Category Archives: Fitness

Add an Outdoor Workout for Variety

Fitness
Outdoor workout at the Ballard Locks
Outdoor workout at the Ballard Locks

Do you need a little variety in your workouts?  Sometimes the gym just plain old gets boring, let’s face it.  I have found that taking my own workouts outdoors, as well as my clients’ workouts outdoors, really can make a difference in attitude.

For one thing, adding the distraction of beautiful scenery, such as what we have in Seattle at the Ballard Locks, is a great way to add some motivation and enthusiasm towards the workout.  Who wouldn’t enjoy working out to Great Blue Heron “fly-bys” and Harbor Seals swimming by?  Ok, maybe our focus is a little distracted at times, but the overall feeling of the workout is a very positive one.

What the great outdoors has to offer is variety.  In our bootcamp classes, such as the one in the video, we use exercise tubing, stairs, and anything else that can be incorporated into the workout, such as benches or trails.   There is so much that can be done on stairs, for example,  from walking or running them at different intensities, to squats or taking the stairs sideways.
Watch this video of our recent outdoor bootcamp!

When you need a breath of fresh air, take your workout outdoors.

Fitness

How Do Olympic Athletes Train for Gold…and what does that have to do with YOU?

It is that time again..the winter Olympics are about to begin.  I have been thinking about what these athletes have to do to prepare for their competition and what we can learn from this.  Does it seem like night and day, comparing ourselves in any way to an Olympic athlete?  Well, it really isn’t that far-fetched.

Olympic athletes (or Super Bowl athletes, for that matter) spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for their big day, both physically and mentally.  The physical part is huge, don’t get me wrong, but the mental (or psychological) part is even “huger”!

If the physical training is a full-time job, then the mental training is an “all-the-time job”.

Ok, so we all are aware of what it
takes to be a superb athlete, but what does it take to be a superb “you”?

 

How about…….A commitment to do the work that it takes, constant practice and repetition, huge motivation to get out there day after day, laser sharp focus, and an attitude of doing their best?I know what you are thinking….if we could do that, we would all be millionaires or hugely successful or how about just plain old fulfilled and enriched human beings?Regarding your health and fitness goals, put some thought into what they are.  This can apply to exercise, weight loss, better nutrition, and….

  • make the commitment to them,
  • practice and repeat (build the habit–long-term),
  • do whatever it takes to stay motivated (find a workout partner, schedule workouts and/or events on your calendar, try something new),
  • focus on the end goal, but also on enjoying all of the steps along the way (practice mindfulness),
  • check your attitude (the bottom line is that you are doing this for you and you will have ups and downs, but set the intention to keep working at it).

What is Your Fitness Language?

Fitness

What is your Fitness Language?

Answered…..

We have heard of our “love language”, but what is your fitness language?

 

Do you……     woman running

a) love to exercise?

If you answered “yes”, then you are lucky in a lot of ways.  What you have to be careful of is that you don’t go overboard and become “addicted” to exercise.  Not that over-exercise is a bad addiction compared to many, but it can get in the way of having a balanced life.

 

What is too much?  Too much exercise is when you start to lose touch with friends or family because you are always training or going to classes.  Too much is when you stop doing other things that you love to do because you have to train all the time.

 

b) reluctantly exercise because you know that it is good for you?

If you answered “yes” than you are probably still self-motivated, but may be more motivated by a fitness tool such as the “Fit Bit”, which gives you feedback about your # of steps, calories burned, etc.

 

You are truly a good candidate for a personal trainer to provide that extra motivation and feedback to keep you going.

I find that many women are in this category because many of them are not used to spending money on themselves for exercise (at least women older than 40’s).

 

c) only exercise with someone else or in a class?

If “yes” is your answer here, you are a good jumping ropecandidate for a personal trainer for sure!  Hopefully over time, you morph into someone who loves to exercise and takes more responsibility towards your exercise.  That is a goal of most personal trainers!

 

d) hate to exercise and avoid it at all costs? 

As hard as it is for me to talk someone out of exercising, this type of person is the most challenging to keep exercising.  They usually will only exercise under Doctor’s orders, and even then, they do so very reluctantly.  Once in a while, there is a conversion from exercise “hater” to “lover”, or at least “tolerater”.