Make the Elevator Extinct

The other day I was waiting for the elevator and was annoyed that it was taking so long. So, I decided to just take the stairs instead. It was only 4 flights so I thought no big deal (I'm a fitness guy, I shouldn't have been so lazy in the first place to not consider the stairs from the get go).

I got up to my floor and realized that I had some soreness in both my legs, and elevated heart rate, and breathing heavier than normal. Didn't take me long to get up the stairs (wasn't keeping track but I'm assuming less than a minute) but still, I realized what a great workout that was.

I did some digging to try to find some studies on the benefits of taking the stairs rather than using the elevator. This article talks about a study that showed when participants that lived a sedentary lifestyle started using the stairs instead of an elevator, they found some fairly meaningful results over the course of 12 weeks:

After three months, treadmill tests showed their aerobic capacity - the amount of oxygen the body can use - had increased by 8.6 per cent.

There were statistically significant falls of almost two per cent in waist circumference, weight and body fat levels, while blood pressure dropped by 2.3 per cent and levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol-by 3.9 per cent.

If you think about it, you're body has to do quite a bit when climbing the stairs. The entire weight of your body has to be lifted up on just one leg 6-8 inches off the ground. Your abdominal and back muscles have to fire up in order to keep your body from falling forward. Upper body has to be tensed in order to keep your center of gravity in line in order to stay balanced. We take it for granted but climbing up stairs is quite an ordeal for your body to take and because of that, it shouldn't be a surprise that you can get out of breath so quickly when climbing them.

I came across a workout program by Virgil Aponte called The Ultimate Stair Exercises that involves nothing more than using stairs for a great workout. Probably the best thing that makes a lot of his workouts nice in this book is that you don't need any equipment at all. The book includes workouts for fat loss, and some for strength, and some for power. Best of all, he has workouts for the very beginner, and some advanced workouts for those that have been training awhile.

These are workouts that everyone can do because everywhere you go, there are stairs. Your house, at your work, at a park, and even at your church.

Ultimate Stair Exercises

When I think about people using this workout, I envision people using it on their lunch hour at work. Get a group of people together and take 30 minutes at lunch to hit the stairwell and do one of these workouts.

I tried out one of the beginner workouts and one of the advanced ones and I felt great afterwards (out of breath and my legs didn't want to move anymore but, overall, felt like I really got a good workout in).

So give it a try and let me know what you think. Click the link below to find out more about the Ultimate Stair Exercises:

Ultimate Stair Exercises

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links to the Ultimate Stair Exercises on this page.

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More Complex a Diet is = to Bad

Was reading an interesting study here that talks about how the more complex a diet is, the more likely it is that a person won't stick to it.

Part of the issue is that I think we think that when we are putting quite a bit of effort into following something, that the returns should be above the average than if you didn't put as much effort into it. So if you put a lot of effort into following a diet that has you measuring out everything, eat this and eating that and eating at this time and not this time, you're going to expect to lose weight quicker than a person who is following an eating plan that is more simple.

But then you find out that your results just aren't that much better with all that extra effort.

I think it's human nature: We want the best results we can get by using the least amount of energy.

When you buy one of my Lean Body Training Home Bodyweight Fat Loss Workouts, you also get a copy of the Lean Body Training Fat Loss Nutritional Guide. I'll tell you what, the Nutritional Guide is about as simple as a plan as you can get.

There's no counting calories, no measuring out portions, no timing your meals to the atomic clock, just a few simple rules on what you can eat and not eat. It makes it simple whether you're cooking a meal at home, or going out to eat at a restaurant.

Read what one person thought of the Lean Body Training Nutritional Plan:

"I was a carboholic before I started the nutritional plan and was worried that I wouldn't be able to stick with it. After approximately a week and a half the carb cravings were gone and I actually started looking forward to the meals. There are such a wide variety of food choices that even a picky eater like myself had no trouble finding foods I love to eat. Once I made up my mind to follow the eating plan I didn't find it to be very difficult to stick to it, even with a busy lifestyle." - Cheri Holland, Plymouth Michigan

So if you want a copy of the Lean Body Training Nutritional Plan, go take a read about the Lean Body Training Home Bodyweight Fat Loss Workouts and order one today to get a plan for yourself that not only simplifies your exercise routine, but also your daily healthy eating habits.

http://www.lbworkouts.com/homebwwov1.html

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Happy New Year!

Yup, I know, it's been months since I've been on here. Busy Busy Busy.

It is a new year and I do plan on blogging more but, I'm not going to put pressure on myself by putting a number of how many times a week I'll blog.

So today, just something light. Sesame Street is a great show and has been a staple of children shows for generations. BUT, just don't be like Cookie Monster in this picture.



I don't know why I can't stop laughing every time I see that picture.

Have a good weekend everyone.

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