Many of my clients tell me that they can’t find time to exercise and eat healthy while working the nine to five grind. I agree the hectic modern-day schedule leaves us with little time for a movement that makes us feel better and is good for our health.

A few years back, when I was suffering from perfectionism- yes, I’m a recovering perfectionist, my healthy-to-do list was a mile long; cut down carbs, count my macros, lose weight, build muscle, build mileage, turn off devices before bed, blackout the room at night, and on and on it went.

Honestly, just sticking to the list started stressing me out more than anything else. I wanted to have time to check all these things. I’m glad I walked away from that approach and have started keeping things simple, like eating whole foods, going slow with my running mileage, and including recovery days in my training cycle.

The good news is, that you don’t have to be deadlifting 300 pounds, counting carbs, and working out 60 minutes a day to live a healthy and non-sedentary life. Research suggests that small bouts of exercise are as effective as continuous exercise over a period.

A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.

How Much Exercise is Good Enough?

A meta-analysis of research studies shows that 75 minutes of exercise per week, which could be just a 15-minute walk or jog every day, resulted in a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease (1).

If you consider the intensity of the exercise, then just five minutes a day of physically strenuous exercise provides many benefits. A study conducted on runners found that participants who ran 10 minutes a day weren’t different than those who ran 150 minutes a week (2). This means as little as 10 minutes of vigorous exercise can give the same health benefits as a longer exercise duration.

The bottom line is to work out as much as you can. If you don’t work out at all, start moving a few minutes a day. If you walk 10 to 15 minutes a day, then do more.

How to Fit Exercise in the Busy Workday?

High-Intensity Interval Training-

HIIT or High-intensity interval training, is an easy solution for getting your workouts in a short amount of time.

A research study shows that low volume, high-intensity workouts of only 28 minutes per week- two 14-minute workouts per week led to significant improvement in VO2max scores, blood pressure, and waist circumference (3).

Workouts don’t have to be high impact if you are worried about joint pain. There are many options of high-intensity exercises to choose from.

Get a Healthy Dose of Nature-

It’s not all about high intensity, though. Low-intensity exercise is equally good for you. Nature is medicine, especially when combined with movement. The use of outdoor natural environments for physical activity and health is not new. We are born to move in the outdoor environment, and we still share the innate affiliation with the great outdoors (4).

Get some green exercise every day for 10 to 15 minutes. You will get your daily movement and an enhanced mood because of the elevated serotonin levels.

We are born to move in the outdoor environment, and we still share the innate affiliation with the great outdoors

Don’t Underestimate Household Chores-

Although following a regular exercise plan is good for consistency and health benefits, don’t underestimate the daily movement you get from household chores. Research shows that the incidental exercise you get from walking in a grocery store, going up and down the stairs, gardening, landscaping, and cleaning the house account for movement for better health too.

Conclusion

It might sound like a new exercise trend, but research strongly suggests that you can enjoy the health benefits of exercise by moving as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day. Try the three exercise modes to get more movement in your busy workdays.

References –

1-      https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.010710

2-      https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.058

3-      3-https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02592-6

4-      doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3

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Trail running is more technical than road running. It would help if you had different gear and metrics to measure your performance on trails. It involves more stress on your body and mind because you always pay attention to the terrain with all the twigs and turns.

Some of the tips for transitioning to trail running are:

Go Easy with Mileage – We all want to get the same mileage as the road on the trails. I am learning that’s the mistake I’ve been making. Build the mileage slowly on trails to avoid injuries. Running on the trails requires more effort and energy.

Change Your Shoes – Road running shoes are lightweight and keep you fast on paved surfaces. On trails, you’ll need stability, traction, and durability to protect you from uneven surfaces. Visit your running shoe store to get fitted for a good trail running pair. You can check out some trail running shoe recommendations here.

Go Hybrid – You don’t have to ditch road running altogether. A hybrid approach where you alternate trail running days with road running can be great for your body. The softer trails will give your joints the cushioning they need. You will be able to work different muscle groups on the trails and paved roads, leading to a better running economy on the road.

Strength Train – While strength training is essential for all runners, it’s crucial for trail runners. Try glute activation exercises with bands and plyometric exercises to build glute strength. Strengthening the lumbopelvic hip complex, especially the lower back, with exercises such as dead bugs and planks will pay you a high dividend in the form of better performance. Add agility drills for better reaction time.

Performance Metrics – Trail running calls for different metrics. Your pace will be much slower than your road runs, and it won’t be as steady either. Monitoring power and heart rate will give you a better measure of the running workload on trails.

You might be surprised that trail running doesn’t feel as natural as road running initially. Don’t be discouraged; your muscles will get stronger, making your trail runs much more pleasant with a little bit of practice and time.

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Foam Roller is one of my favorite recovery tools. Also known as self-myofascial release, foam rolling is a bit like getting a sports massage. But in foam rolling, you’re using your body weight to exert pressure on muscles. 

Sometimes it does hurt so bad, but it feels so good afterward. That’s because when you roll, you break the adhesions in your fascia. I like to foam roll before my runs and at night before bedtime. 

If you’ve never foam rolled or heard about it, you are in the right spot. In this blog, I am going to share information about foam rolling.

What is Foam Rolling?

Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique. Foam rollers are mostly cylindrical made of foam. Foam rollers have different shapes, sizes and firmness. Some have ridges, and some are without bumps. They are all used to release the fascial tension.

What is Fascia?

Fascia is a thin sheet of connective tissue that wraps around the inner organs. It keeps blood vessels, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place. It provides inner structure and has sensitive nerve endings. Too much tension and stress on muscles can cause fascial layers to thicken and stick together in knots. These knots lead to a decrease in mobility and pain points in our body.

One of the effective ways to release the fascia knots is to apply some myofascial releasing techniques, such as foam rolling. Over the past decade, a lot of research has been done to look at the benefits of foam rolling. A systemic review of research studies done on foam rolling published in the international journal of sports physical therapy in 2019 found that foam rolling helps reduce muscle stiffness, increase ROM and should be combined with dynamic stretching and active warm-up before a training session (1). The optimum dosage to achieve these flexibility benefits is a total of 90s-120s of foam rolling on one muscle group. Plus, the analysis shows that foam rolling reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and increases performance. 

Read on to learn more about foam rolling’s benefits and when to add it to your routine.

Improves Muscle Performance

Foam rolling can improve the muscles’ amount of force if done before an activity. Myofascial release reduces tissue tension and muscle tightness, leading to a better range of motion and muscle power. Research has shown no negative impact on athletic performance. One study found that foam rolling improves power, agility, strength, and speed when used with dynamic warm-up (2). 

Improves Circulation

The pressure from rolling helps increase the blood flow to the tissue. Increasing the blood flow means the tissue will get more oxygen and nutrients. Using a foam roller during a warm-up for a brief period can elevate tissue temperature and reduce tension. 

Reduces Soreness

After an intense bout of exercise, foam rolling alleviates muscle fatigue and soreness. Research has shown that it’s because of the reduction in inflammation (3). I find it helpful for decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness. Let’s face it, most of the time, the difference between a good workout and a bad one is the amount of soreness from the last workout. Research suggests that inflammation of myofascial tissue is associated with delayed onset muscle soreness. Foam rolling stretches the myofascial and reduces inflammation. So, you can get back to your workouts recovered.

Improves Range of Motion

Research has found that foam rolling results in increased range of motion. 

Foam rolling returns the muscles and soft tissue to their natural form. Excessive exercise can lead to knots in the fascial tissue. By releasing the knots and making the soft-tissue mobile, foam rolling increases the range of motion and improves workout performance.

Don’t wait; grab your foam roller and roll on to reap these benefits.

References:

1-PMID: 26618062

2-PMID: 27182404

3- doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01

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Fitness coaches build a personal relationship with you and help you reach your goals while focusing on mental, physical, and social health. You get the support to be successful.

Want to learn more benefits of hiring a fitness coach? Here are a few:

Education– Fitness coaches want to empower their clients with knowledge. The most important reason for working with a fitness coach is to educate you on all aspects of health, fitness, and exercise. They want you to do well in your fitness journey. Knowing which muscles to work, proper form, and nutrition is necessary to maximize effectiveness and reduce the risk of injury. You won’t find this type of comprehensive good for your fitness education on DR. google.

Personalized Program– Every individual is unique. That means everyone’s fitness abilities and requirements are different. One person can be an elite bodybuilder looking to compete, while the other can come from an injury. A fitness coach will meet you where you are. For example, if you had an ankle injury and are coming back after it, a fitness coach can help you rebuild the muscles and improve mobility. A fitness coach’s expertise can help you with a customized approach.

Goal Achievement– When we start training, we expect to achieve goals like tomorrow. Whatever your goal is, weight loss, muscle gain, or increased mobility, these changes take time to show. When your goals aren’t realistic, it’s easy to get discouraged and have anxiety from this experience. Fitness coaches help you set real and measurable goals. They assess your current fitness level, help you carve out a plan to achieve your goals, and track your progress. 

Motivation– Motivation can be internal or external. You may have some intrinsic motivation to work out, like coming off the blood pressure medication or improving your posture after sitting on the desk for hours. But there are always distractions around us, which can cause loss of motivation. Fitness coaches can motivate you to make it to your workout sessions regularly. 

Fitness coaches observe your behavior and guide you through behavioral modification principles. They can help you overcome the mental barriers that keep you in a bad habit loop.

Accountability– Accountability, and motivation go hand in hand. There are  many times we have gone to bed and said, “Tomorrow I’m going to wake up, go to the gym first thing in the morning!” You hit snooze when the morning comes and stay in the warm bed. A fitness coach will keep you accountable. You are investing your money which is a commitment device of its own. We all want to slack from time to time. A fitness coach will push you to your session and let go of the other temptations. 

Variety of Workouts– If you go to the gym without a plan, you wander from machine to machine not knowing what to do. A fitness coach can help you find a purpose for each training session. If you are already working successfully, fitness coaches can bring an objective eye. They can make necessary adjustments to make your workout more interesting, more challenging, or even just more fun.

Coaches provide unique workouts from their expansive exercise library. It will keep your body guessing and you interested in your workouts. Say goodbye to plateaus. 

Wellbeing– Research shows that physical exercise can help with mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. A fitness coach is much more than just a trainer. They help you achieve your fitness goals, but they will also help you with other wellness goals like drinking more water and getting enough sleep.

There are so many reasons why a fitness coach is essential to achieving your fitness goals. A fitness coach can keep you accountable and moving forward in reaching health goals even in busy times like holidays and busy workdays!

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What is Barre?

Barre is a ballet-inspired workout that incorporates moves from ballet, Pilates, and yoga. Barre classes use mostly body weight for resistance and the focus is on small, deliberate movements that target certain groups of muscles, specifically muscles that are weak and aren’t used frequently like upper back and glutes.  It’s a great class for targeted workouts for abs, thighs, or glutes. 

Who Should Do Barre? 

Barre is an incredible workout for anyone. These ballet-inspired classes are good for beginners and advanced athletes alike who want to try a new workout. Emphasis in the barre class is on tall posture, balance, and core engagement. Barre is both low-impact and can be high intensity. Plus, it’s an extremely modifiable workout. These classes move at a slower pace than your typical aerobics class. That doesn’t mean you won’t be sore the next day.

Barre Gear and Equipment?

You might be tempted to wear tutu or ballet shoes. Well, you don’t need them. All you need is a pair of comfortable yoga pants. I like to teach my barre classes bare foot. You may prefer to be barefoot or purchase socks with grippies on the bottom. 

You can practice a barre class without any equipment. If you want to enhance your barre experience you can add a small core ball, loop resistance band, and hand weights to do floor work. You can also use the back of a stable chair for balance. Honestly, you need minimal equipment for these classes, and you can practice from the comfort of your home.

Why Barre Workouts?

In the barre classes emphasis is placed on proper alignment, balance, and core engagement means the classes move at a slower pace. You might not leave a ballet-inspired class drenched in sweat, but you’ll feel the burn after a class thanks to moves that target specific muscle groups.  Here are some of the reasons why you should add barre to your weekly workout routine.

Total Body Workout- Barre workouts focus on the whole body. They build strength through isometric holds, which require your muscles to stay under tension for an extended period.  It’s also a great workout that requires engaging your core for the whole length of the workout. Most barre classes are divided into four sections, warm-up, leg blast, upper body lower body combo, and core blast. As you flow through the class you work the arms, thighs, glutes, abdominals, and posterior chain. The best part about a barre workout is that it focuses on the muscles that you don’t normally use like glutes, obliques and tibialis. 

Low Impact Workout- Barre is a low impact workout with low stress on joints. It’s also great for developing balance and stability because the barre itself provides stability. Balance or stability. Plus, the focus on isometric holds allows you to strengthen the muscle group without placing extra stress on the joint. It has minimal risk of injury and is a safe workout for anyone including pregnant women and the older population.  

Improves Posture-Barre promotes a long and tall posture. Barre instructors are trained to cue proper alignment from the crown of your head to your tippy toes. After a few weeks of practicing barre classes you will be sitting or standing tall which can help reduce the chances of back pain and injury.

Muscular Endurance- In barre classes the number of repetitions is very high. The high repetitions increase your stamina to stay under tension and workout for longer periods of time. Stamina is muscle endurance in common terms. You’ll find yourself maintaining a higher level of activity regularly. Endurance has many secondary benefits like lowering your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.

Mind Body Connection- Barre classes help you channel the mind-body connection as they combine mindful movements to create new neural connections. The slow and controlled repetitions in a barre class help to calm the mind. Devoted attention to technique helps in keeping your workout movements intentional and harnesses a deeper connection with the brain.

Sample Workout

Perform 3 sets of 12 – 15 repetitions 

• Chair Squats with Ball squeeze/hip adduction
• Power Leg Pulses 
• Plie’ Squats with shoulder press
• Heel Lifts 

If you like it, TRY one of our classes on the Tone and Strengthen schedule. First class is always FREE. Contact us for a coupon code.

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This past year has been an eye opener for me when it comes to recovery. I started scheduling a full day off in my week. My workouts have been more effective, and I feel better on the days I work out. I have realized that rest and recovery are vital for optimal performance, injury prevention, and progress in your fitness goals.

I am a fitness trainer and coach; my work requires teaching and training daily. I love what I do, but it’s physically demanding work. When I was training for Marathons this year, I started adding miles but kept the same workload. I have high-stress levels with the responsibilities of virtual fitness business expansion, including teaching many fitness classes. On top of that, I added the extreme amount of physical stress with twice-daily workouts.  I love running too and participating in races, but my physical stress balance was totally off. Believe it or not, mental stress and physical stress both, must be accounted for while training.

Why Recover?

According to research, exercising too much without resting enough in between can lead to low testosterone levels and high cortisol levels, the stress hormone. These hormonal changes can cause loss of muscle tissue, weight gain, and excess belly fat.

If you don’t let your muscles recover between workouts and give them at least a day off, you put yourself at risk of overtraining and getting injured. Repeated stress from exercise causes small tears that can strain muscles. Plus, the cumulative workout time and intensity can increase the cortisol level in your blood and lead to hormonal issues, muscle imbalances, and injuries.

Like me, many athletes understand the importance of training but don’t understand that rest and recovery are a part of training. Rest allows the body time to repair and strengthen itself in between workouts. Recovery is where your body adapts to that stress of exercise.

This year I learned that if I pushed hard a few days a week and added enough recovery days to bounce back, I could be a better athlete and a better coach. It turns out I love rest days now.

Three R’s of Fitness Training

Here are the three Rs of training that should be part of any balanced training program.

Relief- It’s normal to feel tired after exercise; however, feeling fatigued and constantly being tired and sore isn’t normal. It happens when your body repeatedly doesn’t fully recover after the workout. You can feel excessively drained all day. Make sure you just put your feet up on your rest days and keep it to light activities like taking your dog for a walk. Your body needs relief from constant physical stress.

Rest- Let’s talk about the zzzzs. Sleeping is vital for recovery. Make it a priority. To overcome the physical and mental demands of hard training days log-in at least eight hours of sleep. It is also one of the easiest ways to repair muscle damage. Our body’s reaction to lack of sleep includes a slower metabolism, higher heart rate, mood fluctuations, a weakened immune system, and less control over what we eat.

Recovery- In the exercise physiology text, recovery includes physiological functions returning to homeostasis, refueling energy stores, and refilling cellular energy enzymes.

Food is a major component of recovery. Eat a well-balanced meal with good protein and carbohydrates sources on your rest days. Protein is especially important to rebuild your muscles. 

Another way to restore balance to your body is by massage. Massage from a therapist or self-massage with foam rollers is an excellent way to break adhesions and get the blood and oxygen flow back to muscles.

Try taking the time to make rest and recovery a priority in your training regimen. Your body and mind will thank you, and your training will benefit from it.

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Here are five benefits of core exercises:

Stabilizes the back- Core muscles stabilize and protect the spine.
The deep intrinsic core muscles, multifidus, transverse abdominis and diaphragm are mostly weak. When these muscles are strengthened and work in coordination, they stabilize the spine.

Improves balance- Core exercises train the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in sync with each other. This harmony helps to develop balance and stability.

Improves breathing- Deep breathing lengthens the deep core muscles and expands your diaphragm. Stronger core leads to a better breathing pattern.

Better postural control- Strong and coordinated core muscles help with maintaining a tall posture. Plus, they provide stability during strength workouts and activities for daily living.

Prevents injuries- Strengthening core muscles stabilizes the body during workouts to reduce pressure on joints like knees, hips, and ankles. A strong core reduces the injury risk by helping us keep a good form throughout the movement while at the gym or in the yard.

These benefits should be motivation enough to strengthen your core and include core exercises in your daily routine. The best part about core exercises is that they don’t require specialized equipment or a gym membership. You can get a great core workout right from your home. 

I personally like planks for strengthening the core. What is your favorite core exercise? 

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Direct Muscles

• Obliques
• Transverse abdominis
• Rectus abdominis

Synergist Muscles

• Quadratus lumborum
• Psoas major
• Hip adductors

The side plank is one of the exercises that target doubles layers of muscle along the sides of your core, the obliques. Obliques helps with lateral flexion – bending the torso sideways, rotating, twisting the torso, and flexing, rounding the spine. Very few moves are as good for your core as the side plank. Yet, it’s often not included in the strength training regimen. Ignoring side plank most often means a weak core which can lead to back problems.

Benefits of Side Plank

Some of the key benefits of adding the side plank to your workout program are:

Strengthen Deep Intrinsic Muscles- Side plank targets the deep core muscles like transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum, and obliques.

Stabilizes Spine- Side planks work the deep spinal stabilizing muscles like quadratus lumborum. Strong lateral core muscles mean a low incidence of back pain.

Improves Your Balance- Side plank is an open-chain exercise as we reduce our contact with the floor in this exercise. The extra effort required to balance requires deep stabilizing muscles to engage. These stabilizing muscles improve our balance.

Healthy Posture- Side plank is a lateral move. It engages transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum and gluteus medius. The strength in these muscles helps us find a neutral spine and a tall posture.

How to Hold a Side Plank

• Grab a mat or a soft non-slippery surface to rest your hand on. 
• Lay down on one side with your legs straight and feet stacked on top of each other. 
• Place your right elbow or hand under your shoulder.
• Lift your hips off the mat so that you’re supporting your weight on your elbow or hand and bottom foot.
• Aim to hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds
• Build up the time as you progress.
• Repeat on your left side.

Safety Tips 

Side planks should be avoided if you have shoulder or arm injury. If you feel pain in the shoulders, arm, or core during exercise, stop the exercise and consult a doctor.

Common Mistakes

It’s important to balance on the side of your foot and not the sole of foot.

Keep your head and neck neutral. 

Try to keep your hips square and lifted. Engage your abdominal and gluteal muscles to avoid sagging hips.

If you find it hard to hold a side plank, perform the exercise from your knees. 

Side planks are great for shoulder, hips, and spine stability. It’s worth adding this move to our core strengthening routine.

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Three workouts in one! This class is a total body workout that combines cardio, strength training and core exercises. A total body workout designed to define & tone every muscle in every way. Great class for improving muscular strength & endurance.

Great for guys too! Please bring a yoga mat and towel.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga mat, loop resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells are suggested for this class *

*No Class Feb 18th*

The post 20/20/20 Cardio, Strength & Core – Jan 21st – Feb 25th 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

Great for guys too! Please bring a yoga mat and towel.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga mat, loop resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells are suggested for this class *

*No Class Feb 18th*

The post 20/20/20 Cardio, Strength & Core 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.