I think I have heard every excuse in the world on why a person can’t workout. Seriously, I could write a book on the subject – 101 Excuses to Not Workout and Other Fun Ways to Tick off Your Trainer. I’m too tired, I’m too busy, I have to cancel our appointment because my son flushed my car keys down the toilet. True story – that one made me giggle for a week. What I’ve noticed in my years of “excuse hearing” is that most excuses come from parents. Now, it’s true, I don’t have kids, but I can only imagine what a world filled with diapers, play dates, midnight trips to the ER because someone stuck a toy car up their nose AGAIN, school functions and all the other “perks” of a being a parent would be like. Being a parent, from what I’ve witnessed only, is a tough job. You are constantly running somewhere to pick up someone/something or racing to drop something off for someone who forgot said something and at the end of the day you are exhausted. (I’m exhausted after writing that sentence). It seems like there is never enough hours in a day to do the things that you really have NO energy to do anyways. Well parents, that is the one reason right there why you should make time to workout. Imagine a world where you can take time out of every day to destress, get energized and maybe even have a little peace and quiet to yourself. What if that could be a reality? Well, maybe not the peace and quiet part, but you know where I’m going with this. Taking as little as 30 minutes a day to workout will do wonders for your energy level and mental health. Exercising releases these amazing endorphins that make life’s little stressors easier to handle and gives you more energy to do all the things you want to do in a day. How great would it be if at the end of a long work day you actually had the energy to go outside and play with your kids? Combine the exercising with a healthy diet and you and your kids will both be living a healthier lifestyle that will benefit the whole family. And don’t be selfish and keep the fun of exercising to yourself – get the entire family involved. Take walks or bike rides together, sign up to do a Family Fun Run/Walk or do something as simple as play tag. Starting a fitness routine now will not only benefit you, but it will teach your children the importance of their health as well as yours. Be proactive in your health to ensure that you can have a long, active and healthy life with your children.
Taming The Trouble Spots
Want to tame those trouble spots before summer? Here are 4 ways to tighten and tone the areas that most women struggle with
Batwing Blaster – Tricep Dips
When you wave goodbye, does the underneath of your arm continue to wave even after you stop? If you are looking to tighten up your arms and get rid of the “batwings”, give tricep dips a try.
Starting Position
Sit tall on the edge of a sturdy chair and wrap your fingertips over the front edge. Place feet on the floor in front of you with knees bent. Lift hips and butt up and slightly forward.
Action
Bend elbows about 90 degrees and lower hips toward the floor. (If you feel pain in the shoulders, your elbows are bent too much). Press up until your elbows are straight, but not locked. To make this exercise more advanced, keep one leg lifted as you do this exercise. Work up to doing 15 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Gam Glorifier – Clock Lunges
Clock lunges are guaranteed to tighten up your tushy, slim the hips and give you well defined gams. Because this exercise moves through multiple positions, it can hit all the lower body trouble zones that women tend to struggle with.
Starting Position
Imagine you are standing in the center of a clock. Straight in front of you is 12 o’clock, to your right is 3 o’clock, behind you is 6 o’clock and to your left is 9 o’clock.
Action
Lunge with your right leg to each of the 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions. Lunge with your left leg to each of the 12 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions. Each time you lunge, make sure to return to the starting position before lunging to the next position. Once you have completed each position, you have done 1 rep. During this exercise maintain upright posture throughout to improve core strength and do not allow the knee to move over the toe. Work up to doing 5 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Tummy Tamer – Bicycles
Bicycles work the entire core in one exercise. When you are doing this exercise you will be tightening the Rectus Abdominus (The”6 pack”), Transverse Abdominus (the muscle that holds your tummy in tight) and the obliques (the sides of your waist)
Starting Position
Begin by lying on your back, placing your hands behind your ears. Make sure your neck is aligned – imaging having a tennis ball between your chin and chest. Lift your legs in the air and bend your knees so that your legs form a 90 degree angle, knees directly above your hips.
Action
Move your legs in a bicycle motion by straightening one leg and pulling the other towards your chest. When your left knee is closer to your body, reach your right elbow to it. When your right knee is closer to your body, reach your left elbow to it. Work up to doing 30 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.
Fat Blaster – HIIT
We all have an amazingly sculpted body, but we just can’t see it because it’s hiding under a layer of fat. And the only way to uncover that sculpted body is to burn off that fat by elevating your heart rate through cardiovascular exercise. The best and most efficient way to do that is through HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training. It’s a short and sweet workout that alternates between short blasts of high intensity work with bouts of lower intensity “recovery” periods. HIIT workouts should last no longer than 30 minutes.
Action
Try warming up for 5 minutes on your favorite piece of cardio equipment. For the next 10 to 20 minutes alternate between 30 seconds of very intense exercise and 90 seconds of lower intensity exercise. Follow that up with a 5 minute cool down. HIIT training is very difficult and should not be done more that 2-3 times a week and never 2 days in a row.
Dude – This month’s for you!
June is National Men’s Health Month and most of us wish our man was a little more active and a little less of a couch potato. It can be tough on a relationship when one person is “pro fitness” and the other person isn’t. Not only do you worry about the other person’s weight, you also worry about their health, mortality and stress levels. It’s unfortunate we can’t make people do what we want, but there are some ways you can nudge your partner in the right direction. And if gentle nudging doesn’t work using your womanly mental manipulation skills always does the trick.
Don’t Nag! Telling the man in your life over and over and over again that he should workout with you will only discourage him. Beating him over the head with the fitness stick won’t crack that thick skull of his. Plant the seed and let it grow. Tell him when you are heading off to the gym. If he doesn’t speak up and say he wants to join you, leave for your workout. When you get back mention how good the workout felt and then drop the subject.
Make a game out of it. Exercising doesn’t mean jumping on a treadmill and running until your legs fall off. Exercise is just the simple task of moving. Want your man to work up a sweat, challenge him to his favorite game. My hubby usually picks the one sport that I hate – basketball. He only picks it because he knows he can beat me at it every time. I always go along with it because the winning makes him feel oh so manly, but secretly I WIN because I got him exercising. Tera – 1 , Hubby 0.
Brag. Tell your hubby about all the amazing gains (and losses) that you’ve made in the gym. Model your “pre workout jeans” and let him see how fit you have become or challenge him with a pushup contest and show him how strong you’ve gotten. BTW – getting beat by a girl in a pushup contest will definitely get him to the gym more often, so if you really want him to workout – start working on your pushups.
Make it interesting. Just because you love doing Body Pump and Zumba doesn’t mean he will too. If he is an absolute newbie to the gym, help him find activities that he would like and want to stick with. Are you unfamiliar with all that a gym has to offer? Hire a trainer for your guy. A trainer knows all of the ins and outs of a gym and they can help steer him in the right direction to find what workouts would fit him best.
Be Honest. Tell your partner why you want them to get more active. Is it because heart disease runs in his family? Is it because you’ve noticed a few health problems? Or do you notice that he’s having a harder time doing things that he used to do with ease? Honesty is always the best policy, but also remember their feelings. Even though our men seem to be made out of steel, they still have feelings too. Imagine how you would feel if the love of your life told you that you were getting a little soft around the middle? Harsh criticism hurts, so be gentle.
Spring Cleaning
It’s FINALLY here…..Spring! Spring is THE time for cleaning – out with the old and in with the new! This spring are you ready to shed the “old unhealthy you” and welcome a new fit and healthy you? Spring is the perfect time. Healthy local produce will soon be available and the beautiful weather will allow you to exercise outside again. What are you waiting for? Renew yourself this spring and make it the best and most active summer of your life! Start your “Spring Cleaning Routine” by cleaning up your diet, dusting off those sneakers and set yourself up to be bikini ready by June! Here are a few tips to help you get on the right track:
PURGE THE PANTRY
You’ll have a far easier time being successful achieving your weight and health goals if your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer aren’t full of junk food or trigger foods. Get out a bunch of bags start loading them full of all of the foods that do your diet more damage than good. Donate what you can to a local food shelf and toss the rest in the garbage. Chips, cookies, soda, sugary cereal, crackers, frozen pizza, candy and anything else that calls your name when you’re not hungry. Remember, waste is better than it being on your waist!
RELOAD WITH CLEAN FOOD
Once you clean out all of the junk, give yourself a pat on the back and then head straight to the market to fill the kitchen back up with clean, real, whole foods. Think of it this way – if it grew from the earth or had a mother, then it’s a real food. Load up with colorful produce (buy what’s in season and organic if you can), fresh fish, whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, spelt, oats), hummus, beans, lentils, tofu, sweet potatoes, chicken and turkey breast, water-packed canned tuna and salmon, and eggs. Don’t forget to replenish your spice cabinet (throw out any spices that you haven’t used in a year).
QUICK DIET DETOX
Don’t go running for the hills at the word “detox”. I’m not advocating any crazy type of detox diet – no starving, fasting, master cleansing. Just make more sensible choices to get your body to respond a whole lot quicker.
- Eliminate all alcohol
- Drink more water and tea (preferably green and herbal)
- Cut all refined flour and sugar
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Limit starches to 3-4 servings a day and make sure they are real, whole grains
- Eat small, frequent meals to stabilize your blood sugar and energy levels
- Have a protein and a produce at every meal.
- Include small amounts of healthy fat 2-3 times a day – avocado, olive oil, nuts.
MOVE YOUR BODY
Now that the weather is getting nicer, it’s time to take your workout outdoors. Hit the pavement or the hills on foot or by bike. Or look for an outdoor “boot-camp” class to really kick-start your spring. If you want to look really good in that bathing suit then you have to hit the weights or do some serious resistance exercises to tone and shape those muscles. Hey, if you’ve got it, then flaunt it!
Apple Cider Vineger Challenge Day 1
The other day I was reading the latest post on Tosca Reno’s blog. For those of you who don’t know who she is – Tosca Reno is the creator of the Eat Clean Diet and one of the most motivational and knowledgeable women in the health and fitness world. At age 40 she turned her life completely around. She went from unhealthy to a fitness competitor and she did it in THE smart way – through a healthy diet and exercise. In one word – AMAZING! Anywho, she was talking about Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and the benefits that she has seen and felt since she started drinking it. I thought, SERIOUSLY? She drinks that stuff…no way I would ever drink that smelly stuff. THEN I saw the picture of her abs. After throwing a temper tantrum and screaming at my laptop about how she photoshopped the hell out of the picture because NO WAY does anyone have abs that great (I was having a really bad Monday – sorry Tosca. I know those are your incredible abs and you have worked very hard for them), I sat back down and finished reading the article. Tosca was talking about how, after eating, she occasionally would feel discomfort and bloating for no reason. So after being frustrated with this feeling she did some research and found out that drinking Raw Apple Cider Vinegar helped with this feeling and also gave her flatter abs. Below is a portion of her blog entry which explains the hows and whys:
Many of us in North America are under the false belief that we have too much stomach acid and pop Tums and other acid reducing supplements. The truth is most of us DO NOT have enough stomach acid and this is where so much tummy trouble begins including carrying extra inches around your waist.
Other wonderful additional benefits happen when you add raw apple cider vinegar to your eating habits. Here is a short list:
You are better able to digest your food,which means you get more nutrients from your food
ACV contains potassium, pectin and calcium
ACV improves bowel workings
ACV slows down the digestion of starch which breaks down into sugar and helps to buffer the otherwise sharp rise in blood sugar after a meal
ACV helps to maintain healthy pH levels
Works as a detox
Helps body break down fats into a readily usable state rather than storing them
Make sure to purchase a good quality organic version of raw apple cider vinegar like Braggs. It should have a cloudy film at the bottom of the bottle. This is called “the mother” and is loaded with healthy bacteria and other nutrients.
Many of you who know me, know that I have Celiac Disease – a severe intolerance to gluten. One of the main side effects of CD is bloating and intestinal discomfort, which I seem to have most of the time. So, if Tosca said it worked for her, I was hoping that it would help me. So off to the store I went and I bought myself a bottle of Braggs RACV.
Today is Day 1 of my self challenge to see if this stuff really works. I read the label and decided that since drinking it in a quick, straight shot wasn’t an option (drinking undiluted ACV can cause enamel erosion), I’d try the Bragg’s ACV Drink recipe – 8 oz water, 2 t. ACV and a little sweetener (I used blue agave nectar). Mix, Measure, Pour and this is what I had.
Not pretty and it smelled awful. The taste was even worse, but I got it down the hatch. After I drank it, memories of elementary dares came flooding back to me. I almost completely forgot about the times I was dared to drink a jar of pickle juice. That is one memory I was not happy to have back.
So, the challenge is on it’s way and I’ll be updating soon to let you knwo how it’s going.
For anyone reading this who has suggestions on how to make this process a little better tasting, PLEASE feel free to comment.
The Power of Choice
We all have choices. There will always be a fork in the road and we will have to choose which path to go down. Go down path A or path B? Each “path” or choice we make will give us a different outcome. Some of us chose a certain “path” because it’s easier – a straight shot that is easy, flat and comfortable. Others of us chose the more difficult path that requires work – lots of hills, twists and turns that take us out of our comfort zone. Most people choose the easy choice, because it’s predictable and there are no surprises. We know the route and it’s familiar to us. It’s scary to step away from what we “know” and do something that is different.
It’s 5 am and the alarm goes off. You can chose to stay in bed, hit the snooze button and go back to sleep like you do every morning or you can choose to put both feet over the side of the bed, lace up your shoes and head off to the gym. It’s dinner time. You can pick up the phone and order a pizza for delivery or you can take a few minutes to make a healthy meal and take the leftovers to work the next day. It’s a choice. Take the easy route and stay exactly where you are in life, or take harder more rewarding route that takes a little bit of work but will take you to where you want to be. It’s a choice that you have to make for yourself. Do you really want to feel better, have more energy and live a better quality of life or are you content doing what you are currently doing right now and never experience what will happen if you take the more challenging road?
I decided to go down the challenging path and it has taken me to places I could have NEVER dreamed of. I have pushed my body to its limits, ran half marathons, climbed to the top of a mountain, completed in strength competitions and I have an incredible job where I am able to be a part of so many people’s journey into health and fitness. I know if I continue to take the more difficult road in life, I will experience so much more than I can imagine. It will not be easy and at times I will want to quit. There will always be gooie pieces of “chocolate cake” and a warm cozy bed in my way, but if I side step the obstacles and continue to put one foot in front of the other, the journey will be worth it.
Make this your mantra for the month: “TODAY I am choosing to live a healthier lifestyle and I am going to stick to it. Yes there will be bad days and slip ups, but that happens to the best of us. I cannot and will not let that get in the way of something that I want. I deserve to have the life I want and I am willing to work for it. NO EXCUSES!”
Motivation – Is it in you?
MOTIVATION [moh-tuh-vey-shuhn] Noun. Definition: that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
We can motivate ourselves to rush through a project so we can get out of work early. We can motivate ourselves to give up our daily trip to the coffee shop for a month to pay for that impulse purchase we just made at the mall. We can even find the motivation to sprint through a slippery parking lot to get to our warm car. But when it comes to motivating ourselves to exercise and eat right, why is it we just can’t seem to find the motivation to do it? We know all the facts: it will make us feel better, we’ll live longer lives and it will give us more energy. It’s something that has positive results and we know we should be doing it, so why do most people find any excuse in the book to not do it? Well, the answer to that question is simple – being fit and healthy takes work and the results are not IMMEDIATE. Humans are all about instant gratification. We know what we want and we want it NOW! The “average Joe” is used to getting things instantaneously – Instant Messenger, Fast Foods, Buy It Now. No waiting with minimal effort! So what happens when the “average Joe” decides to get healthy? The “average Joe” gets on the treadmill for 15 minutes, pops a few magic diet pills, eats a salad for lunch and expects to lose 15 pounds in 2 days. And when those expectations are not met, the “average Joe” gives up. And that, my friend, is why the “average Joe” in America is overweight and unhealthy. It doesn’t take a person 1 week to get unhealthy, so it’s insane to think that it’s possible to get healthy overnight and without some sort of effort. Just because you are not “seeing” immediate results does not mean that small changes aren’t happening. Each small change contributes to the big changes. When it comes to your health, think ahead and see the big picture. If you take care of yourself now, in less than 2 weeks you can be feeling much better. In a few months you can have a “new” body. In a few years you can be achieving goals that you never thought were possible. And, in a few decades you can be a healthy, medicine free “senior” running laps around your walker bound friends. Your health is not something that you should disregard just because you don’t feel motivated to do something about it. Just knowing that your quality of life will GREATLY improve should be motivation enough. The next time you feel your motivation to workout and eat right waning, think about how much that one workout or one healthy meal can help your health in the long run.
“The way you talk to yourself can make you or break you. Tell yourself you can’t and you won’t. Tell yourself you can and YOU WILL. Your motivation always starts with you!”
Valentine’s, Violence and V-Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today is the day we celebrate those we love. Husband, boyfriend, best friend, children. But please don’t forget to celebrate the one you should love the MOST….yourself. As women, we tend to focus so much on caring for others that we forget to take time for ourselves.To show yourself some love is not selfish – it is something that you deserve. So today, do something special for yourself. Get a manicure, go for a walk, have a great cup of specialty coffee. Whatever it is, spoil yourself!
Today I also would like you to do something amazing for WOMEN! It’s sad, but there are women in this world who don’t know love and Valentine’s Day is just another day of hurt, abuse or suffering. These women have had their have had their power and confidence stolen from them. These women feel helpless, lost and forgotten…..and it’s time to put a stop to it.
A few years ago my sister introduced me to the “other” V-Day. V-Day is the global movement to stop the violence against women and girls. V-Day was founded by Eve Ensler in 1998 to eliminate rape, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), sex slavery and other abuses against women. Valentine’s Day was proclaimed as V-Day, to celebrate women and stop the violence against women. Please visit the V-Day website and read more on this amazing movement. Donate to the cause, send a V-Card or share the information about V-day with a friend. Please do what you can so the violence against women can be put to a stop and the women who have experienced this violence can reclaim their power!
I hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day and ({V}) Day!
IT
If you want IT, you can have IT. But you have to believe in IT to achieve IT.
So do IT, be IT and don’t stop until you reach IT!
Me after my first 1/2 Marathon - Eau Claire 2010
What is your IT and how bad do you want IT?
PERFECT!
Every time you bash yourself or cut your self down, you are hurting someone. Your spouse, your sibling, your child, your parents, your best friend. See…that person you are hurting thinks the world of you. They don’t see the little “imperfections” that you “see”. They see someone who is beautiful and perfect in their eyes. Don’t insult someone they love and admire…..because you are someone they created, married, care about and/or want to be like and, in their eyes, YOU ARE PERFECT!
You’re so mean, when you talk about yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead
So complicated, look happy, you’ll make it!
Filled with so much hatred…such a tired game
It’s enough! I’ve done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I’ve seen you do the same
Oh, pretty pretty please, don’t you ever ever feel
Like you’re less than than perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you’re nothing
You’re are perfect to me
~P!NK
