“What’s the number one reason people do not work out?”
August 19, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the
ideal workout plan?
Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise]
and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.”
This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a
kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
I can testify: as a Personal Training for over 15 years I can tell
you that 60% of gym members quit in the first 3 months.
And that’s an industry stat across North America.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published
in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who
exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with
another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and
only three days per week.
That’s a whopping one hour per week folks!!
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise
performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the
presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their
improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with
greater focus and more intensity — exactly how I suggests you
train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits
of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down
your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of
time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal
sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary
activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning
off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and
recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in
order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.
Until next time, train smart.
Deb 
Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!
January 6, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
It’s winter here in good ole Iowa and we are getting slammed with yet another snow storm!
Just because you can’t get out and workout at the gym doesn’t mean you can’t workout!
You can always check out the exercise videos that are posted and exercise with one of those, or I have put a format below that requires only YOU! It’s a classic total body workout using only body weight based exercises so you can do it right in your living room! Give it a try and let me know if you liked it!
I’m sure if you do this you won’t have to be worried about staying WARM!
Winter Storm Home Workout-40/20 Intervals
1. Split squats (L)-regular or rear foot elevated on couch or chair@ 40 seconds of maximum effort, followed by 20 seconds of rest and transition.
2. Split squats (R)-regular or rear foot elevated @ 40 seconds max effort, followed by 20 seconds rest and transition.
3. Spiderman push ups-hands elevated, flat or feet elevated, do a push up and when you go down take leg out to side like scaling a wall. Do 40 seconds max effort, followed by 20 seconds of rest and transition.
4. Side Plank T-spine extensions and rotations (L) extend arm up and then bring down and rotate arm under torso @ 40 seconds max effort followed by 20 seconds rest and transition.
5. Repeat #4 on Right side.
Then rest for 60 seconds and repeat this 6 minute cylce up to 5x for a 30 minute workout! If you only can go through this 2-3x it will still give you a great fat buring high intensity workout!
Now, wrap up in your favorite blanket, get a hot glass of green tea, and watch the beautiful snow coming down!
Enjoy!
Deb
Don’t sabotage your results by taking the weekend off!
November 13, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
The weekend represents almost 1/3 of our week (29%), so if you work hard during the week to nail your workouts and watch your nutrition and then slack off all weekend, you end up not really getting anywhere. It is like taking 3 steps forward during the week and then taking 2 or 3 steps back each weekend and the result is no or minimum results.
Don’t give yourself the “it’s the weekend” excuse to blow off your workouts and to eat badly. You are better than that and you are doing too much quality work during the week to let this happen anymore. Today is a new day and this weekend should be the first weekend that does not set you back. No Excuses!
This weekend may be one of our last nice weekends, so take your workout outside. If you haven’t tried a HIIT workout yet, try a sprint/recover. Sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds followed by walking for 30 seconds to recover. Repeat that 1 minute interval up to 20 times for an awesome kick booty workout! Don’t forget to warm up and cool down and last but not least STRETCH!
Train Hard & Expect Results,
Deb
Today is a New Day and a Beautiful Day!
October 31, 2009 by Deb · 4 Comments
Hello gang,
I’m finally finished with my packing and sense it is technically already Saturday I thought I’d say my final farewells. I hope that several of you will be participating in our 1st BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) High Intensity Interval workout today! I’m praying that there will be no rain and that it’s not too cold.
Tomorrow by this time I will be getting ready to set sail. I’m looking forward to going to classes as a participant and hope to return with some new fresh ideas!
Thanks to all my wonderful CT family for helping me get ready this week and for stepping it up and filling in for me when I’m gone….I am so greatful and feel so Blessed to work with each and every one of you and that includes all you members too!
I hope you all have a great week and continue to HIIT those workouts hard….even when the bootcamp inteval queen isn’t around to blow her whistle or scream just 10 more!
Keep this in mind as you start this new day…..
Regardless of what happened yesterday, last week or last year, today is a new day. Head into today staying positive and looking at the day as an opportunity to do great things for your health.
Once today is over it is gone and you can’t get it back. So treat today as a gift – do something fun, bless your body and your head by moving, SMILE AND BE THANKFUL YOU ARE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO WALK!
Remember, you don’t need to be a Rock Star within 1 or 2 weeks of starting your exercise habit, you just need to take baby steps, make healthy choices and take it one day at a time.
See you all in a week…..Bon Voyage!
Deb
Don’t let yesterday’s missteps rob you of today and tomorrow’s victories. Today is a new and beautiful day so use it as the gift it is and drink your water, eat every 2 to 3 hours, nail your Workout and be proud!
BOOTCAMP-HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING POWERED BY: WORKOUT MUSE
October 29, 2009 by Deb · 2 Comments
Interval Training consists of alternating between bouts of all-out high-intensity effort and low-to-moderate intensity active recovery periods.
Interval Training has long been proven in both scientific research and real world case studies to be the most effective way to maximize fat loss AND improve overall conditioning while taking less than half the time of the long, slow, and boring steady-state aerobic training alternative.
It’s not about time… IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENSITY!
The key to our Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp Workouts is INTENSITY. In both scientific research and real world studies, time and time again one thing is clear: Intensity is truly the only thing that makes your body change! Intensity is the key to ripping off unwanted body fat and gaining lean, muscle.
As much as we’d love to claim we’ve reinvented the wheel here, this intensity principle is nothing new in the fitness world. Even as far back as 1994 in the Metabolism Journal researchers discovered the following: each calorie you expend during high-intensity exercise burns 9 times more fat than the same calorie expended during steady state aerobic exercise!
The Role of HIGH-Intensity Exercise
- Embraces the Carb-Burning Zone: High-Intensity exercise rapidly reducing muscle glycogen (stored sugar) during training which promotes enhanced total body fat-burning at all other times of day.
- Burns a TON of Calories Both During AND After Exercise: This phenomenon is due to the post-workout “AFTERBURN” know as EPOC which describes the number of calories your body expends in the recovery of your metabolism back to pre-exercise levels from high-intensity training. The best part about EPOC is that you control it, meaning that the harder you work during training the more calories your body will burn BOTH during your workout AND for up to 24-48 hours after completing your workout!
- Creates the Optimal Hormonal Environment for Fat Loss: High-Intensity exercise puts your body in a “fight or flight” mode that forces your body to CHANGE as a means of survival. More specifically, your body releases catecholamines (primarily adrenaline) in response to interval training that directly mobilizes stored body fat so that it can be burnt off as energy during activity.
Traditional resistance training prescribes performing straight sets where you perform one set of an exercise, rest for 2-3 minutes, and the repeat for the designated number of sets before moving on to the next exercise in your workout. Metabolic Resistance Training combines the muscle building effects of resistance training with the cardiovascular benefits of interval training by using alternating sets of non-competing exercises. For example, you will perform one set of a lower body exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of an upper body exercise for 60s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of a core exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, and then repeat this sequence for the designated number of rounds. Using this alternating set format, by the time you return to the lower body exercise you will still have nearly 3 minutes of recovery from that exercise as in the straight set format, but instead of doing nothing, you have been working your upper body and your core while technically “resting.”
This time-efficient approach provides the optimal fat-burning effect by keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout as if you were performing cardio while allowing you to perform each resistance training exercise at peak intensity for the optimal muscle-building stimulus. “Strength Cardio” provides the biggest bang-for-your-buck so that you can simultaneously build lean muscle mass AND melt body fat. Essentially you will be performing interval training with classic resistance training exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.
Perform Total Body Workouts: For best results, you need to perform 3 total body resistance training workout per week with at least one day of rest between sessions. By working every muscle in your body each and every workout you will provide the optimal stimulus for both fat loss AND muscle growth. Not only do you maximize the number of calories burned during your workout, but you also maximize the number of calories your body expends recovering from your workout. These short-term increases in metabolism last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after your workout. In addition, by gaining muscle, you will promote long-term increases in metabolism as it requires significantly more energy for you body to maintain new, hard-earned muscle mass. This is how you build a faster metabolism and become a fat-burning machine 24-7-365.
This week we will offer FREE sample classes for you to try. See schedule for times.
This class is designed for those who want to take their fitness to a new level and for those who want to get an awesome workout done in a short amount of time! In order for this class to be effective you MUST get heart rate into the proper training rates and therefore we encourage the use of a belted heart rate monitor. * Class is NOT designed for the beginner. Modifications can be made however a good base cardiovascular system and heart rate monitor are highly recommended.
We will be offering Bootcamp six times weekly. You will sign up for either morning or evening classes. A class session will be eight weeks long making it a total of 24 classes. This class will come with a body composition and goal setting, measurements, and weekly self weigh- ins on Saturdays.
Pre-registration is required as class size is limited!
November Class Offerings:
Tuesday/Thursdays 5:15am-5:45am Saturdays 6:30am-7:00am
Monday/Wednesdays 6:15pm-6:45pm Saturdays 7:15am-7:45am
Hope you all have gotten a chance to try a class! I also have some HIIT formats on the circuit side for you to try!
Crank it!
Deb
Workout Excuses Busted
October 29, 2009 by Deb · 1 Comment
At least once a week I hear all kinds of reasons why I haven’t seen a member for awhile….. I’ll ask where they have been the last couple months, and that’s when the excuses start…
Perhaps it was that they had a special assignment at work and have been “too busy” to work out lately.
- Or perhaps it was that they had a shoulder or arm injury so they thought that they couldn’t work out during this time
- Or perhaps they had a knee, ankle, or leg injury so they thought they couldn’t work out.
- Or perhaps they were busy with house renovations, or family issues, or too busy with the kids, etc, etc, etc… excuse, excuse, excuse
Either you want it, or you don’t, and it’s either going to be a priority in your life, or it’s not!
Here’s what I say:
Excuse #1 – Too busy at work:
Ok, so why don’t you squeeze in really brief but really intense 5 minute workouts before and after work each day… after all, that’s only 10 minutes of your time, and most people have 10 minutes. Busted!
Excuse #2 – Shoulder or arm injuries so haven’t worked out:
Bum shoulder… so what… are you saying your legs and abs don’t work all of the sudden just because your arm or shoulder is hurt? After all, most of your fat loss and metabolism-boosting results come from lower body based exercises anyway, as they burn more calories due to the larger muscle groups involved. Busted!
Excuse #3 – Knee, ankle, or leg injuries so haven’t worked out:
Ok, so now you’re saying that just because you have a leg injury, that somehow your upper body no longer works? Even if you need to walk in there on crutches, and then do nothing but seated upper body exercises, that’s a lot better than doing nothing and letting your entire body get weak and soft during while your leg heals. I do personal training with a man who has NO legs and he has to work harder to even get to the gym than most people do at the gym….sorry I can’t accept this one!
Excuse #4 – Too busy with the house, family, kids, etc:
Once again we need to get back to priorities. If your house and kids are priorities, why wouldn’t your health and fitness be top priorities also, so that you can enjoy your life and everything and everyone in it!
I know I take a hard-nosed approach with this stuff, but if finally getting into shape is important to you, nothing less will do, than to adopt a true fitness lifestyle and mindset.
New Year’s Day is only 10 weeks away! You can accomplish amazing results (weight loss, energy, health, etc.) by getting on the Wellness train TODAY.
You can lose 10 to 20 pounds (a healthy 1 to 2 pounds per week) by the end of the year. Think of how much better you would feel and how much energy you would have by making your health a top priority starting today!
Don’t let the following quote come true for you:
“A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
Deb
November Classes
October 28, 2009 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
Fall is in the air…what a perfect time to put your fitness routine in HIGH gear! Our November fitness classes will offer a great opportunity for you to put something NEW into your routine to ensure that you get super results!
Click her for the NOVEMBER CLASS SCHEDULE
November Class Descriptions:
Burn N Firm- Enjoy deep muscle toning in this class. Burn N Firm offers a low-impact style workout with lots of chair and floor moves combined. This class targets all major muscle groups and is perfect for all fitness levels.
Repeat the Beat- If you like to dance and have a little fun…this class is for you! Shake and shimmy the inches away with this “cardio-style” workout. Each class repeats the same movements to the same music so that you actually learn the moves and improve week after week. Line dances will be emphasized this month – all fitness levels welcome.
Wild Wednesdays- This class will typically meet on the “circuit side” when CrossTrain is closed. It will incorporate the High Intensity Intervals to be sure that you are maximizing your workouts on the circuit. If you like our old style “bootcamps” then you will love this class. Ramp up your fitness level with this type of class – this will also offer a ton of variety for all participants!
Men’s Power Pump- This class is just for men this month. It will offer a variety of formats to overload and build muscles. If you want weight lifting for a total body workout and NO cardio moves, then this class is for you!
Toning Varieties (TV) -This toning class is perfect for the person that needs a low impact class and likes a lot of variety. TV will offer a wide range of different exercises taken from Yoga, Pilates, Stretching, Burn N Firm and more! All fitness levels welcome – bring a mat.
360 Christian Yoga – This Christian-based Yoga class will take place in a heated environment and will combine the elements of quiet meditation with scripture readings. Emphasis on stretching, gaining greater muscle tone, and increased flexibility.
TGIF(Thank God It’s Friday) – This fun class will offer many great aspects of exercise. The instructor will shake things up by offering some cardio, toning, stretching and other varieties of exercise to offer a total body workout. In this class, you will enjoy a ton of variety in a fun setting!
All fitness classes are included in your membership fee. No need to register for any classes…just come to as many as you can!
The Real Reasons I listen to Fast Loud Music!
October 21, 2009 by Deb · 6 Comments
Why the Right Music Means a Better Workout!
It was back in 1995 that I started to run into a real problem with workout music. My fitness business was exploding and I found myself working with large groups of 15-60 plus people at each workout……whew!
So what was the problem?
Well, many of my group exercise classes consisted of several people at several different fitness levels….this always the case in group fitness classes! For some of my classes I needed slower music that allowed me to count slowly and do slow reps of exercises…..this worked great in my toning type classes but it was when I wanted to teach group interval classes that I ran into big problems. Timed sets of various interval work best when you have a wide variety of fitness levels. This allows everyone to work at their own pace within the same workout. If you’re trying to run a professional program that starts and ends at the same time every time, interval training is the way to go for the workouts. It’s also cheaper on the pocketbook as you don’t have to buy special equipment for each participant, you can purchase 5-6 and then simply rotate the people through the exercises using stations.
But interval training is a bit of a catch 22. Sure my classes were running well, but I felt like I wasn’t able to provide as much client supervision since I was constantly having to look at the clock and be the human stopwatch announcing “go… halfway… stop, switch.”
So, I knew I had to find a solution and I tried several options like timers, bells, whistles, and alarms. None of them worked the way I wanted them to. Then here just recently I found the solution I was looking for. It’s a program that allows me to offer interval workout music to automate my classes with the simple click of a button. YEAH!!
This interval music has made me a much better trainer/instructor because the music tells my clients exactly what to do so I can do what I do best: coach, motivate, and supervise my clients.
But it’s more than just the extra supervision that drastically reduces the risk of injury from an intensive group exercise program (which is alone a huge improvement to any training program). It’s about the impact the right music can have on your workouts.
According to scientists at Dalhousie University in Canada, music not only motivates but it can make you stronger. These researchers recently discovered that people who listened to workout music during training showed significantly greater strength gains in 4 weeks time than those who wore noise-cancellation headphones. According to study author Jo M. Welch, Ph.D, the explanation for this increase in performance most likely lies in the music causing a reduction in perceived exertion during the workout, thus allowing the trainee to work harder. Furthermore, she explained that the key was listening to the tunes that motivate you the most, whatever musical genre that may be.
In the past I had clients bring in their favorite music and that never really worked out that well- some liked it and some didn’t, and some songs were too slow and some were too fast. I then tried my best to bring in an eclectic mix of music to please everyone, but that was even more of a disaster. It’s a real pain in the butt to have to constantly search for and buy new music that people always would complain about anyways, or the lyrics are so bad I wouldn’t play them in the gym. After all, music is just like politics and religion- everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences.
So for our new BOOTCAMP (HIIT) classes we will start in November we will be offering the interval workout music powered by Workout Muse. It features instrumental-only tracks with the only vocals being the audio updates that I used to have to announce myself. In using this program with my personal training clients and some sample classes, I immediately saw the power of the right music in my classes. Bottom line, people worked harder and cranked out more reps during each work set and subsequently took less rest and transition between exercises. You don’t need to be an extreme athlete to know that increased intensity and density within each workout leads to better results!
Another study from the University of Western Ontario in Canada supports what I have seen in the real world with hundreds of people from all walks of life- cranking up the volume jacks up the intensity of the training session. Janet McMordie, the author of the study, discovered that louder music during a workout resulted in better performance due to both a surge of mood-enhancing hormones (primarily adrenaline) and, just like the previous study, a sonic distraction that prevents you from realizing how tired you are so you can work harder for longer. So, yes even my 5:15 am classes will have rockin’ loud music!!
The 18 women in the study listened to their favorite music soundtracks of different decibel levels while performing various exercise tasks: cycling sprints, max reps on the leg press, and max reps on the bench press. She discovered the rep total increased by 46% on average at the loudest music volume when compared to listening to no music at all. Plus, across the board, even the lowest volume level resulted in significant performance gains further proving that listening to motivating workout music at any volume helps you push past your comfort zone to get the best training effect.
The most groundbreaking study on the effect of music on exercise and performance was done by Dr. Costas Karageorghis in Karageorghis & Terry, 1997, where he discovered the following:
1.) Music reduces perceived exertion by distracting the exerciser from exercise-induced fatigue so they can work harder for longer.
2.) Music can either psyche-up an athlete pre-workout/competition or relax an athlete pre-workout/competition depending on the tone of music and the consistency of the selected song lyrics.
3.) Music is the perfect marriage between the inherent similarities of rhythm and human movement- “the synchronization of music with exercise consistently demonstrates increased levels of work output among exercise participants (see Karageorghis & Terry, 1997, for review).”
4.) Music can aid in learning new movements and in learning how to move better- “music can enhance the acquisition of motor skills and create a better learning environment. There is evidence from both gymnastics and swimming in support of this (Chen, 1985; Jernberg, 1981).”
5.) Music can get you in the zone for optimal focus on the task at hand- “Our most recent research (Karageorghis & Terry, 1998) has revealed an interesting link between music and the attainment of flow state during aerobic dance exercise. Flow involves an altered state of awareness during physical activity in which the mind and body function on ‘auto-pilot’ with minimal conscious effort. Some coaches refer to this as being ‘in the zone’; it is an almost trance-like or hypnotic state. Flow has been associated with optimal psychological state and represents complete enjoyment of and immersion in physical activity.”
He also discovered four key factors that determine how motivating music can be, with internal factors being the most important:
Internal Factors:
1.) Rhythm
2.) Musicality: Melody and Harmony
External Factors:
3.) Cultural Impact
4.) Extra Musical Associations
These factors are best summarized in Dr. Karageorghis’s own words: “We have developed and validated a questionnaire to rate the motivational qualities of music which is called the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI: Karageorghis et al., 1997). For a piece of music to truly inspire the listener, it must have strong rhythmic qualities that match the activity at hand and also a tempo which matches the predicted heart rate. The melody and harmony of the music should promote a positive mood state; that is, they should energize the listener and increase vigor. The music should also stem from the listener’s socio-cultural background and comply with their preferences. Finally, it is ideal that for the music to be associated with physical activity either through the lyrics, e.g., Work Your Body, or its association with other media such as film or TV. A classic example of such a track would be Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’, which was a theme from the Rocky series.”
It’s important to note the importance of choosing music of the right tempo or beats per minute (bmp) to elicit the desired movement response. During high-intensity cardio interval training, target heart rate tends to fall in the range of 140-160 bpm during the work periods and 100-120 bpm during the active recovery periods. During circuit training, heart rate tends to be elevated throughout the duration of the workout between 120-140 bpm. Thus, selecting workout music with the appropriate bpm for a specific fitness activity will set the proper pace for a more effective workout. This has always been drilled into ALL of my fitness education classes….the music sets the pace of any class!!
In summary, for a better workout you must choose the right workout music. When it comes to selecting the right music the two most important factors are listening to workout tunes with the appropriate tempo for your selected activity of choice and then building a play list that falls within your preferred musical genre(s).
So give it a try…..crank up your favorite tunes and see how great your workouts can feel! Better yet come to one of our BOOTCAMP classes and get a high intensity interval workout & great music that will take your workouts to a new level!! Crank it up!!
Next week we will be running FREE sample classes of BOOTCAMP….be sure to give it a try!
Deb
Traveling TABOTA Formats Created by Cheryl Freauff-Crosstrain Fitness Instructor
August 17, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Do you travel a lot? One of my instructor’s Cheryl Freauff travels quite a bit for her job so she created some great traveling tabota workouts that are easy to do in a hotel room and the only equipment that some of them require is a dyna-band and those are easy to throw into your suitcase!
Remember Tabota intervals are 20 seconds on-10 seconds recovery repeating each exercise 8x or 4 minutes. Each of these formats are 16 minutes long and should include a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down/stretch. These are all HIIT formats that give you the best bang for your time!
Give them a try! Shoot us a comment and let us know if you liked them or if you have a favotite format you like to share.
Tabata #1
- Punch front 2x with knee strike
- Push Ups
- Speed Skaters
- Hip Dips
Tabata #2 (Using Bands)
- Overhead press
- Curls
- Jump Rope
- Mountain climbers
Tabata #3
- Front Punches
- Front kicks/tap back (Charleston’s)
- Knee lifts
- Alligators
Tabata #4 (Using bands)
- Squats – (Bands under feet hands low for added tension)
- Standing hip Abduction (Right side)
- Standing hip Abduction (left side)
- Rock N’ Rolls
Tabata #5 (Bands)
- Laying on side band around ankles – Abduction Right side
- Laying on side band around ankles – Abduction Left Side
- Standing Band around both ankles Right leg back and return to center
- Standing Band around both ankles Left leg back and return to center
Tabata #6
- Squat Jacks
- Squat Kicks (alternating)
- Full range sit ups
- Spider Man push ups
Tabata #7
- Side toe taps – Standing feet shoulder width apart step out with right foot tap toe to side and return to center - Repeat left leg
- Inner thigh lifts – laying on side lift lower leg up (repeat) other side
- Tricep dips off chair
- Bridge off chair (laying on back feet on chair)
Tabata #8 (bands)
- Seated rows – sitting on floor feet straight in front with bands around feet – pull arms back in forth in rowing motion
- Reverse Flys – Standing with bank around back arms in fly position bring arms together and back (fly position)
- Triceps – Hold or stand on one end of band hold other end over head working triceps – Right side and repeat left
Lions, Tigers and BEARS…oh my!
August 17, 2009 by Deb · 1 Comment
I just got home from my mini-vacation to Wisconsin. I went to my sister and brother-in-laws cabin on a lake. It was so beautiful there and was filled with endless possibilities to see God’s beautiful creations and get a great work out at the same time.
Each day I was there I did this HIIT workout. I had done this several times in good ole Iowa….outside too, but mostly on flat concrete. Wow what a challenge it was to incorporate doing this on gravel and adding HILLS. It seemed no matter where I started my format the first interval always hit when I had to run up hill!
My workouts did go a bit faster as I was so worried about encountering bears. They see several bears up there and my nephew told me that I shouldn’t be worried because they are a lot more scared of us than we are them. He also told me just to make a lot of noise and they would stay away. He then proceeded to tell me that the only way they might be a problem was if the mom bear was on one side of the road and her cubs were on the other and I ran in between them. So you can imagine all I could think about was running in between them. So if you could have seen me it would have reminded you of the scene in The Parent Trap where the step mom to be was clacking two sticks together to keep the bears away! Yes, I was that woman! It did make me run faster and I did take my little dog Lucky too….I’m sure he’d have protected me! Ha
My same nephew who told me about the bears took me on my first kayaking excursion. I should have known that it would be a wild one as he’s all boy and very fit. He asked me how far I wanted to go. I said I didn’t care…because I’m fit you know. We started off and he said I was a natural….I have great balance so it seemed to be fairly easy….that’s when I should have shut up and said I’m a beginner! Instead he decided to take me through a swamp of all weeds and it seemed to me we were traveling right through an island. Once we got through all the weeds, it opened up to this most beautiful lake that was filled with Lilly pads with blooming yellow and white flowers! It was another site that reminded me of God’s creations. It was so serene and peaceful. We went all around and then headed back to the cabin. Thank God he had a GPS thingy as I was totally confused and lost on how to get back! I was surprised at how great of an abdominal work out it was. I felt it in my core big time. In fact my arms and shoulders didn’t even get sore it was my core…oh yeah and my hands now have a few blisters to remind me of the event!
I had the best time and still got my workouts in! It is possible to do, and trying something new is always good!
Here is the format that I used each day when I was at the cabin…..lets call it the BEAR RUN/WALK….and PRAY! (You may need a set of sticks for clacking!)
5 minute warm up-walking briskly
3 minutes- running/jogging
1 minute recovery-walking slowly….watching for bears!
Do these 4-5 times depending on your fitness level
5 minute cool-down-walking slowly-then do some stretching!
Enjoy!
Deb