Think You Don’t Have Time…
Posted: 11/07/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: Christmas, exercise, Goals, Health, holidays, realistic, realistic idea, sweat, Thanksgiving 1 Comment »With the holidays coming the demand for our time and energy will become even greater. For most of us this means, despite our best intentions, time for self care like exercise gets pushed off in favor of more pressing matters.
Often there is all or nothing attitude when it comes to treating ourselves right. If we are good, we are golden, perfect, and will sacrifice to maintain our status earning admiration from our friends and peers. Yet, when we go off the rails, we usually fall hard and stay there for a while before picking ourselves back up, dusting ourselves off, and starting all over again. For many, the down part lasts between the end of November and the beginning of January.
So, how do you break the cycle? How can you fit it all in without adding 2 hours to the day or going absolutely bonkers? It’s as simple as changing your expectations and knowing the difference between a setback and a failure.
So, lets start with exercise. You don’t have to spend an hour at the gym to have it count. In fact throw that idea away all together and adopt a more realistic idea of exercise. I like Matthew McConaughey’s motto – Break a sweat at least once per day. Simple, easy, opportunities are limitless and most of all, achievable – and in a very short period of time. How short – 5 minutes or less. Not sure where to start, give this a try. Do what you have time for and smile because you moved today!
SUP YO!
Posted: 09/18/2012 Filed under: Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: outdoors, Paddle Board Yoga, paddleboard, Yoga Leave a comment »First, let me say I hate being cold. But even more than that, I hate being wet and cold. So, when I agreed to go to a Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga class this past weekend, I couldn’t tell you what I was thinking…
Standup Paddle Board Yoga is exactly what it states. Participants move through a flow of yoga poses while balancing on an anchored paddle board in the middle of the water. Oh, and the anchor is just there to keep you from floating away from the group…it provides NO stability.
On order to participate in paddle board yoga, one must first learn how to paddle board. Thankfully, this was much easier that I thought. I started out slowly on my knees to get a hang of the paddling technique, then made my way to my feet. It was quite a windy day and paddling into the wind provided quite a challenge. To get anywhere, you really have to put your whole body into it, especially if you’re headed into the wind! Not wanting to be left behind, I gave it my all and managed to stay with the group.
So, after some serious paddling, several anchoring attempts, and finally a successful anchoring, our yoga practice began. We started out with some very simple yoga poses to help us get acclimated to moving on the paddle board. Once comfortable, our instructor lead us through a flow of yoga poses that got progressively more challenging. This was, by far, the best part of my yoga experience. Unlike traditional yoga where it is easy to skip out on the “be present in the moment” part of the practice. On the paddle board it is impossible. You have no choice but to focus only on what you are doing. Add in the feel of the wind and warmth of the sunshine and I can’t think of much that’s better.
Our trip back to the dock, paddling with the wind, took almost no time at all. But, it wasn’t until I set foot on the dock that I realized, despite my fear and worry, I didn’t fall in the water. I had made it through the whole experience happy, warm and dry. And, even better…I was looking forward to doing to again!
That’s me in the black bikini!
To learn more about Stand-Up PaddleBoard Yoga or to sneak one last session in before the warm weather leaves us for the season click:
Facebook.com/supyo.bostonnorth
New Clothes? Yes, Please!
Posted: 08/28/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement | Tags: Athleta, Lulu, Lululemon, Lululemon Athletica, Shopping Leave a comment »So, those of you who know me know that I almost exclusively wear Lululemon, or more recently Athleta, clothing. I made a promise to myself that when I became a Health Coach, I would only wear clothes I found comfortable – aka workout clothes.
See, this comfortable clothing battle has been raging from the time I was a little kid. Just ask my mother. I was wicked to dress. I mean, what kid won’t wear jeans. Oh yeah, this kid… I sacrifice style for comfort on the regular. Not a good habit, I know.
Anyway, imagine my excitement when I found clothing companies like Athleta and Lulu who let me have my comfort AND make me look cute when I go out in public. There is only one little problem….the cost. I learned a long time ago you get what you pay for and these clothes are worth every penny.
But, getting your hands on these awesome clothes doesn’t mean you have to pay pay full price. Did I also mention I love a good deal? If you do too, then check this out!
Cardio or Lifting Weights?
Posted: 07/05/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: Aerobic exercise, aerobics, cardio, Jane Fonda, lifting, Muscle, muscle mass, Physical exercise, Strength training, Weight training, weights 1 Comment »Since the start of the fitness craze in the 70s and 80s a hot debate has raged. What is a better workout? Is it the lycra-clad aerobics Jane Fonda made so popular, or is it lifting weights like Arnold on Muscle Beach? The answer…it depends.
Arnold Schwarzennegger made big muscles sexy.
Jane Fonda popularizes aerobics first with her book, and later with home videos.
This Is Why I CrossFit
Posted: 06/20/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: functional strength, movement, strength Leave a comment »CrossFit Route 1 has just changed locations (come check us out!) and that means I got a new office space. So, to celebrate, I headed down to IKEA to for some brand new office furniture…alone.
I’ve always been a “I’ll do it myself” kind of girl, and a few years ago buying an entire office worth of furniture from a place where you have to do all the heavy lifting yourself would have been a daunting task. So daunting in fact that I might not have even tried knowing that I likely wouldn’t be able to lift all of the boxes.
I wasn’t that I wasn’t in shape. I went to the gym most days of the week mixing it up between an hour long session of assorted cardio, and a strength training class called Group Power. The thing is, for all the time I put into the gym, I still had little in the way of functional strength. Lifting everyday things, like the vacuum, the laundry basket, or the groceries, felt heavy. Because of this, a task like going to IKEA alone would have been out of the question.
This time I didn’t think twice. I knew what I needed to do, and I had the confidence in my own abilities to get it done. I am stronger than I ever have been. But, even better than just plain strong – I am functionally strong. So, earlier this this week, when a new client ask me about the benefits of CrossFit, my reply was simple – it makes everything else you do in life easier.
So, reader, why do you crossfit? And, if you don’t…what is keeping you from taking the first step through the door?
My new office!
This Car Did What…?
Posted: 06/13/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: hiking, Mt. Washington, road race, running Leave a comment »Do you know what really grinds my gears? Seeing a car with this bumper sticker.
Why? Because I don’t get the big deal. What accomplishment is it to sit in your car and drive to the summit of the mountain when dozens of hikers, standing with you on the summit, have used their legs to accomplish the same feat? In my humble opinion a mountain summit is something that must be earned. There is no bumper sticker that says “These Legs Climbed Mt. Washington”, although there is a t-shirt that says “This Body Climbed Mt. Washington”. I must admit, I am a proud owner of the latter. Mt. Washington was the first summit I’d ever bagged, but you don’t see me rocking that t-shirt every day of the week. Read the rest of this entry »
Road to the NE Regionals
Posted: 04/20/2012 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: CrossFit, CrossFit Games, CrossFit Route 1, Regionals, Team, Training 1 Comment »Last year I was fortunate enough to be a part of a team that made a dream come true. After months of hard work and intense training, 6 friends – the CrossFit Route 1 team – placed 2nd in the 2011 NorthEast Regionals and made it to the 5th Annual CrossFit Games in Carson, CA.
Jared, Kendra, Brent, Me, Ryan and Alicia at Regionals 2011
The Secret Life of a Tennis Ball
Posted: 12/13/2011 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: Low back pain, Massage, Trigger point 4 Comments »
I don’t play tennis, softball, or lacrosse, nor do I golf. Yet, if you were to come over my house you would find a little basket containing at least one of each. So, what’s the deal?
Cheapest and most personalized massage ever.
You know how good it feels to get a massage. The relief you feel when your massage therapist finds those pesky knots (especially in your upper back) and works her magic.
Those knots are also known as trigger points. Trigger points are the localized contraction in a small number of muscle fibers within a muscle or muscle bundle. These localized contractions create tiny knots that develop in a muscle when it is overworked or injured. Read the rest of this entry »
You haven’t aged a day
Posted: 08/17/2011 Filed under: Exercise, Family, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: Ageing, DNA, DNA repair, Telomere 6 Comments »This past weekend my husband’s grandfather celebrated his 90th birthday. Four generations sat around the table and looking at the different faces I began to think about the factors that affect how we age.
These CrossFit women are all ages 50+
Is your pain reliever keeping you in pain?
Posted: 07/21/2011 Filed under: Exercise, Functional Movement, Healthy Habits | Tags: Advil, Aleve, Analgesic, Ibuprofen, Inflammation, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug 1 Comment »
Advil is one of the most frequently taken pain relievers and a favorite among athletes.
I did it for years, several times a day, almost every day. Every time I had an ache or a pain I’d reach for it. I kept giant 300 count bottles in my medicine cabinet. Yes, that’s right, I said bottles…as in more than one at a time. I’ve been an athlete my whole life and, like most athletes, no matter what the ache or pain Advil was the answer.
