Another couple of ideas

Been sat here, eating breakfast and came up with this. All exercises back to back, with no rest....

1. 60 Jumping Jacks
2. 55 Pushups
3. 50 Jumping Jacks
4. 45 Squats
5. 40 Jumping Jacks
6. 35 Push Ups
7. 30 Jumping Jacks
8. 25 Tuck Jumps
9. 20 Jumping Jacks
10. 15 Burpees
11. 10 Jumping Jacks
12. 5 Burpees

Rest 1-2 Mins and repeat once more.

What do you think? It could be replaced with a lighter version, Such as....

1. 50 Jumping Jacks
2. 45 Squats
3. 40 Jumping Jacks
4. 35 Push Ups
5. 30 Jumping Jacks
6. 25 Tuck Jumps
7. 20 Jumping Jacks
8. 15 Spiderman Walks
9. 10 Jumping Jacks
10. 5 Burpees

No rest between exercises, complete one set, rest a minute and go again.

Or this....

1. 50 Jumping Jacks
2. 50 Pushups
3. 40 Jumping Jacks
4. 40 Squats
5. 30 Jumping Jacks
6. 30 Tuck Jumps
7. 20 Jumping Jacks
8. 20 Spiderman Walks
9. 10 Jumping Jacks
10. 10 Burpees

Again, no rest between exercises. Rest 1 min/repeat circuit.

Checking in and things I have learnt.....

Hello! Right-o, down to business....Have kinda failed at the experiment already.... Had a day off yesterday :-(  I was out all day and I didn't get back in until gone 11pm. Anyway, today is a new day right? So I will dust myself off and go again! Let's go again!

Going to try something new today with the 'Crazy 8' For all of you who don't know what it looks like, here it is again...

60 Jumping Jacks/Star Jumps
15-20 Spiderman Pushups - I just do 30/40 Pushups.
20 Walking Lunges - I swap these in for 20 jumping lunges.
10-20 Spiderman Climb - I do a total of 10 per side.
Wall Squat - Do this for 45-60 seconds. (I manage 30/45 seconds)   
Planks - 60 seconds. (I do between 30/60 seconds) 
5 Burpees: Depends how I am feeling but can do between 5-10 of these.
50 High Knees: Most of the time can manage only 40!

Rest 1 min and repeat 1-5 times, depending on fitness.

So anyway, I am going to do each exercise in the circuit to failure today and repeat twice (hopefully) I feel that this will give me a really good workout and will also benchmark where I am at :-)

Picture day tomorrow!!

So, Things I have learnt...

1. This workout is much easier when you are fueled up
2. Much easier when warm (Obviously)
3. For me at least, it's much easier at night.

Credit for the workout goes to Craig Ballantyne.

Yerba mate tea!

This post is specifically about the so called benefits of yerba mate tea and how it is supposedly a better all round tea than green tea.

Here are just a few benefits....

1. Rich in Antioxidants

Yerba mate tea is very high in antioxidants; it's got about 90% more antioxidants than green tea. Yerba mate has significant immune boosting properties. It can slow the signs of aging, detoxify the blood and prevent many types of cancer. Yerba mate also helps reduce stress and insomnia.

2. Enhances Your Ability to Focus

Proponents of yerba mate tea say that the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, animo acids and polphenols found in this beverage have a balancing effect on the caffeine it contains. Users report increased mental energy, clarity and focus, but they also say that yerba mate doesn't cause any of the uncomfortable side effects associated with drinking caffeinated beverages, such as headaches, stomachaches and jitters.

3. Enhances Physical Endurance

The chemical compounds and nutrients in yerba mate tea affect your metabolism to make your body use carbohydrates more efficiently. This means you'll get more energy from the food you eat. You'll also burn more of the calories your body has stored in fat cells as fuel when you drink yerba mate tea regularly. Regular yerba mate consumption also helps keep lactic acid from building up in your muscles so you can decrease post workout soreness and cut your recovery time.

4. Aids Digestion

The native peoples of South America have long used yerba mate tea as a traditional herbal remedy against digestive ailments. Yerba mate aids digestion by stimulating increased production of bile and other gastric acids. Yerba mate helps keep your colon clean for effective and efficient waste elimination, and helps reduce the stomach bacteria that can contribute to bad breath.

5. Helps You Control Your Weight

Native South American peoples have traditionally used yerba mate as part of a lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and exercise. Yerba mate has stimulant qualities to help you feel full sooner after you begin eating, and it slows your digestion so that your stomach stays full longer. Combining yerba mate with a healthy diet and regular exercise can help boost your metabolism to burn more calories, and it can help you eat less by curbing your appetite slightly.

6. Supports Cardiovascular Health

The antioxidants and amino acids present in yerba mate help fat and cholesterol move through your bloodstream so that they don't accumulate on artery walls. Yerba mate also helps prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and prevents blood clots that may cause heart attack or stroke.

All information found at 

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/6-health-benefits-of-yerba-mate-tea.html#b

Progress report

Thought I would just check in and let you all know how I am doing. Today is day 4 of my 'Crazy 8' challenge and I have to say I feel good! Had work yesterday at 7 o'clock and when I got in, the motivation to do my workout wasn't exactly high! But anyway I pushed through it, it was hard, but I just about managed two circuits :-) I haven't added any cardio yet, mainly because my legs are zapped after two circuits! Ideally I would like to be in a condition where I can do 3-5 circuits AND do 20 minutes of running after, obviously I am a long way away from this yet!!

Also, I think that I may be finding this tough for a few reasons.... 

1. I haven't been warming up

2 .I haven't had a rest day
3. I have been doing the workout fasted
4. My sleep putting is rubbish

So today I am going to go crazy and change things up a bit and see if my workouts are easier...

1. I am going to warm up
2. Make sure I am fueled up for exercise

Going to workout out later on today and see if that helps, I may have more energy, it's just a case of finding what works for me and sticking to it.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I would like to wish all my friends and family a Merry Christmas, hope you all get spoilt rotten, eat loads of turkey and spend lots of quality time with people you love!
Today is a special milestone for me, as it's the first Christmas in about 8 years I have woken up sober. It's also the first Christmas that I have put loved ones before going out and getting smashed. I have managed to get all my family presents this year and this is only possible because I have given up alcohol (8 weeks sober now) all my wrapping was done early, so no rushing around for me. I already have the biggest gifts I could wish for this year, sobriety and people in my life who care about me. Merry Christmas everyone!!

My 'crazy 8' experiment...

Hello everyone! I am back! I don't now how long for, but I am! I have decided to try a little experiment, which basically goes like this...

Perform the 'crazy 8' workout everyday for 2 weeks. Pictures will be provided when I first start the workout, 7 days in and 14 days in, to see how lean I can get within 14 days (if at all).

Now for those of you who don't know what the 'crazy 8' is, It's part of Craig Ballantyne's turbulence training manuals, it looks a little something like this...

60 Jumping Jacks/Star Jumps

15-20 Spiderman Pushups - I just do 30/40 Pushups.

20 Walking Lunges - I swap these in for 20 jumping lunges.

10-20 Spiderman Climb - I do a total of 10 per side.

Wall Squat - Do this for 45-60 seconds. (I manage 30/45 seconds)   

Planks - 60 seconds. (I do between 30/60 seconds) 

5 Burpees: Depends how I am feeling but can do between 5-10 of these.

50 High Knees: Most of the time can manage only 40!

So the idea is to do all of these exercises back to back, with no rest in between, rest 1 minute and then repeat... Craig Ballantyne recommends doing this for a total of 3 sets, but I am doing just 2 for now until my fitness improves.

I have started this experiment to see if my body changes any within the 14 day experiment, depending on results, I may continue for a further 14 days on top of that.

So without further ado, here is the first pictures (day 1)

So as you can tell, I have skinny fat syndrome...I have a bit of paunch around the middle, so hopefully after 14 days my entire mid section will look tighter.