Jun 06

Monday Motivation 7

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, monday motivation, movement, routine, tips, workout
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. -Albert Einstein This week’s tips are all about things that seem to be common sense, but are mistakes made by almost every single person working out, REPETITION. See, the human body is one of the most amazing creations, ever. It has a keen sense to want to change and adapt to the things that we put it through. This can apply to a lot of different things, but for now lets keep it to fitness and how it relates to your workouts or runs. 1.Change up your workout routine Since the body has a special ability to conform and adapt to the physical challenges we put it through, it is necessary to change up your routine often to continue to see progress. Keep the body guessing=body works harder=more calories burned. This is also a good thing to do if you are hitting a plateau (no gains or losses in a few weeks of consistent exercise) or just to simply freshen things up and make it a little more enjoyable. 2. Get off the Treadmill! To understand this more, read #1. Repetition=Adaption=Body “cruise control”=less calories burned. Even something as simple as 20 […]
May 25

Workout Wednesday #3 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, hiit, runner, running, tips, training, workout, workout wednesday
If you missed my first 2 post’s on HIIT, and why it is so important for runners, I would recommend reading them first before proceeding with this workout to get  better understanding of the how/why to my methods for the workouts.  Both posts can be found here and here. This will be part 3( or week 3) of 5. Intensity goes up a bit, and we start to work with lateral (side to side) movements. The process will be the same as in part 1 and 2, as it will be for the following 2 workouts to come in the series.   Why work lateral when you run forwards? When I train runners, the first thing I always find out is that most of them are not training any other motions then moving forwards. This is not a good thing! When the body becomes used to doing one thing over and over, it can easily adapt to the movement which means it will not be functioning at peak performance. Injury Prevention is also a big reason. In fact, the largest connecting tissue in the body runs right down the side of your leg (Iliotibial Band or ITB ). It’s job is to hold your thigh muscles […]
May 15

Monday Motivation 6

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, monday motivation, routine, running, tips, workout
For this weeks take on Monday Motivation, I want to add 2 key components I feel are some of the most important items that should be the base of any fitness aspiration. Log 3 consecutive days of meals. If you are just starting out, the point of a new “routine” in the first place is to make changes from what wasn’t working to something that hopefully will. As I have come to determine , most of my clients have no idea how many calories they are actually taking in. Since weight loss or muscle gain in its easiest form is calories in and calories out, it really is a game of the numbers. Once you have everything logged, use a nutrition app such as  MyFitnessPal or the US govt site ChooseMyPlate to calculate your daily calories . The results may suprise you and may just hide the key to shedding the pounds. Log 3 workouts or runs.  In part 2 of my “Top Ten Tips for Getting Back In Shape” series, I talked about the importance of planning. Knowing what you are going to do in the gym(or wherever you exercise) helps keep you on task and helps you get in and out more efficiently. Another thing I noticed […]
May 11

Workout Wednesday #2 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, hiit, routine, runner, running, tips, training, workout wednesday
If you missed my first post on HIIT, and why it is so important for runners, I would recommend reading that first before proceeding with this exercise to get  better understanding of the how/why to my methods for the workout.  It can be found here. This will be part 2( or week 2) of 5. Intensity goes up a bit, and we start to work the legs a bit more. The process will be the same as in part 1, as it will be for the following 3 workouts to come in the series. Below you will find pictures of each exercise for those not familiar with the names. Backward Lunge Plank w/ Alt Arm Extension Alt Leg Bounding Push Up Deep Squat Jump For a short refresher on our HIIT workout, perform each exercise with maximum intensity as you can for 20 seconds (30 seconds for pros). rest for 10 seconds before moving on to next exercise. Do this for all 5 exercises and rest 1-2 minutes before performing a 2nd and 3rd set. Repeat 2-3x/week instead of running! Save your knees and get the same cardio impact in less then 20 minutes! Stay tuned for part 3 of our HIIT For Runners […]
May 02

Monday Motivation #5

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, monday motivation, tips, training, workout
So, how did we do last week? Were you able to try some yoga?   If you weren’t able to, that’s OK. No better time to start than the present. As always, we will introduce new tips to help motivate you into bigger change every single Monday. This week’s Monday Motivation is a bit of a selfish one for me. Today marks the release of my new podcast series titled the “Fitness Vida Podcast“. I invite everyone to tune in and listen to Weekly fitness tips, industry interviews with Top prefessionals in the health and fitness industry, and listener questions answered by me, the Personal Trainer. No topic is off limits. All questions are relevant. If I do not have an answer, odds are I know someone that does.  With each episode clocking in at less then 30 minutes, it will be the perfect addition toyour pre gym ritual! Listen the the first episode HERE If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share the love !  *Studies have shown that people who make small and gradual change over time have a much higher percentage of success then those that try to make drastic changes all at once. Even if you try 1 change/week […]
Apr 25

Monday Motivation #4

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, home workout, monday motivation, routine, tips, training, workout
So, how did we do last week? We’re you able to try and get your plank time above 45 seconds?   If you weren’t able to, that’s OK. No better time to start then the present. As always, we will introduce new tips to help motivate you into bigger change every single Monday. This week again is all about expanding on our current Routine.  Yoga has been a sacred practice for many centuries, but over the past decade has seen a huge explosion in North America. If you haven’t tried it yet, no better time. Get on Google and find a class. If you are out in the stix, or just simply don’t have the time, here is a great FREE intro class you can do right from your living room. Since we are big on posture, this class will focus on stretching the hamstrings(a major culprit in low back pain) and opening up the hips. Total time: 33 minutes. Also this week we are going to try to start an “Accountability Log” (or exercise journal). Since change is slow and methodical when loosing(or gaining weight) the correct and healthy way, this will help make sure that the things that need […]
Apr 20

Our Top Ten Tips for Getting Back In Shape…Tip 4

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Food, Inspiration 0 comments tags: diet, exercise, fitness, get back in shape, health, healthy food, nutrition, training, workout
With all the exercise planned out for your new workout routine, the next thing we want to do is look at how you should be eating. This is where most of the confusion comes in. With so many “diets” out there, how does one know which one will be best for them? Lets start with the fundamentals that should be kept in mind no matter what “diet” we choose to follow. Tip #4 – Basic Nutrition Since this is a touchy subject with many communities involved in the Health and Fitness industry, I thought it would be best to talk basics, rather than specifics. The first thing I feel is most important to figuring out how much we should eat , is figuring out what our RMR (or resting metabolic rate) is. If you are not familiar with this term, it represents how many calories your body needs to fuel itself just to operate in a 24hr period, and accounts for about 70% of  a persons total daily energy expenditure before any physical activity.     to read more on RMR vs BMR, and how to find out your magic number, click here .   Once you figure out your RMR, you have to figure […]
Apr 18

Monday Motivation #3

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, monday motivation, tips, training, workout
So, how did we do last week? We’re you able to add at least one of our new health/fitness  tips to your current lifestyle?   If you weren’t able to, that’s OK. No better time to start then the present. This week is all about expanding on our current Routine.  Since Stat Trackers are all the rage, this week we will use one of those to track steps for 3 days. This is a great way to see if you are getting the step goal for each day. Also this week we are going to try to learn how to do a correct Plank Pose. This is one of the most essential moves in a fitness routine and should ALWAYS be done with correct form. If you have never done a plank before, you can watch a great video below on proper form and technique. If you are already planking, try adding a challenge to your plank like increasing hold time, lifting one arm or leg at a time. *Studies have shown that people who make small and gradual change over time have a much higher percentage of success then those that try to make drastic changes all at once. Even if you try 1 change/week […]
Apr 12

Workout Wednesday #1 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, get back in shape, hiit, runner, running, tips, training, workout, workout wednesday
“Prolonged intense exercise causes excessive oxidative stress, which basically burns through the antioxidants in your system and predisposes you to problems.” According to Dr James O’keefe , all that running that you are doing isn’t all that great for you or your health. He goes on to say “Exercise may be the most important component of a healthy lifestyle, but like any powerful drug you’ve got to get the dose right“. So, what does that mean for you? How does training mix in with running while preparing for Marathon season? It’s a long summer with many miles of pavement that will punish those poor legs of yours. No reason to burn out or set yourself up for injury before you even get started. Your health and longevity should always be your biggest concern. The main thing to keep in mind while training is to not overdue it. The easiest way to overdo it? Run MORE THEN 3 DAYS A WEEK while training/preparing. YES, you heard it right, only run 3 days a week. Supplement the other 2 days with some type of HIIT (which is what we will be introducing here) or a low weight/high rep full body weight routine. What exactly is HIIT? First, lets talk […]
Apr 11

Monday Motivation #2

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Monday Motivation 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, get back in shape, health, monday motivation, routine, tips, training, workout
So, how did we do last week? We’re you able to add at least one of our new health/fitness  tips to your current lifestyle?   If you weren’t able to, that’s ok. No better time to start then the present. This week is all about getting the ball rolling. Maybe you have been working out and not seeing any progress? Maybe you are just thinking about starting a fitness routine? Either way, as we try every week, pick a new habit from the list and give it a go. *Studies have shown that people who make small and gradual change over time have a much higher percentage of success then those that try to make drastic changes all at once. Even if you try 1 change/week and stick with it, big things will start to happen.