Weekend Challenge

20 rounds for time:
1 burpee
10 air squats

Weekend Challenge

5 rounds for time:
10 vertical jumps
run 400 meters

Weekend Challenge

Complete this list:

Run 400 meters (1/4 mile)
25 squats
25 lunges (each side = 1)
25 downward dog/deltoid push ups
25 push ups
25 tricep push ups
25 sit ups
25 flutter kicks
1 minute plank
Run 400 meters

Weekend Challenge

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes

1 round:
10 squats
10 push ups
10 sit ups
400 meter (1/4 mile)

Weekend Challenge

Sprint 50 meters
10 push ups
10 rounds

Weekend Challenge

20 jumping jacks
20 burpies
20 air squats
3 rounds

Weekend Challenge

Run 1 mile with 100 squats at midpoint 

The Real Story Behind the Exercise You Love to Hate: the Burpee

By Sheryl Dluginski Special to DNAinfo.com

NEW YORK — Maybe you remember it from your high school gym class, or maybe your trainer or boot camp instructor makes you do it in high intensity circuits, but most fitness-minded people are familiar in some way with the deceptively difficult-yet-simple exercise known as the squat thrust — or the Burpee.

Start by standing tall, squat down low, shift your weight to your hands and jump your feet back to a plank — the starting position for a push-up — then jump your feet forward again between your hands, and stand back up.

String a few of these together and feel your heart rate soar and every major muscle group activate.

The Burpee is a popular staple in many of today's most challenging workouts, from CrossFit to boot camps to sports performance and triathlon training. For even the fittest folks, it's a dreaded and highly effective way to build strength, stamina and coordination.

As a personal trainer and holistic fitness fanatic, I know and use this move regularly, but my connection to it is far more personal. 

My paternal grandfather, Royal H. Burpee, invented it.

"Goog," as he was known to me, created the movement as the centerpiece of his PhD thesis in Applied Physiology from Columbia Teacher's College in 1939. The lone remaining copy of his published thesis, which details how and why he devised the unique and powerful combination of movements, sits on a shelf at Generations Fitness, my health and fitness studio.

Family folklore holds that "Nana Ella," Goog's wife and my grandmother, dutifully typed and retyped each draft of the 150-page manuscript, complaining bitterly all the while. Nana always said recreating the abundance of charts and tables on her typewriter was far more challenging than doing the exercise itself.

get the rest!

Weekend Challenge

50 sit-ups
400 meter run or sprint or walk
3 rounds

Weekend Challenge

10 push-ups 
10 squats 
10 sit ups 
10 rounds

Weekend Challenge

10 vertical jumps  
10 push ups
10 sit ups
4 rounds

The Top 10 Workout Songs for January

Do you turn on the tunes when running?  Here are some to add to your playlist from runhundred.com


Top 10 Workout Songs for January

• Nicki Minaj -- "Va Va Voom" -- 128 BPM
• Coldplay -- "Charlie Brown" -- 138 BPM
• Icona Pop & Charli XCX - "I Love It" -- 126 BPM
• Pitbull & TJR -- "Don't Stop the Party" -- 126 BPM
• 50 Cent, Eminem & Adam Levine -- "My Life" -- 89 BPM
• The Wanted -- "Chasing the Sun (Danny Verde Remix)" -- 129 BPM
• Macklemore, Ryan Lewis & Wanz -- "Thrift Shop" -- 96 BPM
• Fun. & Janelle Monae -- "We Are Young (Betatraxx Remix)" -- 106 BPM
• Will.I.Am & Britney Spears -- "Scream & Shout" -- 131 BPM
• One Direction -- "Live While We're Young (Dave Aude Remix)" -- 130 BPM

Weekend Challenge

10 rounds
10 Squats
10 pushups
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 burpees

Weekend Challenge

25 squats
1 min jumping jacks
10 burpees
10 jumping squats
20 reverse lunges
30 seconds high knees

5 rounds

Weekend Challenge

20 squats
20 burpees
20 hand release push ups
20 sit ups
20 push ups
20 burpees
20 squats

4 Tips For Traveling To An Athletic Event

Maybe 2013 has some races in your future-check out these tips from Maile Keone for the huffingtonpost.com to make your travel races easy!

Sweating and getting your heart pumping on vacation is an amazing opportunity, but it can take special preparation to make it a success. My job requires me to travel, so I'm naturally very particular about my leisure travel planning. I enjoy traveling for a fitness or athletic event because it creates an experience you wouldn't ordinarily have in that destination. Taking a trip for a fitness or athletic event is different in many ways than a regular getaway, so I'll share a few of the things I do to make fitness travel great.

Luckily, I have a best friend who is much more of a fitness fanatic than I am. She loves the idea of traveling for road bike races, mountain biking, running and pretty much any other fitness event. We recently traveled to Moab, Utah to participate in the Winter Sun 10K Run. Moab is in red-rock country with ruggedly beautiful canyons and vistas. It's a breathtaking backdrop for a run to say the least.

Don't stress or take yourself too seriously. Please take special note that it was a "run," and not a "race." I mention this because we didn't train, but rather than excusing ourselves from running, we laughed and decided to enjoy ourselves anyway. Some people go to seriously compete -- we are not those people. You don't have to win to have a good time. The Moab run started out on a gorgeous December morning and wound through the town and local parks. We ended at the local high school with a lap around the track, welcomed in by the hundreds of folks who had trained and already finished.

Arrive early and take your time. Give yourself enough time to scope out the town and have a good dinner the night before the event. Try to hit a museum or squeeze in a hike to see a destination from all perspectives. The day after our run we chose to hike Slick Rock. It was painful doing post run, but great views made the day. Going somewhere for a fitness event allows you to see things you might not have seen and to go somewhere you might never have considered.  Keep Reading.

Travel Fitness: A Plan of Action to Keep You Active

Traveling can easily get you out of your routine so here are a few tips to keep you in motivated and ready to exercise while traveling for the holidays!

Travel Fitness: A Plan of Action to Keep You Active

It is easy to let a vacation or business trip destroy your fitness schedule and eating habits, but why let something as rewarding as a vacation or as exciting as a business trip leave you feeling unhealthy upon return?

With a little research and proper planning, you can create an easy-to-follow plan to keep you fit and healthy no matter where you travel, and you can come home feeling more healthy and energized than when you left.

Nature’s Playground and Man’s Monuments

There is no excuse for not finding places to exercise when every city has a great staircase, stadium or tall buildings where you can master the stairs without a machine. If stairs aren’t your thing, cities have lots of places good for walking, running or even hiking. Ask the hotel concierge if there are parks or trails nearby; or if you have ventured to the mountains, ask for a map of local hiking trails.

It is also a good idea to ask the concierge for a map of the city to find out how many of your destinations are reachable by foot. (Walking will increase your fitness and decrease your taxi fares.)

Prior to departure on your trip, find out if your hotel has a workout facility and a pool, and remember to pack your bathing suit and workout clothes. If they don’t have a facility, they may be affiliated with a local gym where you can get a one-day pass for a small fee.

There are no limits to the exercise you can do while exploring new territory. Make the most of your trip, and get to know the city by foot.

Prepare for Power, No Excuses

If your hotel doesn’t offer fitness accommodations, bring along a jump rope and an exercise tube. They are both lightweight and easy to transport. Jumping rope is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise, and you can do it anywhere.

With the exercise tube and a prearranged plan to keep you motivated, you can keep your entire body toned and energized without entering a gym or stepping on a piece of exercise equipment. Numerous magazines and websites offer workout instructions for each body part.

And, of course, body-weight exercises such as push-ups and crunches require no equipment at all. The point is to find a workout routine that suits your needs and follow it. Plan a specific time each day or every other day to do your strengthening and cardiovascular routines (a good plan is to alternate days between the two).

Remember that the 20 to 60 minutes you spend working out each day is for you, and try to stay on schedule.

Have Fun

Be sure to enjoy yourself and make the most of the area to which you have traveled. Remember to bring comfortable shoes so that you can easily get a workout while using your feet as your main mode of transportation.

Whether your trip is for business or vacation, remember that you should have some time for yourself every day. Why not dedicate that time to improving your health and making yourself feel better?

Nutrition Road Tips

Always drink plenty of water, particularly if you’re flying.

Conjure up a healthy meal in your mind prior to entering a restaurant, and stick to your plan as closely as possible.

Try to eat at least three times per day to keep you from feeling famished and overindulging at any one time.

Pick up portable, healthy snacks at a local market so you won’t be caught hungry in front of the mini-bar.

Go ahead and splurge on regional dishes or local cuisine, but balance your diet by choosing lower-calorie foods at other meals.

Additional Resources

Schlosberg, S. (2002). Fitness for Travelers: The Ultimate Workout Guide for the Road. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books. Available at www.acefitness.org.

About.com: www.exercise.about.com/cs/fittingitin/a/ontheroadex.htm

Weekend Challenge

Tabata Squats
20 seconds to do as many good squats as you are able
10 second rest
8 rounds

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Many of us are motivated to work out and participate in boot camps to "stay healthy" but rarely do we think about what that means or what we're actually doing for our bodies beyond the physical look of them.  Read this article from Emory University's Tiffany Barrett to find out how you're reducing your risk of cancer when you're out yelling "hooah!"

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Studies consistently show that a good diet and regular exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease, but did you know you can also reduce your risk of cancer by eating well and regularly exercising? Our genes play a large role in whether we develop cancer (some cancer types more than others), but studies show, and our experts at the Winship Cancer Institute confirm, we can take action to lower our risk of developing many cancer types. By avoiding tobacco products, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and staying active, you can dramatically reduce your risk of dying from cancer.

I hosted an online chat on the topic of healthy eating during the holidays this week, and in it we covered lots of topics related to nutrition, health, exercise and wellness. Below are some of the most important takeaways from the chat for you to apply not just during the holidays, but year round!

Exercise: 

• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. We may tire of hearing it, but maintaining a healthy body weight is essential to your health.
• As many as 1 out of 5 of all cancer-related deaths are linked to excessive body weight. Obesity is clearly linked with increase in several types of cancer, including breast, colon and rectum, edometrial, esophageal, kidney and pancreatic cancer.
• Regular physical activity is critical to your health and wellness. Physical activity can help reduce the risk of breast, colon, endometrial and prostate cancers.

• Adults should try to exercise for either 75 minutes per week at high intensity, or at least 150 minutes at moderate intensity each week. The latter equates to just two and a half hours of walking.
• Children should exercise one hour each day at moderate intensity, but 3 days a week at high intensity, and limit sedentary activities such as sitting, lying down, playing video games, watching TV, etc.

Nutrition:

Maintain healthy eating habits by emphasizing consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As I mentioned in the chat, all fruits and vegetables have protective and preventive cancer benefits. Here are some guidelines to consider when it comes to nutrition:

Continue reading . . .

Weekend Challenge

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Burpees
Sit ups