Don't Get Too Far Off Track This Week

During the week between Christmas and New Year's our regular schedules and routines are often disrupted. For many of us, eating well and exercising are part of those disrupted routines. Tasty temptations challenge our willpower; kids home from school, visitors, and trips make it difficult to get to the gym.

This is a time to enjoy ourselves and relax. Unfortunatley, too much enjoyment and relaxation has negative effects that aren't fun to counteract. The following will help you from getting too far off track:

1. Indulge in moderation. You don't need to deprive yourself of everything you crave, but be choosy — pick one or two favorite treats and forgo the rest.
2. Get in a few short, but intense workouts at home. As you should know by now, you don't need a lot of time, space or equipment to get your heart rate and metabolism up! Try this circuit (it will take less than 10 minutes!):
1. Plank (1 min)
2. Burpees (10)
3. Prisoner Squats (20)
4. Push Ups (15)
5. Prisoner Jump Squats (15)
6. Plank Ups (15)
7. Dynamic Lunges (20 each leg)
8. Mountain Climbers (20 each leg)
9. Skaters (20 each leg)
10. Plank Twists (20 each leg) 

Presumably, you have plans to start the year off well — to start new, good routines and stop bad habits. Don't stray too far from those plans this week, and you'll have an easier time on January 1st. You can do it!

5 Questions To Ask When Making Resolutions

Two weeks from today is the beginning of a new year. This is a time of reflection and resolution. Were there things you resolved to do this year that didn't get done? Are there things that make your list every year that don't get done? If those things include losing weight & sticking to an exercise program, you definitely are not alone.

Every year, multitudes of people join (or re-join) the gym. They dutifully log hours on the treadmills or ellipticals, or use the strength machines they can figure out, or try group classes. This is all to the dismay of the gym "regulars", whose routines are disrupted because they can't use the equipment they favor or get into the class they frequent because of these "resolutioners". The gym regulars are annoyed, but they know that it won't be long before they get their equipment / spot in class back. It's the same every year — by the end of February, the majority (some stats say up to 80%!) of the new members will be gone.

If you're one of those resolutioners, I'm sure you don't feel good about continually starting something with the best intentions, only to quit.

This year, when you make a resolution, ask yourself the questions listed below. They should be asked of any resolution, but let's use "to go to the gym" as an example:

1. Why? You need a reason why you are changing up your routine to motivate you.
• I want to look good in a bathing suit this summer; I want to be able to run a 5K race this spring.
2. What are the details? You need a specific plan to stick to.
• I will go to the gym 5x a week after work: 3x to lift for 45 min, 2x to run on the treadmill for 30 min.
3. Is it doable? It needs to be achievable — don't set yourself up to fail with an unrealistic goal.
• Do you have obligations after work that will get in the way of going to the gym?
4. What changes will I have to make to do this? Anticipate obstacles and figure out your solutions.
• I will need to leave the office by 5pm, which is 1/2 hour earlier than usual; I will need to move my Thursday 4:30 pm meeting; I will need to bring my workout clothes to the office so I can go directly to the gym after work.
5. On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you can do it? If it's less than 9, you need to revise it. The goal is to achieve your goal. 
• Better to plan to go to the gym 3x a week and sometimes get in extra workouts (bonus!), than to plan for 5x a week and continually fall short of your goal & feel like you are failing. 
• Once you get in a routine of going 3x a week, you can make a new resolution to go 4-5 x a week. Resolutions can (& should) be made on other days besides New Year's!

Give this method a try and you'll be much more likely to check your list off at the end of the year. Good luck!

It's Our Lucky Day!

This morning, a repairman came to service my refrigerator. When I answered the front door, a man in his 60s greeted me with a very enthusiastic, "Good morning!"

After following me into the kitchen with some small talk about the weather, he put down his tool box and said, "Guess what happened this morning?!"

"What?" I replied.

"I was pulling out of my driveway and a lady smashed into me," he explained, and clapped his hands together with great force.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" I was surprised by his attitude — he didn't seem shaken up or upset; he just seemed excited.

"Yeah, and the lady is ok; but my car is totaled. Cars these days aren't made like they used to be. It's all folded up."

"I'm glad you're ok."

"It's my lucky day!" he exclaimed with a big smile. "I'm alive!"

I try to be positive, but I have to admit,  I don't think my first response to someone smashing into me first thing in the morning and totaling my car would be "it's my lucky day!"

Maybe that wasn't his first response either. But, a couple of hours later, that's what he was feeing. And, he's right.

I thought about him the rest of the day. I also thought about all the reasons why today is my lucky day. My list is pretty long. You may have to think about it, but I bet yours is too.

Time Flies. Act Now.

With Labor Day behind us, beaches closing, and kids going back to school, you may be wondering where the summer went. You may have planned to do things you didn't get to do, see people you didn't get to see, go places you didn't get to go. You're wondering how that happened. Again.

Every year the summer seems to fly by. And then, just when we're easing into fall—getting into a groove with school, work, sports schedules—holidays start popping up.  And then the end of the year flies by, and another year is over. Again.

So, what should we do? Remember to "stop and smell the roses"? Well, yes. But also... think of those things you want to do, people you want to see, places you want to go.  Do them. See them. Go there.

You may regret that time passed and you didn't get a degree, learn a new skill, lose the weight you planned to. You may feel that it's too late now; that it will take too much time to do want you wanted to do.

Well, guess what? Time is going to continue to fly by. So, if you start training, studying, dieting, exercising, NOW, and stick with it, you'll be where you want to be in no time!

On New Year's, when everyone is saying how fast the year went, you may agree, but you'll be smarter, more skilled, leaner, stronger, than you are today. How great will that be?!

Time will pass. Quickly. You will look back and wonder where it went. You already do. So, before another season passes, start yourself on your way towards achieving your goals. Don't wait. Start now.

1-Minute Challenges: Test Yourself & Track Your Progress

I'm preparing a special boot camp for Labor Day Weekend!  It will consist of a series of 1-minute challenges. Not only will this be super fun :) but we'll be able to see our progress by recording our reps and then repeating the challenges in 1 month - good stuff!

If you can't make it to boot camp, you can still do some of the challenges on your own. Get a friend or family member to join you - a little competition always makes you push yourself a little harder.

Get a timer, pen & paper to record what you do, and get to it!:

1. Push Ups
2. Burpees
3. Pull Ups
4. Jump Squats
5. Side Plank w/ Hip Up & Downs: Get into a side plank, with your feet stacked, elbow under your shoulder, hip up so your body is in a straight line. Now, bring your hip down to touch the floor & then back up again. Repeat as many times as you can in 1 minute then flip over & do it on the other side
6. Single-Leg Sit Squats: Sit down on a chair and lift your left foot off the ground. Stand up using just your right leg. Keep your abs tight to keep from falling over! Keep the left leg raised and sit back down, using just your right leg. Repeat for ! minute & then do it with your left leg.

If you have access to equipment, you can do some more:

1. TRX Rows
2. Heavy Rope Slams
3. Medicine Ball Overhead Slams
4. Thrusters (Squat to DB Overhead Press): Get a pair of dumbbells that are lighter than you would normally overhead press. Holding the dumbbells, raise your arms so they form a goalpost with your head in the center—elbows in line with your shoulders, bent 90 degrees, so your hands are in line with your head; palms face forward. Squat down. As you rise up, press the dumbbells overhead. Lower them back down as you lower back down into a squat. 
5. Heavy Jump Rope or Regular Jump Rope

Got any other good ideas for a 1-minute challenge? Let me know!

Always use proper form - don't compromise form to get in extra reps. Rest after each exercise. Write down how many reps you do of each, and note any modifications (ie, don't jump at the end of the burpees; hold onto something while doing the sit squats) you make. Do this again in a month and notice your improvements!

Let me know how it goes :)

Just Take The First Step

I thought it would make sense to write my first post about taking the first step...

Have you been contemplating starting a new job, class, diet, exercise program, etc. for a while but just haven't taken any action towards that end. You're still thinking about it. Why? 

Why is that first step towards something we want to do so hard? It takes us out of our comfort zone. We're not sure if we can do it. 

Something that always makes me laugh is when I have a client do an exercise & he tells me he can't do it while he's doing it. I love pointing out that he actually can and is doing it. It highlights how important mindset is.

The likelihood is we can do it. We're just not sure we really want to do it. 

We don't know if we really want to start a new job that sounds exciting and offers us a 20% salary increase.  We're bored most of the day and want more money, but we're not sure we want to leave the job we've become so comfortable doing. We don't want to start all over again, be in an unknown environment, possibly work more hours than we are working now, not be able to come and go as we please. We're not really happy or excited doing what we're doing now, but we're comfortable.

We don't know if we really want to start the diet that promises to get us healthy, give us more energy, & help us trim down.  We feel bloated, lethargic and heavier than we were 10 years ago, but we don't know if we want to have restrictions on what we eat and drink. We don't feel great and don't fit into some of our clothes, but we're comfortable.

We don't know if we really want to start that exercise program that will give us the body we really desire, enable us to do a race or sport we've been wanting to try, & relieve pains we've been having. We see other people doing it and changing their bodies, but we don't know if we want to put in the effort, wake up early or go to the gym after work to exercise. We'd like to change, but we're comfortable.

We're comfortable now. Will the outcome be worth the effort? That depends. What's the outcome you desire? Knowing that is key. Keeping your goals in mind will give you the motivation to not only take the first step, but to keep going.

We're also scared. What if we really can't do it? What if we don't have the skills for the job, intelligence for the class, self-control for the diet, motivation to exercise? If that does turn out to be the case, we could ask for help. We could ask our new boss or colleague questions, research what we don't know, ask a friend, family member or trainer for support and motivation with our diet and exercise. Here again, keeping your goals in mind will help you move forward, even if you have to be resourceful.

As I write this, I'm fighting my comfort and fear. I was quite comfortable spending my time doing a million other things than writing a blog. And, it's certainly scary to put yourself "out there" for all the world to see and judge. But, I'm keeping my goals in mind — I hope to share things that will help, motivate, and educate people to achieve their fitness goals and lead healthier lives — and taking the first step. Now it's your turn...