Posted on Leave a comment

Don’t Have Time To Make It To The Gym?

Trade your old schedule for a new and improved time schedule

Don't Have Time to Make It To The Gym?

Workout Strategy for Those Who are Short on Time

At Home Workout Tips - No Equipment Required

April 15, 2020
Trade your old schedule for a new and improved time schedule

-This article is meant for those running short on time to make it to the gym or getting started with an at home workout routine.  Our goal is to maximize time spent with family and personal excellence.  Your body needs time and attention to stay healthy and perform at its best.  When your body performs at its best, your mind performs at its best. Here are some tips to customize a home workout you can do without equipment – 

  1. Find Make the Time
  2. Establish a Plan
  3. Execute

Make Time That Fits Your Schedule (4 Minutes to Start)

    According to the American Heart Association, Lack of Time is the first barrier to fitness (American Heart Association Blog).  Did you know that it can take as little as 4 minutes a day to improve your life?  Tabata is a type of workout (also referred to as  HIIT [High Intensity Interval Training]) designed for 4 minute workouts that you can complete any time of the day.  Think about that! 4 minutes = more energy = stronger = longer life = doing more = productivity. For a helpful hint on creating more than 4 minutes in your day checkout our article 5 Steps You Can Take Now To Increase Productivity.  

    It is a time tested, age old cliche. Don’t find time, make it.  It seems ironic, but the thing that most of us don’t know very much about, but which ensures that we wake up every morning ready to take on the day’s tasks, is our body.  Most of us know more about how our phones work or the engine in our cars than the mechanics of our very own being. The autonomy of our internal engine takes care of itself for the most part, but giving it the attention it deserves can have a lasting impact on the quality of our lives.

Create a Workout Plan

 Now before you get overwhelmed, there are an infinite amount of resources available for you to execute a successful workout plan without going to the drawing board.  Let’s face it, if you’re reading this you’re probably not a physical trainer and you don’t need to learn how to be one in order to improve your physical fitness. If you don’t know where to start, relax.  First think about how much exercise you normally get during the week. If it’s zero, then doing anything is already an advancement. 

Building Muscle?

 Can you build muscle with bodyweight alone? Well yes, but with caveat.  The rate at which you build muscle is a ratio of how much your muscles can output to resistance.  Therefore, if your body weight is higher vs your muscle output, then less reps required to build muscle, if you continue to max out your reps you will continue to build muscle.  What type of muscle you build is also in question, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Then lies the question, how do you get more bang for your buck.  So therefore, a calculation can be made.

    According to the Australian’s (they’re big and burly so they must be trusted) following a repetitive maximum ratio (RM) is the best way to build muscle.  “RM is the maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with a given resistance or weight.” Source: Better Health.  

   RM=REPS/WEIGHT

    The amount of reps you can focus on are 8-12 for beginners and 2-6 for advanced.  Therefore, whatever exercise you complete, you should max out in 8 to 12 reps for maximum muscle build.  For more information on high vs. low reps this breakdown by Body Kinetics is very helpful.

   Remember 4 minutes. Below are some ways to get started without any equipment.

No Equipment Necessary

All muscle groups:  Home Workout (Android App). – Multiple plans and muscle target groups with voice instruction and goal tracking.

Legs, Triceps, Obliques, Glutes: 10 Workout Moves In Your Room – (onemedical.com)

Abs: The Best Ab Workout For A Six-Pack – (bodybuilding.com)

Legs: 13 At-Home Leg Exercises That Require No Equipment – (self.com)

Execute and Perform

    If you have been following us in any of the previous articles, you’ll find that we like to keep it brief.  After all, the goal is to save time, not have you read a bunch of fluff. Get out there and do it! You can. Really, do it! The responsibility is on you, don’t rob yourself of the opportunity.

Posted on Leave a comment

5 Steps You Can Take Now to Increase Productivity

From Procrastination to Productivity

5 Steps You Can Take Now To Increase Productivity

Steps You Can Take To Immediately Start Getting the Most Out of Your Time

March 18, 2020
From Procrastination to Productivity

-This article is meant to aid in spending less time on your daily routine to help maximize the efficiency of your day.  In the end the goal is to narrow the time spent on routine tasks and allocate effective blocks of time to help you reach your most important goals and prevent procrastination-

  1. Establish Your Goals
  2. Make a List of Routine Items
  3. Research and Gather Your Tools  (Apps and Toos to Make Your Life Easier)
  4. Make a Plan
  5. Put Plan to Action

Establish Priorities. Set Your Goals.

    This is going to be entirely up to you.  What do you need most from the time you have. Do you value family time? Work time? Free Time?  Take a minute to think. Write it down. This is a rough draft, so don’t feel like you are committing to anything yet.  See tools below for help and inspiration.

Create a List of Common Daily Tasks

    Make a List of your common Daily Tasks.  Be as detailed as possible. Write down even the most menial and necessary tasks like commute time, hygiene, the time it takes to finally roll out of bed.  These are the commonalities that hopefully you can reduce to maximize your time. Write down a time estimate on how long you think these things take you every day.  Then dedicate a day precisely measuring your time. Use a stopwatch or timer on your phone. It may be surprising the amount of time spent.

Gather the Tools Necessary to Accomplish More

    There are many productivity apps and tools that can help make your life smoother.  Below is a list of apps I have tested and use to keep things running and provide some self control in preventing procrastination. 

MOBILE APPS

Time Tune (Free with Paid Pro Version): Simple to use but complex enough to customize for even the most rigorous routines. Set a daily routine(s)  that repeats automatically. Customize notifications to remind you to move to the next event. Turn ON/OFF routines as your schedule changes.  Set custom events by date. Pro Version ($4.99): Program specific routines for specific dates. Sync events with Google Calander.

Dreamfora (Free):  Plan long term and short term SMART goals in an instant. Develop daily tasks to focus on what is really important. Utilize preprogrammed goal achievement plans.  Keep track of your goals with statistical analysis.

Prioritize (Free): Very simple. List your tasks or goals and then answer prompts to decide which tasks are more important.  Can help if you have a long laundry list of things to do and don’t know where to start. 

Home Workout (Free with Paid Pro Version):  If you need some workout inspiration that requires little to zero equipment, this app is excellent.  Focusing mostly on Tabata/HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) lasting 4 minutes you can be sure to squeeze some workout time in anywhere.  Exercise routines from Beginner to Advanced for all skill levels. Ability to sync with Google Fit and track your progress.

HARD TOOLS

Goal Planning47 Goal Setting Exercises, Tools, & Games (Incl. PDF Worksheets)  (PositivePsychology.com)

Finalize the Plan... For Now

    Meal Plan. Workout Plan. Study Plan. Business Plan.  Whatever your goal is, an effective plan is the best way to set yourself, or your business, up for success.  Set a calendar reminder to reflect and critique your plan. 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year. Make any necessary changes to improve your lifestyle. 

Take Action. Go! Do It Now. You Can. Realy. Do It!

That’s it.  Do it.  Never stop improving!

Posted on Leave a comment

3 Simple to Make Green Colored Drinks For St. Patrick’s Day

Green Drinks for St. Patty's Day Green Tequila Cocktail with Apple Pucker for the holidays

3 Green Cocktails for the Occasion

Green Sour Apple Tequila Cocktail

Green Drinks for St. Patty's Day Green Tequila Cocktail with Apple Pucker for the holidays
Green Sour Apple Tequila Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • Tequila Silver

  • Apple Pucker

  • Lemon/Lime Soda

  • Fresh Apple (optional)

Muddle up some apples.  This one is nice with some apple chunks to chew on.  Shake together equal parts tequila and apple pucker along with the apple mush.  Pour over iced soda and garnish with thin slices of apple. This one is the lightest and brightest of greens.

Green Hulk Cocktail

3 Simple Green St. Patrick's Day Drinks Easy to make vodka alcoholic cocktail
Green Hulk Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Coconut Rum

  • ½ oz Midori

  • Blue Curacao to color

  • 1 oz Vodka

  • 2 oz Lemon Lime Soda

  • Squeeze and Garnish with Lime and Lemon (optional)

This one is a little more complicated but you can do it!  Shake together the Rum, Vodka, Curacoa, and Midori. Pour over rocks and add soda.  Squeeze the lime if you’d like.

Green Screwdriver Cocktail

Green Screwdriver for St. Patty's Day Vodka Orange Juice Cocktail
Green Screwdriver Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • Orange Juice

  • Vodka

  • Lemon/Lime Soda

  • Blue Curacao

Add some Blue Curacao to your favorite Screwdriver mix and voila it turns a nice hue of green.  Add a splash of Lemon Lime Soda to give it some bubbly if you’d like. Easy.

… And of course you can always just make your favorite drink and add some green food coloring!!!  If color isn’t your thing make sure you pick up a Summitier tumbler to hide your drink and keep it cold!

Posted on

The Advantages of Oak as Home Furnishings

raw oak wooden blanks for summitier wine tumbler hanging shelves

The Advantages of Oak and Why it is a Home Staple in Furniture and Woodworking

Creating Home Furnishings that last as long as your wine collection.

February 7, 2019

By: Zach

oak shelving blanks for summitier wine cup racks
raw oak for wine cup racks

Oak is Rustic and Long Lasting

Oak has a very distinct grain and texture that can be instantly recognized by most woodworkers.  Those lines and curves can be easy brought to life by a variety of stains or left in its natural state.  Either way, it remains beautiful and untarnished. Depending on what parameter of wood strength you are measuring, oak is upper bottom half overall compared to other North American Hardwoods.  Its hardness factor is what really stands out to most other wood species. That being said it can take a beating over and over without stress. This is one of the reasons we chose oak to build our custom wine cup shelves.  It can handle the repeated impact from the magnetic steel cups.

Oak In the Home Is the Perfect Interior Finish

Tannins are a chemical substance found in many species of plants.  They bind well with proteins and starches, are insoluble, and resistant to decomposition.  These compounds protect oak from insects and fungus and reflect water therefore, making it all too suitable for long lasting home furnishings.  

caterpillar crawling on wooden railing

Coming Soon to the Summitier Store

Shortly, we will launch our first two versions of our wine tumbler shelving racks.  These allow the stemless tumblers to be fixed magnetically to the oak shelf. Versatility is our goal.  You can mount the shelves under cabinets, on walls, in you RV or wherever your imagination takes you. Thus, creating a safe stowage for you wine tumblers to hang hassle free and conveniently within reach. Be sure to subscribe for the latest release!

Posted on Leave a comment

At Summitier We are Always Building Something

Miter saw taking the first cut on some poplar wood for Summitier's new project

At Summitier We are Always Building Something

December 22, 2018

By: Zach

Miter saw taking the first cut on some poplar wood for Summitier's new project

Making the First Cut

So we only have one product.. That is about to change.  Right now Casey is working on the creation of a simple but effective home accessory to compliment our 12 oz wine tumblers.  Yes, it is wood (Poplar and Oak options) and yes that’s all I am going to tell you 🙂

Staying warm in the Summitier workshop keeps production up into the night

It’s Not Something From a Horror Film

Although, it may look scary it gets cold in the winter.  This is the makeshift heated workshop to battle the elements allowing production to continue late into the night.  Pump some heat into the plastic tent and… Good to go.

The poor glue gun couldn't handle the workload and gave up with a blast of black smoke

Now that is scary…

Poor little glue gun couldn’t take it so it decided to gasp out some black smoke.  That’s not gonna stop us from cruising on.

Don’t forget to check out our products in our shop.