50 for 50

50 Push-ups a day!

The push-up challenge begins TOMORROW, November 12th, and the goal is to do 50 push-ups a day for 50 days. increasing the amount by 1 each day.  By 2015 you should feel stronger and ready to take on the year.

 

Push-ups are one of the most common and basic exercises for the human body. They increase strength in the forearms, wrists, triceps, shoulders, chest and core.

 

Proper Technique

Your elbows must be fully extended at the beginning and end. Your toes should be on the ground and your hips, legs and back should be straight. The chest must be close to the ground to count. Try putting a tennis ball under your chest and trying to make contact with it each time.

Tips for Beginners

-Break them up throughout the day. Don’t feel like you have to them all at once, but try to
work up to doing as many as possible in a row.

-Do them on your knees, up against the bed or against the wall if needed. If you can’t do a
“real push-up”, don’t let that stop you. Even modified push-ups will increase your strength.

Advanced

-Everyday, try to increase the amount you can do without resting.
-Try to complete all of you push-ups in one time period.
-If you need a bigger challenge, time yourself.

Who is up to the challenge??

Enjoy Life - Workout!

Mandy

Food Prep 101

Failing to plan is planning to fail! Fact!

Personally, the biggest challenge when trying to eat healthy is having good food ready and available when it’s time to eat. If I have healthy foods ready to go, I usually choose to eat it. When I don’t, I usually choose to eat crap!

The BEST way to ensure my success is to prep my food in advance. For me this usually takes place on Sunday. I don’t eat the same thing s every week, but here are a few easy go to foods:

Hard boiled eggs – you can eat them alone or put in a chicken/tuna salad or on a salad.

Fruit – I buy what is in season or use frozen fruit for smoothies.

Veggies – you can cut them up and put them in little baggies. Add them to salad or eat with guacamole or hummus.

Chicken breasts - again, easy added to other meals or fine by itself.

Here are some foods that you don’t have to prep, but are great to have on hand.

Avocados – a great healthy fat that can be added to a number of things

Almonds – another good healthy fat

Raw greens – I use spinach. Good for a side salad or to put in my smoothie.

Oatmeal – cheap and easy

Almond Butter – good shit!

 Tip #1 Buy what is on sale! I usually pick my meals based on what is cheap or on sale that week. For example, this week raspberries were on sale $1 per container. I think we bought about 10 of them. I froze 5 containers for my morning smoothie (pictured) and my 1 year old inhaled the rest.

For my local peeps, I always look at Lucky’s weekly deals. I try to stick to the first page of the ad which is usually fruits, veggies and meat. This is how my family picks the weekly menu.

Tip #2 Freeze Foods! If something is on sale and you don’t need it right away, buy it and freeze it. You can also make a larger amount of food and freeze the left overs. Then we you are running low on food just put it in the fridge the night before and you are ready to go.

Tip #3 Use Pinterest! You can find hundred of food prep ideas for all types of diets and meal plans.

Let me know if you have any questions!

www.brickschickhouse.com

Enjoy Life - Workout!

Mandy

 

 

Home Workouts

Home Workouts

Some people like working out at home. They have control over their schedule and they don’t have to make a special trip to get to the gym. I am going to give you a few workouts you can do easily from your home or office.

Step 1 – purchase a jump rope and a set of dumbbells from 5-20 lbs. depending on your ability. Make sure you get a good jump rope, not one that is an actual rope that you can barely swing around.

Step 2 – Do the workouts at a high intensity. These are meant to be exercises that build muscle and BURN FAT. You won’t do that if you are taking your sweet time with them.

Step 3 –Buy a Brick Schick House shirt for $15. Why? Why the hell not? You want to look cool while working out don't you?

Step 4 – Get great results and feel good about yourself.

Here are some workouts!

1) Jump rope for 5 min as a warm-up

    As many rounds as possible in 15 min. 
    5 push-ups
   10 DB push press
   15 sit-ups
   20 air squats

2) 3 rounds for time

    Run 400 meters (.25 miles)

    15 DB Squat-Curl-Press

    15 Bench Dips                                                 

    15 Lunges (15 each leg)    

3) 5 rounds for time
    20 Thrusters
    20 Sit-ups
    100 Jumps w/ the jump rope

4) 4 rounds for time
    Run 800 meters (.5 miles)
    50 Supermans
    50 Leg Lifts

5) 50 burpees as fast as possible       

Contact me @ schicktraining@gmail.com
Brickschickhouse.com
                                                     

Enjoy Life - Workout!
Mandy

Why do my feet go numb on the elliptical?

I get this question all of the time at the gym.  The elliptical machine is a popular choice because it offers a low-impact cardio workout. However, the most common complaint from people is that their feet go numb. There are a number of things that could be going on.

1)      Foot positioning – look where your feet are on the pedals. Usually people jam their feet towards the front of the pedal and lift their heels off. This can cause the numbness, but it can also cause knee pain. Pushing through your heels and moving your foot towards the back of the pedal will take the pressure off of your toes and knees. If you can’t keep your heels down, then this means you have tight calves and hamstrings and you need to work on stretching them out.

2)      The elliptical keeps your feet in the same position (which is what makes it low-impact), so try moving your feet around the pedals from time to time. Wiggle your toes and get that blood flowing!

3)      Shoe size – your feet tend to swell during exercise. If your shoes do not properly fit, this could be a problem. You could always go up a half size, but check with a shoe professional and get a fitting. Also, don't tie your shoes too tight. 

Enjoy Life - Workout!

Mandy

Workout At Home!

Some people like working out at home. They have control over their schedule and they don’t have to make a special trip to get to the gym. I am going to give you a few works you can do easily from your home or office.

Step 1 – purchase a jump rope and a set of dumbbells from 5-20 lbs depending on your ability. Make sure you get a good jump rope, not one that is an actual rope that you can barely swing.

Step 2 – Purchase my 50 home workouts for $50. Come on you can afford it. I just saved you $350 in a gym membership J. I will also throw in a FREE Brick Schick House t-shirt! I also tell you which days to workout, which days to rest and how to incorporate cardio.

Step 3 – Do the workouts at a high intensity. These are meant to be exercises that build muscle and burn fat. You won’t do that if you are taking your sweet time with them.

Step 4 – Get great results and feel good about yourself. I promise if you follow my program you WILL see results.

Here are a couple sample workouts.

1) Jump rope for 5 min as a warm-up

    As many rounds as possible in 10 min.
    5 push-ups
   10 DB push press
   15 sit-ups
   20 air squats

2) 3 rounds for time

    Run 400 meters (.25)

    15 DB Squat-Curl-Press

    15 Bench Dips                                                 

    15 Lunges (15 each leg)                                                                

Enjoy Life - Workout!
Mandy

30 Day Challenge

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to eat clean and workout hard for 30 days. If you do this, you will see a change in your mind and body.

The Plan: Get Built Like a Brick Schick House!

How: Subscribe to my 30 day program! Every day you will receive a healthy recipe AND a workout that you can do at home.

What You Need: A jump rope, a set of Dumbbells 8 lbs or higher and a good attitude!

We will be amazed in how your body can change in just 30 days.

This program is only $30. That is only $1 a day. There is no reason to not do it.

E-mail me at schicktraining@gmail.com for more details and I will start by sending you a food list for your 30 day challenge.

Who is in?

Enjoy Life - Workout!
Mandy

Fish Oil Basics

Should you be taking a fish oil supplement?  YES!

Why should I take it?
It’s a Brain Food:

It helps optimize nerve function and mood and has been proven to help treat depression, psychosis, ADHD and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Reduces Inflammation:

It helps promotes overall joint health and mobility.  It can also help with muscle soreness post workout. It is perfect for people with rheumatoid arthritis, athletes, people who workout and people who are alive :).

Promotes Heart Health:

It helps with heart arrhythmias, triglyceride levels, blood pressure and stroke. 

How much should I take?

Every doctor will say something different. A lot of professionals will recommend 0.5 grams of omega-3 in the form of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA and DHA) per 10 pounds of body weight for healthy individuals.

I weigh 180 (it's true) and I take 4 pills (2g each) and that does seem to be the perfect amount. Other professionals will say 4g a day is enough. 

There is almost no worry for “overdosing” on fish oil. A few trips to the bathroom might tell you you are taking a bit too much oil in. Easy fix: take less. If you aren’t seeing the benefits of taking it, then take more.

I personally use Barlean's (pictured) because it is Organic, not super expensive and it is lemon flavored so my burps don't smell like fish all day. 

Not all supplements are for everyone, so make sure you check with your doctor before using anything.

Be safe!!!

Enjoy Life - Workout!

Mandy