7 minutes of scientific fitness equals one good workout!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

7 minutes...Can you do it?

7 minutes…Can you do it?

Recently, I posted on my Facebook Fan page that high intensity intervals are not only a great workout in less time, but also “provides many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training.”

The original article, posted in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, gives us not only a great reason to try HIIT, but also unveils a specific 7 minute workout for all of us to try.

Even though these types of workouts are wonderful for many of you, they are not for everyone! HIIT is a very intense type of workout that could be too intense for people who are currently sedentary or have heart and/or joint issues. So, with that in mind, please modify these moves to fit your own body. For instance, if you can’t do jumping jacks, do a side step with arms. Do wall push-ups instead of push ups on the floor. If you need any assistance with modifications, please ask a qualified trainer! :)

I had 15 minutes before the kids were to get off the bus, so I thought I would try this workout for myself, in my own living room. I grabbed my handy dandy mat, a chair, a kitchen timer and found some fun running music. Ready, set, GO! I then performed these 12 moves for 30 seconds with 10 second breaks:

1. Jumping Jacks

2. Wall Sit

3. Push ups

4. Abdominal Crunch

5. Step up to a chair

6. Squats

7. Triceps Dips

8. Plank

9. High Knees Running in Place

10. Alternating Lunges

11. Push up rotations to T-stand side planks

12. Side Plank

I have to admit, this was good workout, but not one of the hardest HIIT workouts I have ever done. I was impressed that I was able to do all the push ups from my toes!!! However, I also thought that this was very ‘shoulder-intense’ on my upper body during the push ups, triceps dips and push ups with rotations. Overall, most of my clients would find this tough, but very ‘do-able!’ This is a great introduction to HIIT!

Will you spare 7 minutes and try something new today? If so, let me know how it goes!

-Fit Mommy

 

Posted in healthy living, strength training, Uncategorized

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Parents: Tell your girls to be strong!!!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

Tell girls that looks don't matter. Just know that they see this thin ginger gets it all in the end. The prince, the legs and a wedding on a yacht.

Tell girls that looks don’t matter. Just know that they see this thin ginger gets it all in the end. The prince, the legs and a wedding on a yacht.

If I could make a difference and reach out to one population, I would encourage our young girls to be physically strong. Here’s why:

STRONG is not fat, skinny, curvy, or any other useless and degrading label. Strong is healthy. Strong looks good and feels good in it’s own skin. Strong walks tall and with good posture. Strong doesn’t have a bad body image.

I wish I could ’mentally’ arm all of our girls to know that a strong body is a lean body. Why emphasize that they can be lean? Because, simply put, that is what they want. Let’s be real, our young women want to look good!!! They don’t want to be overweight!  They want to have peer acceptance and find a date to the prom. They want to feel confident in a swimsuit. Instead of addressing their real concerns, we try to tell them that ‘looks don’t matter.’ We tell them that it only matters on the inside. Even though we only want to give them a better sense of self, I believe that this idea actually perpetuates a bad body image.

Why? Because the ‘real world’ doesn’t validate the inner beauty.

Can’t we level with our girls and tell them that they don’t have to starve themselves to fit into fashionable clothes?  Can’t we show them how to take care of their bodies with good nutrition, resistance training, cardio training and stretching? Can’t we give them better information?

I only wish that someone had told me about the magic of strength training when I was younger. I wish I had known that I wouldn’t end up with hulk-like muscles. I wish I had known that muscle strength feels so good. I wish that I had known that when I lift heavy weights, I feel a personal strength within. I just wish…

Instead of encouraging our girls to take care of themselves, we dismiss their feelings and send them mixed messages. They hear: “It’s okay to be curvy,” and see: ”You need to starve to get thin.” Despite our best intentions, young girls are constantly inundated with pictures of media celebrities with very thin bodies, who get all the success (and all the famous boyfriends.)

Let’s validate a girl’s inner struggle with the world they actually live in vs. the world that their elders tell them about. Because, (and I hate to say it) the thin girls on TV seem to have it all: the popularity, the boys, the hair, the clothes…. The thin celebrities have a life of envy, as advertised. When we don’t recognize this disparity, I believe that girls begin this love/hate relationship with themselves and their food. The pounds go on and off and they feel bad about their body.

I would like to flip the tables and try a new approach!!! Parents: tell your girls that they need to be physically strong.  Tell them that strong muscles (through cardio and strength training) burn fat, feel great, and look wonderful. Encourage them to eat natural foods. Help them find physical activities that they love and feel good doing!!! Remind them that physical exercise will help them alleviate stress and give them more energy! Praise them when they feel confident about their fitness accomplishments and good health!

I can’t change the World’s body obsession, but I want to, at least, validate our girls’ REAL body image concerns. Tell those girls that they need to be strong. Inside AND out.

-Fit Mommy

 

Posted in Body Confidence, goal setting, healthy living, mommy, motivation, parenting, random thoughts, strength training

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Spheksophobia, Coulrophobia, and now? Potamophobia

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

 

wasp

I fear winged wasps, clowns and a call of nature on the open road. Please Help!

Do you have a phobia? After my last two runs, I now have three.

Spheksophobia-The fear of wasps. I hate stinging insects, but wasps cause me to shriek and hide. The fact that wasps are dive bombing my house has caused my heart to palpitate more than a 45 minute spinning session.

Coulrophobia-The fear of clowns. They are creepy and scary. If I see pictures of painted clown faces, I will shudder and/or leave the room. In fact, I know I may upset a few people, but Raggedy Ann and Andy still give me the serious clown creepers.

…And most relavent to running: Potamophobia: There is actually no fear of running, but there is the fear of running water. Why would this have anything to do with running? Well, this is a ‘running situation specific’ phobia. I am now terrified of being on the open road and in need of bathroom facilities!!!!

Yes, twice now, I have been caught stranded with the immediate need to answer the call of nature, while in the middle of this actual nature. Out, alone and on my own. In fact, due to the body movin’ moving, I have had to stop and walk for miles because the impact of one more step may just be my most embarrassing situation. Why admit this? Because I need to reach out and get help from another runner.

Are you a runner? Is this a problem for you? How do you either avoid the situation with change of route or change of dietary habits? Please help me!

-Fit Mommy

Posted in cardio, Half Marathon Training

The nutritional existential crisis

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

Woman selecting fruit at grocery store“Here we go again… I’m hungry and I have to figure out what to eat…again…” -My thoughts, every single meal.

I had an existential crisis with food a week ago. Nothing, and I mean nothing looked at all appetizing or delicious. Try as I might, nothing in my fridge, pantry or a restaurant looked good. In fact, I bought some meal replacement shakes (really yummy ‘Body by Vi’ mixes) because I just couldn’t find an interesting meal. However, even after a few delicious smoothies, I was ready to find food inspiration elsewhere.

I whined to one of my good friends about this problem. I knew he would understand because he is a foodie and isn’t the kind of person that will eat food just because it is there. He made a suggestion that inspired me try something new. He told me that it might be a good idea to go back to the basics. Emphasize fruits and vegetables, especially fruits. He emphasized that I should not worry about spending a few extra dollars for some better quality food.

Excited by his advice, I went to a local and very indulgent high-end grocery store in my hometown. I spent time wandering around the produce aisles and tried to pretend that all the fruits were not at a $5 minimum per pint (or half pint). After picking up delectable and juicy strawberries, I seized a fresh and crispy spinach bunch. I then strolled down the perfectly manicured meat section and picked up some grass-fed, organic steaks. To offset the beef, I also picked up tofu. While I was back in the produce area, I snagged a bottle of poppy seed salad dressing that will actually expire this year and needs refrigeration before it is opened. I thought I was perfectly happy, until I saw rows of dark chocolate bars that needed to ‘accidentally on purpose’ jump into my cart. I left with both hands grasping paper bags full of food and an exorbitantly expensive food bill.

Did I have any idea how fruit, veggies, steak and tofu would get eaten? No. However, that day I enjoyed a brilliantly  delicious salad for lunch with homemade yogurt. I began to taste food again for the first time. REAL FOOD. Since then, I am slowly recovering, but the crisis seems to have passed.

Have you ever experienced a case of the food blahs? Tell me how you recovered!

-Fit Mommy

Posted in nutrition, random thoughts

I’m the Walking Dead…So what??? The best is yet to come.

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

walkingdeadpicIt isn’t fair to my friend, but his remark that I looked like ‘The Walking Dead’ inspired this post’s title. I attempted a long run at the end of a busy and physical week of training, spinning, lifting and yoga-ing. In fact, I was tired before I started. Like any good golfer, I could spout excuse after excuse about a disaster that I will soon try to forget, but I won’t. Instead, I will entertain you with the sheer moments of stupidity, exhaustion and hopeful notes during my 9 miler.

I was ready in spirit: grabbing my earbuds, pre-programmed playlist and the running dirt shoes that I like to refer to as my (running sh** kickers). My friend, and fellow half marathon advisor, gave me a new running route. I had plans to run, shower and eat a fabulous lunch on a post-run glow. I was ready…or so I thought.

It all began so well! I was wearing my Wonder Woman shirt, enjoying the breeze and the lovely Spring day and the spring in my steps. In fact, up until mile 6, I was savoring the moment and feeling fantastic. Then, it all went to pot on mile 7. My fatigue set in and I was just…done. It was as if the record was ripped off the turntable. The car’s engine just clunked out. Blorg…sputter…stop. I couldn’t take one more running step.

So, I alternated modes of movement during the rest of this catastrophic run/walk/fitness flounder. I allotted excessive time at crosswalks to inhale large gulps of air and hope that the light would not turn. Ever. Even my running route turned from a hopeful nature trail (that I couldn’t find) into a boring and never-ending run amongst several cornfields. I ran my last mile, but then realized I was still a mile away from my car. So, I continued to walk after my run was over. I was out of energy, down on my luck and…just feeling heavy hearted (literally).

The good news? It doesn’t matter! Yeah, I failed yesterday to run the whole thing. I looked like a Zombie in the Walking Dead. However, I did my best! After all, this is part of training. How can I encourage my clients to keep trying new things if I don’t follow this same philosophy? Yeah, I sucked wind and sucked it up, but I will try again. It’s not over. In fact, the best is yet to come.

-Fit Mommy

 

Posted in cardio, Half Marathon Training

Let loose and have some fun! Yes, we all need to ‘lighten up’ on the fitness seriousness…

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

water-balloonSeriously…you are taking this stuff waaaaaayyyy to seriously. Lighten up, people!

Lately, I run into people and we explore the topic of fitness. Inevitably, it follows that I listen to a crazy and regimented routine that makes me not only want to run mad, but slap the silly…um…into them. Literally. Like throw water balloons at them while they complete their obligatory 5 sets of15 with the 20lb weights EVERY DAY! Hmmm….what a thought! :)

You don’t have to think about fitness like it is a mathematical formula or a morning routine (do everything the same and in the same order). For example, I hear about people who count every single rep. I can see them thinking, “If I do x number of reps multiplied by y sets for z days, I will have w pecs of steel.” Or, if “I run x miles, y days a week, I will…um…be a good ‘a’ runner.” Likewise, I often observe that people follow a same old, same old routine. Cardio, Strength, Stretch…on the same machines…Like, EVERY DAY! Not only does this make you bored, but it actually bores your body as well.

Lighten up! Have some fun with your fitness!!!!! Here are some ways to shake up that boring old routine.

1) Stop counting reps, for at least one day. Yeah, you heard me! Don’t keep your face like that or it will freeze that way. Don’t count the reps and sets. Go until you are maxed out. If it feels like forever until you max, then go up a few pounds. Worry less about how many reps, and think about how that weight feels. If it is too light, you need to add weight and go to muscle exhaustion. Plain and simple. Believe it or not, but your body doesn’t care if you do 37 reps. The only person who cares is you and your own rear-end retentiveness.

2) Mix up cardio and strength like a preschooler!  Have you noticed that our little kids play like little random robots? Follow their lead! Dance between biceps curls. Do a few jumping jacks between squats. Run around the track and then do some walking lunges. Just like little kids, focus less on your goal and more on being childlike. Make yourself keep guessing what you might do next!!! As an added bonus, if you mix up intervals of strength and cardio, you could burn an extra 200 calories (and perhaps not fall asleep on a treadmill.)

3) Take a class. This doesn’t even have to be a fitness class. Try a new experience. Maybe learn salsa dancing or rock climbing. If you are a dancing queen, try some high intensity intervals. Are you a power lifter? Try a yoga class. Not only will you reenergize yourself physically, but mentally as well. Bring an open mind and a sense of humor with you, even if you aren’t naturally good at this new class. (For example, I am the WORST pole dancer ever. That’s okay. I tried.)

4) Stop over analyzing and stop ‘overdoing’ it all the time. In fact, just stop over-thinking your workout. It doesn’t always have to be brutal. In fact, some days can be a light walk or a conga line. Leave the others to their daily rigorous bootcamp. Go by how you feel and remember that consistency is way more important than the mode. You don’t have to be miserable and unhappy in your workout!!!

5) Change Location, change of pace: Take it to the gym, or take it home. Take it to the yard. Just move yourself into a new environment for a workout. When you always do your workouts in the same place, it is hard to ‘sillify’ your calorie burn. Plus, if you move it outside, you run the risk that you burn more calories! Come fun, come all!

6) Please…smile?? I can’t stand this lack of sense of humor that is so commonplace in the gym. Even trainers can look…mean (sometimes). So serious, so focused…it’s soooo annoying. If I can be in shape and laugh while my thighs are burning, why can’t anyone else? Yes, it is hard to talk when you are working at max, however, you can take this stuff less seriously for the other 23 hours that day. Have a sense of humor…puh…lease? This isn’t rebuilding a jet engine and all of its teeny plane parts. It is simply exerting yourself and moving on.

7) Put a song on it. I make a personalized play list for each of my clients for every single workout. Why? Because people get lost in the music and enjoy their workout. It feels somehow “new again,” with a different playlist. In fact, most clients push themselves harder. Fun and functional can coexist. Really!

Just relax and lighten up…Reality check: You are just exercising. :)

-Fit Mommy

 

Posted in Body Confidence, random thoughts, strength training

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Dare I say it? Am I a runner? #runforboston

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

runningoutsidemittensMy heart sank into my chest. I felt like I was short of Oxygen and I was fatigued immediately. My first thought: Not again! Not. Again. No, I wasn’t reacting to any anxiety of my first 8 mile run. I was viewing footage of the terrible bombings during the Boston Marathon. Even though I felt like I was one of the last people to find out about this horrendous act of terror, something about it has me now reacting with defiance and determination.

The horrifying event has me moving with not only a renewed sense of motivation, but a new label. After watching masses of people rush to help (some of them runners who had just finished 26.2 miles), I couldn’t wait to get back on the road again. When I realized that my first reaction to the news was to run, I simply decided: Yes, I am now proud to call myself a runner. Not because I am the best runner, the fastest runner or even a great runner. I am simply proud to join in with the mass of runners who cannot let this act of cowardice slow them down.  

Because violence will never win the race.  Hatred will never triumph over love. Heroism, not evil, has the last word.

Despite my longings for a run, I felt a bit overwhelmed and intimidated with the idea of taking on an 8 mile run. But, instead of despairing, I just ’double fisted’ my coffee and water this morning and faked confidence. I then began my run with spirit! I ran to prove to myself that I could take on an 8 mile run. I ran out some of my lingering anger and sadness for the victims. I ran in a visible expression of rebelliousness. I ran to immerse myself in a glorious Spring day and all of its beauty. I ran because I simply couldn’t fathom doing anything else.

In the beginning of this race, I was running to prove something to myself. However, after running today, I am running to join in that unending race to a harmonious and beautiful finish line. I join in the race that perseveres despite all odds and obstacles. I hope to always be part of that race that perseveres with hope and heart.

-Fit Mommy

 

Posted in cardio, goal setting, Half Marathon Training

Lose the ‘Beer Battered’ Belly??!! My answer to this and plea for free plastic surgery…

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

plank_row_2How do we get rid of that dang spare tire? How can we get a visual of those six pack abs? What’s the secret to removal of the muffin top? Here’s my answer to those questions, and a possible call to help from a local plastic surgeon… :)

People are constantly asking me this question, as if I have the easy answer. The truth is: there is NO easy way to rid yourself of the belly fat. It really takes a trifecta of three different efforts: 1) Great Nutrition 2) Effective Abs-stimulating workouts and 3) The X Factor. Let me explain all three, with the help of www.wholegrainpasta.ca.

1) Great Nutrition. As an ACE-certified Personal Trainer, I feel uncomfortable giving out too much nutritional information. I am not a professional dietitian or nutritionist. However, I do think that most of us know that we eat too much of the wrong foods AND too much of the right ones. To banish that gut, you have to really watch your intake of calories. Too many empty calories will add to your waistline. For more nutritional info, I really like this blog, entitled “Blast the Belly Fat.” This is a great guide that explains how certain foods can help to ‘whittle the middle.’

2) Effective Abs-stimulating workouts. I am not talking about an ab roller, abs electric belt or any other crackpot ‘As seen on TV’ abs machine. Great abs truly do start in the kitchen, but they can’t be seen without some work. What work, you ask? Well, the classic combination of cardio (5 times a week for 30 mins), total body conditioning moves (Squats, pushups, etc.), Abs targeted exercises (blog post coming soon!), and yoga/stretching.

3) The X Factor: Nope, wc can’t all have ‘perfect’ abs without a huge sacrifice. In fact, if someone tells you that everyone can, I think they are either ignorant or trying to sell you a product. Abs can get very strong, but if you have predisposed fat that falls around your middle (due to genetics, body shape or postpartum bad luck), you can only get that coveted six pack if you lose a ton of body fat or find a great plastic surgeon. Like cellulite, we can minimize the appearance of extra fat, but sometimes can’t eliminate it completely on our own. If you naturally don’t carry fat around your middle, it is much easier to have envy-inducing abs. It isn’t that I am trying to tell you that it is impossible, but it may take some real sacrifice of money and diet to get to a state of perfection.

(Fit Mommy Note and plea for help: I consider the pursuit of perfect abs ‘not worth it’ for me. I work very hard and have very strong and flat abs, but I would ‘need’ a plastic surgeon to actually fix my issues. If there is a plastic surgeon out there who wants to sponsor me and use me for advertising, however, I am open to this! Hey, why not try, right???) :)

-Fit Mommy

 

 

Posted in Body Confidence, cardio, core, nutrition, pregnancy, random thoughts, strength training

Back to Black…

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

elmo

Yup, it is back to black pants this week, and I can’t even get this pic to be upright.

To continue my ‘ode to a half marathon in the key of m-e.”

Yesterday marked the end of my first week back after a glorious Spring break with my kids and hubby. I call it ‘back to black ‘ (reference to Amy Winehouse’s famous track) because I like to often joke about the trainer ‘uniform’ of black spandex and other tight superwoman athletic apparel.

To cap off a crazy week that included me finally finishing the articulate and OCD-inducing work of painting my living room, I decided to run a 4 mile training run. In my training plan, which I downloaded from a site that I can’t even remember, I have a few ‘off’ weeks to recover before I then take on longer runs. Next week is the 8 mile run.

I have dubbed the 4 mile run as the most torturous yet. I don’t know why, but I had this idea that it would feel fast and easy after my 5, 6, and 7 mile weeks. However, my mind was my biggest obstacle. Yes, I ran the mileage, but I never found my stride! Instead, I found myself just running. Thud, thud, thud…to infinity and beyond.

On my path around the various neighborhoods in Chelsea, MI, I saw many oddities that would almost stop me in my tracks, but not enough. For example, I saw one yard that had a headless stick figure statue, dressed to the nines in women’s fashion. However, it was this weird Elmo, cable-tied to a wishing well lawn ornament that literally made me stop in my tracks. Yeah….I don’t know.

In all paths of this running route I like to call life, we have those moments where we feel euphoria. We have the moments of weird Elmos. We have those wrong steps where we fall down and think about calling Sam Berstein. We have moments where we just put one foot in front of the other to get by.

This week, I just got back into the black pants. I put one foot in front of the other and somehow got it all done. That’s okay, right?

-Fit Mommy

Posted in cardio, Half Marathon Training

The long race goal…Over Indulgent? My new feelings of guilt.

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fit Mommy| Leave a comment

It isn't exactly a manicure, but running the long run feels indulgent sometimes...

It isn’t exactly a manicure, but running the long run feels indulgent sometimes…

I have to pose this question: Is the long race healthy or purely indulgent?

The reason for this question? I fear that many of you that follow my blog may think that by setting a goal to run a half marathon I am doing it for my health. Working that ole’ heart muscle and all. Maybe you think that I am going to suggest that this is a good idea for any or all.

Wrong-O.

I am not deluding myself or anyone else that this has anything to do with a healthy lifestyle. In fact, I am a huge fan of the “more intense, shorter workouts, more often.” Even though these runs are making my heart pump and my complexion fabulous (at least right after my runs), they aren’t for health in the pure sense. This race is all about me…and this makes me feel guilty!!! I feel like a ‘runner diva’ or something.

As I run these loooong practice runs, I have WAY too much time to think, re-think, and over think my life. Today, I was worried that this endeavor would make me seem unrelateable or unapproachable to the very people that I am trying to motivate. In fact, I worry that many of my clients or friends might see me as being too extreme and forget those days where it was a serious workout to do 20 minutes of Tae Bo in my PJ’s before work.

Have no fear. I am not trying to coerce anyone to sign up for a half marathon without a slow progression. I know that there are many “Couch to marathon” programs, but I would much prefer to promote a slow and steady training program. It was more than two years ago that I even started jogging. Before that, I remember how hard it was to simply get showered and dressed before I would take my two kids out for a playdate. Would I have even attempted to take on a half-marathon when my kids were under two years old? As they say in e-cards…’Bitch…please.’ Even Jilian Michaels has recently publicly admitted that parenthood has forced her to be much more reasonable about her fitness. In every age and stage, fitness has to work within your own lifestyle and timeframe.

I am enjoying a new goal, but I haven’t changed. I’m somewhat like “Jenny from the block.” However I am  “Eva, who could barely run one block.” From those first runs of 10 second intervals to longer and more sustained mileage, I am simply trying to take my own fitness to the next level. Even though it feels like a bit of a time suck sometimes, I do enjoy the feelings of accomplishment.

Is a long race a good idea or over indulgent? What do you think?

-Fit Mommy

Posted in cardio, goal setting, Half Marathon Training