Archive for January 30, 2015

Good & Bad

Wow, this week has flown by! I feel like I say that a lot. It’s been a mixture of good and bad.

Good

I finally sucked it up and started squatting with low bar. This means the barbell sits lower on your shoulders than a normal squat. It feels SUPER awkward, but it distributes the weight throughout your body better and usually makes it easier to squat heavier. Getting past the awkward feeling is by far the hardest part, but once you do, the results are awesome. I squatted 160 lbs for 3 reps the other day, whereas when I did normal squats last week, my 1 rep max was 165. I am really excited to see what my 1 rep max is with a low bar squat.

Here’s the difference between normal bar and low bar:

back-pain-high-bar-vs-low-bar-squatsPhoto Credit

Bad

I haven’t gotten much sleep this week and consequently have been a little grumpy. It’s amazing what a lack of sleep can do to you. I’m doing a photo shoot on Saturday (see below), but plan on fully taking advantage of my first free day in WEEKS. Not that I’m complaining, as it has been a fun past few weeks/weekends, but I literally haven’t had a day to myself in over 3 weeks. I need it.

Good

I’m working with a fellow FitFluential Ambassador this weekend and will be demoing a bunch of exercises for a new iPhone app that is coming out! It looks really cool, so I will definitely spread the word when it’s out! You’ll see my familiar face/body in the entire exercise glossary! 😀

Only a few days left to get my FREE 10 Day Sexy SlimdownDownload here:  http://FitLizzio.com/sexyslimdown Whether you're looking to get back on track or just need a little boost/challenge to help you break through a plateau, this is for you! This FREE eBook includes: 10 Days of Workouts10 Day Meal Plan Full Grocery ListFull Exercise Demo LibraryBad

I don’t recommend walking 19 miles in a matter of 2.5 days. It’s not a huge deal, but I hurt something in my foot last weekend and it’s just been an annoyance. I’m still able to walk, run, jump, etc. but it’s just a naggy little thing that is bothering me. I’m hoping a little R&R this weekend will heal me.

Good

I love my best friend. I know this is cheesy, but this little guy makes me so happy! I love watching him goof around, play with other dogs, and just be a light in the room. I’m lucky to have this mutt!

Oscar is my hero.

In other news, I’ve been really digging my workouts as of late. I’ve been mostly focusing on getting stronger and throwing a little HIIT in between. Here’s what my workouts looked like this week:

Sunday: HIIT – 20 minutes

Monday: Legs (colored pairs indicate supersets)

  • Hip Thrusts: 185 x 12 (3 sets)
  • Banded Hip Abduction: black band x 30 (3 sets)
  • Leg Extensions: 70×15, 90×12, 90×12
  • Supinated Hamstring Curls: 50×15 (3 sets)
  • Box Jumps: 24 in. x 10 (2 sets)
  • DB Step Ups: 22.5 x 10 (2 sets)
  • Burpees: 10 reps (3 sets)

Tuesday: Shoulders + HIIT – 20 minutes

Wednesday: Full Body (Heavy Squats, Heavy Hip Thrusts, Back Extensions, Banded Lateral Walks, Incline Press, Chin Ups, Hanging Leg Raises)

Thursday: 15 min. Cardio to warm up, then a high rep, light weight full body workout including Leg Extensions, Supinated Hamstring Curls, DB Squat to Press, Rear Delt Raises, and Underhand Barbell Rows

Friday: REST

Saturday: Exercise Demos 🙂

Question of the Day:

1. What is 1 good thing and 1 bad thing that happened this week?

Shattered

No, I’m not talking about the Rolling Stones song…

I’m talking about my iPhone. Yesterday morning, I was running across the street with Oscar and it flew out of my pocket.

Luckily, I was able to upgrade and just $400 later (ugh…), I’m back up and running with a new iPhone 6! Woohoo!

apple-iphone 6 - 16gb-space gray-450x350(I totally wanted to take a picture of my ACTUAL new phone but it’s impossible. :-()

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that the weekend was craziness! I attended my 5th NAMM show. NAMM is a ginormous convention that basically every music, gear, and instrument company attends, in addition to a bunch of musicians, engineers, and the like. It’s a super fun time, but you basically spend 3 days on your feet.

This year I tracked it on my phone and between walking around the convention for 3 days, and the countless trips to and from our hotel (which was 1 mile away), I walked 19 MILES this weekend. That is INSANE!!! I couldn’t believe it. My calves are still screaming at me.

It was a great weekend, but I really missed this little guy!

He woke up like this.I call this Gremlin Mode.

Workout

Yesterday, I did a tough leg workout. I’ve been doing full body routines lately, but decided to change it up a little.

Hip Thrusts  185x12 for 3 sets.

I did:

  • Barbell Hip Thrusts: 3 sets of 12 reps
  • Seated Band Hip Abductions: 3 sets of 30 reps
  • Prone Hamstring Curls: 3 sets of 15 reps
  • Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 12 reps
  • Box Jumps (24 inch box): 2 sets of 10 reps
  • DB Step Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
  • Burpees. ( I’ve started incorporating 3 sets of 10 burpees with 30 second rests in between at the end of some of my workouts. It’s a good way to “burn out” a bit and end the workout sweating. )

That’s all I’ve got for today. Nothing too exciting, but then again my life isn’t all that exciting.

(Although I did get a haircut and new color that I’m obsessed with!! Don’t mind the giant pimple on my chin.)

Love my new haircut and color. Thanks to Nicole at  !!!!!

Question of the Day

Have you ever tracked your steps at a convention? How many steps did you take?

Monday Morning Boost (WORKOUT!)

Hey guys!

I had a full, crazy, weekend that included walking a total of 19 miles. I’ll give you a full update tomorrow, but thought I’d start the week off with a Monday Morning Boost!

Try this workout today. It should only take you 15-20 minutes and will definitely get you sweating bullets!

Enjoy!

(As always, check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and don’t push yourself past what you’re capable of.)

monday boost

 

Who Should You Trust? (an important post)

The fitness industry is a strange, strange place. On the one hand, it’s a positive, forward movement on being healthy, leading a fit lifestyle, and staying safe while lifting heavier, gaining muscle, losing fat, running faster, you name it. On the other hand, it’s a place that is filled with way too many people that have no business being in the business. For example, there are thousands of “Instagram Stars” who did nothing more than compete in a bikini show, flaunt their ass on Instagram, and get a bunch of followers. What do they decide to do next? Offer training programs, diet plans, etc. Tell you how to lose weight fast and be as hot as them. They’ve been in the industry for a year or two and suddenly they have the knowledge to do this? Maybe some of them do…but most of them? No. They are spreading knowledge based on the small amount that they know. And what do people do? Buy it, share it, and jump on the band wagon. Because we see pictures of hot bodies and assume they know what they’re doing.

Newsflash: They probably don’t. 

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find people that you CAN trust in the fitness industry. There are plenty of them out there, you just have to dig around a bit. These are usually people with at LEAST 10 years in the industry (but more likely 20+) and have seen and done it all. I started working out 8 years ago and still feel that there is so much to learn. I research, listen, and learn all the time. I am constantly trying to get better. In fact, the older I get, the more OPEN I am to getting better.  There was a time where I thought I had fitness “all figured out” and I guess it takes a little maturity to realize that we never have it all figured out. I have a lot figured out, but at the same time, a lot that I do NOT have figured out. That’s when I rely on people that are much more qualified than I am.

20 years ago, it was a little bit harder to exploit yourself as an expert when you weren’t actually one. Before these here things called “blogs” and “ebooks” and the “internets”, people actually had to sell real life books. Ones with pages and covers and everything. Crazy, right?! While at that time, yes, you could claim to be an expert without actually being one (marketability is way cooler to a publisher than a brain), there were at least SOME hoops that people had to get through in order to write a book, have it published, and be put on shelves. These days, anyone and their cat (grumpy cat is probably the most famous cat of all time) can have a blog and a following. Hell, they even gave me one. Don’t ask how that happened. With that said, it’s extremely difficult to know who to trust. There are some really great bullshitters in this world, and beyond that, people that THINK they know what they’re talking about (based on a small amount of information that they’ve been exposed to), that are actually flat out wrong. While we don’t know EVERYTHING about fitness, biomechanics, dieting, health, nutrition, anyotherwordthatfallsintothiscategory, we DO know some things. Science is a real thing and while I don’t know much about science, I do know that it doesn’t lie. Sometimes it can be a real pain in the ass and be a little misleading, but it doesn’t lie. It’s black and white. It is or it isn’t. Sometimes that can fluctuate within a series of the same tests, but it’s not going to give you gray answers. It does or it does not. Kind of like us women. It may not always give us the same answer, but it’s always going to give you an answer.

So how do you know who you should trust when it comes to the fitness industry?

Here’s where you will discover that I am not science (and potentially not a woman?). Because I’m not going to give you a black and white answer. I’m going to give you a gray answer and you’re going to have to take it and apply it using your brain.

1. Find someone who has been in the industry for over 10 years (or even more if you can). These people have likely been reading books and testing themselves, their clients, their family members, and probably their pets for just as long, and will likely be able to give you information based on several different schools of thought.

2. Find someone who has been in or studied more than one facet of the industry. For example, rather than finding someone who has only done just bodybuilding their whole life, find someone who has studied bodybuilding, powerlifting, sports performance, etc. There is nothing wrong with someone who has only studied one school of thought, but unless your only focus is on that one subject, you’re better off going with someone who has been around the block, so to speak. They will likely have a more comprehensive and well-rounded knowledge-base.

3. Don’t believe the false marketing. If you see an Instagram post that tells you that you’ll lose 10 pounds in 10 days, or that you’ll get a “booty like this” by doing squats for 21 days, or that you’ll have a 6 pack in 1 month by eating “this one special food” run for your LIVES. These are gimmicks and not real. Real experts aren’t going to lie to you. They’re going to be real with you and give you realistic expectations.

4. Talk to people that have been working out for a long time and see who they know and trust. Even if you don’t necessarily trust the person you’re talking to, it’s likely that they’ve found a few people to look up to that may have some knowledge that can help you. Again, it’s hard to know, but do your research on these people to see if they seem legitimate.

5. My personal favorite: When in doubt, find an old powerlifter that still has their original hips and knees and doesn’t need a walker. Anyone who can squat or deadlift 700+ pounds for 20 years and can still walk definitely knows how to stay safe in the gym and could probably teach you a thing or two.

Hopefully this helps someone out there who feels a little bit lost with all of the information that floats around. At this point, I feel that I at least know enough to know when someone probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about. And when I’m not sure? I go to my mentors. I’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing mentors that have been living and breathing fitness since before I was born and they’ve never pointed me in the wrong direction. Knock on wood, I’ve stayed injury free in the last 8 years, and it’s because (although I’ve been stubborn), I’ve listened to the people that I trust and ignored the ones that just didn’t seem “real”.

P.S. If you’re looking for suggestions on who to trust, I’d be happy to share. Just leave a comment on this post. 🙂

Fitness Weekend! {VIDEOS & PHOTOS}

Happy Monday!!

I started my morning off with some HIIT today! Starting off my week with fitness definitely helps me get focused. Especially since I was out of town this weekend and totally discombobulated from real life. 🙂

I’m going to get right to this weekend’s shenanigans. It was an amazing weekend with friends and fitness!

Last Thursday night, my friends and I drove out to AZ! One of my friends was running the Rock n Roll Marathon, and since my family is from AZ, we decided to go support her! Instead of writing all about it, I figured I’d like pictures and videos tell the story!

I spent some time with my family..

mattytongue

My dad and my nephew, Matty

Hanging with my little big bro!!!

Me and my littlebig bro, Ben at La Grande Orange

sillymeandben

DRANK GOOD COFFEE….

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Kombucha ON TAP at La Grande Orange…(GAME CHANGER)

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

Shenanigans with friends…

with .
・・・
!    !! #26.2 !  powered by plants !! Finished my 3rd marathon with a PR of 4:00:45. -- if I did not have to stop to poo - it would have been 3:55:00 ! Cut 17 minutes off my time from the last race in 2011:) I'm pretty stoked about that!  Get your ass up and do something!! If I can run 26.2 miles then you can at least run 1 or 2!! ! Fitness is a lifestyle..join the movement!! Thanks to  and  for driving my ass to the race from Cali..and supporting me at the finish line!!

Torri set a new marathon PR…and Francesca and I walked a mile to meet her at the finish line..so that counts for something, right?!

Worked out at my favorite gym, Maximum Fitness with the master, Karl

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1...

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1…

Set some new PR’s at Bret’s (i’m pretty sure there is special PR Fairy dust in Bret’s garage….I always hit PR’s when I’m there!)

OH, and I can’t forget the #bootybump! Who needs a chest bump when you can booty bump?!

I had so much fun this weekend, but back to work it is!

Hope everyone had a great weekend themselves!

Question of the Day

1. Have you ever run a marathon or 1/2 marathon?

I did the AZ Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon a few years ago, and have thought about doing another, but right now I’m focused on my lifting.

 

 

HIIT Workout to Try + Wednesday Things!

Happy Hump Day peeps!!

My day is off to a great start. I got up early and did 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I love starting my days with this. I only do it 1-2 days per week, but I might start doing it more often, as it gets my energy level up for the day. I’ve also had 2 cups of coffee already, so that might also be contributing to my fantastic mood!!! Maybe I found the formula:

20 min. HIIT + 2 Cups of Coffee = HAPPINESS

In case you want to give it a try (coffee not included):

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

In other news, I’ve had a very productive writing morning. espana-med, I work from the office at the gym, but it can be distracting at times. There are 3 other people that work in that office, plus about 5 others that are in and out throughout the day. I think I’ll be working from home more often!

On today’s agenda:

  • Write, write, write! I’ve gotten a few blog posts and e-mails done, and now I’ll be doing more e-mails and more blog posts!
  • Brainstorm some fun Fit Lizzio posts to do next week (survey below!!)
  • Meeting with my awesome work peeps
  • Full Body Workout this evening
  • Stop by CVS to pick up a prescription
  • Take Oscar to the dog park

Update on my New Year’s UN-Resolutions:

If you remember, I decided that in 2015, I was going to care less, stress less, travel more, and live more! So far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

  • I feel much more calm
  • I’m breaking up my day into a workflow that fits me better
  • I’m not letting life stress me out (it’s all small things, right??)
  • I’m planning some more travel!

First up, is a trip to go see my new nephew this weekend! Little Jacob is 2 weeks old tomorrow and I can’t WAIT to snuggle him!! I’ll also be cheering on one of my besties at the Phoenix Rock n’ Roll Marathon this Sunday!!! She invited me to do it with her, but I decided that I’d rather just watch and cheer and eat donuts with her when she’s done. 🙂

That’s all I’ve got for now. Hope your day is awesome!!

Oscar wanted to take a post-workout selfie. I couldn't say no to this face.

SURVEY (Also posted on my Facebook Page)

I’ll be writing a post next week, but wanted to put the topic in your hands:

A) Best exercises for the booty
B) Why cardio isn’t the answer to fat loss
C) How to Write Your own Workouts

Leave your response in the comments please!

Day in the Life: Weekend Edition!

I love doing Day in the Life posts, but thought it would be fun to do a weekend Day in the Life post this time. My weekdays are usually pretty similar, but weekends are kind of up in the air most of the time.

I am nosy and love to see what other people do with their day, so here’s your chance to see mine! 😀  (all times are approximate)

Saturday, January 10th

7:30am: Charlie’s alarm goes off and I lay in bed wondering “whyyyyy”. We both ignore it and go back to sleep

9:34am: I wake up and decide I’m ready to start the day. I quickly get up and start getting ready, only to find out that it’s raining. Whomp whomp. Our plans to go to Long Beach are squashed.

9:48am: I get Charlie out of bed and ask him to go to the gym with me. We decide to walk there with Oscar (it’s less than a mile away) and get a work out in while he chills in the office.

Morning walk with my boys.

10:15am: Charlie and I get our workout in. We do a full body lift, starting with Heavy Deadlifts (i did 210lbs for 3 reps!), Bulgarian Split Squats, Goblet Squats, and Seated Band Hip Abduction. We finish off with an upper body workout: Incline Press, One Arm Rows, and Hanging Leg Raises.

11:26am: Our legs feel like lead at this point as we start the trek home. We stop at a coffee shop on the way home so I can get my fix.

americano11:38am: We get home and put our feet up for a few minutes and chat about what we should do. We decide that food should be in our near future, so we hit the showers.

1:11pm: We head to Simply Salad (my favorite salad spot in Santa Monica) and sit outside so Oscar can hang with us. I get a build-your-own with romaine, spinach, celery, cucumbers, apples, tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken and feta cheese, and Charlie gets a Chicken Caesar. We try to think of activities that we can do with him since being outdoors isn’t really an option with the rain.

Simply Salad in Santa Monica =2:00pm: We get back home and try to figure out what the plan is. We look up some activities we can do with a dog and find an indoor dog park. We hang out at a home for a bit until we’re ready to go.

3:30pm: We head out to Culver City (where the indoor dog park, ZoomRoom, is) to find something to do before our appointment.

zoomroom4:15pm: We get to Culver City (traffic SUCKED) and end up stopping at Sprouts so I can get a Kombucha. We decide to just head to ZoomRoom early to see what it’s all about.

4:37pm: We get to ZoomRoom and Oscar starts getting super excited. They have agility equipment and another dog is playing, and all Oscar wants to do is jump in.

5:30pm: It’s Oscar’s turn finally! He is a total dork and not really into all the cool equipment. We get him to go up and down the A-Frame, and get him to jump over some hurdles. He wants NOTHING TO DO with the tunnel. We try to get him to run through, but he is NOT having it. I should have gotten pictures but I was busy jumping hurdles trying to get him to copy me. Haha! (P.S. It worked a few times…)

6:00pm: We head back to Santa Monica to grab dinner ingredients at the store and to kick back and watch a movie at home.

6:42pm: We start cooking dinner and pick a movie, Murder By Numbers. We sit down to watch and eat, and both fall asleep before the movie ends because we are that lame.

The End.

Question of the Day

1. What is your favorite Saturday night activity?

3 Things

The first week back to “real” life is almost complete! It definitely feels good to be back in the regularly swing of things. I love traveling and being spontaneous, but I also love my daily routine, too.

Just as quickly as I’ve gotten back into my routine, I’ll be getting right out of it next week with a quick trip to AZ. My NEW nephew was born last week, and I can’t wait to meet the little guy! Apparently Matty is taking a liking to his new baby brother. 🙂

10930082_10103500013811162_6802137020787985551_n3 Things

I thought it’d be fun to do a little survey of the 3 things I’d bring with me if I had to be shipped off to a deserted island. Here goes!

CD’s

  1.  36 Crazyfists – Bitterness the Star
  2. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
  3. ELO – Greatest Hits

(this was REALLY hard to decide, by the way)

Movies

  1. Freddy Got Fingered
  2. One Hour Photo
  3. Naked Gun

Food (Healthy)

  1. Grapes
  2. Chicken
  3. Almond Butter

Food (Junk)

  1. Sour Gummy Worms
  2. Sweet Potato Fries
  3. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Drinks

  1. Water
  2. Kombucha (Trilogy)
  3. Continental (Americano w/ Almond Milk)

Random Items

  1. KettleBell
  2. Barbell
  3. Pillow

Okay, YOUR turn….what are 3 random items YOU bring to a deserted island?

My New Year’s UN-Resolutions

It’s interesting to me to look at where I am in life. If you would have asked me 5 years ago what I’d be doing now, I would have had no idea. I’ve always had passions, but while so many people are able to claim “yes, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life!”, I’ve just never been able to do that.
At times I’ve felt like I knew what I wanted to do, but after getting into it, I realize it’s not what I want to do 24/7. I’ve often felt like a failure for not have that one big dream that I want to do all day every day. But at the same time, I’ve built a life that I do love. I actually do like the work that I do, but have found that doing just ONE thing, isn’t for me. I like to do a lot of things. I like to workout, be in the recording studio, write, blog, do administrative work, marketing, going on adventures, travelling, etc. But could I do any one of those things all day every day? Probably not. Does that mean I love them any less? Does that mean I’m not passionate enough? I’ve often asked myself those questions, but have come to the conclusion that NO, that’s not the case. I’m not less passionate about any of those things than someone who chooses to pick one and do it all day every day. I’m just different and my brain requires different activities to be happy.
I really can’t complain. I work with a pretty flexible schedule and get to wear gym clothes to work everyday. I make enough money to live a good life. I have friends and family that love and support me…I really am blessed.
But sometimes I still wonder what that “one thing” is that would make me go “I want to do this! This is it!”
I’m not sure it exists. I think my brain is too all over the place for that. I knew at a young age that I liked more things than there was time for in a day, but thought that over time, I’d find that “thing”. And who knows, maybe I still will someday.
Either way, as everyone around me has been making their New Years Resolutions, I naturally started to think about mine. You might be surprised to know that I couldn’t think of a single one. 
Of course, I have goals. I’m a hard worker and there are things I want in life that I’m willing to work for. But still…
I have no resolutions. When it comes to work, I actually made a promise to myself to stress less and DO less this year. I guess you could call that a resolution of sorts, but it’s one that comes from caring less, not more. I’m not sure if that qualifies. You see, I take on work stress by the horns and typically let it rule me. But this year, I want to stop doing that. I want to leave the stress at the door and enjoy myself more. Take more time off…do new things that I’ve always wanted to do, but never found the time for…
I’m sure you’re also thinking “you don’t have health and fitness goals for 2015????” Well sure I do. But they aren’t goals I’m setting on January 1st. They are goals I continuously strive for and revamp when I feel necessary throughout the year. I don’t need a new year to help me with that.
So at the end of the day, I decided that 2015 is my year of UN-Resolutions.
I’m going to stress less
I’m going to DO less
I’m going to travel more
I’m going to live more

Question of the Day

What are your Unresolutions this year? Things that require LESS effort to make them happen.

5 Things I’m Doing Today to Be Better

Wow, just like that, the holidays are over! I’m a mixture of both happy and sad. It was nice to take a little break, but at the same time, it’s good to be back in my routine!

Anyone else take a little break from healthy habits during the break? Haha, please tell me it wasn’t just me! I kept up with workouts, but definitely indulged a bit on the food front! I don’t regret it at all and it was fun, but I’m ready to be back to my regularly scheduled eating!

5 Things I’m Doing Today to be Better

1. Keeping up with my workouts. While this wasn’t something that went by the wayside during the break, I am definitely planning on stepping it up a bit this week!

2. Eating well. I ate way too much candy and processed foods over the break. It was delicious, but I much prefer my usual fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats! Back on the healthy train this week!

3. Sleeping. I know I do much better when I’ve had adequate rest. I’m going to do my best to get at least 8 hours every night this week.

4. Keep my stress levels down. I am the queen of getting stressed out easily. It’s a really bad habit that needs to be broken. This week I’m going to really focus on what gets me stressed out and work on getting rid of it before it consumes me. It’s not going to be easy, but being aware of it will help immensely.

5. Do something new. I noticed last year that I would talk about a lot of things I wanted to do, but never seemed to find the time to do them. I want to try to do something new every week. I live in LA and there’s a lot to do here. I want to start soaking up all it has to offer.

Question of the Day

What are you doing this week to help you get back on the healthy train?