Hurts so good

What is your favorite way to exercise?  Is it running because you can feel the wind in your hair?  Is it pumping iron because you can see yourself as Arnold Schwarzenegger?  Maybe you love yoga because you can bend into a pretzel?  Whatever it is that gets you up and at 'em is the key to maintenance.  By this I mean, maintaining a routine of physical activity.  But here's the thing...what don't you like? What we don't like is usually a good indicator of what is weak in our bodies that need a little extra attention.  Here's one that will initially hurt like the dickens but it's one WE all need. Sit with your feet flexed on your heels. 

Or grab a foam roller and roll out on your IT band.  When you find your sore spot, hang out for 30 seconds to let the tightness release.  Most people are rather tight, whether they work out or not.  Dancers are typically more flexible and bending down to touch their toes takes little to no effort.  If you lift weights, you're the type that usually skips the stretching portion of the routine.  STOP AND STRETCH, YOU FOOL!  You'll be glad you did.  Whatever muscle is the tightest and therefore hurts the most when stretched, that's the muscle you should pay attention to.  

I've rambled onto the importance of stretching.  The point of this post is to work (i.e. strengthen or stretch) what hurts or is weak.  For me it's my hip flexors.  I am very open in my hips and as a result they are very weak.  Trying to extend my legs forward for any amount of time KILLS!  I immediately want to bend my legs to take the strain off my psoas (fancy for hip flexors).  I know I need to strengthen them.  I regularly incorporate stretching into my workouts, so for me adding hip flexor strengthening exercises is a MUST, especially because I don't like the way it feels.

Now there is a very important distinction between strengthening weak muscles and hurting yourself. Say for example you have a bad back.  PLEASE DO NOT GO OUT AND EXERCISE YOUR BACK THINKING YOU WILL HELP IT!  Think about the opposite muscle.  If you have a bad back, your CORE needs strengthening.  Adding some Pilates core work into your routine will help strengthen what is weak and therefore you will rely LESS on your back doing most of the work.  Try it! 

Just tell yourself it will hurt sooooo....good :)  And then play John Cougar Mellencamp's song on your ipod.

New Year, new you?

Have you been naughty or nice this season?  I'm going to bet you've probably meant to be nice, but have fallen victim to the naughty Holiday temptations.

Take yourself off the merry-go-round of guilt and hop on the treadmill!  If only it were so simple, right?  You see those skinny bitches complaining about the SINGLE carb they ate and as you literally LOL you shove another gooey treat down your pie hole.

Do you equate diets with deprivation?  Are you giving yourself a free pass because it's the "Holiday season" and you don't want to be the only person denying your taste buds at that Holiday gathering? Guess what...deprivation gets you no where, fast.  Actually, it gets you into your fat pants.  That's a destination no one wants to visit.

The savvy secret is to have what you really want, satisfy that craving and move on.  But save your splurges for what really grabs you.

Isn't it hilarious you'll see gym memberships soar at the beginning of EVERY year, without fail.  Most of those same resolution makers (I omit keepers for a good reason) go to the gym for two weeks and then it's business as usual.  Sitting on the couch simply wishing your waistline would shrink without having to sweat it out.

Here's the sad reality - those same resolution makers are the people who fail because they just don't know what they're doing.  Who wants to exercise improperly?  It's totally pointless and results will never be gained.

I used to despise running the dreaded mile in school, every year for 12 years, because when I would run I would get cramps in my tummy and my body would hurt.  Why, for the love of God, does the country make children do such exercises without giving them proper instruction?  No wonder I always 'failed'.

I have been going to a few running seminars (free) and now I actually enjoy running.  I highly doubt I'll ever be a marathon enthusiast, but at least if George Clooney were 3 miles from me I could run to him in a decent time.  What I learned at these seminars was proper form.  What to do with my arms, what my stride should be in order to feel less fatigued and proper alignment.  It has made a big difference.  It only took me 32 years.

When I'm at the gym, I know what I'm doing now because I have educated myself.  I have worked in small group personal training (small price compared to 1:1) sessions.  I am now certified by the National Academy of Sport's Medicine to be my own personal trainer.  I hope to train others, soon.  Just need to gain more experience.  I'm also a certified Pilates instructor.  These certifications would not have been achievable if I didn't figure out how to work with my body.

Pilates, yoga, short distance running, weight training and swimming appeal to me.  My body feels so much better after an hour or so of each.  But the real secret is to combine what feels good.  I would not be this strong just doing yoga.  The other modalities have greatly improved my arm balances in yoga, for example.

So when the year passes and you commit to finding the 'new you' thirty plus pounds lighter...get some education.  Don't think by just suiting up and gutting it out for an hour will change you.  Enjoy what you're doing and do it right.  Be wary of over indulging your sweet tooth simply because you 'worked out' that day.  If you work out for 1 hour, that's 4% of your day.  The real trick is controlling the other 96% of it.

You are amazingly gifted and can achieve whatever you put your mind to with the right attitude and resources.  GO YOU!

How do you workout?

I've been (mentally) beating myself up thinking I NEED TO DO MORE WEIGHTS.  I do my circuit training program once a week.  Before and after that day you can find me in yoga, Pilates and XTend Ballet Barre classes.  Why?  Because my mind and body are in their happy places!

Truth be told...I really don't enjoy weight lifting.  It's not something that makes me happy.  I do love the feeling after completing my circuit training day, but I immediately feel ashamed because it only makes up ONE day in my week.

So then I started to think...hmmmmm...my newly defined biceps and deltoids (which I'm super proud of) still get attacked when I'm at the Barre or gettin' my yoga on. My inner thighs and unsightly 'saddle bags' are rapidly thinning out and disappearing.  While I know that incorporating weights is mandatory at this stage in the game, there may be a method to my madness after all.

Maybe you can identify with me.  Does it intimidate you to walk into a gym filled with people who look like they really know what they're doing?  Do you not really know what to do when standing in front of a complicated looking machine?  Where do you go from there?

If intimidation is keeping you from exercising, let this be a motivating post for 'ya.  Get a plan of attack together and figure out what makes your body feel good.  My best savvy friend is more into stair climbers and weights.  I run from stair climbers and well, you already know how I feel about weights. My savvy husband is ALL about lifting weights and cardio is a pain in his butt.  Not all exercises are created equally and people will respond differently to them.

I recently purchased 'Lean and Chiseled' via amazon for a whopping $8.99.  Click the pic for the link.  This is where it all begins.  Get this DVD and try it in the privacy of your own home.  If you're not feeling the burn within the first 10 minutes, then you're not doing it right.  This is a ridiculous workout!!  Here's a link to their website http://xtendbarreworkout.com/new/

I have tried to get both my friend and hubby into yoga and now I'm on a mission to bring the Barre into their workouts.  My husband will not join me at the Barre because he would be the only guy in the room.  Ok - I can respect.  Here is a sampling of the exercises you'll find at the Barre.

Disclaimer: Please use caution when attempting these exercises.  Be mindful if your knees, hips or back cause you any pain then you need to modify.

        

                 Balancing on the ball of your standing foot, you lift and lower your extended leg ever so slightly.

XTend borrows many of the exercises from Pilates.  Here your core is in total control - as you lift and lower your torso you alternate your arm positions.  It's a fancy sit up

More Pilates.  While engaging your core, you move your legs in and out. 

This one makes me cry and shake.  While in a squat, you are to lift and lower your body down and inch and up and inch. This is not for the faint of quad.

Super easy move that challenges your balance (which is code for core) and works your inner thighs. Simply hold in second position, or for a more intese exercise lift and lower your body.

If you don't have the barre, grab a chair and lift and lower yourself.

C'mon get happy :-)

Did you know that by just smiling you relax the 40+ muscles in your face?  Yup...it's true!  I double dog dare you not to smile while watching this YouTube clip for the documentary 'HAPPY'.  You can watch the entire movie on Netflix, for free, if you have a subscription.  

I became inspired to write this blog after watching the movie.  They talked about the release of dopamine in the brain after an aerobic workout.  It's completely true.  When you're good to your body, you feel better.  I think when you do something that makes you happy, you can alleviate stress, anxiety and depression.

Here are a few of my favorite things!

Standing on the head really helps spark creativity. If you have hit a writer's block, get on your head and get the creative juices flowing.

Right on!

Dancing always makes me happy.

'Funny Face' is one of my favorite movies.  Audrey in ANY movie always makes me smile!

Puppies having fun always gets me!

Kittens....'nuff said.

Honest to God...nothing cuter than little ones in their leotards! Look at those tummies!!!!

If you couldn't tell, I'm a total girlie girl.  These are things that make me smile and thus make me happy!  Release some dopamine today, tomorrow and the next day.  You can thank me later!!

SAY WHAT!?!?

I've been dutifully going to my gym now for 18 months.  I do a weigh in every six months, just to make sure I'm decreasing the space I take up in this world.  The folks at Lifetime have informed me they have done away with the skin-fold method of calculating percentage of body fat.  I was not disappointed at all, as I never thought this was a very reliable method, but whatevs!

Ok...so this test required me to fast for three hours prior to the test.  Arriving for my weekly circuit training workout I am, at this point, hungry and quite thirsty - I hop on the fancy looking scale and hold my breath.  WOWZER!!!  My body fat percentage is nothing I can post here.

Crushed, defeated, confused and trying to make sense of the world (DRAMA!) I just don't know what to think.  Based on my weight and % I'm 45 pounds of fat??????  How, what, where, why and WTF?

After consuming protein and mass amounts of water I begin to get a grip.  I know I still have a pesky 10 pounds until goal weight...but 45 nearly sent me over the *freaking edge.  I quickly contacted my trusty support system and asked if I truly put stock into this new machine.  My conclusion is - NO.  If I lost 45 pounds I'd be too thin (is there such a thing?).  My family would most likely diagnosis me with a severe eating disorder and off to the hospital I'd go for some serious nutrient replenishment.

I'm not beating myself up.  I'm not changing my "diet" (I hate using this word).  My trainer suggested re-examining my food intake and she encouraged me to keep a food journal so we could take a look at it.  She said, "You're probably not eating enough".  Initially I was offended...I'm a savvy foodie!!  But then I realized there are steps I can still take in order to reach my ideal weight.  Don't get me wrong, being a size 6 is fab...but there are still parts of my body I'm working on minimizing and toning.

Steps:
1.  Keep food diary - this will keep me honest
2.  Up cardio level to new zone levels - this will require me to run into levels best left to sprinters
3.  Increase protein consumption - this does not mean more chicken, there are numerous opportunities to up the protein without eating more dead animals
4.  Continue with Pilates and Yoga - but now I'm going to increase weight training days
5.  Stop looking at workouts as 'it's done' - I tend to do my class and then I'm done...I'm going to expand my workouts

These are just a few additional steps I can take in order to continue losing and toning.  I feel rather Bridget Jones here.  But seeing my thoughts on the page really helps me from

Gettin' back on the horse!

Oh dear Lord...I ate like an idiot over the weekend.  It's fun going down, but now I have my work cut out for me for the week.  I had my strength training class this morning and three Pilates classes scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I'm also sneaking in a yoga class somewhere in there.  It's hard draggin' my behind to class, but once I'm there...it's all good.

So for tonight's (back to reality) dinner here's what I'm going to cook up for my savvy foodies:

Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf - from Dr. Fuhrman's 'Eat for Health'
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 cup quick oats (not instant)
1- ounces frozen organic chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 large carrot, grated

http://www.drfuhrman.com/

1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
6 tablespoons ketchup, low sodium
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (he says vegan can be purchased at health food stores)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon Dijion mustard
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes, no salt added, drained
1 tablespoon ketchup (low sodium)

Directions-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix ground turkey and oats together.  Add remaining ingredients except for half of the tomatoes and ketchup.  Mix well to combine.
Shape into loaf and place in a large loaf pan.
Top with remaining tomatoes mixed with 1 tablespoon ketchup
Bake for an hour and 15 minutes until meat is cooked through.

One serving contains:
CALORIES 320
PROTEIN 28.6g
CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g
FAT 12.4g
SODIUM 229.8mg

I'll let you know what the fam thinks tomorrow...off to the store!

Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this little movie as much as I did.  And yes, it's a great ad for LuLu and her Lemons!

Have a great day! Namaste

Find Your Power

I absolutely LOVE this video!  Watch the passer by's reactions to some of the yogi's.  I was cracking up.

There have been times in my life when I have felt like the 'crazy' yoga person standing on their head in the middle of the street, more times than I care to mention.  Being savvy about food and fitness can, in some settings, make 'ya feel like a fish swimmin' up stream.

My motto - get out of your own way and just do your thing, no matter who's watching.

This video, put out by Lifetime Fitness, is awesome!

What's holding you back?

I was in a spin class the other day and the instructor was trying to keep us positive as we tried to 'break through' the challenge.  He said, "Just know there is something in the universe that is always trying to hold you back from obtaining your goals."  Well smack my butt and call me Sally...he is completely right.  Nine times out of ten this 'thing' holding us back is fear.  Fear is a hologram, of sorts.  Some of us are so afraid of failing that we don't even try.


Run?  Yeah right, I'll ruin my joints.  Cycle? I'll go flying off the darn bike.  You want me to stand on my head?  I'll fall and break something.  Dance for an hour?  Are you kidding?  I'll twist an ankle or hit someone in the head.  Give up fried foods?  But I love french fries so much.  Make time to work out?  I'm afraid I'll be too tired and waste money on a gym membership.


If we get right up to the very thing that is holding us back, we push ourselves to the limit and realize that fear is just an illusion.  Unless you are into death defying feats (i.e. jumping off cliffs or out of planes) most of us will not perish by switching things up and facing our fears.  You get right up to the hologram of fear and realize its power is fictitious.

There may be some pain involved in adjusting our lifestyle.  If you're a perpetual couch potato, you most likely will not take well to moving your booty more often.  If you're a 'go-with-the-flow' eater (meaning you eat whatever you like and throw dietary caution to the wind), putting restrictions on yourself will be nothing short of irritating.  There will be something in the universe challenging your commitment to honoring your health and well being, trust me.

The old me hated:

• sweating
• washing hair too frequently due to sweating
• push ups
• running
• weight lifting
• eating vegetables
• not eating mac n'cheese
• not eating french fries
• gyms
• skipping desert
• not baking

The new me loves:

• sweating
• standing on my head
• standing on my hands
• push ups (even though I'm still working on doing a real man's push up without knee assistance)
• free weights
• veggie/fruit juice
• veggie smoothies
• not putting cream and sugar in my coffee
• gym
• baking once in awhile and sending the treats off with my hubby to work
• feeling and looking soooooo...much better!!

So you see, the pros outweigh the negatives.  If you're not having fun, you only have yourself to blame.  I make my exercise fun while I'm doing it.  I love going for bike rides with my savvy hubby.  I love taking my pups for a morning walk.  Going to the gym is something I look forward to because I have found a variety of classes that keep me motivated and excited to see what I can accomplish next.

Life is a challenge, no doubt.  My savvy friend recently joined a gym across the street from her work.  She and her husband have planned their schedules to accomodate gym time.  They have a little guy at home so they take turns going.  I think she's super savvy because she only takes it one week at a time.  Life does have a way of 'getting in the way', so they have a plan that ebbs and flows from week to week.  She plans her meals, her workout gear and her office attire the night before.  So when her 6am alarm rings, she already knows what she needs.  That's half the battle right there!  She's never stressed and she's looking and feeling great!  

I think it's brilliant to plan ahead.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  These are words I live by.  So plan out your meals, plan out your gym days and don't be afraid to change it if something comes up.  Just promise yourself that you will not let fear hold you back.  Make it work!

Just keep trying!

I'm kind of obsessed with all things yoga.  I've been practicing religiously for the past year and have been aware of the practice for over 15 years.  This means, I knew the basics but would hardly consider myself a yogi.  In the past year I have taken my down-dog to new levels and raised the bar as far as challenging myself.

Assisted Peacock Pose

Last night I found myself sitting in a room of other yogi's ready for a two-hour advanced class entitled 'Inversions and Arm Balances'.  Inversions, if you don't know, defy gravity.  Your body is off the ground using your muscles, only.  We all actually paid money to torture ourselves!  I had been extremely excited when this workshop presented itself a few weeks ago.  I had been tooting my horn (a little too loudly) at my new found strength and abilities.  I walked into a dimly lit room armed with my yoga gear ready for a challenge.

Our instructor was a young, petite powerhouse with zero body fat and killer guns.  Immediately, fear struck me.  OH DEAR GOD, HELP!!!  She instructed all eight of us to sit in a comfortable seated position and suddenly I wanted to bolt.  I was not concentrating on my naval, I was so fixated on the fact that I did not have her killer body and therefore would not be able to do what she instructed.  Nonetheless, I was about to take the plunge and perhaps it would be nothing short of an epic failure.  I was more concerned about my ego rather than snapping my neck.  Every yogi will tell you to check your ego at the door because that's "not what yoga is about".  Alright, whatever.  We all know we're checking out the competition whether it's in the rule book or not.

The class began and I threw caution to the wind.  The people in this class were amazing!  And so was I, for at least trying and not letting fear overcome me!  No matter what our bodies would allow us to do, we all tried whatever zero-fat chick threw at us.  I've included some of the poses she demonstrated and we attempted...well, I attempted.

Side Crow

Scorpion

Crow

Fun with a tri-pod head stand 

Tri-pod head stand prep

Playing around on your head

Compass Pose - easier than it looks

Fun with partners

Bridge Pose 

Extended side crow

I will be honest and admit I am not able to do them all.  If I attempt some of these, I can barely hold the pose for more than a breath.  The point of all this craziness?  It's a challenge that I took head on, quite literally.  I have fallen.  We have all fallen.  Our instructor admitted her challenges and encouraged us to keep trying.  I had a bit of a moment at the end.  I was absolutely exhausted, but I kept trying.  My shoulders hurt, my arms were shaking and I thought my abs were going to fail for sure.  But I kept pushing my limits.  What I was able to achieve was a sense of accomplishment.

At 33 years old and after only one year of really committing myself full-time to improving my strength, I completed a master class.  I never would have dreamed of not only signing up for this, but paying for it!!  I ran a 5K last November and now I get a thrill when it's time to stand on my head...unassisted.  Who knew???

Namaste.

Tune out

                                   Press Play and begin to relax

I think I'm hungry, did I eat dinner?  Did I send the email to my mother/brother/sister/friend/co-worker?  Oh no, did I remember to send that thank you note to my sister-in-law?  I need to back up my computer?!  My dad's birthday is next week, can't forget to send a card.  Whoops, I forgot to return my cousin's phone call, will she think I'm rude?  I have to get a present for that wedding next month.  My oil needs changing, crap!!  I think my throat hurts, no maybe it's just allergies, dear sweet Jesus please just be allergies I don't have time to be sick.  I need to google 'allergies' and 'symptoms'.  Oh, look I have a new facebook message!!

Does any of this sound familiar?  If you're anything like me, your mind is constantly on.  Since the invention of the iPhone, iPad and the lap top...my multitasking capabilities have gone from zero to ten in record time.  Keeping focused on one thing is more of a challenge than doing five things at one.

When I'm at the gym I see people talking on their phones while exercising and/or texting in between reps. I want to scream!!  The worst is people who refuse to hang up their phones while going to the bathroom.  I mean, is it really that crucial?  We, as a society, are too plugged in.  There used to be a time when we could not be reached and the world did not end.

When I'm standing on my head, the only thing I am thinking
about is not falling over.  But when I do, I just get right back up.

I step into my yoga class, turn my phone on vibrate, tuck it into my bag and for seventy-five minutes...I let go.  All I have to do is just concentrate on my breathing, posture and not falling over.  It is the most peaceful time in my day.  I know if my mind starts to wander, I'm doing something wrong.  For me, yoga and Pilates provide a time to slow down.  I recognize it's not this way for everyone...maybe swimming or running are the outlets needed to just let go.  Whatever floats your boat and gets you to tune out, DO IT!

Leave your desk, turn off your computer, shut your phone down and step away from the overload of information.  There is a time and place for everything.  By focussing on toning your body for just an hour a day, you'll be surprised at how much better you'll feel.  Learn to say NO and cut out a portion of the day to focus solely on getting your 'yoga on'.  Let yourself off the hook if it takes some time getting used to being a bit selfish.  Don't put yourself last.  Do what makes you relax and feel better.  You can thank me later, when you think of it ;)

How will I know?

We are now eleven days into the new year.  For most of us, we're also 11 days into our resolutions which means we only have 3 more days of misery.  If you're anything like the majority of Americans, you've given it your best shot.  You joined a gym, vowing to go before or after work 3x a week.  You tried a new class.  You've been starving for the past 11 days and quite frankly you're getting sick and tired of 'trying'.

The masses are trying to sell more sugar in the form of Valentine's Day candy.  I mean....the Christmas crap isn't even off all the shelves yet.  The 75% off candy is next to 'A New Year, A New You' self-help book!! And for cryin' out loud, it's just too hard to stick to your resolution.

Something in the universe is working against you and you're slowly slipping into your old patterns and seriously questioning your resolution.  What's a few more pounds?  Isn't life too short to not enjoy?  Don't you miss the taste of crap?  It's time to get off the treadmill.  You have no desire to stand on your head in that God forsaken Yoga class with those weirdos and weight lifting is just for meat heads.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
It's only the rest of your life!

Do you want to enjoy it?  Or just find yourself on the merry-go-round of mediocrity?  Giving into your taste buds?  Who's stronger?  Big wonderful YOU or little stinking them?  Do you know it's possible to re-train your buds?  Just because it's green does not mean you'll gag.  Just because it's not doused in sugar does not mean it won't be yummy.

Here's the giant elephant in the room...if you want the NEW and IMPROVED YOU there are no resolutions.  When the clock ticks away to a new year, there is no vow to make yourself miserable.  Instead, it's all about just getting back to YOU.  Figuring out what works for you to be savvy and healthy.

I have found it's not about counting calories or hopping on the scale.  By living a healthy savvy life, pounds drop and diets are a thing of the past.  I love my yoga classes.  I look forward to my weight training sessions and I can now safely run a 5K without stressing out.   It's not a goal.  It's not a resolution.  It's my life!

You'll find, as with any addict, people who enable and discourage you.  'Just eat it, who cares?' or 'Why be miserable?'.  My answer to these enabling statements: Because it's my life!  The choices I make today will have a lasting effect on the rest of my days.  I don't want to be at the doctors for high blood pressure and type II diabetes.  I don't want migraines or other common aliments.  I want to be the best I can be and I want to feel good!  I want to be able to fit into my normal size pants and not creep up into 'fat pants'.  I want all the good stuff and I know it's worth it.  Who wants to feel miserable/depressed/fatigued/moody.  Bad food, over processed food can cause all of the aforementioned lousy side effects.

It's also important to figure out what type of exercise doesn't feel like exercise.  By this I mean, if you do not enjoy running, for example, don't rely on that form of exercise to burn the calories.  If the treadmill makes you cringe, no biggie!  Try a bicycle!  Try a stair master (for buns of steel!).  If you're afraid of bulking up from weight lifting, trust me unless you're going hard core the likelihood of looking like the 'Incredible Hulk' are slim to none.

Stop letting YOU get in the way of YOU!  Imagine an angel on one side and a devil on the other.  The angel will push and motivate you, the devil will tell you 'it's too hard, stop'.  Which do you listen to?  Don't misunderstand something as being painful with something that requires training your muscles.  If you have not done yoga before, some of the poses will freak you out (they did me!).  But by building muscles, the poses become easier.  If there's pain involved, stop.  That's not the devil, that's common sense.

Get in touch with your body.  You are the expert.  Challenge yourself, but don't hurt yourself.  If you fall off your wagon, there is no shame in getting back on it.  If you're in an exercise class and you can't do something, don't worry.  We weren't born knowing how to do it all.  Learn.  Be patient.  Be committed.  The results will make you smile.  Take yourself from goals to a way of living.  The benefits will blow your mind.

Namaste.