Snow day? here’s something to chew on…

Its another snow day here in Cincinnati.  I really love snow days because its a great excuse to cocoon (interpret as sit in front of fire, read, watch movies, work on the computer), and do anything except exercise.  Ever since I got pneumonia several years ago, I can’t run outside.  One more excuse to skip my workout.

But, this year is different because I am committed to training (yes, actually following a training program like I teach) for a May triathlon.  Let me back up a little bit.

So, for the past two years or so, I haven’t been racing, so I haven’t been training.  I’ve been so busy training others that it was really hard for me to get my own training in.  And my friend and training partner got sick 2 years ago, then was working ungodly hours at work.  So that’s my excuse.  I was unmotivated and kind of was in victim/blame mode.  This year something is different.  I actually heard myself.

You know what I mean.  Its like we have this conversation in our heads:

me: I should run today

my head: oh yeah, lets call Mary and see when she can go

me: she can’t go, boo ho0.  I should go anyway.

my head: yeah, but it won’t be as fun, and maybe when you get there it might hurt and then I’ll be sore or hurt myself, and besides its cold out.

me: yeah, better play it safe.

Okay, so then one day in January I was able to step back and really hear myself.  I was like–Oh my gosh!! I sound just like the clients who never come to the gym!  I am so lame!! I am letting everything get in the way of me working out!  If I want to change then I have to take charge and do it.  Pull up my big girl panties.  and Just Do IT.

So, for the past two weeks I have been spinning and running, doing brick workouts, lifting, swimming.  This morning I ALMOST fell back into complacent mode, but I went to the gym (thanks to some motivation from my daughter) and had an awesome workout!!!  Feels so good!  Victorious over my sloth-like tendencies.  🙂 Here is what I did on the treadmill while I watched part of the Pink Panther (I did weights yesterday and missed spinning so I did this today):

Ran at 5.5 (rather slow) for 3 minutes. Then did tabatas at 7.5  (thats 20 seconds run hard/10 rest 8 times).  I rested at 4.0 then sped up to 6.0 until I got to 10 minutes.  Then I did another tabata set same as the first.  Rested until 16 minutes and ended with another tabata set.  That brought me to a little over 2 miles and 20 minutes.  Felt great!!!  Don’t get me wrong.  It was hard, but I have to share this key insight:

As I was doing my second set of tabatas (at about the 4th round), I started to feel more relaxed.  I definitely was keeping track of my form, very conscious of using my core and hamstrings/glutes, but I started to feel like I could breathe slower.

Physiologically this isn’t really earth shattering, but I want to share it with you because of this:

We tend to feel that something is hard and then stop because it hurts, or we feel weak.  This happens when I swim.  My first 100 m my arms are burning, but then it goes away.  Push ups are the same way.  Once warmed up, the muscles, given the proper rest, can keep going and the burn goes away.

So, two lessons here…

#1:  Listen to yourself.  are you playing the victim card?  do you blame other people, your situation, your family for not doing what you really want/need?  work that out.  being a victim is all in your head, so you can change it.  Read a book for inspiration about an athlete who beat all odds and conquered the worst to rise above.  this is a great story.  Listen to some inspiring music like Eye of the Tiger or Firework.  Might sound kind of corny but it works.

#2: Keep going.  Don’t stop when your muscles start to burn (there is a difference between burn and hurt–listen to your body).  Push past the burn and see if it goes away.

Happy snow day!  Share your favorite snow day workout in the comments below!

Elyse

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Are you enough? 5 ways to get everything done AND feel healthy and satisfied

One of the reasons I love blogging is because I can get my message of health out to literally millions of people, but currently only about 500 or so people actually receive my blog, so does that mean I’m not making a difference in the world?  Of course, the answer is no, however, I think its safe to say that I am not the only woman who fights a daily internal battle within my mind for the feeling of doing enough–or even being enough.

This feeling of “not-enough-ness” is literally making us sick.   Although it may not be possible to slow down the pace of our work and family schedule, we can slow down mentally and use some tricks physically to bring some sanity into our insanely busy lives.   Here, I offer 5 tips to keep it together, make a positive impact, and not feel exhausted at the end of the day:

1.  Take high quality vitamins.  This is how 90% of the high acheivers stay on their game.  Without vitamins, your body is simply running on a quarter tank, no matter how healthy you eat.  How do you choose?  First, do not buy your vitamins at the grocery store. These products are simply a waste of money.  I personally now use DoTerra Lifelong Vitality and their Mito2Max products.  Its economical (especially if you sign up for the wholesale account–25% discount pays for itself!) and it includes all the nutrients you need including some essential oils for cell repair (good for cancer prevention).  You will definitely want to do your own research on this and find a product and company that you trust.  This is super important.  These are some things to look for:

• what is the company’s commitment to global health?  This is important to me because I want to work with companies who aren’t just about making money, but about making people healthier and preventing disease.  Many supplement manufacturers make products that have contaminents such as lead and arsenic (YES!!).  Check out ConsumerLab.com to get the latest information on quality products.
• experience of others.  Do you know other people who take the product?  Do they feel a difference when they don’t take their vitamins? Have they felt that the product makes a difference in their lives?  I know that when I don’t take my vitamins and omega 3 supplement I get a little wacky and sad.  I call it my medicine (even though its not really medicine–its just all the stuff my body needs to make neurotransmitters to keep me happy and my brain working).
• how much does it cost?  It has to be reasonable to fit in your budget.  This may seem high, but my experience has been that the best products are sold via direct sales (i.e. thru distributors) because they can cut out advertising and a lot of the middle men.  Personally I think spending about $75-100 a month on vitamins is reasonable.  That may seem high for some of you, but it also may seem low.  We are talking about health insurance here (the real kind, not the disease insurance we are used to).

2. Learn to breathe more effectively.  If you think about your breath the next time you are driving, or in a meeting, or are just pissed off, you will see that you’re probably not really doing much breathing at all.  The fact is that this is the EASIEST way to reduce stress, increase energy, and be healthier.  It may seem like a no brainer–like, duh! we need to breathe!  But the fact is that most women don’t breathe correctly, and its easy!  Here is how you do it.  Put your hand on your belly and let it all hang out.  Relax it completely. Take a breath in and notice if your belly rises.  It should.  As you exhale push the air out by breathing out and pulling your navel in to compress your diaphragm.  Breathe out until ALL the air is out.  (Relax, you are not going to die of asphixiation, even though you might feel like it the first time.)  You can do this when you wake up in the morning, and/or when you go to bed at night (its a great way to relax). Take short breather breaks throughout the day.  It only takes 1-2 minutes to do and it will bring oxygen to your brain and will literally make you much more productive.  Set an alarm to remember to do it each hour.  Seriously, if you’re thinking, I don’t have time, then you better consider a bigger change.  WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN BREATHING?????

3.  Get at least 6-7 hours of sleep.  If you don’t get good sleep now, then you won’t be effective at anything.  Sleep is probably the most important thing you do for your body next to eating.  If you don’t get good sleep, you are setting yourself up for health disasters.  A couple of things you can do to get better sleep are:

• turn the f**ing tv, ipad, kindle, etc. off at least an hour before you go to bed.
• create a relaxing atmosphere with dimmed lighting (no overhead lights, just lamps)
• pamper yourself–brush your teeth, and use some natural skin moisturizer like coconut oil with some lavender and myrrh in it.  Vetiver is a wonderfully calming oil you can dilute in coconut oil and put on your feet before bed.  I put lavender and Balance blend with some water in a spray bottle and spray my sheets and pillow before I go to sleep.  It smells nice and, next to breathing exercises, is probably the easiest thing you can do to switch gears.

4.  Move, but with moderation.  For many women who are feeling stressed exercise might not even be on their radar, but the fact is that exercise is the number one thing you can do to feel energized, fulfilled, and stay youthful–IF you do it right.  Moderate exercise is obviously relative, but most people these days think of exercise as training for a marathon or working out for at least an hour.  Recent studies are showing that exercise beyond 30 minutes does absolutely nothing extra for you. In this case more is not better.  Smart is better.  If you are really short on time do my 10 minute tabata workout! Do this every day (twice a day if you’re really ambitious) and you will get fitter and stronger.  Don’t fool yourself.  Exercise is absolutely key to living a fullfilled life.  Make time for it.

5. Besides eating right (which would be #5 except I think that should be a no-brainer to this crowd) being nice to yourself is absolutely crucial to making a difference in this world, feeling fulfilled, and enough.  We women tend to be our own worst enemies.  WHY?????  This life is not a competition.  We are here to fulfill our unique purpose with our unique personality and gifts.  Create a beautiful, positive mantra that you can say for yourself and your family every day, when you’re feeling not enough, run down, depressed, etc.  This is your prayer of abundance and recognizing that you were made perfectly and whole.

I meet so many people who have lost faith in their wholeness, and the perfection that lies within themselves.  Get back in touch with it with these 5 tips.  When we take care of us, feel fulfilled and energized and more than enough, we energize others–our kids, spouse, co-workers, or random strangers.

You are an abundant woman with unique gifts that the world needs.  Please share with love!

Have a wonderful day!  Please leave a comment and share with a friend and tell her that she is loved and cherished!!

Elyse

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exercise safely and recover fast while injured

Getting injured is always a bummer, but it’s not a good excuse to become a couch potato.

Exercise can actually enhance your healing process, so long as you don’t overdo it, listen to your body and do the right exercises. Please take into consideration that many of the tips I provide below depend on your age, current fitness level and injury. These tips are for minor injuries that don’t require surgery or physical therapy. They are also great ideas to help avoid injuries.

• Foam roller: If you have not heard of a foam roller, you need to read my blog about them, Foam Roller 101. They are the single most effective tool to use to heal chronic tendonitis, tight muscles, cramping, and to prevent injuries from ever happening. It’s vital to use proper technique, so check out my blog or ask a fitness professional who is knowledgeable in foam roller use.

• Swimming is an excellent alternative for people who are either out of shape, or cannot do weight-bearing exercise. If you cannot swim, take an aquatics class where you can wear a floatation belt. Swimming with a pool buoy between the legs is effective especially for lower body injuries.

• Knee injuries can sometimes handle the bike as long as the tension is moderate to light. Focus on the back of the leg, like the glutes and hamstrings by using a pedaling motion similar to scraping gum off your shoe. If you sit all day, this is a fun way to work the legs without a lot of impact on the joints and hopefully prevent injury.

• Low-back injuries that are not nerve related can be tricky. Exercise the core gently. Two great exercises that help loosen some of the tight back muscles and strengthen the core are pushing your back into the floor, and a bridge. Lie down on your back with knees bent. Neutralize your pelvis by tilting forward so your spine is flat on the floor and you cannot put your hand under your back. Pull the belly into the spine. For a bridge you will stay in this position and then lift the hips off the floor, engaging the glutes (your butt). Lower slowly until you are about an inch off the floor, then come up again. You should feel this in your glutes, not your back. If you are unsure about how to do these properly, or if they cause back pain, find a qualified fitness professional to watch your form.

• Minor shoulder injuries are some of the hardest to recover from. Most of the time, these injuries are caused by weakness in the upper back muscles, located between your shoulder blades. If you have a difficult time pulling your shoulder blades together (without bringing your elbows back), you are at risk for shoulder injury. This can also be caused by tight chest muscles. People who work at a computer are very prone to this combination. Have a friend stand behind you and put their fingers between your shoulder blades. Then, try to squeeze their fingers, pulling your shoulder blades back and down. Be sure not to tighten your shoulders up, around your ears and neck. ■

If you need help with foam roller technique and the form of these exercises, email Elyse at elysej@venus4her.com. Venus Fitness is holding a comprehensive injury clinic on April 13 at 9 a.m. Visit www.venus4her.com. This article was originally printed in the Cincinnati Enquirer on March 28, 2013

PLEASE MAKE A COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THE ARTICLE!  🙂

question about yoga

Someone recently wrote to me asking if I could recommend any books or dvd’s on yoga. this is what i told her:
There are a quite a few yoga apps now as well as a lot of books. I don’t claim to be an expert on yoga. I do practice it on a very small scale just for relaxation and flexibility.
I cannot personally recommend any books or dvd’s because i havent read/viewed any. there are a lot on amazon.com or at the bookstore.

The thing i think is important about yoga is:
-to do it correctly–#1 priority–sometimes with a book or dvd that is hard to do because you don’t know if you’re doing it right.
-to recognize what you want to get out of it. I think this helps to define your yoga and thus help you decide what type of yoga you want to do–there is so much out there.
-keep it simple–find out what some of the basic principles are to a yoga practice and then stick to that–especially if you want to do it on your own.

healthy knees rely on healthy hips

When you have issues with your knees, it can prevent you from doing a lot of activities, so at Venus we focus on doing the right exercises to support not only the knees, but the hips too. I have found (and its supported by research) that hip stability and core issues can have a huge impact on the adjacent joints (namely the knees and lower back).
I am going to post some videos on proper form for leg exercises, and offer some that maybe you hadn’t thought of. stay tuned…