Keeping Cardio Interesting Part 1

It’s finally warm enough to do cardio outside! And I want to share some of the fun cardio games that we, at FT, play to keep our workouts fresh and fun. Before I get to the cardio game of the week, I want to apologize for the lack of fitness tips that have been sent out.  I’ve been having some difficulty with our email systems.  (You may have noticed some rather interesting non FT related stuff come through – if you did get anything odd I apologize and want you to know that the problem has been cleared up.) Anyway, we’re back on track with the weekly fitness tips.  So without further adieu here’s the cardio game I played this past weekend. Saturday, I pulled out the mt. bike and rode the trails in the southern kettle moraine state forest. If you haven’t been out there for a hike or ride I strongly suggest you check it out….It’s absolutely beautiful country! I planned on doing an hour ride but I needed a little motivation to push myself. So I played the out and Back Race Game. The Out and Back Race Game looks like this…. You pick a point to run, walk, or ride to. Check your time when you get there. Then turn around and run, walk or ride the exact same route back to your starting point. The trick is to beat your time on the way back. If this is confusing let me illustrate with what I did with my ride on Saturday. I rode the trail fairly hard for 30 minutes in one direction. As soon as my watch hit 30 minutes I took a quick water break and decided I had to make it back to the car in under 25 minutes – riding the exact same trail. This was a race against myself. My pride was on the line. I had to beat the 25 minute mark. So I peddled my rear off to make it back to that car before time expired. Did I make it? You bet I did – 24 min and 32 seconds. I was out of breath and drenched with sweat. But I felt like a million bucks! You can do this with any type of outside cardio workout. Walking, running, mt. biking, road biking, roller blading, hiking, (I think you get the point.) If you do try the Out and Back Race Game please send me an email letting me know your results. Have Fun!

Your Partners in Health and Fitness, Sabrina Domenosky and The Fitness Together Team

Who Will Host the Better Party?

Will it be Fitness Together Mequon or will it be Fitness Together Whitefish Bay?

We have decided to host simultaneous parties this Saturday the 13th from 11am – 2pm.

Holly and I have been running all over town collecting some really great raffle prizes as well as coupons for huge discounts at local businesses.  It seems everyone in town wanted to jump on the FT wagon and donate gifts and coupons.

Here’s a sneak peak at what Holly and I have been able to round up so far:

• Gifts from In Step
• Discounts from Laacke & Joy
• Gift cards and coupons from Impressions
• Coupons from Aspen Medical
• Fabulous food  from Cafe 1505 (one of my favorite restaurants around)
• Massage discounts from Elements
• Gifts from Elite Nutrition
• 2nd Wind has agreed to give a huge discount to anyone participating in our open house

So come on in to Fitness Together in either Mequon or Whitefish Bay this Saturday to eat, drink, enter the raffle, collect your goody bag full of coupons, learn new exercises, and last but not least meet the most fabulous personal trainers on Milwaukee’s Northshore.

Hope to see there.

Sabrina Domenosky

How Fat Am I?

How fat is Sabrina?

That question was discussed in the training office today.  Holly and Tara had the following conversation as if I wasn’t even there:

“I think she’s 15%” – Holly (My Business Partner)

“No, I think she’s 17%” – Tara (Mequon Trainer and Nutrition Specialist)

After going back and forth on numbers they had the audacity to put a wager on it.  Yep, there is a wager on my body fat percentage.  Can’t say I ever thought there would be a bet on how fat I am.

We should know who the winner is and ultimately how fat I am by the end of the week.  The results will come from one of the most accurate machines out there, the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (who comes up with these names?)  It’s more commonly know as the DXA (pronounced dexa) scan.

Anyway, it’s a really great thing that we, at Fitness Together, have this partnership with UWM because I’m sick of getting body fat readings that are all over the board.

Over a 2 week time span I’ve seen my numbers range from 14% to 25%.  These readings are obviously very inaccurate.  Which is why we’ve worked out a deal with UWM.  The pinch test, standing barefoot on a scale that reads your body fat percentage, or using our hand held scanner just isn’t nearly as accurate as the DXA.

So by the end of the week I’ll finally know the truth, the guessing game will be over.  By Friday, I will know exactly what my body fat percentage is.  And we’ll know who wins the wager.

I’ll keep you posted on the results.

If you are interested in finding out your true body fat percentage as well as your bone density and resting metabolic rate please talk to your trainer.  We have negotiated a special deal for our clients.

Biggest Loser Living Room Workout

With this game you’ll be watching the Biggest Loser for motivation AND a great workout.

Last week a client in Mequon had the entire studio rolling as she explained the game her friend plays while watching the biggest loser.

I liked the idea of the game so much that I wanted to share it with you.  I should, however, warn you that because we are a rather creative group of personal trainers we have spiced it up a bit.

Here are the rules:

1.  Every time someone has tears in their eyes you do 10 push-ups.

2.  Every time someone let’s the tears roll you do 20 push-ups.

3.  Every time you see a product sponsorship you do 20 sit-ups.

4.  During commercials you do jumping jacks or jump rope.

5.  Finally, for every pound lost during the weigh in you have to do 1 squat.

So next Tuesday at 7pm Central I suggest you try playing this little game.  Let us know how it goes.  Post the amount of reps you did on our facebook page found at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mequon-WI/Fitness-Together-Milwaukee/169180366600

Number 1 Tip for Accomplishing your New Year’s Resolution

Resolution Tip number 1….Know EXACTLY what you want to achieve.

I’d like you to get really specific with your goal setting this year.

Read the following two scenarios and try to guess which woman reached her goal.

Woman #1, “Sabrina I would like to be healthier and more fit.  I want to lose some weight this year.”

Woman #2, “Sabrina I was a size 8 two years ago now I’m a size 12.  I intend to get back into those size 8 pants that are still sitting in my closet.  In 4 months I WILL be prancing around in my skinny jeans again.”

In case you’re not sure which woman accomplished her goal, I’ll give you a hint….It was the woman who:

• Set a very specific goal (size 8 in 4 months)
• Made the goal measurable (if the pants fit she accomplished the goal)
• Painted a mental picture of herself accomplishing that goal (prancing around in the skinny jeans)
• Set a time frame for accomplishing her goal (4 months)
• Was confident in reaching her goal (I WILL be prancing)

She reached that goal ahead of time!  And, to this day, is still prancing around in her skinny jeans.

Thank You for an Amazing 2009

Happy New Year We wanted to take a quick moment to say THANK YOU for an amazing 2009.  It has truly been a great year for Me and Holly. We built a new studio in Whitefish Bay We purchased Fitness Together in Mequon We added amazing individuals to our team of trainers We added new equipment and exercises to our arsenal We updated the Mequon studio Wow, I could go on forever with this list of things to be thankful for in 2009 but I won’t bore you any longer. I will just say this, “Without the support of our amazing clients and our extremely dedicated and talented team we couldn’t have done any of it.” Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Gratitude, Sabrina Lynn Domenosky and Holly Tamm www.NothshoreFT.com Fitness Together Whitefish Bay 615 E Silver Spring Dr Whitefish Bay, WI 53217 414-962-8889 Phone Fitness Together Mequon 10974 N Port Washington Rd Mequon, WI 53092 262-241-3530 Phone

How to Start Enjoying Exercise

As I ran past her she hollered out, “Whattcha doin?”

“I’m going for a run.”  I replied.

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun.”

As I cruised past the inquisitive little girl I kept thinking about my reply.  Because it’s fun?  F-U-N?  Since when did I start thinking running was fun?

For the next 15 minutes or so I retraced my running history.

I sure as heck didn’t always thinking running was fun.  For 3/4 of my life I despised it.   I hated running so much that I actually dreaded the warm up run around the rugby field before practice.  It was a whopping 4 minutes at a slow jog!  If given the choice I would have rather done tackling drills with the men’s team than saunter around that field.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I want you to know that you CAN change the things you enjoy.  You CAN enjoy exercise and you CAN enjoy eating healthy.

Think about this….have you always enjoyed coffee or beer?  Or was it sort of an acquired taste that grew on you?

I’m not asking you to go running until it grows on you.  Running is certainly not for everyone.  I’m asking you to exercise until it grows on you.  I’m asking you to open your mind to the possibility that you just might start to enjoy it.

I know this is a possibility because I see it happening in our studio all the time.   It’s amazing how your likes and dislikes can and will change when you change your lifestyle.  What’s even more amazing is how quickly these preferences of yours can change.

Take the first step in the right direction and keep an open mind….You’ll be surprised at the changes coming your way.

To a Healthier You that Enjoys Exercise in the New Year!

Your Friend in Fitness,

Sabrina Lynn Domenosky
Fitness Together

www.NothshoreFT.com

Fitness Together Whitefish Bay
615 E Silver Spring Dr
Whitefish Bay, WI 53217
414-962-8889 Phone

Fitness Together Mequon
10974 N Port Washington Rd
Mequon, WI 53092
262-241-3530 Phone

50% Off Holiday Gift Certificate – 3 Days Only

50% Off?  What?  Are you crazy?

Yes!

We – ARE – feeling – a – little – crazy.

I think it’s the madness of the holidays that has made Holly and I fall off our rockers.  I called her this morning and asked if we could sell holiday gift certificates at 50% off.

This is something we have never done, something we have never even dreamed of doing.  Giving gift certificates away at half off is something we have ALWAYS said NO to.

But, for some strange reason when I ran the idea past Holly this morning she said, “Yeah, let’s do it.  It’s the holidays, let’s celebrate.”

My initial thought was, “Could my business partner be dipping into the eggnog this early in the morning?”  Then I remembered this was my hair brain idea – I kept my mouth shut.

So before we have a chance to change our minds I’m bombing this email out to you.

Celebrate the gift of health with us.

Give a week of personal training to someone that could use our help this season or give yourself a New Year’s resolution jump start.

Either way…

Between now and Christmas Eve at noon, you can purchase up to 6 personal training sessions at 50% off.  INSANITY….We know.

This offer is only available in Whitefish Bay and Mequon.  It WILL expire on Christmas Eve.  No exceptions!

Stop in one of our locations today to purchase your gift certificate.

20 Minute Holiday Cardio Workouts

Yesterday, while hanging out in the trainer’s office, I got to chatting with Kyle (one of our trainers) about facebook and the silly things people post.

Kyle, being the super trainer that he is, started posting workouts on his facebook page.  It’s brilliant.  I loved the idea.  This inspired me to share a quick calorie blasting cardio workout with you.  My intention is to inspire you to do this workout a few times over the holiday season.

All you need is a treadmill and 20 minutes to burn a few hundred calories with this workout.  I’ve posted 2, the first for runners and the second for walkers.

This 20-minute jaunt keeps your actual running/walking speed constant (outside of the warm-up and cool-down), but alters the grade of incline to produce two separate gradual climbs that are six minutes in duration. The steepest, most intense part of each climb (6% incline) is also the shortest (one minute).

Runner’s Workout

SPEED   INCLINE (%)    TIME (MIN.)

6.5            0              3

7              2              3

7              4              2

7              6              1

7              0              1

7              2              3

7              4              2

7              6              1

7              1              1

6.5          0              3

Walker’s Workout

SPEED   INCLINE (%)    TIME (MIN.)

3             0              3

3.5         2              3

3.5         4              2

3.5         6              1

3.5         0              1

3.5         2              3

3.5         4              2

3.5         6              1

3.5         1              1

3             0              3

If you would like to adjust the workout to your specific fitness level,  I recommend adjusting the speed.  For instance if you’re a marathoner start with a speed of 8 and if you’re just starting out on a fitness program you may want to start with a speed of 2.

Enjoy the workout.

10 Days of Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain – Day 2

Yesterday I promised to reveal my favorite holiday trick to help get you through the next few weeks without gaining weight.

Here it is….

Set a fitness goal with an end date in January
or
Sign up for an upcoming athletic event
or
Plan a beach vacation this winter

At Fitness Together we’re doing two of the above three.  (Unfortunately, the beach vacation, is not one of them.)

The FT athletic event is a 32 mile hike through the Northern Kettle Moraine.  If you haven’t already signed up hurry up and do so, registration is limited.  Click on the link Ultra Trek and type FITNESSTOGETHER in the discount box to receive 20% off your registration fee.

The FT fitness goal with an end date in January is the holiday weight loss challenge being done at the Whitefish Bay studio.  It’s a biggest loser type contest and thus far the participants have collectively lost 62 pounds.  Congratulations!

It’s not too late for you to sign up for an event, plan a vacation, or set a January goal.

There’s no time like the present.