What's coming up?

Runner's Boot Camp - Monday April 5th @ 5:30 a.m.  Mondays and Wednesdays for 6 weeks...the camp will continue through the summer and hopefully the fall months.  The program will start with a progressive 6-week plan but may change to an open sign-up plan in the future.

Is there any interest in a Fitness Boot Camp near Rochester?  How about Tues & Thurs @ 5:45 a.m.?

Teacher's Boot Camp - this is a fitness boot camp offered later in the morning so that teacher's can sleep in a little & still make it to a class  :)   This will start the first week in June, Mondays & Wednesdays at 8 a.m. at Rotary Park.  I have three signed up already!

Runner's Clinic - I've had some interest but not enough to get a class going right now. I'm thinking that starting one after the Illini Marathon would be ideal...by the end of May. Let me know if you are interested.  I would need to do this either Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. or Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.

High School Runner's Clinic - I would like to see the same runners I had in the winter plus a ton more kids!  This would likely start in June and go until 1 week before practice starts. I hope to have it on Tuesday and Thursday around 9 a.m. - after morning practice ??

Basic 6: The Torso Rotation...and the plank

The Seated Torso Rotation

One core exercise that mimics everyday activity is the torso rotation.  This exercise uses all of your core muscle, including the hips.  The most difficult part about the torso rotation is keeping good posture while rotating.  Some of us sit all day in a slumped or shoulder shrugged position so doing this exercise may feel extra challenging at first.  The best way to start out is slow and with lower reps, just to be sure you are using the proper muscles and your posture is perfect.

The muscles used in the torso rotation are the upper abdominals, lower abs, olbiques (sides), hip flexors (front of hips), abductors (sides of hips), low back and middle back. 

• Start sitting with your back straight, feet on the floor, knees bent up, and knees together (not falling out to the sides)
• Twist to one side (using your core muscles and not your arms), then to the middle, then to the other side
• Your goal is to use your abdominal muscles to twist and keep your back straight while twisting
• Once you have mastered this exercise, add a medicine ball and lift your feet to make it more difficult

The Plank

The plank can be done with straight arms, on the forearms, facing the floor, facing the ceiling (reverse plank), or on your side (side plank).  You can add movement with your whole body, your arms, and your legs to make it more difficult.  You can also add props, such as dumbbells, pulling a cable, or using balance tools.  The plank teaches you to tighten your entire core and trains your body to use the core during other exercises. 

The basic plank: straight arm, standard plank and side plank

• Start with your hands (for the straight arm plank), both forearms (for the standard plank), or one forearm (for the side plank) and feet on the floor; your body off the ground & in a straight line
• Hold this position for as long as you can without feeling strain in your lower back - typically 20-30 for front planks and 10-20 seconds for side planks to start. Work up to 30-60 for all three.
• For the standard and side planks, keep your shoulders directly above your elbows so that there is a 90 degree angle with your arms.  Keep your shoulders directly above your hands for the straight arm plank
• As you hold this position, be sure that your body is straight - not teepeed or swayed. If your butt is too high you won't challange your abs and if your butt is too low you will strain your lower back.
• Throughout the entire hold, pay attention to where you feel the tension and how your body is positioned.  If you cannot hold proper form any longer then that is your clue to stop.

Boot Campers

I am excited to start the outdoor boot camp Monday, April 5th! There are some hard-core people signed up so it should be a great group to work with.

If you have signed up I would advise you to do some of the basic exercises this week & next week to prepare.  Don't go overboard, just push enough to break a sweat and get the motions and form down.  You could do something like this:
2 days a week, 2-3 sets

• 10-15 pushups
• 10 x each leg stationary or walking lunges
• 30-60 second plank
• 15 x squats
• If you have weights do light (5lb dumbbells) shoulder raises-out to sides and front, start w/weights at sides and raise up to shoulder level
• 20-30 second side plank
• 30 second reverse plank

And don't forget to bring a water bottle, an old bath towel (for padding and assistance w/pullups etc.), and lifting gloves.  Oh yea, bring a positive attitude and a willingness to push yourself!

Basic 6: The Lunge & The Squat

Ah, the lunge...my favorite lower body exercise!  Why? Because it covers all the lower body muscles in one shot-the gluteals (butt), quadriceps (front thigh), hamstrings (back thighs), and the hip muscles.  To do a lung properly always remember that it is a downward movement and not a forward movement. That way you will save your knees and work the proper muscles.

 

 

Stationary Lunges

• Start with stationary lunges if you have never done them before. If your balance is poor then do them next to a wall to hold on
• Stand with one leg in front of the other, with about 2' between each foot
• Lunge down so that your back knee is bent, at 90 degrees, & about 5" off the floor; & so your front knee is bent & at 90 degrees.
• While down in the lunge position, your back foot should be pointing straight forward and up on the balls of your foot.  Keep the heel of your front foot on the ground.
• Stand up, using your butt, legs and feet to push up

Walking lunges

• Walk out about 2' with one foot
• Keeping your front heel on the ground, lunge down
• Use your feet to push up and forward into the standing position, remembering all of the cues from the stationary lunges above - back foot straight, 90 degrees, use your butt and lower body
• Continue to walk and lunge, alternating legs each time

The squat is an exercise that many people do improperly.  The most common mistakes made with the squat, from my experience, are predominantly using the back and knees as apposed to the butt and thighs; and not going through the full range of motion.

When performing a squat, one should focus on using the quads, hamstrings, butt, hip flexors, and core...and all their balancing muscles of course.  When I teach a squat I tell woman clients that it's like hovering over a portapotty-every woman understands this position!  Here are some other instructions for the squat:

• Start with feet shoulder width apart, toes forward, your core tight, & hold good posture
•  To lower your body in a squat, bend at the waist then the knees sticking out your butt and chest
• Lower down until your upper thighs are about 1" past parallel with the ground - if you are not able to lower that far then do them over a chair to be sure you don't fall on your rear
• Be sure not to let your knees go over your toes & don't let them go inward
• Act like you are pinching a golf ball between your shoulder blades so that you keep good posture
• Keep your upper and lower back straight, with the natural lumbar curve in your lower back
• As you stand up be sure to use your legs and butt rather than your low back

Are you eating enough fruits & vegetables?

Older children, teen girls, active women, most men who need about 2,200 calories each day should have 3 servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables each day. 

Here’s a good plan to reach this recommendation: 

• 1 piece of fruit w/ breakfast
• 100% fruit juice with mid-morning snack
• 2 servings of veggies at lunch
• 2 servings of veggies at dinner
• Your last serving of fruit can be included with your mid-afternoon snack-a part of your after workout recovery snack-or your night snack (instead of ice cream!).  Try to stick with this plan to ensure you are getting enough QUALITY in your diet!

What counts as a serving?

Fruits

• 1/2 cup fruit
• 1 medium piece of fruit
• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1/4 small cantaloupe
• 1/4 cup dried fruit
• 1/2 cup berries
• a dozen grapes
• 3/4 cup fruit juice (100% juice)

 

Vegetables

• 1/2 cup chopped vegetables
• 1 cup raw leafy vegetables (a small salad)
• 6-8 carrot sticks (3" long)
• 1 medium potato
• 1/2 cup cooked or canned dry beans or peas
• 3/4 cup vegetable juice

Instructions for the basic 6: The Pushup

The Basic 6 Strength Training Exercises

1. Push (chest, shoulders and arms)
2. Pull (upper back & arms)
3. Lunge (legs & butt)
4. Squat (legs & butt)
5. Deadlift (legs & low back)
6. Rotation (torso - abdominals, obliques & low back)

Push exercises done outside in a boot camp will be limited to a variety of pushups and dips.  I will give instruction on the modified & basic pushup for this post and as you get stronger you will be able to add some variety to your pushups.

The Modified Pushup

1. Start on knees and hands
2. Your hips & butt should be in a straight line with your shoulders and knees.  Imagine a pole going through the top of your head down to your knees
3. Your hands should be a little wider than your shoulders and right under the shoulders
4. Keeping your arms, chest and core muscles contracted & tight, lower your body until you are about 5" from the ground
5. Push up with your chest, arms, core and thigh muscles
6. As you push up keep your hips straight and do not let your butt go into a pike position (or a teepee)

The Standard Pushup

1. Start on knees and toes
2. Your back, hips, butt & legs should be in a straight line. Imagine a pole going through the top of your head down to your toes
3. Your hands should be a little wider than your shoulders with your arms directly perpendicular with the floor
4. Keeping your arms, chest, core & leg muscles contracted & tight, lower your body until you are about 5" from the ground
5. Push up with your chest, arms, core and thigh muscles
6. As you push up keep your hips straight and do not let your butt go into a pike position (or a teepee)

 **Tips for a good pushup: upen your chest up as you go down and focus on the muscles you are using the most - your chest and core.  Using your core will help when your arms aren't strong enough yet.  Practice makes perfect so do 2-3 sets of pushups three days a week (with rest days in between).

Hot Peppers...yow!!

I like recipes that require little prep and no more than 30 minutes to cook. Most of my weekly dishes only take about 15 minutes to prep and 15 to cook. I like the challenge of getting the timing right and having everything hot and ready at the same time. A recipe might not be under 30 minutes the first time I prepare it but eventually I'm able to do it.


One dish my husband, Andrew, and I like making is Thai Basil Beef. The first time we made it was a learning experience...with handling hot peppers. I made him cut the hot peppers and he didn't use gloves. When he was done he washed his hands but that didn't get the hot pepper out of his skin. For the next two days his hands burned and anything he touched right after handling them burned...you know what guys scratch most often. Well, let's just say he was in a little pain down yonder for a bit.

Remember to wear gloves to handle the hot peppers!

The Thai recipe was delicious and didn't have too much fat or calories. It was a little high in sodium due to the fish sauce and soy sauce. But the veggies and flavor made it a delicious dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 jalapeno peppers (we reduced this the 2nd time, using only 2)
• 1 green pepper
• 1 lb. flank steak, tenderized and cut into strips - ask your butcher to slice it for free
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce - I found it at Schnucks
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper, calls for white pepper but we just used black
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
• Rice noodles (found at Schnucks) or rice

Prep (You have to have the prep done before cooking because it moves along pretty quickly):

1. If serving with rice start cooking it first.
2. Purchase flank steak already sliced or you slice thinly across the grain.
3. Peel and chop garlic.           Seed and slice jalapeno peppers.
4. Cut green peppers in thin slices.

Cooking directions:

1. Heat pan and add oil & garlic.  Chow for a very brief moment. I'm not sure what 'chow' means but I just stirred it over heat for a bit.
2. Add peppers to pan, chow for a few minutes.
3. Add beef and chow for a couple of minutes so meat sears to medium rare.
4. Toss rice noodles in boiling water (takes about 5-7 minutes to cook)
5. Quickly add remaining ingredients and toss for a moment.
6. Serve hot over rice noodles or rice.

Let me know if you make this dish and what you think of it. Thanks.

Unhealthiest Dine-out Chicken Dishes

Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding a Yahoo! Health Expert for Nutrition

Back when The Price is Right first aired, Americans were eating fewer than 20 pounds of chicken per year. Flash forward 54 years and our annual chicken poundage has jumped closer to 60. That’s an increase of more than 300 percent.

So what accounts for the hike? Obesity, heart disease, diabetes—you name it. As studies began linking fatty diets to a litany of maladies, meat eaters started looking for an alternative to beef, and chicken farmers began cranking out the birds. Not long after, pork was relegated to its inferior position as “the other white meat.”

But as chicken sales took flight, there was another trend dominating American eating habits. That was the growth of a monolithic restaurant industry that now pulls in about half of our total food dollars. And the battle to get the biggest share of those dollars led to some unsettling practices. Innovative restaurateurs began adding flavor by injecting salt and monosodium glutamate. They rolled chicken in breading, dropped it in hot grease, marinated it in oil, and smothered it with cream and butter—all the while still promoting the idea of a “healthy” alternative to beef.

Looks like we should have listened to Alfred Hitchcock. When he filmed The Birds in 1963, just as chicken sales were starting to climb, he must have been trying to warn us about what we were up against: killer birds. Don’t believe it? Take a look at the sorry state of chicken today, compliments of Eat This, Not That! and the new New York Times bestseller Cook This, Not That!

See my "Articles" page for the top 8 worst chicken dishes.

Today

I just finished testing my first bootcamp workout. It was just the right mix of heart pumping, chest burning, and ab blasting fun!  I'm glad I was a little out of shape this month so that I can truly see how these workouts feel. Funny how being injured ends up being a good thing for my clients :)

I am so excited to see who signs up for this class. It will be fun and challenging. We'll work together and encourage each other to the max!  Remember this, I believe in proper progression. You may not be so sore you can't walk after the first workout.  But, each workout will feel challenging, not over the top. My hope is to whip you into shape but to keep you from getting injured. Good things take time and we'll all be surprised how much stronger we are in the end.  I love being fit and being able to test out the workouts before giving them to the clients.  That's what all trainers should do!

Send me an email to sign up for any of my classes: trainerjoy@comcast.net

Let's get these classes going soon guys! Come on hurry up and sign up! We wanna start working out!!!

High Intensity Boot Camp

Why would you sign up for a Boot Camp with me? 

• You can enjoy being outside, not in a stuffy gym
• Workout with your friends or other people wanting a great workout
• You will work harder than if you worked out alone
• You will get a great workout with little to no equipment
• Each workout will be creative, fun, and will progress properly so you don't get injured (Sorry Leah, Brigitte, & Brad...I won't be sending you more patients)

Shake up your fitness routine by commiting to six weeks of boot camp. If you like it, take a week off then come back for more. I will be hosting this boot camp all summer.

Send me a message at trainerjoy@comcast.net if you are interested!
Or, wait for the SRRC newsletter to see my ad.

Running specific classes and high intensity outdoor boot camp

Sign up now for my running-specific classes or my High Intensity Outdoor Boot Camp!

Email me at trainerjoy@comcast.net

High Intensity Outdoor Bootcamp
Space limited to 15 people per class
$180 - 6 week program
Located at the Washington Park shelter, Springfield, IL
Mondays & Wednesdays 5:45 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.
Mondays & Wednesdays 7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.

Runner's Clinic
Space limited to 6 people per class (minimum of 3 per class)
$25/session, If you sign up for a 6-week package $22/session
Located at PhysioTherapy Professionals-2921 Greenbriar Drive, Springfield, IL
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:00 a.m. - 6:45 a.m.
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.

Teacher's Bootcamp
Once school is out...June?
8:00am-9:45am
Days TBD
Location TBD...ouside somewhere!


High School Runner's Clinic
Located at PhysioTherapy Professionals-2921 Greenbriar Drive, Springfield, IL
June-August (times TBA)