Rantings for the week....all things new for weeks of June 18th and June 25th

I am always so amazed at how much time passes between postings. My goal of weekly posts if often trumped by Facebook postings and responses. My goal is to have this blog be where the real postings happen; where I can offer more insight than a brief status update. I would love to see some new faces in classes and am always excited when I get to bring fun new workouts to everyone or share something new that I learned...or am testing out on myself :).
 SCHEDULE: Next week's schedule looks like this (June 24th-29th):
Sunday:
8(am) Cycle @ Bay Club Marin (great ride w/ a mix up of music to hopefully hit something for everyone)


Monday:
6:30(am) XCLR8 @ SF Bay Club
4(pm) Total Body Conditioning @ JCC SF
6:15(pm) Cycle @ Bay Club Marin
Thursday: 6(am) Cycle @ Bay Club Marin


Wednesday:
6(am) Sports Conditioning @ Marin JCC
4(pm) Total Body Conditioning @ JCC SF
6:15(pm) Cycle @ Bay Club Marin
Friday:
6:05(am) Cycle Strength @ Marin JCC
4(pm) Total Body Conditioning


CLEAN EATING & SUMMER:
I have been writing posts on going Paleo and then Zone and then Paleo Zone.  I do cleanses every quarter and do shakes to start every day.  I have always believed that moderation is key in everything and listening to your own body is equally important.  I care less about which nutritional plan that folks choose, I care more about finding something that works and being able to stick with it.  Make sure that every meal has protein, healthy fats and good carbohydrates.  I love that plate that is more than 50% of vegetables, but if that is not you now, just work up to it.  I see so many folks try to make too many drastic changes at once only to get frustrated or feel overly restricted.  If you eat in moderation to support your activity level (or weight loss if that is your goal) and you feel good ~ that means, healthy, strong, rested, energized, etc...then you are on the right path. 


SHAKEOLOGY:
In an ideal world, I would have enough time in the day to prepare every single meal from scratch and ensure that every single meal had all of the nutrients that I need and want in my daily diet to meet all of my nutritional needs...but guess what, life's too busy, that can get too expensive and I needed to find ways to cut corners on time/prep without cutting corners on nutrition.  I have been a huge proponent of shakes for breakfast for the past two years.  They are easy to make and I can toss a lot of vegetables/fruits into them (namely lots of spinach/kale).  I have tried a lot of different brands over the past two years (Isagenix, Whey Factors, Vegan, Sun Warrior just to name a few) but about 2 months ago I started drinking Shakeology after a friend gave me a sample.  These shakes pack everything that I need into one package!  Awesome - no more adding chia, maca, flax, goji berries, acai - it's all in there.  Dollar for dollar, it ended up being an easy switch. 


My favorite recipe for the chocolate: huge handful of spinach, 1/2 fuji apple, 8 ice cubes, 4 oz unsweetened almond milk, 12 oz water, 1 heaping scoop of chocolate shakeology.  I freeze it the night before and let it thaw early in the morning so it is like a thick shake for breakfast.  Another favorite recipe is 8 oz almond milk, 6-8 oz. water, frozen banana, 6 ice cubes, 1-2 tablespoon almond butter.  I have done the 3 day cleanse will the shakes with great success and run them every month.  This is the first product that I can get behind enough to agree to offer it to everyone...if you want to give it a try, email me.  I keep a few samples on hand @ $5 - but the monthly pack is far less.  Check out the ingredients for yourself @ http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/basefitmarin.


LACROSSE BALLS
Folks, everyone should have one of these in their bags...or two or three for that matter.  These are fantastic and can easily replace a roller as we can't all fit rollers in our bags.  Lacrosse balls can be used to target the scapula, calves, hamstrings, anterior deltoid, gluts, pec minor, hip flexor, IT band.  This allows for some serious self-help to work out those kinks and tight areas.  These are a cheap and excellent find @ Sports Basement in the Presidio @ $3 a pop.  Wondering exactly how to use them, why not check out Kelly Starrett's Mobility WOD page (he's the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and is seriously AWESOME): http://mobilitywod.com/ - just type in the area of the body you need to work on and you will get a nice list, along with instructional videos.  I ran into a trainer at the JCC SF and he had two in his pockets and says he keeps them in every bag, his car, his house, etc as they are his "go to" piece of equipment to target those tight spots.  Gotta love these.  Grab a few and check out Mobility WOD.


INDOOR CYCLING (aka, Spinning)
I love indoor cycling for cross-training when I can't get outside for a run or on my bike.  I get a lot of questions about calculating Max Heart Rates (MHR) and finding training zones.  It isn't as accurate as factoring in your resting heart rate, but it is definitely better than 220 less your age:


Females: 210 minues 1/2 your age minus 5% of your body weight  = Est. MHR
Males: 210 minues 1/2 your age minus 5% of your body weight + 4 = Est. MHR


From the above, you can calculate training zones:
For Warm Up/Recovery/Cool Down is 50%-70% of your MHR
       MHR x .50 = ___(this is the lower end of the range)
       MHR x .70 = ___(this is the higher end of the range)


For the Working Zone or Higher Caloric Expenditure Zone
       MHR x .80 = ____
       MHR x .90 = ____

For those who wear heart rate monitors and prefer to ride in these zones vs. perceived exertion (Borg Scale) - the above is a good calculation.

TRY SOMETHING NEW EVERY WEEK
With the new year, I decided to try something new...or work on something that I suck on every single week (if not daily).  There are some things that I KNOW I suck at...coordination is a struggle for me.  I tend to count in my head a lot...funny given that I am supposed to work at BPM of music (on the beat, half the beat or double the beat)....thankfully I have some "soul and rhythm" which saves me.  Mu current nemesis is the childhood loved activity of jump roping.  I grew up in Oakland (yep, that's right) and on our playground and the park near us, I used to jump double dutch at incredible speed and there would be 3 or 4 of us jumping at the same time.  Fast forward and now in my 40s, I am challenged to get my wrists to work at the same speed as much jumps...or rather at double that pace (hence the "Double Unders").  I suck at double unders and I swear often with every attempt.  The Benchmark workouts with Double Unders make me want to run for the front door....wishing it would just click and I would magically be able to string together 50 at a time.  But let's be honest, I know and you know...there is no magic pill, no secret, no easy way out - this is hard work and it is going to take lots and lots of practice for me to get these down.  I do practice and I have the lashing battle wounds (my battle with the speed rope) to prove it...on my calves, butt and arms...but once I get them down, all the hard work will be worth it. 

...SOOOOOO, I challenge you to try something new or to commit to working at something you are not good at and commit to getting better.  This is about progress, not perfection.

I won't rant on any further, but will leave you with this one message....own and live it, because you are awesome!

Enjoy the weekend!
Amy