Things you don't think about when you're working out that are totally awesome for your body.....

Sooo....we all know the benefits of exercise....weight loss, improved health, improved everyday functionality...you get to feel superior over everyone who sits on their but the whole day...just kidding on the last part.

1. Have a problem with memory? Regular exercise helps to sharpen memory. The sweaty sessions increases cell production in the hippocampus responsible for memory and learning. This is true for both children and adults. Who doesn't want to have a sharper brain? In the same line, as we age, our brains degenerate. Regular exercise whilst cannot completely stop this process, can help prevent cognitive decline. Forget anti ageing treatments, nature provided us with the best one, just keep moving!

2. Exercise helps manage both physical and mental stress. Not only does going through a sweat session release soothing hormones, research has also shown it to reduce the effects of ageing caused by stress.

3. Are you required to be creative in your day to day activities? Exercise boosts creativity. So you see? Not only for the buffed up guys at the gym, also the artsy types can benefit.

4. The brain releases 'dopamine' during exercise, the "reward hormone"....ever heard of the runners high? Or the fact that some people get addicted to exercise? It is because of this hormone. Therefore, exercise can become a substitute for recovering addicts. Much healthier addiction. (To a certain level of course)

5. You actually get more done than your sedentary colleagues if you exercise. No matter how busy you think you are, making time for exercise actually makes you more productive. Ever wonder how that mom of three young babies does it all? You know the one, Maria Kang? Her exercise regime does help, it is not a punishment, but it gives you energy to do all that you want to do.

6. Exercising landladies give birth to smarter former tenants. Let me rephrase that, exercising pregnant ladies give birth to smarter babies. Not only is exercise good for the body it is also good for the developing baby inside you. Brisk walking will do. You don't have to go all ninja looking for a baby with an IQ of 200.

7. Constipation, gas, ....regular bowel movement. I had to add this because of my current pregnancy. I pity whomever is behind me when I'm jogging or working out, that's when all the gas decides to come out. It's a "side effect" of being a baby making machine, my digestive tract is slow because of hormones. Many women suffer from constipation during pregnancy. Because of diet, regular people also may have difficulties in bowel movement. Runners will tell you the first place they run after a run is to the bathroom for a different kind of run....he he he, I am talking from experience. Seriously, try exercise, it works!

Feel good today, get some exercise in.

Keep active!

An "in between" song in my class today...we cool down with this...

Pitbull's Fireball is a favourite in my classes.... 20 weeks along and still dancing!

And by request....here are two videos, 17 weeks pregnant, leading private zumba class

All the ladies of the group "Operation Lose that Pot Belly" :-) Here's a little Operation losing that pot belly at work. Everyone is at ease in my class, the instructor has the biggest belly of all!

Keep active!

Part 2 - Training techniques - Why failing to plan is planning to fail

4. Being stagnant - Nothing ever grows by being stagnant - Yes, you may not realise it but you stagnate. I see it many times. The same program is followed every month with the same repetitions and the same weight, the same intensity and duration for cardio. In the beginning, you saw progress. Your body adapted pretty well too. You developed strength and became fitter, the weight started falling off. But at some  point, you hit a plateau and became frustrated.
Why isn't this working? Why should I bother?
Your body is a pretty efficient machine, it adapts pretty fast to new stresses you put on it. Which means you're now better at doing what you do and you need to change the kind of stress you put on it in order to get more gains.
Talk to your trainer about varying your program every 6 - 8 weeks. If you're training by yourself, read and research ways to break a plateau. A change is as good as a rest. Usually, this is enough to begin showing progress again.

5. Diet - Yes, diet.
You see, there are so many people who believe that exercising will improve their health and will read and research a lot on exercise forgetting that only 20% of the battle is won with physical activity. You cannot outrun what you eat.

Training techniques - Why failing to plan is planning to fail - Part 1

The fitness industry has come a long way from Jane Fonda videos (bless her soul) and there are a lot of ready to buy programs out there which many of us do buy because of ease of use and the flexibility of working out at home...your own bathroom for one. These home programs are great especially if you already have a baseline of fitness and understand your body somewhat.

Going to a fitness centre is different. Everyone there looks like they know what they are doing, they have great bodies...save for the pregnant mama lifting over there...what is she doing there? Oh, that's me, say hi :-)

It can be intimidating, not knowing what to do, how to do it and for how long.

This is why you need to arm yourself with information before hand, especially if you're signing up at a gym where the trainers will not touch you except if you pay personal trainer fees. Which is well and good if you can afford it, but if you can't here are a few tips to help you through.

1. There is such a thing as too much too soon. Going at your maximum pace might not be a good idea especially if you're a beginner, recovering from injury, have a BMI that classifies you as obese or if you're older.

Week 8 - Every workout feels like I'm starting from scratch

How difficult can it be to remain fit and active in the first trimester? The literature says that you should and are able to do what you have been doing before you got pregnant.

But they forgot to mention that your body constantly fights against you. I have been lucky, no morning sickness, but I feel as though I am fatigued all the time. Every workout is like the first week of working out when you have been in active for years. I have to drag myself. Afterwards I feel great, but starting has been an issue.

Food:

I have no crazy cravings. In fact, the only things I am eating more off, which is similar to my first pregnancy, is citrus fruits and pineapple. For some reason, these are the only things that seem to get rid of the funny taste in my mouth. I don't think this is bad, at least I'm getting a healthy dose of fibre and vitamins. My diet remains much the same. I am not yet eating in amounts that could be described as "for two". I will avoid that this time round (remind me in six months or so).


So how has my workout regime looked like?

Tuesday - Legs and Shoulders - The very same that I have been doing. I avoided step ups because I wasn't feeling too good. However, I did walking lunges with a bar, single leg press....It was good. I wobbled home after.

Wednesday - Back and Triceps - This was a terrific workout. I had a class to teach wednesday so I had the added cardio of one hour zumba outside. I heat up easily now and I am taking copious amounts of water.

Thursday - I didn't make it to the gym but I did kick boxing and kettle bell training at home. This was a difficult workout. I strained on the plyo but I'm not ready to give that up yet.

Friday - A bit of cardio and chest and biceps. Yes I am still lying down on the bench. I will continue to do this until about 16 weeks when the pressure will be too much to bear.

Saturday - Awesome class. Thanks to everyone who turned up! My Mom came for Zumba....how cool is that?

Today - I want to do full body dumbbell strength today. It's family day and we are about to go out. So it all depends on time. I won't stress about it. Tomorrow is legs and I will probably get two workouts in as I choreograph some new stuff for my classes.

Take heart if you're tired all the time. It takes an enormous amount of will power to get up and running when your body is working against you. But you can do it.

Have an active Sunday!

Someone did a recording an posted it on youtube....

And here's the link!

It was during the Sentao class. The first time they were doing sentao. Fun crowd!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeidKVDPznw

Lose Forty (40%) More Fat This way!

That got you here didn't it? I bet in a little while this post is going to be the most visited on this blog...even more than the weight loss supplement post (the supplements which I'm against?)

I have met a few cardio queens in my day, but one impressed me most. She ran on an incline on the treadmill, left that and took up the skipping rope, left that and cooled off on the bike. Her shirt was dripping, she had a smile on her face, that was a terrific workout. Why dear lady don't you pick up some iron...I don't want to grow masculine she said...I told her, they have been lying to you. (this actually happened...not as romanticized as this but yeah, I do approach sweaty people at the gym. It's a hobby :-) )

So, you want to look like this...

Then you're going to have to do a lot of this

Both are one and the same woman. Nicole Wilkins (the lady with a banging body above) is a figure competitor.

Not convinced?

Let's go back to the fat burning issue. Research has shown that those who exercise using resistance exercise lost 40% more fat than those who did pure cardio or diet only. Who doesn't want less fat? Less fat means you look better with your clothes off. Who doesn't want that?

So, dear dieter and cardio believer. Cardio is great when you want to build endurance and when you have a lot of weight to lose. But, you lose muscle also, which makes you jump up and down when you step on a scale BUT you will burn less calories overall when you're lazing around at home, because muscle burns more at rest. Your clothes will not fit better, because one pound of fat occupies around 18% more space than muscle.

We're walking on water already, do you still have doubt? Take my hand....

You will get fitter, faster, with weights.

Yes, you can get the same endurance training with weights as you do running a marathon. Try circuit training. It elevates your heart rate much the same as running does. Try HIIT training using your own body weight. Don't believe this can be difficult? Do the insanity fitness test, your own body weight will give you a butt whopping. Don't know what the insanity fitness test is? Google Shaun T.

Forget the light weight high repetitions you have been fed through out the years. The light weight used is usually too light to challenge your body.

Lift something heavy today, you will feel powerful. That, you can take to the bank.

Front load squat on leg day

So, here is a variation of squats that I did today. It works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Why front squat? Barbell position means you work the quadriceps more in this squat than glutes in the back squat. I had already done a set in the back position by the time I was doing these. . .I really wanted to work my legs today.

so....

Lifting the weight.... Yap, lifting makes me happy

And load...(clean)

And perform a set of squats

And that's it!

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!

Today's workout was the ishhhh!!!!

I have "done" all the muscle groups this week and I did cardio yesterday. I carried my gym gear and I wasn't going to let that go to waste. We have no spin class, and I am not really an aerobics girl unless it's weighted. There is no interesting kickboxing class or the like so I went online and started browsing for workouts. I got one from fitnessrx which I decided to do. 

Interestingly, I seem to have influenced more people to the weights corner. In the middle of my workout, more and more women came and started picking dumbbells and kept asking the in-house trainer what to do with them. Even a senior couple came and picked some weights. The bad news is, they were picking the ones I was using between sets. :-( But I made do. 

WARM UP

Step Mill 15 minutes. Was supposed to do 90 steps a minute but I have absolutely no idea what the speed is at that. I was oscillating between 6 and 6.4 kms an hour which I suspect is too slow for 90 steps a minute. Considering this is only my fourth or fifth attempt at the step mill, I think I did okay. Oh, and I only did 6 minutes, WHAAAT? 15 minutes is CRAZZZYYY

GIANT SET 1 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Dumbbell squats                                15 Reps
Weighted pop squats                          20 Reps
Stationary lunges                                15 each leg (I did them weighted)

GIANT SET 2 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Shoulder width squats with arnold press         12 reps
Split jumps on step                                         15 each leg
Weighted burpees                                            15

GIANT SET 3 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Body weight squats                                   25
Weighted squat jumps onto step                10 (Thank God!!!)
Medicine ball mountain climbers               25 each leg
(I also went...eeeh? on the last one)

GIANT SET 4 REPEAT 4 TIMES NO STOPPING

Arnold press                                              12 Reps
Plate front raise                                          12  Reps
Lateral raise                                                1

FINAL SET BURN IT OUT

5000M Row (ok, I only did 1500...I need to improve on my rowing)
Burpee jumps to step 1 minute (I finished these)

This is a workout I will definitely come back to. Challenging plus I did not finished the prescribed cardio work which means I have more to work on. 

I burned 700 calories in about an hour...awesome!

Much ado about squats...in pursuit of the perfect bam bam

I had promised to include more exercises you can do at home....this is a very basic, very effective, very important exercise ladies....It works your glutes (your bum), your quadriceps (the top part of your thigh), your hamstrings (the back part of your thigh), and the calves. So if you're a beginner, and you are not happy with where your bam bam is, listen up...squats are here to save the day. 

How do you do squats?

Seems simple enough right? However, it is very easy to do a squat with wrong form. I took these photos after my workout today. I hope they help.

Basic squat

1. Stand with your head facing forward and chest held up and out

2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Extend your hands out infront of you to help keep your balance. 

3. Sit back and down like you're sitting into an imaginary chair. Keep your head facing forward as your upper body bends forward a bit. Rather than allowing your back to round, let your lower back arch slightly as you descend. 

4. Lower down so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible with your knees over your ankles (Very important) Don't let your knees go forward past your toes. Press your weight back into your heels.

5. Keep your body tight and push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position.  

Beginners, you can do say 10 squats in 3 sets i.e. 10 X 3 to begin with and then increase the repetitions as you get stronger. Be sure to hold the last squat in the set to challenge yourself. 

Sumo Squat

This works the inner part of your thighs more. I find it burns more than the basic squat. Stand with legs wide apart, make sure you are not straining unnecessarily, get down to squat position ensuring your knee is above your ankle. Push back up and repeat. 

The weighted squat

I am using dumbells in this one. If you are looking to increase resistance, you could add weights. You can also hold two cans of ...anything just be sure the weight is balanced. Follow instructions for basic squat (except of course hands infront)

Weighted squat 2

In this one I am holding a kettle bell. You can hold a single weight while doing the squats, they don't have to be two. A packet of sugar will do :-) Beats eating the stuff.

Plyo squat

Plyometric (Plyo) training is basically jump training, therefore this kind of squat is a squat with a jump. I love this exercise, and I usually do it with weights. When you have your form right, you can try to add a jump in between your squats making sure you push from the squat that is, jump from the squat and not when you are already standing and land softly with your knees bent back into the squat. If it is your first time, try this without weights to begin with. It will sure get your heart running.

Beginners ab workouts without the sit ups and crunches

I have received a lot of questions on my facebook page about how to get rid of the ever stubborn pot belly. I am not a guru, I refer to my own experiences and the experiences of others I interact with on this journey.

The advanced exerciser may ignore this post. But if you're floundering around looking for something new to add to your push ups and sit ups at home, please read on.

Introducing the basic plank:

This is a great exercise because it works both the back and abdominal muscles.
How to do it? Start on elbows and knees, locking hands together. Straighten legs and raise your body so that you're supported by the balls of your feet with feet hip distance apart. Face the floor, being careful not to arch your back or stick your bottom in the air. Hold this position for 45 seconds to begin with, extending the time as you get stronger.

The Push Up Plank:

This time, hold plank in push up position. This plank position also works the chest and arms and is suitable to end your workout with. Since this is a beginners post, hold for 45 seconds rest, and hold again. Planks get more creative and challenging the stronger you get.

The Side Plank:

I had actually forgotten to start with the easier version of the Side plank which is propped on your elbows instead of hands. If you are on your elbows, be careful your shoulder does not roll forwards or backwards. Hold the position as long as you can then repeat on the other side. shoulder should be above elbow. Your body should be in a perfect triangle to the floor. In this photo, I am on my hands prepped for a T-Stand. This exercise works the obliques...translation, love handles :-)

Side Plank on Elbows:

New use for your coffee table

Working a bit of my arms, shoulders, core....after cardio power and resistance. Those are 4 kg weights. I have been looking for stable 6 kg but it seems they are out of stock in Nairobi! So from here I go to kettle bells 7.5 kg and 10 kg. I don't mind it but I like dumb bells as well!

Anywho, were you looking for a new use for a coffee table? Here it is!