Simple and sweet and over in 6 minutes.  This is also workout that can be done in a hotel room.  NO EXCUSES…this can be done anywhere and we all can find 6 minutes in our day.

The workout is 3 exercises and doing each exercise for two minutes. Go ahead and give it a try!  It will burn.  6 minutes is better than ZERO minutes. 

2 Minute Drill

1) Pushups

2) Plank Hold

3) Wall Sit

Do the best you can on each two minute drill.  Keep going on the pushups and drop to your knees when you need to.  IF you can’t yet hold a 2 minute plank with good form, just take quick 5 second breaks and get right back into position…..do the same with the wall sit.  Good Luck!

Try it out and leave me a comment on your success!  happy weekend everyone.

I wanted to share with you my “go to” workout when I am pressed for time.  I never let time be an excuse for missing a workout.  But, some days I literally have only 20 minutes to fit in my workout. So, below is my full body routine I can do at home.   It’s short, sweet, and intense! 

I call it this workout “sweaty countdown”

It involves only 3 exercises.

here’s how it goes:

Hold plank position for 1 minute

10 pushups

10 squats

9 pushups

9 squats……so on and so forth until you get all the way down to 1

 Finish with another 1 minute plank hold. Let me know when you try this workout.

try this out and be sure to leave me a comment here.  Good luck!

Today I have two free awesome giveaways for you active ladies!  I discovered these sport wallets last year from one of my clients.  The business is here locally in Seattle and I even met with the owner last week. She was so generous to give me two wallets to giveaway here on the blog.

I LOVE my wallet.  I wear it running almost always.  Why do I love it?  Because in the wallet I can fit my car key, debit card, and starbucks card.  I’ve even put in a stash of trail mix when I go on my longer runs.

And, I’ve given so many of these wallets as gifts and everyone has loved them.  Its a perfect gift for active people.  In fact, I’m giving one today to my mom for mothers day!

So, here are the two I have to giveaway. Leave me a comment on WHY you want one of these and what you will use it for and I will enter your name into the drawing. Also, include which color you desire…red or green.

Check out more awesome products from Linda @ Wahine Sport:

http://www.wahinesport.com

Not only do we return to winter sports and running, but the lower temperatures decrease elasticity of tendons and ligaments, resulting in increased susceptibility to injury. My impetus for writing this article is the number of people who have hobbled in to see me lately and complained about “not being able to exercise” in the presence of a knee injury.

Maybe you’ve been to a doctor about it, maybe not.  If its not too serious (ie…you need surgery), there’s no reason that you can’t stay in lean, fit shape while rehabilitating. It’s just going to take a modification of your training program – the key being to keep stress off the affected area.

Regardless if you have knee pain or not, EVERYONE should incorporate knee strengthening exericises in their workouts. Below is a video of me showing you 4 simple exercises that will improve stability around your knee.

Check it out here:

Furthermore, I have additional advice from my good friend and professional triathlete, Ben Greenfield. Ben is from the Spokane area and is an accomplished athlete and fitness coach.  Check out his website here.

Like me, Ben has many clients complaining of knee pain.  For you runners out there, below are some tips and form drills from Ben.

Before reading the drills listed below, please understand that there is no such thing as “perfect” running form. Since everyone has different limb lengths, varying muscle fiber sizes and angles, diverse masses, and separate running distance requirements, no single athlete will run the same. But there are *characteristics* of a good runner that remain fairly constant from person to person.

Ben’s drills for alleviating knee pain and instability:

1) Increase knee range of motion during the swing phase. This means that your right knee should be more flexed (towards your butt) when your right thigh is flexed forward during the run, as opposed to your right knee being more extended (away from butt). Same goes for the left, of course. Think of it this way – if you were swinging a weight attached to the end of a stick, you could move the weight faster with less effort if the stick were shorter. In this case, the stick is your leg, and the weight is your foot. By having your knee (the stick) more bent (or shorter), you are able to move the weight (your foot) much faster with less effort. The result will not only be a faster swing time (meaning a faster foot turnover), but also reduced fatigue in achieving the desired stride length.

Drill: Heel-to-butt kicks. During your normal run, begin to exaggerate knee flexion, touching the butt with the heel during each stride. Do 20 touches for both the right and left legs, then continue in your normal gait pattern.

2. Maintain flexible quadriceps and hip flexors. These are the muscles along the front of your thigh that act to straighten the leg. If they are tight, insufficient flexibility can inhibit your ability to fully extend the leg in the push-off phase of the running gait.

Drill: Platform stretch. Ideally, your pelvic bone should be tilted backwards when stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors. To achieve this, find a platform or elevated surface that is approximately at knee height or slightly higher. Facing away from the platform, and standing on your right leg, bend your left knee and lock your left foot, shoelaces down, onto the surface. Hold 15-30 seconds, then switch.

3. Deliberately focus on pushing backwards with each step. This will not only incorporate your gluteal and hamstring muscles in the push-off phase of the running gait, but also keep your center of gravity consistently rolling forward. Rather than focusing on using the muscles around the knee to provide the driving force, focus on running from the hips.

Drill: Lean-fall-run. Stand completely still and as tall as possible. Without bending the knees, let the entire body lean forward until you “fall” toward the ground and are forced to take your first step forward. Transition directly into a short 10-20 yard run, continuing to lean forward and push backwards with the hips.

4. Avoid excessive ankle and hip flexion. Do not bend your knees or flex your ankles excessively during the landing phase. While it may seem that this decreases joint impact forces, there is no empirical evidence that runners who bend the knees more have less injuries than runners who do not. However, there is evidence of increased time spent in contact with the ground, which decreases your elastic rebound from the ground and the overall power of each stride. You will naturally avoid excessive knee and ankle flexion if your focus on minimizing footstrike time.

Drill: Cadence counts. During your run, count the number of right footstrikes achieved in a span of 20 seconds. There should be 30 or more, indicating a cadence of 90 or higher. Increased cadence indicates decreased ground contact time.

I highly recommend you follow the exercises in the video and the tips from Ben.  If you want further information and more exercises for your knee, then you definitely want to check out the website:

Bulletproof Knee

I believe I say the above comment at least a zillion times to my clients over and over again. Too often I witness people committing to exercise for a certain amount of time…..like 6 or 8 weeks. In fact, my trainer friends and I always make bets on guessing how long it will be before the New Years rush dies off. Typically, we notice it in mid February. And, during the month of January the regular gym goers get so annoyed.

But, it is frustrating. Being healthy and fit means making a daily habit of exercise. In 2006 I wrote an article for the Washington Athletic Club magazine that touches on this topic and I’m going to share it with you here.

Walk Your Talk: Make exercise a priority

One habit we have as humans is to say one things while doing another. Never is this more apparent than with exercise. Think of how many times you’ve heard someone say (or said yourself), “I really want to lose weight…..I should start exercising.” If you or your friends really want to lose weight, wouldn’t you do everything possible to make it happen, including exercise?

Sound familiar? Integrating exercise into your life starts with making fitness important to you. Somewhere between your intentions and your actions, there is a gap. It usually comes down to priorities.

The other day, I met with two very different personal training clients. One is a successful financial planner with a wife and two teenagers. He works 10hrs a day while juggling family and social obligations. His problem? He has a hard time scheduling and then following through with his workouts.

My other client owns her own business. She has an active, busy child and attends several school functions. She works up to 14 hours a day, but every morning, she hits the gym by 5:30am for her bootcamp workout. She considers exercise as necessary as eating and breathing.

So, why does one struggle to exercise while another can’t live without the morning workout? It’s a matter of priorities. For some of us, exercise is necessary to make the day better. For others, its just another obligation. Is exercise really a priority for you? If not, do you wish it were? Figuring out what you want and why is the first step toward making health and fitness your priority.

Another reason many of us are all talk and no walk is unrealistic expectations. When we expect one result and achieve something entirely different, we wonder why we bother at all. When it comes to exercise, we have unrealistic expectations. We expect to lose weight quickly and only exercise for a short time. We think fitness will change our bodies into the ideal physiques in our minds and that the exercises will be easy. We assume we will stay motivated every day.

Being unrealistic about your expectations for exercise is just a way to sabotage your goals, sending exercise to the bottom of your to-do list. You can change that by setting realistic goals (smaller goals in the beginning) and making exercise more important for you.

Let’s face it: committing to fitness takes discipline.

Some days are more rewarding than others, and you may have to exercise mind over matter to get through a workout (especially at first). But if you persevere, you will see results–and not just physically. You may not look like that supermodel image in your mind, but you will feel better, wear your clothes with confidence and experience less stress because of the release exercise brings.

Think back to other times in your life where you worked hard for something you wanted: a new job, a career change, a family of your own, smoking cessation. Whatever you did to achieve those past goals can also help you meet your fitness goals. Exercise is like any other commitment…..you need to plan where you want to go and how to get there.

In the end, its up to you to decide how important exercise really is to you. If you find your actions don’t match your words, it’s time to figure out what you really want for yourself. Then, just go for it!

I must admit it is nice to go out the door and run based on how I feel.  No schedule to follow, no required miles.  I like the spontaneity right now.  What I don’t like is the super dark mornings.  Geesh, its well after 7am before the sky is light.

I don’t know about you, but I like the change up and lesser miles. In fact, post marathon I typically set new goals outside of running. My brain and my legs could use the break.

For now, I’m running when I feel like it and improving my strength with pushups and planks.  In fact, here are a couple videos of me doing some of my favorite exercises.  Try ‘em out and let me know your thoughts.  Better yet, share some of your better and favorite exercises.

CORE:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_0Mw42O9_s[/youtube]

PUSHUPS:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naPBGpF_U04[/youtube]

Enjoy!  Be strong!

There are many causes of knee pain and it can be prevented mostly by strengthening the leg and hip muscles.  Actually, one of the biggest causes of knee pain is due to a muscle imbalance.  It is very, very common for most runners to have very strong hamstrings and weak quads.

This imbalance can lead to pulling and tugging on the knee joint, therefore, causing pain.  Most commonly called Runners Knee.

Runners Knee is a result of a muscular imbalance in the legs and feet. It is not related to the structures surrounding the knee cap. The knee caps need to move up and down in a smooth motion to insure a balanced running stride. When the muscles in the feet and legs are imbalanced the knees go off track causing the cartridge to grind away at the knee cap.

Weak quadriceps are usually caused by the very strong hamstrings overpowering them. This causes the knee cap to be imbalanced as the weaker quadriceps are unable to support the knee cap and prevent twisting and pulling of the knee cap.

Foot imbalance (over pronation) can also lead to your knee cap being imbalanced and thus producing knee pain. Sometimes this condition can be aggravated by a sudden increase in mileage, speed and running on uneven surfaces.

The location of the knee pain can help determine what muscles are weak and causing the problem.

For instance:

Pain in or behind knee going uphill = Hamstring problem

Pain on outside of knee = Illiotibial band problem

Pain below knee= Tracking disorder/Patella tendonitis

Pain above Knee= Tight Quads

A lot of knee problems can be solved and prevented with leg strength exercises. More specifically, isometric exercises such as a wall sit.  In fact, the “running injury free” page here on my blog has 3 videos you might find helpful.  Click here and check ‘em out.

if you are suffering from knee pain it is best to see a physical therapist or sports therapist who can prescribe a program to get you back to running.  I know many doctors and therapists like to say running is bad for you or they might tell you to stop running, but I don’t think that is true.  You can start and continue running with smart training which includes a strength training program.

just my two cents.  I’ve enjoyed running most of my life and only suffered one injury (which was due to over-training).  Today, I believe I am a successful runner because my body and muscles are stronger, I cross-train, and I typically do not run more than 4 days per week.

Basically, you just gotta know your body and know your limits.  If and when you start to feel the littlest bit of a nagging pain be sure not to ignore it. This can save you in the end!

Be sure to watch my knee strength video.  These are good exercises every runner should do on a regular basis and the exercises require no equipment and can be done at home.    15 minutes a few days per week will make a huge difference.  Go do it

There are many causes of knee pain and it can be prevented mostly by strengthening the leg and hip muscles.  Actually, one of the biggest causes of knee pain is due to a muscle imbalance.  It is very, very common for most runners to have very strong hamstrings and weak quads.

This imbalance can lead to pulling and tugging on the knee joint, therefore, causing pain.  Most commonly called Runners Knee.

Runners Knee is a result of a muscular imbalance in the legs and feet. It is not related to the structures surrounding the knee cap. The knee caps need to move up and down in a smooth motion to insure a balanced running stride. When the muscles in the feet and legs are imbalanced the knees go off track causing the cartridge to grind away at the knee cap.

Weak quadriceps are usually caused by the very strong hamstrings overpowering them. This causes the knee cap to be imbalanced as the weaker quadriceps are unable to support the knee cap and prevent twisting and pulling of the knee cap.

Foot imbalance (over pronation) can also lead to your knee cap being imbalanced and thus producing knee pain. Sometimes this condition can be aggravated by a sudden increase in mileage, speed and running on uneven surfaces.

The location of the knee pain can help determine what muscles are weak and causing the problem.

For instance:

Pain in or behind knee going uphill = Hamstring problem

Pain on outside of knee = Illiotibial band problem

Pain below knee= Tracking disorder/Patella tendonitis

Pain above Knee= Tight Quads

A lot of knee problems can be solved and prevented with leg strength exercises. More specifically, isometric exercises such as a wall sit.  In fact, the “running injury free” page here on my blog has 3 videos you might find helpful.  Click here and check ‘em out.

if you are suffering from knee pain it is best to see a physical therapist or sports therapist who can prescribe a program to get you back to running.  I know many doctors and therapists like to say running is bad for you or they might tell you to stop running, but I don’t think that is true.  You can start and continue running with smart training which includes a strength training program.

just my two cents.  I’ve enjoyed running most of my life and only suffered one injury (which was due to over-training).  Today, I believe I am a successful runner because my body and muscles are stronger, I cross-train, and I typically do not run more than 4 days per week.

Basically, you just gotta know your body and know your limits.  If and when you start to feel the littlest bit of a nagging pain be sure not to ignore it. This can save you in the end!

Be sure to watch my knee strength video.  These are good exercises every runner should do on a regular basis and the exercises require no equipment and can be done at home.    15 minutes a few days per week will make a huge difference.  Go do it

WARNING: I gotta vent today!  Leave a comment below with your thoughts/comments

It REALLY, really bothers me when I witness people getting into an elevator only to go up ONE floor.

It REALLY drives me nuts when I witness people driving cars an extra 5 minutes in the parking lot to find the closest spot.

It REALLY frustrates me I can’t find anything healthy to eat at an airport.

It REALLY bothers me when people get on the bus then get off the very next stop.

It REALLY aggravates me when people ask me why I run so much. Better yet, they tell me its bad for my body.

It REALLY saddens me to see so many overweight kids.

I could go on forever, but I won’t. Everything I listed above I witnessed in one day! What has become of our society…..PURE LAZINESS! It kills me and its gonna kill the lazy people eventually and that is sad.

I’m not even sure what to do about it, but at least I can feel good about the fact that I’m in a position where I get to change peoples lives (and in a healthy way).

My #1 question to lazy people and those who do not make fitness a priority is: Do you love yourself?, Cuz if you do, why aren’t you taking care of your health? Oh, because of work? because you don’t have the time? You’re gonna start a program tomorrow? Nothing has helped you lose weight?

EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve heard so many excuses in my 11 years of training I’m thinking of writing a book (I’ve heard some good ones)!

The second reason I write this today is because I CARE. I CARE about people I don’t even know. Why? Because I believe we are all meant to live a great life. I want others to be happy and live a better quality of life. However, people are literally killing themselves. And, these people are unwilling to take responsibility.

Hmmm, guess what? Remind yourself you are a fully functioning adult who’s ready to accept responsibility. Yep, you taking responsibility for yourself.

Look at your health. Is it good? Bad? Can it be better? Go ahead, pick your disease: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity…….and many more

A quote I heard from a good fitness friend and nutritionist, Kevin Gianni:                                                                                                                         “If you treat your body like a train wreck expect to get ill”

Right now I encourage you to take a few minutes and analyze your current state of health. Can it be improved? Do you need to start a fitness program? If not you, then I bet you can think of a close friend or relative.

Think of all the reasons being healthy can do for you. Most importantly, it can mean a better quality of life!

For those of you who are active and live a healthy life, I applaud you. I hope others can learn from people like you and me who walk the walk and talk

As for me, I live healthy because I enjoy it and it is who I am. Real health is about daily habits, Again, How are yours? the talk when it comes to living a healthy life.

It is time for you to start getting ownership of your health, today.

The greatest gift you can give someone is be on the planet a little longer.

Lastly, here is my NO EXCUSES strength circuit that can be performed at home (and only takes 15 minutes)

• Jumping Jacks: 1 minute
• Pushups x 20
• PLANK hold: 1 minute (work up to 2 minute hold)
• Tricep Dips x 20
• Mountain Climbers: 1 minute
• Low Back Supermans x 20

3 Rounds Total.

Ok, please leave a comment and tell me about your current health status or your opinion on what I said in todays post.

Can you relate to one of these photos?

Cramps can be the death of your race. Don’t you find it interesting you can run the first 20 miles with no issues then BAM! The legs go on lockdown. It hurts to move. The legs are frozen. Calf muscles no longer seem to exist. What the ……!

I believe there are several causes of cramps. Therefore, it’s necessary to deal with several factors to avoid them. The key factors are early race pace, hydration, minerals, electrolytes, weather, being adequate trained and a sufficient taper.

Recently I’ve seen research come out about Vitamin D deficiency and muscle cramping. Hmmm….I wonder if us Seattleites suffer more than other “sunny” parts of the country. I’ll do some online browsing because somebody must be doing a study on this.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which plays an important role in regulating calcium, phosphorus and minerals in the body and for promoting normal bone development. If you are a regular cramp sufferer, it may be worthwhile to have your Vitamin D levels tested.

I experienced the worst leg cramps (calves) in my first marathon (Maui 2001) that slowed my pace considerably and reduced me to some walking after 21 miles. Looking back I know exactly why and how I got those cramps. So, in the process, I have adopted several techniques that I think are effective against cramps.

Pace is a major factor, probably the primary one that can lead to cramps. We often feel so damn good in the early miles that we are seduced into running just a few seconds per mile faster than goal race pace to “bank some time”, or because we want to believe that we underestimated our race potential. I think this was the primary cause, along with mineral/electrolyte depletion, of the cramps I experienced in my early marathons. It simply doesn’t work, unless you misjudged your goal pace to begin with. Running just 5-10 seconds per mile faster in the first half what you are truly capable of will extract a even bigger price in the second half. Positive splits harm your overall race performance. And, cramps can be one manifestation of them.

I highly recommend wearing a pace band to keep you on target pace and from going out to fast.

Potassium is an important mineral for cramp avoidance. Potassium is a mineral salt (electrolyte) that is essential for maintaining the balance of pH levels in our body fluids. When our bodies get out of electrolyte balance (like when running a marathon) cramping begins.  However, you can help avoid the problem of mineral imbalance if you follow a healthy, well-balanced, and plentiful diet of foods high in potassium. Potassium is naturally found in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products. Specifically, great sources of potassium include: bananas, oranges, avocado, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, tuna, and halibut. I like to use bananas as one source of my race day fuel.

I have learned the value in using the sports drink and water offered during a marathon at every opportunity to supplement and replenish mineral and electrolyte stores. Don’t wait until midway through the race to use them. I’ve made the mistake of waiting until my brain said I was tired and/or thirsty and by then I was way too late. There is a 20minute delay from your muscles to your brain….so don’t wait.

However, I know of many people who cannot tolerate the sports drinks. For many, it causes upset stomachs and side aches. This is why you should experiment with different drinks and gels during your training runs. I find that bananas and water do the trick for me. But, if I also added a sports drink to the mix, I would get an upset stomach. I know because I have done it before. If you are a gel person, use them in lieu of a sports drink. Taking both can cause havoc on your system and throw off your electrolyte balance.

So, here are some suggestions for refueling:

• Banana and water
• Water and Gel
• Water and sports drink

But, not all 3 together or at once. You will have an “electrolyte explosion” and throw your mineral/water/electrolyte balance into freak mode if you put too much and too much variety all together at once.  Believe it or not this can cause muscle cramping!

Using the drink/gel/or fruit early delays depletion of your body’s stores. If you wait until your electrolyte stores are partially diminished before using the drink (or a gel), it’s too late. I take only one or twos bites of a banana, in addition to water, at 3 mile intervals (beginning after mile 10) during a race. But, that’s just me. You may find a different technique works for you. Bottom line: don’t wait too long and be sure to replace at regular intervals during the race.

Salt Pills?

What about salt pills? Well, my philosophy is they are not necessary. In fact, I don’t advise ‘em.  The reason I deem salt pills unnecessary is because the body generally consumes more salt than is recommended. Salt is used in the preparation and preservation of many foods and those who consume a large portion of their diet from either eating out or eating pre-packaged foods are likely consuming more than enough sodium. Most of us are walking around with plenty of salt in our system.

Besides, excess sodium results in a metabolic imbalance known as hypernatremia, an electrolyte disturbance that is defined by an elevated sodium level in the blood Hypernatremia is generally not caused by an excess of sodium, but rather by a relative deficit of free water in the body. Therefore, drink more water to help fix the problem.

However, running a marathon in hot and muggy climates does deplete salt stores quicker as you sweat profusely. In these cases, it may be necessary to aid with a salt. Again, it’s all individual. I know of plenty people who use salt tablets in marathons and it works for them. Just know your body and don’t try them for the first time on race day.

Not tapering before your marathon race can cause cramps. The taper is miraculous in marathon preparation. Done properly……neither too much nor too little work while tapering…..your body and mind will recover from any level of stress you placed on them during training and they will be at an optimum point of freshness and energy for the race. I do believe that being undertrained can be a factor in cramps, especially in endurance/stamina base. That’s why total mileage and a sufficient number of long runs of 18-22 miles are so important in a training program. Going into a marathon, I would be much more worried about being undertrained or under-tapered than overtrained or over-tapered for cramp avoidance.

Honestly, I think the most common cause of late race cramps in a marathon is running the first half too fast….with loss of hydration, electrolytes and minerals not far behind. You have to honestly assess the time that you are prepared to run…..then pace the first half a few seconds per mile slower than that. Trying to run a little aggressively and bank time usually leads to late race problems, often cramps. However, this puzzle does have several pieces. All have to be addressed. Only you can really evaluate your race and determine what the likely cause(s) were.

At any rate, hope this helps. If you have a technique that works for you to avoid cramps and I didn’t mention it here, please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us. Thanks.