Losing the Fat you Want to Lose

Hello Internets

Before we get started, I just want to let you know that I will be posting my blog every SUNDAY NIGHT from now on. This is so you know when to expect them and keep reading! Remember you can also subscribe to my blog at the top of this page.

This post is to follow up my previous post on spot reduction and how to lose fat in the places you want to and not in the places you don’t. To make a long story short, non-surgical spot reduction is physiologically impossible despite what ANYONE tells you…so sorry ):

However, you CAN lose fat relatively easily with some simple life changes. So how do you get started?

1. Realize and Accept:

Before embarking on your fat loss journey the first and most important thing to do is to accept and realize what you are working with. If it took you 2 years to gain the excess fat you have right now, then it will take a similar amount of time to lose.

Now, coming to this realization is not meant to discourage you but empower you. When you accept where you are and are ready to move forward then nothing can stop you.

Try this out. Get naked all by yourself.  I’m serious… do it right after reading this post (unless you’re at work that is). Then stand in front of a mirror. Look at yourself, every part of yourself and accept yourself as you are right now. Smile and do a little dance, even if you don’t want to, and tell yourself “I am 100% ok with how I look right now, but am ready to make some positive changes in my life for my health starting today.” Say this over and over until it feels natural. I reccommend doing this exercise at least once a week.

Why? Because you need to accept yourself and stop beating yourself up because it is de-motivational and will only detour you from becoming empowered. I’m not just making this stuff up either; they have seen this correlation over and over in research.

2. Small Changes Lead to Bigger Changes

I cannot stress this enough, do not take the world on starting next Monday. Trying to go from not working out and eating like crap to working out 6 days a week and eating like a fitness model will not end well. Trust me, I’ve tried to do it over and over. I say to myself “Byn, next Monday you are going to stop drinking, consume no sugar, eat 5 times a day every 2-3 hours and will starting  workout 6 days a week”.

Unless you are extremely neurotic (which also isn’t healthy) you will FAIL if you take on too much. Once this happens the cycle of self loathing will continue, and you possibly will just say “who cares, this is the way I’m suppose to live”, “it’s too hard”  or my personal favourite “you’re a failure, you can’t even do something so simple as eating right and working out”….STOP THINKING LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW.

So what can you do?! Excellent question! Just like the title indicated, start small. Try the follow schedule for a month.

Week 1:

·         Workout/be active for 2 bouts of 30 minutes or 4 bouts of 15 minutes.

·         Example: Go for a brisk walk (like you’re late for catching a bus) on Monday and Wednesday or jump on an exercise bike Monday-Thursday for 15 minutes.

·         Decrease your caloric intake by 200calories/day 3 days a week.

·         For example, drink water with breakfast/dinner instead of juice or beer. Hate water, use crystal light and slow cut back the amount you put in until you DO like water.

Week 2:

·         Up your workout days for 20-30 minutes 3 days of a week.

·         Eliminate all sugar drinks from your day (including juice) 2 or 3 days in the week.

Week 3:

·         Do cardio 3 days a week for 20-30 minutes and 1 full body weight training session once a week.

·         Try and eat 200-300calorie meals (depending on your BMR) consisting of protein, veggies and complex carbs every 2-3 hours once a week.

·         Eliminate all sugar drinks from your day 4 days this week.

Week 4:

·         Do cardio 4 days of 30 minutes and 2 full body weight training sessions this week.

·         Try for 2 days of 200-300calorie meals (depending on your BMR) consisting of protein, veggies and complex carbs every 2-3 hours.

·         Try 5 or 6 sugar free drink days this week.

This program allows you to have concrete and easily obtainable goals weekly to increase the amount of time you are moving and improve your nutrition. Reward yourself to sticking to your goals each week. Make sure to not fall into the habit of rewarding yourself with food or booze. Buy yourself a cute hat, or some jewelry, i.e. something to make you feel good.

As always, we are all different, so you may need to modify this plan slightly to fit you. For example, if your problem isn’t sugary drinks (which includes booze and beer) but eating sweets or crap replace sugar drinks with “junk food”.

3. Consistency

My third, and final, tip for how to lose the fat you want is to stay consistent. This was also a big problem I used to have.  I would workout for a month then take four off, feel like crap, then go back. This is a bad cycle to be stuck in because that nasty ol’ self loathing and fatigue that seems to come back in this cycle, which can make it easy to feel like a constant failure.

Why?  Because you’re body needs exercise, just like food, air, and water. So those unpleasant feelings that come along with being sedentary is your body’s way of telling you to do what it needs you to do. Think of it this way, do you feel like crap if you just drink pop all day….the answer is YES, because your body needs water, just like it needs to be active.

So how can you stay consistent when your life is SOOO busy and stressful and things that de-rail you always come up, e.g. like getting sick.

My answer to this problem is A. stick to a schedule and B. schedule break weeks.  Part A is basically to continue what you are doing in my second point of this post. Have a goal for each week and stick to it. Write in your schedule/I pod/blackberry what days you are working out and what you are doing. Do not change these plans for anything.

For example, I circuit train on Monday at noon, I do legs Tuesday from 4-5 then spin from 5-6, Wednesday is an optional rest day or circuit training, Thursday I do arms from 4-5 then spin from 5-6, Friday is my make up day if I didn’t work out on Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday I try and stay active if possible, but if not, no biggie. I never work out less than 3 days a week unless I’m on break.

These days are in my schedule and I stick to them. If I get sick or really busy I take the week off .  This is where Part B. comes in. I schedule 3 break weeks a year, well I guess I don’t really schedule them, but I find I usually get sick once or twice a year (2 weeks) then I have a break week just in case.

These break weeks can happen anytime throughout the year as long as they are not back to back.  It’s good to see it like vacation time from work.

So those are my tips. As always, any questions or comments are very much welcomed. I’d love to hear your challenges with this fitness journey we are all on. I care about my readers and hope I’m making a difference in your lives.

Stay Strong and I’ll see you next class or Sunday night!

Byn

How Do I Lose Fat From Here? The Myth of Spot Reduction

A common concern I hear among clients is “how can I lose fat from my *insert area of interest here*.  Although the thought of “toning” and/ or losing fat in a certain area (i.e. spot reduction) is certainly attractive, it is unfortunately theoretically faulty.

The very smart business and marking people of the fitness industry have latched on to these spot reduction dreams we have and prey on our misconceptions. You see programs and products everywhere promising decreased belly fat, arm fat, “love handle” fat and long lean muscles. These cleverly marketed products, however, are merely falsities.

I’m writing this post not to berate you for wanting to lose fat or look better in a certain area of your body (hell I would love to have a little less softness in some places), but to educate you on the reality of being a fit and healthy person and the aesthetic desires that often accompany these aspirations. Without going on a “we are a product of socialization and should not care what we look like” rant, I’ll stick the premise that we want to look good…for now.

Basically, the reason we can’t lose fat in a certain area, like our lower abs, by simply “working” that area is because the body will take fat from where it wants to. Depressing, I know, but this is just the physiological truth of our body.

We are all genetically different, so we will lose fat from places first before others. For example, I lose fat in my boobs first, then my stomach, then my legs, then my butt. How do I know this? Because I have been working out and changing and playing with my diet for almost a decade now.

To help you understand how and why our body loses fat, I’m going to give you quick exercise physiology crash course on what happens during and after exercise.

As you know, when you work out your heart rate increases, you sweat, you get uncomfortable. This is what you want, because all the good stuff happens when you’re in this state and more importantly, directly after. Without going into crazy detail, the increased contraction of your muscles and heart rate causes the release of chemical messengers such as norepinephrine. While working out, these messengers cause vasodilation (increase of blood flow) to the working muscles and vasoconstriction (decrease of blood flow) to the non-working tissue (i.e. fat).

Due to where blood is flowing during exercise our body mainly burns carbohydrates in their simplest (glucose) and stored (glycogen) forms. “But I want to burn FAT Robyn not carbs!” I know, I know I’m getting to that.

So when you stop exercising the exact opposite happens with blood flow. You get vasodilation to the non-working tissue during exercise (i.e. fat) and vasoconstriction to the muscles. Now, this is a good thing because your catecholamine (blood chemicals) will still be elevated from the kick ass circuit training you just did, which will bind on to receptors and cause lipolysis or fat burnage.  So, in theory, the harder you work, the higher your catecholamine levels and the more lipolysis that happens when you stop.

The bad news is, especially for us women, not all fat receptors are made equal. Some fat receptors (called beta adrenergic receptors) do not cause lipolysis when these messengers bind to them.  Women have these receptors, in my opinion, mainly for protection as we still need a set amount of body fat to menstruate. Unfortunately, we cannot change these receptors, you can get rid of them threw liposuction, but I don’t recommend this of course.

Therefore, because your blood goes everywhere in your body, which you cannot control, you cannot spot reduce as it is physiologically impossible. Some trainers (either ignorant or trying to sell you something) may promise you loss in belly fat without losing it from your boobs, but I can assure you this is false. Promises of certain “target fat burning” exercises may even feel like they are burning fat on your inner thighs, butt, abs ect, but you are actually strengthening and building muscle under the fat. This is great and will increase your BMR and muscle tone (see previous posts), but it won’t burn fat from this area.

So what can you do to lose fat in those areas you want to? Well, as always I have some tips to decrease body fat, while acknowledging what you are in control of. Those tips, however, will be for my next post.

As always, I appreciate comments, questions and feedback.

Stay Strong

Byn

Eating for Your Goals Part 2: Eating Clean For Size

Hello Internets

Here is part 2 of my nutrition post. This one is going to focus on gaining size, specifically muscle mass, while minimizing fat gain. 

First things first, to increase muscle mass you have to eat. This is unavoidable because to build muscle your body needs to fuels to do so. Now, there is a plethora of information out there on eating correctly to gain muscle, but I'm going to provide my take on the subject. As always I know there is people out there with a lot more experience with this and I welcome your input!

If you're thinking, as many of my female clients do, "I don't want to get bulky and look like a man", don't worry. Muscle growth is partly dependent on testosterone levels and because women naturally have lower testosterone levels than men this prevents us from getting huge (unless you take steroids, which you shouldn’t).

Why should we gain muscle? A lot of reasons including my favourite; the more muscle you have on your body the higher your BMR (see previous post), which means the more calories you burn when you are not working out.

Points to Gain Muscle While Minimizing Fat Gain

#1: To Supplement or Not to Supplement

I'm kind of on the fence when it comes to whether or not to take supplements when looking to gain muscle mass. I think that whey protein and similar products (i.e. shakes, bars, cereal ect.) have their place for sure. I also think some people get carried away, which can lead to over supplementing.

I get uncomfortable when someone tells me they are on several different types of supplements to get bigger. I'm not sure why. I just believe in good ol' natural food I guess. Nature provides us with lots of different, healthy protein choices, which I will discuss in a bit. Also, your body has a limited amount of muscle building potential, and when you over supplement you just end up with very expensive pee.

I guess my conclusion on this is everything in moderation. Supplement if you feel it’s an "easier" way to get your protein instead of eating more protein, but don't go overboard.

#2: Eating to Gain Muscle While Staying Lean

I think a lot of people (mostly men) simply think "If I eat more calories, I'll get bigger". Well, yes this is true, but you're gaining fat mass rather than muscle mass. As previously mentioned, our bodies have a limited amount of muscle building capacity and if we supersede this capacity then the rest of the fuel coming in turns to fat.

So how do we eat to gain muscle but stay lean? Bobby Tran shed some much needed light on the subject for me last year.

He says to eat protein at EVERY meal, eat every 2-3 hours and eat your food in this order= protein first, then your veggies then your complex carbs if you are still hungry.

Making sure you have protein in every meal 5-6 times a day is a sure fire way to stay lean while gaining muscle mass.

#3: What to Eat

There are lots of great protein options out there, but also some not so great ones.

• Good Protein
• Quinoa
• Egg Whites
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• Salmon
• Bison
• Lean Ground Beef (in moderation)
• Turkey Breast
• Not So Good Protein
• Lunch Meat: high in sodium and has cancer causing agents
• Any meat that comes from fast food including subway
• Steak: I only say this because too much red meat can be a bad thing.

Basically, prepare your food, don't buy it pre-made. I know this can be difficult on a busy schedule. See my previous post on how to eat clean on a busy schedule on tips of how to overcome this barrier.

#4. How Much to Eat

This is the trickiest part. Simply put, to gain muscle you need to be getting enough calories. See my last post on how to calculate how many calories your body needs a day. To gain muscle you want to be meeting or slightly exceeding this number.

I think this is it. As always, if you have any questions let me know. I would also like to hear from those who know a little more on the subject *coughBobbycough*

Stay Strong

Byn

How Much Should You Eat for Your Goals!?

Hello Internets!

This blog is in request to one of my bootcamp ladies, but I know this is a question a lot of people have. Nutrition is one of the most, if not the most, difficult things to get right when looking to live a healthier lifestyle.

The burning questions usually include, what, how much and when should I eat? I'll try my best to answer these questions in a three part blog (because there is so much information), but keep in mind everyone is different and I am NOT a nutritionist by any means! I'd love to hear from some nutritionist out there on the subject.

Step 1: Determine What Your Nutritional Goals Are

What are you looking for in your eating? To eat healthier? To lose body fat? To gain muscle? A little bit of everything? Well you must determine what your concrete goals are before moving forward. If fat loss is one of your goals than this blog post is for you. Stay tuned for gaining muscle, performance eating and a little bit of everything.

Step 2: Now That You Identified Your Goal (i.e. Fat Loss) Determine Your Approach

This is probably the hardest part. I've done pretty much everything in regards to nutrition to determine what works and what doesn't. Here are some different ways to approach fat loss in nutritional sense...

• Calorie Counting:
• Calorie counting works to an extent. The effectiveness of this method is really dependant on where you are standing from a weight loss perspective and your personality type. If you have a lot of fat to lose then this may work for you initially, but if you are looking to lose that last 10 or 5lbs calorie counting might not be enough.
• Portion Control & What You're Eating:
• I personally prefer portion control and paying attention to what I'm eating rather than the caloric content. I make sure to stay within a "rough" range of the calories I should be eating, but I try and make sure my potions are appropriate and my food worth it nutritionally.

There are other "methods" for fat loss promoted by the fitness industry. However, I do not agree with a lot of them. Why? Because they set you up for failure so they can keep taking your money. Here are some methods I suggest to stay AWAY from....

• Carb Cutting
• Please do not cut carbs. This is because the only thing that fuels your brain cells is carbohydrates and ketone bodies. When you starve yourself of essential carbohydrates the ketones take over, which can make your body shut down essentially. You may loose "weight" cutting carbs, but it is mostly just water weight. You will also gain most if it back if not more when you start eating carbs again, which you will.
• "Juice" Diets
• These are also horrible for you. You lose weight because you are not taking in enough calories, yes, but the problem with this is that you slow your metabolism down to a crawl. When you start eating again, which you will, you will gain back what you lost if not more.
• Restricting: AKA "Salad Eaters"
• I used to do this and I regret it. I'd just not eat as much when I wanted to loose a few. Now, my metabolism is super slow so I have to be very very careful of what I eat. DO NOT RESTRICT.

Step 3: Determine Roughly How Many Calories to Eat a Day

This is important for the two methods I suggest. Obviously if you are calorie counting you need to know how many calories you are eating a day, and for portion control, you don't want to consume too much a day even though your portions are ok.

First, you need to determine your basal metabolic weight. This is how many calories your body burns just existing. You may be surprised at your number.

Lots of websites can help you calculate this, for example http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ can do this for you.

Let’s say, for example, your BMR is 1200calories/day. Great! Now we have to determine roughly how much you burn extra a day. Here's an awesome list of everyday activities to use http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm and there are lots more out there.

For example, I usually work out about an hour a day, plus house work. This adds 413calories (aerobics) plus 148calories (cleaning) roughly to my BMR for a total of 1761calories per day if I'm working out.

I recommend calculating your rough calorie consumption for a heavy day (i.e. working out) and a light day (i.e. sitting on your butt all day at work then watching T.V) so you can track your calories better.

Step 4: Determine How Many Calories You Need To Eat To Lose Weight

This is the final step for fat loss. Firstly, you will be most efficient at loosing fat if you eat 5-6 small meals a day rather than 3 or 1 big meal. Make sure the food you are taking in is rich in nutrients and is good for you. Lastly, make sure you are getting enough protein (3-4 servings a day if you are not looking to gain muscle).

To lose weight the recommendation is to be in a caloric deficit of 500calories/day for 1 pound/week. 

Keep in mind, if you want to lose more than 1 pound a week this can get dicey with your metabolism if you restrict too much. I would recommend increasing your physical activity rather that decreasing calories. 

Returning to my example, if I have a work out day I should be eating roughly 1261calories/day to lose 1 lb per week.

So that it! As always, I could get into much more detail regarding fat loss nutrition, including what types of food speed fat lose and meal design. We'll save that for another day.

Any questions let me know. Stay tuned for next week’s installment of this subject!

Stay Strong

Byn

Moderation Motivation

Good Evening Internets!

One of my friends (the wonderful Montanna) asked for more motivational posts, so I’m going to talk about how I got to where I am and my philosophy on being physically active.

I think as a society we can be too serious when it comes to well… anything. Those that know me best know that I am my own worst critic as well.  We’ve been raised to embrace an “all or nothing” mentality rather than a “be easy on yourself” and “try your best” thought pattern. This lack of patients and understanding, I believe, has contributed more than we think to the majority of the population being physically inactive.

Serious Society?

I can use examples to explain this other than myself, but for the sake of credibility I will use my own experiences in the hopes to enlighten you a little further into the world of being active and how to stay healthily motivated.

I’ve always been a competitive person. I played every sport imaginable (but was never the best, which drove me nuts), I did every extracurricular activity, excelled in school and was popular. My dad has always said I go a million miles an hour. The value of “more more more” I was raised to adopt resulted in a very slippery slope when it came to my health especially around puberty.

During my teenage years I gained the normal healthy weight every other young girl experiences. For me, however, I wanted the ideal, I wanted to be the best. That dangerous way of thinking coupled with a family history of disordered eating ended me up in a very unhealthy place.

However, for me, this lifestyle was normal. Our society pushes for more all the time. Going to school for 8 hours, working for 4 hours then working out for 2 hours eating a salad and a banana was not only normal but desirable. I was complimented how awesome my abs were on a regular basis by friends and co-workers and told repeatedly that I should be a personal trainer.

Living life in the fast lane can take its tole

The problem with the “model thin body super woman” lifestyle though, is that it catches up to you eventually. You can’t run on empty and be expected to perform your best all the time. After graduating I was sick of being “Miss. So Damn Perfect” all the time, so I did what any other 18 year old would do. I drank my face off.

Not only did I party relentlessly, I also ate fast food like it was going out of style. Looking back on those years I almost did the other side of the equation to the extreme. I wanted to be the best at partying, and I was. I knew everyone downtown, I never waited in line.  I thought I was happy, but I was still miserable.

To make a long story short, I eventually decided to go back to school and get my personal training certification. Learning about the dangers of the way I had previously been living my life woke me up. I also learned that an all or none mentality is not healthy; it’s actually counterproductive in a lot of ways.

Byn Before and After

We tend to “overdo” or “underdo” things as a society, or at least that is my opinion. We beat ourselves up too much if we are not the best, we have not patients, no time and no room for moderation.  I like to pose the question “why?”  What is so wrong with going for a 20 minute walk instead of a 45 minute run?

Don’t get me wrong, I like to work to my potential, but I now know the importance and necessity of moderation. I’m not sure when this philosophy developed, I think it has the more educated I have become. Let’s look at a couple scenarios when it comes to moderation.

Scenario 1: The Sedentary/Overeater

Believe it or not, I used to be classified as one of these. I never worked out (except for dancing at the bar) and I loved my food. This resulted in an unhealthy gain in subcutaneous fat as well as distinct mood and energy changes.

I was not living a modest lifestyle. When one is sedentary they are neglecting the fundamental need our body has to be physically active we are living in an extreme, an extreme of being inactive.

It’s no surprise that over-eating is not being modest. I admit that I still struggle with this at times, as I do love my food. I heard an interview with the oldest man in the world (or former as he has now past) and he said the secret to a long life is never eating until you are stuffed. I think there is some truth in this.

Scenario 2: The Gym Rat

Ok so it’s no surprise that I love going to the gym. I’m a fitness instructor for fudge sakes. However, going to the gym/working out unnecessarily is just as unhealthy in my opinion as being sedentary. Why? Because you do not give your body enough time to recover, which it desperately needs.

For example, I am very cognizant not to overdo it while working out. If I pushed a little too hard, I take a day off. What is comes down to is being kind to your body and listening to what it needs. I know it sounds kind of cheesy but my body feeling good is much better than it looking good.

For example, right now I’m really working on my shoulder and hip flexibility because I’ve noticed I really need to focus on these areas after starting my new program. This is a feeling I have after getting to know my body over the years. As you use your body more this awareness becomes more salient. I think this is true health, being able to know what your body needs and when.
So rest when you need to… and don’t beat yourself up about it!

So I think I’ve gotten my point across. The moral of the story is we’re here on this planet for a long ass time. Doing too much or too little is going to catch up to you in the long run. So go out for a bike ride, do a couple lunges, have a glass of wine and some fish! Live life to the fullest by being modest.

Stay Strong

Byn

Heavy Lifting-It's Summer Time!

Sunny Happy Hellos Internets!

I think spring has finally arrived here in Windsor Ontario (*knock on wood). That means it's time to get my butt in gear! Around this time of year I change my training, even though I work out on a consistent basis.

"Change your training to what Byn?" you may be asking. Well internet person, this is your lucky day because I am going to provide my workout routine for the first part of the summer just for you (and only you).

First, why this program? Well, during the winter I do endurance training. I mainly do this to keep my body balanced during bouldering season. I might change it next year when I'm doing more intensive training (aka actually having acces to a training gym)(Fig.1), but that is what I did this year. I basically maintain in the winter, because it’s not like I'm walking around naked a lot in front of people during this time of year.



Figure 1. What bouldering comps look like when you have no climbing gym=EPIC FAIL



For the summer, however, the nakedness increases. Not to 100%, but sometimes up to 80% if I'm in a bikini. So I want everything to tone up. This is where heavy lifting comes in, for me, it does exactly that.

Heavy lifting transforms my body, mainly my butt (Fig 2.)

Figure 2. What heavy lifting does to my butt (may not be to scale)

"Why not just lift heavy all year round Byn? Wouldn't you just be firm in the winter too?" Ahhh an excellent point internets. Well, as you know, the body is a finite thing. If I overdo it all year round I increase my risk of injury (especially during comp season), which I don't want. Also, I find the time off during the winter allows my body to reap the full benefits when I do start heavy lifting.

Ok enough blabbering about why I do it, you came here for the soy-meat and yams so to speak... the good stuff. Well here is my training schedule. As always, if you have no idea how to do an exercise leave a comment, email or facebook me.

Byn's Get Butt Ready for Summer Workout

Monday: Circuit Training and Yoga

Starting May 16th I will be doing my circuit training with staff fitness on main campus. However, right now I do 4 circuits of 2 exercises for times for a total of 16 circuits. For more detail stay tuned or see previous posts.

At the end of my circuit I stretch, I don't do abs as I do them with my night bootcamp on Mondays.

I also do yoga on Mondays.

Tuesday: Heavy Legs and Spin

For my leg workout I do the following a dynamic warm up (see previous post).

• Leg Press: Warm up of 10 reps: 90lbs, 3 Sets of 6-8 Reps: 230lbs.
• Straight Leg Deadlift: 4 sets, 6-8 reps of 95-110lbs
• Heavy Reverse Lunge: 4 sets, 6-8 reps of 25-30lbs dumbbells
• Leg Extension Machine: 4 sets, 6-8 reps, 55lbs
• Yoga Ball Roll Outs: 4 sets fatigue
• Calf Raises: 2 sets fatigue (no weight).

Then I teach a spin class and stretch.

Wednesday: Circuit and Yoga: This day is the same as Monday

Thursday: Upper Body and Spin

For my heavy upper body I do the following (be careful not to injure your shoulders).

• Assisted Pull Up: 4 sets of 6-8, 25lbs
• Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-8, 70lbs
• Seated Row: 4 sets of 6-8, 85lbs
• Dumbbell Incline Chest Press: 4 sets of 6-8, 35-40lbs
• Lat Pull Down: 4 sets of 6-8, 70lbs
• Push Ups: Fatigue (I do whatever pushups I feel like)

Friday: Make Up Day

• I don't schedule a work out on Friday so if I need to make up a work out I can. For example this week my legs were destroyed after Tuesday, so I making my circuit training for Wednesday on Friday.

Saturday: Rest or Climb or Cardio

• This is dependant week to week.
• For example this week I'll be doing a TBC class for Neil so I'll do cardio

Sunday: Rest

So as you can see there is some flexibility in there and rightfully so. Sometimes life gets in the way, so if I do my heavy lifting on the weekend, it's no big deal. As long as I get my two days in I'm a happy girl.

Sometimes I'll do 2 leg days a week. As of right now it's not necessary as I've JUST started heavy lifting again, but come July I might need a little extra.

I try to eat a lot cleaner in the summer as well, which always helps. The beers on the patio always seem to get me though.

If you have any questions don't hesitate!

Stay Strong Internets

Byn

Dynamic Warm Up and Motivation

Oh Hi Internets!

Today was the first day of my spring Bootcamp session. I'm trying something slightly different based on the feedback provided from the winter session. I extended the warm up to include a lot more dynamic movement before we get going. The reasoning behind this is some of the ladies found they got muscle cramps or were inadequately warmed up for the sessions.

So my bootcampers will be expected as of week 3 to start their dynamic warm up as soon as they enter the fitness studio (up to week 3 I'll be instructing it). This is because when we get to week 3 I extend the workout to push their body harder, so I need as much of the full hour as I can get.

Here is the warm up (I hope all my bootcampers read my blog so that they can review before coming to class *hint)

1. 20 Jumping Jacks

2. ~30 seconds of high knee-elbow back running (focus on core rotation).

3. 12-15 front lunges with twist each leg (walking or stationary)

4. 12-15 reverse lunges with ilio stretch (walking or stationary)

5. 30 seconds of high kicks (for hamstrings)

6. 30 seconds of lateral lunges (for hips)

7. Arm and leg swings until we are ready to go or repeat any of above if necessary.

I find the beginning of the semesters always exciting. I actually get a little nervous to teach the first class from time to time. I think this is because I really put myself out there when I'm instructing. I feel trying to relate to the members of the class is the most important thing to do.

I say to my class all the time how much they motivate me and this is 100% the truth. I feel energized after seeing how hard my bootcampers work, which makes me want to work harder myself!

I know motivation can be tough for a lot of people. I think I have blogged about motivation before, but since the summer is approaching us quickly (although the weather would seem to suggest otherwise) I thought it may time for some more tips.

Byn's Motivational Tips for Staying Fit (or anything really!)

1. Make a Plan: 

 I find for myself this is something that really keeps me on track, if I don't have a plan, well, I don't do much of anything. This takes a bit of brain power and time, but is very rewarding in the long run. I don't suggest making a long term plan to start off with, because the more general the plan the harder it is to follow it (or at least that is what I have found).

For example, my plan this week is to eat healthy and work out. The time length is good, but we need to be more specific here.

So I break this down into,

•  Tuesday I'm spinning and lifting,
• Wednesday I'm circuit training,
• Thursday I'm spinning and lifting,
• Friday I'm circuit training,
• Saturday I'll do a work out with my fiancé
• And Sunday is an optional rest day...... much better!

As for food...I NEED to go grocery shopping tomorrow, which I will do in the morning before work. I will buy my usual... see previous blogs for details.

So as you can see this plan is a good length and is specific, which will increase my chances at being successful. This will further motivate me for the following week.

2. Associate Working Out With Something You Enjoy

Let’s face it... if you're doing it right, working out sucks! So associate it with something awesome. For me, that is music. Music keeps me going right until the end of my workout. I recommend strategically placing songs where you know you start to fade. For example, I start to want to really stop running about 15 minutes in without fail. If I can get past the 20 minute mark I'm golden. So I put a kick ass song at the 15 minute mark to get me threw the "hell 5" as I call it.

For you it could be something other than music. Some people enjoy shopping! So say if you work out (insert number here) days this week you'll buy yourself that pair of cute earrings at Aldo Accessories.

One thing I don't recommend associating this with is food. I've had previous clients actually gain weight when starting a workout regime and when I ask them how they are eating the reply is "well because I've been working out I treat myself to McDonalds/Cheesecake/Doritios/another bottle of wine/ect". This is ok once in awhile but may hinder your goals if weight loss is one of them.

3. Find a Friend



This, I know, is easier said than done; but try and find a workout

partner that is around the same fitness level and has the same goals as you. This will keep you motivated trust me. I try and accumulate as many people in my life that work out as possible. I don't necessarily workout with these people, but I use them to keep me accounted for my actions.



Bobby and Me!



One of my major motivator friends is Bobby Tran from Workhorse Capacity here in town. When I see him post his healthy crazy meals on facebook, I want to eat healthy. When I see him deadlift 400lbs it makes me want to deadlift more than 80lbs haha.

This is why I recommend for beginners to start taking a class, because it allows you to meet these people who can provide social support.

4. Do Something That Makes You Uncomfortable

I think this is a good motivational tip for life in general. I find, at least for myself, when I am pushed outside my comfort zone I am not only more motivated but happier, more fulfilled and feel more accomplished. For working out in the gym it may learning how to use a machine you have NO idea how to use (please ask the personal trainer on duty to show you) or joining a fitness class that scares the mess out of you (like Bobby's "GET LEAN" craziness here at UoW).

Other areas in life where this applies...

• Striking up a conversation at a coffee shop with a stranger.
• Calling someone you know, but have never hung out with before and asking them out for lunch (who cares if they say no).
• Trying something different like rock climbing, beach volleyball, handgliding or skiing.
• Get in your car and purposely try and get lost (I do this all the time in Hamilton when Scott's at work, it's really fun.
• Going out with your friends to karaoke and singing when you’re not hammered.
• Buying an outfit that's totally not your style, but you've wanted to try and wearing it out that night.

If any of you have any more suggestions leave a comment! I'm always looking for more suggestions.

Well, I'm going to leave it there for now.

Stay Strong Internets

Byn