Diane Raymond’s Blue Sky Blog

November 17th is Take a Hike Day!

December is quickly approaching, which means there won’t be many warm days or colorful trees left, Take advantage of the fresh air now and head to your nearest hiking trail for a stress-reducing date with Mother Nature. To find a trail near you and a topography map so that you won’t wind up in Timbuktu, check out these great websites:

TraiLink This site allows you to search for a trail by activity, surface, trail length and location. Want to go horseback riding on grass for 20 miles in Missouri? Not a problem.

Local Hikes Not as robust or comprehensive as the other sites, but you can click on a metropolitan area and obtain a list of hiking trails nearby.

Gorp
Take in the fall foliage on foot! Gorp also lists the top hiking trails by state, country and continent.

Visit Rei if you’d like to plan a hiking trip. Choose your activity and your location, then select from a long list of possible adventures ranging in price from $330 for a 3-day hike through the Sierra, up to $3100 to explore parts of Alaska’s spectacular landscape.

Filed under: Inspiration, Motivation, Outdoor Fitness on November 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

The holiday season brings many delights — tasty treats, spicy scents and festive parties. You travel, party hop, decorate, shop, bake…you try to do it all, and you know that you can, if you give up time spent at the gym. There just isn’t time for your usual routine, and the zillion other commitments and activities that accompany November and December. So what is a busy gal to do if she can’t make it to her weekly spinning class? Squeeze activity into your schedule, even if you only have a minute. Read on for this season’s best ways to fit in fitness!
1.    Play with your kids. You’ll earn your smoothie after an afternoon game of tag, kickball, flag football or catch with your kids. As an added bonus, children who have active parents typically grow up to be active adults, so you’ll be setting a good example.

2. Run up and down the stairs for 45-60 seconds.
3. Put on some great music and dance like no one is watching.
4. Check the mailbox for your daily delivery of Christmas cards, and take three fast laps around your house while you’re out there.
5. Park in the space the furthest distance from the door at the grocery store. Pushing a full cart of groceries clear across the parking lot burns calories and provides resistance for a two-for-one mini-workout.
6. Then, park at the end of the driveway and unload the groceries. The extra walking with heaving bags in your hands will be great exercise. You get bonus points if you have a steep or very long driveway.
7. When you’re unloading the groceries, before you put that gallon of milk in the fridge, use it to do 6-10 bicep curls per arm, then hold it in front of you while you do a set of 8-12 squats or lunges.

Double-up! Try these two-for-one’s that will test even the most skilled multi-tasker:
8. See how many jumping jacks you can complete while you re-heat your morning coffee.
9. Do squats while you brush your teeth
10. Taking a full laundry basket upstairs? Try a set of lunges while holding the basket out in front of you.
11. Do calf raise while you’re talking on the phone.
12. Test your core strength: vacuum on one foot (switch legs after 5 mins).
13. Wear wrist weights while you dust.
14. Do tummy tucks (tightening ab muscles) while you write thank you notes.
15. Throw on a pair of old socks, add ankle weights, and dust your floors with your feet!

Everyday activities that add up
(*based  1 hour of continuous activity for  a 155lb person):

16. Moving furniture for your holiday party: 422 calories
17. Painting/papering a Room: 317 calories.
18.  Raking the Lawn: 281 calories
19. Shoveling Snow: 422 calories
20. Sledding with the kids to have a little fun and reduce stress: 493 calories

Filed under: Cardiovascular Training, Exercise Program Design, Inspiration, Motivation on November 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

Though the holiday season is often thought of as the most joyous time of year, it can also be a time marked by stress filled weeks navigating ransacked schedules, lengthy to-do lists, parties, and of course, the never-ending cycle of office treats, office parties, neighborhood shin digs and family gatherings. How do you survive the gauntlet of buffet tables and cookie exchanges and still fit into your jeans come January? Read on for my tips on surviving the holidays with your weight loss plan and your waistline in check!

1. Go into the holiday season with a plan. Try to identify your problematic areas upfront (eating under stress, mindless munching at party buffet tables, loss of willpower after a single glass of wine, and so on.) Next, try to anticipate situations that might trigger some of your bad habits. What might your strategies be for side-stepping these situations? Next, make a list of alternatives. For instance, if you know that you are tempted to sample everything on the buffet table at the neighbor’s holiday party, take a good look at everything on the table first. Determine what the healthiest choices are, and the least healthy ones. Then decide upfront how much of what you can afford to indulge in (i.e, 3 healthy choices and 2 less healthy ones). Once you have sampled your allotted number of appetizers, walk away from the table and don’t go back. Now, take your pre-planning one step farther: imagine yourself in a situation where you might be tempted by food, high-calories beverages, etc., and visualize yourself actively following your plan. Works like a charm every time!
2. Stick to your regular schedule as closely as possible. Sticking to a workout regimen and healthy eating plan is easy when days are predictable and you can plan your meals and workout sessions weeks in advance. All bets are off when the holiday season hits, but if you can stick to your normal schedule as much as possible, you’ll stand a better chance of maintaining your weight and fitness level. Keep those daily exercise appointments. Continue to make healthy food choices. Cut back a bit if you must, but don’t quit altogether.

Can’t spend an hour at the gym? Twenty minutes might be enough. See how many calories you would burn doing these high-intensity activities (numbers based upon a 130-lb woman exercising at 80% of max heart rate for 20 minutes):

Running (treadmill) 6 mph: 198 calories
Running (treadmill) 7 mph: 226 calories
Spinning: 220 calories
Elliptical trainer: 224 calories
Pilates: 108 calories
Jump Rope: 198 calories
Intense Weight Lifting: 120 calories

3. Practice mindfulness. It is tempting to take a bite of every seasonal treat that crosses your path (or two or three bites), but being mindful of what you are eating, and when, will help keep you from over doing it. Before you take a bite of that triple-chocolate fudge truffle, ask yourself this question: what are you giving up if you don’t eat it? What are you giving up if you do? Then, make the best decision for you.
4. Don’t drink your calories. Parties and alcoholic beverages, sodas and sugared-up mugs of foamy yumminess usually go hand-in-hand. Limit your intake of calories from liquids to 100-200 per day. As long as you are still exercising regularly, you should be able to burn off those extra calories. If possible, select sparkling water with lime or lemon and other sugar-free drinks.
5. Don’t do hungry. A common holiday eating strategy is to starve yourself all day so that you can eat whatever you want at that holiday party, but this usually adds up to more total daily calories than sticking to a well-rounded eating plan. Eat a high-fiber, nutrient-dense breakfast, a light lunch, a light afternoon snack, and if possible, another light snack right before the party. You’ll be less likely to overindulge if you aren’t half-starved!

Filed under: Cardiovascular Training, Exercise Program Design, Health Behavior Change, Inspiration, Motivation, Weight Loss on November 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a room at home dedicated to personal fitness. Often, a box large enough to hold a few pieces of exercise equipment tucked into a corner and a handful of workout DVDs are what constitutes the “home gym.” It is possible, however, with a planning and forethought, to make the space you do have house more than a pair of dumbbells and a resistance tube. Follow these tips for designing your home gym, no matter how much (or how little) space you have available:

Designing your own home gym

1. Test any equipment you plan on buying first
2. Consider your budget – you get what you pay for. High quality, reliable equipment will last for years.
3. Check with local gyms – they often sell their equipment when they are ready to upgrade and often gyms select only the highest quality equipment for their patrons.
4. Consider your space. Use these guidelines to determine how much room you’ll need:

Treadmills: 30 sq ft
Single-station gym: 35 sq ft
Free Weights: 20-50 sq ft
Bikes: 10 sq ft
Rowing machines: 20 sq ft
Stair climbers: 10-20 sq ft
Ski Machines: 25 sq ft
Multi-station gym: 50-200 sq ft

5. The equipment you purchase should suit your interests and fitness level. You should be able to maintain at least 20 mins of continuous activity on the equipment you’re considering.
6. You should have the option of increasing resistance, incline and duration to provide continuous challenge.
7. If you’re on a tight budget, strength equipment can be as simple as a set of elastic bands with handles in varying levels of resistance and/or a collection of dumbbells ranging in weight from 5lbs-15lbs.
8. Consider ceiling height. If you have low ceilings, a Total Gym won’t be an option. You may have to opt for a rack of dumbbells instead of a multigym.
9. Inspect your new equipment for safety, serviceability, design and appropriate features. Your equipment should be easily adjustable, relatively easy to use.
10. Before you make a purchase, be honest with yourself about how motivated you will be to exercise at home.

Filed under: Cardiovascular Training, Exercise Program Design, Weight Training on November 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

The weather may not be as cooperative in the fall and winter, but there is still ample opportunity to take your workout outdoors. Taking your workout outdoors not only boosts your mood, it burns more calories (think hills, wind, uneven terrain.)

Here are 8 ideas for adding more fresh air to your workout:

1. Make working out an adventure. State parks and metro parks have an abundance of hiking trails set amidst beautiful scenery that changes with each season. If you like to run, take advantage of the varying terrain to improve your agility and kinesthetic awareness..

2. Go back to school. Most junior highs and high schools have tracks that are accessible to the public. Quarter-mile tracks make it easy to track your distance and they are also “give” more than concrete and cement, lessening the impact on leg joints.

3. Head for the hills. Hills, especially sledding hills, can really turn on the burn. Running hill repeats, side skipping, and walking backward uphill works every leg muscle and challenges your cardiovascular system as well.

4. Play like a kid. When was the last time you did the monkey bars? It’s hard! Wear a pair of weight lifting gloves (available at most all-purpose stores, such as Wal-Mart or Target) to protect your hands and give the monkey bars a try. Challenge yourself to try pull-ups and chin-ups too.

5. Play with your kids. You’ll earn your smoothie after an afternoon game of tag, kickball, flag football or catch with your kids. As an added bonus, children who have active parents typically grow up to be active adults, so you’ll be setting a good example.

6. Take your equipment with you. If you have small hand weights, weighted balls, resistance tubing and/or a jump rope, consider taking it with you to the park. Park benches can double as weight benches, railings can be used as an anchor for resistance tubing.

7. Learn something new. Tennis, basketball, swimming, cycling, kayaking, horse back riding and rock climbing are just a few activities you can try.

8. Sites and Cityscapes. Take your elastic tubing and tie it around you waste, then head to the nearest set of stairs (think Rocky in Balboa here). Go for a jog, run up the stairs, use the railing as an anchor for your tubing, then knock out a set of squats. If there is a hill nearby, try walking lunges up the hill. No railing in sight? Use a tree, or even a parking meter. Be creative – that is half the fun!

Filed under: Cardiovascular Training, Exercise Program Design, Gear, Motivation, Outdoor Fitness, Weight Training on November 7th, 2008 | No Comments »

All activity counts, even if you only have 10 seconds. These everyday activities are quick, easy, and can easily slot into even the busiest of days.

1. Run up and down the stairs for 45-60 seconds.

2. Vacuum one large room (okay, maybe not fun – let’s call this “multi-tasking”).

3. Put on some great music and dance for 3 minutes like no one is watching.

4. Play tag with your kids (5-6 mins)

5. Go get the mail, and take three fast laps around your
house while you’re out there.

6. Park in the furthest space from the door at the grocery store. Pushing a full cart of groceries clear across the parking lot burns calories and provides resistance for a two-for-one mini-workout.

7. Better yet, park at the end of the driveway and unload the groceries. The extra walking with heaving bags in your hands will be great exercise. You get bonus points if you have a steep or very long driveway.

8. When you’re unloading the groceries, before you put that gallon of milk in the fridge, use it to do 6-10 bicep curls per arm, then hold it in front of you while you do a set of 8-12 squats or lunges. Repeat 2x.

9. Set the timer on the microwave and see how many jumping jacks you can complete in one minute.

10. Weed your garden or pick a flowers for a beautiful spring bouquet (20 mins)

Filed under: Exercise Program Design, Inspiration, Motivation on November 7th, 2008 | No Comments »

Finally, a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes great too! This one takes a bit more prep (you can’t use the store-bought crust for this pie), but it is well worth it. This pie’s crust is delicious, and packed with fiber!

Instructions:

Pumpkin Pie Crust Ingredients:
1 cup bran cereal (try SmartBran, by Nature’s Path)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (plus an extra tablespoonful for garnish)
3 TBS light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp ground flaxseed (try Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal or Nature’s Path)

Crust directions…
Preheat oven to 375°

Place the bran, flour, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and pulse to create a course meal. Add canola oil and pulse until blended well. Dribble 2 TBS of hot water onto the mixture and pulse several more times (if the mixture clings when pressed to the side of the bowl, it is done).

Lightly grease a pie pan with about 1 tbs canola oil, then press the crust mixture into the pan and distribute evenly. Bake for 10 mins in preheated oven, then set on oven rack to cool.

In a small bowl, stir the flaxseed meal into 1 1/2 TBS warm water until blended, then brush the flaxseed onto the cooled pie crust. Set aside.

Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients

1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
3 TBS corn starch
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Pie Filling instructions…

In a small bowl, blend the corn starch into 3 TBS of the soymilk. In the bowl of the food processor, combine remaining soymilk, cornstarch mixture, pumpkin and remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Bake until the outside inch of the pie filling is set (35-45 mins). It is okay if center still jiggles — it firms up when chilled.

Cool on a pie rack. Distribute additional pumpkin seeds across top of pie to garnish. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hrs prior to serving. Serves 8

More Pumpkin Recipes

* Pumpkin Pie-sicles
* Pumpkin Raisin Ginger Cookies
* Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins
* Pumpkin Pudding

Filed under: Nutrition, Recipes on November 3rd, 2008 | 4 Comments »

Though it may be tempting to break out the same sneakers to run in that you wear to work in the yard, walk the dog and chase after the kids with, think twice. The repetitive, jarring impact of running requires quality foot ware that will see you through your workout without added stress, strain or injury to joints and connective tissues. But before you run out and grab the first flashy pair that strike your fancy, review these simple tips for buying a great pair of shoes that will keep your feet happy (and you, injury free.)

1. Consider your foot type. High-arched people usually need more shock absorption and lateral stability. Low-arched (“flat”) feet require more support and heel control.
2. Get fitted for footwear at the end of the day when your foot size is at its maximum. A person’s foot size can increase one-half size during the course of the day.
3. Allow ½ inch (width of your index finger) between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe.
4. If one foot is larger than the other, ask if you can buy one in each size – some specialty stores will accommodate this need. If not, buy the larger size shoe.
5. Experiment with variable-width lacing options if your shoes has them to achieve a custom fit.
6. Shoes should be replaced every 3-6 months (300-500 miles) if regularly used. If you run 20 miles per week, you should be ready for a new pair of sneaks in about 20 weeks.
7. Consider your budget when shopping. Shoes can range between $30 and $170. The most expensive shoe isn’t always the best one.
8. Specialty stores will often allow you wear the shoes outside and even go for a short jog to try them out before purchasing – take advantage of this service if it is offered.
9. Don’t skimp on the socks. Socks serve many purposes, from wicking away moisture, to providing cushioning and support.

Filed under: Gear on November 2nd, 2008 | No Comments »

Mix it up
Have fun! The best cardiovascular activity is the one you will actually do. To put it another way, there is no “best” cardio activity. True, some burn more calories per minute than others, but it really comes down to which activity you enjoy doing the most, because that is the activity you will most likely stick with. Case in point: running at 7mph burns approximately 11 calories per minute.* However, many people don’t enjoy running. If you are one of those people, then it is likely that while you are tempted to do the activity because it burns a lot of calories, it is unlikely you’ll stick with it for very long, unless you miraculously learn to love it (which could happen, but probably won’t in the short term). If, on the other hand, you like to swim or power walk, then do that.

To find out how many calories your favorite activity burns, go to the “tools” page at Blue Sky Gym - Tools

Filed under: Cardiovascular Training, Exercise Program Design, Motivation on October 31st, 2008 | No Comments »

Having a “home gym” doesn’t have to mean owning state-of-the-art cardio equipment, a complete rack of weights, and every tool in the box. Getting fit at home should be simple and cost-effective. Here are three of my “must-have” pics for any size home gym:

1. A swiss ball (stability ball). Swiss balls are so versatile, they are almost a gym in and of themselves. They double as weight benches, can be used for stretching, and abdominal work. The new BOSU® Ballast® Ball is weighted, making it a resistance and a stability tool in one. For more information on this product, visit BOSU Fitness

2. An assortment of elastic tubing (resistance tube). Elastic tubing is portable, making it ideal for taking it along with you to the park, on vacation, or even to work. It is also user-friendly and very effective.

3. A weighted ball (medicine ball). Medicine balls are available in a variety of weights, from 4lb-12lb, typically. Throw it, lift it, swing it…the options are endless.

Resistance tubing is available at most general purpose stores, such as Target or Wal Mart. Medicine balls can be purchased from Perform Better and Power Systems as well.

Filed under: Exercise Program Design, Weight Training on October 31st, 2008 | No Comments »