Talk to me
By workoutmommy | August 20, 2008
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So, have you done your favorite yet today?
Get moving gang, no excuses!
Topics: polls, workouts | 14 Comments »
You are never too old
By workoutmommy | August 18, 2008
Some people tell me they are too old to start an exercise program. They are too busy with other things in life and don’t have the time for fitness. If that thought has ever crossed your mind, please think about these two women:
Constantina Tomescu rocked the Women’s Olympic Marathon with a time of 2hours 26minutes 44seconds. At 38 years old, she is the oldest winner of an Olympic marathon.
Dara Torres is 41 years old, a five-time Olympian and the oldest American swimmer ever. She is going home with silver medals in her pocket, beating out competitors half her age.
Repeat after me: You are never too old to exercise. You don’t have to be a marathon runner or Olympic swimmer, but you should get up and exercise your body on most, if not all, days of the week.
If that doesn’t convince you, consider these men:
John and Brad Tatum are 89 and 87 years old and are champion senior swimmers. The Washington Post Magazine highlights their amazing story this week. These brothers have been active their entire lives and have no plans to stop anytime soon. They are training for the Summer National Senior Games in August 2009 in San Francisco.
My favorite quote from the article is:
“By keeping the pressure on yourself, you start to realize you can do more. After all, you’re still alive; your body is still functioning.”
Have you been functional today?
It doesn’t matter if you are 3 or 103, you need to move more and be active gang. No excuses!
Image via Wikipedia
Topics: fitness | 19 Comments »
No chores for her!
By workoutmommy | August 17, 2008
FatFighter is the winner from my latest contest. She can now enjoy some cool water from her new Camelbak bottle instead of unpacking her suitcases.
Many thanks to all who entered!
Keep the movement going gang, ignore a few chores today and get some exercise instead. Your body and mind will appreciate it!
Image via Wikipedia
Topics: links | 3 Comments »
I went to a kettlebell class!
By workoutmommy | August 15, 2008
Giryafit’s website says “Kettlebells do twice the work in half the time” and they are not kidding.
I finally got the chance this week to go to a kettlebell class in person and it was fabulous! I took a class with Justin Case, the owner of Giryafit. In addition to being a personal trainer, he is also a KBC kettlebell instructor who clearly knows his stuff. I liked his no-nonsense approach to fitness, at one point he said “You shouldn’t even hear the music because you are working so hard”.
Now THAT is my kind of trainer!
I don’t want fluff; I want someone to push me past my comfort zone and help me get results! My DVDs are wonderful, but nothing beats being in a live class with someone telling you to go faster and stronger for the next 10 minutes.
Yes, that is right, 10 minute intervals! (as opposed to the 2 minute intervals I was used to). I was aching and sweating (and silently cursing) , but it was so much fun! I learned some new moves and got some much needed critique on my form.
If you are new to kettlebell training, I definitely recommend taking a class in person for that very reason. I thought my form was great, but after Justin made a few adjustments, I could clearly tell a difference.
I also need to stress that this is such a fantastic NON-IMPACT workout! If you are injured like me, this is an optimal way to improve or maintain your fitness without aggravating certain injuries.
Another key point to remember is that kettlebell training is not something you are going to master right away. The moves are complex and different from what we are used to, but when done properly, they are very effective.
As I was exploring Giryafit’s website, I found this excellent piece of advice:
“If you’re a whiner or someone who expects results without a drop of sweat you should probably keep waiting for that magic pill; this probably isn’t for you. It is not a walk in the park, but its ability to burn fat at an alarming rate and build long beautiful muscles can’t be ignored.”
So, put aside those studies about exercise in a pill and get yourself over to a kettlebell facility. Please visit Giryafit for more information about kettlebell training and why it can benefit you.
I am hooked and can’t wait to go back and do it all over again!
Fitness can and should be FUN gang. Find something you love to do and just get it done.
Topics: about me, fitness, workouts | 23 Comments »
Exciting news!
By workoutmommy | August 14, 2008
Not only is today my baby’s first birthday (how does time go by so fast?) but I have a new column over at 5 Minutes for Mom! I’m so excited! Please head over there to check it out.
I’ll be busy the rest of the day snuggling my little guy and doing my best to only have one piece of birthday cake! Have a great day gang!
Topics: about me, fitness | 17 Comments »
I doubted the Asics
By workoutmommy | August 13, 2008
My favorite brand of running shoes is Asics. They are the only brand of shoe that feels right on my feet and have carried me through 3 marathons. (different pairs, of course!)
Late last year, I developed a pain in my foot and thought that it must be my shoe. Sometimes pregnancy will change your feet and I just had two pregnancies back to back, so yes,that must be it! My Asics had run their course for me (pun intended) and it was time to move on.
Like any good runner, I went to a specialty running store to get “re-fitted” for shoes. This particular store does not even sell Asics, so I took the advice of the salesman and got some Sauconys instead. They felt better, so that must have been the issue. My Saucony running shoes were my new best friends.
Me to feet: “C’mon, guys, let’s play!Let’s RUN! A lot! These new shoes are your cure!
Feet to me: “OUCH! Help us, help us NOW! Stop running NOW!”
As I mentioned here, it was not the shoe’s fault. The Sauconys were a very nice and comfortable shoe, but they could not solve the issue, which continues to get worse. I am so sorry for doubting my Asics and for thinking they might be to blame.
Now, I’m at a point where not only is running painful, but walking has become just as painful. Surgery is not an option for me right now, so I need to consider getting an orthotic for my shoe. Do I get one for the Sauconys or the Asics?
And what about other shoes, will I need orthotics in every shoe I own?
Many questions which I hope will be answered by the orthopaedic surgeon I am seeing next week. In the meantime, anyone out there have orthotic experience and suggestions?
My feet to all of you: “thank you!”
Image via Wikipedia
Topics: about me | 19 Comments »
Chores? Ignore them!
By workoutmommy | August 11, 2008
Do you ever have one of those days weeks when you feel like no matter what you do, you will never get your to-do list finished?
There are mouths to feed, dogs to walk, laundry to be done, bills to be paid, groceries to be shopped for, clothes to be purchased, school supplies are needed, and oh yeah, don’t forget to bathe and brush your own teeth and hair. (funny how that one always comes last, isn’t it?)
I’m having one of those weeks and as much I need to focus on what needs to get done, I still need to exercise. That is what makes me feel energized. It gives me patience. It trumps almost everything else on that list. Once my workout is done, I can come back and start tackling my chores. So I am heading outside today to get some much needed exercise. For the next 45 minutes, it is all about me and my bike!
How about you? What is looming on your to-do list today? Can it wait awhile so that you can get some exercise? Yes!
Here is some extra incentive. I have a brand new BPA-free CamelBak water bottle to give away. Enter the contest by leaving me a comment and tell me which chore you are NOT going to do today so that you can exercise instead. Impress me with your creativity!
Get up and get moving gang! No excuses!
Details: The contest will run until 10pm EST Friday, August 15th. Winner must have a US mailing address.
picture source: dealydaily
Topics: about me, workouts | 46 Comments »
Wii got it!
By workoutmommy | August 8, 2008
Dear Wii,
I just wanted to thank you for coming into our lives. We saw you sitting there all alone at Costco, just waiting for a new home. All of your friends were gone and we had to shove move past a few other customers to make sure that you were coming home with us.
Now that you are here in our house, I have to profess my love for you. Not only do you give me a chance to play ball in the house, (sorry Carol Brady), but you have managed to get my husband up and moving!
No amount of nagging or begging has ever convinced him to exercise, but YOU have been able to do so. For that, I am extremely grateful.
My dear hubby now devotes at least one hour every night to you, either boxing or playing tennis in our family room. Sometimes he lets me play too, but I must admit that I am a poor sport. (translation: I hate it when hubby wins!)
Not only does the husband break a sweat, but he says he is having FUN while doing it! I never thought I would hear those words from him. Thank you Wii!
We hope to expand our Wii family by getting a Wii Fit very soon. Unfortunately they are not so easy to come by, but we are being patient. In the meantime, please let us know if you need anything else to help make your new home more comfortable.
With love and sweat,
Lisa
Topics: about me, product reviews | 39 Comments »
Kara Thom finds time for fitness in the chaos of motherhood
By workoutmommy | August 6, 2008
It is time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”! Each week I scour the blogosphere to find other fit moms who inspire me to fitness.
This week our fit mommy is Kara Thom. She is an Ironman triathlete, author, and mom to 3 young girls. She blogs over at Mama Sweat, where she is “finding fitness in the chaos of motherhood”.
I’d say she is getting the job done, especially when she can be found using her bike trainer in the driveway as her kids bike around her. Fitness is a family event in her household, which is why Kara is definitely “One Fit Mommy”!
In addition to staying fit, Kara has published two books, Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event
She also just finished co-writing “Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom” and will hopefully have a publisher soon. Meanwhile, she is in the process of adding anecdotes and quotes from fit moms. If anyone would like to contribute to the book, please email hotsweatymamas@yahoo.com for a questionnaire.
Read on for more about Kara and why she compares herself to a pouncing lion when it comes to finding time for exercise.
Q: How many kids do you have and how old are they?
I have three daughters–twins who will be 5 at the end of August and a 3-year-old.
Q: Have you always been fit? What inspired you to live a fit lifestyle?
I have always been active. As a kid I took dance class, tennis lessons, etc. I was herded more toward dance, which I loved, but I didn’t think of it then as something I did for “fitness.” I just wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader like every other girl growing up in Texas in the 70s (too bad I don’t have a photo of me in a miniskirt, white knee-high boots and newspaper-made pom pons). Fortunately, that career path didn’t work out for me. Still, as far as fitness is concerned, I had good family role models. My parents played tennis and took us skiing; my mom introduced me to the first exercise videos ever created by Jane Fonda–remember those? And she would take me to the gym to lift weights with her. My mom has great guns. Another role model was my Uncle Bob. He took all the family kids on bike rides, hikes, he even taught us how to rock climb and repel. Going backward over a cliff, just holding onto a rope, is one of my most memorable moments in life. Uncle Bob was a baseball coach and I would have never been introduced to any “ball sports” without his influence. I’m still not any good at the ball sports, but I got a little taste of “competition” from his efforts. So when I ran my first-ever 5K when I was 23 and got a trophy for 3rd place… I came to the “other side” and let the athlete in me come out. I have loved and nurtured that part of my life ever since.
Q: What is your favorite exercise and why?
This is tough, because the more exercise I’m exposed to, the more I want to include it in my life. Maybe a hard comparison for some, but it’s like asking what is my favorite dessert! Can you pick just one? If pressed though, I’d have to go with running. Running introduced me to competition, the notion of “personal records,” endorphins, and too many good friends to list.
Q: What advice do you have for those who claim they don’t have time for exercise?
Well, there is no getting around it; time is finite. But we all have the time. We all have 24 hours in a day, it’s just a question of what we will do with those 24 hours. If fitness is a priority, you will find the time. So the excuse doesn’t lie with time, so much as it does with our priorities. That said, as a mom of three girls under five, who works a little on the side, finding the time can be tricky. The easiest way to get my workout in is to cut sleep short and get up early to workout. I can’t do this every day, though, because my husband and I split the weekday mornings for this purpose. So, on other days, I have to find time to go to the gym (and convince my girls that the childcare center will be REALLY fun) or I figure out a way to exercise with them (setting up a cycling trainer in the driveway or backyard is an excellent way to multitask exercise and kid watching). Sometimes the way to get in your workout isn’t obvious, you have to get creative. My most creative workout with kids was hauling all three of them in a sled tethered to my waist. We went all over the neighborhood on a snowy day. It was quite a workout and left me feeling pretty empowered as a fit mom.
Q: As an accomplished triathlete, how has your fitness plan changed now that you have three young children?
Triathlon training before kids consisted of 10 to 15 hours a week of training, depending on what kind of races were on the calendar. This was mostly divided by swimming, biking and running (duh!) but also yoga and, in the winter, my best attempts at strength training (sometimes, though, I’d refer to the winter as “get fat season,” because the body was crying for a much needed break!) I had workouts scheduled most mornings before work (I was an editor for a medical journal at the time) and often after work, too. I remember my husband (he’s also a triathlete) and I would usually sit down to dinner about 9 pm and wonder what other people did with their time. We had our little triathlon blinders on… what else would one do after work except go for a ride or a run or a swim? And then we had kids. Not “a” kid, but kids. Three in less than two years. First, I had to come to the important realization that walking my kids to the park was indeed a workout. The 20 minutes I got on the bike trainer before a napping baby woke up was a work out. I had it stuck in my head that if I didn’t do a long, hard workout it didn’t “count.” Now I know better. I’ve had to adjust my expectations to reality. I don’t have 10-15 hours a week to work out. Honestly, wouldn’t want to, either. I can still be fit–still be a triathlete–on half the training. I don’t train for endurance races anymore, I only sign up for sprint races (which take about 1 1/2 hours to finish versus 6 hours, even 12 hours:-) The thing is, I am still satisfied with my finish and the effort because I know it’s within the context of this bigger picture of raising a family. I wonder if I’ll ever do an Ironman triathlon again. I’d like to. I know plenty of moms who have done it. But I know what I’d have to sacrifice and I’m just not willing to go there. Yet. Besides, I’ve had fun experimenting with other modes of fitness. I’m now hooked on a strength class at the gym and discovered kick boxing. All this talk about kettlebells has piqued my interest. I would have never considered myself a “group fitness” person before, but I’m having a lot of fun with it, staying fit (which is really the purpose right now), and not feeling too stressed about being too much mother or too much athlete. I’m at a happy place with both.
Q: Do you have any mental tricks that you use when you just don’t feel like working out?
The first trick is don’t take a shower if you know you want to work out that day. Just slip on your workout clothes and, like a lion in waiting, pounce on the opportunity when it appears. That may not be so easy if you work in an office, but keep your mind set to it (and your gym bag at the ready) so you can make it happen. I think having a training buddy is another great way to keep you on task. Having a fitness journal helps too. When you’re successful filling up a week with workouts, it can motivate you to keep the momentum going.
Q: Which do you think is easier–running a marathon or childbirth?
Well, neither is easy, but both are pleasurable. Yes, for some pleasurable running and pleasurable childbirth sound like an oxymoron, but for me they are both connected to discovering the greatness of my body, the beyond-my-expectations abilities, experiencing the physical, mental and spiritual connection. I wrote about the different ways they are hard in this essay, but I wish (oh, here comes the soapbox, but I can’t help getting on it…) that women would treat childbirth more like the physical event that it is. I’m assuming that anyone reading this blog values their fitness, and as such, willingly puts themselves through the rigors of exercise, maybe even “pain,” for the benefit of cardiovascular fitness and a toned butt. So why do we avoid the challenge of natural childbirth? How is it that we avoid over-the-counter-meds, alcohol, caffeine, and second-hand smoke for nine months and then walk into a hospital asking for a spinal injection of narcotics? I’m all for interventions–when they are needed–but more than half of all birth are induced, which leads us down a slippery slope of unnecessary interventions. All the arguments about better outcomes for moms and babies aside, let’s just focus on birthing as fit moms, as athletes, if you will. If your girlfriend is training for a marathon, would you ever tell her, “You’re never going to make it. You’re probably going to need help along the way. Your body isn’t capable of running 26.2 miles.” And yet, when you were pregnant, how often did you hear: “You should just get the epidural.” I know I heard it (which is just one of many reasons I didn’t have one, because it pissed me off–”oh yeah, watch me do this without it!”) Women have been brainwashed into thinking they’re not strong enough, not physically capable of bearing children, and then we perpetuate that myth amongst ourselves. We we are capable, we are strong enough, but we need support. We need to be told birth is nothing to fear. We need to be reminded of our strength, of our power, of our confidence in our body. I needed all those reassurances when I was training for endurance races and I made sure before having my babies I surrounded myself with that same support before and during the birth. I think some people assume that because I’ve finished Ironman triathlons and marathons that I can therefore endure natural childbirth (read: she must be a masochist!) But, as I pointed out in the essay, the experiences are very different. What makes them the same, though, is the support and confidence you need to get through them, and, of course, the empowerment you gain after. So next time you talk to a pregnant woman, just tell her: You GO Girl! I better step down off my soap box now…
Q: Random question: If you could go anywhere in the world, where you go and would you bring your kids with you?
Too hard! Can’t decide! I’ve been to so many places I’d love to return to (New Zealand is top of mind) and yet there are so many places I haven’t been: Europe, India, Africa, not to mention many places in the United States. I wouldn’t mind traveling with my girls at all…. in time. We are just now getting beyond temper tantrums in airplanes so the thought of flying to say, New Zealand, in the near future doesn’t exactly blow my skirt up. So, if I could go anywhere in the world right now… at this moment, if you make me choose… deep breath… what is it? what is it? I’d go back to Santa Fe with my husband, where we spent our honeymoon almost 10 years ago. Phew. That was tough. But I should start planning that trip…
Thank you Kara, you have inspired me to drag my bike out to the driveway and seize any workout opportunity I can get!
How about you gang? What fitness opportunity will YOU be taking today?
Topics: one fit mommy | 18 Comments »
Ultimate body sculpt and conditioning with kettlebells
By workoutmommy | August 5, 2008
Attention kettlebell fans! Have you bought Lauren Brooks new DVD yet? This is one you definitely need to get for your home fitness library!
It offers 2 separate workouts, both of which are very challenging. Lauren and her training partner do all the exercises with you, and as you can see from the clip down below, they are getting great results!
Aside from the fabulous workouts this DVD offers, here are some other reasons why I love it:
- The exercise demonstration portion is excellent. I was having a hard time with proper form and ended up with very bruised forearms. (the kettlebell was banging against my arm during the exercises) Lauren addresses this common mistake and guides you through the correction. Thank you Lauren!
- Lauren goes through each move in detail, including the ones that don’t even use a kettlebell. I learned a better way to do mountain climbers that makes them slightly more bearable! She also gives options and encourages you to choose your own level.
- The DVD includes a joint mobility warm-up and 2 separate workouts. The fat-blaster workout is just 12 minutes long and Lauren emphasizes that everyone can make 12 minutes in their day for fitness.
Awesome advice! Too many of us are tied to the thought that we need an hour or else we cannot workout at all. This is not true! I can tell you that I was sweating and struggling during that 12 minute fat-blaster workout, wondering why the twelve minutes was taking so long! - My favorite aspect of the DVD is the personal touch. Lauren addresses how concerned she was about getting her body back after pregnancy and a c-section. The personal comments, clips, and suggestions that Lauren adds throughout this video makes me feel as if she “gets it”. She struggles too, but she has found a great way to stay in shape and she is sharing it with me. With you. With us.
Lauren reaches out to us and encourages questions and comments. She provides her contact information and says she would love to hear from you and I believe she really means it!
Lauren is definitely the kind of personal trainer that I would hire. She is tough, but she genuinely cares about your fitness and success. Please visit Lauren’s website, On the Edge Fitness, to learn more about the services she offers and to get yourself a copy of her DVD. You will not be disappointed!
If you do not have a kettlebell
So, have you swung your ‘bell yet today?
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Topics: facts, links, product reviews, workouts | 21 Comments »