New Workout Discovery: BalleCore

Since the instructor who taught "Ballet Body" at Lifetime Fitness has left, I have been looking for a similar workout to replace that class. It provided a wonderful lower body and core workout that was completely different from any other gym experience I have had.

In searching around, I stumbled upon this book at my local library, The BalleCore Workout by Molly Weeks. Weeks has a background in ballet and pilates and has developed an exercise program that fuses elements of those genres with hatha yoga. The program emphasizes strength and flexibility, and is based on a foundation of core stabilization, relaxation, focusing on the breath and using efficient, fluid movements.

I visited the website for BalleCore, and the instructors are spread out on the coasts, with no Midwestern representation. I would love to experience a class ... but am not sure that will be happening anytime soon. The website offers two props for sale, a bar and a band. As far as I can tell, the bar seems helpful, but you could easily use any body bar that you already have and your yoga strap is perfectly suitable for the stretches and exercises using the band.

I practiced some of these movements this evening and will probably be integrating them into my regular workouts more often.

Today's workout:

60 min ladder interval run + cool down walk (6.87 mi)

40 min BalleCore

Sugar Plum Zippy

I was so happy to be back in my "ballet body" class at Lifetime Fitness today (I had to miss the past two weeks because of sick kids!). While the class is not a true dance class, but rather a series of ballet-inspired movements and exercises, our instructor (a former professional dancer) has decided to build up to teach us a routine inspired by the famous Sugar Plum fairy dance from the Nutcracker Suite.

He is incorporating different moves each week from the dance, so that we have a strong foundation on which to build the complete sequence. This week, the new move he taught us was "ballet beats". You can see the dancer, Simone Clark, in the above video doing this move at around :17 & :23 (as well as other points in the video, too). For this practice, we were not actively moving across the floor as in Clark's performance, but stood in place. We bent one leg at the knee, pointing the toe and bringing it to touch mid-calf. Then, in very rapid succession, we would move the toe from the front to the back of the calf several times, and then switch to the other leg. We kept our arms either raised above our heads or out in front of us.

This exercise required balance, and therefore develops core strength. It also targets several leg muscles, including the calf, hamstring and quads, and opens the hip. I'm sure I'll feel this one in the morning!

Today's workout:
50 min. run (6.25 mi)
40 min. ballet body class
60 min. yoga

Push-Ups

I've been focusing so much on my running training schedule and immersing myself in learning more about yoga that I realized that I have been neglecting (somewhat) the toning part of my general workout regimen. As a result, I've decided to purposefully spend more time focusing on push-ups, pull-ups and core work. To avoid getting bored, I am using this post to brainstorm different variations and modifications on push-ups.

Of course, you can start with the traditional military push-up (pictured here), which can be modified by putting your knees on the ground if necessary - make sure that your body remains straight (don't push the butt in the air).

Arm Placement
You can modify hand/arm placement - shoulder width, wider than shoulders, hands together. You can bring your elbows in closer to your body for more tricep work. Place your hands on a step or other elevated surface and then push-up. Of course, you can always try one-handed push-ups for a real challenge! Depending on the placement of your arms, the push up will zero in on different muscles in your shoulders and back.

Leg Placement
You can also modify the legs. Generally, the feet are close together. You can widen the stance, raise alternate legs, or put the legs on a step.

Balance Challenges
Work the core more by adding a balance challenge.
Put on hand on a medicine ball while doing the push up, complete all the reps and then switch sides. To increase the difficulty, move the ball back and forth between your hands and alternate single push-ups with the medicine ball.
Put one hand on a BOSU ball and the other hand on the floor, push-up, then move over so the other hand is on the BOSU and the alternate is on the floor, push-up and repeat, continuing to change sides each time.
Do push-ups with your feet on the BOSU.
Do push-ups with your feet on a towel. Do one push-up, then slide your feet forward into a downward dog position, and back out to a push-up position. Do another push-up and repeat.

Leg Movement
Another variation on the push-up is the "spiderman" push-up. Get into a traditional push-up position. Bring the right leg forward, near the back of the right hand and then push-up. Take the leg back, and do the same on the left.

Additional Exercises
You can also make the push-ups more challenging by working in other exercises.
Alternate single push-ups with side planks.
Add a weighted bar, and do five push-ups, five lat raises (from a push-up position), five push-ups, and then another five lat raises on the other side.
Add a little cardio in by doing mountain climbers. Begin in a push-up positions. Bring the right knee in towards the chest, resting the foot on the floor. Jump up and switch feet in the air, bringing the left foot in and the right foot back. Continue alternating the feet as fast as you safely can for 30-60 seconds.
Another cardio push-up based exercise is called burpee. Start in a push-up position. Jump your feet to a squat position, then leap up as high as possible from the squat position and return quickly to the push-up position. Continue as fast as you safely can for 30-60 seconds.

Hopefully, these push-up ideas will help you keep your workout fresh too!

Today's workout:
60 min. progression run (7.0 mi)
25 min. strength training
50 min. yoga

Ballet Core Work

Today I took a "ballet body" class at my gym.  Everyone knows what beautiful bodies ballerinas have!  A strong core is essential to executing their graceful dance moves.  I will share with you some of the ab-strengthening exercises that we did today, plucked right from a dancer's workout!

Supine Leg Lift with Bent Knee

• Lie on your back, both legs raised straight up in the air at a 90 degree angle to the floor.  Point your toes.  (As pictured)
• Keeping your right leg straight, bend your left knee, bringing your left toe to your right knee.
• Keeping your left toe in position on your right knee and keeping your right leg straight, lower your legs to the ground and then raise them back up, returning them to their original position.
• Switch legs and repeat.  Do 20 reps, alternating sides.

Flying Butterfly Curl

• Lie down on your back, with your ankles touching in butterfly position.  Arms should be out to your sides, curled up slightly, not resting on the ground.
• As you bring your knees together, bring your arms up in front of your body and your hands together.  Take your knees and arms back down to the starting position.  Your body will almost look like a butterfly in flight.
• Add a crunch to the movement as you bring your arms and knees up.
• Repeat 20 times.

If you add these moves to your regular workout, you are on your way to having a ballerina body!

Today's workout:

20 min elliptical machine (hill interval/2.90 miles)

60 min ballet body class

90 min primary series Ashtanga yoga

I'm in Stitches

Occasionally, when I run, I get a "stitch" in my side that makes it difficult to continue. I got one of those today and starting wondering what it is exactly, what causes them and how I can prevent them. So ... I did some internet research.

Apparently, the stitch in your side is a cramp of the diaphragm. When you are running or engaging in other kinds of vigorous activity, you create a lot of stress on your body as your organs are bouncing up and down. Several of these organs, like the liver, stomach and spleen, are attached by ligaments to your diaphragm. The strain is particularly intense when you are exhaling and your diaphragm is moving up, but your organs are pulling downward.

Sports Injury Bulletin suggests that most runners naturally sync their breathing with their steps so that they end up exhaling on the same foot every time, causing more stress on that side of the body. Therefore, one way to get rid of a side stitch is to switch your exhale to the other side. While I haven't noticed myself breathing in time with my steps, I definitely think that breathing more deeply can make a difference in the intensity of the cramp.

I also have noticed that I usually don't get a side stitch when I stretch out beforehand. I usually try to do standing, long side stretches prior to running, and when I do those, I almost never experience a cramp.

The same Sports Injury Bulletin article suggests these four ways to prevent a side stitch:

1. Strengthen your diaphragm through "belly breathing" work.
   
2. Strengthen your abdominal muscles with core work.
3. Abstain from eating or drinking in the hour prior to exercise.
4. Relax!!!!

Use these tips to help prevent side stitches and keep you exercising and working hard!!

Today's workout:
30 min. hill interval run (3.25 miles)
30 min. core class
25 min. strength training
15 min. elliptical (1.87 miles)

Yoga is Not for Sissies

Tonight I did yoga with Tracey Gardner and it was awesome! Tracey has developed her own method of yoga, based on the power vinyasa style. It is done in a hot room and incorporates lots of "flow". She concentrates on moves that target your core muscles. It is fast-paced and intense!

The music that accompanies the yoga is unlike the music you will usually hear in a typical yoga class. It is loud, pulsing, dynamic music that energizes you and keeps you pumped! Sometimes it can be hard to hear Tracey's directions, but it is still fairly easy to follow by watching her example, and after going to her class a few times, you can catch on to the flow of the class.

Tracey uses a lot of what she terms "dive-throughs" ... similar to a traditional vinyasa, but you keep your arms closer to your body, lead with your chin, and add an extra push-up. You repeat these often, and you can feel the effect these moves have on your arms and abs!

I am always dripping with sweat after one of Tracey's classes. They are an amazing workout. Check out Tracey's website for more info about her and to find her class schedule.

Today's workout:
@ gym-
35 min. interval run (3.93 mi)
20 min. ab work
20 min. elliptical machine
@ NABC
60 min. power yoga

Redefining "Easy"

My workouts today helped me look at what I consider "easy" in a whole new light.

First of all, I started with a run. I wanted to try out a new class (more on that later), so I only had 20 minutes for cardio. Since it was a short time, I wanted to "kick it up a notch" and go a little faster than I usually do for a straight up run. I set the treadmill speed at 1 mph faster than I would usually go for my comfortable pace. As I was running, though, I realized that this speed was quite comfortable. I also realized that it was considerably slower than my usual race pace. My perceived effort a the end of the run could only be described as average (4).

While I could measure my progress in running through my race times, and see the changes on the scale, I have not yet adapted my workout to correlate with these changes. Physical fitness and the journey toward a goal is a fluid, ongoing evolution, and my self-perceptions need to change in order to continue that forward momentum. That is, what was "hard" is now "easy" and therefore, I need to change the treadmill settings accordingly.

I had another chance to redefine "easy" in a different way. The new class that I tried today was called "Ballet Body". It was taught by a lovely, extremely flamboyant male ballet dancer who will be leaving next week to appear in a zombie B-movie. Awesome.

Anyway, at first glance the moves seemed ridiculously "easy". Lots of demi-plies, tendus, leg lifts, etc. However, maintaining balance was very difficult and I could feel my core working. Pointing my toes engaged all the muscles in my legs, and after continuously working my legs the whole hour with these deceptively "simple" moves, I have serious muscle soreness. No wonder ballerinas have such amazing bodies! It was a great class and I hope to take it again.

The ballet class was a great example of how you can strengthen and tone your body without using any additional equipment other than your own body. While it may look "easy", the results are real - and that's what matters.

Today's workout:
20 min. run (2.33 miles)
60 min. ballet body class

Core Work

Building your core muscles is important no matter what sport or physical activity you are involved in. I'm always looking for new exercises to firm and tone my abs. Here a few moves that are done with a medicine ball and a partner, since working out with a friend is twice as nice! I use a 6 lb. medicine ball, but you can go heavier or lighter depending on your abilities and the level of challenge that you seek.

Oblique Twist with Medicine Ball
This exercises works the sides of your abs. Have your partner stand back-to-back with you. Hold the ball at waist level, and twist back and forth laterally, handing off the ball to your partner. That is, hold the ball in your left hand and quickly move it over to the right and hand it over to your partner, who does the same move and hands it back to you. Repeat at a rapid pace for thirty seconds, then switch directions and do it again.

Ab Crunch with Medicine Ball Throw
In this exercise, one partner lays on her back in a crunch position, with knees bent. The other partner stands, facing the other, toes touching. You throw the ball back and forth as the partner on the floor crunches. The one on the floor crunches up, throws to the standing partner. The one standing throws it back, and the one laying down crunches down with the ball and throws it to the standing partner again. Continue for thirty seconds and then switch positions.

Medicine Ball Chest Pass
Stand about seven feet apart from your partner, facing one another (about the length of a yoga mat). Hold the ball at chest level, with your palms facing out. Throw the ball back and forth with your partner quickly and forcefully. Alternate this activity with the next one.

Medicine Ball Squat and High Throw
Maintain the same position as in the previous exercise. This time, squat down with the medicine ball, and then throw it in a measured, high arc to your partner, who should squat and throw it back in the same manner.

These exercises will help with ab strength and also work arms, chest, legs and shoulders, as well as improving balance. They are a fun way to change up your workout.

Today's workout:
15 min. easy pace run
30 min. core class
30 min. weight loss interval on EFX (2.5 miles)
60 min. power yoga