SQUEEZE IT IN. Come on. COME ON!

After reading this blog post by Bonnie Pfiester, (one of our FitFluential Ambassadors in FL)  "The Nooner, Quickie Workouts for Peeps On the Go", it not only gave me that push today that I needed to get my workout on, but it inspired this post. The other night I was participating in a Twitter chat with Centrum and a TON of people were on there whining about having NO TIME to workout. 

I have heard this EXCUSE and yes, I've used this EXCUSE in the past myself. It's lame. LAME. 

Time to change your thinking. Time to change your attitude. Time to change what you BELIEVE is possible. Why do I laugh out loud at anyone that says, "I have NO TIME to workout!" I say BALONEY (well ok usually I might say a PG-13 word but you know...) 

Something is better than nothing. For all those people that say, "I have no time to workout" I ask you this:

• Do you watch TV? You have time.
• Do you play video games? You have time.
• Do you spend at least 30 minutes on Facebook? You have time.
• Do you sit around at the office after lunch chatting? You have time.

You get the drift. A SERIOUS SWEATFEST CAN BE HAD IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS PEOPLE!! Stop doing what I used to do and assume that the ONLY WAY YOU CAN WORKOUT and really make a difference is to do a full-on 90-Minute+ intensity session. Now- this is NOT to say that these aren't great and won't get you more fit and probably more fit FASTER. But, do not think you can't make a serious dent in your weight loss goals by QUITTIN YOUR BITCHIN AND START LIFTIN! ;-) (that's a tee-shirt of mine that I love)

If you want to RUN, don't think that just because you are starting out and you have to walk 5 minutes and run 1 minute and then repeat, THAT IT DOESN'T COUNT. Keep going. It counts. You are burning calories. You are getting stronger. 

Weights. Think you need an hour in the gym? BALONEY. (fat free of course) Ask my BFF Carla, otherwise known as @mizfitonline and clearly one of the most chiseled buff babes I know. Carla does her weight workout every day in under 20 minutes. And let me tell you she is BUFF BEYOND MEASURE. 

You don't need a boatload of time. You don't need a gym or a trainer. The amount of resources at your disposal are mind-boggling. Tumblr has 15,000 printed out customized workouts on there that will keep you going, sweating and crushing it with no equipment. YouTube? Hello, it's not just for MY Ramble-On-A-Thon vlogs- and here is my sweatfest vlog from this weekend:

Just off the top of my head I know 2 KILLER workout resources that weekly offer customized -- short and sweet sweatfest circuits. 

The first one is Bonnie's hubby Steve Pfiester, and watch out, he will hurt you:

Hello? That was 10 minutes. Why not warm up for 5 minutes, do that workout, then some jumping jacks and running in place? Cool down, and you've got your workout. A TOUGH ONE. One that will challenge you and burn fat and get you ready for more.

HELLLLOOOO what about the Supreme Buff Babe, Zuzana? HELLO- her workouts are AMAZING and free and clearly they work:

Sure, she's using some equipment but many of her workouts use NOTHING. Yes, killer long workouts are great. But any trainer will tell you that higher intensity is the key and if you start with 20 minutes a day, watch the difference. Watch the difference in your attitude when you suddenly feel healthier and better about yourself. 

Create your own motivation. Tell yourself that DAGGONEIT I'm not gonna make lame excuses about time. I'm making PROGRESS NOT EXCUSES!

That's what I did today. It was 6pm and I squeezed in Jackie Warner's Timesaver Workout:

Awesome, tough mini-workout and I burned 365 calories. How good do I feel that I conquered that inner voice that said, "I don't feel like working out right now, it's latee.......waaahhh" and I started my week off RIGHT! BOOYA!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your plan? Are you using no-time as an excuse?

Were You Wondering??

Wondering if I kicked butt today? Or if I took the day off? Um, what do YOU THINK? I'm ending this month with a serious WOOT! And a BOOYA to boot! ;-) See the triceps dip above-- one of my favorite ways to work my triceps (and mind you, I loathe working my triceps and chest the most, of all body areas, I hate those two areas!), in addition to the lying side tricep push-up- you know the ones Tony does in P90X Shoulders and Arms? I mean, other people do it (Tracy Effinger does it in Squeeze Stronger, come to think of it) but that's where I remember it the most because I do 20 each side.

I need to go get my belly ring fixed. I digress. 

So....it was a beautiful day out today- about 70 degrees and sunny. I went to meet my friend for lunch and got SOOOO ANNOYED because all our streets were held up- why? BECAUSE APPARENTLY WE ALL HOLD TRAFFIC UP SO A BUNCH OF HARLEY RIDERS CAN ALL RIDE TOGETHER WITHOUT STOPPING. HOW does this happen? I mean really, I'd like to take a fast car and play INDY 500 on the roads out here but I highly doubt the cops would BLOCK INTERSECTIONS FOR ME TO DO SO. WHY do Harley riders get to stop all the rest of us just because they are on a group hug ride? WTH???

Do NOT get me wrong, I dig Harleys (is this the proper way to pluralize or is Harlies, that seems queer) and many of the fine mantastic specimens that ride them. Just don't get in MY way on a Saturday dude. 

Don't get me wrong. If I saw this, I'd roll over and play dead IN THE ROAD just so he'd stop and help me. Don't lie, I know you would too. He definitely passes the Bark Test. GRRRRR

Anyway, after I made about 200 detours for our fine leathered out motorcycle brigade, I made it to lunch. Then I stopped at Target and got some GOODIES for my house!! OMG it's been too long since I went shopping. I got giddy in the organizational tools aisle. OCD, that's me. 

Then I came home and was installing and putting things away and such, and it was about 5pm and I was NOT FEELING LIKE WORKING OUT but.....I was thinking of my calendar in here and how much I wanted it to show this week better than last week. I thought about hopping on the scale and seeing 3.2lbs lost last week and how I want to see 2 more gone next week....and then I got my workout clothes on. I got my UGIFit ball out and WENT NUTTY. 

Let me tell you something, this ball is a miracle. It's a wonder. It's like, well, discovering this was like discovering that Starbucks offered both lo-fat milk, Skim AND Soy. And then when they added those cute desserts on a stick that are under 200 calories each. These things filled me with wonder and delight, like getting on my scale and seeing LESS of me to love. 

Brilliant. 

See that move above? Try doing mountain climbers that way. It takes working your core and your ARMS to another level!!! (I was not asked to do this review, I bought the UGIFit Kit on Amazon and just sharing my review, like I review everything!) Because the ball is so big, you can't grasp it all and hold with just your hands, so your arms are brought into every movement. My vlog below tells you more about my wow factor but in 30 minutes I had a 330 calorie burn sweatfest. I am SOOOO excited to do more! Soooo customizable and I plan to use my UGI in some Zuzana workouts where she uses the Sandbag. I don't have a sandbag. When I think of sandbag I think of my ex-husband and I'm glad I don't have that around anymore. Oh wait, I guess I was thinking DIRTBAG not sandbag. Same thing.

I made a funny.

OMG Tricep Dips are SOOOO much more intense on this thing. I'm telling you, I gasped out loud kind of like when Jason Statham does stuff like this in movies:

Another Bark Test Moment. 

All I can say kids is that I love the UGI at first workout. I LOVE HIM. I can't wait to throw him around a lot more. I have violence issues, so what? It helps me have more intense workouts! ;-) 

So.....enjoy my little ramble-on-a-thon about the UGI, and also forgive me for saying a naughty R-rated word in here, but I wasn't about to reshoot my vlog. Kelly had to go sit in the corner after this vlog, I promise. ;-0

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you ending this month of April on a high note with your workouts (for the month) or do you need to KICK BUTT in May to balance it out? 

How To MAKE DO.

OMG. Zuzana is becoming my go-to A** Kicker Girlfriend. I'm sharing this screen shot because THIS was the move that forced me to MAKE DO. Let me explain.

If you recall in my blathering vlogs from this week, I forgot to pack my resistance bands and although I did pack my TRX, I really have to get back in and train with the TRX certified trainer back in Chicago because I'm not as familiar with all the moves you can do on that system. It's KILLER but you don't want to wing it and waste your time. So-- in the near future, after I've become more familiar with that, I can make up some more killer circuits. This week, I was having to really get my creative juices flowing in the hotel room.

Today, I WAS SO NOT FEELING THE MOJO to do a workout at night. I was NOT FEELING IT KIDS. Some of you think I am crazy motivated all the time. Not so. But---I recognized that the Bad Kelly was trying to push Good Motivated Kelly DOWN and once I saw that, I put that biotch back in her place. I thought about my favorite jeans and about my orange bikini and....I got my workout clothes on. Pretty much once I get my workout clothes on, IT'S ON. So, I looked up a Zuzana workout on BodyRock.TV. I found this  one and was all ready to GO:

I previewed the moves, wrote them down and then started with a warmup. I did 20 reps of each move and then, got to the above pictured wall squat and when I started lifting my left leg GREAT BALLS OF FIRE I felt like a knife went through my outer thigh. NO IDEA what I did but I had to get up and do all kinds of weird stretches in my room to rid the pain. Then I was pissed. I was pissed because I knew it would be foolish to do the same moves again (and risk an injury like my shoulder one that ruined me for almost 6 weeks earlier this year) and hurt my leg, but I wanted to not have a half-a**ed workout. So- I MADE DO.

I thought about what I could do with NO EQUIPMENT that wouldn't push it with my shoulder or push it with my leg, so I randomly added the following:

• Jog in place for 1 minute
• Kneeling "Pizza Cutter" kicks a la Cathe's Butts N. Guts
• Kneeling Rear Straight Kicks (you can see some of this in the video montage from this workout below:
• What is the move when you are on all fours and you like RUN with your legs, while your hands are in pushup position? The name escapes me. 
• Standing straight leg swings, 20 each leg. 
• 100 Walking Lunges
• Close Legged Squats
• Wide Legged Squats
• Plie Squats
• Plyo Plie Jumps (16)
• Taebo straight legged side raise
• Taebo front kick
• Taebo Rear Kicks
• Taebo Style Front Machine Gun Kicks
• Roundhouse kicks
• Jog in place 1 minute.

In total, after doing ONE set of the devil I mean Zuzana's workout above followed by 20 reps of each move here, I had burned 250 calories in about 38 minutes. Not bad. And even better because at about 110 calories or so, after doing Zuzana's workout and only getting through the one circuit, I had "an excuse" to stop.

NO WAY. 

Funny, here is another post today from Bret Contreras on the same topic~ you can do a killer circuit workout with NO equipment and no gym. NO EXCUSES:

CLICK HERE TO READ HIS POST ON HIS FAVORITE NO EQUIPMENT WORKOUT AT HOME.

And CLICK HERE to read Fit Lizzy's blog post titled "Fit Lizzio's Weight Loss Tips"-- wish I'd had this sensibility in my head a couple years ago!! WERD UP.

Here is proof of my madness:

Also- here is a random observation. Where is everyone this week? My blogworld has had tumbleweeds flying through it. I mean, I'm not that kind of blogger that like uses SEO tricks to get traffic and worries about how many people are reading me, I've NEVER been that kind of blogger BUT I do certainly notice when it seems like the world took a vacation. Did I miss something? 

Anyway, I hope y'all are having a great week. I'm very proud of myself this week for MAKING DO, I head home tomorrow morning and am very psyched to see my new kettlebells and my new UGIFit ball thing. COOLNESS. ;-) 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you watch TV "live" or do you DVR everything?

Just Build On It.

I was actually looking for a picture of a pushup and this one popped up- perfect. I love how it says, "Do One Push Up". Why? I've been fielding a lot of questions lately around a common theme- and it is a theme that always pops up again and again. It's the theme of essentially, "How do I fit all this fitness into my life/schedule?" or "How do I get motivated to do what I need to do in the gym?" or, "How do I workout when I'm tired/angry/feeling fat/fill-in-the-blank?"

You have to start small, and BUILD ON IT. You build on your momentum. You build on your motivation. You build on your pride of accomplishment. You build on your strength. You build on your cardio capacity. You build more every single day. 

Each week builds on the last week. Each month builds on the last and so on.

This is NOT rocket science obviously, but the more I've thought about the last couple of years and WHY things weren't sticking for me and why I've been so chaotic and up and down and all over the place -- I realize that a big component of previous success was missing.

I wasn't building on anything, and I wasn't using little tools and tricks that helped me to build in the past. 

Remember how a Gold Star Sticker when you were young was such a big deal?? It was a small visual that  told you YEA YEA YEA FIST PUMP BABY YOU ROCKED IT!! WOOT! (of course in different lingo.....) When I am most successful, and really in the zone, I sustain that by giving myself visual reminders in as many ways as possible - reminders of what I've done this week last week, last month, so I can see that I'M ON A ROLL (to getting rid of rolls, right?? LOL)

It was my FitFluential biznass partner Jennifer  who made me think of this a week or so ago--- we were talking about tracking calories and what is a healthy range, and she brought up how she uses stickers in her day planner to showcase days that she has reached a specific objective. It made me realize that I used to do something similar and haven't been doing it. I used to write my workouts- with STARS on how I rated the quality and sweat factor of my workout- on a Cathe Calendar. It was in my closet, so every time I went to get dressed, I saw that I was kicking bootie in my workouts. It was PART OF EVERY DAY and if I wasn't logging a workout- SOMETHING WAS MISSING.

IF I HAD MORE THAN ONE BLANK DAY ON THAT CALENDAR- IT WAS A BLINKING LIGHT THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT!!! 

You want to finish a workout and wrap up a day feeling DANG GREAT- like you have something to celebrate. Maybe for you it isn't a calendar or a planner, maybe it's an app on your phone or a notebook or a picture on your fridge. I say focus first on visuals that ENCOURAGE YOU. You can also use some real life tools like--- say your big pet peeve (like mine is at this moment) is that your favorite jeans are too tight. And say that you know (Like I do right now) that your moment of weakness is later at night, when you sit down to chill and watch TV, that this is when you NOSH for no reason. NFNR. Why not bring your pair of jeans with you and set them on the coffee table so when you get up for some crackers or whatever, you have those jeans staring at you like WHAT IN THE HELLLLL ARE YOU DOING??

You know you can't wait to wear your KLASSY JEANS LIKE THIS:

That is one Klassy Broad. 

I'm here in NYC right now peeps. I've been up since 4:30am and I'm kinda draggin.....I have every inclination to "take it easy" tonight and not workout. But guess what- I've got my new planner that is organizing my work life and my personal life, and I WILL be recording a BOOYA today for my workout. And I'm recording it on DailyMile.com for y'all. And when I first thought about NOT working out, I thought about my jeans. Because today's workout brings me one step closer to ROCKING THOSE JEANS OUT AGAIN. 

I have my ValSlides, my TRX, my DVDs and my girl Zuzana on the YouTube to push me harder....I'm also gleefully excited to get home and see my new packages with KETTLEBELLS AND UGI AND THAT THING THAT ZUZANA DOES DIPS AND SUCH ON. Name? I don't know- dip machine? That sounds like my ex-husband LOLOLOLOL. 

Do you UGI? Carla @mizfitonline told me all about it...and I think clearly I can use this instead of the duffel bag thing Zuzana uses in her workouts right? Werd Up. 

I'm not having it any other way. On that note, I gotta go CRUSH IT. Here is my vlog from yesterday- sorry YouTube was being a fiesty nerd and not uploading anything yesterday. I have all my vlog equipment here, so I'll shoot another vlog tonight and tell y'all about my bada** workout. ;-) 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite reality show? I swore I'd never watch one and yet I can't lie, I am all about the Kardashians and I want to marry Kim, in a non-lesbian, let's just be BFF and go shopping all the time kind of way.