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Tips for getting the most out of your fitness goals

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8 things I’ve learned in 30 years of weight training….

  1. Not everyone in the gym is there for muscle gains and/or weight loss.
  2. Show up and start moving; motivation follows action.
  3. Some workouts are a 10, some are a 2. As long as most are somewhere in between, you’ll make progress. 
  4. Top 5 things that slow progress- Under-eating, poor food choices, excessive cardio, not training heavy enough, and poor sleep/ recovery. 
  5. Just because an exercise looks creative and novel doesn’t mean it’s better than the tried and true movements. 
  6. The best exercise for me may not be the best exercise for you. EveryBODY is unique with a lifetime of experiences. 
  7. Fitness goals should enhance our lives, not consume our every waking moment. Competitors know how challenging it is to keep this balance. 
  8. Be the person who makes a commitment to herself and keeps it. 

Let’s make this the year you finally reach those goals!  Contact me here http://vickidiazfitness.com/contact/

Happy New Year Friends!! 🎉🎉

20 minute Beach Body Circuit, Tulum MX

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Sand, surf and sweat! Blast fat and build muscle at the beach!

Traveling provides a break from traditional gym workouts. The beautiful beaches in Tulum, Mexico are the perfect setting for a beach workout. It’s a Fit Chick’s Paradise!

This full-body circuit combines explosive plyometric movements that work the legs, fire-up the metabolism and mat exercises to challenge the upper body and core.

My goal for this beach workout:   short bursts of high intensity movements, followed by 30-60 seconds of recovery for two rounds.

Sand provides an unstable surface to push off, so it really cranks up the intensity! Doing these exercises barefoot in the sand will also work the smaller intrinsic muscles of the feet.  If you’re not accustomed to exercising barefoot, you may want to start a bit more conservative on the jumping movements until your feet get more accustomed to the sand.

This workout is quick! After all, if you’re on vacation, you have other things on your agenda; enjoying some amazing food, relaxing on the beach or visiting the local ruins!

FITastic travels, Friends! xoxo

Special thanks to Hotelito Azul for the beautiful accommodations and hospitality!

Aging Younger While Pursuing Fitness Goals

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I recently celebrated another birthday! As I reflect on memories, accomplishments and future goals, the concept of “aging” has been on my mind.  What does “act your age” even mean? There are days when I wake up and think, “I’m getting older and aches and pains are part of that.” Or, one I heard about seven years ago right before my 40th birthday, “you’re getting older, you should really start slowing down.”  What! Wait…. Screeching nails on the chalkboard!   This is where the story changes….

What if growing older is really in our minds?

One of my favorite quotes is by George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” EXACTLY!  This is the mindset shift that I live by.  Thanks Mr. Shaw! So how do we stay in the game?

Set new goals.

Some of my most exciting goals have been set and accomplished in my forties! International travel, earning my IFBB Pro Card, competing at the Olympia and truly understanding the direction and focus of my fitness business are just a few.  Had I settled for “slowing down”,  I wouldn’t have taken action on any of my most meaningful personal and business goals.  I think the keyword is ACTION.  Is it risky? Sure it is!  But, standing still and hesitating to take the leap can leave us with a lifetime of unresolved “what-if’s”.

Be kind to your body.

The reality of our physical bodies aging is inevitable.  We’ve begun wearing the “tread on our tires” so to speak, so we must reconsider how we treat our bodies in pursuit of our goals.  Recovery, sleep, and healthy eating have become more of a necessity than a luxury for me.  I want to train my body at a high level for many years to come.  I enjoy it and it’s an important part of my life.  To improve longevity, I use a variety of training techniques and nutrition strategies to maximize my time in the gym without wrecking my health and joints.  Find new ways to challenge your body and keep it interesting!

Renew your mind.

Feeding my mind with positive messages, time in prayer, and surrounding myself with positive people has helped me have more enthusiasm for life and the optimism in setting new goals.  I can honestly say my mind and my thoughts are more youthful than they were ten years ago.  Recently, travel has become a new passion of mine that has taught me the importance of unplugging to recharge. Life certainly hasn’t spared me from curveballs and stressors, but keeping my focus and actions in the direction of things I enjoy most, create excitement in new adventures in the future!

Here’s to many more years of playing and growing younger!

Each of the programs I create for my clients is designed with his/her specific goals and lifestyle in mind. I take a personal approach to help clients set new goals and create effective strategies for achieving them. For more information, contact me through my personal training page.

 

 

Resolution Reset

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Resolution Reset

We’re one month into the new year!  We started the new year with big goals and ambitions for finally sticking with our health and fitness goals. Life happens, we get distracted and before you know it, those goals can slip away if we don’t recommit to our action plans.  Good news!  It’s never too late to get back on track!  After all, meaningful and realistic health and fitness goals are meant to improve the quality of our lives forever, not just for a spring break get-away.

If you’ve slipped away from your plan, recommit and rejuvenate your mindset!  If you haven’t been 100% on your plan, you have NOT failed.  Stop the negative self-talk from spiraling into disappointment.  Sure, sticking with your plan at 100% will yield faster results, but if you’ve doing 90% better than you were yesterday, you’re off to a great start!

Your health is your #1 priority!  Saying it and actually committing to the behaviors and habits that make it priority are two different things.  God willing we get to wake up each day and make decisions that impact the course of our day.  Taking time to eat healthy and exercise is not selfish!  Treat your body well so you can show up as the best version of YOU!

Instead of focusing on what you CAN’T eat, focus on what you GET to eat.  No one wants to feel deprived, so let go of what does not serve your goal.  Focus on what you can add to your diet like more healthy fats and protein.

Think of your workouts as shaping your body, not just loosing weight.  Weight training is the ultimate anti-aging activity we can do for ourselves.  Make your gym time consistent, safe and challenging!  Set short term goals that set you up for success in reaching your long-term goals!

Find a supportive tribe who helps keep you accountable and inspired.  If you’re not finding that support at home, there are plenty of groups focused on similar goals.  Find a trainer who inspires and motivates you!  We all started somewhere and no one is meant to do this alone.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.