Diane Raymond’s Blue Sky Blog

I know, I know…vacations are for relaxing, so missing a workout, or two, or five in a row is okay, right? You can make them up when you get home, right? WRONG! If you are truly buying into the concept of “lifestyle fitness” and want to make lasting changes in your overall health, then making the time to work out when you travel is part of the deal. It doesn’t have to be the full-fledged routine you normally do at home, but it should involve some cardiovascular activity that raises your heart rate for at least 20 minutes, and also some strength training (let’s say for simplicity, maybe 5-6 exercises that hit the major body parts: legs, hips/glutes, core, chest, back, and arms).

Here is a really quick routine you can do outdoors, no equipment required:

Power walk/jog or Jog/run intervals for 25-30 mins, including warm-up. This involves alternating periods of low-moderate intensity with bouts at higher intensities. For example:

• Warm-up 3-5 mins
• Power Walk: 2-3 mins at RPE of 5-6 on RPE scale of 1-10
• Jog: 2 mins at RPE of 7-8 on RPE scale of 1-10
• Repeat for 20-25 more mins

Strength training made simple…do 1 set of each of the following (after your heart rate has returned to normal, or before you cardio workout):

• Reverse lunges (12-15 reps per leg)
• “Around the clock” Push-ups (12-21 reps, 4-7 reps at each position – 8 and 2, 9 and 3, 10 and 4)
• Bicycle crunches (16-20 reps)
• 1-leg squat on park bench (12-15 reps per leg)
• Tricep dips on park bench (12-15 reps)
• Lateral lunges with toe touch

The entire routine takes anywhere from 30-45 mins, and again, can be done anywhere. Crank  this routine out several times (not in succession) while you’re vacationing, and you’ll return home feeling as fit as when you left, and more in charge of your life – promise!

Filed under: Cardio/Strength/Stretch: Putting it all Together, The Great Outdoors, Turn Up The Burn: Cardio Training on July 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

There is a “Dummy” guide for just about everything these days, and I think there should be one for reading food labels as well. Come on, raise your hand if you’ve held up traffic in the grocery isle while trying to figure out how many grams of saturated fat are in one serving of your favorite brand of ice cream? And do you fall into this trap too — reading the list of ingredients and wondering what the heck everything is, or if it is any good for you or not? I do this ALL the time. Luckily, there is help…check out eBrandAid, a website that helps you read the labels, and also compare brands, which is terrific if you also like to compare the ingredients between competing brands. The site also offers free email tips, the “best” brands (i.e, the healthiest options available), and answers to common questions, such as, “what is better, margarine or butter?”
Check it out – it’s free!

Filed under: Diane's Picks, Nutrition: Make Every Calorie Count on June 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

Every day I pile fruit and veggies onto each of my children’s plates, and every day I ladle them, untouched, into a storage container to be eaten, by me, later. Only one of my four children, in fact, eats fruits and vegetables with any kind of enthusiasm. I’ve read (on numerous occasions) that if you put produce on their plates every day, they will eventually eat it. I’m not buying it. Marin and Addison used to like vegetables, if served cold and with hummus or salad dressing. They even loved salad…for about one month. Now, all bets are of. On a good day, they’ll eat a banana AND sliced apples. It drives me nuts, and naturally, I worry whether they are getting adequate nutrition. But enough about me – I’m writing this because I bumped into a resource that might just “trick” kids into eating their fruits and veggies – by way of charity!

Produce for Kids is an organization that works with both the produce industry and grociers to promote healthy eating for kids. The organization also raises funds and awareness for non-profits (Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and PBS Kids.)

How it works: For every produce item purchased at one of these stores: Public, Meijer, Giant, Price Chopper, Kroger, and ACME, PFK sponsors make a donation to your local Children’s Miracle Network. It’s simple, and a worthwhile cause kids and parents can both sink their teeth into (no pun intended.)

The PFK website also has fun games for kids, resources for parents and teachers, and lots of healthy recipes to test on your picky little eaters.

Filed under: In the News, Nutrition: Make Every Calorie Count, Recipes on June 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

Summer schedules are usually jam-packed with activities, from camp for the kids to vacations — it is easy to let workout schedules slide this time of year. With careful planning and simplified equipment that can be toted with you, there isn’t any reason your fitness routine has to take a back seat to all of the other activities you have planned.

Small, lightweight equipment is the key: Resistance tubing is great, packs nicely in any suitcase and you can use it to work the entire body either right in your hotel room, or wrap it around your waste and jog to the nearest park and work out there. Trees, fences…even parking meters, make great anchors to wrap the tubing around for chest presses, rows, tricep push backs, bicep curls, and lateral rotations for the obliques. And don’t feel silly doing this – boot camp classes are so popular now that seeing people working out in the park (esp in bigger cities) is very common. Jump roping is another terrific, on-the-road calorie burning tool. Again, these items fit right into your carry on or suitcase. Does it get any easier than that?

Another option is to take a TRX trainer. This suspension training system, originally developed for the Navy Seals, is becoming very popular in group fitness settings, personal training studios, and for in-home use. It is a terrific, total body strengthening and conditioning tool that weighs less than 2lbs, sets up in under 1 minute, and can be used in the hotel room or outdoors. You can purchase one from
FitnessAnywhere and can also see instructional videos on the website.

No equipment? No problem – many hotels now have fitness TV, so you can order up a workout to do right in your room. You can also take your workout to the nearest park or playground and do strength training there – no equipment needed. Park benches make great steps for step ups to strengthen the hips and glutes; you can also do tricep dips and push-ups. Find the nearest playground and do the monkey bars, pull-ups, chin-ups…get creative, and most of all, have fun!

Take advantage of the hotel pool and fitness room. For business travelers – the pool and fitness room are busiest in the early morning and evening. For leisure travelers at a resort, these tend to be the least busy times. It is hard to muster the motivation to exercise while on vacation, but keeping up with your routine will make your vacation more enjoyable, and when you come home you won’t be faced with the daunting task of working off gobs of extra calories or making up lost ground toward your fitness goals.

Need a routine to follow while your gone? There are a number of online sources you can check out before you go so that you have a resource you feel comfortable using.

1. Fitness magazines have exercise pictures, video, and descriptions that take much of the thinking out of what to do when. Check out these routines at Shape, Self, Fitness, and Women’s Health.

2. Yoga Download. For yoga enthusiasts, there are so many videos to choose from, you could do a different yoga routine every day of your vacation. Download the videos to your iPod or laptop computer in a flash.

3. Have a personal trainer design a travel workout for you! Your fitness goals, exercise experience, vacation locale and itinerary, and the time you have available to workout all factor into an effective routine, and trainers know all too well how tough it can be to stay on top of your workout when you’re on the road. Need help with your vacation fitness routine? Feel free to contact me.

Filed under: Uncategorized on June 23rd, 2009 | 1 Comment »

…on the stability ball. By themselves, the chest press and chest flyes are terrific exercises for strengthening the chest muscles (pecs) and anterior shoulder (deltoid). Do them unilaterally and you’ll notice the opposite side of your core (obliques, and transverse and rectus abdominus) “engage” in order to stabilize your spine and the rest of your core and to keep your hips squared to the ceiling. Toss in the stability ball, and wowza, now you’re working the entire hip complex, including glutes, hamstrings, and quads. And let’s not forget your posterior delts and spinal erectors. Talk about getting more bang for your buck!

Chest Press Description: Grab your dumbbells and sit on a stability ball. Make sure feet are flat and that when sitting, your thighs are parallel to the floor. Next, slowly lean back and walk your feet out until your head, neck, upper back and shoulders are on top of the ball. Hips should be lifted, pelvic muscles engaged and feet flat on the floor. Pull your shoulders down and back to retract your scapulae, and with palms facing forward while hands are wrapped around dumbbells, position dumbbells at or just above chest level (upper arm and forearm should form a 90-degree angle).

Next, exhale and slowly press the dumbbells upward (squeeze your chest muscles until arms are straight), then inhale and slowly return to starting position. To do this exercise unilaterally, raise only one arm at a time without rotating the hips. Notice how much your core muscles contract to keep you on top of the ball!

Directions for chest flyes: Begin in the same position as for the chest press, but turn hands and dumbbells so that palms are facing each other and arms are straight up and in line with shoulders. Exhale and slowly lower one dumbbell to the side until knuckles are parallel to the ground. Note, this is one exercise where each individual is somewhat limited by the range of motion in the shoulder, so don’t lower the dumbbell any lower than you are comfortable with. Inhale, squeeze chest and anterior shoulder muscles and return arm to starting position before repeating on opposite side.

Perform 8-12 repetitions per side, then switch sides, or alternate between arms for a total of 16-24 reps.

Watch the “How to” video from IDEA’s Exercise Library.

Advanced move: For those with exceptional hip and core strength looking for more challenge, this exercise can also be done with one leg lifted (opposite to the arm you are working, so if you are working the right arm, the left leg would be lifted.) Keep lifted leg parallel to the ground and even with the grounded leg.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

Filed under: Exercises I Love!, Lift It: Weight Training on June 20th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

The glow that keeps on giving…
Know that feeling you get after a great workout? Giddy almost, aren’t you? I know I always feel better leaving the gym than when I arrived (and that isn’t because I’m glad the workout is over ;0)! As it turns out, that mood-boost you get after your workout can last up to 12 hours! This might not seem as a huge surprise if you read health/fitness magazines frequently, but the “big” news here is that before now, researchers had not tracked these post-workout happy feelings for this long (24 hours, in fact). So, when you’re stressed, having a long day, or just not in the mood to work out – do it anyway, and you’ll feel better instantly, and for hours after. Catch the full story…

Filed under: In the News on June 18th, 2009 | No Comments »

Next to my laptop I keep a small tablet for jotting down questions from clients, newsletter followers, friends, neighbors, random strangers, and so on…anyway, there has been a resurgence in the age-old question: “Is there a fitness formula for figuring out how much cardio and how much strength training I should do each week?” Unfortunately, there is no simple, one-size fits all answer. What works for you might not work for someone else. In fact, that will likely be the case. Just as our DNA is unique, so too is our physiological machinery. That said, there is a starting point that will work for just about everyone, and it is very, very simple: drum roll please…move more, and make every calorie count. That’s right folks, the fitness formula is that simple. So stop fretting over the nitty gritties of weight management and today move more than you did yesterday, and toss the junk food in the trash while you’re moving – grab an apple instead. Before you know it, you’ll feel better, have more energy, and with consistency, you’ll soon see a lower number on the scale

Filed under: Motivation: Find Your Spark on June 18th, 2009 | No Comments »

This has been coming down the pipes for awhile: Senate Bill 374, which would require trainers to have either a 4-yr degree in a health/fitness-related field, such as kinesiology or exercise physiology, or certification from an accredited organization (currently, only 10 of the more than 200 certifying agencies in the U.S. are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA): ACE, NSCA, ACSM, NASM, and ISSA, to name a few. The bill has both good and bad points. Over the past several years, the bill has picked up steam and comments between trainers have been mixed. Some argue that the bill will help weed out trainers who acquire certification in one short weekend, and who have no practical experience or the broad depth of knowledge required to design safe, effective programs. Others point out that the additional educational requirements and certification will be quite costly to trainers who will have to go back to school, etc. Industry experts argue the that the fitness industry has regulated itself quite nicely, thank you very much. You can read an article related to this topic just published in the Ventura County Star.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue…what do you think – tougher standards across the board, or leave it alone?

Filed under: In the News on June 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

I read a statistic the other day that was shocking: Americans spend 90% of their time indoors! Say what?!?! I think it is time to step out into the fresh air (more than 10% of the time) and starting reaping the many benefits Mother Nature “naturally” bestows upon us.

Taking your workout from the treadmill to the trail…

- improves mind-body connection
- increases production of Vit-D, now known to help prevent a plethora of diseases
- is more visually stimulating
- improves motivation
- means less clock-watching
- enhances sense of well-being
- exposes you to negative ions, which are believed to enhance mood, improve sleep, and bolster energy.
- increases production of Vit D, which research shows is vital to warding off numerous diseases
- and last, but not least – exercising on natural terrain mimics the way we move through life more than indoor workouts, where machines are fixed, the treadmill’s belt is smooth and flat, and there is no wind resistance to speak of. The musculoskeletal system is challenged more in an outdoor environment. Running on dirt trails, grass, and hills where the ground is not perfectly flat strengthens joints, tendon, and ligaments, as well as small muscle groups that don’t see much action when you’re on a treadmill.

Not a runner? That’s okay – there are plenty of other outdoor activities that burn lots of calories, such as swimming, hiking (especially if there are hills involved), and cycling. ACE Fitness lists several more…check them out!

Filed under: Get Inspired!, The Great Outdoors on June 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

I have a long-list of animal-inspired exercises that sprinkle throughout client programs – think Bear Crawl, Inchworms, Crab Walk…this is good stuff, and each is a total-body exercise, which makes for a very time-efficient training session. Among my favorite animal moves is the Lizard Crawl.

Description: Starting from a straight-arm push-up position, lift the right arm and left leg simultaneously and take a “step” forward while also keeping hips level. This move requires rotation in the core, and also a great deal of core strength, as well as upper body strength.

Perform 6-10 “crawls” across the floor. Note: this is a challenging move that requires a great day of core strength, as well as upper body strength.

Advanced Move: to make this exercise even more challenging, simply increase the tempo as you move across the floor.

Watch the “How to” video from IDEA’s Exercise Library

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

Filed under: Cardio/Strength/Stretch: Putting it all Together, Exercises I Love! on June 16th, 2009 | No Comments »