Fall Challenge Week 1

This week the topic of the meeting has to do with the little things. How the little steps, the little victories can make a big difference.

That inspires me to start a Fall Challenge that will take us from now to January! Now that Lose for Good is all done, we need something else to tweak our motivation a little bit right? Here's what I'm thinking:

For this week: Find, each day, one way you can move a little more in your day to day activities and do it.

For example:

If Tuesday is grocery shopping day:

• Park further from the door,
• Bring your bags up the stairs one at the time instead of 2 or 3 (or 4) at a time,
• Add steps by your shopping by going from one end to the other in the store,
• Carry a 5 lbs of potatoes while shopping (watch your back on that one!),

If Wednesday is laundry day:

• Walk your clothes to the laundromat instead of taking the car,
• Fold and put away the clothes one piece at a time instead of stacking them up,
• Walk around while the machines are running instead of sitting around,

Any daily activity can burn additional calories if you think about it a little bit. You can turn up the music and dance while cleaning. You can take the dog on an extra long walk instead of just going around the block. There are so many possibilities!

So that's your challenge this week: Find ways to burn more calories in your little daily routine.

Please feel free to post suggestions in the comments!

On goes the music! I got some cleaning to do!!!!

Getting a good night sleep

How much sleep do you get on average each night? Is it enough for you? I'm asking because it is different for all of us; some people need their 8 hours of shut eye, others can function with 4 hours (how I'll never know!). Having suffered from insomnia most of my life, I thought it would be an interesting subject to look into: What can we do to get a good night sleep?

If your insomnia gets out of hand see a specialist! Chronic lack of sleep can have drastic consequences on your physical and mental health. This is nothing to play around with. For most of us though, lack of sleep comes in waves, and a few simple things can help significantly. I've tried to put together a little summary of what we can do to help ourselves.

1- Set a daily routine

Your internal clock regulates sleep based on cues it receives throughout the day. When you wake up, when you eat, when you nap, when you go to bed, etc. Setting a regular routine of when you do all of those things helps the body get conditioned to it, then it's ready to eat at meal time and to sleep at sleep time. Obviously we can't always be on time to the minute, but in general terms, you want to "keep regular hours" whatever is regular for you.

2- Mind the light

When light fades, the body produces melatonin, an hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. During active daylight you want to get as much light as you can, preferably natural light. That inhibits the production of melatonin which makes you more awake.

When night falls, the body needs to produce melatonin to induce sleep. Because of that it is important to reduce light exposure in the hour (or more) before bed time. That includes TV, computers, video games and other "back lit devices". Ideally, you want to avoid looking directly at any of those light sources before bedtime. For the same reason, you want to keep your bedroom as free of light as possible and use the lowest light possible if you need to get up at night.

3- Make your bedroom a sanctuary

Not only you want your bedroom to be dark at night, but you want it to be a peaceful place focused on calm and rest. Clutter can be very stressful so you want to keep your room clutter free. You also want to un clutter your mind! You bed should be a place for sleep (and sex but lets not go there) not a home theater, a snack bar, a video game station of even worse an office! Look around your bedroom and determine the "feel" of the room. Does it encourage peace and rest? It should! Note that studies are showing that a room on the cool side is better for sleep, that's pretty easy in SF about 360 days out of the year! HA!

4- Don't oversleep

Ok, so you didn't sleep last night, so you took a long night during the afternoon, and another one after dinner. Now it's 2 am and you've been staring at the clock for hours. Sounds familiar? A power nap can be a savior. Shutting down for 15-20 minutes can recharge your batteries for hours. Too much napping will simply re-energize you too much, and then you can't sleep during the night. That's fine one day, but long term you end up breaking your sleep routine. As we saw in #1, a routine keeps your internal clock timed right. Mess with your routine too much and that internal clock ends up having a nervous breakdown! ;op

5- Avoid energy boosters before bed

Working out, playing video games, watching a stressful movie, those are all things that can bring up the energy level (or anxiety level). This makes it more difficult to wind down enough to sleep.

Another way to boost the energy that we sometimes forget about is scents! Some scents tends to wake you up: Peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, mint certainly come to mind. Other scents tend to slow us down and help us relax: lavender, chamomile, cypress. Knowing this, take a look at your beauty ritual and see what scents are in the products that you use. I have two completely different body washes and lotions for day use and evening use. One encourages me to wake up and feel energized, the other one calms me down and relax me.

6- Mind the distractions

I have no kids, but I do have 2 cats and a dog. What does that have to do with sleep you ask? Grace, my dog, use to sleep with us, cute right? Well the problem is that she would wake me up several times per night by moving around, growling at the neighbors, snoring (I am not kidding!) I had to ban her from the bed. For the same reason, I stopped petting the cats in the bed, they would decide it was petting time in the middle of the night. I can't ban them from the bed, but they know not to bother me when I'm sleeping now. Too bad my husband hasn't learned to show his authority! He he he

There are tons of other distractions that can keep you awake: a dripping faucet, a clock that ticks loudly, noise on the street. If you can't shut it all off, try white noises. I have an alarm clock that has several "natural white noises" like waves, the wind, and such things. The good thing about it is that it also has a sleep setting so it shuts off by itself after 90 minutes. You can also buy cds with such white noises.

7- Bedtime rituals

Beyond having a daily routine, you can set up a few bedtime rituals that tell body and mind that it's time to shut off:

• Read a book (or an E reader that isn't back-lit) by soft light.
• Take a warm bath (mind the scents).
• Engage in a low key hobby.
• Get everything ready to go for tomorrow.
• Practice relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, meditation.

I want to reiterate: if you have chronic insomnia, before you self medicate, seek help. Talk to your doctor, there are specialists out there who can help you solve this.

For most of us though, like anything else, getting your beauty sleep is just about thinking about it a little and making a few simple adjustments. The rewards are many, if you sleep enough you have the energy to do everything you need to get through your day, stay on plan, and enjoy yourself over it all. Sleep well my friends!

Sources:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/health/tips-to-fall-asleep-0409

Looking good to get fit!

Wednesday at the evening meeting we were joking about people getting all made up to go to the gym. I rarely do any people watching at the gym, I have too much to think about to bother, but I have to admit that when I see someone walk in with 2 inches of make up and a push up bra to work out, I fail to take them seriously. Really? Working out is the goal here? Really?

This being said, I spend a fortune in workout apparel. I do. I shop bargains for my work clothes, for my every day clothes, but will not cut back on my workout clothes. I make sure that the WO pants and top I’m wearing flatter my behind and show off my shoulders and upper back while hiding my tummy. It’s my shameful little secret (well, not anymore) I’m vain and like to look good as I’m enjoying torturing myself.

Apparently I’m not the only one! Carol Sorgen in her article The right exercise clothes can improve your workout –and your attitude, asserts that wearing and outfit that makes us feel good about ourselves goes a long way to making us feel motivated and confident. It stands to reason don’t you think? In a gym full of mirror, having an outfit that fits right and looks good will make us want to go. On the other hand, an oversized T-shirt and shorts that makes us look 15 lbs heavier, and gets caught in a machine every time we turn around might prove to be a lot less motivating.

What is flattering varies with body shapes and personal preferences, but as a general rule Sorgen suggest black shorts, a sport bra and a colored top for women; and all black for men. The trick, as always, is to play with your strength, and hide your concerns. I like my arms and shoulders, so I tend to chose racer back tops, but you’ll never see me work out in a mid-drift top. If arms aren’t your favorite part of your body, see about short sleeve tops. Same goes for any part of your body you want to accentuate or take the attention away from.

Looks aren’t everything though; comfort and function are an essential concern while shopping for workout apparel. Obviously, the type of activity you practice will dictate your choices. Biking in a swimsuit might get you some interesting looks (though honestly, it’s San Francisco, we’ve seen everything and anything! HA!) and running in flip flops is as ridiculous as it is dangerous. So once you chose a specific activity with specific need, you want to take that into account. There are a few things to keep in mind no matter what activity you practice though, here’s a few:

Seasons

If you practice outdoor activities, you want to dress appropriately for the seasons. San Francisco has 2 seasons: Fog, and rain. If you take your activity outside of the Bay Area, you might encounter some significant seasonal changes:

Summer: In the heat of summer (don’t laugh!) you want to dress accordingly. Lighter colors help reflect the heat and tend to keep you cooler. Synthetic fabrics wick the heat and the sweat away from you. They also tend to dry faster than cotton. It’s always a good idea to have a hat, sunglasses and sun block. You want to get healthy and fit, not deep fried.

Winter: In the cold of winter layers are your friends! You want to be able to take off layers while you are working hard, and put them back on when you slow down (or get into a wind gust). Do not forget to cover the extremities: fingers and ears sometimes get numb in the cold, and we don’t really realize how cold they really are until we are miles away from any heat sources (believe me, I know what I’m talking about here!). In windy and rainy condition, a good waterproof wind breaker can be a savior.

If you are in snow country, you also need to protect yourself from the sun. You won’t feel the heat, because it’s cold, but the UV rays are still doing their thing. Hat, sun block, sunglasses are essentials when spending hours in the highly reflective snow.

Fabrics

The best fabrics are the ones that let air circulate through wicking the heat away from your body, and dry the fastest. Synthetic fabrics tend to be the best choice. Polyester, Nylon and Spandex (Lycra) and/or any combination of them are the way to go. Cotton is light, but absorbs the heat and the sweat and quickly become uncomfortable so go for blends and you can get the best of both worlds.

Please stay away from denim (way too heavy and uncomfortable), rubber/plastic based clothing (no comments, at least none that are appropriate and/or remotely professional sounding HA!) and anything that will constrict your movement, dig into your skin, or chafes.

Mind the unseen:

Socks can make a difference. You don’t have to have the super duper last edition of the Lance Amstrong socks at 75$/pair. You do want to think about what socks you are wearing when you work out, even more if you are doing a long workout on your feet (running, walking, hiking, skating). A pair of socks with acrylic in the blend, will keep your feet dry. Think about the feel and the fit of the socks also. That can go a long way toward making your workout (and the following day) a lot more enjoyable.

Sport bra: As the girl who has always been the “busty friend”, I sure understand the challenge of finding a well fitting, comfortable and supportive sport bra. Nobody wants to work out with a widely bouncing uni-boob. It’s as unflattering as it is uncomfortable. For the longest time I also would never be able to find a bra in my cup size that wouldn’t have straps that were a foot too long for me, very frustrating! The key for me: everything must be adjustable!

The right sport bra for you is out there, and it is absolutely worth the effort to find it. In terms of comfort, you want to have the right fabrics; again synthetic fabrics will keep you dry and cool and keep chafing to a minimal. Wide straps are a must if you are busty to avoid undue strain on your shoulders. You want support (that’s the whole point isn’t it?), for comfort and safety, and if you are like me, you want to look good without having to wear 2 (or 3) bras one over another.

Because I’m vain, and want to draw the attention away from my tummy, I’m a big fan of under wire bras. A good quality under wire sport bra that fits you well will not hurt, but it takes some shopping. My go to sport bra is the Powerback under wire from Champion, but not everybody like it. Really the idea is to go to a store, and try bras on, do a few jumping jacks, move around, jump a little, and if the girls are still where they are supposed to be, you are comfortable and nothing is scratching in weird places, you are on the right track.

Men: I’m not very knowledgeable in men’s underwear, so all I will say is that running a marathon wearing a pair of loose boxers might not be in your best interest. A little research and a shopping spree might go a long way toward making your life easier.

Where to put your money

I’m not in any way saying that you should spend a fortune on work out clothes. A decently fitting t-shirt and a pair of work out pants that are comfortable and not too loose are perfectly fine. That are however things on which you do want to maybe spend a little more because they are work it: a good pair of shoes, a good sport bra for busty women, a decent pair of work out pants if your hips are not at their best, a pair of swimming goggles if you are going to swim lap regularly (nothing like you goggle filling up every time you make a turn ARG!).

Think about it this way: If you feel good about how you look, you feel more positive, when you feel positive, you have more energy, having more energy makes you work out better, a better work out burns more calories, burning more calories make you lose weight faster, losing weight faster make you feel good about yourself, if you feel good about yourself, you look better, if you feel good about how you look, you feel more positive, when you feel positive, you have more energy…

It’s a mind game my friends, totally is!!

Sources:

http://www.better-exercise-fitness-for-life.com/exercise-fitness-clothing.html

http://www.essortment.com/guide-workout-clothing-women-49372.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55673

I live in the Richmond District, a few blocks from Golden Gate Park. I love walking/running in the park, having picnics, reading under the trees, but I had not realized how much stuff is going on in there! Isn't it funny that we sometimes fail to see what's right in front of us? This week is going to be beautiful, the sun is out FINALLY! Why don't we head to the Park and see what's out there?

Golf

Ok, I played golf 1 time in my life, took 86 hits to do a 9 hole. Lets just say that it's not my thing. If it is your thing though, did you know there's a 9 hole golf course at the western end of the Park? You can rent equipment and everything! It works on a first come first serve basis, so no need to call ahead or anything!

Volley Ball

There is the Monday Volley Ball at Kezar Pavilion on Mondays (7pm-9pm, $2) but have you thought about taking it outside? Sharon Field is a great place for it (and for many other things). Gather your buds and head for the South-west end of the park.

Of course, with a net with good anchors (it's windy out there! Don't let your net fly away!), Ocean Beach is always neat for beach volleyball. With the wind, the sun and the waves, what can be better really?

Baseball

There's always the choice of playing at Sharon Field, or other big open areas in the Park, but Big Rec Ball Field at 7th Avenue and Lincoln is THE place to play some ball. Bring your own equipment and to make sure you can have the spot, make reservations by calling 831-5510.

Remember that you don't want to park near the field, but rather on the street, and be careful for kids while driving around there!

Basketball

There's always indoor at the Kezar Pavilion but if you want to shoot some hoops in the sun, what about the playground at the Panhandle? The playground is between Stanyan and Masonic, and is fairly easy access with public transportation!

Dancing

I've posted about this before. Lindy in the Park is there, free every week and fun!!

Walking, Running, Biking

The Golden Gate Park counts a massive amount of trails, paths, paved and not paved. It's a beautiful setting,  most of it is sheltered from the wind and mostly flat! It's the perfect place to get moving, without being overwhelmed with traffic, noise, fuel smells and whatever else that sometimes makes exploring the city a little less fun.

Be Safe

Sadly things do happen in the Park. You want to be safe and aware of your surroundings. Things like reflecting clothing and staying in the paths can go a long way toward protecting you from the drivers who use the Park as a commute short cut.

If walking/running at night, stay on the well traveled, well lighted paths. I like to wear only 1 of my headphones, that way I can still hear the music AND hear what's happening around me.

Golden Gate Park (along with Ocean Beach) is my favorite part of San Francisco. There is always something to do, if only sitting down and listening to the wind in the trees, and things to see. The museums, the gardens, the pedal boats at Stow Lake (hilarious! They sink one every other week!), the Windmill (they repaired it!!).

Just go in there and enjoy yourselves!


For more information go to: http://www.golden-gate-park.com/

Keep your weight down, and your behind up!

Since we are trying to lose weight, or maintain our weight after a weight loss, we often put a lot of focus on cardio when it comes to our choices of activity. It makes sense after all, cardio burns more calories, earns more Activity PointsPlus, so evidently we tend to deduce that it's a better choice to make it to our goal weight in a hurry and stay there. Cardio absolutely has its place in a healthy lifestyle, but so does resistance training!

Resistance training by itself burns less calories since it is less taxing on the cardiovascular system, but it certainly has definite advantage when it comes to reaching our goals. Studies show that building more muscle mass speeds up your metabolism (at rest even, the more muscles you have, the faster your metabolism) so that your body will burn more calories while you are doing nothing! Resistance training also makes you look better, at any weight, by helping you maintain a better posture, and help us fight off the effects of time and gravity on the body.

You can do all sort of resistance training: Yoga, pilates, core training, anything really that makes you work your muscles until they are too tired to go on. My first choice when it comes to resistance training is, by far, lifting weights. I've talked about it before, but I still see members, generally women, who are intimidated by the idea of pumping iron. There are so many myths and misinformation about weight training, here are the main ones debunked:

http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/womensfitnesstopics/a/womenmyths.htm

The Weight Watchers website has some good articles about weight training:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=32301&sc=3046

Free weights or machines?

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=11501&sc=128

Here's a few article from my go to website about weight training (www.stumptuous.com) that might help you get started. Those are from Krista's website and her language/humor is particular, still the information she gives is very helpful and interesting! I have learned a lot from her, even if her site really is geared toward women, I think anybody can learn a lot from her.

Still have weight to lose? Look up this article:

http://www.stumptuous.com/no-fat-chicks

Think you're too old to lift weight? You are NOT!

http://www.stumptuous.com/old-broads-the-golden-years-of-pumping-iron

Here you can find other articles she has written over the years for people who are just getting started:

http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting

Yes weight training burns less calories while you are doing it than a cardio work out would, but it increase the calories you burn at rest, it helps fight off bone mass loss over the year, and it makes life easier (I can open my own jars thank you!). This is all very good and pretty, but honestly to me the biggest advantage of resistance training is that it significally slows down the effect of gravity on the body.

I do want to be healthy, of course, but here's what I'm really pumping iron for: To keep my weight down... and my behind up where it belongs!

Setting up a new routine!

Ah September in San Francisco! The worst of the tourists go home, the sun comes out (well, hopefully), the kids are back in school, and the vacations are done for the most part.

With most of the distractions out of the way, it's the perfect time to set a new routine. The Good Health Guidelines tells us that we should move at moderate intensity most days of the week and that is for health, not necessarily to lose weight. It might be a good idea to aim toward a little more than that.

In theory that sounds beautiful, but in practice sometimes it's not that easy to achieve. Playing taxi driver for the kids, work meetings, house work, emails, homework, everything seems to get in the way. That's where setting a routine becomes extremely helpful. If you do the same thing, at the same time everyday, it becomes almost automatic. We don't forget to brush our teeth before bed because we do it every night, so if we don't something is missing. Getting your work out in can become as natural to you as brushing your teeth before bed is, if you stick to your routine long enough.

There's a few things to consider when setting up your routine:

What do I want to do?

It's a good idea to have a basic work out (or a basic activity) that you will do regularly. You can add to it on the days that you have more time, or when you are feeling bored, but the basic routine makes it easier to build a work out in which you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. It is also a time saver on those week when you don't have time to be overly creative. You just go and do it, without having to think about it too much.

When do I want to move?

That's the big question! Are you a morning person? Can you work out after work? What about a Lunch time work out? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. The best answer is the answer that works the best for you. If the thought of getting up early in the morning gives you nightmares, then maybe you want to think about stopping by the gym on your way home after work. If you hit a wall every day at 4:30 and body and mind just stops functioning, an after work work out might not be ideal.

What can I realistically commit to do?

You are far better to start small and build up your routine than to commit to a huge work out 7 days/week and feel like a failure 4 days into it because you couldn't keep up. Depending on the kind of activity you decide to practice, and the intensity of each work out, you might want to start with 2 or 3 work out per week, and then add to that when you are ready.


The bottom line is that you want to be very honest with yourself and realistic about your expectations. Nobody goes from couch potato to  athlete overnight. None of us, I think, is getting ready for the next Olympics, the old adage of "No pain, no gain" does not apply to us (or to anybody else anymore for that matter). So set up a challenging but realistic routine and see where you can go from there. Take your time, and of course enjoy yourself!

Renew, Rev up, Re-energize your routine!

Some of us are just getting started with our activity routine, but some of us have been at it for a while, and are eager to renew, rev up, and re-energize our work out routine. We talked a little bit about that with the "Get Unstuck" meeting this last week, but maybe it's worth looking at a little more closely.

How do you know if it's time to renew, rev up and re-energize your routine? Hopefully this might help you give it another look:

Renew: Is your activity routine very, well, routine? Do you ever feel like you are in an endless cycle of "Get up, get dressed, hit the machine (pavement, bike, whatever) take a shower, get on with your day"? Has the fun leaked out of your routine?

Rev up: Are your work outs easy? Have you stopped coming home, or going back to work, feeling like "Woah, I really worked it"? Did you have a fitness goal set and now see that you have stopped seeing significant results? When you first started, you improved almost with every workout, now months later you've been at the same distance/intensity/duration/weights for weeks.

Re-energize: Have you sort of forgotten why you are doing this? You are working out because you are working out, but the driving force behind somehow has lessened. You know what to do, how to do it, but you've sort of forgotten why?

OK, now what? If any of these sounds about right to you, that's ok, we've all been there! The solutions really are simple:

Diversify your routine: You don't have to reinvent the wheel every week. Make a list of a few activities that you would like to try and see how you can incorporate them to your routine. If you are a member in a gym, add a class to your week. If your week is very booked up, add a weekend activity; a hike, a bike ride, go kayaking on the bay, go climb the stairs with Michael on the 11th! Bring some friends, you can have fun and burn calories at the same time!

Increase Duration/Intensity: For your work out to be effective, it has to be challenging. That doesn't mean that you have to work until you fall apart, but that you have to come out of it feeling like your muscles are tired.

There's only 2 ways to make your work out challenging: Add time, or boost up the intensity. If the time constrain is a big issue, you want to add weights, add inclination, increase the resistance on the machine so that your body has to work harder to do the same work. If you have a little more time, or if you can't add intensity because of physical issues, then you want to make your work out a little longer. Either ways will add the number of calories burned, and force your body to improve with each workout.

Be wary of over-training! You want to rev up your work outs progressively and listen to your body. If you added weights and your forms are suffering, back up and lower your weights a little, you're lifting too heavy. If you added 2 miles to your run, and your ankle (or knee, or back) are suddenly hurting, take a break and start with a smaller distance, you might have overdone it.

Here's information about over-training: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/overtrn.htm

Find a motivator: This might be the simplest and yet most difficult part of this, figuring out what it is that makes it worth the effort for you. You need to sit down and really think hard about why it is worth it to you to get up in the morning and work out. What are you working for? Are you training for a race? Running away from a medical condition? Looking forward to wearing a sexy pair of jeans or a swimsuit and feeling great in it? Or are you trying to build up the stamina to keep up with the kids?

Whatever the motivator is for you (and it is as personal as it can get) it has to be powerful enough for you to be willing to work for it. Yes working out can be fun, but nobody I have ever met is enthusiastic about working out every time they hit the gym, or go out for a run. Your motivator is what is going to make you go ahead and do it on the mornings (or whenever in he day you work out) when you really don't wanna.

Playing Photographer!

While I was on vacation, I found myself on the grounds surrounding the port at "L'Etang du Nord". I was waiting for my Mom to be done with a meeting, and had nothing with me but my camera, my MP3 player and my walking shoes.

You can't go home without getting a shot or two of the fishing boats.

Instead of just sitting around, I decided to go wander around to take pictures. I started the music, and just took off, stopping to take pictures when something caught my attention.

Now, I'm certainly no photograph, don't even know enough about it to be a wannabe, and my camera was an ok one... 8 years ago! I had the best time!

"Dude, can we get on with this meeting? I'm meeting Mary at 7pm on another rock..."

"What on earth does that have to do with activity?" you ask... Well, I walked (with frequent stops that's true) for well over 2 1/2 hours.

"GET OFF ME!" "No way Dude, the water is too cold!"

Moving is moving right? Who knew that you could burn calories taking pictures? HA!

Stairway Walks in San Francisco

Today (Sunday) we went for a stair walk with my fellow leader Michael Hamlin.

Michael gets together with his members (and anyone who wants to join) and pick a walk in the book Stairway Walks in San Francisco, by Adah Bakalinsky off he goes!

We started at the Stairs that can be found at the corner of Moraga and 16th Avenue, and then walked around the neighborhood climbing several stairs and hill until we made our way to Golden Gate height park and then came down.

It was such a fun and beautiful walk, and challenging too!

There are tons of such books about walks in San Francisco, some more challenging than others. What a fun way to move, discover new places and just enjoy this beautiful city!

Thanks to Michael for clue me in on that one, I'm getting the kindle edition of the book tonight! ;o)

Try something new - Rediscover an old love!

What's one activity that you have never tried, but always wanted to?

Have you ever kayaked out on the bay? Tried surfing? Kayak surfing? Even played a game of golf? Attended a Zumba class? How long has it been since you went bowling? Played a volleyball game? Played tag????

It doesn't matter what you do. What matters is to do something!

When asked "What is the best activity to practice for weight loss?" 12 trainers out of 12 answered the same thing "Whatever activity you enjoy enough to practice regularly."

This week find an activity that you have never tried or that you used to enjoy, but have stopped practicing. See if you can give it a try. Who knows, you might just find your activity Mojo all over again!

Making Walking Challenging!

Last spring with the Walk It Challenge, we talked about walking a lot, and with good reasons. It's an easy activity that is not only very effective, but low cost.

Still many people confided in me that they thought walking was not enough of a challenge for them. They couldn't figure out how to add intensity to their daily walks. Really? In San Francisco?

Incline:

The first obvious suggestion is find a few good hills and go to town. Walking uphill will add intensity. We are lucky you can find all grades, all heights, we have it all in SF!

Surface:

There isn't much difference in intensity between walking on pavement or on gravel really, but soft sand? Try walking on the beach away from the water. After a while you really start feeling it!

Weight:

You can buy vest that are made to add weight. Those are a good way to add weight to your walk without compromising your posture and/or your joints. There are also ankle and wrist weights that you can get. Honestly, with a bad knee, I would not use those, but it's between you and your doctor to know if it's ok for you to use them. Remember that any weight you chose to carry on your walks, you have to walk back with. :o)

Speed:

Sounds obvious, but if you don't have any hill nearby (hum..) or beaches, and weights are not happening, go for speed! You usually do your loop in 45 minutes? Shoot for 40 next time. Or keep the same time, but add a few blocks to your walk.

Walking can be a challenging activity if you want it to be, you can take it outside the city too! Go hiking! Just remember that it's generally much hotter outside of San Francisco, so plan adequately for clothing, sunscreen and water!

Be your own personal trainer!

What does a personal trainer do? They assess your present abilities, figure out what your goals are, and then break them down so that they can put together a plan for you to achieve your goals.

Sound familiar?

What if you were to take notes on your work outs, how much you are doing, how you feel afterward, and then used that to assess your abilities?

Cardio is really good, but you could use some strengthening? You're fairly strong, but looking at a hill makes you winded?

Once you've done that, you can make a plan!

To boost my cardio abilities, I can...

To tone up my arms, I can...

To _____ I can ____

As with everything we do, it's only a matter of taking this one challenge at a time, setting realistic goals, and having a plan! You can do this!

Rev up your walk!

Want to find a way to add intensity to your walk? There are so many ways!

Find a hill: In San Francisco it shouldn't be too hard right? Find a hill to climb, two if you want even more challenge.

Find stairs to climb: There are plenty of those in town. There's even a book about them!

Walk on the beach: Not by the water where the sand is good and hard, but away from it where the sand is dry and soft. You can burn a lot more calories walking or running in soft sand.

Add weight: There are weighed vest that you can get, also weights for the wrists and ankle. Be careful though, too much weight can be hard on the joints!

Walk faster: Ok, sound simple, but it's true! Try to add distance to your route without adding time.

These simple thing can rev up your walk! Make them more effective and challenging without making huge changes to what you do.

So what will you do differently this week?

Lindy in the Park! and it's FREE!

Laura, a member at the Jewish Community Center on Tuesday night has been talking about this for quite a while now. I haven’t done it yet, but keep meaning to.

If you want to give Lindy dancing a try, there are free lessons every Sunday (unless it’s raining) in Golden Gate park at 12:00!

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
(South sidewalk of John F. Kennedy Drive, between the de Young Museum and the north entrance to the Music Concourse)

You can find more information and contact info at this website:
http://www.lindyinthepark.com/about/free-lesson/

Doesn’t that sound like fun? I have to give it a try!

Sometimes it’s in the little things…

We have talked a lot about “challenges” lately, and “beating excuses”, and “Goals” when it comes to activity. Those are good, and important, but lets not forget that sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

What are the little things that you can do to add to the total number of calories you burn in a day?

Are there instance where you could take the stairs instead of the elevator?

Could you park further away and walk to where you are going? Could you avoid having to park altogether and just walk from home/work?

Could you turn off the TV and go for a walk instead of watching a rerun?

In your day to day life, find those little opportunities for success, they might not seem like much, but in the long run they make all the difference!

Challenge:

Do not forget that we committed to moving 3 times this week! It doesn't matter if it's for 5 minutes or 2 hours, get out and move at least 3 times!

Monitoring your Activity

How do you monitor your activity? To earn Activity PointsPlus we look at Duration, intensity, personal weight. What else could we track?

What about these?

• Distance
• Weights
• Repetitions
• Post Work Out overall feeling

How far did you go when you first started walking/running/biking/swimming? How far are you going now? Did you add distance for the same time and intensity? Should you?

How heavy are the weights you work with? Could you swap the 7 lbs for 10 lbs? the 10 lbs for 12?

How many repetitions of each exercise are you doing? How about adding 2 to each set?

How do you feel after a work out? Ready for another work out? Maybe you need to bump up your routine. Worn off and sore to the point of not being able to go on to your daily activity? Maybe you are overdoing it! Sick of it? You need to try something else!

Self assessment is an important part of your activity routine. It keeps you on track, and let you know if your routine is effective, and realistic. It also is a great way to measure your improvements which are great motivators!

Summer Goals and Buddy System

The Walk It challenge is over, but that doesn't mean that we are done walking or moving altogether. It's time to set new goals, maybe look for new activities, and make sure that we keep on moving.

Several of us committed to doing 3 cardio work outs this week. I'm well on my way to being done! How about you?

What are you summer activity goals?

Is summer a time where you tend to move more? How are you going to take advantage of that in your weight loss efforts?

Do you tend to move less in the summer? How are you going to offset that?

It's time to think my friends. Time to thing and to make a plan.

Looking for a walking/running/exercise buddy?

As I have explained in most, if not all, of my meetings, I am not committing to walking every week like I did for the Walk it Challenge, BUT if you want to find a walking partner, or a work out buddy, don't be afraid to chime up during the meeting and to email me. I'll be more than happy to post your appeal on the blog. This is for you!

We didn't take a lot of pictures, and those we did take, we took with our cellphones, so no great photography there (Jackie, you're the pro, so I know you're probably cringing ;op)

But here's a few pictures from our Crissy Fields Walks, and from Bay to Breakers.

Enjoy!

Crissy Fields:

Dan and I parked at Fort Point every week, right by the Golden Gate Bridge. :o)

Our bunch one Saturday. That was one of my favorite too, sailboats, Wave organ, beautiful weather, perfect!

Irina wanted to see the Wave organ so we made it there!

Feels like the end of the world doesn't it?

This week, before the walk, I was climbing around on the rocks by Fort Point and this little dude paid me a visit. Or is it the other way around since I was the intruder...

Bay to Breakers!

Dan decided to be scary! Bought that mask right on the course!

The beach, FINALLY!

Are we there yet?

Loretta all proud to have finished the race! YAY! You made it!!

The party after the race, lots of street food, and booze.

I got my medal (and my t-shirt!). How neat is that?

I had a lot of fun walking with all of you for 6 weeks!! It's fun to get to talk to you outside of the meeting room.

Next year we do it again!

Walk It Challenge: Final Event!

WALK IT!

Emeryville

This is it! The WALK IT Challenge is culminating Sunday with the official Walk It event.

For more information about the walk in Emeryville Sunday May 22nd click on this :Emeryville, CA Walk

Crissy Fields

I am walking a 5K Saturday at Crissy Field with a few friends. We are meeting at Fort Point at 9am, will walk just past the Beach Hut Cafe (the new one) and back. That is exactly 5K.

The Crissy Field walk is just friends getting together to walk, not an official organized walk. You are welcome to walk with us, to bring your doggies and family.

Oh, and bring a fruit!!

Walk-It Challenge Week 2

Ok, so last week we met for our first walk for the Walk It Challenge. Want to know something funny? I had planned to walk 2/5 K but we turned too late, so we walked almost 4K!

Dan Grace and I had a fabulous time with our fearless walkers and are looking forward to doing it again next week!

This week we will meet again at the Warming Hut Cafe, at Crissy Fields. It's the one just before Fort Point. We will probably go for the same walk, again I will have shorter walks mapped in case anyone comes in and doesn't feel up to the whole 4K.

Remember:
We meet at the Warming Hut Cafe
At 9am (be on time! if you come later, just hit the track, we'll be out there!)
Doggies (and family!) are welcome.
Bring a fruits to eat after the walk!

This is all in good fun, just remember to dress in layers, it ended up being very warm this week, but in San Francisco you never know.

Saturday Morning Walks!

It is week 1 of the Walk It challenge! This year I decided to try a weekend walk! Wanna walk with me?

Here's my idea:

Saturday April 9th I will walk at Crissy Fields, starting at the Warm Hut (just before Fort Point). We will meeting right in front of the Warm Hut (water side!) at 9am to start walking at 9:15.

Doggies are welcome, as are friends and family! We will start with a 1.5 mile walk for our first adventure. You need: Comfy walking shoes, water, a snack (fruit!), clean up bag (if doggie is coming!) and weather friendly clothes (it's San Francisco, layers!).

It is not a race, we are getting ourselves moving together and having fun doing so. Come walk with us, with or without a doggie!

Here's the specifics again:

Where: Crissy Field, Meet in front of the Warm Hut Cafe

When: meet at 9am

How long: 1.5 miles

Bring yourself, your doggie, your fruit! It'll be fun!

Choosing the right personal trainer?

I've been bragging about starting to work again with a personal trainer. I do realize that it involves quite a bit of money (even at the Y!) and that it's not possible for everybody. Still I think that if you can afford it, it's a good way to get yourself well on your way to achieving your goals.

There are quite a few things to take into consideration when choosing a personal trainer. The right trainer will motivate you to push yourself (safely) and will design your training in line with the goals you are trying to achieve.

I thought I'd give you a few hints that will hopefully help you make the right decision.

Certifications:

Not anybody should proclaim themselves "Personal trainers", but sadly it happens a lot. You want to make sure that the trainer you are hiring is certified by a reputable organisation.

You want to ask when the trainer was certified, and how committed the trainer is with continued education. Personal training, like so many other fields, has changed enormously in the last 15-20 years.

The point is that somebody who is certified (and insured!) is serious about being a personal trainer and has the background and the education needed to be able to build a routine that will be safe and effective.

Availability - Price

One of the advantages of being a personal trainer is that you can more or less make your own schedule right? Well, if you like to work out first thing in the morning, and super dude doesn't start until 3pm, it might not be the best fit.

Don't be afraid to ask if there are discounts, bundles (I just got a great deal at my gym, 16 sessions for the price of 12!). Mid-March to Mid-April is a little bit of a slow season, in Mid-April people will start thinking about the coming summer and hit the gym again. It's the time to go for great deals.

Personality

Ok, that seems obvious, but you want to find a trainer that will have a personality that fits with your own. I remember a trainer I hired a few years ago that I dropped in the middle of the first session. He was yelling at me, trying to bully me into something I knew my bad knee would not do. I stood up and left, got refunded and took my money elsewhere. I don't do very well with bullies, I just end up yelling back...

What kind of personality do you think would keep you motivated?

Laura, my trainer, has a great sense of humor. We laugh all the way through the training and that makes it all the more fun. She also knows to tweak my pride when I would flake. That's what fits me!

You want to find what you want, someone very focused and "military"? Someone who can make it fun? Someone pushy who will "force you" to go beyond what you thought possible?

Don't be afraid to speak up!

You should always feel very at ease to discuss with your trainer about your goals, your expectations, how you think it's going, modifications you would like to see.

One of the big challenge for a trainer is to really know what the person wants and expect, the clearer you explain that, the more you will get out of the sessions :o) Personal trainers are not mind readers, "I want to get fit" can mean a million different things.

Walk It challenge is coming!

The Walk it Challenge is coming in April!! It's time to take a good look at your walking shoes, look up your walking routes, find the perfect time to walk.

Spring is there (who would have known after this weekend rain?) and with the time change we have a little more time of daylight every night!

My plan is to go out and walk every night that it's not raining for at least 45 minutes.
What is YOUR plan?

Tools:

Pedometer: Did I ever mention that I love the pedometer? I forgot it every day last week, and was so bummed since I walked so much. So back on it goes!

Map my walk/run/ride:

http://www.mapmywalk.com/
You can map your walk/run and figure out how many miles/Km you are walking, even the terrain!

What do you do to stay active? What's your favorite activity. Weight loss/management isn't only about food!!

Playing tourist for fitness?

Activity

I'm still on my walking phase. Friday i walked from the downtown center at 50, 1st street to home. Saturday we went to play tourist at Crissy Fields my husband, my dog and I. Both days I passed the 18 000 steps! We visited Fort Point, I had never seen it!

These are not "work outs" per say. It's more like I happen to be moving while I'm doing my favorite thing: exploring San Francisco! (and people watching, but that's not nearly as PC... hehe).

How about that? Pick a visiting spot you haven't seen yet, or that you haven't seen in a long time and walk it!

What activity do you truly enjoy?

If you are planning to walk Bay to Breakers with us, start thinking about your outfit! "My dream" that's the theme!

Take it inside!

Its cold, it's windy, it even rains a little, maybe it's a good time to take your workout inside?

What do you do when the weather is not cooperating?

Here's my list, please feel free to add your own!

• Swimming
• Gym
• Skating rink
• Walking the mall (I didn't say buying, I said walking!)
• Dvds
• WII fit

What will you do on the rainy days?

Walking is still it! My pedometer is still my friend, and I'm planning on walking every day! Bay to Breakers is coming!

Last week of the Step Challenge!

This is the last week of the Step Challenge 2011!

How many steps/day this week?

What difference do you see between now and the first week of the challenge?

What will you do to keep the step count up?

Bay to Breakers

Are you walking Bay to Breakers with us in May? If so how are you preparing for it?

These shoes are made for walkin'!

Step Challenge

How many steps/day this week? Is it getting easier? Harder?

What time of the day are better for you to walk?

What little changes have you made to add steps to your day?

We want to hear it all!!!

Bay to Breakers is coming! May 15th!

Are you in? Do you want to walk with us? Do you have great ideas for simply costumes that will not hinder our walking?

This will be fun!

Bay to Breakers - It's official!!

Bay to Breakers

My husband and I registered to walk the Bay to Breakers race. We are hoping that you will join us to face this challenge, and participate in the 100th celebration of this crazy San Francisco tradition!

The Theme of our outfit will be "my dream". Whatever that means for you should guide your outfit choice! Remember that you have to walk 7 miles with some steep uphill when you chose your outfit!!

I am all excited to be part of this! Don't miss it!! We will figure out a place to meet before race day.

The Step Challenge 20011 is on!

how many steps/day this week on average?

How are you maintaining your step count?

Keep it up, we are walking our way to a healthier us!

Step Challenge week 1 report!

Hi there!

After 1 week of the Step Challenge, I have made an average of 9 552.9 steps/day.

Sunday was a slow step day, with 4 753 steps, but I made up for it Monday with 15 262 steps!

Tuesday was going well, but I took a nap in the afternoon and forgot to put my pedometer back on, so I only registered 8 000 steps. ARG!

Wednesday I took 10 644 steps, spent the afternoon explaining paperwork to our bran new leader Barbra (she's going to be good!!) so that's still a good amount!

Thursday 11 849 steps and Friday 16 362 Steps! Too bad I didn't even change out of my jammies Saturday, so no steps!

This was fun to try and find ways to add steps to my days, even in a very busy week, I managed to almost meet my goal.

This week I have a good start! Ha! I'm shooting for 12 000 on average!

How did YOU do?

Follow the Step Challenge on Facebook and participate!!!

Step Challenge - Bay to Breakers!

Step challenge

Ok, this time we are ON!

The Rules:

Every day you want to track the total number of steps you have taken that day.

You want to add up every day and divided by 7 to know the average number of steps you've taken each day.

You can also follow the Step Challenge 2011 on Facebook!

When you come to your meeting, we want to hear all about it!!

Bay to Breakers

I'm also planning on walking Bay to Breakers. If you want to come and join the fun, we'll be meeting somewhere downtown (TBD), walking (and people watching!) together.

Costumes? That could be fun!

Pedometer Challenge!

How about a challenge?

Starting on your meeting day, keep track of your steps every day. When you come back to your meeting next week, we can report how many steps we did all week.

Who's in? I'm putting on my pedometer right now. HA!

Feel free to report in the comments (just below this post) during the week.

Walking Power!

When talking activity, we always seem to want to think big and complicated. It doesn’t have to be. Walking is one of the simplest, easiest activities we can come up with, and it’s incredibly healthy!

Here’s what the expert at the Mayo Clinic had to say about walking:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612

Weight Watchers Etools has information and a walking plan for you:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=52191&sc=3039

You don’t need much to walk: layered clothes (it’s San Francisco!), a good pair of comfortable shoes and that’s about it.

Another nifty tool for the walkers is a pedometer. Here’s a few words from selfgrowth.com about using a pedometer:

One simple device that has been developed to keep track of the steps we take everyday is the pedometer. Compared to otherfitness equipment that require vast amounts of space, the pedometer is a cheap, clip-on electronic device that you attach to your belt on your waist/hip area so you can measure your daily steps.

This might be a lowly device that do nothing else but record the steps you take, but research has proven that it actually has immense benefits. For starters, studies have shown that those who wear pedometers were actually more motivated to keep moving. Previously sedentary individuals who where given a pedometer to measure their daily steps, were encouraged to become more active and as a result reported more energy and vigor in their daily activities.

Another huge benefit derived from the pedometer is that it motivates individuals to achieve their goals because it makes them measurable. If a person knew that his usual number of steps in a day is only a thousand and if he sets to achieve two thousand steps in two weeks, he can measure his success consistently on a daily basis because of the pedometer.

Finally, because you can take a pedometer with you, it also plays a vital role in revealing your current fitness level. As a result, you become motivated to walk if only to increase your stamina, get rid of stress and be able to keep up with your energetic toddler.

How about that? Of course, the Weight Watchers Pedometer does more than merely count your steps, it counts distance, Activity PointsPlus, and can be set for an aerobic walk, or all day mode.

Any activity that gets you moving is good activity. Walking is easy, low tech, low gear, and incredibly healthy. Get walking!!

January, time to reset our routine!

Now that the parties are over, it’s time to set our routine back on its wheels. It’s the perfect time to take a good look at your activity routine and see where you want it to go.

How is your routine working for you? Are you working out enough? Does it work with your schedule? Is it still fun? Do you need to add duration? Intensity?

Think in term of building a routine that will work long term. It has to be realistic, motivating, effective, but most of all it has to be fun!

If you are just getting started, look here for all sorts of articles, tips and tricks to get started:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/fitbegin/

If you are looking into trying weight lifting, here’s what is still the best weight lifting website for women (there are plenty all over the net for guys, but very few for women!)

http://www.stumptuous.com/

Note: Miss Krista is very irreverent, if you are easily offended you might want to close your eyes to read her website (HA!) but her advices, ideas, demos are fabulous!

It doesn’t matter if you are just getting started, or if you are training for your 15th race. Take a step back, think about what you are doing already, think of how you can improve, make a plan, and GO!

Finish this sentence with your own Activity Winning Outcome:

This week, to get my activity routine on track I will ______________________________________

Take time to think about it, summer with its short and its swimsuits isn't that far away!