Lazy day hotel room workout

May 20th, 2013 No Comments

On the road, unless I can find a good studio nearby or the hotel gym is well-equipped, I usually decide to take a couple days off to let my body rest. Recovery is an important part of building strength.

On the other hand, we’ve already discussed that even in foreign countries, we still have TONS of fitness options at our disposal. Sometimes am just flat out lazy. I’ll try to make excuses as to why I can skip it. I think most of us fall into this camp.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I post about vacation workouts when summer rolls around. Traveling for work or other obligations makes exercising a different story. You know you shouldn’t detract from your normal regimen/level of intensity. And still, motivation is the hardest part about the whole endeavor.

Such was the case on my recent quick trip to Louisville. The gym at the hotel was awesome, but I didn’t have a lot of time to exercise…I wasn’t in the mood….but I knew if I got my blood pumping I would feel better. (The previous day’s activities needed purging if you know what I mean.) So I went back to the blog and found this video to get me started. No excuses, I just did what Richard told me to do. (I miss BLAST900 so much!

**Click here to watch a video on how to train your body to do pushups NOT on your knees.

Once I got going, I kept thinking of exercises to add in: tricep dips, a variety of crunches, hip raises, etc.

Before I knew it, I had completed 20 minutes of exercising AND felt a hell of a lot better (as expected).

A few other options to get you going:

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Taking the “work” out of working out

May 13th, 2013 No Comments

When I know I’m coming back to Houston, the first person I call aside from my parents is Cederick, my trainer. He’s not just my trainer, he’s a light in my day and a huge source of positive energy for me. He’s seen me at my worst, destroyed in tears, and I still show up for him, without shame, because I know that not only will the workout be good for me, but being in his presence and hearing his nuggets of wisdom will be even more beneficial than getting my heart rate up.

I tell people this ALL the time, but the message never became clear to me until I was doing this exercise with him the other day. While I do these pull downs, he stands behind me so I can rest my head on his stomach as he keeps his fingers on my lats to help me focus. My thought was that even though the exercise was a struggle, it was pleasure not pain or “work.”

You all ask me CONSTANTLY, how do I stay motivated to exercise regularly. Cederick is one of my many answers. And man, in Houston was he hard to find. Like most of my favorites, he was referred to me by a friend. BLAST900, JoyYoga, Level10, and SoulCycle are more favorites that were referrals actually. If I don’t have a recommendation, I don’t seek out, I HUNT DOWN workouts I enjoy so I want to go do them. I don’t just join the gym next to my house, I commute if I have to. If I’m stuck and I need to exercise in a way that’s not fun for me (like Zone 3 days on the treadmill), I find a way to entertain myself (Nashville Star on my iPad).

So this week, I encourage you to take an assessment of how much you actually like the exercises you do. That could mean individual movements, entire days, classes, studios, trainers, whatever. If you feel yourself cringe at any point, drop that exercise and HUNT DOWN a seemingly-enjoyable replacement.

It took me years to find my routines. Mostly because I move around so much. But you should be able to find activities that fill both your exercise and entertainment buckets all at one time.

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Change is a good thing!

April 22nd, 2013 1 Comment

Mary Rambin workout weights

Last week I wrote about my workout routines. Routines are comforting because we know what lies ahead and we can anticipate any discomfort. For our minds and bodies, that’s not necessarily a good thing when it comes to our workout. You need to challenge yourself to make them stronger. Keep your body on its toes!

This week, I encourage you to take your workouts to the next level simply by changing one little thing. Add on weight, resistance, an incline, just something so you FEEL a difference in your muscles when you do a movement.

For example, here’s what I do to turn up the intensity:

Add 2 pounds when using light weights (so go from 3 to 5 lbs)
Add 5 pounds when using heavy weights
Start my treadmill workout at a 3.o incline instead of 0
Jog and run 0.5 faster
Add 2 pushups in my chaturangas
Put an extra turn/gear on my resistance while spinning
Do 30 crunches instead of 20

You get the idea.

Just make sure you aren’t compromising your form to carry the extra intensity. If that’s the case, back off. Form is truly the key to being successful, no mater what your goal. You can also decrease your reps by 2-5. Just see how you feel.

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My workout regimen is based on location, location, location.

April 15th, 2013 2 Comments

As a matter of fact I have! But that could have been 3 years ago…after so many years of blogging I lose track :)

If you’ve been following me through those years, you know I’ve moved a handful of times – New York, LA, Houston, Mexico, Atlanta. As much as I would like to take my workout with me as I bounce around, I can’t because of the facilities and studios specific to each city. In some ways that’s good so I don’t get burned out and my body doesn’t become accustomed to a routine. As we all know, one of the most important parts of changing our bodies and getting stronger is challenging your body.

The basis of my workout is always the same: cardio, weights/strength, aerobic/zone 3 heart rate/fat burning days, yoga. How I accomplish those things is based on where I am and my heart rate goal for the day (cardio = zone 4-5 for 1 hour, fat burn = zone 3 1 hour). Here is an approximate breakdown of what I do where. If you click the links, you’ll get more details on what my workouts entail.

New York

SoulCycle – 3 days a week = cardio
Blink/Equinox – 2 days a week = weights + zone 3
Yoga – 1 day a week (haven’t found a studio here yet)

To answer Jaclyn’s question, SoulCycle isn’t enough FOR ME because it misses 2 major muscle groups (chest and back) during the arm segment and doesn’t allow for building muscle with heavy weights. However, the arm section is amazing to tone your shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

Los Angeles

SoulCycle – 2 days a week= cardio
Runyon Canyon – 2 days a week = 1 day cardio, 1 day zone 3
Equinox – weights or group fitness classes (they have THE BEST!), 1 day yoga

**I still haven’t figured out my scheduling of these yet.

Houston

Spinning at fit gym – 3 days a week = cardio
Personal Trainer Cederick – 2 days a week = weights + zone 3
Memorial Park – 3 mile job, 1 day = zone 3
Joy Yoga Studio – 1 day

Atlanta

BLAST900 – 3-4 days a week = 3 days cardio, 1 day zone 3
Private gym – 2 days a week = weights + zone 3
Chastain Park - 6 mile jog or walk with weights = zone 3
Spinning at home – 1-2 days a week = cardio or zone 3
Atlanta Hot Yoga – 1 day a week

Mexico

My beach workouts – 3 days a week = 1 day cardio, 2 day zone 3
Gym – 2-3 days a week = weights + cardio
P90x – weights, resistance bands, 1 days a week = weights
Yoga DVD (haven’t found a favorite yet)

Traveling

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Stretching is kinda like eating vegetables….

February 11th, 2013 No Comments

You know you should do it often; you know it feels good when you do it. But you make excuses not to do it.

Are we really in too big of a hurry to stretch? Come on…be honest!

By my calculations, we only need 7 minutes to stretch.

According to Rich at BLAST900 and Fitness Magazine (yep, I went and double checked!), unless you hold a stretch for 30 seconds, you aren’t getting the full benefit of it.

So, for a bare minimum, you can do 30 seconds each side for a total of 1 minute per stretch to knock out:

Quads
Hamstrings
Hip Flexor (shown above)
Glutes
Chest
Triceps
Back twist

The time we spend stretching will pay dividends in the long run. Tony Horton (the face of P90x) says, “if your flexibility is bad now, it’s only going to get worse as time passes.” That’s his pitch for EVERYONE to do yoga, and you can’t really argue with it. The least we can do is stretch, right?!

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There are many benefits to exercising while you’re pregnant.

January 21st, 2013 No Comments

Every time I go to BLAST I see at least one expecting mommy killing it in class. My mom played tennis until two days before I was born! So I know it’s safe, but I didn’t realize exercise has the ability to combat many issues you might encounter when you’re pregnant.

According BabyCenter.com:

“Exercise does wonders during pregnancy. It boosts mood, improves sleep, and reduces pregnancy aches and pains. It also prepares you for childbirth by strengthening muscles and building endurance, and makes it much easier to get back in shape after your baby’s born.

The ideal workout gets your heart pumping, keeps you limber, manages weight gain, and prepares your muscles without causing undue physical stress for you or the baby.”

The article goes on to list the best kinds of exercises for pregnant women:

Cardiovascular work
Swimming
Low-impact Aerobics
Weight training
Stretching
Yoga
Dancing

You knock out 4 out of 7 in one BLAST class or a group fitness weight-lifting class. Most gyms even offer special pregnancy classes so everyone is going at the same pace. You’ll see from that list, that walking or yoga is not enough, you should get your heart rate up.

That being said, you need to be safe. FamilyCenter.com recommends you obstain from contact and high-impact activities and take EXTRA time to warm up. Bouncing and jumping is not a good idea either. So just take it easy and stick to you usual intensity or a little less. If you keep both feet on the ground, you should be ok.

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One of the most accessible workouts you can do anywhere

December 17th, 2012 No Comments

Is….???

Do you know what I’m going to say?

You do, and if you’re like me, you’re not a fan of it.

Running! or Jogging!

All you have to do is slip on your shoes and go outside. You can do it anytime, anywhere, which means it’s the LEAST we can do to get our heart rate up everyday.

The problem is that even though it’s an innate activity, most of us don’t run properly to make the workout effective or safe for our body. For example, I’m a heal striker; I land on my heel and roll to the ball of my foot. And I wonder why I have lower back pain! Of course there is more to that ailment, but landing on the heel of your foot is terrible for your joints and back. The impact sends shocks through your whole body. Ouch! So I’ve been trying to change my technique to the one Nicole explains above. It has been a challenge to make the switch, but I am willing to go to any length to make sure I’m protecting my body. That’s what 12 years of constant pain will do for you.

Watch the video, see what kind of striker you are, and notice her pelvic and shoulder form. Of course your core plays a big roll in helping you lift your knees. And finally, head position, which I never really thought about!

(video via BLAST900 blog where I help contribute content)

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Have you thought about it this way??

October 29th, 2012 4 Comments

“If it’s this bad now, imagine how bad it will be in 5, 10 years?”

He is referring to flexibility, but IT could be anything.

This weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Tony and take one of his yoga classes. It was basic, but any yogi knows that holding poses is physically and mentally challenging. Tony claims that yoga and flexibility is the key to his fitness. Admittedly I haven’t taken yoga in a while, but thankfully my range of motion is still pretty good. At one point he came over to me and said, “hey, Gumbie’s sister, can you try to make this look hard?!” I guess I was successful in keeping my cool as my legs were DYING!

After class, I went up to him to grab this pic (As you can see, Tony is just as ripped in person as he is in the videos. It’s pretty amazing actually!) and told him that his program has changed the lives of several close friends. With his program of muscle confusion and regimented nutrition, they shed 30/40/50 pounds and continued the lifestyle after the 90 days. I believe it’s his different attitude towards fitness that keeps people motivated. He doesn’t try to scare people into gaining strength, he encourages you to just get moving and then push yourself. And he never raises his voice. (I kinda wish that he would, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be his nature.)

P90X DVDs have always been my go-to for travel exercises when I know I won’t be near a gym. No matter which one I chose, they’re always a welcome change from my usual workout routine. As the cold weather comes down upon us (or a super storm for that matter), you should consider buying the DVDs to use at home. You can find used sets on Amazon for as low as $80, which is much cheaper than a trainer or gym membership. P90X 2 is supposed to be more intense, so I look forward to trying it!

Many thanks Tony!

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