Stretch to Fit- Bands Workout

As promised, here are my favorite resistance bands moves.  Do these at the hotel, at home, or even in the gym for a fast, fun, full-body toning routine!

This workout is designed to be not only space, but also time efficient, combining upper and lower body moves whenever possible to maximize calorie burn and muscle tone.   It's low impact and straightforward- perfect for when your mind is too tired to process a complicated workout- 2 layovers in one day, anyone?  The only equipment you need is your favorite resistance band and a hotel towel for floor work, if you'd like.  Any thickness of band will do, as you can almost always increase or decrease tension as needed to make any exercise harder or easier, respectively.  

Keep it simple by performing the exercises for time, not counting reps.  Shoot for a full minute of effort on each activity and, as long as you've got the energy, add 30 seconds of band punches between each exercise for a great cardio benefit.   Remember, the less time you waste, the sooner you can hit the hot tub or flip on some HBO, so don't give yourself any rest time between moves!  Perform the whole circuit 4 times through and in less than half an hour you'll work every muscle group in the body & have lots more energy too!

Get the moves:

Band punches-  Works the shoulders, back, and core.

Comfortably position the band behind your upper back, holding onto the band itself or the  handles.  You might need to 'reel in' some of the band to feel enough resistance.  Throw alternating jabs and crosses at a quick pace to warm up your muscles making sure to keep tension on the band through the entire motion.  

Keep your lower body loose but active, staying up on your toes and moving quickly to get that cardio perk.  Do a full minute the first time through, then shoot for just 30 seconds between the other exercises to keep the heart-rate in the target zone.   

Push-up & Plank Twist- Works chest, back, shoulders, and core.

With the band in the same place as the previous exercise, assume the push-up position, carefully tucking the ends under the hands. 

 Perform either a traditional or knee push-up, bringing your chest close to the ground & back up with control.  Once in the original straight arm position, lift one hand off the ground, twisting into a side plank.  

Repeat on the opposite side.  

Chest Flye Crunches-  Works chest and core.

Keep the band in the previous position for one more exercise!  Roll onto your back and bend your knees, planting your feet on the ground.  Begin with your palms facing inward, elbows bent slightly, and arms perpendicular to the ground.  

You should feel like you're in position to be squeezing a beach ball in your arms and punching your fists together in the middle.  From here, contract your core to lift your shoulders (not just head) off the ground, being careful to keep the band securely around your back.  

With control, lower your shoulders and arms towards the ground.  

Once your upper arms are about parallel to the ground you should return to the original position and repeat.

Side Shuffle Squat & Curl- Works hips, glutes, quads, and biceps.

With your feet wide and the band underneath, perform a biceps curl by bending at the elbows and lifting the handles to meet the shoulders.  

While holding the curl position, squat down, knees in line with toes, and take a large shuffling step towards the left.  

Straighten knees and arms.  Repeat in the other direction.

One-Legged Overhead Extensions- Works triceps and core.

Put just one foot on the band and hold only the handle on the same side.  Extend your arm straight overhead and bring the opposite foot off the ground.  

Find your balance and begin the arm motion by bending at the elbow, bringing the hand behind the head.  

Your upper arm should stay stationary near your ear throughout the exercise.  Finish a full minute on one side before switching to the other.

RDL Row- Works back, hamstrings, glutes, and core.

Stand with feet firmly planted on the band and about hip width apart.  Cross the handles of ends of bands in front of you and hold with palms facing inward.  Take a slight bend in the knees, hinge forward at the hips with a strong, neutral back.  Leading with your elbows, use your back strength to pull handles towards your ribs and hold them there- that's the row!  

Then keeping the lower body stationary & back straight, bring your upper body to an upright position for a modified deadlift targeting your hamstrings & back.  

Slowly hinge at the hips, then let out the tension in the band.

Lunge & Press- Works quads, calves, glutes, and shoulders.

In a staggered stance (one foot about 2 feet in front of the other), secure the band under the front foot.  Begin with palms facing forward, handles by the shoulders, then straighten arms above your head in unison.  

Return to the original arm position then lower yourself into a lunge until your front thigh is about parallel to the ground, making sure to prevent the knee from going further forward than the toes, and keeping most of your weight forward, using your back leg mainly for stability.  

Return to the original position and repeat.

Please try this workout to keep fit the next time you're on the road!  I hope you've enjoyed the article, and if you liked the outfit, all clothing picture is by Columbia Sportswear.  Thanks for reading & please join me next time for more info on keeping healthy on-the-go!

Yours in Fitness,

Sarah

Fit to Travel

Hi all,

Recently I've been working tirelessly to get my schedule into a groove & manage my time more efficiently.  Part of that has been figuring out when I'm able to find time to write FITTEST!  After lots of calendar analysis, I've decided to change my posting day to Monday.  So from now on, you can expect new posts on the first and third Mondays of each month, with occasional additional articles here and there.  As for my next series, I'm going to talk about the intersection of two of my favorite things- fitness and travel!

Having just returned home from a business trip, I understand how difficult it can be to maintain your fitness and nutrition regimen whilst traveling.  Even if you have access to a full gym and healthy restaurants, sticking to your healthy habits can be far from easy.  For some, simply finding the motivation to leave the hotel room after a full day of meetings is challenging.  For others, the difficulty is eating right while out seeing the sights.  Whatever your personal on-the-go obstacles to fitness may be, stay tuned throughout my next series for the solutions, as I cover everything from healthy eat-out options to workouts you do can without even leaving your hotel room to general tips on traveling FITTEST style!

Up first, a routine that's small on equipment and space, but big on body benefits- I'm talking about bands!  What I love most about resistance bands is the fact that they're super light and portable enough that you can take them almost anywhere and never be without a great workout.  There are so many types of bands, including simple dyna bands that literally occupy less suitcase space than a pair of socks!  So get your hands on some bands and check us out next Monday for a full-body, energizing, do-it-anywhere workout!

Take care,

Sarah

Lose an organ, gain an outlook

This month marks my 10th year of life without a thyroid gland or a metabolism of my own, so I thought I'd use this post to get a little personal and share a bit of my experience on FITTEST.  

Losing my thyroid certainly seemed like a curse at first.  I went from being an active teenager to having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning.  Balancing my hormone levels and regaining a semblance of normalcy took far too many years.  Even after my thyroid hormones settled into an appropriate range I still felt... Off.  

There was the brain fog, the fatigue, the depression, and of course the weight gain.  The thyroid hormone is responsible for the body's metabolism, so an under-active (or in my case nonexistent) thyroid is directly linked to all of those symptoms, but none more so than weight gain.

Before my surgery, I was a competitive dancer and swimmer, as well as an avid vegetarian, but at the same time, I was just a regular kid.  I wasn't particularly committed to watching what I ate, nor did I need to work overtime to keep my body slim.  Of course being thyroid-less changed all that- seemingly overnight I was fighting against each pound and counting every calorie.  I had to carefully manage my diet and work out daily just to prevent myself from ballooning.  And I'm actually really thankful for that.  

It's taken me a while to feel positively about losing my thyroid, but I think I'm finally there.  Were it not for my thyroidectomy, were I not forced into the gym by my circumstances, I might never have discovered the euphoria that follows almost every workout, the pride that comes from adding an extra plate (or two) to your bar, the energy that you get when you're actually fueling your body like it deserves.  I might never have discovered my true passion for health, nutrition, and fitness.  I might never have made a career of helping others become the most confident, happiest, FITTEST people they can be.  So thanks for going rogue, thyroid gland.  I still miss you sometimes, but your absence has shaped me into the strong woman I am today.

It wasn't easy, but I won the battle for my health and well being.  And that's the point.  If I can do it, so can you!  After feeling hopeless for years, I finally realized I could regain control over my weight, and more importantly, my self esteem.  There was no miracle pill, no secret diet, no gimmicky workout fads, just lots and lots of hard work.  If you're ready to start your journey to health, reading FITTEST is a great place to begin and if you need support during your journey, I'm always just an email away!

Yours in Fitness,

Sarah

Fitness Face-off: Morning vs Evening Workouts

As a personal trainer, I'm asked thousands of questions about fitness and nutrition.  One simple question that keeps coming up time and time again is, well... A question of timing!  Is it better to exercise in the morning or at night?  Unfortunately, the answer isn't quite as simple as the question.  In all actuality, there are benefits and bummers to either arrangement, which I'll be sharing with you in this article.

Early birds might have the right idea when it comes to exercise.  One definite benefit of fitness first thing in the morning is adherence; to put it another way, if you get your burn in early, you'll be less likely to skip.  Exercise in the morning, and you won't have a chance to get too busy or tired.  Another plus of AM activity?  An energy boost that, depending on the type and intensity of your routine, could last longer than your quadruple mochaccino.  

Of course starting your day with a sweat session has a couple of drawbacks too.  The first challenge is fairly obvious. Devoting sufficient time to exercise before work can be near impossible, especially for those with long commutes, early starts, or inconvenient gym hours.  There's also concern about the repercussions of feeling the burn before breakfast.  Exercising while your body's fuel gauge is 'on E' means you have less energy to expend and can result in fatigue, poor results, and maybe even injury.

Evening exercisers, on the other hand, face a totally different set of pros and cons.  First the good news for night owls- penciling your workout in after work hours means you'll be reducing stress as well as your waistline.  There's nothing more therapeutic than a long swim, walk, or stretch session to end a rough day and melt the tension away.  A particularly stressful day could also be well channeled into an intense workout like boxing, weightlifting, or pounding the pavement.  Again, many also find it easier to make time for a workout once their daily obligations are fulfilled.  

Not everything is perfect when it comes to nighttime exercise, though.  For some, working up a sweat within a few hours of bedtime can result in disordered sleeping patterns, such as trouble falling, or staying, asleep.  Thankfully, not everyone experiences those ill-effects.  In fact, getting sufficient exercise, whether it's in the beginning, middle, or end of your day, appears to be a contributing factor for healthy, sound sleep.

What's the answer in the debate between night owls and early birds then?  All things considered, it looks to be a bit of a draw.  So try each arrangement, and go with whichever better suits your needs, personality, and schedule.  Both timings have benefits for your body, so just pick the one you're more likely to stick with and enjoy.  Just remember not to workout on a completely empty stomach- so if you want to exercise first thing in the morning, at least have a piece of fruit or a handful of seeds to get you through to breakfast!

I've always been more of an evening exerciser, myself- which works better for you?  You're welcome to let me know in the comments!

Have a fit & healthy weekend,

Sarah

I tried it so you don't have to (though after reading this you just might want to)- Compression Pants

I'm sure by now you've heard of the term 'compression' used in reference to just about any article of fitness clothing imaginable: pants, tops, leggings, bras, tights, stockings, crops, shorts, socks.  You name it, you can compress it!  For ages I've been wondering what, if anything, these articles of compression clothing actually do in terms of your athletic performance.  The promises of endurance, speed, anti-fatigue, thermogenesis, and muscle tone seemed too good to be true... But were they?

A few weeks ago, I purchased some pairs of compression pants in hopes of answering those very questions and sharing my findings with FITTEST.  First of all, what they didn't do- Iet's get that out of the way.  I wasn't instantly more toned, agile, or quicker... at least not that I noticed!  Honestly, I would have been much more surprised had compression gear lived up to those particular claims because I am pretty skeptical by nature.  And they're just clothes afterall, not magic.  

Now for what I did experience.  Immediately after donning the compression tights, I looked great- they may not actually enhance muscle tone, but they will certainly make you *look* more ripped. During my test workouts (including a beach run, treadmill run, plyometrics, and legs day) my muscles and joints felt supported, yet not suffocated like I worried they might.  I should mention that my main goal in adding compression tights to my workout wardrobe was to offer extra support to a recently injured knee and I definitely felt like, for that purpose, they fit the bill.  During both types of runs, I did feel less muscle fatigue than normal, however during plyometrics and weight lifting I completed either equal or fewer reps than usual and saw no increase in strength.  Another compression pant perk was their effect on temperature regulation; I was kept warm whilst running on a cool beach in the evening and cool in a crowded, sweaty gym!  Probably the most exciting discovery was that I actually noticed a reduction in soreness following the all of the test workouts for the compression tights too!  

I can't really comment on compression wear's effect on thermogenesis, as I wasn't wearing any type of BMR monitoring band or anything during my test workouts.  But from the standpoint of a trainer, the difference in calories burned while wearing compression gear, if any, would likely be negligible.  

Overall, I was very pleased in the performance, look, and feel of the compression gear I tried.  I was most genuinely surprised with the pleasant effects they had on my post-workout soreness.  I would definitely recommend giving them a go and seeing if they have the same positive effects on your workouts!  Don't forget to read FITTEST next week as I tackle the classic conundrum- who gets a more effective workout, the early bird or the night owl?

Have a similar or differing opinion on compression gear?  Share it in the comments!

Have a wonderful week,

Sarah

In the Mix

I made a new trail mix this week, and it is so delicious that I just had to share!

Doesn't it look tasty?  Like all of my mixes, of course this is super easy, healthy, and yummy!  As you can probably tell, there's a bit of chocolate in this one... So it's extra yummy!  Read on for the details.

Fruit & Seed Treat Mix

Make as much or as little as you'd like and portion it out into little baggies or containers!  A serving is 1/3 cup, and contains a little over a hundred good-for-you calories.  Here's what you're looking at:

1 cup dried peas

1 cup dried edamame

1 cup dry roasted pepitas

1 cup dry roasted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dark chocolate covered pepitas

It's just enough sweet and salty to satisfy even the craziest cravings and has fiber and protein to keep you full longer than processed treats.  It might sound like a random amalgamation of ingredients, but it really was too good to keep to myself!

Enjoy the mix & your weekend,

Sarah

Expecting the Unexpected

Hello Readers & Friends,

Please excuse my unexpected absence from the blogosphere- last week my significant other showed up (all the way from England) and took me on a surprise trip for Valentine's Day!  While I did take a break from the blog this past week, one thing I didn't take a break from was fitness- a fact that inspired this evening's post.  Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite ways to remain committed to a healthy lifestyle even when life throws some unexpected surprises your way.  Sure you can't plan for the unexpected, but you can be ready for the surprises life will inevitably send your way by following these tips:

-  If you're thrown out of your element, just go with the flow and improvise.  If traffic forces you to miss your favorite spin class, try Zumba or boxing or whichever other class is next, or get on the stationary bike, select the hill interval setting, and crank your own tunes.  Whatever you do, don't use the unexpected as an excuse to ditch out on your commitment to be healthy.

-  Keep a fully-stocked gym bag in your desk at work, in the trunk of your car, or right by your door at home.  Being packed ahead of time will prevent last-minute omissions; no more skipping a workout due to missing shoes, socks, sports bras, swim caps, etc.  If you still manage to forget something, see above and improvise.  No shoes or socks? Swim or do yoga!  No sports bra?  Skip the run and just lift weights!  No swim cap?  Try aqua aerobics!  No more excuses!

-  Have healthy snacks handy at all times.  Apples keep for ages, so buy a bunch and put them in a nice bowl on your desk at work.  Take a look through my old posts for recipes of healthy homemade trail mixes and make up a batch to keep in your purse, car, or gym bag.  It's likely that at some point you will find yourself out and about and craving a salty (or sweet) snack; preparing ahead of time with healthier fixes prevents junk food binges later on.

-  Worst case scenario, if something does come between you and your workout or if you overindulge on a holiday, just let it go.  Don't let one slip up derail your 'big picture' goals.  Being your FITTEST self isn't about being perfect 100% of the time, it's about your overall lifestyle being a healthy one.  If you beat yourself up over every calorie you've eaten and not burned off, living a healthy lifestyle will become torturous and impossible to stick with!

So if you go with the flow, banish the excuses, be prepared, and stay positive, you'll be your FITTEST self no matter what surprises your days have in store!

'Til Next Time,

Sarah