado: only 1 gram of sugar per avocado! Basically my favorite food ever, I can eat it any way! But I really love it in a smoothie or with cottage cheese and salt and pepper, simple and delicious!
2. Raspberries: only 5 grams of sugar per cup. I love raspberries fresh like candy, or stirred into plain yogurt and made into a healthy Popsicle! 
3. Blackberries: only 7 grams of sugar per cup. I love black berries stirred into some plain yogurt and granola for a light pre workout breakfast.
4. Strawberries: only 7 grams of sugar per cup. I love strawberries dipped in melted dark chocolate for a guilt free sweet treat to end the night. Or in my favorite summer salads {spinach, strawberries, avocado, red onion, slivered almonds, feta cheese, vinaigrette dressing}
5. Casaba Melon: That bright yellow, round fruit about the size of a cantelope, with slightly wrinkly skin. It is the lowest sugar melon with 5 grams sugar for 1/2 cup. Try one sliced with cottage cheese, or sliced with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Highest Sugar Fruits

1. Lychee: 29 grams of sugar per cup! Yikes! But loaded with calcium, so moderation is key. They take so long to peel open that you probably couldn't get to a full cup unless you have all day ;)
2. Figs: 27 grams of sugar per cup. However, they are packed with healthy fiber, so maybe just don't eat a whole cup at once :)
3. Mango: 23 grams of sugar per cup. Mangos are my favorite, so I had a hard time putting them on the list, buuuut I always split the mango with my husband, or put just a few frozen cubes in my smoothie, so it's never quite a full cup ;) For your next date night, instead of buying a tub of ice cream, split a mango! It's very romantic, and healthy!
4. Cherries: 18 grams of sugar per cup. No wonder they taste like candy! If eating cherries, only grab a few, avoid sitting next to a bottomless bag.
5. Grapes: with 15 grams of sugar per cup, be careful. a cup can go pretty quick with these convenient little poppers. If I eat grapes I have them as a frozen sweet treat when I'm craving a Popsicle. Simply stick a bundle of fresh grapes in your freezer for an hour or two. Great poolside summer snack, just watch your portions! 

Enjoy some fresh in season fruit this summer, try new recipes or keep it simple, just remember portion control. HAGS :)

-Britt

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Increasing our Discomfort Tolerance (3 Strategies for Reaching Hard Goals!)

Any dream or goal we make that results in a positive change in ourselves requires a bit of discomfort. Most people quite or backdown from their goals because of this discomfort. If we're not used to feeling this, it can be scary, different, and usually we don't like it. Fitness goals are a great example of this because the discomforts are obvious and physical. Whether it's pushing through that final rep, feeling a little hunger from decreasing your portion sizes, resisting that cupcake, or getting a couple of inches deeper in your squat. Self imposed discomfort is a foreign feeling to many, but we can all improve. I've trained clients that had never felt the burning muscle sensation that comes with a tough workout, and their initial reaction was to stop. One of the benefits to having a personal trainer is so that you don't stop when it gets hard :)

Similarly, most of us our so used to food being so abundant, we eat mindlessly and have never really reached the point of true hunger. We just eat when we think we're supposed to eat, or when everyone else is eating. What would happen if we actually waited until our body told us it was hungry? 

I want to talk about some strategies we can use to increase our discomfort tolerance to reach those goals that may seem so far away or too hard in the moment. This takes desire and some mental toughness, which I know we all have! All of us are at different levels with this. Find your starting point and work from there. Here are 3 strategies for increasing your discomfort tolerance:

1. Extend discomfort time. For example, say it's Friday, on your way home from work and you can't wait to dive right into that cookie dough you have sitting in your fridge after a long week. Well instead of having it right when you get home, tell yourself you'll wait an hour, and then you can have some. By doing this, you are training your body to live through a little discomfort and proving that you'll survive. In applying this to exercise, if you always run for 30 minutes on Tuesday morning, try running for 35 or 40 minutes, or run 4 miles instead of 3. Push yourself one bit at a time, further than yesterday, and you will be surprised with how far you've come!
2. Remove the unhealthy conveniences. Back to the last example, if you always go straight to your fridge after work and there's cookie dough staring at you, that seems pretty convenient and hard to turn down. Or if you walk in your house and your big comfy couch and TV are sitting right there, it will be very convenient just to plop yourself down for the night and conveniently miss your gym time. Some ways to remove these unhealthy conveniences may be to take a new route so that you don't pass McDonald's tempting drive through on your way home. Or set a reminder on your phone to not go through the kitchen when you get home, or lay your gym clothes out on your couch instead of the remote control. Whatever your unhealthy habits are (we all have them) be realistic with yourself, acknowledge them, and set up healthy road blocks for yourself. 
3. Create a contract with yourself. The most important documents in our lives usually require us to sign and date. Well why shouldn't we apply that standard of importance for helping us reach goals with our health? This is a strategy that I've been playing around with lately and it's actually very helpful and powerful. Lets say you know you should exercise, but everyday something more appealing shows up and takes priority and the exercise is postponed until tomorrow, and tomorrow, and the next day, etc. You may not have the discomfort tolerance built up yet. Well, what I suggest is to write up an official document for yourself, stating the thing you want to do, when you are to do it, and a consequence if you don't fulfill your end of the deal. It may look something like this: "I, Brittney Motzkus, hereby declare that this week (specific date) I will brush my teeth within 10 minutes of finishing my dinner at home so that I am not searching for dessert afterwards or late night snacking. If I fail to do so, I must eat a spoonful of Wasabi, with Husband as my witness... (Sign, and Dated)." As you can see, you can have fun with this! But there's something about an officially contract that holds us accountable. 

Typically, the more important things in life require more effort, more sweat, more tears, more determination, more mental toughness, but that's what makes the outcome that much more sweet! With these strategies, I hope you can find the courage and determination to set goals for yourself and reach them. Know that you can accomplish hard things, even if it's one little step at a time! 

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: My Top 10 Healthy Habits for Staying Lean ALL YEAR ROUND

I'm starting a new tradition around here and its called WEDNESDAY WISDOM! Has a nice ring to it right? Each week on Wednesday I'll share some words of wisdom about health. I would love recommendations for topics! Comment on my instagram or this blog post with topics you want me to cover! 

This week I'm sharing my top 10 healthy habits to stay lean all year round. Often times we Here about quick fixes, getting lean for summer, lose those holiday pounds, etc. How can we reach goals and stay there? Want to get off the roller coaster ride? I'm here to help. These aren't quick tricks, or drastic diets. These are habits that I've integrated into my daily life over time. Don't think you need to change all at once, and some of these may not fit into your specific needs and lifestyle. My advice is to pick one or two at a time to work on, only bite off as much as you can chew. One baby step at a time. With consistency, you will develop healthy habits in your own life!

1. I Drink lots of water and only water. By this simple habit, you will cut out so many extra calories and sugar. This alone can kickstart your weight loss.

2. I Priorities sleep (7-8 hours). When you're well rested you think clearer, crave less junk food, have energy for a good workout, and cortisol levels go down (reducing fat storage in your body). Plus, studies show that getting enough sleep leads to a longer life!

3. I only eat out 1-2 times per week. When you prepare your own meals, you're in control. You can always prepare healthier options at home. Plus, it's easier on the wallet! Of course there's those occasional weeks with more parties and festivities and that's just part of life, enjoy! But stick to your game plan when you can.

4. I take the stairs when I have the option. It may seem like a small thing, but those extra steps and movement throughout the day add up and you can end up burning a couple hundred extra calories each day! I'm a huge believer in adding any kind of extra movement in your day.

5. I don't buy junk food. If it's not around the house, I'm less likely to eat it. This doesn't mean I never have treats, but when I do have a treat, I am going out for it so it's more of a special occasion. I am making a conscience decision, not mindlessly finding my spoon at the bottom of the ice cream tub in my kitchen. Or habitually reaching for the bag of chips I see staring at me in the pantry. And if you do have treats around the house after a holiday or party, it's ok to throw them out or give them away!

6. I load up on veggies. First place I go in the grocery store is the produce section, and I stock my fridge with easy to grab, chopped up veggies. We all typically eat whatever we have around, the most convenient right? Why not make it healthy!

7. I schedule in my work out. Literally, I write it down in my day planner and check it off when I'm done. This makes sure I'm not doing anything else in that block of time and gives me the satisfaction of checking it off each day when I finish!

8. I listen to my body. Although I'm not perfect at this, I try to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. We are all good at this when we are children, but somewhere along the line we lose this awareness. Stay away from rules that say what time to eat, foods you can or can't have, etc. Instead, I stick to my whole food, veggie based diet, meat sparingly, whole grains, low sugar. And the timing varies, some days I have 2 meals, some days I have 6 meals, it just depends on my bodies needs! I think sometimes we try to over complicate it!

9. I change up my work out routine daily. I get bored and it can become monotonous doing the same workouts so changing up the routine is crucial for me. Also crucial, making sure you include exercise that you enjoy! You may not enjoy every day and that's ok, but having something like a hike or spin class you really look forward to helps keep it fun! (in need of some ideas? try out one of my plans here to get you going).

10. I eat chocolate every day (well almost every day ;) I used to have a very powerful sweet tooth. I've found that if I keep a bar of dark chocolate around (70-80% cacao) I just break off a small corner of it after a meal and I don't even crave dessert! It's rich enough that it satisfies me for a long time. One of my favorite little tricks! If your an all or nothing type, meaning you will eat the whole chocolate bar if you start, then you may want to stay clear of this approach, or try individually wrapped chocolate so you only have one at a time.

So there ya go! Remember to take one step at a time for long lasting results. It's not a race to the finish line. Listen to your body, everyone is different!

I would love to hear some of your own healthy habits, comment below! Also let me know of any Wednesday Wisdom topics you would like me to cover in a comment below. Also, share this with a friend who you think would appreciate the content. :)