Midway results

Matt Long:

I am very happy with where I am to this point. Physically I have dropped 2% of my body fat. I have maintained my 186 frame and look forward to putting on another 4 pounds of muscle. I plan to be at 7% body fat by the end of the 8 week challenge. Other than that my goals are being obtained and everyday I feel so blessed with a great wife and family. This month my life is changing for me and my family in so many ways.
One year ago I was married to my best friend and a girl that I am crazy about. We now have a little girl and our relationship keeps getting stronger.


Mackenzie Long:
 

Midway Results

Scott Schwab:
The challenge has been different than other challenges for me. I started with the cleanse and lost 21 pounds. Much of that was water and I knew that I would gain some back. Before Thanksgiving I had gained 8 of it back. After Thanksgiving I had gained 15 of it back. Disapointed, I am trying to find the food balance that I can be healthy but not gorge. Portion control went out the window during the Thanksgiving break. My lack of discipline is catching up to me.
However, I have put on muscle, I do feel like I am strong and have a good base to start from. Now I will have to get very serious if I am going to reach my goals. I have been writing a lot of reading many types of books. I have been writing a manual, that I have enjoyed reflecting upon, how to improve my book, which is coming together nicely. I look forward to finishing strong, and I look forward to a new year.


Chandi Schwab:
Physically I have just wanted to be able to maintain throughout the holidays. I haven't been running as many miles per week, but I am still staying active by going to classes at the gym and lifting on my own. I also have a love/hate relationship with the Stair Master these days. I sweat like crazy on that thing, and I am always sore the next day. I weigh about the same but, I have lost some muscle definition, so I want to focus more on that. I also want to start doing speedwork again on the treadmill. I haven't done it at all since I hurt my ankle in september. I really want to push it these next few weeks. We are going to Cancun in January so that is some good motivation.
I have really tried to focus more on my kids individual needs and I am trying to improve my patience every day.
 

Midway Results

Carol Brogdon:

I'm doing pretty well--a little better than I expected to be doing by this point. I have lost 6 lbs so far. My eating habits could definitely improve, and I will be working on that during the next few weeks. But even with that, I've been doing alright. Since I know I have to write down what I eat, it has really deterred me from just popping things in my mouth without thinking about it, especially since I'm trying to stay within a specific calorie range.

I haven't worked out 4 days a week every single week so far, but I still want to continue reaching for that goal. I've noticed that I've had to change up my workouts recently in order to continue to lose weight. After about a month of the same kinds of workouts, I had to start switching things up a bit, and it has definitely helped. I really like the fact that I'm getting stronger. I've noticed a big difference with that. I still have about 6 lbs I'd like to lose, and will just keep working at it. :)

 

 

Ashley Ludlow:

 

I would say so far this challenge has been an epic fail for me. I'm pretty hard on myself though, so maybe it's not so bad. I have gotten some major decluttering done in my home, and we've had a lot of big changes around here: new baby, son starting school, and possibly being diagnosed with a behavior disorder. Right now I'm taking it day by day. I have caught myself turning to food for comfort. I'm reading a book right now by Candace Cameron Bure. It's called ReShaping it All. She talks about how instead of turning to food, we should be turning to God. I really like this, and I've tried to spend more time in my scriptures. I'm reading the Old Testament for the first time, from cover to cover. I am looking forward to making some improvements overall in the next 4 weeks. It's a little overwhelming, but, like I said, one day at a time!

Tone up those "Hammy's"

 

 

Chandi Schwab

I realized the other day that I have been neglecting my hamstrings lately and it shows. This is one of the hardest areas to keep toned. especially for women. So I decided to post some hamstring workouts as a reminder for myself and also for those of you that are interested.

Lunges: I just barely posted on lunges so look back to the last post on this one. Lunges are so good for all of the lower body. They can be done with or without weights.

Dead lifts:Stiff legged dead lift are done by holding a weighted barbell in front of you with a shoulder-width grip, then bending over at the hips until the weights almost touch the floor. Your knees are slightly bent through the movement.

Hamstring Curls:These are done on a lying hamstring machine. You lie on your stomach and place the backs of your legs on a padded support. You then bend your knees and curl your legs toward your glutes.

Swiss Ball: Swiss ball roll outs are done from a lying position with your feet up on a Swiss ball. From this position you lift your hips up in the air and roll the ball toward your glutes using your hamstring muscles.

Steps:Stair stepping or running is another great way to get your Hamstrings in shape. You can either use actual stairs or a StairMaster. To put more emphasis on the hamstrings you can skip one or two stairs at a time.

Hills: Running up steep hills takes a lot of strength and it really targets the hamstrings and glutes. The intensity can be raised by using resistance such as a weighted vest.

Start implementing these into your leg routines. I know I am going to:)

Quote of the day

Scott Schwab:
Today is a great day and attitude is everything. I don't know if anyone else was injured during their Turkey bowl, but I sure was. I don't know if it is old age or I am just more fragile, but my collar bone and rips are killing me. Anyway, our days are what we make them. Rather than living life by having an injury or condition defining who we are and our daily attitude/actions. Let us live great despite our lack of immediate greatness. Be great for yourself, your friends, your family. I read an interesting statistic the other day that 99% of all diseases stem from stress. Eliminate stress and be great.

Here is a quote that I love and a statement that I try and live my life by. Carpe Diem!



“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” 


-Anthony Robbins-

New workout

Scott Schwab:
We have spoken in the past about how effective it is to lift weights and provide resistance to the muscles. Lifting weights will burn more calories than simply doing cardio. The best combination is to include both cardio and lifting. You will get the best results as well as burn the most calories. Here is a workout that will get you started.

#1 Bench Press: Lift 75% of your maximum weight and do 3 sets of 12 reps. Some believe that you will get better results when starting at 75% and increasing rate. Do not try to lift your max if you do not have a spot. I personally believe that you will see the same results by getting a weight that will challenge you, but pushing through the reps until failure. This will work the muscles in a new and exciting way and build muscle extremely fast.

#2 Dumbbell Flys: This consists of taking dumbbells equivalent to 50% of your maximum weight. Taking the dumbbells and having the weights in front of your body at waste level; throw the weights to the side in a U motion. Elbows will lead and the wrists will follow. This is great for the shoulders and upper back. Again 3 sets and 12 reps.

#3 Rows: Many gyms have this machine, but this can also be replicated with resistance bands. Being seated, you will lean forward and grab the weight. Make sure that you straighten your back and you will be seated at a 90 degree angle. With your arms out in front of you, pull back towards your chest the weight or resistance. Form is important and you will not get the benefits by heaving weight and your body back and forth. Make sure that you isolate the shoulders and back for this workout. 3 sets and 12 reps.

#4 Pull-ups: One of my favorite workouts. This can be assisted with a chair or even a machine that assists with pulling the body upwards. The goal is to do 3 sets, 12 reps or as many as you can until failure. Even if you cannot get your chin above the bar, it is still beneficial to pull yourself up as much as possible. This pulls in many muscle groups and will help you use different muscle groups if you are not already doing this routine.

Finish with a great 30 minute cardio session with intervals. Mixing up the different paces within your cardio will burn more calories and keep your cardio interesting. You will also burn between 30-40% more calories by working your muscles and then bringing in the cardio. The combined workout will burn more calories and help you achieve results faster.
 

Pivot properly

Scott Schwab:

An important factor in goal setting and lifestyle changes; are to know when to pivot and to take the steps so that we can succeed. At this point, we are half way through the 8 week challenge. You may have seen great results to this point and things are slowing down, or you have not seen the results you would like and you are coming to the decision to quit or continue?

It is human nature to see our performance and feel like they are not up to our expectations. Pivoting is the ability to look at our current status and make a slight change so that we can keep driving toward our results. This happens in a couple of ways. The first thing to consider is the scenario where you have seen results and may now be stalling. If that is the case, we need to mix things up so that we can continue to get resistance to our muscles. If we have not seen the results we would like, we must continue. Quiting will get us no where closer to our goal, but continued small adjustments will help us eventually see the results we desire.

Pivoting is also a mental state. When we make the decision to give up, our psychology dips into a depressed state, that often causes a binge mentality. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. If it was easy it would not be worth it. Take an inventory of where you are to this point and make some decisions of what needs to change. The only sure thing in life is change. Embrace it, and we will see our performance change to provide us with the insight that leads to results.

There are always things that we can adjust and we should look first to what we are consuming. The food we eat is more responsible for our overall success than the time we spend in the gym or exercising. If we have had weak points, lets resolve to be stronger and avoid those situations. With Thanksgiving upon us, there is a need to make some decisions now so when Thursday comes around we do not lose ground. Make Thanksgiving a free day, but be solid the rest of the days.

Here are a couple of tips to make the adjustments for continued success and to have successful results.

#1 Adjust the workout, to where we can enjoy continued difficulty and reintroduce soreness to the equation. Our goal is not necessarily to feel sore, but to feel what we are doing. Our muscles stop performing when we do the same thing day in and day out. We need to work our muscles if we are to burn calories and fat.

#2 Align our day with small mini meals. This is a hard one, especially with busy schedules and planning ahead. This is the best way to keep our metabolism working and not have an over excess of food. Plan mini meals that are as big as your fist. Shrinking our stomachs with less food, but continued digestion, will turn our bodies into effective machines.

#3 Drink the H2O. Water helps to clean toxins and will also produce more results with our energy and eventual weight loss if we are consuming other sugar drinks. Remember the formula: half your body weight in ounces per day. This will continue to flush the toxins from your body and help with healthy skin, digestion, and overall health.

The Water Challenge

DRINK MORE WATER!!!

 

Chandi Schwab
I have a challenge for you this week. Anytime you go to drink a beverage, no matter what it is, replace the same ounces you would drink with water. That's right, make water the only liquid that you drink this week. (excluding pre-workout or protein shake).You will be amazed at how much better you feel. Please leave a comment and let us know how it goes!Here is why drinking water is so important.

Water is the substance of life. Life can not exist without water. We must constantly be adding fresh water to our body in order to keep it properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more. We can go for weeks without food, but only 3 days without water!

Prevents Dehydration
Water makes up 60 percent of the body and is necessary to keep the body functioning properly. Dehydration can lead to death and water helps balance and regulate every system of the body. According to CellHealthMakeover.com, dehydration can cause diseases such as hypertension, asthma, ulcers, arthritis and allergies.

Elimination of Toxins
Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Regulates Body Temperature
Water is particularly helpful in keeping the body at the correct temperature during exercise by cooling the body through evaporation of water from the skin. Water changes temperature very slowly and serves as heat storage, keeping our bodies at the correct temperature, according to the University of Nebraska Neb Guide. It is vital that the water lost through sweat during exercise is replaced. Drinking a half a glass of water every 15 minutes during exercise ensures that you will replace the fluids lost, especially during hot weather. If you do not drink enough water during exercise, you may become dehydrated very quickly and need medical attention.



Lubricant
Tissues use water in the body to help defend the body against shock. The eyes, brain, and spinal cord are very delicate and depend on water as a protective cushioning layer to absorb shock. Water lubricates joints and muscles in the body; if dehydrated, your body may be susceptible to injury or cramping.

Transport
Water also transports nutrients and elements such as oxygen, hormones and antibodies throughout the body. If the body does not have enough water, body functioning is reduced and waste is dumped into fat, tissues, muscles and joints instead of being eliminated through waste, urine or sweat.


Water plays a vital role in nearly every bodily function. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

General Rule: Due to the fact that every body is different the rule we often hear about drinking 8-8oz. Of water per day can be misleading. We need to drink half our body weight in ounces of water every day to provide the body with its MINIMUM water replacement requirements. Triple the intake for better results.

Buns in Check

Chandi Schwab

It is not always easy to get to the gym, and everyone has different circumstances. But there are no excuses to skip your workouts when there are things that can be done at home or anywhere for that matter. Here are some workout ideas that will give that extra lift in your buns, tone in your legs, and say good Bye to saddlebags. Check out!!!

Go for a Run
It is best if you warm your muscles up with a nice run outside. Go the distance of your choice but push it hard!!!

Regular Lunges
We have done a post on the proper way to do lunges if you want to look that up but start with 20 regular walking lunges. I like to do all of this outside after my runs.

Lunges with back leg lift
You do the same walking lunges but after each side you lift your back leg up in the air and extended and then bring it forward to start the next lunge. (start with another 20)

Lunges with forward leg lift
This is done the same way. While doing a regular walking lunge swing your back leg forward and extend it out in front of you just before you step down on it to do your next lunge.(start with 20)

Switch lunge
This is if you want to get brave, I definitely recommend it though. This is where you combine all 3. So you do your regular lunges and then then bring your back leg up extended behind you and then slowly swing it forward to extend in front of you, then slowly place it down on the ground into you next lunge.(20 time)
FEEL THE BURN!!!!

Side Lunges
My sister taught me these ones and they are hard but work great! Pick a side. Stand straight and do a walking lunge to the side kind of like a half squat. do 10 on each side.

High knees in place
These are great!You just run in place bringing your knees to your chest and pushing of the floor each time your foot hits the ground. Start with 20 counting each time your right knee comes up.

Squats
get a dumbbell or a large can of canned food and get in squatting position holding canned food with your hands between your legs. Make sure your legs are parallel with your shoulders ad sit into each squat.

Run stairs
Find a set of stairs whether they be inside or out and run them into the ground. This will definitely get rid of cottage cheese.

Quick Lunge Switch
These are done in place. You jump into the lunge and switch right into the other side.(10 each side)

Squat jumper
This is the same sort of thing. You jump into squatting position, stand up and then back into the squat. (10 times)

These are all great lower body exercises and you just pick and choose what works best for you. You can do all of them or not. And do as many as you want that help you feel like you are getting a good workout. Good luck, and feel the burn:) 

8 week challenge Goals

Chandi Schwab

Goals:

1) Maintain body throughout the fall/winter. As it gets colder it is harder to get out there and run, and food is oh so comforting. Juggle and find balance with it. Work out 5-6 days a week and eat better monday through friday. Saturday and Sunday are free days but not go "Hog Wild" days;).
2) Get a good start on the Book I want to write/Read a new book
3) Do a service project for those in need
4) Be more patient , Relax and spend more time with my kids!!!







 

Fall 2012 8 week challengers

Matt Long







Goals:

1) Lower body fat % from 11% to 7%
2) Maintain weight and strength at 185-190 lbs
3)Maintain strict diet throughout the entire 8 weeks
4)Become more charitable





MacKenzie Long

Goals:

I'm excited to participate in this 8 week challenge, because I recently had a baby and I need the extra motivation to loose those pesky last few pounds!
Here are my goals:

1. Decrease my body fat by 5%. That is just a little more than 1/2 a percent each week. I feel like that is very doable and it will put me at a percent that is sustainable, for me, once the 8 weeks are over.
2. Workout 6 times a week.
3. Lift each muscle group (HEAVY) once a week.
4. 30-40 mins of cardio each day.
5. Incorporate HIIT into my cardio 3 times a week.
6. Follow a strict clean meal plan. Eating 6 small meals each day. (except Thanksgiving weekend- lets be realistic people!)
7. Only eat out 4 times in the 8 week period- still ordering as "clean" as possible.
8. Do NOT obsess over what the scale says! It's important for me to remember that my goal is always to be increasing lean muscle mass- even while slowing loosing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat after all!!