My new running buddy

My new running partner is my 9 year old son, Tobin.  He's shooting for a total of 100 miles for the school year with his school Run Club and just hit 66 1/2 miles today with our 5 mile run.  Since my knee injury over a year ago, I've been slowly working my miles back up, so having Tobin as my running "mate" is perfect as he is also slowly bringing his miles up (for the first time in his life!)  We've run two 5K's together and hope to run a 10k together soon.  I love that I'm sharing my love of running with my son.  It's been a great way for us to spend time together outdoors and we both feel great after.

Whether it's a family member, friend or an organized group, exercising with someone else is a great motivator.  So if you need a little kick start for your own workout routine, bring someone along.  It makes the time go much quicker and gives a whole new meaning to the idea of "social hour".  Why grab coffee or lunch together when instead you can burn calories together in a workout.  :)  

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!


Group Workouts this week:

Group Core Drop In Classes:
4 person minimum to run the session, email me to save a spot
Wednesday: 9:30a
Friday: 9:30a


1-1 Personal Training Sessions:
Summer weather is here and it's time to get your body ready for the beach.  Email me for more info and to schedule your first 1-1 session.  I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and would love to create a customized workout program for you.



Don't forget to see my past posts on barbfit.blogspot.com/

What you should know about your metabolism from About.com

As we get older, our metabolism changes and we have to take a more proactive approach to maintain a healthy weight.  While, there are a lot of ways to try to combat the inevitable change in your metabolism, it's good to brush up on what you should know about it.   This article from About.com does just that: What You Should Know about Metabolism.  It provides a basic definition, factors that affect your metabolic rate and some strategies for boosting your metabolism.   I also found an interesting article from MORE that give examples of women of various ages and their strategies to  Make Over their Metabolism.  Bottom line, if you feel like your metabolism is changing, start addressing it now.  Hopefully, these articles will provide a little inspiration.

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!

Barb


Workouts this week:
I have a few drop in spots in the Wednesday Intensive at 9:30am tomorrow.  Email me if you'd like to join.  Would love to see you.

1-1 Sessions:
What are you waiting for?  Let's get started on a personalized training plan.  Email me for more info.  I would love to workout with you.

Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogger.com for previous posts on health and fitness

More info about the Benefits of Core Strength Workouts & a Group Core Intensive

I know you've heard this from me many times, but I wanted to post to remind you of the great benefits of Core Training.  Core training is more than just working your abdominal muscles, it involves your back muscles, your quadriceps & your gluteal muscles.  Bottom line, performing training to strengthen your core is not just to make you more athletic, but to help you to be stronger in everyday life.  So read up.  Here's an article from the Wall Street Journal that provides a decent overview: Why Core Strength Workouts Work - WSJ.  Then, make sure to incorporate Core Training into your weekly workouts.  

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!

Barb

Group Core Intensive: This Week
I'm hoping to start a 3 Week Group Core Intensive this week and am looking for 2 more people for my Wednesday at 9:30am session.  Email me if you are interested.  The Intensive is a great way to kick start your workout routine and to learn new exercises that you can take with you after the Intensive is over.  Hope you can join us!


1-1 Training Sessions
The weather is warming up and pretty soon we will all be on the beach.  Why not pick up a few 1-1 sessions with me so that you are bathing suit ready for your beach side and/or pool side summer vacations.   I would love to work with you to develop a workout regimen and provide guidance on healthy eating that will take you through this summer and beyond.  Email me for more info and let's get started with your initial session.


Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness.

"The Weight of the Nation" on HBO

The other night I was channel surfing and decided I couldn't watch another show with a commercial break, so I ended up on Verizon's On Demand programming and found this show on HBO: The Weight of the Nation.

As someone who spends a lot of time, thinking about health and fitness, I thought this documentary presented a very interesting and science driven depiction of how we as a country became so unhealthy over the last 20 or so years.  One stat they pointed out was that 2/3 of the Nation is either overweight or obese (leaving only 1/3 that maintains a normal weight).  Of course there are various reasons for how the Nation got to this point, but what's even more profound to me is how do we fix it?  While there are no simple answers to this, one theme that does get repeated in this documentary is the importance and impact of a healthy diet and regular exercise.    So, when you have some downtime, check it out.  And if you feel compelled after watching (like I did), think about what you could do to help change the weight of our Nation.

Have a great week and hope to see you soon.

-Barb


Group Workouts this week:
Friday: 9:30am - Group Circuit - 5 person min to run.  Email me to save a spot

3 Week Intensive - Coming Soon:
I'm kick starting another 3 week Intensive.  Days will be Wednesday & Friday @ 9:30am.  I will need a min of 5 people/day to run the Intensive.  Let me know if you would like to join us!  Start date TBD, based on the group's availability.

1-1 Personal Training:
I would love to help you meet your health & fitness goal email me to schedule your first session.  I have some availability on my calendar but it is filling up so hope to hear from you soon!

Don't forget to check out my blog for past posts on Health & Fitness at barbfit.blogspot.com .

Did you get your cardio in this week?

I post a lot about circuit training and core training and a lot of different types of exercise and while all of this exercise is good for you, you still need to get your cardiovascular exercise in.

Here are 7 reasons from the article  Cardio 101 from About.com  why cardiovascular exercise is so important:

1. It burns calories and helps you lose weight
2. It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood
3. It increases your lung capacity
4. It helps reduce the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and diabetes
5. It makes you feel better
6. It helps you sleep better
7.  It helps reduce stress

As the article states, the list of benefits goes on but just the reasons above are good enough for me.  If you have a crazy busy schedule, then start off this week by carving out 1 day that you can get 30-40 mins of cardiovascular activity.  You can go for a brisk walk, or hop on a stationary bike (my fav cardio activity is spinning especially when the music is good!)  Then aim for reserving yourself 2 days next week and then 3 days of cardio the following week.  So schedule it in and if you need to round out your workouts with some Core work and/or circuit training, you know where to find me.  ;-)

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!


Group Circuit Training Drop-In Session this week:
Thursday: 10:15am (4 person min to run, email me to save a spot)


3 Week Mini Intensive:
The group started last week and we are moving into week 2.  This group is currently closed, but would love to see you in the next one.  Email me if you want to get on the list for the next intensive.  Dates TBD.

1-1 Training Sessions
I have a few spots open on my schedule and would love to fit you in.  Email me for more info and to schedule your 1st 1-1 session


Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on health and fitness

Resistance Bands, Medicine Balls, and other Fitness Gear

When I first started working out with you all, I scoured my house for every mat, block, resistance band and other gadget that I could find to build out a workout routine that was not just good for you all, but also fun and creative for me to teach.   Since then, I've learned a ton of ways to use all of this workout "stuff" in a way that helps drive real results.  While I know it's not always convenient to join one of my workouts,  I'm sure all of you have fitness gear in your house.  So, take a quick inventory of what you have.  An old jump rope could be dusted off and provide a great cardio workout.  2 to 3lb dumbbells are great for toning your arms.  Even if you find nothing, you can use household items for working out as well.  My favorite is a thin beach towel.  You can use it for stretching as well as toning.  Also, check out this article from Health Magazine The Best Gadgets to Make you Slim to help give you some tips on how to use some of the workout equipment that may already be in your home.

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!

Barb

Core Workouts this week:
Wednesday 10a
2 person min to run, email me to save a spot

1-1 Training:
I have some openings in my training schedule and can fit you in, so email me for more info and to set up your first 1-1 Session.  Looking forward to creating a custom workout program for you.

Another 3 Week Intensive
Back by popular demand, we are getting ready to start another 3 Week Intensive.  We will met 2x/week on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30am starting next week.  We need 5 persons to run the intensive, so email me quickly if you are interested.  Proposed start date will be Wednesday, March 6th.


Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for previous posts on health and fitness.

350 Calorie Recipes from Health Mag

As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of food.  I like eating, so I have to come up with creative ways to enjoy eating without adding unnecessary calories.   So, when I have time, I try to find low calorie recipes to try out.  I found these from Health Magazine 350-Calorie Meals and hope to try some of them out soon.  Let me know if you've tried these out before or share some of your own recipes for tasty low-cal meals.

Have a great week and hope to see you for a workout soon!

Workouts this week:

Group Circuit: Thursday 10:15a
Group Core: Friday 10:30a

2 persons needed to run.  Email me to save a spot


Intensive:

The 3 week intensive started last week and we have a really strong group.  Already thinking about another intensive for the spring.  Let me know if you'd like to join for the next one.  


1-1 Training

If you've never tried 1-1 training, there's no better time than now!  ;-)   I have time on my schedule and would love to work with you.  Email me for more info and to schedule your first session.  Looking forward to developing a customized workout plan for you!


Don't forget to go to barbfit.blogspot.com to check out my previous posts on health and fitness.