I am not a fan of sloppy. Poor form can actually be harmful, and good exercise form is more effective, anyway. There are several reasons I love sharp, precise movements when you’re working out. This goes for every kind of exercise, but right now I’m really talking about cardio. I tell the participants in my […]
Tag: cardio
Reflecting on 800 Burpees
Having recently completed Fitness Magazine’s 30-day Burpee Challenge, I am feeling an especially strong love/hate sensation toward burpees. This was a 30-day challenge. The first week was 10 burpees per day, with each day offering a different burpee variation. The second week was 20 per day. Third week, 30. Fourth week, 40 per day. And the […]
Why I Decided to Run a Marathon
After years of saying “heck NO” to the idea of marathon running, I’ve come around. It wasn’t a quick change-of-mind; in fact, I’ve been mulling it over for quite a while. Too long, for someone who believes that successful people make decisions quickly and decisively. What set me over the edge was something my boyfriend […]
Skip the Too-Big T-Shirts: Wear Fitted Clothing to Exercise
When we feel self-conscious about our bodies, our first instinct is to cover it up, usually in loose, baggy clothing that totally disguises our silhouettes. If you’re planning to workout like that, I’ve got to ask you to reconsider. There are actually a lot of good reasons to wear fitted clothing while you exercise. I […]
Why I Don’t Listen to Music When I Run
When I got my first portable cassette player (purple and Barbie-themed), I was excited to use it to play my mix tapes on my runs. I had heard that people do that. It clipped so conveniently to my shorts! As long as my shorts were tight enough not to get pulled down by the weight […]
How to Learn to Love Running (or Anything)
It’s easier than you think. In high school track, I was a jumper and an on-the-slower-side sprinter, which meant the majority of my workouts involved fast(ish) speeds and short distances. Our “long run” maxed out at four miles (while the distance runners went on and on–suckers!). I remember saying then that I never wanted to […]
2015 Fitness Trends vs. My Fitness Trends
Every year, the American College of Sports Medicine publishes a list of fitness trends to look out for. As a long-time fitness instructor, I always kept an eye on that list to see if the classes I was teaching were on par with the grand generalization of what people were looking for. I was sort […]