Changing things up!

So I am going to switch it up a little on my blog and start to use it as a brain dump. 

I tried doing lots of informational posts about fitness and weight training but I kind of ran out of steam and ideas. I felt like what I was talking about was already out there in the internet world and done better than I could do. 

I hope that if for some reason you come across my blog and end up reading it that it in some way brings you joy or you get a laugh if nothing else.

Why would I care what other people think?? Well that's just the type of person I am. If I am going to put myself out there where anyone could see it then I don't ever want to hurt or offend.

I'm not really sure what my posts are going to be about but I will be sticking to the fitness/health niche. I may veer of topic sometimes but my life kind of revolves around fitness so it is what I know. 

If there is ever anything that you want to talk about with me or think that I should look into than please fell free to comment. I don't mind feedback!

2 Week Squat Challenge

I know that I have talked a bit about squats and how they are good for you so I put together a 2 week squat challenge for my Facebook group and thought that I would share it here also. You can find me at facebook.com/lmlittelldsm if you want an invite to the group so you can follow along with us.

You don't need to follow along on Facebook if you don't want! I just put that there to be inviting.
Make sure you are using proper form and if you are not sure how to do a move Google is a wonderful place to look. If you do not have dumbbells than you can either not use them or use cans from your cupboards or whatever you want.

I hope you enjoyed this challenge and were able to complete it. I know that at the end it is a lot of reps but I have faith!

Are kettlebells a good choice?

In the pursuit of a lean muscular body are kettlebells the key? Or should you stick with the traditional weight bench with the barbell?

That is what I would like to know. Not wanting to jump on a trendy workout if it doesn't really give me the results I want I had to look into this kettlebell.

WHAT STUDIES SAY

menshealth.com has a good article about the differences between free weights and a kettlebell. They say that if you want to bulk you need to stick with the free weights because you can get more onto a barbell than you can out of a kettlebell, which makes sense.

But they also say that if it's not just bulk you want and if you want to burn fat than a kettlebell is they way to go.



kettlebellsworkouts.com has a very extensive beginners explanation of what a kettlebell is and how it should be used. They also say that it is NOT a trend and has been around for 100's of years. Good to know! There is a list of 13 reasons to use a kettlebell that is very convincing.

This article is so full of wonderful information that you must read it if you are thinking about using kettlebells.



popsugar.com says that they each have their good qualities but the kettlebell will burn more fat due to the cardio aspect of the workouts.


CONCLUSION

If you wanted to use a kettlebell than make sure you are doing it right to avoid injury and have at it. There are lots of suggested workouts out there to help burn fat.

Also, if you want to add muscle you can use free weights and just add some cardio moves in between sets.

Either way, it all boils down to preference. Some people might shy away from a kettlebell if they have never used it before or others might think they will add to much bulk if they use free weights.

I myself am going to add a kettlebell to my free weight routine and see how it goes.


*Do you use free weights or a kettlebell?

How do you train?

Are you the type of person who feels like they have no follow through?
Is it easy for you to find excuses to get out of workouts if someone isn't there to tell you "you have to do it"? Do some of those excuses involve not wanting to have to go on this journey alone?

Or are you the type that doesn't want someone else in charge of your workout? Do you like the mental challenge of proving to yourself that you have the will power to do something without anyone telling you to?

Sometimes when you start on a new journey it can be hard to stick with it, especially if you do not see results right away or it turns out to be harder than you anticipated. I've listed a few ways you can tell whether you should enlist the help of a coach or you can do it on your own. 

You might want a trainer if?

1. If you are new to fitness and worried that you will injure yourself then maybe you should look into getting a personal trainer.

2. If you feel like there is just no way that you would follow through with going to the gym or doing your at home workout at least 5 days a week then maybe you should get a personal trainer.

3. If you just do not want to try and come up with a workout routine and meal plan to follow. You would rather have someone else do it for you then you might want to get a personal trainer.

You can probably go it alone if?

1. I am the type of person that has control issues. I like to be in charge of what it is I'm going to do in my workout and the type of meals I'm going to eat. If you're like that than you will probably have no issues going it alone.

2. And by going it alone it doesn't have to mean that you have to be alone. You can go to the gym with friends just focus on what you need to get done first.

3. Or you can offer to help your friends or family members with organizing some sort of routine for them or have them do yours.

If you get bored easily and like to switch things up on a whim then you might like to go it alone.

* Do you have a trainer or workout alone?

How to keep track of your progress

Do you like to keep track of the progress you are making with your workouts? How much more weight you lifted than last week or what moves were harder than others. Does it inspire you to do better or just seem like to much work?

I have come to like tracking my progress and seeing the difference so I thought I would share some ways that are good to see how far you have come and what needs some work.

First lets talk about the good old fashion pen to paper like the picture above. This is like scrap-booking to me. I can make it as plain or as pretty as I want it. I sometimes have a harder time with this. It takes away time from the workout to write everything down and my brain will forget how much weight I lifted two sets ago if I'm really into the work and not focused on weight. This is called a one track mind.

If I do it this way then on a Sunday I will make sure to have all the days filled out first and add whatever fun stuff I want so that way when the day comes all I need to add is the total weight.

This is a fun option if you like things pretty and really Who DOESN'T.



Another option to help track your fitness goals would be an app. If you open the Playstore or whatever it is that Apple uses and there you will find so many apps that it is hard to find the right one. My husband and I have installed and uninstalled so many that we lost track. So trust me when I say that the JEFIT app is a wonderful app for keeping track of your fitness.

It lets you pick from a stock workout or you can customize it. It follows along with you and counts down your rest time too. All you have to do is add in the weight and reps and hit GO. I Highly recommend this app.

Snapshot of the Home screen for JEFIT app

I have found that if you are doing a workout routine on bodybuilding.com and you want to keep track of your progress they give you both options as I showed above.

You can printout a paper copy of the workout and write in your weight and reps or most of the routines now come with an app to help track your progress.

Whichever way feels best and easiest for you to keep track of your workouts is what I recommend. Being able to see your progress in numbers and not just what you see in the mirror or on the scale helps to keep you motivated towards your goals.


*How do you track your progress?