Try This Quick Workout to Get You Moving This Saturday…

The dreaded “Deck of Cards” workout

This is a quick way to get your workout in for the day and get on your way. Equipment? All you need is a deck of cards. It is really simple and and easy thing for the whole family to do. I typically recomend this to my clients when they are out of town on a business meeting or off with the family on vacation. All you have to do is assign a movement or exercise (such as push-ups) to each of the four suits in a deck of cards. Shuffle the cards up and turn them face down. Flip the first card over and whatever suit and number the card is that is how many repetitions of that exercise you do. Once you are done with all the reps from the first card you are ready to flip over the next one. Sounds easy right? Well try for yourself. Here is a sample deck that I like to do with my Be Healthy Challenge ladies:

Hearts = Push-Ups

Diamonds = Burpees

Clubs = Lunges

Spades = Squats

What do you think? If that one was not difficult enough for you, then this is the one I did the other day, that is a little tougher:

Hearts = Ring Push-Ups

Diamonds = Pull-Ups

Clubs = Lunge Jumps

Spades = Box Jumps

Enjoy!

Eat This to Burn Fat!

I came across a video some time ago from our Be Healthy Challenge Nutritionist, Laura Bennett. It is a little long, but worth a watch if you are wondering why you are still not getting that flat tummy you have been working so hard for.

Just click HERE to watch!

I can do this on my own… right?

Now, everybody generally knows how to get from one place to the other at any given time. All you have to do is point yourself in the right direction and start taking steps forward.  If you want to go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean all you would have to do is start walking west and eventually your toes are going to hit the water. Obviously there are much better and much more efficient ways of reaching your destination. Most of us would trust a professional to get us where we need to be, whether it is a pilot or a bus driver. The same goes for fitness. Most people know where they need to be as far as their fitness level is concerned, but they don’t know how to get there. So they pick a destination, typically an ideal weight or body type and they start taking steps forward the only ways they know. Just like walking across the country everybody knows that if they walk enough, run enough, or do a bunch of push-ups and sit-ups, they will eventually be in better shape than they were before. But, that would not be very efficient, so what do you do? It only makes sense to do the same thing you would do to get across the country the fastest and the safest. Hire a professional to get you to your destination. That is why you need a personal trainer.

All that being said, here are a few more reasons why it is so important for you to have a personal trainer.

Goals- It doesn’t matter if you are an elite athlete who is trying to get faster or stay at home mom who just needs to have the energy to make it through the day, a personal trainer can help you accomplish your goals.

Expertise- They have had years of training to determine the best way to get you from point A to point B. Just like the pilot of a private jet, their job is to get you from where you are to where you want to be in the safest most efficient way possible.

Accountability- It is human nature to get a little sidetracked and veer off path a bit, but a trainer can keep you on track, as well as hold you accountable to your program. If you have somebody that is expecting you to put in the work day in and day out you are going to be less likely to skip out on workouts.

Motivation- Everyone has been there. They know they need to get in shape, but they just can’t seem to get themselves out there to do it. Part of the trainer’s job is to motivate you not only to do what you need to, but to help you enjoy doing it.

Why?

I am often asked why I chose to become a personal trainer. For me it was something that just came very naturally. Since I can remember I have always been active in sports and fitness in general. I was one of the younger boys in my neighborhood and out of my friends, so I grew up very competitive. Sports became a pretty obvious outlet for me to compete with my friends and try to prove myself. From little league on through high school it was hard to think of anything that I loved to do more than playing any type of sport. It not only became my favorite thing to do, but also became who I am.

I have also always had a passion for helping others. I have been fortunate enough to be raised by two loving parents who have been great role models in my life. One thing that I picked up from my parents growing up was that you should always try to help those in need in whatever way you are able to. They don’t always have to be big things. It could be as simple as picking up something a stranger dropped as the

y walked by or volunteering to help a friend move. The idea is that if you show that you are always willing to help others, then you will realize that should you ever need it, people will be very willing to help you.

Something my dad told me when I was just a kid has seemed to always stick with me through the years. He told me. “Jason, find something you enjoy doing anyway and then find somebody that will pay you to do it. The last thing you want is to dread waking up and going to work in the morning.” My father did drywall for almost 30 years, which I would find hard to do for a single day, but never once did I hear him complain about the long hours, heat, or hard labor. He loved what he did and that was something that I wanted for myself.

All that being said, I think the answer to “why?” is a simple one. Identify the things you enjoy doing the most, which for me is fitness and athletics along with helping others and then finding somebody that would allow me to earn a living doing those things. As for the rest, I credit god for putting me in the ideal situation that will allow me to work with great people, in an athletic environment,  helping others achieve their goals.