Category: Beginner Tips
Just Starting Out with PowerFit?? Welcome!
Posted by admin in Beginner Tips, PowerFit™ Sunday, 7 February 2010 21:32 No Comments
I wanted to take a moment to extend a special welcome to those of you who just picked up PowerFit last week when I was on QVC! As I said on air, I am here to cheer you on and support you in any way I can as you take positive steps toward healthy living. You can reach me by email at ask@StephanieHuckabee.com, by posting a comment here in the blog, or by heading over to the Forum section where you’ll be able to reach out to others who have made the decision to make fitness part of their lives. I’m also on Facebook so feel free to friend me!
Your body is a miracle no matter what kind of condition you may be in right this second. Take a breath and try to comprehend just how fearfully and wonderfully you are made… When you think about all of the intricate, amazing, wondrous processes that take place every single second that your body is functioning on planet earth, it makes the decision to take care of yourself a little easier!
Take a look below for some tips on getting started and CONGRATULATIONS on taking another step toward healthy living!
How should I get started?
Watch each workout first so that you’re familiar with the moves. Every single instructor has his or her own workout lingo, so if you’ve never done one of my workouts before we need to make sure that we’re speaking the same language!
Is there a rotation guide that I should follow?
Since PowerFit is a split workout, each day you focus on different areas of the body. This means that you can easily change up the order of the workouts or even combine workouts if you’d like to. However, I created the PowerFit system training just as the DVDs are labeled:
Day 1 is Legs and Shoulders
Day 2 is Cardio
Day 3 is Chest/Triceps/Butt
Day 4 is Back/Biceps/Thighs
Day 5 is core/abs
This is the order that most people follow Monday through Friday. This keeps things organized and makes sure that you cover each muscle group appropriately throughout the week. You can certainly change things up to suit you, but I’ve found that this is a balanced approach to exercise.
Can I do more than one workout in a day?
Because each workout has a different focus, you can combine workouts without worrying about overtraining.
I’m pregnant so can I do PowerFit? You always need to get clearance from you physician first, but as long as you listen to your body and avoid moves that aren’t recommended during pregnancy PowerFit can be part of your healthy pregnancy.
How do I modify PowerFit to make my workout more challenging? To make the workouts more challenging simply grip the band so that the tension is tighter. You can also add power to moves that I demonstrate in low impact mode. Also, make sure you’re always getting a full range of motion with your motions to be sure you’re pushing yourself appropriately as you train. You can also do pushups and planks only on your toes to take things up a notch.
Can I use weights with PowerFit?
You can certainly use dumbbells or other forms of resistance such as ankle weights if you would like. Obviously there are some moves that will ONLY work with a band, but you can use other fitness tools for the more general moves such as squats and lat row.
How do I modify PowerFit to make my workout less challenging?
To make the workouts less challenging, try doing the moves without the band or keep the tension light in your grip positioning. The band included is long enough for you to lessen the tension as you perform the moves.
Do you have any modifications available on video?
I do! Simply click on the link “PowerFit 101 Videos” which is in the “Categories” list to your right under the Facebook box, and choose the workout you’d like to know more about. And if you have a specific move you need me to demo for you, just send me a message and I’ll do my best to get it on the site for you!
Do I need to do my own warm-ups and cool-downs?
You don’t need to do additional warm-ups and cool-downs with PowerFit. Each workout begins with a warm-up specifically targeting the focus muscle groups you’ll be targeting that day. The cool-downs also are designed to stretch the areas that you’ve worked.
Can I use PowerFit with other fitness activies or programs?
Absolutely! I hear from runners, walkers and swimmers who love that they can get in their strength trainign component in just 20 minutes with PowerFit to compliment their regular routines. Others have mixed PowerFit up with walking DVDs or yoga workouts. My goal is for you to take charge of your fitness, so take ownership and mix this up any way that you’d like to help you reach your goals.
How important is nutrition?
Proper nutrition is CRITICAL!! You can’t get great results without making wise decisions about your food choices. I’m not a gourmet chef and I’m a huge fan of coupons, so what you see in the meal plan that comes with PowerFit is meals which are both easy to prepare and won’t break the bank. And they taste good as I do believe we also need to honor our tastebuds as God gave them to us for a reason! The only thing I’ll add on the meal plan is that usually my kids get an additiona carbohydrate/starch, but otherwise this is how the whole family eats.
What if I have a question that you haven’t answered here?
Simply ask! My goal is to help YOU!!
I hope that you’ve found these FAQ’s helpful and that you’re off to a wonderful start this week! Stay tuned either via the blog or on Facebook for the latest updates on new release information coming soon!!
steph
The Buzz on Bands
Posted by admin in Beginner Tips, Fitness Tuesday, 26 January 2010 07:38 1 Comment
As many of you have read, I kind of fell into training with bands by accident but immediately felt (and saw!) the changes they were making to my body. I’m certainly not opposed to dumbbells, stability balls, medicine balls, trampolines, steps – you name it – I’m all for using various training methods, especially if it will keep you engaged and away from the boredom factor. However, if you’ve never tried training with bands, I’m going to ask you to consider it. In fact, in case you missed it, there are articles about bands popping up all over the fitness world as they’re becoming more and more a standard training tool.
Just this month in Shape Magazine Janet Lee explains one of the best benefits of band training like this: “The unique things about bands is that the tension increases as you stretch them, so the exercise gets harder as you move through the range of motion, challenging your muscles in a different way than weights do.” (page 104, Feb. 2010). I couldn’t have said it any better. If you’re already a PowerFit user, you should check out this article in Shape as you’ll see some great ways to add some new moves to the training you’re already doing.
And of course, throw in the fact that they’re easy to carry, they don’t make noise (which is VERY important if you’re trying to avoid waking up little ones from their nap), they’re extremely affordable, and I think you’ll see why it’s easy to become a fan. In fact, next time you’re standing at the magazine aisle, take a peak at some of the behind-the-scenes shots of competitions in the body building magazines. You’ll almost always see people getting ready for the stage using bands. Of course, many of these competitors spent hours and hours using incredibly heavy weights to prepare, but they certainly wouldn’t bother with bands pre-show if they didn’t do anything and make their muscles look as defined as possible on stage.
My point is simply this. Give bands a chance if you haven’t already. Mix them up with your dumbbell training to recruit muscles in a slightly different way. Give your body a break from routines that feel like you’re putting yourself through the ringer, only to make you feel completely exhausted for the rest of the day. You may just find that you have a new favorite training tool!
I’ll see you next Wednesday, February 3rd on QVC and PowerFit will be offered for that day without any shipping and handling charges (5 DVDs, meal plan and the band). I’ll be on-air 2:30-3:00AM (yes…..AM…anybody going to be up???), during the Morning Show for a short appearance sometime between 7-9AM, and then 1:00-1:30PM. (All times ET). I hope you’ll tune in and if you have any special requests for questions you’d like answered or for moves you’d like demonstrated, just shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to help.
Hope you’re having a great week!
God bless!
steph
How low to go on lower body moves?
Posted by admin in Beginner Tips, Fitness Tuesday, 6 October 2009 03:00 No Comments
If there’s one thing I hope you’re figuring out with PowerFit, it’s that you don’t have to beat yourself up to get in shape. And that you don’t have to compromise your own comfort level when doing the moves to get the most out of your workout. With this in mind I’d like to remind you of a couple of form points when it comes to lower body moves:
- Only go as low as you can in a dip or squat while still feeling that you’re maintaining full control of the move.
- When you do a dip, don’t forget that it’s the front leg – not the travelling leg moving back – which is doing all the work.
- Always drive through your heels – even wiggle your toes to be sure your weight is transferred to the heels – to get the most muscle engagement through the lower body.
- To make a dip more challenging, reach back with the travelling leg and then drop that knee lower to the ground. This will give you more range of motion and therefore you’ll change more muscle fiber.
- If you want to test yourself to see if you can go lower but you’re concerned about balance, hold onto a wall or sturdy chair for a few repetitions.
- You want to be able to complete an entire sequence of a lower body move with good form, so pace yourself so that by the end of a set you feel it, but you’re still feeling in control.
Lower body moves are not only great for shaping up that area of the body, you generally get an increase in heart rate as well when you perform them since the heart has to work a little harder to get oxygen to such a large area of the body at one time. This means you’ll burn more calories while you’re shaping your muscles! Don’t waste an opportunity to go as low as you can with good form to get the most out of lower body moves.
Have a great week!
steph
VIDEO: PowerFit 101 – Core Fusion
Posted by admin in All Videos, Beginner Tips, Feature Tuesday, 8 September 2009 03:00 4 Comments
I hope you’re off to a great start this week! This is the 5th PowerFit 101 video which I hope will help add some more options for those of you who are on the PowerFit journey with me. I could talk for hours on end about core as the older I get, the more important I’m realizing it is to be strong as possible in this area. Of course, defined abs are a nice added plus, but it’s all about feeling like I can move through my day with a strong core to do all that I need to do without feeling worn out.
And I can’t say it enough – please continue to provide feedback with suggestions and comments on PowerFit. I take notes on every single review posted over at qvc.com as well as what you post on this site or on Facebook to truly get a feel for how to improve. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know how I can help you in your own fitness journey and it’s an honor to be able to share my passion for fitness.
Have a wonderful, POWERful week and I’ll see you soon!
steph
***Next QVC appearance is September 22nd during the morning show… see you soon!***
VIDEO: PowerFit 101: Back, Biceps and Thighs
Posted by admin in All Videos, Beginner Tips Friday, 4 September 2009 03:00 No Comments
Hope you’re enjoying the PowerFit 101 videos! I’ve been so pleased with your feedback and some of the questions I’m getting. It lets me know that you’re taking your fitness journey seriously and that you want to learn all that you can so that you become your own expert when it comes to how your body responds to healthy eating and working out!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend – and that you get to do something outside if the weather cooperates. It will be cooler before we know it, so let’s take advantage of the last bit of summer while we can and get active outdoors!
Take care and see you soon!
steph