Finally Fit in 2010: Secrets from Belly Bootcamp

the trainer’s toolbox

We'll bet the farm this resolution is on your list....

Resolution déjà vu?  Make that fitness resolution for the last time this year and finally achieve it with these secrets from the popular Belly Bootcamp fitness classes for modern mommies.

Start by choosing a realistic goal with a specific timeline – instead of “I want to lose all my baby weight,” try “I will weigh 145 pounds by April 1” or “I will run a 10K race on May 20.”  Then break that goal down into manageable steps – figure out how many pounds you need to lose per week or per month, or how many minutes you need to run each week as you work your way up to your jogging goal, for example.

Got your goal set and your path laid out?  Every fitness achievement starts with effective workouts (and a healthy dose of willpower).  Take a page from the Belly Bootcamp bible and steal these women’s fitness secrets that help our mommies get their fittest ever:

1. super sets (and circuits) are super. Structure your workout so you perform two exercises working different muscles back-to-back.  Try pairing up one leg exercise with one upper body exercise or one core exercise with any large muscle move using the legs, back or chest.  Complete one set of each in succession, then rest 30-60 seconds before your next set. Cardio junkies will love squeezing in 1-5 minutes of sprinting, cycling or stepping as well – try completing one circuit of 8-10 different exercises, then a bit of cardio before completing a final set of each exercise.
2. power up your cardio. Interval training uses short bouts of high-intensity cardio (approximately 85% of maximum heart rate) with periods of active rest (65-75% of MHR) to blast off more calories in less time and boost your metabolism for hours after you step off the treadmill.  After a 5-10 minute warmup, try 1 minute running as hard as you can with 2 minutes jogging or speedwalking; repeat 6 times and cool down.
3. use your downtime. Instead of completing a set and resting 1-2 minutes before starting again, recover those lost minutes by performing a lighter exercise while you recover from your main move.  Try a standing shoulder press while you rest your legs or some crunches while you rest your back.  By the time you finish those crunches your back will be ready to go again! 
4. go for compound moves. These are the moves that really get your heart rate up in half the time and burn tons of calories by incorporating two exercises into one, such as a squat with a shoulder press or a bent-over row with a triceps kickback. Perform these moves as you would any others, in succession with no rest until you complete the set.  Not for the faint of heart!
5. know how much is too much. There is a difference between feeling “the burn” and feeling like you’re about to pass out.  Your workout should be challenging enough to make you grit your teeth a bit as you finish those last few reps or the last few minutes of your cardio.  If you breeze through it, it’s not stimulating your muscles and brain enough to make the impact you’re looking for.  If it’s downright painful or causes faintness, dizziness, or extreme fatigue, chances are you’ll burn out or become injured long before you’ve had a chance to reach that goal of yours. 

One last secret of Belly Bootcampers?  You can get fit without a gym membership, without much equipment and without spending a lot of money.  For tons of trainer-tested exercises you can do at home or to try a Belly Bootcamp class near you, visit www.fitfamily.ca or www.bellybootcamp.ca.

Holiday musings… and ever tightening jeans!

personal trainer diary

- Beth Beauchemin (Read About Beth)

As many of you already know, I have NO hope of keeping my waistline tight and taut over the holiday season.  Having a baby isn’t exactly the best way to stay looking skinny and trim (although it is VERY possible to stay fit through your pregnancy…. Hello Belly Bootcamp prenatal classes!!!), so I’m pushing off my skinny jeans goal until December 2010.  (Yummy… that means all I can eat homemade butter tarts!  Well, maybe not all I can eat, but I will certainly indulge in a few.  It’s for the baby!)

Since I have no hope of controlling my waistline this season, I am hoping (somewhat) to keep a tighter rein on my holiday budget.  What is it about the holiday season that triggers an urge to spend as much as I possibly can to show the people around me that I care about them?  I really and truly don’t look at what I receive as a measure of anything, so why would I put that pressure on myself?  Is it true that “in order to be a good daughter/sister/sister-in-law/friend/etc you need to spend xxx amount of dollars”.   Absolutely not! It is truly a crazy time of year, but here are some ways you can trim the fat from your holiday budget.

1. Go paperless. Not only is this great for the environment (YEAH!), but it will save you time and money!  You can go paperless in a variety of ways.  My favourite 2 are e-cards for holiday notes (This is so fast AND no waiting in line at the post office to mail them all!!!) and being “useful” when wrapping gifts.  As little paper as possible in this house – we recycle gift bags like they are going out of style, of course, but we also try and use fabric.  Bath or kitchen towels make great wrapping paper, as do reusable lunch bags.  Where there is a will there’s a way!
2. Hit the dollar store. While paperless is still goal 1, I still have to send cards to my granny and wrap my mom’s presents.  Some things will never change!  For items like that…. Hello Dollarama!  I can spend $20 on a card and wrapping paper at the drugstore, or $3 at the dollar store.  No brainer!
3. Partner up. This comes from my own personal preference….. I would much rather one nice gift than a bunch of less-than-spectacular little ones.  In our family, I often partner up with a few people to get my dad the tool he’s coveting, or the new golf clubs my mom has been eyeing.  We spend less than we would have individually, and are able to get a much nicer gift.
4. Buy occasions, not items. This is another great “eco” gift.  Items such as a restaurant/movie/spa gift certificates; your babysitting services for a night; tickets to a play… these are all great ideas and will create a memory that the recipient will treasure for a long time to come.
5. Channel your inner Martha. While I admit that not everyone has culinary or sewing skills, there are a variety of easy and gorgeous things that you can make yourself as gifts.  When I was a kid, my grandfather LOVED banana splits.  His present from me one year… “a banana split kit”.  Homemade chocolate sauce, pineapple jam, and strawberry jam, with a small whipped cream container.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Heart-warming?  Very.  Useful?  Definitely!  I think we had banana splits at their house every Friday for the next 2 months!  Spend some time researching online, and you will find a plethora of ideas that truly do come from the heart.

So while I will admit that I did go ridiculously overboard for my granny (can anyone say cashmere set?!), I have managed to find a few places where I’ve been able to be more reasonable.   Now I just have to sit back and let the dust settle on my credit card:  we will see what January brings!

Happy Holidays everyone!