Fallin' off that horse...

Hi my savvy readers!  How's everyone doing on their resolutions for health and exercise?  Are you still on it?  Have you lost?  Maybe gained?  Have there been blood, sweat, and tears?  My gym was packed until just recently.  It's hard work!!!  This winter has been especially brutal in terms of cold and snow (here in the MidWest) and finding the will to get out to the gym has gotten harder and harder.

Dear Hubby and I are trying to get our exercise on in the basement.  What I have found to help me get out and shake my booty...boutique studios.  No, not the ones that sell Gucci or Prada.  A fitness studio!  Here you have to sign up for classes in advance and if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance you get charged...OH SNAP!  I'm not a fan of spending cash and not getting anything for it.

I have fallen off my horse in more ways than one.  Don't tell anyone but guess what...I'm human.  But the thing I tell friends and family - it's all about getting back on it.  Life happens.  Just like taxes and death...it is inevitable.  But how you handle your struggles is what separates the strong from the weak.

My life is sometimes out of control, but prioritizing my health is at least one thing I do have control over.  So get back out there!  Don't fall into the predictable resolution crowd -- the go hard gym goers, fall off and wait until the next year to do somethin'.

Be like Britney and WORK, bitch :)

How do you stay motivated?

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!