The LOVE Workout

Written with love, by Leah Bahrencu

Soon to be Mrs.

Not too long from now, you and your main squeeze will be walking down the aisle hand in hand as the new Mr. & Mrs. And up to this big eventful day, you two have spent numerous hours planning, deciding, organizing, practicing and everything else you can think of together. So why not workout together? 

During the stressful moments of deciding the colors, the songs, and the food, take a time out just for you two and get a little workout in.  You can break it into small bouts of 10 minutes or even do a full 30 + minute workout.  You can cater it to work into your busy schedules and the best part about it, is you can do this right at home.

I'm sure you’ve heard the saying, "couples who sweat together, stay together." And there are numerous amounts of workouts you can do together and you can make it fun!

So here are some ideas!

Go for a Walk

Hand in hand you can go for a walk around your neighborhood or even the local trail.  This is a great low impact workout that will still get your endorphins kicking and your blood pumping.

 Give yourselves an opportunity to just chat about anything and everything.  Maybe even make that the time you don’t talk about the wedding, but you talk about the future.

Do Crazy Planks

Planks are a great total body workout.  You can do them side by side, one at a time or make it a bit more challenging by stacking yourselves on one another. 

When doing a plank you want to make sure your shoulders are above your wrists and you want your back to be flat.  Squeeze your core when you are in the plank position to keep your back from curving.  Try holding for 15 seconds, then increase your time as you go until you can hold it for 1 full minute.

Partner Leg Raise/Throw

This exercise is great for the core.  Have Partner A lay flat on the ground (I would suggest laying on a towel or mat) with your head in between Partner B’s legs.  Partner A will be holding on to their partner's ankles or calves to provide leverage and stability.  Partner A will bend knees slightly and slowly raise legs toward partner’s body. Bring legs straight up so Partner B can hold your ankles and will gently push your legs down.  You will feel your partner throw your legs down and you will use your core strength to bring them back up. 

You want to resist the force of your legs as they are pushed and do not let your feet touch the ground.  You can ask your partner to throw your legs in different directions (example 45 degrees) to work your obliques.  Perform this workout for 1 minute each.

Partner Squats

This exercise can be done in many different ways.  You can squat side by side for 1 minute, you can do a wall sit, where you press your back firmly against the wall and squat down where knees are at a 90 degree angle.  Or you can make it fun and go back to back.  Still making sure your body is in proper alignment, but using each other balance. 

Dynamic Duo Lunge

You will stand facing your partner at arms length.  One partner will lunge forward with the right leg as your partner lunges backward with their left leg. Then bring your legs back to the standing position.  You will then reverse the motion, lunging backward with the right leg as your partner lunges forward with the left.  Complete 10-12 reps, then switch legs.

Smooch Sit-Ups

Who wouldn’t love to be rewarded with a kiss each time you come up from a sit-up?  Have one partner lay down on the ground, bend your knees and keep your feet and knees together with your hands placed behind your head.  Have other partner holding down feet for stability and assume the position for kissing rewards.

As the partner on the ground is coming up from a sit-up, other partner must give one big smakeroo. 

Reminder: When you are doing your sit up, do not use your hands to pull your head up.  Engage your core the entire way up.  After doing 10-12 reps, switch partners. 

And last but not least...

Dance in your living room

Turn on your radio or Pandora onto a fun upbeat station and just let loose.  You have so much stuff on your mind that sometimes it is good to just let go and be silly.  Take a moment to laugh and enjoy each others' company. Dancing for a good 10 minutes can work up a big sweat and can also incorporate some great laughs and memories to share.

Staying active together doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t need to be done in a gym. All you need is a good pair of sneakers and some music.

Until next time my lovely brides-to-be!  Keep on moving!

Maximizing Your Workout Results

Written with love, by Kim Riegel

Wouldn't it be nice to have a trainer come to your house five days a week?  For most people that is not possible. However, I want to show you ways that you can maximize your workout results and hold yourself accountable for your workouts so you can look amazing on your wedding day!

I like to get most of my clients on some kind of a heart rate monitor or fitness tracking device. While I am not here to advertise or sway you towards a specific fitness apparatus, by having one that can show your daily steps, heart rate or calories burned is one way of holding yourself accountable for your workouts.

Count those steps!

First, a device that can count your daily steps, some sort of pedometer, will give you a realistic look at how active you are on a daily basis. Roughly, people should move about 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent of 5 miles give or take. Some people would be surprised that they don't move anywhere near that on a daily basis. Others may easily achieve that in a morning run. Getting up every day and moving and burning calories and getting your steps in is a valuable way to hold yourself accountable and to make sure you are getting your exercise in. It may make you realize that you should walk more during the day, take the stairs or even get out various times throughout the day to meet your steps goal. All of this can make a big difference towards your fitness, health and bridal goals and something to take ownership of on your own.

Monitoring Heart Rate

The second reason to use a heart rate monitor/device is to make sure you're staying within your appropriate heart rate ranges during your workouts to maximize your results. If you're putting in the time for exercise, why not make sure you are getting the most out of it? I have found in many cases people either exercise too light and don't get their heart rate up high enough or exercise too high, almost anaerobically, and may feel nauseous or dizzy. Therefore, long breaks are needed to recover and bring the heart rate back down which can make workouts inefficient.

What I recommend is to find a realistic exercise range and to stick within the range the best that you can throughout the workout.  A formula to find your heart rate range is to take the number 220 minus your age multiplied by the percentages of how high and low you want to work out.

For example, a 20-year-old would end up being 220-20 = 200. 200 would be the working number. Take that number and multiply it by a reasonable lower and upper range to get the beats per minute (BPM) that your heart rate should stay between. On the low end, you can take 200 x 65% or times .65 and get 130 BPM's. On the upper range you could aim for 80% or 200×.80 equals 160.  So for this particular person wearing a heart rate device they will try to keep their workouts between 130 to 160 BPM. The formula is not always perfect and can be slightly adjusted based on the persons already existing fitness level.

Burning Fat

Another question I get is if a person should work out lighter to burn more fat?  If anyone has seen a cardio machine they will know that some cardio machines tell you to work out at a lighter intensity to burn fat and work out harder to burn carbohydrates. Wouldn't it be great to hardly work out and lose all the fat you would like? Unfortunately that is only partially correct. Initially, working out at a lower intensity will first utilize fat stores for energy. Once your heart rate begins to increase and your body has a specific heart rate, it will then turn to carbohydrates for the majority of the energy stores to burn for exercise.

Two important things to keep in mind when you decide how you want to exercise:

1) The higher your heart rate is the more calories per minute you will burn overall. So for 10 minutes of running you will burn nearly twice as many calories per minute than 10 minutes of walking where you were trying to burn fat. Lower heart rates burn less calories no matter what energy stores are being utilized.

2) Ultimately when it comes to exercise and eating, it is calories in versus calories out. So while having light exercise days may be good to try to burn fat for the workout, your overall calorie loss that day will be lower so you will have to adjust your eating accordingly.

What I recommend is to train in different intensities on different days. If you decide to have a lower intensity day you will need to exercise longer than you would on a higher intensity day to try and burn the equivalent amount of calories. It is good occasionally to have longer slower workouts which will produce cardiovascular results too. High intensity interval training workouts are great to tap into burning carbohydrates and to burn a lot of calories. Regular interval training is really good for bringing your heart rate up and dropping it back down and you can sustain a longer work out that way too.

By investing in some sort of a fitness device and using these tips you will be sure to get the maximum results and have the bridal body you want on your special day!

Bride-to-Be Band Basics

Written with love, by Rebecca Fisher

Hello Ms. Bride-to-be!

How's that bridal prep/training coming along? I'm thrilled to announce that I am officially Mrs. Fisher as of a week ago! Woohoo! We are off packing for the start of our honeymoon adventure of a lifetime! But before I step on that plane, I wanted to check in and share some quick tips to keeping tight, as you get closer to your wedding date and start indulging in those celebrations you so deserve!

Time will rapidly speed up, if it hasn't already, so if you don't have a moment to hit the gym, do not worry! Pick up a resistance band or two! You can find them at Marshall's, TJ Maxx or any sporting goods store. These inexpensive rubber bands will be a great item to take with you on your honeymoon or for any time that you need a portable gym! And if you already have some resistance bands stuffed away in your closet somewhere, be sure to check them out prior to using. Worn out bands can cause injuries.

I love that these bands are highly effective in body sculpting without the use of dumbbells. Research has found that "you get the same muscle activation with elastic resistance as you do with free weights." (Phil Page, PhD, CSCS, Director of Research and Education for Theraband and author of "Strength Band Training.")

These bands are really useful in mimicking our natural range of movement (how you move in daily life), which is unique to exercise resistance bands compared to free weights.

Give these bands a try to maximize your training time.

Cardiovascular Reps

Simple try 2-3 sets with 10-15 reps of each exercise. Or combine the below exercised in a rapid-paced circuit to achieve a cardiovascular AND musculoskeletal workout, all in one! Just perform each exercise at a rapid pace for 1/2 minute each, with 10 seconds of rest in between.

Exercises

1. Resistance Band Squat

This exercise works your glutes and quads.

Stand with your feet at hip distance apart. With the band beneath your feet and holding each end of the band, bend your elbows, holding them into the sides of your body and raising the ends of the bands in front of your shoulders.

Lower into a squat, bringing your thighs parallel to the floor. Keep your knees behind your toes, as if you are sitting down on a chair.

Next, rise, up slowly and lift your right leg to the side, pressing against the band. Place your foot back down and repeat. Switch legs.

2. Donkey Kick Backs

This one is my favorite!

Tie the ends of the band together to make a circle and loop it around your knees. Kneel on the floor and place your hands on the floor beneath your shoulders. Keep your head aligned with your spine.

Lift your right knee, keeping your foot prone, with the heel pushing flat into the sky. Raise your knee until it is in a straight line with your hip and squeeze your glutes.

Lower your knee and repeat. Switch knees after your set is complete.

3. Push Ups with the Band

Place your body in a push-up position with your hands beneath your shoulders. Place the band across the wide part of your back with each end under each hand. The band should be stretched but not uncomfortable. Do not sag your lower back, and keep your head in a neutral position. Opt out of the band and work on push-ups first before using the band, if necessary.

Tighten your abs and glutes as you bend your arms and lower your body down to the floor. Stop before you touch the ground and press through your hand to extend back to the starting position.

Remember, there are so many great resources to find more band exercises. Use YouTube or Instagram for more videos and tips on using resistance bands in creative ways, in order to mix up your workouts! And make that time count!