Day 3: Burpee Party

Complete 50 Burpees today. I don’t care how you do them – just get them done.

Advanced? Add in a variety of extras!

You could:

* Do a double push up

* Add a tuck jump as you jump back up

* Hold the push up down for 5 seconds before coming back up

* While in the plank position, bring your knees out to the side for an oblique/abdominal drill

*Add in a broad jump (frog leap) after each one

*Add in a pull up after each burpee

Song of the Day:

Fly: Nicki Minaj ft Rihanna

Inspirational Person of the Day:

Yourself.

You are changing your life – one day at a time.

Day 2 – Grab a Friend & Get FIT

It’s Friday – if you’re in St. Pete, it’s First Friday (an outing that everyone typically attends downtown) – so what better way to grab a friend and get in at least 45 minutes of solid exercise. There should be no excuse to do it today. When you approach a friend about joining the challenge with you, make sure that they know that YOU are serious about reaching your goals and you love them no matter what, but if they drop off around Day 10, you won’t be joining them on the pity party train to New Years. Workout buddies can be absolutely amazing, but you still need to know that you are OK doing this for yourself alone because there will be a time when a buddy will bail or cancel or straight up quit on you. What matters most at the moment is you. The 45 minutes of exercise… make it good. Do 60 if you’re an over acheiver, just do not forget to put in those minutes.

Song of the Day:

Cheers (to the Weekend) : Rihanna

Inspirational Person of the Day:

(nominated anonymously)

Derek Redmond 

You can watch his complete story here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlXWp6vFdE

Moral: If you don’t give up, then you can never ever fail.

Day 1 – Plan of Action

So get out the notepad, the planner or your Gmail Calendar & write out your plan of attack. This will help hold you accountable over the next 30 days. Start telling friends of your plan of attack and maybe they will join you as you go through these challenges over the next four weeks. The biggest tip would be to: push yourself but do not create false hopes. If you haven’t ran a mile in years, you probably won’t run 8 miles by the end of December. You need to understand your limitations – but still push yourself. Set small goals & major goals (as the challenge will continue into the NEW YEAR) and pump yourself up. Get your head in the right frame of mind. Today is all about exercising your mind and making certain that you are prepared for the task ahead. The goal is to be physically, mentally & emotionally into this change. You so got this. Email Rebekah your plan, post it on Facebook, or post it here to keep yourself accountable. I’ll be editing this post with some people’s goals. I won’t put your name next to the goals (unless you want me to) so hopefully this page will just be full of things to come. As they get completed – we’ll cross them out.

Song of the Day:

International Love : Pitbull ft. Chris Brown

Inspirational Person of the Day:

Debbi Reidy

Nominated by: Rebekah Reidy

Story:

I’m (Rebekah) am going to start this month out with a super inspirational person… my mom. Ironic enough, it’s her birthday today, so it just makes it that much more perfect. In general, both of my parents pretty much rock at life but my mom has always been the one you go to when times just suck and you need answers to millions of life-questions. She would literally give the shirt off her back to someone if they needed it. My sisters and I would be so confused as to why we had to stop off on the side of the street when a homeless person was sitting there, my mom would get out, talk to them, treat them like a human being that they are, and eventually purchase them food or give them money. Being a teenager, it always seemed weird, but deep down I just knew- that’s what my mom does. In terms of myself going through health issues as of recently, my mom was at pretty much every single appointment with me and always kept me peppy and smiling even if she was having a bad day. She gives second chances, she forgives easily, and she cares about every single walk of life. She inspires me to be a better person, a caring person, a loving person. I think anyone that knows my mom would definitely have to agree.

You should follow along with us! Each day, post your comments on the post of the day or on our Facebook Page. Near or far – anyone can join, so encourage your family and friends around the world to do the challenge. There are $50.00 (5 different $10.00 gift cards) worth of prizes available – as well as a grand prize for the person who posts the most days (if there is a tie, we’ll draw a name of those in the tie at random). The person will receive a $50.00 gift card. Just for simply posting along. If you do not Facebook, post to the website for that particular day or email us your answers/photos. It must be received on that day that the challenge is taking place.

Along with each challenge, we will be posting a “Song of the Day” and an “Inspirational Person of the Day”.

**If you know someone that deserves to be recognized as an inspirational person – email us at FitForFashionStPete@gmail.com - we’ll need the following:

*Why they are inspiring

*Photo if you have one

*How they have impacted your life

_________________________________________

Here’s the itinerary:

December 1 – Thursday – List your goals for the 31 days and figure out a plan of attack – be detailed about it. Email it to Bekah (FitForFashionStPete@gmail.com) if you want to be held accountable. She will do random daily emails to everyone who is participating to encourage them.

December 2—Friday – Encourage a friend to join you in your endeavor and get in at least 45 minutes of fitness. Tell us what you did! {Postings on the Facebook page}

December 3—Saturday—Do 50 Burpees today. The ones you do in Boot Camp do not count. Advanced? Add in push-ups to each Burpee and/or add in a Tuck Jump after each Burpee. Take a picture of you in action!

December 4—Sunday—Unwind today by mediating for at least 15 minutes. No talking or technology during this 15 minute break.

December 5—Monday—No meat today- stick to vegetables, fruits and grains.

December 6—Tuesday—Get in 1 mile of running (walking doesn’t count, so if you need to get a walk in between your runs, just count the run portion). How did it go?

December 7—Wednesday—Do 3 good deeds today that you don’t usually do. Post what you did!

December 8—Thursday—Push yourself harder in your workout(s) today than you typically do. Run harder. Lift stronger. Jump higher. Did you get a PR(private record) ?

December 9—Friday—Don’t make one single negative comment today.

December 10—Saturday—Park farther, take the stairs, do a few bicep curls with your shopping bag. Don’t take the easy way out today and do something creative. Post what you did.

December 11—Sunday —Attend the Power Hour Stretch class today or work on your flexibility on your own.

December 12—Monday—Call someone just to say “hi” and that you’re “thinking of them” – don’t text or email them. Call. It feels good to catch up with an old friend or family member.

December 13—Tuesday—Get in at least 60 minutes of exercise today. Post what you did!

December 14—Wednesday—Slow down your eating today. Put down your fork after every bie and sip water in between. Did you fill up faster?

December 15—Thursday—Complete: 50 Push Ups, 50 Sit Ups & 50 Jumping Jacks. Repeat 3x.

December 16—Friday—Set a big goal for 2012. Sign up for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, triathlon. Post your goals & find someone to train with.

December 17—Saturday—Do something active with your family today. Something outside!

December 18—Sunday—Complete the 600-Rep workout posted on the site (will post soon). Record your time and post it. The best time receives a $10.00 gift card.

December 19—Monday—Write out 5 things that you like about yourself and 5 things that you need to work on.

December 20—Tuesday—Unwind at Open Gym today, or go to your local gym and do something you don’t usually do.

December 21—Wednesday – Get in an AM workout – jumpstart your metabolism!

December 22—Thursday—Don’t allow yourself to stress today. Take a deep breath and know that everything will work out.

December 23—Friday—Post a recipe of a dish you’re preparing this weekend that is low calorie and delicious. Post it on Facebook.

December 24—Saturday—Write out 25 things that you’re thankful for in your life. Have your family do the same and then compare your answers. Post a picture of your list. You have 3 minutes to complete the task. Go!

December 25—Sunday—Your only task today is to enjoy the day and smile. It sounds simple – but it can be tricky at times. Understand other’s differences and be respectful. Post a picture of your loved ones.

December 26—Monday—Instead of sleeping in, get up early and make a good breakfast and then be productive today.

December 27—Tuesday—Complete the 600-Rep workout posted on the website (same one as before). Hopefully your time will be a little faster than before! Fastest time = $10.00 gift card!

December 28—Wednesday—Looking back at the year 2011, go to the website and answer the 2011 questions (will be posted soon). These are pretty fun & funny. So post your answers.

December 29—Thursday—Water is your friend. Take a picture of yourself chugging water. A person will be chosen at random to win a $10.00 gift card.

December 30—Friday—Look back at the month, did you meet your goals? Did you follow along with the Challenge? Tell us how you did!

December 31—Saturday—Attend the FUN Family-style workout with us. From 9:30-10:30am. This will be streamed live and recorded for you to follow along. FREE Class! Cheers!

Weights Wednesday was so much fun!

AM Boot Camp - We got off to late start [sorry again you all] – so I knew I had to powerhouse them through in order to get some sweat action and calorie burning. We did a quick warm-up and then right into our group workouts. Inside’s rep workout included: running high knees, KB swings, push-ups, plank hold, jumping jacks, burpees, and squat jumps. Outside’s group did suicide runs with bear crawls intermingled. Then we finished it off with some abdominals & stretching. Heart rate monitor, caloric burn = 680 calories

KB2 – I should lable this workout as a SWEATY MESS. But the sweatier, the better. We warmed up together utilizing different forms of jumping jacks and jump rope to get the blood flowing. Then keeping with “Weights Wednesday” – I created a few exercises that included weights, punching & kicking. After the weights portion – I had them complete a 5-minute fat blast that I call: MAX HEART RATE workout. It included:

• 20 seconds running high knees
• 20 seconds push-ups
• 20 seconds running lunges/mountain climbers

I put this on repeat – and they went 5x through (or 5:00 minutes total). We followed up with a run around the block and then broke into our respective groups (everyone partnered up). We had a KettleBell crew, and a Mitts/Punching crew then after 5 minutes, we switched up and went again. I’ll be investing in additional mitts for next week so we can get a full on punching and kicking match going on next time, as well as, encouraging the ladies to get hand wraps or wear workout gloves to protect the knuckles. Heart rate monitor, caloric burn = 780 calories

PM Boot Camp {Special: Oh my.. Pumpkin Workout} - One of the biggest things that I pride Fit For Fashion on is the idea that we try to make things fun and entertaining – where as, your basic gym is just that … basic. We had a few people bring in a good sized pumpkin to class and utilize that during our relays and activities to give a good workout. Jess led the class through indian runs, relays and group-abdominals at the end. Estimated caloric burn = 600-650 calories

We had over 40 people attend our classes today – and you all did awesome! Please let us know what you loved & what you didn’t love so much so we know how to make the workouts better for YOU. Email: FitForFashionStPete@gmail.com.

xo

Welcome to our Mondays – where the workouts are intense & motivation is high. It was the first day of our “7-Day Challenge” – and we had to go through the day without any meat products!  Everyone did so awesome. We had over 20 people participate in the meatless challenge. Some found it difficult, while others are vegetarian or vegan 24-7 so it was just a normal day for them. Either way, it was a good way to start off the 7-Day challenge that will get us through the end of the October!

Now onto the workout …

Bikini Blast Boot Camp is known to be the hot spot for sore legs, sore glutes and just an all over sweat bash. Yesterday proved to be no different. With around 2-3 miles of running intermingled into the workout, we had a relay-type of setting including:

~Sprints

~Jump Rope

~Jumping in & out of tires

~Frog Leaps

~Kettlebell Swings

~Running

~Bear Crawls

(on repeat – just like your favorite workout song)…

We finished it up with some indoor weight-training & intervals of cardio to keep the sweat pourin’. There was no escaping the burning muscles & deep breathing. It’s what makes Bikini Blast what it is.

12 Kicka$$ participants: Maritsa, Renee, Raquel, Yira, Dina, Jess, Katie, Laura, Robin, Alli, Holly, & Jackie – how are you feeling today?

Sweat really is fat crying. Adios fat.

Here’s a few tunes to add to your iPod or mp3 player to get that motivation moving:

• TNT. Hot Gyal.
• D-Block & S-te-Fan. Rockin’ Ur Mind.
• D-Block & S-te-Fan. Music Made Addict.
• Nero . Me & You (Kamuki Remix).
• Noisecontrollers. Gimme Love.
• Two Fingers & Sway. That Girl.
• Chuckie & Hardwell ft. feat. Ambush. Move It 2 the Drum (Addicted to Bass Edit).
• Afrojack. Funk With Me (Original Mix).
• LMFAO. Put That A*$ to Work.
• The Party Squad. Pull Up.
• Body-Shock. Percoloco.
• Major Lazer. Bruk Out (Buraka Som Sistema Mix).

Woo-hoo, so stoked that it’s Friday and you’ll be in love with today’s workouts.

AM Boot Camp – .. oohh the colder weather held a few people back from attending (wa, wa, wa) , but we still managed at least 10 ladies braving the chillier weather. They have begun to call Fridays our “punishment”, but really, I just know what happens on the weekends (bad food, drinks & no workouts) – so I get so pumped to introduce harder things!

We started off with our Warm-Up which included runs, jump ropes, and true-styled Burpees (with the push-ups). Then I opened up the area for everyone’s “favorite” exercises. I say that sarcastically, because I made sure to include all the exercises that everyone hates, but their body loves. They had to complete them in no particular order (which is very different from the other days) but they had to complete the exercise in it’s entirety before moving on to the next one. Some of the exercises included: bear crawls, running with the 20lb weighted vest, 290lb tire flips, battle roping, glider climbers, TRX Suspension squat jumps, incline pull ups, dumbbell thrusters, kettlebell swings & more!

Holly, Diane, Yira, Sandra, Karina, Jenny, Teresa, Abby, & Ismary, NOW you’re ready for the weekend! Enjoy!

PM Happy Hour Pilates – The workout is pretty much created for tonight’s class. I’ll be adding in a few new moves. We’ll be doing rounds, like we did a few weeks ago. But making sure I have it written on paper so we don’t forget any exercises. I always look forward to this class! See you on the mat!

Personal Training Notables for the Week:

T.P. — GREAT enthusiasm even though she can’t run currently (in the middle of an injury) NO EXCUSES PEOPLE! We did an all-over body workout – really focusing on heavier weights & getting in some unconventional training methods using the tire, the battle rope, and more. Rows on the bench were in perfect form. We have to get her “cardio” up utilizing weight training – so we switched up the heavier weights at times for her to get in fluid & fast motions.

A.C. — Smith machine love. We really focused on the upper body (primarily the back) – for lat pull downs and a bunch of different types of rows. We did some punching with the mitts to get the heart rate going and fat burning going. Strong and solid punches. Great form on the lat pull downs, which she just about dominated. Will be increasing the weights next time around to add intensity.

M.S. — Did some basic assessments to get a good idea of where we stand. 2nd PT included a mixture of exercises, I introduced the gliders to her (pure love, I’m sure) and then she completed a round of exercises: 10x dumbbell thrusters, 10x burpees, 10x sit-ups (repeat 3x total). 3rd PT (today) will be including some upper body weights & cardio intervals {TM, Arc, Bike} — looking forward to seeing how her body reacts.

Meatless
Monday

Drop the meat and get in plenty of vegetables
and fruits along with eating protein sources such as: nuts, legumes, beans
& whole grains.

Two-A-Day
Tuesday

Get in two solid workouts to make for a
perfect “two-a-day”. They don’t need to be the same workout twice. Switch it
up. Cardio in the AM with weights in the PM or reverse.

Weights
Wednesday

Make sure to get in the weight training today
– and we’re not talking about 3 to 5lbs dumbbells – lift some heavy weight. In
the studio? Bring your pumpkin to Boot Camp!

Thoughtful
Thursday

Post the following: something you like about
yourself, something that you aren’t the best at but you’re getting better,
someone who has impacted your life & a quote that gets you through the hard
times.

Fearless
Friday

No fears allowed today, so do something you
wouldn’t normally do. Like: talking to a stranger, calling an old friend or
something fitness wise: taking a new class, trying a new machine in the gym,
increasing your machine weight or running farther/faster.

Suck-down-the-Water
& Shop Saturday

Suck down the water (at least 2L of water)
and then shop for something nice for yourself. Whether it’s something fitness
related or a nice outfit that makes you feel good – do it because you deserve
it. Just make sure to never reward yourself with food – because you are not a
dog. You’ve come so far, don’t ruin it now.

Sweat-with-a-Friend
Sunday

Grab a family member or friend and get in
some sweaty exercise routines. Go for a jog, attend a class, do something that
is fun and breaks a sweat!

www.facebook.com/FitForFashion
/  bekahdarling.tumblr.com /
www.FitForFashionStPete.com

Great classes throughout the day & night.

AM Boot Camp – This class was non-stop. From the warm-up with running 1.5 miles to inside the Studio, the goal was for everyone to be moving from one exercise right into the next. The AM classes have really shown many progressions. I can’t wait to utilize more equipment for them in the winter months. We’ll be outside more & lifting heavier and doing faster drills.

I love my AM crew!

Tim & Joey – both down in body fat percentage!

Karina & Jenny – amazing losses so far, they have both reached their goal body fat % and are within 1-3lbs from their weight loss goal

KB2 – 12 kicka$$ ladies showed up. We started late because of measurements, so I had to push PRETTY hard right out the gate. We partnered up and had 4:00 minutes of drills using the hand mitts while the other 6 ladies did 10x KB Swing, 10x Burpee, 10x Push Ups & repeat. We did the Painkiller workout (approximately a total of 65 burpees with running high knees in between) – which I know everyone just loves! (Ha, Ha!) Then within our partners, we did some jabs, high knees along with a plyo circuit and more KB action. Loved watching the sweat bead down during those jumping jacks with punches!

Heart rate monitor calorie count: ~780 calories

GREAT job ladies! Mari, Renee, Liz, Sandy, Alli, Robin, Claudia, Jackie, JoAnne, Min, Laura & Katie

PM Boot Camp - Poor Jamie still has the hurt shins, so we had to arrange for the class to be more inside than usual. Even though the weather was nice, however, it worked out because the door was open, and we hit the weights. We did 3 set Tabatas, utilizing: dumbbell thrusters, squat presses, burpees with dumbbells, overhead tricep extensions & then either bicep curls into shoulder presses OR front/lateral raises. The goal was that SET 2 and SET 3 had to be better than the previous SET. Kathy was the only one who missed one repetition in the first Tabata Cycle, her punishment? 5 Burpees. After I awarded her the punishment, no one else had a slip up. Amazing how a little scare tactic could work!

Great overall class! Ryan, Kathy, Rachel, Jamie, Ashley & Dina

We will begin to post pictures to keep everyone in the loop and to check out some sweet moves.

xo,

Bekah

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is a common additive used by fast food  restaurants.  It is added to bland tasting food to improve its flavor.   The ingredient tricks your brain to like the food more than you normally  would.  It is considered a neuro-toxin or nerve poison. Your body  reacts to it as if it were a drug.  The real truth is that MSG is as  addictive and deadly as nicotine.

Aspartame

This is an artificial sweetener added to  thousands of foods and drinks, especially diet products.  Not only is it  commonly used in diet sodas, but it is also present in many packaged  food products, medications, supplements, etc.  A 12 oz. can of an  aspartame sweetened soft drink contains about 30 mg of methanol.   Methanol is a cumulative toxin and your body lacks the enzymes to  detoxify itself from it.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

HFCS has become incredibly inexpensive over time  and is pervasively used as a sweetener in candies and many other  packaged foods.  A little fructose (a form of sugar) is needed to  process glucose.  Too much fructose can overwhelm the liver’s ability to  process it.  Hence, the liver makes fats out of the excess fructose and  sends them into the bloodstream as triglycerides.  Too many  triglycerides can eventually result in heart disease.

Partially hydrogenated oils

This is an inexpensive alternative to adding  butter to food and many food producers use partially hydrogenated oils  to give foods a richer taste.  When consumed, these foods become trans  fats that give you the urge to eat more, build up inside the arteries,  slow down your metabolism, and store up inside your body as fat.

Olestra

Olestra is a fake fat made from sugar and  vegetable oils.  Foods containing olestra are marketed as alternatives  with no calories (e.g. chips).  The way it works is that its molecules  are too large to be digested so it passes through the body unabsorbed.   Unfortunately, olestra has been linked to a myriad of problems such as  abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and loose stools.