Leg day...

Contemplating my last set of squats.....

And now what has become my favourite "let's work that ass" exercise...the bulgarian squat

And then there were calf raises, lunges...and a bit of upper body work because I won't lift over the weekend.

Have a great Friday and weekend!

Keep active!

Another holiday season coming up, will we survive unscathed?

At this time, gyms should have boarding facilities, for those of us terrified of the holiday season. When temptations are abound, and the warmth of family makes it so comfortable to keep that hand to mouth motion going and cuddle up in the evening, and mornings, forgetting to keep our year long workout religion.

How will we survive this?

How will we survive the parties with the pastries, and the bubbling fizzy drinks, and the not so bubbly tipsy inducing drinks, and the roast meat, and the potatoes, and the sweet potatoes...there was a salad somewhere...nope, that was just some fruit on top of the tipsy inducing drink, go figure.

Consider this,

If you have been working hard the whole year, the week of rest might be just what your body needs to start afresh and make more gains in the new year. Many fanatics find it difficult to rest, I know that more than a day's rest seems a waste. However, I did notice that after my recent three week hiatus, my body has begun making muscle gains that it wasn't before. I have to think about whether I had been over training before and begin incorporating longer periods of rest in order to allow myself to progress. So don't panic, the rest might also be good for you.

The self control you have shown through out the year has built discipline in you. Which is why you will still choose water over fizzy drinks and nurse one drink the whole evening. There is no need to look anti social by slipping away for a run, there is time for that early in the morning before the parties begin. There are smart ways of keeping to program, just practice the same self control.

Consider also that this is a time for stock taking and making resolutions. There have been those that have been watching you the whole year and will now take your example and try to implement it in the coming year. Consider also that being a role model (even though you might not know it yet) carries a burden of responsibility. As you think over what new goals you have for next year, remember, that this is a time there is a spot light on you. The greatest gift you can give is inspiration for a loved one to begin picking habits that will keep them healthy, longer.

Plan. Yes, plan. If you are accustomed to machines and weights at the gym, perhaps now it is time to refresh your memory on body weight exercises since getting to the gym might be hard. It's just like traveling, get to know what your program is and plan some activities that fit into that program without straining you. I might be going camping with my family, so a few hikes are in order. I will also carry my tubes to do some resistance on the go.

When at a buffet, start with the salads. Avoid salads that already have the dressing mixed in, especially mayonnaise filled ones. Try to have salads with the dressing on the side. It is also better especially when you are not sure how long the buffet has been out. Mayo being raw-egg based is not the best thing to eat when it has been out and uncovered for a while. Always finish with the starches. Don't ignore them completely, our bodies need starch but not in the amounts we usually eat them. Eat slowly, remember it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we are satisfied. By the time you get to the starches you should have very little space to fill up your stomach.

By keeping conscious of our choices, we will survive the holiday season, perhaps with just a few bruises instead of crashing out completely.

Stay active everyone!

Short on time? Work smart.

Not all of us have hours and hours to spend working out. In fact, the thought of hitting the road for a whole hour puts off most of us, what, with our demanding schedules, family life and other commitments, finding the time to workout can be challenging.

However, there is always time for what you consider to be the most important things in your life. There will always be time for you to have a meal, or for you to have a conversation with your beloved, or have a giggle with your children. That is because you make time for these things, you have to make time for fitness, otherwise you will never have time.

Here are some tips I have picked along the way to ensure you get the most out of your workout sessions squeezed in between deadlines and wiping  runny noses.

1. Schedule it! There is a friend I have who, having three children, one being a boisterous toddler and a full time job wakes up at 4 am faithfully (I was corrected, 3:45am...who wakes up at that time?)  in order to have her "alone time". And what is this alone time? Yoga, cardio, some resistance....This is the only time she has to herself. She prioritized her body, sacrificing sleep when it is at its sweetest in order to get a workout in. I loud her.

2. Time and time again research has shown that short bursts of intense cardio coupled with plyometric exercises is the most effective for fat burning without compromising muscle building. Don't worry if you do not have two hours to get your cardio in. You can work smart by working out high intensity with short rests for an overall shorter workout but keep your body burning fat for longer. You have to work at your max, there are no shortcuts if you choose this route. Ladies, you need to look unlady like by the end of the first set, you need to be breathing hard, your heart should be pounding by the time you get to the short rests, if you work out this way, 20 minutes should be as effective as an hour long workout in slow steady state cardio. This is not for beginners though.

3. Lift something, lift heavy, lift consistently. Weight/resistance training builds and maintains muscle, it also maintains and has been shown to build new bone mass. Muscle is heavier than fat, but it is what gives you that definition that you desire. No time to spend two hours lifting? No problem! Fewer repetitions for heavier weights are more effective in muscle building anyway! Structure your workouts so that you hit every muscle group in a week. No gym close by? No problem! Use your own bodyweight with exercises such as push ups, dips, and pull ups.

4. Watch what goes into your mouth....You might have all the time to exercise but you cannot compete with what you put into your mouth. Eating healthy is 80% of the journey. It means getting your nutrition from whole foods and watching your portions. It means avoiding processed foods and sugar. It means getting intimately acquainted with your kitchen, and getting accustomed to drinking water and not fizzy drinks. It also means eating....not starving yourself, setting yourself up for weight gain later by slowing down your metabolism. Step 1 is surrounding yourself with healthy food. Get rid of the junk around you, we tend to eat what we see closest to us.

It does not have to be a strain to be healthy, but sometimes it seems everything around us is conspiring to get us off track. Be prepared, be consistent, keep healthy, be happy.
Have an active afternoon!

Consistency in doing the right thing pays off when consistency becomes difficult to maintain

Yep.
But before all you fitness enthusiasts crucify me, let me state my case.

I have been away from all forms of structured exercise for the past three weeks or so. There really are no gyms on Lamu Island (someone tell me where there is one). I did a lot of barefoot walking though (bad business idea - shoe shop in Lamu) - Everyone goes barefoot, it is more comfortable in that heat in the sand. I avoided taking the boat taxis to town (bad business idea - car sales in Lamu the town only has one vehicle that travels along one stretch. There are no roads to speak of, take a donkey, or a boat)...

I am digressing, why aren't you telling me that I am?

Anywho, I had my share of desserts, and my activity level was way lower than usual even though I did swim in the ocean (awesome for a person who is usually landlocked).

I was a bit nervous when I came back and picked up a kettle bell for a combined cardio and resistance workout. I had contemplated, what would be my first workout after the longest break I have had for more than 18 months? Running? Pure weights? HIIT? One of those crazy circuits that had me recovering for days? I chose kettle bells for the following reasons

1. I needed to begin getting back some of my lost cardio endurance. Kettlebell training has cardio in it. Swinging the weights really gets your heart going.
2. I needed to begin with a low impact exercise. Yes, it was not a long break but better to ease into it just in case and add plyometrics as we go along.
3. I wanted to see how much I had lost in terms of strength and get some resistance in as well.

It went a lot better than expected. Challenging, yes it was, but I did finish what I intended, complete with close grip push ups, some burpees (ok, so I did do a bit of plyo), a bit of ab work, not too bad after a bit of a break.

There is a big difference in what I was able to do as opposed to what I would have done ten years ago. Ten years ago, I concentrated on LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) e.g. Jogging/running for a long period of time. In my thirties I became more interested in doing things the right way. I started researching more. I wasn't satisfied with being "thin" any more. I was interested in being the best I could be. Which meant I started lifting, then I started lifting heavy. I also incorporated more yoga and begun pilates once in a while. I was more interested in wholesome fitness.

The result? My body changed. The way I looked changed, the way I moved changed. I built more muscle, I maintained, and regained a lot of flexibility that age takes away. I was heavier, yes, but I looked and felt better. I wasn't bored with my fitness routine, it changed often enough to keep me challenged.

It is because of this that coming back to training was not as difficult as I thought.  Muscle does not start withering away immediately you stop weight training, of course eventually it does, but three weeks was not enough to have that much of an adverse effect. It also means that my weight gain during the holiday was minimal compared to what it would have been if I concentrated on LISS training only. I am not in a position to make a comparison based on measurements, this is more of an educated guess.

My lesson? If you're doing the right thing, and doing it consistently, even when it becomes difficult to maintain that consistency, the effects carry you on for a period of time.

Have an active day folks! Being active today helps you be active tomorrow!