So here is a confession…I LOVE cardio! The feeling oh “AH” afterwards with all the sweat…amazing! I love that feeling, but of course not everyone feels that way. Obviously the calorie burning and heart health are super important but so is actually enjoying it.

I think for some the monotony of treadmills, elliptical, stationary/spin bikes get boring quickly (I fit in this category). So here are some solutions for you:

~Take a class

~Do it with a friend…even just a couple of days a week some cardio can really improve your cardiovascular system

~Get outside and connect with nature! I don’t know about you guys but for me this is when I get in the zone!

~Find some great tunes! Another thing to get you pumped, distracted, and in no time burning a ton of calories!

For the person trying to build muscle:

~Try adding some circuit training into the mix to elevate your heart rate while still avoiding the “traditional”

To mix it up:

~Try HIIT training (http://fitandhealthywithbeth.weebly.com/1/post/2011/10/interval-trianing-aka-hitt.html )

~Try an at home workout like Insanity, TurboFire, or Combat

Cardio is a good option to do 1-5 days a week…even if you do it in a non-traditional way the key is to focus on those heart benefits and get it in!!

 I have been asked to share my current plans with lifting/the gym since I just finished P90x2!

So I will be 2x workouts / day 5 days a week and on weekends just Saturday morning with Sunday's off!

I personally prefer my cardio to be more fun than machines to I do turbofire and Insanity (www.fitandhealthywithbeth.com) at home in the AM and will be trying out Jamie Eason's livefit trainer (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html) in the afternoon's at the gym!

So here is what it looks like!

Weeks 1-2

M: am: turbofire HIIT

pm: Livefit chest/tri

T: am: turbofire 

pm: Livefit Back/bis

W: am:turbofire HIIT

pm: Livefit legs

R: am: turbofire

pm: yoga

F: am: turbofire HIIT

pm: shoulders/ab

S: turbo

Su: OFF

Yes I know Livefit says no cardio but I am much more interested in mixing things up with my own flare! Of course this means I will need to eat more as the first phase is all about building muscle endurance but I am always up for that ;-) stay tuned for some fun new recipes and tips!

interested in doing one or both of these with me let me know!

Protein intake is crucial to supply the amino acids, the building blocks for the formation of new muscle. But not all dietary proteins are equal! The two major types are from milk protein whey and casein. Whey is fast digesting and casein is slow digesting.

·        Whey protein- stimulates muscle growth through protein synthesis

·        Casein protein-is insoluble and slow digesting and helps with protein balance. It is also the most abundant.

These are the most common types of protein; there are of course other types! First and foremost, your nutrients should come from your foods (lean meats, eggs, your foods (lean meats, eggs, yogurt, whole grains, and plant proteins). But many people, especially those looking to lose weight, gain muscle, or lean out, supplement with protein powders as well, to get more protein in their diets.

Supplementation can change your training and your body composition but why? Well for starters it keeps you full for longer periods of time. The amino acids within protein take longer for the body to digest, and thus leave you feeling full longer!

How much? The number various from person to person but an easy trick to figure it out is this

There are a few formulas but this is the one I have found most useful!

= 1.0 or 1.5 g protein (others may use .5 or .8) X every lb of your body weight = protein intake

From there you divide that by your amount of meals for the day and voila!

For supplementation: it is crucial for your body that you just don’t by “any old protein” just because it’s cheap!! So what do I use and recommend? Shakeology!
Check out this video for more info!
http://youtu.be/4zgPEEVxyz0