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Why I’m Extra Happy it’s Workout Wednesday
Two words make this a much-needed day for a big-time calorie burn: Fat Tuesday.
If you’re like millions of people around the world, you spent yesterday indulging in some “sinful” treats ranging from chocolate chip pancakes to libations of different octane levels. My office added to the sugarfest by asking our resident bakers to whip up some goodies for all of us to enjoy as a late-afternoon treat.
While I’ll be extra glad to break a serious sweat at tonight’s “UXF Burn” class, there are a few reasons I refuse to be consumed by guilt over my behavior on this annual day of decadence:
- It happens once in a 365-day period.
- For the past seven years, Fat Tuesday has fallen on the same day of the week as my favorite group exercise class. I’m just sure to kick things up an extra notch at NYSC’s Club Strength on this specific Tuesday where I tend to throw moderation out the window.
- Workout Wednesday immediately follows Fat Tuesday.
If you went a little overboard yesterday, you have some extra motivation to make today’s workout count! Not sure you need the boost? Consider this: pancakes rank at the top of the Fat Tuesday favorite-food list almost every year. If you enjoyed this crowd-pleaser at a restaurant like IHOP last night, remember each pancake weighs in at approximately 180 calories and six grams of fat. According to CalorieKing, burning off the calories in just one fluffy combination of sugar, flour and eggs would require 50 minutes of walking, 21 minutes of jogging, 15 minutes of swimming or 27 minutes of cycling. If you enjoyed a stack of four or five…well, you can do the math.
All that being said, I wrap up this post with a common LauraLovesFitness theme: life is simply too short to deny yourself the things you really enjoy. For me, that will always include chocolate and red wine. On the rare occasions I do splurge and enjoy those decadent items on the same day, I simply make it a point to get back on track with my healthy food choices the next day and add an extra ten or fifteen minutes to my workout. Finding a balance for all the things that bring you happiness is a challenging but critical part of our journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
The Numbers Game
I kick off this new work week another year older. The jury may still be out on whether that means I’m also another year wiser, but I do know one thing for certain: life’s too short to really obsess about your age!
Between my many years of going to the gym, starting this blog and joining the world of Twitter and Facebook, I’ve met lots of people who share my passion for health and fitness. Some are fitness novices, some are seasoned veterans like me and others are hardcore professional body builders. They range in age from 20-something to 60-something and beyond. Our “bond” has nothing to do with what year we were born. It has to do with a common commitment to healthy living and understanding that leading this kind of life is an ongoing journey and not a sprint to a “quick-fix” finish.
So the motivation I offer on this particular Monday is a push for everyone at any age to get out there and get moving. Instead of worrying about a number dictating how old you are, put that energy toward finding a fitness program that works for your schedule and offers a challenge that makes your body feel its best. I can honestly say I feel healthier at 39 than I did at 29 and that has everything to do with the fitness and food choices I’ve adopted in my “wiser” years.
On the flip side, here are some of the numbers everyone should keep an eye on:
- Weight / Body Mass Index: I’m not talking about the “I-need-to-lose-five-pounds” kind of weight. I’m talking about the kind of weight that makes your doctor take notice because it puts you at risk for complications like heart disease and Diabetes.
- Cholesterol
- Blood glucose
- Blood pressure
- Triglycerides
Remember, you can win at the numbers game. Part of it is mind over matter. Part of it is reminding yourself certain numbers like your age shouldn’t matter too much. Perhaps the biggest part is remembering that keeping the important numbers in check is a lot easier when you make a lifelong commitment to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Friday’s Final Thoughts
This particular Friday not only brings the likely arrival of what could be a blizzard here in New York City. It also marks the last day of my 38th year on this planet.
So, as I sail into my birthday weekend on an easy-breezy note, I thought I’d share a few smiles courtesy of my top 10 favorite quotes about getting older. These words of wisdom are good reminders for all of us – yes, that includes me! – that age really is just a number.
- “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”-Satchel Paige
- “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”-Mark Twain
- “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty in every age of life really never grows old.”-Franz Kafka
- “Time ripens all things; no man is born wise.”-Miguel de Cervantes
- I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up wrinkles the soul.”-Douglas MacArthur
- “I speak truth, not so much as I would, but as much as I dare; and I dare a little more, as I grow older.”-Catherine Drinker Bowen
- “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”-Muhammad Ali
- “When you are younger you get blamed for crimes you never committed and when you’re older, you begin to get credit for virtues you never possessed. It evens itself out.”-George Santayana
- “You are never too old to be what you might have been.”-George Eliot
- “A birthday is a good time to begin anew: throwing away the old habits, as you would old clothes, and never putting them on again.”-Bronson Alcott
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend filled with countless who-cares-how-old-your-drivers-license-says-you-are-moments and plenty of chances to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Flexibility Fix
Guess what? You’ve made it to the sixth Workout Wednesday of 2013!
In about another week, the exercise and healthy eating habits you started in January should start feeling more like a part of your daily routine. So whatever you do, don’t give up now!
Don’t Forget to Stretch!
Photo by Leslie Hassler
I’m actually a little miffed with myself that it’s taken me until this point in the new year to remind you about one of the most crucial yet often overlooked part of a well-balanced exercise program: flexibility training. One of my biggest regrets in my life-long love affair with fitness is that it took me far too long to incorporate a healthy amount of flexibility training into my own routine. Since many of you are still working out some kinks in your exercise program, I didn’t want this habit-forming time to end without reminding you to take care of the kinks in your body, too!
What kind of kinks am I talking about? Well, unless you’re a runway model, chances are your posture isn’t the best thanks to countless hours spent sitting at a desk crouched over a keyboard or stuck behind the wheel commuting or shuttling the kids around town. If you’re on your feet all day or paint houses or work in construction, you can also suffer from tightness thanks to repetitive motions.
While I can’t assess the exact points of tension in your body, one of the most common problem areas are the latissimus dorsi, or lats, in your back. I know when I’m on deadline at work and don’t take enough breaks to step away from the computer, my lats start screaming for some TLC.
So on this Workout Wednesday, here’s a look at one stretch for this sore spot that I think is worthy of an encore performance: the static latissimus dorsi ball stretch.
- The prep: Kneel in front of the stability ball with one arm on the ball and the other hand on the ground. (Training tip: For the arm that’s on the ball, make sure your thumb is pointed up.)
- The move: Draw your navel upward and reach forward with the arm that’s on the ball. You will feel a stretch along the side of your torso into the lower back.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Return to start position, switch sides and repeat.
Photos by Lauren Bachner
At Hype Gym
For an active variation on this stretch, you would prepare for and execute the stretch the same way. However, once you reach your arm forward, hold the stretch for 2 seconds, then roll back to the start and repeat for 5-10 reps. Switch sides and repeat.
As we move forward in 2013, don’t be surprised to find I re-visit the importance of flexibility training in any fitness program. Taking care of those tight muscles is a surefire way to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Let Those Super Bowl Sunday “Sins” Motivate You to Move Today!
If you’re looking for your Monday dose of motivation to get your body moving, let me ask you just one question: what did you eat yesterday?
If you’re in a food coma today, you’re in good company. I’m sure it’s no surprise to hear Super Bowl Sunday is the second-biggest calorie-consumption day of the year after Thanksgiving. Just how many calories are we talking about? Well, think of this: the recommended daily caloric intake for people looking to maintain their weight is roughly 2,000 calories. On Super Bowl Sunday, the majority of Americans eat close to 2,800 calories…in about three hours.
The simple truth is whether you’re a football fan or not, Super Bowl Sunday has become an American tradition like apple pie. I think it’s simply because the Big Game offers a great opportunity to get together with family and friends and indulge in many of the foods most of us try to avoid on a regular basis.
Yes, even I tend to go a bit overboard on Super Bowl Sunday. So I can guarantee I’ll be pushing a little harder at the gym after work today to burn even more calories than normal. (I’m pretty sure getting up off the couch to dance along with Beyoncé’s half-time show didn’t do the trick.)
With some help CalorieKing, I put together a playbook featuring some of America’s favorite Super Bowl foods. Considering many or all of these items may have been on your game day menu, I’ll let you add them up based on how many pieces, slices or serving sizes you enjoyed. As you calculate the numbers in your head or using your iPhone, I imagine you may have found a good reason to get up off your chair and start your next run or workout immediately.
- 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
Whether or not you cared about which team won, I hope you had a fun Super Bowl Sunday! If that included going a bit overboard with the food and drink, no doubt you had your fun – which means today’s your chance to get back on track with your plans to be fit and feel fabulous!
Happy Heart Month!
Can someone please tell me where January went?
Well, here we are on February 1st! While I have mixed emotions about turning another year older this month, there’s a special event I DO welcome with open arms: today kicks off American Heart Month. If you’re still looking for a reason to make those healthy 2013 resolutions stick, this is it. There’s simply no time like the present to take stock of how well you’re taking care of your ticker!
It’s no secret heart disease remains a serious problem here in the United States. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
- About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. That’s one in ever four deaths.
- 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 one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against heart disease.
I’m not saying you have to run out to a boot camp class or sign up for a 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. If that sounds overwhelming, consider this: you can break those 30-minutes down into two 15-minute or three 10-minute sessions.
If you’ve never exercised before, it’s time to get off the couch and get moving! Schedule morning or evening walks around the neighborhood or get a fitness game for the kids’ video console. If you’re thinking of joining a gym, consider signing up with a workout buddy for support. Try group exercise classes (like Zumba®) until you find one you like so you’ll look forward to sweating it out a couple of 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 invest in it, who will?
If you’d like more information about ways to prevent heart disease and events going on for American Heart Month as well as year-round initiatives, here are some websites to check out:
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/index.htm
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
Finally, if you’re still figuring out your wardrobe for the day, throw something red on to support the 10th annual National Wear Red Day®. When it’s over, here’s to the weekend ahead and continuing our year-round plan to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Workout Wednesday: “Romper Room” Style
Smile & Remember:
Fitness CAN Be Fun!
Photo by Leslie Hassler
So here we are, four weeks after the start of 2013 and you’re sticking with those plans to make this year a healthy one. Way to go! If you’ve had a few off days, don’t sweat it. (Remember, this is the gal who abandoned her chopped veggies for a steady infusion of chocolate treats during a five-day vacation in Amsterdam!)
On this Workout Wednesday, I wanted to tell you about the new group exercise class I’ve become addicted to. If you’re looking for me on a Wednesday night, chances are you’ll find me front and center at the “UXF Burn” class offered at the New York Sports Club not far from where I live. NYSC describes the class as a 45-minute combination of cardio and strength training that can burn up to 600 calories in one class. However, I think the words of my high-energy instructor Lou offer a better definition of what makes the cross-training experience such a rush: “It’s Romper Room for adults.”
Lou starts us off with the necessary warm-up and then gets our hearts pumping with some killer cardio circuits for the first 25 minutes of class with a wide variety of moves including jumping jacks, ice skaters and high-knees. We then keep our heart rates up as we move through high-rep / moderate-weight circuits to work every muscle group with exercises ranging from squats with bicep curls to lat rows and kickbacks. Last week, instead of the whole class doing the same strength-training routine at once, she divided us into two sides for a “face-off.” Each side of the class had a series of six exercises to complete in 90-second intervals before switching sides. These included:
- Bridge with chest press using a 15-20 pound weight
- Jump rope
- Double crunches
- Dips using a step
- Pikes
“Romper Room” indeed! The variety of exercises and the non-stop movement between each one makes this class fly by in record time for me. I can honestly say I have so much fun during this class I almost forget I’m actually working out, at least until the sound of my pounding heart fills my ears and sweat blinds my eyeballs!
I realize you may not have access to a class exactly like this one, and you may not even have any interesting in seeking one out. However, I hope telling you about my excitement over the addition to my routine serves as a reminder that exercise can be fun and even fitness veterans like me are always looking for new ways to enjoy working out. Whether it’s jumping rope or trying a new group exercise class filled with moves that make you feel like a kid again, remember, variety is a key component to staying on track with your plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Back to Reality
Tiffany, Ania & I burned some calories keeping warm in the cold!
No, I didn’t workout here, but had to stop for a photo!
I know I tend to offer a shot of motivation on Mondays. On this particular Monday, I have to say I feel more motivated than I have in recent memory. All it took was a trip to Amsterdam.
Whether you hop on a plane and fly across the Atlantic like I did or getaway for a few hours to a spa or even a quiet restaurant with a special someone in your life, there’s something to be said about escaping the realities of our everyday lives.
For me, that escape included forgoing my normal typical daily high-intensity workouts to relish in daily walking adventures in a beautiful, new city. We visited museums; sampled the local flavors in various cafes; boosted the economy with trips to flea markets and shops; escaped the cold on a heated canal cruise and then braved the frigid temperatures to see some windmills up close.
LauraLovesFitness..and chocolate & banana pancakes!
My escape also included hot chocolate, chocolate waffles, chocolate and banana pancakes (are you sensing a trend here?), some of the most amazing breads and cheeses I’ve ever had, Amstel and Heineken on draft and other libations that kept the bone-chilling temperatures from making things too uncomfortable. Last but certainly not least, there were countless laughs and lighthearted conversations with my gal pals – one of whom is among the special few I’ve had the joy of knowing since childhood.
You could say I “abandoned” my normally fit New York lifestyle to embrace a different approach to healthy living in Amsterdam. This is a city where people actually sit down to drink a cup of coffee and it’s not easy to find a to-go cup. It’s a place where people walk or use bicycles to get from points A to Z on a normal basis and where many shop owners don’t open their business until Monday afternoon – and still close at 6 pm. Compared to the incessant frenetic pace of my city that never sleeps, this vacation was a welcome respite.
All smiles over real hot chocolate!
Don’t get me wrong. I love being a native New Yorker. However, I just can’t stress enough the importance of taking a break from the ordinary every now and then. When I am home, that break involves hitting the gym to let go of the stress from the daily grind. After time, my body and my mind need to escape from that routine, too. Throw in some real chocolate and other delicious treats, and I definitely like I’m away. I also believe that sometimes you need to be a little bad to get back to being good.
So, as we tackle a new week, I do so with a renewed love for my “routine” breakfasts filled with berries and lunches complete with chopped veggies. Thanks for sticking with me while I was away. If you have questions or topics you’d like me to address in the weeks ahead, don’t be shy! I look forward to seeing where the next part of the adventure leads on our never-ending journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Good food, drinks & conversation offered some fitness for the mind!
A Different Kind of Workout Wednesday
Of course, I packed some workout wear!
This particular Workout Wednesday marks a first for me. Depending on what time you read this, I’ll either be getting ready for or in the midst of flying to Amsterdam! As I write this post, I’m beyond excited to meet up with my lifelong buddy Ania and her pal Tiffany for what’s sure to be a fun-filled adventure!
While I’ll be skipping the workout today, I do plan on making use of our hotel’s fitness center during the trip. While I’m gone, if you need a shot of motivation, don’t hesitate to scroll down to the “Search This Site” box on the right side of this page. If you type in anything from abdominals to Zumba, hopefully you’ll find something helpful from one of my previous 200+ posts.
I leave you with links to some “oldies but goodies” that offer tips on key training concepts. I hope they’ll help as you continue your hard work on turning those New Year’s resolutions into routine behavior:
- Core Training
- One Area That Almost Always Needs a Good Stretch!
- Healthy Eating Tips
- One of My Go-To, No-Brainer Workout Routines
My next post will appear on Monday, January 28th. In the meantime, feel free to leave comments or email me with any questions or with any topics you’d like me to touch on in the weeks ahead. Wishing everyone a great week and I look forward to returning with even more energy to continue on this journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Still Looking for Your Motivation?
Dreams of a beach getaway could be just the motivation you need!
Congratulations! You’re already two weeks in to making those health and fitness resolutions stick! Keep up the good work and when you get discouraged, remember, in just a few short weeks, those new healthy behaviors will be old habits. Before you know it, getting in those 30 minutes of cardio or downing those extra glasses of water will be as routine as brushing your teeth!
If you’re still looking for a reason to work toward your goal, why not try the “trick” that’s probably worked since you were a kid: set up some rewards. Think about it, if you know you’re going to get a bonus or an extra day off for putting in 150% on a project, you’re bound to put in some extra energy at work. So, why not use the same kind of incentive to break an extra sweat now and then and turn a health and fitness goal into a reality?
Goals can be short term, like saying you’ll make it to that Zumba class every Tuesday until February. You can also set up long term goals, like losing 10 pounds by May 1st or studying to get certified in the fitness industry by summer. Whatever the goal, having a reward attached offers that extra incentive to help pushing toward it.
Now, I’m not necessarily talking about high-calorie rewards. For example, instead of saying “If I stick with this health and fitness routine for the six weeks like Laura said I could, I get to eat cupcakes every day for a whole week,” why not try this: “If I stick with this health and fitness routine for the six weeks like Laura said I could, I’ll book a massage to help my body feel even better!”
For all the fitness chicks, rewards for short-term goals can be anything from new workout wear to a pedicure and for the guys, maybe you snag tickets to that big game. Reaching a long-term goal could reap a bigger reward like a spa getaway or special night out.
When you’re working hard to take care of yourself, knowing a “treat” is waiting for you down the road could be just what you need to stay on track with your plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
lauralovesfitness 