I hope every has a great day ahead and is looking forward to friends, family and good food. I'm spending the day sleeping in, cooking/baking, working out, relaxing and heading off to my parents for my favorite holiday of the year! I put together a list of some good reading from my fellow bloggers to help you stay on track today and the rest of the holiday season - ENJOY! |
via Christine Ardigo via FitMama4Life via IRunonWater Also, don't forget to take advantage of Beachbody's Holiday sale - some items have already sold out! What will you be doing this Thanksgiving?
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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!
People love running in costume When I run, it's all about comfort. I don't like things bouncing, rubbing, etc. But for some reason, people love to run in costume. I don't think I could ever do it, but never say never, right? Either way, it's very entertaining to watch! There is no gold standard for a "funny" marathon sign I get it - it's the "worst parade ever". I want to see a sign that I haven't seen before - bonus points if there is some pop culture reference! I'm a sucker for a good race sign, but clearly there are different kinds of "funny". Marathon spectating can be almost as exhausting as running the race Marathon spectating is no joke. I don't know from experience, but from what my friends tell me, it can be exhausting! You trek around town, hold up signs, run with your friends - you deserve a recovery massage too!
Men run faster marathons because they don't have to stop at the port-a-potties How many places can a women pee on a marathon route? Probably about 10, and there is usually a line. How many places can a man pee? The options are endless. This is why men have faster marathon times than women, right? Every runner running in sandals has a friend running in sandalsEveryone is fighting their own battle If you take time to look around during a marathon, you see all sorts of inspirational messages and motivation phrases - on t-shirts, on signs, on stickers, on the ground - everywhere! When you take the time to read them, you realize that everyone has their own race to run. We all run for different reasons, but we're following the same path. There is a new level of acceptance when it comes to social habits Marathon runners will spit, blow their nose, run into people, pee in public (see above) and a whole slew of things that would otherwise seem unacceptable. Going for a stroll in the park? You would never even consider doing any of these things (I hope). But, if you're running in a race, it's totally okay! Running makes people happy If you take a look around at people's faces, you'll see some people struggling for sure, but you'll see a lot of happy faces. And I mean A LOT. It's not the just the runners, but the spectators too. Happiness comes when passing another mile marker, when seeing your friends and family or when seeing complete strangers holding up awesome signs. As Elle Woods taught us - exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy. What are some observations you've made while running in races?
Heading into marathon week, I was feeling prepared and ready. Then, on Thursday morning, my little pinky toe got caught on the suitcase I left out because I had gotten home late from a work trip the night before. It was one of those moments where the pain was terrible, and you were just waiting for it to pass. But it never did. By then end of the day, my toe was swollen and sore. Over the next few days, I was convinced the toe was broken - I iced it and buddy wrapped it, but I honestly didn't know if I would be able to run. On Saturday, it felt slightly better, so I decided just to go for it. And it's a good thing I did! By Sunday morning, the pain wasn't as bad (maybe it was a sprain and not a break afterall), and I was going to run this race!
For the rest of the race, I just didn't feel like I could get up to pace. I was weaving a lot, when I could, but I was also getting stuck behind people (which I embraced through the hills). This really stressed to me the importance of starting in the correct corral. In the end, I had a really great race - maybe I could have done a little better, but I felt great and there will always be more races.
My next race? The Philly Love Run - a brand new spring half marathon in Philadelphia. I'm looking forward to keeping up with my training and running with friends! Where was your first half marathon?
While I mostly run on the treadmill at my apartment complex, I sometimes run other places, and I've noticed that each treadmill feels different and contributes the overall feel of my run - have you ever noticed this? I realize some of this must be mental, but I'm also wondering if there's some scientific explanation to it also. I've put together this list of things I've noticed that affect my treadmill running.
Size of the room I've run in treadmills in all kinds of rooms (even on a cruise ship, which is a completely different experience), and the size of the room and the placement of the treadmill can make a huge impact on my run. If I'm in a small room, and the treadmill is up against a wall or in the corner, mentally, the run feels tougher. When I'm in a huge gym with tons of treadmills, it doesn't even matter how close together the treadmills are, but the air flow is better, it doesn't get as stuffy and I just feel better while running.
Time of day Hands down, the time of day makes the most impact on my treadmill running. When I get up at 5:00am to run, my joints may be a little stuff, and I'm just plain tired. No matter where I'm running, it can feel like a struggle. Treadmill running at 5:00pm? It's a completely different type of exercise. What do you prefer while running on a treadmill?
What motivated you to start running and racing in triathlons? I grew up dancing and playing team sports, and continued doing so through college. When I graduated and team sports weren't as accessible anymore, I needed something with more structure to it than simply "going to the gym." I tried playing adult league lacrosse, but the schedule and location were just too complicated, so I only lasted one season. My husband had starting doing triathlons with a group at his gym, and he seemed to enjoy it, so I gave it a shot on my own. For me, my sport preference actually mimics the order of the triathlon, so it works out well for me. I love swimming and I tolerate running. Nine years later, creating a seasonal "race schedule" still keeps me (relatively) honest with my work out regime. How did getting pregnant change your relationship with working out and fitness? I definitely learned (relearned, I suppose, since we all "learn" this over and over again in our lives) about needing to be kind to yourself and listen to your body more. In the first trimester, I was exhausted all the time. It was pretty much all I could do to get through the workday without throwing up or falling asleep at my desk. Other than walking to and from the train on my commute and climbing stairs on job sites, there was no working out at all from about 7 weeks until I was through the first trimester. Then once I started working out again, I really had to figure out what was going to work for me, versus just going back to doing what I'd always done. Also, for the first trimester, in addition to allowing yourself a 7pm bedtime instead of a 7pm gym time - eating something "healthy" like broccoli salad does no one any good if you can't keep it down. Now, I'm not advocating eating snickers bars all day long, but again - you're going to have to find what works for you. "Bad" calories are still better than no calories. If you end up eating a BLT for lunch four times a week (guilty) just to get through that first trimester, so be it. Describe your workouts while you were pregnant, and how did they compare to your workouts before you got pregnant? My definition of what I considered a workout definitely changed. One thing I did, that I would definitely recommend to anyone newly pregnant, was that I started doing squats when I brushed my teeth. After a few days of making a point of remembering to do it, it became an automatic part of my daily routine. Then, at the end of the day, even if I'd not managed to do anything else "active," I would have at least gotten 40-50 squats in. The nice part about it, too, was I think it really helped my body stay strong while adjusting to its growing size. I would NEVER have attempted just trying to do sets of 25 air squats at 8 months, if I hadn't been doing them all along. But, since I had, my legs and back had grown stronger as I grew larger. Also, you'll probably have to be more open minded about fitness than you might anticipate. I love swimming, when I'm not pregnant. Everyone seems to rave about swimming and pregnancy; I hated it. And, as a "swimmer," that surprised me quite a bit. I just felt like I was trying to do laps with a little kid's swim bubble strapped on backwards. Not amazing. The other not amazing thing during pregnancy, that I normally loved, was public transit. As I grew, so did my impatience and frustration with pretty much every single person I encountered on the crowded rush hour trains. My solution many times, weather permitting? Walking the 3 miles home instead. My mental state improved, and I counted that as my workout for the day. How long did you wait to start exercising after giving birth? What did you do to ease back into the training? I delivered in December, which can limit your fitness options, obviously. However, that December and January were luckily quite mild, and I discovered that I could put my daughter into the baby carrier and button my maternity winter coat up over the whole thing, baby and all. So, starting at only a few weeks post partum, we wrapped ourselves up nice and snug and took (usually) daily walks along the lakefront. I started with only a mile or two, but worked up to 5 or 6 miles pretty quickly. I wasn't walking for speed, so six miles usually took about two hours, but it got us both some fresh air (and helped my post-partum sanity quite a bit). As another bonus, she usually conked out quickly in the carrier and ended up with a 90+ minute nap. Since her little body was literally touching mine, I was never concerned about wondering if she was too cold. I didn't start actually running again until about 10 weeks post partum, and I started with run/walk splits which were very heavy on the walk. Side note: if you're a nursing mom, especially one who didn't previously have cups that runneth over, get a new sports bra! And, before you go for a run - pump. There was a car in my town growing up whose license plate spelled: PB4UGO. Great advice. In this case, the P stands for pump. (You should probably still pee too, though). Trust me on this one. You do not want cups that leaketh over, nor do you want to spend your whole run mentally curbing your urge to clutch at your aching chest. No one wants that kind of attention. The new sports bra will be well worth it. How did training after having a baby compare to training before having a baby? I signed up for a half marathon scheduled for the day after my daughter turned 5 months. It seemed doable, and like I mentioned earlier, having a race schedule keeps me relatively honest with my workouts. Having a baby made me even more so. Since my husband and I had to schedule around each other to make time for me to work out, I couldn't just "eh, I'll go tomorrow" my way through the week. If I had a run on the calendar, I was damn well going for a run. Not just sometime that day, either, but during the very specific time slot allotted between our schedules. Obviously, with a young infant at home, things still came up and by the end of training, if I was intending to get out four times a week, it was usually only two or three, but it was never none. I will say that we were blessed beyond belief by having a pretty darn good sleeper that allowed both of us to ease into the life/parenthood balance much easier than most. If you're not blessed in the baby-sleep department (and I now have a new-found empathy for that; thanks a lot 8-month sleep regression that never ended), well, Godspeed. And drink all the coffee. What do you think is a realistic goal as far as a timeline for getting back in shape postpartum? I've always liked the saying "nine months to gain, nine months to lose." I think people definitely have unrealistic expectations of weight loss in general, let alone postpartum. It's easy to get frustrated when you're not losing as quickly as you'd like, or if you're stuck on a plateau. But, if you remind yourself that you certainly didn't get all the baby weight overnight, so you're not likely to lose (it all) overnight either. And, again, this is one of those cheesy "remember to be kind to yourself" moments, because the number on the scale may also not be as compatible with how you think your body looks as you're accustomed to, either. Your body will certainly have changed, whether it's your hips, your boobs, or your belly (or all of the above) so you might need to adapt. You will probably have some rocking biceps in a couple months, though, so you've got that going for you! How do you juggle fitting in you workouts with spending time with your baby, family and work? We don't have extended family in the area, so fitting in workouts is definitely a team effort for my husband and me. He needs to be flexible with his schedule to give me the time to fit in a workout (I've never been a fitness DVD "person," so doing a pilates/yoga/bootcamp DVD while the baby naps just doesn't work for me), and I have to be committed enough to my workouts to respect the time that he's carved out for me and actually get myself out of the house. I am quite lucky to be working for a small architecture firm that has allowed me to come back part time (3 days, ~27-30 hours/week) after having had my daughter, and I am incredibly grateful for that situation. It does make "finding time" much easier. I'm less likely to feel guilty about going to the gym for an hour on the weekend because I'll have spent all day Tuesday and Thursday with her. That said, we've discussed what we might consider doing if I went back to work fulltime to ensure that I still get to workout at least a few times a week, without feeling like I'm sacrificing time with the family. The ideas we've had are: swimming laps for 30 min while my husband is with my daughter for her swimboree class and going for a family jog on Saturday mornings. What advice do you have for a fit/active woman who is pregnant or just had a baby as far as keeping up with her fitness?
Are you a mother? What are some of the ways you stayed in shape while pregnant or got back into shape after having your baby?
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.
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.
And when it comes to BODYPUMP specifically? Well it's just downright FUN! Have you tried Bodypump yet? What are you waiting for?
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.
How would YOU finish this sentence: "I run because _____________"
Here are some other Body Blitz style workouts: Notes about this workout:
WarmupDo each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
Resistance Training, SET 1
Cardio, SET 1
Resistance Training, SET 2
Cardio, SET 2
Body Blitz Burpee ChallengeCore
Stretch |
Jillian [FitYaf]fitness enthusiast. Archives
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To my readers, please note this website and blog is for educational and informational purposes only. For medical advice, dietary restrictions, and/or medical diagnosis, and before beginning any diet and/or exercise program, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional.
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