Keeping Committed

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It’s getting to be about that time of year where the New Years Resolutions tend to drop off.  You’ll be able to tell by the decreasing number of people in the gym and increasing in the fast-food line at Wendy’s.  How can you avoid falling off the wagon and keeping committed to your goals, whether they be resolutions or goals you set for yourself down the road?

1) Write your goals down

They always told you in school that writing things down helped you to memorize them – use that to your advantage!  Write your goals down and keep them somewhere that you will see them everyday.  Put them beside your sink so you’ll see them everyday when you wake up and every night before sleep.  Make multiple copies and keep them in key areas!  For example, if your goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables, stick it on your fridge so you’ll see it everytime you open the door to grab a snack.  Keep a note in your car that reminds you of your goal to work out three days a week.

2) Keep yourself inspired!

What made you want to set the goals you have in the first place?  If you want to fit into a pair of pants or look great in a nice dress, keep that piece of clothing hanging where you can see it!  Keep quotes or pictures of people who inspire you around on the wall or in a notebook and look at them throughout the day.  If you’re trying to save up for a new computer, car or living room set, keep pictures of those around and imagine how you’ll feel when you get them!

3) Don’t panic

If you overeat for a few days, skip going to the gym a few sessions or fall off the wagon in some way, don’t panic and don’t give up!  Lifestyle changes can’t be perfect 100% of the time, so don’t demand 100% perfection from yourself!  If you get off track for a little while, simply get back on.  Eating too much for lunch one day doesn’t give you an excuse to say “Well I’ve failed, might as well eat poorly the rest of the week.”  On the other end of the spectrum, don’t eat too little the next day!  You’ll be more likely to fall off again if you’re too hungry.

4) Accountability

Tell everyone you know about your goals and what you’re going to do to reach them!   If you tell your friends that your’e only going to eat out twice a week, when take your lunch break at Ruby Tuesday for the third time that week, they’ll question you which can help keep you on track.  Ask your friends to keep up with you and ask about your exercise routine!  There are also several online ways to keep yourself motivated and accountable such as Fitocracy.com (which I post on frequently!) or SocialWorkout.com – be sure to check them out!

5) Keep the end goal in mind

Keep picturing what you’re going to gain by accomplishing your goals.  Think about how you will feel, how you’ll look or the increase in your quality of life.  If you can remember why you set a goal in the first place, you’ll be able to stay motivated.

Hope that some of these tips help you to keep your Resolutions or any of your other future endeavors!

Kat Whitfield

BS, NASM-CPT

Exercise of the Week: The Turkish Get-Up

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Want to try and tackle one of the more challenging kettlebell exercises?  Take a look at the Turkish Get-Up, a combination of balance, strength and coordination.  Try a few full reps on each side and see if you can master this intense move.

Step 1: Lay flat on your back with your legs out straight in front of you, right hand with the kettlebell raised above your head.  Through the whole movement you will always keep the kettlebell arm straight in the same position.

Step 2: Bring up your right knee

Step 3: With your left arm, prop yourself up onto your elbow, then onto your hand.

Step 4: Push with your right foot to bring your hips off the ground and make an arch.

Step 5: Tuck your left leg underneath you into a kneeling lunge position.

Step 6: Push with your right leg to stand up straight, keeping your right arm above your head.

Return to the start position by performing the steps backwards again: From standing, return to the kneeling lunge.  Lean to place your left hand on the ground then swing your left leg back straight into the arch position.  Lower your hips back to the ground, then lower yourself to your left elbow, then straighten out to lay flat on the ground in the initial starting position.

Putting it all together – Watch the full video HERE to see how to put all of these steps together into one movement, then give it a try yourself!

Kat Whitfield

BS, NASM-CPT

Beating the Winter Blues

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Has being stuck inside for the winter left you feeling a little cooped up or anxious?  Dreading leaving the warm covers in the morning, or running errands and leaving your heated home?  While you may not have full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder (link), many of us can start to feel a bit sluggish and lethargic in the colder months.  Compound that with the Durham area rarely managing to get snow for typical winter-time activities and it’s no wonder we prefer to stay indoors.  So how can we remain active and energetic when it’s freezing outside?  Here are 5 ideas that you can enjoy even when it’s cold:

1) Hiking

It may seem pretty contrary to what you would think I’d suggest for a good cold-weather activity, but after 10 minutes of walking uphill you’ll be thankful for the cold!  Just getting outside can improve your mood drastically.  Uncertain of where to go?  Check out our facebook on Fridays for posts about popular hiking, running and biking trails!  Bundle up, but be prepared to shed those layers pretty quickly.

2) Geocaching

Geocaching is a fun treasure-hunting game you play with a gps device such as a smart phone.  Start HERE to read all about it, but in a nutshell in geocaching people hide little items all around the country for you to find using your GPS device.  They can be anywhere from a state park to a street corner!  Geocaching is well suited for our area since we don’t experience extreme weather too often.

3) Hot Yoga

Make sure to try out Empower’s yoga classes, but if you’re still yearning for warmer weather take a look at Hot Yoga – yoga done in up to 95 – 105 degrees and sometimes added humidity.  The RTP area has many locations to choose from, read up on a few if you’ve forgotten what hot feels like.

4) Shopping

Still have some of those gift cards from Christmas to spend?  Make sure to take your time and walk around, you can burn an appreciable amount of calories power-shopping through the mall, as long as you don’t stop at Auntie Annie’s along the way.

5) Cooking

Winter is a time we tend to get into a feasting frenzy and all we want is to do is eat then hibernate.  Well, if you want to spend your day indoors, why not take the time to cook some healthy food for the week while you’re at it?  Take an afternoon or an evening to cook up a pot full of vegetables and rice to save in the fridge, make a full pan of meat and vegetable lasagna or grill up 8 burgers and freeze them for later on in the week.  You’ll have healthy food available anytime a craving hits.

Spring comes early in North Carolina, but until then give some of these ideas a try and shake off that cold-weather lethargy!

Kat Whitfield

BS, NASM-CPT

Try the 21-Day Detox!

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Have you set a goal to lose weight this year?  How about sleep better, have clearer skin, improve your immune system or restore your body’s natural balance?  Empower nutritionist Cara Demu has a plan for you – the 21-Day Detox, a fun and easy to follow purification program.

Take a look at some testimonials from others who have gone through the program!

May

Asila

Dave

Sara

Ronda also went through the Detox back in October not long after the birth of her daughter – check out her experience in this review:

http://www.becomepowerful.com/2011/10/one-woman-21-days-and-the-quest-for-weight-loss/\

For the full details of the 21-Day Detox program and to find out more about Cara, check out the program’s page at:

http://becomepowerful.com/21DayDetox/

Exercise of the Week: Rows

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There are a lot of different row variations.  Whether it’s a 1-arm dumbbell row, a seated cable row, a pendlay row or a TRX inverted row, the goal in mind is usually the same – to make our backs stronger!  The variation that we will be going over this week is the bent-over barbell row.  This looks like a very simple exercise but has a lot of important components.

The Set-Up

There are 3 things to keep in mind when performing a bent-over row, and they have a lot of carry-over into other exercises.

1) Keep a neutral spine by bracing your core and tucking your chin.

2) Stick your butt out!  The knees should be only slightly bent, you should be focusing on sitting back with your hips so that you may feel a small tug in your hamstrings.

3) Keep your scapula (Shoulder blades) flat against your back and pulled down, like you’re trying to tuck them in your back pocket.

The Lift

1) Maintain the shoulder position from Step 3 above – flat against your back and pulled down.

2) Concentrate on beginning the movement from your back – specifically your lats.

3) Pull the bar up towards your ribcage and xiphoid process.

4) Lower back to starting position.

The bent-over row is a great exercise choice for improving posture.  To maintain proper form you have to brace your core and pull your shoulders back – both things we should try to do in our daily lives whether it’s walking down the street or sitting at a desk.

Check back next week for a new exercise!

Kat Whitfield

BS, NASM-CPT