Spring Cleaning

First of all, I apologize that my blog was not up at 3:30. I was working at school sending out reminders about Hinsdale South’s 5K / 1 Mile run that I am promoting with my elementary students. Then we had to go shopping to get Bryson his running shoes. Any how here I am finalizing this entry. I have one that I am very excited to post about with my CrossFit Journey and I hope to have that up over break. So......

It is time to start my spring cleaning on this blog. Just to let my readers know I value your comments and questions. I like to think about my answer, practice it, and research it as much as possible, instead of just giving you a quick response. Another words keep posting and I promise I will get to your questions!

1st: Turbo Fire verses Zumba....

That is a tough comparison. Let me just speak from the DVD’s I have. I loved TurboFire and the program has interval training with plyometric exercises. Zumba is what I call more of a steady cardio session with non-impactive stress to the body. Both are similar because the music creates a more enjoyable workout either way. I found Zumba less challenging with the choreography in the DVD’s than Turbo Fire. When I speak of Zumba I have the older series not the new Zumba Fitness which features Pitbull. My advise would be to try each one and see which one you enjoy more. Because the more you enjoy it, the more adapt you will be to stick with it and reach your goals. There is no sense in doing something if you do not enjoy it.

2nd: My response to “Un-Leash the Creativity.”

Your comments on this entry really warmed my heart. The students at PMSA have such good hearts and they seem to get the whole picture of life, about what you can do for others. I have to agree the four years in high school do go by very fast and it is important to be active within your high school. The community hours are new to me and that seems like quite a lot of hours. I would be interested to know what some of you do to get those hours. When I presented at Naperville’s P.E. Institute for DuPage County I shared some of the quotes from the students at PSMA from this blog as an example of what blogging can do for students. Your comments are what inspire me to write more!

P.S. I understand the financial commitment to the AVON Breast Cancer walk and just to let you know there are a lot of local breast cancer events one can do without such a large financial commitment. There is an all women’s event called “Dirty Girl Run,” in June and in September at Yorktown there is an amazing Susan G. Komen Race.

http://www.godirtygirl.com/

http://www.komenchicago.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/race-information/

3rd: Zumba a Live Class!

I must say I did try a class at X-Sport in Downer’s Grove and had a fantastic time. What I really like about the Zumba Instructors is that they really get into teaching their class. They have a lot of energy and their clothes make you feel like you are in a DVD. My instructor wore the bands on the wrist, the tank top that said “Zumba,” and had a jingly skirt that she put on. My favorite one was to “Stand by Me” Please listen to the you tube video. You can see how you want to flow during a class. I recommend looking at our local park district you can find reasonably priced classes for sessions in Zumba. The class I took was in the morning during a break at the X-Sport in Downers Grove, so this would be a good summer class to try.

4th: P90X

Truthfully, I did it for 4 weeks and then I stopped. It got me motivated to lift, but I enjoy lifting without DVD’s much better. I would suggest this DVD series to someone who is looking for a safe and effective way to incorporate lifting into their workout. The videos are long, so longer cardio sessions are hard to fit in during a week. I am someone who needs to do cardio at least 4 times a week.

5th: Heart Rate Monitors - Link to Polar Heart Monitors http://www.polarusa.com/us-en

Believe it or not while at Target you can view a wide variety of heart rate monitors. I will say though strapless is good, but not as accurate as a strap heart rate monitor. If financially you can do one without a strap it is better than not having one at all. I think that the more you use the heart rate monitor the more you get in tune with knowing exactly how you feel at the rate of exertion. Also, you can truly see where you are at with your cardiovascular fitness levels. It feels pretty good to know that I can keep my heart rate between 150- 154 bpm for 30 minutes without having to stop. I like to know my resting heart rate to measure my fitness at rest and to see if what I am doing is really helping. I use a simple blood pressure monitor I purchased from Wal-Mart. I do this first thing in the morning and I record where I am. Yes, analytical!! But I know these numbers and this means more to me than a dress size.

6th: A lot of people dis-like running, you are not alone....

So, I am not here to force you into running or to tell you that is the only way to do cardio. I just ask that you discover why you do not like running. Sometimes those reasons you can change and sometimes it is best to find another way to get your heart strong. For example, if you find it boring I would suggest running with a friend or find a safe outdoor path you can enjoy. If your reason has to do with a medical or physical reason than there is so much you can do to get that heart rate going. Anything from swimming, biking, jumping rope, and never under estimate power walking. Cardio is great for the heart, but I do believe in the fact that one needs some type of strength training with cardio for results that remain. Carrying muscle is good for you and for your metabolism. When you get to be closer to my age, you will be happy that you added a bit a muscle.

I really get a lot from the questions and comments. It helps me to see what my readers are interested about and where you are coming from. To those who have asked yes you can send me emails here is my address: “Trurunner27@yahoo.com”