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Fat Burning Partner Workouts

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Exercise SHOULD be fun.  At least some of it.  When I look at designing workouts for my Fit Fun Bootcamps, MamaTone, and various DVD programs, I try my best to add some sort of element of fun.

Click the book to buy it

This morning myself and my 12 trainers kicked off our outdoor bootcamp season.  I forgot how amazing it feels to workout in the great outdoors.  We had some light mist and fog to deal with today, it had a “magical” feel at 5:30 AM :)

One way to make working out fun is to do exercises that require two people.  I have spoke many times about the power of a support team, but when you have someone else there to encourage you and to make things a little more difficult, you tend to work harder and laugh more.

Here is a video I filmed with two busy moms.  Each have had 5 kids, so please no excuses about not being able to get shape after kids, or finding the time.  You can read Jody’s full story in my book Fit Moms For Life: How to Have Endless Energy To Outplay Your Kids.

These 3 exercises can be done with another girl friend, your kids, or a significant other.  Try them out this week, and I bet you will share a few laughs and break a sweat. :) Continue Reading →

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Who say’s it’s not possible to be “hot” at 50? – Part 2 of 2

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In part one I told my transformation story. Now I am going to talk about how changing my eating habits helped me to get the results.  Click here to read part one…

Donna Before

One big lesson I have learned is that nutrition plays a large part in the results that you get. Eating 5 small meals a day works really well for me. Just when I start to feel hungry, it’s time to have another meal. I try to eat healthy 70% of the time.  I still have my treats…but only in moderation. Well, most of the time. :)

Steel cut oats are one of my favorite things for breakfast. I have come up with several different varieties. Some of my favorites are pumpkin/walnut, apples (or raisins)/cinnamon and Cocount. Or,  sometimes I just add ground flax seed. Another great breakfast  that I enjoy is this one that Dustin recommends. I also like toasted Ezekiel bread with natural peanut butter in addition to eggs.  Continue Reading →

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Who say’s it’s not possible to be “hot” at 50? – Part 1 of 2

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I’m hoping that’s not true…I’m planning to just get better with age.

At the age of 48 I’m in the best shape of my life. Let me tell you how I was able to make that happen. Growing up I was fairly thin, then when I turned 18 life got in the way. Late in my 30s I was at my highest weight ever and knew I needed to make some changes. I was overweight, unhappy and had no energy.

Donna Before

Early in my 40s I was able to lose 50 lbs by changing my eating habits. Most of the changes were the basic ones that Dustin recommends. I was eating more veggies & fruit, less processed foods and tracking what I ate. I also started working out . I did some strength training but the heaviest dumbbells I had were 10 lbs. My cardio consisted of walking occasionally, an elliptical machine and riding my bike 12-18 miles a week. With these changes I went from a size 18 to a size 6. Continue Reading →

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20 Minute Fat Burning Workout at Home or While Traveling

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While traveling in AZ, I wanted to get a quick workout in to counter act the 4 days of sitting through a conference.  My friend Maria Andros shows you the workout that we had just done.

Do each exercise for 10-12 reps and 2 sets of each, alternating between an upperbody and lowerbody exercise.

The exercises we did were:

-Push up rows

-Squat to shoulder press

-Lunge to bicep curl

-Bent Row

-Single leg deadlift

I hope you enjoyed this short but intense fat burning workout!

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Kim’s Top 10 Reasons for Being a “Fit Mom for Life”

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  Hi, This is Kim, one of Dustin’s contributors.  This fall starts my third year doing Dustin’s programs.    I’ve been doing the Fit Moms for Life dvd series for two years.   I supplement that with the Buns, Guns, Shoulders and Back dvd.  I also like to run a few times a week.  I just completed one year of being a Fit Moms For Life group leader in ND and my husband is a nutrition guru.  Basically, I have access to alot of information on fitness and nutrition.  Sometimes, the biggest obstacle is using it.

Continue Reading →

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30 minute workout you can do anywhere

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 Post by Katie C., blog contributor

Before I started bootcamp, if I only had 30 minutes to work out (or even if I had more time), my default activity would be running.  Now that I’ve been doing bootcamp for almost a year, I’ve learned the importance of incorporating strength activities and am a fan of circuit workouts. Here’s a 30 minute circuit workout that I’ve adapted from iVillage.  It’s a great way to get in a good workout anywhere without any equipment.

1.  Warm up with 8 minutes of cardio (running, jumping jacks, etc)

2.  Do one minute of jungle squats 

3.  Do one minute of push ups

4.  Do one minute of reverse V lunges

5.  Do one minute of modified chair dips

6.  Do two minutes of cardio (any combination of jogging in place, butt kickers, squat jumps, snowboard jumps, etc.)

7.   Do one minute of ab exercises (any combination of front planks, bicycles, Russian twists, etc.)

8.  Take a 30 second break, then repeat steps 2 through 8 two more times.  Your 30 minute intense workout will be done before you know it!

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At-Home Pre-summer abs/shoulders exercise

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If you started pulling out your summer clothes last week (only to sadly stick them far back in your drawers again today), then you will want to start doing this move.  The warm weather WILL be here soon!   Walking Plank:  put your feet on the couch (curl toes under), hands on the floor in a push-up position.  Walk your hands and feet 4 steps to the right and then back to the left.  Pull in your belly. Make sure you can hold plank on the floor in good form before trying this one.  You’ll feel it in your abs, gluts, and deep in your shoulders.  Repeat 6-8 times, 3/week.

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North Dakota Bootcamp

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Hi.  This is Kim, one of Dustin’s contributors.

North Dakota winters never seem to end!    Just when we thought we were starting to melt some snow and see the grass again, we got hit with another winter storm that dumped about 8 inches of snow on us, closed all the highways and schools and kept us home for the day.  We made the best of it and made up our own family bootcamp.

Continue Reading →

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Working Out While on Vacation

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Hi, this is Liz one of Dustin’s contributors.  With Spring Break fast approaching my anxiety about getting good workouts in while away from home increases greatly!  I’m so used to MamaTone 3 times a week, running, and doing Got Core once or twice a week I know that I will go crazy if I don’t challenge my body while we are gone.  I’m a strong believer that I’m  better mom, wife, and person when I get my work outs in.  We will not have access to a gym while we are in Arizona; so I have found one way to battle this anxiety is to write down all the exercises I can think of that Dustin and Abby have taught us that don’t use equipment.  That way I don’t have to try and think of things on the spot, I have a cheat sheet.  I also recommend finding something unconventional you can use as a weight if possible.  Last fall while visiting family I found what I think of to be as a better use of soda ;)  What do you do to maintain your fitness while on vacation?

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My Holiday Travel Essentials

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Post by Katie C., blog contributor
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be traveling by both car and plane to northern Wisconsin and later to New York City.  Traveling can be challenging when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle; add the holidays to that and it can seem like a recipe for disaster.  With a little bit of planning, it can be possible to make the traveling during the holidays both happy AND healthy. 

Traveling by car.  I’ll be driving to northern Wisconsin, so this makes it much easier to pack the things I would use in my normal routine.  

  • A healthy treat.  I know there will be cookies and candy everywhere, but I find it really easy to avoid these if I bring something that I know is healthy but still satisfies my sweet tooth.  My absolute favorite sweet treat is ricotta mixed with a little bit of honey.  If you like something sweet, try this; it is delicious!  This is a great option because the ricotta is a good source of protein(rather than pure carbs that most sweets have) and the honey adds a natural sweetness.  If you’re looking for a good ricotta, I recommend the Ricotta con Latte by BelGioioso.  It contains just three ingredients, all of which are natural.
  • “Buns, Guns, Shoulders and Back” DVD and weights.  I can’t say that I’ll be getting up at 5:30 each morning, but I’ll still be able to get in a great workout like I would if I was at home.
  • Outdoor gear.  My favorite outdoor winter activity is snowshoeing and northern Wisconsin is the perfect venue.  Trekking through heavy snow in the woods increases your heart rate and burns twice as many calories as running or walking at the same pace.  Last year I participated in a 10K snowshoe walk and I can definitely say I felt the burn in my legs!  

Getting ready for Book Across the Bay, an event that drew 3,300 snowshoers and skiers in 2010

Traveling by plane.  This mode of travel has more restrictions, but I’m up for the challenge :)

  • Food that travels well.   Confession: I actually really love packing my lunch and snacks for work each day, so I’m trying to find a way to pack at least a few snacks for NYC.  A few items that I’ve found travel well and don’t require refrigeration are cheese, nuts, applesauce, and canned tuna.  Doing a little grocery shopping once I’m in NYC is also something I plan on doing.  (QUESTION:  Has anyone who has worked with Tracie Hittman tried to travel with gelatin?  I want to  bring some, but don’t want to cause any security issues if they see a bag of white powder in my bag!)
  • Tennis shoes and workout clothes.  I did some research online and found that the hotel we’ll be staying at has a great workout facility.  Many Sheraton hotels have a fitness program by Core® Performance that includes a full gym, specialized dining options, and equipment for in-room workouts.  They also provide online tools that include downloadable travel workouts, travel tips, and healthy snack options.
  • FlipCam.  This is an early Christmas present (yay!) that I plan to use around NYC to show that there are lots of ways to stay active and eat healthy while traveling.  I’ll be posting the video in the next few weeks to show what I found.

Happy AND healthy travels for all of you who will be journeying over the holidays! Do you have any other tips to help me make this a healthy traveling experience?

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