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CHECK OUT ALL OF THESE BLOG POSTS AND MORE ON MY NEW BUSINESS SITE AT www.napfitpt.com!

Plank Competition Results!

Don't get too jealous, the medal is from Joe's first half marathon, not the plank competition!  However, after tying with Lisa Jones for a four minute plank, Joe Adams took the title for longest plank with a 6 minute and 34 second tiebreaker!!  Congratulations, Joe, on the longest plank hold out of all of Napoletan Fitness' participating clientele.  You held your plank longer than over 20 people and earned yourself a free one hour massage from Massage on the Rocks in Westerville.

Congratulations to Lisa Jones for a valiant effort and a second attempt time of 5 minutes and 5 seconds!  Other honorable mentions go to Cheryl Brown, Maggie Anderson, Wendy Satkoviak, and Caryn Coomer for holding planks longer than three and a half minutes.  Great job to everyone who participated and did their best!!  Keep practicing!

Cap City Run

The Capital City Half Marathon is coming up on May the 5th in Columbus.  Did you know that you can also sign up for a quarter marathon (6.55 miles) or a 5k (3.1 miles)?  Whether running or walking, why not make one of your goals this year to finish a race in your city or suburb?

If you're just starting out consider walking a 5k this spring with a goal of a 10k or quarter marathon by late summer.  Who knows, you may work up to a half marathon or The Columbus Full Marathon by October!  No matter your goal it's important to get started sooner than later.  Sign up for a race now so that you have a reason to stay accountable.

Check out details for the Capital City races in May by clicking here.  You can also find training schedules and more details about the race that's right for you on that site.  Do yourself a favor and set this goal now.  You'll feel GREAT once you achieve it.  The sooner you sign up the cheaper the entry fee, so in the words of Nike, "JUST DOOOO ITTT!!!!"

Get Active This Spring

You don't have to dread being active.  It doesn't always have to be inside and it certainly doesn't always have to be in a gym or health club.  Now that it's February, a lot of communities are starting sign-ups for recreational sports this spring.  Consider signing up for a volleyball, soccer, or softball league.  Some communities even offer kickball and flag football as options.  Whatever your choice, start looking into options now.  Make a commitment to get active once or twice a week in a way that you can enjoy and look forward to.  Get a team of friends or coworkers together or just look into joining a roster that needs an extra player or two.  Commit to a fun and active spring and you may even earn bragging rights by season's end!

Have No Fear!

"The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can."  - Robert Cushing

No more excuses!  If you want something go out and get it!  You're the only one who can truly stand in your way.  Make your health and wellness a priority, not just for yourself, but for your family as well!!  Set a goal and reach it by the end of the month.  You'll be surprised at how good it feels to accomplish something for YOU!

Exercise of the Day

Add sumo squats to your legs routine to help work your inner thighs and butt.  Keep your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and your toes pointed out.  Keep your chest up and your weight on your heels making sure your butt stays back like you're sitting in a chair.  Hang on to a weight if you're looking for ways to add intensity.  You may also consider adding a jump to increase your cardiovascular activity.

Tabata!

Looking for a change in your workout routine?  Try your next workout in the form of a Tabata workout from CrossFit.  Tabata workouts are bringing a specific type of interval training to the forefront of the fitness world right now.

All you need to do is choose a series of exercises and use time rather than repetitions to complete them.  Perform your first exercise for twenty seconds followed by ten seconds of rest.  Repeat that circuit eight times straight before moving on to your next exercise and doing the same thing.

You'll be surprised at how tough this can get!  Be sure to adjust your weights properly before beginning.  Don't expect to use the same weight that you would use for a ten repetition set.  This has a lot to do with muscle endurance and you WILL be struggling to get through the last few sets if you've chosen the proper weights.  

Congratulations Cheryl!

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHERYL BROWN FOR HITTING HER 2011 FITNESS GOAL OF SWIMMING 72 LAPS NON-STOP!!!!!  

Her smaller quarterly goals and determination allowed her to reach her ultimate fitness goal for last year.  She told me, "I was going to do it no matter what,"  and she came through on that promise.  Congratulations, Cheryl!!  Keep up the spectacular work!!!  Getting your text with this BIG news was the highlight of my week! :)

Be Persistent and Achieve Success!

"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out."  - Robert Collier

10 Minute Kettlebell Circuit

Grab a 10-25 pound kettlebell depending on your fitness level and try this 10 minute circuit.  Perform each exercise for 60 seconds and try to complete the entire circuit without stopping.  Take a 2-4 minute rest and then repeat the circuit again.  To add intensity perform a series of abs exercises during your rest period.  Not only is this a stellar legs and shoulders workout, but it's a great way to get some cardio in without having to use those monotonous machines.  Good luck!  

Single Arm Clean & Press (60 sec each arm)

Single Arm Swings (60 sec each arm) 

Sumo Squat with Single Arm High Pulls (60 sec each arm)

Alternating Lunges with One Arm Press (60 sec total)

Single Arm Snatches (60 sec each arm)

Front Raises with Burpee (60 sec total)

Exercise of the Day

Practice your plank holds people!  The Napoletan Fitness Client that holds the longest plank this week will receive a 60 minute massage from Gail Quinn at Massage on the Rocks in Westerville!

Incorporating Fitness into Your Home Routine

No gym membership?  No worries!  Check out FitDeck Exercise Cards and design an in home workout with absolutely no need for equipment.  These cards are designed to make fitness fun.  While you can use them in several different ways, each card has a picture and description of an exercise suitable for beginners all the way up to people in great shape!

I would suggest snagging a deck of the bodyweight cards if you don't have any gym equipment.  If you're new to working out, or just getting back into the swing of things, try setting aside 5 cards each day and completing each of the five exercises for a minute straight.  Once that becomes easy try repeating the exercises for 2-3 sets each.  Work your way up to 10 exercises slowly and you'll be performing some tough 30 minute in home workouts in no time.  Good luck!

Happy MLK Day from Napoletan Fitness!

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Exercise of the Day

Consider adding a set of burpees between your strength training sets.  This will help keep your heart rate elevated and burn a lot more calories than your regular lifting routine would allow.  Take the pushup out for a modified version and focus on the full squat, full extension, and recovery squat steps.  Good luck!

1400 Calorie Meal Plan

If weight loss is one of your goals in 2012 keep in mind the importance of logging your food and keeping track of your calories.  I have yet to see this plan fail!  Stay consistent with your logging and you WILL lose weight.  It's just a matter of how bad you want it!  Below is an example of a 1400 calorie meal plan.  Email me today at Jess@napfitpt.com for a free workout and to see how many calories YOU should be eating daily to reach your goal weight! 

Breakfast
¾ cup (C) cantaloupe cubes
¾ C 2% cottage cheese
5 whole-wheat crackers
Calorie-free beverage of choice

Lunch
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (2 slices wheat bread with 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) natural, chunky peanut butter and 1 Tbsp all-fruit spread
1 medium apple
Calorie-free beverage of choice

Dinner
3 ounce (oz) broiled or grilled boneless chicken breast
5" baked sweet potato, topped with 1 teaspoon (tsp) unsalted butter
Salad (2 C tossed field greens, topped with 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, ¼ C grated carrots, and ¼ C sun-dried tomatoes), drizzled with 2 Tbsp fat-free vinaigrette dressing
Calorie-free beverage of choice

Snack
8 oz low-fat yogurt, favorite flavor, topped with 1 Tbsp wheat germ
Calorie-free beverage of choice

Find more meal plans at www.RD411.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NAPOLETAN FITNESS!

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!  THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING YEAR OF SUCCESS IN 2011!

Exercise of the Day

Try This New Bodyweight Workout!

Complete this new bodyweight workout for time and then repeat 2-4 more rounds to see if you can do better.  Check this and other workouts out on Pinterest.

Outstanding Effort and Achievement Award!

The "Outstanding Effort and Achievement Award" for last month goes to Jackie Haight and Laurie Grega!  Their consistency and exceptional effort has helped earn them the award and there are no signs of either of those facets dwindling.  The three of us began training at the gym together and have been doing in home training for all of 2011.  

During the spring and summer, these two were some of my only clients brave enough to conquer my infamous Alum Creek workouts week in and week out.  There are few who work as hard as these two do every single time they train.  Dedication is an understatement when it comes to Laurie and Jackie.  They have certainly made fitness a priority this year and it definitely shows!

Jackie never hesitates to push herself a little further during our workouts.  She frequently requests workouts that most people dread and finishes a good amount of them without even breaking a sweat.  Jackie is committed to performing weekly cardio on her own and still spends a good amount of time in the gym lifting.  She's always looking for the next challenge and I have yet to see her fail.  Keep up the great work, Jackie.  I will do my best to keep the challenges coming!  

Laurie is one of the toughest people I train.  Her and I have trained together for almost three years and I'm not sure I've met anyone more driven.  Although she has struggled with an injury for the better part of this year, it has become more of a motivator to her than a setback.  Where other people would be quick to give up or give in, Laurie pushes even harder until she achieves the task at hand.  She is committed to doing pilates once a week in addition to our training.  Being able to work with Laurie for the past three years has allowed me to watch her progress in both strength and stamina.  This year has been full of new achievements, Laurie.  Keep up the great work; I can't wait to see what's next!  

Getting to know the both of you has been the best part of our training.  I truly look forward to our sessions and catching up each week.  Between Jackie's stories and Laurie's music selection there is never a dull moment at the Grega household.  I can't think of a better way to start my Fridays than hanging with you guys! :)

1200 Calorie Meal Plan Ideas

Struggling to make your calories last all day?  Check out this website for meal plan ideas.  Below is an example of a 1200 calorie meal plan that won't leave you starving.

BREAKFAST

3/4 Cup Bran Flakes

1/2 Cup Skim Milk

1/2 Cup Blueberries

1/2 Whole Wheat English Muffin

1 tsp Almond Butter

LUNCH

2oz Turkey Breast

1oz Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1/2 Cup Alfalfa Sprouts

3 Slices Tomato

2tsp Mustard

1/2 Cup Skim Milk

SNACK

1oz Roasted Macadamia Nuts

DINNER

4oz Whole Wheat Pasta

1/2 Cup Marinara Sauce

1/2 Cup Eggplant

2tsp Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Mixed Salad Greens

2tsp Olive Oil

1tsp Vinegar

Calories: 1143

Fiber: 22.1g