21 Day Fix

Today, my family and I started the 21 Day Fix program. We weighed ourselves, measured ourselves and took before pictures. We ate throughout the day from the color-coordinated containers. We did the Cardio Fix DVD.

Now I'm thinking about my WHY. Do I feel like the amount of food I ate today was enough to sustain my energy? I do. Do I still want to eat cake? I absolutely do. There is always room for cake. But I care more about the reason WHY I am doing the 21 Day Fix than I do for a moment of chocolate.

I want to lose up to 15 pounds because I've been stuck for the last few years hovering around the same weight. In the last two years, I've toned up more than ever and it's been great... but then I got stuck in one spot. I eat pretty well, but I've known that I could absolutely be better if I tried. The problem is when it comes to literature about food, I can only take so much before I either become bored or just plain don't understand.

The beauty of the 21 Day fix is that Autumn Calabrese (the creator of the program) has taken the guess work out of portion control. Everything is kindergarden-simple.

Still, wanting to lose up to 15 pounds just to break through a plateau isn't a good enough reason to hold on. I've WANTED to lose that weight for a long time. So my why is how I'll FEEL when I've reached my goal. I will feel like I can do anything. I'll feel strong, beautiful and worthy of giving other people advice about how to attain their goal weight in a healthy and positive way.

A few months ago, I got a real eye-opener when I worked at a really elite gym. Of the female personal trainers on staff, I was by far the least thin and lean. I wasn't the only one who noticed either; one of the male trainers lightheartedly nicknamed me "Meatball" but I HATED that. I'd like to feel like there is no question as to whether my clothes are hiding fat or muscle. I never want to feel like a pudgy 7th grader again.

So that's MY why. What's yours?

Gymming for Beginners

So you're in the gym for the first time. You've got your spandex, your sneakers, your sweatband, your heart rate monitor, your lifting gloves, your ipod... you feel good. You feel ready. You are about to be in THE ZONE.

But where do you start?

Always always always start with a warm up. I usually run for 5 minutes, roll out my joints (arm circles, leg circles even though they look funny, foam rolling). Then it's time to get moving. Burpees and mountain climbers are a great way to get your whole body involved.

When it's time to start working on specific body parts, avoid burning yourself out too quickly. Start with big muscle groups and multi-joint exercises. If you wear out the muscles that only work with one joint, you won't have the strength you need to work your bigger muscles. I like to begin with the legs. Your femur is the biggest, heaviest bone in your body, so moving it takes a lot more work than any other part. Keep the heart-rate up; include jumping exercises (if you can) throughout the workout. If you have bad knees, talk to a personal trainer in your gym for modifications.

When you work your arms, stick with the same rule as before: multi-joint exercises first. Pull ups work the shoulder and elbow. Front raises only work the shoulder. If you start with front raises, you'll find yourself doing less pull-ups than you're actually able to do (I know, "less pull-ups" sounds awesome because no one likes them... but your back will look way sexier if you do them!) Similarly, do your push-ups before your pec flies.

Finish with your abs. Why? Because you NEED your abs to assist you with the rest of your workout. You should maintain a tight tummy with every single exercise. (*Don't know how? Imagine someone is about to punch you in the stomach. Did you feel your stomach tighten up? If not, put your hand on your gut and cough.*) If you start with your abs, you'll feel low on fuel for the rest of the workout, maybe even less coordinated. 

End the whole thing with a nice stretch from 3-5 minutes. DO NOT SKIP THE STRETCH. Stretch because it feels great, will improve your flexibility and ROM, help prevent knots and finally, because I said so!

Eventually, you'll want to switch it up, maybe work different parts on different days, whatever. This is just a good way to get more work into your workout. If progress is slow, just remember that SLOW progress is STILL PROGRESS. Be patient, be consistent and soon enough you'll reach your goal and beyond!

"Baby, I was BORN to RUN!"

So you want to be a runner....

Awesome! But before you get going, there’s a few things you need to do:

1) Check Yo-self before You Wreck Yo-self.

  How are your knees, ankles and heart? If you answered anything but “Fine, thanks for asking!” you need to go to a doctor and see if running is the right activity for you.

2) Get in Gear

   Starting to run when you’re really NOT a runner isn’t easy. The endorphins take a while to kick in. To make the experience as comfortable as possible, make sure you have the right sneakers. If your sneaks are old or if they aren’t running shoes, go to a store and get some. Modell’s often has great sales on Nike’s. I love my Nike running shoes, but I found that the laces are kind of lame and untie by themselves a lot. After falling down and scraping my hand (why do bad things happen to good people?), I replaced the laces with some that I got at Areopostle and they stay tied nicely. Also, they’re sparkly, which is just added incentive to wear them.

    But anyway, I’m not saying you necessarily should get Nike shoes- what you ought to do is go to a sneaker store/running-specific store (there is one in Rye, Westchester folk!) and talk to a professional. They can hook you up with the right shoe, like Cinderella. (Or if you’re a dude, Cinderello. Whatever.) They might be on the expensive side, but you know that a) they’ll last a good while b) you’re less likely to get injured.

3) Keep Track at the Track

   If you’re a total novice in the running world, go to the track first. Warm up with a brisk walk and then start jogging. Jog as long as you can and keep track of how many laps you did.

   I started in June of 2009. At the time, I could only jog half a lap at a time (one mile is four laps around the track). When I absolutely felt like I was going to die, I’d walk and then start jogging again when I could control my breathing. I would go about three times a week and every week I was able to jog for longer periods of time. By the end of the summer, I was jogging three miles at the track. By November, I was running 5 miles and competed in my first Turkey Trot (5 miles) and finished in 44 minutes!

4) Stay Hydrated

   Bring a water bottle with you to the track. If you decide to run elsewhere, get a camelback, carry your water bottle with you, or know if there is a water fountain available on your path.

5) Wear sunscreen.

   ‘Nuff said.

6) DON’T GIVE UP!!!

   When I was in high school, we had to run a mile for the Presidential Fitness Test. It was brutal. I hated it. I’d get all red and end up walking most of it out of rebellion. I think the best time I got was just barely under ten minutes when I was in 11^th grade and it was zero fun for me. Now I run all the time. On purpose. And I LOVE it. If I can become a runner, anyone can. Seriously, anyone (with good knees/ankles/hearts).

  If you take on running this year, let me know how you’re doing!! Like my facebook page and send me a note!

   Turkey Trot 11/22/09

***Shakeology Contest!***

   The results are in: Shakeology + Exercise WIN! In the top pictures, I was working out a bit everyday, but coming down from being sick AND eating junk food like it was the end of the world. Gave up that life and now I drink my Shakeology everyday (I also watch what I eat).

   The bottom row of pictures was taken today and I'm a pretty happy lady. (Progress, not perfection!) 

   

   Now I want to help YOU. I am going to give away two FULL week's worth of Shakeology. But don't get too excited- I'm not pulling an Oprah here. This isn't "Shakeology for YOU and YOU and YOU". Only ONE person will win. 

   Here's how ya play: firstly, if I'm going to help you, we gotta be friends. Go to my facebook page and  "like" it. Then write me a message about why you think you should get the Shakeo. 

   The winner will recieve 14 scoops of Shakeology and a workout plan to follow (we'll talk about your schedule what's available to you so it's realistic). Two rules: 1) Winner MUST live in the United States 2) Winner must be willing to show some before and after pictures. I'm confident that you will see a change in two week's time if you follow the workout and drink your Shakeology. **Winner will be announced Saturday, May 4**

   I'm not doing this to push sales. I'm doing this because a lot of you have asked me about Shakeology and while some end up taking the life-changing leap, others make excuses. Now you have no excuse. I'm GIVING it to you. If there is anything I hate, it's sharing my stuff. Maybe because I'm the baby of the family, I don't know. But I'm willing to put that aside to help you make a positive change in your life! 

   Ready, set, GO!

Fat Burning Zone vs Cardio Zone (And How a HR Monitor Can Help You!)

   As a personal trainer, I spend kind of a lot of money on fitness clothes. But I don't mind because I wear them so often and it SO beats having to wear real pants everyday. Just sayin'. But as a modern man or woman of today working at a desk or someplace where real pants are required, you may not want to shell out tons of cash at Lululemon. And that's fine! But the one thing I suggest you pony up for if you are, or want to be, consistent in your workouts, is a heart rate monitor.

  The first reason I think you need a heart rate monitor is because they make you look super intense! Think Mega Man or Iron Man or Batman or even Inspector Gadget... you have a tool you can use to make your BODY your super power! You can get one for as cheap as $50 and you'll use it all the time, so I'd say it's money well spent.
    It lets you know when you're in your "fat burning zone" as well. But keep in mind, staying in your fat-burning zone may not be ideal for your goals. Just because the treadmill says "fat burning zone" doesn't mean it will make you lose weight faster. When your heart rate increases above that zone, your body starts using its carbohydrates as its primary source of fuel, thus lessening the percentage of calories from fat being burned. So let's say you walked a half hour and burned 200 calories (and you may or may not burn that many- everyone is different. This is hypothetical). Of those 200 calories, 50% would be burned from fat. So 100 calories of fat = gone. Now, if you ran for a half hour and burned, say, 500 calories, you may have only burned 40% of fat. BUT, 40% of 500 is 200 so that's 200 calories of fat burned! The key to weight loss is creating a caloric deficit- taking in less calories than you burn. More work = less calories in you!

   Anyway, the heart rate monitor is waaaay better at judging the amount of calories you burn in a workout than the treadmill. I've noticed that the machines often say you're burning about 20 more calories than you actually are, because it is guessing. Just putting your hands on the metal bars isn't enough for it to know what's going on in your body throughout the whole workout. A monitor let's you know exactly what you're doing. It also tells you in its data section where your heart rate was throughout. This is a pretty cool feature. It's fun to see how much more I can push myself as my fitness improves and which workouts burn more calories in a given amount of time. I usually try to burn roughly 300 when I train with weights and I reach that way faster on leg days.
  
   For people with heart problems, it's great to have. If you know where your heart rate is at, it's easier to keep it at the healthy level that your doctor recommends for you.

   So to sum up, push yourselves a healthy amount and if you need an extra kick in the pants/something to keep track of your success, get a heart rate monitor!

 

Stretch!

  People ask me all the time why they’re stiff, why they have so many knots, why they’re hunched over.

   “Do you stretch ever?” They shift their eyes.

   “Sometimes…”

    Yeah... do it more, please! I’m often met with the excuse, “I hate yoga”. Well, you don’t have to take a yoga class to stretch, silly! But I recommend it because a) yoga stretches pop up in so many other fitness classes and in at-home DVDs as a cool-down and b) If you take one class, you can learn the correct posture so you don’t hurt yourself. I’m sure you can find a few poses for each muscle group that you don’t hate. Plus, you don’t have to be a contortionist to take a yoga class, contrary to popular belief. Any GOOD yoga instructor will tell you to do what YOU can do and over time, you’ll see your stretches getting deeper. I have experienced a boot-camp type yoga instructor who told people that their stretching wasn’t good enough and even laughed at people! If you find yourself in a class like that, I encourage you to leave and find a more compassionate yogi who inspires you. Also if you don't want to take a class, I recommend DVDs by Gaiam featuring Rodney Yee. The man is a genius.

   Increasing your flexibilty is important because your body will function better in your day-to-day life- not just when you’re working out. When you reach back in your car to get your seatbelt, when you squat down to pick something up properly, when you reach up to grab a mug from your cabinet. If you don’t stretch, the likelihood of knots building up in your muscles increases and so does the opportunity to become injured. Soon you could start feeling pain when you move a certain way and you’ll stop moving that way to avoid the pain. Your body will try to compensate for the lack of doing that particular motion, which can throw off your balance and lead to other injuries over time. Then you get old, you need hip and shoulder replacements and you think to yourself, “Dang, I wish I listened to Niki Webber”.

   Do keep in mind that over-stretching can be a bad thing and if you have a serious muscle injury, don’t make it worse- see a doctor. You may just need a few massages to work out what you have going on, or you may need something more. Either way, talking to a doctor that you trust is imperative in these situations. Also, stretching will NOT prevent the soreness you may feel the days following a tough workout. It WILL help prevent knots and muscle injuries so you can keep up with your beastmode workouts. 

  To conclude, workout + water + stretching = winning! Have a fantastic-elastic day!

How to Receive a Massage

   I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t I just lie there and accept it?” No! As a licensed massage therapist who’s been working in the field for over three years, I can tell you a few things that you should do to make sure you get the most for your money!

 1) Know which service you want!

     There are many different kinds of massage. The ones I do the most are Swedish and Deep Tissue. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know the difference!

  During a Swedish massage, the practitioner only works with the hand flat. That means, if you’re looking for them to really “get in there,” you should not get the Swedish massage, you should get the deep tissue. A lot of times, people ask for a Swedish at the front desk, but when they get on the table, they ask for a deep tissue and don’t want to upgrade. The reason for this is that deep tissue massages cost more money. But we don’t charge more because we feel like it, it costs more because the therapist has to work a lot harder. We are loosening up severe areas of tension in your muscles to increase your range of motion and treat muscular-skeletal disorders.

    Now, just because you may not want a deep-tissue massage doesn’t mean you can’t get a strong, firm treatment. Swedish massages can be done at any pressure! If you’re looking more for relaxation and a full-body treatment, get the Swedish.

    Last thing on this topic, if you want a deep-tissue massage, it may not be full-body. It is impossible to fully release all of the tension in your back/shoulders/area of concern and still have time to get to everything else. To increase your chances of getting more work done, go for the 90 minute instead of the 60 minute. Yes, it’s pricey, but it can prevent injuries and the doctors appointments for injuries are way pricier (ever been through physical therapy?).

2)  Talk to your massage therapist!

    A lot of us in the massage business are very intuitive, but we can’t read your mind! If the face cradle is uncomfortable, if ANYTHING is uncomfortable (room temperature, music volume, pressure etc.) speak up! It is the absolute worst to have a silent client tell you after everything is over what could have been better for them, or worse, lying to our faces and then complaining to the spa manager.

   Also, when you meet your therapist tell them how you’re feeling. Not just physically, but mentally. We are, for the most part, a very nurturing people. If someone tells me their day/week was lousy, I will usually work extra hard to make sure their experience is therapeutic. And on the flip side if their day is going AWESOME, far be it from me to ruin that!

3) Feeling talkative?

   If you want to chat during the massage, that’s fine! If you don’t, that’s fine too! If your massage therapist starts chatting you up while you’re on the table and you don’t want that, let them know. Generally, we don’t do that, but I’ve heard stories. “Why didn’t you say anything to them?” “Oh, he/she was so nice…” That doesn’t matter. You’re paying for a service, not a pow-wow.

4) Other:

-Be on time for your service. If it is at 1:00, don’t show up at 1:00, show up 15-20 minutes early so you get your full service. If there is a 2:00 appt, why should the 2:00 person have to wait just because you didn’t show up on time?

-If you’re getting a scrub service, don’t shave your legs beforehand. You could react badly to the exfoliating sugar/salt in the scrub.

-Wait until your massage therapist leaves the room to disrobe.

-Get in the covers on the massage table as though it were a bed. There is a blanket, a top sheet and a bottom sheet. Your therapist should explain that to you, but every once in a while I’ll still come into the room with the person lying on top of everything. That pillow with the hole in it is where your face goes.

-Take off all jewelry beforehand, or don’t wear jewelry. Massage oil/creams ruin pearls. Wedding/engagement rings are fine.

-I know I don’t really get a say in this, but while I have your attention, feel free to wash your feet beforehand, especially if you were wearing flip flops. That’s just a little considerate.

-Don’t drink alcohol before a massage. Alcohol is dehydrating and when you receive bodywork, your circulation increases so your body is doing a lot of work.

-Drink TONS of water after to avoid dehydration, since your body will be all well-circulated.

-Always go to someone who is licensed. Don’t settle for someone who isn’t just to save money. You’re investing in your health and trusting someone with your body. You want to know that they know what they’re doing so you don’t end up injured.

Alright folks, that’s all I’ve got on the subject for today! I hope you’re still working out hard and that you’ll reward yourself by getting a faaaabulous massage!