Workout Challenge 2- Total Tricep Toner

Workout challenge 2: Total Tricep Toner! 

Move 1

Tricep dips  – dig heels into ground, fingers facing forward, and push pelvis to sky.  Begin by bending the elbows first (no cheating!) and lower booty to ground. Press back to top, straighten arms, and repeat for 20 reps. 

Move 2

Down Dog Push Ups – come into yoga downward facing dog .  Align hands  by shoulders and lower upper body to ground by initiating the bend at the elbows.  Try to bring your forehead to the ground each time you lower.

Move 3

High-low Chaturanga push up – Come to a high plank or standard push up position.  Lower yourself to the ground as slow as you can keeping elbows in tight and close to your sides the whole way down.  When you lower to your mat, press back up to restart.  Go for 8 reps.

Cardio Challenge

Plank jacks – come down to forearm plank, pull those abs in tight, and walk or hop your feet out to plank .  Give me 20 jacks! 

Repeat moves #1-#4,  2 more times for a total triceps workout!! 

Workout Challenge #1 - Squat City!!

Here's your Monday workout challenge : Squats, squats, and more squats!  We're changing it up a bit and adding in some narrow version squats b/c I know you will love and feel them!!

Move 1

Hold a narrow squat (knees and ankles touch) for 30 seconds then pulse 30 times, keeping your weight in the heels and knees back behind your toes.  Yowsa!!!

Move 2

Hold narrow squat and keeping leg bent add a side leg raise out to the side (if you have taken Barre Fusion this looks like a standing Fire Hydrants except your standing leg in bent too!) .  Give me 15 reps on the R side and then 15 on the L side.  Booty burn!!

Move 3

 

Take a standard base squat, feet hip width distance apart.  Squat down so knees are bent and quads are engaged, then extend right leg out straight in front of you.  Hold for 30 seconds on the right side then switch to 30 seconds on the left side.  Quads on fire!!

Cardio Challenge

Take a wide stance squat and reach down, touch the floor and jump up as high as you can.  Give me 20 jump squats! 

Workout Reinvented!

Happy Monday Fuse Fit friends!! 

I had a super relaxing weekend and feel recharged for this week.  Last week was all about finding balance in your life, workouts, diet, etc and this week I challenge you to "Reinvent Your Workout"! Now, I am not asking you for anything crazy or dangerous,  just to try something you haven't done before. It can be as simple as running a extra 1/4 mile more than you ever have, a new fitness class or take a bootcamp, or even giving a new sport a try, like paddle boarding or kayaking.  

So I challenge you to visit challengeloop.com and set up your re-invented workout! Stay posted with your challenge via our comments button below, I'll log in and check your challenges on challenge loop and we'll cheer each other on to the finish.  Each challenge should be 1 week long this time - winner will be announced next Monday!!  Also coming next week is our Fuse Fit workout series - new videos posted daily to keep you going during our 2 week break! 

I am reinventing my current running style via the Chi Running method and cleaning up my diet this week!  Too many carbs and too much crap these past few weeks!! Clean eating, more veggies, and a little sugar detox.  One of my client's shared her experience getting into  the Paleo diet and making some small changes to her diet, very doable!! 

Challenge yourself, change it up, make it stick this week - keep checking in with me to share your challenge celebrations! 

xo,

Rachel 

Running thru Your Soles

I find that through all of my personal training, bootcamps, classes, and such that most people devote 100% to hard work, following through and of course, looking the part.  But in fitness, it's best to take the "function over fashion" route!! I often find that most people skimp on the single most important item: SHOES!!!  Good, quality shoes are SO important to not only performance, but more importantly,  reducing injury to their bodies.  I know the deals on the Nike's or Asics at Kohl's seems like a good buy, but stock up on the yoga pants there instead and invest in good shoes, fitted for you by a professional.

I have been working with Charm City Run in Clarksville and cannot say better things about them.  The will offer a free fit analysis and make sure you are wearing the correct shoe for your activity and for your chosen exercise.  I personally have 3 pairs of shoes I go between - 2 pairs of running shoes, 1 being a lightweight, performance shoe and my cross trainers, which I use for personal training, Cardio Barre, and fitness workouts.  Having shoes that match you and your fitness needs is key in reducing sore muscles, calf or hamstring pulls, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis, and sore knees.  The experts can decide if you need extra arch support or inserts to keep you from over or under pronating - fancy talk for how your feet roll when you walk and run.

Here is what I am currently running in these days:

Brooks Pure Cadence  - I have hot pink and blue/teal :)

I love these shoes because they are super lightweight and fit me like a glove.  I have been a Mizuno girl in the past but am loving my Brooks.  Are they cool? Sure.  But I bought them because they fit me just right.  There are so many shoes out there for everyone, go check it out!!


So, take some time and go visit a professional running store to have some size up your shoe needs.  I personally recommend Charm City, ask for Michael the manager and tell him Fuseology Fitness sent you.  We are also doing a used shoe drive thru Soles 4 Souls for those in other countries in need  - so bring your old, maybe unfit shoes and send them along to someone less fortunate.  Here's to "baby"ing our feet and burning some asphalt rubber!!!  Happy moving!

xo,
Rachel

Life in Balance....

Ever feel like sometimes life is all out of whack?  Too much work, too much play, too much time alone, or even too much time with your kids (like all summer!!) can send you into a need to change frenzy.  I have been feeling a bit off key the last week or two, craving for some change in my life without any major life altering decisions.  So I asked myself, what is missing? What am I craving?  

First, I listened to my body and my mind.  My body has been a little overused from increasing my running and extra workouts, teaching multiple classes, etc.  I was tight, sore, overworked and feeling spent on a daily basis.  I knew I needed to change it up (Fuseology concept: perfectly balanced fitness!!) but what?  Ahh, flexibility was it!  I re-newed my practice of Bikram yoga 2 weeks ago and am seeing the changes in my body beginning already. Muscle memory, remember?  I fell back into it  again with ease and grace as if I never took a break (well maybe more grace than ease, but it clicked nonetheless).   I am a little sore in some areas not used to being stretched so deeply, but god it feels good! Reminder of why it's called a practice and realization of how much my tired little body needed it.  Some people ask what on earth about practicing yoga in a 105 degree room for 90 minutes is appealing? My answer: you have to go try it to find out for yourself :)

I also have been doing a lot of reading on running styles and approaches.  I do not believe that it has to kill your body! Like any exercise, if done correctly with good form, can be continued over time.  I am the queen of form in classes and bootcamp and personal training, but I realized my own running form sucked!! So I have been reading and trying to adapt the Chi Running approach to my running practice.   I think this next 1/2 marathon will go amazingly better than the last. Still very early on, but did a quick and easy 4 miles today in less time per minute and with less effort - now that I love!!!

And last but not least, family time!!! My hubby travels a ton most weekends (when I happen to be off!), I work early am, he works late, we are like ships passing in the night and we have non-existent family time with the 4 of us.  I have to tell myself that above all other obligations, family time comes first.  Before birthday parties, before cookouts, just time with the 4 of us.  We had a great afternoon and evening together yesterday catching up and reconnecting again.  Guess that will have to hold us over til next month!!

So I encourage, I urge you, to look introspectively into your own life this week.  Before school begins, before summer ends, what are you craving or missing lately?  It might be something simple or a big AHA!, but it should be for the better.  And always remember, YOU are what has to come first.

xo,
Rachel

Smoothie Making Power

I am a smoothie fanatic!! I drink one almost every morning (unless I am running behind or on the rare occasion I sleep in) and find it a great way to get my post recovery workout goodies in.   It's important to refuel with carbs, fats, and of course muscle building protein post workout! Here are 2 of my favorite mixtures you can try and whip up on your own.  I am still experimenting with other fruits and the best part is you can customize it however you like.  Any blender or food processor will work best, unless you have a Vita Mix in which case I'm coming over!! 

Berry Blast Power Smoothie
(measurements are approximate depending on thickness preference) 
1 cup coconut water (I use Zico or Vita Coco)
1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1 cup frozen or fresh berries (raspberries, strawberries, black or blueberries - smoothie will be thicker is they are frozen)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 tsp. Omega 3 oil 
1 handful of kale or fresh spinach (optional) 

Add water, milk, and oil, (greens is adding) to blender and then frozen or fresh berries and liquify or puree.  Add in protein powder and stir or mix til creamy.  Makes 1-1.5 servings.  1 serving about 200 calories.  

Chocolate Decadence Smoothie
1-1.5 cups of non fat chocolate soy milk (I use Silk Light)
1 cup frozen dark cherries
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder 

Add milk and fruit to blender. Liquify and puree. Add in scoop of protein powder and blend.  Makes 1 -1.5 servings.  1 serving about 300 calories.   


A lot of recipes call for banana; I omit mine because I usually have 1 pre-run and it's adds some extra carbs that I don't need after with all the other carbs from the berries. 

Any recipes you want to share?  Add to the comments box below!! 

Xo,
Rachel 

Gettin' My Sweat Back On!!

In these dog days of summer, it's not too hard to get hot and sweaty! You can walk to your mailbox and feel the beads of sweat start to form on your neck.  I don't know about you, but I like to get sweaty for a purpose: to burn some calories!! 


After a pathetic 2 week attempt at getting back on the horse post vacation, I decided 2 weeks ago was my time "to get my sweat back on" again.  I am usually pretty consistent in my fitness routine but if you read my blog a few times ago, I was in my slump and I just kinda sucked all around!  


Last week and this week, it was" you know what's" to the wall and get my buns moving again!!  I hit the pavement hard, logging 4 runs each week for the last 2 weeks and breaking past my 5 mile mark I was sluggishly trotting to.  This week felt awesome to hit 6 and keep on going.  I got my usual doggie walks in, hit the spin bike for cycle class today, added in some of my fav kettlebell and total body workouts this week, and hopefully kicked everyone's butt, including my own, in Barre Fusion.  How do I feel? Awesome!! I am one of those people that likes to feel the fruits of my labor and boy am I.  And I think more is in store tomorrow.  

So, don't be tempted to let these remaining days of summer get the best of you.  Walk or hike at the beach, take a bootcamp class (hint, hint), do something to change it up, rev your engine, and kick it into high gear.  I always like going into the school year with some momentum to keep me going.  Next week, I'm headed with a friend back to Bikram Yoga after a 2 year, WAY to long break.  My achy muscles need it.  Oh, and I did I mention it is 90 minutes of pure bliss in a 105 degree room??? Bust out the yoga shorts -  it's time to get my sweat back on! 

Backyard Bodies Laid to Rest

Today is it!! The launch of my new or rather revamped fitness business, complete with a new name, real logo, new website, and new classes.  In other words, this time it's legit!  Fuseology Fitness is officially here and it's time to lay Backyard Bodies Fitness to rest.  Backyard Bodies Fitness (referred to as BBF) was my quick creation last year when I began my personal training endeavor and thought, "Wait, I need a name for myself and my business." I was aiming at the approach of local fitness that travels to you (which we still offer!), but a name that was cute and catchy to boot.  So, Backyard Bodies was named and off it went.

I started bootcamps, in home personal training, and the creation of my Barre Fusion class and it soared.  But there was something about BBF that I wasn't in love with.  First, the name was hard to find without the word "fitness"; you can only imagine what would come up with just backyard bodies on a Google search!! I played with some ideas, and kept trying new things, added some classes.   And then it stuck: the "trying new things" part was what I really wanted clients and their bodies to experiences.

So over the past year, with evolution comes change.  I wanted something more, something different that encompasses what my true fitness teaching philosophy is.   I believe that you always have to keep the body guessing, moving forward, making progress to continually see changes in your body. If you have ever taken one of my bootcamp or Barre Fusion classes, or trained with me, you know you never do the same routine twice!  These changes aren't just visual either; it's seeing the person who couldn't do a single push up be able to knock out 10 in a row a few short weeks later.  So in renaming, I was stuck on the name with fusion, or balance such as the yin and yang, or blending and came up with Fuseology (okay, so my hubby actually branded the name but I hold 100% of the rights, lol).

Fuse(ology): the study of blended and balanced fusion fitness.

And here we are! August 1st, new business, new name, same old me and the same great classes and training you've been received since the BBF days, just new and improving each time.  If you haven't had a chance to yet, check out my website at www.fuseologyfitness.com and see what we have to offer.

As I send a farewell goodbye to Backyard Bodies Fitness, I thank you for helping me find my true fitness philosophy and for all the fitness friends I have gained and helped along the way.  Here's to many more!