Posts tagged workout

Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“The Climb” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

So I was listening to the Miley Cyrus song The Climb. (I have a 7 year old daughter…it’s a requirement) and couldn’t help but see how it related to the challenge. “I can almost see it, that dream I’m dreaming but there’s a voice inside my head saying you’ll never reach it”. Somedays I feel like I’ll never reach my weightloss goals and the negative self-talk can get in my way. I feel like I’m constantly fighting the “uphill battle” of my weight and a healthy life. But I realized like the song says that “I’ve got to be strong and just keep pushing on”. A healthy life is a journey. It’s about being proud of myself right now in this moment. The fact that I’m even doing the challenge! Maybe it’s as simple as completing a workout, an interval or about resisting that extra cookie because you know it’s worth it in the end. All of us can look back and say “I did the Gold’s Gym Challenge in 2010, look at what I accomplished!” This can be the turning point that we look back to. We’re halfway there already! So, in the words of Miley, “Keep on moving, keep climbing, keep the faith, baby. It’s all about the climb!”
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Blahs” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

So we’re halfway through the challenge. I feel like I have the “mid-challenge blahs”. The newness and excitement of doing the challenge have started to wear off. I’m getting too comfortable with my workouts and a little lazy with my food. The scale is still moving in the right direction, but never as quickly and drastically as I want it to be. I’ve had a bit of a bad/frustrated attitude this week. I got a birthday email from the gym yesterday with a “pass” for one day worth of couch sitting, extra snoozing, movie watching, ice cream cake eating ditching the gym day. It was very cute and I sooo badly wanted to cash it in. But I’m doing this darn challenge and I need to stay committed to it. Ugh! I realized that this is the part of the challenge where perseverance kicks in. It’s time to regroup. Change up the workouts, get some new music on my iPod and get disciplined with my eating habits. It’s a new day, and there are new ways. The March class schedule will be out any day, maybe there’s a new class to try. We’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather so maybe it’s time to workout outside. I need to commit to a positive attitude… “I’m half way there and look how far I’ve come”. OK, even writing it I’m feeling a little better, but I’m still saving that “pass” for April…
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Shoes” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

For the past week or two, I’ve noticed a lot of fatigue in my knees. I didn’t know if I was doing an exercise wrong or if the increase in workouts was just making them tired. I described my knee pain to “Trainer Kari” and she suggested that it was probably time for new shoes. I was surprised because I bought my shoes at the end of summer/ early fall. But she said that typically shoes need to be replaced every 4-6 months. So it was time to go shopping…YAY! I went to Performance Footwear and got fitted for new shoes. I was REALLY surprised with the results. First, they had me walk in just my socks to assess my gait and determined the right kind of stability I needed. Then, found out that my last pair of shoes was a whole size bigger than what I needed. Next, discovered that I measured for needing a wide width shoe, something I never knew. Yeah, I was wearing an 8 ½ and I actually needed a 7 ½ wide width shoe. The best part was when I put on the shoes and felt instant relief in my knees. They felt so good I didn’t want to take them off. The salesperson told me that a lot of our body’s aches and pains can be a result of our shoes. I admit that my typical method for choosing shoes was more about style, color and cuteness. I happened to catch an article about running shoes that says you should replace your shoes every 350-550 miles, so if you’re doing a lot of movin’ and groovin’ for the challenge it might be time to replace those shoes.
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Classes, Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Kickboxing” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

I love Tuesday nights, because it’s my kickboxing class. I was surprised to discover how much I enjoy kickboxing. Remember I’m the girl with the two left feet in class usually, but somehow I manage to survive and have fun in this class. I guess I can kick and punch just not dance or step on boxes. There is something really empowering about doing all the punching and kicking and blocking. It’s a great way to rid yourself of any aggression. Mary does a wonderful job of explaining the moves and makes it fun and easy. But by “easy” I don’t mean that you won’t feel it, you will definitely be sweating and burning lots of calories. It is an awesome full body cardio workout! The only problem is that the class is really full. Last week, I “literally” got kicked in the rear. So I’m holding out hope that more classes will pop-up on the schedule. (I loved Angela’s Wednesday night Turbo Kick too….please come back Angela!) If you’re like me and have a hard time finding your “rhythm” with your two left feet, maybe give kickboxing a try. Come join me in kicking and punching calories away!
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Polls

Which genre of music do you prefer to listen to while working out?

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Fitness, Health, Workouts

Body Weight Workout

Here is a good workout that can be done in about 30 minutes and best of all it requires no weights or equipment. All that is needed is your own body and determination. This is for those of you that have a busy work schedule that might want to sneak in a quick workout during a break at work.
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Fitness, Videos

“Last Chance” Workout DVD

I’m doing the employee challenge. It’s been a lot of fun participating in the competition along with many of my clients. However, as a working mom, sometimes I don’t get as much time to come into the gym for all of my workouts. That doesn’t mean that I don’t workout!!! I’ve just had to come up with creative ways to do some exercises at home. When I drained my brain of all the things I could think of, such as doing lunges with my son on my shoulders and sit ups with him sitting on my chest, I went to the store and bought a DVD. I’m a big fan of the show the Biggest Loser, so I got the “Last Chance” workout DVD.
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Me” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

This challenge has showed me how hard it is to make your self a priority. As a wife and mother, I feel guilty taking “me” time. Despite my husband’s assurances that it’s OK for me to take time for me, I feel guilty asking for help. I feel guilty taking time away from my family. I feel guilty putting my kids in the child care room because I want to workout. And don’t forget about our endless lists of tasks waiting for us like grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, bills, and cleaning that have to fit in around school and work schedules. I feel like I got so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs that I forgot to take care of myself. But if you don’t take care of yourself, it’s hard to take care of your family. For the past month, I found that when there’s a will there’s a way. I’m amazed at where I’ve been able to squeeze in a workout when I really want to. I even went to a 5am spin class this morning, and anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a morning person. I realized the laundry and other tasks will still be there when I’m done with my workout. I realized that a “date” with my husband at the gym can be fun too. I realized that my kids will be fine in the childcare room. (A shout out to Michelle and Caryn in the Wenatchee childcare…my kids love you!) And I realized that I’m making a happier, healthier wife, mother and ME.
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Pushing Through” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

Just three weeks into the challenge and already the workouts are becoming daunting. Nine weeks to go! Ugh! It feels like some days are just easier than others for getting a workout in. Today is a gloomy, overcast day (my little girl is home sick) and it makes me want to snuggle back into bed and NOT go to the gym. I feel like I have to pull out all the stops today. I tend to play tricks with myself to get through a workout. I upload new songs on my iPod, find a favorite show to watch, or cover the display so I’m not watching the minutes slowly pass. I would love to hear some feedback about what gets YOU through a workout. Everyday, or sometimes every minute, I feel like I’m faced with a decision that the will determine my success in this challenge. What am I going to eat and how much, when can I workout and how hard will I push myself during the workout. So I’m just trying to remind myself why I’m doing the challenge, and make every moment count.
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health

“Discipline” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

Wow! What a weekend! I felt like I was put to the test. Saturday was especially difficult. We had big scheduling issues. My daughter had a school activity that required her to be there all day, my husband needed to be at the office all day and I had my two-year old to entertain and his naptime to work around. So when was there time for me to workout? How was I going to work in my healthy eating? How was I going to take care of everything and still take care of me? Thankfully, I have a wonder husband. He was able to go in to work a little later than planned. I got up early and went to the gym, and then finished my workout at home while the kids ate breakfast. I packed lunches for all of us and somehow we made it to school on time and even had cookies for the bake sale. Then I was faced with my next temptation…dinner. We had a small break between school performances in the evening. The kids really wanted McDonald’s and, well, I really wanted McDonalds. I admit it….I have a problem with fast food. “Hi, my name is Melissa and I love french fries.” It would have been so convenient to run and grab fast food. But “It’s not willpower, it’s discipline”, right? So we reluctantly headed home for dinner. Yes, it required more preparation on my part, but in the end I felt great about sticking to my meal plan and it was healthier for everyone. I realized that I will continue to be faced with temptations and challenges in the next couple of months and beyond. My own discipline will be my weapon against them.
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