Tank Top Arms

Posts Tagged ‘cardio’

How many of us have had every good intention of exercising when we travel for work? How about when we travel for fun? Well, actually lots of people pack the running shoes, workout top, shorts or pants and depending on gender, a sports bra! Oh yeah, don’t forget the heart rate monitor and chest strap…and the gloves and beanie! Don’t forget the beanie! All packed yet? Hmmm, nope. Socks,  sunglasses for outside and sunscreen, headphones, towel, and the list goes on and on. So you’ve unpacked, been staying for 2 nights already and still no workout, even though the eating out hasn’t ceased at all. You get the picture? Sometimes it can definitely be a challenge to exercise when you are away from home, but it sure doesn’t have to be.

I’m  currently in Colorado for a work trip for 5 days. The conference is in Colorado Springs….at the BroAdmoor Hotel to be exact. So guess where I’m staying? Yup, the BroAdmoor :-) and if you know about this AMAZING hotel, then you already know what my expectations were of the fitness facility. Just totally awesome, that’s all! And they delivered!!

Ok, ok I’ll stop with the bragging. But seriously, just because you travel somewhere doesn’t mean that you have a pass on exercising or at least getting some kind of physical activity in your day. It doesn’t have to be grueling, but be sure to get your heart rate up a little bit while you’re away so you can enjoy more of the foods you like while you’re away too! Having traveled a good amount in my day for work last year, I can say that not all hotel gym facilities are of this standard…duh! But it shouldn’t matter either. Take it outside on a beautiful day. Go for a hike, play tennis, go swimming, run or walk on the beach, do some yoga outside so you can take advantage of the fresh air (unless you’re in Los Angeles). So the day looks like crap, or it’s REALLY cold or REALLY hot or REALLY humid or whatever. Most places have a treadmill, bike, eleptical trainer, a bench, some dumbbells, and some space for stretching out or doing some core work. Geez, take it to your room and do body weight exercises! Do squats, jumping jacks, push ups, triceps dips on the bed, or abdominal work. Still looking for excuses? Throw one at me, come on! I’ll rebutle :-) Here is a SIMPLE sample of a few exercises that are compound (two of them), meaning each exercise targets more than one muscle group at the same time. Compound exercises are a wonderful way to get a good workout in, in a shorter amount of time but working you pretty hard too.

Squats (quads and butt)

3 sets of 20 repetitions

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, with weight on your heels. Your toes should be able to wiggle. Squat down, making sure to keep your weight back so that your knees don’t extend past your toes. Keep your back straight, eyes ahead. Extend your arms in front of you for balance.

Challenge: Add weight and intensity by lifting your laptop or a phone book, just don’t drop it on your toes!

Modification: If you’re feeling off balance, try squatting over a chair or low table.

Push Ups (arms and chest)

3 sets of 20 repetitions

Begin on your toes or knees. Lower your body to the floor, keeping abs pulled in tight. Use your abs to keep your tail elevated. No sway backs, please! Widen your arms to target biceps. Keep elbows tucked into your sides to target triceps.

Challenge for the Ladies: Do as many on your toes as possible. If you’re traveling for a week, set a goal of increasing the number that you can on your toes by 10%.

Challenge for the Gents: Stay on toes of one foot only, or put your feet on the bed with hands on the floor.

Modification: Move to your knees rather than toes.

Plank (core work) - click on the picture below for a demonstration of the correct plank position

Travel Fit Tips

Do what works for you, including modifications to make things easier, harder, or less boring.

While you’re waiting at the airport to leave for your trip, make a realistic and achievable commitment to yourself for how many times you’ll do these exercises during you trip. Set the goal and achieve it! If you’re gone for 5 days, shoot for 3-4 days of activity.

Schedule these time blocks on your calendar.

Mamas!!!! Don’t forget you too can benefit from doing these exercises at home. Whoever said that you have to have a gym membership to workout????? NOBODY!

Yup, that was me this morning. I DID NOT want to go to the gym! So my inner child threw a hissy fit. To be straight out honest, it wasn’t because I’m sick. It’s not because I lack transportation.  All my workout clothes are clean. I was cold. Yes, I know, I know. It was a LAMO EXCUSO! But believe me that there was redemption. Even though I didn’t feel like going and I tried (believe me) to come up with a logical excuse of why “I just can’t make it to the gym today”, I ended up on the front steps of the club. Hmmm, I don’t even remember the drive there…but that’s besides the point.

I am proud to say that I did eventually get out of the warm bed, drag my butt out of bed. You know, I just wasn’t in the mood to really be active this morning. So I had to lead my body to the place where I wouldn’t have access to my e-mail, Facebook, my website, etc. Just me and the good old elliptical trainer. One of the best cardio machines in gym, it   provides a low-impact cardio workout that protects your joints and is one of my favorite activities for getting a good cardio workout without a lot of pounding on the joints.

Here it is to give you a better picture, but remember that there are different types, but with the same basic form and concept.  Now I’m not knocking on any of the other equipment such as the treadmill, bike, row machine, or any of the like. I’m just focusing on the elliptical because that’s what I used for my training this morning. So for 30 minutes, I pushed, pulled, and dug my heels. Why the different focus areas? Well, digging your heels on this machine is the proper way of foot positioning. Many people tend to stay on the balls of their feet (the toe area) which is incorrect. By keeping your feet flat and focusing through the heel, you are in fact using your glute muscles more, better known as your butt! Then you have the handles in which you can pull, working on your bicep muscles, or you can push, which changes the focus to the triceps (the “back” of the arm that is always flabby).

My most favorite feature of this machine however, and what separates the elliptical trainer from the treadmill for example, is the forward and reversible feature on the foot pedals. When you are moving forward, you feel like a cross country skier (for those of you familiar with that feeling). However, when you reverse your pedal motion, you can target your lower body in a completely different way. Without question, you are targeting all of your lower body and not to mention your heart! Not only will you start to feel the burn, but you’ll start breathing harder, sweating and watching you calorie burn numbers go up :)

BTW, I warmed up pretty quick, so being cold was NOT a good excuse!

So I must say, that I have been definitely trying to remind myself about how we used to get along without all the advanced technologies that we have today. My three month old laptop has been acting as if it were on the brink of death! I’ve had multiple problems with it and have spent approximately 6 hours total speaking to somebody in India about the problems. I finally feel as though we made headway today.

It turns out that the Windows Vista program that my computer came with has been the stone in my shoe! Have you had any problems with it? Well, I guess a really good remedy is getting the new Windows 7 package installed. So I’m hoping to be able to do that this weekend. You may be asking, “what the heck does any of this have to do with health or wellness?” Well, let me tell you.

I’ve been very stressed about it all. I realized why. It’s because I rely way TOO MUCH on this portable keyboard. So instead of grabbing a good book, going for a walk, or just meditating for a bit, all I’ve wanted to do is throw this thing out my window…or just on my bed actually. So I’m feeling better because I decided not to let it control my mood anymore. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Borders Bookstore and hang out. Not like a gangster or anything, but just spending some quality time here with a fat-free Hazelnut latte. I like to go through the magazines and think of all the money I’m saving by not subscribing to all the 10 different kinds that I have free access to by just sitting here (hee-hee). And I’m looking forward to the great experience I’m about to embark on starting tonight!

I’m heading out with a friend to a Women of Faith conference this weekend. I’ve never been to one, but I have a pretty good feeling that  although I won’t be exercising in the mornings or tonight for the next two days, my soul is going to get a fantastic workout! And not much of a cardio workout either, but it will be heart workout!