Tabata Challenge

It's a fact- Tabata interval drills can make you a lean mean fit machine! Just ask any of my 20 or so 'regulars' that show up to class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:10AM. These folks are dedicated and always up for a challenge first thing in the morning. They show up to work hard otherwise they may as well just stay in bed. Some are retired yet they don't miss a beat even on holidays! Class participants say things like
•I'm fitter now than I was in High School!
•I don't run distances anymore and my race times are improving at challenge races like Spartan Race & Tough Mudder!
•I'm winning half marathons!
•I lost the baby weight!
•I'm lifting more in the weight room!
•I feel like a million bucks!

Now for all you Tabata class haters out there that say "Tabata drills are just for athletes" or "just for doing truly at 99.99% effort on a bike" I encourage you to give a class a shot and see how you feel after. But to give you fair warning: you just might love it.

If you're up for it and want to experience the amazing benefits of Tabata all you need is a free app and you can get to it! You can also watch the clock or your watch if you don't train alongside your phone, iPod or other techie gadget.

In class we do a dynamic warmup followed by 7 Tabata drills. Each drill is a set of 8 intervals of the same exercise at 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. "On" means all-out! "Off" means rest! After the drill set you get a minute recovery before the next drill. We mix it up in class and do some cardio drills and some strength drills within most every class although there have been times that it's 100% cardio based. Sometimes it's all calisthenics and sometimes it's all kettle bells. In almost two years teaching four Tabata classes a week it's never gotten boring and we've only repeated a workout when we 'test' every several months.

Here's the challenge that my class rocked today. They partnered up and did circuits together around the room rather than all of us going through the exercises at the same time. It was fun to see pairs like Toni and Bryan working together on the ropes! If you don't have a heavy rope available like the kind you can purchase from Perform Better swap it out for some other full body move or, heck, use a garden hose!

#1 L-Sits
#2 Rope Play
#3 Burpees
#4 Jump-Ups or Straddle Jumps onto aerobic step with 3+ risers on each side
#5 Push-Ups with one hand on medicine ball then switch to the other hand on the way up
#6 Jump Rope (ideally double-unders)
#7 Lunge Presses with 1 heavy dumbbell pressing overhead

A quick online search of each drill will give you the gist of the exercise but please save yourself from injury and hire a well qualified Personal Trainer to get the proper form down. Although I'm watching my students intently during class there is only so much I can do for them in a large class setting to help with individual technique. By the way- most everyone can do some form of the above exercises when taking the time to learn the proper progressions. I'm almost 6 months pregnant and enjoy doing Burpees with the class most days. My class is full of different people at different fitness levels with different physical abilities but everyone gets a great workout as long as they keep moving at their best for 20 seconds at a time!

Enjoy your Tabata challenge and please report back your experience.

Your friend in fitness,
'Coach' Amanda

Fitness Freebies

Thanks is due to two people for this giant pile of FREE workout shorts that were left in my office today. My boss Josh for Personal Training his client into skinny-dom, and his sweet sweet client for donating her too big clothes to me! This stack of clothes cost a pretty penny and is in perfect condition. Time to start rocking shorts!

You Can't Out-Train A Bad Diet

Did I catch your attention with that picture? That would be my typical snack or even breakfast in the past- but no more! I'm here to tell you that you CANNOT out-train a bad diet. You truly are what you eat from the inside (how you feel) out (how you look).  I have family, friends, and clients that will argue with me on this...feel free to leave your comments here and we'll debate. But if you are starting a new training regimen please learn from some of my bad habits and save yourself some agony. Here is my story in a nutshell: Over the years I've trained my body in many different ways and changed my eating habits just as many times. I've been a competitive swimmer, trained for Ironman, and have spent many hours a day teaching Spinning, Running, Zumba, and Bootcamp-style classes. I've been a meat-eater, sugar addict, vegetarian for most of those years, and vegan. Along the way my build has at times been average, skinny, muscular, and it's even been 'more to love.' I've also been sick often with a shoddy immune system, to say the least. It's not until my diet is cleaned up that my body responds in all the right ways, rewarding me with good health, stellar physical performance, and ideal body composition. It's really not rocket science! Clean up your diet and the rest falls into place.

This post is not meant to be full of big words and data. I want to keep it simple because I believe that health is quite simple. This is as science-y as I'll get on you: Although calories in (food) and calories out (exercise) factor into body composition, you cannot exercise your way to healthy. And vise versa- if you eat well you still need to move your body to maintain muscle mass, bone health, cardiovascular health, etc. If you stick within your allotted calories or points or however you might track food you're likely to reach your goal of weight loss, gain, or maintenance. However, this is no indicator of true health. First, find definitions of 'healthy' and 'fit' that resonate with you. Does getting to a certain number on the scale tell you if you've reached that health and fitness status you are trying to achieve? The number on the scale or the amount of points allotted in your diet program does not mean there is an absence of disease or a presence of healthy organs, muscles, and cells in your body. Next, take steps to truly get healthy and fit. This should be a combination of things, not just one product you take, exercise you do, or diet you follow. You'll likely need a team of experts and resources to help you get there.

You can pay me to be your Personal Trainer and we can workout seven days a week together. You will get stronger, leaner, more flexible and better coordinated but you will not be healthy if you leave our sessions and eat junk. I don't mean potato chips and Twinkies junk, I mean any food that isn't nourishing to your body functioning optimally. Not being a Registered Dietician I will not tell you what specific foods to eat, but I bet with a little heart-to-heart, soul-searching, and brainstorming we can come up with a new way of eating that suits you better than what you are doing now.

Try asking yourself before every bite or sip you take "What is this doing for me?" If you are happy with the answer then keep it up, great job! If you don't know the answer, go find it! And if you are unhappy with the answer it's time to reach out for help and make some changes!

Take a serious look at your life. Ask yourself if you are truly making healthy choices for your body. Running, Spinning, doing CrossFit, Barre Method, and Pilates are all great but are you sabotaging your health by not eating well? I sure don't have all the answers when it comes to food but I am eager to share what I know in regards to goal-setting, meal planning, kitchen raids & replenishing with nourishing new foods, grocery store visits, food preparation, and of course mixing it all in with some exercise! If you are not at a place where you're willing to dig deep, release, and grow then now is not the time for us to partner up. But get in touch with me today (because the new you is not a procrastinator) if you're ready to cultivate change for yourself and just need some tools to help you in the process.

Much love,
Amanda

Living In Luon

"Since when did it become the norm for moms to wear their workout clothes all day long?" asks my husband. Well honey they're not just workout clothes nowadays, they're everything clothes. My husband works in a popular retail store that sells double B.O.B. strollers, so needless to say he encounters lots of moms. I work in a gym with both the best childcare and the best exercise classes around, so I also encounter lots of moms. And whether in the gym or out and about running errands these moms are wearing their workout clothes. But it's not just moms who've caught on to the comfort and versatility that a life in luon has to offer. Be it traveling, grocery shopping, jogging, or driving the kids to-and-fro, workout attire is a popular choice among women these days.

Here are just a few of my personal reasons to 'wear my workout' all day long
1) It's usually black, and isn't black flattering?
2) When it's not black it's bright (I'm talking florescent), and can't we all use a little more brightness in our days?
3) I love quick-dry material, especially now that baby drool is my main accessory.
4) I'm always ready to work whether it's helping at the local community garden or doing a surprise set of triceps dips from the kitchen counter while cooking. I'm never caught off guard if I'm in workout clothes.
5) The versatility is unreal. In the right pair of shorts I can literally workout, run around town all day doing what I do, and throw on a cute top and wedges and somehow the 'outfit' looks good! Now I wouldn't do all of this in the same pair of shorts in the same day unless, of course, I washed 'em in between events and let 'em quick-dry in three minutes.
6) Convenience is key and the secret compartments and zip-pockets in my gear are far superior than what jeans have to offer.
7) Kids! Whether it's toting around my baby or wrestling with my more mature 3, 5, and 6 year old nephews, luon, spandex, nor hemp have ever let us down.
8) I work in a gym and dress accordingly.
9) I'm not afraid to drop a pretty penny on a good pair of workout pants. Therefore, I intend to get a lot of wear out of them! The quality of some of this stuff is superior to some of my 'regular' clothes and they never seem to fade or come apart at the seems
10) They grew with me through 60 pounds of pregnancy, got me through the postpartum phase when neither maternity jeans nor pre-pregnancy jeans were cutting it, and those same workout clothes still haven't lost their pizzaz.
11) Comfort. 'Nough said

Sometimes my workout attire is accompanied by a messy bun of hair piled high on my head, but sometimes it comes with sleek straightened hair and the gold necklace bearing my son's initial. Sometimes it carries me miles along the beach at sunrise and sometimes it's slept in, danced in, and yes, even worshiped in at church from time to time! Is this bad? Should I and all the other comfort-crazed women out there leave our luon behind for khakis or slacks? And men, I'd like to hear from you! What do you really think of a sporty looking lady vs. a more prim and proper gal?

My challenge to you ladies out there is to try something new. If you've not experienced the joy that is wearing black stretchy pants to the market- get out there and give it a shot! If this post describes you to a 't' try sprucing it up with a headband, funky top, or cute stud earings.

Well, I happen to be in running shorts and am now motivated to vacume the house. See ya later!

Back In The Saddle

Today was day two back in the saddle. Teaching Spinning the last two days was a blast with the fit students, the thumping music, and loads of hills & sprints. I was a little nervous to get back in the saddle. But, surprise! True to the popular saying, it turns out riding a bike really is as easy as, well, just getting back on the bike. It felt great to hop back on the (spinning)bike and lead 28 people in a stellar workout after nearly a year off from teaching.

A year ago today I finished my first full distance triathlon- VINEMAN! (More on that later). I swam in a river for 2.4 miles, rode my bike 112 miles through rolling hills and vineyards, then topped it off with a 26.2 mile run through the California countryside. That was truly one of the most fun and memorable days of my entire life. Fast forward exactly one year, twenty pounds, and one baby later (well, baby was in utero at the time) and here I am starting from scratch in terms of fitness. It's humbling and it's exciting all at the same time! It's exciting to think I can now work toward a new goal, improve on a race record, or pick up an old hobby like cycling.

If you've been 'out of the saddle' in your own life, I dare you to hop back on! It's easy to let your favorite hobby become a distant memory as life gets more complicated. Maybe an injury, a major life change, or even complacency brought your passions to an abrupt halt. Whatever the case, find something you miss or something that you love and get back in the saddle!

Nothing Is Worth More

Goethe once said "Nothing is worth more than this day." In fact, I wore a special bracelet with this quote today (today being day one back to work after twelve weeks with my newborn). To me, This Day is about making the most of opportunities. This Day is about giving my full attention to the task at hand- be it at work, at home, or anywhere in between. This Day is especially about appreciating all I have right now as opposed to what I could have in the future or should have had in the past.

This Day, so far, brings me the blessings of
A warm bed to wake up in
A baby to nurse
A husband to kiss
A closet of clothes
A warm shower
A car to drive
A career to enjoy
A mom that babysat
A bunch of family & friends who care
A dinner to make
A body that moves
And (2nd mention) a baby to love, kiss, adore, change diapers for, see smile & laugh, protect, and play with.

'What does all this mushy stuff have to do with fitness,' you ask? Well, if nothing is worth more than this day, I challenge you to take Goethe for his word (his very wise word!) and truly seize the day. Rather than put off working out until tomorrow, go do something today. Goethe did not say that life changes, such as working out and eating better, should only happen on Mondays! So buy that gym membership, download an exercise video, explore your neighborhood via foot, or drop and give me 30! You're alive and well on This Day- nothing is worth more.

12:02

Me: "Sir, what's our pace?"

Random Grandpa pushing jogging stroller who I've been trailing for 3 miles: "12:00, no 12:02."

Hmm.

Last year at this time I was tapering for Ironman. I happened to be pregnant and didn't know it. I would've warmed up significantly faster than this. I would've passed Grandpa and the toddler he pushed with no problem. I happened to be much faster, and much lighter at that. But today I was happy just to be out there- to feel the pavement under my feet, the sun beating down on my shoulders, my ponytail bobbing in the breeze, the oxygen flowing (quite strongly at that), and even the thighs rubbing!

I'll take the 12:00, no 12:02, pace for now. And I'll even take the chafing... for now. The bottom line is I laced up my shoes this morning, hesitantly kissed my son goodbye for a brief time of self-improvement, and I got back out there after a pregnancy induced hiatus. In time the pace will improve, the oxygen will flow more smoothly, and the thighs will shrink (won't they?). It will never be easy to walk away from my son for an hour, but it sure will be good for us all when this mama is fit and healthy.

So Grandpa- thank you for wearing your Garmin today and unknowingly encouraging me to keep up with you. See you on the Peninsula next Saturday!