Fitness for Starters. Weights, Reps, and Sets.

So I've been doing lots of research to make sure I presented general but accurate information to you about basic fitness terminology, as well as picking a weight, and understanding sets. These are things I didn't know or understand as a beginner, which would have helped me a great deal.

 Especially for those of us who can’t afford a gym, and have to do and figure this out on our own.

Let us start by talking about picking your weight. There are so many benefits of using weights for men and women. A huge misconception is that they are only for men, or only for building muscle. This is not completely accurate. Doing weight training increases metabolism, which means burning more calories, which means shredding more fat. It’s all about knowing how to use them. The ranges are:

Building bigger muscles: 4-10 repetitions. Toning, losing fat: 8-15 repetitions.

Obviously, these are huge gaps, so this depends on you, your weight and your sets. A lot of premade online workouts will tell you how many to do.
The rules of thumb with weight is ‘Pick the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the required repetitions.” So if you are doing 15 dumbbell presses, pick a weight that allows you to complete all sets of 15 repetitions, without sacrificing form. It should be challenging, but not impossible.

     So choosing how many sets you should do, depends on your repetitions. You should do enough sets to complete a total of 25-30 repetitions per muscle group. So if you are doing 15 repetitions of dumbbell presses, you would complete 2 sets. (Or more, if you are at that level.) A set is just a reference to the muscle group and how many times that muscle group was worked. So if you did 15 squats three separate times, you did three sets of squats.
Alternating sets are when you do a set than rest and do a set that works the opposite muscle group. Choosing rest between sets depends on your repetitions.  For 4-8 repetitions, rest 2-3 minutes, for 8-12 repetitions, rest 1-2 minutes, and for 12+ repetitions, rest 30 seconds to 1 minute.

A circuit is when you do three or more exercises in succession without resting between sets. Usually alternating between upper and lower body. As an example, you could do push-ups, squats, barbell press, and hip raises, so the upper body rest while the lower is being worked. Sometimes transitioning from one move to the next with little to not rest in-between, then taking a break at the end of the circuit before you did it again. Usually a circuit is done at least two times threw. Go back to when I talked about picking your number of sets. You do as many sets as it takes to get at least 25 repetitions per muscle group. So if you are doing 12-15 repetitions, you need to do at least two sets, so you would perform the whole circuit at least two times through. Circuit training is a popular way to train for those who want a high intensity interval workout.

                So the biggest suggestion when using weights is lowering the weight slowly and controlled, and then quickly raising it up. So for rows, presses, curls etc. You can apply this method to all your movements, such as push-ups, squats, lunges, hips raises (aka hip bridges), and so on. Slowly lowering helps you build strength faster, and the sudden quick raising movement activates more muscle fibers. The only exception to this rule is explosive movements like squat jumps, or alternative lunge jumps etc. where the whole movement is quick and explosive. On a side note, there are many different ways to hold your equipment, especially dumbbells. Do what feels natural, but I suggest you look it up, and see how variations in holding can effect and change how the muscle is being worked.

     It’s important to maintain balance in your body. So when you train, make sure you work the opposite muscle group. If you do chest, make sure you do upper back, pair bicep and triceps, quads with glutes and hamstrings, etc. If you don’t maintain balance, you will have a strong chest, but weak upper back, effecting things like your posture. So if you are writing your own circuits, or finding circuits on websites like Pinterest, make sure they have a balance, or adjust accordingly. A book I would suggest that shows muscle groups, moves, and variations, as well as equipment alternatives that I reference on a daily basis is “The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises” (they also have a mens health version.)

Last but not least, as a beginner, there are so many moves available per muscle group, and almost all of them have a body weight alternative available. You don’t need to go out and buy a whole gym, if you can’t afford equipment, there are still no excuses because of all the body weight versions out there. However, if at any point you are able to get equipment the two I would add in order of importance, (in my opinion) would be dumbbells, and then a barbell and weight plates. With those two items, there are easily hundreds of moves and variations available to you. I would also at some point add a Swiss ball, but not a high priority. There are standing, sitting and lying variations on so many moves that if you have a chair, floor, or your own two feet you will be okay.

Make sure you drink lots of water and listen to your body.

Yours truly,

Jessi

Inner Thigh Gap, The Unrealistic Expectation

Hello Everyone,

     I am seeing lots of people obsessed with, and repining how to guides on the inner thigh gap. I don't get the obsession. But I also find a lot of the repins very misleading. So I am going to talk to you about realistic expectations, and why things like the thigh gap, or tiny waist goals may just lead to disappointment.

     In the last blog, we talked about your body being unique, and you should set goals for yourself, and not base them around others. This is very true. The shape of your body is determined by many factors, including bone density, height, and genetics. That is why if you took two people and put them on the exact same diet and workout plan, they would achieve different results. To say that you want to work out to look like someone else is going to set you up for failure. You need to understand this. There is no set definition of what a beautiful body is, except for what you say it is. You need to have confidence and know your body well. You may not have an hourglass shape, you may not have wide hips, you may not have the v cut in your abs. All bodies are unique. Look at the difference in bodies from Jessica Biel, Pink, Gwen Stefanie, and Salma Hayek. All are beautiful, but no two are alike.

     The inner thigh gap is one of those things that is not realistic for everyone. Let's play with this logically for a second. If you were to look at lots of the inner thigh gap photos, most of these women are very skinny (like in the photo taken from Pinterest. I don't think it looks good at all), and or have wide hips. In some photos, you can even see that the model doesn't have the inner thigh gap at all, it's just the way she posed. So what happens when you set something like the gap as your goal and don't achieve it. Well you think it's your fault, you train and diet harder, stress out, get upset, or your get discouraged and quit. There are beautiful women out there who are toned and healthy without a thigh gap, like Jessica Biel, she is a female fitness inspiration to many women, and she has no gap.

Now that's not to say that you shouldn't try and work out all areas of your body, but it has been proven you can not just spot treat areas of your body, to lose weight. To tone evenly you need to work your body all over. Try adding one or a few Squat Jumps, alternating lunge jumps, side squats, Bulgarian squats, calf raises, or burpees, to your current routine.

Remember you results and experience may vary, and that is okay.

Yours Truly,
Jessi Harm

"The Honest Life" by Jessica Alba review.

     I am so excited to do this review for you. I have done several books and DVD reviews, but this one I am most excited about because it’s a product that promotes something I believe in. The book is beautiful. There are several lovely colored family photos, beautiful text, and graphic designs. The book is 250 pages long and as graceful as its writer.

Here is my review of the book. At the bottom are links to where you can by the book, as well as Jessica Alba's company web page and more.

     "In The honest Life, actress, activist, and entrepreneur Jessica Alba inspires readers to make affordable healthy, nontoxic choices for themselves and their family- from the food they eat to the products they put on their skin, and the materials they use in their home- without sacrificing style."

     "The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True To You" by Jessica Alba is an extremely informative collection of tips, tricks, facts and life lessons. She promotes the idea of living a healthy and natural lifestyle, without feeling like a lecture. She brings her own past and experiences to the table, as well as several hours of research, working with some of the best in the fields of natural health.

     Jessica Alba asks why anyone should have to choose between nontoxic, eco-friendly, and pure products, or affordability and style. That is why she got inspired to get informed, and start her own company, where healthy natural decisions didn't have to be boring anymore. Where natural and pure products didn't have to be expensive and lack performance.

     Jessica Alba talks about everything. It covers hygiene products, beauty products, cleaning products, food, hobbies, affordability of organic living, (or at times, the lack thereof) and so much more. She talks about key harmful agents in many household items, such as but not limited too, Formaldehyde, Mercury, Parabens, Petrochemicals, and Lead. Products that we use every day could be causing hormonal or even  minor nerve damage over long term exposure. She talks about where the chemicals are found, why they are bad, and how to work around them. There is even an easy to understand reference guide in the back of the book.

     The book is filled with many uplifting stories, tons of inspiration for beauty, fashion, dinner parties and hobbies. It has lots of natural recipes for product alternatives, plus some of her personal food recipes.

It truly is a fun read, a very informative read, and an inspiring read.

     There are even a few chapters for parents or expecting parents. However, you do not need to have children to get the benefit of this book, the majority of the information is based on a clean, healthy, day to day lifestyle. She was inspired to write, and start her journey during her pregnancy, but she primarily promotes keeping harmful things out of your life and bringing in safe effective alternatives.

     Jessica Alba "The Honest Life" is truly something that everyone needs to read. It’s an eye opener. However, there is no judgment in the book. She doesn't beat into the reader how 'horrible our current lifestyle is, and if you continue to use it you are a bad person'. Jessica simply shares her experiences, what she has learned, and how she avoids or works around these issues. She lays the information out for you to take it or leave it. Her true desires and passions are simply to get the information out there so everyone at least has the chance to be informed. PLUS, it’s written in a way that is extremely easy to understand. It's not over-saturated in science or medical terminology like other books I have read on similar subjects.

     This book is backed by her personal experiences and tons of research conducted by her and countless professionals in the specific fields. She didn't write a book on opinions, Jessica really did lots of research of the issues she talks about in the book and worked with many different specialists to make sure she is bringing you the most accurate and current information possible.

     I truly love and stand behind this book 100%. Please check is out. Again it’s called "The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True To You" by Jessica Alba. I have linked it several different times throughout this blog. I Love www.rodalebook.com, and that is where I purchased mine, so that is where I linked all of you, However, I am not paid or endorsed to do so, but I love so many of their products, I hope you take a look around and find other inspiring works.

     Here is a link to Jessica Alba’s company website. She has started a company that sales and promotes, affordable, safe, CLEAN formula products for everyday living. They have sample packs, so you can try sets of multiple products, all you have to pay is shipping and handling. It is only ($5.95) which I highly suggest.

https://www.honest.com/.

Questions or Comments please leave them below!

Jessi Harm

You get what you give!

     This statement couldn't be truer in all aspect if life. In work, family, friends, and health. This is why you should never give it anything but your all. Push through any troubles you are having, knock down your fears and walls. You create your lifestyle and decide your fate. For example, Bikram Yoga burns 1000 calories approx a session, but that doesn't mean you show up, attempt the moves and leave 1000 calories less, you need to TRY or really DO the moves. When you are lifting weights or running you need to think of the goals and match the desire for the end result with power for doing to activity.

     Also never forget that when it comes to health, fitness, dieting or a generally active lifestyle, you need to want it for more than superficial reasons. Do it for you, your body and your mind. Only then will you really find the motivation and passion for sticking with it. It's a lifestyle not a seasonal change. You get what you put into it. Whether we are talking about doing the moves or making it a lifestyle that statement holds true. So give it all you have emotionally, physically and mentally. It will pay off.

Jessi Harm

Perfect nails everytime!

I was getting so tired of painting my nails, and smearing them before they dried, them chipping by the next day, or them looking dull, and the paint not going on even. So I found some great and helpful links and I am going to show you how to make perfect nails every time!

First things first: 

BASE COAT: this made the biggest difference. This alone made a drastic improvement It helps the polish stay in place, it provides an even primed surface for the polish to go on and stick too.

NAIL POLISH: The base coat will help your polish stay, but another thing to consider is getting a decent polish. the 99 cent polishes really don't cut it. If you can, get a nice name brand polish, it makes a big difference. Don't have to spend a lot of money, but don't get the cheapest stuff you can find.

ALSO: make sure your nail polish isn't old or expired. Polish typically has a shelf life of 2 years or less. So it's important to keep up with it. Over time the bottle dries out, and colors separate making it undesirable to use when trying to achieve beautiful nails.

Make sure you have all your tools out and ready to discourage you from bumping or smearing before they dry. Also try to do your nails when you have a few minutes to sit down and spend time on them, as well as giving them time to dry.

WHAT YOU NEED:

-Base coat
-color polish
-nail clippers
-emery board/ nail file
-buffing pad (optional) 
-cuticle pusher/cuticle trimmer (optional)
-nail polish remover (to remove old polish and clean up after)
-cotton balls (optional, for removing old polish)
-Small paint or makeup brush (for clean up)

Step one: Set up your station, with your supplies in reach. Remove all leftover polish and wash your hands. Focus especially on your nails and cuticles to remove and particles, dirt and excess oils.

Step two: Push down and trim your cuticles if needed, then clip your nails to a desirable even length, file if necessary, and buff away any rough edges, and smooth down the surfaces. Wash and dry hands again if you want.

Step three: Apply your base coat. One layer should be okay, just make sure its even. Follow base coat and color applications shown in the picture below.

So the first link is to show you how to properly and evenly apply the polishes. Base and color. I usually do one coat on all fingers before I go back and start the second and third coat. Three coats are usually good.

The next link is how to clean up you nails after you get the polish done. Get yourself a very small paint or makeup brush, and dip it in remover and wipe around edges and any mistakes. 

Here is the link to her blog where she has a wonder manicure tutorial herself

7 steps to a perfect manicure

Other tricks people have mentioned is putting a jelly or ointment around the edges of the nails so any polish won't dry on the skin and it is very easy to clean up after. I have also heard about putting tape around the edges also. Hope it helps.

I hope you enjoy these tips and tricks, and if you have any more please let me know.

Have a wonderful weekend, 

Jessi Harms