It's here! The Fall Fit Fast Wellness Challenge!

 

Have you been interested in learning more about Intermittent Fasting...or wanting to get back into the practice after doing something else for a while? 

I've got you! 

Monday, September 11 is the start of the newest E. H. Fitness 21-Day Wellness Challenge, Fall Fit Fast, and it is dedicated to all the following good stuff: 

• Get sugar cravings under control

• Sleep better

• Build strength without having to step into a gym (or in a gym if you prefer)

• Eat real food to fuel your body

• Decrease body fat

• Reduce inflammation

We will be easing into fasting and learning about what it can actually do for us and how it can work for you! 

My favorite part of Intermittent Fasting (IF) is the amount of physical and mental time and energy I save...I mean think of how much time (and brain power) you'll free up while not eating (or thinking about what to eat) in the mornings!

We will be learning all the ways that IF can benefit our bodies and minds...it's going to be a great time! PLUS, lots of extras including weekly workouts and 21-days of dinner suggestions (so you don't have to decide what to put on plates every evening...more energy saved!)

...join me for E.H. Fitness' newest 21-day challenge...and go into fall feeling your best!

There are NO supplements, pre-packaged foods to buy or long hours in the gym. Just real food and quick workouts to help increase energy, promote better sleep, decrease anxiety and maybe even shed some body fat.

Here's what you can expect when you sign up:

• Membership to a private Facebook group with all the things

• Suggested food guide and recipes, complete with 21-days of dinner ideas

• Sample grocery lists

• Weekly workouts to get you stronger and fitter

• Exercise schedule including bonus workouts

• Daily check-ins for accountability and to encourage others in the group

• A private online forum (via FB page) where you can post questions, celebrate your successes (and challenges) as well as get encouragement from a group of people doing the same work.

• Access to an ACE certified personal trainer and wellness coach with over 15 years of experience

• NO supplements or gimmicks...just food...the kind you eat out, cook at home or pick up on the go.

• All for only $49 (payable via Venmo)*

Are you in? Ready to choose to feel better and ditch some unhealthy habits? Ya know...when you feel better you look better...so what's there to lose?

E-mail me @ erin@ehfitness.com me that you are IN!

*as soon as the Venmo invoice/request is paid (@erin-heide), you will be added to the private Facebook group! :)

Soreness after a workout; what does it mean...or not mean?

I had a client today ask me about soreness after workouts: Why does it happen? Is it okay? Am I getting a good workout even if I’m not sore? Those are all GREAT questions!

Some people are extremely sore when they first start to work out or try something new (like hard to sit down and get back up out of their chair kind of sore). This soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. This is typically caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibers from overloading the muscles during your workouts (totally normal and actually what you want to gain muscle and strength!). You might experience soreness 24 to 48 hours after a workout in which you did a new exercise or increased the weight that you lifted.

Even if you are a seasoned exercise buff, you may still experience soreness the day or two after a workout in which you did something different (a different move, more reps, etc.) or when you go up in weight as you get stronger.

Although many people view muscle soreness as an indicator of how hard they worked during their last workout, it is not always the best measure. Varying your work outs, increasing your weight, lifting to fatigue and trying new ways to move the body all great ways to make sure you are getting a good workout...with or without soreness.

To prevent soreness or to alleviate sore, tight muscles try the following:

• Stretch all major muscle groups after your workout
• Apply heat to the sore area...heat, hot water or heating pads, rush blood to the warm area to help heal muscles
• Move it...doing light cardio exercise will increase blood flow and your muscles should relax a bit. Sitting on your behind will only make your recovery longer and your muscles tighter.
• Drink lots of water!

I'm out of town...but your fitness doesn't have to take a vacation!

 

Just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean that your workouts need to suffer. Below are a couple full body workouts to keep your muscles strong. Enjoy!

BODY WEIGHT WORKOUT

Here's the deal: Each Tri-set contains 3 strength moves and 1 cardio burst for a calorie-killing, muscle-building, stress-reducing circuit workout. Repeat all exercises for 1 minutes before moving onto the next exercise in the tri-set. Complete each tri-set three times before moving on to the next. Minimal rest between sets is encouraged to keep your heart pumping as well as getting the most calorie burn and strength gain throughout your workout. In less than 30 minutes, you can burn hundreds of calories…so get moving!

Here's the work: 

Warm up: 1 minute jumping jacks, 1 minute stair climb or quick walk

Tri-Set #1

Traveling Lunges: Lunge around the house. Make sure to press through your heel on your way up and keep the knee from coming over the toe.

Push Ups: On your toes or your knees…or even against a counter. Just make sure to keep your abs in tight.

Bicycles: Keep your eyes on the ceiling and never pull your head/neck with your hands. Bring your shoulder towards the opposite knee.

Cardio Burst — Squat Jumps: Explode out of the squat and then land with soft knees.

Tri-Set #2

Tricep Dips: Do these off of a sturdy chair or step. Dip down so that your elbows are at a 90 degree angle. Pull the legs in toward the body to make the dips easier or straighten the legs to make them harder. If you need even more of a challenge, lift a foot off the floor.

Walking planks: Start in plank position on your forearms then stay in plank while pushing your body up to your hands, one arm at a time, and then back down again and repeat until your minute is up!

Back Extensions : Get on your belly with hands and legs extended…lift the chest and legs up off the floor while contracting your lower back and butt. Keep your abdominal muscles tight during this movement and make sure to breathe.

Cardio Burst — Stair runs: Go as fast as you can up and down the stairs or walk super fast or do jumping jacks or run in place (point being...get that heart rate UP!)

Stretch!

TRAINER TIP: This is an intense workout so make it work for you. If you are feeling too winded or can’t repeat all sets and repetitions, don’t beat yourself up. On the flip side, if the workout is not challenging enough for you, do each move for as long as you can or increase the Cardio Burst times.

Dumbbell Workout

It gets every muscle group in the body and it's quick and effective. Grab the heaviest dumbbells you can for each exercise. 

It's a timed workout with 35 seconds set aside for each exercise-you can easily get in 10-12 reps per set-choose your weight accordingly.

Here's the Deal

Warm up for a few minutes (run, walk, bike, etc.) and then do each exercise for 35 seconds before moving on to the next in the list. Minimize break time to get a bit of a cardio pop too! Go through the list 4 times total and cool down/stretch however you would like. I've also included links to photos of the exercise if you need it.

Here's the Work
3 minute warm up (abs, walk, run, bike, etc.)

1. Goblet Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Band Row
4. Chest Fly
5. Triceps Dips
6. Single Arm Front Raises
7. Bent Over Reverse Flies
8. Jumping Jacks (just for fun)

(run through the list 4 times total)

Stretch!

Trainer Tip: If you don't have dumbbells, not a problem. Fill bags with books or use other heavy things around the house...get creative!