Saturday, January 29, 2011

What is this bike?

Have you ever seen this piece of exercise equipment? It’s the one nobody uses. It’s been known to convert to a coat rack if you so desire.

It's called a Schwinn Airdyne Exercise Bike.



How’s it work? It's a fan resistance based upright bike that is completely self-sufficient. No electrical outlet needed or fancy set up required. All you do is hop on and start pedaling and pumping your arms for a fully body workout. After just a minute or so on the bike, you'll quickly find out that the wind resistance naturally allows you to set your own pace based on your current fitness level.

Why’s it so good? First off, it may be the best single piece of equipment for fat-loss and the safest. It’s great because it works both upper and lower body in a safe and natural position.

The other reason I like this piece of cardio equipment for interval-based training is that it takes up less space than treadmills, ellipticals, and most other pieces of exercise equipment. It's just about 4 feet in length and only 2 feet wide. So it’s easy to fit in any room.

The other great thing: Price –you can purchase for $600-$800

If you’re thinking about purchasing a cardio piece that really gives you a great workout and extremely affordable look no further than the Schwinn Airdyne Exercise Bike.

Monday, January 24, 2011

RIP Jack LaLanne: Sept. 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011.

Jack LaLanne passed away Sunday, at the age of 96. If you’re not familiar with Jack, he may be the true pioneer of fitness. He brought exercise to our living rooms. He showed women it was okay to lift weights and encouraged it. He was a true Pioneer. As trainers, we owe allot to the “Father of Fitness” As a kid I remember watching Jack and his dog Happy doing all these crazy exercises on TV and tried in vain to do a couple pushups.

He was years ahead of his time in realizing the importance of fitness and eating correctly. He tried very hard to get America off red meat, smoking and alcohol, he knew way back then we were killing ourselves………… Even back in his day he knew what it took to be healthy

Some of his many quotes: “Exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom”. “People don’t die of old age, they die of inactivity”. Like I Said, way ahead of his time!

When LaLanne turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show, that was just one of many accomplishments.

Just a few more feats:

1959 Age 45: Completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hours and 22
minutes. “Happy” is born and The Jack LaLanne Show goes nationwide

1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1975 Age 61: Swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1976 Age 62: Commemorating the “Spirit of ‘76”, swam 1 mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed, shackled and towing 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.

1979 Age 65: Towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Lousiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.


LaLanne’s contributions to fitness will never be forgotten, as they revolutionized the industry.

Rest in peace, Jack.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Winter Bootcamp?? Grab your Valslides!

Yes I lost a bet. So LeeAnne sent me out in a winter storm to workout. The "No excuses" workout! Don't let a little white stuff get in the way.......

Grab your Valsides ----WARNING don't workout in the snow, you will fall........and don't copy my form -it's not good in the snow!!! Sorry

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Guest Spot on Portion Control by LeeAnne Hebert

You're working hard, you're sleeping well and you're drinking your water. And the most important factor, you're eating clean food. Yet, your weight doesn't budge. Frustrating, yes.

Could be a number of things happening. One issue I see over and over is incorrect portions. If you can honestly say you're eating the right foods then let's look at portions. Oatmeal is a superfood, great carb -yet if you have too much, your weight loss will stall.

Do you know your portion sizes? If you're not sure, measure everything until you know exactly what your taking in. Is it a pain? Yes at first, but in time you'll be able to eyeball everything. If you're serious about weight loss and changing your body take the time, you're worth it! Don't let an easy thing like measuring derail your efforts.

Take a look at these 2 videos to help!     (Part 2 ) Next week your workouts..........


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2011 Is this the Year??

The Holidays are history…can you believe it?? Now it’s time to say goodbye to the comfort food, Italian cookies (my favorite) eggnog, gingerbread houses and the entire array of feel-good-now-but-pay-for-it-later foods!

So what’s next? Well, gyms are crowded and folks are walking and running. This month is big in my profession. I’ll take it, but what went on the rest of the year?

It’s not too early to be thinking about fitting into your bikini. I know its months away, but basically you’re training now for your body and appearance for summer!
So all together now, let’s get our butts back on track, healthy, fit and get energized for the New Year! If you want 2011 to be the year you take control of your health, make your body beautiful, strong and get your energy back, NOW is the time to do it. Temptation is gone. No more excuses!

I’m with some of you. My workouts were great, but food wasn’t. I know folks might say both their workouts and food weren’t up to par. So let’s get back to basics, so here are ten helpful tips to get you back on the fitness track:

1. Let’s start with the easy one. Water, drink your water! This is the one that makes me crazy. When a client tells me they don’t have enough time to get water in, I want to scream. Yes, you go to the bathroom more, deal with it. Drink a lot of it because you probably drank more eggnog, wine, soda and beer more than you normally do these past few weeks, so now it’s time for a detox. Water will restore the balance in your body and get you back in health mode.

2. Get the meals in. Make sure you’re eating every 3-4 hours. 3 meals and 2 snacks are ideal. Increase your veggie intake; they are water-dense foods. Fruits and veggies boost your fiber intake, since it’s probably been insufficient this past month. These foods will get you off the fat-and-sugar track and on the fat-burning one in no time.

3. Throw away! My mother-in-law hates this one. She’s from the generation that forced us to finish our huge portions. Those poor kids in wherever are starving, so “finish what you have on your plate”. errrrrrrrr---So, watch your portion size at meals and its okay to, yes throw away or use as leftovers. Re-stock your shelves with GOOD food. The junk should be gone. Sorry, if you didn’t finish the sugar cookies, they must go, far, far away!








4. If you’ve taken time off from your training, don’t go all out. Start with a lighter workout that’ll remind you how it feels to work out and get your body back in the groove. I see too many people push way too hard too fast out of guilt for eating a lot and “not having time to work out.” And end up getting hurt or just quit. That first week is for getting back on track, not kill you!

5. Get your resistance training workouts in. Please don’t follow the cardio-crowd workout. You’ll notice the treadmills and elliptical machines are packed. If you’re a beginner or senior, no problem, start out with these machines. If you’re experienced and your goal is FAT-LOSS, you must lift weights combined WITH that cardio. But weights are #1 for body transformation and losing body fat. One of the keys to this is finding an activity you enjoy. If you do you’ll stick with it!







6. SLEEP! The last month for most of us has been hectic and stressful. Remember not enough sleep is stress on your body. Not good for fat-loss. So get back to a normal sleep schedule 7-8 hours a night.

7. Plan. Have a plan going forward. This could mean workouts and your food plan. Don’t take chances, it’s too important. Don’t just go to a gym and decide you’ll do this or that. A good workout program is crucial for your success. Remember “if you fail to plan”, “you plan to fail”.

8. Goal Setting. Once you have a plan in place set a goal. This gives you a way to measure your progress, and provides a real boost when you realize that a goal which seemed out of reach last year, is easy this year. Set small goals for yourself that are somewhat challenging, but not so difficult that they are unattainable. Once you’ve achieved each goal, set your sights slightly higher and begin again. This is the only way to keep progressing.

9. Don’t let a bad day or week derail your schedule. Keep this in mind. Exercise shouldn’t be torture; every workout doesn’t have to be a “last chance workout”. But prepare yourself. Some days are going to be real challenging, especially if you’re a beginner, or just coming back. Remember we all have struggles. That’s okay. If you start to feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath and look at the big picture. A missed day here or there isn’t going to mess you up that much. If you find yourself starting to fall off your exercise plan, just pick up where you left off, and keep trying. Don’t be too hard on yourself; everyone has days when they don’t feel like exercising, just keep plugging away as best you can. It does get easier with time.

10. Stay positive. For some of us this is all brand new. For all of us it’s a New Year, a time to renew our optimism, strength of mind and body. It’s a process. Think of yourself as someone who’s going to be much healthier and is willing to leave bad habits behind. We don’t know what’s ahead of us; expect new challenges to overcome as you make positive changes to your mind and body. Think that this is the year. With hard work you’ll reach those fitness goals and there’s no looking back.

The New Year often brings resolutions that turn into broken promises, but this year DECIDE to make it stick. If you do, besides not having this same resolution next year you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you have accomplished something very important. That will go a long way!

Let’s do it!
Looking forward to a great year!