Fitness Friday: Team Effort

Good morning! I know for a lot of people have an aversion to going to the gym or working out alone, I know it can be incredibly intimidating. But there are other options!

Joining a co-ed sports team or a beer league is a great way to round up a group of friends and get some physical activity once or twice a week and have a good time. It's a great way to break up your activity if you are a regular gym goer as well, I look forward to my soccer Sundays every single week because I have a great team of girls!

Another fun way to get involved in fitness with friends would be taking a class together, drop in on a boot camp, a flow yoga class or something like that. You could end up finding something you really love to do.

Fit Friday: Pick a reason

Enough Said

Fit Friday on a Saturday!

Since it's heart month it only makes sense that I'm going to tie fitness into heart health! For me there is nothing more important than my heart, it is my main motivator in being fit and active. Since Cardiovascular disease is one of the number one killers in North America it is crucial to do something to decrease your risk of developing this life threatening illness.

Endurance activities such as walking, running, biking and swimming are all incredibly beneficial for your heart health! The heart and stroke foundation recommends 150 minutes a week of this type of exercise which boils down to 21 minutes a day, which is incredibly easy to do. You can easily bike for 20 mins, or walk to work and reduce your risk of heart disease!! When doing this type of aerobic activity try to get into a steady state (constant heart rate) of 60-85% of your max heart rate. To get max HR: 220 - age then calculate 60-85% of this.

I know when you're young it seems like these risks are so far away and that you have plenty of time to get fit but if you start now you're more likely to stick with it and incorporate it into your lifestyle. Also just because you're young doesn't mean you're invincible, my issue may have been something I was born with but the scariest thing is we had no idea until I was 20 years old, so it's really good I had been taking care of my heart before then.  

Fit friday: Apps!

Fitness Apps!

Technology has come so far and is another tool to help you in your fitness journey. There are so many apps out there designed specfically for fitness! Whether you need something that tracks your workouts, meals, or gives you ideas for new workouts there's an app for that ;)

My Fitness Pal:

 Great for tracking food, I love that they have a lot of different stuff on there. I don't log mine everyday anymore, but I did when I first started just to get an idea of the kinds of foods I was eating, what was too much/too little etc. My only beef is that it said I should only have 1200 calories a day, when my RMR (resting metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories I need to eat just to run my body and not even factoring in moveing) is over 1400.

Couch to 5K:

 One of my best friends used this and absolutely loved it. They have couch to 10km and couch to half marathon. These are awesome if you're new to running or need a schedule

PumpUp:

 I love this one because it personalizes workouts for you, you give it a goal, whether it's at home/gym/away, your time limit, the type of equipment you available to use etc. It's pretty cool, you can choose body parts to work on and it gives you circiuts to do!

Fitbit:

 This app has trackers you can sync with it but you can also use it without having them, it's similar to my fitness pal but allows you to build meal plans which is nifty!

These are great because they give you something to be accountable to. I know theres a ton of people who eat differently (usually healthier) if they know they have to write it down. Most of these apps are free so try something new to challange yourself and your fitness :) Also theres so many different ones out there, so if none of these work for you it doesn't mean there isn't one out there, keep trying!

Fit Friday: Shin Splints

What are shin splints? Also known as Medial tibial stress syndrome this is where there is pain between the tibia and ankle. 

Why?! These injuries are caused by repeated trauma to connective muscle tissue surrounding the tibia. They can also be caused by muscle imbalance, for example if your calf muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius) are more muscular than the muscles on the front of your leg.

If you follow me on instagram or are a real life friend you would know that starting at the end of last winter and during the summer shin splints plagued me and made me miserable. I have played soccer for years and have never experienced them before this year! It was bizarre and frustrating, because I usually run 15-20 km a week outside of soccer and was unable to do any running.

Treatment: Rest! Continuing activity can make things worse, ice/heat repetition, and stretching your shins. Also if all else fails, beer and a salt/bubble bath ;)

Prevention: Strengthening of your tibialis anterior muscle (shin). One exercise that works really well and helped me get rid of my shin splints are toe taps! They're an incredibly easy exercise that are super helpful. Two different ways to work your shins below and here

Fit Friday: Pumped up Beats

If you're like me you can't work out without music! Actually I can't go without music for almost every part of my day, getting ready, riding the bus, walking the Duke and even going to bed. And I have different play lists for all my moods and activities. So on this fitness Friday, I thought I'd share one of my work out playlist's:
 

  Kos- I wish I knew Natalie Portman

Yeah Yeah Yeah's- Buried Alive

Alt-J- Breezeblocks

No Doubt- Push and Shove

The Black Keys-Next Girl

  Blink 182-Easy Target

Childish Gambino-Heartbeat

Matthew Good-In Love with a Bad Idea

Florence and the Machine- Drumming Song

Japandroids- The Nights of Wine and Roses

Lorde- Team

Youngblood Hawke- We Come Running

Mother Mother- Bit by Bit

Taking Back Sunday- There's no "I" in team

Frightened Rabbit- The Woodpile

Fit Friday: Goals for 2014

When setting your goals for fitness for the year ahead break it down to be realistic! If you're looking to loose weight it is healthy to loose .25-2 lbs. a week, anything more than that isn't healthful. so keep that in mind when you're coming up with a plan of action and if you want to loose weight in a certain time frame.
Make sure to pick activities you actually enjoy or else you're probably not going to do them. To be fair you may end up enjoying things you at one point that you didn't think you would! So it's a good idea to try things outside you're comfort zone :)

For me I like for my goals to be more general like trying to eat healthier every day, and going to the gym or running a certain amount every week. My goal for this year is to run more, and try new things in regards to exercise! New types of exercise and pushing myself to try things outside my comfort zone. I went to my first bootcamp a couple weeks ago, and it was actually kind of fun which I did not expect!

 

Fit Friday: The Anywhere Workout

Christmas can come with a lot of stress, travel, not enough time and way too much food but it's important to still try to get your workout in. You don't need to get to a gym or even set aside an entire hour to get some sort of workout in.

No machines, no weights necessary!!

To start:  Run up and down your stairs for 2-3 mins as fast as you can (if you own a skip rope you could use this for your warm up too, if not, most people have stairs ;))

  7 burpees Jump straight up, then dropped to the floor, lower body with control and pop back up to jump and repeat

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10 pushups Pretty side down, hold your body up with your hands and toes, slowly bring body down so your back is flat and your chest comes to hover over the floor. If this is too difficult put your knees to the floor and do the same

15 mountain climbers Pretty side down, hold body up on hands and toes, bring 1 knee into body/hands, back to resting, then the other knee towards body/hand, repeat

 

Rest 1-2 mins

10 jump squats Get into squat position, legs hip distance apart, knees bent, jump and when you land go back into a low squat, repeat.

10 leg lifts Lay flat on your back, raise legs straight to 90 degree and then slowly with control lower them to hover over the floor

10 kick outs (10 with each leg) get into table position with hands shoulder distance apart, legs hips distance apart, resting on knees and hands, back is flat like a table. Kick out one leg to be level and even with hip, bring back down and repeat.

 

rest 1-2 mins

15 sit ups, lay with back on the ground, legs slightly apart, feet flat on the ground, with control bring your upper body off the ground towards your legs using your core muscles

10 tricep dips, Grab a chair, have palms on the end of the chair and slowly lower your body down and then back up again.

 

Rest 1-2 mins, then Repeat 2x-3x!

Fit Friday: hardCORE

Your "core" is really important for stability as well as mobility. Without a strong core your balance is likely to be affected and you are more likely to injure yourself, so it's important to do exercises to challenge your core. Most people think of working their "abs" but there is so much more to it than just that, you need to think about your back muscles, all the abdominals and even glutes in order to be strong and stable. So I have 4 core exercises here the first one easy, the next harder.

Crunch:

Beginner: Lay on ground, feet at a 45 degree angle, make sure feet and knees are a bit apart. Place hands on thighs slowly move up to knees

Expert: Lay on ground, feet at a 45 degree angle, make sure feet and knees are a bit apart. Place hands next to head, slowly curl upper body towards thighs without using momentum or moving feet.

Repeat 10x for 4 reps

Superman:

Beginner: Lay face down, raise arms/legs off ground slightly, hold up to 30s.

Expert: Lace face down, raise arms/legs much higher off ground, hold up to 30s

Repeat 4x

Plank:

Beginner: Lay face down on hands and elbows, make sure back is flat with knees on the ground. Hold pose. 20s-1min

Expert: Lay face down on hands and elbows, make sure hips aren't dropping with either both toes on ground or extend one leg backwards behind. Hold pose. 20s-1min

repeat 4x

 Lower Body Extension

Beginner: Lay with your hips and upper body on bench, have your legs extended behind you level, hold pose 10-30s

Expert: Lay with stomach/upper body on bench, hips and lower body are extended behind you level, hold pose 10-30s. You can also add weight between your feet to increase the difficulty.

Fit Friday!

Just a real quick one for you today, try this move out the next time you're working your legs! Squat jumps are challenging because they work a lot of different muscles and require stability. If you're less advanced you don't have to go as deep into the squat and do just a few reps and sets. If you want to challenge yourself more you can hold a medicine ball in your hands and keep it close to your chest while you do this move

Also if you're ever looking for some simple exercise that work a certain area I recommend this site

Fit Friday: Pita Pizza

I absolutely love pizza, so when trying to eat healthy it's one of those things that I just have to have. So I've made a healthy (super easy!) twist to your traditional pizza.

 

What you'll need:
• Whole wheat pita bread
• Pizza sauce. You can get it bottled, but it's super easy to make:
• 1  -14.5 oz can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t lemon juice
• pinch red pepper flakes
• Blend until smooth!
• Peppers, Zucchini, mushrooms, really any vegetables you want
• Fresh basil
• Mozerella
• Roast Chicken breast, or spicy turkey pepporoni (Or without anything to make it vegetarian)
 

To Cook:  

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Spread pizza sauce (about 2-3 tbl spoons, depending on size of pita) on the pita

Cut up vegetables into small pieces, if you're having meat place this on pita first, Spread veggies over the entire crust

Spread shredded mozzarella on top (as much or as little as you like, I put less on to keep it healthier)

Top with fresh basil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until cheese browns

Let cool, cut and enjoy (Best enjoyed with a glass of red wine)

This recipe is Duke approved

Fit Friday: Focus!

We all have the tendency to do this, comparing ourselves to others. Whether it's in blogging where we wish we had someone else's wardrobe, or someone's family or friends, or with fitness in regards to someone's skill level of body shape. In every case comparing ourselves to others isn't helpful and is just going to make us feel inadequate.

  For fitness my advice to you is just this:

•   Focus on yourself; not on your perceived imperfections but on your strengths. Challenge yourself to do things that scare you, that you find difficult. Remember that those things you're really good at now you were once scared of and were bad at.
• Focus on how you feel, not your weight! Weight is just a number it does not give you an accurate reading of your health. Someone can be 135lbs and have a large amount of fat will look very different from someone who is 135lbs and has a large amount of muscle. Focusing on how you feel and your health is way more beneficial than some number. That post workout adrenaline rush is wonderful and when you feel sore because you did something wonderful for your body.
• See your body in a new light, not as "the enemy" or in need of drastic change, but as something to be strengthened, enjoyed and appreciated.
• Stop comparing yourself to others! We all have different body types and have different health/personal histories. It isn't fair to yourself to wish you had someone else's body, this mind set will set you up for failure!

xoJennaD

 

I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy weekend. Next fit Friday, my healthy pita pizza recipe ;)

Fitness Friday!

For me fitness is really important not only because my health is my number one priority but because of how it makes me feel. There are so many days that I just DON'T want to do anything, but 97% of the time if I get myself to the gym (or go for a walk/run, play soccer) I feel a million times better when I'm done.

The best part of exercise? There are SO many different modalities that you can choose what works for you and what you enjoy. Chances are you're not going to do it if you don't like it in any way shape or form.

• Don't like running? Ride a bike, get on the Elliptical machine, or go swimming. All of these are  cardiovascular exercises (they burn a lot of calories, and will make your heart strong, yay!)
• Weight lifting and calisthenics are both great ways to build muscle, and lifting weight won't necessarily give you the bulk some ladies don't want.

 For me personally I tend to do cardio for 25-35 minutes followed by 30-40 minutes of weight lifting and calisthenics (things like push ups, sit ups, etc) and I am not a particularly bulky individual but I do have a lot of lean muscle mass. I switch up my cardio by some days running, some days biking with different exercises following.

• Another thing to try? Classes! Yoga is a fantastic way to get fit and is really enjoyable. It's an excellent way to clear your head after a particularly stressful day too :)

So this weekend hit the gym, do some yoga or go for a run! We have to burn those Halloween calories ;)

Fitness Friday: Just do it!

Now that you have goals, you've got to get started!!

 Plan your week ahead of time,  because chances are if you don't plan it, you won't do it. Start off with 2-3 days a week at the gym (or workout at home!)
I try to keep my gym bag right by the front door with all my stuff (bra, top, shorts, runners, ipod/headphones, water bottle) ready to go or in the back seat of my car because I can't work out at home (Mr.Duke is incredibly distracting) 

This just makes it much more likely that you'll get there, there have been times I've gotten all the way to the gym to realize I've forgotten my top or shoes. WORST! It also helps if you have a person to work out with to hold yourself accountable for those days you agree to work out on.

A cute tip I found on pinterest is a workout jar, put $1 in for every workout and then by you get to $100, treat yo self!! (yes that is a parks n ref reference) Get yourself a massage, a new dress, whatever your little (now stronger) heart desires ;)

Also next time you think "oh I'm too tired" think about people like this guy. A veteran who was told he would never walk unassisted ever again, or would ever run and thanks to determination and yoga he's now able to!

Fit Friday: Goals

Before you Start:

Come up with some easy goals you want to accomplish by exercising

1. Lose a few lbs (break it down into small increments, healthful weight loss is a process!)

2. Run a 5km race (or a 10km race, or a half marathon!)

3. Have more energy/ elevate your mood
 

The first 2 here are really specific and visible goals that you can see progress being made, the third one is a wonderful side affect of exercise but isn't as calculable.

Exercise can be a wonderful mood elevator, so if you're feeling stressed, depressed or anxious engaging in physical activity can really help. It can be hard to get motivated, but knowing you'll feel that much better afterwards is something to keep in mind.
Especially when I'm stressed I try to take a break to get a work out in and it always helps clear my head!
PS. Having colourful, funky footwear also helps motivate me and lift my mood ;)