Morning Workout

Jumpstart your fat burners and build muscle with this quick at-home routine

Warm up with the mobility and dynamic flexibility moves. Then perform the 1-minute drill. Rest 15 to 30 seconds, then do the strength circuit. Rest 1 minute. Repeat the drill and strength circuit sequence three to five times. After the first round, try to work at an effort of 7 or 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10) each time you perform the 1-minute drill.

MOBILITY AND DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY

Perform the following exercises as fast as possible with good form. Rest 30 seconds between exercises and 1 minute between rounds. Perform 2 rounds.

3-Step Lateral Run and Pause (5 reps)
From a strong tall posture, perform a high knee run sideways taking three total lateral steps, running on the balls of your feet, driving the elbows back and maintaining good upright posture. Do not cross your feet as you run. On the third step pause and maintain balance for at least 1 to 2 seconds before running in the opposite direction. That's one rep.

Lateral Speed Lunge (8 reps)
From an athletic position, take a lateral step to the right. Quickly and with good squat form, touch your right hand (outside your right leg) to the floor and immediately drive your body up and shuffle one step over to the left touching the floor with your left hand. Your body should be completely extended (tall) when you move from side to side. (For a variation of this side lunge, check out this video to perfect the form.)

Spiderman Climb (10 reps per leg)
Start in the top of the pushup position. Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up outside of your shoulder and touch your foot to the ground. Slowly return your leg to the start position and repeat with the opposite leg.

1-MINUTE DRILL

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds each. (And if these aren't intense enough for you, try this Fastest Cardio Workout Ever.)

Jumping Jacks
Start with your feet hip-width apart and hands at your sides. Simultaneously raise your arms above your head and jump so you can spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Then jump again to lower your arms and bring your feet together. Repeat.

High Knees
Run in place, with knees driving toward your chest.

Side-to-Side Hops
Starting with feet together, push off with your right foot to hop laterally to the left about 3 feet. Land on your left foot and follow with your right. Hop back, this time pushing off with your left foot. Repeat.

Mountain Climbers
Start in a pushup position. Keeping your head in line with your body, bring your right knee to your chest, then back to starting position. Alternate rapidly with the left leg.

STRENGTH CIRCUIT

Complete as many repetitions as you can of each exercise in 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds, then move to the next exercise. (And to take your workouts to the next level in minimal time, be sure to check out The Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts.)

Jumps
Dip down at the hips and knees, and then explode up.

Pushups with Row
Get into pushup position with your arms straight and your hands resting on light dumbbells. Squeeze your abs and glutes as you perform a pushup. At the top, pull one dumbbell off the floor and toward you until your elbow is above your back. Slowly return the weight to the floor and repeat with the other arm.

Two-Way Lunges
From a standing position, take a large step forward with one leg, then immediately lunge backward. Switch legs after 10 seconds.

Single-Leg RDL
Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Raise one foot and extend it behind you, just off the floor. Contract your glutes, brace your abs, and keep your spine naturally arched. Focusing on balance, lower yourself until your torso is parallel to the floor. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back. Push back up to the starting position. Switch legs after 10 seconds.

Glute Bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips so your lower back is off the floor. Hold for 20 seconds.

Food to Help You Sleep -- Natural Sleep Aids

How are you sleeping? Are you tired?  Stress?  The National Sleep Foundation (U.S.) recently reported that 40% of Americans experience symptoms of insomnia.  Regardless of the cause of your fatigue, being tired is a bummer, and can lead to some pretty serious health problems, including weight gain, heart disease, and depression.  Before you reach for the sleep medication, though, take a look at 9 foods that are natural sleep aids.

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Cherries
In one small study, participants drank eight ounces of tart cherry juice in the morning, and another eight ounces in the evening, for two weeks and reported better sleeping habits. Why does it work? All varieties of cherries are naturally high in melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. Eat a cup of whole cherries as a late-night snack if you’d rather not drink juice.


Fish
Fish are rich in tryptophan, a natural sedative, with shrimp, cod, tuna and halibut having the highest levels, even more than turkey. But since not all seafood choices are healthy (some are high in contaminants) or for the planet (many are overfished, or methods for catching them kill other species), stick to catches like Pacific cod from Alaska or pole-caught Albacore tuna from the U.S. or British Columbia.

Lemon Balm
This lemon-scented member of the mint family has been a sleep-inducing superstar for ages, but it seems to be most effective in combination with another herb called valerian.  In one study published in the journalPhytotherapy Research, 81 percent of people with minor sleep problems who took a combination of the herbs reported sleeping better than people on a placebo. Both can be purchased as supplements, or you can make a tea by steeping 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried lemon balm and 1 teaspoon of valerian root in 1 cup of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. (If you take other medications, though, ask a doctor or pharmacist about any potential herb-drug interactions.)

Chamomile
Another herb that works as well as lemon balm, chamomile has been used as an herbal remedy for insomnia for thousands of years. In one animal study, it calmed down mice as effectively as tranquilizers, and in the only human study to study the effectiveness of chamomile, the herb reduced mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder much better than placebo. Ready-made chamomile teas are sold in every supermarket, so it’s an easy remedy to get your hands on.

Bananas
These perfectly snack-sized superfruits are packed with potassium and magnesium, two minerals that promote muscle relaxation. In fact, magnesium deficiencies are related to restless leg syndrome and nighttime muscle cramps, two conditions that can certainly interfere with your sleep. Make it a goal to eat one banana a day to see if that helps your sleep problems.

Spinach
In addition to being rich in potassium and magnesium, spinach is high in calcium, yet one more mineral that plays a role in sleep. Calcium helps the body generate melatonin, the hormone that helps your body maintain its circadian rhythm. You can get the same benefits from other dark leafy greens, such as Swiss chard, kale, turnip greens and collard greens.

Dairy
Like spinach, dairy products are rich in melatonin-boosting calcium, and a number of studies are finding that calcium deficiencies are linked to poor sleep quality. So there may be something to that old adage that a glass of warm milk will help you sleep, after all!  Make sure to choose organic dairy, as the anti-biotics and growth-hormones in some dairy may actually interfere with sleep.

Almonds
They’re full of magnesium and yet another source of calcium. You can eat a handful of almonds or spread some almond-butter on a piece of whole grain bread, which will help you get to sleep for another reason 

Carb/Protein Combos
There’s some debate as to how well your body handles tryptophan, and a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that getting it from high-protein foods can work against you, because protein can prevent tryptophan from entering your brain. But when you combine high-protein foods with carbs, the insulin your body produces in response to the carbs makes it easier for tryptophan to break through your brain’s barriers. So think oatmeal with bananas and almonds, for a real sleepy snack, or whole-grain cereal with organic milk.

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10 Nutrition Targets

Little Change can make big difference.  From drinking more water, eating the right breakst, or "strive for five," if you set small, realistic goals, you can make  important changes than can last a lifetime.  Try to meet the following 10 little nutrition goals in order to see results.  Start with one.  Once you have one down, add a set target.  It won't be long before you realize you have incorporated all ten targets into your lifestyle.  Whatever your goals may be--weight loss, weight maintenance, or weight gain--incorporate these targets to meet your goals.

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1. Drink Water.  You should drink 10 glasses fluid each day, and at least five of these should be water.  You already know that staying well hydrated is important.  Since our thirst mechanism does not kick in until we are already dehydrated, you need to have a hydration plan so you do not become thirsty.

2. Eat the RIGHT breakfast.  Contrary to what the cereal industry has to say, starting the day witha  bowl of cereal is not the best way to start the day.  You should have protein within an hour of waking to give your metabolism a little jump-start and get it going for the day. The right breakfast restarts your metabolic engine after the night's shutdown, but also provides your body with the necessary nutrients to get yor mind and body working a peak capacity.

3.  Strive for Five serving of fruits and vegetables.  The nutrients, phytochemicals, and fibre in fruit and vegetables are directly linked to your health   the ore you eat, the lower your risk for cancer  heart disease  and other chronic diseases.  The majority of your daily carbohydrates should come from fruits and vegetables--not grains, breads, pastas.

4. Eat at least 3 serving of fish a week.  Fatty varieties of fish such as shellfish, trout, cod, halibut, mackeal and salmon are plentiful in Omega-3 Fatty Acids.  These fatty acids have a protective effect on blood cholesterol levels and help prevent blood clotting--a cause of strokes.  Fish is also a fantastic source of protein.

5. Substitute lower-fat desserts for high-fat desserts   By switching to low-fat desserts from the high fat ones, you can save 17g of fat and 160 calories.

6. Eat vegetarian at least three meals a week.  Be sure to include plant sources of protein. Beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, and organic non-gmo soy products are full of healthful food factors and phytochemiclas that you will not get in your diet otherwise.  You will increase your fiver content, while decreasing your fat intake at the same time.

7. Yogurt--the new apple? A yogurt a day keeps the doctor away--keeps intestinal problems a bay. The bacteria primarily responsible for cultured yogurt is very help to your digestive tract.  Lactobacillus acidophilu will help fend off harmful bacteria such as those that cause food poisoning and intestinal flu.  It reduces the risk of developing vaginal yest infections, and it helps avoid the diarrhea that often occurs as a side effect of antibiotic therapy.  Choose organic, plain yogurt.

8. Incorporate nuts and seeds into your diet. A couple of teaspoons of organic peanut butter, or other nut or seed butters, are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and the important antioxidant vitamin E.

9. Relax with a glass of red.  Studies from the University of California, and Cornell University suggest that an antioxidant contained in red wine--resveratrol--helps protect against cardiovascular disease and event cancer.  Once or twice a week, enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.

10.  Enjoy your food!  Stopping to enjoy your food is necessary to experience the feeling of satisfaction after a meal.  Eating on the run leaves you wanting more.  Especially if you are on a weight loss diet, take the time to enjoy your food, and you will soon find that less is more.