Getting to the Bottom of Effective Glute Exercises

by Kris Pitcher

I came across this great article at ACE Fitness and just had to share it with you. You'll have to do a little bit of reading, but I want you to get to the bottom of effective glute exercises.

The gluteus maximus is our largest muscle, and the one we need to keep in shape through our life in order to remain independent. Think about it, if you can't stand up and sit down on your own...you can't go to the bathroom. Hey, I tell it like it is.

But, until then, we want our rear to be shapely and represent us well from the back side right? Right! So, ACE took a look at muscle activation via EMG electrodes during specific exercises to see which ones elicited the most response.

You'll see the results and how to put them into practice in the following article. You'll also find explanations of the: squat, front lunge, quadruped & step-up, and single-leg squat. Happy Reading!

Glutes to the Max!

Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

by Kris Pitcher

Pearls of wisdom, old wives tales...folklore and legend. Feed a cold, starve a fever. That's how the saying goes. So when I woke up feeling like someone had stuffed my throat with golf balls...I immediately wanted a scone.

The day before I tried the gel you shoot up your nose, "at the first sign of a cold for immediate relief" - well, so much for that. I suited up and went to work for a meeting I couldn't miss. Then it was straight back to bed. I ate a big bowl of broth surrounding my chicken and broccoli for instant "soup". It was soothing.

I slept until the next meeting I had to phone into. Big mugs of steaming hot tea, couch time with blankets and lap time with one big cat. Yet, this morning...golf balls. DayQuil to the rescue, I have to function this week...I can almost breathe out of one nostril. I wonder if a scone would fix me?

The saying makes a little sense. It was thought you "caught cold" so eating would increase your body temperature. Likewise a fever increased your body temperature, and starving it would decrease your temperature in theory. Experts of today would tell us to hydrate and eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, soup, things with nutritional and hydration value. I don't think a scone fits whether you have a cold or a fever.

I'll just go for extra sleep, a break from heavy workouts, extra hydration, lots of hand washing...and plenty of Kleenex close at hand. Watch out for the crud, it's going around. Stay well and take care of yourselves!

Informed Consent

by Kris Pitcher

  "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt

We spend a lot of time focused on what other people think. And we spend even more time making other people accountable for how we feel. Really though, we own our feelings. We are accountable. 

I'm beautiful & confident!

If we are clear about what we know about ourselves, other people don't have the power to make us question...to make us believe in their word over our own. It's clarity in self which makes Eleanor's statement so true. It's our own self-doubt, our consent, which allows others to make us feel inferior.

As we drift away from our priorities, our values and our goals we become disconnected with our sense of self. We lose clarity on who and what we are...things get fuzzy. We are more easily influenced by others, maybe by messages we don't care for.

Take back your informed consent. Reconnect with your priorities to gain clarity with your sense of self. You own how you feel. The decision to be accountable is yours. 

Raising Girls

by Kris Pitcher

One of the things I love about traveling is the absolute social voyeurism. It's also what I hate about it...depending. Recently, we were about to board a flight with forty-seven teen-aged kids with violas, violins and other instruments in cases I couldn't identify. Their buzz drowned out the announcements, but then one of their chaperons began to line them all up for pre-boarding.

As she did, the rest of us began to form somewhat of a line. A man traveling with his daughter stood behind us. She was maybe ten or eleven. "How long ago was 1988?" She asked her dad. "Well, let's see. That was the year after I graduated from high school." He told her.

I was hoping he'd tell her it was not very long ago...it was the year I graduated. "A little more than 20 years." He told her. She was flipping through a "teen beat" type of magazine. As we waited on the jet way she said from behind her magazine, "He's an American playing a Candanadian. And she's a Candanadian, playing an American. See, it's the opposite. They're playing the opposite."

She was laughing and her dad chuckled. He didn't correct her, or tell her she was saying the word wrong. He just enjoyed that she found the irony in the actors playing the opposite. Later, as they sat in front of us on the plane, I watched him carefully take the braids out of her hair one by one. He twisted his long arms all around her head in his tiny space, gently pulling each one out. Then he made a motion for her to put her fingers in her hair and shake her hair out. All the while he looked at her with eyes who saw a princess.

See, raising girls is hard. Knowing when to correct...and when to let them just be right. When to not embarrass them in front of other people when it doesn't matter. These are the kind of moments which will shape who she becomes.

They're the moments that will determine her self-esteem, her confidence, and how she'll expect to be treated by men. I couldn't help in my social voyeuristic way to be awe-struck by this dad and his daughter. I was impressed by the gentle way he was with her. Especially amidst what can be so chaotic, travel.

This girl has a fighting chance. I hope you'll be gentle with yourself, and with the girls you know...after all raising girls is hard.

Three Steps to Stopping Suzie Social

by Kris Pitcher

This is a difficult issue to talk about. The gym is a very social place, some more than others. True, certain gyms have a specific vibe. Some are known for being the singles hang-out, others are flush with families. Those things help us decide which gym is right for us. Even so, when you're in the zone sometimes you just want to do your own thing.

So, what do you do when you only have a certain amount of time to get your workout done and you run into Suzie Social, or Chatty Chad? Like I said, it's difficult. You don't want to be rude. And some people just aren't aware of their tendency to monopolize your time.

Here is a three step approach to help you end a conversation...that's going nowhere r-e-a-l s-l-o-w. First, smile and acknowledge the chatter. "Hey, Cathy thanks for stopping to talk."

Next, place a hand on their shoulder or elbow, "I don't mean to cut you short, but I'm going to let you get back to your workout. I've got to get going myself, but I'll see you next time."

Finally, as you begin to walk away, "Have a great workout Cathy. Take care."

Don't be afraid to take the three step approach to take back your time. Then get on with it. I know women who leave their headphones in even though they're not listening to anything. Others adopt a "no eye contact" rule. Those things work to a certain extent, but you've also got to be able to talk your way out of a chatty situation.

We go to a very social gym and love that about it. The atmosphere is great, the energy and people are great and we are hardly ever in a big hurry. Surprisingly people rarely come up to us mid-workout and intrude with questions. There's lots of conversation back and forth, but every one's in their workout groove. So, there's an ebb and flow. Everyone "gets it".

What makes the three step approach successful is you are voicing what you need in an assertive way. You are taking control of the chatter by physically touching them, and you're smiling letting them know everything's good. It works. Chat at ya later! I've got to get back to it!

Spring Clean Your Diet!

by Kris Pitcher

The tulips are coming up and spring is on the way! I think I'm safe to take my snow boots and tow rope out of my car too. As the sun comes out and the days are getting longer...the dust bunnies start to come out and I can clearly see it's time to spring clean.

Let's clean it up, shall we?

That goes for our diet too! It's time to spring clean your diet. Get those dust bunnies outta there! Here's my plan for a week of focused cleaning. From there, see how you feel. But if you've been slipping at all, take a week to clean it up.

Ditch the refined carbs. This means, well everything! If it's not in the form mother nature intended, skip it. Look for whole grains and try some new things like barley, quinoa, or get back to basics with beans. Breads, cereals, cookies, crackers etc. out for one week.

See ya later sodium! Any packaged or canned items are loaded with added sodium. And if you eat out, you're over your daily recommended amount in three bite fulls. Watch condiments as well which can be a hidden source of high sodium.

Down with sugar! Read labels for added sugar. You're looking for the obvious, but also be on the lookout for sucrose, lactose, fructose, corn sugar, high fructose corn sugar etc. Agave, honey, and "raw" all still sugar. If you really want to clean out totally - no sorbitol, an alcohol sugar.

And for one week...cover your eyes and peek through your fingers. No soda, diet or regular. I hope you're not drinking regular soda, but for just one week, no diet soda either. It's got a  fair amount of sodium, enough artificial sugar to make your body think you're getting the real thing, and can send your brain craving carbs and sweets. Just one week. Uncover your eyes now.

Spring cleaning your diet will help you focus on eating healthy and giving your body the nutrients it needs. It will give your brain the message that you can do without certain things (things you thought you had to have), while allowing your body to make some progress. Sugar, sodium and refined carbohydrates can cause us to be bloated, and put us in a psychological and physiological cycle of wanting more goodies.

Here's to spring! Happy cleaning!

Don't Microwave That!

by Kris Pitcher

I was waiting for my husband to finish with a client so we could do our workout. As I sat outside the cardio room the Zumba participants began to surround me. They were chatty and excited. They either knew each other or introduced themselves to one another. They were really a lively bunch. And the feeling of being a fly on the wall of their conversation was great.

I want it right now!

One of them said her husband was on this crazy hormone diet where he was only eating 500 calories a day, and did the other gal know anything about it. The other gal said she did because her friend's dad did the diet but he was gaining all his weight back because he hadn't changed his habits.

Then I wanted to hug this girl. She said, "I'm no spokes model for weight loss. I mean I know I'm over weight. But I've already lost 50 pounds by changing my habits. I've started eating healthy and exercising. And I've changed the way I think about food."

Seriously, I almost kissed her! I kept my nose in my Lucky magazine and the smile crept across my face. This gal still had maybe another 50 pounds to go, but she was on her way into Zumba and she was spreading the word! She's the perfect spokes model! Then she said something really smart.

"We are a microwave society. We want everything right now. If your computer doesn't boot up in under 20 seconds it's too long. We just have to do the work and take our time. It's a lifestyle." She's right. On all accounts.

What's the take-away? Slow down and take your time, stop looking for the quick fix, keep your ears open, and don't microwave that!