1. Becoming Obsessed with Cardio
   I’m guilty of this, I used to spend HOURS on the stepmill. I had to to at least 30 minutes in the morning and then another 60 minutes at night man o man! I get it you are sweating you are feeling your muscle and you just feel like you are sweating out the fat!!! The problem with only doing cardio is that this form of exercise also burns muscle. As a result, you’ll become ‘skinny fat, a cruel paradoxical physique where the body appears lean in clothes but actually has higher body fat percentage because of lost muscle mass. Plus too much cardio can kick up your cravings so you’ll find yourself eating more calories.
   
   Looking for a lean body’ Lift weights!! Strength training builds muscle burns fat and gives your metabolism a nice boost for up to 48 hours post exercise.
2. Not lifting heavy weights
   It still blows my mind that the myth that lifting weights will make you bulky still makes me crazy. If you are staying away from weights heavier than 5 pounds, then you are missing out!! Adding weight lifting into your routine will help you build muscle that will help you burn more calories at rest. What’s more, building muscles will increase your fat burning potential by boosting resting metabolism.
   
   
3. Not eating enough protein
   Protein isn’t just for bodybuilder. If you are a women who workouts, you should be focusing on getting in at least 20-30 grams of protein to support your active lifestyle.
   
   Eating adequate amounts of protein comes with a few benefits. You’ll fell less hungry because proteins creates a more, satiating feeling that fills the stomach on less food. Your body will have the nutrients it needs to repair the trauma muscles endure during exercise. Lastly, your body will have the nutrients it needs to build new muscle fibers and increase your strength.
   
   
4. Constantly Losing Weight
   Typically, the most common fitness goal women have is to lose weight. But, some individuals stop working out after reaching their target. The cycle then resumes all over again after packing on a few pounds above their ideal weight.
   
   This is me kindly asking you to stop that practice. Yes, you hit your goal but unless you keep moving you won’t stay there. This is why I challenge my clients to come up with a Realistic workout plan that they are Excited about that they can easily Plan into their lives and is Sustainable for more than a few months.
   
   
5. Cutting Corners to Look Like Fitness Models
   75 percent of all American women have some unhealthy thoughts, feelings about food and their bodies because of the pictures that they see on social media, pictures of fitness models on magazine covers, They feel like wish they looked like that. And, in a rush to get that ‘dream body, they try all kinds of insane diets and fitness programs with the hope of achieving fast results. Unfortunately, more often than not, these desperate tries backfire on them.
   
   Fad diets make it harder to exercise as energy levels slump due to low calorie intake plus your metabolism will slow down and cause the body to pack on more weight than before. The truth is, if you want to get an athletic fit body, you have to be willing to put in the work that goes into achieve this fitness goal. That means eating healthy, exercising on a regular basis, getting adequate rest and practicing diligence along with patience because body transformations don’t happen overnight.

You Ready For It To Be Different’

Which one of these mistakes are you making’ Which one would be the easiest to change right now’ If you are ready to press the reset button let’s talk I’m putting together a 60 day challenge that starts on July 13th. It’s a way to get you back on track and to not let the summer slide happen to you.

Want int” The Everyday is a Beach Day starts Monday, July 13th you want in’ 

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HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – as the name suggests, HIIT is a program that works you hard to produce the fitness results you desire. HIIT is becoming the “go-to” method for athletes and celebrities who want to restore their fitness levels and look and feel better. Come one who doesn’t want to button their pants OK look good naked  =)

HIIT has long been used by professional athletes and Olympians to increase their endurance and fitness in a shorter amount of time and for the best results. Here are five of the main benefits of HIIT workout routines:

1. Fast and Convenient – In our fast-paced lifestyles, who has time for an hour long workout at the gym’ HIIT exercises allow you to get the same or even better results in less than half the amount of time.
2. Super-Charges Your Metabolism – The interval training in HIIT causes EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) which means that your metabolism will enjoy a boost of up to 48 hours after a HIIT routine.
3. No Equipment Needed – You can use equipment such as a treadmill or other equipment you’re used to, but you can also perform HIIT when running, swimming, body weight and other cross-training exercise routines.
4. Do It Anywhere – You don’t need a gym membership or a special place to exercise. If you’re pressed for time, you can simply do a number of body weight exercises for a certain amount of time and then rest.  As long as you’re giving the intensity portion all of your effort, HIIT will work.
5. Challenging – If you’re ready for the workout routine of your life, get involved in HIIT. It’s difficult, but the results you’ll see in so short an amount of time will make you a firm believer in HIIt.

HIIT is one of the top fitness trends of the year, and is only poised to grow in the next year. Because it’s fast and you don’t have to spend hours in a workout routine, it works for most of us with ultra-busy lifestyles.

It can also be performed with a variety of exercises, including those you enjoy most. Any type of exercise that lets you get your heart rate up to a high level will help you burn more fat in a much shorter time. The intervals involved with HIIT tend to increase your body’s demand for oxygen and actually cause an oxygen shortage.

This demand for oxygen increases your metabolism so that your “afterburn” will be burning calories long after the exercise routine is over. HIIT workouts are all about saving time and getting the same results as those exercises that last for an hour or more. Click here for a sample HITT workout.

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What make jumping rope so effective is that you can vary the intensity. It allows you to build up your heart-rate and develop your conditioning without having to even leave the comfort of your home. I also like bringing a rope with me to the gym and jump between my weight lifting sets.

The Best Jump Rope Routines

Here are a few different techniques you can use to change up your jump rope routine and get back on-top of pushing yourself.

• Timed Method – Grab your stopwatch and jump for 30 seconds. If you think you can get 50 jumps, go for fifty and try to hit that number every time you do the set. Repeat this for about 10-12 sets and be sure to rest in between each set. With this, you can create a good way to up your challenge each week and burn fat.
• Count-Down – If you have been working out for a while give this one a  try.
  • Go for 350 jumps in a row and use that as your first set.
  • 2nd set drop that to 300 jumps in a row
  • keep dropping by 50 jumps until you hit 0.
  • Be sure to rest 30-90 sec between sets.
• Kettlebell swings and jump rope — Swing a kettlebell for 30 sec rest 30 sec and then jump rope for 30 sec  — continue for 4 rounds
• Rowing machine, box jumps and jumprope — this is one of my favorites.
  • Row 500 meters
  • 30 box jumps
  • 1 min jump rope
  • rest 60 sec
  • Repeat 5 rounds

It’s pretty easy to get creative with a jump rope and doesn’t require a gym membership. If you have a favorite jump rope routine. I’d love to hear it. Please leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear how you how you did with the workouts I suggested.

Are you new to exercise or been exercising for a while and just looking for way to mix it up or your results have stalled. My new Lean & Sexy program will teach the tools and systems you to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life. Hurry program starts Monday, September 1st.

The post Best Jump Rope Workout appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Now some of you are cardio queens and will do cardio for a hours on end. I’m sorry to bust your bubble but if you desire to get shredded, ripped or etc. You got to limit your time on cardio. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Your cardio should be limited to 30-35 minutes. You should only be doing cardio 3-5 days/week
2. Do intervals — I mean you go hard for a certain period and then you recover and then go hard (I’ve attached an interval)
3. Make sure you are sweating
4. You should at some point feel uncomfortable
5. Reading a magazine or book should be difficult unless you are looking at the pictures
6. When you hop on cardio be sure to mix up the machines as well as the programs on said machines.

Today’s challenge

1. If you are a cardio queen yes there is a definition in the urban dictionary. Scale back your cardio to 30-35 min.
2. If you hate  I mean dislike cardio then you will hop on for 30 min at least 3 times this week. Something I’ve been doing recently that really helps me to get through cardio is I’ve been doing finisher and then hoping on the treadmill and walking on an incline. I put the incline at 10 and the speed at fast enough that I can walk but running would be easier.
3. Below is a cardio workout for you to try.
   

Don’t forget Leave a comment below. Write a facebook post on the Fabulous Fit Squad. If you have a personal blog, write a blog post. Make sure you link back to the site so we can cheer you on and hold you accountable.

Just joining now” Don’t worry you can catch up.
Day 1 — Intro the challenge
Day 2 — Getting your mind straight
Day 3 — Goal setting
Day 4 — What’s on your plate
Day 5 — Lift

Stay tuned.. tomorrow I will talk about treat meals.

The post [Day 6] I’m A Sweaty Mess! appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

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This past week I sat down and got clear about what I want to accomplish between now and the end of 2011.

1. Finish the Falmouth Road Race

• I’d like to run this in under 1 hour
• I’d like to properly train for this race, the past few years I’ve done a half ass job training for it.

2. Compete in Women’s Trifitness

• This will be my 3rd time doing it and I want to beat all my times from last year.
• This year I will compete in all events except — grace and physique and fitness

3.  Rebuild my legs

• Somehow I’ve lost my ability to lunge without pain in my left knee. My hips and quads are all out of sync so I’ll be doing a serious of corrective exercises to bring back my lunge. Fingers crossed.

4. Lose 15 pounds

• Since my last fitness competition, I took my eating for granted. I indulged a little too much here and there and wasn’t as consistent I needed to be with my workout routines, but I’m back and raring to go!

Would you like to join me on my fitness ride’ Join my Summer Shape Up Program — Join by July 1st and save big!

The post My Goals appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

1. Cleaning– Instead of pushing a mop or vacuum around trying using a kettlebell. A kettlebell workout can burn up to 400 calories.

2. Turkey Trot– Don’t like running’ Me either.. You can burn more fat doing a cardio circuit and you’ll not only torch hundreds of calories, you’ll also boost your metabolism for the next couple of days. To set up a circuit, select 5 different exercises and move between them as fast as possible for as many times as you can. Here are a few examples ~ Do 10 of each exercise back to back to back, for as many rounds as you can ~  TRX row, burpees, Kettlebell swings, russian twists, jump squats, stability ball roll outs. Good luck!

3. Go For a Walk– To burn off all of those calories the average person would have to walk for close to 4 hours. Do an interval workout and you can torch 400 calories in just 40 minutes. You’ll hop on your favorite piece of cardio equipment, you’ll warm up for 5 minutes, then you’ll go hard for 1 min easy for 30 sec hard for 2 min easy for 1 min hard of 3 min easy for 2 hard for 4 min and easy for 3 and then go back down the ladder.

4. Grocery Shopping– 30 minutes of grocery shopping will burn 130 calories. Seriously, grocery shopping is not too tough. In a tabata workout, in just 4 minutes you could burn upwards of 500 calories and have a CRAZY post workout afterburn. Here’s a quick tabata for you to try. 20 sec russian twists 10 sec rest, 20 sec push ups 10 sec rest, 20 sec bodyweight squats 10 sec rest, 20 sec plank 10 sec rest repeat.

Happy Thanksgiving. I gotta go, I’m heading out for a quick workout before I host my husband’s family for thanksgiving.

The post 5 Reasons To Workout On Thanksgiving appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

• Plain water just replaces the water you sweat out during your workout
• Carbohydrate laden beverages just builds and replaces your glycogen (stored muscle carbs)
• Carbohydrates and Protein combination not only replaces the glycogen but studies have that you see a double % increase in glycogen, plus the protein also helps your muscles to recover and repair.

I am a big advocate of using whole foods, but for post workouts chocolate milk will do the trick.  Just remember you need to be in a hard workout to earn the chocolate. In honor of National Chocolate Milk Day go out for a hard workout and enjoy!!

The post Chocolate Does A Body Good! appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

So the run we good but really hot, we ran again yesterday and the 3.5 miles felt much better. I am experiencing so side stitches, need to work getting my breathing in synch as well as my food timing. I think the last two times I had large meals that didn’t fully digest before I went for my run.

We’re suppose to run tonight to make up for our missed run on Sunday, but mother nature had another plan for us. It’s POURING, so we’ll be running both days this weekend to play catch up.

I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  Goal this year is to run 7.1 miles in less than 1 hour.

The post Falmouth Race 2.0 appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

• The first game I play is splitting it up.
  • 30 minutes in the AM and 30 minutes at night.
• I machine hop, if I’m at the gym at all off peak time
  • 20 min of running intervals
  • 20 min step mill (love this machine)
  • 20 min elliptical
• I watch TV, give me a MTV marathon or VH1 decade count down and I’m hooked (see why I stink)
• I will do metabolic circuits where I swing a kettlebell for 1 minute and then jump rope for 1 min and rest for 1 minute

I have recently discovered the Arc trainer and can go 30 minutes easy on that. The other cardio tool that I have discovered is the Insanity tapes sorry DVDs. I have done 3 of these DVDs and they have been kicking my butt. It really does make you digg deeper. I was showing my age, what I talk about cassette tapes. Back when I started exercising I bought the Jane Fonda workout on cassette tape and remember doing Joanie Greggains Leans Legs in my dorm room with my roommates.  A quick note, I didn’t wear leg warmers, tights or a leotard with a faux thong. I did love the 20 min workout, I thought Bess was a rockstar. Where is she now’ I digress. Tell are you a cardio queen or a lifting queen’ If you have any other mind games do tell.

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