The Four Pillars of Fitness - Chalene Johnson

THE FOUR PILLARS OF FITNESS

-Chalene Johnson, "PUSH"

 

 

As I sit outside on this gorgeous Fall, sunny, South Carolina day, I want to share with you some great info about 4 impacting factors of fitness!!!  Many of us think it is pretty simple, just head out the door for a run, bike, swim, take an aerobic class...that is far from the case.  To get that bangin' body you want, you have to follow these Four Pillars of Fitness (PUSH - Chalene Johnson).

 

1.  Cardio:  Cardio is a great way to relieve stress, lose weight, and live longer.  You should get your heart rate up at least 30 minutes a day.  Your intensity level should be between a 5-9 on a scale of 1-10. 

 

Category 1:  Impact

low impact - walking, rock climbing, dance, cycling, waterskiing, yoga, pilates

high impact - running, cycling, kickboxing, jumping rope, plyometrics, basketball

 

Category 2:  Intensity

moderate intensity - walking, rock climbing, riding a bike, weight training, yoga

interval training - competitive soccer, cycling, aerobic classes and DVDs

high-intensity interval training - competitive basketball, soccer, tennis, athletic drills

 

A great rule of thumb is to use Chalene Johnson's 3-2-1 Formula. 

3 days of high-intensity or interval workouts of 30 minutes or more.

2 days of moderate-intensity, long-duration cardio (45-60 minutes)

1 day of moderate to low-intensity cardio activity for 30 minutes or more.

 

2.  REST

 

Our society often thinks we are productive when we sleep on less than 8 hours of sleep.   We think we can get more done and that it won't hurt our bodies.  That is totally false!

 

Science teaches that adequate hours and quality sleep will help:

-Metabolize carbs properly

-Maintain leptin and growth hormones

-Increase energy levels

-Maintain proper blood pressure and insulin resistance

-Decrease anxiety and stress

-Repair muscle

 

3.  Flexibility

 

A flexible muscle has greater strength potential.  How about that.  So you can actually get stronger by stretching!!!! 

The benefits of improved flexibility:

-More energy and mobility

-More muscle strength and power

-Improved posture and balance

-Better athletic performance

-Reduced stiffness and joint pain

-Reduced muscle stress and chronic injury

 

4.  Strength

 

For all the ladies out there, YOU WILL NOT BULK UP!!!  Fat bulks you up.  Muscle is the fountain of youth!!!

 

-A body with more muscle tissue burns more calories all day long.

-As you increase muscle composition, you burn more calories when performing cardio exercises.

-Muscle provides shape to your body.

-For fat loss, go heavier weights, fewer reps.

-For muscular endurance, go lighter with weights, greater reps, longer workouts.

 

Now that you know the Four Pillars, go find your Soul mate workout and get that bangin' body you always wanted.  No excuses!!!

 

Your Coach,

Cheri

 

 



Baby Steps and Bite-Size Pieces to Fitness

Working out is not easy.  There, I said it!  It is something that normally does not come naturally to most.  It has to become a habit for most to fall in love with it.  The thing is, if you don't get your body moving you will become Fat, Sick, and Die Young.  So, how do you make working out a habit?  The first thing you have to do is stop blaming others and allowing things to distract you.  Saying you don't have time, you are tired, you work full time, your kids are in the room when you do it, you need a partner to work out with, you have to have the right music, your not a morning person, your not a night person...blah,blah,blah,blah!!!!  I am not trying to be mean, but really, STOP THE NEGATIVE TALK.  To be successful you HAVE to put in the work.  Imagine if you used these excuses at your place of work.  You would be FIRED!!!! 

So here is how you begin to create Fitness Goals for yourself that you will achieve!!!!!

1.  Start with small goals.  Focus on reasonable expectations you are confident you can achieve in a time frame of 2-4 weeks.  Get out of the thinking...Hey, I always wanted to do a marathon...overwhelm yourself....then drop off the wagon.  It is so much easier to look at goals in a 2-4 week time frame. Break it down into goals you can handle in less than a month. 

You can even focus weekly.  Make a goal that you will walk/run/do a fitness program 3 times a week for 30-40 minutes.  Start small and then build.  You don't need to commit to 6 days a week if you haven't worked out in years.  Take the pressure off yourself.

These goals should be attainable, so that at the end of the week you have accomplished them and feel amazing!

2.  Measurable Goals - Don't just say you want to be healthier.  Create measures.  State how many healthy meals you are going to cook a week, how many days you will exercise, the number of pounds you want to lose in 30 days, how many miles you will run this week, how many hours of sleep you are going to get daily...etc.  This makes your goals more solid and meaningful.

3.  Achievable Goals - According to Chalene Johnson, there is a difference between the achievable and possible.  A person that hates to run and has bad knees is not likely to maintain her goal to complete the Boston Marathon.  Choose workouts you will like.  Getting fit should be fun and build your self-confidence....not piss you off while you are doing it. 

4.  Rewarding - Yes, fitness is sacrifice, but you have to remember that the rewards are so much bigger.  List all the rewards you will receive when you hit your goal weight?  Here are some examples: You will fit into that dress you have been wanting, your clothes will lay on your body much nicer, your doctor will tell you that you can get off your diabetic or cholesterol medications, you can breath better, you get compliments, you will meet new people, you will be more confident, you will get that job promotion, people will take you seriously......etc.  Whatever it may be, you will be rewarded!

5.  Time Sensitive - Each of your goals should have a time-sensitive deadline.  This helps you to become more focused.  When goals are written down and they have a deadline, we work so much harder toward them then if it is open-ended!

Here is your homework:  What is your Smart (Smallest, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding, and Time Sensitive) health and fitness goal? 
Then create a list of all positive side effects of achieving this first goal.
Have fun with this.  I can't wait to read, hear, and most of all SEE your results.  Yay!!!!

Your Coach,
Cheri

- information provided from Chalene Johnson, creator of PUSH.

Working out during Pregnancy

Most of you know that I am 15 weeks pregnant.  Just heading into my 2nd trimester!  I have been getting a lot of people asking me how my workouts are changing or will change. Here is the deal, if you have been working out prior to getting pregnant, then keep on moving that body.  The key is to bring it down a notch.  Make sure you are going more low impact.  Limit the plyometric movements and the bouncing.  Keep your feet on the floor does not mean you can't get your sweat on.  Their are so many programs out there to keep you inshape during your pregnancy. 

For those of you who are pregnant, but have not worked out prior to the pregnancy, I would stick with extremely low impact movements.  The best suggestion I have for you is to take walks.  You do not want to go crazy working out because of fear that you will gain too much weight.  You could cause a miscarriage.  You just have to stay healthy and keep that baby healthy. 

A great suggestion for both groups...the athlete and the non-athlete is Yoga.
I will be getting my groove on with Yoga Booty Ballet!  It is low impact and tones the core, hips and thighs.  All the areas that will help push that baby out.  :-)  Plus, it will calm you and your baby.  Take a look!

All in all, rest when you feel you need to, eat what you can, but when you get back to normal after the nausea, then try and eat healthy.  Don't let pregnancy be an excuse to eat whatever.  Remember, what goes in your mouth is going to the baby too.  Try eating every 2-3 hours.
Let me know if you have any questions.  I would love to help!!!
Your Coach,
Cheri