A Steaming Monday Workout

Driving to bootcamp for the 6 p.m. class, the temperature gauge in my car read 100 degrees! The blazing fires spreading across nearby San Gabriel Valley communities didn’t help either, as it contaminated the air quality and left a blanket full of smoke causing a grey sky. It was certainly one of those days where you just wanted to head straight home, turn on your air conditioner and just veg out on the sofa.

Once a devout Walnut Women’s Bootcamp attendee, the last few months saw sporadic visits, and I knew I had to get back into my routine and headed over to the Walnut facility, knowing that it would literally be one Hell of a workout given it gets pretty hot in there despite the various fans. Upon arriving, the 5:00 class seemed pretty packed, mostly with a couple of newbie’s, while the 6:00 class had only six of us participating. Usually a popular time slot for class, everyone else was probably doing what I was thinking about earlier.

As the class began, we all complained of the heat, but still made our way through the rigorous workouts that consisted of side lunges with those damn sandbags, sliding the weight sleigh across the floor and a couple of other tortuous exercises that Mike had us doing. I have to admit, it was quite a workout, and it felt like a furnace in there! Usually I could go on with no water breaks until the break in the middle, but today called for several trips to my water bottle in between stations. By the end of class, I was totally spent, but felt really good that I went. Attending bootcamp on such hot days really gets you sweating, making you feel like you really achieved something that day in class! Word to the wise: make sure to really hydrate these steaming last days of summer, so that you don’t drop while in class…oh, and urge yourself to go even though you don’t want to; when it’s all said and done, your body (and jeans) will thank you for going!

Let’s see what’s in store for the rest of the week’s classes!

Simple Ways to Eat Healthier: Part II

The previous post provided simple ways to eating healthier for a better you, and we're giving you some more useful tips that will help you on your journey to become fit and healthy!

Dessert shouldn't have a straw.

There are tons of drinks that sound healthy but are actually just sweetened water. Don't let the labels fool you! If it's not skim milk, plain H2O or regular coffee or tea, it's really a desert you drink, loaded with tons of calories and God knows what else. For a healthier drink on the sweet side, try lemon or mint iced tea or sparkling water with a splash of juice.

Fuel up in the morning, not at night.

Have your biggest meal in the morning instead of at night. Try aiming for a healthy, calorie-packed breakfast and a lighter dinner. You also won't be able to burn off all the calories from breakfast if you eat a larger meal at night, too!

Your hips are not for storage.

Once you slice and sauté your way to a fabulous feast, you don't have to finish every bite. If you keep eating even after you're full, you are using your body as a storage unit. If there's enough left over for lunch tomorrow, pack it up and put it in the fridge. Otherwise, toss scraps in the trash.

Cut yourself a break sometimes!

If you attempt to try some of these suggestions, but occasionally crave a fast food fix, a slice of pizza or a brownie, just go for it (in moderation, of course). You can happily resume your healthy plan once you satisfy the urge. It's okay to indulge every once and a while as long as you remember your initial goal of getting fit!

Simple Ways to Eat Healthier: Part I

For some reason, eating healthy is always easier than it seems. For many, we usually make it a goal to eat healthier, but never follow through, making excuses as to why we can't stick to it. It's time to stop making excuses and start taking action with these simple ways to eating healthier!

Greeks know best!

A plate of grilled fish and fresh vegetables and a glass of wine is a delicious meal that is actually good for you! According to health professionals, consuming a Mediterranean menu can help lower your risk for heart disease and keep you slim.

If it has to be made in a lab, don't eat it.

You know that fruits and veggies come from trees or the ground and eggs come from hens, but do you know where that Pop-tart came from? Unprocessed, whole foods will give you the most benefits, while processed foods usually nix much needed nutrients such as antioxidants and fiber, and even when chemists add them back, nothing stacks up to Mother Nature.

Check the back of the box first.

Always read the ingredients from the back of the box instead of looking at what the front says. The more ingredients, the more likely it has visited a few processing plants where something artificial was mixed in and the front of the box won't tell you that.

The crunchier, the better.

Snacks that offer a big, satisfying crunch when you bite into them—we mean apples, celery, snap peas and nuts, not chips—keep your mouth busy longer than food you slurp. "

You can always have more tomorrow.

You will not die of a food shortage and you're body won't shut off if you don't finish everything on the plate. Anything you eat after you're full doesn't even taste as good. Never eat more than you can handle just because you think it won't be there tomorrow.

A frozen berry beats a fresh doughnut.

Purchasing organic local produce is better for both the environment and your health, but when the nearest farm is hours away, don't default to a package of Oreos.

Boost Cardio By Knowing Your Target Heart Rate

We all know that in addition to attending our regularly Walnut Women's Fitness Bootcamp sessions, we need to fit in some cardio to increase our weight loss efforts. However, not many know that in order to get the most effective cardio workout, you'll have to measure your heart rate to know if you're in your "weight-loss zone."

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as over doing it with cardio, which is why you need to know how fast your heart should be going while running, jogging, swimming or doing any other type of cardio exercises.

Here's the formula on how to figure out your Target Heart Rate (THR):
1. 220 – age = MHR
2. MHR – RHR = HRR
3. HRR x % of HRR (40%) = % of HRR
4. % of HRR + RHR = THR

To find the maximum intensity of your workout, replace 40% with 85%. For example, for a 24-year-old with a RHR of 80, the target heart rate zone would be 126-177 BPM.

During your workout, measure your pulse again for 10 seconds and multiply it by 6 to see if your BPM falls in your THR zone. If it is too high or too low, adjust your activity’s intensity and re-measure your pulse.

If this is way to difficult for you to do, simply buy a heart-rate monitor that will measure your heart rate and notify you if you are not working at your predetermined target zone.