Congrats to our Boston Marathoner!!!

LEARN WHAT TOOLS YOUR BODY NEEDS TO WORK 100%... JUST LIKE J DID!: "Hi Val, Well, another one bites the dust – Boston is history! It was fantastic. I felt really good the whole time – no cramping in my calves like prior times. Just some cramping in my toes, but I found that if I pressed a little into the ball of my foot at push off the cramping subsided. I think it might be caused by the way my foot strikes or maybe I am pushing off too much with my toes. On the down hills I think I did a lot better than last time. I am doing better at rolling down the hill and not braking. I feel a lot more confident with my balance since I discovered my laterals a few months ago – where have they been all this time? The flat part of the course was really not flat but rolling hills – but that was ok since different muscle groups were working on and off. I was ready for the hills – I thought about you counting “a’s” and it popped in my mind to count spectators with red shirts. It really worked!! Also tried not to over think the pace and maintain something that felt good. One of my goals was to feel good the last 5-6 miles of the race and I really achieved that. I actually enjoyed the last sprint (well kind of a sprint) down Boyleston through all the cheering masses. My husband at the finish line said he couldn’t believe how good I looked when I passed him by. I was happy with my finishing time of 4:18 – it was 15 minutes faster than the first Boston Marathon in 2008. Today I feel fine – a little stiff but not much more than I would feel after a long training run. The weather for the race was perfect 50 degrees, party sunny and a little wind that was mostly a crosswind and sometimes even a tail wind. The crowds were along the course the whole time – very motivational.

"Everytime I run I think of how much I have learned from you. Running is not just putting one foot in front of the other. It is a whole body effort and you have helped me to wake up those sleeping muscles that used just to go along for the ride. Much better when everything works together. Thanks again for your help and support – couldn’t have done it without you". Thanks - J

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! CONGRATS AGAIN!

I'm sooooo tired!

I'm so tired right now I could fall asleep at my desk. I could go get a quick cup of coffee... or an energy drink...or even a candy bar. I would feel a little better for a short time - then - BOOM! I'll drop like a lead balloon, and feel worse than I do right this minute. I DO NOT need to experience the re-occurance of a foggy brain!

THE best way to increase your energy is...(and you will think this is really counter- intiutive)...do a quick 10 minute cardio burst - get my heart rate up, my blood pumping, my limbs moving. As a result, my brain will unfog and I'll be able to put sentences together again! This will keep me going for at least 3 hours (then I can do it again!)and it's actually....HEALTHY!

So, use your coffee break to walk - or run- or jump rope. You will be surprised how quickly you feel energized! Have a great day! Stay focused, stay fit!
Val

Big boned? Baby Fat ...still? Stop kidding yourself!

"I'm big boned"; "I'm carrying my pregnancy baby fat" (still, really? after 5 or 10... years?) "I'm fighting menopause". It's not about your weight - it's about your size.

Enough! Stop kidding yourself - YOU ARE OVERFAT, AND IT'S TIME TO GET REAL... because the reality of being overweight stinks. Overweight people have a higher risk for cardiopulmonary disease (heart attacks too); asthma, cancer, joint issues, (bad feet especially)...diabetes, and the list goes on and on. NOT to mention how you feel about yourself!

Excuses are just that - excuses. No time (I can totally relate to this one); no energy; no equipment (who needs a bunch of equipment? - see my bathroom workout from channel 4!); no room (did I mention a workout in your bathroom?) - great excuses that do nothing for you.

Start right this minute - sitting at your computer place your feet flat on the floor- now stand up- sit down-stand up- sit down - SQUATS! Seriously get your body moving throughout the day - do not sit still for more than one hour at a time - then move your body (no, not for another cup of coffee).

Get Real - get moving - get healthy and feeling good about yourself!
If you would like a copy of tmy bathroom workout, email me at Val@rockworkout.com

Spring into Summer Group Fitness Program

You REALLY want me to do HOMEWORK?

When you were in school, you had homework to do. Is homework is important? Of course it is! Did you go from 1st grade to high school? Of course not - learning is a process - step by step, until you can answer tough questions without much difficulty.

Same thing goes for your muscles - learn some new exercise and it is really tough; at first. With continuous use, muscles get stronger - and then work even when you aren't thinking specifically about them - so that your body graduates from 1st grade up to 2nd, and so on.

When a trainer gives a client HOMEWORK, guess what? We can tell if you do it - or not! Tests are given a lot of different ways - mentally and physically - will you pass your next pop quiz?

Congrats to my last client "A"; she's been doing her homework between our biweekly sessions and has made HUGE advances in her fight to activate muscles! MS is a tough disease - but she keeps on working hard and is stronger and more mobile than ever! I'm proud of you!

Moral of the story - DO YOUR HOMEWORK - YOU WILL BE AMAZED HOW YOU CHANGE!

What in the world is FUNCTIONAL TRAINING?

We've all heard the buzz words - "core"- "pelvic floor engagement" - "stabilization exercises" - "compound exercises" -"functional training"; do you have ANY IDEA what they mean? What's the core: your abs? Is pelivc floor engagment a fancy word for kiegels? Stabilization - that means just staying still, right?

Functional Training is just a fancy phrase for what humans do every day of their lives - move! You don't move one muscle group at a time unless you act like a robot. You move in all different angles, with muscles in your legs, back, abs and arms moving at the same time.

Functional training works your body in the manner your body moves - different directions usually at the same time. Working your arms while doing a leg exercise like a lunge or squat helps to keep your body strong and stable, not to mention balanced. You don't live your life seated - (a popular TRX saying)- so don't exercise that way. Standing with diagonal movements helps keep your back and abs strong - no more reaching for a can and wrenching your back!

Think of the way you live your life - bending and reaching; Straightening and pulling; pushing and twisting. Exercises that help strengthen muscles during those moves keep you safe - and strong. Find a NATIONALLY BOARD CERTIFIED TRAINER to help you discover the functional movements in you!

Re-think the resolutions!

Three months ago the New Years resolutions were going strong... Are they working for you now? Were they realistic? Time effecient? Did you have an achievable goal? The "I'm going to get up at 4 am and workout for one hour every day till I lose 25 lbs" resolutions are NOT realistic. Kids, work, home, significant other, being just plain tired makes you miss one or two - then a weeks worth, then you think "why bother?"

Re-evaluate your goal - a little time management and planning go a long way. Get up at 4am? Really? Haven't you always been a night owl?

Start with looking at your natural bio-rythms; late nighter or early morning riser? When do you rush like a crazy person vs a few moments to breathe? Do you really have time to drive to a gym accross town because they had a two for one offer - or would it be best if you had a program for home? How much time do you REALLY have to workout - consistently? If it's only 15 minutes - GREAT - compound exercises combine multiple muscle groups in one exercise! You can do 5 to 6 different exercises - like lunges with bicep curls - squats and overhead presses - side planks with lateral leg lifts - and with consistency, you CAN accomplish your goal.