Hello world!

Hi!

We’ve made this blog to help inspire others to improve their lives through an active and healthy approach to fitness and longevity.  Fitness in Home is a sister page to our in-home personal training company, Active Body Conditioning.

We started working in the health and fitness industry as most individuals do – finishing school, working in a gym as personal trainers and inspiring others to change their lives in a positive and healthy manner.  From there we’ve taken it the next step and are reaching out to individuals who may not make it to the gym.  Our approach to health and wellness has been brought on through our own personal struggles. There’s not such thing as “perfection” in our eyes as every person has a different shape and size.

We’d like to share our secrets to success and perhaps inspire others to get off the couch and get moving!  We’re happy to answer any and all questions you may have – so please ask away!!

Post p90x and beyond

Hello everyone, remember me, yes I know it’s been awhile since Ive graced the pages of word press.  However while everyone was wondering where I was, and eventually lost track of my where about, rest assured I have been hard at work.  P90x has come and gone and my final result was a weight loss of 22lbs.  Since then I have been working out diligently to maintain what I have accomplished.  You can see from my previous post that I indeed made progress. Now to be honest I did find the progress to be a little slower compared to what I am normally used to.  This is probably because I`m 31 and not 18.  Trust me it`s much different!  I feel much stronger than I did when I was 18 , and my cardiovascular is top notch, man oh man I’m a right off at night, which could be the reason I sleep so soundly.  I remember having boundless amounts of energy way back when , often times so much I would burn my self out. So I have learned from my experience.  I don`t claim to be some gym rat and no I don`t look like one of those freakish bodybuilders (not that there`s anything wrong with that) .  I do claim to know what it means to drive intensity and not to quit.  Sometimes we have to look deep in ourselves to drive the intensity home.  The reality is we have to check the bs at the door, leave it there and concentrate on the now.  You know your going to have to suffer a little while to get to where you want to go.  Would a marathon running quit because there legs are cramping and they don`t have anything left in there tank because they hit the wall ? No! Would a boxer give up after 10 rounds if they didn’t think they had just as good of a chance at that title fight? No! and would you , yes you only bring only 50% of your intensity to your workout ,only to discover you get a quarter of the results in return? NO, NO and NO!!!  It`s true we cannot mathematically give more than 100% , we can however accomplish more than our expectations , and the limit is sometimes locked in an excuse, laziness and lack of focus.

I have  a task everyone, tonight when your done work, go home and divide a page in half, on one side write down the heading NOW!!, on the second half write the heading VERY SOON!!.  Notice I didn`t want you to write the word “Later“ the reason is that later means just that later; putting it off, when we see a movie trailer , were captivated by the words coming soon.  So your goals are you top priority .  On the Now side write down 3 goals; whatever they may be (please be realistic) goal 1- should be a goal you can accomplish in 30 days time.  goal 2- a goal you can succeed in 60 days, however try making it compatible with goal one, so they work in tandem and give power to one another, and goal 3- should be a goal with a 3 month time frame.  In retrospect 3 months isn`t all that long, it really does go by in the blink of an eye.  Goal 3 should also be a summary of your first two accomplishment`s .  If loosing weight is your motivation, than here`s how you can summarize your first 3 months

NOW !!!

Goal 1 – start and exercise program, by consulting the help of a personal trainer 3 x week and doing aerobic`s on my own 2 x a week.  If I maintain this consistency I should feel much better than now.  As well, I had a meeting with a nutritionist and she advised me to eliminate all refined carbohydrates.  (sound advice) I should expect to at least feel better and loose a minimal amount of fat weight my goal 5 to 10lbs.

Goal 2- I have maintained my consistency and have also familiarized myself with the importance of adding a lean protein to each meal, I feel much more energized and have lost a total of 7lbs , My trainer says it`s time to switch up the routine a bit and he also said that I should start doing at least one weight routine on my own.  My trainer is mixing things up by introducing some interval style training program (looking forward to that) my goal this time around in the next 30days months is to loose at least 10 lbs .

Goal 3- Wow 2 months have passed and only 30 more days to the end of my NOW!!! goals , I worked extra hard and I was 1lb shy of my goal weight of 10lbs, however the big picture I`ve lost a total of 16lbs .  My trainer says I have two options; my next goal in 30 days is to still work and loose 4 lbs to make things nice and easy.  Don`t over stress the body too much (it can back fire) or go full tilt , and see what my limits are.  My nutritionist continues to give me sound advice and keeping a food journal really helps .  I will go the recovery route and temporarily let my body heal and I will have lost 20lbs in total.

Post – 90 days- I have accomplished out what I set out to do.  By following the advice and guidance of my personal trainer and providing consent feedback to my nutritionist I was able to loose a total of 22lbs of body fat .  I feel great.

So as you can see the goals are working in tandem with one another.  The VERY SOON !!! Goals, should follow in the same fashion; Goal 1- 6 months , Goal 2- 9 months and Goal 3 -12 months.  If you can`t realize your potential in 12months time , I would have to say your missing the point, in order to for something to become habit we have to repeat 66,ooo times (think about that for a second) .  Always be realistic with yourself and never bite more than you can chew.

Thank you everyone and keep logging in for more informative posts

P90 X Day 78, Nearing the end!!

Day 78

Wow it’s almost the end of this journey and the beginning of a new Shanna and I.  For not blogging in this blog for awhile i thought I would leave everyone that’s been checking in a sample of a typical meal day for myself , and what I have been doing to get the results I have been achieving .  This is by no means any type of meal plan you should follow, and by no means am I a certified nutritionist.  This is only an example of some food ideas you can adopt to better your overall meal planning.

Meal One:

1 egg omelet with 1/3 cup of shredded cheese tex mix style

3 oz of lean cooked ham

1/2 cup of cottage cheese with 1tsp of low sugar granola, 1/4 apple , 1/2 tsp natural peanut butter and 1/4 diced apple

Meal 2:

2 iss oh yeah wafer protein bars with 4 caps of bcaa’s (supplement)

1 tsp of Fish oil (supplement)

Meal 3:

1 whole cucumber salad with a light Cesar dressing, mixed with 1 whole grilled diced chicken breast

30 mg of coenzyme Q10 (supplement)

1 tsp CLA

Meal 4:

2 scoops of Dark Matter (post recovery Shake)

4 caps of BCAA’s (supplement)

meal 5:

4 oz grilled salmon, with 1cup of steamed snap peas and cherry tomatoes in olive oil and garlic

Meal 6:

1 scoop of MHP 12 hour protein (about 1 to 2 hours before bed)

One a day multi

ZMA – 3o minutes before bed (supplement)

 

 

So as you can see I try to get an adequate amount of protein during the day, I consume more fibrous type fruits and vegetables, and I also include a healthy dose of healthy fats . In addition I include the supplements I believe can make a difference in achieving optimal health, without trying to bust the bank.  Any questions please feel free to ask.

 

Cheers and bon apptiet!!!

Week 13 – Day 63

Hello Everyone!
Today is the start to week 13.  This is where Shanna and I take everything we’ve accomplished to this point and conceal it in one awesome motivating package.  Through the support we’ve gathered from friends, family and you, the weekend blogger, we’ve achieved an unprecedented amount of inspiration.  Within these last 60 days I’m at the best shape of my life. Each day seems to get me closer to my ultimate goal. I really want to send a shout-out to my fiance Shanna. She’s been with me since day 1. I may be redundant in stating this, however I think that if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be telling you about my goals today.  Although I know she loves me for who I am, she supports me in a way that words just can’t describe.  Actually, I can probably bore you with endless details however this is just a blog. So, if you want a love story read the notebook. hahaha… lol

Unto the serious business. Like I said last time I would be posting a picture of my back shot before and after. I did so to show everyone the difference the last 63 days have made.  And believe me, you will see the difference (disregard the hairy patches on my back – sorry!)… thanks Shanna.

Here are the pics:

double rear biceps

Keep up the hard work – we are! BRING IT

P90 X results after 60 days

I’ll keep things simple today and post a pic of my results again after 6o or so days, below the results I believe speak for themselves.  I’m inching ever so closer to my goal and I have little less than a month to go , next post I will add a picture of my back and you will be amazed to see the difference, especially the love handles.   I promise the last picture will be a lot more appealing ladies as I’m looking into laser hair removal, and I plan on getting a nice tan. lol .  As per my workouts, there really isn’t nothing to report on expect for, it was a back and leg day , however my it band is so tight I opted to do just back, I did do interval aerobics in the morning though, so that definitely counts for something.  I’m going to have pull the roller out and work on that it band. Anyways here’s a glimpse of my progress so far

Day 1 Day 30 Day 60

P90 X Day 60

Day 60 From Here and Beyond

This is it the last 30 days or at least close to it! This is where Shanna and I bring it all together , take what we have accomplished and shift the goals into hyper drive.  Today we separate the men from the boys, or in Shanna’s case the women from the little girls, and peak on Shanna’s bicep tells me she’s just tapped the potential of her physique .  Honestly you should should see her strike a pose, there’s defiantly difference between when she first started.  As you can tell I like to take the attention away from myself and give credit to those who deserve credit, and usually that’s people around me and in my life who I ultimately care and love.  Shanna has been a great motivator since the beginning of the program, and I hope I have done the same in return.  Each day is a new Challenge and each day I see improved progress in my physique and overall health.   These last 30 days I want to loose 7lbs, and improve my overall muscle definition.  As a report before I was sitting it around 17% body fat, Im closer to 15.6% and have been so for the last 3 or 4 days so I hope to make a major impact on these numbers in 30 days. So in the proceeding days I would like to post a picture of our progress and welcome any comments and questions regarding to the P90X program

Thanks .

Day53

Its been a real busy 2 weeks, and I believe that was the last time I reported on the blog.  Don’t worry everyone, Shanna and I haven’t fallen off track . In fact were going stronger than ever ; I’m personally making the best improvements yet.  Shanna is keeping with the program and it’s finalizing the refinements of her already awesome physique.  I decided to purchase a body fat scale , and my body fat % was at 17.4% .  I remember way back when I recorded my body on a body fat scale and I remember it being close to 29%.  That’s an obvious difference and to date I’ve lost 13 lbs .  I did notice that the body fat scale can be greatly influenced by the amount of fluid you have in your body.  Upon waking it’s likely to read to read higher because your likely to be dehydrated .  I was noticing a range from anywhere from 16% to 20 % in a day.  Although I was getting a more average and constant reading between 4pm and 7pm.  So I now take my reading around this time.  So I currently sit at 207lbs , down from 220lbs when I started.  I now record my weight on 2 scales an analog , which says I’m 207 and the body fat scale which is digital and it reads 209.  An obvious difference of two pounds.  The question is which one do I trust.  They say an analog scale is more accurate, however you have to understand this is a cheap scale and I would suspect that the digital scale because of it’s high level of quality and precision is probably a little more accurate.  regardless of the fact I still lost the same amount of weight.

In addition to the recovery week , Shanna and I are also jogging for about 30 to 40 minutes a day.  Listening to my Zune and keeping pace with the up beat tempo, I find it a lot easier to jog.  Yesterday was a different story I was dreading the rest of our jog, when my MP3 decided to conk out after 10 minutes.  I only have myself to blame I didn’t charge it after it’s last several uses.  Doing the P90x has opened the possibility to jog with more ease, the last time I jogged was almost a year and a half ago.  During that time I was having trouble completing even 15 minutes.  Now I can do 30 minutes right off the bat. This has a lot to do with the kenpo x, plyo x and the elevated intensity of the rest of the P90x workouts.  The P90X will improve all qualities of your fitness endeavours .

P90 X Last week of Phase 2

Day 43

So 47 days to go , so almost half way there, and what do i think of my progress and the effectiveness of the program so far.  To be honest the p90x has really changed my life, I’m seeing results, I’m getting stronger and most of all Shanna and I are having fun.  It’s amazing when you stick to it and bring the intensity each and every workout how amazing you feel.  I’m proud of Shanna, she can now do 5 unassisted pull ups yesterday, that’s 2 more than last time.  Day 60 will be my next progress report and I’m expecting good results.  I haven’t weighed myself since last post, I’m going on what I see visually.  I believe my arms are more muscular and bigger .  I can’t wait to see the rest of my love handles to melt .  Overall I can do everything with more ease, I never feel short winded and my cardiovascular has vastly improved.  I do need to purchase a a new pair of running shoes, I can feel the support getting a little softer when I land during plyo-metrics, and the support is not there when I tend to over pronation .

Well That’s all for now folks, and a personal note to add I prefer the blue raspberry flavor more than the fruit punch version of Dark Matter .

P90X well into the “Bring it Factor”

Well hello everyone , it’s been a while since I last updated this post.  No one need to fear, Shanna and I have been doing the p90x without a hitch , and we still haven’t missed a day.  I have noticed the weight loss coming to a temporary halt, I reported last time I lost 11 lbs.  Well I’m still 11lbs lighter.  I’ve decided to add in a couple days of high intensity cardio , so that’s two times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes. I figure doing the high intensity training a.k.a H.I.T will burn all the glycogen , along with lowering my carb count , I should get into ketosis.  However I just don’t want to lower my carbs too fast.  I’m currently consume about 100 to 150grams of carbohydrates.  As each week passes I slowly eliminate the amount I consume.  If any one is interested here’s a sample of the H.I.T  do

 

minute 0 to 5 – warm up , speed at 3.5 incline 0.5

minute 5 to 5:30 speed 9.9 incline 0.0

minute 5:30 to 7:oo speed 6.0 incline 0.0

minute 7 to minute 8 speed 3.5 incline 15

minute 8 to 9 speed 3.5 incline 0

Than repeat the above 2 more times, and finally cool down for 5 minutes.

 

Take note you can change the variables depending on your fitness level, if your a seasoned runner, you could probably change 6mph to 7.5 etc..

 

Well I hope that helps

 

Peace out

After 30 days

I just wanted to update the blog with a before and after pic of myself after 30 days or so, well it’s really 26 days, but you get the idea, my original weight when I started was 220lbs, when this was taken I was 211, now I’m at 209 so I actually I’m a bit leaner the last time the pic was taken.  I will post another before and after when I’m closer to 200lbs or hopefully in 30 more days. No major Blog update today just pics

Thanks everyone, feedback is welcomed

before is on the right

P90X Phase 2 Day 4 and 5

Wow it’s been a month so far and the results Shanna and I achieved have been nothing short of awesome.  First off Shanna can do 3 unassisted  chin ups,  a month ago she couldn’t even do one.  I took a picture of her back muscles, which I’m trying to figure how to upload to the blog. argghh – okay I figure it out so you can see the nice definition she has developed.  Myself I’m down to 209lbs so that’s 11 pounds to date.  My initial goal was to loose 20 lbs and be at 200lbs.  Once I reach 200lbs I will judge how I look and more importantly how I feel, and than from there I will decide if I would like to loose more weight. (195lbs).  I feel pretty strong right now, my biggest fear would be to loose my strength if I go any lower than 195lbs.  I just want to maintain a good balance between aesthetics and strength.   Once again I still like the weight routines of the P90X workout especially in Phase 2.  The turning bucket is one of Shanna’s favourite, as it works the infraspinatous , which makes up part of the rotator cuff.  Well nothing much more to report, I will keep everyone updated as our goals progress.

Remember to “Bring it” People

Me sneaking a shot while Shanna does a chin up