Tank Top Arms

Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

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!

Don’t give me any guff for saying Happy New Year 2 weeks late!!! Better late than never! Wow, I can’t believe it’s 2011 already (how cliche is that statement?). I am home at this very moment wishing I could get over this darn cold that has had a grip on  me for about 3 weeks now. It comes and it goes and comes and goes….like a bad relationship! Lol…anyway, in looking back at my 2010 “resolutions”, I conceded that I did not fulfill all of them, but for good reasons. I’m not trying to make excuses, I am DEFINITELY making excuses! Yoga: did it once. I liked it. But not enough to do it again. Sorry yoga fanatics! Just isn’t my cup of tea. If I want to truly relax, I need to have gloves on and a heavy bag to look at and punch. Learning French: eh, no time. I did go to the library and rent audio cd’s to learn on my own time. I could hear Rosetta Stone in the background laughing at me, that’s when I realized that I just don’t have the extra time needed to learn a new language right now. I’m not done with school yet and being a single parent requires me to pull double duty with responsibilities sometimes. The bible : I have been reading it a lot more and praying a lot more. I’m happy with that, but want to do more. This doesn’t mean that I get exactly what I’m reading still…I try to read the different versions for better understanding and that helps sometimes. Volunteering: I don’t think I did enough in 2010. I definitely shared the importance with the kids and shared opportunities with them, but I need to do more this year. Take 4 road trips: done and double done! Granite, it was with work, but traveling with these girls was a such a great experience! I made lots of memories, gained a better understanding of logistical planning when traveling via air, and learned to pack light!!!! (That’s a biggie for girls :) Learn how to sew and paint on canvas: yeah right. I think I may have been slightly high on this one! Gotta think BIG picture.

I have “resolved” that for 2011, I’m NOT going to make resolutions. It just seems so permanent and failure is involved in one way or another! Instead, I’m going to make goals. To me, this seems more attainable than resolving to do something for good that lasts about 1.5 months. So here are my goals for 2011:

• Graduate next month for grad school!
• Get myself and the kids involved in monthly volunteer opportunities
• Continue to read the bible and pray everyday
• MAKE A DIFFERENCE in Someone’s life EVERY DAY! (no matter how big or small)
• ALWAYS try to see the silver lining (blessing in disguise)
• Get hired full time somewhere ;-)
• Finish a 1/2 marathon trail run or road run…but in Tahoe!
• Compete in my first Ms. Figure competition
• Get down to San Antonio to see my folks and my soon to be new nephew this summer
• Try to get to NC and see my sis and brother-in-law before Dec 1st!
• Have a girls weekend road trip
• Begin my photography endeavor again after I graduate
• Paint on ONE canvas by the end of the year!

I think these are doable. I know they are doable! As a matter of fact, I’m going to print a few copies of my goals, print them out, and post them around my home so they serve me as a constant reminder of what I’m striving for. I heard a wonderful scripture today. It was Isaiah 41:10 and reads:

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I like to see this as my compass for when I have anxiety about something, anything. Most of us aren’t born with an innate sense of confidence. I can only speak for myself when I say that I fear the unknown, and it’s then that I need to rely on my faith that everything will turn out just the way He intend them to be. Keeping that in mind, I am more confident that I can accomplish my 2011 goals. Just as a child leaps in faith that their father or mother will catch them, I know my Father will always catch me, in His own way.

Here’s to a VERY productive 2011!!!!

Truth be told, I’m stressed right now. I shouldn’t be though. But somewhere between my work life and personal life, I’m feeling it. I think I know what it is, but I’m trying to write it off to being all weather related :o) Often times we find ourselves anxious, stressed and just down right blech!! Don’t we? It can have to do with anything from bills, work, our significant other, the kids, the car, our family or friends or the freakin’ computer going down! Well, there is a very good remedy for that and you know what it is….yes, come on…say it!!! EXERCISE! dun-DuN-DUN!!!

Instead, lets say that stress can be reduced by being active. There are other things of course that can reduce it in our lives, but I want to focus on a-c-t-v-i-t-y.

If you didn’t know, there are different kinds of stress, but all of them can be managed with a healthy diet and a good dose of physical activity each day. I’m not saying you have to break a sweat for 60 minutes to ease off the tension. Even a 10-15 minute brisk walk can alleviate the nerves. It is important to try to pinpoint the source of your stress so that you can learn to manage it and control the situation. It may not always be easy to pinpoint where it’s coming from, but at least try to find it.

Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Pent-up stress is pretty easily remedied through aerobic exercise. Annoyances or frustrating situations can sometimes build up and you can feel stressed or even experience a low level of anger even! If you’re feeling motivated enough, a higher energy form of exercise can help release some of those emotions. Kickboxing, boxing, weight training, crossfit or going for a LONG NEEDED RUN when you didn’t think you needed to go so long, can all help reduce stress.

If you don’t believe me, read on:

The American Council on Exercise reminds Americans that one of the most effective methods of stress relief is exercise. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Association endorses exercise as a way to reduce stress, and recommends cardiovascular exercise that elevates the heart rate for 15 to 30 minutes – three to four times per week.

I told you so. When you are less stressed, you tend to have a more positive outlook on life you know! There is no “magic exercise” that you can do to reduce your stress. Actually, different activities can help with different kinds of stress. The important thing is to do something that you enjoy. One of my most favorite activities now is to take the dogs to the lake and walk. It usually takes almost two hours out there, but it always seems like half the time. It’s a perk if you enjoy the company you’re with too!
One of the things that can happen is that you feel so stressed, that you don’t want to do anything…it kind of ends up as a vicious cycle. The more you stay sedentary, the more stressed out you can get! They say that yoga is an excellent way to relieve stress. Only from research can I say that this has been proven to be true. (Remember, doing yoga is one of my resolutions for this year). Breathing exercises, aromatherapy, and meditation all contribute to sanity as well.

So go for a walk, jog, leisure bike ride….take the dog out, play with the kids, stretch, punch a bag…do jumping jacks, do JUMPROPE (10 calories for every minute!!), clean the house or work in the garden. There are so many different things you can do. Finally, if you think you need just a little bit of help to relax more, ask your favorite pair of hands for a nice massage, fingers through your hair, or gentles touches on your back.  Then there’s always a nice glass of vino that you can have at the end of your long day with or after a  yummy shrimp pasta dish! (Man I’m getting hungry)…

Now you know what you can do to wash away that stress...

I’m not referring to the sweat you break when you’re waiting for that cop to get out of his car that is parked right behind you. Now, now ladies…I know some of you may be breaking into a sweat right about now, so I hope I have your attention. That was your treat for the day :)

I hear this a lot: “Is the elliptical trainer better than running?”, “Are 3 sets better than 2?”, “Is walking fast just as good as jogging?”, “Is the steam room better for your skin than the sauna”…ok that last question was my own, but you get the picture. In the grand scheme of things, ANY physical exercise that you do is better than none at all. On top of that, any physical activity that you do that gets your heart rate up is even better!

Your traditional means of breaking a sweat usually occur in a gym. It’s pretty basic. You enjoy the mechanical fruits that the facility has to offer and you leave. Then you have the non-traditional means where you workout at home or outside. All three avenues can take you places far beyond your dreams of health and fitness. What usually lacks is the creativity when you are not in a gym per se, only because of unfamiliarity with what you can do with what you have. You want to avoid making excuses for not being physically active. Just do it. Here are two options below:

Ready,.. set,.. go! Walking, jogging, running, biking, swimming, strength training, hiking, bowling, tennis, gardening, roller skating, ice skating, inline skating, soccer, walking your dog, washing your car, climbing stairs, dancing, kickboxing, pushing a stroller, step aerobics, Zumba, jump rope, kayaking, canoeing, Crosssfit, mowing the lawn, cleaning windows, cleaning the house, raking leaves, chasing your kids, chasing your dogs, frisbee, baseball, basketball, golf (that one was hard for me to say), walking on the beach, flying a kite, shoveling snow, walking in the mall and even, do I dare say it… having fun in the sack! OH, don’t give me that raised brow!! You know you were wondering that too! There,  a “few” ideas for you.

Remember that these are just ideas of what you can do to be physically active, but if you want to burn calories and lose weight, you’ll need to rev up your engine and put a little work into it. This also means watching what you eat of course. Look at it like this: healthy eating and lowering your caloric intake will certainly take the pounds off, while being physically active will sculpt your body. Make sense? Capisce?

The most important thing to remember if you don’t remember anything else is this: DO WHAT YOU ENJOY DOING!!!!! If you hate running, then don’t run for pete’s sake!! Why the heck would you run? All your doing is sabotaging your exercise experience. But if you wanted to add running to your walk, for example, and do interval training to run for 2 minutes and walk for five…heyyyyy….look at you!

Mixing things up is always positive. It keeps thing alive and interesting. Not only that, but did you know that mixing your moves burns more calories? You’re making your body think harder which in turn works harder. Who says you have to do just one or two or three things every day and that’s it? You could do 45 minutes of cardio exercise and break it up into three different activities for 15 minutes each, or even four different exercises and a 5 minute blast of 5th one! The possibilities are endless is what I’m telling you.

The other important thing to remember is that if you want the weight to come off, then you must increase your cardio time to 30 min a day at least. Notice I said INCREASE your time. This may be a little rough for newbies, so that’s why I say “increase”, especially if you feel like your heart is coming out of your chest just walking around the block.

It’s not about keeping up with the Jones’s, it’s about keeping ahead of them :)

I’m not going to berate you with the common sense stuff on how much you should be eating this holiday season, a hem, CHRISTMAS season (it’s my blog and I’ll say CHRISTMAS if I want to). I’m not saying that paying attention to what you’re eating isn’t important by any means! Of course you should watch watching that and how much, but this practice needs to be in play all year round. So, in my valiant effort of not being a food scrooge, I just want you to have a wonderful time as you celebrate the season with friends and family. Be thankful for what you have. If you are reading this on your own computer, bear in mind that you are considered to be very wealthy in many parts of the world! More importantly, I said this in the beginning of my blogging: “The best things in life aren’t things!” You’re blessed! Remember that.

So in honor of this VERY festive season, I wanted to instead share with you a funny article that I came across. I certainly hope that some of his sarcasm will resonate with you and you might think twice about grabbing that third piece of pie :) Think of this as a stress reliving post, yeah…that’s it. Just tell yourself that.

Ladies and gentleman, for your shear enjoyment, I present “Funny Holiday Eating Tips” by Craig Wilson.

Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention.

Reread tips, then start over. But hurry: January is just around the corner.