Fartlek is not a dirty word.

Fartlek

                A Swedish term for “Speed play” used in the Fitness world to describe a type of interval workout. Unlike structured tempo workouts fartleks are far more flexible and fun. After a warm up you play with speed and intensity alternating Moderate-to-hard efforts with easy recoveries for the Duration of your workout. This type of training has become popular amongst cyclists and runners because they have seen great gains from less training time.

            Fartlek training is also good in groups. With more than one participant allow for various speeds and challenges as you challenge others. The goal is to keep it free free-flowing and seamless without watching a clock or following a set plan.

Here are a few Fall Cardio Ideas.

Fartlek for one

            After you warmup for your next walk, run, or ride simply set visible goals for yourself. A street sign, phone pole, or fence are great targets. Simply go hard until you reach it, then slowing down to recover after your target has been hit, then pick a new target. The best part is there is no distance to far or short, it is all up to you. Fartleks also work well on the weight floor. For example create a fartlek using Burpees and Bench press. Follow your set of bench press with burpees through the chorus of your favorite song.

Friendly Competition

            If you would like to take the boring out of your workout, find a few friends and add a fartlek to your group workout. Take turns leading the group in a moderate to high intensity moments then allow the group to recover at a slower pace. Then follow the next leader.

            September is the fartlek challenge. Simply create your own Fartlek workout and submit it to me at ghouston@mvhospital.net. At the end September the HFA team will vote on the most creative Fartlek to receive two weeks of training free.  Enjoy and have a little fun with it!

Can you be comfortable with being uncomfortable?

     I recently was asked to be a speaker and provide a presentation to a large facility in town. I would be speaking a total of 8 hours at 8 different locations and in front of 8 different groups of employees of this facility. Although I have been a speaker and given presentations before, I still was experiencing feelings of anxiety, nervousness, doubt, and inadequacy. Would they understand the material I was presenting? Would I bore them to death and have people fall asleep? Would anyone be motivated by the presentation I was giving? Would they walk out with hope in their heart or feel like it was a waste and an hour of their life they would never get back? Yes, my doubts can run DEEP!

     Needless to say, I spent a great deal of time preparing the presentation and headed off to my first facility. I was definitely nervous but I know this material! It is something I teach on a daily basis. I just kept reminding myself to stay focused on what I know and what I can control and leave the rest in God’s hands. I feel that if I provoked questions and people actually asked them in a presentation, then I did a good job at keeping them engaged. I had at least a handful of questions in the first presentation as well as multiple private questions afterward and follow up emails from a few employees, so overall, I considered it a success! This trend, with each presentation, has continued and I have received wonderful feedback that keeps me fueled and looking forward to the next presentation!

     As I have gone through this process, it continues to remind me of how uncomfortable I was before the presentations started. I had every doubt in the book racing through my mind! It also has made me very aware that I am asking people to step outside of their comfort zone and risk being “uncomfortable” to live the life they want to live. The core message from my presentation is ACTION. Action elicits CHANGE. CHANGE can be uncomfortable. CHANGE is the unknown. CHANGE can be scary. CHANGE can be exciting. ACTION...CHANGE…ACTION…CHANGE! COMFORTABLE…UNCOMFORTABLE…AH!

     So it got me thinking, how do you get comfortable with being uncomfortable? When uncomfortable things come up, what tools or tips can be put in place to make “taking action” easier each time? There are a lot of things that happen in life that place us in uncomfortable situations and how we respond can really make a big difference.

     Here are a few tips from Psychology Today by Pamela Madsen:

     1. Walk, or run outside. Movement in the fresh air can really help ease feelings of anxiety, stress and unease.

     2. Write about it. When I write, blog or journal, it is a tool for me to move through my own uncomfortable feelings. Try it.

     3. Help a friend. Get out of your own story and help someone with theirs! There is nothing like leaving your own uncomfortable feelings alone for a while to support someone else in theirs.

     4. Get on the table, and get a massage. Give a massage. Make love. Moving physical energy is wonderful for helping pass the weather through your body. Get out of your head and into your body.

     5. Give yourself some mantras: "Everything is going to be okay. If it's not Okay it's not Over" is a favorite of mine. Also reminding myself, that I am indeed the solid earth and the weather will pass.

     6. Water in. Water on. Water out. Water is a great mover of energy. Drink lots of it, pee, and take long showers or bathes.

     7. Be in stillness. Meditate and connect to your breath.

     8. Connect to your own spirituality and or religion. If you have a spiritual practice - practice it! Connecting to a higher power can be a beautiful way to find comfort in uncomfortable times.

     If you are going to win your own amazing race, it's all about not letting being uncomfortable make you throw in the towel, not start the race, or give up in the middle.And it is good to know, that whatever you are feeling discomfort about, there is someone else out there in the world, feeling exactly the same thing. We are never really alone in our discomfort. Sometimes just knowing that can make us feel more comfortable!

     I hope this message has resonated with you today and encouraged you to TAKE ACTION although it may be uncomfortable. You will be amazed at what you are capable of and I would LOVE to be the one you share your successes with! Please feel free to comment, post to Facebook, or even email me at hearley@mvhospital.net. Let’s go be great!


Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
hearley@mvhospital.net

Zero to Sixty

It sounds cool when someone tells us that some car can go 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds like the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder, but going 0 to 60 into your workout is not the safest, or the most effective way to exercise. Prior to working out, whether you are doing cardio or strength training, you need to gradually warm up. Don’t just floor it.

Warming up prior to working out is importance for many reasons. Warming up can help you to physically prepare for the demands of your workout by gradually increasing your heart rate. Increasing your heart rate during your warm up increases the circulation to your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Warming up the muscles prevent injury. Warming up the tendons and ligaments increases the flexibility of them to reduce the chance of tears. Warm ups can also prepare you for your workout mentally by letting your mind ease into your workout. Your warm up should take about 10 minutes and should consist of some aerobic activity, followed by dynamic stretching.

The definition of aerobic activity is any of various sustained exercises, such as jogging, rowing, swimming, or cycling, that stimulate and strengthen the heart and lungs, thereby improving the body’s utilization of oxygen. The important thing to note is that the activity must be something that can be sustained for a reasonable amount of time. In the case of warming up, we want it to be sustainable for five to ten minutes. The reason for the aerobic activity, as mentioned before, is to gradually increase the heart rate and get the blood pumping throughout the body. Always remember to give your body adequate time to warm up.

Once the heart rate has risen, blood has gotten to all the muscles throughout the body, and you actually feel warm, it is time to stretch dynamically. Dynamic stretching uses stretches that you move through while you stretch, rather than holding still in the stretch. Dynamic stretching activates the muscles you will use in your workout without overstretching them, improves your range of motion, and improves body awareness by challenging your balance and coordination. Do 5-10 dynamic stretches before starting your workout. The following exercises are examples of dynamic stretches.

SQUATS: Starting in an upright position, with your feet hip width apart, lower yourself down toward the ground like you are going to sit in a chair, until your hamstrings are parallel to the ground. During the exercise, while lowering down, push your hips back and keep your knees behind your toes. Also, keep your chest up.

GOODMORNINGS: Starting in an upright position, keep your back tight and flat, shoulder blades together, and knees slightly bent. Bend at the hips, pushing them back as you bend forward.

ALTERNATING TOE TOUCHES: From an upright position and in a wide stance, lean forward with one arm reaching toward the opposite foot until a stretch is felt in the low back and hamstrings, then stand back up and switch sides. The motion is continuous as you switch sides.

SIDE LUNGES: Keeping both toes facing forward, take a step to the side with your right foot and plant it into the ground. Push your hips backward and bend your right knee to lower into the lunge. Your left leg should stay extended. Bring your feet back together and switch sides.

ALTERNATING WALKING KNEE HUGS: Focus on bringing the knee cap into the chest by hugging your shin for a few seconds as you slowly walk forward. Repeat on each side as you walk.

ALTERNATING WALKING QUAD STRETCH: Pick up your right foot and grab hold of it with your right hand. Bring the foot toward your glutes and hold for a few seconds. Step forward with your right foot and repeat the stretch on your left foot.

ALTERNATING WALKING TOE TOUCH: As you begin walking, lift your right leg as high as you can while still keeping it straight. Extend the left arm and reach for your toes. Bring leg down in continuous motion and perform the exercise with opposite arm and leg.

ALTERNATING LUNGES WITH ROTATION: Lunge forward with either foot, keeping your knee over your toes and rotate your body toward the forward leg. Bring the back leg forward to meet the other leg and stand back up. Repeat with the other leg.

INCHWORMS: Start in an upright position and keep your legs as straight as possible the whole time. Slowly walk your hands down your body and out into a push-up position, hold for a few seconds. Keeping your legs straight, inch your legs up as close to your hands as possible without bending your knees or taking your hands off the floor. Stand up and repeat.

BUTT KICKERS: As you jog or walk, bend one knee and lift it behind you as if you were trying to kick yourself in the glutes. Do the exercise forward for 10 yards and backwards for 10 yards.

HIGH KNEES: As you're jogging or walking, bring the knees up toward your chest. Do the exercise forward for 10 yards and backwards for 10 yards.

GRAPEVINE: While standing upright, step out with your right foot to your right side. Criss-cross your left foot over in front of your right leg. Criss-cross your right foot out from behind your left. Criss-cross your left foot behind your right foot. Criss-cross your right leg out from in front of your left leg. Repeat for 10 yards, then reverse the movement going back, leading with the left leg for 10 yards.

Once you have finished both your cardio warm up and dynamic stretching, you are then ready to begin your workout! Remember to do your warm up gradually and to listen to your body. If you are short on time, do not skip the warm up! You need to make sure you feel warm and ready by the time you start. Protect your joints and muscles by warming up before every workout!

Warm up well, and workout hard! Until next time!



Back To the Future

The other day I was out doing a little grocery shopping when all of a sudden I was stopped in my tracks by a bottle and label I haven't seen since Franklin Jr. High days,  where I got to work in the after school snack shop. I was, in an instant, transported back to the little room next to the lunch room that housed the snack shop and getting to work with my buddies Scott, Kemia, John and others. I remembered how it felt, what it like, and seeing my school mates stand in line waiting to spend the money burning holes in their pockets on New York Seltzer, Charleston Chews, Mambos and more.

Last night as I sat at my picnic table taking a moment with the moon, some yummy tacos and gentle music, I was again whisked back in time to a few years ago. As the introductory notes of River Runs Through Me played, my heart soared and I was marinating in warm feelings of love and joy, remembering  when a dear young friend of mine sat at my piano and played this song that moved me to my core. I was also taken to the tent where I slept with my crew before my first 100 mile run, where ear buds, with this song playing, where inserted into my ears by this same friend as a way to calm and relax me before this big event.

Then, there are those times when you are pulled into not so pleasant memories, like being scared, hurt, picked last for the team, being made fun of, etc.. These we don't want to linger in as long but tend to more recall easily.

All of these experiences and their resulting memories make up how we view the world we live in and how we choose to interact with it. If our experiences were more pleasant and we felt secure, safe and successful we are more likely to try new things as adults and to take more risks and know we will be successful, at least to varying degrees.

However, if our experiences as younger peeps were not so pleasant and resulted in embarrassment, hurt, feeling left out and the likes, again, we are more likely to bring those memories and feelings forward.  These feeling tend to lower our self-efficacy and belief that we can do different and succeed at new things...or anything for that matter.

So, I challenge you as new routines start with school, work, exercise, and family stuff, to take a trip back to your youth and set yourself up for success. Challenge the little voices that tell you you can't do new things or do old things in better ways.  Take a journey back to those moments in your life where you felt empowered and on top of the world.  Remember what it felt like. Sounded like. Tasted like. What you saw and heard in those moments. Soak it all in and feel those feelings in your whole soul and then bring it back to the future, into the present moment and let it bolster you to new heights and achieving your goals.

Being swept away into these moments can be wonderful moments to gain strength for the present.  Remember to visit, soak it in and come back to the present where you can do something with it. Then...Get to work and Take Action!

As for me, I am off to enjoy the beautiful moon and the magical memory of experiencing it on top of the Grand Teton and how it filled my soul to the brim with awe and wonderment. I'm going to let this memory feed my soul as I sleep and wish you peaceful, powerful remembering.

Until Next Time...Go BE Great!

Jennifer Saunders
ACE Certified Personal Trainer, BS
Intuitive Life Coach, Reiki Energy
ButtInGear

The End....of Excuses

The end of excuses

I don’t have enough time. My spouse is not supportive. I have always been “big boned”. I don’t know about you but I have heard these things in my life and in my head far too many times.

 I have a thyroid problem. My kids deserve to have treats in the house. I love to cook. Truthfully, a thyroid issue does not glue you to the couch, your kids deserve to have a healthy parent that teaches them good habits, and you can love to cook healthy meals just as much.

Why do we make excuses? Research has proven that there are three main reasons we make excuses. Deflecting blame off of ourselves and onto others, we doubt our ability to achieve the goal, and lack of real desire for what we say we want. These are all valid issues and fears; it should help to know that most of not all of us suffer from these forms of self-sabotage often. Let’s get out of our heads and out of our own way for a bit.

I talk to clients all the time about giving away their power. When we duck the blame for our own situations we are giving away our power, our energy, and it damages our self-esteem. Each and every one of us currently holds the power inside of us to have anything we want. I am not saying it will all be easy to get but with a little works and doing simple things like changing one daily habit consistently overtime we can perform miracles. We can become stronger, healthier, smarter, and wealthier, but when you pass the blame you pass your power. Would you let your neighbor run an extension cord from your house to theirs so that they could borrow your power? Can you see how expensive that will get?

Have you set your goals so huge that you actually doubt your ability to reach them? Maybe it is t time to pull out the old history book, have you done it before? What resources did you employ to lose the last 20 lbs.? Find a friend who has finished their degree and ask them for tips to get you to graduation. Talk to a friend who has struggled with their relationships but now has a successful marriage. Then again, maybe it is time to scale back your big aspirations into smaller more achievable steps. It is so much easier to save for a car by putting a dollar in savings a day than it will be waiting and hoping for something to come along.

Finally, WHO wants it? Are you making excuses about not working for things because you think you should want them? Society has become a very politically correct machine. We are supposed to want a steady career, a house, and a dog. What if none of those things bring you joy? Are you barely keeping your head above water with your current responsibilities and it would really make you happier to do less? The bravest things I have ever seen a client do is reduce the pressure in their life to be someone else’s idea of perfection. I have had clients who have walked away from PTO service, learn to love a messy house, and stop contact with toxic people in their life all in the name of finding Joy.

There are only a few hours in the day, a few days in the years, and a few years to live. I empower you this month to stop with the excuses. Love yourself and fill your life with the people and things that bring you happiness. If you leave a little space in your life, love will come to fill it and your wildest dreams will become a reality.

Now is the time to take advantage of our 6 week fall challenge. If you are feeling stuck, and could use some new resources, the trainers at Health and Fitness Academy are more than happy to help you throw your excuses out the door and get you on the road to a healthier 2015. Give us a Call at 208.557.2823 or email me at ghouston@mvhospital.net. For pricing information and break your excuse cycle.

Injuries...Again?!

Injuries…Again!?

     They can happen to the best of us. We push our bodies daily and those nagging aches and pains always somehow manage to turn into an injury. What to do? Some of us will probably want to "gut it out" and continue pushing and training and some of us will get discouraged and allow old habits to creep in that halt us in our health and fitness efforts. I’m sure all of us have experienced at least one situation like this in our lifetime. The question is how do we continue to make progress toward our health & fitness goals even with an injury?

     Personally, this is something I have dealt with more than a time or two throughout my life already. Recently, I find myself back in this same predicament and for me, the physical part is difficult but I’ve learned I can always get through it. My greater struggle is staying positive and not letting discouragement get the best of me especially in times of greater pain.

     Here are a few steps I follow:

     1. Listen to my body. Aches and pains will come and go but when things aren’t showing an improvement over a 2-4 week period, it’s time to be seen by a doctor.

     2. During that 2-4 week period, analyze what I’m doing and if I am really taking enough steps or being consistent enough to keep myself healthy. Nutrition? Proper warm up? Proper cool down? What movements hurt? What movements don’t? Keeping up on my flexibility and fascia rolling? Have I tried modifying my workouts? Have I tried icing the affected area? Have I tried an anti-inflammatory, whether that is a more natural option or medications?

     3. See a doctor.

     4. Learn what treatment options are available? Begin in the direction that is best for you.

          a. Recently, mine was an injection and physical therapy.

     5. Once in physical therapy, I discussed my options for continued exercise with my therapist that I can do outside of my appointments and exercises prescribed by them.

          a. Options:

               i. Cardio: Walking, Swimming, Elliptical

                    1. As long as my pain stays as is or decreases, but does not increase. As long as any discomfort is tolerable and remains in a certain spot and does not begin to travel to other areas.

               ii. Resistance Training

                    1. No forward bending. Choose supported exercises for my spine. No twisting or side bending under resistance for now. Let pain be my primary guide.

6. At this point I would highly recommend seeking professional help, if needed for your continued exercise routine. Seek out a Personal Trainer that is experienced working with injuries. You may seek a recommendation from your Physical Therapist. Luckily, I am just that, which means I get to write my own workout routines!


**Learning my restrictions but knowing I CAN STILL EXERCISE and IT IS ENCOURAGED, was motivating! It’s only been a few days since the conversation with my therapist but I have already done (not including my therapy exercises):


Saturday:
20 minutes elliptical
20 minutes treadmill walking
20 minutes swimming laps

Sunday:
30 minutes elliptical
35 minutes resistance training
10 minutes fascia rolling

Monday:
30 minutes elliptical

Tuesday:
None

Wednesday: (TODAY!)
Game plan
30 minutes elliptical
30 minutes swimming

Tomorrow game plan:
30 minutes elliptical
30-45 minutes resistance training

**I have also reviewed my nutrition content as I am not able to give the intensity I typically do in my workouts and am able to modify what is needed to make sure I am still getting the nutrients I need to heal, but not keeping the same intake I do with higher amounts and levels of activity.

**As for my mental state, I have my good days and bad, especially depending on the pain level. I try to focus on positive self-talk statements to help me through those bad days and the more I move, the better I feel. Am I always motivated to move…absolutely not! Sometimes I just have to go through the motions at first until the positive kicks in!

If you are in search of a Personal Trainer that can help you through this transition of injury, the Trainer’s at the Health & Fitness Academy are definitely worthy of this delicate time in your life. Please feel free to reach out to us at 208-557-2823 and let us know how we can help!


For a few additional reading resources check out:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10-tips-when-training-with-an-injury.html
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/nutrition-for-injury-part-1


Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
hearley@mvhospital.net

            

Benefits of Being First

When it comes to strength training and cardio, does it matter if you do strength training first or second?

Although the answer to this question depends on your goals, let’s talk about the benefits of strength training first.

 

First of all, if you do your strength training before your cardio session, your anaerobic energy system (which uses mainly carbohydrates as your energy source) will be depleted. That means your body will use its aerobic energy system to burn fat to keep you going.

Also, after a workout, your body continues to burn additional calories for up to 48 hours. This phenomenon is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. EPOC occurs because your body needs energy to repair your muscles after you’ve challenged them. It occurs at a much higher rate after intense weight training than after low intensity, steady-state cardiovascular training; that’s why it’s important to put as much energy into your lifting sessions as you can. If you do steady-state cardio before your weight lifting session, you won’t have the energy to work as hard as you can during your strength training. A less productive weight training session can impact EPOC; therefore, impacting the amount of calories you burn post workout.

In addition, the “perceived exertion” rates, or how hard your workout feels, is higher when you do cardio before strength training – even if the results you get from both routines are the same. What this means is that that if you do the same routine, but do cardio first, it will feel much harder than if you did the same exact workout by doing the strength portion first.

Finally, if you try maxing out on a strength exercise after an intense cardio session, you may fatigued, both mentally and physically, which could increase the chance of getting injured. Besides needing the mental determination to max out on an exercise after cardio, you will also need the help of assisting muscles to aid the movement. These assisting muscles may have become fatigued from the cardio beforehand. By tiring these stabilizer and assistance muscles before performing heavy strength training, you risk the chance of completing an exercise incorrectly or with improper form, which again, could lead to injury.

So again, whether you should do strength training or cardio first is dependent upon your goals, but these are some benefits of getting your strength session in first!

  Until next time, have fun strength training!