Category: Work Outs (Page 3 of 6)

My Return to Boot Camp Class

November 4, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I’d like to say that my return to boot camp class at my gym was a great success and that I left the class in a moment of triumph. It wasn’t quite that exciting, I confess. In fact, I felt glad that I managed to scrape through the session.

I realized that I had not been to boot camp class in almost two years. How is that possible? I went to this class every Saturday morning for several years. Well, I was dealing with some family issues out of town in the beginning of 2020 and then of course the gyms as well as the world just shut down.

I returned to the gym over a year ago but at first the classes at the gym had not resumed. Then, when they did, I just couldn’t get the motivation to show up at the class.

A couple of weeks ago, I was heading into the gym locker room on Saturday morning and ran into one of my fellow boot camp attendees. She said, “are you going to boot camp?”

I answered, “No, I’m going swimming today. I don’t feel like I’m boot camp worthy right now.”

She said, “Oh sure you are. You should come.”

Return to Boot Camp Class

That actually motivated me so I returned to class last Saturday.

The class was a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session. We just discussed on the podcast episode with Pam Semanik about the benefits of doing HIIT so I was pleased. The class was basically 30 seconds of exercise broken with 15 seconds of rest. We did strength exercises with kettlebells (squats, skull crushers, biceps curls, etc.) and more cardio based exercises (burpees, jumping jacks, ice skaters, etc.)

Those cardio exercises were tough for me. I guess I hadn’t done them in those two years so I was struggling. I’ve been keeping up on strength workouts so I didn’t have as much difficulty with them.

After we finished the HIIT portion of class, we did a number of abs workouts followed by a stretching cool down.

It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces and hear people say how good it was to see me. It made me happy to return to boot camp class.

I guess I need to return to my routine and keep going to boot camp. I suspect I can get back into shape fairly quickly.

What have you struggled to get back to after the break in our normal activities? Let me know!

Five Things to Know When Starting at the Gym

June 10, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Five things to know when starting at the gym? Obviously, there could be many more than this but I thought I’d share a few ideas.

Many of us don’t go to the gym regularly so that when we sign up, we feel overwhelmed. It can be intimidating to go to the gym but it can also be enjoyable. Here are some tips to help make starting at a gym a rewarding experience.

Don’t overdo it. We get excited to start our new fitness routine and tend to over do it with weight or repetitions when we first get there. After all, if some is good, more is better, right? Wrong, in this case. All you’ll end up doing is hurting yourself. Your muscles will be too sore to return to the gym in a couple of days and that will be the end of that. Instead, start easy. Focus on form. Maybe don’t even use weights. Just do the workout without the weights and do a few more reps. I suspect you’ll still feel it the next day but you should be able to return to the gym in a couple of days, still feeling enthusiastic.
Go to the gym two or three times a week. That way you can begin to build a routine and begin to challenge your body in a consistent way. Your body needs to have a change to repair itself in between sessions so be sure to have some rest days. You can also throw in a day or two of cardio and perhaps a day of gentle yoga.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your gym has trainers available to answer questions and show you how to use a piece of equipment or how to set up something. That’s what they’re there for and they are happy to help you. (If they’re not happy to help, you probably need to find a different gym.)
Check out the classes. Most gyms have group classes. This is a great way to learn some new workout routines and get challenged in some new ways. If you’re a social person, classes help you get to meet people. If you’re not social, there’s no need to chat. Just focus on what the instructor says and enjoy the class.
You’re the important person here. Do not worry what others are doing. Don’t discourage yourself by wondering why someone can lift twice as much as you. Your workout is all about you and your progress. Just focus on your own workout and don’t let competition with others discourage you. You really want to be competing with your past self. Each workout is a chance to do a bit more in some way.

There are certainly more things you can do to make going to the gym a rewarding experience but these five things to know when starting at the gym should help you get off to a good start. If you want some more suggestions about working out at the gym, check out this article about gym etiquette I wrote a couple of years ago.

What advice would you share with others? Let me know at jill@becomingelli.com or comment below.

Mountain Biking and Being Fit with Jane Crawford

December 8, 2020 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Mountain biking – Episode 72

In episode 72, Jill and Chris talk with Jane Crawford, a mountain biker and a Recreation Therapist who lives in Calgary, Canada. She walks the talk about wellness and healthy living. As a Recreation Therapist she has learned the clinical tools to support those with chronic health conditions and been able to use those tools in her own life.

In 2008 she set the goal of 10,000 steps a day and continues to do this today. In 2010, she used a simple check mark on the kitchen calendar of completing 30 minutes most days for physical activity. This simple way of holding herself accountable has lead her to become a triathlete and a passionate mountain biker.

We talked about the challenges of staying fit. She shared with us tips and tricks that she uses to stay fit, including:

Strength Training
Cardio
Exercising before getting home from work
Ways she gamifies exercise

Links mentioned in this podcast:
Zwift app for indoor cycling (Please let Jill know if you want to ride in a Becoming Elli Group)
Becoming Elli Private Facebook Group – You’ll need to answer a few questions before joining the private group.

Like so many of us, Jane has fun and works hard at staying fit after 50.

Workout Routines for March 2020

March 1, 2020 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Sometimes in the winter months of January and February I feel like my workout routines are wash, rinse and repeat… except it is eat, workout and repeat.

Here is one of my favorite breakfasts: egg whites and vegetables. It’s a standard for me, not just in the winter.

Two egg whites with wilted spinach, sautéed onions and mushrooms. Sliced Roma tomato on the side. #breakfast

My typical workout is cardio, strength and abs… on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I really enjoy this because the instructor mixes up the exercises every class – it’s never the same. Sometimes we use the TRX straps, sometimes sliders, medicine balls, kettle bells and dumb bells. I always drink at least one water bottle during the hour.

workout routines with weights and kettle bells

Mat with my workout towel. Eight pound and four pound dumbbell weights. 15 pound kettle bells. Water bottle. My Saturday workout equipment!

Friday and Monday is usually spinning (preparing for bike season! and yoga is my standard late afternoon Monday routine.

A recent break in routine was a real treat – a veggie, pesto and chicken thin crust pizza – this one has roasted red peppers!

Roasted red peppers really makes this thin crust pizza extra delicious!

Welcome March 2020 – New Workout Routines
Now that spring is right around the corner, its possible the snow and ice will disappear in time for outdoor bike riding. I’ve had a chance to do a little hiking during this winter, but there’s nothing like seeing flowers and green leaves.

The days seem to be getting longer and I’m welcoming the sunshine. Next year I need to throw something else in the mix. But I’m starting to feel the excitement of spring.

Time to pump up the tires, grease the chain and find my helmet! Spring is on the way! 🙂 I’m welcoming new workout routines this month! Maybe I’m pushing the seasons but I feel like I’ll be bike riding soon!

Are you looking forward to the change of season as much as I am? Maybe you are a die-hard skier and will be missing the snow? Leave me a message in the comments below.

Mid January Re-Focus

January 21, 2020 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

There is a certain day in January that recognized as the day most people quit their resolutions. I think I might have hit that earlier than normal.

It’s been a weird start of the new year:

I had taken a flu shot, but still “caught” a bit of something.
I participated in an awesome healthy living / self care / meditation / yoga workshop, but ended up having back spasms on the way home. From driving??? Not sure. It took a couple of days with hot rice bags and stretches to get the kinks out.
Signed up for a “biggest loser” challenge at the gym. And in 2 weeks, somehow I’ve gained 2.4 pounds. (Honestly, I think it is salt and timing.)
Snow fall the last few days have resulted in more steps than the earlier weeks as I cleared the driveway, but has left me with cabin fever.

How I’m refocusing to get my head out of the funk:

I am replaying the most recent podcast episode about fighting processed food addictions. Wow. This one is hard to ignore!
Feeling discouraged, I did a “quick” summary of 2019 doctor visits and tests. (30 for my mom, 6 for my dad and 4 for me.) No wonder I’m feeling my focus has shifted.
Improving my workouts, circuit training, spinning, and light jogging. It’s easier now that I feel like I kicked that bug I caught.
Re looking at my words: Grateful/Habit Cue/Declutter
Entering and tracking my food in MyFitnessPal

Not the healthiest lunch when processed wrap and processed cheese meets tomato with oregano. Tomorrow will be better.

How are you getting back on track on your 2020 plans this January? Maybe you never got derailed – so how do you stay on track? Leave me a message by voice at 330-970-6662 or email chris@becomingelli.com. Thanks! I can use the encouragement.

Keeping My Toes Happy

December 8, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I have challenges with my toes. While not nearly as serious as some of my friends, I noticed changes in my toes and feet over the last few years.

My feet are starting to look like my mother’s. I’ve got some bunion action on two different joints. My baby toe and 4th toe now stay in the rolled position on both sides. Toes 2 and 3 are not looking hammered, so that makes me very happy. However, it is big toe, number one, that is starting to give me some grief. They have developed a distinct angle to them, which is not natural.

We have lots of sayings about them too: “Toe the line.” “Going toe to toe.” “From head to toe.” Toes are the foundation. When you have a weak base, it can cause other problems as well. Toes are so important to balance. That’s one of the reasons why I focus on my toes.

I think one thing that really caused the problem was having worn high heels, every weekday, 9-5 at the office, from age 22 until I was 38.

I remember the day I threw away my high heels. I was standing on the second floor of the R&D building at work… in front of the copy machine, xeroxing a memo for the weekly marketing department production schedule. I was in pain. Those stupid shoes were sending shooting pains up and down my calves. The shoes weren’t stupid, but I was for wearing them! That was my last day in high heels at work. I went out and bought some low pumps. Thank goodness or I’d have much worse toe problems today.

Also when I was a kid, I’d pretend to be a ballerina and stand on my tippy tippy toes. No, not the top joint, but actually having the tip of the toe nail touch the floor. Now that I think about that, it was fun balancing, but probably a bad thing to do to my joints. Luckily I usually only did that around Christmas time, inspired by the nutcracker ballet.

So at this stage of my life, I am working with what I’ve got… which is some pre arthritis and maybe some arthritis as well. I am trying to keep my toes happy! I value “comfort” over “cute” when it comes to footwear. And I do preventative and rehab on my toes and feet.

Here’s how I am exercising:

Lots of exercise modifications:

I do a warm up of my toe joints before class.
During class, I try not to get carried away and do something that would jolt the joint.
Burpees, while great for cardio, are a big no-no for my toes. When the group exercise calls for mountain climbers or burpees, anything you have to slam down on your bent toes, I step back and carefully place my feet.
I get down very carefully for push-ups.
Quick pylo lunge jumps are painful so I modify. I get my cardio by changing the movement to something that doesn’t force the toe joint quickly into a bent position.

Go slowly:

Getting into downward dog is something I do very carefully, especially the first few times from certain positions.
Planks are okay if I get into them slowly. I find I have to have more of the “palm” of my foot on the ground than what I expect I should.
I do separate exercises for my feet and toes. I call it my “Toga” (toe yoga, get it?!)

Here are some of the foot and toe exercises I do to help keep movement, maintain good position and reduce pain.

Toga exercises:

Roll the golf ball – I have high arches. It feels really good to me to GENTLY and lightly roll the ball on the planter facia ligament on the arch of my foot.
Hold the golf ball with your fingers on the bottom of your instep. Wiggle the toes. Slowly raise and lower the big toe. Careful placement is the key here.
Widen the space between the toes – put the soft gel sponge that they goes between the toes during a pedicure to separate the toes while applying polish
Interlace your toes with fingers
Zipper up your toes by interlacing your two sets of toes – I usually need lotion to get the toes to move into position.
Toe lifts
Towel scrunches with the toes
Working on the big toe after a workout
Foot massages by using my knuckles to really dig into the fascia

I really try to protect these important joints. Doing stretches, PT type exercises and loosening up tight tendons (very gently) really helps to keep my toes working better. I need to keep my toes happy for darned near everything like standing, walking, going up stairs, running, and once in a while, even jumping.

Do you have trouble with your toes? What do you do to keep them working? Any toe or foot exercise that you do often that really does the trick? I’d love to know new ways to keep my toes happy! Send me a message or leave a comment below. Thanks!

Benefits of the Bench Press

November 14, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Benefits of the Bench Press? Really? Yes, I’m going to talk about why you might do a bench press at the gym.

I have been trying to up my strength training lately. I felt like I was not progressing as I should be, or, really, that I was sliding backwards. That’s one thing about being my age. It’s easier to lose muscle than to gain it. Plus, here in Ohio, it’s heading into winter. It’s becoming more difficult to run outside and it’s easier to spend more time at the gym. It’s the season of strength training.

I need to get upper body workouts in and the bench press is a great way to work on it. If you do a push/pull schedule, the chest press falls on a push day. If you go to the old fashioned schedule, it’s chest and triceps day. (The other day is back and biceps and that’s not counting leg day and abs day.)

Flat Bench Press

The names for these exercises are not flowery. A flat bench press is done on a flat bench. It’s the exercise that most of us associate with big muscular men pushing 300 pounds.

Thanks to Mike Pastva for the photo.

You lie flat on the bench, feet on the floor, unrack the bar, push it up, bring it down to your chest just below your breasts and then push it up again.

You can build muscle doing this but don’t be afraid to start with just the bar. You want to make sure you can do it before you start adding weights to the bar.

If you begin to add weights to the bar, be sure to get someone to spot you. That’s the hard part for me because I don’t usually have someone to spot me unless I’m working with a trainer. I could probably find someone working out who wouldn’t mind so I need to just ask for that help.

I started with just the bar and did a set of 15 reps. I then added five pound plates and did another 15. Then I went to ten pound plates, and then both the five and ten pound plates. I ended up with 25 pounds on each side. The bar weighs 45 pounds so with an additional 50 pounds (the 25 on each side), I pressed about 95 pounds. I needed some help with that last set though so I’m not really there yet.

Inclined Bench Press

For this press, you raise the bench a bit. You can start with the bench at a higher angle and then as the weight that you lift goes up, you can lower the bench a bit. So you might start with the bench at a 45° angle and end with it at a 10° angle. I just lower it down a notch at a time.

I use dumb bells when I do the inclined bench press. I’m sure you can use the bar instead but the dumb bells make me work both arms just a bit more. At least, that’s how it feels to me.

Here’s my workout:

I start with lighter weights. Right now, for me, I start with 10 pound dumbbells and do a set of about 15. Then I begin to work my way up the weights and as the weight goes up, my reps go down. Needless to say, since I start at 10 pounds and, if I have someone to spot me, I go up to 30 or 35 pounds, I end up doing about five sets. If I don’t have someone to spot me, I stop at around 25 pounds and just do a couple sets with that.

I worry that if I go too heavy on my own, I’ll have an accident.

Non-Bench Press

You can do a dumb bell or kettle bell press without using a bench. In my boot camp class, we’ve been known to lie on the floor and do a press. I’m not sure why we do that except that lying on the floor doesn’t allow you to drop your elbows any lower so perhaps that’s it. That and, of course, there are no benches in the gym.

I’ve done a press using a large physio ball. Balance on the ball, plant your feet firmly on the ground and press the dumb bells up and back down.

Benefits of the Bench Press

The bench press really works your upper chest muscles (your pecs). We’re not going to look like some muscle man but it does make you look a bit better to have stronger chest muscles.

I’ve read that working the chest muscles does help prevent sagging breasts. I think that’s worth considering. I don’t know if this can overcome already saggy breasts.

The bench press also works your arm muscles. I definitely felt it in my triceps later.

Just like all strength training, the bench press is good for bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons.

Finally, you will feel impressive, like Elli, in the gym when you start to bench press.

Cautions

If you’ve never done a bench press, ask a trainer at your gym to help you get started. It’s not a complicated exercise but it’s worth getting some advice when you start.

I’m not a trainer or a physical therapist so I can only tell you what I’ve read and what I’ve done. If this hurts or is too hard, work up to it. There are certainly plenty of other exercises that will work the chest muscles so try those if you don’t like the bench press.

Talk to Me!

Do you bench press? If so, what do you do? Share your secrets! If you don’t, do you want to? Share your thoughts with me. Leave a message below or email me at jill@becomingelli.com. You can also leave a voicemail message at 330-970-6662.

Getting Back into the Groove

July 27, 2019 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

I’m struggling with getting back into the groove of my usual routines and good habits. My planned consistency has taken a back seat to summer social activities.

It’s funny. I looked forward to summer so much so that I could be outside, running, riding and building my physical levels. Looking back over this year (since summer is more than half over now) between the family vacation, reunions, birthdays, a long wedding weekend, kayak trips and camp-outs, my summer has had more social activity and less physical activity than the last eight or nine summers have had.

A regular schedule and a set routine helps ensure I plan my meals, shop for healthy produce regularly, and consistently get solid exercise.

Don’t get me wrong, I love connecting and reconnecting with family, friends and loved ones! But my consistent pattern of working toward my consistency goals has definitely suffered.

I haven’t done as many long bike rides this summer and my big fundraising ride is next weekend. Excuses like “it’s too wet” or it’s too hot” are actually somewhat legitimate. Temperatures and weather events have been epic this summer. Because of social events, even my indoor yoga routine has been inconsistent.

Getting Back into the Groove
I am in the cue for an audio book from the library that always helps me get back on track: The Power of Habit.

I am reminding myself of my word of the year: resilient.

And re-reminding myself to get back into the sync of things with a focus on weight loss maintenance by staying consistent… staying with the #VeggieChallenge in 2019, and continuing to overcome the fear and jitters of new challenges.

Sometimes getting back in the groove feels like being in a rut. In this case, I don’t think so. Getting consistent exercise, sticking with good eating habits and pushing myself a little out of my comfort zone on a regular basis – that’s the kind of life schedule that keeps me feeling strong and fit, both physically and mentally.

How do you stay strong and fit both physically and mentally? Do you find power in routine or are you more of a spontaneous person? Leave a message in the comments below or a voice mail on 330-970-6662. Be sure to reference this article. Thanks!

Fitness Challenge Recap

June 27, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

Recently, I participated in my gym’s fitness challenge. I was nervous about signing up because I felt like my training had been erratic this year due to injury and traveling but when I saw the list of activities, I decided to give it a try.

Fitness Challenge

We had one minute to complete the exercises with two minutes of rest in between. Here’s what we had to do:

Row on the rowing machine
Push ups, as many as possible. Women over 50 did modified push ups.
Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry. Women over 50 carried a pair of 30 pound dumbbells.
A running agility test. The goal was to do it as quickly as possible.
Dead lift four different bars with progressively heavier weights. Women over 50 lifted 75, 105, 135, and 155 pounds.

Bike for two minutes.

Inverted Rows. Women over 50 had to do 31 to get the maximum points.

Ski ERG Go for distance.

Treadmill Run for two minutes. The participant could set the treadmill at the speed he or she wanted and the distance was recorded.

The total possible points was 36. I don’t think any participants earned a perfect score. Instead, the highest anyone earned was 34 points. I managed to get 29 points, surpassing my expectations.

I earned the highest possible points on everything except for the agility test, biking, the Ski machine, and the treadmill, proving that I’m strong but not fast. The exercises that required speed was my weak point. However, I squeaked by on the rowing machine to get maximum points.

These fitness challenges are usually fun. The gym changes up what’s in the challenge so some are more enjoyable than others. I found this one to be both challenging and enjoyable.

My last challenge was a year ago. The format was completely different and was held outside. I won that one too. We really need to work on getting more women over 50 to compete.

Yoga On The Beach

June 8, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

This week was a vacation with my family at the beach in North Carolina. Each day I tried to make sure that I got at least my 75 minutes of some sort of activity each day.

It was definitely different being away from home!

This past week I did a variety of exercises… mostly beach walking, but also beach yoga, and swimming in the ocean as well as the pool.

Getting a lot of fresh air and exercise was good for my sleeping.

I did not do as well as I usually do with healthy eating habits including ice cream, brownies and splitting a fried seafood platter! Now that I’m back home, that’s okay, life will be back to normal next week.