Let’s Get Fit, Mamas!

Join us for a fun and fantastic cardio and strength workout tailored for each stage of pregnancy and postpartum. Women of all fitness levels are welcome provided they have their health care provider’s clearance.  The classes are led by a Certified Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist who will modify exercises to suit each woman’s needs.

These circuit training classes provide a safe and effective workout as well as a venue for meeting other pre/postnatal women.  Come on out and do something good for you and your growing (or new) baby.

Class Info:
Mondays
February 6, 13, 20, 27
6.30 – 7.30pm
Get Babied!
1825 E 38 1/2 St. Austin TX 78722

$10/class

Please bring a yoga mat & a water bottle

Mama Abs “Rehab”

 

Join Certified Personal Trainer and pre-/postnatal fitness specialist Karen Shopoff Rooff for a postnatal class to restabilize the pelvis and strengthen your core muscles.   This class is for anyone who has been pregnant and given birth who wants a better understanding of how her abdominal and back muscles work together to make you mama strong.

With acceptance of the postnatal period as one of change and progression, a properly designed fitness plan allows postnatal women to effectively strengthen the abdomen and back. By learning how these muscles work together– and how they were affected by pregnancy– women learn to incorporate stabilizing work into daily life. This class will include handouts and homework between sessions so participants can continue to apply the concepts at home.    While attending all four sessions will give the most comprehensive understanding of how to rehab your abs, even one session can lay foundation work that you can build on outside of class.

Please have your care provider’s consent to take this class. Although there are benefits for moms who are ‘mature postpartum’ (more than one year since giving birth) can still reap benefits from this class, brand new moms (less than one month) can do more harm than good.

Class Info:
Mondays
February 6, 13, 20, 27
5.30 – 6.15pm
Get Babied!
1825 E 38 1/2 St. Austin TX 78722

$10/class

Please bring a yoga mat & a water bottle– see you and your mama abs there!

Off to the Circus (again)

I knew it was a great day when there was a LivingSocial deal for Sky Candy, an aerial arts company in East Austin. I snagged the deal without a second thought (paying $10 for one 90-minute class, usually $20). After three years of flying trapeze lessons– which I still take and thoroughly enjoy– I thought it was time to expand my circus arts repertoire.

The class meets in Sky Candy’s studio space, which sounds much more glamorous than the 500 or so square feet behind a furniture maker in a warehouse in East Austin. While I knew the class would be in a warehouse, and therefore probably not have air conditioning, I still decided to go to a class that started at noon. Thank goodness I brought plenty of water.

I met Winnie, one of the co-founders of Sky Candy, who was teaching the Intro to Aerial Arts class yesterday. With only two other students in the class, Winnie kept things professional but casual, encouraging us to try lots of new skills. We started with a fifteen minute yoga-inspired warm up, after which we were already good and sweaty. (If you are squidgy about touching something that some sweaty stranger has just touched, this is not your class.)

We started by learning the silks and rope. Using upper body and core strength, I was able to climb the apparatus without much difficulty. I was surprised, though, how high my heart rate was climbing as I ascended the silks. Not one to be scared of heights, I could tell my muscles were working really hard to support my body weight.

Next we took turns alternating through the static trapeze and the lyra (hoop). The mount for each of these apparatuses required a fairly athletic flip upside down. I made it more difficult than it needed to be, as I found it hard to break my flying trapeze habit of keeping my eye on the bar. Once I got up on to the trapeze and hoop, though, the other tricks were straightforward. Hanging upside down is something I enjoy, so learning to balance and use the apparatus as I moved in, around, and through it was a good mental and physical challenge. My arms and core are feeling it today!

The class finished with a short lesson on the hammock. At first, I wasn’t that interested in this apparatus. What I learned, though, is that it’s actually a lot of fun. I like the balance, strength, and artistry that it requires. Who knew I’d find laying on a thin piece of fabric six feet in the air so much fun?

I have always enjoyed watching Cirque du Soliel type artistry, and now I feel like Dorothy seeing the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. I’ll definitely be back to learn more tricks. ….And get a really amazing workout at the same time. If you’ve always wanted to try something like this, Sky Candy’s classes are supportive, fun, and affordable. For someone who loves both fitness and arts, I’m happy Sky Candy has set up shop in Austin.

Prenatal Group Exercise Class

I’m pleased to announce another six-week session of a prenatal group exercise class is starting up soon! It will run on Monday evenings from 6.15-7.15pm, November 1 – December 6. The class will meet at Evolution Fitness, which is located at 3309B Hancock Dr., 78731. The six-week session cost is $60, or the drop-in rate is $12/session.

The class is developed as circuit training, so it is a mix of cardio and strength exercises. All components of the workout can be modified to suit any stage of pregnancy. Come meet some other pregnant mamas and learn new ways to exercise safely, efficiently, and effectively even while pregnant. The classes are designed and led by Karen Shopoff Rooff, CI- Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist, who is a mother of two and currently pregnant with her third baby.

Email Karen of Balance Personal Fitness Training if you have any questions or would like to register: karen@balancepft.com

Good health and great happiness to you!

Full Moon Yoga

Full Moon Through the Oaks of Austin

Last night I went to a nearly 15-year old Austin tradition: Full Moon Yoga. Led by registered yoga teacher Charles MacInerney, the free class is held on a scenic overlook above Lake Austin. Last night’s warm, breezy weather was perfect for experiencing yoga outdoors.

When I arrived just before the stated 7pm start time, there were already about 50 people there. The experienced folks not only had their yoga mats but a big picnic-type blanket spread out as well. The group was a wonderfully Austin mix of old and young, from several ethnic backgrounds, and some individuals as well as small groups of friends. By the time the class got started just after 7pm, there were at least 80 people there. Honoring the privacy of a yoga practice, I didn’t photograph the group. It was, however, an impressive and uplifting gathering.

Charles began the class with some seated postures. I breathed deeply, became focused, and enjoyed the feeling of the breeze on my body as I moved. I was conscious of the grasses crunching beneath my body as I shifted weight. I felt the still-warm sun on my face. For the first time in nearly eight years of an on-again, off-again yoga practice, I felt a connection between self, body, spirit, and earth. Within five minutes of the class start, I was hooked.

We transitioned to standing, and Charles encouraged the group to explore the different feeling between stretching the fascia and stretching the muscle. We explored postures where we could compare heaviness and lightness. At all times I felt very much part of the larger group, working in communion, but I never felt inadequate or like others were staring at me. (This is a common fear of friends and clients when I invite them to yoga with me.) I think that being in the open creates an atmosphere of grounding for all involved.

After several standing postures, including my favorite of all the asanas– trikonasa, the triangle pose–we turned our group practice toward the setting sun. With some guidance from Charles, we were encouraged to enter a balance pose of our chosing, focusing on the setting sun as our driisti. I chose natarajasana, Lord of the Dance pose. Standing on one leg with my eyes focused on the soft but powerful sun gave me an intense feeling of strength.

With the sun nearly down, we began a 10-minute meditation. Some people chose to stand and watch the sun drop below the horizon, while others took a more traditional savasana. As I laid on my mat, I could feel the now-cool air blowing over my warm body. The sounds of the evening rose up and filled my head as my body laid heavy on the earth. Before I knew it, I could hear Charles’s voice bringing everyone back together again.

We sat cross-legged in sukhasana and shared namaste with our teacher.

Fortunately for me, the class is held only a mile or so from my home. As I walked down the hill toward my house, I was quite literally guided by the rising full moon. It was spectacular; my photos from my phone do not do it justice.

By the time I got to my front yard, the sky was dark, the moon was bright, and I was happy.

What I will take with me from my experience, other than the confirmation that I much prefer outdoor exercise, is something Charles said that can be applied not just to yoga but to all aspects of life: “If there is no ease, there is dis-ease.”

Good health and great happiness to you.

Strength in Numbers

A friend sent me a NYT article last week that discusses how some “hidden” motivators are what really keep people engaged in exercise. According to a motivational psychologist quoted in the article, the social and psychological benefits reaped from exercise are what increase ahearance to a fitness program.

Some people learn this lesson early by participating in team sports in high school. But then, as an adult, they no longer have an obvious connection to a group of like-minded fitness enthusiasts. For me, finding this group was a significant part of my personal development. The women with me in the above photo were my teammates from Cambridge Sports Union, a running club to which I belonged when I moved to Boston nearly sight-unseen in 1998. The members of CSU became my friends, and our socializing centered around training runs, races, and the ever-present post-run brownie. By participating in CSU, I had a group of friends who shared my passion for running, and they challenged me to improve each and every time we put foot to pavement.

Even now in my personal fitness endeavors, I enjoy group classes. I like learning how to do new things and discovering how different activities challenge my body in different ways. I’ve recently taken some rowing classes at Flywheel Fitness, geeking out over the technique of a sport to which I’m totally green. I appreciate the programming done by the instructor which ensures a good workout and the encouragement and technical advice she gives during the class. Seeing familiar faces week after week builds camraderie, knowing that we are all on a common quest for fitness. Sure, I’d still get a good workout if I was by myself, but it’s definitely uplifting to know I’m not working so hard all alone.

The idea of social and psychological motivators to exercise is also evident in my work as a personal trainer. I see the community that has formed in my Well-Balanced Morning circuit training class. In a group of eight-ten regulars over the course of a year, we have gone from being strangers to a group of friends who do everything from swap babysitting to mentoring another member through career change. We have grieved with and helped support one participant whose daughter had a tragic accident, and we celebrated when one participant finished her PhD coursework. Building a community of friends wasn’t my primary intention when starting the class, but being with a group of people whose company you enjoy certainly makes it easier to get up for exercise at 6am three days a week.

So whether it’s finding a workout buddy, a team, or trying a group class, I challenge you to find how having company along on your fitness journey can make the trip more enjoyable. After all, there’s strength in numbers.

Good health and great happiness to you.

High-Flying Friends

Last Sunday, I had the joy of watching one of my oldest and best friends take her first trapeze lesson. M was a willing participant, but she admitted to me on the drive to the Trapeze Experience rig that she was a bit nervous. She was in good hands, though, as our facilitators Russell, Spencer, and Gary are fantastic with new flyers. While M took her ground lesson, I headed up to the platform to being my swing and layout practice.

M struggled a bit on her first attempt at the knee hang, but by her third try she had it perfect. Shortly thereafter, Gary climbed up into the catchtrap, and the next thing M knew she had successfully completed her first mid-air transfer on the flying trapeze! It was so exciting for her; it was also exciting for me, though, to see her feel the thrill of flying. After several other successful catches, M learned a new trick on her very first day.

To make the experience even better, our class was the final session at which “Uncle Tony” Steele was facilitating. A legend in the trapeze world, Uncle Tony has been flying since he was a child. He is the greatest living trapeze artist, having trained people from everyday folks like me to circus performers to celebrities to stuntpeople. Uncle Tony told some pretty corny jokes, but his enthusiasm for trapeze– and sharing his knowledge with others– was infectious. It was also pretty amazing to see him, at age 74, still throw a double back flip.

My lesson for the day came not so much in my work on the trapeze– it was a rather poor day for me, actually– but in my head and heart. From M I learned how fulfilling it can be to watch someone learn something new. Certainly I get that lesson regularly from my kids, but to see an adult tackle a new challenge is equally rewarding. And to see Uncle Tony still doing what he loves with such grace and power and fun is inspirational. It was a full body-mind sense of happiness, completeness, and exhaustion at the end of the lesson.

Is there anything better than sharing something you love with someone you love? I think not.

Just what I NIA’d

When I woke up this morning (at 2am, 3am, 4am, and then 5am for the day), I wasn’t convinced it was going to be a great day. I was a less-than-my-usually-cheery-self during my early morning workout class, which was especially unfortunate given the jungle-like humidity my group faced.  They were inspirational (and perspirational) in their dogged determination to complete the workout.

I dashed home after class, got my 6-year-old ready for first grade, then had a family walk to school. By the time I got home, I had just about 40 minutes before needing to take the 3-year-old to preschool. It was still before 8am, and I was exhausted!

I had the chance to come home after preschool drop-off and have a rare, unspoilt FOUR HOURS to myself. No clients. No husband working at home. Just me and my comfy green sofa.

But I also remembered that today is Dr. Deb Kern’s WILD Women Workout, and after going to only two sessions before, I realized that was just what I needed. Dr. Deb leads a group of women through a NIA workout filled with everything from tai chi moves to pilates poses to all-out cardio jam. Dancing unabashedly in a studio, about twenty women move around the room free from judgement and filled with conviction. The workout is all about connecting with your body, harnessing the power of your mind, and honoring the self.  

I left the workout feeling energized and hopeful.  Thank you, Dr. Deb!

Five Ways to Beat the Heat

For those of us in Texas, it’s been hot for a while.  But we’ve now come to the time of the year when the weather forecast is totally predictable for the next three months: highs  in the high 90s/low 100s, lows in the low 80s/high 70s (if we’re lucky!), a 10% chance of rain on one day in the 10-day forecast (but it’s always only a meterological mirage), and humid mornings. 

And that doesn’t even begin to take the pesky mosquitos into consideration!

Here are five  ideas for keeping up exercise through the summer:

• Exercise early.  Get out before 7am.  While the humidity is higher than it will be at 7pm, the overall conditions are much better for exercise.  If you aren’t motivated to get out for a walk or a run on your own that early, maybe a group exercise class is what you need.  Come join me!
• Exercise indoors.  No gym membership?  No problem!  There’s plenty you can do at home with very little equipment.  Push Ups at the kitchen counter….tricep dips using the coffee table…lunges down the hall…jumping jacks in the living room.  Exercise doesn’t need to be fancy to be effective.
• Videos.  Have some old fitness DVDs lying around?  Summer is a great time to reacquaint yourself with those workouts.  Or you can try ExerciseTV for a huge selection of workouts– all styles, intensities, lengths, and difficulty levels can be found.
• Break up your workout.  Walk for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening, and do a quick SparkPeople  video at lunch or while dinner is cooking.
• Swim.  A pool is inviting and refreshing in the summer sun.  If you’re not a confident enough swimmer to swim laps, use a kickboard or pull buoy.  Lap swimming too boring?  Hop into the pool with a friend, and you both can tread water for a great workout with plenty of opportunity for chatting.

Regardless of what type of exercise suits you best, remember to hydrate!

Good health and great happiness to you.

Off to a great start!

We’re only three days in to summer vacation, but I’m feeling really good about it so far.  I know that many people like to do nothing during summer; I am not one of those people.  You’ve probably guessed by now that I have a lot of energy.  I don’t do sitting around very well.

Wednesday night The Bear’s restaurant choice was Chinatown, “because there are tablecloths and no crayons!”  Certainly finishing Kindergarten is a dignified milestone, and we celebrated accordingly.  The Monkey was well-behaved, too, and it was a refreshingly enjoyable family night out.

Thursday morning I dropped The Monkey off at MDO and The Bear and I headed to the Rockin’ River water park.  It was awesome.  We played in the fountains.  We rode around the lazy river.  I watched The Bear play on the water playscape.  We played dolphin and minnow.  We had swimming races.  But perhaps my favorite part was just lying on the deck chairs, soaking up the sun’s warmth, and The Bear saying, “I love being with you.”

Friday morning I biked both boys and myself to Fire Station 12 for a tour.  It’s one of the oldest stations in Austin, so it isn’t big or fancy.  But the boys thought it was fantastic.  They loved climbing in the fire truck, too.  Kudos to Firefighter Fred and his colleagues for being such gracious hosts.

Last night The Bear and I went to see “Annie” at Bass Concert Hall.  I had briefed him on the plot, and my sensitive boy was still a bit scared when the delightfully nasty Miss Hanigan took the stage.  He soon settled in to the magic of the musical, though, and applauded appreciatively after each number.  I was sad that he fell asleep with about 20 minutes left– but he made it until past 10.30pm, which is really late for him– but he didn’t seem to care.  He thought the whole thing was really exciting.  It was a very special night out for us.

Today there was swimming and personal training clients and a group class.  I also sewed up a dress for a birthday gift for one of  The Monkey’s friends.  We ended the day with the great summer ritual of eating ice cream.  Although we felt it was too hot to bike to Amy’s as we usually do, it wasn’t too hot for some fun playing after we ate our treat.

Sure, summer is hot.  But it’s also so much fun.