Everyday Fitness

If you want to maximize your gym efforts, I've put together a little run-down on seven of the most compound full body exercises. That means you'll be working more of your body in the least amount of time.

1. Squats
   Primary target: Quads
   All around exercise for your legs with strong secondary effects on glutes and hams.
   
2. Bench press
   Primary target: Chest
   A personal favorite for stress release. Good secondary effects on the triceps and shoulders.
   
3. Dead lifts
   Primary target: Lower back
   The hardest working lift in my opinion. Dead lifts recruit a large variety of secondary muscles to help with the movement, such as your calves, abs, and obliques. Be careful to do these properly though, or else you could risk back injuries.
   
4. Military press
   Primary target: Shoulders
   There's something innately satisfying about thrusting weight straight up above your head; try not to love this one too much. Secondary effects in the triceps and chest.
   
5. Rows
   Primary target: Middle back
   All around exercise for the back, with additional secondary effects on lats, rear shoulders, biceps, and forearms.
   
6. Dips
   Primary target: Triceps
   Body weight exercises like dips can done just about anywhere you can support yourself! Nice secondary hitting of the chest and shoulders.
   
7. Pull-ups
   Primary target: Lats
   Although tough to do at first, pull-ups are excellent at hitting the back in general. Lots of secondary effects at the rear shoulders, middle back, biceps, and forearms.
   

I have a little visual I made to show what you can expect to feel at the end of the day. Muscles primarily hit are colored red, muscles with heavy secondary focus are orange, and those with not as heavy secondary focus are yellow:
That isn't to say your abs and calves don't get a good work out; these muscles just aren't specifically targeted because the Super Se7en is more focused on compound muscle groups. You will feel the Super Se7en throughout your entire body. Give some of these exercises a try and see how it goes!

A fellow gym go-er once told me something that couldn't be more true:

Those numbers are by no means experimentally determined, but it does cast the proper focus your diet deserves. I won't roll out any cooking lessons just yet, because it's more important to address some of what we already eat.

Let's be honest, quick and convenient are key factors in what most people eat. That means fast food when you're on the go, or microwaved food at home. I think it's generally accepted we should reduce our intake of those sorts of things. However, fast food and microwaved dinners don't have to mean heart-attacks in a conveniently portable package. Choices in what you purchase makes all the difference. Since easy options like fast or microwaved food are part of today's reality, arming yourself with the proper knowledge is key.

• Fast food:
  There's more to fast food than greasy pizza or cheeseburgers and fries. There's no reason anyone should have to purchase these items; only excuses. In light of the obesity epidemic, there's been ample push for healthy options. Healthy items are out there, and many fast food joints actually have specific menus outlined for you.
  Another great place to inform yourself is the company's online nutritional information guide.
  
  Some things to watch out for are high sugar, salt, and calories from fat. Often enough, the culprits are just sauces and toppings; things you can ask to have reduced or held off completely. Some things you want to look for lots of are vitamins, which can be lacking in certain fast foods. Try asking for extra vegetables whenever possible to increase vitamin intake. Hell, even pizza can be done right using whole grain crust, cooked with low oil, then topped with partly skimmed cheese, lots of greens, and lean meats like chicken.
  
  
• Microwaved food:
  I picture the stereotypical student, bent over books with a coffee in one hand, pizza pocket in another, and a half-dozen empty bowls of Kraft Easy-Mac scattered around their desk. Once again, I'm happy about the push for healthier microwaved dinner options more recently. All it takes to eat easy and healthy at the same time is a little vigilance when grocery shopping. That means keeping an eye out for products labeled calorie wise, lean, light, or smart, and also checking nutrition labels to see if they live up to the name.
  
  Similar to fast foods, aim for choices with lower sugar, lower salt, lower calories from fat, and higher vitamins. While I'm on the topic of convenience; frozen vegetables get a bad rap, but in reality the flash freezing process preserves many of the important nutrients that decay over time in fresh vegetables. So if you don't like buying fruits and veggies because they spoil, by all means go the frozen route!
  

Cream of Chicken Soup (1 cup):                   Michelina's Chicken Caesar (per container):
240 calories                                                       260 calories
16g of fat                                                             3.5g of fat
1740g sodium                                                   690g sodium

By now I wanted to have a solid foundation laid down for all types of audiences, especially those who weren't familiar with this sort of lifestyle. From here on, you can look forward to more random thoughts and posts, or my rants on popular fitness topics in the media!
Stay active my friends.

The way I see it, gyms has three basic parts to it:

• Cardio machines:
  This is where you find treadmills, ellipticals, stair-climbing, exercise bikes, and rowing simulators to name a few. The cardio section is where you want to be if your goals are losing weight and improving endurance.
  
  
• Weight machines:
  This is where you find unique machines for specific motions, with adjustable stacks of weight for resistance. Weight machines are a great place to start if you're new to working out. I'm not going to focus much on these because most of what you can do with machines, you can and should be doing with free weights instead.
  
  The reason? Machines are built so that you move through a guided track, only working the primary muscles. With free weights, you need to use stabilizing muscles to keep the weight on track, on top of the primary muscles. Imagine you're holding a weight in your hand and lifting it straight up above your head. Not only do you push the weight in an upward motion, but you also keep it from falling forward, or falling off to the left or right, etc.
  
  
• Free weights:
  Probably the most versatile section of the gym. Free weights can be used for building muscle, increasing strength, and defining your body. It's really unfortunate that more women don't take advantage of free weights, and the biggest reason I hear is because they're afraid they'll get big man-like muscles.
  
  This simply isn't true.
  
  For one, it takes intense training with heavy weights to gain size; using lighter weights instead will shape the muscle that's already there, giving you a defined and fit look. Primarily though, women don't have the testosterone it takes to put on that kind of mass.
  

Honestly, if you're new to this scene and have no idea what to do at first, just mess around and find some exercises you like. Building a routine will come in time. If have any questions on how to use any of the equipment don't be afraid to ask someone. You want to be safe and prevent any injuries. I know where I'm at, most people that go to the gym are just loving life and won't hesitate a second to help people out. On that note, one of the many benefits to working out is the endorphins; human-made morphine that get's released during strenuous exercise. This loving life feeling is also know as the "runner's high." I'd say aim to be at the gym for at least an hour three days a week, or more. I find it works best for me to get up a little early and hit the gym before class. Some people prefer to go after work, while they're already up and out of the house. Maybe you're a "before-bed" gym go-er? Not to be overlooked, weekends present a pretty open schedule for fitting in fitness. Pick a time that suits you best, and that you won't have a problem making consistently! Expected posts in the future: 1) Starting to eat right

The first thing I want to make clear is that being active can't be a hobby. I believe this is why most people fail at living a healthy lifestyle. Staying active has to be a part of who you are just as much as your personality. It has to be a part of your day just as much as going to sleep at night.

So what can you do about getting some physicality into your day? Most people realize you can sneak in simple heart-healthy exercise doing things you already do, just doing them differently. For example:

• You're going to get to class/work; why not bike?
  
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you're faced with the option.
  
• If you're going out for lunch, why not leave the car behind and walk instead?
  

Once you get in the mind-set of changing the way you do mundane things, no doubt you'll find even more ways to squeeze in activity.

Ultimately though, it's also a good idea to invest in a gym membership. Don't get me wrong! Walking and taking stairs are better than nothing. However, I push the gym for a few reasons. The weather doesn't always permit biking to work, for one. But most importantly, normal daily activities like walking can't compare to the efficiency and versatility of working out at the gym. Now I know gym memberships are notoriously at the butt of sitcom jokes, but you're not going to let it go to waste, right?

Try this for yourself; keep a log of how you spend every hour of your "average day." You'd be surprised at what you find! In my case, I didn't plan my time what-so-ever. I would sputter around aimlessly on my computer and procrastinate from doing anything productive. Not for lack of motivation--mind you--but by not laying out goals for the day, it went down the drain. Eventually, I found that having a mental idea of what I'd like to accomplish in the next hour or two kept me focused, and freed up an enormous amount of time I'd otherwise waste sitting around thinking, "what should I be doing?" It's not like you have to keep a play-by-play itinerary; it's as easy as actively thinking about what you're going to do with the "here and now." 


Remember, you want to make working out a part of who you are. So for the next little while, finding exercise that you find fun and enjoy is key. Now, the gym can be a foreign and scary place for some people, but don't let intimidation get the best of you! I'll give a basic guide on getting started in my next post.

Expected posts in the future:
1) Learning your way around the gym
2) Starting to eat right

Who has time to make proper meals and get to the gym these days?

You do!

No really, you do. You just don't realize it yet. Too often we put taking care of ourselves on the back burner. We're distracted by our studies, by our work, by our social lives. But let me ask you; who is all that time and effort for?

You!

Well, our social life benefits our friends too, but for the most part all of this hard work we do for ourselves. So why is it that taking care of our bodies ends up on the bottom of the list?  Spiritual philosophy aside, our bodies are the very core of our existence. Your body is what allows you to live, and taking proper care of it determines how long (and how well) you live. It only makes sense that we give our bodies as much effort--if not more--as we do any other responsibility.

Think of our ancestors; did they spend half their day chasing that next big promotion? No, they spent their time chasing gazelle to nourish and strengthen their bodies. Quite frankly, I picture those spear-throwing-loincloth-wearing neanderthals face palming at what monkey's we've become. Monkeys soullessly submitting this idea society whispers in our ear; that time is money and we just don't have time to be healthy.

Now, I'm not saying go quit your job and run around half naked chasing deer. My point is, you can't let your social obligations distract you from taking care of yourself. You need to find the time to stay active and eat right; trust me, that time is there! Not only is it incredibly rewarding, but it's actually quite easy. You just need to know how. That's what I hope to accomplish with my blog; to let others know a few simple ways to make numero uno, numero uno!

Expected posts in the future:

• Starting to get active
• Learning your way around the gym
• Starting to eat right