For many people a six pack and flat abs are the holy grail of exercise. There’s a lot I could say about how to do it, but in order to keep things short I’m going to touch on the two most important tips for getting the most out of your abdominal and core work.
Yep, it’s that time of year again.
If you want to get me going, tell me about your New Year’s Resolution. How many of you know when making those commitments on January 1st they’re something you’re going to do for the short term - not for the rest of your life?
I had a media request for holiday stress ideas this week and thought you may find them helpful as well!
Next up: back exercises. These exercises will target the major muscle groups of the back. A strong back can improve posture and minimize back pain. I know this can be a busy time of year, but it’s all the more reason to stay committed to your fitness program, and here’s why:
Our society has gotten to the point where we have to study mashing our butts flat all day? Unfortunately, it has.
Quite a bit of research has been showing that exercise done in intense intervals (going all out for 30-60 seconds) burns more fat during exercise as well as increases the amount of fat burned in the subsequent 24 hours after the workout is over. It also provides dramatic improvements in fitness.
It’s the next installment in our series on getting a jump on the New Year with resistance training exercises for the chest. How have things been going with the arm exercises we covered last month?
I do a lot of performance coaching around nutrition and I like to help my clients figure out ways to implement ideal strategies in the real world - while traveling, at client dinners, in restaurants, etc. When it comes to having to choose a meal from a buffet I always coach people to:
PowerHouse Performance Coaching is proud to be a partner in the second annual Fat Talk Free Week this week, a nation-wide body image education and eating disorders prevention program.
Yesterday started with an early morning appearance on PIX Morning News’ Wakeup Workout segment - take a peek! (thanks Jackie and Mark for being such great background workout peeps). Then it was off to desk side interviews with Real Simple, American Baby and Family Circle….
Now before you think “Well there’s no way I’m going to even get close to my lactate threshold because I want to burn as much fat as possible”, STOP. Have you ever seen an overweight sprinter?
The first Friday of every month we’re going to add a muscle group to our resistance training programs, and here’s the best part: they will all be things that we can do in our own homes with little to no equipment! The only pieces of equipment we’ll be using are dumbbells, resistance bands, a stability ball and our own body weight.
Let me tell you about Moxie. She’s quite determined and successful, but also very playful and does things with a sense of humor and panache. She never gets too serious. She’s quite different from Jenny in that Jenny is serious as a freakin’ heart attack and could grump out a diamond on command.
The other night at dinner Tiffany and I were talking about the foods we buy, cook and eat, and wondering how we compare to the average American or average human in the global community.
Finally! After 3 really crappy workouts last week, I had a good run today. Not great, but good. Which is about all I can ask for when it comes to running. Yesterday’s yoga session must have cleansed out all the toxic goo out of my…
What the?! Did I just stop and pitch a fit in the middle of the running path? I believe I did.
…you get off your bike during a training ride to see if the brakes are rubbing (and that’s why it’s so hard and you’re going so slow) AND THEY’RE NOT.
My new bullwhip was delivered yesterday and I was giving it some inaugural cracks in the backyard. (Yes, I just glazed over the fact that I have a bullwhip. More on this in another post, but I can promise you it’s not what you think.)…
As a momtrepreneur who loves running a business, I created boundaries around work time and home time that were rarely, if ever, broken.
There was an interesting article this week on MSNBC.com entitled “Health reform idea: Put down the donut” that brought up the concept that what is missing from the health care reform debate is personal responsibility. Of course this got my attention…
I literally have a “pet” peeve that I’m seeing more and more of: people who carry their dogs on walks or push them in dog strollers.
I went out to lunch today and my partner and I decided to split an entree. Here’s what came to the table - again, THIS IS ONE ENTREE split in half:
In your opinion, who is responsible for what’s going on in America? Is it the parents? Should schools be more accountable? What about the government? I’m curious to know your thoughts….
If there were an epidemic sweeping the nation that affected 1 out of every 5 our children, and caused a slow but certain death, you can be certain that our government and resources would mobilized very quickly to try and eradicate it. Or can you?
From my segment on KARE 11 today: Here are links to some yoga studios in Minnesota that offer various forms of Partner Yoga - enjoy!
Okay. The last several posts I’ve done have been pretty serious and heavy. Life is about balance right? I’m not Super Nerd all the time. Here’s what I did this weekend….
He was wearing khaki shorts, a button down shirt, and had to be in his early 70’s. It was windy as all get out and the few remaining hairs of his combover were blowing straight off the opposite side of his head. When I saw him I thought “That’s awesome. He’s still got it going on.”
Okay, so I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a lot of knowledge about marketing, but am I way off base here to think that this is a little odd?
Monday afternoon I was on a flight to do a speaking event for the Yale School of Management, and the universe provided me with the most wonderful seat mate…
Tiffany and I were walking around the lake on Saturday night when this guy in a smurf-blue convertible Mercedes (who had driven past us three times) stops in the middle of the road and asks:
…I had become very comfortable in my career. Clients were calling me to work on a regular basis. When I wasn’t traveling and speaking I was meeting people for long lunches, puttering in the garden, shopping and trying to find things to do. Sounds great, right? Actually, I hated it.
Every person entering the movie theater was given free popcorn - either a large or medium size bucket - both of which were selected to be big enough that nobody could finish all the popcorn. Unbeknownst to them, the popcorn in the buckets was 5 days old.
I was recently doing a speaking engagement and we were talking about this when a gentleman spoke up and said “I never break my promises as work, but I almost always break them at home.” Ouch.
To be honest, last week sort of sucked from an exercise perspective. From a food perspective it wasn’t that great either. I had a hole in my belly that I could not fill. It was the perfect 1-2-punch to make someone feel like crap about the whole “thing” of eating right and exercising consistently. It happens to everyone - even me.
I know. I’m even more surprised than you are, though I can’t really take full credit. At the last minute a cow or pig was saved by a power outage.
A new study just released by the National Cancer Institute (that has been in the works for ten years) found that people in their study who ate the most red meat had a higher risk of dying - mostly of heart disease or cancer - that was roughly 30% higher than the risk of those who ate the least red meat.
Make it stop!
…Unless of course you are the person who makes any of the above mentioned violations or mistakes, which stimulates an adrenaline fueled bout of profane tourrette’s that I cannot control. It is only my adrenaline talking, but it talks loudly, and only knows one word.
I called him up and we chatted about the person in question and then he launched in to what he’s learned being in the business for as long as he has. I was taking notes like a madwoman because he was tossing nuggets of wisdom left and right.
We are the only species that needs professional help determining what to eat. Is fat bad? Should I be taking omega-3 oil supplements? Are carbs bad? Should I use butter or margarine? We are a culture completely obsessed with food, yet no other country suffers more diet-related health problems than the U.S. What’s up with that?
…is really the only thing these three tidbits have in common. These experiences all happened while exercising, and involved people going in the opposite direction of me.
I was having a lunch meeting the other week with someone in the wellness space and they asked me: “If you had to give just 3 recommendations for people, what would they be?” I thought this was a great question and here was my answer:
Here are some resources and links from today’s fitness segment on KARE 11’s Showcase Minnesota: FOR BELLY DANCING CLASSES: Jawaahir Dance Company & The Cassandra School Three locations in the Twin Cities - Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington Sahar School of Middle Eastern…
I know that a lot of you have told your friends and colleagues about Hit the Deck™ and they have gone on to purchase their own deck. Thank you very much and I appreciate the word of mouth advertising and referrals. PowerHouse started over 15 years ago and has grown by offering great service that people talk about. Instead of just a “thank you” I’d like to offer you something more. Money!
From an evolutionary perspective our bodies and brains developed while working out. Our ancestors moved between 8-12 miles per day getting food and resources. For many of us movement consists of going from the bed, to the car, to the office, back to the car, to the couch and then back to the bed.
I’m in Salt Lake City, UT for a series of speaking engagement this week and had a chance to go for a run this morning. Absolutely gorgeous, and my quads are going to be feeling it for the next few days.
I just finished my first outdoor bike ride after a winter of being in the basement on the trainer. I looked at my bike computer and was going 21+ mph - and if felt really easy. I thought “Sweet! All my hard work over the last several months has paid off!”
Exercising on an empty stomach to burn fat sounds nice. You can create a scenario in your mind that if your body needs energy to exercise, it will take it from the fat cells. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
I have made a very diligent effort NEVER to talk about my weight in front of my daughter. I am adamant about “fat talk” - it is never allowed in our home. So when we were standing in the kitchen last week after dinner and she said “I feel fat”, I heard the record scratch. As a matter of fact, you could have heard it too. It was that loud.
How often do you eat? Do you eat several small meals with a few snacks each day or do you eat one or two huge meals with nothing in between? If you only eat 1-2 times per day, whether you want to or not, you are on The Sumo Wrestler Diet.
High Intensity Intermittent Exercise (HIIE) training, which consists of short bursts of intense output followed by short periods of rest or active rest, is gaining popularity in the fitness world and if you haven’t heard about it yet, you’re about to.
The first few meatless meals were accompanied by meat pity. I was feeling cheated. It felt like I was punishing myself. (Except for the trip to Pepitos, of course.)
I was recently quoted in an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune entitled “Get Your Obama Biceps Here”, which was picked up by National Public Radio’s show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.
Finding time to exercise when you’ve got a family can be challenging. Saturday was a little crazy and it wasn’t until afternoon that I was able to squeeze in a run. I also had to convince my 8-year old daughter to come with me because I didn’t want her to stay home alone.
Have you done it outdoors along with running or walking intervals?
Have you made it in to a game with your children?
Do you do a few cards during the workday as a break?
Are you using the timer to keep track of “Time Outs” for naughty kids?
I got sent home from my tax appointment today (without my taxes being done) to fix my balance sheet because it wasn’t reconciled with my bank statements. HEL-LO! I use “The Jenny Evans System of Accounting” or what my tax preparer calls the JEA. She needs to get with the program.
J. J. was the winner of the first PowerHouse Hit the Deck™ Challenge and received a free 30 minute coaching session. Here’s what she had to say:
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my need for meat. Nerd alert. I realize the negative impact that meat has on resources and the environment. It’s animal cruelty. I’ve read horror stories of meat processing plants. Even after reading “Fast Food Nation” (great read) with the claim that there is poo in our meat I still bellied up to a tasty burger that afternoon. Not sure if it had doodey in it, but holy crap it was good.
This entry just barely has to do with anything fitness related, but you may find it humorous. Or helpful, depending on how often you wash your hair…
The irony of this title is not lost on me today, as I haven’t been blogging as much as I would like in the last week or two. I’ve been sick, but have also been waiting for something really exciting to happen worthy of a blog entry. When you put February in Minneapolis together with not feeling well, you really don’t get much. So instead of not writing anything, I’ve decided to write something.
Which can quite often be the case when contemplating a workout, no?
…And the winner of the 30 minute phone coaching session is J.J. from New Hope, MN. She successfully completed three 30 minute Hit the Deck™ workouts (plus two extra) last week. Congratulations J.J.!…
Here’s your PowerHouse Hit the Deck assignment for the week: Choose a challenging intensity category and get in a 30 minute workout, 3 different times from now until next Sunday the 15th. You can win a free 30-minute phone coaching session with me!
You may be asking yourself what the heck a 37-year-old business consultant is doing climbing around on what appears to be a giant set of curtains.
I’ll tell you: having fun.
Are you having a hard time getting rid of fat around the midsection? Does it seem like no matter what you do, the stomach is where your body stores fat? Is there anything you can do about it?
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a wuss this year when it’s come to running outside. My rule last year was that if it was 18 degrees or warmer, that meant I was running outside. (Did I just say 18 degree or “warmer”?! How can “warm” be used to describe a Minnesota winter?) It’s been a really cold winter this year and even though I said I would not and could not ever do it, I’ve been running on a treadmill. In. The. Basement.
The instructor had us start in child’s pose. “Okay, we’ll start here for a few quick breaths and then get moving…” I thought . Nope. Lot’s of breaths here, with instructions to clear the mind. Difficult, as I’m thinking “Come on! Let’s get going! We’ve only got 60 minutes.” and “Holy crap this towel smells like @$$! A few classes of just letting it dry out was not a good idea. How am I going to ignore it when it’s literally 2 cm from my face and I’m focusing on deep breathing?!”
You’ve had a long day, you’re thoroughly exhausted and can’t wait to get in bed. You climb in, get comfortable and 40 minutes later you’re still lying there, not able to sleep. Your brain will not stop. So far you’ve thought about what you need to get at the store tomorrow, the email you have to send to your team in the morning, and why the toaster always burns one side of the bread.
Though I don’t watch much t.v., I don’t live in a cave either. I am stunned to learn that some of the contestants on last night’s Biggest Loser premier lost 20+ and 30+ pounds in one week. One. Week. Where do I begin…
Think about the applications to your life: you suddenly remember you missed a deadline, you forgot to follow-up with someone, your child just threw up on the floor, or you’re stuck in traffic. Think about what happens to your heart rate. You feel that little shot of adrenaline? The stress response has just been activated. There are an endless amount of little things that trigger the flight or flight response all day long — it doesn’t have to be a major stressor! What’s your response to these stressors? Do you fight? Do you flee? Not likely. What happens to the stress hormones? Do they get burned off? No — they continue to course through the body. Do you get the release of the feel good hormones? Not unless you get some intense physical activity.
This was the compliment I recently received from my brother in regards to this: This is my 13” color t.v. from college (complete with 60’s era rabbit ears) making a rare appearance in our house. It usually resides in the front hall closet next to…
