Your Ideal Form

Helping you on your journey to your best self!

Getting Started with Spinning

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Getting Started with Spinning

So running wasn’t for you, you wanted something low impact, but you don’t have access to a pool, or perhaps you just aren’t ready to be seen in a swimsuit yet. Have you thought about trying spinning?

Spinning is basically what happens when you take stationary cycling and give it a few shots of espresso. It is done in a group setting, with pumping music, possibly dim lighting depending on the studio, and an instructor at the front that tells you when to sit, stand, and what tempo and resistance to work at. Having that coach is awesome. You know that you’re getting a good workout, and you won’t leave feeling like you could have done better, or that you were just putzing around. The group setting can make it more fun, but a bit more intimidating. Don’t compare yourself to others in the class! Just focus on doing the best you can.

What you’ll need to get started

You’ll need water. Lots of it. Especially in colder climates where the air gets dry in winter.  Make sure your water bottle is easily drunk from while you’re moving. A wide-mouthed bottle will leave you wearing more water than you drink. A squeezable sports bottle with a sports valve top is ideal. A towel, cause you will sweat a ton. You could just use your shirt to wipe away sweat, but your shirt will likely also be drenched. Optional items include padded cycling shorts. Your ass WILL hurt, especially if you haven’t been on a bike in a long time. If you really enjoy yourself, and think that you are going to get serious about spinning regularly, you can look into special “clip-less” shoes. The pedals on the spin bikes have “cages” that you can slip your foot into, but if you flip them to the other side, you can clip in special shoes if you have them. Spin bikes do not glide. You can’t just stop pedaling and have the wheel keep turning freely, so you’re going to be moving your legs non-stop throughout the entire class. If you need a break, slow down, and/or slower the resistance, but don’t stop.

What to do

If this is your very first class ever, arrive early. Introduce yourself to the instructor and let them know this is your first time, and they’ll help you set up your bike and go over the important stuff with you, like how to control the resistance. This is also a good idea if it is your first class at a new studio; the equipment might be different than what you’re used to! The seat will seem high; it should be set to about your hip height. The instructor should also go over any terminology used in class, such as “positions” they might call out, meaning you change where on the handlebars you rest your hands, or whether you are sitting in the saddle or pedaling standing up. After you’re all set up and adjusted, hop on the bike, slide your feet in (or clip in) and start pedaling at a nice easy pace to warm up. From there, just listen to what the instructor calls out, and follow accordingly for an awesome workout!

A word on technique

To get the very best out of your spin class, it is important to have good form. As you pedal, be sure you are driving with your heel or focused on keeping a flat foot. You don’t want to only be pushing with your toes pointed down the whole time. Also, to double your results, remember to pull UP on the pedals as much as you push down. That’s the whole point of the cages/clips on the pedals; it allows you to pull as well as push, giving you the opportunity to work your leg throughout the entire revolution of the pedal. Spinning is great because you can adjust the workout to your needs. Feel like it’s getting too hard? Slow down your cadence (how fast you’re pedaling) and/or decrease the resistance. Feel like it’s a piece of cake? Crank up that resistance and pedal faster! What you do NOT want to do is just stop without giving your muscles a proper cool down, so while it’s okay to dial way back on the intensity (remember, don’t compare yourself to others in the class!), keep going and don’t stop!

Have you tried a spin class before? What were your thoughts?

Focus on Permanent Change

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Don't start a diet that has an expiration date... focus on a lifestyle that will last forever.

Don’t start a diet that has an expiration date… focus on a lifestyle that will last forever.

The tricky thing about the mentality of “going on a diet” is that it’s very temporary. You see this in advertising all the time. “10 Day Military Diet!” “One Week Cleanse!” “Whole 30” “21-Day Fix”

None of these explain what happens after the time period is over though. Many people will go on one of these diets, and even possibly be successful, but once it’s over, they go back to their previous habits, and all that hard work gets erased. This is why it is often recommended that you make small changes. Make one little change. Get used to that change. Once that change becomes your new normal, add in another change, or make that change a bit bigger. Bit by bit, it all adds up, and since it’s your new “normal”, it is a change you can live with for the rest of your life. And that means that the results of those changes will also be life-long!

Finding an eating plan that works for you can be difficult with so many of them out there. That’s why I put together a guide outlining 12 different “diets” and listed out their pros and cons along with recommendations so you can quickly find one that will work for you. Check it out!

Ultimate 13-Diet Comparison Guide

Getting Started with Swimming

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Getting Started with Swimming

So, perhaps running is not for you. You’ve tried it and hated it, or perhaps your joints really don’t like the impact. Swimming may be the workout for you.

Swimming is unique in the cardio world. For one, it gives you a full body workout. You aren’t just propelling yourself forward with your legs, but you are using your arms as well. Because you are surrounded by water, you don’t get all sweaty and gross like you would with other exercises. While it is a nearly zero impact workout, it is certainly not easy! If you have access to an indoor pool, you can swim year-round.

Caveats

Which leads us to the caveats for swimming. It can be easy to overdo it in the pool. The water keeps you cool and washes away your sweat, so it’s easier to keep going for longer. If you are just starting out and not a strong swimmer, be sure there is a lifeguard present! Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

Learn to swim

The first step is being able to swim a lap. Most lap pools are 25 meters from one end to the other. Olympic-sized pools are 50 meters long. If you do not know how to swim, or cannot swim an entire lap, or perhaps you don’t know the “proper” way to do the freestyle or front crawl stroke, then you need to start out with some swim lessons. Head on down to your local recreation center or YMCA and see what swimming lessons they offer. As you progress through the lessons, you will learn the proper way to do the main swimming strokes: backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle (or front crawl*) and even butterfly. You’ll also learn the proper breathing techniques to keep you as streamlined as possible while also getting enough air.

Build up your endurance

Once you can comfortably swim 50 meters, you can start building up your distance to get in a longer workout. This is easier in a standard pool, since adding 25 meters at a time is easier than jumping up 50 meters at a time. Building up distance in swimming is different than running. With running, you can always slow to a walk. With swimming, you can only slow down so much. It’s really either swim or sink. Most swimming programs will have you swim a certain distance, then take a rest at one end or the other. As you progress, your swim time gets longer, and the rest periods may get shorter.

For true beginners, there is a 0 to 700 program. It starts you off very slowly, then builds distance until you are swimming 700 meters in a session, although not all at once.

Go the distance

Once you are ready to progress further, or if you already have a decent cardiovascular base and are a decent swimmer, you can move up to the next level. A program I have used in the past is the 0 to One Mile swim plan. It starts off with a 700 meter day (not all at once though!) and then builds to a “swimmer’s mile” which is 1650 meters.

What you’ll need

To get started with swimming, you’ll need some equipment. Of course you’ll need a place to swim, and you’ll need a proper swimsuit. A good swimsuit will let you move through the water without creating drag, giving you a wedgie or, heavens forbid, getting loose and coming off mid-stroke. Goggles are also a must for protecting your eyes from the chlorine and letting you see where you are going. A swim cap is not necessary, but it helps prevent the strap of the goggles from pulling on your hair, and can help minimize chlorine damage to your locks.

Do you have any questions about swimming for exercise? Let me know in the comments!

* The stroke is technically the front crawl. Back in the day, in the Olympic “freestyle” event, swimmers could choose their strongest stroke for the race. Because front crawl tends to be the fastest for everyone, that’s the one every swimmer chose, so now, freestyle is synonymous with front crawl.

Take Care of Your Body

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Take Care of Your Body, It's the Only Place You Have to Live

Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.

There is much to be said about self-care. It is so very important to make sure that you make time for YOU. If you don’t take care of yourself, and constantly give, give, give to others, you’ll eventually burn out. You cannot pour from an empty cup. It can be difficult for some of us, to put our own needs ahead of others, especially our families’ needs. But we must make the time and effort. Make the time to go to the gym. Make the effort to do your meal prep. Carve out some space just for you, even if it’s just 5 minutes of stress-relief coloring before bed.

Making time for yourself might sound selfish, but what it really does is give you the energy, the vitality to give the very best of yourself to those you love most!

Getting Started With Running

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Getting Started With Running

New year, new resolutions, lots of new people at the gym. Many people who resolve to lose weight think the best way to do so is by exercising, and the one exercise everyone knows how to do since they learned it at around three years old is how to run.

Caveat

I’m putting the not-so-fine print first. If your goal is to lose weight, you will get more bang for your buck by changing your eating habits rather than exercising. Running is fabulous exercise, it’s great for your health, and easily accessible to just about everyone since you don’t need a gym membership or super fancy equipment. But if I want a 200 calorie deficit in my day, I can either run 2 miles, or I can simply not drink a daily can of soda. As always, consult a doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.

Walk before you run

Runners always talk about that runner’s high and how much they love putting in the miles. And that’s true. There is a certain zen to just zoning out and focusing on nothing but the scenery and putting one foot in front of the other. That said, when starting out, running is HARD. To make sure you have a decent cardiovascular base for starting a running program, you should be able to walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes without feeling like you’re going to die. If you cannot manage that yet, that’s okay! Work on adding a little time and distance, bit by bit until you can hit that 30 minute mark.

The all-in approach

Once you’re ready to start running, there are a couple of methods to increase the distance/time you can run. One method is to simply start running, and see how far you get. Spend the rest of the 30 minutes walking it out. Next time you go for a run, try to go just a teeny bit further, even if it’s one more driveway or 10 more seconds. Incrementally increase the time/distance you run until you can run for the full 30 minutes.

The couch to 5K approach

There are countless apps that will coach you through the famous “couch to 5k” program. In 8 weeks, the program takes you from not running, to running a full 30 minutes. It does this by alternating between walking and running. In the beginning, you walk for longer, with short bursts of running. As the weeks progress, the run intervals get longer, and the walks get shorter. Many people tend to have to repeat a week (when getting back into running after a very long hiatus, I also had to repeat a week), but it is nice to know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, as it were, for when you will hit the goal of running for 30 minutes, non-stop.

Either way

No matter which method you go with, there are some universal constants. When starting out, it is super important to have a rest day between your runs. Running is awesome, but it’s also a LOT of stress on your body, so be sure to give yourself time to recover. You will need to learn to breathe again. The toughest part when first starting out with running is getting the breathing down. That’s what stops most people; it’s not that their legs give out, it’s that they can’t get air. If you find this happening to you, try to focus on your breathing, and perhaps try slowing your pace down some. When I feel like I can’t breathe, I try to breathe in for x steps and then breathe out for x steps. How many steps equal x depends on your needs. Your body will eventually adjust, but it’s a bit of a shock to the system at first. No matter how fast you can walk, when you switch from walking to running, the breathing is completely different, and you’ll need to learn how to deal with it so you don’t get winded.

Preventing injury

It’s January. It may be snowy or icy where you live. Perhaps you live in a warm climate, but the sidewalks are just terrible. Perhaps you don’t have sidewalks and need to run in the street. Be aware of where you are putting your feet so that you don’t sideline yourself with an injury. If you are running in the street, wear reflective clothing and run against traffic, so you can see who is coming. One of the most common running injuries is shin splints. Shin splints are caused by the impact of running. Running on a dirt trail or rubber track can help minimize the impact, as can running on a treadmill. If this isn’t an option, try landing more toward the middle of your foot, rather than striking with your heel, and allow your ankle to do its job as a shock absorber to lessen the impact. Keep in mind, this will make your calf muscles VERY sore at first, until they get used to it.

The Shoes

The only real equipment you need to get started with running is a good pair of running shoes. There are MANY schools of thought on this one. The best shoe for you is one that you feel comfortable in, and doesn’t make your feet hurt or blister. Whether you need any sort of motion control or extra padding, or whether you prefer to go a minimalist route is up to you. If running in the same sneakers you’ve had for the past 20 years feels fine, then stick with it. If you’ve got some money to spend, and new gear will help keep you motivated, visit your local running shoe store, where a specialist can help you find a pair of shoes that works well with your particular feet and gait. Note: find a specialty running shoe store. Your general sporting goods store folks are nice people, but don’t have the specialized training to fit the right shoe to your foot.

Get out there!

Hopefully this information will help you get started if one of your goals this year is to get running. If you have any questions about running, let me know in the comments!

Dieting is Like Dating

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dieting-is-like-dating-you-have-to-be-honest-you-have-to-be-faithful-and-you-have-to-be-committed

While I’m not a fan of the term “diet”, your eating habits will determine upwards of 80% of your weight loss success. A successful “diet” is a lot like a successful relationship.

You have to be honest. If you’re not honest with yourself about EVERYTHING you eat, and aren’t honest about how MUCH you are eating, then you’re basically telling yourself “I’m just not that into you.”

You have to be faithful. No “cheating”. That said, if you pre-plan to build in “cheat” meals, then it’s not really cheating. It’s more like an open relationship that everyone agrees to. That said, if you’re not being HONEST (see above) about those planned indulgences, then it’s just plain cheating and it isn’t going to work out.

You have to be committed. This needs to be a long-term, lifestyle change. This isn’t just some two week fling. If you aren’t willing to stick with it, through the good times and the hard times, then you aren’t going to ever reap the benefits.