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Gym Girl Hair Tips
So, if you’re anything like me, you’d rather spend your free time on a kick butt workout, rather than spending hours washing and styling your hair. Some girls are blessed with wash and go hair; I am definitely not one of them. If your hair is long, thick, unruly, frizzy AND you insist on frequently hitting the gym, read on.
1. Wear a headband. Seems like a no-brainer, but a thick hairband is more than just a cute accessory. The dry-wick ones will prevent the sweat from dripping into your eyeballs and lift the root at the crown, so you get volume, rather than flattened hat head that you’d get from wearing a baseball cap.
2. Tie your hair up in a high, high ponytail, like the one shown on the model here. As high as you can possibly stand without giving yourself a headache. For girls with thick, heavy hair, piling the hair on the top can be painful if it’s in an updo too long.
An updo AND a thick hairband (see 1) is the absolute best combination for keeping your hair fresh.
3. Dry Shampoo. I’ve known about dry shampoo for years and years, but several of my own clients and Facebook friends didn’t (which surprised me). They come in basic (below), and some brands are tinted. I like the Batiste brand, and the one from Pantene below. The dry shampoos pretty much buy you an extra day before you *absolutely* must wash your hair. They contain a drying powder that eliminates any oily gunk in your hair, and freshens and lifts it just enough for body and volume.
4. This awesome product right here. I have no idea what the generic term for this product is, as it’s not a gel, mouse, cream, dry shampoo, or a similiar styling product that specifically promises a fresher looking hairdo. It’s a “mattifying hair powder” that comes in a super tiny container. All you need is a tiny, tiny bit of it sprinkled on to any section near the root where you want more volume or lift. My hairdresser would call this stuff “hair crack,” because presumably all you need is a little bit of this stuff to take the roots higher. Between the dry shampoo and a little bit of this product, I’ve found these tips very helpful in extending the time between needing to wash my hair.
What are your favorite gym girl hair tips? I’d love to hear them!
Providing Great Group Fitness
I’ve been a personal trainer for over a decade now, and a group fitness instructor for just as long. I’ve coached hundreds of classes, and group fitness is very different from 1-1 training. If you’re a personal trainer, or a group fitness instructor looking to provide a fabulous fitness experience, read on.
Many people begin their lifetime journey of health and fitness by taking a group fitness class. You might be the front line, the first impression they get to see, so it’s important you create a fun, safe, and welcoming class experience.
In large commercial gyms, group fitness classes are attractive to newcomers because large gym/weight room floors can be intimidating to some people. In group fitness classes, there’s minimal equipment to worry about and someone will lead you through a fun workout.
Even better, you’re not alone so group classes can bring tremendous comfort in numbers. If someone wants to hang in the back of the room, they can. It’s a safe place for most people to “test the waters,” so to speak. Plenty of people will begin here, in your group fitness class and learn many basic exercises (squats, lunges, pushups, crunches, etc).
Make sure you coach them effectively and safely, because they might later hire you to coach them for 1-1 personal training or nutrition coaching, depending on your certifications. Group fitness can be a great way to get you more clients, so the onus is on you to provide a fabulous first time impression, and keep them coming back for more.
Avoiding The Freshman 15
First of all, if you’re headed off to college, CONGRATULATIONS to you on this very important milestone. You worked hard to get here, now prepare to have the time of your life! I know I enjoyed my years in college. I learned lots and made great (the greatest!) friends.
And like most impetuous, invincible young teens, I pretty much thought that “Freshman 15” was something that happened to other people.
Of course, I distinctly remember a few events during freshman year that proved otherwise. One, stepping on the gym scale with some girlfriends, and we all looked positively confused that the scale moved that much in a measly four months (maybe less); two, returning home from my first semester and the clothes I left behind not fitting; and three, people commenting to me on my apparently awe-inducing weight gain.
Having never paid attention to that kind of thing (weight) to begin with, I couldn’t tell you how much of a gain it was exactly, but it was enough for me to realize I probably had “one too many.”
Late night mindless eating and the buffet style eating at every single meal at the cafeteria were probably my downfall, but everyone’s different. Moving less was another big one. Without structured athletics I was far less active. More time buried on the couch with books, eating calzones, discovering all the glutinous American baked goods (I wasn’t raised here), and raiding my roomate’s chocolate stash. And then there’s the drinking. I’m not saying I did that, but you know, lots of other people did. Ahem.
This doesn’t have to happen though, and in hindsight, if I was more aware of my habits I could have easily avoided the weight gain. Here are some tips that I hope will help you (or your college aged teen) as she/he heads off into the (almost) real world.
1. Limit drinking alcohol. You’re underage and everyone’s doing it. That’s problem #1, right? What’s worse is that they will be mixing in all kinds of other stuff. It’s a calorie bomb. If you’re going to drink, go ask mom or dad what they think of that idea.
2. Wear jeans at least half the time- the kind you wear at the beginning of the year. Why? I made the mistake of wearing sweats and baggy college gear, and was floored when the jeans I left at my parents’ place no longer fit after my first semester. Jeans are less forgiving than sweats, which is what lots of college kids wear. No need to use a scale for checking your weight (there’s probably no room in your dorm room anyhow), and your clothes can be a good, objective tool.
3. Walk to ALL your classes. Going from structured athletic activities to none at all for me was a shock to the system. Walking is great exercise, most likely you’ll bump into friends on your way to class, and it’s a good way to bond with your peers, too.
4. For the parents too! Emphasize to your child that food and exercise = self care and stress relief, versus reward (food) and punishment (gym time). Eat to nourish the body and mind, move (sweat!) to relieve some stress. If you study with friends, break with friends too! Catch up on gossip on your walks around the library or lab. Kids! Remember, food is fun and it’s also fuel for your study sessions. Eat or drink too much nasty stuff and you might feel it the next day. Eat lots of fruits and veggies and see if that helps you feel better.
5. Join a recreational team on campus with friends or take some fun fitness classes with them. Your college will have an incredible gym, and an incredible network of young athletes right there on campus. Looking back at the gym we had on my college campus, I wish I knew back then what I was doing, because the equipment was top-notch. We also had some terrific electives in weight lifting (and I’m sure lots of other fitness classes which I didn’t pay attention to but they were there!). Absolutely take advantage of all the resources that are at your disposal.
6. In my day, there were no FitBits and activity monitors. Get one, and aim to move at least 10,000 steps a day. Walking to class and taking frequent study breaks will go a long way towards meeting that. Ask the parents or their friends to get that for your graduation gift.
7. Learn some basic cooking. No seriously. I was so glad I spent hours watching what my mother did in the kitchen and asked her for recipes. If you have any time in the summer to take a cooking class, do so. Or just watch what your parents do in the kitchen. Eat out less, cook more at home. My dorm had a kitchen (although small) on every floor. Find yours. Look into getting “steamables” for veggies from the grocery store, or simple stuff you can stick in the oven (already seasoned chicken), or cook on the stovetop (pre-seasoned kabobs), or microwave.
8. Stock up on simple, easy, and tasty snacks. You might want to fill the fridge with easy snacks like Greek yogurt, string cheese, and lots of fruits with good shelf life (apples, grapes, oranges). “Magic pop” and fat free popcorn for mindless munchies, if you must.
9. Stay away from “all you can eat” buffets and opt for the A La Carte Meal plans, if they are offered to you. Cafeterias on campus might not be the best choice, if you’re a mindless eater. (I was, I assure you!) I was having far too much fun catching up with friends, shoveling food in my mouth, and not paying attention. Being on an A La Carte food meal plan rather than an all-you-can-eat plan is best.
10. Parents! If you’re in charge of finances: give your child a food budget! This will encourage them to grocery shop as much as possible. Eating out is very expensive. Drinking out, more so.
11. Get your sleep! More hours up at night means more hours up snacking mindlessly. GO TO BED.
12. Portion control snacks are your friend. I really don’t expect teenagers to figure out how to use a kitchen scale. But, common snacks (Goldfish, Fig Newtons, etc) now come in convenient portion control packets. We’re talking 100 delicious calories of yummy goodness you don’t have to think about. Most people still stop when the bag is finished (the individual bag!), and not the box.
13. Have some protein at every meal- mix up protein powder in your shaker cup with ice and water, or buy containers of greek yogurt, string cheese, pouches of tuna if that’s doable, veggie burgers, chopped up and cooked rotisserie chicken, eggs, even good ol’ chocolate milk. Protein will go a long, long way to keep you full, powered up, and satisfied between your meals and hectic schedule.
14. Back in my day, there were no calorie tracking apps. Use myfitnesspal or a similar app to track food intake. If you are eating too many calories to support your activity level, you’ll probably gain weight.
15. Make mistakes and learn from them. This is part of growing up. I forgot to mention that I lost all the “Freshman 15” in one summer. I quickly learned that I was doing some downright silly behavior, but it was easily remedied by cutting out/reducing non-nutritious food, eating more fruits and veggies, eating more at home (thanks Mom!) and moving more (hello, gym!).
Part of the passage to adulthood is making mistakes, learning, and growing. College is going to be the best time of your life. Who knows? Your weight might stay stable and worrying about the freshman 15 won’t help. Using common sense will go a long way. It’s not a big deal if you gain weight as you adjust to a new life. Change is a necessary part of life.
By all means, make mistakes. But don’t keep making the same ones. Learn from them. Or at least, learn from mine 🙂
And congratulations, grad!
15 Fitness Gifts
Wondering what are some of the best fitness gifts to give this year for the Holidays? Here are a list of some of my favorite fitness products for all budgets and fitness levels:
1. Resistance bands are a perfect fitness gift for the beginner, at home-exerciser and traveling athlete. I’ve bought bands from Black Mountain Products and was very happy with their customer service.
Other sites like Amazon.com (online) or Walmart, Target, etc. may sell them as well. There are many brands out there, just make sure you see a product guarantee of some sort and a way to contact the company in case there’s a problem with the bands.
You can see how I use resistance bands to train in my video, here.
Strength Training with Parkinson’s
Getting older doesn’t automatically preclude you from learning how to lift weights and resigning yourself to a loss of strength and functionality. Neither does having Parkinson’s.
The effects of age related muscle-wasting (sarcopenia) may be counteracted by resistance training (J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Feb;25(2):326-33.), and we’re not talking about the little pink dumbbells, either. Somewhere around 60% of a maximal effort weight and higher reps, and even using free weights (not JUST the machines).
Older trainees in the gym normally stick with familiar cardio machines, but if you’ve ever seen Al in action, you might want to clear some space. He’s been strength training with me for 2 years now, and in that time he’s seen some impressive gains in strength and coordination.
He’s done all this despite being in his 70’s and having become involved with strength training with Parkinson’s disease.
Although Al’s determined personality makes our work outs fairly intense, trainees with Parkinson’s can use resistance training pretty much like everyone else. And just like anyone else, he got stronger with a basic program for resistance training.
My clients know how I harp on about maintaining a record (a training log) of your gym workouts. Al’s training logs showed the following improvements over the course of 7 months:
Hamstring Curl: Starting 60 lbs X 20 reps, Current 150 lbs X 15 reps
Leg Press: Starting 45 lbs X 20 reps, Current 135 lbs X 15 reps
Seated Cable Row: Starting 20 lbs X 20, Current: 60 lbs X 15 reps
Stability Ball Squat (a movement to be used with caution with Parkinson’s depending on the stage): Starting Bodyweight X 20 reps, Current: Bodyweight plus two 12 lb dumbbells in either hand X 20 reps
Glute Bridge: Starting Bodyweight X 20 reps, Current: Bodyweight plus Heavy Sandbag (45lbs) X 20 reps.
I could go on and on with his improvements in a variety of exercises all across the board, but you get the basic idea. If a man diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1998, and now in his 70’s, is able to accomplish results like these (with a trainer like me, hey selfish plug here! ☺), ask yourself what’s stopping you?
Cleaned Up Curry: Getting LEAN with Indian Food
Indian food is famous for being super-rich (high in fat) and also high in flavor. While the latter is good, the addition of unnecessary added fat is NOT. In the attached file, I’m including 10 commonly used recipes but boosted the protein and slashed the sugar and fat. There are ways to “clean up” some of our classic recipes, so that they are healthier and friendlier to your waistline too! Cleaned Up Curry
Beyond Weight Loss and Onto A Journey
The first time I wrote about bulldog, it was here, a mid-point check in that discussed the steady progress this lovely bride made while working towards her wedding day weight loss goal.
Not only did she look AMAZING at her wedding, she reached and BEAT her weight loss goal. Even better, she learned to make strength training and clean eating part of her lifestyle. This is not the story of the bride who “lets it all go” after the wedding date is over.
Besides the beautiful walk down the aisle, there’s more than that to bulldog. Here are some of my favorite qualities about her that translated into measurable success, and that anyone can employ:
1) Check your attitude at the front door. No matter what kind of day she might have had, she ALWAYS showed up ready to throw down. Battling traffic, bad weather, early morning workouts, and even the occasional cold, she always trained hard, with dedication, discipline, and seriousness. We all have things going on in our “real worlds.” Make training time important.
2) Don’t be afraid to pick up some real weight. Although she started with the light dumbbells, she can now squat, bench press, and deadlift with considerable weight on the barbell, and complete a body weight pullup. I have some male clients that can’t do this. She ended up with beautiful muscle tone and not a “bulky” look.
3) Pack your meals, respect the importance of good nutrition, and learn to cook clean. It was fun watching her have the revelation from thinking she could only have chicken breast to exploring clean eating recipes together, texting one another about fun ways to grill and rub meats and vegetables. Now she knows all about about macros, fish oils, and carb tapering!
4) Make fitness fun. She regularly picks races and encourages her family and friends to join in some friendly competition. No one can say no to this sweet little “tornado” when she asks. Before, she complained about how boring cardio was- and now she completes 10Ks under 1 hr, and has fun doing it. She jokes around about our “torture sessions” in the gym and if she pays the price with some occasional soreness, she deals with it like a real trooper.
At her bridal shower and wedding reception people asked her, how did she do it?
The good old-fashioned way: show up, train hard, do it with consistency and dedication, take scheduled rest periods to recuperate, and eat sensibly for your weight loss goals. There was no starvation, no 2 hour long sweat sessions, no silly pills or gimmicks. And her success is no flash in the pan- this is a journey in fitness. She’s going places, and she’s taking the fitness lifestyle along with her.
People now look to her as a role model, ask her what she did, and look to her for affirmation. They look at her and think: “if she can do this, then I can too.”
And indeed, with role models like her, they can.