Did we say 5? We meant 7 - one to try every day this week.

Sunday: Enjoy the Earth

Get outside and find some hills for a workout. Hills are the perfect tool to do intervals on. Sprint or walk quickly up the hills and walk down to recover. Rest a little in between if you need or do a set of 3 back to back and then take a break. Remember, interval training can be 9X more effective at fat burning than steady endurance training.

Monday: Go Meatless

Reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating meat from your menu today. Research says the benefits to you may include reduced risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Environmentally, reducing meat consumption saves water (up to 2,500 gallons per pound of meat), and reduces our overall carbon footprint (meat production currently accounts for 20% of man-mad greenhouse gas emissions).

Tuesday: Power Less

Change your computer sleep settings, unplug devices not in use, install smart strips at home and work. Approximately 75% of electricity that powers home electronics is used while these devices are turned off.

Wednesday: Reusable at the Gym and Starbucks

Buy a stainless steel or glass water bottle to take to the gym (and refill throughout your day) and if you're a coffee junky take your own cup instead of the paper cups at your favorite java hut. BodyBusiness even has stainless bottles for sale at the club ;)

Thursday: Eat In

Take lunch from home - save the planet and your belly will thank you. Reduce the extra calories you get from unknown restaurant food prep and bring your own lunch in reusable containers. "Recycle" and bring leftovers from dinner in glass containers so you can safely reheat them.

Saturday: Share the Sunshine

Use today to share how you are improving your health and the Earth's too! Share this article by clicking below; encourage someone to walk next Sunday's hills with you; bring a friend to the gym - research proves that working out with a friend helps you stick to it so you are much more likely to find sustainable goals together.

*Step it up! If your in-laws house has a flight of steps you have a quick way to burn a few calories and work on your agility (and possibly plot your escape!).  When you get a spare moment, just take 5 trips up and down the steps.  Try to vary which foot you lead with, touch every other step, or even jog up lightly.  Walk down and do it again.  If you have more time and are feeling ambitious, add a set up push-ups or squats when you get to the top of the steps.  If you are staying in a hotel you’ve got enough steps to get a great workout. Avoid the elevator music and work up a sweat!

*Check out their garage! Believe it or not, you are not the only one who has fitness equipment collecting dust.  If you look hard enough, you just might find some dumbbells, an exercise bike or even a Shakeweight.  Try 2 or 3 10-minute mini-workouts throughout the day for a quick energy boost.  Believe it or not, many people end up having their best workouts when choices are limited and they are forced to get creative.  Bring back a good move or two and I might borrow it from you!

*Plan to workout 2x day! Two simple, short workouts, one in the morning and one after dinner, can be highly effective at any time of year. They don’t have to be long, grueling battles, just move twice. Plan a longer workout in the morning when the rest of the gang is still sleeping and try a short session like a walk or a ten minute session of push-ups and squats after dinner. My own travel workout routine is 200 push-ups to start and end each day.  For me, the great advantage of planning a small workout in the evening is that knowing I have to move again keeps me honest at the dinner table.

*Go play! Chances are good that there may be some young legs that are ready to run after a long day indoors.  Collegiate strength coaches get paid top dollar to train athletes for speed, agility and quickness; touch football and even tag will cover all of those bases for free.  Don’t consider it your "adult duty”, jump in with both feet and play with the abandon of a child, you’ll have more fun than the kids.

*Take a break!!?? While we’ve spent the past weeks discussing ways to continue your workouts during the holiday season, don’t forget the value of rest and recovery.  If you are a gym-junkie who has been hitting it hard for all of 2011, having 7-10 days without a workout might be the best thing for you. It’s amazing how some of the nagging minor injuries clear right up with a bit of rest.  Don’t worry, you will not lose your hard earned conditioning by taking a week off---if it went away that fast there would be no need to ever start. Enjoy some rest, set some goals and come in refreshed and ready in 2012.

Happy New Year to our BodyBusiness family!

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by Mark Brown, Personal Training Director

The Single Set Method: Get Strong in two, 20-minute workouts per week.

Though this workout has fallen in popularity in recent years, it is a great way to gain strength and muscle mass in a short period of time.  The reason such a short and infrequent workout can be effective: intensity!  You will choose a weight that allows no less than 8 repetitions but no more than 12 before reaching positive muscular failure.  At the completion of one set, move as quickly as possible to the next station and follow the same rep scheme.  In order to move quickly from station to station and allow for safety when reaching a state of muscular failure, this workout is typically performed on machines.

Each workout, attempt to surpass your previous number of repetitions.  Once you complete 12 reps with good form, increase weight in the smallest increment possible.  Though this system’s reliance on machines has spawned numerous internet debates regarding how "functional” it is, there is no doubt that it can be effective as a stand alone system or as a change of pace for an experienced trainee.

Perform the following circuit 2x week.  Rest as little as possible between sets and add weight when you surpass 12 reps.

• Leg press 1x 8-12 (some may get better results with higher rep sets here, try 12-15)
• Hamstring curl 1x 8-12
• Leg extension  1 x 8-12  (if you have knee pain, skip this exercise).
• Seated row  1x 8-12
• Chest press 1x 8-12
• Lat pull-down 1x8-12
• Shoulder press or dumbbell side lateral raise 1x 8-12
• Dumbell bicep curl  1x 8-12
• Tricep pressdown on cables  1x 8-12
• Ab machine crunch 1x 8-12

Each set should take about 60 seconds, so even if you take your time between sets it should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. You will get best results in a single set routine by reminding yourself that this is your one shot at this exercise, work as hard as you can and make it count!