Wednesday Workout: Equipment Based Stations Workout

June 11, 2014June 10, 20148 Comments

I think it’s been a while since I’ve had a real workout for you, huh?! Sorry about that! I think you’ll like this one, though. I mentioned yesterday that I taught a fun workout on Thursday, but unfortunately it took longer than anticipated to explain it to the class and have them catch on. Part of that was due to excess chatter and people not paying attention (so frustrating!), but part was probably because it was a format they were not used to and it included some new moves. Regardless, once they got the hang of it, they seemed to like it and I think it was a tough workout for them!

Per the instructions, each exercise within the set was to be completed for 60 seconds during the first round and 30 seconds during the second round. I came up with moves at each station that focused on a particular piece of equipment or are of the body (core, for instance).

Here are some explanations for some of the moves:

Medicine ball push-ups: Do a push-up with the ball under your right hand, then roll it to the left and do a push-up with it under that hand. You can do these on your feet or knees.
Partner Sit-Up Throws: Interlock your feet with your partner and bring the ball over your head as you lay back onto the mat. As you perform the sit-up, throw the ball to your partner and they will catch it and lay back onto the mat. Repeat. You can do this against a wall if you’re alone.
Stability Ball Lunges
Push-Up & Knee Tuck: Perform a push-up with your feet on the ball and then when you’re back in the starting position, tuck your knees into your chest.
Line Jumps: Roll a towel into a long rope-like shape, place it on the ground and jump back and forth over it.
Mountain climbers & in & outs: do these with your feet on the towels.

I think that should do it, but if you need clarification on anything else, please let me know and I’d be happy to explain them 🙂

Instructor friends- this is a great format to do in class, but even if you’re not an instructor, get a friend and do the workout together!

Have a great day 🙂

Questions for you: Do you like partner workouts? Instructors- do you find that sometimes your class just doesn’t get the workout you planned?

This Week {A day late… again…}: Workouts, back to a normal schedule and things I’m looking forward to

June 10, 2014June 9, 20143 Comments

Hey everyone! I feel like I haven’t popped in to say hi in a while- life has been a bit crazy lately, but it’s all good, fun and exciting stuff so I can’t really complain! Did you catch the awesome guest post from Tony that I posted on Friday? Here it is if you did- it’s worth a read: Guest Post: How To Prepare For A Triathlon. I just got home from the most wonderful little weekend getaway with RM, so I can’t wait to catch you up on that. But first- the workouts. I ended up getting in 2 workouts while away, which I wasn’t planning on or expecting, but since RM wanted to sleep in and I was up, bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go, getting in a quick workout was a great way to give me something to do while I let him sleep.

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday- Since it was my first day of work at my new job, I got up and did my workout in the morning. I was really sore from my 6 mile run the day before, so I just did this HIIT scorcher from the Fitnessista before doing some strength circuits.
Tuesday- I got up to workout before work again so that I could get a pedicure after work. I ran a tough, sucky 3 miles (how is it that I had just ran SIX miles that felt great, yet last week my 3 mile run was like the death of me?!?!) and called it a day. I ended up walking for about 30 minutes during lunch which was a nice break!

Wednesday- I ended up running 4 miles on the treadmill for National Running Day before I taught my UXF Burn class. Was a great day of workouts!

Thursday- I taught SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing. I used a new format in SHRED that, in my head, was perfectly easy to understand, but when I went to teach it, the members were so confused and couldn’t remember what to do. I hate that! I set up 8 stations with various things at them: medicine balls, BOSU balls, stability balls, weights, towels, steps, etc. and then at each station I wrote down 3 exercises for the small groups to do. They did each for 60 seconds and then again for 30 seconds before moving on to the next station. I loved the workout, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do it all with them because it was a bigger group and they needed lots of assistance. That left me plenty of energy for my kickboxing class, though!
Friday- Rest day. We had a 9am flight and I had been up early every day so I decided to sleep instead of workout. Good decision on my part. We ended up doing a decent amount of walking between the airport and walking around Miami.
Saturday- I got up and ran a SWEATY 3 miles on the treadmill (and walked a half a mile) before completing a small circuit and some extra core work. Great way to start the day… and earn my poolside cocktails 😉 RM and I also went for a nice walk!

Sunday- I woke up feeling surprisingly good after having drank a lot the day/night before, so I went to the gym for a quick workout. I did 10 minutes on the treadmill and then some supersets- I felt it yesterday!

This Week’s Workouts

Monday- I didn’t do anything yesterday. We wanted to get to the pool early and I was tired so I decided to sleep.
Tuesday- My plan today is to get a 3-4 mile run in after work and then some core exercises.
Wednesday- The usual: probably a run and then teaching UXF Burn.
Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then Kickboxing.
Friday- I might rest on Friday pending on how I feel. My new work schedule is working from home on Mondays instead of Fridays so I’ll be at the office. I may try to get in a walk during lunch.
Saturday- I’ll be at the YMCA teaching my cardio kickboxing class!
Sunday- I’ll be up in Maine (again…) for Father’s Day so I’m sure I’ll get something in!

Getting Back on Schedule

Over the past 3+ weeks, my schedule has been, well, non-existent. Between ending my old job, taking a week+ for myself, starting a new job and then going to Miami, I’ve been all over the place and any sort of routine or schedule has been completely thrown to the wayside. I have to say, though, it’s been really nice! My weeks were so regimented: breakfast was the same, lunch and snacks were the same, I had the same stuff after work, etc. It’s been a good change to not be on a schedule and it’s given my body time to get off of all the normal things it eats and does. With that said, though, I’m ready to be back on some type of schedule- I’m ready to tone it down on the eating out and can’t wait to be making my lunches again and cooking up nice, healthy dinners!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m actually excited to be back in the office this week. I’m really enjoying my new job thus far and can’t wait to be in the full swing of it. I’m also looking forward to Friday night because the Shapleigh girls are having a night out! I bought a Groupon for the Brahmin a while ago so we are going to go for dinner and a few drinks. Lastly, even though I’ve been home to Maine so much lately, I am looking forward to spending Father’s Day with my dad and going to Tucker’s 1st birthday party! And, let’s face it- I love going to Maine!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you participate in National Running Day? What are you looking forward to this week? Do you find yourself eating the same thing day after day during the week?

Guest Post: How To Prepare For A Triathlon

June 6, 2014June 4, 20147 Comments

Good morning, friends! While I’m en route for my weekend get away to Miami, I thought it would be fun to have a guest post for you. Have you ever done an endurance race or triathlon/Ironman? I’ve contemplated doing a sprint triathlon, but since biking isn’t something I enjoy or something that I’m good at, I’ve always found a reason to not sign up. Since I am no expert in this area of fitness, I reached out to my friend and YMCA instructor, Tony, to share his story of how he got into endurance racing and ways for you to start getting into it if it’s something you’re interested in. I hope you enjoy Tony’s post on this topic- he’s a huge inspiration to push past unnecessary boundaries and to prove the “I can’t” in me wrong.

*****

Hello vino and fitness fans. I’m Tony, a guest blogger for Burpees to Bubbly. My friend and fellow Oak Square Y group instructor, Monique, asked me to guest blog, and how could I pass up writing a spot for my favorite blog! Ah yes, fitness and wine, two things I never, ever go without.

I’m a marathoner, Masters swim coach, swim instructor, triathlete and triathlon coach. That’s right, I’m that breed of fitness enthusiasts that swims, bikes and runs… typically across distances that people wouldn’t even want to drive. More broadly I like the term endurance enthusiast, but most of the time people just call me crazy!

I started a little over 11 years ago. After running my first marathon I decided to set my sights on a little something called the Ironman, a triathlon requiring you to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon (26.2 miles). You’re probably saying to yourself why would anyone want to sign up for that torture? (And pay lots of money to do it I might add.) Triathlon is a great sport and it’s actually the fastest growing sport in the nation, causing people to increasingly used it as their means of staying in shape. I like “long course” events (Ironman and half Ironman). But it’s not universally super human type A personalities that complete these races; most triathlons are actually completed by everyday people doing what they call Sprints (½ mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 5k run). There’s also the Olympic distance (0.93 mile, 25 mile bike, 10k run) and of course relays (3 people do a different leg). These are much more manageable to the average human, and your social and wallet/purse will thank you. I teach Indoor Triathlon at the Oak Square Y. It’s 30 minutes swimming, 30 minutes in the cycling studio and 25 minutes running. It’s very popular and attracts new and experienced triathletes.

Back when I started, I didn’t know how to swim. Yup that’s right. Believe it or not, I learned how to swim as an adult. I remember signing up for a swim class at the Oak Square Y. The class was called intermediate stroke. I told the instructor that I took the class because I wanted to prepare for an Ironman. “Let me see you swim” she says. I got in and “tried” to swim one length of the pool and basically put together a series of movements that did not remotely resemble any known swim stroke. The instructor probably had to restrain her laughter, and then she basically expressed derision because I signed up for a class I clearly was not ready for. The irony in the whole thing is that I now teach that same class and people do the same thing to me.

Well, needless to say I learned how to swim, and very well. I caught fire with what I call, self-propelled motion fitness. Today I’m a 4x Ironman distance triathlon finisher. I’ve finished over 100 long course endurance events over 11 years including numerous half Ironman races, century bike rides, over 40 marathons of which, 12 are consecutive Boston Marathon finishes. I started my own coaching business and team several years ago. The formidable EventHorizon endurance sport where I help train people for endurance sports with the science of self-propelled motion. I’m sure Monique won’t mind that I threw in that shameless plug. 🙂

One of the biggest challenges with newer triathletes is the “stuff” you have to get. Almost every month I get an email from someone saying “Tony, how much of this stuff do I really need?” Wetsuit, triathlon racing kit, cap, goggles, and probably the biggest expense of the triathlete- the bike and everything you have to get for the bike (clipless pedals, bike shoes, apparel…etc). Thankfully the biggest costs is for stuff you only have to get once. Here’s a photo of me with my first triathlon bike that I ride to this day. I call him Dark Matter. Of course if you’re a cool triathlete you have to name your bike. Tony 3

One of the biggest benefits of triathlon is you get into incredible shape. People think of triathlon as a sport only having cardiovascular benefits, but self-propelled motion activities build a tremendous amount of strength. You’ll start seeing your body composition take a shape that would make a fitness model jealous. Here’s some advice for you: get your significant other into triathlon and I guarantee that you’ll both reap the benefits. I’ve trained several clients for long course events, and when I see their significant others, they ask me “so Tony when are you going to start training “insert name” for another Ironman.” Hmmm I say, I think you’re asking me this for a reason that might be slightly self-serving.

The time commitment is considerable for long course triathlons but my advice for people interested is to start with a short course event, a good program or consider talking to a coach for help. I actually know of a pretty good one. 😉

Last year my big event was the Indoor Ironman Guinness World Record attempt at the Oak Square YMCA. We attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to complete an Ironman all Indoors! I actually applied to get this accepted as a record and won. That was the first battle. To complete the indoor Ironman, I had to swim 2.4 miles in the pool (169 lengths), bike 2.4 miles on an indoor bike, and run a marathon on a treadmill! I know you’ve probably thought I’d lost my mind attempting this. But, it was all to benefit the Y’s Annual Fund to help families in need of health & wellness services and after school programs. The record was 8 hours and for comparison that’s a speed only seen by professional triathletes on outdoor Ironman courses.

So many people came out to support the event. People swam along side me, biked and ran with me throughout the entire day. We had to document and record everything just in case we broke the record. I trained for this harder than any event and I was in the best shape that I had ever been. My times in training were faster than ever and my body composition was as lean and strong as ever.

It was a crazy day that included a fire alarm in the middle of the event (I kept going). It was overcast for the entire day, but as soon as I got on the treadmill, the sun came out. As you can see from the pics I was in the atrium which was like a glass fish bowl. A greenhouse effect caused a spike in temperature. This surely doomed my chances at the record. I felt horrible by the last hour and had to interval the last few miles on the treadmill.

My finishing times were about 1 hour and 13 minutes on the swim about 3 hrs and 25 minutes on the bike and about 3 hours and 50 minutes on the marathon.

I ended up at a total of 8 hours and 30 minutes, about 30 minutes shy of the record. Do I want another swing at it? Hell yeah! I had a lot of fun and raised nearly $6,000 for charity. I guess it’s not bad for a guy who, in the very same facility, once upon a time, couldn’t swim one length of the pool.

So what’s going on with me now? This year I finished the Boston Marathon again for the 12th consecutive time. I always look forward running Boston and will keep the streak alive for as long as I can. What a historic outcome with Meb Keflezighi being the first American to win Boston in decades. Here’s a shot of Meb and I outside of the World Trade Center.

I’m still considering what races that I will do. Having completed so many events I spend more time helping other people achieve their race goals and my race schedule is much more pulled back these days. But before you know it, I’ll be back on another crusade for sure. 🙂

Well, I enjoyed writing this, but it’s time for me to hand this back to Monique. Burpees and Bubbly fans, I have an assignment for you: I need all of you to encourage Monique to do her first triathlon. If you think it would be AWESOME for Monique to do her first triathlon and chronicle her experience on Burpees to Bubbly, place a very enthusiastic comment below! Let’s see how many people will comment and convince her! 🙂 See you folks.

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Wow! How’s that for an incredible story?! The fact that Tony has completed so many endurance races is mind-boggling to me! I actually remember going into the Y to teach on the day that Tony was doing his indoor Ironman and thinking to myself: I’m dead after teaching a 1 hour class… he’s been at this for 3 hours at this point- that’s insane!

I’d love to hear from all of you! Have you ever completed a triathlon (of any distance) or other endurance race? What was it like? Hardest part? Does this post make you want to do one? I’m now really interested in doing a sprint triathlon… maybe I’ll look for a race in the fall!

Again, big thanks to Tony for sharing his story and hopefully inspiring all of you like he did me!

Fed Up! {Movie Review}

June 5, 2014June 3, 20147 Comments

Last week, RM and I went to see Fed Up, which is a movie/documentary that was created to show America how big of an issue obesity is and why “diet and exercise” are not going to cure it.

Have you ever noticed how everything has a “low fat” version? Have you ever looked at the ingredients in those products or thought about why they could still taste good even though they are low fat? Added sugar. That’s how they do it. I mean, it makes sense, right? How else would you make something taste good if you take out all the fat?

The thing is, the high amounts of unnecessary sugar added to these foods is the culprit behind America’s overwhelming weight gain over the past 20-30 years. Our bodies don’t know how to handle it and have no where to store it and because of this, that sugar is stored as fat. Here are some disturbing facts from the movie site:

A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains the equivalent of approximately 17 teaspoons of sugar.

In the United States, it is estimated that 93 Million Americans are affected by obesity.

One soda a day increases a child’s chance of obesity by 60%.

Individuals who drink one to two sugar-sweetened beverages per day have a 26 percent higher risk for developing type II diabetes.

Kids watch an average of 4000 food-related ads every year (10/day).

98% of food related ads that children view (3920/year) are for products high in fat, sugar, sodium.

There is overwhelming evidence of the link between obesity and the consumption of sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet teas, and sports drinks.

More than 9 Million adolescents (children and teens 6-19 years old) are considered overweight.

It will take a 110-pound child 75 minutes of bike riding to burn off the calories in one 20-ounce bottle of soda.

Almost 45 percent of overweight or obese children ages 10 to 17 are poor.

Crazy statistics, right?! The thing that killed me in the movie was how much the kids wanted to change and didn’t want to be “fat” anymore. But, when they showed what they were eating, it’s no wonder why they are struggling even though they are exercising: Reduced Fat Cheese-It’s/Chips/Cookies, Special K Crisps, sugar-laden cereals (One mom said she is having her daughter replace meals with cereal since it’s low in calories- so much wrong with that statement!), frozen food meals, etc. . And, it’s not just what they are eating at home- the lunch options in school cafeteria’s was appalling! Pizza Hut? Taco Bell? McDonalds? What the heck are those fast food options doing in school lunches?!

It’s hard to blame the average family, though, because how do they know eating something that’s “low fat” is going to hurt them in the end? Media has been teaching us that those are the better options for 20-30 years, so unless you take an interest in health and nutrition and learn things about the “right” way to eat on your own, it’s hard to know how bad some of the stuff that we are putting into our bodies is.

So, you may be wondering what to do to make things better. Something I’ve been trying to do more of lately (thanks to all the healthy living blogs that I follow!) is eat REAL FOOD and eliminate eating stuff because it’s only 100 calories or because it’s already packaged for me. This is still a work in progress for me, but I am trying. The movie said that not all calories are the same. For instance, a handful of almonds and a medium soda have about the same calorie count, however, the body knows how to process the almonds and doesn’t know how to process all of the extra sugar in the soda, which means it gets stored as fat.

Here are some REAL foods that I’m loving right now:

Kale– Warm kale salads, kale in meals, kale as a side dish, kale “chips”.. I just love it!
Spinach– I’ve replaced regular ol’ lettuce with spinach as it’s much more nutritious.
Salads with “stuff” in them– think: quinoa, goat cheese, avocado, baked veggies, etc. Basically, anything that makes a salad less “boring”.
Baked Veggies– I love baking up a big batch of veggies on Sunday night to eat with my meals and on my salads. I put them in a bowl and add in EVOO and bunch of herbs and seasonings and toss them in a 350* oven for about 40 minutes. Amazing!
Avocados– Such a yummy, healthy fat that tastes delicious in salads, in wraps, with eggs or on a sandwich.
Fruit– Bananas, apples, pears, berries- these are all naturally sweet and the body knows how to process those sugars.
Protein- Chicken is my go-to (sautéed, baked, shredded, etc.), but I’ve also been eating more lean red meat and eggs. Hard boiled eggs are an easy “grab and go” food options.
Nut butters– I’m loving almond butter right now, but peanut butter will always have a soft spot in my heart. Next time you buy either, check the ingredients label- I realized that so many brands have random added ingredients (including sugar) that are not necessary.
Smoothies– frozen berries, bananas, spinach, almond butter, protein powder… lots of super foods that keep me full for a while.
Seltzer water– I drink so much water, but I love spicing things up with seltzer water, too!

The great thing about a lot of these things is that you can “meal prep” on Sunday and have them handy throughout the week. Eating healthy may take a little more time, but if you prep ahead of time, it won’t take you long to make healthy choices during the week. I try to make one meal on Sunday nights that includes a lot of the foods I listed above so that I can have it handy to reheat throughout the week.

In conclusion, I think what I took away from the movie is to avoid “low fat” food options, read ingredient labels and limit unnecessary sugar intake found in processed foods. A lot of what I learned makes sense- what is this made from? Is there an option that is less processed? Does my body know how to process these ingredients? While I still think I have a lot to learn and a lot of changes to make to my diet, I think the movie opened my eyes up a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever give up sugar entirely, but my goal is to significantly cut back now that I know the true effects of it. I’m all about “everything in moderation”, so I won’t turn down a slice of birthday cake or an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, but knowing how my body processes those things is really interesting!

Questions for you: Have you heard of Fed Up? Do you have a sugar addiction? What’s a healthy thing you love to eat right now? Do you meal prep?

Wednesday Workout: The Great CrossFit Debate: is it “bad” for you?

June 4, 2014June 3, 201413 Comments

Last week I came across a few articles floating around Facebook revolving around CrossFit. One, in particular, caught my attention: Why I don’t do CrossFit. Now, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while (thank you!), it should be no surprise that I’m not a CrossFitter. But, that certainly doesn’t mean I don’t like it or think it’s a bad way to workout. I appreciate it for what it is and admire the strength avid CrossFitters get from the workouts, but it’s just not the type of workout I prefer to do. I’m not saying I wouldn’t like it if I tried it, but for right now, I love teaching group exercise.

In addition to the strength and fitness gains from CrossFit workouts, I think there’s a lot of other really beneficial aspects of it:

Working out in groups rather than solo
Motivates you to push yourself outside of your normal boundaries and limits
Teaches you new exercises and ways to workout
Can become a “friendly” atmosphere where you get to know other regulars in the class
You go to have someone tell you what to do, push and encourage you and answer questions

It’s funny, though, because I think those same benefits from CrossFit can be found in the group exercise setting, at November Project workouts, with running clubs, etc. Basically, I think that you can find benefits from whatever workout you choose to do, but at the end of the day, you should be doing workouts that make YOU happy and push YOU in a way you want to be pushed.

Not everyone wants to flip tires, climb ropes, power lift or do a million burpees, which you’d likely do in various Crossfit WODs (Workout of the Day), but at the same time, not everyone wants to dance for a workout or run umpteen miles or workout in the confines of a group exercise studio. And you know what? That’s totally OKAY! It’s good, actually, because it is what makes working out a “sport” that reaches out to so many people- there’s something for literally everyone and it’s up to each of us to find out what we enjoy doing the most.

The reason why I decided to write about this today is because I’m just tired of seeing people lash out at the CrossFit world. To me, if people enjoy those workouts and being part of the CrossFit family, so be it! What does that have to do with yourself or your workouts? We are all entitled to our own opinions about what is right or wrong, good or bad. And, for every article that bashes the CrossFit workouts, there is likely another one out there explaining the benefits of it. My friend, Brian, shared two with me:

When I read through these, I found myself agreeing with them more than the ones bashing the “sport”. To me, the people bashing the workouts in the CrossFit world are less scientific and more just looking to state things to cause an uproar. To see how people feel about the various CrossFit articles surfacing as of late, I brought the discussion to my Facebook page and a few people had some really good thoughts and comments in regards to the article that was posted.

The comments went on, but that was the jist of what people were saying. I love when people are passionate about workouts and what they do and when they share their experiences doing various things (CrossFit, November Project, Running, Zumba, etc.).

So, after reading through a lot of articles last week, I still feel that at the end of the day, you should be doing workouts that you ENJOY and that make you HAPPY (maybe not happy while you’re doing them, but after!)- and if that is CrossFit or Zumba or Swimming or November Project or Running- it’s up to you to be mindful of your body and know your limits. Injuries can happen anywhere and although we trust that coaches and instructors are there to protect us by showing us good form, we are all responsible for ourselves. Too much of anything can be a bad thing and rest should be an integral part of our training regime (yes, I know I don’t always follow that, but I’m trying to be better!!).

I want to hear your thoughts, though. Are you a CrossFitter? What is your favorite part of the CrossFit workouts and experience? If you don’t like CrossFit, why not? Did you have a bad experience? What type of workout would you prefer to do? Do you find yourself agreeing more with the articles bashing CrossFit or the ones promoting it?

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