7 At-Home Fit Tips
Fitness at home can be very challenging to navigate. Oftentimes we lack motivation, structure, and knowledge of what to do. With limited resources it may seem impossible to stay “fit”, so I am going to share a few tips my clients and I use to stay on track.
Schedule Your Workouts
Yes!! PUT THEM ON YOUR SCHEDULE! Even if you are doing them from home. We tend to thrive on a schedule with a solid routine. Simply plan out specific times during your day to dedicate 30-60 mins of exercise. There is success in a solid routine.
Equipment
You can effectively workout from home with little to NO equipment. However, when adding resistance/weights to your at-home workouts, you then add a greater challenge with better results.
Get this FREE guide of my top 20 at-home movements here
Follow A Workout Program
It can be a challenge to get creative with new workouts and for most, the last thing we want to do is come with a routine daily. Having a custom goal-specific...
Patience & Willpower: The Key to Results
Sometimes we feel like giving up.
Actually, many of us want to give up.
A lot.
It’s something that Steven Pressfield calls Resistance. It’s something that works against us to distract us or discourage us from doing the things we want to do and see true results.
This can come in the form of a family member criticizing our desire to get in better shape.
"It’s just one piece of cake. It’s not going to kill you." - Aunt Betty
How many times has that been said?
In all reality, one piece of cake will not kill you. But the cake does severely damage your willpower. The ability to continue toward a healthy lifestyle is based on your ability to resist the many temptations that you encounter in your daily life.
This is hard.
But in reality, it is resistance that is trying to push you off course. How many times do we begin a New Year with lofty fitness goals, then find ourselves at the Taco Bell drive-through after a...
VIP Client Spotlight: Biggest Loser & Go-Getter, Valerie
Who is Valerie?
Mom. Sister. Daughter. Friend. Full-Time Finance Consultant. Side Hustlin' VIPKid English Teacher. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I attended the Univ. of Minnesota for a year and then enlisted on Active Duty in the Army as a Combat Medic; later attending the United States Military Academy at West Point and Commissioning as a Logistics Officer. I spent the last ten years all over the place traveling due to the Army. Since retiring from the Army I'm a full-time Finance Consultant by day and a VIPKid Teacher in the early mornings and evenings. I'm a chronic/genetic disease warrior with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome among other co-morbid conditions which have led to multiple joint surgeries and hardware over the years; I love to shed light and perspective on invisible illnesses and help people realize our biggest limitations really do lie within our own minds. I'm a single momma of a sweet and sassy two-year-old girl and have two dogs who are also 2, Luna, a Great Dane...
Top 7 Movements for a Stronger Core & Visible Abs
Get a Stronger Core and Reveal Your Hidden Six Pack
And steps to see your abs ...
Whether summer is around the corner, you are ready to rock that bikini on vacation or you just want to see those mystical abs!
GOOD NEWS: WE ALL HAVE ABS! AND YOU/LL EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE THEM.. FOR SOME AS SOON AS 3 MONTHS!
UNPOPULAR NEWS: IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY TO SEE THEM + THERE ARE MULTIPLE STEPS TO GET THERE!
Okay, I’m done yelling but got my point across.
One of the biggest goals Okon clients set out to accomplish is to see their abs, which is a pretty common end goal!
For many losing belly fat seems like a longgggg road, but what's more important is how dangerous stored body fat that surrounds the internal organs is. Excess fat makes it more difficult for organs to function properly.
This fat is also known as visceral fat, this type of fat circulates throughout your bloodstream which puts you at risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease!
But back to...
Top 5 Things You Can Do Right Now To Optimize Your Immune System
Immune System 101
The immune system is an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together as your body's natural defense system. It gets a lot of attention during the winter months (aka cold and flu season), but it is working year-round to protect you from a flu/virus or an infection that could happen at any time.
According to WebMD, "A healthy immune system protects us by first creating a barrier that stops those invaders, or antigens, from entering the body. And if one slips by the barrier, the immune system produces white blood cells and other chemicals and proteins that attack and destroy these foreign substances. They try to find the antigen and get rid of it before it can reproduce. Failing that, the immune system revs up, even more, to destroy the invaders as they multiply."
If you are somebody who tends to get sick the second someone around you coughs, maybe you need to think about strengthening your immune system. Below are five of the most...
How To: Use your FITMAS Calorie Surplus to Your Benefit -- Holiday Gains the Right Way!
The Holiday Season -- Filled with Joy & Cheer, a time to celebrate when loved ones are near!
...as well as the dreaded holiday weight gain...
Tis’ the season, to eat all the treats, cheese & meats, a real Holiday Feast... The time of year that we aren't seeing our fitness goals clear, even with the coming New Year!
It is the season of indulgence and we merrily enjoy the festive fulfillment of stuffing ourselves into a ham, potato, pecan pie coma concluding the end of this year in true American culture -- tis the season to binge eat!
But for those of us who want to make it out of the holiday season without gaining the dreaded holiday weight, here are some tips to stay fit.
Tip 1: Eat in moderation & Enjoy time with loved ones
Christmas Dinner— the biggest concern over the holidays for almost everyone! You should partake in your holiday festivities and that INCLUDES FOOD! You get to have your dinner (try to have some control) your...
Why use the Stairmaster?
Why do people use the stairmaster?
The stairmaster seems to be a more and more popular option at the gym. Ever wonder why?
Picture yourself at the set of the Rocky scene.
He’s training hard and sprinting up those stairs, sweating at 4:30 AM.
Working his butt off to train hard and beat his archenemy Ivan Drago.
Now picture yourself looking at the line of Stairmasters at the gym. I’m sure this doesn’t give you the same feeling as you would feel if you were in that Rocky scene.
So why do people do the stairs like that?
Did Rocky start a revolution and make everyone want to do stairs, making it a huge fad?
Not likely.
I’m sure you see people on the Stairmaster at the gym and wonder why people do that versus some other cardio exercises that are just as well the same.
Like the treadmill, or the elliptical.
Or the bicycle.
The basis of this answer comes from the nature of the stairmaster and what you are getting out of it.
Function
On the stairs, you are continuing...
Should I do cardio before or after weight training?
A question many ask is this: I like to get cardio out of the way or I enjoy cardio, so can I do cardio first? The answer depends on your goals.
Aerobic vs Anaerobic
I know we are starting off with some big words!
Some of the questions you may have asked in the past is “why can’t I do cardio before my workout and get it out of the way?” Or you may also wonder why HIIT is recommended for you to do instead of just a plain old treadmill workout.
In the following sections, I will explain all this to you.
Back to big words.
ATP And Other Fun Stuff
Your body needs ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as a fuel for your muscles to contract. Without ATP, no bicep curls..or squats for that matter. There are a few systems in your body that use ATP for energy, two of them are your anaerobic system (lactic acid system), and your aerobic system (oxygen system).
Anaerobic System:
Your anaerobic system breaks down glycogen (which is kind of the energy created from...
