Two Workouts To Beat Boredom on the Treadmill

October 8, 2016October 8, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi All! I’ve been a little MIA lately due to school, BUT I’m back in action after getting though a crazy busy last couple weeks. Between clients, internship, and having a test this past week, you can say I’ve been a little nuts. Marathon training has kept me sane through it all and has helped me prioritize my runs as much as it has my studying. Another reason why exercise is so good–boosts productivity! 😉

Even though I’m in Florida, it definitely isn’t feeling like fall. It’s still fairly hot and in some cases rainy in the afternoon. Kinda like summer weather. Florida needs to make up its mind! It’s either hot as hell or it’s either hot as hell. Florida, please choose neither and pick fall instead. 😉

With sporadic rain showers mixed with humidity or just being plain hot, speed work outside has been hit or miss. I definitely haven’t missed those workouts, but it’s either get wet outside or suck it up and run on dreadmill…I mean treadmill. Okay, it really isn’t that bad. It’s a last resort for me. It’s either I suck it up on the treadmill or it doesn’t happen plain and simple. If it is nice, then YES you bet I’m outside. With the past few times I have been on it compared and when I was training for Miami, I’ve played around with ways to keep me challenged but also distracted. First off, music is a no brainer. Gotta have music to keep you pumped and going. That’s pretty much it…besides a water and a towel. A nice view also helps!

So HOW would you say you beat boredom on the ‘mill? I’ve come up with two treadmill workouts that I’ve done in a pinch to get in some speed work when I can’t get outside. Because #noexcuses is a real thing especially with marathon training!

1.) Up The Pace

-Start out with a brisk walk on the flat surface for three to five minutes. Using either the distance you have set to run (most times for me) or time at .25 miles or three to five minutes. From there, up the speed half a speed at a time. For example, if you’re ending your warm-up around .25 miles, up your speed from 3.5 for 4.0 or as high as 4.5 mph for 2-4 minutes at a time. Continue to increase speed gradually until you reach the mile marker. At this point, you’re at fast pace/almost a sprint for the last 3/4 (.75) of the mile. That last bit is TOUGH! Once you reach the mile maker, drop back down to your start pace at the walk and repeat the gradual increase in speed until you’ve reached desired time or mileage.

2.) Tempo Sprints

-Start with a brisk walk for three to five minutes. When you’re ready, up the pace to speed of which you’re at an uncomfortable “push” type pace. Talking should be minimal and breathing heavy. Stay here for maximum minute and thirty seconds or minimum of thirty seconds. Drop to jog. Drop back down to brisk walk. Repeat picking up the pace faster each time. Work until you’ve reached desired time or mileage.

Anything helps when you’re on the ‘mill! These have really helped me and I’ve seen the benefits even though I’m inside. Of course outside is always best, but I like to think of it as it happens on the treadmill or not at all when it comes to days I’m stuck inside. Every time I’ve chosen to get it done with on the treadmill and remind myself I’m better for it. Then after the workout, I make a note to self the times it doesn’t rain and plan to go then. XP

Happy Friday!

Core & Plyo Workout Plus First Week of Marathon Training

September 23, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So far so good with my marathon training and balancing life, school, teaching classes, training clients, boyfriend and social life, and internship…LOL. Really though, I am pleasantly surprised with how well I’m doing so far. *Knocks wood.* I am very busy, but if you know me, you know I LOVE that and wouldn’t want it any other way. This week in particular has been a whirlwind and I feel quite tired, but also invigorated. I saw a quote this week that said, “I am so exhausted today because I was busy being so awesome YESTERDAY.” That’s how I’ve felt lately. And it’s a good thing. I’m also really excited to sleep in tomorrow morning for this reason. It’s the little things that count.

This week I shared a cool new core move that I shared on my Instagram. Since I’ve been tired this week, I just wanted to get it all done in as little as one or two moves. I also wasn’t feeling totally creative, like I said up top, so combining total core with a burst of low abs sounded like a good challenge to me! Make sure you keep your core tight, pressing it into the ground. Try not to let your low back pop up as your legs come down for the flutter kick. As soon as you feel your low back arch, you’ve gone too far! Keep your core tight and neutral.

This move works the entire core and gets you burning up in half the time! I was like ‘what can I double up on that let’s me get everything done in one or two simple moves?’ –> then BOOM. This move was born. I was toast guys!!!! Seriously it was really good. I didn’t need to do another move because this one got it all. Can I get an AMEN? Core done: CHECK! I love when I surprise myself with my creativity on days I’m feeling meh.

As much as I love doing large muscle groups and finishing them with core, I was just into doing just core and cardio and that’s it this past week. I wanted to be done with it in thirty to forty minutes max (I can typically spend about an hour, hour and fifteen depending on what I’m doing). We all have places to go and things to do, so this is where this workout came in handy the most.

I’ve talked a little about plyometric (plyo) moves before and they’re making their way back to my workouts. Plyometrics are movements that involve power, speed, and high intensity cardio. They’re great for HIIT and workouts like this one. Fast, challenging, and powerful. I never used to like them because I felt uncoordinated and slow. But after reading about how they can benefit my running and overall cardiovascular system, I reluctantly decided to add them. From there, I’ve grown to LOVE them. I add them for high intensity and burst of cardio where space is limited or I’m short on time. I especially love them for my HEAT class I teach since it’s always a good challenge and doesn’t require equipment–another bonus!

Checked out the new University of Tampa fitness center this week! Gorgeous facility.

Combined with marathon training, I’m still keeping my three times per strength training days. I’ve been at this for awhile and really like how it’s fit into my schedule. Especially with my training and upcoming milage, it’s so important to stay strong and injury-free. Twice a week total body plus a quick thirty to forty minutes of a workout like this one is a perfect way to get in strength workouts.

No equipment necessary for this! All you need is a mat/towel, a water bottle, and some motivation and that’s it. 😉 Get that core working and heart rate up and you’ll be done in no time.

Core + Plyo Workout

* using a weight. I used one twelve pound weight and had a ten pound nearby
Three-four times total for each round going from one exercise to the next
Rest at the end thirty seconds to one min before repeating
Start with each exercise doing forty-forty five seconds each and work up to a minute

-Overhead crunch + flutter kick*

-Russian twist + bicycle crunch

-Scissor kick + leg lift*

-Lateral bounds + single leg hop

-Side shuffle burpees

*Repeat 3-4 times*

In terms of marathon training, I started last week. Again so far so good. Since having done one already, I feel confident about my training and what works and doesn’t work for me. Of course, there is always something to try and glitches to sort out which makes each training special. I’m following Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I program with a few new changes I’m throwing in. I’m adding two days of speed work and one bridge run. My race has two bridges and yes, I knew that when I signed up. My first race was flat so I figured it was time to add a new challenge. I’m tracking my food via MyFitnessPal. Strength training three times per week. Lastly, I’m adding hip and ankle mobility work since I’m as stiff as a board and am learning through my internship that I really do need to improve this. I’m determined NOT to break with my upcoming milage! My ultimate goal is finish in one piece and injury free and I feel adding the mobility work will really be a great addition! Keeping with minimal drinking and good sources of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats. Carbs are a forever friend when it comes to marathon training!

img_1759-1 — Five miles done before the sun

One component I’m particularly excited about is to have my boyfriend, Harrison, be part of this training. He’s into being fit (mostly lifting upper body…I help gotta help with some lower body stuff) and running for health. He’s really supportive and is excited for me and the upcoming training! I’m hoping when he’s not studying, and when I’m not too, I can get him up early to ride his bike alongside me on my long runs. If anything he’s great at keeping me accountable. We both get up early so we text/call each other to make sure where up and moving. For me, I text him when I’m about to leave on a run and when I get back, especially when I run early in the morning. I told him a lot of carbs are in the near future so he said he would be down to keep me accountable with making sure I’m well fed. HAHA. My kinda guy. 😉

How You Can Add Strength Training To Your Already Hectic Schedule

June 24, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Happy Friday!! Fridays have seemed like a good day to post new material so I’m getting excited about making this a more regular thing. With school, I’m able to post about once a week, if you haven’t already noticed. I’m excited to keep cranking out new posts despite the fact that school is in now happening.

Anyways, to the blog topic: Strength training! To be honest, not my favorite thing. Just like I mentioned last week recovery isn’t my favorite thing. I’ve been very real the past few posts, but its a good thing at times because no one is perfect! 😉 I really enjoy leg day, practicing my pull-ups, and bootcamp classes but nothing makes me happy as running. However, running doesn’t enhance my entire fitness. It’s cardio, comes with different benefits, and is only one part of my program.

Strength on the other hand, complements the cardio. You build specific muscles, prevent injury, and improve bone health to name a few benefits. Yes, cardio does some of that too, but strength is specific to weight bearing. Weight bearing or resistance training meaning anywhere from bodyweight, to resistance bands, dumbbells, etc. If you haven’t check it out, be sure to look at my Why Women Should Pump Iron post to get a good idea on key reasons to starting lifting!

“I know how great strength training is, but I don’t have time for a full hour of it!” –>I’ve heard a million times. No one says you have to do a full hour to get benefits! Recently I’ve changed some goals to where I switched over to doing 30-40 min workouts using smaller muscle groups that take less time. Think shoulders, arms, calves, etc. I’ve done the opposite too using big muscle groups like legs and back to hit a lot in a short amount of time to get more bang for my buck. I still enjoy a good leg day so I’ll keep one of my strength workouts closer to an hour because leg days are favorite–no other reason.

Still feeling unsure of how to tackle a short workout and getting similar benefits? View my tips below to see how to build a effective 30-40 workout!

Pick a muscle group: Upper body, Lower body, Core. Keep it simple!
Set an end time: How long do you plan on working out for? Need to be done by a certain time? Estimate a half hour to forty minutes from the current time and make an effort to get the workout done! Knowing you have a deadline makes you prioritize what needs to get done, from your rest between sets to how you order your exercises.
What’s available equipment-wise: In a hotel room, park, or stadium? Use the benches, stairs, or field to get a kick-ass cardio/hiit style workout in! If small weights are available add squats, overhead press, or bicep curls to the mix. The more options you have, the more complicated the workout becomes. Don’t overcomplicate anything though, use it to be creative and challenge yourself! Bonus points if you have it all set up ready to use instead of taking what you need as you go! Those extra steps back and forth add up to wasted time.
Make sure you build in a warm-up and cool-down before and after: This would ideally be included as part of your thirty to forty minutes of work. If you’ve been sitting for a bit, a longer warm-up might be necessary. If you’re like me and are always on the go teaching, training, running, etc. a few minutes might be enough. The key is to feel warm and ready to go. Not still stiff from sitting. Think five minutes of dynamic movement.
Best way to keep it at the thirty-forty minute mark–put it on your calendar!!! Book it like anything else in your life. I say time and time again that if you schedule your workout in a planner among your other commitments, you’re likely to stick with it. ‘Nuff said. 😉

Let’s Chat!

-What’s your favorite muscle group to work?

-Tips that you find helpful to fitting in your workouts each week?

-Any fun weekend plans?

Why Everyone Can Do Plyometric Moves Plus My Three Modifications

June 10, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Happy Friday friends!! Its been a while since I posted a workout, so I figured I’d share a bit of what I do with my HEAT class and what I do with them since I do a fair share of plyometric moves in a bit of each of my class’s and my own workouts.

In case you’re wondering what plyometrics are, plyometrics (aka plyo) are a form of cardio using intense amounts of effort in a short amount of time. I do a combination of them in between different exercises to add an extra challenge and calorie burn or lump them all together for longer duration to focus on cardio alone. It’s really whatever you like!! A few examples of plyo moves are lateral bounds, depth jumps, vertical jumps, box jumps, power push-ups, medicine ball throws, and last but not least–burpees. The factor that makes these “plyo moves” is the added burst of intensity, namely the jump/throw movement or using the word “power.”

With plyometrics comes with impact, just FYI. These movements aren’t something you do for long periods time because they’re intense, you don’t need to do them for long to get benefits. The longer you can go, the better you’re getting at them! Although that’s not a bad thing since it shows your improvement, it means you can also make it more challenging ;).

So you might be reading this and thinking, that you’re not up to that level or you’re coming back from an injury (do I hear cranky knees?)…that’s okay! The best part is that plyo moves offer modifications so anyone can do them! I admit, I was not great at them off the bat, in fact I was terribly uncoordinated. Wait, I kinda am still uncoordinated jumping and moving around at the rate I’m going, but overtime I worked up to it using modifications. As a result of working at these, I look more put together as a result too! Yay to looking less clumsy and more coordinated! 😉

Guess what the secrets are? You’ll be more apt to try them knowing you can drop the intensity and still get benefits with these modifications:

ELIMINATE THE JUMP OR POWER MOVE! Yep, simple as that. Lateral bounds without the hop in between, box jumps with alternating high knees, medicine ball press without the throw/catch. Wanna make it tougher? Add the jump, but jump HIGHER or onto something higher, throw a heavier ball, or simply increase time or reps.

Go At Your Own Pace – Just like standard cardio, go at a pace that feels comfortably hard for you. Keep in mind the talk test. If you’re huffing and puffing and can speak in short choppy sentences, you’re doing it right. If you’re at a conversational pace, you can up the intensity.

Time Work and Rest According to Ability – You’re putting through an intense amount of work in a short period of time, ya gotta rest to replenish! So how long do you rest? I’d say work for as long as you rest. An example would be work for thirty seconds then rest for thirty seconds. My sweet spot for these is forty five seconds. A period of time between thirty seconds to a minute is a good amount of time to start. Again, this is whatever you like! So think outside the box too. Twenty seconds of work and ten seconds rest is really good and tough! (aka tabata!) Try four times of work and four times of rest. Play around and see what you like.

If you’re doing lateral bounds for thirty seconds and feel tired, but not wiped you’re doing them right. Pair that with a thirty second rest and you should feel ready to tackle another hard thirty second bout again. Making the movement intense for that amount of time should leave you feeling fatigued but not so wiped you can’t continue. If you do get to that point of fatigue, instead of completely stopping, MODIFY! Remember my suggestions at the top? This is when you can use them! You still get benefits of the movements even with the modifications.

So behold, by plyometric workout below! I’ve added the plyo moves in between other moves like this one here, but doing them at the end when you’re tired is good too!

Plyometric Workout with Odd & Even Numbers

Format: Two times through each round, two times through with plyo moves*, sprint once after both rounds then rest after last round for one minute.

Lower Body = 15x, 20x; Odd Rep Plyo Moves*

-Squat Jumps

*9 burpees

-Sumo Squats

*7 burpees

-Reverse Lunges (15 and 20 reps both sides)

*5 burpees

-Wide/Narrow Squats

*3 burpees

~Sprint~

Upper Body= 15x, 12x; Even Rep Plyo Moves*

-Power Pushups

*10 lateral bounds (double count- left and right sides equal one rep)

-Lat Tap Pushups

*8 lateral bounds (double count)

-Tricep Pushups

*6 lateral bounds (double count)

-Standard Pushups

*4 lateral bounds (double count)

~Sprint~

Rest!

Beat Plateaus with Cardio Post Strength Training

April 13, 2016 by Ali ♥ 4 Comments

Good morning! We’re officially half way through the week…YES! If you need to freshen up your fitness routine, check out my new workout idea. I wish I had done this combination of cardio post strength day sooner, since it really is a great way to see how well you perform on tired legs (or just a tired total body) while torching extra calories.

Have you ever warmed up with some light cardio or gotten it done first, then hit the weights, and finished with a cool down? Nothing wrong with that! Pretty standard and it works. But if you always do it that way, plateau is likely to set in sooner than later. A plateau is a period of maintenance where there is no decline or progress of fitness. You maintain and that’s it. This can either be seen as good or bad depending on the person and their goals. This can happen to anyone, from the elite to the average joe.

As we improve and progress, we become more fit with a need to be more mindful of new challenges/ways to make us stronger and more fit. For someone who is very fit (think of someone working out six days a week) constantly changing the stimulus pretty often is necessary to reach goals, whatever those are. For someone new to exercise/never exercised before and needs to lose weight, they may see results with this standard routine for a bit. Eventually after keeping up with their exercise routine, they could plateau later and need to adjust. Different timelines and goals for different people!

For those of you not really in a plateau right now (or just are good with where you are now) but just wanna add variety, this is just as good for you too! Especially those of you not really into losing weight, but wanna up your running game and have a race coming up. I tried this concept to switch up my running most of all: Running AFTER strength training! WHAT WHAT! yeah, it’s hard AF. But its great and really gets your body working. Running tired especially after a leg heavy strength day last Thursday was not really on my agenda, but I felt great so I figured why not. Although five miles was not on my list either, I really did enjoy that different kind of push. The first one to two miles were tough, then my legs kinda figured it out. The last mile was definitely tough though *insert fire and explosion emoijis.* I kinda wish I had done this more during my marathon training #MyOneRegret, but know I know for next one! 😉

If running five miles post strength seems to far too soon, stick to one to three miles and keep in tough or just above a conversational pace. See my post on pace runs to add the idea of an intense and short amount of cardio. I took it slower, and still felt I got a challenge out of it. If your legs feel like they’re gonna fall off, you’re doing it right! The point is keeping the cardio for after the weights, so regardless how fast or far you’re going, you can keep it easy or tough and still get benefits from it.

All ya gotta do is tack on the cardio at the end of your strength routine (whatever that is for you) and BOOM you will feel a huge difference! Even if running isn’t your thing, a bike ride, elliptical, walk, etc. works too! Keeping the heart rate going post weights is key!

YOUR TURN:

-Any new workout routines you’ve tried recently?

-What is your preferred form of cardio?

What’s the Buzz on Online Personal Training? The Personal Trainer Perspective

March 18, 2016 by Ali ♥ 1 Comment

Hey hey! It’s FRIDAY! Finishing up this two part blog post on what the hype is on online personal training. The first part of this topic I wrote from the client perspective. This second part is what its like on the other side of equation, the personal trainer behind it all.

First off, I wanna say that I LOVE offering this service. I made this clear in the first post, lol, but I’m repeating myself because its 100% true. It works well for me because my method behind my beliefs aligns great with this perspective of being online. I’m all about teaching and educating the client not just putting them through a bunch workouts. Being a personal trainer I believe education is just as important as reaching goals and getting results. Learning along the way is part of the journey. If I didn’t teach the point of the workout, and only just had my client do it, what good would it be? With these reasons, working online gives me a chance to explain and teach the workout with the client while the client works through motivation and effort.

Here’s the run-down on my side of online training. I treat the session like an in-person training session. I confirm the morning/afternoon of and treat it like a conference call. The clients I use it with use FaceTime with me so I can’t really say I’m using Skype or anything like that. I have my workout notes with me so I can keep track throughout the call. I tell them what they need equipment-wise (if they have it available), ask if they have water etc., as well as ask if they have anything in mind fitness related they wanna work on that day. I feel asking before a session and getting their input is important since they’re paying for my service, they should have a small say in what the game plan for the workout is (not the whole thing…lol but *small* say 😉 ).

When planning the workouts, I try not to make it too complicated for them. I take basic movements they’re already familiar with and add to them, usually like a kick, pulsing, an ab movement, weight, etc. so its fairly straight forward but still giving them an extra challenge. Since technology isn’t perfect, wifi can be an issue depending on the location of my client. I’ve had sessions that go in and out of the wifi which can at times can be most annoying. Thankfully I haven’t had that be too much of an issue. Lighting and camera angle is another consideration. I try to position myself so they can get multiple angles of a movement while seeing exactly how to perform it correctly. Lighting is important too on my end and their’s! No one likes being in the dark…literally and figuratively haha.

On the training side, it works great for me because I typically stay and “work from home.” Yes, I can technically train anywhere, but ideally I stay home because I’m moving around as much as they are! Sounds odd, but demonstrating moves would be awkward in certain places…think of me being at Starbucks and demoing pushups, squats, etc. LOL. Best part of training at home is getting other things in between online clients. Treating each online client as an important “phone call” I have to be ready to sit and take, I can do laundry, emails, or other business stuff right before I take the call! Once I’m done with the call, I can back to work instantly. Well, sometimes. 😉

Another non-fitness bonus on my side besides being productive between calls, I save on gas driving back and forth. I didn’t realize this until recently, but it really saves ware and tare on my car and milage. I large chunk of my gas goes to my business so saving where I can is most definitely helpful. As the client is performing the workout, I sometimes sit on my couch and drink coffee/tea, time each movement, basically sit some for the hour. I try and not get too involved in whatever I’m drinking (you know I love my coffee) but being able to chill on my couch is nice. I am moving around demoing so its never the entire time I’m actually sitting, but being in the comfort of my own home is nice and relaxing. However, with sitting/being at home during these calls, I don’t get many steps in as opposed to when I’m in person.

Overall, I love having and being able to offer online training! It’s a great idea to market and capitalize on as well as a turning point for the fitness industry. In a sense, this is what I feel will be the industry within the next few years. In-person will always be the norm, but seeing more and more of this type of service offered will become prevalent. I’m so happy to say that I am ahead! 🙂 Personal training is moving onto a whole new level and I can see gyms falling behind in this regard. Although I don’t foresee this being an issue anytime soon, gyms will have to up their PT game eventually. This reason alone is one of the reasons why I moved away from gyms altogether. I definitely made the leap to this concept of online on my own with my business, but looking back, it was totally worth it.

YOUR TURN:

-What do you think of my side on online training?

-Have you thought about doing online training or are you sold/not sold on the concept?

-What do you think the fitness industry will be like ten years from now?

What’s the Buzz on Online Personal Training? The Client Perspective

March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 by Ali ♥ 2 Comments

As part of my small business, I offer online or FaceTime personal training to my list of services. In this day in age, everything we do is online or on our phones. Why not add personal training?? The client still gets a workout in–#noexcuses, results and progress is still made despite the distance, and motivation is taken to the next level. This is a two part post on online training with the first focusing on the client. Below are a few of the benefits for client:

It is especially helpful for clients that constantly travel or are always on the go. I plan online training like I would a real-life personal training session. I have 1.5 clients that use this option…lol. I train my dad just online because he’s still in Delray Beach, my hometown. My dad always requests to do a workout when I’m in town, but until then I see him once a week via FaceTime. It makes for a good reason to stay in touch anyways and to squeeze in a workout. My other client only uses it when she travels, which is fairly often.

Was working so hard, he didn’t notice I snapped a pic 😉

In case you’ve ever wondered, YES–online training is still safe and effective. It is a little different from in-person, and there is plenty of room for getting your money’s worth too. For those clients that just need instruction or are at a more advanced level, this is a great way to challenge and motivate them. Effectiveness here is based on motivation, so instructing via a formatted workout (explaining to the client what is expected of them) can be very beneficial. If a client is more of a first-timer to exercise/personal training, real-life would be a great first start. Learning movement patterns with cues and spotting before moving online, creates a solid foundation for later instruction.

Not only is online training good for staying ahead with their goals, but allows them to reinforce what they already know about different movements. It “trains” them to use what they learned during an in-person session, if they had that experience before. Although being the trainer I cue them throughout the movement, they also rely on themselves to become more aware of form, breathing, etc.

Only positive feelings last post workout via online! No more “guilt” because they were away and didn’t get in a workout in with me. As the trainer, I hold them accountable via email and text throughout the week even if seeing them in person. According to the couple clients I have that use it, they love staying ahead on their workouts knowing time isn’t lost just because they’re away. Although this method benefits me as the trainer in a few ways too, I would easily say that this is a HUGE benefit for them. Online changed the game on that one 😉 Technology, whether it be FaceTime/skype, email, text, even social media, is so powerful and impactful for this industry. I’m SO happy this is a turning point for clients of personal trainers, especially my clients! 😉

YOUR TURN:

-Have you heard or even used online personal training? Thoughts? Be honest, I wanna hear!

-Do you see this becoming a standard later on in gyms or just personal trainers?

Stairs, a Sandbag, & Empowerment: How I Celebrate International Women’s Day

March 9, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Happy Hump Day! Thought to squeeze in a midweek post about my latest workout and mention a belated International Women’s Day to some pretty cool and inspiring ladies in my life. I did a pretty cool workout yesterday with stairs and a sandbag and I’d say WHAT a great way to celebrate!! Weights make me feel empowered and strong, just like some of the women in my life. Why not double up and celebrate it with an intense workout? EXACTLY.

I know not all of us causally own sandbags at home (I sure don’t but am using the Y’s!), but using weights or some form of resistance is the point. Yes, you can forgo the weight and do it bodyweight style…BUT I find the added weight adds a great challenge and the awkwardness of holding the sandbag stimulates my muscles differently compared to hand weights aka balance and grip strength strength…both of which don’t get a lot of attention. The sandbag offers a few ways of holding it complete with multiple handles depending on what you’re doing. It’s the ultimate challenge in carrying weight, AND you can do almost anything with it. You name it, it can be done. Throwing, pushing, holding, pulling, swinging, carrying, etc. the list goes on. If the stair component is missing for you, add the stair master if in a gym. If outside: a ramp, stadium steps, or just replace the climbing movement altogether and add sprints or some plyometric cardio moves like burpees or jumping jacks. You’re carrying the bag WITH you to the top and back down all ten flights (in my case) twice so don’t drop it! Reconfigure the bag each time but don’t leave it behind! 😉

I used a parking garage adjacent to the Downtown Y. For you Tampa friends, I used the Old Ft. Brooke parking garage downtown. Since the Y is right there, it was perfect for grabbing a mat and the sandbag without going too far. I was in the mood to not be in the gym and wanted to challenge myself in a new way that wasn’t on machines or lifting traditional weights. I felt like getting creative and stepping out my comfort zone. I remembered the sandbags and stairs nearby and BOOM, I wrote a circuit, grabbed the sandbag and mat, and was ready to go!

The sandbag I used weighed about twenty five pounds. With this workout, especially for us ladies, that’s all you’ll need…lol. Remember its bulky and awkward to hold so that is also another consideration, especially as you get tired. The workout uses the sandbag almost the entire time but some it uses bodyweight exercises without the bag and just the mat. Make sure you find a nice few flights of stairs!! I climbed ten flights twice. Needless to say I was wiped and am sitting her writing this sore, BUT it was awesome and if anything the beautiful views of downtown were worth climbing to the top for. I can’t wait to continue incorporating stairs and sandbags for future workouts!

What you’ll need:

One sandbag or heavy weights
Mat
Ten flights of stairs/an incline/whatever is available to you

Two sets x 25 reps each (total four sets) back to back sets. Keep bag and climb stairs to the top. Don’t forget to include a warmup and cool down/stretch. *This workout took me approximately forty/forty-five minutes with some rest in between circuits.*

Lower Body circuit (bottom of stairs):

-Reverse Alternating Lunges (double count–each leg counts as one) 25x

-Basic Squat 25x

~climb stairs with bag~

Upper body circuit (top of stairs):

-Basic pushups *using sandbag under chest as a marker to GET LOW* 25x

-Plank pushups on sandbag (good way to challenge yourself on a non-even surface and makes is softer on forearms) first set pushing from one arm, second set other arm 25x

~back down stairs with bag~

Core: Lower Back (bottom of stairs)

-Deadlifts 25x

-Supermans on mat 25x

~climb stairs with bag~

Core: Abs (top of stairs)

-Russian twists with bag 25x

-Bicycle crunches on mat (double count) 25x

~back down stairs with bag~

Cool down and stretch!

Fitbit: Who Does it FIT?

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 by Ali ♥ 4 Comments

*Disclaimer: Thanks to the Tampa Bay Bloggers and AT&T spokeswoman Karen McAllister, I had the privilege of getting to use the Fitbit Charge HR for nine days in exchange for this post, social media love, and tickets to Lowry Park Zoo. All opinions are my own.*

After being in touch with Karen from AT&T and Tampa Bay Bloggers, the Fitbit Charge HR was a great product to try for over a week. It gives being active a new sense of awareness. It was nice being able to see my numbers throughout the day and it gave me something to push for during my workouts! I had secretly wanted to see for myself what the hype was all about and I’m really glad I did. It was a pretty cool product and a worthwhile nine days seeing how it worked with me throughout the day while teaching my classes, training clients, and incorporating into my own workouts.

FullSizeRender-3 — Fitbit HR has a sleek design and felt light weight when I wasn’t checking my stats.

I specifically had the Charge HR band that tracked my heart rate on top of all the other features it came with: sleep tracker, calories burned, stairs climbed, distance traveled, active minutes etc. It read the heart rate via the radial pulse on my wrist and tracked it at rest and throughout the day. That part alone was especially cool! It was a great way to keep yourself motivated during an intense cardio session alone. During my spin class at Soho Cycling Studio it was handy to look down and check periodically throughout the class how I was doing and to see my total calorie burn post workout. As a group exercise instructor, I especially loved seeing the calories burned and steps tracked throughout my classes I teach. All the little movements and walking around really do add up to more calories burned and distance walked. Once you reach your step goal, mine was 10,000, it vibrates to notify you. From there you receive badges and can see your collection as it grows!

A day I incorporated a strength day into my routine (note the 26 active minutes) among classes I taught and clients I saw

I would say that the Fitbit is a great tool for many people. Its a great fit for people returning to exercise after an injury, newbie to the fitness world, athlete or regular exerciser, individual with a nine to five desk job, and a cross trainer. Having this tool is great for anyone who needs that extra reminder, motivation, and awareness of their numbers at their fingertips to keep goals in check.

For the individual who are returning post injury and getting back into a routine or is just getting into fitness, this is a great first step. A few of my clients have them and I love asking how their steps are, what they burned during our workouts, their sleep, etc. It’s funny since even a few people in my group classes I teach always report to me how they did post class or even funnier–ask during class, “can we do more cardio? I need to get my steps in.” In cases like these, I LOVE utilizing it THROUGH my clients and class participants to keep challenging them even more! 😉 From what I have learned about it through myself and others is to WEAR it, otherwise it doesn’t work. Sounds silly making this comment, but if it isn’t charged and ready to wear, don’t count on it doing it’s job. Less time wearing it = less motivation.

For the athlete/regular exerciser, this is great for the constant added challenge through the heart rate feature. I learned I could push harder throughout my spin class, so I continued to increase the intensity and after looking at my stats post class, I TORCHED about 800 calories! WOWZA!! I thought to myself, “I wonder how many I would have burned if I didn’t add the extra resistance?” Yeah no regrets there. 😉 In terms of strength training, my heart rate during the workout was not as high as it was during spin or a run, but it did take note of my elevated heart rate during my half hour strength workout. So, YES males/females that like to strength train and crank it out in the weight room–this is for you too!!

FullSizeRender — Badges earned each time you make your goal!

Even when not active, the Fitbit HR keeps the numbers going even at work during the day. Checking resting heart rate during the day and after a few cups of coffee (like I did) I saw a small increase in heart rate! However, it does not vibrate as a way of notifying you to move…which I thought was odd. It does track active minutes, so even though there is no obvious way of notifying you, being motivated to get up and walk around during your lunch break or throughout the day does count. The calories burned and distance traveled stat will soon be your friend.

I’m pretty sure this was rest day for me, but I did go for a walk with a friend. Tracked my heart rate even during our walk!

What if you’re not a high intensity fitness freak but still enjoy being active–in a less intense way? Maybe yoga/pilates or cross training is your thing? That counts too! Again active minutes and a jump in heart rate counts as a workout and automatically tracked in active minutes. As mentioned above, looking at calories burned is another great way to track as well!

Each week I got a daily “progress report” on my activity. Great overview to keep me motivated!

As a runner, I LOVE/LIVE by my Garmin Forerunner 15. It tracks my pace, speed, and includes a GPS. It also has a built in heart rate monitor with a strap. I feel the Fitbit would be a good fit for someone who wants to track their overall healthy habits and activity and isn’t necessary focused solely on running. I had this product during my half recently, and chose not to wear it simply because it did not track my running stats–specifically my pace. However, it was GREAT for other activities I participated in.

Had to take a selfie with it after getting it from Karen!

Throughout the week I used the Fitbit, I did learn a lot about myself and confirmed some things I wasn’t sure of. I learned I can really challenge myself MORE which is exciting to know (via the heart rate feature), I really do need eight hours of sleep..lol, and I have a low resting heart rate. Aside from it being an overall positive experience, in a technological way (the app and way it worked was super easy) and motivating sense, I would recommend this product to everyone looking to enhance or maintain their fitness.

Gasparilla Race Weekend + Reward Yourself with a Customizable Decal

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 by Ali ♥ 9 Comments

Hi Friends!! If you live in the Tampa Bay area and are a runner, you most likely have heard of the Gasparilla Distance Classic. A weekend usually in the second to last week in February starting on Saturday and ending on Sunday. If you’re a newbie to running or a veteran half marathoner, you’ve got a few different distances to pick from: 5k, 8k, 15k, and half marathon plus three challenges of multiple races throughout the weekend. Starting with a great expo on Friday and into Saturday, awesome looking medals for each distance including exclusive ones for each challenge, pre-race goodie bag, and a well-organized race in sunny Tampa and you have a great race weekend! This is one of my favorite weekends of the whole year and my favorite part of living in Tampa. Its so fun and local to this area, its hard not to run and/or spectate!

**Christina** ran the 8k Saturday and **Caitlyn** cheered from finish! Glad to have kicked off race weekend with these two 🙂

I’ve participated in the race weekend since starting school at the University of Tampa in 2011. My first half marathon was Gasparilla in 2012 and I participated in the Amber Challenge (5k, 15k, half) last year in 2015. Hard to believe that I’ve run the half marathon/participated in the race weekend for the past five years! Yet again, they did another great job putting the race weekend together. Unfortunately the races fall on the same weekend as the Disney Princess Half Marathon which I haven’t done yet (or any disney race for that matter) because I love this whole weekend that much! I basically walk out my front door and walk to the start, its my home running route, weather is great, and its a reasonable price (sorry disney). Not to say that I won’t do a disney race, I want to eventually, but right now this weekend is something I’ve participated in every year and I can’t break that!! 😉 Honestly though, I wanna run the Tower of Terror 10 miler in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Hopefully 2017 (when they re-open the race) it will work out then!

The week before the race, of course I felt I was overdoing it a little…smh I was feeling some tightness in my right foot after my ten mile run and from that moment, I got back into some foot strengthening/maintenance exercises and made sure I foam rolled (both of these I’m not good at doing regularly) and for a week I took off running. I did this before my marathon too because of a similar issue, so I repeated it again before the half. I went to Soho Cycling, strength trained, did yoga, ate well, rested, etc. All that was left was awaiting for my Mom to show up for the weekend! Another reason this race is tradition is because it always falls on the weekend after my birthday. A good excuse for my mom or both my parents to come watch and spend the weekend with me. Who doesn’t love when you get personal cheerleaders AND they help you celebrate your birthday a little longer?! My mom arrived Saturday morning and we went shopping, had lunch/dinner our favorite places. Daily Eats is BOMB has a killer shredder bowl for pre-race fuel and Oxford Exchange is AHmazing for their Chicken Burger and sweet potato fries post race. I crave a burger and fries post race of almost any distance. I think its the ultimate cheat meal especially since I don’t typically make this kind of stuff for myself during the week. Isn’t that what a cheat meal is supposed to be?! YAS.

Who doesn’t love local strawberries covered in chocolate??

The morning of the race was Sunday at 6am so I got up around 4-ish to eat, get myself prepped, and be ready to head out the door around 5:30am. I woke up and felt like I was hit by a truck…yeah. Not a way to start a half marathon. I remember thinking, “you can go back to bed and not run or you can suck it up and run.” I chose the latter. Sweating out whatever I had could be okay. I felt confident after having deciding and warming up so I was already feeling better mentally. I made it to the start and bang went the gun and off I went! Overall weather-wise it was great. I started slow, about 9-9:30 min/mile and soon made up time as I got to mile eight. Past eight, I started picking it up. I was feeling much better! The last five 5k I was up to 8 min/mile and felt amazing. All I used was my nuun and ended up not needing any of my gu. I finished strong with a time of 1:51:51! I was so happy and proud! I had PR-ed and cut four minutes off my time from last year! Although my marathon was about a month ago, it significantly helped me mentally and physically with my improvement in my time. By far it gave me a new appreciation of running half way! BEYOND GRATEFUL pretty much sums it up.

Post race, my mom and I walked back and got ready for the rest of the day. We had brunch with LiveSweatSleep post race, got strawberries in Plant City, did some home improvement stuff like putting together the rest of my room and defrosting my fridge–fun stuff. That night I started feeling pretty tired and worn out. I was also starting to feel that “hit by a truck” feeling aka getting sick. My mom made me homemade chicken noodle soup and we just relaxed until she left the next morning!

**Caitlyn** join in for post race brunch!

Overall, besides starting off the race not feeling so hot to the weekend overall being fun and memorable complete with my PR, it was great!! An awesome way to start year 23!

Breakfast thanks for THE Columbia for a killer way to refuel post half!

SO…have YOU run any of the Gasparilla races yet?? Maybe you’re like me and run the same race every year or you just tackled a new distance? Maybe you ran disney or another race recently and want to reward yourself for your hard work? 🙂 I gotcha covered. Whatever the accomplishment, check out these custom made decals by ThisCrazyLifeofMine!! I saw them on LiveSweatSleep‘s car and thought how cute and clever AND get all distances covered in the same place.

They’re awesome because they make great car bling, they’re a cute way to reward yourself and show off your accomplishments, and its completely customizable 😉 From the color of the hearts, the distances, and line at the bottom, you can make it uniquely YOU. Check out This Crazy Life of Mine for more info! Be sure to email crazylifeofmineblog@gmail.com for a $1 off when you mention AliGoesTheDistance.

YOUR TURN:

-What race have you done recently? Did you try a new distance or race altogether? How did it go??

-Any pre-race rituals? 😛