Sigh. Back to work. I love my job, but this has been a fantastic summer of fun, relaxation, family time, friend time, reading, and playing. We planted our first garden, went to various beaches, went canoeing, got a dog, rode bikes, and had a nice little family getaway. Braeden and I made it most of the way through "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the longest book in the series (and thank you, Emma, for providing me an example of a Scottish accent for when I do Professor McGonagall's voice).
One thing I will really miss about summer vacation is the time it grants me to exercise on a different schedule. During the school year, I try to get workouts in at 5:30 am so my evenings are free to spend with my family (don't picture us having many quiet evenings at home; we are often running around to sports practices, rehearsals, lessons, and play dates). I love taking the 9:15classes; my body is awake and ready to work hard. I took 5:30 am Attack Tuesday, and I felt sluggish and sore. HIIT class this morning was a little better; since it started at 5:45, I had time to warm up.
Once the students return, I will appreciate the routine of each day; that structure really helps me stay better on track with when, what, and how much I eat. My "witching hour" when it comes to food is around 4 pm. I'm so hungry right around then that I just derail by overeating (and usually, I'm not overeating cucumbers and carrot sticks!). My plan is to have veggies and fruit cut up and ready for me to grab when I come home, or, if possible, to eat an early dinner.
For this week and next week, however, we are sitting through eight days of seven-hour professional development sessions. Thus far, the information has been extremely valuable and interesting, but even so, sitting through lectures for that long each day can be mind numbing! We are teachers; we are used to being up and around all day! The district has graciously provided us with food to keep us happy: coffee, baked goods, and fruit in the morning (and more at our mid-morning break); a buffet for lunch (lasagna/salad/chicken/desserts the first day, wings/macaroni and cheese/pork sliders/potato salad/dessert the second day), cookies and potato chips for an afternoon snack, and cans of pop available all day long.
Talk about diet derailment! I have come prepared each day, my bag packed with fruit, veggies, and grilled chicken. Just so I don't feel completely deprived, I have coffee with one of those yummy flavored creamers in the morning and fruit from the lunch buffet. I get my workout in before work, and in the evenings, the boys and I ride bikes or walk the dog.
Wish me luck as I return to the real world, and I wish the same to all my teacher friends.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Careful, there...
Just a word of caution: doing a Tabata workout of sprint intervals on the treadmill is scary. I had it set at 8.0 mph the first set and 9.0 the second.
My observations:
1. It is terrifying to jump on at that speed
2. I don't understand how fast people possibly run at those speeds all the time!
3. If you see me doing this workout and I fly off the treadmill, please know ahead of time that my pride is hurt worse than the rest of me. Just avert your eyes, keep calm, and carry on. ;-)
My observations:
1. It is terrifying to jump on at that speed
2. I don't understand how fast people possibly run at those speeds all the time!
3. If you see me doing this workout and I fly off the treadmill, please know ahead of time that my pride is hurt worse than the rest of me. Just avert your eyes, keep calm, and carry on. ;-)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
FEATURED MEMBER: Lynn
I've been meaning to ask Lynn to be a Featured Member for at least a year, and I finally got the chance to do so. You can often spot her at evening Pump and Step classes, and she seems to smile through the whole class even though she's working really hard. She's a friendly face and enthusiastic member - exactly the kind of person who motivates others to keep returning to classes!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am married to my wonderful husband John and have 3 adult stepchildren. I work full time so the gym is great for stress release. During the summer my husband and I like to go on long bike rides whenever we get the chance.
What is your usual weekly workout routine?
I do Step three times a week, Pump twice a week and CX twice a week. I would love to do Combat, but it doesn't fit into my schedule. I also want to add yoga Thursday evening, but cannot always stay after Pump, and cannot stay the entire hour at this point. I am hoping to find more time in the fall to fit that into my schedule.
What are your go-to snacks and meals?
Nuts are something that I will eat when I start getting hungry, but don't have time for a meal. They are great to help fill me just enough so that I don't overeat when it is time for lunch or dinner. We don't have much time to cook meals during the week so we eat a lot of salad, fruits and vegetables. Sounds like I am so disciplined right? Well, I have my weaknesses too and have to try to stay away from sweets. Once I start on a bag of Skittles, I have a hard time stopping.
How do you balance being active with the demands of your daily life?
Fortunately, I am able to leave work at 5 so I can make it to the gym for the 5:30 classes. My husband works late most nights so we still get home around the same time.
What is a fitness or healthy living goal you have for yourself?
My ultimate goal is to keep working to stay fit and healthy even as I get older. I definitely want to find the time to make some healthy meals and do better with my nutrition.
What do you like about being a member at SWAT?
I love the positive energy of SWAT. I feel so fortunate to be around people who are serious about health and fitness and enjoy sharing that with others.
What is your favorite class at SWAT? Why?
It is hard to pick favorites, but Step is my first love. I was so scared to try step when I first joined the gym because I am (was) terribly uncoordinated. The first few classes just emphasized how right I was about the coordination deficit! By some miracle, I had the drive to stick with it and keep trying. Now it is a class that I will do almost anything to not miss. Marta always says that it challenges your body and your mind. That is so true and both of those things are necessary for staying fit and healthy. CX is a very close second to Step for me. It only fits my schedule twice a week and I wish I could do more.
Do you have a person who is your healthy living/fitness inspiration? Who and why?
There isn't just one person. I love all of the instructors at SWAT. They have such a passion for fitness and enjoy bringing out the athlete in all of us. I am also inspired by all of the other members as well. Seeing them working so hard all around me motivates me to work harder.
Anything else you'd like to say?
As I mentioned about starting Step, I was a disaster - with a capital D! I strongly encourage people to do the group fitness classes, even if they feel they aren't coordinated enough or fit enough. If you stick with it, you will achieve a level of coordination, balance, fitness and strength that is so worth the effort, and the initial embarrassment! :)
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am married to my wonderful husband John and have 3 adult stepchildren. I work full time so the gym is great for stress release. During the summer my husband and I like to go on long bike rides whenever we get the chance.
What is your usual weekly workout routine?
I do Step three times a week, Pump twice a week and CX twice a week. I would love to do Combat, but it doesn't fit into my schedule. I also want to add yoga Thursday evening, but cannot always stay after Pump, and cannot stay the entire hour at this point. I am hoping to find more time in the fall to fit that into my schedule.
What are your go-to snacks and meals?
Nuts are something that I will eat when I start getting hungry, but don't have time for a meal. They are great to help fill me just enough so that I don't overeat when it is time for lunch or dinner. We don't have much time to cook meals during the week so we eat a lot of salad, fruits and vegetables. Sounds like I am so disciplined right? Well, I have my weaknesses too and have to try to stay away from sweets. Once I start on a bag of Skittles, I have a hard time stopping.
How do you balance being active with the demands of your daily life?
Fortunately, I am able to leave work at 5 so I can make it to the gym for the 5:30 classes. My husband works late most nights so we still get home around the same time.
What is a fitness or healthy living goal you have for yourself?
My ultimate goal is to keep working to stay fit and healthy even as I get older. I definitely want to find the time to make some healthy meals and do better with my nutrition.
What do you like about being a member at SWAT?
I love the positive energy of SWAT. I feel so fortunate to be around people who are serious about health and fitness and enjoy sharing that with others.
What is your favorite class at SWAT? Why?
It is hard to pick favorites, but Step is my first love. I was so scared to try step when I first joined the gym because I am (was) terribly uncoordinated. The first few classes just emphasized how right I was about the coordination deficit! By some miracle, I had the drive to stick with it and keep trying. Now it is a class that I will do almost anything to not miss. Marta always says that it challenges your body and your mind. That is so true and both of those things are necessary for staying fit and healthy. CX is a very close second to Step for me. It only fits my schedule twice a week and I wish I could do more.
Do you have a person who is your healthy living/fitness inspiration? Who and why?
There isn't just one person. I love all of the instructors at SWAT. They have such a passion for fitness and enjoy bringing out the athlete in all of us. I am also inspired by all of the other members as well. Seeing them working so hard all around me motivates me to work harder.
Anything else you'd like to say?
As I mentioned about starting Step, I was a disaster - with a capital D! I strongly encourage people to do the group fitness classes, even if they feel they aren't coordinated enough or fit enough. If you stick with it, you will achieve a level of coordination, balance, fitness and strength that is so worth the effort, and the initial embarrassment! :)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Trying Tabata
In a blog post a couple weeks ago, I had talked about how I didn't have much time to exercise so I did my own HIIT workout. The same thing happened today, so I decided to give Tabata a try.
What's Tabata, you ask? Click here for a great article explaining it in depth (and a couple really helpful videos). Basically, it's a form of HIIT that has really caught on lately, and after trying it, I can see why. It's easy to fit in a Tabata workout (well, easy as far as the amount of time required, NOT as far as the work!), and you still feel like you accomplished something even though you didn't spend a ton of time.
In Tabata, you are doing a 4-minute cardio round, alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 total sets. You can do as many or as few of the 4-minute rounds as you want or have time for, and you rest for 4 minutes in between each one. I guarantee you, even if you just have time for one, if you work at your highest intensity, you will improve your fitness level! After my first round, I was definitely breathless and sweaty.
In researching, I've found a couple different ways of doing it. Some people stick with one exercise for all 8 sets within the 4 minutes; some people pick 2 or 4 different exercises and switch with each 20 second interval. I chose the first method, meaning I did the same exercise for each round, then switched after my 4 minutes of rest. I really don't think it matters, unless you pick something so intense that you can't possibly do it for 8 20-second bursts in a row.
Today, I did 5 rounds of Tabata intervals:
*Round 1: plyometric lunges
*Round 2: jumping jacks, holding the ends of the big rope and slamming them down
with each jack
*Round 3: ski/tuck jumps side to side
*Round 4: hover planks (every other set, I'd lift the opposite arm and leg off the ground)
*Round 5: kick-backs on my hands and knees with a tube around my feet (glute exercise)
The beauty of Tabata is that you can do it with literally any exercise, whether it is pure cardio or uses weights. Some other ones I want to try are squat jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, sprints on the treadmill, box jumps, jump rope, kettle bell swings, Jacobs Ladder...the list could go on forever.
Another perk to Tabata is that the clock is your boss - you don't have to push yourself to do 1,000 reps; you just have to make it for 20 seconds! I downloaded a free app called IntervalTimer, and it was perfect. An alarm went off for every interval change, and I could still listen to my music while the app was running.
One more bonus: although I did 5 rounds in a row today, this could be a great way to incorporate short bursts of fitness into my work day without getting super sweaty or having to set aside a big chunk of time. My best friend is a police officer. She spends a lot of time cruising around in her patrol car, and with her 12+ hour shifts, she can't always fit in a long workout. I recommended this to her, and she was able to do a couple Tabata intervals a few times throughout her work day. Those of you with desk jobs, you could probably do this a couple times per day if you have a space available. My fellow teachers, this would be a great way to get your students up and moving without taking a ton of time.
My biggest advice would be to make sure your form doesn't suffer. I read somewhere that your goal should be to increase the number of reps you do for each 20-second interval, but I think having proper form and an engaged core is probably more important than that. I found that interval sets 4, 5, and 6 were the most difficult: my body was tired, my lungs were burning, and my mental dedication was waning.
What's Tabata, you ask? Click here for a great article explaining it in depth (and a couple really helpful videos). Basically, it's a form of HIIT that has really caught on lately, and after trying it, I can see why. It's easy to fit in a Tabata workout (well, easy as far as the amount of time required, NOT as far as the work!), and you still feel like you accomplished something even though you didn't spend a ton of time.
In Tabata, you are doing a 4-minute cardio round, alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 total sets. You can do as many or as few of the 4-minute rounds as you want or have time for, and you rest for 4 minutes in between each one. I guarantee you, even if you just have time for one, if you work at your highest intensity, you will improve your fitness level! After my first round, I was definitely breathless and sweaty.
In researching, I've found a couple different ways of doing it. Some people stick with one exercise for all 8 sets within the 4 minutes; some people pick 2 or 4 different exercises and switch with each 20 second interval. I chose the first method, meaning I did the same exercise for each round, then switched after my 4 minutes of rest. I really don't think it matters, unless you pick something so intense that you can't possibly do it for 8 20-second bursts in a row.
Today, I did 5 rounds of Tabata intervals:
*Round 1: plyometric lunges
*Round 2: jumping jacks, holding the ends of the big rope and slamming them down
with each jack
*Round 3: ski/tuck jumps side to side
*Round 4: hover planks (every other set, I'd lift the opposite arm and leg off the ground)
*Round 5: kick-backs on my hands and knees with a tube around my feet (glute exercise)
The beauty of Tabata is that you can do it with literally any exercise, whether it is pure cardio or uses weights. Some other ones I want to try are squat jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, sprints on the treadmill, box jumps, jump rope, kettle bell swings, Jacobs Ladder...the list could go on forever.
Another perk to Tabata is that the clock is your boss - you don't have to push yourself to do 1,000 reps; you just have to make it for 20 seconds! I downloaded a free app called IntervalTimer, and it was perfect. An alarm went off for every interval change, and I could still listen to my music while the app was running.
One more bonus: although I did 5 rounds in a row today, this could be a great way to incorporate short bursts of fitness into my work day without getting super sweaty or having to set aside a big chunk of time. My best friend is a police officer. She spends a lot of time cruising around in her patrol car, and with her 12+ hour shifts, she can't always fit in a long workout. I recommended this to her, and she was able to do a couple Tabata intervals a few times throughout her work day. Those of you with desk jobs, you could probably do this a couple times per day if you have a space available. My fellow teachers, this would be a great way to get your students up and moving without taking a ton of time.
My biggest advice would be to make sure your form doesn't suffer. I read somewhere that your goal should be to increase the number of reps you do for each 20-second interval, but I think having proper form and an engaged core is probably more important than that. I found that interval sets 4, 5, and 6 were the most difficult: my body was tired, my lungs were burning, and my mental dedication was waning.
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