Stay Healthy Through the Holidays

Calling all pre-/post-natal women in Austin who are looking to keep fit through the holidays!

My group exercise class for pregnant and postnatal women will continue to meet through early January. Come out and join us for a great cardio and strength interval workout. All exercises can be modified to suit different stages of pregnancy or the new mom’s new body and its needs. This is a great way to keep a focus to your fitness during the weeks of parties, big meals, and endless treats.

Mondays, December 13 – January 3
6.15 – 7.15pm
Evolution Fitness
3309B Hancock Dr, 78731

The four-week session is $40, or you can pay a drop-in rate of $12/class.

Contact Karen of Balance Personal Fitness Training if you have any questions.
You are welcome to join our community of fit mamas!

Dates Announced: 3rd Annual FREE Running Clinic

Running has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite parts of being a Certified Personal Trainer is helping people to learn that running can actually be really fun. Because running is both efficient and social, it’s a great component for an exercise program for busy people. I will be hosting my 3rd annual four-week running clinic on Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm, starting September 15th. This free clinic will be held at the pavilion in Perry Park, adjacent to Highland Park Elementary, 4900 Fairview Drive, Austin, TX 78731. Men, women, and teenagers are welcome to attend.

Each clinic will consist of warm-up and cool-down jogs with agility drills and strength or speed conditioning exercises. Each week will focus on a different aspect of running training: the basics of form and staying injury-free, hill training, interval training, and pace running. At the conclusion of each week’s workout, there will be directed stretching and time for questions and answers. The clinic is open to all ability levels, from joggers to seasoned runners. I promise that workouts can be modified to be made suitable for a wide range of participants.

The timing of the clinic serves as a great base for those who want to run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday, November 7th. As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I am motivated to help find a cure for this disease. Join other Austinites starting on September 15th to demonstrate that running builds both good health and strong communities.

Contact Karen of Balance Personal Fitness Training for more information: karen@balancepft.com

Ten Ways to Say: Happy Active Mother’s Day!

1. There are fun runs and road races all over the country dedicated to moms and families. It’s not too late to find one and join in the fun.

2. Tell your kids to take a hike…but go with them!

3. My Monkey’s preschool has a family campout on Mother’s Day weekend. The great outdoors, other kids to entertain yours, and other moms to chat with is a great combination.

4. If you’re in a warm climate, find yourself a raft and float in the pool. Let the kids splash and play while you envision yourself on the ocean in Hawaii.

5. Have your kids set up a backyard obstacle course. You can either join in the fun or act as the official timekeeper as they race.

6. Take a new-to-you class. Always wanted to try yoga, pilates, spinning, rowing, or running? Take some time for yourself to learn a new modality.

7. Skip the brunch and pack a healthy picnic. Bonus points if you go to a playground and challenge your kids to the monkey bars while you’re there!

8. Find a pick-your-own farm, and discover the fun of getting fresh food right from the source. Options depend on your location, but there’s something fresh near you!

9. Go on a family bike ride. It’s a classic family-friendly activity. And if you’re the one who pulls the little one(s) in a bike trailer (like I am in my family), it’s a great workout even at a kid-friendly pace.

10. Take a nap! Rest is a key component of any well-rounded fitness program. And let’s face it: You’ve earned it, Mama!

Why I hate “bootcamps”

Despite the huge-and-growing popularity of bootcamps as a group fitness option, I must admit that I hate that term. For me, the image of a bootcamp includes a sergeant who is a) shouting, b) in your face, and c) trying to make you hurt. I certainly understand why the military uses this form of communication, but what I don’t understand is why so many civilians find this style motivating.

Since I’m being honest here, I’ll say that the very last thing I want to do at 6am (or any other time) is yell. Maybe I’m lazy; maybe I’m the one who needs a kick in the pants. Or maybe I’m cut from a different mold. While some people may find it motivating to be hollered at, I find it demeaning. I believe that if you need to be yelled at to exercise, your issues are far greater than what I am capable of handling within the bounds of my profession.

So how can I be a results-driven trainer who expects her clients to put forth quality effort every class or session? Easy. I believe that people who get up in the wee hours of the morning to arrive at a 6am circuit training class (please, oh please do NOT call it a bootcamp!) are already motivated. All I have to do is encourage them– give positive cues, offer affirmations when appropriate, and comment on achievements– and my participants and clients motivate themselves. And isn’t that a better benchmark of wellness? When we don’t need someone in our face to bark commands because the desire to succeed comes from within?!

Many of my class participants have commented that it is because of my kinder, more positive approach that has contributed to their adherance to the class. They come back because of the variety of workouts (which are programmed in the same interval style as hard-core bootcamps), the comeraderie of the class community, and the fitness results that they continue to see month-after-month. I want my participants to feel valued. After all, helping people find ways to integrate exercise into their lives on a daily basis for their whole life is at the heart of why I am a personal trainer.

If you’ve been looking for a place where your fitness level will be honored and your achievements celebrated, please do join us. I promise a friendly face, a smile, and cheering using my inside voice.

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.

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.

Prenatal/Postnatal Group Fitness Classes Start Tomorrow!

Join us for a fun and fantastic cardio and strength workout tailored for each stage of pregnancy and postpartum. These circuit training classes provide a safe and effective workout as well as a venue for meeting other pre/postnatal women.

NEW SESSION STARTING MAY 9th!

NEW LOCATION!
Evolution Fitness
3309B Hancock Dr.
Near the intersection of Hancock & Balcones
Behind Crenshaw’s Athletic Club
Saturdays, 1-2pm

Seven sessions (May 9th – June 20th), $65
Drop-in, $10/class

Need more information? Want me to hold a space for you?  Send me an email: karen@balancepft.com

 

See you there!

The Power of Consistency

I’ve been a regular exerciser for most of my life. I can’t remember a block of time when I didn’t exercise. Even after the births of my children– which were blessedly straightforward– I was reestablishing my regular exercise routine in two weeks. It’s just a part of who I am.

But for many people, getting into the habit of exercise is difficult. The key is to remove the roadblock elements and excuses. Are you fantastic at generating a wide variety of reasons *not* to exercise? If so, I suggest trying to exercise first thing in the morning. Set your alarm just fifteen minutes earlier than normal, and get up to go for a walk. It may not seem like much, but you can know that you have done something positive for your health. And do you really miss those last fifteen minutes of sleep? Probably not.

Do you have friends who struggle with exercising? Be a workout buddy. Even ifyou don’t live close enough to be an in-person buddy, use that early morning fifteen minute walk to chat on your cell phone with your friend. Now you’ve started your day with something good physically and emotionally. How is that for motivation?

Finding a group exercise class that fits your personality and fitness level is a great way to exercise consistently. Especially if the instructor knows you and helps you to feel accountable for your attendance, you’ll quickly establish a consistent exercise routine.

The benefits of consistent, regular exercise aren’t just physical. You’ll reap the rewards of less stress, increased blood flow to the brain, and the feel good endorphins that will give you a positive attitude.

Good health and great happiness to you.