Fantone Fitness

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Archive for the tag “sixpack”

2 22 22

Two crazy! Two months. Two different angles. 3 months shy of three years since my total shoulder replacement. First time I’ve been willing to show my body from the left side. Check out that wicked scar!

That’s all. Just checking in. Life is good. One day at a time. Getting through the day is an inside job. If you take care of the inside, it all falls into place. Or not. And you deal with it. 2/22/2022 Another day in the life. A day in your life. Make the most of it. Stay fit. Physically and mentally. Exercise your right to a happy life. February 2022.

Leaning into 63!

Well if it isn’t me again? I’m thinking about life as I often do and I’m wondering where this is all going. And suddenly I freeze in my tracks and it hits me. This moment! That’s all there is. I mean, what a relief! I just don’t think I can handle any more than that. Well, I suppose I could try but why? If I really want to live, and I do then I think I need to stay present. Right here, right now.

Yes, I think I’m okay now. For a moment I was sidetracked. Started thinking I needed to be “normal.” Thought I ought to try to fit in. You know surrender my soul to society. Whew! I’ve come to my senses.

And now the reason for this post. More photos of me. That’s right, I am holding myself accountable for my own happiness and part of that is taking care of my body! I’ll be 63 in August and I’m looking for to it. “One day at a time” of course.

61 and still having fun!One year after a total shoulder replacement.

It’s been one year since the operation. I’ve been working on building strength while quarantined, how about you?

How do I get rid of this?

Many people grab their belly and say this, “How do I get rid of this?” Which exercises will get rid of this. I have the secret, but just like many mysteries, the answer doesn’t always make you feel better.

The secrets of a sixpack!! I am fortunate enough to be very vain. It’s practically an obsession! I say fortunate because it drives me to stay lean. I know one of the deepest darkest secrets of having visible ab muscles. Brace yourselves! In order to see your ab muscles you must be LEAN. That means that without any ab exercises, if you’re lean you could have a sixpack, but without a proper nutrition plan, all the ab exercises in the world won’t uncover that coveted sixpack.

Okay so if you still want to see those abs, I mean really want to. There are some exercises that can build up your abdominal muscle and help with your desire, (very strong desire) to make them more visible once your bodyfat percentage is low enough. Here they are!

  1. Exercise your abdominal muscles often. They can be worked out every day.
  2. Lower your bodyfat with cardiovascular exercise and a clean diet. (cut out sugars) there are many ingredients to achieving a sixpack and beer ain’t one of them.
  3. Be realistic. It takes time. Sometimes a long time. But it’s worth it!
12 weeks Apr 3 2020 b
140 lbs 10 % bodyfat

Cool down! No equipment needed

Don’t forget to stretch! Even though we’re not as active as we’d like, it’s still important to stretch. It helps you relax and de-stress. In this difficult time of social distancing, we’re kind of on our own to take care of ourselves. Stretching is one way to loosen up and relax. Take full, deep breaths and let go of tension. 10 minutes a day will change your life!

Full Body, 5 Tabatas, 20 Minutes

This is a sample of the workout I put together today. Since we can’t go to the gym, we’ve got to work out at home. Here is an edited version of my 20 minute workout today. I just didn’t want you to have to watch every 20 second round for 20 minutes. But I assure you I didn’t stop for 20 minutes. What a great workout!

I didn’t realize how dark it was until I was 2 Tabatas in.

Full Body Tabata

Here I go demonstrating one of my favorite ways to activate the whole body, in a short but effective high intensity interval drill called tabata. 4 minutes gets my heart and lungs along with chest, triceps, chest, legs and glutes. No equipment necessary! Train online!

Push/Pull Tabata-Full Body Workout

So Here we are Fantone Fitness fitness buffs! This is a Tabata drill designed to work the upper body. Because we’re using the TRX and Bosu ball, we get the added value of an excellent core workout!

Hindsight is 2020. Back onna Plan!

Six pics! First two are from the beginning of January 2020. Gotta admit I have a sweet tooth and December of 2019 was a sweet tooth binge. Okay, I got that out of my system. Here we go starting off at 152 pounds and 15.2 % body fat. Then I got the flu. January was a really tough month. Travel to Ohio to see mom and while I’m there she passed away. Here’s to my sweet family for how wonderfully they cared for her in her last few months. I feel blessed to have been there to see her go and to see the love she got from everyone. So, we start again in February. The second two pics, from February 2nd, 148 pounds and 13.3 % body fat.  Finally starting to feel a bit better. And now for the last two most recent pics. March 2nd. 2020. 144 pounds and 12.4 % body fat. Moving a bit slower than normal this year. Stiil, I’m committed to staying the course and finishing strong. This year is the year of rebuilding. Oh yeah, I had my left shoulder replaced last May. Here we go! 61 is so much fun!

The Year of the Shoulder

Another 12 week challenge complete! I managed to drop 12 pounds and 3.5% body fat in 12 weeks. This year is especially important because it’s “The Year of the Shoulder” I’m 60 and I’m finally going to bite the bullet and get that long delayed shoulder operation. I’m going in fit and ready for a strong recovery. Here’s me at 140 pounds and 8.5% body fat! Wooohooo!

Back Onna Plan 2019!

So, it’s that time of year again. You might think I mean New Year’s resolutions, but I don’t. It’s the time of year for me when I am reminded of why I do what I do. I am a fitness professional. That means my life is about fitness. Mine and the people I am fortunate enough to work with. I eat clean and exercise every day for myself and for them. It makes me feel good and I am a power of example to those I encounter every day, whether I am training them or just talking in the elevator. I have been at it for almost 30 years. That means, I’m no spring chicken, if you know what I mean. Hmmm, chicken. I’m hungry. Anyway, at 60 years old, I am feeling as if I’ve been around for a while, I have. I know how to stay in shape. I know how to get out of shape. Listen closely, here it comes.

I eat clean and exercise every day. Unless I don’t. Around the end of the year, every year I allow myself to eat food that I enjoy eating, but that makes me feel less than stellar. In other words, around the holidays, I eat junk!! I usually start in November and from then until the end of the year, I go on and off of my regularly healthy diet and I eat pumpkin pie, ice cream, cookies, pastries and an assortment of sugary, sweet “just about anythings”. By the time January first rolls around, by the way, can you believe it’s 2019? I can, it was 2018 all year, I am ready for it! By the end of the year, I am sick of it! I wonder how people eat like this all of the time. I feel sick! Literally, ill. No wonder people are overweight and unhealthy.  Everyone knows that eating right and exercising is good for you, but it’s challenging stick with it. Well, in our media driven society where the hot body is always dangled in front of us, and presented as the optimal version of the “us”, we should strive for, accompanied with a constant barrage of ads for food, snacks, and instant gratification, of course it’s hard! We are fed a huge pile of dung and expected to create a beautiful, sweet smelling work of art! How can we cut through the muck we live in and learn to create a version of “us” that feels good and is sustainable? IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK! As a matter of fact, it’s not hard at all. It just takes a willingness to take things “one at a time”, and an ability to be honest with yourself.

If you can be honest with yourself about yourself, you will be a lot better off. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me “I just don’t have time to exercise.” That is like saying, “I don’t have time to stop for gas!” You don’t have time not to. Everyone wants to look and feel good, right? Well, just like fueling your car, you have to fuel your body. Go ahead and put sugar in your car’s gas tank and see what happens. DON’T DO IT! I don’t want to be responsible for anyone ruining their car. Google it and see what happens. You must treat your body like it was an expensive vehicle, because that’s exactly what it is.

So, the answers are simple ones. Eat clean. Exercise regularly. That’s it. If you really don’t know how to do this on your own, then reach out to someone who does. I am a fitness professional. It’s what I do. I know the answers. I have included some pictures of me taken at the end of the year when I am at my “less than stellar” self. Remember, I am 60. No excuses. My intention is to start here and see just how much better I can get in the first three months of this year. I know how to do it, now I want to show you how. Just call, text or email me if you want to join the challenge. It’s going to be fun!

Ballet Fit Works with Cathy Rhodes. Cross-training for dancers

URBAN FITNESS

Urban Fitness Photo

It’s just another day in the city. Not just any city though. We, here in New York City are fortunate to have opportunities on every corner and in every neighborhood for exercise.

First of all, we walk. A lot. I do anyway. It’s a choice to walk 20 blocks each way to my next client rather than take the bus or subway. If I do ride the subway, at the end of each ride is yet another opportunity. Subway stairs are notorious for taking your breath away. I see a set of stairs and I see quads and glutes in action! Take two steps at a time and I see extreme walking lunges. Man, that feels good. A little bit of cardio too. Just don’t stop right at the top please. Don’t get me started!

I find exercise everywhere. As I’m walking up Broadway toward home, I encounter people walking haphazardly across the sidewalk. My friend calls them Diagonerds. You know those people who seem to be angling to the left until you try to go around to the right, and just then they change tactics and begin to go to the right, right in front of you! Back and forth they go. Almost like they’re blocking for you. My take on this is they are my offensive line and I am a running back following my blocking until we get clear of the oncoming traffic (the tacklers) and then I don’t need them anymore and I shoot the gap and fly past them. Thank you!

With so many obstacles and challenges in a city like this, there is no excuse for not exercising. None! Use a backpack so your shoulders are even and the weight of your stuff is not hanging off to one side and get out there and move! Raining? Snowing? It just adds resistance to the exercise. Use the energy to navigate rather than complain. Let’s use our bodies the way they were meant to be used. Moving! You will feel better, guaranteed.

60 Is The New Sexy! 6 Months away and One month into 2018

Soooo, here I am again with “60 is the New Sexy” Why? Because I am a positive thinking person who knows how important attitude is to health and fitness. I hear many people moaning about getting older and I like to take the opposite approach. I look forward to getting older!! Wooohooo!!! I am just choosing to look at life as a beautiful experience that includes all of its ups and downs, ins and outs along with its beautiful potential to learn and grow.

 

I am an evolving human being. All that means is I am willing to learn and grow. My mind is not made up. I am open to change. I like change. Change is good. TMI?

So I believe that 60 is the new sexy! Older than me? How about, “70 is Heavenly?”

Or, “80 is great-y” You get the point, right.

60 is the New Sexy. And 59 is Fine!

It’s time to get “Back on the Plan” If you know me at all, you’ve heard me say that over and over. That’s because 90 percent of the time I eat clean. There are a couple of times during the year when I go off the plan and eat what I call junk food. For me this means cookies and ice cream, pumpkin pie and cake. If I ate like this all the time I think I would be very unhappy. I don’t eat like this because I want to feel good and look good. I believe that as one gets older one can still look good. That’s why I intend to continue to exercise and eat well. I plan on looking good when I hit 60! It’s just 7 months away.

This first photo is from just before Christmas. I was eating clean and felt good!

Pre Christmas Weigh in

Pre Christmas weigh in. 140 lbs-9.5% body fat

The second photo was taken on January 2nd after I had my yearly holiday binge. I wanted to document my weight and body fat to help me stay on track and to motivate me to stay fit and healthy.

January 2nd Back on the Plan

January 2nd. Back on the Plan 149 lbs.-11.4% body fat

So here we go! Back on the plan! If you would like to learn more about how to change your habits and change your health and appearance, I encourage you to reach out to me or any personal trainer and invest in yourself. You will feel better and look better too. Fitness is a lifestyle.

We’re 12 weeks into 2017. Are you ready for Spring?

On January 2nd My body fat percentage was 11.4 and I weighed 150.6 pounds.

Not bad for a 58 year old man, right?

12 Weeks later after many Tabata drills and a clean diet, I am pleased to say I have accomplished the mission!

March 31st. 8.5% body fat. 140.8 pounds.

I did not starve myself, on the contrary, I ate 3 to 4 meals every day and occasionally I squeezed in a fifth.

So, in three months I dropped nearly 10 pounds and decreased my body fat by nearly 3 percent.

I’d like to point out that to lose weight in a healthy way, requires a healthy lifestyle. That means taking the time to eat right and exercise regularly.

And it’s fun!

That’s it! There are no quick fixes or special tricks to being fit. It takes work and discipline.

It’s not for everybody. Thanks for watching.

Jim

I don’t exercise!

 

 

NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION.

How old are you? You don’t exercise? Say that again! Have you been living in another country?

I am a 58 year old man, living in Manhattan. New York City. United States of America.

I do not follow politics, I’m not religious. I live alone and I like it. So what do I do?

I work out. I stretch and breathe and meditate regularly. I cook and eat healthy foods. I’m still learning the saxophone and guitar. I love to sing. I try to mind my own business. Basically I take care of the only person I am truly responsible for. Me. Selfish? I should hope so.

Did you say you don’t work out? What do you do?

 

Why workout?

Days like this! Exercise makes one feel better. Fact is there are many things that might make one feel better, but some are beyond our control. The weather for instance. Today it’s 60 and beautiful, a great day to get out and enjoy. Tomorrow, the prediction is a winter storm warning with a possible 6-10 inches of snow. Nothing you can do about that…NOTHING. So stop complaining about those things you have no control over and workout so you feel better. Take control of your happiness. Have a great day!feb-8th-60-degrees

Secrets to a six pack!

Post Spartan Race. Ahhhh!Pre race six pack.

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