Live Your Life and Forget Your Age

A few weeks ago I was at a concert in the park at Seal Beach.  With the ocean in the background, a warm breeze in the air and surrounded by friends listening to a great band, I was in a deep reflective mood.  I am not the greatest dancer in the world and I felt a little self-conscisous about getting up and dancing in front of all those people.  So I sat in my beach chair people watching and using the excuse that my knee hurt is why I couldn't dance. Which was true, I am still recovering from a sprained MCL and torn meniscus!
Seal Beach is a really great small beach community with some very friendly people.  I had never been there before but after my very short visit, I want to retire there!  As I looked around at the crowd, many were seniors with beautiful smiles and happy wrinkles around their eyes.  One couple caught my attention though.  They must have been well into their eighties, both a little hunched over, but slim and healthy looking.  The gentleman led his bride to the dance floor and these two lovebirds stayed out there dancing song after song.  She was beaming and he seemed to just cherish this woman in the way he spun her as they danced.  It brought tears to my eyes to see how much fun this couple was having.  When the music died down and the crowd was dispersing, I saw this wonderful couple again.  He was packing up their chairs and she was just dancing away, shaking her hips, hands in the air and a twinkle in her eyes.
Now, a few weeks after my day at Seal Beach, I realize just how much this couple taught me.  I never spoke with them, but their actions spoke volumes to me.  I love to be active!  I love to run, hike, cycle, swim, take long walks and enjoy the great outdoors.  However, to be able to continue to do all of those things well into my golden years, I need to be sure to take care of myself now.  I'm no spring chicken, but I have many more years to live.  Since I entered into my 40's, my body just isn't the same.  It takes forever to recover from injuries, my joints sometimes ache for no apparent reason, my weight won't seem to budge especially in my belly, it's harder to see and sometimes I walk into a room with a purpose just to stand there trying to remember what I came there for!  The beautiful dancing elderly couple had all the same issues but magnified 10 times I'm certain, yet they lived their life as if they were in their 20's.  There are so many things that I want to do - an olympic distance triathlon, the Tough Mudder, travel, climb Half Dome and much more.  So for me, no more wishing...time to really start living and not use age as an excuse to not try new things.

Some other things I learned from that lovely couple is that I can't worry about what others think.  They got up on that dance floor and danced like rockstars.  They were not professional dancers, they just let go and had a ball!  So, join me in this new life mantra...Live your life and forget your age!

How Bad Do You Want It?

When I was 10 years old I wanted a Mongoose BMX bike desperately.  I lived in a neighborhood with mostly boys and they all had BMX bikes.  My parents made a deal with me.  If I saved half, they would pay for the other half.  So for the next few months I did extra chores, babysat, sacrificed going to the movies with friends so that I could put every penny I had into saving for that bike.  The boys would make fun of me for not having bikes like theirs, but it didn't matter, I knew that it would only be a matter of time.  I remember the day that I finally saved enough to make the purchase.  We walked into the bike shop and I felt like I was walking on air.  I was so proud of myself for saving the money.  I can even remember the smell of the new bike.  When I got home and rode my shiny new bike I was the envy of the block and it felt good!

There have been many times in my life when I thought I wanted something so bad that I couldn't live without it.  Like going to a small private college that some of my friends went to.  I thought I wanted it so bad, but when I realized the cost, I wasn't willing to work for it.  I've wanted higher paying jobs, but didn't want to make the time in my life to go through the training.  I've wanted to take my family on a Disney Cruise, but it wasn't a priority enough to save for it.  I wanted to do a full marathon but it wasn't important enough to make the time to train for it.   Then there have been times that I worked realy hard, sacrificed time and money to get to where I wanted.  Like buying a car, going to Kauai and training for triathlons.  I had to take leaps of faith, get out of my comfort zone and do it.  And when I did, it felt good!

Oftentimes, we say we want something really bad but how bad do we really want it?   We want to lose weight or start exercising but excuses like not enough time or money get in our way.  I hear this a lot as a personal trainer.  I've even used these excuses myself.  How about you?

Sometimes we think we want something, but are we willing to step outside our comfort zone to get it?  Think about the times in your own life that you reached a goal.  I bet you had to make sacrifices of time and money.  I also bet you wouldn't have had it any other way.  It felt good to reach that goal!

If there is something in your own life right now, whether it is weightloss, a new car, being a better parent, spouse or friend, deepening your faith, whatever it is that you keep saying you want, ask yourself this:  How bad do I want it?  Am I willing to make sacrifices for it in time and/or money?  Can I make some other changes in my life that are preventing me to reach that goal?  When you ask yourself these things, push the excuses to the side, you will reach your goals, and it feels good!

If It Doesn't Challenge You, It Doesn't Change You

My client Kate invited me to go to a spin class that she has been going to for a few months.  Now I have been taking spin classes for years and feel pretty confident that I could do her class and agreed to go with her.  She described what the class was like, however, and I started getting a little nervous.  This sounded nothing like what I am used to and since I'm her personal trainer, I felt the added pressure to show no fear.



For those of you who have never heard of a spin class, it is a stationary bicycle class.  The classes that I take are done in an ice cold room filled with bikes.  The instructor is at the front of the class on a platform facing us with a microphone.  We pedal (spin) and change the resistance level throughout the class to mimic going up hills, sprinting, climbing and flat roads.  The music is blasting, the room is dark and despite the ceiling fans and air conditioning, you sweat!



So yesterday I met Kate at her class at a place in East Sacramento called Team Ride.  It is an indoor cycle studio owned by four sisters.  The outside of the building painted orange with flowers and in front were round orange tables and chairs to sit outside and hang out with friends.  Very girly and cute which helped calm my nerves.  I was greeted at the door by one of the owners.  She introduced me to the instructor and showed me to the cycle room.  It looked similar to my class, just bigger.  As the class started showing up, I got a little intimidated.  It was mostly women.  Very fit women.  Thank God my bike was at the back of the class!



I noticed right away that it was pretty warm n the room.  The ceiling fans were going, but it felt like it was 85 degrees.  The instructor showed me how to set up my bike and mentioned that if I had trouble breathing due to the heat to just take a deep breath and calm my breathing.  What?  Was the air conditioner out?  Um, no.  They purposefully keep it hot to increase the sweat factor.  Uuugh!



The class started and this was like no other spin class I had ever taken.  We were doing push ups, moving side to side, and all sort of other maneuvers that I had never done.  It was like a dance class on a bike.  Once I figured out the moves, I felt comfortable.  For about a minute.  Oh my gosh, I was sweating like crazy, felt like the air was thickening and started panic breathing.  I looked to my right to see if I could sneak out the door without anyone noticing, but then I heard the instructor say, "Great work, Michelle!"  Well for whatever reason, that comment gave me a little motivation and I got my breathing together and was determined to make it through the class without embarrassing myself.  Looking back, this 45 minute class flew by, but there were moment that I was so uncomfortable I thought I would die.  But I didn't.  When the class was over I felt like a rock star.  I did it!  I broke free from my comfort zone and challenged myself in a way that I haven't done in a long time.



As a personal trainer, I have had many clients that want to reach a personal goal, but get stuck in their comfort zones.  I admit, it is scary to step outside of it into the unknown.  It sometimes hurts, it is always hard and sometimes we panic.  The bottom line  is, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.  So if you're feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending." - Neale Donald Walsch

8 Reasons Women Should Do Resistance Training

Did you know that the benefits of weight training for women and those over the age of 40 far outweigh those who do just cardio.   Cardio is very important, but adding weight training is essential.  Here’s why:

1.       You Will Lose Body Fat

Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains 2-3x a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolism, and you burn more calories all day long.

2.       You Will Gain Strength Not Bulk

Researchers also found that unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training,    because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition.

3.       You Decrease Your Risk Of Osteoporosis

Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density (and enhance   bone modeling) by 13 percent in six months. Strength training and the adequate amount of dietary calcium, can be a women's best defense against osteoporosis.

4.       You Will Be Physically Stronger

Increasing your strength will make you far less dependent upon others for assistance in daily living. Chores will be easier, lifting kids, groceries and laundry will no longer push you to the max and the chance of injury is decreased.

5.       You Will Reduce Your Risk Of Injury, Back Pain & Arthritis

Strength training not only builds stronger muscles, but also builds stronger connective tissues   and increases joint stability. This acts as reinforcement for the joints and helps prevent injury.

6.       You Will Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease & Diabetes

According to Dr. Barry A. Franklin, of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, weight training can improve cardiovascular health in several ways, including lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowering blood pressure.  When cardiovascular exercise is added, these benefits are maximized In addition, Dr. Franklin noted that weight training may improve the way the body processes sugar, which may reduce the risk of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in 4 months

7.       It Is Never Too Late To Benefit

Women in their 70's and 80's have built up significant strength through weight training and studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age.

8.       You Will Improve Your Attitude And Fight Depression

A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did. Women who strength train commonly report feeling more confident and capable as a result of their program, all important factors in fighting depression.