On the First Day of Fitness, my trainer gave to me:

A Foam Roller for my sore knee.
Using a foam roller to loosen tight muscles (known as self-myofascial release, if you want to get fancy) is a great way to eliminate chronic pain and tightness in a variety of areas on your body. If you would like to look over Basics and Beyond’s official foam roller protocol, you can read the easy steps. If you have any questions about using the foam rollers, you are welcome to phone us any time at (615) 386-0434.


On the second day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Kettlebells are special weights used for strength training exercises. A kettlebell is basically a round chunk of iron, like a cannonball, with a handle. Using kettlebells instead of dumbbells makes many traditional exercises more difficult due to the different center of gravity of the kettlebells, and the thick handles. There are many exercises that you can do with the kettlebells that you cannot do with traditional dumbbells.

 


On the third day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Whole Body Vibration is a new technology that is used to improve bone density (helping to prevent osteoporosis), improve flexibility, increase strength, and improve reaction time. Five to ten minutes per workout is all that is required to see improvements.

 

 

 


On the fourth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

When many folks exercise their abdominal muscles (the “core”), they only perform forward movements (crunches, situps, leg raises, etc.). Don’t forget that our spines move in four directions – forwards, backwards, twisting, and side-to-side. A complete midsection workout should include all four directions on a regular basis.


On the fifth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

 

Antioxidants are important nutrients necessary to prevent disease and maintain good health. You can read all about antioxidants by clicking here.

 

 


On the sixth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Eating a high-protein breakfast will boost your metabolism and help stave off hunger. All-carb breakfasts promote fat storage and give you the mid-day sugar crash. You can read more about breakfast here.


On the seventh day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Exercise tubing is a good tool for strength training work. Tubing is light, versatile, and makes a good substitute or addition to traditional weight training workouts. A complete set of exercise tubes with handles and a door anchor costs $40.00 from Basics and Beyond fitness & nutrition.


On the eighth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Eight hours sleeping
Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

If you are not getting enough sleep, you put yourself at risk for many physical and mental problems, including:

  • Increased fat storage
  • Decreased reaction time
  • More mistakes and more forgetfulness
  • Emotional side effects, like stress, anger, and impatience
  • Supressed immune system function

And lack of sleep makes you fat!


On the ninth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Nine different stretches
Eight hours sleeping
Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Regular stretching can prevent many muscular and postural problems. Here is our suggested list of nine must-stretch muscles:

  • Pectorals (chest)
  • Lower back
  • Hamstrings
  • Calves
  • Sides
  • Forearms/wrists
  • Hip flexors
  • Neck
  • IT band/outer thigh

On the tenth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Ten grams of protein
Nine different stretches
Eight hours sleeping
Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Most people should try to consume between 10 and 30 grams of protein every time they eat. Good sources of protein include whey, fish, eggs, lean meat, skinless poultry, skim dairy, and soy.


On the eleventh day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Eleven smaller dishes
Ten grams of Protein
Nine different stretches
Eight hours sleeping
Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

You don’t have to eat everything on your plate. Really. Better yet, don’t put so much on your plate to begin with.
Put your meal on the plate first, and look at it. Do you have your protein? Veggies? How much starch? Can you cut out any unnecessary calories somewhere, like sauces or butter? Portion control is a big part of losing weight.


On the twelfth day of fitness, my trainer gave to me:

Twelve posture lessons
Eleven Smaller dishes
Ten grams of Protein
Nine different stretches
Eight hours sleeping
Seven tubes for pulling
Protein at breakfast
Antioxidants
Four trunk directions
Vibration Training
Two Kettlebells
and a Foam Roller for my sore knee

Posture is a good indicator of the condition of the muscular system. Take off your shoes and look at yourself standing in the mirror:

  • The arch of the foot should support the ankle joint so that the foot is not flattened out against the floor. Your feet should be placed so that you could trace a straight line going down from your hip joints, through the knees, and through the ankles. Feet should point straight ahead.
  • Thighs should be rotated so the kneecaps point straight ahead.
  • Hips should be level, and weight should be placed evenly on both legs.
  • Your shoulder blades should be retracted enough so that the palms are facing inwards, not facing behind you.
  • Your head should be level, and your ears should be lined up over your shoulders.

Click here for a $50 coupon to the Nashville Neuromuscular Center, our favorite postural correction gang!