Month: July 2015

In theory, the most important thing about exercising is making the effort to improve yourself. It’s about taking care of your body so you can still be active later in life. It’s about making positive choices.

In theory.

I suspect there’s more to it than that. Secretly, I think people want to look cool–or at the very least competent–while exercising. We hope to look like the sculpted, glistening people at CrossFit or in P90X videos. Athletic wear companies are certainly aware of this. Why else would they spend so much time and money developing and marketing sleek-looking workout gear and colorful cross training shoes?

Reality often has other ideas. I know from personal experience. 

I consider myself a decent athlete. I grew up playing baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, and sports have always been part of my life. I’ve hit the gym several days a week for years. I also like to think I’m more coordinated than the average person. 

Despite this, I’m also very accident-prone. To an almost unreasonable degree. All of this is to say: I’ve embarrassed myself more than a few times exercising. In the interest of healing (literally and figuratively), I would like to share a few stories about looking decidedly uncool while exercising. 

The first incident that comes to mind is every gym-goer’s worst nightmare. 

When I lived in Kansas, I went to a small 24-hour gym in town. The exterior was made up almost entirely of glass windows, which, if I’m being honest, was a bit awkward. Gawking patrons from the nearby shopping center aside, I liked the gym very much. It was small and there were limited machines and equipment, but it was immaculately clean and the people were friendly. 

One day after work I decided to hop on a treadmill for some interval running. For those of you unfamiliar, interval running involves sprinting for a set amount of time then walking for a set amount of time. Anyone who works out during the week knows that the gym is usually packed between 4 and 6 p.m. with the after-work crowd. I numbered among them and felt lucky to snag an open treadmill.

I wouldn’t feel lucky for much longer. 

The sprinting and walking started, and I had a good sweat going. But something was bothering me. Something on the inside hem of my gym shorts kept rubbing me the wrong way. Literally.

I was in the middle of one of my sprints, and I just couldn’t take it any longer. A normal person would have stepped off the treadmill for a minute to take care of the offending loose threads. Or at the very least, waited for a walking interval. I didn’t do either of those things. I did something so stupid, I can’t believe I’m actually about to write it.

Instead of stopping, I thought I could quickly pull out the loose threads while I was running. It turned out to be a poor decision. 

My footing faltered immediately. My legs came out from under me, and gravity pulled me toward the spinning belt of the treadmill. I was able to turn a bit so I didn’t fall directly on my face. I landed on the left side of my back and left shoulder. The belt, which was moving at a considerable pace, immediately tore up a section of my back. It then proceeded to shoot me several feet to the foot of an exercise bike. 

Naturally, the cardio section was full when this happened, and a dozen people saw me embarrass myself in a way that didn’t seem possible until that very moment. I remained on the ground for a little bit to gain my composure. The belt left a sizable burn on my back, and the unceremonious exit from the treadmill left a few bruises on my side where I landed. But otherwise my injuries were minor compared to what could have happened. 

Someone was nice enough to help me up as I assured everyone I was fine. I walked away, nursing my ego and cursing myself for picking such a busy time of the day to act like a jackass. 

Another embarrassing incident happened in high school (insert your own joke here).

I grew up in northern Illinois where it’s winter for roughly eight months out of the year. When baseball season started, my high school team had to practice indoors until the fields were suitable for use. 

A common indoor practice was to separate into groups and do a hitting circuit. The circuit included several stations, each focused on a different hitting drill. Obviously, the best station was the batting cage. After a few stations, my group got to the batting cage, but we realized we had to adjust the pitching machine. One of my teammates went to the end of the tunnel to sort it out. 

He wasn’t doing a very good job, though. 

I was getting fed up since we only had so much time at each station. The longer we took to adjust the machine the fewer swings we each got. I lifted up the net and yelled down the tunnel, “Hey, I think I can do it! Let me try!” My teammate didn’t hear me. He turned around and yelled “What?!” as he put another ball in the machine. Why you would just put a ball in the machine without looking is beyond me.

What happened next was like watching a car wreck in slow motion. 

I was jogging down the middle of the tunnel as he put the ball in. I saw it coming right at me and realized it was too late to get out of the way. My muscles tensed as I briefly anticipated getting Happy Gilmore’d at point-blank range. Taking a fastball to the chest seemed inevitable, but what actually happened might have been worse.

The ball hit me square in the crotch, and my protective cup made a loud “THUNK.” The force of the impact knocked my feet out from under me, and I tumbled to the ground. Sure, the cup mitigated some of the damage, but it was still one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. I felt sick and weak and had to sit out the next few drills.

I could go on and on. 

During a high school football practice, my own teammate managed to get his elbow in my face mask and give me a mean bloody nose. I also broke my finger simply deflecting a pass during practice the next year. I was fielding a ground ball in a rec league baseball game when I saw it hit a rock and take an unbelievable bounce. The ball proceeded to tag me directly under my left eye. In the weight room, I managed to crush one of my fingers between two metal dumbbells. After a set of bench flyes, I dropped my dumbbells in relief. Someone hadn’t returned his set to the rack and my left ring finger was smashed as a result. More recently, I’m easily the least flexible person in my yoga class and can’t do positions others have no problem with.

I think you get the point. 

Anyway, if you’ve been putting off the gym–or exercise in general–because you want to avoid embarrassing yourself or looking silly, look at me. I work out all the time and still find new and inventive ways to look like an idiot. Those people who look like they have it together at the gym have made their fair share of mistakes, too.

Yes, you might make mistakes, and you might fall, but you can always get up again.

Plus, you might end up with a few funny stories. 

It may not seem like it at first, but working out can be very addictive. This is especially true when you start to see positive gains, and all of that hard work you’ve been putting in begins to pay off.

It is around that time that your exercise routines start to become something you look forward to rather than dread. Going to the gym or for a run no longer seems like a daunting task, but is instead an integral part of your day. So much so, that you may even start to feel bad when you skip a workout. But no matter how fit you become, mixing in rest days should be an important part of your exercise plan.

Here’s why you should learn to embrace those days off too.

Your Body Needs Recovery Time

No matter what type of exercise routine you do your body requires some recovery time to help your muscles regain strength and bounce back to their previous levels of freshness. This is especially true for high-impact sports such as running or cycling, but even yoga and Pilates practitioners need to allow some time for rest too.

If you don’t give yourself the proper amount of time to recover, fatigue can set in, which will in turn drag your level of performance down. That will make it much harder to continue to improve your overall fitness, and could actually compromise some of the positive gains you’ve already made.

Your Mind Does Too!

Rest days aren’t just for the body, they are essential for the mind too.

A long workout can be intense, leaving you mentally fatigued as well. Being overly tired can affect your memory; impact your problem solving skills, and lower your all around awareness. Taking a break from the routine gives your mind the chance to bounce back as well, which may be just the thing you need to return to the gym with a fresh outlook.

So Does Your Immune System!

Regular exercise puts a strain on your immune system as it tries to repair strained and exhausted body parts. By taking a break you give your immune system a chance to work its magic without pushing itself to the limit. In other words, rest days can actually help you to be more healthier.

You’ll Avoid Injury

Rest days can also help you to avoid injuries that can sometime crop up from over-training. For instance, shin splints, minor muscles tears, and bone spurs can all result from working out too much. By not allowing your body to have the time it needs to heal properly you could turn a minor injury into a major one. That could sideline you from working out at all, and cause setbacks to your fitness training.  

Rest days can help you avoid that issue by allowing those nagging little injuries to heal, keeping you on track to reach your goals.

You’ll Sleep Better

Intense workouts can impact your ability to sleep, as tired, aching muscles can sometimes lead to restlessness. By taking a day off, though, you’ll give those muscles time to rest, which can in turn lead to better sleep, which only aids in the recovery process.

You’ve Earned It!

If none of these arguments are convincing, at last keep this one in mind. After working out for several days, you’ve earned yourself a break. Embrace that attitude, and rest day will be much easier to accept. Everything else will just fall into line.

All my life, I’ve hated strength-training. When I used to play competitive sports, I’d sometimes conveniently get sick on our all-too-frequent weight room days in the off season. (Shh. Don’t tell anyone.)
There’s this old storyline that women focus on cardio to get lean, and men focus on weights to bulk up. After polling random friends and acquaintances of both sexes over the last few months, it’s true. Stereotypes and tropes really do exist for a reason.
But as a woman, still, ladies: you’ve got to build some muscle. Not only does muscle help you look leaner, but it helps you burn more calories whenever you hit the treadmill or elliptical; in fact, muscle tissue burns off more calories than fat even when you’re just sitting around watching Netflix episodes of Scandal. And who could want more, right?
Don’t be fooled. You can look lean without bulking up, and you don’t need expensive weight equipment to gain some muscle mass. My friends always ask me how I stay toned. I tell them all it’s a pretty simple process. So simple, in fact, that I hardly think about it.
Since I’m the queen of getting the most bang for your strength-training buck, with as few extras as possible, here are some of my best moves.
The Push-Up
It sounds to easy to be true, but push-ups are the core of my arm routine. But here’s the secret for results: stop doing the “girl version.” Get off your knees, and do a real, honest-to-goodness push-up. This means you’re up on your toes, with both palms flat on the floor, bending those elbows into a 90-degree angle. Do as many sets of 10 as you can muster.
Make it easier: Drop and do push-ups in increments of 10 throughout the day, or in between cardio intervals during your regular routine, working up to a higher and higher total. Then, you’re not absolutely killing yourself. It’ll take like 15 seconds max. (I promise you can survive 15 seconds of pain.)
The Plank
I like to multi-task. The more things I can do at once, and do well, the better. Which is why I love the plank so much. Drop from a push-up position onto your forearms, keep your tummy taut, and hold for as long as you can.
Make it easier: My trick? Listen to upbeat music, and hold for the length of a song. Give yourself a minute break, and then hold for another length. You may have to work up to this from the length of a chorus, or half a song, but give it time. Pretty soon, you’ll be toning that tricky area at back of your arms and flattening those abs.
Wall Sits
No. Wall sits are not fun. I used to loathe these babies back in the day, but now they’re my go-to leg move, as they are very effective for toning your entire thigh. Use the same song-timing trick as you would with your plank, and work up to three sets. To better tone your inner and outer thigh, shift the weight on your foot from the outside to the arch.
Make it easier: As I mentioned, definitely do wall-sits to music if you’re tacking directly onto your workout routine. Or better yet, you can always do these throughout the day. Because, duh: walls are everywhere. I once wall-sat my way up to the front of the line at an amusement park, leaning against a very sturdy fence. My friend thought I was crazy, but hey! I toned up, they didn’t, and random strangers did not seem to judge me.
Yoga Poses
I don’t do yoga as much as I used to, but if you ever want to get toned fast, I’d totally recommend signing up for a classes with a professional. Never in my life was I more toned and taut — arms, legs, core and beyond — than when I was hitting those vinyasa and ashtanga flows three times a week. In yoga, your whole body has to work to support your own weight.
Make it easier: After a month or two (or three) of classes, you’ll confidently know the moves to do at home, so you can tone up at any moment throughout the day. It’s worth the investment.
Five-Pound Weights
Invest in a pair of juuuust-heavy-enough dumbbells. Probably five to eight pounds will do. Then, adopt a routine that you do consistently, every other day, every single week. If you truly get in the habit of tacking this onto the end of your cardio workout, you’ll see the results you want. Toned arms, all around.
Make it easier: You can lift light dumbbells in front of the TV, and you’ll hardly notice you’re doing it. Try this five-minute routine if you need some go-to move inspiration.
Bottom line? You don’t have to do deadlifts or hit the bench press to get toned. Just wedge easy-peasy moves into your day, whenever you can, and you’ll be showing off toned biceps and sculpted legs in no time.

The pushup is one of the simplest and most effective exercises out there. A few sets of pushups will help you sculpt your pecs, tris, and delts with nothing more than your body weight.

But you could be getting more out of your pushups–no, it’s true! These variations will make your body work harder and improve your results.

1. Medicine Ball Chest Squeeze Pushups

Place a medicine ball directly under you in the middle of your chest. Grab the ball with both hands and start your pushup.

You’ll have to work to keep your balance because of the instability of the medicine ball, and it will make your muscles work even harder. If you don’t have a medicine ball, try using a basketball, volleyball, etc…

2. Medicine Ball Extended Rom Pushups

This is similar to the last variation except you’re adding another medicine ball to the mix. Grab two similarly sized medicine balls and put them under you about shoulder width apart. Once you have your balance, move each ball beyond shoulder width. 

This variation will really be a challenge for your core strength. Make sure to keep your core as tight as you can. 

3. Medicine Ball Archer Pushups

Okay, time to simplify and go back to one medicine ball. Put it under one arm and extend it as far to the side as you can. Keep your other hand in a standard pushup position. 

The arm with the medicine ball won’t be able to assist as much because of its position, therefore the exercise will really isolate one arm and one pec at a time. It also works on shoulder stability for the extended arm. Once you can knock out a few archer pushups with each arm, you’re well on your way to a one-armed pushup. 

4. Kettlebell Bottoms Up Pushups

This is like the medicine ball chest squeeze except you’re using a kettlebell. Carefully balance a kettlebell on its handle and grab the round end with both hands.

The handle of the kettlebell will be even more unstable than a medicine ball, so your balance and core strength will be tested. 

5. Band-Resisted Pushups

If you can’t get your hands on a medicine ball or kettlebell, a resistance band is another good option to upgrade your pushup. Loop the band around each hand and wrap it around your back just below your shoulder blades.

Do your pushups as you normally would, with the band providing resistance. Make sure to explode up powerfully to get the most out of this exercise. The great part is the most resistance will come at the top of the pushup where you’re strongest. 

6. Dumbbell T Pushups

Get a set of dumbbells and set yourself up in a normal pushup position. When you raise your body up, extend your right arm up and rotate your body to the right with your arm. You need to roll your feet, so you’re resting on the outer edge of your left foot, too. If you do it right, your body should look like a 45-degree angle T in relation to the floor. 

It will work your obliques, shoulder, and core for greater strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.

7. Dumbbell Pushup Row

This is another great dumbbell workout. Again, get a set of dumbbells and set up in the standard position. After you get to the top of the pushup, take your right hand and lift it straight up in a rowing motion. 

It increases the intensity of the pushup while working the chest and the back. 

8. Weighted Pushups

This is one of the simplest ways to add intensity to your pushups. Use a weight, sandbag, or weighted vest to add 10 percent of your body weight. 

Do your pushups with the extra weight making each rep more difficult. You can add more weight in 5- or 10-pound increments as you progressively get stronger. 

9. Sliding Single-Arm Pushups

The sliding arm pushup is the same concept as the archer pushup. Get something that will slide smoothly along the surface you’re on and put it under one hand. Slide that hand forward as you lower yourself and back toward you when you raise yourself. 

Your extended arm won’t be able to take on as much weight as your other arm, which will isolate one side of your body nicely. 

10. Spider Pushups

This simple variation on the standard pushup doesn’t require any additional equipment. Start off doing a standard pushup, and on the way up, lift your right foot up off the floor and swing your leg out to the side. Your goal should be to get your knee to touch your elbow.

It will really work your obliques and core.  

Remember, variety is important in life, even when it comes to pushups!

Many years ago, before I was a runner myself, I would hear of someone training for a marathon and assume they were the ultimate example of dedication and athleticism. I mean, running 26.2 miles, who does that? Only a true, badass runner at the top of their motivated, focused game, that’s who.

But now, 8 marathons later, I’ll be the first to tell you that marathon training is not nearly as regimented and perfectly calculated as it may seem. In fact, sometimes it can be messy, chaotic, and seem absolutely foolish, especially for us non-professional, non-elite athlete mortals.

Here’s a few realities I’ve learned while training for marathons:

Your social life will do a 180. Get ready to start turning down all Friday night happy hour invitations, because you’ve got to get up at 4:30 am on Saturday and put in a long run. And while you’re at it, go ahead and scratch out almost every other night of the week as well, because you’ll be far too tired to stay awake much past 8:00 pm. Your non running friends may go from supportive to distant, as they can’t understand why you’d subject yourself to this boring social calendar, simply for the sake of running. But have no fear: your new running partners will become your friends, and you will look forward to the early morning discussions about life, love, and the latest Saucony shoe release. I may be biased, but I think the conversations shared over miles trump any water cooler or happy hour gossip.

You will be hungry all of the time. There is something about a 16 mile training run that will make you absolutely ravenous. The “runchies”, as I like to call them, are relentless.  Some days, especially as your mileage increases, you’ll feel like you simply can’t keep up with fueling your body and therefore you want to eat absolutely everything in sight. Because of this, many people find they actually gain a few pounds during marathon training, rather than becoming some svelte runner, like the ones you see gracing the cover of magazines.

Your body protests non stop. Get ready for sore legs! If the delayed onset muscle soreness isn’t plaguing you, the random blister you got on your last run is. Or the chaffing from that unbelievably humid run paired with a new sports bra. Or the upset stomach from that new energy gel or post run recovery drink you tried. Isn’t all of this exercise supposed to be good for your body? And why do my shoulders hurt from RUNNING? You get the idea. The foam roller and ice baths will become your best friends, and you’ll become used to the “my legs are sore” limp that you’ve adapted.

Your laundry will be out of control. If you are a regular runner, then you are likely used to this phenomenon. But if the 5+ day a week training schedule is new to you, get ready to see your laundry pile spin out of control. This doubles for those of you training in finicky weather. Long sleeves for the start of the run, tank tops for the second half. Socks and sports bras galore, and don’t forget the sweaty shorts and tights and possibly jackets. I bet you never knew running required so much gear?

Whatever you do, don’t let the marathon training laundry pile gather in your car, or one day you’re trunk will resemble something that requires a hazmat suit.

Running starts to become your identity. You’ll have compression sleeves on under your work pants. You’ve replaced your regular Rolex with a sportier GPS enabled Garmin watch. Instead of carrying around a coffee cup, you’ve got a reusable water bottle, quite possibly one that came free with your last running sneaker purchase at the local running store. Instead of watching TV you spend your spare downtime researching different races and chiming in on online chat boards about the best way to prevent chafing nipples. People stop asking about your weekend and instead ask “how that marathon training” is coming along. Which leads me to the next point…

You begin to speak like a runner.“So did you hear that John just got a PR and a BQ last week, even though he almost bonked and thought he was going to DNF? It must have been that new GU he took before he hit the wall!” Your new running vernacular will utterly confuse the non runner crowd. What’s more, you become slightly frustrated over the fact that people can’t understand that a 10K and a marathon are NOT the same thing, not at all.

You will likely question your motives and doubt yourself a million times. Especially on those mornings when you struggle to get out of bed while your family sleeps soundly, or on the miserable long runs when it is raining and cold. You’ll have an absolutely smooth 10 miler one day, only to struggle to run a mere 3 miles a few days later, making you question if you are really cut out for this marathon business. You’ll miss an important training run (or two, or five…), you might even get sick. And more than likely you’ll finally show up to the starting line, fearful of the unknown, questioning why you ever signed up for this race in the first place.

But then you’ll cross the marathon finish line, 26.2 hard earned miles later.

And all of the weeks and months of soreness, runchies, blisters, early mornings, sacrifices, and self doubt will instantly seem worth it. Despite the fact that you can barely feel your legs, you’ll already be thinking about signing up for your next race.

Congratulations, you are a marathoner! You have joined a very small percentage of the earth’s population that has proven you are capable of running 26.2 miles. Now, go wash that laundry!