Do it in threes....

Women's Health Magazine suggests focusing on one of three things to jump start your workout:

1. Weight 
2. Intensity  
3. Volume 

"To keep your body guessing, focus on one variable per workout: Increase the weight but lower the number of reps one day; lower your standard weight but add a set the next; use your standard weight but do more reps faster on another."

Then suggestions of:  

• Pull-ups
• Row machine
• Short burst circuits (jump rope, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc) 

Even my little first graders were doing pull-up in gymnastics class today!  The most seasoned athletes may struggle with these challenging moves.... so get to work and see how you're doing at them today!  

Cross fit?

I've heard such conversation about the Cross Fit craze that has hit the fitness industry and is bringing non-athletes to fitness and shaping bodies with quite quick results.  I have asked several friends and colleagues about their personal Cross Fit stories and some of it sounds a bit hokey to me.... one friend said, "You do as many as you can without stopping -- get to 100 squats however possible."

My response was with questions related to form.... after 100 squats when the body begins to fatigue, your form will be sacrificed which could possibly lead to injury.  I don't think that just anyone should be working in a Cross Fit, mass amounts of repetitions, kind of way.

But..... I do love the selected workout posted by Women's Health Magazine -- a Cross Fit workout which highlights 6 different exercises (see below) targeting various muscle groups for strength training as well as components of plyometric training. Each series alters the number of repetitions, duration, and order in which you complete them.

You can even print it out and bring it to the gym -- or move your furniture and do it right in your living room!  I plan to try it out tomorrow :) I'll let you know how it goes.

Jump Squat

Butterfly Situp

Burpee

Triceps Dip

Lunge Hop

Pushup

Mountain Day!

Today we traveled out of the city to beautiful Bear Mountain! It's a refreshing sight to see the leaves changing colors, to smell the crisp fall air, and to be surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills.  It's an annual tradition at my school and I was glad to be a part of it today.  We went on walks around the lake, played games like capture the flag and ultimate frisbee -- I even played in a game of volley ball!  Being active outdoors can be so enjoyable, and it's a great way to spend time with friends.

Below is me with a fellow teacher amidst the gorgeous scenery.  That smile is on my face because it was the most sunny and inspirational day I've had in a while. Why not see what kind of adventure you can find this weekend, whether near of far... grab your sneaks and head outdoors to explore and find something fun on your way to fitness!

Slow down...

As I'm about to head down to lunch, I will try to keep a few of my favorite of these eating habit guidelines in my mind:

• Slow down! It takes about 20 minutes for our bodies to recognize fullness   
• Sit down -- don't hover over the sink ;) 
• Eat with others -- converse, pretend like you are out to eat at a restaurant, and enjoy the meal 

Make time for meals just like you make time for the gym, and other healthy habits.  Put your fork down after a bite or two and fully chew everything you're eating.  You need to KNOW you're eating or you'll be more likely to overeat or feel that common, "I just had dinner, but I feel like I didn't eat anything!" 

I am going to head to lunch now, take my time, chew my food, talk with others, and enjoy it all the while!  

As the mornings get colder....

it's harder to get out of bed in the morning, let alone to head to the gym for a workout! Wouldn't it be a slice of paradise to wake-up to this scene to the left, ahhh..... but my freezing NYC apartment just isn't the same.  Morning workouts might not be fun, but studies show...

• Working out in the morning is best -- you can get it out of the way before something else gets in the way.  
• If you track your dates with a visual cue (like drawing an X on your calendar) you can SEE the record of how many days you have gone for the month.  
• Accountability from friends (or a trainer) may be the way to ensure you show up when you say you're going to. 

Daily actions are essential to developing good habits that you can stick to -- find something that works and stick to it! 

Change it up!

Even Women's Health Magazine recommends changing up your workout regularly to prevent plateaus and even boredom.  The push-up, lunge and squat should be regulars in your routine, but how you do them should change.

I love the

• mountain climber with hands on swiss ball 
• (shoulder) scaption and shrug 
• split stance dumbbell curl 
• plate pinch curl (never seen this one before!) 
• swiss ball L-raise 
• McGill curlup 

Give the a try and let me know what you think! 

World smile day!

A student reminded me that it's world smile day -- so enjoy it!!!

Try this, not that....

I love a good, eat this, not that.... so today's post features a do this, not that!

Women's Health Magazine explains machines that may cause more harm than good and safe suggestions to achieve the same, if not better goals.

Check it out and add these to the other workout recommendations for the week!

Other tips

In addition to Interval Training, Livestrong recommends two other concepts to achieve great results:

1.  Muscle confusion
2.  Full body exercise

Muscle confusion means that you alter your workout regularly and force your body to do different things so the different muscle groups will alternate in use and recovery.  If you are a runner and you choose to long distance run every day, your body will adapt to that muscle patterning and it will become easier and easier.... change your workout regularly to overcome training plateaus and to prevent overuse injuries.

Instead of isolating a specific muscle group, full-body exercise pairs two major muscle groups together to work in tandem to achieve an overall body workout.  Instead of just doing an isolated overhead press, do a squat first and then complete an overhead press immediately; likewise, pair a lunge and a bicep curl.  This will turn weight training into cardio and burn fat while building muscle.    

Change it up today and check out the results!

Interval training

High Intensity Interval training is a great form of exercise that reflects the fast paced ever changing lives we lead. We are constantly in motion, running to catch a bus, sprinting to make a street light, or waiting in line at the grocery store, then carrying heavy bags home quickly.... we are rarely in the same speed for extended periods of time like long distance endurance training will prepare us for.

Interval training combines short bursts of high intensity workout against activity of lesser intensity or even periods of rest.  These workouts are fat burning and can build your aerobic capacity in as little as two weeks!

This training is:

1. Efficient -- saves time while increasing energy expenditure in a shorter period of time.  Get more done in less time! 
2. Burns more fat and calories post workout 
3. Gets your heart working while pushing you into an anaerobic zone (like that of a swimmer such as Michael Phelps) by doing high intensity activity and pushing harder  
4. NO equipment -- high knees and fast feet (as my NYSSSA students know all about these two) or sprints can get you this high intensity result.  You can do it anywhere! 
5. Lose weight, not muscle 

This is how I spent my morning doing interval bursts on the treadmill... walking up hill for 2 minutes, running at a 6.0 pace for two minutes, sprinting at a 7.0 speed for a minute..... after 20 minutes of this type of patterning I was beat. 

Give it a try!!!