Challenge Yourself 2013

This year has been moving pretty fast. If you made a resolution and stuck with it, you are a rock star! For those of you who have made a resolution which went out the window after the first week's end of January, don't worry because there is always time to challenge yourself. All you need to do is commit to a healthy habit then you can start a new lifestyle of fitness and health. A few things that you might want to look at are dieting, workouts, and being more active.

For dieting, most people are in agreement there is no magic pill that will work. Find a diet program that works for your lifestyle. Whether your an athlete, runner, or average Joe, tailor a diet for your needs. I would recommend visiting your physician. As for me, I don't compete in boxing anymore, but I still want to be healthy as I work behind a desk and on the go. So, I've tried something new. It's called Shakeology. This product I would suggest if you are constantly on the go like me for work. It's not only a diet, but it is a cleanse system. So if your body is always feeling tires or you're getting sick, I would recommend trying out a cleanse.

Now, workouts is another thing that should be tailored to your goals and body type. This one really depends on what you tend to get out of it. When you are choosing a workout program think about your fitness level, where you want your fitness level to be, and do you want to be competing in any triathlons, marathons, hybrids, or fitness tests. The workout routine that I am currently performing to test my level of fitness is P90X. It's definitely an extreme workout, but the keys to any of these workout routines is workout at your pace and be consistent. Once you achieved the keys, you will begin to notice a difference over time. I would have to tell you make sure to give it time. Don't expect results to be over night!

Finally, to tie up the challenge yourself 2013, make healthy choices for being active. Whether it's going for a hike or taking your dog for a walk, make choices that will keep you off the couch. Granted from time to time your body does need rest, take a break when you feel your body needs it. The key to being active is to listen to your body!Well, I am thankful to my 2,993 readers of this blog. I look forward to continuing this blog this year and sharing my achievements along with a few workouts along the way.

Best,
Alex

"Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid nor dismayed for the Lord is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

Resolution 2013

Well, here's to another year! Ready! Set! GO! Now, here's food for thought for everybody who decided to lose a few pounds or get back in shape for their resolution, just stop making plans! Now before I go any further let me clarify. When I mean stop making plans, I mean stop putting things off. For example, I'll start my routine on Monday. You know you won't if you have that mentality. What you need to do is stop thinking about it and put your plan into action. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Put down the remote and grab a weight. Don't fool yourself by saying I don't have time stop to think what you are doing. You got the clicker in your hand or a mouse just sitting in place. Now is the time! So for all those busy bodies that cannot make time here's a challenge. Start making time. If you cannot go to the gym or fit time in for P90X or Insanity try out this waight free workout. No equipment needed just you!

Weight free workout Day 1
Perform each workout in a circuit (one right after the next) doing 10-20 reps for each exercise except for pullups perform your max (do as many as you can) then repaet the circuit 2 more times

Donkey Kick
Dive-bomber Pushup
Dirty Dog
Lunge
Hip Twist Ankle Hop
Back Extension
Wide Pushup
Pull-ups
Side Crunch
Crunch
Russian Twist
Reverse Crunch
Pulse Twist
Modified V-Sit

Perform Day 1 on Monday then perform Day 2 below on Wednesday then Day 1 on Friday alternate the workout next week by performing Day 2 first then day 1, etc. On days not performing circuit make sure to keep up with cardio by hiking, biking, walking, or even kayaking. The key is stay active!

Weight Free Workout Day 2

Plyo Pushup
Crunch
Squat Jumps
Steam Engine
Elbow-to-Knee Crunch
Prone Flutter Kick
Hip Adduction
Side Leg Raise
Diamond Pushup
Pull-ups
Rotation Pushup
Dips
Superman
Bird Dog

If you have a question about the workout feel free to email me!
Alex

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. "
Cavett Robert

Fall Boot Camp 2

So with my cousin becoming a marine, I have decided to post some inspiring workouts designed by marine corp. Check out this video.

Fall Boot Camp

If you want to try something new to burn fat for the holidays and get a great full body workout check out this high intensity workout.

Train at Home Part 1

When you are looking to increase your fitness level, cardio, or technique, you must train even on the off days. For instance if you workout or have a boxing or kickboxing class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, continue your training at home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with Sundays as a rest day.

Here is a simple workout that will tax every musle and help increase your muscle endurance along with your cardio. You can begin this workout by running or shadowboxing to warm up your body. If you shadowbox do 3/3 minute rounds with 30 sec rest. Then continue with the following workout.

Home Workout 1: The Burnout
Perform the following workout as a circuit for 3 sets with 10 to 20 reps each. For beginners, I recommend to start with 10 reps for each workout.

Dumbbell Swing
DB Squat and Press
DB Row and Twist
Corkscrew
DB Bicep Curls
DB Tricep Extensions
Straight Leg Crunch
Seat Raises/ Thrusts
Isolated Box Crunch

Try this workout on your off days to gain muscle endurance and increase your cardio.

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Alex

H2O: The Importance of Water when Training

H20 is a vital part of a training regiment. When you are training whether it's boxing, kickboxing, mma, or weight training, you need to make sure you constantly refill your body with water.

Water is one of nature's most important gifts to mankind. Essential to life, a person's survival depends on drinking water. Water is one of the most essential elements to good health -- it is necessary for the digestion and absorbtion of food; helps maintain proper muscle tone; supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells; rids the body of wastes; and serves as a natural air conditioning system. Health officials emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water each and every day to maintain good health.

With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land just as it does through the human body, transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Further in the body, it regulates the activities of fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood and glandular secretions.

An average adult body contains 42 litres of water and with just a small loss of 2.7 litres he or she can suffer from dehydration, displaying symptoms of irritability, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, weakness, headaches and consequently reach a state of pathology. Dr F. Batmanghelidj, in his book 'your body's many cries for water', gives a wonderful essay on water and its vital role in the health of a water 'starved' society. He writes: "Since the 'water' we drink provides for cell function and its volume requirements, the decrease in our daily water intake affects the efficiency of cell activity........as a result chronic dehydration causes symptoms that equal disease..."

H2O to the Martial Artist

A large percentage of martial arts practitioners suffer from a small degree of dehydration from the lack of water consumption. With the various diet drinks, coffee, tea and sports drinks, the caffeine in these products often takes a hash toll on the human body. Therefore, by drinking water you will no longer be dehydrated and you will be able to feel the great health benefits especially while training in your chosen style of martial arts.

In martial arts (including boxing, kickboxing, mma, etc.), our body is one third of our training alongside the mental and spiritual components. Therefore, you must take care of your body so that you can train and workout to the best of your ability. To give you an idea about how important water is for the human body, here are a few facts and figures: 22% of bone is made from water, the brain is made up of 74 percent of water, 75 percent of our muscles is made of water and our blood with the highest percentage is 83% made of water. If your body is dehydrated, you will be unable to train at a high level and not see the improvement you're working for. Even more so, daily activities will become a burden such as getting out of bed in the morning. Water helps to supply our energy which is reduced when there are not sufficient amounts of water being consumed.

So how much is enough? It varies and usually it is recommended that you listen to your body when your body is thirsty during training grab a sip of water. A book I recommend on this is the Fighter's Body: An Owner's Manual.

In conclusion, martial artists need to be aware of their body's intake of water especially when training for a competition. Please, drink water and refresh your mind.

Cheers,
Alex

References:
Martial Arts Fitness and the Importance of Water, http://ezinearticles.com/?Martial-Arts-Fitness-and-the-Huge-Importance-of-Water&id=1715695

The Watercure, http://www.watercure.com/

What is Boxfit?

This blog is the official blog of BOXFIT Martial Arts Fitness and Personal Training. In this blog, you will find useful tools to help you succeed in your goals for a healthy living.

BOXFIT is a program that offers a unique spin on personal training. The training provided by BOXFIT is a customized personal strength and conditioning program mixed with elements of martial arts suited to fit your personal goals. BOXFIT exclusively offers three fitness programs designed to meet your needs: LIFIT, FIGHTFIT, and Self Defense.

LIFIT
If you have no time to hit the gym and need that extra bit of boost for motivation, the LIFIT program is the right one for you. It is designed to help reach your fitness goals. We provide you with a diet solutions and a workout log. These logs help keep you on track of your progress and monitor your diet.

FIGHTFIT
If you are looking to drop weight, improve your cardio for a match, or want to hone your skills, the FIGHTFIT program is designed to help. We inspire fighters by intense cross training sessions; help maintain the discipline needed to make your fight weight; and improve in the ring conditioning.

SELF DEFENSE
If you are taking KRAV MAGA and would like to hone your striking abilities, improve your techniques, or learn to defend yourself, the Self Defense program is designed to help protect you and keep you fit.

CHOOSE A PERSONAL SESSION OR A DOUBLE SESSION
If you have a family member or a friend, you would like to join you. You can choose to have a double session, where you can motivate each other, get to your fitness level goal, improve your techniques with a friend, and receive quality instruction.