The Health Advocate | Amway

Posted By: Andy Gamm for Matthew Darin

Well it’s official everyone, winter is here!  I was able to escape the weather in Michigan this week with a great trip to Amway’s Achievers event, but at home a staggeringly early sunset and plunging temperatures, will make staying on track with workouts a challenge for even the most committed of us.  But not to worry, I’ve learned some great tips that can make staying active through the winter a snap.

Morning workouts at Amway’s Achievers 2011 event in Orlando, Florida

I’ve tried a ton of fitness programs from DVDs to videogames but I’d like to highlight my preferred solution that makes indoor, professionally led, at-home workouts available to us all.  The 4-3-2-1 Body Training DVD Presented by Nutrilite, is a great option for any fitness level as it offers flexible routines, designed to be done anywhere by everyone!  The tips I’ve provided below are based largely on the 4-3-2-1 approach to fitness and I hope that you’ll find them as useful as I have.  Once you understand the method behind 4-3-2-1, you can create your own workouts with your favorite movements or exercises.

So get your fitness clothing on and make sure you have a clock/watch (that counts seconds), some form of resistance (e.g. tubing, dumbbells, water bottles, etc.) and get ready to go!

• Spend a few minutes getting warmed up:  Take 2-3 minutes to get your body loose with movements like split leg squats, light walking in place or hamstring stretches spending one minute on each movement.

• Start with 4 minutes of HEAT (High Energy Aerobic Training): A key component of the 4-3-2-1 program is what is commonly referred to as “interval training”. Simply put, this means you’re working out in set intervals or time periods.  In our HEAT sections (designed to use cardio exercises to get our heart rates up), we’ll break each of the first 4 minutes into 30 second intervals.  For the first 30 seconds you perform the movement at a leisurely pace, followed by your maximum effort for the next 30 seconds.  So for example, if you were doing jumping jacks as your HEAT movement, you’d spend the first 30 seconds doing them slowly at a very comfortable pace, then kick up the intensity doing as many as you can for the next thirty seconds – you’d do this for a total of 8 sets of 30 seconds.

• • If you find this too easy for your liking, try switching your interval from 30 seconds low intensity, with 30 seconds high intensity, to 10 seconds of low intensity with 20 seconds of high intensity movement.

• Move to 3 minutes of Resistance Training: Select 3 resistance exercises e.g. Push-Ups, Bicep Curls, Triceps Extensions, Squats, etc. and spend one minute on each movement.  The goad here is to do as many repetitions (with proper form) as possible in the minute allotted.  Movements might get tough as the minute wears on, but focus on how your body will look and feel if you can make this a regular habit!

• Spend 2 minutes focused on Core Strengthening: Our back and abdominal muscles are a critical component of our overall health.  Select 2 of your favorite core strengthening movements (e.g. crunches, side planks, bicycle crunches, etc.) and spend one minute on each (or switch 30 seconds in if the movement targets a side of your body individually).

• Wrap up your session with 1 minute of Deep Breathing and Stretching: At this point, you get to stretch your body and enjoy relaxing deep breaths – you’ve earned them!  Pick stretches like the Tricep stretch, Hamstring Stretch, Ab Stretch, etc. and spend 30 seconds on each (switching within the 30 seconds if a stretch is targeted to one side of your body).

Once you’ve finished your 4-3-2-1 workout, feel free to take on another set with either the same or different exercises.  Remember it’s the varying intervals that make this workout strategy effective without the need for long sessions in a gym, so get creative and mix up your movements.

Come rain, sleet or snow, here’s to your season of health!

Matthew Darin is recently married and looking forward to growing his family in Ada, MI.  He is an Assistant Brand Manager for Amway’s Nutrilite brand with past experience in Weight Management and Fitness.  He enjoys living a healthy and active lifestyle, outdoor activities like running and camping and is an avid professional football fan.

Posted by: Andy Gamm for Matthew Darin

Lucky me!  Three times in a week I get to share the thoughts and insights of a co-worker.  That gives me time to cook up a good, Clark Griswold esque blog on proper prep for cutting down a Christmas tree!  This time, fellow Nutrilite nut Matthew Darin takes the spotlight…

As I wound down the last mile of the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in San Antonio this past weekend, I couldn’t help but think about my own personal journey to fitness over the past two years.  I’ve been involved in sports and fitness activities for most of my life, but after I finished school and got my first “desk” job I traded time at the gym for time on the couch relaxing after long days in an office environment. 

 But the more involved I became with the Nutrilite brand and it’s experts, the more I discovered how to make fitness a part of my daily routine.  The results of this change have been better than I could have imagined.  I’ve lost weight, gained energy and confidence, and made new friends along the way.  But like most people, I found that getting started and sticking to my routine after lapses has been the most persistent challenge.

 Here are four tips I’ve found helpful for staying motivated and on task:

• Feel good about making time to stay healthy:  For me, the time I spent in my evenings to work out often felt like time I should be spending with family or putting in extra work or study.  Eventually I shifted my workouts to the morning to avoid these conflicts, but it’s important to recognize that taking time to keep healthy and fit is important beyond the benefits you’ll personally enjoy.  Think about all the people who depend on you – by making time to stay fit, you’re doing all you can to be there for them now and in the future.

• Identify and focus on your “why”:  In working with Sean Foy (lead fitness consultant for the Nutrilite Health Institute) on the 4-3-2-1 Body Training DVD I was particularly impacted by Sean’s direction to find and focus on your personal “why”.  As he often says, “why is it important to you personally to be healthy?”  Who do you think about when you consider the importance of your long-term health? What do you hope to achieve with your workouts (e.g. improved appearance, climbing stairs without becoming winded, etc.)?  Identifying and being mindful on your own “why” can make rolling out of bed, or stopping off at the gym on your way home from work a much less daunting task.

• Block out time and focus on showing up:  To get started, pick a time of day that will work with your schedule.  Our experts recommend the morning (before work) as it can be tough to stay motivated to workout after a long workday.  For me, I’ve found that just committing to have a workout session was helpful, even if I got out bed telling myself that I’d just be “going through the motions”.  Remember that our bodies were designed to move, once you’ve established a routine you’ll start to miss the workouts you might have once dreaded.

• “Win” one day at a time:  Anyone who has ever watched a late-night infomercial for the latest “ab-ripping” product has likely fallen victim to thinking that they are just one quick swipe of the credit card away from the body they’ve always dreamed of.  In reality, making a long-lasting impact on your health comes down to doing the right things (or “winning”) one day at a time.  Focus on the small victories and strive for progress, not perfection.  Don’t get hung up on the mistakes of the past, or spend too much time worrying about tomorrow.  Focus on what you have the ability to impact – your choices today.

 There has never been a better time to get started on your way to your optimal you, so get out there and focus on winning today!  If you don’t know where to get started on your fitness journey, some of the great fitness products from Nutrilite can help.  Good luck and have fun with it!

 Matthew Darin is recently married and looking forward to growing his family in Ada, MI.  He is an Assistant Brand Manager for Amway’s Nutrilite brand with past experience in Weight Management and Fitness.  He enjoys living a healthy and active lifestyle, outdoor activities like hiking and camping and is an avid professional football fan.