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Job Perks

It’s official! I am now a brand-new member of the gym again, thanks to my employer. Can you believe this place? Offering gym memberships to all of its employees, among all the other things they do for us? I went last night and, although I had never been inside that particular gym before, I felt like I was right at home. I even walked confidently over to the weight lifting area where all the sinewy dudes were grunting and claimed a bench for my own 20-minute strength routine. (PS, I know it’s not fair to judge other people at the gym, but some of those sinewy dudes had terrible form. I just thought I’d inject that lest you be intimidated by joining the gym because of the likes of these dudes. They are, in fact, imperfect, just like the rest of us.)

I remember walking into a first gym for the first time. It was like walking into a foreign country and not knowing the language, the etiquette, or the popular fashion. But once you start going regularly, taking the gym up on their offer for a free personal training session, attending group classes, and reading the trade magazines (for me, these are Self and Shape), you get to know the territory. If you start watching what other people are doing, you begin to notice habits and patterns. Maybe no one told you that you’re supposed to wipe down the equipment, but you notice several people grab the spray bottle while you’re on the treadmill. Ah-ha, take a note to self… Please, try not to be intimidated (though you will be), try to get into the habit, and just take a look around. We’re all glad you’re here. And you’ll be a gym rat in no time!

Will Work Out for Mental Health

I’ve been officially active for about 10 years now. I came back from a semester at college noticeably-to-others more overweight than I left, complete with comments from people who usually don’t notice. Obviously, I had to do something about it. A friend was redeeming a free weeks’ pass at a local gym, and she was given a free pass for a guest. After a week, I signed up and the rest is … well, you know.

Obviously, dramatic changes happened right from the get-go. I lost the Freshmen, ahem, 15. I felt more energetic and I even got sick less. I’d get one cold every few weeks in the winter pre-fitness and maybe one per year in my post-sedentary life.

However, other changes happened that were less noticeable at the beginning. Most recently, I experienced a few days’ sabbatical from working out. While some might roll their eyes at this, it is a big deal for me. More so than I thought. For instance, last week, due to a business trip in the middle of the week, I went from Monday clear through to Saturday without breaking an exercise-induced sweat. Let me tell you, my mental health did not benefit. By Friday, I was noticeably moody. Saturday morning I worked out, and the difference was profound. Same kind of thing happened the week before. I fell into a funk that only running for at least 30 minutes straight could remedy.

It’s official, I’m addicted to endorphins. My husband rolled his eyes at me when I insisted that I needed to get on the treadmill, stat. I told him, “Honey, this is not for my looks. This is for my mental and emotional health.” He did not stop me or say anything more after that. Probably because he was the primary victim of the exercise-deprived villain within me. Someone I hadn’t known myself until fitness became my way of life.

The Downside of Early Morning Workouts

Recently, I finally forced myself to get up early and work out before work as opposed to after. This workout time fixed a number of “problems,” but ended up creating some new ones. What’s a girl to do?

Pros of early morning workout:
1. Workout is done for the day right away–starts the day off on the right key. I go to work feeling truly refreshed with invigorated lungs.

2. One shower per day as opposed to two. Silly problem, I know, but that extra water and time loss was actually really bothering me.

3. I love the energy of the early morning…the way barely anyone is up and about, the way the sun hits the planet, the way the mist is still lifting, and on and on.

4. I feel like I’m left with more time in my day. I leave work feeling like there’s less on my “to-do list” and more time to spend with my family or getting other things done. When I did after-work workouts, by the time I clocked 35-40 on the treadmill and at least 20 minutes of strength, then showered, it was practically time to go to bed.

Cons of working out in the early morning:
1. I never have time to do the strength training after running like I did with my after-work workouts. And no, I’m not about to get up any earlier. The truth is in the numbers. In May, I clocked in 1260 workout minutes (I track this for our wellness program at work) and in June, when I started the morning routine, I only got 990 minutes. Although the scale hasn’t budged, the wiggle when I wave and the protruding-more-than-normal gut don’t lie. Believe me, I can tell the difference!

2. I just.can’t.get.up. Most mornings start with me being pissed off about getting up so early. It’s only about 1/2-hour, but it makes a difference. I’m not a natural early-morning person, so it hurts every time. I was starting to resent the early morning workout. I don’t want to resent it!

3. And trying to get to bed earlier never works out. With toddler bedtimes and leftover to-dos, I just can’t seem to hit the sack by 9:30.

I guess the pros outweigh the cons, but at least I gave morning workouts a shot. I’m really proud of myself, because I’ve only done morning workouts like three times in my entire life. To go three weeks was really a feat! At least I can pat myself on the back for that. We shall see if I decide to keep this up.

Babygazing has got to be located somewhere in the realm of the divine. An evening spent burying our feet in the sandbox, playing “fish” in the bathtub, and lap-reading for an extended time felt so great it was almost spiritual. Peering in at the little boy asleep in stillness topped the experience with pure bliss. Could it be that the free ‘Yoga in the Gardens” session that I went to last night carried over into my parenting?

Could be.

At this very time, I’ve also been reading a soulful book titled “The Creative Family” by Amanda Blake Soule. The book is filled with gentle reminders about the intricacy and delicacy of childhood. How it’s important to engage your children in meaningful activities, especially natural and artistic pursuits. How you should appreciate the sensitivities of a child. The passage that I remember the most was about how it’s essential to appreciate when your child goes jumping in puddles and playing in the mud because of the crucial learning opportunities they provide. These are natural, tactile adventures. It’s all about exploration and spontaneity and experimentation. You could get mad, or you could get mindful.

Soule points to mindful parenting in the resources section of the book. Interested in learning more about where Soule may have learned some of her own unique parenting skills, I did a little research about it. Bingo! Just what I needed.

When I was a brand-new first-time mother of a newborn, the most grounding habit I took up was my yoga hour on Saturday mornings. Afterwords, I approached my son much more gently and the intimidation of new motherhood seemed a little more surmountable. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Now I see that the connection between yoga and mindful parenting is phenomenal. Last night, while I was slowing down my breath and thoughts on that beautiful manicured lawn, moving my body gently on all different planes, and being reminded to feel the earth beneath my feet, my patience was restored and “hurry up” was eliminated from my routine. My relationship with my son last night was all the better for it as I was being mindful of the sand shoes on my feet and being sensitive to my son’s whims and curiosities.

I can feel what nurturing myself and slowing down does for my own body, and now I clearly and firmly recognize what it does for my child.

What Not To Do When You Work Out

Every once in awhile I face an exercise obstacle that I didn’t anticipate. Like any learning opportunity, these little snafus give me ideas for doing things better and encourage a good cathartic laugh.

Rule #1: Never try to rollerblade while pulling a child in a wagon. I mean, I was pretty sure this wasn’t going to work anyway. But my husband insisted that changing the bike seat back into a running stroller was no simple task. So we tried the next best thing: the wagon. Impossible! By the way, even if you hook a dog leash to the handle, you’ll still be panting and swerving all over the sidewalk. Oh my gosh, think of what we looked like to onlookers. Ha! We originally wanted to bring our son along on this “family outing,” but ended up finding a sitter for a good 30 minute ride.

Rule #2: Don’t rollerblade anywhere near the lake when the lakeflies are in season. We had no idea they were swarming until we were eating them in the thicks of their buzzing. Our city has a problem with this breed of buzzers for about two weeks every spring and they literally form a black wall for a good block all around the lake. Honey quick! Turn around! Cover your face and nose! Yes, they are that bad! People from around here know exactly what I mean. People from anywhere else will not believe me.

Rule #3: Do not talk to me while I’m on the treadmill. I’m not trying to be rude or antisocial or callous or disconnected when I say this. I’m just not well-equipped to keep up with myself and carry on conversation at the same time. I am a master multi-tasker, and I don’t normally get very moody, but try talking to me while I’m running. I just can’t do it. I have a one-track mind on the treadmill. I can read magazines on there, but I just can’t talk.

Rule #4: Don’t close your eyes and jam out to your music on the treadmill. It’s a little funny, but potentially very dangerous. I watched as my mom edged toward the back of the treadmill and slid right off the back before I even had a chance to warn her. We both laughed really hard, but it definitely could’ve turned out much worse.

Rule #5: Never try to go for a run with the jogging stroller AND the dog. I always feel guilty when I go out running without bringing one or the other. The dog never really gets enough exercise and the baby will throw himself on the floor crying if I leave without him. So one time, like a good mommy, I thought I’d try bringing both. Wrong move. First of all, good running form is completely impossible. Both hands are tied up so you can’t swing them. You’re hunched over the stroller while one arm is being tugged. You can’t concentrate and enjoy your run when you have the baby asking to get out and walk and the dog is trying to chase a squirrel on the other side. Just don’t do it!

Be careful out there. There are so many ways to bang oneself up in and outside a gym. Some of them, you’ll just never see coming though.

Tracy Anderson 30-Day Method Review

I’m on Day One. I don’t know if I’ll really make it to Day 30. But I wanted to give the method a shot. And hey, the library carries it for free! I can try before I buy.

Here are the cons: The cardio video segments have absolutely no instruction. Anderson jumps around in front of the camera, and just as you get used to one jump, she changes to another and another. Through most of the video, you feel like you’re just trying to catch up. Then, Cardio Segment One and Two look exactly the same. So similar, in fact, that I had to stop the video and return to the menu to make sure I picked the right segment. As I’ve noticed in all the clips I’ve seen of Anderson, she doesn’t like to talk or look away from the mirror and she doesn’t apologize for it. In fact, a mirror is one piece of required equipment, so you can watch yourself too. I didn’t understand the connection to skin tone either. Apparently, by doing the Anderson Method, your skin will clear up. I wasn’t sure if she was referring to cellulite or making a claim about coloring. And the diet consists of your choice of soup, salad or green kale shakes. (And you better have a solid craving for fresh cracked black pepper because it’s in everything.) I mostly disregarded this section.

The pros: I do have a deep respect for Anderson’s devotion to research though, if it is as she says. I just wish I knew more background about the research itself. It’s so very hush hush secretive, and I’m not sure if it’s because she doesn’t want people to copy her method or because the evidence is so paper-thin that we’d all disregard it. I do enjoy the matwork, even if I’m incapable of doing 50 reps of each at the moment. I don’t think I would commit to doing the Anderson Method solely, because of the nonproportioned focus on the same sets of muscles over and over again. However, I would incorporate many of these moves into my regular routine.

I can’t quite put my finger on the dance-y stuff that seems off, but it just doesn’t look like any sort of real dance to me. I think the focus is mainly on dynamic heart-pumping movement and less on dance steps. And I’m not convinced that I shouldn’t do anything that’s not part of the Method. (Hello, faithful running addict here.) But I would take bits and pieces of the Method to incorporate into my own workout system. And I would love to try one of Anderson’s studios (for much less than the staggering $900/hr), which look more like Cirque du Soleil practice halls than gyms. After all, who doesn’t want that teeny tiny Anderson body?

Exercise Role Models

I can’t tell you how pleased I was when I saw my son incorporating a “workout” into his imaginary play. I grew up in a household where no one moved. Taking the dog around the block caused quite the groaning and griping. I didn’t have a real role model for exercise. Or healthy eating, for that matter. To say the least, it was grueling work to train myself to be the active person I am today. To watch my son pretending to do pushups is so rewarding, it’s unbelievable. He will never have to retrain his whole body and pattern of thought into an active way of life–it will be natural.

My husband has been participating in a Biggest Loser contest at his workplace as well. Our son is seeing him working up a sweat, running on the treadmill and weight training on my step bench. The first time the little man saw him, he pulled my arm with eyes wide: “Look momma, look. Look at Da!” It was something my son wasn’t used to seeing from my other half.

And recently, the little man has been doing some of the moves with me. When I’m doing easy stuff like walking in place or jumping, he’ll stand next to me and pull his best pose. He always has to do a minute of walking on the treadmill before I’m allowed to use it too. It’s comical. But it’s also gratifying to know that I can be a good role model for him. And it doesn’t take much. It just takes him watching me make exercise a normal part of my life. He won’t know any other way.

This is the best way for momma to lose too! With my husband working out and crunching calories and losing weight at the bat of an eye, I, who am already a fitness buff, am making strides. I lost 2 lbs just this week. And while that doesn’t sound like much, it’s a huge feat when you’re way closer to your healthy weight. I’ve been trying to lose those 2 pesky pounds for four months.

Working Every Muscle

When I started working out, I stuck to a strict plan of running 30 minutes straight and then working out each major muscle group. If a workout plan ripped from a magazine didn’t incorporate every muscle group, I’d either ditch it or supplement it with additional moves. I had to hit biceps, triceps, abs, legs, calves and butt. That was that. No compromise. Even if I got bored, I didn’t stray from this plan.

Then, I got smarter. Working out the same muscles in the same way with each workout spells “plateau.” I am not that strict with myself anymore. I still love running and enjoy hitting the treadmill or pavement for around 35 minutes every other day. I don’t analyze it down to a science though. Sometimes I incorporate fartleks or intervals at random. Sometimes I juice up the incline to make sure I keep getting results. Sometimes I pick a cardio plan at random from the archives and go with it. When I’m training for a run, I’ll print a plan and use that. Running at the same pace straight through doesn’t do a thing for improving endurance.

My strength training is also very unpredictable. It’s pretty go-with-the-flow. On days I’m feeling super-pumped, I do tougher strength training. On days I’m feeling wiped and not much like working out, I’ll do some easier Yoga and stretching. Over the course of the week, I know I’ve hit all sorts of different muscle groups. I like to do different magazine workouts or online/on-demand videos so my body never gets used to anything. And I don’t worry too much about what I’m doing as long as I’m doing something and I can FEEL it.

For me, the only rules are that I need both cardio and strength. And I need to feel it when I’m done. Here’s my schedule:

Cardio: 35 min running/3x per week
Strength Training: 20 min/3x per week.
Other: I walk to and from work whenever I can and sometimes do an extra weekend run with a friend or bike ride with my family. Lunch breaks are broken up by a 1/2-hour of laps, and summer will find me taking walks whenever I can with my toddler.

Cutting the Cable

I don’t know what I’m going to do when we have to cancel our three-month trial of our extra cable channels. We originally got the extras specifically for FitTV (now called Fit & Health), by my request. And at around $5 for the first few months, it’s soooo worth it!

Now I don’t know what’s going on with FitTV these days, but I seem to remember seeing a lot more workouts than there are now. Anyhow, I had to wait two full days before there were any actual workout videos playing after work. I got all suited up and into position, ready to change the channel promptly at 5:00. “FitTV is currently unavailable.” Excuse me?

I was not a satisfied customer when the only channel on the whole tube that I care about was currently unavailable. My husband saw the look on my face and dutifully started dialing. The fastest they could send a technician was on the weekend. After several unsatisfactory phone transfers, the lady on the line pointed us to ExerciseTV On Demand. Oh brother!

Handfuls and handfuls of fitness videos I can turn on as I please? I don’t have to do the same workout twice? Hallelujah! Those videos I bought a month ago will be collecting dust for three months because I won’t waste them (and risk growing tired of them faster) until On Demand is gone. Believe you me I am going to squeeze every last drop of potential out of those channels until our time is up.

You Know You’re a Fitness Junkie When…

…You spend over $100 on Amazon in one fell swoop. All on workout DVDs and Yoga decks. No sweat though (well, for the cost anyway). This was my attempt to spend my hard-earned Christmas money (I’ve been a pretty good girl this year) and capitalize on some wellness moola at work. Score!

On the menu are Ellen Barrett’s Barefoot Cardio, some good ole Quick Fix and 10 Minute Solution DVDs, a Bollywood dance workout, Shape Magazine’s bikini body workout, a ballet-inspired Reach workout, some Iron Yoga, a small bit of capoeira, and some Shiva Rae. Ooooh. Aaaaaah. Endorphins, my drug of choice.

And as you can tell, I despise workout monotony. I have to refresh every once in awhile or my motivation wanes. I love trying all different types of movements, as you can tell. And if I can multitask while working out, all the better (i.e. learning new dance moves, practicing meditation while I move, getting strength and cardio done in one shot).

Now, I eagerly wait by the mailbox…