Although you are probably already way deep into your Thanksgiving festivities, I just wanted to throw out a little reminder to try to get a quick workout in.
Even a quick 20 mins will work. Sneak off to the gym or workout to your fav exercise video. Or after your meal, go for a short walk with friends or family before settling into the couch for sports or movies.
Your body will be thankful for any workouts you can do. :)
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving.
Barb
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sugar Detox Time is Now
Fall is the time of the year when I hit about a dozen birthday parties and eat all kinds of sugary holiday foods including leftover Halloween candy, various pumpkin flavored treats (latte's, breads, pancakes) and warm baked goods. The change in weather makes sweet comfort food even more appealing.
Since I am bombarded with so many tasty treats at home, at the grocery store, at the office and/or at my friend's house, it's also the most important time to watch my sugar intake and start the process of detoxing my body of all the excess that sugar. Sugar can be very addictive. This article from Time Magazine What you need to know about Sugar provides some important information about sugar and sheds more light on many myths about sugar.
So, don't wait to make this your New Year's resolution, take steps now to curb your sugary snacky habits. Remember taking care of your health is a life-long commitment so stick to good habits as much as you can throughout the year.
And when you're ready to add a workout to your life-long commitment to health, come see me for a session or two.
Have a great week!
Barb
3 Week Intensive Starts this Week:
We squeezing in one more session before Thanksgiving. We will meet 2x/week Wednesday & Friday morning at 9am. We have space for a few more folks, so email me quickly if you'd like to join.
6:30am Sessions:
I have a few folks interested in 6:30a sessions, but still need more to create an early morning Intensive. Email me if you are an early riser and would like to start your day with some Core Conditioning and High Intensity Training.
1-1 Sessions:
Get ahead of the New Year's resolution and schedule a session with me before the year end. I would love to develop a program just for you.
Don't forget to go to barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
Since I am bombarded with so many tasty treats at home, at the grocery store, at the office and/or at my friend's house, it's also the most important time to watch my sugar intake and start the process of detoxing my body of all the excess that sugar. Sugar can be very addictive. This article from Time Magazine What you need to know about Sugar provides some important information about sugar and sheds more light on many myths about sugar.
So, don't wait to make this your New Year's resolution, take steps now to curb your sugary snacky habits. Remember taking care of your health is a life-long commitment so stick to good habits as much as you can throughout the year.
And when you're ready to add a workout to your life-long commitment to health, come see me for a session or two.
Have a great week!
Barb
3 Week Intensive Starts this Week:
We squeezing in one more session before Thanksgiving. We will meet 2x/week Wednesday & Friday morning at 9am. We have space for a few more folks, so email me quickly if you'd like to join.
6:30am Sessions:
I have a few folks interested in 6:30a sessions, but still need more to create an early morning Intensive. Email me if you are an early riser and would like to start your day with some Core Conditioning and High Intensity Training.
1-1 Sessions:
Get ahead of the New Year's resolution and schedule a session with me before the year end. I would love to develop a program just for you.
Don't forget to go to barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Health Benefits to a Good Night's Sleep
Every night before I go to bed I check on each of my kids while they are sleeping. Sometimes they're curled up completely under the covers and other times they're all the way out with their heads at the foot of their beds. My oldest sometimes talks and walks in his sleep and my daughter usually falls asleep with all the lights on and multiple books open on her lap. They are deep sleepers and at their age they usually get about 10-12 hours of sleep (WebMed-How much should kids sleep) and I have to say, I'm a little jealous.
I used to be able to sleep in with no problem. Getting up after 9am was a normal habit for me for a lot of years. Then, I had my kids, and the whole sleep thing went completely haywire. I thought when my kids were sleep trained that I would be able to sleep in again, but no, that didn't work. So now I'm training myself to have a better sleep regimen.
Getting enough sleep as an adult is a simple task that can really improve your overall health, but not everyone makes it a priority. Watching TV late at night or being on the computer through the night can really impact your overall sleep patterns and lead you to minimal amounts of good sleep; and if it continues will lead to weight gain, crankiness and other health issues.
According to Precision Nutrition: "The average adult gets about 7 hrs of sleep/night. 33% of the population gets fewer than 6.5 hrs/night. Women sleep a bit more than men. Those who carry high amounts of body fat tend to sleep less than those with a normal body fat. Studies suggest that people who sleep fewer than 6 hrs/night gain almost twice as much weight as people who sleep 7-8 hrs/night. Excessive sleep isn't any better: those who sleep more than 9 hrs/night have similar body composition outcomes as those who sleep less than 6 hrs." (All About Sleep from Precision Nutrition).
So try to get your "Z's," that is 7-8 hrs of them every night. Turn off the TV, put away your phone and have a cup of herbal tea and a hot bath instead. Although it's tough to do this every night, try to make it your priority, you'll feel better during the day and give your body and your mind the rest it needs. Then during the day if you feel energized and ready for a workout, you know where to find me. ;-)
Have a great day!
Barb
Core Drop In Session This Week:
Friday, October 25th 9am: 5 people min to run. Email me if you're interested in joining.
3 Week Intensive:
I'm trying to squeeze in another Intensive before the week of Thanksgiving. Let me know if you are interested. We will meet Wednesday and Friday at 9am and will need 5 people min to run the session,
6:30am Intensive:
Ok you early birds, I have a few folks asking about a 6:30am intensive. Email me if there are more of you out there who would like a workout at the crack of dawn. Times and days TBD.
1-1 Training:
Get ahead of that New Year's resolution and treat yourself to a series of Personal Training Sessions. What better gift to yourself than the gift of health and fitness?!? Email me for more info and to schedule your first training session.
Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on Health & Fitness
I used to be able to sleep in with no problem. Getting up after 9am was a normal habit for me for a lot of years. Then, I had my kids, and the whole sleep thing went completely haywire. I thought when my kids were sleep trained that I would be able to sleep in again, but no, that didn't work. So now I'm training myself to have a better sleep regimen.
Getting enough sleep as an adult is a simple task that can really improve your overall health, but not everyone makes it a priority. Watching TV late at night or being on the computer through the night can really impact your overall sleep patterns and lead you to minimal amounts of good sleep; and if it continues will lead to weight gain, crankiness and other health issues.
According to Precision Nutrition: "The average adult gets about 7 hrs of sleep/night. 33% of the population gets fewer than 6.5 hrs/night. Women sleep a bit more than men. Those who carry high amounts of body fat tend to sleep less than those with a normal body fat. Studies suggest that people who sleep fewer than 6 hrs/night gain almost twice as much weight as people who sleep 7-8 hrs/night. Excessive sleep isn't any better: those who sleep more than 9 hrs/night have similar body composition outcomes as those who sleep less than 6 hrs." (All About Sleep from Precision Nutrition).
So try to get your "Z's," that is 7-8 hrs of them every night. Turn off the TV, put away your phone and have a cup of herbal tea and a hot bath instead. Although it's tough to do this every night, try to make it your priority, you'll feel better during the day and give your body and your mind the rest it needs. Then during the day if you feel energized and ready for a workout, you know where to find me. ;-)
Have a great day!
Barb
Core Drop In Session This Week:
Friday, October 25th 9am: 5 people min to run. Email me if you're interested in joining.
3 Week Intensive:
I'm trying to squeeze in another Intensive before the week of Thanksgiving. Let me know if you are interested. We will meet Wednesday and Friday at 9am and will need 5 people min to run the session,
6:30am Intensive:
Ok you early birds, I have a few folks asking about a 6:30am intensive. Email me if there are more of you out there who would like a workout at the crack of dawn. Times and days TBD.
1-1 Training:
Get ahead of that New Year's resolution and treat yourself to a series of Personal Training Sessions. What better gift to yourself than the gift of health and fitness?!? Email me for more info and to schedule your first training session.
Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on Health & Fitness
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Exercises in the Planes of Motion
When I studied for my personal training exam, there were many concepts that were more challenging to absorb by studying them from the book. The 3 Planes of Motion: Sagittal Plane, Frontal Plane & Transverse Plane ( Planes of Motion from Livestrong) were one of those concepts.
Now after a few years of personal training under my belt and multiple exercise seminars and classes later, I better understand the benefits and I practice exercises in all planes of motion in just about every workout I do. So, why should you pay attention to these planes? I'm just an exercise freak, right??? ;-)
Well, the reason I've incorporated exercises in these 3 different planes of motion is because it helps me to build a stronger and well balanced body. I'm an older parent and my goal is to be able to play soccer with my sons through high school (they are 9 & 7 now). I also want to run 10K's and half marathons with my youngest when she old enough (she's 4). So it's going to be another 10+ years of staying active and capable of playing sports with my kids without blowing out a knee. ;-) This is where these exercises in different planes of motion help me.
Most gym equipment will force you into a single plane of motion exercise (example: the bicep curl machine). While this is not bad for you, it may cause you to miss out on strengthening multiple parts of your body by limiting you to only one plane of motion. As you know, I am a TRX fan. One of the reasons I am a fan is because just about every move that I do with the TRX requires multiple body parts to work at once. What we do in everyday life requires you to use many different parts of our bodies, why should your workout limit you to only one area?
So, think about the exercises you do on your next workout and see how many planes of motion you are working out in. If it's all 3 then you already know what to do, but if it's only 1 or 2 planes then start slowly incorporating exercises that work in all planes. Over time and with the right exercises you will start to see the benefits too.
Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
1-1 Training Sessions
Are you finally ready to get started with a customized training program? If so, contact me and let's get started. I would love to meet with you to understand your health and fitness goals and work together to get you closer to achieving those goals. Email me to schedule your first 1-1 session.
Intensive
The 3 week intensive has started and we have a great group. I would love to get plans in place for the next intensive so let me know if you are interested. We meet 2 days/week and need a minimum of 5 to run the session.
Dont forget to check out my past posts about health and fitness at barbfit.blogspot.com
Now after a few years of personal training under my belt and multiple exercise seminars and classes later, I better understand the benefits and I practice exercises in all planes of motion in just about every workout I do. So, why should you pay attention to these planes? I'm just an exercise freak, right??? ;-)
Well, the reason I've incorporated exercises in these 3 different planes of motion is because it helps me to build a stronger and well balanced body. I'm an older parent and my goal is to be able to play soccer with my sons through high school (they are 9 & 7 now). I also want to run 10K's and half marathons with my youngest when she old enough (she's 4). So it's going to be another 10+ years of staying active and capable of playing sports with my kids without blowing out a knee. ;-) This is where these exercises in different planes of motion help me.
Most gym equipment will force you into a single plane of motion exercise (example: the bicep curl machine). While this is not bad for you, it may cause you to miss out on strengthening multiple parts of your body by limiting you to only one plane of motion. As you know, I am a TRX fan. One of the reasons I am a fan is because just about every move that I do with the TRX requires multiple body parts to work at once. What we do in everyday life requires you to use many different parts of our bodies, why should your workout limit you to only one area?
So, think about the exercises you do on your next workout and see how many planes of motion you are working out in. If it's all 3 then you already know what to do, but if it's only 1 or 2 planes then start slowly incorporating exercises that work in all planes. Over time and with the right exercises you will start to see the benefits too.
Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
1-1 Training Sessions
Are you finally ready to get started with a customized training program? If so, contact me and let's get started. I would love to meet with you to understand your health and fitness goals and work together to get you closer to achieving those goals. Email me to schedule your first 1-1 session.
Intensive
The 3 week intensive has started and we have a great group. I would love to get plans in place for the next intensive so let me know if you are interested. We meet 2 days/week and need a minimum of 5 to run the session.
Dont forget to check out my past posts about health and fitness at barbfit.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Time for Clean Eating.
There's a lot of talk about clean eating these days, so I thought I would share some info I've found on the Internet to help guide you in making good decisions about what to eat more of. Of course, any change in your regular diet is not going to be easy, so take baby steps towards clean eating. Start with putting a bowl of organic fresh fruit on your kitchen counter. It's a great way to have a healthy fibrous snack in front of you. Berries are great and most fruit in season is also really good. We get a box of fresh fruit and veggies delivered to our door every 2 weeks and it's been a great way to get all the seasonal goodies. For more info on clean eating check out this article 5 Simple Steps to Clean Eating and for some ideas on what to cook, here are recipes from Cooking Light 10 Clean Eating Recipes .
Hope you had a great summer and can take advantage of the opportunity of Fall to get your health and fitness back on track or maintain all the good progress you've made. Hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
Core Sessions this week:
Friday, 9:30am - 5 Person Min to run. Email to save your spot. Meet at South Park
1-1 Training Sessions:
I am an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Qualified TRX trainer and have taught fitness for many years (AFAA Group Exercise Instructor 5 yrs., PSIA Ski Instructor - 8 yrs.). I would love to help you with your health and fitness goals and create a custom exercise program that you can stick with for years. Email me today to set up your first session and let's get started!
3 Week Group Intensive:
It's that time of the year again when my travel schedule settles down and I can spend a full 3 weeks to workout with you! We meet 2 (possibly 3) times/week and do a combination of Core workouts and High Intensity Interval Training. I need a min of 5 to run the intensive. Email me if you are interested and we will lock down days and times.
Don't forget to check out my blog barbfit.blogspot.com for previous posts on health and fitness
Hope you had a great summer and can take advantage of the opportunity of Fall to get your health and fitness back on track or maintain all the good progress you've made. Hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
Core Sessions this week:
Friday, 9:30am - 5 Person Min to run. Email to save your spot. Meet at South Park
1-1 Training Sessions:
I am an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Qualified TRX trainer and have taught fitness for many years (AFAA Group Exercise Instructor 5 yrs., PSIA Ski Instructor - 8 yrs.). I would love to help you with your health and fitness goals and create a custom exercise program that you can stick with for years. Email me today to set up your first session and let's get started!
3 Week Group Intensive:
It's that time of the year again when my travel schedule settles down and I can spend a full 3 weeks to workout with you! We meet 2 (possibly 3) times/week and do a combination of Core workouts and High Intensity Interval Training. I need a min of 5 to run the intensive. Email me if you are interested and we will lock down days and times.
Don't forget to check out my blog barbfit.blogspot.com for previous posts on health and fitness
Friday, July 5, 2013
Happy 4th! Now back to working out. ;-)
Belated Happy 4th of July to all of you! Hopefully you enjoyed your day off to celebrate our Nation's Independence Day. Now that most of the holiday BBQ's are past us, let's get back to some good workouts!
My favorite workout lately has been driven by the limited amount of time I've had on my own. Specifically, I've been doing a lot of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It's been a great way, , to get a good hard workout in in a short period of time. This article from Shape provides a little more info: 8-benefits-high-intensity-interval-training-hiit.
Although you can do HIIT, in longer workouts, it's been a great fit for me when I only have 30 minutes or less. For these short HIIT workouts, I set my stopwatch on my phone or Ipod and perform 30 one minute exercises. The first 5-10 minutes starts with non-aerobic exercises, like a plank or foam rolling to get my muscles warmed up, then I build up the intensity of the exercises gradually at each consecutive minute. Most often by minute 25, I'm incorporating, squat jumps or fast jump rope since I know I only have 5 minutes left in my 30 minute routine. Although the time is short, I'm working hard 90% of the workout because of the intensity of the exercises I chose. Note that I still strive to perform 5-6 days of 60-90 minutes workouts/week, these shorter intense sessions help keep me on track when the weeks get too busy.
If you've never done a HIIT workout, try one out at your local gym, or come see me for a few 1-1 sessions to get some examples of what you can do on your own at the gym, at home or outdoors.
Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
Drop in Sessions Next Week:
Monday, July 8th 6:15am - 5 person min to run the session. Meet at Southpark. Yes, this is new. I've had a few people ask if I could do any early morning session. So I wanted to see if enough people would be interested in coming this Monday. Email me asap if you'd like to join.
Friday, July 12th at 9:30am - 5 person min to run the session. Meet at Southpark. Email me to save a spot for this day.
1-1 Personal Training Sessions
Looking for a refresher for your workout routine? Or maybe just someone to help keep you accountable to your health and fitness goals this summer? Contact me and I can help keep you on track via 1-1 Personal Training. I am an NASM Certified Personal Trainer as well a TRX Suspension System Qualified Trainer and I would love to share what I've learned through my training and background in health and fitness in the last several years. Looking forward to scheduling your first session!
Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
My favorite workout lately has been driven by the limited amount of time I've had on my own. Specifically, I've been doing a lot of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It's been a great way, , to get a good hard workout in in a short period of time. This article from Shape provides a little more info: 8-benefits-high-intensity-interval-training-hiit.
Although you can do HIIT, in longer workouts, it's been a great fit for me when I only have 30 minutes or less. For these short HIIT workouts, I set my stopwatch on my phone or Ipod and perform 30 one minute exercises. The first 5-10 minutes starts with non-aerobic exercises, like a plank or foam rolling to get my muscles warmed up, then I build up the intensity of the exercises gradually at each consecutive minute. Most often by minute 25, I'm incorporating, squat jumps or fast jump rope since I know I only have 5 minutes left in my 30 minute routine. Although the time is short, I'm working hard 90% of the workout because of the intensity of the exercises I chose. Note that I still strive to perform 5-6 days of 60-90 minutes workouts/week, these shorter intense sessions help keep me on track when the weeks get too busy.
If you've never done a HIIT workout, try one out at your local gym, or come see me for a few 1-1 sessions to get some examples of what you can do on your own at the gym, at home or outdoors.
Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!
Barb
Drop in Sessions Next Week:
Monday, July 8th 6:15am - 5 person min to run the session. Meet at Southpark. Yes, this is new. I've had a few people ask if I could do any early morning session. So I wanted to see if enough people would be interested in coming this Monday. Email me asap if you'd like to join.
Friday, July 12th at 9:30am - 5 person min to run the session. Meet at Southpark. Email me to save a spot for this day.
1-1 Personal Training Sessions
Looking for a refresher for your workout routine? Or maybe just someone to help keep you accountable to your health and fitness goals this summer? Contact me and I can help keep you on track via 1-1 Personal Training. I am an NASM Certified Personal Trainer as well a TRX Suspension System Qualified Trainer and I would love to share what I've learned through my training and background in health and fitness in the last several years. Looking forward to scheduling your first session!
Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Workouts & Allergies...ugh!
I am completely congested from allergies and back on my Zyrtec and Flonase to provide some relief to my sinus pressure. As I type, I can feel some pressure on the bridge of my nose...ugh.... Yet, despite my stuffy head, I still want to do something. Since I've been on a good routine of regular workouts, my brain (although cloudy from allergies) still craves some kind of workout. Now, I can't go all out, but I still can get a decent workout with some modifications. On Sunday, I did a slow run for 40 minutes and today the spin bike at moderate speed for 30 minutes followed by 20 minutes of muscle conditioning helped.
In addition, while my activity level is down due to allergies, I've also forced myself to keep the food intake in control and snack healthy. On Monday, I downed half the bag of organic snap peas from Trader Joes. (Thankfully 1 serving is about 37 calories, so I probably ate about 80 calories worth of snap peas.) When you're not feeling well, eating junk is is very tempting, but try to resist. Hot soup and hot tea will hep satisfy some of the cravings.
Although I can't suggest to you that you should rush out to get your workout in when you are not feeling well, I can tell you that it's important to listen to your body, when you are feeling under the weather and then decide what you can or cannot do. Here's an article from WebMD that can also provide some guidance - Exercising when you have a cold.
Have a great week and hope to see you soon!
Core Group Sessions in June
June is a bit crazy for me so I'm trying to plan ahead for drop in sessions that I can do this month. The following are Drop In's that I can do. I will need a min of 4 to run the session so email me if you can join.
Wednesday, June 5th - 9:30a
Wednesday, June 12th - 9:30a
Friday, June 14th - 9:30a
Wednesday, Jun 19th - 9:30a
Summer Sessions Coming Soon!
Trying to plan for some summer sessions in July & August. More details soon! Hope you can join.
1-1 Sessions
I just re-certified my NASM CPT credential and am ready to work with you! Email me for more info. I would love to create a customized workout program for you.
Don't forget to check out my blog at barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
In addition, while my activity level is down due to allergies, I've also forced myself to keep the food intake in control and snack healthy. On Monday, I downed half the bag of organic snap peas from Trader Joes. (Thankfully 1 serving is about 37 calories, so I probably ate about 80 calories worth of snap peas.) When you're not feeling well, eating junk is is very tempting, but try to resist. Hot soup and hot tea will hep satisfy some of the cravings.
Although I can't suggest to you that you should rush out to get your workout in when you are not feeling well, I can tell you that it's important to listen to your body, when you are feeling under the weather and then decide what you can or cannot do. Here's an article from WebMD that can also provide some guidance - Exercising when you have a cold.
Have a great week and hope to see you soon!
Core Group Sessions in June
June is a bit crazy for me so I'm trying to plan ahead for drop in sessions that I can do this month. The following are Drop In's that I can do. I will need a min of 4 to run the session so email me if you can join.
Wednesday, June 5th - 9:30a
Wednesday, June 12th - 9:30a
Friday, June 14th - 9:30a
Wednesday, Jun 19th - 9:30a
Summer Sessions Coming Soon!
Trying to plan for some summer sessions in July & August. More details soon! Hope you can join.
1-1 Sessions
I just re-certified my NASM CPT credential and am ready to work with you! Email me for more info. I would love to create a customized workout program for you.
Don't forget to check out my blog at barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.
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