Thursday, March 29, 2012

Finding time to workout

Whether you are a member of a gym or not, there are plenty ways of getting in an exercise workout.  It doesn't have to be a 1 hr session, it can be a simple 15-20 min session.  Also, you do not need any equipment to get an effective/efficient workout in either.  Of course, having dumbbells or kettlebells, and weight plates or even full-on machines may make it more fun, however, those are not required to burn many calories in a short period of time.

If you happen to work an extended length of time at work (you consider yourself a workaholic... 12+ hours) you probably won;t have time nor the energy to go to the gym after or before work.  So instead, why not have some fun at work and mix in some simple exercises that target all muscle groups.  You could even engage your co-workers to join you if possible.  Here are some very simple exercises that don't require much space, equipment, or time to perform.

     1.  Pushups
     2.  Wall sits
     3.  Squats
     4.  Jumping jacks
     5.  Walking lunges
     6.  Dips using a chair

You could begin by doing each exercise for 30-60 seconds and completing 3-5 sets of each.  Rest 1-2 minutes between each set.  This simple routine would take about 12-25 minutes to complete, making for a perfect pre-lunch workout.  

If you work outdoors as opposed to an office job, there are options for you as well.  I once heard of a Landscaping owner incorporating these exercises into his (and his employees) daily work schedule.

     1.  20 Pushups before every lawn they mowed
     2.  Gas-can curls
     3.  Truck bed/trailer dips

As you can see, exercises don't have to be conventional, just have to be creative.  I hope this gives you some extra motivation to sneak in a workout next time you don't have time, or feel like going to the gym.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

High Intensity Training

In case you missed Anne Aurand's article last week in the Health section of the Bend Bulletin, I have attached a link to the article.  It is a more in depth review than this article I posted several weeks ago; explaining some of the benefits, and who should perform high intensity interval-type training.  Several sources were used for the article (including a small write up on my TRX class...scroll to the bottom of the article).


Visit the article HERE

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Weekly Wednesday Quotavation

It may seem exhausting to exercise with an already busy lifestyle (work, family, chores, etc).  However, instead of looking at it that way, how about looking at it in a way that if you didn't exercise it would be exhausting.  Exercise is great therapy for many of our stressors.  Not only does exercise benefit our physical well-being, it also benefits our mental state of mind.  So with that said, I leave you this quote...

"We are not tired at the end of the day because we got too much exercise.  We are tired because we did not get enough exercise"  

Monday, March 5, 2012

Time to race

Besides being  personal trainer, I am also a professional mountain bike racer for ProAir.  Beginning on Thursday March 8th, I will be competing down in Guatemala in the El Reto del Quetzal 4-day Stage Race.
This is a race I have wanted to do for a while and am going to make it happen this season.  I will be competing with Nelson Snyder (Hood River) in an attempt to gain fitness and get the climbing legs ready for the heart of the season.  Considering the fact that we have had a descent winter as far as temperatures and lack of snow, the mountain trails have still been limited and haven't been able to log too many miles on singletrack.   It will be very interesting to see how my mtb skills will handle the rugged terrain of Guatemala.  For a short peak at Stage 2 of the race, see the video below.


I will have a helmet camera going during the race, so I will be posting some clips of my own on this site and over on my cycling Blog.

To all my clients, continue working hard, and I will see you next week.