3 tips to help your workout make your life better

Enjoying a round of golf at Wailea Golf Course after completing an intense training routine.

Being in better shape not only adds years and longevity to our lives, but it also adds to the improved quality of each day we live. You get both the added quantity of a longer life, but also the quality of a healthier, more confident and energetic existence.

Here are 3 tips I implemented into my workouts that not only improved my focus and intensity in the gym, but also the quality of my life outside of it.

1. Complete a Challenge

Accomplishing something that you would have previously failed at feels good. Seeing how I improved on a weekly and monthly basis made me want to work even harder and accomplish even more. I wanted to see how far I could push my body and what I could accomplish with hard work and dedication. Read the rest of this entry »

7 things that make for a better workout

Whale watching in Maui with Claire – a great reward after reaching a training goal!

1. Have a plan

Don’t go in there guessing what exercise you’re going to do next. That’s what most people, they know what they’re working, but don’t have an exact plan of what they’re going to do. If you don’t have a plan, you’re going to be wasting a lot of time and you’re not going to get the results you should be seeing.

Whether fat loss is your goal or you’re trying to pack on some lean muscle, your workouts need to be focused and intense, and without a program or a written down sense of what you’re doing you’ll end up losing a lot of that intensity trying to figure out what’s next.

2. Put it between two solid meals

Our bodies are like cars, they need fuel to run properly. Placing your exercise between two solid meals will give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to run properly.

I’ll have a decent sized meal 45 minutes before exercise with lots of carbs and a source of lean protein. I’ll have a shake right after a workout, and then a big meal around an hour or two after that which will look something like this:

- 9 oz lean ground beef + 1 cup red beans + 1 cup brown rice + low fat plain yogurt + salsa. Read the rest of this entry »

5 tips to get more “Bang for your Buck” from a workout

Here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your workouts.

1. Have some coffee.

I don’t drink it on a regular basis but I will have it before a workout to give me a little more pep in my step. But what a lot of people don’t know is that coffee actually speeds up the fat burning process so you’re kind of getting two birds with one stone.

2. Get in the routine.

Know when and what you’re going to be training everyday ahead of time and make a routine of it. Take the “guesswork” out of your week and out of your workouts. Not knowing what you’re going to be doing next can push an intense 30 minute workout to a lackadaisical hour long workout. Read the rest of this entry »