Working out from home has become a new normal for many.  Here are some tips to get the most out of your home workout for success in your weight loss program.

This past year has brought with it many changes, including a major shift in how people incorporate fitness into their daily lives.  What used to be a thriving fitness industry in which people attended classes, lifted weights or even hired a personal trainer in a gym have all had to try to accomplish these goals at home.  It can be daunting to try and figure out the best way to lose weight, reach your fitness goals or even just maintain your weight loss success.  We have some tips to help you along this weight loss journey and continue to see success even from your own home.  Here is some advice from our SureFiz trainers: 

Set up a Good Space

Depending on the living area of your home, this can be easier said than done.  You might need to think outside the box a little to find a space for your workouts.  But setting up a space is extremely important for your overall success.  By having a dedicated space for working out, complete with equipment and a workout mat or even just a place to set a device to stream online classes, you have a much higher chance of success.  If you try to do your workout in the main living area of your home you are subjecting yourself to the distractions of life–including laundry, dishes, pets, children, significant others.  Any of these distractions will take your focus and hinder your ability to work hard and burn more calories, thus reaching your weight loss goals.  If you have a garage, bonus room or small space you can dedicate, those can be some perfect spaces.  For anyone who lives in a warmer climate, your balcony, backyard or patio is a perfect place to get away from your main living area and workout.  

Have a Plan

Like anything else in your diet and weight loss journey, having a plan for your home workout will help you find long term success.  Without a plan you are likely to waste time trying to decide what to do each time you workout.  We suggest setting up plans in 4-6 week blocks, then revisiting to make necessary changes. This decreases the chances of workout boredom or muscle stagnancy that can come from doing too much of the same exercises over a long period of time.  Changing your plans and your resistance will help your muscles continue to get stronger while helping you efficiently lose weight faster.  

Incorporate HIIT

HIIT (high intensity interval training) is an extremely effective form of cardio training that gets your heart rate up to a fat blasting level in a short amount of time. Not only is it effective in the duration of the routine, but it has been shown to keep you in a fat burning state for hours after you do it, which will prove to be most effective for your long term weight loss goals.  The best part about HIIT is that you don’t need equipment to get the weight loss benefits you are looking for.  The calorie burning benefit only works if you push yourself hard, though.  A popular form of HIIT, tabata, will only take you 4 minutes but you have 8 rounds of 20 second intervals with 10 second rest periods in between.  During the work periods, you have to work as hard as you physically can to truly see the calorie blasting benefits of the work.  For more information on how to incorporate HIIT into your workout and weight loss program and some fun HIIT ideas, click here.  

Remember to Warm-up and Stretch

Whether in a gym setting or at home, many people forget to take the time to warm-up before their workout or stretch after.  And with the many potential distractions in a home environment it can be even harder to set aside those extra moments.  But they are of utmost importance in your long term success for your workout and weight loss benefits.  If you do not prepare the muscles at the beginning and relax them at the end, you will endure more muscle soreness and risk the potential of an injury at any point.  Although life is busy and carving out additional time may seem like a chore, being sidelined for an injury takes far more time for recovery and can really hinder your weight loss goals.  Our blog on warming up and stretching has even more information on why it’s important.  We also have some great stretching ideas in our blog on yoga stretches in a weight loss program.

Find a Good Online Program

An online class or trainer can be extremely helpful in your fitness and weight loss routine.  Human nature is to not push ourselves as hard as someone else would, which is why a gym environment can be helpful for people to try and be pushed to their calorie burning limits.  In a home environment this can be much harder.  Having someone else create a routine, explain the correct form and tell you how hard to work can really be the difference between an okay workout and an amazing workout!  Luckily, there are many amazing programs that offer online classes, either live streamed or recorded.  The possibilities are endless and you can search online for your favorite style of workout, but some of our favorite programs are Peloton, Beachbody and Apple Fitness+.  Each of these programs do require a small monthly membership fee to use their workouts, but if cost is a factor, check out our blog post for details on some great free options to try.  

Your weight loss plan doesn’t have to be hindered just because you have to workout from home.  Be sure to follow these tips to get the maximum success in your fitness routine.  For optimal weight loss, always remember to eat a healthy diet and keep your calories within a low enough range to burn fat and continue on a steady weight loss path.   Follow our blogs weekly for more healthy tips, workout advice and weight loss help.  And be sure you are stepping on your SureFiz scale daily to track your progress and get help along the way.  

Do you need help finding some new exercises in the New Year? SureFiz trainer shares her favorite exercises to help you succeed in your weight loss journey

The New Year is upon us and as we welcome in 2021, many people are also looking for ways to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions or accomplish their weight loss goals.  If you ever wondered what trainers think are the best exercises, our very own SureFiz trainer has compiled eight of her favorite exercises that she incorporates in her fitness routine for you to try as you sweat your way to weight loss.  Try incorporating them into your weekly workout routine to see how well they work for you.

Exercises

Any exercise is a good exercise to help with healthy weight loss and staying fit.  But many trainers have favorites—exercises that they feel are better for the whole body.  The exercises we list here are what we call “more bang for your buck” exercises, allowing for integration of core work and multi-muscle group activation.  When doing them correctly you can see your fitness level and your overall strength increase.  These are certainly not all-inclusive; there are many exercises that help with full body strength and endurance.  But these exercises are a good start to helping you reach your strength and fitness potential, as well as lose more weight for good.

1.     Burpees

Burpees are a great full body bodyweight workout that can blast calories and fat, while getting the heart rate pumping.  You will work your lower body during a squat position, upper body and shoulders as you drop down into a plank and the core for the entire exercise.  Although they may sound intimidating, burpees can be modified so that almost anyone can do them.  There are many variations of a burpee that can be done to make it more or less challenging, such as adding a pushup or dumbbells, adding exercises to make it more complex, or doing it on an elevated surface to make it easier.  Here’s how to do a burpee:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, glutes engaged, core tight and knees slightly bent-not locked.
• Bend your knees more and reach forward as you bend over to place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Kick your legs straight out behind you into a plank position and immediately lower the entire body down to the ground, bending at the elbows, so that your chest touches the floor.
• Use your arms to quickly push your body back up while hopping your legs back under your body towards your arms and finish by exploding into a squat jump, hands overhead as you rise up. 
• Repeat 10-15 times to complete a full set. 
• To modify: You can use a chair or other elevated surface, or even a wall to do a burpee on and make the exercise less intense.  Just follow the steps above placing your hands on a chair or the wall instead of the floor.

2.     Squat Press

A squat press is another great full body exercise with more of a focus on strength than explosive cardio.  But don’t let it fool you—a squat press can get your heart pumping and the sweat flowing almost as good as any cardio based exercise!  In a squat press you will use legs to squat, arms to lift the weights overhead and the core to stabilize while you work.  You will need a set of dumbbells or soup cans, or another weighted object to perform this exercise.  Here’s how to perform a squat press:

• Start with your feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent and dumbbells near your shoulders. 
• Slowly squat back and down as if you are sitting in a chair behind you, keeping the weights at shoulder height during your descent. 
• As you rise back up, begin to lift the weights straight up above your shoulders until your arms are almost fully straight but not completely locked.  Keep a slight bend in the knees as you come back to the starting position.
• Repeat 10-15 times to complete a full set.

3.     Push-ups

Push-ups are a great strength building bodyweight workout that engages multiple muscle groups for maximum calorie burn and weight loss.  You don’t need anything except your body and a mat or the floor to perform them, and there are many modifications you can do to make this exercise effective for anyone at any fitness level.  Here is how to do a push-up:

• Start in a high plank position and place your hands shoulder-width apart or slightly wider with shoulders stacked directly over wrists.  Make sure your body is straight, knees are not locked, and your core and glutes are engaged.
• Begin to bend your elbows and lower the body to the ground, keeping it straight and angling your elbows at about a 45 degree angle behind you. Continue engaging the core and glutes to keep your back in neutral alignment and your whole body straight.
•  Push back to the starting position at a high plank
• Repeat 10-15 times until you have reached full fatigue in the arm muscles.  
• To modify: You can modify the exercise by doing the push-ups on your knees, or using an elevated surface like a chair or bench, or even by using the wall to do the push-up.  Try each of the variations to see what works best for you.

4.     Plank 

The plank is an excellent endurance and strength building exercise and is a favorite of many trainers.  Because the abdominals are intended as stabilizers and not movers, the plank helps to strengthen them in a more effective way than other popular core exercises, such as a crunch.  There are many ways to modify the plank to make it more or less challenging and to build intensity as you can increase the time a plank is held.  Here is how to hold a plank:

• Place your hands directly under your shoulders, keeping your arms straight but elbows not locked
• Straighten your legs out and hold the body up by pushing onto your toes while continuing to stabilize with your arms.  Keep a straight line with the body and look slightly in front of you to keep neutral alignment in the spine.  Make sure you focus on keeping the core tight and engaged, as well as tightening the glutes to prevent sinking or bowing of the lower spine.
• Hold this position for 20 seconds to start, for 3-4 sets.  As you build strength and endurance, you will be able to hold for longer and can work up to a full minute plank.
• To modify, you can do this exercise on your knees, on an elevated surface such as a chair or even on the wall until you are strong enough to hold a plank on the ground.

5.     Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat is an amazing strength building exercise using a step or bench that engages the quadriceps as a primary mover and also works the glutes, calves and hip flexors.  You will also engage your core as the body works to balance with one foot elevated on a step.  Here’s how to do a Bulgarian split squat:

• Stand in front of a box, chair or large step; facing away from the step.  You can hold dumbbells, a barbell or just use body weight.
• Place one foot on the step behind you, making sure you are stepping far enough in front of the step to allow for a 90 degree angle on your knees was you descend.  Make sure your front knee does not extend past the toes of your front foot.
• Perform 10-15 squats on your first leg, and then repeat on the second leg to complete your set. 

6.     Sumo Squat

The sumo squat (also known as a plié squat) is a variation of the traditional squat where you step your legs out wider and the toes are pointed outward to opposite corners of the room.  This exercise is perfect to implement into a leg routine, as it activates the leg muscles differently than a traditional squat.  As you do the exercise, engaging the core and glutes will also help to promote a larger grouping of muscles and feel more like a full body exercise, gaining the “more bang for your bucks” benefit in your weight loss program.  Here’s how to do a sumo squat:

• Stand with legs in a wide stance-wider than a traditional squat with toes pointed outward, knees slightly bent.  You can use one dumbbell held in both hands, or a dumbbell in each hand.  This can also be done fully bodyweight.
• Slowly lower the body until your legs are close to a 90-degree angle, and thighs are parallel to the floor.  Hold for one second, and then return to the starting position.
• Repeat the exercise 10-15 reps or until legs are too fatigued to continue.

7.     Kettlebell or Dumbbell swings

Swings are a dynamic exercise that works your full body in one movement while scorching calories and blasting fat.  The swing will strengthen your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, shoulders, core and more.  With so much muscle activation in one movement, you can see why they are a popular move for many trainers.  If you don’t have a kettlebell you can also use a single dumbbell or even double up with two dumbbells for a more challenging routine.  Here’s how to do a kettlebell swing:

• Start in a standing position holding the kettlebell (or dumbbell) with both hands in between your legs.  Legs should be a bit wider than hip width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.  
• Gently lean forward while bringing the kettlebell behind your glutes as if you are performing a deadlift or modified squat.  Legs should be slightly bent as you hinge at the hips but not so deep as in a squat.  
• Next, swing up and forward with the hips while swinging the kettlebell up and out in front of you.  Keep your abs and glutes engaged to make sure you are not putting pressure on your lower back during the movement.  Stop shortly above shoulder height.
• Repeat this move for 10-15 reps until you reach fatigue.  The kettlebell swing will offer benefits of both strength resistance and cardio, which will burn calories faster allowing for greater fat loss and overall weight loss. 

8.     Jumping Jacks

You might be one of many who overlook jumping jacks in adulthood and think they are meant for middle school PE class.  But in all honesty, jumping jacks are an amazing way to burn calories quickly, and work your entire body at the same time!  If you do them correctly they can be a valuable piece of any weight loss workout routine.  Here’s how to do jumping jacks correctly:

• Stand up straight with arms at your side and knees slightly bent, not locked.
• Jump your legs out laterally at the same time, while bringing the arms out and up overhead, so that your hands almost meet above your head.
•  Jump in again while bringing your arms back down to the starting position at your sides.  
• Repeat for 30 seconds or a 10-15 count, whichever leads to full fatigue and cardio/heart rate increase.

Many people think that there needs to be a complicated routine or fancy gym equipment to reach their weight loss and fitness potential, but in reality many of these classic simple moves can be done on a regular basis to help you reach your goals.  By implementing these moves into your weekly routine, you will see lasting weight loss results while you get stronger and faster.  Remember to eat a healthy, balanced diet and fuel yourself correctly before each workout.  If you need tips for a healthy breakfast, click here for some easy, tasty ideas.  Don’t forget to step on your SureFiz scale each day to track your progress and receive personalized guidance along your weight loss journey.  SureFiz scale truly offers the secret sauce to weight loss, and we can help you reach your diet and weight loss goals.

Is your workout routine getting a little boring? Try incorporating some fun HIIT workouts to boost endurance and maximize calorie burn for optimal weight loss.

Doing the same thing at the gym week after week is not only boring, it could be hindering your success in your workout and weight loss program.  Changing up your routine can make it more fun, exciting and get you better results on your weight loss journey.  One way to challenge yourself is to try HIIT, or high intensity interval training.  HIIT is a great way to increase a calorie burn in less time.  HIIT is generally intended to be used as a maximum burst of effort, such as a sprint, or movement that gets your heart rate high and gives you a feeling of breathlessness. 

How to do HIIT

In order to do HIIT correctly, you want to work so hard that you feel like you couldn’t go any harder.  To test out if you are doing HIIT correctly, try to talk during your interval.  If you are able to talk easily, you aren’t working hard enough.  Push yourself so hard that speaking is challenging to do.  If you have a heart rate monitor or smart watch, this can also be a great tool for knowing how hard to train, based on your target heart rate in your training zone. 

A good target heart rate training zone for HIIT is anywhere between 70-90% of your maximum heart rate.  If you don’t know your maximum heart rate, there are a few equations to help you figure it out.  One easy equation is called the Tanaka equation and here is how to use it: 208-(0.7x age)=maximum heart rate.  Once you know your maximum heart rate, you can calculate your target heart rate percentage.  One thing to keep in mind is that these are estimates and not 100% precise, but they can be a baseline to help you know how hard to push yourself during HIIT intervals.  

Types of HIIT

There are many different ways to work in intervals.  The most important thing to focus on is your work/rest ratio.  HIIT intervals need to be incredibly high intensity, with a small amount of recovery/rest period before another high intensity interval.  The amount of rest depends on the level of intensity you are putting in during the work period.  Here are some HIIT suggestions to try:

• Tababa-Tabata is a very popular form of HIIT and is based on 8 work/rest interval cycles.  Each cycle is composed of 20 seconds maximum effort work to 10 seconds rest.  You can either time yourself for these cycles, or you can search music apps to find tabata songs.  There are many different options which offer direction on timing.  This makes it really convenient to just focus on your work, and push yourself–instead of having to look at a stopwatch or check the time.  
• Chorus sprints-If you have a treadmill, spin bike, rowing machine or even just run/bike outside, chorus sprints are another way to incorporate HIIT into your cardio routine without adding any complicated program.  Simply get a playlist filled with upbeat power songs to inspire you, and when the song builds at the chorus or bridge, sprint!  During the verses or less intense parts of the song, keep a light steady jog pace.  In between songs slow to a walk or full rest.  The variability of this style of interval training allows for more variety in your workout routine and can help runners who are looking to speed train.  Chorus sprints are also great for beginners who are simply interested in building endurance and burning a maximum amount of calories for weight loss.
• Other HIIT Interval options-There are many different intervals you can use with HIIT training, some examples are 30/15, or 40/20, even 10/50 work/rest ratio.  You could even try a mix of all to make it interesting and fun.  Just keep in mind that the shorter the work interval, the harder you need to push yourself. If your interval is only 10 seconds of work with 50 seconds of rest, those 10 seconds need to be at a maximum effort for the calorie burn to be most effective. 

HIIT Exercises

The benefit of HIIT training and weight loss is it can be done with almost any equipment, or even just your body weight.  Running, cycling, rowing machines, battle ropes or kettlebells are examples of some equipment that you can use to incorporate intervals.  If you don’t have any equipment at home or access to a gym, try incorporating HIIT with burpees, squat jumps, star jacks, or mountain climbers.  Each of these exercises are full body plyometric exercises that will allow the heart rate to get into the training zone you need and really maximize your calorie burn.  

Simple HIIT Workout

If you are new to HIIT training and don’t know where to start, here is a simple 20 minute bodyweight/jogging HIIT workout to try:

• 5 minute warm up jog-at your own light pace.  Heart rate should be at about 50-60% maximum effort for a light training zone.
• 5 minutes sprint at a 30/15 work/rest ratio-sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 15.  Repeat each cycle for 5 minutes.  Heart rate should be in the training zone during each interval, somewhere between 70-90% maximum heart rate. 
• 4 minute burpee tabata-8 rounds of 20 seconds hard work with 10 seconds rest.  Heart rate should continue to be in the 70-90% maximum heart rate zone. 
• 5 minutes sprint at a 30/15 work/rest ratio-sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 15.  Repeat each cycle for 5 minutes.  Heart rate should continue to be in the 70-90% maximum heart rate zone. 
• 1 minute cool down-walk lightly at a slow pace to bring your heart rate down to resting heart rate. 
• Don’t forget to fully cool down and stretch! If your heart rate has not recovered by the end of the cool down walk, feel free to continue walking slowly until you have reached full recovery.  Stretch the muscles while they are still warm to help them recover and prevent injury.

HIIT training is incredibly effective and also very intense.  It is recommended that you use interval training no more than 1-3 days per week depending on your fitness level, and vary your workouts to allow for rest days in your workout routine.  As you continue on your weight loss program and begin to increase your endurance, you can also increase the length and amount of your HIIT training.  Check out surefiz.com or any of our social media platforms for more workout tips, diet advice, recipes and more.  We are here for you on your weight loss journey and love to help you succeed!

Have you always wanted to run longer miles, but didn’t know where to start?  Here is some simple, helpful advice to run farther, stronger and longer miles in no time.

Running has long been a favorite sport around the world, as well as a great way to burn fat and get fit.  It is free, accessible to anyone and easy to do for anyone who doesn’t have pre-existing health conditions preventing them from high impact exercise.  But even if you don’t run or haven’t had much experience with adding miles, you can reach those goals with some simple tips.  SureFiz trainer and health coach Jenn Ryan has run over 40 races in her career, spanning from the 5k to the full marathon, and she offers some advice to any runner who wants to expand their mileage and get stronger at running long distances.  

Benefits of Running

Running offers many benefits to the body and your overall feelings of wellness.  Here are a few of the main benefits you can see as you begin to run and increase those miles:

• Increase health-running can help boost your immune system and can help boost lung function, raises levels of good cholesterol and improve cell function

• Strengthen your knees-Although many people believe running is bad for your knees, running has actually been shown to improve strength in the knees and the joints.  Along with a strong cross-training program, you can see great improvement in knee strength by adding some running.

• Improves feelings of confidence-Running is a great way to boost your overall confidence. Especially if you train for a race.  The feelings of crossing that finish line are unmatched-you will feel like you can conquer the world!

• Fight Depression-If you’ve ever heard the term “runner’s high”, this is where it comes from.  Running increases endorphins and can help fight feelings of sadness and depression.  It is felt more after the first few miles though, so make sure you get past the first mile or two where it feels challenging, and the reward will be very sweet.

How to Start Running

If you are a beginning runner, don’t be afraid to start.  It can be as simple as lacing up your shoes and getting out the door. Here are a few tips I have for anyone wanting to start running, no matter your current fitness level:

• Make a playlist: Have some good music that pumps YOU up, no matter what it is.  I have clients who listen to a range of music from heavy metal to Disney soundtracks-no one else hears it but you, so find what you like and make a list!

• Have good shoes: They might seem expensive but it’s much cheaper to invest in a pair of good running shoes than to pay for physical therapy when you have a running injury.  

• Start small: Begin with a low mile run/walk.  Plan on jogging or running at a comfortable pace for you, and go for a minute.  Then walk for 30 seconds. Repeat for one to two miles.

• Relax: Keep your shoulders pulled down and back, make sure you aren’t holding any tension in your neck, relax your body.  This will also help cut down on injury possibilities.  

How to Increase Mileage

If you are a seasoned runner but haven’t ever tried to push your distance, or a novice runner who wants to increase mileage, these tips are for you.  With a little planning and attention, anyone can run farther, stronger and without risking injury. 

• Run at least 2-3 times per week-Practice makes perfect in anything, including running.  If you have a regular schedule you will get better and stronger.  

• Vary the lengths of each run-you don’t need to run the same distance every day.  Varying the lengths of each run will help with speed and endurance. Choose one day a week for a longer run and use the others for shorter distances.

• Increase by one mile for your long run-The best way to get more efficient at longer distances is to gradually add.  Each week, add one mile to your long run until you reach your distance goal.  If you are adding too quickly, you can add a half mile a week or one mile every two weeks. 

• Cross Train-Cross training will keep you from overtraining and risking a running injury.  The best way to cross train is to incorporate full body strength/resistance training, and other forms of cardio such as biking, swimming, walking and HIIT interval training.

• Speed train-To become faster and more efficient in your running, one of your shorter runs during the week should be focused on more speed work.  If you’re using a treadmill this is very easy to do, as you can adjust the speed easily.  If you are running outside, a fitness tracker or running app can help you know your speed so you can adjust it accordingly.  Try to aim for intervals of 30 seconds to a minute where you push your threshold and run faster, then slow down for a jog or walk and repeat.

• Take time to stretch-Many runners and fitness enthusiasts fail to stretch enough or any at all.  Make sure you carve out 10-15 minutes after each run to stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and hip flexors.  These muscle groups get a lot of work during your run.

• Choose a rest day-Don’t forget to rest!  The body recovers and repairs on rest days, so allowing 1-2 days a week will ensure that your muscles can adequately heal before you hit the road again.  I usually recommend that runners take their rest day the day after a long run, as the longer miles will tire out your legs more than shorter runs.  

Running offers many benefits, physically and emotionally. Anyone who wants to run more can do so fairly easily. No matter who you are or how much you are running right now, adding mileage can be done safely and consistently if you follow these steps.  And remember to fuel properly, hydrate before and after, and always listen to your body.  If you are adding miles too quickly, you can risk overtraining and injury.  Take care of your body through the miles and you’ll reach your goal no matter what it is.  Happy running!