100 Reps

One of my favorite workouts is to focus on doing a total of a 100 reps on every workout!  Chins you might do your first set with 20-50 reps.  Then each set afterwards you will decrease the number of reps completed.

For beginners it might be best to try a total of 50 reps until you build up to it.

This is an intense workout but can create some great muscle confusion in your workouts.

Have fun!

Chris Kostoff RN, Certified NASM and ISSA Personal Trainer

One of The Most Important Things To Weight Loss

One of the most important variables to weightloss, getting fit, and staying healthy is using a journal. Time and time again, research shows that journaling is one of the most important things a person can do to achieve their weight loss goals.

The practice of keeping a journal is the trick that seems to work best for me when I'm trying to bring my body fat levels down and bring out my abs.  When I plan in my journal what I will eat, the amounts of each food, and times I will eat, I start taking the direct action to make it happen. Journaling also allows me to go back years earlier to study what works and what does not and compare it to my current activity. 

I have a few new twists to make journaling fun. Last night, my workout partner and I started doing reps of 10-20 reps of assisted pull ups for a total of 100 reps. We took it to the next level and recorded a quick video on the iphone of the workout so that could learn from your experience and make it fun!  Videos assist with how the workout is executed and a great tool to gauge body composition while working out. 

Do the same with your meals.  You can create healthy meals and keep track of what you're eating by taking a quick photo of the finished product. 

How Obesity Affects Our Health!

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks

The Modern Nurse's Guide To Fitness

Many of you know the nurse who is out of shape and tired all of the time.  Let's face it, modern day nursing is changing and we have shortages, need to be stronger and faster. And don't you want to look great outside of work?

Well, I have a few tips and tricks for nurses who want to get fit! These work whether or not you have gym.

Let's create our own simple nursing plan:

1.  Assess yourself and your needs.  Do you have a gym?  Are you on the road on a travel nurse assignment?  Do you have a computer?  Do you have an IPhone?

Are you looking to lose weight?  Add muscle?  Gain speed?

2.  Do a nursing diagnosis of yourself without using NANDA.  

Use the smart goal setting technique. 

For example: 

I want to gain 5-10 lbs of muscle by Feb 1, 2014.  

The same can be said if you want to lose weight or body fat.  

As you might begin to recognize I am not a big believer in weight loss as much as I am on adding muscle and losing body fat.  Slightly different approaches for a fitness competitor to get in shape versus the UFC fighter to make weight.

3.  Set your plan! Planning to me is so crucial!  It can be simple.  Something like P90x can be too intense or time consuming with those 12 hour shifts.  Trust me, I get it.  Sometimes you can't get to the gym or don't have the resources you are used to.  My last 6 weeks in Maui I had to rely on my IPhone for my workouts. I decided to do more body weight workouts on my phone from GSP's workouts to corrective exercise workouts for my legs.  

One of my favorite workouts when I want to hit 100 push-ups or 20 pull-ups are the apps on the IPhone that are currently on the market.  Some of these apps will create a workout plan for you depending on how many reps you can do for push-ups or chin-ups. 

If you have access to a good yoga studio or gym you can always ask for advice on a solid workout routine.  

4.  Implementation is the fun part for many of us who want to get fit.  What's more exciting than going to the gym or doing our home gym workout and reaping the benefits of all our hard work?

Many times people will plan a daily workout but their expectations are above and beyond their capacity.  Make sure the plan you created in step three is realistic for you.  Remenber that training just three days a week can create great gains!

When you're not feeling motivated, get that friend or buddy who will keep you accountable. Even better, have them train with you in the gym.  Training partners can push you to new levels if they are consistent and motivated.  

Music and positive thinking tapes have helped inspire me several times.  Don't forget the power of this invaluable tool.

5.  Evaluate your program and progress! Evaluation is one of the most important steps because it allows you to see if you are making progress in the gym or not.  If you aren't losing body fat or gaining muscle after 12 weeks then you need to change a variable, get a new trainer, or follow another workout plan.  

Hope you had fun reading this and if you have any questions feel free to email me! 

Chris Kostoff RN, BA, ISSA Fitness Trainer

Travel Nursing: The Good and Bad!

If you ever thought about travel nursing be cautious about which company you choose.  Not all travel nurse companies are equal.  One of the best tips I can give you is to consult a former travel nurse.  The tricky thing about a travel nurse recruiter is that many are pressured to meet a sales quota.  Even more scary is that their training is usually very poor when it comes to understanding nursing and the challenges involved in being a travel nurse.  Many care about the bottom line and that means earning the sale which is you the travel nurse working for them.

Always ask each company that you want to work with a nurse you can speak too.  That way this nurse can tell you the good and bad about their company and assigment.  The last thing you want to deal with is starting a travel nurse assignment that is just bad.  

Working as a former travel nurse recruiter and travel nurse it is my desire to educate you on making the most informed decisions possible.

Chris Kostoff RN, BA

What is the best workout program and why?

With so many great workout programs for putting on mass or getting ripped!  What is your favorite workout?  HIT, P90x, MI40, BFL, The German Volume Method, Periodization, A Body Part A Week, CrossFit, Instinctive Training, or Powerbuilding!  These are just a few there are so many programs.  Tell us why you think a certain program works but please no sales pitches.  We wanta here the real deal.

Who do you feel has the best nursing school?

One of the reasons I am asking questions about the best nursing schools and travel nurse companies is because many nurses are being misguided.  Misguided in the sense that companies and schools can mislead a nurse to make a more informed choice.  This why I would love for you send in your reviews of both!  And  why you believe your school does a great job educating students to be nurses. 

What are the best travel nurse companies to work for?

Leave me your opinion on what makes the best travel nurse company?  And which companies you have enjoyed working for most!!!

Relaxing by the fire!

Phase 2: Day 4: John D's Ironman Bootcamp

45 minute run:  10 minutes warmup and then 4 minutes hard with one minute rest each interval until he hit 30 seconds.  Then back up to 4 minutes with one minute rest.  5 minutes cool down.

We wanted to make today a good workout but to crazy hard.