$hit Women Say To Personal Trainers (Inspired By $hit Girls Say)

You don’t have to be a Personal Trainer to appreciate this video.  Have a fantastic day!

How’s January Treating You?

Hopefully this is not you.  Resolutions can be tough, January can be miserable and your mind can talk you out of anything…it can also talk you into almost anything!

If you are having trouble staying on track, or teetering on that wobbly line, hit the pause button, take a deep breath, pound a glass of water, shake out the cobwebs and get back at’er.

Have a look outside.  And did you see the sunrise this morning?  January weather on the west coast ain’t gonna get much better than this.  And guess what?  It’s going to be like this again tomorrow and Friday so put on your runners and get outside for a run, walk, hike or ride.  Trust me, no amount of make-up will give you the healthy glow that you will receive from 30 minutes outside today (or tomorrow or Friday).

You don’t find outside appealing?  Go to the gym.  Yes, it’s a little crowded right now, but that makes it so much more exciting.   There is so much to see and hear that you don’t need to bring something to read to get you through your time on the cardio machine.   While at the Leisure Centre last night, not only did I get to hear some of the most x-rated sounds ever coming from the weight room, I also witnessed one of the swim club stretching in his Speedo (almost as x-rated as the moaning coming from the weight room)!  So even if you are a newbie at the gym, you are going to just blend right in.

Some things to remember:

• Work the parts that you don’t see, because one day you will see them. It may be completely by accident, like when you are walking out of your bathroom in your underwear and turn and catch a glimpse of your hamstrings (backs of your legs) in the mirror and you think “Yikes, when did that happen?”  Heed my warning.  This also goes for working the parts that you don’t think that you use or really need to work. Runners need more than just strong legs, weight lifters need more than a strong upper body. A strong body is a balanced body.
• Set realistic and attainable 3 month goals.  Write them down and know what you need to do daily/weekly to get there.  If you want to run a marathon and currently aren’t a runner, a realistic and attainable 3 month goal would be to run train to run a 5km race injury free.
• Don’t starve yourself.  I recently read a piece of advice that my friend Peter Shankman received from his trainer Ken Yim , “abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”.  So true, I love that!  You have to eat my friends, fuel your fire.  Never underestimate the power of a varied and well balanced diet.  You want to keep the weight off once and for all? Healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs per week.  1lb = 3,500 calories.  Create a 3,500 calorie deficit a week, 500 calories a day, by reducing your caloric intake (food) by 250 calories a day and increasing your caloric expenditure (exercise) to burn an additional 250 calories.  Lose 2lbs?  Create at 7,000 calorie deficit a week, it’s just that easy.  Check out This is not a diet, but you will lose weight.
• If you are monitoring your weight, do so once a week; same scale and under the same circumstances (time of day, clothing, etc), my day of choice is Friday.  As you start a work out regimen or modify your current plan you will burn fat but you will also build muscle, so judge how you are doing by the way your clothes fit.
• A workout should be work; if it were easy, everyone would do it.
• Have a reward for all of your hard work.  Oh poor you, you are going to Mexico for Spring Break.  Even if the reward was there before the action plan was and so what if it is going to happen if you don’t fully achieve your goal, always have something to strive towards.
• Shit and setbacks happen.  Don’t let an evening (or weekend) of over indulgence or a few days without sweating ruin what you have already accomplished.  Hit the pause button, take a deep breath, pound a glass of water, shake out the cobwebs and get back at’er!

Can You Limit Your Sleep and Sedentary Time To Only 23.5 Hours A Day?

Hey Resolutioners, check out this video. It’s a bit of a longish watch, but very entertaining and informative, and it may even save your life. If you needed another kick in the pants to get yourself moving, consider this your butt kicking.

Now get moving!!!!!!

Strong Core, Strong Body

Article post: 5Ktours.com

Our core muscle group is what supports our entire body.  Maintaining a strong core is essential for the proper form and strength it takes to perform movement correctly.  Without engaging your core muscles we overwork our other muscles and joints in our body, risking possible injury.

Learn why strengthening our core muscle group is so important and try using a few of these exercises from our expert contributors to keep your training effective.

Strong Core, Strong Body

To have a strong core you need to strengthen surrounding and opposing muscle groups including shoulders, back, abdominal muscles as well as the gluteal area. Exercises that I recommend include: planks (side plank as well as prone), bicycle crunches, Pilates exercises, back extension exercises (alternating arm-and-leg superman and superman) push-ups as well as squats and lunges. Focus on quality of the exercises over quantity done.

Core training can be done 4-5x/week as either a complete workout or added to the end of an cardio or strength training session. I also recommend clients work to work on their posture hourly; standing tall with a neutral spine and practice engaging abdominal muscles (imagine you are zipping up a snug pair of jeans and as you are fastening the button pull your abdominal muscles in and up). Work on core stability while you work and sit on a stability ball instead of a chair.

Keri Cawthorne, Owner, Iron Mountain Movement

read entire article

NO-vember Challenge

Chances are you have had more candy in the last few days than you have had in the entire year and your stomach is gurgling.  Today we embrace NO-vember, a month to take back our health, waistlines, and self-control, the month where we make amends with our indiscretions from Valentine’s Day (because really everything goes to pot after Valentine’s Day) until today.

NO-vember rules:

• Move your ass!  Quit making excuses!  Start now and get ahead of the inevitable holiday weight gain.
• Healthy choices, plenty of fruits, veggies and water, it’s not the jeans that make you look fat, you can only blame so much on poor pocket placement.
• Say “NO” to negative people, energy and leopards, you know they will never change their spots.
• Set a fitness goal, register for a race, stay accountable and put your money where your mouth is.
• Weekend wine only (your definition of weekend is open for interpretation).
• Make something from scratch every week that you would normally buy.  Also a great excuse to buy a cute little apron, my crafty friend Lysa recommends Smok’n Hot Designs or you could make one yourself.
• One specialty coffee indulgence per week (I had to add this because eggnog lattes start today at Starbucks).
• Go to bed early, what you do from here is your business but according to WebMD sex relieves stress, boosts immunity, burns calories, improves heart health, self-esteem and intimacy, reduces pain and risk of prostate cancer, strengthens pelvic floor muscles and helps you sleep better!
• It’s a long month, so choose a suitable reward for the end.  Maybe new jeans, the one’s with the great pockets, or a nice pair of riding boots?  Think about all of the money you are going to save by saying NO!

Exceptions to the rules:

• If you leave the country.
• Christmas parties in November.
• Thursday November 24^th – American Thanksgiving.
• Out of town house guests.
• Desperate times.

You in?  We start now.

Introduction To Pilates

What is Pilates?
The Pilates method is a series of exercises used to increase strength of muscles,tendons, and ligaments, while improving flexibility and stability. It takes the muscles through a full range of motion, strengthening muscles while you lengthen them, with no impact on your joints.

History of Pilates
Pilates was designed by Joseph Pilates, who lived from 1880-1967. His health as a child was poor; consequently he became obsessed with his body and fitness and believed that true health was a balance of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.  He studied all forms of movement such as gymnasts, boxers, dancers and even babies crawling to find out how the body was meant to move.

The Powerhouse and Core
Pilates targets the transverse abdominal muscle, which encircles the waistline, the lower back, gluteus muscles, and the pelvic floor. These four areas make up what is often referred to as the “powerhouse”, our natural weight belt. The powerhouse is responsible for many things, which include good posture, strong back, and flat tummy. In addition to the powerhouse, Pilates also targets the shoulder girdle. Together the powerhouse and the shoulder girdle equal the “core”.

The Principles of Pilates
• Concentration: Thoughts are focused on movement. By visualizing your nervous system will choose best method of movement.
• Control: movements are performed with control originating from mind and centre of the body.
• Centering: All motion begins with from the “core”.
• Breathing: All movements are coordinated with breath.
• Flow: The exercises take you through a wide range of motion in a controlled and flowing manner. Each movement should appear effortless and smooth.
• Precision: mind and body connect for precise controlled movement, hand in hand with control. Each move is calculated and precise that it why there are only 3-8 repetitions of each exercise, Pilates emphasizes quality not quantity.
• Stability: controlling certain body parts while others are in motion.
• Relaxation: Releasing tension in a specific muscle or area and maintaining control and tone.
• Coordination: ability of mind to direct body through movement (mind/body connection).

What are the benefits of regular participation in a Pilates-based fitness program?
• Your body becomes firmer and sleeker, with improved contours and a longer, leaner look.
• You can move more easily, increasing range of motion at your joints and overall flexibility
• Back pain and weakness are reduced as you strengthen the core muscles and stretch shortened muscles.
• Muscle flexibility, joint mobility, coordination and balance all improve steadily.
• Stronger, longer muscles are developed as opposed to bulk.
• Better sleep patterns develop as fatigue, discomfort, and pain are reduced.
• The exercises provide a form of resistance training that stimulates bone density.
• Correct alignment and a stronger “girdle” help to keep the vital organs supported and able to function more efficiently. You also gain flatter abdominals!
• Physical and mental strength and endurance increase making it ideal for people under stress or recovering from injuries. As relaxation is promoted, participants enjoy a sense of calm after a session.
• The exercises can be constantly modified to suit all levels of fitness.
• General health will be enhanced.

Mat Pilates Home Routine
• Warm-up: standing Roll Down, warm-up stretches, abdominal preps
• Hundred
• Bridging
• Thigh Arcs, Thigh Circles
• Roll-up/down
• Single Leg Circles
• Single Straight Leg Stretch
• Single Leg Stretch
• Crisscross
• Corkscrew
• Double Leg Stretch
• Double Straight Leg Stretch
• Rolling Like a Ball
• Seated: Spine Stretch Forward, Spine Twist, Saw
• Shoulder stands
• Pilates Push-ups
• Plank
• Back Extension: Lumbar lift, Leg lift, Superman, Swimming, Swan Dive
• Leg Series: Side Leg, Clamshell, Glutes, Squats/lunges
• Cool down stretches: Cat/Cow, Neck and Back Stretch

September Challenge: Week 4, The Final Recap

I bought a ceramic tile in when I was on vacation with my fam in Hawaii a few years ago that sits on my kitchen counter, it reads “If life gives you lemons…make a mai tai!” It kinda summed up the trip and also the final week of my challenge.

• 100 push-ups a day – with only 5 days remaining in the challenge I woke up feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. There was no way I could do a push-up. Short story, I owe the challenge 500 push-ups which will be done as soon as my shoulder is 100%. Will you take an IOU?

• 25 miles/40.2336 km per week – apparently I must run a like a bobble-head because my I wasn’t able to run either All was however not lost, because I broke my mileage goal before my shoulder issue started. Total mileage for the month 106.22 miles (170.95km)!

• Weight Room Certification – done and in the mail!  Thanks Christine for being such a fantastic evaluator and Soraiya for not being too difficult of a “client”

September Challenge: Week 3 Recap

Well, my game face is on and I finally feel like I have made some real headway this week.

• 25 miles/40.2336 km per week – this week was a crazy week, with a very limited amount of time to run over the weekend, I got up early for not just one but two 7am runs. I am not a roll out of bed and into my running gear kinda girl either. I don’t leave the house until all systems are a go, so I am giving myself a big pat on the back for getting up at 6am BOTH days of the weekend, and they were rainy days to boot.  Weekly mileage was 28.76 miles/46.29km, bringing my total mileage for the month to 93.65 miles, I’m so close I can taste it!

• 100 push-ups a day – although they are getting easier to do (I am up to 50 consecutive now) I don’t know why I wait until 9 0′clock every night to do them. I was pleased to find out that I have had a few takers on the challenge, welcome Kimberley and Soraiya…of course Soraiya is doing them from her toes.

• Big progress on my Weight Room Certification this week.  My 12 page exam is complete and has been delivered for marking, three of my five training plans are complete, my evaluation date has been scheduled and little miss push ups from her toes has agreed to be my “client” for my evaluation.

One more week to go!

13 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You

Ever wondered what your fitness instructor was really thinking?

Recently, I, along with several other fitness leaders, contributed to a Reader’s Digest article by Amy Zerello called “13 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You”. While I won’t tell you which quote(s) belong to me, I will tell you that I can relate to more than a few of them. Check it out..

13 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Won’t Tell You

1. Follow my lead.

I get aggravated when students do a different workout than the one I’m teaching — and they’re in the front row! You come to class but choose to do your own thing… really, what’s the point?!

2. It takes a lot to be entertaining, funny, and likeable

all while trying to motivate people to do things that will cause them pain. I think the 80’s thong leotards and side-ponytails gave aerobics instructors a bad rap. We’re also not all super bubbly and rail-thin.

3. Leave your cell at home.

Can you not exercise for an hour without checking your text messages?

4. Yes, I’ve embarrassed myself.

I was chewing gum while teaching and it flew out and stuck onto the mirror in front of me during class. Oh, and it was bright green!

5. Coffee’s my friend.

When I don’t feel like teaching I have a GIANT cup of coffee. I usually don’t feel like teaching when I’m tired or run down, so caffeine usually does the trick. And if that fails, keep smiling. As the saying goes, fake it ‘til you make it!

6. Preparing is a lot of work!

Pre-choreographed classes, like BodyPump and Turbo Kickboxing, take hours of prep. We’re sent materials every 6 weeks and we have to review and learn all the music and choreography before we teach it to you.

7. Stop weighing yourself constantly.

Newbies expect miracles without realizing that while the added muscle may not make the scale drop, it will bring the pants’ size down. But you can’t change your physique simply by working out; 80 percent of any change and fat loss is the result of a clean diet.

8. I wish you’d be more vocal

when you’ve had a great workout, but save the moaning, grunts, and other weird noises for home.

9. Music matters.

When I want you to work hard, I use really upbeat songs with pounding bass. If we’re doing something that requires a slower tempo, I turn it down. If the music sucks it doesn’t matter how high energy or good the instructor is. It’s also about what I like. If it’s not something I’d work out to, it never makes it to the class playlist.

10. Dress appropriately.

Ladies, consider wearing a cami or additional liner under your low cut Lululemon or Lucy yoga tops. I get an eyeful I really don’t wish to see when you’re in downward dog. And guys, don’t forget your liner shorts! I don’t want to see anything poking through your gym shorts in class!

11. We don’t all have perfect relationships with health and fitness.

People assume we spend our days eating salad without dressing and train ALL the time. Sometimes I’m tired, cranky, hungry, or want a pizza but I have to put on the show. Sometimes I want to veg out and eat junk food, and sometimes I actually do!

12. When you’re sick, stay home.

You may want to sweat out your cold or flu, but I don’t want your germs, especially when you want a really good workout and position yourself in the front row and cough and sneeze your way through the class.

13. It kills me when you come into the fitness studio without water!

Proper hydration is just so important that I mandate a water break just after the turbo section of class. It’s my biggest pet peeve because I am going to make you sweat!

Read the entire article

September Challenge: Week 2 Recap

It’s recap time! Two weeks down and two to go…

• 25 miles/40.2336 km per week  – easy peasy!  The sun was out and knowing that week 3 would be a busy one I decided to take full advantage of it logging a few extra miles.  Weekly mileage was 33.26 miles/53.53km.  Bringing my total to 64.88 miles.

• 100 push-ups a day – I thought on day 10 and 11 that this might become a family affair.  I guess it sort of has, they sure like to remind me to get them done.  I dedicated day 12’s push-ups to Adam Levine and hope that he noticed the gun show coming from row 9 during the Maroon 5 concert. Day 13 almost didn’t happen, but the thought of doing 200 on day 14 was enough for me to suck it up and get ‘er done.

• I finally made some good progress with my Weight Room Certification.  There is still plenty to do, and the clock is tick, tick, ticking.

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