Go Be Fit!

To get the most out of your workouts (cardio and strength) you need to be out of your comfort zone. I like interval training because it allows you to work out effiiently and effectively more than your more traditional steady state cardio workouts. A typical cardio interval workout begins with a short warm up, a moderate/hard interval and a recovery segment, you just repeat the process until you have reached 20 – 30 minutes. You will notice that you get more done in 20 – 30 minutes of cardio then you did with 45 – 60 minutes of steady state training. There is an added benefit – the workouts are shorter, more effective and far more fun! You must – however, be out of your comfort zone during the harder/intense segment. A way to gauge this is by asking yourself the following: On a scale from 1 – 10 with 10 being the hardest, how hard are you working? Are you out of breath? Are you sweating? Are you grunting and reaching your limits? A Rule of thumb is that you want to be safe, to have fun, all while you are out of your comfort zone!

In past blog entries, I’ve written about the importance of wearing proper footwear. All too often I see people wearing sneakers that look like they’ve been wearing them since 1970! This entry focuses on socks. Yes – socks! There is nothing like a great pair of socks to keep the feet fresh on a long run, or blister free from a hard game of tennis, or cool and dry on a long summer hike. With technological advances in footwear, there have been major advance in socks. The old cotton socks of yesteryear are a remmant of the past – no more hot and soggy feet!

I have always been a stickler for wearing the right shoe specific to your feet, because it improves and/or maintains healthy biomechanics and prevents injury. Now I am recommending socks. My favorite brand is feetures http://www.feeturesbrand.com/#SlideFrame_1. They are a bit pricey but your feet are worth it! I love them because for someone like me who is on her feet most of the days training, teaching and exercising, they provide the support and cushioning that I need.

So please do indulge and pamper your feet! They won’t regret it and neither will you!

When it comes to strength training or any kind of training always have a plan! Know what you are doing, how and why you are doing it. If it means hiring a qualified trainer, by all means do so. Don’t waste your time and energy using machines unless you are frail, have medical issues, or are rehabilitating an injury. Be smart – use your body weight, free weights, tubing, med balls and unconventional creative methods to train efficiently and effectively all with the right and fun equipment.

I see gym goers of all ages using machines when they could work out far more efficiently. I want to wean them off of the ab machines, the hip abductors of the world, the tricep pushdown machines of the planets and introduce them to the best ways to work out. I long ask them what their intention is – and basically ask, “what are you doing?” Don’t train in your comfort zone – train out of it. Otherwise you’ll just get the same old thing and plateau. You should be switching things up at least every month changing your workout – the exercises, the weights, the equipment etc. No more machines – with one exception – the gravitron – that one is a keeper!

Do youself a favor and buy a foam roller. Check out this link: http://www.performbetter.com/SearchResult.aspx_Q_CategoryID_E_487! Everyone should have one. Why? Because it has many benefits – the biggest one is that it can improve your flexibility and release trigger points in your body. We all have those trigger points, especially in the hips and glutes, due to our sedentary lifestyles. Too much inactivity and sitting tightens us up, so does activity. Everyone has something to gain from using a foam roller. Think of it as an iron for your muscles and fascia – a massage that does wonders for you! It makes your activity of choice that much easier.

The rain these past three days wreaked havoc: from flooded basements, 40 mph wind gusts, twisted umbrellas, to the drenched people darting for shelter as they tried their best to avoid the rain. Yesterday was a day of battling the elements. I don’t mind being out and about in bad weather, but there’s nothing like trying to weather high winds combined with torrential downpours. At one point I felt like the wind was going to sweep me away like Auntie Em in the Wizard of Oz. For a moment I thought to myself, “She’s gone to the heavens,” no such luck, my umbrella turned inside out while I still maintained my balance, firmly grounded in the nasty wind. I don’t want to make a habit of battling the elements, unless I am training for a mountain adventure. Frankly, I’d much rather be out on a day like today – a sunny calm 50 degrees!

It seems that when in comes to training most people still want to work body parts. They refer to their body in parts – “I want to do abs,” or “I want to get rid of my flabby arms,” or “lift my sagging butt.” I gently educate them that the body works as a whole – joints and muscles and that it’s best to train the entire body, rather than isolate parts of it. It makes more sense to work the body as one, an entire unit. First it’s far more efficient, second more effective and third fun! It takes a bit of coaxing and explaining to help people understand how the body works. Our culture is so focused on asthethics and external appearances. Take the fixation on abs or chiseled arms – this does little to promote realistic attitudes and fitness goals or an appreciation and relationship to our body. The next time you work out – think of working your body in its entirety – squat – lunge – twist – push and pull using all of you!

About 50% of people that join a gym within 6 months will drop out. I’ll wager to say that most of them weren’t ready to make a change in the area of health and fitness. It’s not their fault – they just don’t have strong motivators, reasons or readiness to change. (There is way of determining your stages of readiness using the Transtheoretical Model of Change).

However, my group fitness participants tell me that classes help them stay motivated and committed. The energy of a group is contagious and gives them extra support and encouragement. If you belong to a gym and aren’t making it there consistently, I suggest that you try a group fitness class to see if that helps. You may notice a difference in your committment.

While listening to a Buddhist Podcast entitled, “Happiness,” I learned that each of us has a biochemical set point that is unique to us and keeps our moods more or less regulated. Mindfulness meditation is a wonderful tool to help you internally tune into yourself moment by moment.

Sitting meditation allows you to observe from a neutral place what is happening in your mind and body without becoming rattled, attached or averse to the stream of thoughts, ideas, memories cascading like a relentless waterfall. Each time you stop and notice what is really occuring for you without judgement, but from an open place of curiosity and compassion, you are fine tuning your biochemical set point. Hence, the more mindful one is – the more grounded – calmer and less triggered or reactive.

Ok – it’s time for my two cents: Sports Illustrated needs to feature female athletes on it’s cover with far greater consistency! I have never appreciated this magazine because it does little to promote female althleticism. I have yet to see an issue with a female athlete on the cover who is actually playing a sport, not squatting or posing suggestively for the camera in body hugging spandex.

As far as I am concerned the Lindsey Vonn and Hannah Teter photos are objectified. Women posing in bathing suits for Sports Illustrated has always ticked me off! Sex sells. Athletes have the added pressure these days of needing to be appealing, glamorous and sexy just like celebrities. What is wrong with the picture?

I don’t buy this arguement, “Bodies are beautiful and should be appreciated. I’m comfortable in my body and proud of my body..blah.. blah..blah…therefore I don’t take issue with posing for the magazine…” I am sorry girls – There are other ways of celebrating one’s body than posing in a swim suit for Sports Illustrated. These girls are sell outs as far as I am concerned.

What have you done for your heart lately? Cardiovascular diseases including stroke are the number one killer! Take care of your heart because you’ve only got one. Get your daily dose of exercise to prevent these devastating and deadly diseases.

Guidelines for healthy adults under age 65

Basic recommendations from ACSM and AHA:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.