25 October 2011
I’ve come to terms with something lately: I kind of have workout ADD.
When I started this blog, I was training for a 10K and then a half marathon. Running was my main form of exercise, and I genuinely enjoyed it. But pretty quickly after my half, I totally stopped running and didn’t miss it at all. Lately, I’ll strictly strength train for weeks without much cardio but suddenly forgo those workouts for my first yoga classes and a Zumba obsession.
I’ve realized that I just don’t like doing the same form of exercise forever, and I’m okay with it. Why? Because movement is movement. Though I do think it’s important to make sure you’re doing weight-bearing exercises rather than endless cardio, beyond that, I truly believe that physical activity is physical activity.
Your body doesn’t care what you do — it just wants to move. And if a certain form of movement is more pleasurable to you than another, by all means, EMBRACE IT!
When my clients get in a workout rut, my advice is usually to JUST MOVE for half an hour a few times a week. Set a timer, do a dance, run around the block, do jumping jacks, do exactly what you feel like in the moment (as long as you’re in motion!). It’s easy to get intimidated by complex workout plans and intricate routines, but trust me: your body doesn’t know that you’re following a specific plan. Only you do. So if you can get over the need to follow a specific routine, you might find it freeing!
On the other hand, there are people who thrive on structure, routine, and monotony. I respect that, too! As long as you make sure your body doesn’t get too familiar with any one thing (it can lose its effectiveness), you can do the same style of workout over and over if you so choose.
As for me, I’ve come to terms with my workout ADD. As long as I’m moving, I’m not going to be too finicky about what exactly I’m doing. Right now, I’m still enjoying Zumba, with a few strength training videos thrown in. I’m also searching for other classes that will satisfy my appetite for variety. I’ll do random circuit workouts, or take a long walk.
There are days when I think that if I tried a more regimented routine, I could build more muscle or endurance. But I know I’d be sacrificing some of the enjoyment I get from working out, and then I’d be back where I started. And that’s just not worth it to me.
So, do you have workout ADD? Or does the thought of a new form of exercise scare you?
10 October 2011
Here in the Midwest, we’re definitely having a warm spell. I’m not counting on it to last more than another week or so, but as long as it’s so nice out, I’m taking my workouts outside. Here are 10 things you can do to get your sweat on outside:
1. GO FOR A WALK. Seriously, this is my best suggestion for beautiful fall weather. Go with a friend, with a podcast, or with the quiet sounds of an autumn day.
2. Hold an impromptu workout class in your backyard/at a nearby park. Gather a few of your close friends, plug your iPod into some speakers, and take turns calling out moves to do for 20-30 minutes.
3. Look for classes being held at local parks. I just googled “outdoor fitness class [my city]” and a few options popped up.
4. Do some body weight circuits outdoors. Do 3 sets of 15 reps: burpees, crunches, squats, mountain climbers, squat jumps, plank-ups, squat thrusts, jump lunges. I guarantee you’ll be sweating.
5. Try a stadium stair workout. Head to your local high school’s track/football field for drill workouts. I used to do this all the time. Run a few laps around the track as a warm up, and then run the stairs. I used to try to do 10 laps up and down the stairs. Here’s another good stair workout:
- Run up a whole flight of stairs and back down again.
- Run up the stairs by skipping a stair; run back down every stair.
- Go up the stairs by jumping with both feet up every stair; run back down the stairs.
- Go up the stairs by jumping with both feet on every other stair; run back down the stairs.
- Stay at the bottom of the stairs and find a step. Perform Step-Ups, where you put one foot on top of the stair and then drive the opposite knee and toe up, then repeat on the other foot. Do 3 sets of 10 on each foot.
- Box Jumps: 3 sets of 10 (Find a stair with the right height for you and jump with 2 feet up onto the step and repeat. Make sure to keep your toes ups and get your knees up.)
- Lateral Box Jumps: 3 sets of 10 each way (Find a smaller step; with the side of your body facing the step, jump with both feet onto the step. Stay on one side and repeat. Then switch to the other side.)
- Incline Push-Ups: 3 sets of 10 reps (Find a step and with your hands on the bench, perform a push-up.)
6. Do your interval training outdoors. Instead of a walk or jog, alternate 1-2 minutes of high-intensity intervals (all-out effort) with 2-3 minutes of recovery. You could even just go around your block a few times. Repeat 5-6 times for a short, but intense, outdoor workout.
7. Channel your inner kid and do a jungle gym workout. Here’s another park workout that requires less equipment.
8. Hike, swim, bike, play outdoor sports, etc. These are kind of “duh” suggestions, so I combined them. If it’s still warm enough to swim (which it pretty much was where I live over the weekend), count your lucky stars. Otherwise, there’s not a more perfect time for outdoor sports/hobbies (soccer, tennis, trail running/walking, etc.).
9. Practice outdoor yoga (or pilates). Though I’ve never tried it, I can’t imagine anything nicer than doing yoga outside on a gorgeous day. All you need to do is find a flat patch of grass and take your mat outside.
10. Rent a boat. As someone who recently took a 10-year-old paddle boating, you don’t realize how much effort it is until you’re halfway across the lake and the person on the boat with you says they’re “too tired” to paddle. Canoeing and kayaking also require quite a bit of exertion.
3 October 2011
Number four in my 10 Things to Do for Your Health Right Now post is “Go for a walk.” So in that spirit, because I didn’t feel like doing anything else but couldn’t deny the gorgeous day yesterday (and despite my boyfriend’s protests that walking doesn’t “count” as a workout — pshhhhh), I went for a walk.
I brought my camera, and the photos that follow are just things that struck my fancy while I was walking around my boyfriend’s neighborhood. He lives in suburban Detroit, and his neighborhood is pretty residential. If I had been walking around my neighborhood (also in the Detroit suburbs, but a different area), the photos would pretty much be of churches and liquor stores.
1. My car. The first thing I saw on my walk was my car, a ‘11 Hyundai Elantra, parked outside my boyfriend’s house. It looks so pretty in the sunshine, right? I really like it. I don’t really talk about unrelated personal stuff on this blog, so you probably didn’t know that back in April, I totaled my car. I was only about a year away from having it paid off, so I was pretty bummed, to say the least. No one in my family has ever owned a new car, and I never thought it would be worth it. But when I read the rave reviews of the new Elantras, I felt like they were worth a look. Of course, I fell in love. If anything could make up for the trauma of a scary car wreck and totaled car, it’s a fun new car (that I’m MUCH more careful with)!
2. Foreclosed house. It’s no secret that Michigan was one of the states hit hardest by the recession, so foreclosed houses are sprinkled around almost every neighborhood here. This house, which is next door to my boyfriend’s house, was occupied one day, and then totally empty the next. We knew the people that lived there, and I always feel really sad when I see that notice on the door.
3. Dan Savage’s face. I’m all about podcasts instead of music while working out. For this walk, the lovely Dan Savage was my entertainment. You can’t see it in this pic, but my iPod has a huuuge crack down the middle of it and sand all over from trips to the beach. Anyway, forty-five minutes really flies by when you’re listening to people ask about BDSM and how to stop being so socially awkward.
4. Team spirit. I’m from Ann Arbor, but I didn’t go to U-M. I went to a tiny little school called Carleton in Northfield, Minn. (Any Carls out there? Holler!) I still support the Michigan football team, if only because I would probably be socially ostracized if I didn’t.
5. Angry gnome. I saw this creepy little guy in someone’s yard. I don’t have much to say about it except that I would be truly creeped out if that were in my yard (or my neighbor’s).
6. Pods. I saw these plants hanging over a fence and was instantly fascinated. They look like overgrown pea pods, right? I picked one (sorry, mother nature) to investigate further. They’re really velvety to the touch and almost impossible to snap in half. I remain fascinated by whatever plant this is. Anyone know? Here’s a closeup:
7. Wedding party. No pic of this because that would have been super weird, but I saw a bunch of people loading stuff into a limo (David’s Bridal bags and all). I assume they were off to a wedding. Whoever they are, they got lucky with a gorgeous day for some nuptials.
8. Awesome bumper. This car’s bumper had a lot going for it, especially the Detroit/Michigan love. But obviously the best thing on it was the “Since you’re riding my ass… you might as well KISS IT!” Hate when people tailgate.
9. Black squirrel. Why is there an abundance of black squirrels here? Is this a Michigan thing? A Midwest thing? Are there lots of black squirrels where you live? I do NOT understand this phenomenon.
10. Boo! Halloween is so not my thing. If you’re looking for Halloween spirit, you’re going to have to head to Rachel’s blog. In fact, to Rachel’s great disappointment, my costume last year consisted essentially of a name tag:
I wish I still had that name tag! It would make this year’s costume so much easier. Still, I do appreciate some subtle Octoberish decor to get my in the fall mood. I saw a lot of it on my walk, but these ghosts were just super adorable. Guess I’m turning soft.
Alright, sharing time! I want to see pics from your recent walk. Or a weird thing you saw on a walk. Or just anything inspired by this post.
15 September 2011
I’ve been intrigued by Zumba ever since I heard about it a few years ago. I danced all through my childhood, and I was in a student-run dance company in college — which I adored! I knew Zumba has lots of Latin influence, and I just so happen to love Latin music.
When my gym started offering REAL Zumba classes (as opposed to “Latin Heat,” which I can only assume is bootleg Zumba), I knew I had to try one. So far, I’ve had two different instructors, both of whom I liked for different reasons.
The class consists of maybe 6-7 songs with fairly easy-to-follow choreography. Usually, there’s no instruction beforehand, but I hear some beginner classes will do that. The choreography is repetitive enough that a minute or two into the song, you’ll probably have a pretty good grasp of it.
The songs are fast-paced, and usually have some kind of Latin dance element (salsa, merengue, mambo, etc.). One of my instructors uses Latin music only, while the other one also uses Latin remixes of familiar top 40 songs.
What do I think? Hands down, Zumba is the most fun gym class I’ve ever done (besides MAYBE Fight-Do class in Argentina).
Is Zumba the most strenuous class ever? No, definitely not. But after an hour of straight dancing, I definitely get sweaty. And the time goes by insanely fast! I really would do Zumba every single day if I could. I’ve even thought about doing it twice in one day because it’s just that fun.
If you like dancing and are a fan of aerobics in general, you need to try this class. Though my instructors haven’t been quite as cool as the dude above, they’re really fun. And they love to shake their booties, which is pretty sweet.
What I like about Zumba:
- It’s just a ton of fun and there’s no pressure to do everything perfectly.
- The music is fabulous. And doesn’t music account for at least 75% of how good a class is?!
- I never get bored or start watching the clock. I want it to last forever.
- The instructors I’ve had so far have been so FUN. They genuinely love what they’re doing.
What I don’t like:
- There’s no strength training element — but I don’t think it would be as fun if there were!
- Some classes aren’t very intense. There have definitely been days where I don’t feel like I’m working that hard (though it absolutely depends on the instructor!).
As a Zumba newbie, here’s what you need to know:
- You really have to check self-consciousness at the door. You won’t get
a good workout if you’re doing the moves half-assed. I’ve watched people do Zumba with a scowl on their face the whole time and I don’t get it!
- It can be hard to Zumba in regular gym shoes. They’re a little bit clunky and make some of the moves more difficult. I still do it, but if you have less bulky sneakers, try wearing those. They also make shoes designed for aerobics/dancing, but you don’t want to drop $75 on new shoes yet. So if you have “fashion” sneakers, those might work too. Maybe something like these:
- From my somewhat short experience with Zumba, I can tell that the class can really vary based on the instructor. One of my teachers is more lax/loose with her moves, and the other one is more organized. They’re both good, though! If you don’t like the first instructor you try, don’t give up!
- It’s okay to improvise! If you don’t quite get how to do a move, just shake it however you can. As one of my Zumba teachers said, “There’s no wrong way to Zumba.”
- You may get addicted quickly. I know I did.
Have you ever tried Zumba? Love/hate? Any tips for newbies?
6 September 2011
Just like I did last year around this time, I’m offering $25 off any Your Nutritionista Consulting package until the end of September! To claim your discount, enter “Autumn” in the “How did you find out about YNC” field!
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Ready to sign up? Take the first step here (no obligation!).
To claim your discount, enter “Autumn” in the “How did you find out about YNC” field!
