Fit in DC on NBC 4

I was on the news on Monday! Check it out!

http://www.nbcwashington.com/health/tips_info/Monkeysee__Monkey_Do___Holiday_Fitness_Tips_Washington_DC.html

How to Burn Calories Over the Holidays

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Holiday parties will follow soon after. There is no need to wait until January 2 to start working on your health and fitness goals. Let's get a head start on those goals with a calorie burning circuit that you can do at home or at the gym. You just need 20 to thirty minutes to complete the circuit.

This workout can be modified so that anyone can do it, regardless of your fitness level. I would suggest doing this circuit 2-4 times per week.

Give it a try!


http://www.monkeysee.com/play/12165-burn-calories-over-the-holidays

Loser Moms are back at it!

The Loser Moms are back from the Blogher Conference in California and are ready to get back to their fitness routine.

Since it is a relatively nice day for August in DC, we worked out on the deck at City Fitness. The workout conisisted of a circuit of the following exercises:
-Wall Ball using a 6 pound ball (This was Sarah's first time doing wall ball)
-Rows using the TRX
-Hyperextensions on the ball
-Shuttle Run
-Crunches with the ab mat
-Pushups

Each exercise was done for one minute per round for three rounds with a one minute break between rounds.

They warmed up on the treadmill then did two sets up plank (Sarah did her first full minute of plank today! Yea!) and bridge. They cooled down with obliques and stretching.

Now it is time to set new fitness goals!

Spring Cleaning: An Adventure in Detoxing

It is time for Spring Cleaning! The "Spring Cleaning: An Adventure in Detoxing" will follow my client, Jenny, as she goes through her detoxing experience. Jenny, a mother of an energetic 18 month-old son, has been working out with me since February and has been making remarkable progress towards her fitness goals. Please come back each day this week to see how Jenny is doing with her detox experience.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Jenny!!

Hiking-A Wonderful Workout Alternative

If you are looking for ways to add fun and exciting activities to your workout regime, try going hiking. The DC area has wonderful opportunities near by for hiking. This past Saturday, I went to my favorite local hiking place: The Catoctin Mountains, which are located only an hour outside of DC.

Hiking is a great test of your cardiovascular (and muscular) endurance. You need good core strength to balance as you walk on logs and rocks to cross streams. (Or to keep you up right on rocky paths) You can also build muscular strength by climbing rocks.

You can even go hiking right in DC in Rock Creek Park. Or just take a nice walk on your neighborhood trails. You don't have to choose between doing cardiovascular workouts or strength workouts during you walk either. You can do strength building exercises along the way. For example, you can do dips and push-ups on park benches. You can do squats every time you pass a fire hydrant. Bring your resistance band along and you can do rows using light poles. The possibilies are endless!

Don't forget to bring lots of water and to stretch before and after.

So grab a friend, get outside and get fit!

Two New Hot Mamas!

I am working with two new Hot Mamas this week, Devra and Sarah. Both are mothers that are looking to get back into shape.

I met with them for the first time on Thursday, May 22 at City Fitness Gym in Cleveland Park to conduct a fitness assessment. This is the first step in any personal training relationship. The fitness assessment starts off with us discussing each of their individual health histories (both are very healthy) and their long- and short-term fitness goals.

Then we moved on the the actual physical assessments which include:
A posture assessment on the treadmill
An over head squat (another posture assessment)
The pushup test
The situp test
Flexibility tests
The step test (for cardiovascular endurance)
and anatomical site measurements.

Everything went very well and they were still smiling when they left.

We are going to meet twice a week from now on. Check back to see how these Hot Mamas are doing and what they are doing to acheive their fitness goals!

You can also follow their progress and cheer them on at their blog: Loser Moms.

Mind-Body Connection Exercises

One effective exercise is simply to bring your attention to the present sensations in your body. For example, right now, as you sit reading this article, take a moment to close your eyes and see what you are aware of on a “body level.” Sense the weight of your body—how is it resting against the chair? How is the floor supporting your feet? Notice your breathing—how does your breath move your body? What else do you notice? Are there areas of discomfort? Are some parts of you harder to sense? Do some areas feel pleasurable and peaceful? Try to notice what is there without judgment or needing to change anything. Just be open and curious.

Simply witnessing and acknowledging what arises is a mind-body connection. Practicing this activity can help you become aware of—and maybe even let go of—reactive thoughts or sensations. It’s easier to let go of unhelpful feelings and reactions if we can first recognize them.

Try this exercise in different situations—for example, when you are stuck in a traffic jam. Instead of succumbing to growing anger and frustration, see if you can get into the felt-sense of that situation. Is your grip on the steering wheel tighter? What about the feeling in your gut? Perhaps your brow is furrowed and your jaw or teeth clenched. Once you experience these bodily sensations and realize they cannot improve the situa¬tion, you are in a position to release them.

Or perhaps you find yourself lying awake at night with racing thoughts. The more you try to shut down your brain, the more anxious you become, and the cycle intensifies. To calm your mind, try sensing what is happening below your head. You may notice physical sensations like your heart pounding in your chest or tightness in your solar plexus. See if you can notice how your body is making contact with the mattress and pillow, and try to feel your breath. Or see if you can recall the sense of total relaxation you have experienced at the end of a yoga class, during a massage, or while watching ocean waves lap at the shoreline. Bringing background information/sensations to the foreground results in a different perspective. This new viewpoint can slow down your reactions and cre¬ate more space, allowing for options beyond your usual conditioned responses. In this case, it may be the key to falling back to sleep.

This awareness can be beneficial in many life situations. By simply witnessing events, experiencing our environment, and observing our physical and emotional sensations in response to whatever arises, we can become more open and curious, and awaken to life and to our selves.

Donna Waks: Registered Craniosacral Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Movement Analyst has a private practice in Washington, DC where she offers individual and group sessions in bodywork and movement fundamentals. Her clientele includes, athletes, pre- and post-natal, elderly, acute or chronic health issues and people dealing with day to day stress. www.donnawaks.com

Obesity and Health are Contagious

Researchers from Harvard and the University of California, San Diego have conducted a study that shows that obesity is not only a growing epidemic in the United States, it is as contagious as the common cold. The study says that if you associate with a group that is overweight, it is very likely that you will be overweight as well.

Spouses spend a lot of time together, but an overweight spouse has a smaller influence on you than your friends do. You share the same genetic makeup with your siblings, but they, also, have a smaller influence than your friends do. This is because we look to our close friends when determining appropriate social behavior. It feels more comfortable to be overweight if the majority of our friends are overweight. This makes sense, right? Are you always motivated to go out and run when you see your spouse lace up his/her running shoes? And just think back to all the times you were perplexed at your sibling's choice of hair style or clothing, but at the same time you wanted to dress exactly the way your friends did. We may not be in junior high any more, but things have not changed completely.

Try conducting your own survey. The next time you are at a social event, take a look at the groups of friends around you. See how many groups seem to be made up of mostly overweight individuals or mostly non- overweight individuals. Or even study your own different social circles.

However, the inverse can be true also. If you want to become healthier this year, you might need to spend time with a healthier group of friends. I don't mean that you need to completely divorce your current group of friends, but associating with healthier people can influence you to become healthier also. Plus, when your other friends see how healthy and fit you have become, they will likely want to join you! People that want to stop smoking or drinking will often join new social circles. Individuals that want to become healthier should think along the same lines.

Or perhaps you can convince your closest friends to work out with you?

To read more on this subject, check out the article in Time Magazine.

For more information on small group personal training in the Washington DC area, check out www.fitindc.com.

Lifestyle Changes....Not Resolutions...in 2008

It's January. This is the time when people start to think about their goals for the year. What are your health and fitness goals for this year? Do you want to lose weight and lower your body fat? Do you want to get stronger or improve balance? Would you like to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol?

We all start with the best of intentions in January. However, according to a study conducted by CNN in 2004, only 30% of the people that set health and fitness goals continue them into February. Only 1 in 5 will still be working towards these goals in June. That's not good!

Those of us who belong to a gym know that in the next few weeks, our favorite classes are going to be jam packed. We will have to wait for machines and "work in" with people. It's frustrating, but in the back of your mind, you know that in just a few weeks, life will be back to normal.

Why does this phenomenon happen every year? Why don't more people stick to their health related resolutions?

I will tell you why: It's because resolutions don't work! New Years resolutions do not work because most of us state a resolution without making a plan as to how to achieve this resolution. Therefore, when February rolls around and no significant progress has been made, the resolutions get ditched.

How can you make things different this year? How can you make sure that you actually achieve your goals this year? Unfortuneately, there is no fairy godmother (so I've been told)who will come by with her magic wand to help you out. Instead, you just have to change your thinking a little bit in order to be successful:

*Divide your long-term goals into short-term goals. Just say you would like to lose 30 pounds this year. A better way to look at that goal is to say, "I am going to lose 10 pounds by April 1. I will lose another 10 pounds by the end of the summer. Then I will lose the remainder of the weight by the end of the year." Losing 10 pounds seems much more manageable than losing 30 pounds.

*Create a support system. Recruit coworkers, friends, neighbors or family members to help you with your goal. Now, you are not only accountable to yourself, but to your support system as well. Join a boot camp, hire a personal trainer, buy a dog that likes to run. There is no need to do this alone.

*Create realistic goals. You may want to look like Halle Berry or a professional athlete by the end of the year, but chances are, that is not going to happen. Peyton Manning even tells us that in one of his pep talks in his commercial. Another unrealistic goal is to say that you are giving up cookies and ice cream completely. However, you can decrease your body fat by the end of the year. You can lose inches from your waist or lower your cholestoral. You can walk more or eat better and limit yourself to ice cream only on Fridays. Let's focus on goals that are attainable.

*Reward yourself. If you achieve a short term goal, go ahead and treat yourself. For example, promise yourself a new bathing suit if you lose 5 pounds by your birthday. That will give you something to look forward to and will give you a little extra motivation.

What is your lifestyle change for 2008? What have you done in years past to achieve your goals? Do you need help planning your 2008 lifestyle change?

I encourage you to post to this blog and share your questions and stories with us!