“It’s hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake it off”- great lyric from Florence and the Machine and so true.  There are so many things that happen in our lives that can alter how we feel and really throw you off your game.  A great high-intensity workout can be the best way to help shake it off.  Kettlebell Swing Combinations, Rope Drills, TRX Rip Drills and Heavy Bag Punches are some ways to get that spike to release all that bad stuff, let go and move on. 

You may not have it all figured out, but it will make you feel a whole lot better!

 

The secret to losing weight…It’s really no secret.  Don’t complain about that extra weight if you’re not willing to make the commitment to make the necessary changes to reach your goal.  There are so many excuses that people will give themselves.  Unless your physician has prescribed a specific program or set limitations for your condition, there really isn’t any reason for anyone not to exercise.  We’ve heard it all.  A doctor once told me that people will see him for back pain.  After he has determined that there is no medical condition he said “people don’t exercise because they have back pain but they have back pain because they don’t exercise”.  So his recommendation “exercise and strengthen your back and you won’t have back pain”.  It’s funny how that works.

The secret to losing weight consists of three components:

1.       Proper Nutrition; well-balanced, eat approximately every 4 hours to keep your metabolism working.  Don’t skip breakfast!
2.       Strength and Conditioning; build muscle will help burn fat to keep you lean and strong. 
3.       Cardio; burn fat.

It’s not to say that you won’t accomplish your weight loss goal with only one of these. But it will take you a whole lot longer.  In addition, you’ll be missing the health and fitness benefits of the other two components.

TIPS:  Clean up your eating behavior.  Try not to ‘go on a diet’ since at some time you will be ‘off that diet’.  If you eat ‘clean’, the one time you indulge, it won’t have a devastating impact. 

The same with your workout, if you work out most days of the week, just get back to it the next day.
Make this your new behavior and you’ll reach your initial goal and continue your fitness journey to the next level. 

Mini Office Workout – If you are a person that sits at a desk in front of a computer most of the day, you know that your body can feel stiff and tired.  Your back and shoulders tend to hunch forward and you find yourself feeling tense.  Here are few movements that will help you release some stress, feel more refreshed throughout your day, be more productive – and possibly motivate you to get to the gym to finish your workout after work. 

When you need to take a break or during your lunch time,

§  Get up and take a walk, use the stairs instead of the elevator.
§  Stand, stretch your body, raise your arms overhead bend slowly forward, then to each side
§  Back: Sit up straight, shrug your shoulders forward, roll them up, back and down
§  Back: Sit up straight, raise elbows up to the side, retract your shoulder blades (wide row)
§  Neck: Slowly turn your head right to left, forward and back
§  Neck: Place right hand over the head, gently press downward, simultaneously drop left shoulder, repeat other side.

§  Paper Clip Body Weight Squats, be sure to sit back on your heels (drop some paper clips and squat to pick them up one at a time).
§  Desk or wall Push Ups 10x each; one set with elbows out, second set elbows in
§  Filing Leg Kick Backs: while standing at the file cabinet, stand on right leg and kick left leg back, repeat 10x, alternate to other leg.
§  Seated knee tucks:  Sit on the edge of a stable chair (no wheels, please!) extend your legs, heels on the ground, breathe out as you tuck your knees, extend to starting position – keep it slow, no momentum. Keep your heels off the ground as you progress. 
(2 sets, 30 seconds each, increase time to 1 minute)

You might even motivate a co-worker!

Share your break time or lunch time workouts with us…

 

Today, someone make an interesting comment to me. She said, I was thinking of you this morning while I was at physical therapy. Her physical therapist said “zumba and personal trainers keep us in business”. She said it was an interesting conversation. In response, I actually agreed with her “that most programs and personal trainers do not instruct on form and movement before engaging in any strength, intensity or even dance ‘zumba’ exercises. People can injure themselves if they are not taught the basics and how to be in tune to how they are moving their body. We (the trainers at KettlebellFitnessCT) teach movement before strength and strength before intensity”. To make a blanket comment is not fair to the reputable trainers out there who want to make a difference in the quality of their trade and the well-being of their clients. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to continue the conversation but it did prompt me to write this blog.

The business of personal training and training DVD’s is exploding with all types of trainers and programs but they are not focused on how people move. How can someone really learn proper form and movement, especially with kettlebells, from a DVD? You can’t! We get countless people coming to us saying, I don’t know if I want to work with kettlebells, I hurt my back from the class I took or from the **** kettlebell DVD or my knees hurt from squats. Well, when we observe their form, it’s no wonder they hurt themselves. Even some trainers out there are not properly trained to instruct the proper form and movement required especially for kettlebells. So, know your trainer. How do they instruct? Do they take corrective action to adjust your form and be sure you understand how your body is moving? We continue to educate ourselves to provide the most safe and effective environment. As always, consult with your physician before starting any fitness program. If you have a current issue, your physician will prescribe the proper course of action.

Whether it’s 1:1, 2:1 or our group program, we meet to first assess movement and the fitness level before giving our recommendation on the best program for that person. From that initial consult we may ask for physician clearance or at any time during training, if we feel there is reason, we may recommend you see your physician for further consult. Obviously, with 1:1 or 2:1 sessions, form and movement can be addressed on a very individual basis. That’s why we structured our group program to be limited to no more than six clients in any session. This provides the opportunity to teach and watch how each client is performing an exercise all while providing the client with the personal training experience in a small group setting. If we see that the form is not being executed properly and to avoid injury, the client is instructed to the lesser progression or the exercise changed or stopped completely. We then schedule a workshop time to work individually on that movement.

Experience the difference fitness can make in your life!

Motivation comes from many sources, but the excitement that comes from the clients of KettlebellFitnessCT is infectious. This is not to say that we don't hear an occasional groan or an 'are you kidding'. That's the sound you hear as they are pushing to get to that next level. It's an amazing feeling when you see your client achieve that new sense of power. Whether it's a private or small group session, morning or night workout or anytime in between, everyone may be exhausted but they leave energized all while confirming their next session. Knowing everyone shares the same enthusiasim for a sweat dripping, heart pounding workout creates an amazing experience! Thank you to all our clients. We appreciate your hard work for being fit!   If ou've been thinking about training, we invite you to take that next step and come visit us.

 

Stress...it gets the better of all of us at one time or another.  Those times when you feel so overloaded where you just can't think straight.  Before that stress level gets the better of you, make some good use of all that adrenneline and work off that stress in high intensity workout!  It's too easy to talk yourself out of your workout. So, instead of using the excuse that your too stressed, use it as the reason you should go to the gym. Releasing those endorphins will make you feel so much more in control.  You may not have everything figured out but it will definitely help you move forward.