Fit Mom's Blog

These are my little bells!

Although, since my yoga training I’ve NOT used them once, I’m becoming reacquainted with them in Cross Fit. Cross Fit utilizes every kind strength, gymnastic and speed component to form their workouts. I’m still a rookie to it, but, what I’ve learned so far is that the warm-up alone used to my what I’d consider a workout!

Pictured above are the GoFit kettlebells which can be purchased at your local Big 5 or Sports Authority and prices range from $30-$90. The other kind of kettlebell are the kind you buy from Dragon Door and they are considered to be the “real” deal. And prices are quite a bit higher (prices start at $75 + shipping). The main difference between the two kinds are the handle. The Dragon Door K-bells have a smooth handle that won’t rip your hands up in a full swing. Before my yoga training, I had a love affair with these little bells. You can get an awesome full body workout with just one bell! Our workout yesterday was one minute of each: Kettlebell Sumo Squat, Kettlebell Swing, and Wall Balls! Followed by one minute of rest and then REPEAT 5 times!! {thankfully, the workout got modified to only 3 rounds!!} And, the prescribed weight for a woman is 35 pounds! I had barely used my 35 pounder pre-yoga training and now I’m swinging that thing around, who would’ve thought?

In case you’d like to learn more about kettlebells, here are some resources that I found useful:

Mike Mahler

Lift Kettlebells

CrossFit Demonstrations

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Tonight, I ate frozen yogurt with mini-chocolate chips. I cannot remember the last time I craved this sugar-laden treat. It was delicious.

Lost my rhythm. My weekends have now shifted to Tuesdays-Thursdays. On these days, I have massive readings and homework assignments that need to be done, blog posts to write, children to care for, dinner to cook, laundry to do, do my regular job, and find time for working out?!

I love to race my bike, seriously. Before this training, I would happily kill myself on my bike in “almost pukeville” {interval training} 2-3 times a week. I had motivations to do that kind of training so that I could attempt to be competitive on the weekends. My bike workouts have dwindled down to maybe 2 and I can’t bring my intensity up to that level. There is something in me that is saying “no” not today. Conserve energy. This morning, I had little arguments with myself. Ok, just do 30 minutes. No intervals. Just keep going. By 30 minutes, I was sufficiently warmed up and managed a few measly intervals of 3 minutes (heart rate at 160 max) and that was it. Yesterday, same thing. Did the Surf Yoga DVD in the AM and then in the PM grabbed the Kettlebells for swings, squats and lunges in the backyard with the kiddos. Again, energy not there.

Not sure where I am going at the moment…the yoga training is allowing me (hopefully) to get at least 3 and possibly 4 intense yoga sessions in per week. They are always amazing. My body feels energized when I’m done. The more yoga I can do now under a trained teacher will be better for me in the long run- for the teaching and for my own practice.

But, what do I do about the other things in my life that I love? How do I squeeze it all in or should something be dropped for now?

In closing, a quote from Desikachar.

“The way that we see things today does not have to be the way we saw them yesterday. That is because the situations, our relationships to them, and we ourselves have changed in the interim. This notion of constant change suggests that we do not have to be discouraged.” T.K.V. Desikachar

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Lovely readers,

Thanks for your patience this week. We have taken our annual pilgrimage to Monterey, California for the Sea Otter Bicycle Classic. This is a fantastic event for any level bike rider- whether it’s road, mountain, downhill, cross country or any combination of the above. Over the past ten years, my husband and myself have participated in either the road races, cross country mountain bike races or the “criterium” races that Sea Otter has to offer. All the race courses are brutally hard. Today’s “criterium” race was something like a ribbon. Either up or in the wind or up. That’s it. He’s fit. But, these types of courses are designed for the uber fit person- not a full time professional with less than ten hours a week to train. We come for the experience of the whole event- to race- but really to have fun in Monterey.

FOOD:

When here, all my good eating habits seem to slip out the window with the wind…All my good intentions of packing healthy foods for the road just seem to fall flat.  Eating at the Sea Otter Expo is great- except that it’s seriously expensive.  Better to pack a backpack full of food for a picnic and skip the $5 hot dogs that my kids won’t eat.

The best part?

Eating here.  Hula’s Monterey has the freshest, tastiest fish EVER.  If we don’t eat here twice in the next three days, I will be disappointed.  Fantastic.  You should all come to Monterey just to eat here.

Shopping:

Raise your hand if you love Simple Shoes?! There is a great outlet in Ventura that sells Simple, Teva and Uggs!  All at serious discounts.  Got these slick sneakers for $16!

Dude Girl is here at Sea Otter again this year.  I stocked up on her long sleeve thermal shirts in yummy colors like orange.  Sorry, image not available but isn’t this running skirt cute?

Whole Foods!!!  I’m on my way there now!  Hoping to find some yummy healthy foods for dinner.

Workouts:

Did you think I’d give up all forms of exercise for our 4 day vacation?  Wrong.  My healthy eating habits may be in the toilet at the moment, but there is still exercise.  I brought my 25 pound kettlebell, a yoga mat, and 2 DVD’s.  This morning, I was excited to do almost a complete boot camp workout that included staggered hand push-ups, k-bell swings, lateral lunges, side planks with a row, squats and lots of ab work followed by a 16 minute yoga DVD’s.  I bought the Level 1 of this set at Yoga Works. The instructors on the DVD are Yoga Works trained and she pays particular attention to alignment in the video.   The video is basically Sun Salutes A &B, Warrior 1,2,3. Which is seriously what my body needs right now.  I’d like to see myself doing this video after every workout- legs need to learn the poses!

So that’s it for day one!

We have rental house that we found on the VRBO website and it’s fantastic.  100 years old with a view of the ocean and bunk beds for my kids- they are in heaven and we have to beg them to leave the house. (although no Wi-Fi! posting from Starbuck’s today.)

Anybody have thoughts on your favorite dinners from Whole Foods?  How you manage healthy eating while on vacation?

Hope you are all having a great week!!

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As most of you know, for the last three months I have been using a weight training program written by Angie Schumacher. It’s called the Fat Blasting Boot Camp. It is technically a 14 week program, although, I’m sure I’ve gone over the 14 weeks!

The plan includes 4 different workouts that gradually increase in intensity and difficulty. Workout #3 is obviously much harder than the “get started” workout. Each workout includes 4 strength training exercises (multiple muscle groups), 3 cardiovascular exercises (interval training), and 3 Ab exercises. For a new exerciser or a someone who is beginning a weight training workout, I highly recommend these workouts as written. With the help of the how-to videos, it is completely attainable. If you already involved in a weight training program, you may need to modify it with added weight and time on the cardio circuit (I needed additional cardio minutes to get results). The whole program takes approximately 30 minutes and if you did nothing else during the week, you’d still get results. I however added serious bike intervals two days per week (cause I am THAT kind of girl). This plan does not require extra workouts, but if you have time, she does suggest doing intervals at least 2 times a week.

A note about equipment: I needed a medicine ball, a stability ball and a kettlebell. And, I upgraded all to bigger weights as I went through the program and now am squatting with a 35 pound kettlebell! No gym required.

And, there is a meal plan, too! It’s pretty simple and if you already eat really healthy this is just a good formula to follow. It works out to five meals a day. Start your morning with 2 proteins (2 eggs + 2 egg whites, ex), a vegetable, fruit and a starch. Meals #2 & #4 require a a protein and/or a vegetable, and Meal #3 and #5 require a protein, vegetable and starch. She gives detailed examples of this and also things to basically take off your list for the time being. For myself, I did not cut out dark chocolate and we generally splurged on a glass of wine on the weekends. In general, I ate/eat how it’s described but I can’t say that I followed the meal plan to the letter. Very likely would have had results faster if I did, but, I’m happy!

Final Verdict: I dropped 3/4 of an inch in my waist in the first month of the program. Then, for the next two months, things dropped off much slower. But the final results include 1.75 inches of my waist, .75 inches of my butt, and my quads are .50 inches bigger (I think!? Never can remember where I placed the measuring tape on my thigh!) Basically from a women’s size 8 to a size 4 (depending on the brand). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this plan and can’t wait to start on her advanced training program!

You can get started by clicking here.

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David Kirsch answers my questions!

After my recent review of his book, The Ultimate Total Body Makeover, I was left with lots of questions on how to use his plan in a more reasonable way- I’m not one to promote a 2 week fat loss program ever- however, his workout plan is really creative. We all know I like to have strong muscles and will lift as heavy as I have in my garage (at the moment that means a 35 pound k-bell or 20 pound hand weights). But, I know some of you don’t want to lift heavy- you’d rather have a toned, yoga like body and his plans are more designed for you. So, here are his answers.

Q Which celebrity do you think really works their butts off and wants a lean body for themselves and not for the media?

A While the initial motivation may be media-driven, I truly believe that all of the celebrity clients that I have worked with consider their transformation an honoring process. We focus on achieving their wellness from the inside out. And in turn, they have strength, confidence and beauty that they never had before.

Q Do you train with kettlebells and if so what’s your favorite exercise to do with them?

A I love doing Plie Toe Squats and Assymetric Lunges with Kettle Bells

Q l love all your stability ball exercises that I have posted in my garage-
but I don’t have time to do them all in one session and I don’t think most
moms do either. What do you think is the best way to burn fat for those of
us who have a GRAND total of 45 minutes to exercise?

A You need to engage in intense and continuous movement. A combination of cardio with light weights is best. Attached is an example of a 20-minute fat-burning cardio + cardiosculpting workout from my book, The Ultimate New York Body Plan. This would be a great circuit to do twice leaving you a few minutes to stretch. All you need is a pair of dumbbells, a medicine ball and a jump rope (optional).

And, do you have any questions for David? Also, he sent me a workout that I’d be happy to email to any of you. Please email me at fitnessformommies (at) gmail (dot) com.

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I’m excited to say that I finally bought my 35 pound kettlebell! No, I didn’t buy the Russian Red or the Dragon Door ones, I bought the ones you can easily pick up at Big 5. The girl at the register was very curious about the bell and how to use it, so I quickly demonstrated the KB swing. And, I WAS able to bring that beast up to eye level like six times….Check it out. Ain’t they pretty?! Yes, these beauties will help my cycling as in Explosive Power.

Fat Blasting Boot Camp Update:

I have two more weeks before the final results are posted. Workout #3 is by far the hardest of the three workouts. My favorite combination is the Reverse and Side Lunge pattern plus a split squat with a press. I think these type of full body work with just one exercise is incredibly effective. As far as results go, I haven’t seen much change in my size since Feb. 17th, however, it’s quite obvious that my strength has increased! Thinking that the formula- 4 Strength Training moves, 3 cardio exercises followed by 3 Ab exercises is a great quick effective formula that I will be able to carry through when done with the plan. In fact, I was thinking of asking Angie to write a advanced plan for me!

On Bike Racing…..

Who will be racing in my town this week? Yep, the one and only Floyd Landis.

AND GUESS WHO IS COMING TO MY SCHOOL THIS WEEK?! This girl is amazing. Go read her bio. I’ll wait.

If you’re new here, you might want to read this post, I wrote a year ago on the subject of women bike racers (link). Well, the WOMEN are here in my TOWN this week and I will be talking about it. Amber Neben has won the Redlands Classic twice as well as the Tour De Feminine twice as well as gone to the Olympics.

Redlands Bicycle Classic will begin on Thursday and conclude on Sunday. The field for the women is the most competitive group we’ve had in years. I will be interviewing some of the professional women and will be featuring the interview at the end of the week. One woman’s team is coming to school for an assembly!

Have any questions for professional women bike racers? Leave a comment and I will ask!

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Chaos everywhere. In my head, in my sink, in the laundry piles…My children were doing their usual 5 pm craziness ritual of running around like monkeys and jumping off whatever they could! It was 545pm and dinner still needed to be cooked, resume needed to be typed, and a huge project completed for work by 11 am tomorrow. To top it off, sleep has been fitful lately- ever slept and dreamed about physical education lessons? UGGGG.

At this time of night with most of the above chores still to do before bedtime, I would usually hit the pantry. What could I eat, devour, ruin my waistline, etc??? Tonight, I tried a new tactic.

Talked myself into 12 minutes of exercise because I knew the feel good vibes /endorphins would give me enough energy to get through the night. So, instead of doing the dishes, I threw two salmon fillets with olive oil in the oven, threw some brown rice in the rice cooker, laced up my shoes, plugged in video for the kiddos and grabbed my kettlebell!

Sample of what I did

30 KB 2 or 1 arm K-bell swings

3 sets of push-ups

3 sets of tricep dips

2 sets of mountain climbers

2 sets of spiderman climbs

1 set of side planks with the addition of lifting the KB to shoulder height

Intermixing the KB swings between each of the above! Thomas the train did chug by a few times and the dog tried to interfere and the phone rang, but, I just plugged away. Just 12 minutes, that’s it!!

Life is good… I will make it!

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