Who says you need to leave town to relax, regroup, and get a good workout? You can pamper your mind, body, and workouts by simulating retreat-like amenities at home. Varying your workouts combined with a change of your environment will make you feel fresh and revived from the comfort of your home.
I’ve created a stay-cation series of 7 different Total Gym workouts that will condition your body efficiently. I’ve also been providing ways to add the ‘retreat-like’ feel to accompany your routines. Before we go over today’s workout and mood setting, here’s a quick overview of what a stay-cation is and what it can do for you!
STAY-CATION REVIEW
The Stay-cation Retreat Series is a progressive blog series that builds upon the previous workouts by incorporating the circuits together. There are 7 different total body routines in the series. The final challenge will combine all the Stay-cation workouts together for one monstrous circuit!
*This is the sixth workout in the series, so be sure to check out the previous blogs and workout videos to start the series from the beginning.
COLOR ME GOOD
Did you know that colors can create, express, and effect your emotions? Colors can also affect your energy, how your body feels, and your mindset.
Colors provide a way to add a visual representation to an invisible quality. Seeing a particular color can change your mind without you even realizing it. For example, many companies grab your attention by having a red logo to get your blood pumping. Same goes for a gym painted with red walls. Interestingly, bright yellow is the most fatiguing of all colors!
COLOR SCIENCE
There’s a lot of scientific research on this topic. One German neurologist, Kurt Goldstein, reported that light enters our eyes and skin, travels through neurological pathways and affect the pineal gland in the brain, which then affects our body, mind and emotions. This is why we feel a certain way to specific colors.
Lighting can affect how colors radiate. How we view the color will determine our emotions; i.e.: motivating, angry, sad, calm.
COLORS THAT AFFECT YOUR MOOD
Several variables are connected to your emotional response to colors, including past experiences. Here are 10 colors and the most common emotions they evoke.
RED:
Stimulates & excited the brain.
Associated with: Power, energy, passion, danger, aggression
ORANGE:
Stimulating and energizing, but less aggressive
Associated with: Comfort, warmth, creativity, excitement, playfulness
YELLOW:
Stimulates positivity, draws attention
Associated with: hope, optimism, communicates cowardice and dishonesty
*only 5% of people say yellow is their favorite color!
GREEN:
Calming, cool
Associated with: Nature, good luck, renewal or rebirth, greed, envy, jealously
BLUE:
Improves concentration, calms the mind, fresh, clean
Associated with: Calmness, cleanliness, trust, security, technology
*Most women’s favorite color is blue!
PURPLE:
Calm, soothing
Associated with: Royalty, power, mystery, spirituality, cruelty, arrogance
PINK:
Femininity, calming, signifies safety, vulnerability
Associated with: healthy, happy, content, expresses shock or astonishment
*Did you ever hear the expression of “being tickled pink”? (means you are happy)
BROWN:
Warm, restful, but can also represent feeling depressed
Associated with: earth, reliability, endurance
BLACK:
Signifies power, mystique, or depression
Associated with: (+) wealth, elegance, sexuality (-) Fear, death, unhappiness
WHITE:
Cheerful, clean, fresh, intuition
Associated with: purity, innocence, sterility, death
*Only 1% of women say white is their favorite color.
Start to notice how the colors around you make you feel to discover the color palate that has a positive impact on your mood and mental health.
COLOR MY WORKOUT
Colors not only affect your moods and emotions, but they can impact your workouts too by the colors you wear. You can dress to impress by choosing a color based on the type of workout you’re looking for. Here are some colors you should consider wearing to set the mood and tone for your next sweat session:
RADIANT IN RED
Red is powerful and has the longest wavelength of all colors. It can invigorate and add zest to your workouts. It’s not advised to wear head to toe red because it could have the opposite effect by causing aggression or agitation while increasing your heart rate. Therefore, adding a balance of red with other colors can enhance your workout and your mood.
GO BLUE
Blue boosts productivity and can enable you to accomplish more during your workouts. Along with its calming effect, blue also helps improve concentration levels. If your goal is to develop strength gains, add blue colors to your attire to trick your mind to lift heavier and increase your muscular abilities.
GREEN MACHINE
Green is a popular color to workout in because it symbolizes nature and body detox. Green has a healing effect and boosts satisfaction which can make your workouts more enjoyable.Go green if you want to feel revitalized, relaxed, and refreshed!
PRETTY IN PINK & PASTELS
When you want to feel calm and relaxed, pinks or pastels are the colors to wear. These soothing colors can help relax muscles, reduce tension, lesson stress, and curb aggression. Gear up in these types of colors for yoga, Pilates, or a chilled stretch session.
BOLD & BRIGHT
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Bright neon colors can stimulate your senses and invigorate your mood. Add a “pop” of color to your attire to feel more energy and fuel a good workout. But … don’t overdo it. Too much neon is just too much and can create stress instead!
Colors can influence your physical, mental and spiritual well-being making it an important aspect for your workouts. So, for your next workout, consider wearing the right splash of color to enhance your mood, energy, and productivity.
WORKOUT 6
CARDIO & CRAZY CORE
Today’s Stay-cation workout will burn calories, develop strength, and define your core muscles with a cardio and core circuit on your Total Gym. Try changing your workout environment by adding a specific splash of color to your workout attire or workout room.
- Accessories: squat stand, timer
- Directions : Choose one of the following methods to perform the circuits ;
- Timed Sets: Perform 45 seconds of the cardio exercise followed by 15 seconds of the core exercise. Or,
- REPS: Perform 20 reps of the strength exercise, 10 reps of the core exercise
- Total circuit time = 5 min. (1 set =5, 2 sets =10, 3 sets =15 min)
- REPEAT 2-3 cycles if time permits
- End the workout with a series of stretches to recover your muscles.
CHALLENGE: if your workout time permits, additionally perform day 4’s Pilates workout to include extra strength exercises you’ve previously learned into today’s routine. One set is plenty!
NOTE: I advise printing or writing out the workout so you can easily reference them to keep the circuit moving at a continual pace.
High Incline & Total Gym Squat Stand Attached
CIRCUIT #1
CARDIO: Alternating single leg jump squats & twist crunch
CORE: Bicycle crunch
CIRCUIT #2
CARDIO: Straight leg kick jumps right leg
CORE: Crunch kick pulses right side
CIRCUIT #3
CARDIO: Split jumps & crunch
CORE: Straddle crunch
CIRCUIT #4
CARDIO: Straight leg kick jumps left leg
CORE: Crunch kick pulses left side
CIRCUIT #5
CARDIO: Alternating rainbow fan kicks & reach
CORE: Stomp pulses
Check out the video to see how these exercises are performed.
Enjoy sweating with today’s crazy cardio and core workout. There is one more killer workout left in the series to challenge your body and invigorate your senses!
Stayed turned for workout #7!
Revive with a vibe,
Maria
Norm
26 Nov 2018Enjoying this program. Thank you for sharing.