Are you sabotaging yourself?

Full disclosure: I am writing just as much for my benefit as for the readers. :)

Are you sabotaging yourself? I realize the term is relative and a matter of opinion, but here are some tell-tell signs you may be your own worst enemy:

Your self-talk is more negative than positive. I don’t think I need to elaborate here.

You don’t have a plan. You can’t show up at the gym and just expect to get results (or as quickly) without a roadmap to get there. That’s why working with a certified personal trainer is so helpful.

Your goals are unrealistic. One of the reasons people abandon a fitness regime is that they set the bar too high. While it’s possible to see results in a month, it’s going to take several to transform your body and create lasting change. Trust me, I know this firsthand.

You don’t have anyone holding you accountable. Whether a friend, family member or partner, it’s helpful to have someone keeping you in check. You may have the best intentions but life can get in the way. It’s good to introduce a healthy amount of pressure.

You compare yourself to others. As they say, “comparison is the thief of joy.” If you spend considerable time and energy on others’ progress you’re only taking away from your own pursuits. Remember this the next time you see a social media post that makes you a bit envious.

You fixate on setbacks. There will always be highs and lows in your fitness journey. When you do experience a plateau or you fall back into old ways, remind yourself how far you’ve come.

You’ve fallen into the “all-or-nothing” trap. If you miss a workout, don’t linger too long. You have so many other chances during the week to show up for yourself.

Can you relate to any of these?

Find your edge with circuit training

Looking for a way to build strength and get your heart rate up at the same time? Look no further than circuit training. If you’ve ever worked out with me, you’ve probably noticed that I embrace circuit training in my programming. So what is it and why does it work? Let’s explore those questions:

What is circuit training?

The short answer is that it’s a technique that involves doing a series of exercises, such as strength training moves, cardio or a mixture of the two, consecutively with no rests in between. The idea is that your heart rate is elevated and the calorie burn increases. The constant movement keeps your body guessing.

The perks

Beyond the scientific merits, circuit training is also fun. As you’re moving through the circuits quickly and with little pause, the time tends to pass more quickly. If you’ve ever run or walked on a treadmill, the minutes seem to crawl by. Ugh. No fun!

Another reason to add circuit training to your workout arsenal is the fact that it can help improve quality of life. That’s because the fast pace keeps you nimble, coordinated and agile, which we all need to maintain for healthy aging.

You can’t discount the metabolism-boosting aspect either. Circuit training can help you push through a plateau and change your body composition, because it’s easily modified to challenge your body in new and different ways. (Besides, you should change your routine every 3-4 weeks anyway.)

How to

Getting started with circuit training is fairly easy. Besides hiring me to create a custom program, you can follow a basic formula:

• Choose about 10-12 exercises. These can be all cardio, all strength or a mix. I like having a variety to keep things interesting.

• After warming up, proceed with the first exercise. You can set a time for 30-60 seconds or count reps. Either will get the job done.

• Move through all of the exercises, one after the other, with little to no rest in between.

• Repeat the circuit as many times as you like.

Have a question about circuit training? I’m all ears.

Take a chill pill: 5 ways to de-stress

We’ve all been there. It’s 4 p.m. on a Friday and your boss emails with a last-minute request. The dog needs to go out. And there’s dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Ugh...what’s a busy person to do? First, take a deep breath and acknowledge that this sh*it, too, shall pass. Then, turn to tried-and-true ways to relieve stress. (Self-care, we’re looking at you). Here are a few ideas:

Set your priorities 

Craft a plan to reduce stress throughout the week. For instance, on Sunday nights, you might outline your goals for the week and build in pockets of joy. Determine your non-negotiables and do your best to stick to them.

Get outside your comfort zone

Trying something new can help burn off nervous energy. If you’re guilty of staying inside your head too much, channeling the day’s stressors into something productive can feel gratifying.  

Tune out the world

Some people swear by meditation to recenter and refocus. Whether first thing in the morning or before you go to bed, what matters is that you do it. There’s no shortage of apps available to help guide you. I like to use Headspace to help me fall asleep.

Look to Mother Nature

Fresh air always helps me feel more grounded. And science tell us that nature therapy can calm the nervous system. As winter fades into spring, there are so many free ways to recreate and catch up with friends at the same time.

Break a sweat

Just like getting outside, workouts can help give you new perspective and even re-energize you. Whether it’s a quick HIIT session or a strength-training circuit, getting those feel-good hormones (endorphins) going will pay off in the form of a boost in mood.  

What’s your favorite way to de-stress? I’d love to hear what works for you.

Accountability will take you places

Sticking with a fitness program can be challenging for even the most dedicated types. One of the best strategies to hit your goals is to take ownership and be held accountable for your action (or inaction). 

Lean into your tribe

That means, for example, taking stock of how much you exercise and how far you have progressed towards your fitness goals. Then what? Many people find success by sharing details of each goal and your progress towards each it in a public way. 

Share openly 

It matters less how you go about it and more that you do it. Being authentic and vulnerable will help others provide encouragement and guidance. The key is to make the people in your life invested in your journey and progress. That’s because, when you tell people about your ambitions, they will usually be very supportive and will begin to actively seek out opportunities to help you thrive. For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight, your friend might offer to go for a walk a few times a week. 

A SMART endeavor 

Whatever the goal, at hand, you’ll need to follow some basic best practices to increase the chance of success. The SMART(Specific, Measurement, Realistic, Timely) system is popular because it works. This means you will need to define a goal like “Lose 10 pounds by June of this year with strength-training exercise 5 times a week and following a prescribed nutrition plan.” From here, check in with your accountability partners and share regular updates. 

Bottom line? If you set a health and fitness goal but keep it to yourself, there’s no skin in the game. You’re more likely to throw in the towel.  However, if you share the goal with friends, family, and colleagues, they will lend their support. So, make your fitness goals and your progress towards them public. It’s scary at first, but so then is the thought of staying the same!

Don't make these 5 newbie mistakes at the gym

I’m an ACE certified personal trainer but first and foremost I am a human who’s tried to figure out how to get in shape. It’s been a wild ride and I’ve learned many things from both my wins and mistakes. If you’re reading this, I want to save you from making some of the same rookie mistakes. Here’s a look at a few of the most common ones I see people making at the gym:

They overdo it.

Eager to see results, many people think they need to kill themselves as some sort of badge of honor. This approach can actually be counterproductive, because you may be too sore to work out, even a few days later. Plus lifting too heavy of weights too fast is a recipe for injury. Go easy and work your way up.

They don’t cross-train.

Love running? That’s great, but you need to round out your workouts with other forms of exercise, like strength training, stretching and mobility moves for the same reasons mentioned above.

They compare their progress/results to others.

It’s easy to feel like the grass is greener or that your efforts don’t stack up to others, but that attitude doesn’t serve anyone. Everyone is on their own path and people don’t always make their struggles public. Worry less about others and instead use that energy to achieve your goals.

They don’t stretch.

It’s tempting to skip the warmup or cooldown for the sake of time and convenience, but exercise caution. You need to give your muscles time to loosen up and re-adjust to post-workout activities. On a related note, here’s a primer on avoiding injury.

They expect results overnight.

Some people exercise for several weeks and end up quitting because they can’t get past the initial muscle discomfort/fatigue. There’s no instant gratification in fitness. If getting in shape were easy, everyone would do it.

Ready to get sustainable results with the help of a professional? Sign up for a free consultation today.

5 things no one tells you about working out

If you’re new to fitness, making your foray into the scene can feel daunting for various reasons. What the heck is a rep? Cardio vs. weights? How do you do a burpee right? It’s like fitness has its own language and culture. Because it does!

In addition to this insider lingo, there are some truths that more seasoned exercisers take for granted. That said, I wanted to touch on a few of them:

1. You will be sore. A lot. When you first start lifting, it can be a rude awakening to your muscles. That’s because, every time you lift you’re creating micro-tears in the fibers. By definition, you’re putting stress on your body. Your bod responds in kind with (temporary) discomfort while it repairs the tiny tears and creates muscle mass.

2. You will start to feel “off” if you miss too many consecutive workouts. Just like eventually you won’t be as sore as the first day you started, your brain will adapt, too. That’s because, when you exercise, your system releases those feel-good hormones known as endorphins. Fall off the wagon for a few days or more and you might find your mood suffers. Because….science. Exercise makes our brains and bodies happy!

3. You’ll have laundry up the wazoo. Sports bra? Check. Legging? Check. Socks? Check? Tank top? Check. I used to do laundry once a week and now I’m on a twice-a-week schedule (or more) to stay on top of all the volume.

4. Results take time. You can’t fast-track fitness goals, despite what those IG influencers tell you. On average, it takes about 30 days for you to notice changes, another 30 days for friends and family, and 90 days for the world. Don’t give up. Consistency will never let you down, promise!

5. Enjoyment matters. There was a brief point in time I flirted with running. I did it because I thought it was going to produce the results I wanted. Boy was I wrong! Not only did I hate every second, it didn’t end up serving me. This is to say that enjoyment is an under-rated factor when it comes to program adherence. Whether it’s yoga, barre, pilates, swimming, strength training or some other activity, the best exercise is the one you’ll actually do.

Be realistic about your preferences and find a way to build a workout routine around movement that energizes you. That’s truly a recipe for success.

Don't get sidelined: How to prevent injury

I see it all the time. People start working out consistently and pushing their body to the limit. It’s all good until they get hurt. Then it’s game over — at least for a little while. It can be relatively easy to get hurt at the gym, especially if you’re new to working out. That said, there are a few precautions you can take to reduce the chance of injury:

1. Know your body: Be mindful of your body and its limitations. For example, if you know you have knee problems you won’t want to do a lot of jumping, which can exacerbate issues. Instead, you might consider low-impact movement like strength training.

2. Hire a pro: Shameless plug alert! A trained professional like a certified personal trainer can help ensure you aren’t doing the wrong workouts for you goals and help you pace your workouts so you don’t do too much, too soon. He or she will know what’s appropriate for you in terms of exercises, amount of weights, and rest periods. A balanced program will allow muscles to heal properly, which in turn can reduce the chance of many common injuries.

3. Don’t skip the warm up and cooldown: Whatever the nature of your workout, warming up and cooling down helps your muscles adjust to exercise, especially if it’s intense.

4. Mix it up: Vary the types of workouts to avoid overuse of muscle groups. For example, you might try a spinning class one day and lifting weights the next.

5. Rest: In today’s culture that’s obsessed with productivity and output, it’s easy to forget that rest has its place in a fitness routine. The relationship between activity and rest are akin to yin and yang. Our bodies respond in kind to occasional breaks from workouts. So don’t feel guilty about taking a day off or doing something low intensity, like yoga.

Interested in learning more? Book a free consultation.

Are you training wrong?

Pro-athletes are a special breed and although their abilities may be greater than the average person, their toolset is not unique. They know how and when to train and get results, and so can you!

What you might now know is that these pros don’t dedicate all of their training time to their specific domain. For instance, an Olympic swimmer doesn’t spend all of his or her time in the pool to get stronger and faster. On the contrary, they mix it up to get results. The secret sauce? Cross-training.

Such an approach is important because it helps you — regardless of current or past athletic prowess — to stay balanced and avoid getting in a rut. It’s all about variety, to keep you engaged in your program and on the right trajectory.

So what exactly does cross-training look like? Cardio, mobility, stretching, and strength training are a few of the techniques trainers use at the gym, myself included. Cross-training works and is proven to reduce your chance of injury, while resulting in greater aerobic capacity, increased strength and flexibility, better quality of life, and longevity. These scientifically-backed perks are exactly why I approach workouts with cross-training in mind.

It might be helpful to share a recent example of how I have translated textbook theory into action. A client approached me wanting me to develop a program to help her running performance. Knowing that she’d be running 3-4 times a week, I formulated a home workout plan that included strength training, stretching and mobility moves to help round out her running workouts.

Whatever your goals, my program provides you with 3 months worth of custom workouts designed around your schedule and equipment availability. Interested in learning more? I welcome your questions. Contact me to set up a free consultation.

Motivation? (You've got this!)

Picture this. It’s 6:30 am and your alarm goes off. You told yourself you’d workout today, but you’re not exactly feeling it. You’re not alone. As the days become shorter and the temperature starts to dip, motivation can be waning at the same time. What to do? Here are some of my tried-and-true tips to restore your drive when the going gets tough.

1. Check in with an accountability partner. If you don’t have one already, I highly recommend you seek one out! He or she can help you stay driven and give you a pep talk when things aren’t going so well. 

2. Try something new. In a rut? It’s easy to get burned out on a fitness program if you don’t have much variety. (At least that’s the case for most people. ) Mix it up with a barre class, yoga practice. dance sesh or even a brisk walk. You don’t have to engage in high-intensity or high-impact exercise every session to get results.

3. Reward yourself with a non-food treat. Sometimes we need a proverbial carrot in front of us, so to speak. But be careful about how you go about it. Don’t fall into the trap of eating something calorie-dense, salty or sweet, just because you worked out. Exercise should be its own reward and creating such a relationship/association with food can be unhealthy. Instead, indulge in a hot bath, your favorite TV show, a good book or some other pleasure. 

4. Reflect on your past wins. When I am down on myself, I try to remember all of the progress I've made. Whether it’s hitting short-term smaller goals or more substantial ones, it helps to check in every now and then. I find that if I’m on the fence about working out, owning my wins perks me up. 

5. Ask for help. If you find that motivation is in short supply more often than not, it might be time to be honest with yourself. Not everyone has returned to the gym and even those who have might find themselves overwhelmed or under-motivated after being inactive for several months. That’s where I can be of assistance! Contact me to set up a free consultation. 

So, you want to get "toned"?

It’s a trope I see in fitness magazines, online and in-person discussions about fitness. Women want to get “toned.” Hell, I have even said it myself, before becoming a certified personal trainer. But the truth is that getting a lean and defined physique means you have to build muscle while losing fat.

Yet many women upon hearing that think, “I don’t want to bulk up. I want to lean out.” As a result, they often eschew heavy weights and take up running or some form of high-impact cardio in hopes of getting “toned.”

The word itself perpetuates a myth that frustrates many fitness professionals. Muscles do not get hard or soft—they either shrink or grow in size. In other words, muscles themselves do not "firm-up" or "tone” — they change size and your appearance at the same time.

Let’s look at the science behind this. When you lift at a certain level of intensity, your muscles respond by breaking down (what we call micro-tears) and then rebuild. That isn’t to say that you’re gonna get ripped overnight. On the contrary, It takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and calculation to make those intense gains. A plan and consistent adherence will take you far, however. That’s why I recommend at least 4 days of strength training a week (2 times upper body and 2 times lower body) to increase muscle mass and achieve and sustain a healthy body composition.

But know how much and how quickly your muscles react to this stimulus is really individualized. The extent of that growth will vary based on a number of factors, such as genetics. so not everyone will get the same results. That’s why two people can do the same routine and not look the same.

Bottom line? Don’t be resistant to resistance training! Your goals can be within reach once you understand the basics of kinesiology. Better yet, work with a certified personal trainer and you can get a plan in place that will deliver realistic results.