![]() A trail workout is one of my favorite ways to beat the gym. I love to be out in the elements. It makes me happy and it make me feel strong (and there is research to back this feeling. A lot of it.) I'm challenging my body but also learning to listen to it and accept what it's telling me (even if I don't like it). If you're a local SLO resident, I did this workout on Felsman Loop. But any trail or path with benches along the way will work. And always take the time to soak in the view and observe nature. That's the part that's good for your soul. Warm Up Muscle Activation Sequence
*Do this as you walk the trail, ideally an open trail without protruding rocks for better stability *Always check in with your core, make sure it's activated as you proceed.
First stop: Swing (I LOVE nature swings!)
Second Stop (Bench with a spectacular view) *I brought a light weight, easy to shove in a pocket, band
Third Stop (Another bench with a spectacular view) *This circuit was yoga inspired because I love yoga
If you use this or put together your own, tell me about it on my Fit by Nature SLO Facebook page!
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I get really excited and pumped about planning. It's clearly the Type A in me. I was a teacher for 10 years and there was something so invigorating about having well planned out learning objectives. So I've been programming 6 weeks of twice a week workouts that have the focus of education, functional movement and progressive build. You won't end the 6 weeks the same as you started, you'll be better! Sign up here.
First week will include some simple assessments to mark your baseline then some fundamental and functional movements. Here's a little sample of what you might see at the first workout. SFT Pushups SFT squats Transverse leap onto (or not) a BOSU *SFT=Sagittal, Frontal, Transverse (the body's 3 planes of movement)
45sec/15sec + Tabata x3
Stage coach lunges with rope Uneven weighted walking slolom Dynamic Bridge with a curl and a 15lb bar Push up to side plank Side step with an alternating rotation at each end
Medicine ball slams with a pop back
Reverse curl with a 15lb bar Jump Rope Body weight Rows Squat with a bicep curl Mountain Climbers
This week's Circuit Saturday will focus on full body movements. Dynamic motion that utilized both upper and lower body strength along with the core. And don't worry, I won't make you keep up with this speed, it kind of gives me the giggles to watch myself going that fast. Hope to see you at workout!!
I'm super excite to get back into Circuit Saturdays. I had some great adventures but I'm back and ready to do some coaching!
This Saturday is SFT day. What is SFT you ask? I'd love to answer that for you! Our bodies naturally move in three planes of movement: Sagittal, Frontal and Transverse planes. When you train your body in all three planes you help your body move easier as you go about your everyday life. Training the three planes keeps the workout functional. Hope to see you there. RSVP on my Facebook Event or my Meetup Event.
Felsman Loop and Bishop Peak have become my outlet, my go to, my place, my connection. Don't worry, I share. I have been to the top of Bishop Peak probably close to 200 times. For about 6 months, I went to the top 2-3 times a week. Some times I add on Felsman Loop before I go to the top, but Felsman offers a whole other set of assets. There are several benches and even a sturdy picnic table, all of which lend themselves really well to a running circuit workout. There's even a couple steep inclines for hill repeats (yay, hill repeats!!).
I have taken a number of clients out on these trails for both personal training sessions and small groups and it's often their favorite session of all the locations and workouts we do. Being out on the trail is one step closer than a park in actually being in nature. Even though town is right there, it offers a little nature pocket. Yes it can be hot, no there's not a lot of shade from the sun, but being out there under the oak and out on the grassy hillside with wind and bugs blowing through your hair, it feels really good. It's hard to deny. I love going to the top of Bishop, because I love rock hopping DOWN the hill (I'm a downhiller). But I also love Felsman Loop because of the ability to get some solid trail running in but also to build some strength by using my body weight and a bench or table. Trails are now pretty populated by dedication benches, this idea can be adapted and that's the beauty. Anyway, here's what I did today up on my favorite mountain. A shout out the Gymnazo, I wear this shirt with pride. I never knew I could learn so much in 10 weeks as an intern there! Sometimes all you need is a picnic table. Yoga on my favorite bench!
Bozeman has a little piece of my heart. If you've ever visited you know why. It's a place I called home for a few years and it's where I fell in love with trail running. I competed in my first trail race there, The Ridge Run. There's quite a hoopla about this race now, it's even hard to get a spot, but back in '98 it was still a home town, small race. I just had reconstructive knee surgery the year before and this rugged race what my knee's test. I came in 2nd in my age group. My knee passed it's test and has held up to my many trail adventures since then.
In addition to being one of the most breathtaking places and being the birth place of my love of trail running, our best friends live there so we get to visit often! This trip I brought my two young kids while my husband stayed home (lucky guy!). So I didn't get out as much as I usually do, but I still managed to enjoy so much of what Bozeman has to offer. I geocached with the kids, did yoga in the community gardens while the kids played by the creek, got a park workout in with my best workout buddy, enjoyed the Gallatin River (and yoga riverside!) and got out on a couple of runs that allowed me to drink up the amazing natural beauty. Thank you Bozeman. There are countless studies that link being outdoors, in nature, around living landscape, in fresh air, in natural light with better health and well being. Here is a easy to read list from Harvard Health Publication and here is a study on biophilia which concludes that there is substantial evidence that being in nature offers positive effects on health and well being. When being in nature is coupled with exercise (releasing endorphins, happy hormones) that contributes to both physical fitness and mental wellness, the results are powerful. It's why I have created Fit by Nature SLO. I feel compelled and excited to share this connection to our natural world using fitness. Here's a few pictures of my time in Bozeman. If you ever get a chance, go! And spend at least a week exploring the town, the trails and the fantastic scenery! Bozeman park workout while the kiddos played freely.This blog will certainly include what I do and learn as a personal trainer and a coach but it'll incorporate more than that. Life has plenty of moving parts and balance can sometimes seem impossible. Is balance in life really achievable? Are we setting ourselves up for failure to think that we can have it all and keep it in balance? I've been working on having empathy and compassion for myself, acknowledging the imbalance but not using it to bring me down. So when a friend said that balance was a moving target, it made sense to me. Because it almost always feel that way.
Stay tunned for what's next.... |
AuthorI'm a mother, a wife, an athlete, a yogi, a nature lover but I am NOT a writer. So read at your own risk. I will post Sneak Peeks to my Circuit Saturdays and other workout ideas and inspirations. I will also likely write about what I'm learning, about life's struggles and triumphs (both big and little) and about this journey of life. Thanks for visiting and I'll see you at a workout soon! Archives
March 2017
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