Life in the real world as a fitness buff!

Hey folks!

I'm trying to continue blogging on at least a monthly basis, though we'll see how long it lasts - I may just start posting my workouts again! :-P

I'm back to the rehearsal grind at the youth symphony I work at, which means I'm back to lifting and pushing things that often weigh as much, if not more, than I do! The other bright side is that I have lots of time in the morning to do as long or as intense of a workout as I want... Or I can take a the time to do a nice long yoga session. :)

I've been doing some awesome reading lately. I totally discovered Google Reader (about time, right?) and I'm loving having all my favorite blogs in one place. It has also gotten me to discover a couple other new ones! Here are some I've been reading that you might enjoy:

- http://fitnessista.com/

- http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

- http://blogs.yogajournal.com/activeyogi/

- http://blogs.yogajournal.com/beginnersmind/

- http://blogs.yogajournal.com/enlightenedmotherhood/

- http://maggiebasiaga.wordpress.com/author/maggiebasiaga/

Predictable? Perhaps, but I enjoy them every moment I spend reading them! :)

Since I'm here, I want to send you with some lifestyle thoughts to go away with:

Sleep - what are your sleep habits and how do you feel when you wake up?

Exercise - what are your exercise habits and how do you feel after your workouts?

Food - what are your eating habits and how do you feel after eating?

Identifying your own habits will help you to stay on your journey towards health!

Fall into Shape!

Hi guys,

It's been a while, I know, I know. Sometimes it's so hard to keep up with the blog, work a job and a half, and still see my husband when I get home!

So, we finally went on our official honeymoon (to Kauai) and it is SUCH a great place to get your active on! Seriously, even people who aren't usually active find themselves being super active and acting like they're fit! ;) Even me, during my sluggish and lazy teenage years (as you can read here). Why is this?

Hawaii is such a naturally beautiful place, that you want to be out in nature. Many of the sights, you have to do some sort of little hike or other to see, so that gets you going with little spurts of movement. In the 2 times I've been to Hawaii, all 3 places we (first my family and I, then Ethan and I) required that we climb at least 2 sets of stairs to get to them. This is, of course, not always the case, but it didn't hurt my experiences of Hawaii! There are a lot of beautiful places to hike, and you don't want to sit out! Most of them are not crazy difficult and therefore completely accessible - who wants to sit out on that kind of opportunity!?

Then there is the water and the water sports. Most hotels/condos/resorts/timeshares that you stay at will have a pool for the guests. The ocean is warm (well, warmer than the pacific in NorCal) and so swimming in the ocean is comfortable. There are lots of opportunities to; Kayak, SUP, Surf, Boogeyboard, snorkel, scuba (if you go for that), and just swim with the added challenge of swimming or treading water with waves. So, when you're only there for a week or two and want to do as much as possible, there is no way you can be anything but totally active!

Anyway, it's fall again and what other season is there that is better for change?

The awesome thing about your journey towards getting fit, in shape, and healthy is that you can start small. You don't have to jump right into a 6 mile run in order to get into shape. In fact, doing that is the worst possible idea. So, how are you going to make this change in your life?

First steps first - start small.

Today or tomorrow or just soon do an assessment of where you are, fitness-wise. ask yourself these questions:

*how many pushups can I do?

*If I go for a run, how long can I run before i'm so uncomfortable, have cramps, joints start talking?

*how long can I jump rope for before I have to stop?

*how many crunches/sit-ups can I do?

once you've gotten some idea of where you are, find something small that you can do on a daily or bi-daily basis. It doesn't have to be anything big. There are a lot of resources available to you - Gyms, classes, the internet.

I'm going to give you a short, quick start to get you boosted and on your way, but first there is a list of resources I want you to look at. See if any click for you and are something you can stick with:

1) Netflix - yes, they have workout videos that you can order or stream.

2) exercise.tv - amazing website, you can buy workouts inexpensively or take advantage of the free ones.

3) bodyrock.tv - I wax on and on about this website because it's methods work. because it's workouts are accessible and only take 30 minutes or less to complete most of the time.

4) Hulu - yes, they actually have workout videos on hulu too! check them out here.

5) Your gym - there are gyms all over the place; 24 hour, California Family Fitness, 19 fitness, YMCA. There are a bunch around and they all have equipment to work out and most have classes you can take like aerobics, zumba, yoga, etc. and many have personal trainers who can help you on your journey.

6) The pavement outside - run, walk, jog, bike, roller skate. the pavement is calling.

7) women's health, men's health, yoga journal, fitness magazine, prevention magazine, Shape magazine, and others.

8) map my run

9) Yoga studios. They are all over the place. Just keep your eyes open and check out yelp.com for local ones.

Now, these are just a few of the resources you can check out. Don't let my suggestions be the end of where you look! Look for something that you love and can stick with.

Finally, here is your fall kickstart - a workout that uses no equipment but you, that should take no longer than 30 minutes (hopefully fewer) and will get you started on your journey. For most of my workouts I use a gymboss timer.

Fall into Shape:

go through this set of exercises 3 times.

1) 10 pushups -if you can't do full pushups, do girly ones off of your knees

2) 10 jump squats - if the jumping kills you on first go for normal squats - no jump. if too easy try for squat jump tucks.

3) 10 pike pushups

4) 40 high knees - each knee up counts as one rep

5) 30 bicycles - each knee in counts as one rep.

here are your exercise explanations:

Push up-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh00_rniF8E

jump squat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDOs1RrpPqo

squat jump tuck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpVS89H6t08

Pike pushups

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQLIy2psniI

high knees

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZoCNMU48U

bicycles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ALYw6hy6Gc

One of these days I'll figure out my technology and get videos of myself up here!

~katie

Your 'Big' Goals.

In an earlier post I talked about setting small, realistic, day-to-day goals to achieve their long-term goals. The important component to that is that you have a realistic long-term goal. For example, My long term goal is to be as functionally fit as I can be and to be the healthiest I can be, so all of my short term fitness goals are with that in mind. This is a healthy type of goal to hold in regards to your exercise goals because it's not focused on appearances. Studies have shown that many people whose fitness and exercise goals are centered on their appearances give up and don't stick with their fitness routines because they don't see instant results. So, if you have trouble sticking with your short range goals, ask yourself why that is. Are your long term goals too unrealistic to the point that you quit because you aren't seeing the results you want?

In other news, I've been reading again! By now, you've probably all figured out that i'm a voracious reader. I love reading, and every time I see something that catches my eye regarding fitness, I read it. The most recent book is Real-world fitness by Kathy Kaehler.

What I liked best about this book is that she's very real about fitness and how you can get it to fit into your life! She also has a rock solid reputation that has been in place for many years.

so, I highly recommend this read.

If there are any books you highly recommend, let me know!

Workout No.1

So - the text again:

"Here's a home gym for KatieFit... I'm watching a movie and just worked the crap out of my quads and glutes. Wanna write a routine for it?"

so, here is your routine! (I'll post a video of the moves later):

go through this set of exercises 2 times (i'm assuming that your step can bear weight):

1) 15 Squats with dumbell press

2) 12 Right leg step-ups

3) 10 Romanian Deadlift and Rows

4) 12 Left leg step-ups

5) 15 Push ups with jumping jack legs

6) 10/leg plie squat with opening chest fly

7) 20 alt single leg toe touches (10/leg)

8) 24 Sumo pulses with legs

9) 5 Matrix ab exercises

10) 10 lunges with right foot on step

11) 25 mountain climbers (double count)

12) 10 lunges with left foot on step

13) 25 dumbell swings (you can use a medicine ball, kettle bell, or weighted sandbag here)

14) 25 bicycles (double count)

if you really want a goal to work for, time yourself and share your scores!

-Katie

A New Challenge for me - A New Opportunity for you!

Hi everyone,

I received a text this weekend I'd like to share with you and it got me thinking about a new thing to try here on KatieFit!

So here is essence of the text (accompanied by this picture):

"Here's a home gym for Katiefit... wanna write a routine for it?"

This got me thinking that this could be a really good theme for this blog- at least for a while. So here's the deal:

send me an email to KatieFitBlog@yahoo.com with a picture of what you have to work out with space-wise, equipment-wise, and let me know what you have to work with time-wise and I'll develop a workout for what you have available to you!

We can make it a further challenge by having you guys post your own varieties in the comments of each post! (if you want :-p)

So- by the end of the day, I hope to have a workout for this one and maybe some more emails to work with for future posts!

-Katie

Accountability

So, last night I wrote about goals and how setting realistic short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals of getting in shape (and/or losing weight). Today, I wanted to write a short post about another aspect that helps you achieve your goals. And that is...

Acountability!

yet another 'cliche' about achieving your goals. You've probably heard it a 'million' times - you need some way (or someone) to hold you accountable to your short term goals in order to achieve the long term goals.

So - who do you trust to hold you to your goals? If you trust yourself to keep you accountable, then there is your answer. If you don't trust yourself, and many of us don't, try to find a buddy with whom you can split the 'responsibilty' of both of your fitness. You can work out together and check in with each other to make sure that you are both sticking to your goals.

and, just a side-note: both goal-setting and having some sort of accountability system can help you achieve just about anything you're aiming at; learning/perfecting an instrument, learning a new skill like dance or painting, or training for a sport...

Goal-Setting

After a long while of inconsistent and incomplete workouts (due to the arm surgery) I'm back with a touch of philosophy about why some people succeed in their fitness goals while others struggle and give up, never succeeding in their quest to be fitter, healthier people.

Now that I'm working back into my regular workout scheduling I've been thinking about what it is that makes me succeed in my fitness goals even despite setbacks like the sprained ankle and arm surgery. The answer is very 'elementary school.'

Remember in school when your teachers talked about goal setting? I remember several teachers of mine going into HOW you should set goals. She would say that the key is to set a group of goals, short term goals and long term goals. Most importantly, the goals had to be ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC.

So, what makes a goal achievable?

When it's something you can actually do, it's achievable. So - Setting a goal to workout for an hour a day, every day of the week if you work 40 hours a week is not realistic or achievable. setting a goal to workout 3 times a week for 20 minutes is far more achievable.

So, my goal to get back into working out regularly again - which is made challenging by my limitations from my arm and my long work days - is to workout or do yoga for at LEAST 10 minutes a day.

My goal for my health in my diet is to drink more water daily and make sure to include as many fruits and vegetables into my diet as I can manage.

What are your REALISTIC and ACHIEVABLE short term goals to improve your health and fitness?