Where do you buy your fitness equipment?  There is a recall/warning for about 3,000,000 fitness balls sold between May 2000 and February 2009.  I have used quite a few bands and stability balls that have been bought at the local sports and department stores.  Every band I bought broke or tore within a few months,  I can honestly say they do not come close to the professional grade equipment I buy. 

It is OK to buy your dumbbells, bars and plates anywhere they are always going to be the same.  You will however want to make sure you make the correct choice for you.  They come in many different shapes and forms so test them out before you buy.

Superbands, balls, and tubing etc. are all forms of equipment that can break.  You want to make sure you are buying top quality and you are following all of the instructions.  I understand, you may be thinking I can't afford to buy high quality.  Rest assured, the equipment I buy is really no more expensive then going to the department stores, and you can be guaranteed that it is safe and will last much longer.  Below are the two companies I use for all of my equipment. 

If you are not sure what to buy send me an email and I will help you choose the size and strength.

Total Body Transformation Workout - Day 30 starts the Intermediate Level.  Today you will do Strength A 3×12

Front squat

Chin up (superset)

Bench press

Straight leg deadlift (superset)

Foam roll 3 trouble spots.  10 minute jump rope workout, 1 minute on 30 seconds off, repeat for 10 minutes.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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When is the last time you replaced your tennis shoes?  Better yet when is the last time you actually had a custom analysis done, before you bought a pair of shoes?

Your feet are the first thing to hit the pavement when you are running, walking or exercising, so wouldn't it make sense to take care of them in the best possible way?  If you wear glasses you most likely have a prescription customized to your exact needs, you wouldn't share with your spouse.  Your eyesight needs are unique to you.

Well, our feet are similar to that scenario.  I understand we do not need a prescription to buy shoes, but you do need to understand what type of foot you have in order to buy the correct shoe type.  You may have bought the perfect shoe for your foot but with the wrong fit you have just ruined your feet.  (That's a tongue twister for you, say that sentence 5 times real fast).

So, what is the solution?  You need to find a store that has trained professionals working, who know how to do a gait analysis.  They will take a look at how you stand and how you walk on a treadmill and from a few other simple tests, will be able to determine what type of shoe you need to have on your foot.

Your specialty running stores are a good place to start.  I know what you are thinking, this seems expensive.  Usually buying tennis shoes from a running store will be more expensive, however I can guarantee you are getting a better quality shoe and a shoe that fits your foot.  In my opinion well worth the extra money, your feet take a beating every day. 

Shoes are good for about 250-500 miles.  After 500 miles your shoes may still look good on the outside but the important parts of the shoe are breaking down and it is time to replace them.

Just remember taking care of your feet now and being preventive will save in the long run and help you avoid those costly doctor bills.

If you are in the Mount Airy Md, Frederick Md area a great place to shop is IF The Shoe Fits.  I always buy my tennis shoes from that store and have never had problems since.  I had a broken ankle in high school and whenever I do not wear a high quality good fitting tennis shoe I typically get shin splints or high arch sprains.  Again take it from me the extra money is well spent.

Total Body Transformation Workout – Day 28 you will do an anaerobic workout today. 30 minutes total time.

Day 29 take the day off.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Not sure where to start when learning the single leg squat, that's OK I have made a video to show how to do the single leg squat toe touch, it's the perfect place to start.

Once you become good at the Single Leg squat toe touch add weight and then eventually begin to bend the knee more a go lower.

Total Body Transformation Workout – day 26 you will do an aerobic workout today 20 minutes be sure to warm up and cool down.  Stretch the glutes, quads and lats.

Day 27 you will do strength workout B 3 x12

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Do you ever wish you could have a warranty for your body?  I know I do.  As a kid I was pretty hard on my body parts.  I broke my ankle in high school; the day I got my cast off I went home and started running on it.  I wanted to be ready for practice the next day.  Of course I pay for that little mistake now.

There are days I wish I had a warranty, I have quite a few body parts I would like to return for repair or replace all together, unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  Instead I make do with what I have and I take very good care of what I have left.

Eating correctly, taking the right supplements, getting enough rest, laughing and adequate exercise can be just what the doctor ordered if you are in need of some repair.

Total Body Transformation workout - day 24 anaerobic workout after a 5 minute warm up do 5-6 rounds of 1 minute
hard followed by a 1 minute recovery, be sure to finish with a 5 minute
cool down.  Foam roll the shoulders, glutes and TFL.

Day 25 strength workout a 3×12 plus stretch the rotator cuff and lats

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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I have put together a list of the 7 habits I feel will help you become a more effective exerciser:

1. Know why you are exercising.  People who exercise with a purpose generally are more motivated and stick with the program longer.
2. Log your workouts.  By logging your workouts you know where you have been, what you are doing and can see the progress you are making.
3. Consistent hard work.  Effective exercisers do not skip multiple workout days.  They develop a plan for dealing with unexpected interruptions and do not make excuses.
4. They know how to take a day off and allow their body to take the break it needs.
5. Effective exercisers stay well hydrated and eat nutrient dense foods that aid in training.
6. They have a workout plan that is written with their goals in mind.  In other words, it is not a cookie cutter one size fits all downloaded program.
7. Last but not least, they can take the good with the bad.  they realize they are not perfect and will have that off day once in awhile or ask for help when needed.

Take a look at your exercising traits how do you stack up compared to my highly effective exerciser?

Total Body Transformation Workout – day 23 Strength C 3×12 plus a flexibility workout stretching the calves, quads and lats.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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A heart rate monitor can be a great tool for keeping you motivated and on track with your fitness goals.  First of all, gadgets are great they give you something to look at and enable you to keep going even when you begin to get a little bored.  Secondly, a heart rate monitor will help you stay within in your target zone and ultimately help you reach your goals sooner.

I often find it difficult to help my new clients, who have never exercised, understand how hard they need to be working.  They are either working so hard out of their target zone that they can't keep up the pace for very long or they are not working near hard enough.

Most people who exercise will use one of two things to help monitor how hard they are working out.  First, the above mentioned heart rate monitor and secondly a rate of perceived exertion scale (RPE).  RPE is a scale of 1 to 10, 1indicates not working very hard and a 10 is an all out hardest effort you can give.  The scale is easy to use and very affordable (free), however, it has its' drawbacks.  First, a lot of people do not know their all out effort.  Secondly, as you become more fatigued it becomes easier to relate working at a 7-8 to working at a 10.

The heart rate monitor is a little more specific, you are either working hard and getting your heart rate up or you are not.  Click on the watch above if you would like to by one, you will be taken to the Perform Better website. 

As you workout try to use something to gage how hard you are working and watch your success grow.

Total Body Transformation Workout – Day 20 strength workout A 3×12, flexibility, stretch the piriformis, quads and chest.

Day 21- Aerobic workout 15 minutes your choice of activities and foam roll the lats, hamstrings and glutes.

Day 22 – Enjoy your day off.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Take a step back over the next few days and turn off your technology (lights and refrigerator optional).  I bet you become much more productive at work when you stop checking your email and rss feeds every 5 minutes.  At night do not turn on the television or video games, instead get out some of those old fashioned board games or maybe even exercise as a family. 

Don't let technology get in the way of your good health.

Total Body Transformation Workout – Day 16 Strength B 3×12 and stretch the calves, quads and lats.

Day 17 – anaerobic workout after a 5 minute warm up do 5-6 rounds of 1 minute hard followed by a 1 minute recovery, be sure to finish with a 5 minute cool down.  Foam roll the shoulders, glutes and TFL.

Day 18 -strength C 3×12 and stretch the chest, lats and quads.

Day 19 aerobic workout 15 minutes followed by foam rolling the hamstrings, snow angel and lats. 

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Well you guys should know me well enough by now to know I don't believe in coming up with a resolution.   It is a ritual a tradition something we have to do at the end of every year.  A resolution is something we would like to have, I don't believe any real thought is ever put into the process.

What I do believe in however, is setting goals.  Well thought out, well planned goals.  Something you really want to accomplish and you have a big enough WHY to carry you through till the end.

The 2 day rule is something you can use to help accomplish your goal no matter what it is.  In reality all you are doing when setting goals are creating new habits.  We all know that breaking those old habits can be tough.  In comes the 2 day rule, never go more than two days without working on your goal.  So if exercise is it, never go more than 2 days without getting on the treadmill or into that gym.  The longer you wait the harder it is to get back into something.

Total Body Transformation Workout – for day 11 you will do strength workout B 3×12 and following it up by foam rolling the glutes, TFL and hamstrings.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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For the most part there are no rules as to what exercise you can or cannot do when you cross train.  If jogging is your main form of exercise pick something such as biking as your cross training activity for the week.  You really would not want to walk because that uses the same muscle groups.

Benefits of cross training -

• Injury prevention
• Rehabilitation from overuse injuries
• Total body  fitness improvements
• Active recovery
• Motivation booster
• Introduction to new activities
• Boredom busters

As you can see there are quite a few reasons to begin cross training.  In my opinion injury prevention and active recovery are probably the two most important benefits.  You can not lift weights or run everyday year round without enduring some form of overuse injury.  If you incorporated another form of exercise during the week (active recovery) you would cut down on the injuries and actually enhance your overall level of fitness because you are working different muscle groups.

Total Body Transformation Workout – For day 10 you will do 15 minutes of an aerobic activity of your choice followed by stretching the piriformis and hamstrings.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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