CategoriesBlog Live Fit. Move.

Three Simple Solutions to Keep the Fire Burning

We are now six weeks into 2017. Most consistent gym enthusiasts have noticed a major influx of new faces running on treadmills, attending classes or lifting weights. The consistent gym enthusiasts have seen this play out before: crowded gym for the first 6-8 weeks of the new year, then a drop off as March approaches. Sadly, a stunning 80% of individuals embarking on their health and wellness resolutions are not seen after six weeks into the new year. Here are three simple solutions to ensure you won’t be on the wrong side of statistics:

1. SCHEDULE YOUR GYM TIME AS IF IT WERE A WORK MEETING:

Imagine this scenario: It’s been a busy day at the office and time is flying by. You planned  a Noon workout, yet  all of a sudden you get a notification that your 1 pm meeting is about to begin. You realized you were so focused on work that you completely missed your “designated” workout time. This is an all-to-common scenario. When many people do not put their workouts into their schedule, it becomes very easy to let time slip away and another workout is lost. A workout lost=lost momentum. Lost momentum= lost consistency. And thus the vicious cycle begins. Put it in your calendar at the beginning of the week and as soon that notification alerts you, GET UP AND GO!

2. PRINT OUT A CALENDAR AND CROSS OFF EVERY DAY YOU SUCCESSFULLY MAKE IT TO THE GYM:

There is something truly powerful about visually writing goals down and “checking the boxes”. Simply setting a goal of “X” amount of days a week to get to the gym and crossing those days off on a physical calendar helps to reinforce the habit of making it to the gym, while giving you the visual perspective of how much momentum you have truly built.

3. SWITCHING UP YOUR WORKOUT TO KEEP SEEING RESULTS:

The reality is most people embarking on New Year’s health and wellness goals gravitate to simply running on the treadmill. The first couple weeks these individuals see weight coming off, yet as each week goes on, results drop off more and more. Reason being, the body adapts to consistent stimulus. Try this: Warm up with a five minute run, then perform 10 Rounds of a :30 Sprint followed by a one minute walk. Not only is this type of intensity going to yield much better results, this should also take you much less time. Who doesn’t want to spend less time in the gym and see better results?

post written by Flow Fitness Personal Trainer, Drew Ridge

CategoriesUncategorized

Week Five: Transition Time

This is a guest post by Flow Member, Caroline Zelonka, participating in The Reset.

What a difference a month makes. In the course of 30 days, I’ve lost about nine pounds, gained more energy, experienced a slight but significant remission in my eczema, and most importantly, changed up my eating habits for the better.

On Friday, the Whole 30 was finally in the books, and we were free to choose one forbidden food group to add back in. After entertaining various options, I decided to go the practical route and wait until Saturday night to enjoy my first non-compliant food group: alcohol.

I’m normally a wine drinker, but I do like a good martini. (And the olives are compliant, of course.) Over the course of five hours, I had four of these devilish cocktails, and definitely felt it the next day. I also threw a few low-calorie “spiked seltzer” girl-beers on Superbowl Sunday, but by Monday I knew I didn’t want to stretch it over three days.

So Monday I reintroduced dairy, which is probably my favorite food group. I had cottage cheese and eggs for breakfast, which always makes me feel amazing, and real cream (!!!) in my coffee. I was going to buy some milk, but as luck would have it, I found a box of unsweetened almond milk in a cupboard, so I will finish that while I reintroduce other foods.

Tuesday morning I had a Whole 30 breakfast out of habit: eggs and vegetables. I may try something sweet later, if I get the urge. If not, by default I might add legumes, or possibly a non-wheat, gluten-free grain. I plan to monitor wheat very closely, because I feel I could have some sort of sensitivity to wheat. I sure hope not, but I know I could live without bread for the most part, especially if the tradeoff is less bloating and eczema.

Tonight I am planning on getting officially weighed and measured. I weighed myself this morning and it still shows the same, nine-pound loss from last week. This may be just a fluctuation, though. I feel thinner and all of the pants in my regular rotation are looser. I could get used to this.

CategoriesEvent

Just For Fun ~ Pound – Rockout.Workout

On Friday, February 24th at 5:15pm we’re hosting a demo class:
Pound – Rockout. Workout.

What is Pound?
Using Ripstix®, lightly weighted drumsticks engineered specifically for exercising, POUND® transforms drumming into an incredibly effective way of working out.

Instead of listening to music, you become the music in this exhilarating full-body workout that combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training with yoga and pilates-inspired movements.

Designed for all fitness levels, POUND® provides the perfect atmosphere for letting loose, getting energized, toning up and rockin’ out! The workout is easily modifiable and the alternative vibe and welcoming philosophy appeals to men and women of all ages and abilities.

The workout will be 45 minutes.
Space is limited to 15 people.  Please register here.

CategoriesEvent

Just For Fun – BollyX class

In the month of February we have several “just for fun” classes that are free for our members:

BollyX ~ Saturday, February 4th at 12pm ~ please register here.
BollyX is a high intensity Bollywood cardio workout. Move to the heart pumping beats of Bollywood, get ready to feel that muscle burn and unleash your inner swagger. Sometimes a workout can be just good ole fun!

CategoriesBlog Nourish.

Week Three: Whee!

This is a guest post by Flow Member, Caroline Zelonka, participating in The Reset.

Made it through the hump, and another pizza- and ice cream-filled weekend, and I’m feeling pretty fly. I’m not missing sugar or cheese that much, and am enjoying the mental clarity that comes with a wine-free existence. Is it Tiger Blood? Not sure, but I feel terrific.

I did go a little crazy with the nuts and dried fruit on Saturday night. Obeying the letter of the law, but not the spirit. I want to lose weight, and that stuff is packed with calories. And carbs, which I normally like to limit.

As a former Atkins devotee, I’d experimented successfully with nutritional ketosis, a metabolic state where fat becomes the preferred fuel for the body. It can be induced by a diet low in sugars, and measured through acetone in the breath.

At Tuesday’s Reset meetup and potluck (which I’ll get to later), we got to try out a neat new device. The LEVL detects acetone levels in parts per million, and they claim a reading of 2 or more translates into an “elevated state of fat metabolism” and loss of at least a half-pound body fat per week.

Testing was easy. Hold your breath and exhale slowly into a straw connected to a pod, which is placed in a machine the size of a clock radio and which reads the level in about 15 seconds. About eight of us were there to try it, registering levels of 1.5 to a whopping 8.6.

I scored a 2.5, but being the competitive person that I am, I’m now gunning for a higher score. So for the remainder of this program, I’m going to try to limit the potatoes, bananas, and especially the dried fruit, and stick to meat, vegetables, eggs, and lower-carb fruit like apples and blueberries.

I’m turning 50 in May, and am hoping to celebrate with a trip to Hawaii, somewhere I’ve never been. And it would be nice to have a fitter new body to take on the trip.

But I didn’t commit to the low-carb version of the Whole 30 that night, as there were several yummy dishes to try, including bacon-wrapped dates, roasted winter vegetables, a vegetable hash, cabbage and sausage, Cajun chicken drummettes, and my favorite, haricots verts (French green beans) with almond pesto.

Erin K, the chef behind the dish, thoughtfully supplied a recipe card, and has given me permission to publish it on this blog. She says it makes a great breakfast dish paired with eggs, but take it from me, it’s tasty any time.

Onto week four!

CategoriesBlog Nourish.

Delicious and Healthy Snacks That Boost Fitness

People who are trying to get fit may make a critical mistake in avoiding snacks. They may be hoping to avoid over-consumption or processed, unhealthy foods by resisting the urge to snack, but in reality, their skipped snacks could derail their efforts. Healthy snacks can help you feel fuller, eat more realistic portions at meal times, and most importantly, sustain your energy levels for your exercise and fitness regimen.

As an important note, whether you’re eating a meal or a snack, be sure to drink water. The more active you are, the more hydration your body needs for optimal performance.

Carbohydrates Offer Quick Energy

Healthy sources of carbohydrates eaten between 30 and 60 minutes before a workout can supply you with the energy you need to really perform your best. Some fresh fruit can provide you with healthy sugars, while whole-grain snacks, such as a handful of granola, whole-grain toast, or even a half serving of oatmeal, not only boost your energy but help your body maintain steady blood sugar levels. You want complex carbohydrates and not simple carbohydrates, like refined sugar and flour products.

Protein Is Critical For Muscle Growth and Health

If you’re going to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, your body needs key ingredients to maintain itself. Protein, whether it comes from animal or plant sources, is necessary for the healing of muscle tissue after exercise. It’s important to combine protein intake with complex carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy, and fruits and vegetables, which replace key micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins while also supplying your body with ever-important fiber.

Eat Plant-Based Foods at Every Meal

Just like you want to balance your consumption of protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal, you also want to focus on including fruits or vegetables at every meal. Over the course of the day, try to get as many colors as possible. Try for greens, oranges, yellows, and red/purples every single day. This will help ensure you are taking in an assortment of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals every day.

Seasonings Can Be Healthy, Too

While you want to take it easy on the salt and sugar, many other spices offer health benefits. Garlic and onion are associated with healthier cholesterol levels. Hot peppers, which get their heat from a chemical called capsaicin, can not only make your food more flavorful, but may offer some minor cardiovascular health benefits as well.

Featured photo source: Pixabay.com

CategoriesBlog Live Fit. Nourish.

Take a Deep Breath to Relieve Stress

Take a Deep Breath.

The average person takes 23,000 breaths each day. Have you ever noticed how you breathe? Caught yourself holding your breath? Or found the relaxation of a deep, cleansing breath?

If you’re like most people, you use only 20% of your lung capacity, taking short, shallow breaths.  This is especially true during times of stress – which these days is seemingly quite often. Whether you know it or not, most of us live in a constant state of stress. And in the midst of stress, we have an unconscious tendency to breathe shallow and tighten the core.

This type of breathing is thoracic, or chest breathing.  Which doesn’t lead to good oxygen exchange, and can trigger the stress response in your body.  Stress is useful at times, and can help you rise to meet challenges. It can keep you on your toes at work, sharpen your concentration, or drive you to go the extra mile in preparing for that all important presentation.

However, beyond your comfort zone, stress stops being helpful and can start causing major damage to your mind and body.

Your nervous system often does a poor job of distinguishing between daily stress and life-threatening events. When you stress over the little things your body can still react as if you’re facing a life-or-death situation.  And when you repeatedly experience the fight or flight stress response in your daily life, it can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, speed up the aging process and leave you vulnerable to a host of mental and emotional problems.

Enter the power of pause.  A deep breath buys you time – pause, if you will.

Before you yell at your child, spouse, the driver that just cut you off, the sales clerk that simply doesn’t care.  Exhale.  When you’re stuck in traffic. When the scale doesn’t read the number you want. When you’re late for that all important meeting. When you’re put on hold…again. When you’re tired and you simply can’t go one more step.

Breathe. Drop your shoulders. Exhale.

Getting oxygen to your brain is the best thing that you can do to make a mindful choice. To give you more energy. To gain clarity and improve your mood.  Hard to remember in the heat of the moment, but more important than you know.  Even better to practice when you’re not completely stressed out, so in the heat of the moment you have a fighting chance.

A few breathing techniques to try and reduce stress in your life:

– Box breathing.  This method is often used by the military and elite athletes.

– Three Breathing Exercises from Dr. Andrew Weil.

– Progressive Relaxation. A technique to release stress and tension from head to toe.

What is your favorite breathing exercise?  Please share in the comments below.

When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.
~ Author Unknown

CategoriesEvent

BollyX Instructor Certification Training ~ February 12th at Flow

BollyX Instructor Certification Training

Sunday, February 12th from 9am – 6pm

Ready to help others unleash their inner swagger? Become a BollyX instructor by attending an Instructor Training Certification. We’re looking for dynamic fitness instructors to join our team and share the BX movement. No prior experience with South Asian dance is required. In fact, our community is incredibly diverse and many of our most successful BollyX instructors are those experiencing Bollywood for the first time! We have created a powerful training program that will get you all the education and support you need.

Learn more, and register here.
Flow has one free registration for hosting – if you’d like to get certified let us know!

CategoriesBlog Nourish.

Week Two: The Honeymoon is Over

This is a guest post by Flow Member, Caroline Zelonka, participating in The Reset.

A little over a week and I’m feeling … well .. so-so. My energy levels are all over the place. I’m finding it easier to get going in the morning, but in the afternoons and early evenings I start to drag.

I’m also getting really tired of potatoes.

On a positive note, I’m proud of myself for making it through the first weekend despite plenty of temptation – wine, pizza, chocolate cake – waved in my face. (Literally: my 11-year-old nephew playfully taunted me after I explained my eating plan. He later redeemed himself by engaging me in a competitive game of ping-pong.)

But I gained newfound resolve at Tuesday’s Reset meetup. Beth led us in some stretching exercises, and we shared some tips and tricks. Speaking of, I wanted to share some of the advice I’ve gleaned, from Reset members and elsewhere.

  1. Read labels: You’d be surprised what foods contain sugars, disguised as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, barley malt and more. (The blog Sugar Science claims there are at least 61 different names for sugar on food labels.) But just as often, you can find surprisingly-compliant foods. My favorite Kroger brand mustard, for example, is fine.
  2. Freeze treats: Ambushed by a gift of homemade cookies or birthday cake? Thank the giver profusely, then throw it into the freezer to enjoy once the Reset is over. If you think you’ll be too tempted having it in your house, throw them in your work fridge (if you have one) or ask a friend to keep them for you.
  3. Design your plate: Take some time to plate your dishes nicely, and don’t forget the garnish. “Even a sprig of parsley helps,” said one Reset member. Attractive plating can also help convince your partner or kids to eat, or at least try, your Whole 30 creations.
  4. Chia seeds: A good source of soluble fiber, these little seeds can be mixed with any fluid (I prefer coconut milk) to make a pudding-like substance or thicken a smoothie. Add some ripe banana or pear for sweetness. If you don’t like them, you can always throw them in your Chia Pet.
  5. Infused water: These cold, dry days are dehydrating enough, and if you’re like me, this diet makes you pee more than usual. One solution: try creating waters infused with cucumber, berries, citrus juice, fresh ginger, or tea. (Ginger tea also makes a yummy hot drink.) You can also sip garnished sparkling water and sorta-kinda pretend it’s a cocktail.
  6. Keep your eyes on the prize: It’s only been 10 days, likely not enough time to see much progress. But I’m trying to celebrate every healthy food choice, label read, sugary snack skipped, red wine not ordered. I put the scale away, but I can tell my belly is a little less bloated. And though my energy levels are rather unpredictable, I can feel the “tiger blood” starting to form.


I’m also thinking about rewards. I’m keeping track of the money I’m not spending on snacks, wine, and cocktails, and am putting it into an account which I will use to buy … well, I’m not sure. Any ideas? Let me and others know in the comments, and feel free to share your own Whole 30 tips.

CategoriesBlog Nourish.

The Reset Begins.

This is a guest post by Flow Member, Caroline Zelonka, participating in The Reset.

After a full month of eating, drinking, cocktailing, and ignoring my expanding waistline, I am going into this Whole 30 Reset with high hopes.

My name is Caroline. I’m a writer and Flow Fitness member (you might have seen me on the elliptical, watching Pioneer Woman), and will be blogging about the Reset experience. It’s my first time doing a Whole 30, though I’ve tried almost every diet out there, starting with The Zone in the mid 1990s.

While I’d love to drop a few pounds, my main goal for my Whole 30 is to reduce inflammation. I’d love for my eczema to clear up, and my recurrent knee pain to subside. Not convinced my diet has anything to do with these things, but it can’t hurt to try. I was one of those kids who was allergic to everything, nuts especially, so I’m thinking eliminating potentially problematic foods might be helpful.

So in preparation for this week’s start, I stocked my kitchen. Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, almond milk, chia seeds, eggs, raw walnuts, a bunch of frozen veggies and fruit. I live by myself, so this was pretty easy. I found good prices on a lot of these things at Trader Joe’s, but they also can be had at the South Lake Union Whole Foods if you are into convenience over cost.

I also prepped by making some chia pudding (one can coconut milk, one cup almond milk, ⅔ cups chia seeds, whipped and refrigerated overnight), and roasting some cajun-seasoned skinless chicken thighs and sweet potatoes. I also made a sweet potato Shepherd’s pie, subbing white potatoes for the sweets. (I prefer sweet potatoes, but I had picky eaters to feed that night.)

I’m going to try to go to the gym at least three days this week. Normally, I also walk to and from my house in Judkins Park to my office in SLU, but the extreme cold has made this unpleasant. (I take the bus if the weather is nasty, or if I’m late. Today it was both.)

Two days in, I feel pretty good, but I haven’t been confronted with any serious temptations yet. At my office, all we have left in terms of treats is a large bucket of candy canes. And I’ve cleared out my house pretty well, foisting off a jar of peanut butter and wedge of cheese onto my neighbor.

It was great meeting some of the Reset participants at the Kick Off at Flow. I’m collecting your tips and tricks for possible use in a future blog post. If you have anything you want to share, or ideas for a Reset blog post, please email me at czelonka@gmail.com.