Maintain, don't gain this holiday season.

Fall Fitness…..”The Challenge”

There are so many great things about fall. Pumpkin spice Latte’s. The cooler days make it much more comfortable to break a sweat outside than the hot months of summer. The fall colors are beautiful, and food for the spirit. Our kids are back in school giving parents some much needed free time. Fun fall sports get us outside to enjoy the season. Not to mention Halloween, Thanks giving, and Christmas are right around the corner. There is no better season if you ask me.

However, the holidays bring other challenges that distract us from our training and challenge our adherence to healthy dieting. Spending our evening running from one activity to another keeps us out of the kitchen and our food prep time suffers. The family and work parties that focus almost solely on food are too challenging for some, so they “take time off” from their fitness goals. The days get shorter; mornings are evenings are dark which makes us want to hibernate with the bears. All of these challenges usually mean that most people ring in the New Year with more than a few extra pounds, and have to start over as a New Year resolution.

This season HFA is offering our “maintain don’t gain challenge for 4^th quarter. We are starting early to get you on track and keep you on track through your holiday season so your fitness goals will not get hijacked by Santa’s elves.

We will be holding our kick off weigh in party on Friday September 30, 2017 between 6am-3pm where you can drop by the department and log your initial weight. Final weight in is on January 3, 2017 and everyone that maintains through the holidays will win!!

Then stay tuned for weekly emails, tips, and workouts every week that will help you enhance your season, not your waistline. For those of you that would like extra help, our “Spooky Special” also kicks off in October, with reduced rates on training packages used between now and December 31, 2016. Just remember that “spooky special” packages are limited, and yours must be purchased before October 31, 2016. CALL NOW at 208.557.2823 or email me at ghouston@mvhospital.net for more information.

AND just to get you started here is a Pumpkin Patch work out, so grab your Pumpkin (kettle bell) and get maintaining your mojo this season.

Pumpkin patch pump

25 Kettlebell  (KB) swings

25 KB squats

10 KB cleans right arm

10 KB lunges to the right

10 KB cleans left arm

10 KB lunges to the left

25 KB Squats

25 KB swings

Repeat 4 times….for your fastest time.

Happy fall Fitness!!

Weekends

Weekends can get the best of all of us especially when we are following a nutrition plan.  Why can’t we seem to treat the weekend like the weekdays.   Is there something different about following your nutrition and fitness on the weekend vs the weekdays?  You still have goals that you committed to during the week. Don’t blow it!  All your hard work during the week for what?  Nothing!

Follow your commitment into the weekend as you do during the week.  If you have parties, barbeques or family get togethers - just put those meals into your plan, just as you would during the week.  You created the routine during the week just don’t let it end when Friday night comes around.  Meal prep for those occasions so you don’t feel like you are being left out.  Get your training in early in the day so that you have the rest of the time to enjoy your family and friends.

Commit to what you say you are going to do and stick with it.  Stay focused to the path you envisioned and follow it.  Don’t do it half committed otherwise you will never reach your goals you set out to do. Manage your weekend otherwise it will manage you.

Fail To Plan - Plan to Fail

Vaseline...say what?!

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a newbie trail runner who was out frolicking through the forest enjoying the scenery, munching on gold fish and oranges and sipping a sweet hydration drink.  She was in heaven! Wild animals, beautiful flowers, sweet smells of nature and crazy runners, what could be better? Upon reaching an aid station that marked there was only 35 miles to go, more joy entered her heart. Did I mention crazy people?

While looking over the spread of sandwhiches, soups, salty things, sweet things, various drinks, electrolytes and the works, she noticed a large vat of vaseline with tongue depressors sticking out of it. Hmmm...I wonder what that could be for? Perplexed, she continued refueling. Suddenly she saw runners coming in and taking the tongue depressors with the goopy stuff and disappearing into the bushes. What?!  Then it hit her...insert record scratching sound here! She realized where the goopy stuff was being placed. Chaffing!! This would be an experience that would escape this newbie for a while but when it hit...oh boy...there was no question to what it was.

Chaffing happens!  Skin rubbing continually on clothing or other skin, especially when hot or sweaty will create the raw skin we call chaffing.  Skin gets red, raised, raw and burns. If it continues to rub for long enough the skin will become raw enough to bleed. Chaffing happens on any area where there is rubbing and is uncomfortable at the least and can be downright painful.  Most of us have seen the tale tell sign of blood spotted shirts on unlucky men who get nipple chaffing. Ouch! Some of you may have experienced it on your legs, arms, bum cheeks and groin areas. Yep, I can hear the amens and the feel the wincing of those of you who are part of this club.

So how do you prevent or lessen chaffing?  Great question. Luckily we live in a time when there are all kinds of products available to assist with this "oh so fun" part of running. Your options are many and include everything from band-aids to vaseline to glide sticks to specialized products.  Like anything, everyone has their favorites and are happy to tell you about them so you won't have to learn from sheer painful experience. Again, like anything, you get to test out and try the various products available and find what works for you.

Here are a few suggestions from Runners World Magazine on the subject:

PREVENT IT

Ditch cotton. It absorbs sweat and stays wet. Wear synthetic, wicking fabrics.
Go seamless, tagless. Seams and tags on a shirt or bra can cause irritation.
Get a proper fit. A too-snug sports bra can dig in; the excess material of a baggy shirt can rub you raw.

Protect your legs. Compression shorts can save your inner thighs from abrasions.

Cover ‘em up. Nipple protection is critical for guys. NipGuards andBand-Aids are common shields.
Get greasy. Apply lubricant to chafe-prone body parts. BodyGlide and petroleum jelly–based products are classic salves. When heading out for a long run, stash ChapStick or a travel-sized deodorant in a pocket.
Hydrate. “Drinking minimizes the salt concentration of sweat. Salt has a sandpaper effect on skin,” says Fayne Frey, M.D., a dermatologist in West Nyack, New York.
Moisturize. “Skin that’s well moisturized—apply lotion twice daily—is less prone to chafing,” Frey says.

TREAT IT
Wash up. Shower ASAP after running, keeping water lukewarm. Use antibacterial soap to ward off bacteria that can creep into exposed skin and cause problems like folliculitis, a skin condition that Santa Monica dermatologist Tanya Kormeili, M.D., says occurs in athletes.
Soothe it. Pat—don’t rub—skin dry and apply an ointment such as Desitin or A+D Zinc Oxide cream (diaper-rash creams containing zinc oxide are antibacterial).


Fade back to me. Get out there and run happy, frolick on the trails, take in nature and be chaffing free-er! We look forward to having you join us at the Stinkin Springs Sidewinder Preview on September 17th. We will meet at the Heise pizza parlor at 8:45am and caravan the the parking lot. Runners, walkers, joggers and run-walkers welcome. We will start at 9am at the trail head. See you soon!

Until Next time...Go BE Great!
Jennifer Saunders
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
ButtinGear, Intuitive Life Coach
Reiki Energy Therapy 
Behavior Change Specialist
Everyday Superhero