Category: Challenge

Highlights from the #Elf4Health Challenge

12/23/2013

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed me using the hashtag #Elf4Health these last few weeks. If you were wondering why, Elle at NutritionElla and Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean organized an amazing challenge group of about 1000 "elves" looking to improve their lives this holidays season. There were a total of 28 challenges, most of which I participated in, but I put together these highlights of my favorite challenges - ones that you can try out all year round!

Also, I'd like to take the time to give a shout out to my personal elves these last four weeks - they were full of tips and great ideas! Check out their blogs:

Erin @ Serendipity and the Sailor
Tara @ Sugar Sweat and Sparks

Highlights from the #Elf4Health Challenge

Unsubscribe from emails

Do you find that you spend a lot of time just deleting emails from your inbox? Sometimes without even reading them? Use unroll.me to unsubscribe from SO MANY emails! When I entered my email address, I was able to unsubscribe from 63 newsletters/store emails with the click of a button!

Track your water intake

Aim for half your body weight (in oz). If you weigh 150 pounds, try to drink 75 oz of water.Make it through two 32 oz water bottles and you're almost there! OR mark your water bottle like this to set yourself little goals throughout the day.

Physcial challenges make you realize what you're capable of

There were a few physical challenges we participates in, and each one helped me push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of.

1) 100 Burpee challenge. Do 100 burpees throughout the day. Modify as needed, just check out this video for ways to do this.

Here are a few ideas for tackling this challenge:

If you're a burpee veteran, try doing them consecutively!
Break into sets of 33 and do a set before each meal.
Do them 10 at a time throughout the day - maybe every hour!
Do 50 when you wake up and 50 before you go to bed.
Get up and do burpees during every commercial break.

2) Run a mile as fast as you can. This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can walk it if you need to, or maybe split the mile up into walk/jog intervals. Either way, no matter your fitness level, everyone can push themselves JUST A LITTLE HARDER for just one mile!

3) Hold a wall sit as long as you can. If you're a wall-sit pro, make it more challenging by holding a weight.

Eat the rainbow

When you eat foods that are a variety of colors, you're guaranteed to get a variety of nutrients, minerals and vitamins in your diet! Here are some ideas:

Make a frittata for breakfast and pack it with veggies.
Have a jumbo salad for lunch topped with lots of lean protein and extra veggies.

Color Inspiration

Red: strawberries, tomatoes, red peppers
Orange: sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash
Yellow: spaghetti squash, summer squash
Green: spinach, green beans, kale
Blue: blueberries
Violet: eggplant, purple potatoes

Clean out your fridge and pantry

Take some time to deep clean your fridge. Pull everything out, clean the shelves and drawers, throw away expired items and then put everything back, with healthy snacks at eye level!

Then move on to your pantry. Throw away expired items, organize the shelves and consider donating some food to a local food pantry as a bonus challenge!

Here are a few articles with more info:

Closet Cleanup

Take some time to go through your closet. Clean up the clutter by removing what you don't wear - consider donating these! Not sure what to give away? Put all of the hangers in your closet on the rod backwards. Once you wear and wash an article of clothing, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the right way. In a few months, you can easily see what you wear and what you don't!

Meal Planning

It's not secret that meal planning helps you get through the week, while sticking to your nutrition plan. Take time on the weekends to prep and plan you meals to set yourself up for a great week!

Set a new fitness goal

This one might be my favorite! If you know me well (or read my blog enough), you know I'm a huge fan of goal-setting when it comes to improving your health and fitness. I haven't set my 2014 goals just yet, but I'm certainly thinking about it!

Some ideas:

Run a particular race
Try a new sport
Get faster
Add one more day of exercise to your weekly routine
Walk 10,000 steps each day
Get up every hour and move around

How can you challenge yourself in the upcoming new year?

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Death by Burpees and a partnership with FitMAPPED

12/13/2013

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Last weekend, I only had a little bit of time before I had to get ready for a wedding. I was debating on weather or not to squeeze in a workout, when my husband suggested we do the CrossFit "Death by Burpees" workout.

Death by burpees? Sounds awful. Also, it sounded like exactly what I wanted to do!

Death by burpees

With a continuously running clock:

1st minute - 1 burpee
2nd minute - 2 burpees
3rd minute - 3 burpees

Continue as long as you are able!

Don't be deceived by the first few (easier) minutes - as the minutes go by, you have more burpees to do and less recovery time. I was able to get through the 11th minute with a few seconds to spare. I probably could have kept going at least one more minute, but it was time to start getting ready (and I was spent)! Take the FitYaf challenge - start with pushup burpees and when you can't continue with them, switch to regular burpees!

My partnership with FitMapped

I'm also SUPER excited to announce my new partnership with FitMAPPED. FiTMAPPED is a comprehensive, fully searchable directory of fitness studios and gyms in NYC and Los Angeles, and it's coming to Philly! I'm so excited to be involved with such a great community - check out my first blog post!

Be sure to follow FitMAPPED if you live in NYC, LA, Boston, Chicago or Philly (and check back as we add new cities):

Also, don't forget you can enter to win my Shakeology Shake-Up package once/day!

How many round of burpees could you do?

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Everything you need to know about P90x 3

12/10/2013

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All good things come in threes, but be warned: P90X3 is far from a trilogy. No, P90X3 is NOT the kid sister workout. It’s the workout that took notes from it’s siblings, then condensed, and accelerated to become the most dynamic and fastest workout yet.

The ultimate excuse buster
Time is the biggest excuse. P90X3 solves that. Every workout is 30 minutes and the clock starts the minute you push play. Before you can say “drop and give me 10,” it’s over and you are one workout closer to the six-pack of your dreams.

Everything you need to know about P90x 3

Muscle acceleration explained
Many P90X fans were hooked on the science of muscle confusion – which introduced variety to the workouts and prevented plateauing. P90X3 takes a hint from that success and from studies showing the most dramatic body transformations happen within the first 30 minutes of exercise. Enter muscle acceleration, a Tony Horton-approved highly-structured schedule with an incredibly high level of intensity and an unprecedented variety of moves. The gurus behind P90X3 combined exercises and added some twists to maximize your time and keep every muscle challenged for a full 30 minutes.

Say goodbye to boredom
Along with the constant entertainment, P90X3 has the most workouts of any Beachbody program. With 16 workouts in the base kit, they switch it up before you have a chance to consider boredom. From cardio to strength to pilates to MMX, there is something for everyone.

The ideal P90X3-er
It may seem lofty to proclaim, but P90X3 is indeed a workout for everyone. Everyone searching for tighter abs and leaner muscles, that is. But fitness novices and experts need not be afraid by P90X3’s come-one-come-all invitation. You don’t have to have any previous P90X experience in order to get killer results. For the beginner, the variety of workouts in P90X3 is the perfect place to discover their fitness style. If the move can be modified there is a cast member showing you how. But don’t expect to be an expert on day one. (Yes, fitness veterans will still be challenged.)

It doesn’t stop there
And of course there are some bells and whistles too good to ignore. First off, the FitYaf exclusive: If P90X3 is purchased any time from December 10th – 31st (including Challenge Packs), you will receive an exclusive P90X3 baseball cap.

And last but not least, we have the app: Yes, now for the first time the P90X app is available on Android and iOS. The app includes P90X guided workouts, tools to track your reps, weights and progress. Launching soon, is the P90X3 addition – which brings you workout specific tracking modules, scheduling options and the motivation you need to power through the 90 days. P90X3 scheduling and tracking will be available on the app for Android on 12/10 and is coming soon for iPhone. Check out the app and get ready to bring it!

The P90X3 Facts:

All workouts are 30 minutes long
The warm-up is 2 minutes and then constant work for the remaining 28 minutes
There is a separate warm-up disk called Cold Start if you need a longer warm-up due to environment, time of day, etc
P90X3 is a separate program from P90X and P90X2, not a harder version
Anyone can start on P90X3, even beginners
The nutrition plan goes back to SIMPLE nutrition basics of Power 90 and healthy eating
There are 16 workouts in the P90X3 base System including a new Pilates based workout.
If you've done P90X or P90X2, you'll see similar moves and all new stuff too
P90X3 will also include an all new Isometrics workout, a new Strength/Balance/Flexibility workout with Static Holds and CVX: Cardiovascular Extreme - a Cardio workout with weights

Additional workouts include MMX, a Mixed Martial Arts Extreme that expands the Kenpo workout, Agility X- an all new agility programming, and yes, Yoga is still part of the program, but it's only 30 mins!!!
There are 4 schedules in P90X3 - classic, lean, doubles, and bulk
39 out of 40 people in the Test group lost 10% of their body fat!!!!! (Whoa! How awesome is that?!)
Equipment needed will include weights or bands (a pull-up bars is great like in P90X, but optional)
Every move in X3 has a beginner/modified, in between move, and challenging/hard
This program is based on science that suggests the first 30 minutes is the most effective part of any exercise routine, so we accelerate the workouts to create the most effective 30 minute routine
Most of the Abs moves are athletic in nature - some are standing up and many are front facing instead of being on your back

P90X3 Base Kit

Click to order Base Kit - $119.85 + S&H

FREE SHIPPING FOR A LIMITED TIME!

16 unique and brand new workouts on 8 DVDs
Plus, 5 Free Gifts
Fitness Guide
Nutrition Guide
90 Day Workout Calendar

How to Accelerate Intro DVD
24/7 Online Support
Network Exclusive P90X One on One: On One Leg DVD
Network Exclusive Premium P90X3 Hat ($24.95 value) - December Only!

P90X3 Challenge Pack

Click to order Challenge Pack - $180 (free shipping)

DISCOUNT EXTENDED THROUGH JANUARY!! - Discount REACTIVATED for May 2014

Price will go up to $205 in February 2014

P90X3 Base Kit
30-Day Supply of Shakeology HD
30-Day VIP Team Beachbody Club Membership

P90X3 Deluxe Kit

Click to order Deluxe Kit - $239.70 + S&H

FREE SHIPPING FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Includes everything in the Base Kit PLUS:

3 Elite Extreme workouts on 1 DVD
Includes free Elite Block Calendar
1-Month E&E Tub
3 B-Lines Resistance Bands

P90X3 Ultimate Kit

Click to order the Ultimate Kit - $329.55 + S&H

FREE SHIPPING FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Includes everything in the Base & Deluxe Kits PLUS:

1-Month R&R Tub
Gym-Quality P90X® Chin-Up Bar
P90X® Chin-Up Max
Premium Beachbody Jump Mat

What are you looking forward to most about P90X3?

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Fitness Friday Elf4Health Buddy Workout

12/6/2013

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If you've been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed a new hashtag I'm using - #elf4health. This hashtag is part of a four week challenge that is running from the Monday Nov 25- Sunday Dec 22, 2013. There are daily tasks, daily winners, prizes, weekly newsletters, and a Facebook group for support - pretty awesome, right? The challenge is split up into 2 week sessions, so if you haven't joined yet, it's not too late to join for the second half! Yesterday's challenge was to workout with a buddy, which isn't much of a challenge for me, since I teach group fitness classes. I'm ALWAYS working out with buddies! Some of the elves who couldn't find a workout buddy participated in a virtual buddy workout, where they were all doing the same workout at home. The workout looked awesome, I can't wait to try, and now you can too! Check it out below!

Check out my awesome workout buddies from last night!

Grab a buddy and start counting! See how many rounds you can do!

Elf4Health Buddy Workout

10 pushups

30 mountain climbers

20 burpees

40 jump squats

50 second plank

How many rounds did you do? How long did it take?

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Beachbody's Black Friday Sale - HUGE savings!

11/27/2013

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Today (November 27th), the Beachbody Holiday Sale begins. This year there are HUGE savings (up to 69%) on so many great products - P90x, Insanity the Asylum, Derm Exclusive skin care products, Beachbody exercise equipment, nutritional supplements and MORE! Click the image below to access the sale, but don't wait to order - many items sold out during last year's sale, be prepared to act fast!

Beachbody Holiday sale - starts @ 3pm EST TODAY (11/27)! Be prepared to act fast, items may sell out!

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A Fitness Friday Survey

11/1/2013

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I have good news and bad news for you Fitness Friday lovers. The bad news is that I don't have new workout for you today. The good news is that I want to give you more of what you want! My Fitness Friday workouts have ranged from little challenges that you can incorporate into your workouts to shorter high intensity interval training workouts to longer full body workouts. I want to know what you like best! Take a second to vote and let me know what you want to see! And don't forget, you can always access my Fitness Friday workouts by clicking HERE.

Challenges

A Fitness Friday Survey - FitYaf Pushup Challenge

Other challenge workouts:

How far can you run in 30 minutes?
Body Blitz burpee challenge

Short workouts

A Fitness Friday Survey - FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workuot

Other short workouts:

Low Impact HIIT
"Insane" HIIT
Gym Rat workout

Full Body Workouts

A Fitness Friday Survey - FitYaf's Body Blitz style workout

Other full body workouts:

Body Blitz dumbbell workout
BOSU workout
No equipment necessary

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Les Mills BODYPUMP 87 Launch & the importance of strength training

10/30/2013

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Les Mills BODYPUMP 87 Launch & the importance of strength training

Launching a new BODYPUMP workout is always an exciting time, and the launch of 87 certainly did not disappoint. This release is one of my favorite BODYPUMP workouts yet - the music is great and the back and lunge tracks are KILLER! My favorite tracks are squats & biceps for the music and back & lunges for the challenge. This year, the launch coincided with our Freaky Fitness Fest at the gym - a full day of free group fitness classes, prizes and even a dance class to learn the moves from the Thriller video. It was double trouble for me - I started my day team-teaching the 7:30am class with Jackie, and finished things up at the 6:30pm class with Alex and Carrie.

Why is it important to strength train?

It is important to understand the basics of strength training and why you should incorporate this activity into your training program. Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Edward R. Laskowski, MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. "But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age." It's the good old "use it or lose it" phenomena. The lean muscle mass that we all work so hard for decreases with age. If we don't add strength training to our routine then it will turn into fat. Below are some specific benefits of strength training.

Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density, resulting in stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis. One of the best ways you can control bone loss as you age is to add strength training into your workout plan.
Control your weight. Strength training will not only make you strong, but will also help with managing your weight. As you gain muscle, your body begins to burn calories more efficiently because your body works harder to maintain muscle over fat. The more toned your muscles are, the easier it is to control your weight. Controlling your weight can also improves your quality of life as you gaining body confidence. In a specific study where BODYPUMP™ was used for strength training, An average of 483.1 (males) and 338.9 (females) calories can be burned during a BODYPUMP™ session. This equates to 8.4 (males) and 5.9 (females) calories per minute. An additional 10% of calories have been shown to be burned after the cessation of a BODYPUMP™ session, due to Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). Who doesn't want to burn more calories?
Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily. Building muscle also contributes to better balance, posture and functional fitness.
Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including back pain, arthritis, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. It not only builds muscle, but increases the strength of connective tissue, muscles, and tendons. This leads to improved motor performance and decreased injury risk. Strong muscles, tendons and ligament build up in the joint and back areas making these areas less likely to give way under stress.
Muscle tone. The conditioning effect will result in firmer and better-defined muscles.
Improved aerobic fitness. In the same study as mentioned above, it was found that during a BODYPUMP™ session the mean oxygen consumption was 21.5 ml/kg/min (males) and 19.0 ml/kg/min (females), with an average intensity of 41.6% VO2 max (males) and 39.8% VO2 max (females) observed. Males spent an average of 11.6 minutes and 3.2 minutes, and females, 8.0 minutes and 0.6 minutes, above 50% VO2 max and 70% VO2 max, respectively, during the same BODYPUMP™ session. The average heart rate during a BODYPUMP™ session has been shown to reach 138.2 beats per minute (males) and 132.6 beats per minute (females). Males spend an average of 37.4 minutes, and females 40.2 minutes, above 70% of maximum heart rate during a BODYPUMP™ session.

And when it comes to BODYPUMP specifically? Well it's just downright FUN!

Have you tried Bodypump yet? What are you waiting for?

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Friends of FitYaf - Why We Run ["I run because ________"]

10/28/2013

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Don't you get bored? What do you think about? Why do you even do it?

If you're a runner and you're like me, these are common questions that friends, family, sometimes even strangers will ask you all of the time.

The answers: Do I get bored? No, I don't get bored - I get tired, I feel pain, I get thirsty, I get hot, my fingers freeze when I run in the cold, I even get itchy sometimes, but I don't get bored. I don't know what it is about running, but it never bores me. Yoga? Yes! Running? No!

What do I think about? It's more like what DON'T I think about?! One of the greatest things about long distance running is it's my "me" time. We all lead such busy lives - I so rarely get time to think. When I run - I have all the time I want to think. I also have a really terrible memory, so only if I'm lucky do I remember what I think about. But, every once in a while, the stars align - I'll have a really great idea while running, AND I'll remember it! Now who is going to come up with the app that will record your thoughts while running?

Why do I do it? For so many reasons. I started running for exercise. I love all (most) types of exercise, so if it were just for the calorie burn, I'd probably choose something else, but somewhere along the way, running became more than exercise for me. That feeling when I ran for 30 minutes straight without stopping the first time? Pretty amazing! The feeling when I did it again, but ran a farther distance? Even better. But what really does it for me is setting a goal and then actually reaching it. In life, there are so many things that we can't control. But with running, for the most part, you're in full control of the progress you make. You might have to postpone a run because of weather and sometimes even life getting in the way, however, barring no injuries, it's just you and your feet. Speed work and training runs - they really work! If you would have told me last year that I would be running at the speed I'm running today, I wouldn't have believed you. If you would have told me ten years ago that I would one day be a two-time marathoner, I would have said you were crazy. Now, I'm going to let the sky be the limit. I will continue to set goals until my legs won't hold me up anymore.

But that's not even it! Perhaps the best part about running is that when I line up at the start line of a race or wave to someone on the trail, I'm surrounded by so many other people who are running for a completely different reason than I am. Yet, we're all in it together. We're a community. We get the same blisters, drink the same sports drinks, but what is driving us to that finish line can be completely different. So, I reached out to my running friends (both virtual and in real life) and asked them to finish this sentence: "I run because _______________". The responses were great, and I just HAD to share them with you!

Click on each picture to learn more about each runner.

How would YOU finish this sentence: "I run because _____________"

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What do you do when you crush your half marathon goal a month before the race?

10/23/2013

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At some point, while training for the Pittsburgh Marathon, I fell in love with the half marathon distance. While the marathon was still the main focus of my training this past Spring, I was really looking forward to the Philadelphia Half Marathon in the Fall. I managed to hit my original half-marathon goal during my full marathon training, so I did what any runner would do - I lowered my goal. Since I'm relatively new to the racing scene, I had no idea what was a reasonable amount to lower my goal. At first, I lowered it 2 minutes. But over the summer, I decided I was going to "dream big" and lower it 5 minutes. I knew it wasn't something that was going to come easily (or even at all), but that number has been in the back of my head for a few months now.

What do you do when you crush your half marathon goal a month before the race?

This past weekend began with thoughts of a 13.1 mile run. Part of me wanted to go out and "race" the run to see if I could hit my goal, but the other part of me was scared that it just wasn't possible, and I would wind up walking the second half of the run after my legs gave out. After agonizing over this, I decided that training is for practice, and I was going to try to hit that goal. If I made it, great, if I didn't, I still have one month to go.

Lately I have been using the Nike+ app, so I know what my pace is, but I tend to run more for effort level than pace. I usually let myself go about 0.5 miles before really deciding what my pace is going to be for that run. Imagine my surprise when I look down at my Nike+ app and realize I'm 10-15 seconds faster than I need to be to hit my goal! If it was race day, I probably would have scaled back a little to be safe. But, it was a training run, so I decided to just stick with the pace. I figured eventually it was going to catch up with me, and I was going to have to slow down a little. But, mile after mile I was maintaining that pace. It wasn't until the last three or so miles that I started to slow down, but by that time I knew I had owned the run. I just had to keep pushing to the end.

My Nike+ app registered my 13.1 mile run at one minute and 45 seconds LESS than what I thought was a "reach" goal for my half marathon! I guess that answers the question of if I "can" run the distance at that speed (whether or not I can do it again is another story). So with less than four weeks left before race day, I'm left with two options.

Option 1: Keep doing what I'm doing

I can keep up with my current training - running three relatively short runs during the week (with at least one being speed work) and a long run on the weekend. I'll aim to finish at about the same time that I did during my training run this past weekend. I'll feel confident that I can do this, since I have already proved that I can, but I risk finishing the race feeling like I could have done better.

Option 2: Step it up, set a new goal

I can set a new goal. While very tempting, this option brings up so many questions for me: 1) What should the new goal be? 2) Should I adjust my training? and 3) At what point during the actual race do I decide whether or not I'm going to hit that goal?

Another option: Who cares? Stop obsessing!

This option comes after reviewing my post on pace. Maybe I should just let whatever happens happen? I've already come so far!

I'm have not decided yet which option I will take (suggestions welcome), but as I often say - when struggling between two options, it's usually because they are both good ones!

Have you ever reached a goal before the race?

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FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout

10/18/2013

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What is Tabata you ask? Just like HIIT, Tabata incorporates periods of work with periods of rest. During the period of work, you work at 100% intensity (maintaining proper form of course), then you partially recover during a short rest. The fact that you never "fully" recover is part of what makes this workout so effective. Typically the "work" period is 20 seconds and the "rest" period is only half of that or 10 seconds. This type of exercise was discovered by the Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata, who was known for his work with Olympic speedskaters. Tabata's research showed both aerobic and anaerobic benefits from this type of exercise. For HIIT workouts, you're typically doing high-impact moves that are more "cardio", but for a tabata workout, you can do strength exercises as well as cardio exercises. Due to the high intensity nature of the workout, tabata workouts are typically shorter than a traditional workout. You can use the Tabata protocol with almost any exercise, but lucky for you I put one together for you! The traditional tabata workout is designed to do the same exercise for the whole workout, but what is the fun in that? The first section is four cardio exercises, and the second section is four strength exercises, but don't worry - I squeezed some burpees in there too. Grab your stopwatch (or your favorite interval timer app) and let's go!

Notes about this workout:

Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact. Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
This workout is designed in an ON/OFF format. When you are ON, you want to give the exercise EVERYTHING you've got. When you're OFF, walk around and keep your feet moving.
The whole workout once through is 9 minutes (4 minutes cardio, 1 minute burpees and 4 minutes strength). Start with a little warm-up (walking/jogging) to get your muscles warm. Challenge yourself and try and go for a second round!
Be sure to stretch at the end of the workout. Check out some post-workout stretches from Health.com.