I wanted to go into some more depth about home workouts and how to structure them. If you're used to using equipment and all of a sudden don't have access to that equipment, it could be quite the adjustment. 

However if you follow a simple guideline of how to structure your workouts, you'll still be able to keep going without missing a beat. These guidelines are the same as you would structure a workout that you'd do in the gym. 

1) Warm-up (3-5 minutes)
2) Workout (10-30 minutes)
3) Cool-down (3-5 minutes) 

And if you are confined to your home, make sure to take frequent movement breaks throughout the day. Walk around the house and get away from any screens for a few minutes. Step outside and take a breath of fresh air. These simple steps will help with your physical health and mental health. 

Those short breaks throughout the day, those quick resets, will do wonders for your energy level throughout the day. 

Try it out and let me know how it works!

FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
​BE GREATER

Great news! 

We have been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 200 Fitness Blogs on the web!

Not bad for just really getting things going a few month ago. That's all thanks to you. I appreciate all the feedback and support as we journey to greatness together. So now, on to more of the good stuff. 

To combat some of that cabin fever we may have going on right now I've put together a little document here of 5 stretches you can do in the morning to get your day started on the right path. 

You can hold each of these stretches anywhere from 10 seconds to 1 minute depending on your fitness level and comfortability. 

​You can do them each morning so you can stay in the game and keep your body sharp!

Be Greater!

If you're stuck at home and you're used to going to the gym to workout, it can be a difficult adjustment to start working out inside. 

Good things about our bodies though is that they adapt pretty fast. We can get those workouts right from home. Even if it's just something quick. Try to do a high intensity workout. 

Here's a little sample: 

Pushups (8-12 reps)
Plank (20 secs- 1 minute)
Crunches (8-12 reps)
Bodyweight Squats (8-12 reps). 

Depending on your experience level, you can go for the lower rep or time range. Aim for the higher route if you're ready to get after it. 

This will be a little something to get you going and get you to do some kind of exercise at home. 

No excuses, just greatness!

Do you find yourself wanting to go to the gym but just don't have the time? Or you plan to when you start your day?

​Then appointments get in the way, then there's work, and family, you know, life. You look at the time and the day has gotten away from you. 

Well, I guess there goes the gym. 

But it doesn't have to be. Even if you can't make it to the gym. You can still workout at home. You just have to take whatever time you can and get to it. Have only 25 minutes? 15 minutes? 10 minutes? If that's all the time you have, then use it. Something is better than nothing. Do that workout while you're watching your favorite show or watching the game. 

We are busy. There are a lot of things going on. But our health and fitness is a priority. And if it's not, we need to make it a priority. If we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others or attend to the things we need to. 

So no matter how much, or how little time we have, let's make the best of it and ensure that we take just a little portion out of our day to workout. 

FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
​BE GREATER

Ever heard the saying that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it?

Well when it comes to workout and taking care of health... I guess if it was easy, then everybody would be doing it. Health isn't something that we wake up out of bed in the morning, and without even trying is all of a sudden just perfect. We have to put some work into it. 

There is so much information we can find online and from books on health and wellness. We find the newest diet trend, the latest exercise craze. All that information can be a good thing, but it can also be an overload. 

But do we make taking care of ourselves harder than it needs to be? We know the basics. Move, and don't sit on the couch all day. Don't eat junk food all the time. 

And yes, there is more to working out. Much more. But if you struggle with starting a workout routine or sticking with one, let's just start with the basics. 

Let's just start by moving. If you have the option of taking the elevator or the stairs. Take the stairs. 

If you have the option for that piece of cake or a salad, make sure 8 times out of 10, you select the salad. And if you slip up, don't beat yourself up over it. It's alright. Just start fresh the next day. Keep it simple and start with the basics. That'll ensure that you can at least ease into your workout journey. 

Just take it one step at a time, one day at a time. The results will follow. 

FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
​BE GREATER!

With the advancement of technology over the years, it has allowed for a boom in the industry of fitness and wellness. No longer do we need to have access to a gym to better our health. We can get that access from anywhere and anytime. 

In the health and fitness industry you may have heard the terms training and coaching. You may be thinking to yourself, "aren't they the same thing"? There are similarities, but what a personal trainer and what a fitness coach can provide you are different. It all depends on what you need. 

I started in fitness as a personal trainer, still am, but have transitioned into coaching because it allows me to help more people and help with all aspects of their health. That's why I talk about spiritual, emotional, and mental fitness along with the physical. 

A personal trainer focuses on your physical health. Usually you meet with your trainer at a gym or they may come to your home. They build you a workout program and guide you through a session safely. They may give you "homework", a workout or two to do on the days you don't meet with them. 

A fitness coach focuses on your overall health, going deeper than just physical fitness. A coach will design a workout plan for you and provide regular check-ins, maybe weekly, to keep you on track. They'll give you guidance on how to improve factors that affect your health, such as your sleep, eating, and thoughts. 

So what's best for you all depends on what you need. Here at Vanbar, I provide coaching because I believe and know your overall health comes down to being able to balance and improve other areas of your life beyond just your body. 

Evaluate where you are and what your needs are. If you are unsure, we can chat. It'll be my pleasure to help out!

​...
FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
BE GREATER

Working out can be tough. As we talked about last week there are plenty of distractions that could get in the way. There are plenty of excuses that can attempt to enter our mind. Even when we do get to working out, we may find a little groove and stick to a routine for a few weeks, or a couple of months. 

But then it stops. Why is that?

Well why do we workout in the first place? 

It may be to lose weight or to put on more muscle. That's great! It gives us some motivation, some reason as to why we want to commit to working out in the first place. 

And we can rundown all the physical benefits of working out. But there are so many other benefits it has for us. 

One of those being the impact it has on our mind. And our mind is the most important. If we can get our mind in tune, our body will follow. 

We shouldn't just workout to reach a certain weight lost target or to have 14 inch arms. 

Working out shouldn't just be a destination, it is a journey. 

How we keep that journey going is renewing our mind each and every single day. We have to think positive thoughts, we have to think confidently about who we are. We have to block out any and all negative sources of energy that are in your atmosphere. 

Because when you have your mind on your side, there isn't anything that you cannot accomplish. 

So to make change that will last, start with your mind. Get your mind right. When you get your day going, speak out loud how your day is going to be. Speak how you're to have a GREAT day. Speak out at least one step of how you are going to reach that goal that you set. 

Let your mind work for you, it's waiting to be used. 

Does this story sound familiar to you: You tell yourself that you're going to workout, but other things come up. So you tell yourself you'll do it tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes around. That doesn't quite work out so you tell yourself once again that you'll do it tomorrow. 

Then tomorrow turns into a few weeks. Then months. Then you come to the realization: you don't have time to workout. 

As a fitness coach, time is arguably the number one problem I hear when it comes to working out. However a lot of the time, we use that "time problem" as an excuse. 

I was told a few years ago by a mentor that we make time for the things that we prioritize. Whatever we consider as valuable, we will make the time for it during the week. Doesn't matter how much time, but we will make sure that we invest some time into the things we prioritize. 

So a question we need to really ask ourselves is this: do we really not have the time to workout, or are we just saying we don't have time so we don't have to workout? 

Look, I get it. Working out is not easy. It requires a commitment. But so does spending time with your family or friends, or your faith, or your career, or developing a skill. They require a commitment from you. And if working out, if your health and wellness is important to you, you can make the commitment. 

It doesn't have to be 6 days a week in the gym for an hour. It could be 3 times a week for 20 minutes while you're watching your favorite show right from your comfy and cozy home. We find a way to make it work. 

As with anything we don't have to do it alone. You have those around you as your support group. Or a coach (now where can you find a coach...). It all starts with dropping any and all excuses and if you want it, make the time for it!

FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
​BE GREATER 

What is beef? 

You may be thinking to yourself, Vandie, I know what beef is. But we're not talking about that kind of beef. Not that beef that is part of your juicy steak, or your scrumptious ribs. Whether or not it's good for you is a topic for another day.

The kind of beef we're talking about is the one where you have a problem with someone. The kind where if you see this person on the streets, you may look them up and down and give them the stink eye. The kind of beef where you secretly hope that person doesn't pay attention to where they're walking and bust their face so you laugh at them. 

That kind of beef. 

When you have an agreement or disagreement with someone and you can't stand the sight of their face. 

Man! When it's put that way, then beef is bad for you. 

Make no mistake about it, this kind of beef is not good for your health. We discuss spiritual, emotional, mental, and our physical fitness (SEMP Fitness), and this kind of beef is detrimental to every single one of those aspects. 

This kind of beef drains your energy. It tugs on your spirit. It weighs down your mind. It wastes your time. Time that could be spent focusing on more productive things. Especially because most of the time, this beef is petty. Something that could easily be resolved between you and the other person if you just talk it out. 

Don't believe me? Just try it. Try to talk it out and communicate whatever argument or disagreement you may have. Chances are it could have all been a misunderstanding that could have been avoided through a simple conversation. 

Maybe some of that stress that you are experiencing each day is due to a grudge that you are harboring. You think about it constantly throughout the day. And when you think about it you get angry all over again. 

It's not worth your health and well-being. It may be time to let it go. 

While you have the opportunity to make amends, you should take advantage of it. 

Let go of the beef. 

.....
FEEL GREATER
LOOK GREATER
​BE GREATER!

By now we've all heard of the tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Most of us knew him as a tremendous basketball talent, one of the best players to ever step foot on the hardwood. More than that though he was a husband, a father, a son, a brother, and a philanthropist. He wowed and dazzled us with many highlights and there will be many things that will define his legacy. 

One of those being the Mamba Mentality. The black mamba is one of the most venomous, one of the most dangerous snakes known to the world. Kobe adopted this philosophy, even has a book about it, for his approach on the court. For how he practiced, for how he played, for how he attacked his opponents. 

This mentality, was a drive to be the absolute best version of himself. To approach any task with a relentless passion and level of commitment. That's what the Mamba Mentality is. 

And that is an approach will have to take in our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical fitness journey. That we take every single day and maximize it. That every single breath we are given, we strive to be the best version of ourselves. That when we lay our head down to sleep, we can look back on the day, and say that we were the best version of ourself today. 

That is a mentality I think we can all get behind. Let's be the best version of ourself today. Tomorrow. And the day after.

​Be Greater!