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I am very happy that Santa brought me a brand new gym membership!  Although I am lucky  enough to have several pieces of fitness equipment at home,  I really missed the group fitness classes and the ‘push’ I get from working out with other people.

So I have been going to spinning classes for the past two weeks and I am surprised that some instructors are not even covering what I consider ‘instructor basics’.

Such as:

1.  Introducing her/himself.  At least tell us your name, okay? This way if I love your class, I can find you on the schedule again.

2.  Have some ENERGY!  I went to a 5:30am class and I think the instructor was asleep.  At this time of the morning, you need to get people excited about working out!  This involves more than just a grunt or two every 5 minutes.

3.  Walk around the room and make sure people are set up properly.  One woman was sitting so far up on her bike in one class she could barely reach the pedals.  She will probably never want to come back because her nether regions are going to be VERY sore tomorrow!

4.  Do not have us do crazy moves! We might be inside, but we are still riding a bike.   I don’t put my hands behind my back while riding outside, why on earth should I do this in your class?

5.  Learn some names and use them during class.  I have found that people like to hear their name during class.  They want to know that you are paying attention to them and want to feel involved.   Is this just me?  I used to write down names after class so I would not forget them.

As a participant, here are some reminders for you:

1.  Bring water.  You will need this because you will not be able to just hop off and run to the water fountain during class.

2.  Challenge yourself.  I always say to my classes “This is YOUR ride”.  You are in control of that resistance knob and if the class seems to easy to you, then crank it up!  At the same time, if you cannot keep up with the class, just turn down that knob and take a break.  Trust me, no one is paying attention, they are too busy focusing on themselves!

3.  Expect to be sore, especially in sensitive areas.  This is perfectly normal  (unless you are the person above in #3) and it will go away after a class or two.

4.  The cycling shoes do make a difference.  They have hard soles and do not “give” like your regular tennis shoes do. If you plan on going to class regularly, you should definitely invest in a pair.

5.  My final piece of advice is to attend at least 3 classes before making your final decision about spinning.  Every instructor has a different style and different music, so find one that motivates YOU!

Remember, never underestimate the power of a workout! 
Have you been active today?

photo credit: Dalboz17

You don’t need an hour for a workout.
Here is a quickie for you:

1. 10 squats
2. 20 jumping jacks
3. 10 forward lunges
4. 20 jumping jacks
5. 10 jump squats (exactly as they sound. Squat down and then jump up high!)
6. 10 reverse lunges
7. 20 push ups (take a break if needed)
8. 50 crunches

There, you are DONE!

Need some motivating music to go with it?  Check out this site for some great music ideas!

Get moving gang, no excuses!

photo credit: c@rljones

I recently received a review copy of Lullaby Exercises from  Chicks-n-Chickens and it is a fantastic DVD for all new moms!

It gets you up and moving while being able to hold your little one close.   My firstborn was very cranky and I spent many a night walking the floor, wondering how to get him to just stop crying. I know this DVD would  have been just what I needed; the swaying and dancing to the music would have been good for both of us.

Since my ‘chickens’ are now too big for me to hold during the workout, we decided to do it together.   The moves were easy to learn, the music was fun, and we were all smiling (and sweating)!

Lullaby Exercises was created by Darcy Novo Albrech, who created the workout:

“to creatively give moms what they and their babies need most—toning, soothing, bonding, and sleep.”

Hooray!

So if you are a new or seasoned mom,  put Lullaby Exercises on your wish list. You can find it on Amazon or directly through the Chicks-n-Chickens website.

Now, as the DVD says, let’s “groove.sleep.enjoy”!

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
except this blogging mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
but not one present was wrapped
which was giving Workout Mommy more gray hair.

So she has decided to take just a short little break
a few days off; to wrap and to bake.
To spend extra time playing & jumping with her boys
and to enjoy their little faces when they see all their new toys.

So I send a huge HUG and kiss out to all of you
thank for reading and commenting too.

and with that, I think my attempt at a rhyme is now done
Be safe, be happy, and make your holiday an ACTIVE one!
photo credit: Hammer51012

If you are a Seinfeld fan, you should be familiar with the celebration known as Festivus.   If you have no idea what I am talking about,  click over here for a brief description.

Let us begin with the airing of the fitness grievances!  Here are a few of mine:

People at the gym who sweat everywhere and don’t bother to clean it up.

A fitness instructor who has ZERO energy, especially at 5:30 in the morning.

People who talk non-stop during an aerobics class. If you are chatting with your neighbor, you are NOT working out.   This also applies to people who are jabbering on their cell phone.

Arriving at the gym and realizing you left your Ipod at home.

Planning to workout during the kids’ nap time and having them decide they will NOT nap.

What are your fitness grievances?

Now it is time for the Feats of Strength!   Instead of wrestling the head of household, let’s do this mini-workout instead:

How many push ups can you crank out in one minute?

and lunges?  Again, 1 minute.

Crunches?  1 minute!

and finally, wrap it up with 1 minute of low plank.

I feel much better now, don’t you?

Happy Festivus gang!

photo credit: mringlein

Today is going to be a fantastic day gang!

After reading Mizfit’s post on Monday, I decided I want my glass to be FULL!
It’s tough to change your thinking, but it can be done.
It MUST be done.
No excuses.
Just like exercising.
It’s tough to change a routine (or no routine) but it can be done.
Start small and make it happen.

Today I am getting up at 5am to workout and I’m EXCITED about it!
What are you going to do to make your day FANTASTIC?!

I turned on the Discovery Health channel the other night and got hooked on the show “Big John, One Year Later”. It is the story of a 400lb teenager who decides to have weight loss surgery.

The boy is just 17 and it really broke my heart to watch. The whole time I was thinking “oh please don’t let this happen to my boys”.

The cameras follow John at home and school, where he struggles both physically and emotionally. He has very few friends and endures a lot of teasing. John decides to have the surgery because he just wants to be “normal”. His parents agree it is the best decision for him and his mom knows what John is getting into—she had the surgery herself a few years back.

John’s journey post-surgery is not an easy one, but the transformation is amazing. His confidence soars, he takes part in activities he hasn’t done in many years, and he has “a whole new outlook on life”. His attitude toward his schoolwork completely changes and he is eager to finish his high school education as soon as possible.

When the show ends, he has lost more than HALF his body weight. Congratulations Big John!

This makes me wonder though, is weight loss surgery going to become the standard? and how young is too young?

Thoughts?

photo credit: Kyle May

If you are someone who normally takes the elevator, here is a new reason why you should always take the stairs.

You could get stuck in there for over 45 minutes and need firemen to pry you out!

This happened to me yesterday morning! The irony is that I got stuck in there after working out in the hotel fitness center. I should have kept my fitness momentum going and hiked it up the twelve flights of stairs. For some reason though, hotel stairs always freak me out, so I stick with elevators.

Never again. First, I must say that the hotel staff was excellent and made sure to keep me calm during the entire event. I was still terrified though as I had no idea where the elevator had gotten stuck and I ran every “death in an elevator movie-scene” through my head. At one point, I was convinced I was going to plummet to my death!

Fortunately, that did not happen. This nice firemen arrived and rescued me by prying open the doors (of the broken elevator behind us) and made me jump down to the next floor. I survived, although I definitely look a little worse for the wear in this picture. (it was the lighting?)

When the staff offered me the next available (working) elevator, I politely declined. At that point, 12 flights of hotel stairs did not seem so scary anymore. Going forward, it’s only stairs for me!

So the next time you stop to press that up button, think again.
Don’t get stuck, get fit instead.

from the blogosphere to go workout!

Set aside 30 minutes so you can get some exercise today.

Log off and get moving gang!
No excuses!

This is a guest post from Kristin, a busy mom with two young boys. She is also a personal trainer who offers virtual training over at Virtual Fitness. You can get fully customized (and affordable) nutrition & workout programs designed to help you achieve optimum results. It would make the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love this holiday season! Email Kristin at KLMastre@gmail.com for more details and pricing.

As a personal trainer, I hear every excuse in the book from my clients as to why they skip their workouts. The most frequently used is “I don’t have time”. Before I had kids, I used to hear this all the time from mothers and often wondered “how do you not have time?”. Now as a mother of two small boys, I’m eating my words. I know all too well how difficult it is to juggle family life, work life and personal life all the while trying to make time for a workout. I still stick by my old adage that you have to make time but since my second son was born, I realized why it’s so difficult for moms to get that workout in and how to overcome that obstacle.

Moms are the most selfless people. We take care of our homes, obligations and families way before we take care of ourselves. Many of us try to be Super Moms and do it all, often forgetting the most important person to take care of - You! I think we tend to forget to make “You Time” because we feel guilty if we do. Shortly after my baby was born and we thought he had colic, I know I felt guilty for going to the gym and often decided to stay at home to attempt to comfort his constant cries. I felt like I just couldn’t find the time to go workout.

Fortunately, I have a supportive husband when it comes to helping me find my motivation to workout. After he came home from work, he would almost push me out of the door to go to the gym while he took over and tried his hand at being the baby whisperer while wrangling our 2 year old at the same time. At first I felt horrible for not only leaving my husband to do the parenting for a couple of hours, but I would come back to find that the baby still upset from when I left. This made me want to stay home even more but my husband never stopped urging me to workout. I was almost offended at his attempts thinking that he just wanted me out of the house. He knows me and knows how important my gym time is to me even if I sometimes don’t know it myself. One day it clicked:

I have to let go. I have to give myself permission to take time for myself.

Once I gave myself permission to workout, I went to the gym guilt-free. I knew my kids were fine with their Dad. Sure, my baby was probably crying, but he was being taken care of and loved. Soon, I began making the time to workout every night after the kids were in bed and leaving the baby duty to my husband. Not only was I able to workout guilt-free, but I was able to leave the gym feeling like a million bucks from the intense routines I was able to do. Each night I was getting closer to reaching my fitness goal and coming home home revitalized and feeling like a new woman.

So, the secret I found to finding the time to workout is to let some things go. Let the dishes sit in the sink a little while longer. Let Dad take care of the kids for a couple of hours. Give yourself permission to focus on You.