2016 is not over: Is it time to make adjustments to your fitness goals?

Now that we’re officially done with the seventh month of the year, it’s a perfect time to take a look back at your healthy (or not?) exercise habits and say, “What the hell?” Just kidding. The half-way mark of just about anything—household or work project, school semester, or workout program—is a great time to check in with yourself and see if a course correction is needed. More TRX and yoga? Need one or two Tabata sessions a week to shrink the waistline? Is it time to give one-on-one personal training a try for the last five months of the year? Think about it: five months. That is a significant chunk of time—more than enough to do something with if you decide to.

The following are a few questions to help you do a little self-reflection. I suggest you grab a piece of paper and write them down, along with the answers. Tack it to the wall of your closet or kitchen where it won’t get forgotten.

•  In the past six months, have I exercised consistently, and what results have I seen? (This may be increased lung capacity/stamina, more muscle tone, greater flexibility, etc.
• If I have stuck to my exercise plan, and seen results, what can I adjust to kick it up a notch? (I can help you with this one!)
•  If I haven’t been careful about sticking to my plan, what has gotten in my way? (Be honest! If you need to spend less time doing unproductive tasks like surfing the Internet or mopping the kitchen floor, write it down.)
• Do I need help setting realistic goals and creating a work out plan?

Summer is only half over, which means there is still a looooong time to get ready for the eating, I mean, holiday season. Regardless of what you’ve been up to this summer, hitting those goals or hitting the couch a little too often, there is time to either improve, or steer yourself right back on track. Don’t wait until it’s too late. 2016 is not a towel and you have not thrown it in on your fitness goals. You are making an adjustment.

Remember, it’s not about where you begin, it’s about where you end up. Fit, strong and having fun!

Guest Blog:TRX Journal, Part Deux: What to expect when you miss a workout

Well, I’ve been trying to find a way to approach the topic of how to recover…not from an intense, muscle-shredding workout at Motivate, but from the guilt of missing one. I have missed several during this six-week span of TRX classes, and here’s why: blah, blah, blah. Yep, everyone misses a workout once in a while, and everyone has good excuses. Life happens, to all of us, regardless of the kind of job we have, the number of children we have, or how far we live from our workout destination. So I’ll spare you the details of why my workout regimen has been blown to smithereens lately and get right to the meat of the matter: I plan to never miss the safety of my 10 a.m. workout again.

And the reason is, Dominic is even more of a go-getter in the evening, and by go-getter, I mean total loon-atic. As if TRX combined with Tabata wasn’t challenging enough, he threw “stations” into the mix, so we took turns rotating around the room doing a variety of moves with names like, “squats under a fence,” and “walking plank.” Ow, ow, owieeeeeeeeee.

Then, he sent us outside for a quick lap around the parking lot. Was I being punished for missing my mid-morning class and bringing the whole class down with me? Or was this just “Evening Dominator?”

What I truly wish I could do is get to the 6 a.m. class, and this summer, I may just go back to it. For me, getting my workout in before the heat of the day starts is a big deal. For many years, I was an early-morning workout person all year-round. It was truly like having an extra day built into my day. I loved the feeling of walking back into the house at 7 a.m. and having my work-out totally off my plate for the day. My real day was literally just starting, and my workout was done. So last Sunday night, when I realized that I had a doctor appointment Monday during my regular TRX class, I had a choice to make: 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. I chose 6 p.m., just for the heck of it. Wow. Little did I know that the Dominator really comes alive as the sun goes down.

Results: They’re Gonna be Huuuuge!

Now in week 5 of this TRX 6-week class, I’m noticing a different flow in the workout that was missing in the first week or two. Now, when Dominic says, “On the floor and put your toes in,” I know what to expect. I roll over, assume the position, and prepare to plank. The key is anticipating what is coming next. Because I am getting more familiar with how we do the exercises, and how to make them more challenging (just a step or two back to increase that angle during a “low row” makes a helluva lot of difference) I am finding that transitioning between exercises is smoother and easier because I know what I’m about to do, how my body will react, and which cuss words are most appropriate. And I’m seeing increasingly more muscle tone where once, there was…less. It’s subtle, but it’s real. My husband noticed my shoulders the other day and said something about it. My daughter told us to get a room.

Next week is the last in this six-week session. I will not, I cannot, I shall not miss my Monday, Wednesday, or my Friday 10 a.m. class. But if I do, I’ll sneak into the 6 a.m. class if I have to stand outside the door and follow along.  

Guest Blog: TRX Journal, Part 1: What I get out of TRX, and what it gets out of me

by Lisa Lucke

I’ve just begun my third (or is it fourth), 6-week TRX class at Motivate, and this time, I’ve decided to chronicle some of what is going on, both with my body and mind, how they respond to TRX, and the class itself. I’ll start with a little background.

I’m dangerously close to turning 50, and when that happens this summer, I want to be in the best shape I possibly can, given my conditions: oodles of kids, busy household, job, and believe it or  not, a life outside all of that. In other words, I am not a “party of one” and therefore, I can’t devote two or three hours a day to working out. But I want to be in shape and stay ahead of the aging curve. So I choose to squeeze it in. What I have found with TRX is the most "bang for my buck." In other words, TRX gives me the best results for the amount of time I have to invest in serious exercise: one hour, three days a week. On off-TRX days, I try to do a little yoga at home, just to stretch and get my blood flowing. A couple days a week I walk roads that traverse the rolling hills on the edges of town, which give me a little challenge. For stretches of thirty or forty yards intermittently, I "lunge" instead of walk. If you think this doesn't turn a simple walk into a totally different experience, try it sometime.

I have back issues. Running is out for me, and has been for a few years. A degenerative disc disease and lower back issues brought running to a close about three years ago. TRX is low-impact, so I don’t have to worry about joint/disc inflammation (and consequently, stiffness and pain) that results from the jarring and pounding of running. Once in a while, thinking that perhaps there’s been some sort of divine intervention, I go for a run. The next day I regret it. So now I’m putting all my eggs in the TRX basket.

What I Get Out of TRX

First, I can see muscle tone and definition where before there wasn’t much. My shoulders, legs and upper arms now have a different look. I also feel steadier in my movements. While 50 isn’t 80, it’s also not 20, or even 30. The change in a person’s steadiness and coordination begins to change big time after the age of 40, unless you are a super fit athlete. For most of us average folks, who left the seriously athletic life behind once kids came on scene, which for me was my early 30s, it’s noticeably different. TRX, with its focus on the core muscles of the lower back and abdomen, translates into better balance, period. I already mentioned the increased muscle tone and mass, but there’s one more thing I get, and that’s the mental lift that comes with working my body hard three days a week. My muscles are very tired when class ends. By late evening, I’m usually starting to feel a little stiff and store. The next morning after a workout, I’m wincing, but in a good way. It means my body was challenged and is a little bit better and stronger than it was the day before.

Because TRX relies on bodyweight, everything is scalable for a person’s individual abilities. Need to make that chest row more challenging? Take a step forward, deepen the angle and let gravity give you what you need. Want to add a little edge to the planking? Curl your knees to your chest while holding the plank. A beginner and an experienced TRX classmate can be right next to each other and both will get a serious workout.

Finally, I enjoy hiking in the summer, and without a doubt, this summer, at 50, I will be stronger and in better physical shape than I was when I turned 49 last summer. And for me, that’s success.

What TRX Gets Out of Me

Stress. Anxiety. Feelings of guilt about my physical condition. TRX sucks out the negative energy that comes with life’s everyday happenings: teenagers, work, family, appointments, laundry, animals, and chores. For one hour, three days a week, everything else other than TRX gets relegated to “not the priority.” Of course, life gets in the way now and then and I miss class. After my initial guilt passes about that, I try to have a really “clean eating” day since I had to miss my workout.

And that soreness I mentioned? It keeps reminding me, during the rushing and hurrying of running errands and going to meetings that I’m getting stronger and healthier with every passing day that I work out. The old line, “hurts so good,” is true, mentally and physically, when I’m doing TRX.

For the next four-and-a-half weeks (I’ve just started week 2) I’ll share what’s happening. Or what happens when The Dominator says, “We're almost done” and we still have 15 minutes of class left and I cuss loudly.

Stay tuned!

P.S. This blog is dedicated to Sophie girl, the Motivate mascot who was always there to give us an encouraging kiss or nudge with her wet nose while we were planking. RIP Sophie. You are missed.

There's No Time Like the Present

We’re almost two months into the New Year. What does your exercise routine look like? How closely does it mirror what you had planned to do back in January? If you’re right where you wanted to be, good for you! Your focus should be to maintain what you’re doing and set a “next level” goal, which I’ll talk about next time.

But right now, I want to focus on those of you who might be a little, or even a lot behind, the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Stop for just a moment and just spend two minutes thinking about why.

Did you over-estimate the amount of time you had to spend working out?

Did you under-estimate the level of self-discipline required to commit to regular exercise?

Is the exercise routine you started back in January just not the right fit? Too hard? Not challenging or exciting enough?

Are lifestyle habits getting in the way of working out?

Whatever your answers are to these questions, here is something to keep in mind: Make a shift today and get yourself back on track to a health and wellness in 2016.

If you are crunched for time, closely examine where you might be able to “shift right” some time to another category of activity. In other words, you can’t create more time in the day, but how much TV time do you need? Are you willing to give up 30 minutes? How much time do you spend on social media? How about giving up 15 minutes of surfing the Internet, 15 minutes of TV time, and 15 minutes of sleep? In 45 minutes, you could complete an at-home Tabata workout and a shower!

If self-discipline is your problem, the only real solution is a little soul-searching. How badly do you want to see significant changes to your level of health and wellness? There is still time before summer for significant weight loss, if that’s your goal. But you’ve got to want it. You’ve got to be willing to make choices. You have to protect your exercise time as if it was a paying job. If you sign up for a 5 p.m. TRX class, then on those days, you plan meals ahead; if you fail to plan ahead, I guess it’s got to be a quick, but healthy take-out (taco salad, hold the sour cream; vegetable stir-fry, one egg roll!) because nothing is getting in your way. This means you block out 5 – 6 p.m. in your calendar, and since you can’t be in two places at once, you schedule no appointments, meetings, car-pools, or kids’ play dates during that time. Period. The only thing that should interfere with working out is being physically unwell.

If you are bored, or not being challenged enough in whatever workout you’re doing, you need help finding the right fit. Reach out to a friend, co-worker, or call me and tell me what isn’t working. You don’t have to sign up for a class to get my honest feedback on what I think might work for you.

Lastly, if your lifestyle habits are interfering with working out, stop and ask yourself how long you are willing to let that be the case. For how long are you willing to stay up binge-watching Netflix instead of spending 30 minutes in the morning exercising and getting in shape? How long are you willing to have just enough to drink on a Friday night so that you don’t feel like going for a run on Saturday? A month? Two months? Why not say, “I’ve done enough of that. I’m going to do things a little differently this week,” and see how you feel afterward? I guarantee you’ll feel better about yourself emotionally and physically if you drop a few bad habits and pick up a good one.

It doesn’t matter that you haven’t stuck exactly to whatever New Year resolution you might have made. Every day is a chance to start over.

Don’t forget: A week, a month or a year from now, you’ll wish you’d started today.

Start From Where You Are

Welcome to 2016! If you’re reading this, you are probably also thinking about what your exercise plan is going to look like this year, or how you might change it up a little from where it has been. Whether you are looking to get started, make a slight adjustment, or take your workout routine to a whole new level, there is one important thing to keep in mind: Start from right where you are and don’t look back. Keeping in this spirit, I’m not even going to mention the festivities of last month. I’m only going to encourage you to keep your eye on the prize, and that prize is coming, in the form of more energy, a fitter body and a better attitude.

I have a client who has had an interesting “strategy” for exercise for many years. The way she describes her exercise habits is “intermittent.” During some periods of her adult life she has exercised regularly, running or lifting weights at the gym, three or four times a week, for stretches of several months at a time. Other times her exercise regimen has been one or two yoga classes per week. And then there are the vast stretches of time when it’s a day of activity here or there, or even no real activity at all—but lots of thinking about it. It’s during these lulls in physical activity, when she finally decides she is ready to get back on track, that she tells herself this: “If I do one thing, even a ten minute walk on the treadmill today, that’s better than the zero minutes I spent exercising yesterday.” 

In other words, she starts very, very small and she decides to be just a little better than the day before. The next day, it’s the same thing. Fifteen minutes on the treadmill instead of ten. Then twenty. If she skips a day, she does a little more than the last day she worked out, walked or ran. She says that what happens on about day four or five of this gradually increasing exercise routine is that she feels a big surge of confidence and accomplishment. It propels her into the next week. Once this mental attitude takes hold, it is much, much easier for her body to follow. Another smart thing she does: She doesn’t punish herself when it comes to exercise. She’s not an early riser, so 6 a.m. fitness classes are out. When she’s done that in the past, exercise becomes something to dread. And the quickest way to bail out of exercise is to see it as punishment.

Now, not everyone is the same. Some people like can mentally tough it out on day one of a new exercise routine and once they’ve made the decision to run a couple miles three times a week, that’s it—it’s as good as done, no matter what time of day they choose. Others I’ve run into, like the client I mention above, like to wade in slowly, giving themselves small, highly achievable goals, which seems to set the stage for them to mentally prepare for larger ones.

Which person are you? Somewhere in the middle? Take a moment to think back to the times in your life when you were the most successful at meeting fitness or exercise goals (nutrition goals count also) and how you went about that. Did you start slowly, or did you pick a day to start and jump into the deep end of the exercise pool? Whatever kind of starter you are, start today. If you do, tomorrow you’ll be that much more fit. You’ll be better than you are today.

Pay Attention: Your Stomach is Trying to Tell you Something!

As our last blog before the New Year, I want to leave you with one last (hopefully) helpful piece of advice that will wrap up November and December’s blogs focusing on taking pre-emptive steps in the right direction now, as 2015 comes to a close. These tips have included noticing what you are doing right on days when you feel like all cylinders are firing, adding a little more exercise to each day or week and cutting back on sugar, to give some of your vital organs and waistline a break. All of these tips were designed to create a slightly healthier end to 2015, and ensure that you have some footing come New Year’s Day. In other words, don’t give up in December because you have big plans to work out hard in January. Do better whenever you can this month, including cutting back (a little!) on Christmas treats, stuffing, alcohol, whatever, and hit the ground running next month.

So before we get to the main point of this blog, let’s remember: It’s prime time for sugar consumption right now. If there is one thing I can strongly suggest you do to keep your sugar intake to a minimum and give your body and mood a break, is to just step away before you feel full of sweets. I read once that sweets are fine if you can just adjust your idea of what constitutes a serving. Think of it as a bite or two, not a meal. In Europe, especially in the Mediterranean regions where fresh fruit is at most people’s fingertips (like here in California!) it’s common for fresh fruit to serve as the “dessert” and wrap up a great meal. A bowl of tangerines, apples or pears in the winter, or berries and stone fruit in the summer, provide that satisfying feeling of sweetness on the palate without the surges of blood sugar and insulin that tax your system and add inches to the waistline.

Which leads me to today’s rant moment of clarity: Avoid automatic eating. While you are enjoying those bites, don’t stare at your phone and get lost in a your Facebook feed or checking emails; have a conversation with the person sitting across or next to you; stare out the window, watch a bird, look at the clouds, and really taste whatever it is you are consuming. Whether it’s a cookie or small piece of fudge or better yet a crisp apple, don’t be a mindless eating machine (cue Jaws music).

Automatic eating has a few different meanings. One of them is more emotion-centered, where we eat out of habit, in order to feel better or associate a moment with comfort instead of anxiety or pain. The other type of automatic eating has more to do with the action of eating as being totally ignored by your brain. Think of it as thoughtless eating. Here’s why thoughtless eating can lead to eating more than we need to feel satisfied, which of course, leads to more pounds we then need to work off: Thoughtless eating separates our stomach from our brain. The stomach, when it’s full, sends a signal to the brain, via nerve receptors and hormones, which in turn signals the brain to think about stopping the action of eating.

Now, imagine your brain is a guy sitting next to a conveyor belt, feet kicked up, face in his phone, catching up with the Kardashians. Those signals coming in from the stomach? Totally missed. They glide right on by, piling up like a bad wreck on the other end of the factory (your waistline). That’s what happens when we eat while watching TV or looking at our phone. When you eat, eat. When you read, read. Can we also get lost in a conversation or watching some deer nibble on grass? Yes, but it is far more likely that we’ll become hypnotized by a screen than we might while observing Mother Nature or chatting with our companions. Screens kill. Remember that.

When you finish the appropriate sized serving on your plate, and you think you need to go back for another helping, wait a few minutes. Let your brain catch up with your stomach. I promise you, if you wait five minutes after eating a normal-sized meal, you will feel fuller than you did 30 seconds after finishing. Wait another five minutes and have a piece of fruit, or a maybe just a little sliver of pie. Pay attention to what you are doing, which is eating, and savor every moment. You’ll feel satisfied faster and ready to move on to the next thing on your “to do” list: couch surfing working out.

Happy Holidays and I’ll see you in 2016 at Motivate Personal Fitness Academy!

Sugar: Eliminate, Cut Back or Load up? (OK, not that last one.)

The fact that in the U.S., individuals eat way too much sugar is well-documented, and we know that because sugar’s ill effects on the body have been well researched. Sugar is not only high in calories, the calories are really just plain useless, once the initial “ohmygodthatwassogood” moment passes. Once sugar is down the hatch, the body begins breaking it down—into glucose and fructose. And it’s not the good “breaking it down” like I do in the studio; it’s some heavy lifting for the pancreas, liver and other organs. Eat a handful of processed sugar multiple times a day and you are really stressing out your organs and systems.

In a nutshell, too much sugar wreaks havoc on some pretty major organs in the body, namely the liver and pancreas. It interferes with normal hormone production and regulation, such as insulin, which the body produces to counteract the huge surge of sugar after eating a high-sugar snack or meal (soda, candy, fruit juice, but also simple carbs – starchy foods like overly processed breads, muffins, crackers, etc.)

What you’re left with is a roller coaster of sugar surges, then crashes. And all that sugar that couldn’t be burned off? It’s eventually stored as fat.

This Holiday Season, consider cutting back from high-sugar snacks and give your organs (and your belly fat) a break. If you’re not sure how, here are a few tips. Each day, do the best you can. If you can hit most of them, most days of the week, you’ll be way ahead of the game come January 1. As I’ve mentioned recently, here and here, there’s no time like the present to start thinking about what you want to achieve in the New Year, setting some baby-step goals, and actually feeling like you have a head start on your healthy habits come Jan 1.

1. Monday through Friday in the month of December, make a decision to eat a high-protein, high-fiber, super-low sugar breakfast. This will help your body burn energy more efficiently and you’ll stay fuller, longer. Try to skip that mid-morning coffee and pastry. Instead, have a stash of high-protein, low-sugar snacks or a few cherry tomatoes and a slice of cheese instead. That’s right, cheese: a Babybel or slice of Swiss cheese and a half-dozen cherry tomatoes is far better than a muffin or other sugar-laden carb.

2. Same goes for lunch: Do NOT eat a super high carb, or carb-only lunch. No giant plates of pasta and bread. If you are a sandwich junkie, use only whole grain breads without added sugars. Read the labels. If you see sugar in the first five ingredients, it’s not bread. It’s sugar disguised as bread. Try an open face sandwich if bread isn’t that important to you. That’s half the carbs/calories! Just make sure you choose “whole grain.”

3. If you are going out to dinner or a holiday party after work, eat some nuts first. Keep a container of unsalted nuts in your car, or in your desk, and eat a handful before you go. Why unsalted? That saltiness with give rise to a thirst—and we all know what that means this time of year. The protein will fill you up and it will be easier to stay away from empty, sugary carbs while you’re out.

4. Skip dessert during the week. Just think: If you refrained from dessert of any kind Monday through Thursday in the month of December, you’ll be avoiding tens of thousands of calories.

Wondering where the sugar is lurking? Here’s a quick-and-dirty list of the worst sugar hiding spots:

• Bottled sauces (BBQ, sweet n’ sour, teriyaki, ketchup, etc.)
• Bread (see above)
• Pasta sauces (store bought)
• Soda and store bought tea. If you are buying pre-made teas in large containers or cans, you are loading up on sugar.
• Dried fruit (some dried fruits have a whopping 24 grams of sugar in just a 1/3 of a cup.)

Remember, the point of these December posts is to help you edge toward some serious changes next month. Don’t give yourself a green light to over-indulge in December just because you have a big plan for January! Cut back in little ways now, make healthier choices, and you’ll be ahead of the game in January and more apt to really stick with your diet and exercise plans, long term.

Start Now and Hit the Ground Running in 2016

In my last post (11/10), I said this:

“When you have a productive day and you're feeling you're best, think about what you ate that morning, or even the day before. What about exercise? Did that ‘great’ day include exercise on the previous day, or that same morning?”

And then, I said this: “If so, keep doing it! When you find foods or exercise habits that work for you, make a mental note of them. Start picturing yourself heading into 2016 having more "great" days in a week or month than you have right now. Keep up the practices that work for you.

Why am I repeating it again this week? Because so many people look to Jan 1 each year as the day to start getting in shape, which includes exercising, eating healthy, and cultivating a productive attitude toward life. But is there a worse day to actually implement a new plan for healthy living? Perhaps…Christmas may be a worse day, or Thanksgiving. Jan 1, the first day of the New Year, may be inviting mentally, but in practical terms, it stinks. There are way too many inviting distractions: You and your family are off from school and work; you’ve just survived the busiest time of the year and you deserve a break! And then there was New Year’s Eve, which may not have left you feeling your best.

And that’s why I suggested, in my last post, to start thinking about a new approach to your health in the coming year right now—in November—and not on January 1. Pick a few days (today might be one of them!) where you have a high-protein, low-fat, high-fiber breakfast, drink plenty of water, and work in time for a walk around the neighborhood. Do that twice this week – arguably the biggest eating day of the year next to the week of Christmas, and guess what: You will go into the first week of the last month of the year just a little bit better than you were before. Not perfect—better.

For month of December, do the same thing, whenever you can. And don’t forget: walking around a mall all day, or running all over town and walking around several stores or malls is exercise! If you have a shopping day planned, there’s your exercise! Take advantage of that day of walking and combine with healthy food choices. Then, at the end of the day, make a note of how you feel. Was your energy level a little better following that healthy breakfast of nutrient-rich food? Did you get more done than you expected? Don’t write this off to coincidence. Your body will give back to you what you put into it, period.

So what I’m suggesting you do is ease into your desire to find a healthier lifestyle next year, this year, with the remaining weeks of 2015. I call this the “sneak attack.” The problem with picking a day in the future, and proclaiming “Starting Jan 1, I’m going to really get in shape!” is that people tend to feel like they have a green light in the days and weeks leading up to Jan 1 to eat anything they want, and get no exercise at all. Why? Because on January 1 they’re going to exercise like crazy and eat vegetables and lean protein at every meal and stop eating sweets, right? Wrong.

Instead, pick a few days that are right in front of you, like one or two this week and next, and then in the following few weeks, and plan ahead just a little bit: have healthy breakfast choices in the refrigerator and make time for a walk or even a quick run on the treadmill into your day. It’s not difficult to do and it serves as a head start for 2016. Hit the ground running in 2016. If you have spent even half of the days in December making healthy choices and getting just a little exercise, you’ll have earned a little couch time on Jan 1. 

Welcome to Motivate Personal Fitness Academy Website!

Finally, my new website is ready! Check it out here: Motivate Personal Fitness

As we approach our 1-year anniversary in December, I'm happy to be tying up some loose ends, such as getting this website finished, adding some new certifications to my resume and mainly, working with a great staff and growing list of truly dedicated clients.

Take a look around the website. We'll be adding a few more links at the bottom of the homepage, so if you have a cool health and fitness, or healthy eating website (or just a fun blog), let me know.

My goal (I'm trying to get a head start right now!) for this blog in 2016 and beyond is to post about three to four times a month. You'll find everything from more in-depth explanations of what we do at Motivate (TRX, Tabata, yoga, etc.) to tips for specific fitness goals, challenges and frequently asked questions.

With that, I'll leave you with our newly crafted motto, that I think can apply to any person, regardless of ability or fitness level:

"It isn't about where you begin, it's about where you're going, getting there safely, and having fun!"

One more thing! Get ready for the New Year and Holiday Season now: When you have a productive day and you're feeling you're best, think about what you ate that morning, or even the day before. Was it healthy? Could that be the reason you felt good and had a lot of energy? What about exercise? Did that "great" day include exercise on the previous day, or that same morning? If so, keep doing it! When you find foods or exercise habits that work for you, make a mental note of them. Start picturing yourself heading into 2016 having more "great" days in a week or month than you have right now. Keep up the practices that work for you. Be willing to adjust to make them work.

Remember, no person has a perfectly organized and balanced life. Keep making as many good choices as you can when you eat; keep squeezing in time for exercise, even if it's yoga or pushups during your favorite TV show right on the floor of your living room, or getting up an hour early a couple days a week for some strength training at the gym or better yet, in a TRX class at Motivate! Soon, the good choices will outnumber the not-so-good choices, and those "great" days will be commonplace.

Happy almost-Thanksgiving and don't forget to stop by our 1st Anniversary Open House on Saturday, Dec 5! Raffle prizes, demos, and more! Bring a friend for new sign-up discounts.

See you soon!

Tabata Boot Camp: What are you Waiting for?

Motivate Personal Fitness Academy officially has one TabataBoot Camp on the books, and a second is about to begin on June 7. So I’m devoting this blog to helping people understand exactly what to expect—and here’s why: After an explanation that Tabata is a high-intensity intervaltraining (HIIT), the two questions I have been asked the most are “How much will I lose?” and “How hard is it?” In other words, people need to know what they have to gain (or in his case, lose!) before they commit time, energy and money to something new. 

What those two questions I keep getting about Tabata Boot Camp tell me, as a trainer, is this: 1) People want to lose weight and get fit, which means they want to look and feel better; 2) People need some level of assurance that they will see serious results. Let’s face it: Everyone knows that if the word “boot camp” is in the title of an exercise plan, they are going to work hard. But what will the results be of that hard work?

The truth is, everyone sees different results, but those who complete the program, and who follow a sensible (not crazy….just smart) eating plan that includes reducing your intake of simple carbs (bread, pasta, sugar, etc.), and increasing your intake of lean protein (chicken, fish and turkey) and complex carbs, are going to see results that will likely surpass anything they have done on their own. 

So here’s what you can expect from Tabata Boot Camp:

After four weeks: Subtle results that YOU will see in the mirror, and slightly looser clothing. Consistently, the four-week-mark comment I get from bootcamp attendees (or anyone following a three-day per week personal training program) is something along the lines of, “My clothes aren’t as tight.”

After eight weeks: More substantial results that YOU see, in addition to feel: sleep is more sound, energy levels are higher and motivation is surging after continuing to lose weight gain strength.

After three MONTHS: Results that OTHER PEOPLE notice: This is where the comments start coming, like “You look great! What are you doing?” After just 12 weeks on a comprehensive workout plan like Tabata, combined with healthy eating, people not only notice, they want to find out what your secret is.

FACT: At the beginning of our Tabata Boot Camp program, our participants spend about 25 minutes of work out time, plus about an equal amount of rest time, spread out over the course of an hour. But just six weeks later, we are hard for, straight through, for 50 minutes, with just a quick sip of water once in awhile. And there is no complaining.

The results of HIIT are widely known. Give me call or drop me a line and let’s talk about it what it can do for you.

Carbs 101: Know When to Say When (and to Which Ones!)

Carbs have received a bad rap in the last 20 or so years, ever since the Atkins Diet craze, which led to a million other low-carb, high-other stuff diets. Since then, confusion about carbs has ruled, including exactly what they are and what they do—and don’t do for your body. If you are trying to lose weight, some people swear by cutting carbs. But did you know that zucchinis, kale, carrots and spinach all contain carbohydrates? Certainly a diet high in those veggies isn’t a bad idea if you are trying to lose weight…so what is the skinny on carbs? Most people know there are two types of carbs, but many just don’t get the key differences between them. Keep reading to better understand what carbohydrates do and which ones you should make sure you are getting plenty of in your daily diet.

Carbs: Let’s Break it Down

Your body, during the digestive process, breaks down carbs and converts them to glucose, which is the fuel that makes your body run. Excess glucose (what the body doesn’t immediately burn off) is converted to glycogen, and stored in the liver and muscles for later use (between meals, for example). But the body has a limit to how much glycogen it can store and so guess what the liver does with excess glycogen when it hits capacity? It converts it to fat.

The Bad and the Good

Simple carbs (bad carbs) include sugar and refined (white) flour, which means that anything made from these two ingredients is going to be loaded with simple carbs: soda, candy, white bread, white rice, white pasta, pastries, cakes, pizza dough…all are super high in simple carbs, with little to no dietary fiber.

And Now for the Good News (the OTHER type of Carb)

Remember that second type of carb? It’s called “complex,” and they contain high amounts of dietary fiber, as well as being rich in nutrients, vitamins and mineral. Complex carbs are those you get from whole grains, beans, legumes, and fruits and vegetables.

What the F? Fiber!

Why is fiber good for us? Fiber slows down the body’s absorption of carbs, providing your blood, brain and muscles with a consistent, efficient supply of energy. Unlike simple carbs, which cause your blood sugar levels to skyrocket, and then plummet, causing the “sugar crash” that leads to more carb binging, high-fiber, complex carbs are like super fuel for our bodies. Why do low-carb diets say “fruit in moderation?” Well, you are getting more sugar in your orange, than you would in say, a serving of broccoli, so for that reason, vegetables generally beat fruit. But the benefits of the high-fiber content of that orange will outweigh the extra carbs you are getting from it, so don’t fret: fruit in moderation.

Remember this: Eat a balanced diet of lean protein, complex carbs and nutrient-rich fats (avocado, nuts, olives) for the most part, and go sparingly on simple carbs and nutrient-poor fats. That, combined with regular exercise and plenty of sleep, is a winning combination for good health.

Yoga: Anywhere, Anytime, for Anyone

If you are conditioned to believe that yoga is not for you because you “don’t bend” or you “just aren’t into that sort of thing,” then please, keep reading.

There is a saying in yoga: “Go where your yoga meets you today.” What does that mean, exactly? It means that just because you can’t touch your toes doesn’t mean you can’t do yoga. Even the most experienced yoga practitioners won’t have the exact same workout twice. And for you beginners, like any other new activity, sport or hobby, you have to start somewhere. After every yoga session, your body will be able to do a little more than the time before. Over time, like any physical practice, the measureable results will be revealed.

The Basics

Yoga focuses on three main components: mindfulness, physical movements, and breath. Through the regular practice of yoga poses (asanas) the health benefits are reaped from head to toe, and include improved concentration, sleep and energy levels, as well as increased muscle tone, joint flexibility, balance, and weight loss.  The breathwork in yoga (which, simplified, merely amounts to remembering to breathe deeply, slowly and regularly throughout the poses) has been shown to help both blood pressure and resting heart rate.

Yoga: A Complement to Any Type of Training

Yoga’s emphasis on stretching and flexibility result in strengthening— not just to muscles, but to joints and tendons as well. This is precisely why yoga is fast becoming a training mode for every category of athlete, from high school wrestlers to college swimmers to professional basketball and football players. Think about it: What athlete from any sport, or discipline couldn’t benefit from added flexibility, core strength, balance, and concentration? 

Anywhere, Anytime

The beauty of yoga is that if you are looking for purely a physical release, and a quick workout that can wake up your joints, muscles and tendons, yoga can help. You don’t have to be confined to a dimly lit room with soft music and a yoga mat. Of course, those elements will add the benefit of relaxation and more of a de-stressing component, but if you just need a good s-t-r-e-t-c-h and to get your blood flowing, yoga poses can be performed anywhere that you have enough room to lay down and stretch your arms out to your sides. Yes, this means even in front of the TV. Watching your favorite show? Get on the ground and do a series of five poses, holding each several minutes. This “Yin Yoga” practice, which calls for holding poses for 3 – 5 minutes or longer, especially targets connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons, as well as bones and joints that are not typically targeted during more active yoga sessions.

Yoga is coming to Motivate Personal Fitness Academy! “Like” our  page on Facebook and find out more!

HIIT: High-Intensity Interval Training is Where It’s At!

Let’s break it down: High Intensity (move at 100% effort) Interval (short period of time) Training (over the course of several weeks, months, etc) is not a new concept, but it is rapidly growing in popularity. Why? HIIT strengthens your body, fast, without breaking it down. But what else does HIIT deliver? Keep reading.

HIIT burns fat. In fact, look at these stats from one of the most studied HIIT programs happening today: Tabata. This high-intensity, interval-based training model has been used throughout the world since it was first developed in the early 90s, and is structured around “20/10” sessions (20 seconds of high-intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest)that  are repeated eight times, for a total of four minutes of exercise. HIIT programs like Tabata jump start your metabolism and keep it revving for up to 48 hours after only a single workout.

HIIT adapts: Anyone, any fitness level, can benefit from a HIIT program. If you are out of shape, you can do it. If you are in shape, you can do it. If you are an elite athlete, you SHOULD do it. Regardless of where you are on the fitness scale, so to speak, during your very first HIIT session, it can and will take you to the next level or get you to the next goal.

HIIT is portable: You can literally do it anywhere—outside, inside, living room, bedroom, garage. Unless your goal is serious bodybuilding, you don’t need weights (a medicine ball and a set of dumbbells are all that you need). 

The best part: HIIT won’t break your body down. Instead, it supercharges your metabolism to burn fat, and it relies on the science of body mechanics to improve balance, and strengthen muscles while protecting connective tissue (ligaments, tendons) from injury or strain.

The bottom line: HIIT pushes your body to its maximum output for short intervals, using mainly just your body weight, and then programs your body (improves metabolic performance) to deliver maximum results, faster than any other method of exercise or fitness regimen.

For more about the science behind HIIT, click here. Or better yet, send me a note at Motivate Personal Fitness Academy today.

Tabata: What It Is and Why You Should Do It

Tabata? What’s that?! Root vegetable? New dance move? Tropical island destination? Intense, effective workout that provides maximum results in a fraction of the time of traditional workouts? Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner.

Tabata was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese doctor and researcher whose interval-based training model has been used throughout the world since it was first developed in the early 90s.

Tabata consists “20/10” sessions that are repeated eight times. That’s 20 seconds (yes, seconds) of high-intensity exercise (giving it all you’ve got, in other words) followed by 10 seconds of rest; this is one “set.” Repeated eight times, you’ve got four minutes of exercise, total.

Learn more right here.

The benefits in this short interval-based workout may only consist of up to 80 calories during the time of exercise, but it’s the after effects that make the difference. Science has proven Tabata to be a jump start to your metabolism for up to 48 hours after only a single workout. How many extra calories are burned after a single Tabata workout? Not 100… not 200… but up to 350 more calories per day, for up to 48 hours after working out. If that’s not worth it, I’m not sure what is.

Sound easy? It isn’t. In fact, it’s far from it and should be introduced slowly for anyone who is not already in fairly good shape. Depending on the specific exercise moves, Tabata can be personalized for target zones of the body, which is one reason why it is catching on so fast. Need core strengthening? Pick four ab moves that work various areas of the lower back and torso. Training for short distance running? Tabata is widely used at the track where runners create interval workouts to improve their overall speed.

Just to be clear, there is no shortcut to getting and staying fit, but like any other sciences, new research and discoveries lead to an ever-evolving menu of options when it comes to exercise. As with anything “new,” do some reading of your own and talk to your trainer before you try Tabata.

Keep moving as much as you can and see you next time!

Yoga with Yasuni!

Our first-ever yoga class was a blast...that is, if total relaxation, deep stretching and yin poses are your thing. In a word, it was a great way to start a Saturday. Today's class, led by local instructor Kathy Greathouse, was part of a global "Yoga for Yasuni" day, organized by Amazon Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting indigenous peoples of the Amazon River Basin. The goal of "Yoga for Yasuni" day is to increase awareness of the impending destruction of one of the planet's last, protected rainforests (Yasuni National Park) and disruption to the lives of indigenous tribes who inhabit it and have chosen to remain out of contact with the rest of society.

Argonaut science instructor (and Motivate client) Kelsi Himmel contacted me about hosting the class. I couldn't think of a single reason why not!

We're trying to put a yoga schedule together, so I need to hear from yoga devotees (or just yoga curious!) out there: What days and times work for you? What level are you? For those who already practice, which style of yoga would you like see offered? Drop me a note here in the comment section, or send me a note via Facebook (Motivate Personal Fitness Academy). There's always phone and email: motivatedv@outlook.com or 406-8828.

Are you ready to feel great and be your best self? Reach out to me for more information about our individual and group fitness instruction. I'm here!

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