Archives for July 2014

Fitness Motivation – Determination ultimately leads to satisfaction – Exercise Inspiration

July 31, 2014

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Never underestimate the power of your attitude.

Today’s “Fitness Motivation” post comes to you via the last two days of my life. Hang in there while I tell you what went down.

Day #1: I snoozed through my alarm because I was just too tired. The 60 minutes that I had left myself to workout became 15, and even then my attitude towards my at-home workout was rather begrudging as secretly I pined to be back in bed. Work was a rather mundane day; I went through the motions and did what I needed to do but otherwise pretty devoid of any more emotion. After a 10 hr day at work I was pretty exhausted and felt that way until my head hit the pillow that night. That night as I went to sleep, I did so with the resolve to make the next day a lot better than this one was.

Day #2: woke up on time to my alarm, jumped out of bed, and went to the gym for a great 60 minute workout with weights. I went to work that day with increased vigor and what I swore to be heightened mental clarity. I never really sunk into that slowed-down and groggy state and was therefore a lot more productive throughout the day. That night as I went to sleep I recounted to myself how much better this day was than the day before. Ultimately my mind came to rest on one question…

“What was the difference?”

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Total Body Dumbbell Workout – The most comprehensive dumbbell workout out there!

July 30, 2014

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Grab your dumbbells and hang on tight.

I LOVE free weights. Not only are they a little more versatile than machines and even barbells, but I’ve got an amazing set in my basement that my wife gave me for Christmas (very similar to this one – if you’ve ever thought about getting a weight set I HIGHLY recommend it!)! Today I’m sharing some of my favorite exercises that make up my go-to total-body dumbbell routine. It’s one of my favorite workouts – hope you feel the same! Part of the “What I Worked Wednesday” series here on Tone-and-Tighten.com.

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Frozen Greek Yogurt Covered Rapsberries Recipe

July 29, 2014

Weekly highlights, new giveaways, and BONUS workouts!

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A couple of years ago I planted some raspberry bushes in our back yard and they are finally starting to produce large amounts of raspberries, but my kids eat them so fast that we rarely have any on hand! Thankfully raspberries are in season and you can get them in mass quantities, which makes this the perfect snack for this time of year. The Greek yogurt adds a sweet and creamy topping, plus packs some protein into your diet.

Frozen Greek Yogurt Covered Raspberries

Ingredients:

1-2 cups fresh raspberries

1 (5.3 oz) container plain OR vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Directions:

Wash and dry the raspberries, then set aside.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or even aluminum foil).

Using a toothpick or even a wooden skewer, dip a raspberry in the yogurt and roll it around until all the sides of the raspberry are covered in yogurt. Place raspberry on cookie sheet and repeat until all raspberries are covered.

Place cookie sheet in the freezer and let freezer for 2-3 hours. Store them in the freezer in an air-tight container (or even put them in individual serving bags for when you need a quick snack!).

This is a great project to let your kids help you with.

Looking for more healthy snack ideas?

Greek Yogurt Onion Dip

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip

Make it happen,

Jared

By Jared Beckstrand

To view the rest of this post, be sure to head over to www.tone-and-tighten.com.

Have a great day!

Jared

10 Minute Workout Blitz – 5 workouts of 10 minutes or less!! – Weekly Workout Plan

July 28, 2014

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I am strapped for time this week.

Ever have one of those weeks? Like the kind where you sit down on Sunday night, look at the calendar, and think to yourself “if I can just make it to Saturday”? Well, dear friends, tonight is one of those nights and this is shaping up to be one of those weeks!! With so much going on how can there possible be time to workout?! Well – it’s to you, my time-strapped-yet-dedicated-to-the-pump friend, that I’m dedicating this week’s “Weekly Workout Plan”! I’m calling it a week of “Workout Blitz” because it’s coming at you hard and fast – a whole week of killer workouts that will take you LESS THAN 10 MINUTES to complete! Don’t let “I don’t have the time” keep you from some awesome workouts this week! Get all of them right here and together we’ve totally got this! Ready or not!! All in!!

Day One

6-Minute Total Body Plank Routine

Day Two

10-Minute Butt Lift Workout

Day Three

10-Minute Tank Top Arms Workout

Day Four

10 Minute Countdown Workout

Day Five

YOUR PICK!!!

Choose one of my favorite “10 of the Best 10 Minute Workouts” videos!!

Know some peeps who are also strapped for time? Share your workout plan with everyone on Pinterest or share on Facebook using the gray bar below!!

As always, I love to hear from my readers!! Leave a comment below or email me at ToneandTightenFitness@gmail.com

Make it happen,

Jared

By Jared Beckstrand

To view the rest of this post, be sure to head over to www.tone-and-tighten.com.

Have a great day!

Jared

The chance of a lifetime – The giveaway to change your life!!

July 27, 2014

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Ready to change your life forever?!

I am totally, completely, and utterly STOKED OUT OF MY MIND for the next two weeks! I was recently selected to be one of six bloggers to come down and stay for a week on the beautiful Fitness Ridge resort in Saint George, Utah. This amazing resort is formerly a Biggest Loser ranch – the exact same setting where the contestants on the show go for weeks on end and get everything from multiple daily workouts to healthy meals prepared for them. My absolute favorite part of this whole thing… YOU GET TO COME WITH ME!!!!!!!! Interested? Good… keep reading…

Fitness Ridge is a place you really have to experience to wrap your head around the miracles they work there. According to their website:

“At our all inclusive resort, Fitness Ridge, we offer a unique and life changing weight loss experience and so much more. We not only have all the tools in place to set you on a course for a healthier, happier, “rest of your life”, these tools come complete with world class accommodations, staff, cuisine and views that are as memorable as the results you will achieve. While our certified trainers inspire you to push yourself further than you could have imagined, our life coaches, social workers, and dietitians will help you gain the tools needed to make changes that last a lifetime, not just a week or a month.”

But from a first-hand experience (my wife and I toured it for a couple of hours a little more than a month ago), this place is THE REAL DEAL!! There are more workouts than you can even fit into a day including hikes every morning, 2-3 workouts daily in one of their 3 state-of-the-art gyms (everything from weights and conditioning to kickboxing and Yoga), pool workouts, and even cycling through the beautiful red rock canyons of southern Utah. Taught by professional, certified trainers and even some Biggest Loser contestants from past seasons! Trust me, they’ve got your workouts covered.

But that’s not all. Not even CLOSE to all! Your meals are all taken care of, prepared by a world-class team of chefs, that are too amazing to be as good for you as they are (we had the chicken lasagne down there – MIND BLOWING flavor and only 360 calories/serving!). We looked over some of the daily menu plans while we were there – everything sounded phenomenal with daily averages in the 1200-1500 calorie range. Trust me, they’ve got your menu plan covered.

But wait! There’s more!! (Ha ha- totally feels like an infomercial!!). The final, and in my opinion very most important, thing that they offer at Fitness Ridge are classes. You get everything from diet and nutrition to calorie expenditure and weight loss. They don’t just run you through workouts and feed you a healthy diet while you’re there; they actually provide you with education, keys, and knowledge that you will take home with you after your experience. This component is VITAL in any weight plan – it’s one thing to go through the motions; it’s quite another to know WHY it’s effective. Education – covered.

So here’s why you care – I will be down there the week of August 3-9 and I WANT YOU TO BE THERE WITH ME!!!

I’ve worked out a deal with Fitness Ridge where they’re prepared to offer you a 5% discount on your week there!!

You get all the meals, workouts, and accommodations for just $2295! That’s seriously only $327 dollars a day!

Bring a friend and you only pay $1595 each ($227/day)

Bring 3 friends and the four of you pay ONLY $995 each ($142/day… seriously – they have to be losing money on this one!!)

I challenge you to find any hotel, restaurants, and entertainment on any vacation for that cheap!! It’s hard to put a price tag on changing your life forever, but if you have to then that’s an INCREDIBLE deal!!!

Spread the love by sharing this experience with a friend! Pin that bad boy:

Oh, and one more thing (there’s always one more thing!). Fitness Ridge has agreed to sponsor a giveaway for Tone and Tighten and the other blogs that are going to be present. This one has me CRAZY with excitement! This is the BIGGEST giveaway we’ve ever done here on the site and I’m absolutely pumped to offer it to you!!! Coming in August…

YOU CAN WIN A WEEK ON THE FITNESS RIDGE RANCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything I just mentioned, all inclusive, life-changing experiences valued at $2500 dollars that you get your shot at absolutely free!! It’s coming your way in August; look for more details over the next couple of weeks.

I know this is a lot to process. If you have any questions PLEASE feel free to email me at ToneandTightenFitness@gmail.com. I’ll do my best to answer any questions you may have as quickly as possible so we can totally see you down there next week!

Thanks so much to all of you and all of our sponsors for making such incredible changes in so many lives (mine included). I have the best readers in the world and I look forward to hopefully meeting some of you at this amazing opportunity!

Make it happen,

Jared

By Jared Beckstrand

To view the rest of this post, be sure to head over to www.tone-and-tighten.com.

Have a great day!

Jared