Don’t Skip the Workout Today!
I hope you all enjoyed a great weekend filled with football-championship fun!
It may not be a national holiday, but Super Bowl Sunday is an American tradition right up there with turkey on Thanksgiving and apple pie. In fact, I know plenty of non-football fans who look forward to this day. Why? Because the Big Game offers the perfect excuse to get together with friends and family and indulge in many of the foods most of us try and avoid on a regular basis.
Even I go a bit overboard on Super Bowl Sunday. Which is the main reason I’m on a mission this Monday to squeeze in a post-Super Bowl workout to burn some calories. (I’m pretty sure getting up off the couch to dance to some of Madonna’s half-time show club tunes didn’t do the trick.)
With some help from a great website called CalorieKing, I put together a rundown of how some of America’s favorite Super Bowl foods score on the calorie counter. Considering many or all of these items may have been on your game day menu, I’ll let you add them up based on what you did or didn’t eat and factor in how many pieces, slices or serving sizes you enjoyed.
- Doritos’ Tortilla Chips, Cool Ranch Flavored (12 chips) = 140 calories
- Lays’ Potato Chips, Sour Cream & Onion Flavored (17 chips) = 160 calories
- 5 Pigs-in-a-Blanket = 470 calories
- 5-wing serving of hot wings = Anywhere from 300 to 597 calories (depending on the sauce and dip they’re served with)
- 1 Slice of Cheese Pizza = 240 calories
- 1 Slice of Pepperoni Pizza = 298 calories
- 1 Slice of Papa John’s “The Works” Pizza = 330 calories
- Bowl of Chili = Calories range from 300 – 600 based on the recipe. (e.g. cheese v. no-cheese)
- 1 Light Beer (12 oz) = 96 calories
- 1 Regular Beer or Ale (12 oz) = 150 calories
- 1 Regular Soda (12oz) = 140 calories
If this list didn’t give you enough of a reason to want to get up off that chair and start and go for a run or find the next Zumba® class in your area, maybe this great article from Friday’s Washington Post will give you an extra push to break a sweat.
Whether or not you cared about which team won, I hope you enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday! If that included going a bit overboard with the food and drink, no doubt you had your fun – which means there’s no time like today to get back on track with your plans to be fit and feel fabulous!
Heart-Pounding Beats
TGIF!
I hope you’re proudly sporting some red today to show your support for the fight against heart disease as part of National Wear Red Day! As a follow-up to Wednesday’s post about National Heart Month, I thought I’d offer some musical motivation to get your heart beating a little faster. With that, I offer my first song list for 2012.
Here’s the playlist that’s currently pushing me through my cardio routine:
- “Me & You (Dimitri Andreas Remix),by Mr. Sam featuring Rani (this tune has been my go-to warm up and cool down for a week)
- “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger),” Kelly Clarkson (Seriously, who can’t relate to this song?)
- “Glad You Came,” The Wanted
- “Turn Me On,” David Guetta & Nicki Manaj
- “Medicine” Kim Leoni
- “Time Goes By,” Carrie Skipper
- “You and Me Belong,” JES
- “Make Me Feel,” The Benassi Bros.
- “Big Sky,” John O’Callaghan featuring Audrey Gallagher
- “Get Better,” KMC featuring Sandy
- “Ghost,” JES
- “Touch Me,” Rui Da Silva
Happy Heart Month!
Take Heart! It's Time to Get Up and Get Moving! Photo by Leslie Hassler
Wow, it’s February! While I have mixed feelings about celebrating yet another birthday this month, there is one noteworthy event I welcome with enthusiasm: today kicks off American Heart Month. If you’re still looking for a reason to make your healthy 2012 resolutions stick, I just gave you one. There’s simply no time like the present to take stock of how well you’re taking care of your ticker!
I don’t think you can offer too many reminders about the seriousness of heart disease in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
- Someone in this country has a heart attack every 34 seconds. Each minute, someone dies from a heart disease-related event.
- Heart disease doesn’t discriminate. It’s the number one cause of death for most ethnicities in the U.S.
- Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease.
While your family history can put you at greater risk, there are lifestyle choices each of us can make to decrease our behavioral risk factors for heart disease. These include obesity, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes. Guess what? Along with quitting smoking and following a healthy diet, getting exercise is one of the best things you can to keep these risk factors in check. Ultimately, exercise is one of your most powerful weapons in the fight against heart disease.
This doesn’t mean you have to sign up for a boot camp class or half-marathon during today’s lunch break. The latest guidelines from the American Heart Association indicate we need 30 minutes of brisk activity on five days a week. You can even break down those 30-minutes into a couple of 15-minute bouts. If you’ve never exercised before, your goal should be to get up off the couch and get moving. Take a walk around the neighborhood or get a fitness game for the kids’ video console. If you do want to join a gym, consider joining with a buddy for support. Try group exercise classes (like Zumba®!) until you find one you like and look forward to participating two or three times a week. Treat yourself to a couple of personal training sessions so you learn to navigate your way safely through a fitness routine. This is your health we’re talking about. If you don’t take the time to invest in it, who will?
Check out these sites for more information about heart disease, prevention tips, American Heart Month and other year-round initiatives like Go Red for Women:
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/index.htm
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
http://www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx
Finally, don’t forget to wear red this Friday, February 3rd. I’ll be pulling something fiery out of my closet to show my support for National Wear Red Day®. When it’s over, I look forward to doing all I can to take care of my heart -and hopefully encouraging all of you to do the same – as part of a year-round plan to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
The Lunchtime Workout
I’m not sure where the weekend went, but here we are facing another Monday and the last two days of January! As my type A+ personality starts mentally preparing for a pretty intense work week, I thought I’d address a fitness-related question that has a work angle, too.
Aimee recently posed the following question via my LauraLovesFitness Facebook page: Any advice for those of us fitting in 30 minute lunch workouts? I am typically doing 20-25 minutes of cardio followed by a quick core/weights. If you could recommend treadmill/arc trainer settings to get the most of it plus times – I would appreciate it!!!
First of all, kudos to Aimee and anyone else who uses a lunch break for the benefit or his or her health! Regardless of what time of day you working out, I recommend getting a heart rate monitor as it takes the guess-work out of determining just how hard your body is working. (Those silver heart-rate measuring “strips” on the cardio machines aren’t always accurate.)
Now as far as the workout goes, here’s the bottom line: it doesn’t matter what the incline or resistance settings on the machine say. What does matter is whether you’re working at a challenging yet safe level within the appropriate heart rate zone for your stage of training.
For the purpose of this post, I’ll offer some parameters for anyone working out with a goal of body fat reduction. The Law of Thermodynamics teaches us that to reach this goal, you must burn more calories than you consume. Cardio is usually one of the first things people start doing to make those calories disappear.
If you’re a beginner or returning to the gym after a hiatus, you should be performing cardio within heart rate zone one. Click here for a refresher on how to calculate your target heart rate for this zone. (My zone one heart rate is 119-137.) NASM principles indicate a person shouldn’t advance to zone two until he or she can maintain a zone one heart rate for at least 30 minutes two to three times per week.
One you’ve built a good base (which can take more than a month), you’re ready for zone two, which is 80-85% of your maximum heart rate (HR max). Again, I’ll use myself as an example for the parameters:
- 220-37 = 183 (HR max)
- 183 X 0.80 = 146
- 183 X 0.85 = 156
- Laura’s Zone Two Heart Rate = 146-156
This level is extra fun because if you’re working in stage two of your overall fitness program, this is where interval training comes in. For those using treadmills, arc trainers or other cardio machines, you can now increase the workload (speed, incline, level) to alter your heart rate between zones one and two. So here’s how my interval training would look on the elliptical:
- Five-minute warm up zone one (119-137)
- One minute in zone two (146-156)
- Five minutes in zone one
- One minute in zone two
- Five minutes in zone one
- One minute in zone two
- Three – five minute cool down in zone one
If Aimee’s ready for this stage of training, this would be a good approximate 20-minute cardio workout for the treadmill or arc trainer. Again, the key is to find a way to accurately measure her heart rate to make sure she’s working within the designated zones.
A couple of final notes: there is a heart rate zone three as well as a training stage three, but these are designated for advanced athletes. (I’d be happy to address these in a future post if anyone would like the information.) Finally, for Aimee or anyone who’s squeezing in some cardio, core and resistance training in a short period of time, please don’t skimp on the stretching! I know it’s tough to get it all in, but sticking with a well-rounded routine is one of the best ways to stay on track with your plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
“Fit”ting in Some Kindness
TGIF!
So, I started the week completely aware I’d be traveling to Texas for my first business trip of the New Year. However, I was completely unaware of what would happen when I landed in Dallas.
Not all of it was bad, but as it happens with any spontaneous occurrence, some of my best laid plans flew right out the window. In this case, those plans involved my fitting some fitness into my overnight jaunt…and they evaporated right through the rain-soaked windows of my rental car.
Basically, Mother Nature and road work put the brakes on my plans to head directly to the fitness center after checking in but before having dinner with my dear friend Jeanne Marie. What should have been a 15-minute drive from DFW to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine quickly turned into a navigational nightmare with no apparent end in sight. My car’s GPS system kept looping me back to the same highway closure that sent me on a detour in the first place. As each minute ticked toward and beyond 5 p.m., the rain drops pounded more powerfully against the windshield and the sky grew a bit darker. After my third unsuccessful loop, I stopped at a red light where I tried to re-group. If it wasn’t for a very kind Texan named Troy, I might still be sitting there.
I was about to call the hotel’s front desk and ask someone to stay on the line with me as I drove to an alternate route when a black pickup pulled up alongside me. I asked the driver to roll down his window, hoping he could simply point me toward the right direction for an alternate route. Maybe it was my I’m-not-from-around-here accent or the harried look on my face, but Troy went above and beyond any expectation. He hopped out of his truck and into the rain to better hear me shout out from my window where I needed to go. Then he simply said “follow me, ” hopped back in to his pickup and lead me exactly where I needed to go. Thanks to some rush hour traffic and yet another road closure, I have no doubt Troy’s random act of kindness took longer than he planned.
As we came to the final intersection where a sign clearly pointed my hotel was only a mere left turn away, Troy got in the other lane to turn right and continue on with his original plans for the evening. Before he drove off, he got out of his truck in the rain a second time to make sure I was okay. I couldn’t say thank you enough times. If Troy ever travels to New York City, I can only hope to return the favor by helping him navigate the subways!
Maybe Mother Nature thought I needed a break from the elliptical machine. Or maybe she thought I needed a reminder that there are still friendly people out there willing to go out of their way (in this case, literally) to help someone out. While it may not provide the same cardio rush as the run you go on to have fun and be fit, I’d say lending a helping hand is a surefire way to make yourself and someone else feel fabulous!
Workout Wednesday: Another Stabilization Endurance Routine
Stabilization Before Strength! Photo by Leslie Hassler
Happy Workout Wednesday!
As I received some positive feedback on the total-body workout I posted last week, I thought I’d post another one. Just like last Wednesday’s plan, these exercises provide a total-body resistance training workout for what NASM calls the stabilization endurance phase of training. If you’re new to the gym or returning after a break, this is the type of plan you should follow.
Don’t forget to warm-up before jumping into this routine and cool-down when you’re done. For each exercise, aim for two sets of 12 reps. (If you’ve never worked out before or starting again after a very long break, one set is just fine.)
Core:
- Single leg balance reach (**2 sets of 8 reps for each leg**)
- Total body: Ball squat to curl to overhead press
- Chest: Ball dumbbell chest press
- Back: Ball dumbbell row (2-arm)
- Shoulders: Ball military press
- Biceps: Single-leg bicep curl
- Triceps: Prone ball dumbbell triceps extensions
- Legs: Step-up to balance
I cannot stress enough the importance of the stabilization training phase being the correct starting point for an exercise regimen. Without stabilization, your muscles don’t work the way they’re supposed to and your body will make compensations to keep you moving. Those compensations lead to muscle imbalances which lead to increased stress on the joints which in the end can eventually lead to injury.
Aim to perform this program two to three days each week, but remember not to perform the same routine on back-to-back days. Your muscles need time to recover and repair, which is accomplished through rest. So perhaps you perform this program on Mondays and Wednesdays and get your cardio in on the in-between days. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t skimp on the stretching! I will be eager to hear more feedback on whether or not this program helps you on your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Taking Fitness on the Road
Don't forget the workout wear!
The start of this new work week marks one that will include my first business trip of 2012. As anyone who travels for work knows, there’s no way I’d classify this as “luxurious” getaway. I’ll fly to Dallas Tuesday afternoon, pick up a rental car at the airport, drive to the hotel, eat dinner, prep for the shoot we’re producing for SC Johnson and then try to get some sleep before Wednesday morning’s early wake up call for a drive to a suburb called Flower Mound. (What in the world did we do before GPS?)
Tonight, as I pack my bag, there are a couple of things I’ll be sure not to leave behind: the notes for my shoot and my workout wear. While working out is obviously part of my routine during a normal week when I’m grounded here in New York City, getting some exercise is sometimes even more therapeutic when I’m on a business trip. Breaking a sweat helps shake off the stiffness from sitting on an airplane. It also helps circulate that stale airplane air out of the lungs.
Chances are the gym at my hotel won’t have all the equipment I’m surrounded by at New York Sports Clubs. However, I’m pretty confident there will be an elliptical machine, treadmill or recumbent bike for some cardio and at least a handful of free weights or some kind of weight machine set up. If I’m lucky, there may even be a stability ball tucked in a corner. If you do get stuck in a hotel that doesn’t have even a tiny fitness center, here are some exercises you can do in your room that require no equipment at all:
As far as taking my healthy eating habits on the road, my rule of thumb is I simply do my best. Luckily, more airports are starting to offer healthier quick-grab items like salads and fruit for you to take on the flight or eat while you’re waiting for your connection.
Here are a couple of additional healthy-eating tips for my fellow business travelers:
- Pack healthy snacks. Even on overnight trips, I keep raw almonds and a couple of Fiber One bars in my bag. If I can’t eat for a while because I’m wrapped up in the project, or if the food options aren’t optimal, at least I have a satisfying snack to hold me over for a bit.
- Monitor portions. If meals are brought in for meetings or you’re going out for lunch or dinner (or both!), watch your portion sizes and perhaps choose to have a cocktail, but skip dessert; or skip an appetizer and a drink but indulge in something sweet after your meal.
The bottom line is there’s no reason to turn traveling for work into an excuse not to take care of yourself. No one cares if you break a sweat in a wrinkled t-shirt. So roll up those workout clothes and toss them into your overnight bag along with a couple of healthy snacks. With a little planning, your next business trip doesn’t have to take you on an unwanted detour from your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Friday Favorites: Laura’s Go-To Foods, Part 2
We made it through another work week!
Last Friday, I offered some of my favorite breakfast and snack options that help me stay fit and fueled for a long workday followed by some sort of workout. Since several people told me they wanted to learn more, I thought I’d offer some ideas for lunch and dinner.
I may sound like a broken record, but it’s important to remember while I am a certified fitness professional, I am not a certified or licensed as a nutritionist or dietitian. These are simply food choices that work for me as part of my daily efforts to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Lunch Option#1 – The following items make up the combo I usually pack for work:
- Six slices of Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Turkey (or Virginia Brand Ham) on two slices of Weight Watchers whole wheat or rye bread or one Arnold Sandwich Thins. For condiments and texture, I use mustard, alfalfa sprouts and sometimes, I’ll add slices of avocado.
- Alternate sandwich option: Egg-white-only egg salad (2 – 3 eggs) mixed with light mayo and paprika and black pepper on same bread listed above. The sprouts still work great to add a bit of crunch!
- Bag o’ veggies: Every Sunday I try to make up a minimum of five sandwich bags filled with 1/2 cup of baby carrots and/or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes and/or 1/2 cup celery and/or 1/2 cup red, orange or yellow pepper strips. Then I take one bag to work each day to compliment the sandwich.
- Low-fat string cheese (like Sargento)
Lunch Option #2: – Salad:
- Always an easy option. You can either bring a pre-made salad from home filled with all the veggies you can chop or hopefully there’s somewhere near work where you can pick one up. Don’t forget to include a protein like an egg or egg whites; salmon; grilled chicken; chick peas or tofu. I also love adding sliced almonds and/or mandarin orange slices for a bit of crunch and a sweet kick. (Just don’t drown the healthy stuff in fat-loaded dressing!)
Lunch Option #3: Subway
- If I’m in an unfamiliar area and need to get something quick and see a Subway, I’ll grab a 6-inch, 9-grain wheat sub and fill it with turkey and/or ham and all the veggies they have to offer and one of the fat-free dressing options like honey mustard or sweet onion. If I’m really hungry, I will “splurge” on a bag of some variety of baked chips. I’d rather eat those than still be hungry and be faced with less healthful alternatives later in the day.
Dinner Option #1: “The Basics”
- Chicken, pork or fish (check out this link for healthy serving sizes and how you can “eyeball” if you’re in the healthy range) on a bed of frozen spinach or mixed veggies. Add a serving of brown rice or a small baked potato for a more filling meal.
- 1/2 cup whole grain pasta with olive oil, garlic, onions, chopped tomatoes and/or other veggies with low-fat shredded mozzarella. (You can make an extra 1/2 cup and bring it to work for lunch the next day.)
Dinner Option #2: Breakfast for Dinner!
- Egg white omelet with whatever veggies you have in the fridge and shredded low-fat cheddar or mozzarella cheese.
- 1 or 2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread or a sandwich thin.
Dinner Option #3: Instant Meal
- When there’s nothing in the fridge, pick up a bag of microwaveable frozen broccoli, a bag of microwaveable brown rice and a can of chick peas. Nuke the veggies and rice and toss all three items together with some low-sodium soy sauce or salsa.
What lunch and dinner options work for you? Let me know – I always welcome new ideas when it comes to eating well as part of the plan to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
A Workout Wednesday Plan
Stabilization Before Strength Photo by Leslie Hassler
I get lots of questions from lots of people about what exercises are good for someone who is new to the gym or returning after a hiatus. So, in honor of “Workout Wednesday,” I thought I’d offer one of the programs I designed for my training sessions this past weekend.
The following exercises provide a total-body program for what NASM calls the stabilization endurance phase of training. It’s important to note you should perform an adequate warm-up before jumping into this routine and a cool-down when you’re done. For each exercise, aim for two sets of 12 reps. (If you’ve never worked out before or starting again after a very long break, one set is just fine.)
Core:
- Single leg balance (**2 sets of 8 reps for each leg**)
- Total body: Ball squat to curl to overhead press
- Chest: Ball dumbbell chest press
- Back: Standing cable row
- Shoulders: Single-leg scaption
- Biceps: Single-leg bicep curl
- Triceps: Prone ball dumbbell triceps extensions
- Legs: Step-up to balance
As I’ve written about in the past, the stabilization training phase should be the starting point for anyone new or returning to a fitness routine. Research has shown jumping into strength or power training before stabilization is a surefire way to increase your risk of injury. Simply put, without stabilization, your muscles don’t work the way they’re supposed to and your body being the amazing machine it is will make compensations to keep you moving. Those compensations lead to muscle imbalances which lead to increased stress on the joints which in the end leads to injury.
Aim to perform this program two to three days each week, but remember not to perform the same routine on back-to-back days. Your muscles need time to recover and repair, which is accomplished through rest. So maybe you go through this program on Mondays and Wednesdays. You can do cardio on the same day or on the in-between days and make sure you don’t skimp on the stretching! I will be eager to hear your feedback on whether or not this program helps you on your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Personal Training 101
Happy MLK, Jr. Day! I hope you’re enjoying the first long weekend of 2012.
I’m feeling extremely lucky to have kicked off the New Year enjoying back-to-back productive and life-changing weekends. Last weekend was all about becoming licensed Zumba® instructor. This weekend, I kicked my personal training goals into high gear.
Prep materials & paperwork for training sessions
While I’ve written about guiding my friend Jared along his journey with a first-time gym membership, this weekend I conducted my first official personal training sessions at Hype gym here in New York City. I’m grateful to my colleagues Rebecca, Colleen, Lea and Lauren for signing up for these first workouts, and I’m already looking forward to the next round!
Each of these women came to me with a similar goal of reducing body fat and increasing the appearance of muscle definition, but each had her own unique background based on several factors including medical history and daily activities (e.g. wearing heels or sitting for a good part of the day because of her occupation). This is why it’s crucial to understand why a “one-size-fits-all” approach to exercise isn’t the best course of action. Just because your best friend has gotten great results from taking a certain group exercise class or running through a specific high intensity circuit on the weight floor doesn’t mean the same routine will work for you – especially if you’re body isn’t properly prepared for that type of workout.
This is where a personal trainer can help. Along with collecting subjective information about your general and medical history, we analyze crucial objective information (measurable data), as well. This includes performance assessments, one of most important being the overhead squat assessment. As I learned through my NASM instruction, this dynamic postural assessment is key in creating a safe and effective exercise program. Observing a person’s feet, knees, lumbo- pelvic-hip complex and shoulder complex while he or she performs an overhead squat shows which overactive muscles need to be stretched and which underactive muscles need to be strengthened. For example, a couple of the women had knees that turned out when performing their overhead squats. That meant we had to stretch the adductors (inner thighs), bicep femoris (hamstring) and tensor fasciae latae (TFL) as part of a warm up before jumping into the rest of the workout.
As far as the workouts are concerned, each woman has begun the first phase of her training: stabilization endurance. This includes lots of fun exercises like dumbbell chest presses and shoulder presses on a stability ball as well as bicep curls standing on one leg instead of two. These exercises have an added bonus: since the body needs to work harder to stay stable, you can end up burning a lot of calories. Each woman will remain in this phase of training for the next four weeks.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep you posted on their progress (here’s hoping they come back for lots of sessions!) and also share some specific exercise programs that will hopefully help you with your routine so you can have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
lauralovesfitness 