3 tips to relieve soreness

Leave a comment

Ever felt like you couldn’t climb stairs or squat down on the potty because you’re SO SORE after a workout? Did you skip your next workout to “listen to your body and wait to feel better”? Well, guess what, that’s actually NOT what your body is telling you. If you stop moving, you’ll actually prolong the pain instead of healing it.

Here are a few quick tips to relieve the soreness faster!

  1. Use a foam roller! What the heck is a foam roller? Find out in this video I made to show exactly what it is and how to use it.
  2. STREEEEETCH! Spend 5-10 minutes in the morning and evening just stretching those sore muscles. Google “static stretches for XXX” where XXX is the muscle that is hurting you. You’ll find lots of different stretches you can do to loosen up those muscles and get them feeling better fast.
  3. Most importantly, do NOT skip your workout. Moving your body and specifically those muscles that are sore will actually increase the blood flow to those muscles as well as stretch them out and warm them up so that they can heal faster and get stronger, which is the whole point! It will hurt at first but once you get moving, you’ll notice the pain will begin to subside during the workout. Afterwards, you’ll continue to experience that relief for up to a few hours. Plus, the soreness will go away altogether faster than if you skipped the workout completely.

26841358_1983837901879944_316939018653072713_o

8 fun workouts you can do WITH your kids

Leave a comment

In my job as a health and fitness coach and personal trainer, I have worked with many women who have children ranging from infants to teens. The most common thing I hear is that it’s super hard to find time to exercise when you have to take care of your children. As a mom of 2 beautiful girls, I can TOTALLY relate!

Through my own process of trial and error, I’ve found some things that are really great for getting your kiddos involved with your workouts instead of trying to get your workouts done without the kids. I went from trying to get a workout done with a crying baby stuck in her bouncy chair a few feet from me (not very enjoyable for either of us to say the least) to fully involving my girls in my workouts whenever they want to join me.

Try these ideas with your kiddos so they’ll be your REASON instead of your EXCUSE:

FOR INFANTS

  1. Put your baby in a sling and find a low impact workout that involves no floorwork. For example, there are some fun country style and hip-hop style home workouts that work great for this in our virtual gym system.
  2. Check your local area for stroller strides type programs or meetups where you can exercise with other moms and push your infants in their strollers.

34818875_2052073928389674_4577471763486605312_oFOR CHILDREN AGED 3 – 12

3. Low impact partner workouts are really great for moms and kids to do together. Our virtual gym system has an entire program created just for this! It incorporates a ball to toss back and forth and lots of fun moves that keep the kids interested for the full 30 minutes. Both my girls love doing this program with me!

4. Dance workouts with easy to follow choreography are GREAT to do with kids. You’ll both work up a sweat and most likely get some great laughs together too as you work on shakin’ your groove things together! If you’re not ready to go to show your moves to the world in a public gym setting, contact me for info on our virtual gym to get access to lots of fun dance workouts you can do at home.

5. Go out in your backyard or to the park! There are so many fun ways to get exercise with your kiddos outside. For instance, kids LOVE to race! You can set up a space to race each other and keep track of who wins. If your kiddo is little, give them a headstart you meany! haha Another idea is to play tag. Its a GREAT workout and I’ve never met a kid who will turn down a good game of tag. Lastly, there’s always riding bikes, roller skating, and even just going for a nature hike or walk together too! Skip hide and seek though because too much time is spent staying in one place for the hiders.

FOR KIDS 13+

Teenagers are probably not interrupting your workout time as much as younger children but you may find that your time is limited due to running them around to their extracurriculars and friends’ houses, etc etc. Here are a few ideas for still getting your workout in, even though it may not be WITH your kids at this age!

6. Exercise in the morning before all the activity starts! (This is actually always my number one tip to create a consistent exercise routine no matter who you are.) Check out my tips on making those morning workouts easier!

7. Invite your teen to go to the gym, out for a jog/walk, or to do a home workout with you. Let them know it will help you with your motivation and accountability. You may find he/she will be honored to help and will even enjoy the chance to spend some time together. Plus, if your teen is not involved in any athletic activities already, establishing an exercise routine with you can really improve his/her health right along with yours.

8. While waiting for your child at the ball field, dance theater, swim practice or wherever they are after school, find a place you can get a walk or jog in. If you can do a drop off, head to the gym or back home for a workout while you wait to pick them up.  Invite some of the other “soccer moms” to join you to make it more fun and spread the health wealth!

22792274_1944205665843168_6455046436073072633_oIn the end, involving your kids with your health and fitness journey will be much more enjoyable than trying to fight with them to leave you alone. Don’t forget what a good role model you’ll be too! Kids are ALWAYS watching and learning from what we do. Show them the importance of healthy habits and teach them by letting them join you! You’ll also find that exercising together presents new opportunities for bonding and spending time together in a really fun way that’s good for the whole family.

If you’re doing any of these things or have come up with other ideas, I’d love to hear how you’re getting your kids involved! Tell me in the comments below!

Gym vs Home Workouts vs Private Training

Leave a comment

26841375_1982624858667915_3706689557479932164_oWant to start getting in shape but not sure how? The vast number of options to choose from can be both awesome and overwhelming. Often it can be hard to choose what will be best for you. Here are a few of my thoughts on gyms vs home workouts vs private training.

–> Gyms: Large buildings filled with equipment, sweaty people, aerobics class options, and even personal trainers is the most common picture to come to mind when thinking of gyms. Some people love this environment if they enjoy the social aspect of fitness and prefer to use equipment that they don’t have at home. Also, for some people, having to physically leave their home and go to a gym is more motivating and having a location away from the hustle and bustle of their families can be helpful to avoid workout interruptions. There are also boutique style gyms that cater to specific audiences such as women only or specific fitness styles such as Pilates studios or Barre studios. These tend to be smaller buildings and can be fun socially because you automatically have at least one thing in common, you’re all women or you’re all into pilates, etc etc. Financially speaking, gyms can range widely in price but often are in the middle of the three options.

20414094_10155455218600102_6514970187266003839_o–> Home Fitness: Working out in your living room can be a very convenient option and offers a different level of privacy. You’re able to workout whenever you choose without worrying about travel time and the only people who see you are those who live with you.  It’s great for people with really busy schedules and also those who prefer not to workout in a crowd. You can even get your kiddos in on it for extra fun! Often this is the less expensive option and there are more fitness style options available. It’s helpful to have support such as a workout buddy or group to cheer each other on. Otherwise, its only you that knows if you workout at home or not, which makes it easier to skip. Another advantage of home workouts though is that you always get the best spot in the class, you can pause it as needed, and the class schedule is completely up to you. You can choose your own music and shower in your own shower. There’s never anyone else’s sweat on your barbells either which is one of my personal favorite benefits! 😉

–> Private Personal Training: Hiring a personal trainer, whether in a gym or one who will come to your home or meet you somewhere such as a park, is a great option for those who want personalized attention and a routine specifically created to address their goals, health issues, and lifestyle. If you’re working out on your own in a gym or at home, you may have no idea you are doing certain moves incorrectly or that you have posture issues that should be addressed to prevent injury before even trying to exercise. A personal trainer can make sure you are exercising in the optimal zone and doing the optimal moves with correct form for your body. A personal trainer can also give nutrition guidance, although not individualized meal plans, to help improve your results. Simply exercising without changing your eating habits won’t get you to your goals. A personal trainer can also create long term as well as short term plans so you are prepared to make this new healthy lifestyle last! Pricing can vary widely though but is often not as expensive as you might expect.

Overall, the option that fits you best depends on your personal preferences, goals, and lifestyle. Regardless of which one you choose, it’s better to start somewhere than to not start at all. If you end up not enjoying your first choice, there’s nothing stopping you from trying something new!

**To schedule one free private personal training session with me or get information on my virtual fit groups with home workouts, contact me today!

Should Women Lift Weights?

Leave a comment

No doubt you’ve heard that lifting weights can make your muscles get too big and create a masculine appearance. Perhaps you’re even worried about that and try to avoid weights altogether. Well, I’m here to tell you that is a myth and weight training is GREAT for women!

Men get the larger muscles mostly due to the higher levels of testosterone in their bodies. Women can definitely get ripped and toned but regular weight training won’t turn you into a man, I promise!

27982561_1998029703794097_3742184840251879388_oIn fact, weight training is super important for women for many reasons, both aesthetic and overall health-wise.

Many of us want to prevent or get rid of those saggy upper arms, right? Weight training your triceps and biceps will help with that! Weight training is also helpful in getting those defined legs and a tight tush we all would love to have! Beyond that though, weight training improves day-to-day functional ability and also helps prevent osteoporosis, a weak bone condition that is more common in women than men as we age. Often we think of weight training as simply making our muscles stronger but it actually causes bones to grow stronger too. Cardio training alone won’t have the same effect.

I don’t know about you but when I’m a grandmother, I want to be able to run and play with my grandkids without fear of falling and breaking a bone. There are more factors in conditions such as osteoporosis such as genes and overall health of course, but starting a strength training routine can definitely help prevent or even improve it!