Don't Dread the Tread

There's one thing absolutely guaranteed about fitness: options.  One of my all-time favorite things about exercise is the almost limitless variety of healthy stuff to do in my city; if I am bored it is my own darn fault.  We have running clubs, boot camp, cross fit, spinning studios, full-service gyms, personal training studios, a rock climbing gym, our own triathlon and marathon, and miles of beautiful hiking and biking trails.  You have to really try hard to claim ignorance to convince anyone around here that you can't get any exercise.  I'm lucky!

So with all of the options around, sometimes I wonder why I keep ending up on a treadmill.  The answer is simple: I like it.  I work out on a treadmill at least twice a week and its more versatile than you think.  Here's a few things I do to get a great workout on a treadmill; if you hate them I'll give you your calories back.

1. Add Intervals!
I'll admit it - running for an hour on a treadmill is boring. I spice it up by doing intervals, and use a great podcast by Skip Orem, who runs the site http://www.getfitpod.com/.  I like episode #138, the Reserve Request HIIT Running Workout for the Treadmill, but there are others as well including podcasts for walkers.  Skip tells you when to run, when to walk, and takes you from leisurely walk to omygodiamgonnapuke in literally 60 seconds. But don't worry, if you do puke, you can hit pause. Skip will wait.

2. Change Direction!
Every few minutes, add 30-60 seconds of  side shuffles or backwards walking to your treadmill workout. The most important thing to keep in mind here is safety - hang on to the side rails until you get your balance so you don't fall and get injured. Then you won't get to workout at all, which is pretty much the opposite of what we're trying to accomplish.  Check out this video for an example of the side-shuffle.  It's a great way to work different parts of your legs, increase your coordination, and work on overall balance. 

3. Mess with the Controls!
Running and walking uphill automatically makes your body work harder and burn more calories.  Plus its great for your butt, and shorts season is coming up so you might want to consider adding some hills to your workout!  Every minute or so, go all "diabolical robot takes over the command center" and mess with the controls on your treadmill.  Increase the incline, speed up the belt, and just wreak havoc on your central nervous system.  Not only will the time fly by, your body will get a great workout just trying to stay one step ahead of you. 

It gets a bad rap for being boring, but your treadmill doesn't have to be a dreadmill!  Stop being so mean to your treadmill and give it another chance!

Good day!

New Year Resolution Guide: The Suitcase

I've always wanted a suitcase like this!

So we talked a while ago about our metaphorical fanny pack (and how we were not going to fill it with cookies).  Now I want to upgrade our visual and talk about our 2011 suitcase. I think all of this is a sign that I need a vacation!

But anyway, I've got my 2011 suitcase open and ready to be filled with everything from 2010 that I want to bring with me into the new year.  And as you can imagine, not everything from 2010 will make the cut.  Here's what made it into my suitcase (and what got left in 2010).  And just FYI this is just about fitness stuff so if you're not on the list, don't freak out. I'm not tossing you.

1. My gym family. I love the people I workout with! They motivate me, make me laugh, indulge my motormouth, and prod me into working harder than I thought I could. They are definitely making it into my suitcase! 

2. My clients. Wellness coaching is one of the most rewarding things in my life and my clients teach me something new about the world every time I talk to them.  They make the cut!

3. My gadgets. Data drives progress, and I get a lot of value from my GoWearFit, my new Garmin, and iPod filled with GetFitPod running podcasts. I may look like a cyborg half the time, but I use them every day and they make the cut.

4. My wellness community. In 2010 I connected with a lot of wellness advocates and its been wonderful professionally and personally. I've created great friendships with people who inspire me every day, and that definitely makes it into the suitcase!

5. Last but definitely not least, my actual family. Trust me, life with me is not always (ever) easy, and the amount of patience, tolerance, humor, and love that I get from people who have no choice about having me in their lives is immense. I will need a lotta lotta more of that in 2011.

That's it. Oh, well, also a bunch of workout clothes and shoes and stuff.  But that's pretty much everything I am taking with me in 2011.  I'm leaving some significant things behind...I'll talk about those tomorrow.Yesterday was about positive thinking. I hope that you made your list of positive versus negative influences and figured out which ones you can change and which ones you want to ditch. Put the positive influences in your suitcase today!

See you soon! Have a healthy day!

Sweat-a-thon!

I have this running route that I like to do on Saturdays.  It is five miles, really hilly, and kicks my butt every time. Plus, its reallllly humid these days so its really just a miserable run. But I do it anyway because I like being miserable.

But one thing I do when I am not able to complete a run is to switch to intervals: run all-out for a sprint, then walk or jog.  Sprint/walk/sprint/walk all the way home.  I did this last weekend, partly for the increased cardio and partly to get rid of a bee that was intent on following me home. Let me tell you, that was one determined bee.

As I randomly intervaled my way home I thought about all of those Couch to 5k podcasts out there and wondered if there was one for intervals.  Well of course there was!  I downloaded this high-intensity interval training podcast for the treadmill by Skip Orem at GetFitPod (okay my husband did it for me because I couldn't figure it out) and tried it out this morning.

It was great!  It was HARD!  Because I hate surprises, I listened to it on the way to the gym so I wouldn't waste my cardio time learning the workout, but it's pretty simple: run when he tells you to run, walk when he tells you to walk.  You choose the intensity, but Skip is great at challenging you to be honest about whether you are really working hard enough.  I mean, HIIT is called high-intensity for a reason!  You gotta be dead at the end!

He also has a podcast for running outside, as well as a bunch of others I haven't checked out yet.  Give it a shot!  I will definitely do it on a regular basis, and since it has plenty of room for growth, its something that can stay in my little toolbox for a long time.  Learn more about high-intensity interval training here and give it a shot when you find yourself in the middle of a run that needs a little spice.

Have a healthy day and a great weekend!