New Workout Playlists

June 10th, 2013 No Comments

In training, we’ve been making playlists like mad men, now we’re finally putting them to the test. I’ve taught two classes and they both went well!

The problem is that some most of the remixes aren’t available in iTunes or on Rdio. Some came from Soul peeps, most came from HOURS of searching on SoundCloud. The best thing to do is GO HERE to see what I “like” and download from SoundCloud -most of the tracks you can download for free. As for the awesome Taylor Swift remix, that’s from YouTube and converted to MP3 by the MediaHuman app.

In other words, getting this stuff ain’t easy. So, if you see something you want and can’t find, just email me and I’ll shoot it your way.

If you’re on Rdio, I drop a lot of music I consider in this playlist you can follow. Subscribe to it and you’ll have a growing workout mix!

Alright, rock out and get those bodies bikini ready (you know the thought has crossed your mind more than once! Time to make it happen.)

Tweet this!

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:

Tweet this!

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.

Tweet this!

Easing into heavier weights to tone up

May 6th, 2013 2 Comments

Every week one of you emails me asking how I keep my arms toned. There really is no secret to it: repetition, definition with light weights and “heavy” weight lifting. You can click here to see all of my upper body workouts, each of which contributes to keeping my guns polished (laugh with me on that one please!). I’ll admit, the SoulCycle training, which includes about 15 minutes of arm repetitions with 2 lbs weights 4 days a week, has really been enough these days. But I still hit the gym for heavier weights 1-2 times a day to keep building muscle.

I realize you might not WANT to pick up heavy weights, feeling intimidated that you can’t complete a “full set” of reps or that your arms will get big. You CAN do it and it IS good for you.

So I’m going to offer up drop sets for you to get comfortable with heavier weights.

The great part about drop sets is that they include both heavy weight and a lot of repetition.

“Drop Set” means you start an exercise using “heavy” weight – a weight that you can complete 6-10 reps of one exercise. Then when you can’t lift it any longer, you drop down in weight. Using the moderately light weight, try for 10-12 reps until you’re muscles are burned out. Now drop down in weight again and go for 10-12 reps. Finally, reach for a light set of weights and do the movement until you just can’t anymore.

How much you decrease the weight each time depends on how much you start lifting with. You want to make sure that your heaviest weight is truly challenging while being able to maintain your proper form.

A few examples from my workout:

Chest press: start with 25 pounds, drop to 17, drop to 12 or 10, then finish at 8 lbs.
Shoulders: start at 15, drop to 10, drop to 8 or 5, and finish at 3. T
Bicep curls: start at 17.5, drop to 12, drop to 8, drop to 5.
Tricep pull downs: start at 20, drop to 15, drop to 5.

YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK IS TO DO DROP SETS INSTEAD OF YOUR USUAL ROUTINE. This will help show you you’re stronger than you know you are and get you comfortable using the heavier weight. Maybe the following week you’ll choose a heavier free weight or set the machine a little heavier for your normal workout. That’s my hope anyway :)

(Photo is before my day began Saturday at The Kentucky Derby! I thought it was more interesting than my usual workout photos AND it shows my “toned arms.” More pics from the Derby come this weekend. It was SOOOO much fun!)

Tweet this!

Picture Proof: spinning does not make your legs big and bulky

April 29th, 2013 2 Comments

I’ve been spinning NON-STOP for three weeks now in SoulCycle bootcamp, do my legs look big and bulky? Not so much. What I want to drill into you is that spinning is an exercise with this fundamental principle:

Repetition = Definition

Need more proof because I was “born with lean legs?” Here are some of the other girls in my SoulCycle training group.

Good lookin’ wheels, right?!

The resistance of the wheel is not as “heavy” as you perceive it to be. If it was, you wouldn’t be able to spin the wheel a million times over. You’d get about 20 revolutions and hop off. The key to not bulking up your legs while spinning actually has less to do with the resistance on the wheel and more to do with the height of your seat. When setting up your bike, raise the saddle up to a little above your pelvic bone. Then hop on and see how much your knee bends. You need to make sure your leg is only slightly bent, not creating any less than 170 degree angle when fully extended. I find it helpful when someone can tell you what your leg looks like because it’s hard to tell from sitting in the saddle. Do you know if you can tell the difference? I’ve demonstrated here so you can see the set up.

Here, the seat is too low so I’m riding what I call “stubby.” The leg is not even close to extended. If you ride this way, your quads will get bigger because you’re relying too much on them to push.

This is how I usually set up my beginning riders. A little lower saddle allows them to feel balanced. However, it’s not ideal for advanced riders.

Now my leg is almost fully extended at the bottom of the revolution. I can use all of the muscles in my legs, not just my quads. Instead of focusing on just pushing down, I can use my core to think about pulling up as well as pushing down to make a full circle. When I raise up and down out of the saddle, I’ll only do so a couple of inches.

Finally notice how my elbows are slightly bent (I’m not reaching for the handle bars), my back is flat instead of rounded, and my chest is high (because my core is engaged). Most people would pull the saddle back even further, but I choose to ride a little closer to the handle bars to support my lower back.

You need to be COMFORTABLE in your set up. Over the course of 10 years of spinning, I’ve changed my set up several times. Keep tweaking the position of your saddle and see what feels best.

Need more guidance?

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY VIDEO TUTORIAL ON HOW TO SET UP YOUR SPIN BIKE.

Tweet this!

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

April 15th, 2013 6 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

Tweet this!

Justifying the cost of gyms and finding an affordable one in NYC

April 8th, 2013 No Comments

In the comments section of a recent post, a reader asked very politely, “how do you afford fancy things?” She was referring to my Tom Ford sunglasses. My answer to her: I bought them with a credit I had from years ago. Otherwise, TF shades aren’t something I would splurge on in the middle of a cross-country move.

My umbrella answer is: I’m smart about how I shop. I don’t buy TONS of shoes or clothes. I buy NICE pieces OCCASIONALLY and I wear them for a long time.

The cost of my fitness regemin falls under its own category.

Exercise is critical to my health and well-being. It makes me stronger in more ways than just physical. How can I put a price tag on that? Well, the answer is, I don’t, the gym/trainer/studio does, right? So let’s break this down:

I spend at least 5 days a week at the gym and take classes. If you consider the cost of a personal trainer can be $50-$125 a pop, or a private studio class is $20-$35, then spending $100 (or more!) on a gym membership doesn’t seem so bad. If we’re going to get technical about costs, I taught spinning at gyms to avoid membership fees and also take on fitness studios I love as clients and barter work for classes. (This by no means makes them free, trust me!)

Now you know I’ve also shelled out for a trainer. Cederick was more than just a trainer for me. He was a light in my life. (See our workouts here.) At the time, I was making more money in Houston and could afford him. Due to his cost, I didn’t eat out a lot or buy shoes. Is this making sense? Ced made me happier than things, so that’s where I put my money.

Moving back to NYC for the next two months I was concerned about what my gym situation would be. SoulCycle classes are not enough to maintain my level of fitness. (That’s just personal preference.) Oddly enough, having an Equinox membership in LA does not allow me entry or even a discount to use one of the many facilities in NYC. So I was thinking I would have to finagle something at Crunch or NYSC for the next two months to get some lifting in. Thankfully, that didn’t prove to be the case. Blink gyms, owned by Equinox, are fully-equipped, clean, gyms with a monthly rate of $20! When I heard about them, I couldn’t believe it! That is insane for New York. So I went in and blink had everything I needed. They don’t offer classes, but they have 2 or 3 of every machine and it’s super clean. SOLD!

I believe that fitness provides us with so much more than just a physical benefit. I think if you’re reading my blog, you agree with me. I’m with you that it stinks to make it a line item in our monthly budget, but it’s worth it on so many levels. And since you’re paying for it, find something you actually enjoy instead of making it yet more “work” in your life. If you look hard enough, there will be a “blink” opportunity for you wherever you are.

Tweet this!

Time to get your butt in bikini shape

April 1st, 2013 3 Comments

If you haven’t already been sunbathing over spring break :)

In this video I show you 4 exercises other than your basic squats and lunges that you can do to tone up your glutes. Reader Anne wrote in and said that squats and lunges cause pain in her knees, and she would love to know glute exercises that didn’t. Between my trainers and a physical therapist, we came up with these 4 that are great at isolating your glutes.

You can do them with or without weights. As I am trying to build up a little muscle back there, I use heavier weights: 10-20 lbs. I also have to be mindful of my lower back which inhibits me from going heavier, but you can!

Also check out this squat-row combo and this video for more ways to tone up your glutes.

Finally, I have to apologize for the production value of this video. The girl who helped me was so sweet to shoot it, but it didn’t come out the way I had hoped. As the years pass somehow it’s getting harder to find people to help me shoot these things…..

(Video head to toe: bead head hair, Nike top, Lululemon pants, Reebok shoes)

Tweet this!