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FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary

6/20/2014

Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, which is also my 1-year Blogiversary (check out my first blog post ever)! Although my blogging has been a little sporadic lately, I thought I'd update you all on how things are going over here at FitYaf! I first started this blog after running a "100 days till summer" Challenge Group. There were so many great things that came out of the challenge - I wanted a place to share it beyond my group.

What has my fitness been like lately?

When 2014 rolled around, I set myself some fitness goals for the year. I was very happy with everything I achieved in 2013, and was looking forward to what 2014 had in store. I also had some personal (non fitness related goals), and if you follow be on Instagram or Twitter, you might already know that my husband and I are expecting our first child in October of this year! While I planned to be (and to this day still am) very active throughout my whole pregnancy, I quickly decided that maybe this year was not the year for these goals. After talking to my doctor, I got the go ahead to continue exercising (and teaching fitness classes), but as far as pushing myself beyond my current fitness level - I just didn't feel comfortable doing that. I did manage to hit one of those goals about a week before I got pregnant, so I can check off "run a 5k in under 25 minutes".

Once I found out I was pregnant, I was a little scared to keep up with my workouts, specifically running. My running workouts were typically completed in the early hours of the morning, and while I was very lucky in the "morning sickness" department, I still didn't feel great in the mornings. At first I did try to keep up with my "1000 miles in 2014" goal, running 91 miles in January, 84 miles in February and 74 miles in March, but tracking the miles was putting a lot of pressure on me, so I decided to save this goal for 2015. As it turns out, at around 14 weeks, I developed some pelvic pain that has pretty much stopped all running for the time being. I was able to run the Philly Love Run in March, and although I didn't train to hit my "under 1 hour and 50 minutes" goal, I finished the race (came in at about 2 hours and 10 minutes) and felt AMAZING!

Not running has given me more time to try out other workouts, or spend more time doing the workouts I was already doing. I'm spending more time with Insanity (about 2 times/week) and Melissa Bender workouts (about once/week). I've also been able to continue teaching 3 classes/week (boot camp, Bodypump and step aerobics). Sometimes it takes a little extra creativity to motivate the class when my own energy is dragging, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm also BEYOND excited to start Chalene Johnson's BRAND NEW AT HOME PiYo workout program. I just ordered mine yesterday, and I think it's going to be a great way to add some variety to my fitness. PiYo is an amazing workout that previously was only available in select gyms, but now you can order your own at a HUGE discount (while supplies last). This program is a mix between Pilates and Yoga and helps build lean muscle! Think - fast hot yoga but with the air conditioning on and awesome music playing!

So for now, I'm still working out about 6 times/week and loving this whole pregnancy journey. I'm taking it day by day without any expectations. I'm trying my best not to worry about every workout or every pound gained, and I look forward to revisiting my 2014 goals next year!

What have I been blogging about?

Over the past year, my blog posts have covered topics from recipes to healthy habits to workouts and more! Below are my top 5 blog posts:

My readers come from all over the world, but here are the top 5 cities where people love FitYaf:

Philadelphia
New York
Chicago
Minneapolis
Los Angeles

And finally, here are the top 5 blog posts that people find through searching on Google:

What is coming in the future?

In the immediate future, I have two Challenge Groups starting soon: a Shaun T boot camp and a PiYo boot camp. You can email me if you have any questions or if you're interested in joining on of these.

I do have some exciting product reviews, giveaways and recipes, coming your way this summer, and I'm going to be posting some more Fitness Friday Workouts. I'm not signed up for any races, and I don't plan to race again until next year. I look forward to the second half of my pregnancy and of course meeting my baby fitness guru in October!

What do you want to see more of on FitYaf.com? Have you had experience working out through a pregnancy?

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8 signs you're a gym rat

1/24/2014

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When people you know see you outside of the gym, they don't recognize you

You schedule your day (and possibly life) around your favorite group exercise class, which sometimes includes stay up until midnight to sign up online.

You know your "friends" by their workout routine and favorite brand of sneakers, but you may not know their names

After a long and tiring day at work, you still go to the gym because you're afraid people might notice if you're not there

You shower more times at the gym than in your own shower at home - you even have a favorite shower stall at the gym

You have at least on one occasion scheduled a date that involved working out

You wouldn't consider booking a vacation at a hotel that doesn't have a gym

You keep extra gym clothes at your desk or in your car just in case the opportunity arises

Are you a gym rat? How do you know?

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Confessions of a group exercise instructor

11/8/2013

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It's hard to believe that it has been over seven years since I started teaching group exercise classes. According to my quick calculations, that means I've taught about 900 classes. While according to Malcom Gladwell, author of, "Outliers", I have a long way to go before I become an expert (approximately 9,100 classes), I have certainly learned a lot over these past seven years. It is often the highlight of my day, and a extra special class can maybe even be the highlight of my week. I've made such great connections with not only the participants in my class, but the other instructors as well. When you get a group of instructors together, you can't help but talk about your classes that week, and yes, sometimes we even talk about the participants (mostly good things, I promise). So, I put together a list of 10 group fitness instructor "confessions". ENJOY!

Confessions of a group exercise instructor

We like the music loud

And I mean LOUD! In a perfect world, the music would be so loud that you couldn't hear me, even with the mic - you would be able to read my mind to know what we're doing next. I may have the music taste of a 12 year old girl (cue the Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift), but I like my music loud. It gives me energy. Some people drink Red Bull, I listen to my music loudly!

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We have bad days too

We all have bad days, but as a group fitness instructor, you check your day and everything that went wrong at the door. You put on a happy face for your participants because they paid to get a great workout in a happy environment. The beauty of it? By the end of the class, we usually forget what was bugging us that day.

We are not impressed by all the weight you can lift or pushups you can do if you don't have good form

We put a lot of time into putting together a challenging workout for you. We aren't keeping track of your weight, so don't try to impress us. We will notice and correct you if you aren't using proper form though - we don't want you to get hurt! You want to put a ton of weight on your bar for the bicep track in Bodypump and then do bicep rows the whole track? Oh, that's nice, but we're curling over here. We're not impressed.

We love it when you smile

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Just like loud music, smiling and happy faces give us energy. We're not comedians, and I know most of the time our jokes aren't funny, but humor us and give us a chuckle. It lets us know you're paying attention!

We might not know you're name, but we know your capabilities, potential and preferred brand of sneaker

It sometimes is embarrassing to ask you your name for the third, fourth or even fifth time. It's even more embarrassing when we've had about ten conversations about your new sneakers, your upcoming wedding, your kids, but I don't even know your name. Personally, I'm terrible at remembering names, so I apologize. It doesn't mean I don't remember you. I remember that you did your first push-up on your toes last week, I remember you finally got that hamstring combo, but I most likely don't know your name.

We encourage feedback (good or bad)

Unless your feedback is that the music is too loud. Just kidding - it's your class and if you want the music lower, I will begrudgingly oblige. Some people wear earplugs to my class - just saying. But seriously, we want to make the class the best for you as the participant, so be sure to let your instructor know your thoughts!

We would rather you didn't bring your cell phone to class

I'm actually pretty lonely in the camp of "I don't care if you bring your phone into my class as long as you aren't disrupting the class", but most (if not all) of my instructor friends think you should leave your phone in your locker.

We take other instructors' classes

At least half of what I've learned about group exercise classes has been from taking other instructors' classes. It helps us develop as an instructor and also gives us an idea of what else is going on at the gym.

We sometimes prefer to workout on our own

We LOVE teaching group exercise classes. I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY love it! But, sometimes, we like to work out on our own too. It's a much different type of workout, and it gives us time to work on things that can't be addressed in a group setting (and time to come up with those crazy moves we're having you do during class).

You make our day!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - one of the best part about teaching group exercise classes is the connections we make with other people. We watch people struggle, reach goals, smile, grunt - really every emotion comes out during our classes, and we're there for it all. This hour is often the best part of our day, and YOU are the reason why!

Are you a group fitness instructor with a confession? Share below!

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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 - Alex goes from group fitness participant to ROCKSTAR instructor!

9/16/2013

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I first met Alex, while taking a Bodypump class at Pottruck Health & Fitness Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Alex was not only super motivational while teaching, but you can tell he had a connection with everyone in the room. Months later, I subbed one of Alex's class, and while the classes seem to be scattered with people during the summer months, Alex's class was PACKED wall to wall! His participants clearly love his class and keep coming back for more. Like most instructors, Alex started out as a group fitness participant, so I asked him to share his story about making the transition from participant to instructor.

Friends of FitYaf - Alex goes from group fitness participant to ROCKSTAR instructor!

Alex with Jackie and me at the Bodypump85 Launch, circus theme

Alex and Matt

Sometimes it is the smallest moments in life that have the largest impacts. My fitness adventure began with one such moment… the small but powerful act of remembering a name.

I was standing outside the gymnasium at the Christian Street YMCA waiting to take my second Les Mills Bodypump class. The instructor named Matt (Matt and I are now close friends) came walking up and said “Hey Alex. Great to see you back.” It was the smallest thing, but Matt remembering my name from the first class I took made the biggest deal to me. I realized in that small moment that a group exercise class could be much more than strangers working out around each other.

In the weeks that followed, I got to know more and more fellow Pumpers. I began to make friendships with the people I sweated, grimaced, and smiled next to as we crushed our bodies for 55 minutes. I saw the connections that Matt built with the participants and became even more inspired by this example of what a fitness class could be. As my strength and fitness improved, I started to think for real about becoming an instructor myself. With tons of support from the entire YMCA fitness team, I signed up for the Bodypump initial training and officially took my first step to becoming a fitness professional.

Alex, Carrie & Matt at the Halloween launch of Bodypump 83

Fast forward a few years, I am now an advanced Bodypump instructor, a Bodyattack instructor, a Spinning instructor and a certified personal trainer. I have made amazing friends, built strong relationships with members at multiple clubs, and most importantly seen people of all types get stronger, live healthier and feel better. I am passionate about working hard to make each class I teach be more than just an hour of exercise. I strive to make every workout I lead as welcoming, inclusive and positive as I can for each member. All of this happened because an instructor named Matt made the effort to remember my name, and that small moment completely changed how I viewed group exercise.

If you would like to know how you could begin creating life changing experiences for people, check out the following tips:

Take lots of different group exercise classes to get a sense of what different instructors do and what classes you like and don’t like.
Build up your own personal fitness level, and get really comfortable with a class you’d like to teach. Make yourself really strong at Spinning before you decide to try and become an instructor for example.
Meet and talk with group exercise instructors! Learn their stories, ask for advice and don’t be shy!
Check out the program website for the class you would like to teach, and find information on the steps needed to become an instructor. There are different requirements for all of the programs out there. Pretty much all programs require money up front to sign up for a training and/or purchase training materials. Some programs (like anything Les Mills) require weekend training, months of team teaching, and then an assessment video. Others require day training and some kind of written/practical exam. Find out what each program requires.
When you feel ready…GO FOR IT! Have fun setting out on your fitness adventure!!!

Alex participating in the plank challenge during the 100 days till summer Challenge Group.

Are you a group exercise participant thinking about making the leap from participant to instructor? If you have any questions for Alex - feel free to email him!

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What do you look for in a group fitness instructor and class?

7/23/2013

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On my never-ending search for trying new things in the fitness world, I recently took a rowing class at Row Zone Rittenhouse on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The class was great and definitely had me dripping in sweat at the end of the 45 minutes, but when I looked over at the instructor at the end of class, I realize she wasn't sweating at all! Except for demonstrating a few exercises, she didn't do any of the workout, which got me thinking - is this what group fitness participants prefer?

I've taken quite a few trainings for different group fitness classes, and they each recommend a different approach. Specifically, when taking the Les Mills Bodypump Instructor Training, it is recommended (as an instructor) to do the entire workout with the class, maybe stopping a handful of times during specific exercises where everyone is laying on the bench, and it's difficult to see the class. However, when taking the Beachbody Insanity Instructor Training, it is repeated over and over that 'this is not your workout' as the instructor, and you should be walking around the room, helping everyone with their form and motivating everyone. I also know that while teaching heavily choreographed classes such as Step Aerobics, Hip Hop Hustle and TurboKick, if I were to stop doing the workout, the class would stop too, which is okay, because I don't think it should be expected that the participants memorize the choreography.

Furthermore, if the instructor IS doing the workout alongside the class, as a participant, would you rather see instructors pushing themselves to the max and struggling, and maybe not saying as much during the exercise? Or would you rather that instructors workout at a comfortable level so that they can give cues and focus more on helping you out as a participant? I think there are benefits to both approaches, and as an instructor, I try to fall somewhere in the middle. I know participants that like to see instructors work just as hard as they are - it serves as motivation and encouragement to continue to work hard. But I also know of participants that would rather the instructor focused on helping them as participants, correcting their form and giving them more personal attention. The extreme example of this is the instructor at Row Zone, where she wasn't doing the workout at all.

As a professional 'academic', I am fully aware that everyone learns differently, and there may not be an ideal way to teach group fitness class - everyone is going to have their own style of teaching and learning. In an ideal world, there would be a few instructors at every group fitness class - one to lead the workout, one to show some modifications or options and one to walk around the room, helping people with their form. However, this many instructors would only make group fitness classes more expensive and less accessible to the average gym-goer.

So, I'm asking YOU - what type of group fitness instructor do you prefer?

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Tips for Getting the MOST out of Bodypump & Les Mills Bodypump 86 LAUNCH

7/16/2013

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Yesterday, at the Pottruck Health & Fitness Center at the University of Pennsylvania, we had ourselves a little party - the LAUNCH of the newest Les Mills Bodypump workout! I had the pleasure of teaching this class with fellow Bodypump instructors Carrie and Portia. We wore our "beast mode" tanks and we turned on the BEAST mode! Launch day always brings a ton of energy and yesterday did NOT disappoint! Great job team - way to work it!

Tips for Getting the MOST out of Bodypump

Tips for getting the most out of your Bodypump group fitness class

If you're new:

Arrive early and introduce yourself to the instructor - Depending on the class size, an instructor likely can't see everyone during every exercise. If you let the instructor know that you're new, he or she will keep an eye on your to make sure that you are practicing proper form.
Perfect your form before you load up the bar - I highly encourage taking your first (and maybe second and third) Bodypump class with a comfortable weight on the bar. It is very important to execute these exercises with proper form in order to work the correct muscle groups and avoid injury. Once you have the correct form, go ahead and challenge yourself by adding weight - your body will thank you for investing that time in the beginning.
Set up near the instructor – I know your type – you’re going to stand in the back corner and try and hide from everyone. In the studio where I teach, there are pillars in the room where people love to set up so no one will see them! Especially if you’re new, try to set up in the front near the instructor. You’ll have a better chance of the instructor catching any mistakes you might be making with your form, and you’ll be able to hear the instructions better too!

If you're a regular:

Challenge yourself - I see very dedicated members coming to class and loading up their bar with the same weight EVERY class! If you're taking class at least twice/week, I suggest picking one or two muscle groups (or tracks) to focus on each month. See if you can add a little weight to the bar for those exercises. Remember, it's easier to add weights in the bigger muscle groups like legs, chest and back than the smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps. You might find that even adding a 1kg plate to each end of the bar is a big jump for you, so don’t be afraid to only use your increased weight for the first set of the track – try for 2 sets the next time!
Ask questions – So you’ve been taking Bodypump for years now, so you must be doing everything correctly, right? If something doesn’t feel right, or you need help with your form or increasing your weight, don’t be afraid to ask your instructor. I know for me personally, when I’m trying to increase my weight on the back track, I REALLY struggle with wide rows, so I prefer to make the switch on a track that doesn’t have wide rows so that I can “ease” into my new weight selection. I’ve been known to ask ahead of time if we’re doing wide rows in the back track.
Help out a newbie – Do you remember your first Bodypump class? You were probably overwhelmed and unsure what weights to use. If you see someone who is new, stand next to them and help guide them on their weight selection.

And whether you’re a first timer or a veteran – stay for the stretch! Not only do you owe it to yourself to give your body a good stretch after a hard workout, but it’s probably disrupting to the class if you’re putting away your weights while the person next to you is trying to wind down after class. This is also the point in the class where the instructor might make some announcements, and you don’t want to miss those!

Are you a Bodypump regular? What are some of your favorite tracks?