I know for a fact that having a group of people waiting for me up at the canal every Saturday morning made my long runs bearable when I was training for my marathon 3 years ago.  Generally I ran by myself, as I had to take a lot of walking breaks.  (The residual effects from the chemotherapy slows me down).  But just knowing that they were there made it so much easier to get up at 6:00 am every Saturday morning.

I was a part of the Team in Training program so being a part of that group was easy, we were all up there training for our particular events. 

So, what does the average person, who doesn't want to train for a specific event, do to find a training partner or group?  The New York Times published a great article listing a number of resources you can use to find that local running partner you are looking for.  If you find yourself having trouble staying committed check out that website and see if you can't a partner to team up with.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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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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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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1. When you are short on time try a more intense shortened version of your normal workout.
2. Never go to a holiday party on an empty stomach.
3. The holidays should be a time of joy and celebration, but for many of us it is a time of stress and frustration.  Remember high levels of stress do not help with your weight loss efforts.
4. Use those last few days of shopping to your advantage.  You have the potential to add a lot of walking into your trip.  Park on the opposite end of the mall, use the stars and make a few extra laps around each store.
5. When you go to the holiday party spend time with the guests not at the buffet table.

Above all have a happy and safe holiday!

Total Body Transformation Workout – 12 minutes of aerobic activity.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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On Wednesday, December 10, Dax Moy and over 250 of the world's top fitness professionals will open the doors on the World's largest ever health and fitness gift-giving, set to generate positive health for over 500,000 people this Christmas.

The program, called '12 days of fitness' initially began when the UK's leading fitness professional, Dax Moy, wanted to express his gratitude to his clients and offered them a gift a day for 12 consecutive days as his twist of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Last year Moy shared this idea with fellow fitness professional Pat Rigsby and they expanded the 12 Days of Fitness to include not only their own clients but to the world at large and gave fitness gifts to over 200,000 people who signed up at the site at "www.12daysoffitness.com".

This year, with the help of 250 of the world's top personal trainers, nutritionists, therapists and specialist fitness experts, the 12 days of fitness is set to become the biggest fitness gift giveaway in history with expected downloads of over 500,000 between the 10th and 22nd of December. "There's never been another health event like this, where so many people stand to benefit from the expertise of true professionals for free" says Moy who has been working flat out to make this year's 12 days a success.

"Fitness professionals from around the globe have contributed hundreds of e-books, reports, videos, meal plans and other free gifts in their hope of making 2009 the year that anyone, regardless or their location, financial situation or past failures, can finally reach their fitness goals and make those New Year's Resolutions a reality once and for all."

Perhaps the best part of the 12 Days of Fitness giveaway is that regardless of a persons health or fitness goals, there are going to be gifts specifically designed to help them achieve success.

"We've received gifts designed for busy mom's, elite athletes, bodybuilders, back pain sufferers and pretty much anyone else you can imagine covering everything from fat loss to rehabilitation and everything in between.

There literally will be something for everyone this year and all of it free, making it, without a doubt, one of the most important gifts anyone will receive this year. After all, what's more important than health?"

The 12 days of gift giving starts December 10th but those interested are urged to visit "www.12daysoffitness.com" right away to sign up for their free gifts.

Once enrolled, participants will get a daily email telling them how to access each of the new gifts that are being added each day as well as a reminder on how to access previous gifts.

To guarantee a healthy start to 2009, simply visit "www.12daysoffitness.com" today.

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I think I have an answer, you are actually doing what I am telling you, setting goals and training with an end in mind.  I see it all the time with my clients, the ones who set a goal at the beginning do much better with their results.

Maybe you don't have a goal in mind yet, that's OK, read my article (Components of Fitness) and think about what areas you want to improve.  Doing this will help you focus on your goals better. 

There are many tools out there to help you determine whether or not you are improving, fitness testing is one of them.  One of my absolute most favorites is the President's Challenge Program.  I used it all the time when I was teaching middle school and I still use some of the tests with my clients.  In recent years an adult version has been added to the mix.

Take some time to review the website if you are having trouble staying motivated and writing out your goals, fitness testing may be just the thing you need.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Busy people need to be organized and one way to that is to use the tools found on the Internet.  I know what you are about to say, "the economy is bad and programs on the Internet are expensive".  I understand I kept your budget in mind when writing out this Post today, how does free sound?  Yes the sites I am about to show you are yours to use for free.

The first site is a free personal calendar that can be accessed from anywhere.  Keep track of appointments, soccer games, meetings and birthdays all in one place.  Month-A-Majig.

The next site has everything you can think of to help you with your diet.  It will help you track foods, exercise, water intake and even sleep.  DietTV

The last tool is a nutrition and exercise website that will give you complete unbiased information and it has access to one of the largest nutrition databases on the Internet.  It is also customizable.  MyPyramid.gov

Today's Agent for Change Tip:

Use the tools around you that can help you become more organized and focused, ask for help and stop trying to do everything by yourself.

Want an online community that is centered on your needs, will give you lots of support and help and will give you the edge you need?  Join the Completely Fit Club enrollment is open to all who need and want the extra help.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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I think the first thing you need to decide is, what are you trying to accomplish with your exercise routine? 

If it is cardio related you need a piece of cardio exercise equipment such as: a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike.  An elliptical tends to give you the biggest calorie burn, but it really depends on the type of workout you are doing, you can get just as big a burn on a treadmill.  With this type of equipment it really has to be what you like best.

With resistance training, exercise equipment is easy to decide for someone with no equipment.  For a beginner the first piece of equipment you should buy is a stability ball.  With all of my clients I do recommend that they buy a high quality ball that will last as opposed to the ones you find in your local stores.  I have found the balls at Perform Better to last the longest and they have very competitive prices.

If you are not sure about stability balls check out my article Stability Ball Training Made Easy and read about all of the great benefits.  I have also created a program just for the stability ball.

Other great pieces of equipment are bands, dumbbells and free weights.  They all allow you to do  multiple things and are inexpensive and take up very little room.

The most important thing to remember is to find things you like and can safely use.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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