The Journey of 100 Miles

It's somewhere around 4:00 am in the middle of nowhere Utah. The October cool embraces us as we exit our nice warm sleeping bags which beg us to stay in them just a bit longer. A fire has been built to warm ourselves as we eat oatmeal and drink hot chocolate. I drink the cocoa both for warmth and flavor but also as an aid to clear my system, knowing for the next 100 miles it was only sagebrush that would aid me in taking cover.

I eat the food my team has thoughtfully prepared and then finish getting dressed. Lubing each toe to stave off blisters, tying my shoes to the proper snuggness, attaching my gators to keep out rocks and dirt, slipping my water bottle on my hand and sharing final hugs with my amazing crew. One last stop at the bathroom tent and then...the horn blows.

I am off into the morning darkness on my first 100 mile journey. I was both excited and nervous as I took those first steps into the cool morning with those who would share this journey with me. I had no idea what I was in for except for the times I had crewed others on similar treks. I knew that the gamut of things I could experience was vast and I had no real idea of what I would face or how I would respond. Even knowing this, I was ready to face the road ahead and welcome the growth.

I experienced heat that threatened to bake my skin, cold that made my muscles not want to fire, exhaustion, giddiness, loose bowels, not able to eat or wanting too, tired and sore feet & muscles, met amazing people and beautiful scenery. I had an amazing crew of 4 girls who took care of my needs every step of the way. Other crews watched out for us as well. The bond amongst runners and crews was a beautiful and uplifting thing to experience. The littlest of things could bring such joy or even despair.

I had highs that felt amazing and like I was on top of the world. I had some low, lows where I wondered if the night would ever end and the finish line reveal itself. Never-the-less, I kept moving my
feet, one foot in front of the other, sometimes holding the arm or shoulder of a crew member to set a faster pace I could follow. With each step I experienced the cycles of the earth...sunrise, high noon, sunset and sunrise again. It's awe inspiring what you can experience in this short but yet forever long amount of time.

The finish line tasted so sweet as I met my crying crew who embraced me at the end of this amazing journey and I looked back, somewhat in disbelief, that I had just run 100 miles! My life was forever changed as was that of my crew.

There is so much more to this story that makes it so amazing and would be fun to share, however, we'll end it here and get to the point. As we move into this new year and you have set your goals:
* I encourage you to surround yourself with a team of people who will support and see you through the tough times that will  inevitably rear their ugly heads and celebrate each small success and step forward.
* Look for those who not only support you but also others who share a similar path, the solidarity builds strength and boosts attitude.
* Prepare for the road ahead and have what will be necessary but know how to flow when things don't go as planned.
* Relish the high moments and know the tough ones will pass.
* Know that recovery can take place on the go and allow yourself to slow down your pace and refuel as you keep moving.
*Sometimes you will have to stop for a longer rest, be courageous enough to do so and take care of yourself.
*Know that at moments the night will seem like it will never end but know the morning Will come.
*The finish line is waiting, whatever that may be for you, keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will cross it.
*Remember to look back once in a while and see how far you've come and take note of your experience.

Most of all remember: Life is a Journey Not a Destination! Learn from each step a know that the person who crosses the finish line will not be the same person who toed the starting line.

If you would like assistance with your fitness goals you can contact the trainers at HFA.
If you find yourself feeling stuck or desiring assistance, look me up and allow me to assist you in overcoming obstacles and creating your successes.

Until next time,
Go BE Great!

Jennifer Saunders
Health and Fitness Academy Personal Trainer
Buttin Gear -Get Active Events
Life Untethered Intuitive Life Coaching
Reiki Energy Therapy

Heart Health.....it's gonna "beat" you to the punch!

Why are you ignoring the Strongest Muscle in your body?

The definition of cardiovascular endurance simply put is the body’s ability to continue exertion while getting energy from the aerobic system used to supply the body with energy.

Endurance is a word that you hear thrown around in groups of “weekend warriors” and gym type people. Having a heart with the ability to pump blood to the muscles for extended periods of time is valuable to these groups because it keeps them on their feet during a half marathon, or on their bike for 50 miles but what does it have to do with you? You are not requiring that kind of work from your body. You might not even think that sounds the least bit interesting.

There are many a good reasons to at least have a working knowledge of your cardiovascular system.

Your heart beats approx. 100,000 times a day

It pumps 1.5 gallons of blood every minute

Heart Disease is your greatest health risk

You control your heart health with Diet, Exercise, and managing stress.

And regular exercise is the single most important key to heart health and it is FREE!!!

Your heart controls the circular system that provides the body with its energy for everything. 

Now for some KILLER CARDIO……

When Cardio is the name…..Intervals is the game. Try one of these interval routines to pump up your cardio health and raise your VO2Max. Interval training as been shown to raise your VO2Max by up to 17%. This is a fire starter for your metabolism and will tone and tighten every muscle group in your lower body.

Day 1 “The Rookie”

3 minute warm-up

1 minute at a high intensity pace (unable to speak to your friend next to you)

2 minute recovery pace (easy breathing)

Repeat for 25 minutes

2 minute cool down

Day 2 “Heart pumping Pyramid”

3 minute warm up

1 minute High intensity

2 minute recovery

90 Seconds High intensity

2 minute recovery

2 minute high intensity

2 minute recovery

2 minute 30 seconds high intensity

2 minute recovery

Repeat one more time

2 minute cool down

Day 3  “The Blaster”

3 minute warm up

Quarter mile Sprint (.25 miles)

1 minute plank

Quarter mile Sprint

1 minute Sit-ups

Quarter mile sprint

1 minute air squat

Repeat

2 minute cool down

Give it a try and you will have a heart to “beat” all others.

Consistency

Consistency…Consistency…Consistency

                Welcome to 2014! As McKenzie mentioned last week, we have recently implemented our “Consistency is Key” challenge! Our participants could choose to compete against each other for a large cash prize (currently $1100.00!) OR they could choose their entry fee and maintain 80% consistent or higher to win their entry fee back.

                Today I’ll touch on 4 out of 8 aspects of this challenge.

                Why consistency you ask?

                                Studies have shown that the knowledge difference, between people who are very happy with their health, body composition and performance and those that are ambivalent or unhappy with their progress, is not very different. More often than not, it’s the difference in what these people do consistently that is far more important.

                So what do our participants have to stay consistent with each day and why?

1.       50 minutes of activity

a.       We are asking 5 workouts per week.

b.      5-7 hours per week is the minimal exercise recommended for health, body composition and performance per Precision Nutrition.

c.       Once at 5 hours per week and at least 80-90% consistent on your nutrition choices (see below), and you still have not reached your goals, then nutrition and/or volume of activity will need to be adjusted to continue toward your health, body composition, and performance goals.

2.       Eat every 2-4 hours

a.       Eating every 2-4 hours is one of the most important ways to improve health and body composition. Frequent eating (of well-chosen, properly sized meals) stimulates the metabolism, balances blood sugar, and helps maintain lean mass while giving your body a reason to burn off your extra fat mass.

b.      How many times should you eat per day?

                                                                                                   i.      Take the number of hours you are awake and divide by 2, 3, or 4 and you will have a great starting point.

c.       Should you eat before bed?

                                                                                                   i.      Just keep the rule in mind and eat every 2-4 hours.

3.       Eat lean protein at each eating opportunity

a.       Protein is an amazing component of your healthy eating that keeps you feeling fuller longer and helps with all 3 aspects of health, body composition, and performance.

b.      Women should aim 15-20 grams each time they eat (~1 palm sized portion)

c.       Men should aim for 30-40 grams each time they eat (~2 palm sized portions)

4.       Eat a vegetable and/or fruit at each eating opportunity

a.       What amazing cancer-fighting, free-radical destroying, acid-neutralizing, and micronutrient rich power! Need we say more?!

b.      Provide an alkaline load to the blood. It’s important to balance alkaline and acidic loads to the blood because too much acid (ex: proteins/grains) and not enough alkalinity means the loss of bone strength and muscle mass.

c.       Serving size is 1 fistful. If possible, aim 10-15 servings of veggies and fruit combined per day or 2-3 servings each time you eat.

                So, with just 4 different areas so far to look at, ask yourself, “How consistent am I with these”? If you gave yourself 1 point for answering “yes, I completed this today” for all 4 areas listed above, then there would be approximately 28 points available for the week. 26 points if you worked out 5 days instead of 7 as our participants are required. If you can accumulate at least 20-23 points or more for the week, you will have reached the 80% consistent mark!

                Health & Fitness Challenge

                                Challenge yourselves in these 4 areas for 1 week. Submit a descriptive journal totaling all of your points up for the week. If you reached the 80% consistent mark, you win a 30 minute FREE TRAINING SESSION with an HFA Trainer!

                                Send your detailed journals to me, Hayley Jones, at hjones@mvhospital.net. Questions? Email me with any and I’d be happy to help you in your journey of becoming more consistent!

                Remember!

                                Healthy Habits, a class teaching a habit based approach to a healthy lifestyle, is beginning again soon! Tentative class will be Tuesday/Thursday 530p-630p. Please email me for more details!

Until next time (4 more areas of consistency to come)!

Hayley Jones, BS, CSCS, PN1

hjones@mvhospital.net

2 workouts for your New Year's Resolutions!

Raise your hand if one of your New Year’s resolutions has to do with exercise! Well, here at the Health & Fitness Academy we started a new fitness challenge that focuses on consistency. The goal is to be as consistent as possible in all aspects of health including exercise, nutrition, and emotional/mental well-being. With this goal, we are hoping to set our contestants up for success throughout all of 2014 rather than jumping on the exercise band wagon…and falling off a few months in.


Now for the exercise portion of this competition. We have required our challenge participants to work out 5 times a week for 50 minutes and 3 of those 5 workouts must be done at HFA.

How about I help you out with a few workout ideas Be sure to warm up before each workout and cool down afterwards.

Workout #1

• Bicep curl to shoulder press

• Back lunges (to make more difficult, elevate back leg)

• 1 minute plank hold

• 12 reps of each exercise, 3 rounds total.



• 1 dumbbell press to overhead tricep extension

• Overhead squat (can use a plate, dumbbell or barbell)

• Russian twists with a kettle bell

• 12 reps of each exercise, 3 rounds total.



Body weight circuit: jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers, ski jumps

• Do each exercise for 30 seconds, 3 rounds.



Workout #2

• Single arm dumbbell chest press

• Single leg dead lift

• Supermans

o 12 reps of each exercise, 3 rounds total



• lat pull down

• low bridges ( feet up on bench or med ball to make more difficult)

• V-ups

o 12 reps of each exercise, 3 rounds total



Bike intervals: 10 minutes total. 30 seconds sitting, 30 seconds standing (up resistance)



Let me know if you have any questions. We would love to help you reach your fitness goals! 