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Why Laura Loves (and Hates) the Burpee
With UFX Instructor and Fitness Guru, Roberto Murichi, at NYSC
Another Workout Wednesday has arrived! Just like last week, I’ll be spending this one at New York Sports Club getting my butt kicked in a small group training class called UXF, short for “Ultimate Fitness Experience.” Thanks to some great instruction from my friend and master personal trainer Roberto Murichi, my classmates and I are mastering some of the simplest exercises that can make an amazing impact on the body.
One of those exercises is the burpee. It’s one of those strength training exercises that also offers one heck of a cardio kick. Here’s the “basic” breakdown to the four-step exercise:
- Start off standing with feet hip-width apart, back straight and abs tight (draw in your navel toward the spine).
- Bend knees and drop your hands to the floor.
- Kick your feet back to a push-up position and immediately return your feet to the hands with knees bent.
- Jump straight into the air as high as possible. Repeat, moving as fast as possible. Make sure you keep your abs drawn in throughout the movement.
With each rep, you work your chest, arms, deltoids, thighs, hamstrings and abs. After ten reps, my heart rate is up and my legs are seriously burning. After Roberto made us run through a circuit that featured a combination of kettlebell swings and burpees, I felt like I pushed myself harder than I would have during a typical jaunt on the elliptical.
Aside from the full-body benefits, there’s another great perk associated with burpees: you don’t need equipment to get them done! You can do burpees in your living room, in a park or in your hotel room if you’re on the road for work.
In the end, I love this exercise because I can feel so many parts of my body working hard to get through each rep. Of course, this is the same reason I hate the exercise, too. (Usually, the “hate” factor starts after the first set of ten reps.) But if you’re looking for a full-body exercise to kick your workout into high gear, adding the burpee to your fitness program is a surefire way to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Exercise & Stress
As we all tackle yet another “Manic Monday,” I thought this was the perfect day of the week to talk about one of my favorite benefits of exercise: it’s a terrific way to kick stress right in the you-know-what!
First, let’s talk about why we need to get our stress levels under control. The human body being an amazing machine is designed to experience stress and react to it, which can help keep us alert in dangerous situations. However, when stress becomes more of a chronic “condition” and the body has no outlet for relief, that’s when bad things can happen.
Anyone who’s ever been stressed out – and who hasn’t? – has most likely experienced some of these stress-related physical symptoms:
- Headaches
- Upset stomach
- Elevated blood pressure
- Flare ups of medical conditions including arthritis and skin problems (e.g. Psoriasis, Rosacea)
- Chest pain
- Trouble sleeping
It may surprise you to learn about some of the latest statistics when it comes to stress here in the United States:
- Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
So, in an effort to not become a statistic, I find regular exercise keeps my stress levels in check. Why? Well, turns out physical activity boosts production of those feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain known as endorphins. This is often referred to as a “runner’s high.” However, as someone who doesn’t run, I have first-hand knowledge that you can still experience the rush after a heart-pounding trip on the elliptical machine, a 60-minute strength training class or partying it up in Zumba.
Another great thing about exercise is that whether you’re shooting hoops or swimming laps, the activity shifts your mind’s focus away from what caused your state of distress. Whatever tight deadlines or crazy shoot scenarios I deal with during the day, once I finally get to the gym and start moving, my mind turns its attention to the task at hand: breathing, maintaining good form and enjoying my workout tunes. Work is no longer the focus of my attention and my mind starts to clear.
Quite honestly, after a crazy day at work, nothing sets my mind straight again quite like a good workout. Sure, a glass of wine doesn’t hurt either, but feeling good after breaking a sweat usually stops me from letting one glass turn into multiple ones and negating the effects of all that hard work! Keeping those stress levels under control is just another way exercise can help us with our daily efforts to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Kick stress in the.... Photo by Leslie Hassler
Freestyle Friday
We’ve enjoyed some glorious sneak peeks at springtime here in New York City courtesy of Mother Nature this week. Along with the beautiful weather, I’ve found an extra spring in my step during my morning walks to the office thanks to what I call some “oldies but goodies” in my iTunes music library.
On today’s walk down Broadway, I took a fun trip down memory lane as the shuffle option played a medley of songs that brought me back to all those high school dances at St. Mary’s or Chaminade. The songs also reminded me of the days when I’d rush to pop a cassette in my boom box to tape them from the radio and use my birthday bucks to buy them on 12-inch vinyl. While I laughed to myself about all the crazy outfits I wore (I actually owned tie-dye Z. Cavaricci pants!) and all the hair I teased to go to those dances and bust a move to those songs, I also realized they still carry some good bass beats for a workout!
So, I thought I’d end the week by offering a fun freestyle music list for you to enjoy on your next date with the elliptical machine or maybe as a warm-up for your next visit to Culture Club.
- “Baby Don’t Go,” Fast Forward
- “Bad of the Heart,” George Lamond
- “Boy Toy,” Tia
- “Clave Rocks,” Amaretto
- “Exposed to Love,” Expose
- “Boy I’ve Been Told,” Sa-Fire
- “I’ll Be All You Ever Need,” Trinere
- “Can You Feel the Beat?” Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam
- “Theme to S’Express,” S’Express
- “Move Any Mountain,” The Shamen
- “Dance With Me,” Tony Moran
- “Dirty Cash,” The Adventures of Stevie V
- “Ride on Time,” Black Box
- “Show Me,” Cover Girls
Mixing up my music list is one of the ways I keep my fitness routine from getting boring. In 2012, it’s definitely entertaining to get my heart rate up with the help of some of my favorite tunes from my teens and 20s. It’s also a big relief to know at some point since then, I realized the big hair and shoulder pads would not become essential components in the ongoing journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Small Group Training
On this Workout Wednesday, I thought I’d tell you about a new adventure I just started to add a little variety to my own routine.
Every Monday and Wednesday night for the next eight weeks, you can find me at New York Sports Club getting my butt kicked in a small group training class called called UXF, short for “Ultimate Fitness Experience.” Six of us signed up for the one-hour class led by my friend and personal trainer extraordinaire Roberto Murichi. One class down and I can’t wait to go back for more! Along with getting a killer workout, I’m also using this class to expand my knowledge as a personal trainer by learning from someone who’s been in the industry for the past decade.
A “Basic” Butt-Kicking Exercise!
The Push-Up
After a warm up that included eight rounds of bicycle crunches, squats and push ups – performing as many reps as possible in 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest – Roberto set up five stations for us to rotate through as a circuit. The exercises ranged from using ropes to lifting with kettlebells. We worked at each station for 60-seconds straight, then moved on to the next. (There was one rest station. Each of us breathed a serious sigh of relief when it was our turn to move to that spot!)
After several rounds, it was easy to see how this class offers a killer combination of strength training and cardio. As we move forward, the exercises will change, and the number of rounds will increase. Roberto will “score” each of us at an upcoming class and he’ll do the same thing when we wrap at the end of April. I can’t wait to see how my numbers compare!
Photos by Lauren Bachner
Along with the intense exercises and Roberto’s expertise as a motivational fitness instructor, there’s something else I love about this class: the small group dynamic.There’s some sort of instant bond that seems to develop when you get a half-dozen people together who are at different stages of training. One of my small group classmates has been working with Roberto in one-on-one sessions for the past two months. His wife also signed up for the class, but in her case, it marks the first time she’s stepped foot inside the gym during the same time frame.
While each of us may be starting at a different fitness level, we all share similar goals of improving our strength, endurance and agility. The bottom line is we’re all looking to do what we can to be physically fit.
I look forward to spending the next eight weeks sweating it out with my new classmates and encouraging each other to get through those seemingly never-ending circuits. Whether you sign up for a small group training class; take the same Zumba classes every week; join a running club or workout with a personal trainer, it’s nice to have fitness friends to help you on your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Makeover Monday
I don’t know about you, but I’m having a hard time believing March is in full swing. As we all gear up for the official change of seasons, I thought it was a good time to offer some reminders on why there’s no time like the present to put a little “spring” into your step by adding fitness to your daily routine.
Strength is only ONE benefit of exercise! Photo by Leslie Hassler
There are so many benefits to exercise, but here are what I consider to be the top 10 reasons everyone should strive to move more often.
Exercise has been shown to:
- Increase energy levels
- Aid in weight loss and/or weight maintenance
- Decrease the risk of heart attack
- Decrease the risk of osteoporosis
- Increase strength and stamina
- Decrease stress levels
- Boost the immune system
- Increase mental focus
- Promote better sleep
- Add some fun to the daily grind!
Chances are you’ve seen the items on this list before, but it may surprise you to know exercise can do more for your appearance than simply help you fit into that killer outfit for your high school reunion.
Yisell Santos, a freelance makeup artist based here in New York City, recently asked if I could offer a rationale for exercise that relates to skin care. Click here to learn how exercise really can make you feel beautiful from the inside out! What could be better than a healthy glow to show the world you’re definitely in the game to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Flexibility Friday – Stretch Those Lats!
Whether you spend hours each day sitting at a desk, standing in front of a classroom, painting houses or running from place to place taking care of a never-ending to-do list, chances are your back tends to get tight. That tension often specifically targets the latissimus dorsi, more commonly referred to as “the lats.” Add some poor posture to the mix of daily activity and your lats can really start screaming for some TLC.
So on this Flexibility Friday, I offer one of my all-time favorite stretches for this sore spot: 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
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.
I know it’s a recurring theme here at LauraLovesFitness, but I simply can’t stress enough 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!
Workout Wednesday: Beyond the Crunch
It’s hard to find a fitness magazine or video series that doesn’t highlight moves or tricks for building a stronger core. That’s good, because core training should be a key component of anyone’s exercise program, regardless of his or her fitness level.
The core – made up of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, thoracic spine and cervical spine – is the region of the body where all movement begins. If you have a weak and unstable core, your body simply can’t move the way it’s supposed to. That’s one of the easiest ways to put yourself at increased risk for injury.
New core exercises seem to pop up all the time, but I’ve always been a big fan of some the classics. That being said, there are several core exercises beyond the crunch that I use in my client’s fitness programs along with my own. Here’s the kicker: these exercises all fit into the stabilization endurance level of training. This is the level where all fitness newbies should start and all fitness veterans should re-visit to maintain core and joint stability. For this trio, my friend and photographer Lauren Bachner captured a snapshot of the start and finish position for each exercise. Aim for two sets of 12-20 reps:
- Ball bridge:Once you’ve mastered the two-leg and one-leg floor bridge, this is a great progression of a key core exercise. Training tips: make sure your feet are hip-width apart. Draw in your navel and squeeze your glutes to get your knees in line with your hips and shoulders. Once you’re established the bridge, hold the position for two seconds before lowering your pelvis.
Hype Gym, New York, NY
Photos by Lauren Bachner
- Prone Iso-Abs (Plank): This remains my all-time favorite core exercise. Here, I show you the “basic” plank along with a progression, where you add a leg lift. Training tips: In either version, be sure to draw in your navel and squeeze your glutes before you raise your body off the floor to form a straight line from head to toe. Hold plank position for two to three seconds before dropping to the ground to re-start.
- Side Iso-Ab (Side Plank): I admit, I need to perform this version of the plank more often – and you should too! Training tips: Your elbow should be directly below your shoulder and be sure to draw in your navel and contract glutes before lifting your hips and legs off the ground. Hold the plank for two to three seconds before lowering back to start position.
I wrap up this Workout Wednesday post with another thank you to Lauren for taking these action shots and to the owners of Hype Gym for letting us use their awesome facility for the perfect backdrop. Stay tuned for more shots of my favorite exercises in the future. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what’s on your list of favorites when it comes to exercises that help you have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Pushing Through the Pain
As American Heart Month 2012 comes to a close, I thought I’d touch on a health condition that temporarily altered my fitness routine at this time two years ago. It isn’t a heart condition, but it’s one that often mimics pain caused by a heart attack.
The condition is called costochondritis and it’s defined as an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone. This causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint, which is where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage.
Chest pain is always scary, but what made my pain even more worrisome was the fact that I felt it on the left side of my chest and down my left arm. I experienced the sharp pain whether I was working out, climbing the stairs to street level from the subway or simply taking a deep breath. I also had difficulty breathing while working out even at lower-than-normal intensity levels on the elliptical machine.
The good news is after visits with several different physicians who ordered several different tests, I learned my ticker was in tip-top shape. In fact, the cardiologist who ran my stress test told me he doesn’t expect to see me again until at least my 50th birthday. As far as treatment, I took prescription-strength anti-inflammatory drugs for about two weeks and I altered my fitness plan. I had to give up boxing for six weeks. The repetitive jabs and punches put too much stress on my chest and shoulder region, which were pretty much in a state of constant, gnawing pain. I also avoided certain exercises like push ups and chest presses. Finally, I made a point of carrying my purse on my right shoulder instead of the left.
So, how does someone develop costochondritis? There isn’t one specific cause, but in my case my doctor believed it was most likely linked to resuming strenuous exercise too soon after being hit with a nasty cold and cough. Other causes include:
- An injury such as a blow to the chest
- Infection
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain from other parts of the body, which is also called “referred pain”
Everything turned out okay in the end, but there is a lesson in all of this. I should have been smarter about this situation from the start. Ask any physician (my father included) and they’ll tell you chest pain should not be ignored. However, that’s pretty much what I did. I pushed myself to fight through the pain and exercise at the same high-intensity levels. That included weekly or bi-weekly boxing sessions with my personal trainer. In the end, I only aggravated the condition and ended up out of the fitness game for longer than if I had received a proper diagnosis and started the healing process sooner.
Part of being physically fit is listening to your body and not turning a deaf ear when it’s trying to tell your mind that something is wrong. While we may not like to sit on the sidelines, sometimes rest and recuperation are necessary stops along the journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Flexibility Friday
It may have been a shorter work week than usual, but I say TGIF anyway!
If you’re like most people, you’ve clocked countless hours this week sitting at a desk crouched over a keyboard. Or maybe you’ve logged hours in your car on that daily commute or took a road trip for winter break. Regardless of your daily activities, chances are you suffer from an all-too common problem for modern-day Americans: bad posture. This matched with an ever-increasing sedentary lifestyle for people everywhere make a recipe for disaster where your body is concerned. This is why incorporating flexibility training (a.k.a. stretching) is more important than ever. It is one of the best ways to decrease muscle imbalances, joint dysfunction and overuse injuries.
While I can’t assess how your body moves via this post, I can tell you about one of my biggest “problem areas.” When I’m not out in the field producing shoots, I spend way too much time sitting in front of my computer. Since I’m almost always on deadline, I tend to lose track of just how long I sit there. These extended periods of sitting unfortunately cause tightening of my hip flexors, which are made up of five muscles including the psoas.
Stretch & Smile! Photo by Leslie Hassler
What happens if I I don’t take the time to stretch my hip flexors and just get right into the “heart” of a workout? There are plenty of terms in exercise science to describe the problematic results, including altered reciprocal inhibition, synergistic dominance and arthrokinetic dysfunction. Here’s what those problems look like when it comes to performing one of the most popular exercises known to man: the squat. If I repeatedly perform squats with a tight psoas, the “wrong” muscles end up doing the work. The gluteus maximus should be the prime mover, but tight hips flexors inhibit the gluteus maximus from doing its job and getting strong. Instead, the workload gets picked up by the “B team:” the hamstrings and erector spinae. Not only does this make the butt-kicking exercise pretty much ineffective for actually toning my butt, but I’m also putting myself at risk for low back pain and potential injury.
Here’s a link featuring some good static stretches for the hip flexors. If you’re just getting started on an exercise program, your focus will most likely be on corrective flexibility in order to improve any muscle imbalances and altered joint motion. To that end, static stretches and self-myofascial release should be the key components in your flexibility training program.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if I could go back in time and change one thing about my life-long love affair with fitness, it would be to incorporate much more flexibility training into my routine. It is truly one of the best things we can do for ourselves in order to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Your Workout Wednesday Following Fat Tuesday
No doubt I’ll be starting this Ash Wednesday in a bit of a post-chocolate haze.
Ever since my days at Northwestern,I’ve celebrated many a Fat Tuesday with millions of other people around the world in a bit of decadent indulgence.
Need to Un-Do Some Decadence?
Since I give up desserts and sweets for Lent, I tend to “stock up” on Fat Tuesday. In my 20s, that often meant enjoying a dinner of chocolate chip pancakes with extra butter and chocolate sauce and a thick chocolate shake to wash it all down. A decade later, while I don’t ingest all that richness at one sitting, I do enjoy a few sugary treats throughout the day and some kind of chocolate ice cream concoction as the grand finale.
However, there are three reasons I refuse to be consumed by guilt over this day of decadence:
- It’s a one-time event 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.
So, if you went a little overboard yesterday, consider it some extra motivation to make today’s workout count! Not sure you need to be motivated? 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, there’s another tradition I follow pretty religiously every year on this specific Workout Wednesday. It’s the perfect day for intense cardio training. I’m talking about taking things a step beyond a “typical” 30-minute jaunt on the elliptical. Click here for a refresher on how to take things to the next level with interval training. If you haven’t tried interval training before – it’s a good day to start!
I’ll end with a common LauraLovesFitness theme: life is simply too short to deny yourself the things you really enjoy. For me, that includes chocolate, cupcakes, ice cream and red wine. On the rare occasions I do splurge and enjoy one or more of 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 some extra time 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!
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