Sunday, December 29, 2013
Enjoying the holidays
Hi guys,
I hope you are all enjoying the holidays. I enjoyed a little break last week from my 12-14 hour days and have been enjoying getting to sleep in and run a little more. I officially signed up for the Hyannis Half Marathon in February and also the New Bedford Half Marathon in March. I have been listening to my body though and took a day off from my usual Saturday afternoon run because I taught SPINtensity Saturday morning and jumped in Skilz n Drilz. My feet were tired so I decided to rest them. I was able to get a 10 mile run in on Christmas because it was just my hubby and daughter home and my daughter was sleeping so I ran a bit longer than I planned. My son was home Christmas Eve but had to work a double at the hospital on Christmas so we brought him back to Boston after the Christmas Eve festivities. I am so proud and happy that he got his job at one of the top hospitals in the nation, Beth Israel, but I know that working in a hospital means working holidays. I guess I will have to just get used to it!
After resting my feet my running yesterday, I woke up this morning ready to get another long run on. Actually that was a bit of an exaggeration, I woke up tired and not really in the mood to head out for the morning but I knew that we had a wicked rain storm coming in the afternoon so I had to get my butt out the door quick. I wasn't really in the mood to run long but I also know we have a cold streak coming later this week. That means no long run on Tuesday or Wednesday. And who knows what Mother Nature has in store for us next weekend so away I went. I had a new Tom Tom running watch to play with as I ran so that was fun. I found myself checking my mileage at certain points on the run to see how far I had gone. I wanted to get at least 10 miles in again. I have found a certain trick to use when I am running long so that it doesn't seem so bad. Don't get me wrong, I love the mind clearing meditation that goes along with a long run but heading out the door to run 1 1/2- 1 3/4 hours can be tough. My plan was to run my 5 1/2 mile loop twice. That meant running by my house after 5 miles and then doing it again. To make it less painful mentally, I try to zone out the last mile to mile and a half. Then I pass my street and pretend that I am just heading out for my run. I think I fool my body for a few miles until it figures out that it is really mile 8+ and it is tired. I find it easier mentally to do it this way then to head out for 5 miles and be so far away from home and realize that I need to make it back.
So what good things do we have to look forward to at the gym this month? Well first, Tabata Bootcamp is starting back up on Monday, January 6th. This will be an 8 week bootcamp that will take place on Monday and Friday mornings at 10:15. It will also include a Saturday morning bootcamp or the Run Clinic, weather permitting. The Winter Weight Loss Challenge will resume on Saturday, January 18th. The schedule will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6pm and Saturday bootcamp or Run Clinic. The challenge will run 10 weeks. I am also working with TCAM to put together a Public Service Weight Loss Challenge. This would be open to Taunton and Raynham Police and Fire Departments and would be filmed. We are looking at Tuesday and Thursday workouts at noon at this point.
I also registered for the ECA/ OBOW fitness conference in March in NYC. I will be taking the ISCA Advanced KettleBell Certification as well as some other new, cutting edge classes such as Jillian Michaels Body-shred and Paul Katami's Warrior 4x4. There are also Spin classes with the one and only, Josh Taylor, and TONS of TRX classes. I will be going with my mom again so we will get some quality mother- daughter bonding and she will get a well deserved break.
Also coming THIS month, our 3rd Annual Health and Fitness Open House. This will take place on Saturday and Sunday on January 11-12th. It will feature free classes to non members such as SPINtensity, Barre Fusion, Skilz n Drilz, and a special 'Dueling Spin' class with Michael and I. I am looking forward to it and will have a blast sharing all my favorite classes with everyone. I will also be doing a Tabata Bootcamp class which has totally changed how I train my 1:1 clients and small groups. It is a phenomenal class and I can't wait for new people to try it!
Have a great Sunday everyone and see you all at the gym!
Corinne :)
7:46 pm est
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Happy Holidays!
Hi guys,
I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and all the holiday festivities! I, for one, cannot BELIEVE how fast Christmas has come upon us this year! I was fortunate to have been able to finish the bulk of my shopping last week and just need to pick up a few gift cards.
This time of year is always hard to fit in workouts. I hope you all made a priority of taking a half hour everyday for yourselves to get your workout on! I have pretty much been going full steam ahead. I had a set back last weekend after getting a stomach bug. Since recovering though, I was able to take my own SPINtensity class yesterday. All I can say is WOW, what a great workout we all had! I had come across a workout that was composed of 10 different kinds of burpees. The premise was to do 10 burpees every minute and rest the remaining amount of time in that minute. The whole workout was suppose to take only 10 minutes to do 100 burpees. I put a twist on it (as I always do ;). We did 8 rounds of 8 different kinds of burpees TWICE along with spinning mixed in. In theory, we actually did 2 1/2 workouts in that hour, 2 of the burpee workouts and a half of a spin class. It was a great workout that really had us all huffing and puffing. Because I also wanted to get a run in since I missed last Sunday when I was sick, I headed out for an easy 5.36 miles after I recovered from SPINtensity. I ran the usual out and back that included a gradual incline to a hill that I measured by car to be 0.6 miles. I love attacking that hill and of course I had to kill it yesterday too. My pace ended up being pretty quick despite the fact that I was running easy. My average pace was just under 9 minute miles. I do believe I am getting faster.
This morning I decided to take advantage of the overcast but mild temps and clear roads and ran a total of 10.88 miles. In New England, you never know when the next ice or snow storm is going to happen and it is hard to find the time for a long run. So the stars aligned today and I took advantage of it. I have registered for the Hyannis Half Marathon in February so I need to keep my long runs going. I really enjoy my long runs but I slept in this morning so by the time I was done with my run, it was noon! Oh well, my only plans for today were to sleep, run, wrap for Christmas, work on exercise programs, and spin music. I can say I accomplished almost everything :).
I'm really looking forward to writing my end-of-the-year blog this year and hope to have some good news to share with you guys.
Until then, have a terrific holiday and get out there and get your sweat on!
Corinne
6:12 pm est
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Happy chilly Sunday!
Hi guys,
Happy chilly Sunday! I am sitting on my couch with my nice warm blanket, dog snuggled next to me, and the fireplace cranking, a very nice, relaxing Sunday afternoon! The Patriots game is on and we are just chill axing! My autocorrect made that 2 words so I will just go with it.
What a fantastic morning! I decided to jump into the Frosty Half Marathon just last Wednesday despite not running a lot of miles the past 5 weeks and only having 1 long run during this time. I am still shocked at the results! Not only did I have a terrific run, I do believe I PR'd by a few seconds. I am awaiting the official results but the clock time was 1:49:51. I did not wear a watch and had my iPhone with the mapmyrun app running but I had it tucked away in my pocket for the whole race so I had NO idea what any of my splits were while I was running. I ran completely by how my body was feeling which is actually the best way to run anyway in my opinion. So it was a shock when I approached the finish line and saw the clock at 1:49. I still can't believe it!
What I did right for this race: ate clean all week, took yesterday off COMPLETELY from any activity, went to bed early and got to sleep in my own bed since the race was in my hometown, got a lot of 'couch time' yesterday and rested my legs. What I did wrong: since I PR'd, I can't complain about much. Maybe did not take this race too seriously since I was not expecting to run it competitively. And by competitively, I mean with myself. I had a client complain to me a few weeks ago after she ran her first 5 mile race that she got ticked whenever anyone passed her during the race. She also told me that she hates running. I tried to explain to her that when you race, you need to only race yourself and not others. If you go into the race thinking that you have to beat everyone else, well, your not going to have much fun. Your goal should be to pace properly and turn on the engines when your body and mind gets tired. That is where the awesomeness of running a good race comes from! Knowing that you were tired and pushed through the discomfort and didn't give into it!
My splits from this morning because I am just still shocked and proud of myself :)
2 mile: 10:23 (again turned on my app a couple minutes before the start so I wouldn't be fumbling as I was crossing the start line)
4 mile: 8:28
6 mile: 8:27 (this was where the biggest hill of the course was at- love me some hills!)
8 mile: 8:31
10 mile: 8:15
12 mile: 8:09
13.28 mile: 7:51
Holy negative split race I am happy!
I hope you all enjoy your Sunday afternoon! Get your workout in and refocus for the week ahead!
Corinne
2:11 pm est
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Busy December
Hi guys,
I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving with your friends and family! I have a lot to be thankful for: I have a roof over my head, food to eat, my children were home for the holiday, and I have the absolute best job! I was thinking about where the gym was last year at this time and all the changes and growth that has occurred in 1 short year. Last year we were settling into our second home and had other trainers and instructors that had other visions and ultimately left to pursue those visions, and this year, wow! I have a terrific, established trainer working with me that I not only DON'T have to teach, but I can learn things from him... Score! I also have an established Spin instructor that not only has a passion for spin and the clients of Body Revolution, but he is also a road biker and brings a whole new flare to his spin classes! Again I am lucky to have these guys and the clients are definitely lucky to have their expertise! I have also added Zumba and have an established and talented instructor sharing her talent with us! Also, Barre Fusion has been added and we are able to add this class to our full monthly membership which is a great deal. So Body Revolution has experienced tremendous growth in what we offer and the talent of experienced instructors.
We have also added a morning weight loss challenge and had such terrific results that we have switched it over to a Tabata Bootcamp class which will take the challengers to a whole new level of fitness! This Bootcamp is high intensity interval training and follows the newest workout guidelines: intense exercise with minimal rest. This allows for a greater calorie 'after burn' and a quicker, more streamlined workout. It is a tough but effective workout and the clients are loving it!
I myself have attended the ECA/ Thrive conference and have more tips and tricks up my sleeve. I have also renewed my passion for running and have been doing more long distance running and half marathons. My next scheduled half is the Inaugural Frosty Half Marathon this Sunday in Raynham and I am looking forward to it! After this race, my sights are set on the Hyannis half in February.
I really am addicted!
I did have a period of challenges after my last two half marathons and experienced significant pain in both feet. I have been battling plantar fasciitis in my right foot and pain in my left foot MTP joint. I ended up at the podiatrist and a stress fracture was ruled out which was great news BUT, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and have 2 significant bone spurs. There really isn't much that can be done for it except for surgery to 'shave down' the spurs. I am mentally not ready to undergo surgery at this point. It has been feeling A LOT better with a wider sneaker and spending as much time as possible in my nice, stretchy Ugg boots. Pedicures, aleve, and glucosamine have also been helping. I am able to run with minimal discomfort right now and I figure when I am no longer able to run, then I will get it done. My right foot is cranky at times. I have good running days with minimal pain and other days with more pain. I think I have learned to deal with the pain though and usually tune it out after a few miles. So until I cannot run, I will stay status quo.
I hope you are all enjoying all the festivities of the season. There are a ton of events going on to get into the holiday spirit. The Taunton Green has the lighting this Saturday as well as the Christmas parade on Sunday. Plymouth also has their 'lights on' 5k Friday and the Taunton Jolly Jaunt 5k is Saturday. This is a fun race and a lot if people get dressed up for it. Either way, get out there and enjoy with your friends and family!
See you soon!
Corinne xo
9:26 pm est
Monday, November 25, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving week!
Hi guys,
I can't believe we will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week and are entering the holiday season! It seems like just last week we were celebrating summer activities!
So what is in store for the week ahead? This is easily one of the busiest weeks at the gym. We have 2 Thanksgiving morning classes planned. SPINtensity is my signature class and we will be running a special 90 min class at 8am. Last year I also added one of my other popular classes: Skilz n Drilz at 7am. I had an overflowing class last year and had people 'taping' lines on the floor to simulate a reebok step. This year I have more steps and some spots still open... Hurry up and sign up!
Also happening this week is the Fall Challengers 5k race: the Mansfield Run For a Cure at 10am in Mansfield. We are also finishing both challenges on this date. We have had some really good results and several people have definitely had break throughs in changing their lifestyles. A few have had significant confidence boosts. I was teaching a Spin class the other morning and had a challenger in my class. She was wearing a long sleeve top and I remember looking at her and wondering how she was not dying from being so hot. Halfway through the class, she took off her long sleeve top to reveal that she had a tank top on. In the almost 4 years that I have known her, she has NEVER gone sleeveless! I KNOW that was a huge, defining moment for her and I am SO proud of her determination and perseverance in losing the weight and getting healthier! Another defining moment came the next day when another challenger was ecstatically exclaiming that she fit into a pair of jeans she has not been able to wear in quite some time. Of course we also have several challengers that are down 25+ lbs and some that will meet or even exceed their weight loss goals. Those accomplishments make MY job SO worthwhile! I will be looking at making a 'Success Stories' board to display the numerous success stories of different clients over the holidays when my daughter is home from college. Please and thank you Hailey xo.
So as we are finishing up the Fall Challenges, my morning group has approached me asking if we can continue on with something until the Winter Challenges starts in January. Since I have just attended and got signed off on a terrific course called 'Tabata Bootcamp' while I was in Florida at the fitness conference, it seemed like the perfect time to trial out a mini bootcamp. I have been putting in bits and pieces of this program into some of my classes and it has been widely liked. So the 'Holiday Survival Tabata Bootcamp' will begin December 2nd and run through December 30th with group workouts on Monday and Friday mornings at 10am. I am very excited to get started with it! It is short (45 mins tops), intense, energetic, and gets terrific results! It will even have a separate website for bootcamp participants. I can't wait!
I wish everyone a terrific week ahead with family and friends. Remember to get your exercise in and to make smart food choices. Turkey and veggies are low cal and healthy so feel free to indulge there. My other piece of advice would be to survey the buffet and pick out just ONE thing that you want to indulge in. Have a moderate amount of it and enjoy it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Corinne
12:19 pm est
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Fun in Florida!
Hi guys,
I just got back from the ECA/ Thrive which is a 4 day fitness convention. I was able to take some fantastic classes from the top Master Trainers and I also got to meet some renowned fitness icons and game changers. This was my 4th fitness convention since I opened Body Revolution. Some of my most popular classes have come out of my past fitness conventions, like TRX which I was introduced to 2 years ago at the Boston Balance, and Plyo Power which I was introduced to at that same conference. I was also introduced to Kettlebell Concepts through a fitness convention and that led me to get my level 1 and 2 instructor certification through them. This year was no different as I was able to take the Tabata Bootcamp certification which I had a lot of fun doing and I am positive will have a terrific impact in my classes and individual training.
So on to the recap! The first day, I was able to hop into a class called Precision Skills and Power Drills with the one and only Abbie Appel. It was a terrific class. We partnered up and did some athletic drills utilizing various equipment. It was a lot of fun and I will be incorporating some of the principles into my SPINtensity classes.
Next I was able to take a bootcamp with another celebrity instructor. I will not name names because I really did not like this class at all. Sure it was really hard BUT, some of the exercises were ridiculously hard, the rest periods were non existent, and the class was not FUN. I need to be having fun in some way when I'm working out and I believe that is one of the reasons why people like my classes. You will get your butt kicked but have fun while doing it...SO important! Next, I was able to take a virtual unknown's class. His name was Bishop Garland and his class ROCKED! It was creative, hard, and fun! He was also a very motivational trainer. I thoroughly enjoyed this class and am already incorporating some of the exercises from this workout. More will be coming from this class in the special Thanksgiving SPINtensity class! Stay tuned!
The second day was my busiest day. I was able to take 2 Spin classes, one with Josh Taylor. I usually don't really bring anything back to my spin classes when I do others classes but I did get a couple ideas to change things up. I also took a different federation Kettlebell class which further reinforced that the lifts used in kettlebells are pretty universal throughout the different federations. It also reinforced to me the importance of trainers getting a separate certification in kettlebells if they plan on using them with clients. I have to correct SO many bad habits when a new client comes over that has done Kettlebell work elsewhere. There are a couple of good Kettlebell places around but the majority of clients come in doing many, many things wrong. ALWAYS check for a separate Kettlebell cert before doing kettkebells with anyone! Even if they assure you that they have been TAUGHT by someone good! Kettlebells can be very dangerous if done improperly!
I was also able to take a class called R.I.P.P.E.D which was okay but I was not overly impressed with. The last class of this day, and I had to really think what it was, was called HURRICANE. The class didn't leave a lasting impression but the instructor was certainly a great motivational speaker.
The last day of classes I hit the jackpot with and they were the reason I went to the ECA/ Thrive this year! I started with a class called NITRO. This class belongs in all capital letters. Let me explain why. It was taught by The Biggest Loser season 11 trainer, Brett Hoebel. Now he is a very quiet, non assuming person in real life. He is not overly tall, maybe 5 ft 9 inches or so, and was dressed covered head to toe. He was wearing a jacket, it looked almost like leather, long shorts with bike shorts underneath, and calf compression socks. He also wore a baseball hat. He is not a big, muscular man by any stretch of the imagination and you would not look twice at him if you did not know who he was. We started with stretches on the floor which was very, very thorough and very good. He certainly knows his anatomy and is full of knowledge on injury prevention. However, once the class started, this quiet, unassuming guy just exploded! He seriously was like dynamite! He did the whole workout with us and gave vocal corrections as needed. He has a strong MMA/ boxing background and it was very evident during the class. It was not hard to follow however. It was intense but at the same it was low impact and very joint friendly... I was very impressed! The thing that I liked that he did was talk before class about over use injuries that we will be seeing and how to prevent them. He really is very knowledgeable. He also has charisma when he is teaching like crazy and you WANT to keep going and do well during his class! I went up to thank him after class and he was a little aloof. I remember saying to my husband later that I wanted to go buy a tank or shirt at his booth at the expo but I didn't feel comfortable approaching him. I'm not sure if it was me or other people had the same read from him. I was able to take another class with him... More on that later.
Next I did Paul Katami's 4x4 which is super popular at gyms around the world right now. I have done his Kettlebell Core, Kettlebell Konect, and Build and Burn classes at past conferences. His classes are always packed and it's easy to see why: he gives a very safe, challenging, and fun workout. I thanked him after class and showed him them I was still wearing his Kai Zen wrist band. He was surprised to see I still had it a year later but little does he know how important that band and that one word was to me last year. I finished my morning classes with Keoni Huduba's signature DRENCHED class. I did this class last year with him at the New York conference. It is fast paced but easy to follow and has great energy. He also is very good at getting every ounce he can out of you. I thanked him after class and got a picture with him. I mentioned New York last year and I was instantly like a long, lost best friend to him. I told him I would see him at the ECA/ OBOW in March again and his comment was that he was opening up some studios in New York and to make sure I stopped in to check them out when I was there. He is a total sweetheart!
Last class of the last day of the conference and it was 20 MINUTE BODY with Brett Hoebel again. Again, not a very catchy sounding name and could have easily been over looked but I am SO glad I registered for it and took it. We started with the same stretches and he explained the class: 4 exercises for 1 minute each repeated for a total of 4 rounds with each round of exercises getting progressively harder. This class was easily one of the toughest classes I have ever taken. Again, he was like dynamite and squeezed every, single OUNCE of effort out of me and everyone else taking the class. It was so intense though that we lost a few people as the workout progressed, not too unusual for the last day of classes on the last day of the conference. We finished the workout while literally gasping for air. We rested a few minutes and he said "ok, next 20 minute workout, we will be doing..." We all thought he was crazy because we had literally just given everything we had in that 20 minutes and now we have to do another 20 minutes?? Are you crazy?!? Of course I should mention that there were 2 camera guys filming the workout and yes walking through us filming us as we worked out. I have NO idea where that film will be used and frankly I'm a little nervous because I'm sure it wasn't pretty! As a matter fact, Brett made the comment that one of the attendees had told him from an early class that he made her "sweat ugly." There was no glowing in his classes, just straight out dripping all over the floor! So the second 20 minute workout was no easier than the first 20 minute workout and thankfully I did not do this class after eating because I am sure I would have tossed my lunch! We started this class with 25-30 people and finished with maybe 10-12. I am totally serious about that. People were dropping out like flies! I was proud that I was able to give 100% during both workouts. I approached him after class to thank him and shake his hand and he was friendlier this time and told me I did a great job....swoon, thank you very much :)
My last day I did the Tabata Bootcamp certification which went from 9am- 5pm without anything but a bathroom break... Yes I am serious about that. It is Mindy Mylear's program and I absolutely LOVE everything about this woman! She is sweet, approachable, friendly, smart, safe, creative, has great energy, and is super FUN! I absolutely adore her and had a blast doing this class. I learned a ton which will totally be a game changer in my training and classes. I am signed off as an instructor and cannot WAIT to begin offering a Tabata Bootcamp after the holidays! I am looking at Monday and Friday mornings to start. This program will seriously make an impact in a lot of people's' lives and I cannot wait to get started!
So that was my fantastic weekend. Sorry it was so long but as you can see, I learned a lot and am so glad I went! Can't wait for ECA/ OBOW in New York!
Have a great week and see you soon!
6:47 pm est
Monday, November 4, 2013
Happy November!
Hi guys!
Welcome to the shortened days and cool weather that is November. As I was driving into the gym this afternoon, I realized that I do not NOT like November, as long as there are leaves still on the trees. After that, I will officially begin my long, depressed countdown until the days get longer again. I simply do not like doing my Saturday afternoon runs (when I can get them in) at 3:30p with a setting sun. I already really miss the Cape and my running routes there as well as the beach. I think a day trip to check on the house will be in order very soon!
Anyone that knows me well will often hear me say how boring I am or how boring a life I lead. I do not usually go out with friends for lunch or dinner, even on the weekends, because I am usually so tired from my long days at the gym. It dawned on me the other day how NOT boring a life I really have. Who else can say that in the span of ONE month they went to the Boston New England Fitness America Pageant with clients (AND have one of them win!), ran 2 half marathons (one of which required an overnight stay in Falmouth), and is getting ready to leave Wednesday for the ECA/ Thrive Fitness convention in Ft Lauderdale?! I also will be registering tomorrow for the Nike Womens' Half Marathon lottery which is held in DC. Fingers crossed I get in! I get to travel a lot for my job if I wish and I LOVE every minute of it! So what I lack for socialization on the weekends, I make up for by jet setting across the country! Sometimes it can be such a tough job!
I have decided to take a break from long distance running until the beginning of December in order to let my feet heal and give my body a break. It will be hard but I will continue with shorter runs until then. Once December 1st comes around, I have a plan to start building back up. I am scrapping the Half next month in Raynham and will focus on the Hyannis Half in February. From there I will probably do the New Bedford Half in March. I am a little nervous to run that race again because it was almost 2 years ago that I ran it and PR'd. The course is pretty hilly in spots and had mediocre crowd support at best. I will feel a lot of pressure to run it hard and break my PR. After that, I am hoping to get into the Nike Half in April and am eyeing the Johnny Kelley Half in Hyannis in May. Then we will be into the summer season and my focus will be spending some down time at the beach.
I will fill you all in on the fitness convention next week. Until then, get out there and MOVE!
Corinne
9:05 pm est
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Cape Cod Half Marathon recap
Hi guys,
One of the more selfish things I do and seem to be doing a lot of lately, is run half marathons. It gives me goal to run towards and makes me feel like I do something good for myself. I wanted to write a brief note (ok who are we kidding?!) on the course and the race. But first:
What I did right for this race
1. Slept well the night before close to the race so I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. So much less stress this way!
2. Hydrated like crazy all day yesterday. I literally lived in the bathroom between clients yesterday!
3. Made sure I ate well all day yesterday and had my favorite pre race food...Nachos...don't ask! They give me tons of energy!
4. Most importantly: started off at a modest pace. I brought my iPhone in my fanny pack and had turned on mapmyrun as we were getting ready to go. My 2 mile split was way off because I turned it on so early and it took a while to get to the starting line. Plus because I started further back, I had a lot of slower runners I ended up running around. My other splits PER MILE pace:
4 mile 8:24
6 mile 8:48
8 mile 8:32
10 mile 8:37
12 mile 8:26
Finished in 1:54:23, 14th in division out of118. Ave pace of 8:44. I guess the first 2 miles were really slow!
What I did wrong
1. Did NOT taper, did not rest my legs. Taught a Plyometric and agility class on Wednesday, did a tough shoulder workout on Thursday, and taught spin and ran all week.
2. Looking at my splits now, should have started up in the line a little more. My average pace was quite a bit slower than my average pace for miles 4-13.1. Oh well. At least I didn't get caught up in the excitement like the last race and go out too fast and crash and burn!
I am very happy with the way I ran this race!
Ok, now onto the course description and my race:
First of all, what a BEAUTIFUL course! We ran the bulk of it along the ocean. Part of the course was on the Falmouth bike path which was gorgeous. We also went by the Nobska light house. The weather was perfect, albeit a little chilly at the start. Temps were mid to upper 40s, it was sunny, and wind was very light. The crowds were awesome, there was water and Gatorade every 2 miles, and CANDY at miles 4 and 10! How did they know?!?! I settled into a good stride and ran with the runners around me. I eyed 2 younger ladies a few yards in front of me that were running well and made it my goal to keep them within a few yards. Unfortunately, by mile 3 my right foot plantar fasciitis started to really act up and I was afraid that I would have to scrap the race. I sucked it up and thought that there was NO way I was not going to finish this race after withdrawing last year due to work commitments and having such a poorly run half marathon 3 weeks ago! So onward I ran trying to alter my gait a bit with no luck.
So the first 6 miles were flat, I felt good, and ran conservatively. I took water and Gatorade at every station and ate half of my GU chomps at mile 4. Around mile 6.5 the hills started. Anyone that has ever run with me knows I LOVE hills and I thought, "ok, let's have some fun now!" Yes I really am sick like that! Three weeks ago I was dying during the small rolling hills but today I redeemed myself. The 2 younger ladies I had tried to keep up with came back into my view after the first hill. I passed at least a half dozen people during the hills! I passed a gentleman during one of the uphills but when I would stop to drink water, he would pass me. I would catch him again at the next hill. We ran together for miles 6.5- 10.5. I would later thank him for running with me during a good part of the race. The only bad part of the hills was the downhill parts. They really KILLED my right foot! I ate my last 3 GU chomps at mile 8.
Then mile 10 came. The gentleman and I caught up to my 2 younger ladies from before. Shortly after the mile 10 mark, I did a quick inventory of how I was feeling and said to myself, "ok, time to start running." I passed my gentleman runner and the 2 ladies and did not look back. I am happy to say that I felt strong, ran strong, and passed another dozen or so runners in those last 2.5 miles! Somehow I missed the mile 11 marker which was just fine with me! I reached mile 13 and saw my hubby and my 9 year old boxer fur baby Tyson. My hubby handed me Tyson's leash and I said "come on Tyson let's go!" We crossed the finish line together! Could I have sprinted a bit more that last 0.1 miles? I have no doubt but my fur baby is getting up there in his age and I wanted to run it in with him because you NEVER know if you will get the opportunity again. I had asked my hubby before hand to have him ready to run in with me. :). So we crossed the line together and walked through the shoot. A photographer was able to get our picture at the end and I can't wait to hang that one up at the gym! Tyson also got his own medal:)
Okay the bad now. My right foot is hurting more than ever now and I really should get my left MTP joint and big toe x-rayed. I am limping pretty badly again. I will need to dial down my running for a bit... Super unhappy about that but I need to get healthy again. I am still hoping I can train for the Hyannis Half Marathon which takes place the end of February. I did ice everything down and will keep up with my stretching, icing when I can, and tennis ball rolling. My left foot is not feeling any worse so that is good. Keep me in your thoughts for a speedy recovery!
Have a great weekend and see you all Monday. Big congrats to my weight loss challengers and running clinic clients that ran the Raynham Middle School 5k and sorry I missed it. I will definitely run with you guys in December in the Jolly Jaunt!
Corinne
12:41 pm est
Monday, October 21, 2013
Productive weekend
Hi guys,
We officially closed our beach cottage for the winter and I am already missing it and my 'cape family.' It was really weird being in my Taunton home yesterday. I feel like I am just waiting to go back to the gym when I am home in the afternoon and that is exactly how I felt yesterday. I was very happy though to hang low and putt around the house for a change. I got home from the gym at 11 am and went on a 5.7 mile run. Other than going out to grab my favorite cheat meal (tex-mex pizza), i was home all day! Between my trail run with the group (3.3 total miles) and my run at home, I managed 9 miles total yesterday and was psyched!
This morning, I taught an extra spin class because Michael is in Germany on business, and then headed out for an easy 4 mile run after. I managed to clean the gym and run errands after. I also managed to get some stuff done around the house and I will be working on another spin playlist tonight. I also ordered new Sweaty Bands to sell for the holidays and will be getting together orders for sweat pants and sweat shirts for the holiday. I am feeling very productive!
One of my 'original' clients (she hates when I call her an older client lol). Ran her first full marathon today, the Baystate Marathon. She did great and had a good run. I am so proud of all that she has accomplished since I met her almost 4 years ago! Not only has she turned into a marathoner, but she has also lost 140 lbs and totally revamped her lifestyle! SO proud of you Sandy! Xoxo
I am getting ready to run my 2nd half marathon this fall next Saturday. I have been sorta a bad girl in that I have not and do not plan to taper for this half. I ran 10.5 miles last weekend and have been following my regular routine minus a long run this weekend because of my extra spin class today. I still plan on getting in a medium run Tuesday and will be teaching spin right up until I leave for Falmouth. I have very few expectations for this race other than to go under 2 hours and beat my last time of 1:57 two weeks ago. That race was a disaster in that I was dehydrated, not properly fueled, and had been up to mid night the night before. You see I approached that race with a cocky attitude. I figured that since I had been running 9+ miles every weekend from August on, that the half would be 'a piece of cake.' Well I was humbled during that race. I now realize that beating my PR will be more of a challenge this time around. I would like to say that I have a plan but quite honestly, I am just looking forward to having a good, enjoyable run with a decent time Saturday. My right foot has been feeling close to 100% with the new sneakers and my left foot is much improved. I'm still guarded to say it is getting better. I am eye balling 2 half marathons this winter: the Frosty Half in my hometown of Raynham, and the Hyannis Half in February. As long as my feet continue to improve and I don't burn myself out, I will do both.
What else is in store for the coming months? Well, I leave in November for the Eca/ Thrive in Florida which is an awesome fitness convention. I am also looking at another televised weight loss challenge in January. Speaking of the challenge, can I just say we are going to have some fantastic results with the Fall Challenge?! They are working hard and are doing a great job! We have several that have totally changed their lifestyle and I couldn't be happier or prouder! Keep at it guys, only 5 weeks to go! You've got this!
Have a great week and see you all soon!
Corinne
4:16 pm est
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Good feet turned bad
Hi guys,
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful Columbus Day weekend! I am spending my last weekend at my cottage in Dennisport. I celebrated that, and my 45th birthday, by doing my last long run at the beautiful Cape Cod. I did two loops that equaled 10.5 miles. For the first time since March, I ran with pain free feet (until mile 6 when my plantar fasciitis in my right foot) started to hurt a little.
I decided to dedicate this weeks blog to having an open mind and trusting others that have more knowledge than you. I had plantar fasciitis pretty badly back in 1999-2000 that required x rays and a trip to the sports podiatrist. I was told to stick to stability shoes and went for my initial visit to Marathon Sports in Wellesley. They put my in a shoe for severe over pronation and within weeks of running in those, stretching, and icing, I had beaten plantar fasciitis after a year of pain. I continued running in over pronation shoes for a while and switched over to the brand that I ran in while I was in high school, Asics.
Metatarsal phalange joint pain in my left foot began to happen in 2004. I was running in Asics GT 2000 at the time and doing my gym workouts in Nike Shox in boys size 6 because they were cheaper at the time then women's sneakers. After weeks of significant foot pain, back to Marathon sports I went. They did their evaluation and I was put into Saucony Omni Grids. I was told I was a soft, mid foot striker with mild over pronation but that I needed solid stability shoes in a size bigger to allow for foot swelling. Sauconys also tend to have a larger toe box so my MTP joint would have plenty of room to stretch out. For years I ran without problems in these sneakers. With model changes came blisters. I also felt that the sneakers 'broke down' pretty quick and I found I was replacing them quite a bit. So I switched back to Asics GT 2000 in a bigger size. I also had moved up to ladies Nike Shox and bought all my sneakers a little bigger. For years I had absolutely NO problems.
I began running Wednesdays this past spring when a client and I decided to train for a half marathon. I was also teaching a Plyometric and agility class right before we would run. I had upgraded to Asics top of the line combination stability and cushioning shoe, the Gel Kayano. I pretty quickly started complaining about foot pain during those runs. The pain eventually increased and I found that I was having a lot of stiffness as well as pain after being off my feet for awhile. It was not anything localized, they just HURT.
Over the summer I began to start my log runs on the weekends to get ready for my half. I ended up going back to Marathon Sports to be evaluated thinking that maybe my gait or foot mechanics had changed. I was evaluated and given a neutral running sneaker in the Asics family, the Cumulus. I ran a little in those and while I LOVED the feel and cushioning, my right foot plantar fasciitis started to act up again so back to the Gel Kayanos I went.
I ran a half marathon last weekend and I literally could not WALK immediately after I stopped running. 2 full days of limping followed and I could not do anything that involved putting any pressure on the ball of my left foot. My right foot also was really hurting me again with plantar fasciitis.
I decided on my trip to the Cape this weekend that I would stop at Bayside Runner in Yarmouthport to pick up a new pair of Asics Gel Kayanos in a half bigger size. I tried on a pair to check size and they were fine. I explained to the salesgirl my past and current problems. I asked her if there was anything else she would recommend and I was open to her suggestions. She brought out a pair of Brooks Trance 12 and a pair of Saucony Hurricane 15. I literally was amazed at how good both pairs of sneakers felt on my feet! I bought the Sauconys because the Brooks felt a smidgen too short and she didn't have a pair the next size up in the color I wanted. I did end up ordering the Brooks online in the next size but really wanted a new sneaker to run in the next day.
This morning I finished a 10.5 mile run. I had some initial pain in my right heel for about the first half mile. Then it warmed up and I was good to go. The more problematic left foot was PAIN FREE the entire run! My left heel got a little cranky towards the end of the run but was much better. I stopped running and guess what? No pain and no limping! My plan was to run the Cape Cod half marathon the end of this month and then rest my feet a bit and get ready in December for the Hyannis half in February. I was really bummed because I have really been enjoying my Sunday long runs and was really starting to enjoy doing half marathons and was looking at doing another one in December. I am very cautiously optimistic that I may not have to really take a break from running after all.... YEAH!!!
I also want to add that I aggressively started to treat my feet pain with Aleve for inflammation and I also started taking Glucosamine. I dug out my 'Yoga Toes' and started to use them again whenever I could sit and put my feet up to help realign and stretch out my MTP joint. I had purchased them during my first bout with MTP pain and they had helped.
The moral of this whole story/ ordeal is to keep an open mind and listen to advice or suggestions from people that have experience. Get second opinions. Also, to not to run with pain. Get help and suggestions before it affects your running and/or workouts. I am so glad I decided to stop at a different specialty running store. I would have never thought to try a different brand of sneaker at this point. I didn't get the sales girls name but if she reads this (hey she WAS familiar with Body Revolution!) THANK YOU!
Happy running!
Corinne
12:05 pm est
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Busy Weekend
Hi guys,
What an incredibly, awesome weekend! First things first, the Boston Fitness Universe Pageant was yesterday and we had 2 girls from Body Revolution competing. Jill competed in her first show ever in the Bikini division and WON! I can't believe it! Well actually I can because she has been working SO hard and looked absolutely AMAZING on that stage! She truly is a beautiful girl and her stage presence was spot on! I really think that she will go far if she chooses to continue competing. Allie also competed in the figure division. Allie is also a beautiful girl and she has an amazing physique. She didn't place however which stinks because she looked amazing. I was telling her that we need to figure out how to get her personality to shine on stage because she has a personality and a half! So we will let her come down from the show high and if she decides to go after it again, we will get back to work. She is also an incredibly hard worker and I expect she will be back in the gym this week pushing iron!
Next, I finally got a chance to run my half marathon! I had been sick the week leading up to the Providence Rock n Roll so I decided not to run. I found a half really close to my beach house and registered for it last weekend. I ran it this afternoon. I kept saying all week that I was going to treat it as a long run in preparation for the Cape Cod half at the end of the month. Here is the truth though, whenever I step up to the starting line, I have visions of running a PR. Today was no different and I was hoping to break 1:49 which was my PR form the New Bedford half. I lined up with the 8-9 minute corral. We were off and I found myself running a pretty good pace. My one mile time was 8:06 and my 2 mile 16:14. My 5k was 24:44 which was only 20 seconds off my last 5k race, the Taunton Jolly Jaunt. I actually found myself leading part of that race and placed 6th for women. I finished first in my age group and got a trophy. Ok so I digress but I'm just trying to put into perspective that I started running a good race. I hit mile 4 and settled into a comfortable stride. That lasted until mile 8. I don't know why but every half I have run, I have found myself mentally done at mile 8. I don't get it because I run much longer than that on my long run. Mile 8-9 wasn't as bad and then I hit mile 10. And that's when my legs decided that they were done running. I'm ashamed to admit but I actually walked up a rolling hill (something I have NEVER done on a run or in a race), and actually had 2 other short walk breaks. I found myself trying to mentally run to the next water station because I knew then I could walk while drinking my Gatorade or whatever was on the course. When I hit mile 12, I told my legs to 'suck it up' and to keep running! I have never been SO happy to hit mile 13 and see that finish line! My clock time was 1:57:55 but it was not chip timed. My watch said 1:57:32 so I will take that!
I'm not sure why this race was so tough. I could blame it on a crazy work week and the stress of the girls' show last night. I found myself standing and then sitting for 10 hours total yesterday with little water and food. I also had a late night of going to bed after midnight after getting home from the show. It could be because I started off a little too fast. I'm not sure and I'm not making excuses. I wasn't meant to PR today and I am fine with that. I look at it this way, I am almost guaranteed a better run for the Cape Cod half! My right heel which has been giving me so much grief actually was pain free when I started running and hurts now but not as much. My left big toe joint has actually been more bothersome lately and has been causing me to limp after I have been off my feet for a while. I probably should go have my feet checked out by a podiatrist but last time I did that I was given the usual plan of care (rest, ice, and stretching), and a prescription for orthotics which I do not want. So I rest and ice when I can and deal with the discomfort. I have been stretching more and have been trying to fit in some exercises to help strengthen my feet.
So tomorrow it is back to the gym and back to work, business as usual. I DO have something great to look forward to... Friday is my birthday and my youngest will be coming home from college to spend our last weekend of the season at our Cape house. I can take a little break mentally and physically next weekend and spend some time with her.
Have a great upcoming week and remember to MOVE.
Corinne
7:43 pm est
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Early Fall 2013
Hi guys,
I hope everyone is enjoying the fall. We have been quite busy at Body Revolution!
First, Allie and Jill have their show this Saturday evening. I am so proud, excited, and nervous for them! I cannot even begin to describe the multitude of emotions that leads up to this! All the hard work, the sweat and the tears, the early morning workouts, the exhaustion, the body image issues... They all have an effect on me too and I am tired and ready for this show to go on! I'm also sad in a way because it has been such a huge focus in my life and in the gym, especially since it was being filmed by TCAM TV. After the show is over, it's a lot like Christmas...you are sad to see it over. I'm really so proud of these girls! What they have done takes SO much focus and commitment. They did it and they should be so proud of themselves!
Next, we have 2 Fall Weight Loss Challenges going on. Our total number between the 2 is 20 which is a record. Everyone seems so focused and determined and I am positive that we will have a couple challengers exceed their goals!
I did have a bit of a sad set back. You see, I tend to take my job a little too seriously at times and I can be demanding, especially with my weight loss challenge people. I just want everyone to do well. And sometimes, well, it just doesn't happen. So when a challenger or challengers start to miss workouts or don't take it seriously, I take it personally. Sometimes it can create conflicts. Then I get hurt and question why I am devoting so much of my time and self towards people that don't really want it. I was vocalizing this morning that my job is not a paycheck. It is SO much more than that! I truly want to see people succeed. And sometimes they are not ready mentally to do the work that is required to get there. Then I take it personally and let it fester. I need to understand and accept that if someone is not ready to change and work on their health, than it is not fault and ultimately there is nothing I can do but to let go until they are ready. I toyed with the idea in my head that I should just be like other gyms and just sign people up expecting that some will fail and 'oh well.' Then I went for a run and worked through this in my head and decided that wasn't me and what I am all about. The fact that I really DO care and don't want to see people fail is what makes me ME and I can't, and shouldn't let that change me. That is ultimately what makes me different. That and my constant need for knowledge and learning. So I will move on, and keep up with my running which helps keep my head clear.
Speaking of running, I was all set to run in the Providence Rock n Roll Half Marathon before I got a nasty cold days before the start. It was more than a head cold and I found myself needing my inhaler just a little too often. So I decided that it wasn't in my lungs or body's best interest to run. I was kind of bummed about it last weekend because I had put so much time preparing to run it. I was online googling other half marathons when I came across a half this coming weekend just 6 miles from our summer home on Cape Cod where I have been doing my long runs all summer. So guess what? Yup, I registered for it and will make it up this Sunday! So I will get in my 2 half marathons this fall after all! I'm also eyeing another half that takes place in December in Raynham. I really think the half marathon bug has bit, and bit hard!
I hope you all have a fantastic week and I will see you all soon!
Keep moving!
Corinne :)
8:10 pm est
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Next Challenge
Hi guys,
I know I haven't written a bit. I've been enjoying a little down time and getting ready for my next set of challenges to start. Yes, I said SET. For the first time ever, Body Revolution will be running a morning Fall Challenge. Of course there will still be the evening Challenge. What started out as a request from a Spinning client, has turned into a rather large task. It looks like we will have a FULL morning challenge! Wow! So excited! Of course the evening challenge will still stand and I will be seeing a lot of the same familiar faces. I also have a couple of challenge newbies in the mix. I have a lot of fun ideas and cannot WAIT to get started!
We have also begun the Run Clinic which takes place every Saturday morning at 9:30am. Last week we met at the Raynham Middle School track and did some 100 meter intervals. It went really well and those that came down really enjoyed it. I really think it is a great addition to Body Revolution. I get to use my experience and skills as a past competitive runner, along with my skills as a personal trainer, to help people become better runners. I expect this clinic to take off and do really well.
I've also added a nutrition program at the gym in conjunction with Evolution Nutrition as a means to help people that really struggle with their diets. This will be included with the challenge and will be available to anyone that wants to purchase this service. I can give out 1 day, 7 day, or 1 month diets that detail every ounce of food and break it down nutritionally. It's a great service to be able to give my clients.
Okay, so what else is new? Someone asked me the other day if I missed working as a nurse. My answer was 'no' because while I work SO much MORE as a trainer, I feel that I am helping people in a more important way. I get to take care of people BEFORE they get sick and help improve their health both physically and mentally. I was driving home from the gym this afternoon at lunchtime and thinking about how many people out there NEED help. When you think about the obesity epidemic and see it around you, you can't but stop and wonder how you can help them all. To tell you the truth, if you think about all the people you see on a daily basis that need to lose weight, you are only scratching the surface. There are so many more out there and so many reasons why people don't take care of themselves and their health. Sometimes when I take a step back and think about these things, I get over-whelmed. I'm not a very religious person but I truly feel that God has given me this gift to help people and I am doing EXACTLY what I am suppose to be doing. So I keep going. I get to help so many people, I am truly blessed.
Have a great upcoming weekend. Don't forget, Barre Fusion resumes Saturday at 9am and Tuesday at 5pm. Also Zumba with Jackie starts Tuesday at 6pm. First class is always free!
Corinne xo
11:32 am est
August 26, 2013
Late Summer
Hi guys,
I hope you all are enjoying the final days of summer. I know I have been taking advantage of the cooler mornings the past couple of weekends to get my running in as I get ready to run my 3rd and 4th Half Marathons. I am 5 weeks out from my 3rd and have run 9.5 miles the past 3 weekends as my long run. I would have increased it this past weekend but I just came off a week of teaching 6 Spin classes. I didn't think it would have been wise especially since I have 3 more weeks to increase my mileage. Next weekend I plan to aim for 10-10.5 miles. Then I will increase one more time to get to 11-12 miles. The most I have ever run while training for a half is 10 3/4 miles so I know I will be good to go.
Speaking of running, Body Revolution will be adding a Run Clinic beginning next month. We will meet on Saturday mornings at 9:30am at either the track, Massasoit State Park, or the Poor Farms in Raynham to get some hill running in. I am starting this clinic because I have had a lot of requests to do one and also because running is my absolute favorite activity and I would like to share my knowledge and passion with everyone. I contemplated having one of my other trainers take this on but running is my sport and I have a ton of experience. From clothing, sneakers, diet, injury prevention and rehabilitation, I have pretty much seen and done it all. I started running at the age of 13 and pretty much have not stopped since except for during pregnancy. I ran competitively throughout my high school years and was a consistent top finisher in most of my races. I have continued to run 5ks and have stepped up to the Half Marathon the past couple of years. I think my knowledge as a Personal Trainer only helps with performance and injury prevention. Running is so much more than just putting on a pair of sneakers and running. I am excited to offer this to anyone who wishes to begin running or to anyone who wishes to improve their performance. Keep an eye on the Body Revolution Facebook page for updates.
I've also had several requests to begin a morning Weight Loss Challenge and I think that it will actually be a go once the kids are back in school. Another exciting addition we will be able to add! I am also looking at adding a detailed diet and nutrition component with the help of a new service provided through a group of dietitians and ACE. This would be available to the challengers and to anyone else wishing to lose weight, gain muscle, or improve sport performance. Stay tuned! So many exciting things will be coming this Fall!
Have a great week and see you all soon.
Corinne
2:13 pm est
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Vacation
Hi guys,
I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful summer. I write this as I sit in the car (not driving of course ;) in Cape traffic on my way home from a terrific week on the Cape. I was able to sleep in (if 7am qualifies as sleeping in), wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee, and then hit the roads to get my run on. I ran 7 out of 8 days for a total of 50 miles. The last time I ran that much in a week was probably in my high school cross country days! I got a long run of 9.5 miles in on my last day. I am 6 weeks out from the Providence Rock n Roll Half Marathon which is a total of 13.1 miles. I should be more prepared for this half than the other 2 I have run. I have a goal of running a 1 hour and 45 minute race. It's a little lofty because my last half I ran in 1 hour and 49 minutes and I ran that race pretty hard. There were only a couple times that I slowed down in that race that I could improve upon. Otherwise my pace for that race was 8:24 per mile I believe. I was pretty happy (ok ecstatic is more like it!) with my time for my last half. So I will continue building my miles on my long run the next few weeks before I start my taper. The only other thing that I have been doing differently is teaching a weekly Plyometrics and Agility class at the gym. I really feel that my legs have never been stronger and I look forward to attacking the little hills in the Providence course.
So why do I like to run so much? I have been running off and on since I was 5 or 6 years old. My favorite game then was tag and I always wanted to play it. I remember how I loved pushing myself to run faster. I also remember back then that I discovered I was pretty fast and I would usually win those games.
As I got older, running was something I would do if I was bored. I also liked the feeling of accomplishment I would get when I was done. As I grew older, running was a way to control my weight during that stressful time of puberty when my body felt so foreign to me. It made me feel healthy and gave me toned legs. I ran because it made me feel like an athlete. I ran competitively in high school but running fell by the way side when I got my first full time nursing job after college and bought my first house and settled down and got married. It wasn't until after my second child was born that I began to dabble with running again. As my children got older, I started running again in between step aerobic classes.
Running for me now is a treat. I teach so many classes and my days are usually chock a block full. When I can run I am super happy. To have just finished a week of being able to run every day is pure heaven. I feel accomplished, lean, and like I could take on the world. Running is sort of an active meditation for me and cleanses my head and mind from problems and stress. I am ready to head back to the gym ready and raring to go.
I hope you all had a great week and are ready. I am back stronger mentally and physically then before.
See you all soon,
Corinne
10:08 pm est
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Sunday 8-21-13
Hi guys,
I hope you all got outdoors and enjoyed this beautiful weekend and beautiful stretch of weather we had. I love the heat and love the summer. I was able to get in a couple of runs this weekend and even did my first long run in prep for my 2 half marathons this Fall. It feels good to be running again so much. I forgot how freeing and how stress relieving it is. I have a couple of clients that I now run with so I am able to get my miles in. Spinning, Skilz n Drilz, and kettlebells are all great workouts but I am a runner at heart.
We had such a busy past 3 weeks at the gym! I am continuing to organize the gym and I think we finally have our sound system all set in the Spin room. It sounds amazing! Definitely worth the investment! The 5 Concept 2 rowers are also a great investment. I have been using them with my Summer Challenge group as well as with my clients. It's a great machine for full body cardio and they are so light! My other trainers have taken advantage of this and have been wheeling them to different parts of the gym to use for training. We have now grown to a family of 3 pretty busy trainers. Luckily I have a good amount of equipment and a lot of space to spread out in! We are currently working on installing a metal bar in the front studio for TRX Suspension training so that we may utilize that space for 1:1 training when the main gym is busy with a class or the challenge workout. That front room has also been getting a lot more use since starting our Barre Fusion class also. This is a great class utilizing Ballet movements, Pilates, and yoga. It is run by our Pilates instructor, Debbie, who is also a dance teacher. I love being able to bring more to the clients of Body Revolution!
Speaking of the clients and what they want more of, it seems that they cannot get enough of my Skilz n Drilz class! I currently only have 1 spot that I teach it in which is Wednesday mornings at 9:30am but the clients cannot seem to get enough of it and I have been adding it into other classes. Tomorrow I will be trying something new: I will be doing a kettlebell/ Skilz n Drilz fusion class. It seems that whenever I post that I will be doing it in a class, that class fills up and then over flows. Last time I ran it during a SPINtensity class and even though I ran out of Spin bikes, I had people running on the treadmills instead of Spinning and then joining us during the Skilz n Drilz portion. I actually also ran out of steps and had to turn some people away! Crazy! But I will state it again, if you are looking to tome up your butt and legs, there is nothing I have found to beat this class!
So what else is new? Our Summer Challenge officially began last Monday and we have a solid group of 10 again. I have some newbies as well as some that have been away for while. We have some really hard workers again and I am looking forward to another successful challenge! It seems they keep getting better and better! I absolutely love working with them!
Our newest TCAM TV show, 'Shredded' is going extremely well and the girls are progressing well. We got an official date for the Fitness Universe show... October 5th. I have one of the girls away on vacation right now but when she returns later this week it will be full steam ahead! I am SO proud of both of these young ladies! You can catch episodes on local cable channel 15 or 22 on Thursdays at 9pm, Saturdays at 8pm, or Sundays at 7pm. I also post the link on the Body Revolution Facebook page.
Have a great week everyone and see you soon in the gym!
Corinne
8:21 pm est
Sunday, July 14, 2013
1:30 pm est
July 13, 2013
Hi guys,
Wow what a busy week! It started last weekend with organizing the gym and getting ready to take delivery of some new gym equipment. Equipment not being used had to be dismantled and removed and storage racks had to be built. Other equipment had to be arranged. All this was done in preparation for the 5 Concept 2 Rowers that were being delivered a few days later. The gym is now cleaned up and more professional looking. Next up will be to order some more storage racks to get things off the floor and free up some more floor space. I love being able to offer more in the way of individual training and classes.
Another big development was the arrival of a new spin instructor from a neighboring gym. Let's all welcome Michelle Proulx into Body Revolution and our Spin family. She brings with her a dynamite class and a large, committed following. We have added 3 additional spin classes a week that she will be teaching. She is ambitious, energetic, driven and will no doubt add a lot to the gym. Welcome again Michelle!
We also had our Summer Weight Loss Challenge begin last Monday. We started with 10 and had some reshuffling with 2 clients unable to do it at this time. We also had 2 clients join late. That brings us up to 10 again. I am looking forward to working with this group!
Lastly, I posted a blog not too long ago regarding professionalism and gym loyalty. I stated that it was tough out there for trainers and instructors who are constantly thinking that the "grass is greener" elsewhere. The gym industry is fickle. Gyms are sold all the time and management changes. What once may look like a good deal can soon change. It seems that I am on the winning side of this, this time around. I have acquired 2 extremely talented, established trainers and spin instructors to grow with Body Revolution. I am so happy to have them be part of my gym family and am confident that we will be working together for quite a while. I can guarantee them that I will always do right by them if they do the absolute best they can for their clients and Body Revolution. My ultimate goal has been and always will be to help as many people as possible become or stay, happy, healthy, and fit. I look forward to all the future has to offer.
Have a great Sunday everyone and see you all this week!
Corinne
Hi guys,
First a big shout out and congratulations to Beth Coe for winning the Spring Challenge with a percentage of 15.95%! Way to go Beth! I am so proud of this lady, she has done a few other challenges in the past and started them strong but kind of 'faded out' half way through them. She decided during this challenge that she was going to buckle down and make this challenge the one that made a difference. The result of that was a 29 lb weight loss and significant improvements in her mile run, push ups, planks, crunches, and rows.
Honorable mention goes to Casey, Mike R, and Deb for their fantastic losses as well. I must say that everyone did a great job! This was a super fun, hard working group. We had a terrific 5k as well. We had a challenger run a 27.10 min 5k and that same challenger also rocked a 4 minute plank at the end of the challenge! Congrats Mike! I believe those are both challenge records!
So I sit here on the eve of the beginning of the Summer Challenge. We have a strong 9 doing this challenge and a few newbies.... I am SO looking forward to getting started! We also have some new equipment coming to Body Revolution. Scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon delivery are 5 Concept 2 Rowing machines. These will give us another option for a full body cardio workout. Along with my Spinner bikes, Star Trac treadmills, steps for Skilz n Drilz, kettlebells, TRX Suspension and TRX Rip trainers, there will be a lot of variety for the challengers to get fit and have fun doing it! I cannot wait to get started!
See you all this week!
Corinne
1:29 pm est
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Spring Challengers Mill Pond 5k
Hi guys,
Our Spring Challengers ran the Mill Pond 5k today in Plymouth. We had some fantastic times and PRs set! I am SO proud of each and every one of the challengers! We had some first time 5k racers, Meb and Deb and several that have not run in YEARS. A big shout out to the original Body Revolution client who ran in his second 5k and set a PR of 27:10 which is over FOUR MINUTES faster than his previous 5k last year! Congrats Mike... So proud! I cannot emphasize enough what a terrific challenge this has been! We will have 3 that hit the 30lb+ lost club and probably another 3 or 4 that lose over 20lbs. Everyone will lose at least double digits. This group has become very close, like a family. They have worked very hard and have shown up for most workouts ready to work hard. I never once heard, "I can't do it." I just want to say to each and every challenger, I am so proud of your effort, your determination, and your spirit. You make me so happy and blessed that I get to do this job. I am so fortunate to have met each of you and I look forward to continuing on this journey with you. I love you ALL.
So as this challenge comes to an end, I am already gearing up for the Summer Challenge. I have 9 committed so far which will leave room for 1 or 2 more to squeak in. I also have 2 brand newbies in this challenge and some that have been away for awhile. We also have 6 people returning from the Spring Challenge. I look forward to another terrific challenge! If you are interested, please contact me ASAP!
In other gym news, I am happy and proud to say that Body Revolution is approaching it's 2nd year anniversary. I am grateful and thankful beyond words that we continue to grow and thrive in this competitive field. I am blessed with another terrific trainer, Shaun, who brings in professionalism, a great work ethic, and is proud to be a part of Body Revolution. I am also blessed with a great team of instructors that bring their absolute best to the clients of Body Revolution. I am looking forward to another 3 (or 5) years serving the community with the best the fitness industry has to offer.
Have a great weekend everyone and get out there and MOVE!
Corinne
4:09 pm est
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Hi guys,
I haven't updated my blog in a while. My days are super busy this time of year, I have on average 11 appointments a day and spend a couple of days a week working 14 hour days. But I wanted to make sure to write something this week because I do have a lot to share.
First, the Spring Challenge is going incredibly well! We are half way done and the pounds lost keeps adding up. We have several challengers closing in on 20 lbs lost already and may have another challenger win it that does not have a large amount of weight to lose again. We added a few new people to the Body Revolution family and I look forward to continuing to work with them after the Spring Challenge is over.
Next, we are coming up on our 1 year anniversary in our new home and our 2 year anniversary as a small business. When I first opened Body Revolution on July 1, 2011, I never in a million years imagined the growth that would happen and how quickly! I never envisioned a Spinning program; I just wanted to be able to continue to teach a few spin classes a week for my clients that really enjoyed them. The thought of never teaching spin again when I left my two other gyms was something I could not bear to happen! And so I made the decision to look for a space to lease where I could run small spin classes. Purchasing 16 brand, new Star Trac Spinner NXT bikes was not something I initially planned either. I sought out to buy some decent used bikes. I made the decision to go with Spinners because I wanted the option of being able to call myself a Spinning Facility. I could not find any used Spinner bikes. It seems that as soon as they are traded in to a used fitness equipment center, they are sold IMMEDIATELY. Out of desperation, I contacted Spinning themselves and was told that their entry level commercial grade spin bikes were on back order for several weeks. I was given a deal on their top of the line NXTs and decided to splurge on them. That turned out to be the best investment I could have made! Not only are the bikes the absolute bomb, but I was also able to get listed on the Spinning website as a facility. Anyone who googles spinning classes or cycling classes on the Internet in my area, is immediately linked to my gym. I have gotten numerous spin clients as well as personal training clients this way.
To get to the point of having several spinning instructors on staff was never, ever imagined! I am so lucky to have the terrific instructors teaching at my gym! The clients are absolutely lucky too!
As a reflect on the past 2 years, I can't help but chuckle at some of the memorable, funny things that have happened. From our first spin space and the tiny room with 2 doors, to our current big room with the high ceilings, ceiling fans, and easy access to the outdoors for my SPINtensity classes as well as a way to bring fresh air in during class. I remember after my first week of teaching 5, yes FIVE spinning classes....I had absolutely NO voice from yelling without a microphone and my legs were incredibly, amazingly exhausted, sore, and spent! I remember thinking, "what the *ell have I gotten myself into!". I had no backup instructors at that time. I went on vacation that first summer and literally shut the gym down for the week. I reflect to now when not only do I have a handful of other instructors available to teach and cover for me, but I also have a couple people to cover TRX for me when I need it. Speaking of TRX, I had never heard or seen it before I went to my first fitness convention the Fall of 2011. I was simply choosing classes from the brochure to attend and a "full body class utilizing straps and your own body weight" sounded appealing. So I thought, what the heck. I remember being sore for DAYS after taking that class! That lead me to explore the options to bring it to my gym. I remember thinking that I would love to add TRX suspension classes some day when I had a bigger gym space. Well some research later done, I came across the multi mount which bolts to a wall and does not take up floor space... Ok, I was SOLD! I HAD to have it! Now a new, larger space later, I have added another multi mount and 4 more straps. I remember how awkward it was getting into and out of the straps that first month or so.... We would literally get Charlie-horse cramps in our abs just from getting our feet INTO the straps! And stretching? It was like we were literally water skiing the way we would fight for our balance! Yes indeed, those were the days!
My kettlebell certs also came about because of the Boston Balance, my first Fitness convention. I decided to take a class in kettlebell 101 because I liked to utilize kettlebells in group training when numbers were high and space and equipment were few. I felt I needed to learn more about kettlebells so I could better serve my clients. That class I learned a new exercise that would become one of my absolute favorites... The snatch. I was hooked! I decided to get certified officially and chose Kettlebell Concepts because they were the agency that was represented at the Boston Balance. I remember arriving for day 1 of the 2 day certification with a 5 lb, 10 lb, and 15 lb kettlebell. By the end of the second day, I was not only swinging the 25 lb kettlebell the institution provided, but I was also cleaning it and snatching it! I was impressed and amazed by the amount of effort it took to do basic kettlebell exercises! I was literally EXHAUSTED after that workshop... Mentally AND physically! I was also amazed by how good my shoulder, tweaked the day before during a chest press exercise, felt after that workshop! What followed when I got home was a large purchase of heavier kettlebells at my local Ocean State Job Lot. As the months progressed, the women in my class, whom had started with the 15 lb kettlebells, began fighting over the 20 lbers and then we were all fighting over the 25 lbers. I now own a 70, 60, two 45, four 35, four 26, six 25, and a giant container of 15, 18, and 20 pounders and we STILL fight over the kettlebells! Ok, ok, we share them :)
As the months went by, I realized how tough, effective, and well rounded a kettlebell routine was and decided I needed to learn more. After 6 months of trying to get into a level 2 instructor class, I was successful and received my level 2 instructor cert. Next up, without a doubt, will be my level 3 instructor course. No kettlebell agency has that course out yet. Kettlebell Concepts is currently working on that course and as soon as it is out, I will be one of the first trainers there in NYC!
My weight loss challenges continue to grow and my name continues to grow in the community. I have my regular clients and those that come in for bit and leave for a bit, all to return again in the future. I have acquired another terrific trainer named Shaun that has more years of experience training than me and has his own, well established clientele. Together we are a great team that pushes, learns, and leans on each other. I could not have asked for a better trainer or person to work alongside me. It might have taken several months of searching and some hard lessons learned, but believe me, we are a team to be reckoned with! Watch out!
So after all the hard work, heart aches from past disappointments, perseverance, and determination, Body Revolution is a growing, thriving, personal training facility that offers terrific Spin classes, cutting edge TRX suspension and Rip classes, as well as the areas only level 2 kettlebell instructor. We will continue to evolve, grow, and bring you the absolute best the fitness industry has to offer. Come check us out and join us... I promise you will not be disappointed
Corinne :)
9:34 pm est
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Happy Mothers Day
Hi guys,
I hope all the mom's out there enjoyed their day today! I started my day with a 7 mile run and got a chance to take my mom out to lunch.
One of the reasons I love running is because it allows me to clear my head. It is a sort of active meditation for me. I usually can figure things out in my head that I want to accomplish during the week and I often will work through problems and come up with solutions. It allows me to also preview spin music. I usually come up with what to write about in my blog for the week. I have not written a blog in a couple of weeks because I have been busy with my family. My kids have both moved home for the summer from college. I have also been busy visiting my dad in the rehab hospital as he recovers from his stroke. The good news is that he has made great progress and should be coming home this Friday.
So as I ran this past week, I thought of how lucky I am to be able to do a job that I love and make a living doing it. I can honestly say that if something were to happen tomorrow, I would be able to say that I gave my absolute best effort to every single client that has ever worked with me. I can also say without doubt that I am doing what I was exactly suppose to be doing. All the past experience that I have gotten in my nursing career, my own training, and my training for my figure show have made me a very well rounded trainer. I also have a constant thirst to learn and absorb as much education that I can whether it is online, in print, or at a conference.
I had the opportunity to attend the TRX Rip training course yesterday and now hold a certification in Rip training. It is a great additional training tool that Body Revolution will be able to offer. I attended the workshop with my other trainer, Shaun Nye. I am so lucky and privileged to have Shaun at Body Revolution. He is without doubt one of the best trainers I have ever met and a true professional. He also shares a strong need to keep growing and learning. I have no doubt that he will do very well and be able to grow even more working alongside me. We make a great team :)
Tomorrow is week 3 weigh ins for the Spring Challenge. We have a great group of 10 that are dedicated and determined and I am positive that we will have a terrific challenge! Keep up the great work guys! I am proud of you all and your efforts to get healthier!
See you all this week. Get out there and MOVE.
Corinne
8:27 pm est
Sunday, April 14, 2013
One Body One Life
Hi guys,
I have so much stuff I would like to share with you all, I actually need 3 blogs. Sometimes I struggle to find one topic to talk about, this week I have had so much happen, that I do not know where to start.
First things first. I have stated it before, and I will state it again. We are given one body on this earth to occupy. The past couple of weeks have shown me again why it is so important to take care of that body. First, I found out that two potential challengers from the Winter Challenge that chose not to do the challenge for different reasons, are experiencing significant health complications from being over weight. One is suffering from complications from Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes has been shown to respond well to exercise and lifestyle modifications. Another came into the gym in tears the other week because they are experiencing significant generalized swelling. The cause has not been determined but they were told to increase their physical activity. The sad part is that both individuals are still in their forties which is too way too young to be having such serious health concerns.
The last thing that has happened the past week is that my own father has been hospitalized after suffering a significant bleed in his brain. He is stable and currently in a rehab hospital where he will need to learn how to dress, feed himself, and walk again. He suffers from several diseases caused from lack of activity, poor lifestyle choices, and obesity. I have worked with him several times in the past to teach him better eating habits and have encouraged him to increase his physical activity. But like many other over weight people, increased activity causes pain and discomfort in the feet, knees, hips, and backs. This causes a lot of people to return to their inactive lifestyle. It is a vicious cycle. It is hard to change habits and one thing I have learned after doing 12 Weight Loss Challengers, is that obesity is not cut and dried. There are so many reasons why a person may be over weight. For some, it is a hectic lifestyle coupled with no time for exercise and too much time for the drive through at the numerous fast food places. Others hate exercise and sweating. Some have a lack of knowledge regarding serving sizes and the importance of not skipping meals. Some are addicted to food just like some people are addicted to gambling and drugs. It is very complex to work with at times and I keep trying to learn as much as I can to try and help as many people as I can.
My dad continues to work at coming home and I hope to reach out and help the other two people that are facing their own health crises. It is a tough, never ending war and battle but I choose to continue to fight alongside those that seek me out for help.
The Spring Weight Loss Challenge begins this Saturday. I still have 3 spots open. If you have quite a bit of weight to lose and are looking to change your life to become fitter and healthier, than next Saturday is the day to start. Contact me now to sign up for this challenge. Those that are ready to make the commitment to work hard will get fantastic results and will do so the healthy way. Do this before a health scare happens to you. The time is RIGHT NOW.
Get out there and move.
Corinne
7:12 pm est
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Happy Spring!
Hi guys,
We had our live, finale weigh in last Thursday evening. It was such a fun, successful challenge! Everyone posted double digit weigh losses for the first time ever in any challenge. The winner was Maureen Ross with a weight loss of 13.62%. The 2 runner ups, Becca and Angela also had terrific weight losses of 12.4% and 10.9%. Becca actually exceeded her weight loss goal of 15lbs by over 3lbs! Way to go Becca! Angela was also just 2lbs shy of her weight loss goal. These 3 ladies were some of the ‘smallest’ challengers we have had to date but I am so glad that I let them be a part of what has traditionally been a weight loss challenge of very overweight people. They brought a great passion, enthusiasm, competitiveness, and camaraderie to the challenge. They were looked up to by the other challengers and I think really inspired the other challengers. This challenge has definitely changed my vision of all future challenges!
I am sad to see another televised weight loss challenge end because it really makes the challengers accountable to not only themselves and in this past challenge, their team, but it also makes them accountable to the viewing population. They really strive to do their best when they know that the community is watching and rooting them on. On another note though, there are a group of individuals that do not like to be filmed and put on tv so by having the next couple challenges not televised, it gives them the opportunity to partake in a program that has been proven to work for so many.
I, in the meantime, will be teaming up with TCAM’s main camera man, Zak Swain, to film another show that will follow 2 of my other clients as they get ready to step on the Fitness America Pageant which will take place this September in Boston. One of my clients, Allie, will be doing her second show. She will be competing in the Bikini division and probably in the Figure division as well. She is an extremely hard working, determined young lady that knows what she wants and is not afraid to work hard to go and get it. My other client, Jill, will be doing her very first show ever. She will be competing in the Bikini division. Jill has worked with me for several summers when she was home from college. First we rehabbed her from knee surgery so that she may return to collegiate level soccer. The following summer we worked on general strength and conditioning and she had a terrific, blow out season in soccer. Last summer this young lady graduated from college and started life in the real world. Soccer games have ended and she found herself searching for something else that would give her a goal and allow her to still ‘compete’ although in a different sport. This young lady is amazing! She is driven, super talented, and has a ton of natural athletic talent and ability. She is very determined and I am so proud to see how she has grown over the last 3+ years that we have known each other. All I have to say is, LOOK OUT, they are coming!
We are expected to have a nice warm up weather-wise this week. Take advantage of it and get out there and get active!
See you all soon,
Corinne xo
10:45 am est
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Keeping Focused
Hi guys,
Sometimes I need a lot of time to think about what I want to write about in my blog, other times, it comes easy. This week it came easy to me. One of the things I love most about what I do is changing peoples’ lives. I like to help them get fitter, healthier, stronger, and happier. I love taking someone who is brand new to working out and the healthy lifestyle, and getting them to become a stronger, fitter version of themselves. Oftentimes, the person starts off very deconditioned. Simply walking on an incline on the treadmill briskly will leave them huffing and puffing and short of breath. Maybe they can struggle and get out a couple push ups. I work with them 2-3 times a week, encouraging them, pushing them, and getting them stronger. One pushup becomes 5 then 10. Sometimes if we work together long enough, those basic push ups become decline pushups, shoulder push ups, handstand push ups, and maybe even one arm push ups. The treadmill walking becomes running then sprinting, and sometimes it even turns into 5Ks and/ or half marathons. All the while, I encourage and teach them how to eat healthier so that the recovery time is lessoned and they get better, stronger, faster. Of course with this, they lose weight, drop clothing sizes, and gain tremendous self confidence. This self confidence is earned with a lot of hard work, sweat, and yes sometimes even tears on both our parts. There is nothing more rewarding than sharing that journey with someone.
One the other hand, I have been in this business long enough to know that life can sometimes get in the way of someone’s best intentions. Jobs change, family commitments increase, and people move. Sometimes there is just a decrease in interest and sometimes there is another conflict that arises that changes someone’s focus. One missed workout this week becomes 2 missed work outs the following week. The frequency and intensity might not be there. Sometimes the client will even just walk away for a couple weeks or months completely until things “settle down.” Often times those people will return when things calm down. Unfortunately, they usually come back heavier and starting back close to square one. All the hard work we had done is a memory to the body and they have to really work hard again to get back to where they once were. I think that is the most disheartening and frustrating part of my job. Watching someone fade away from the gym and not being able to stop it. As I write this, I have one client whose hand I am desperately holding onto tightly and another that I feel I am grasping by the finger tips. The terrific results they have obtained in the past 1 and even 2 years are starting to diminish ever so slightly. I am so fearful of one of them letting go. Yet there is nothing I can do but make myself available, physically and emotionally.
I am not a psychologist or therapist and I do not know what the answer to this problem is. I will continue to do what I can to keep people focused, healthy, and progressing. I can only hope that I am better able to deal and cope with this as I continue in this wonderful career of helping people become the best they can be. Like I’ve said many times before, the fitness career is ever evolving and I am constantly learning and growing so that I may do the best job that I can.
Keep moving, keep growing, and keep that focus.
Corinne
2:50 pm est
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Spring’s Coming!
Hi guys,
I hope you all are enjoying the increase in daylight in the evening. I know I sure am. We have been able to get outside to run a bit before our kettle bell class on Monday nights and I have even been able to bring the challengers outside to do some running. I love the spring and summer seasons because we can get outside more and do more stuff. The challengers were able to hike in Massasoit State Park yesterday morning.
We had our Winter Challenge 5K this morning. It was crisp and cool and I was so happy to see every single challenger at the race. This has been by far the challenge with the best attendance and effort! I am so proud of how everyone is doing! The 5K we did was the 2nd annual Oliver’s St Paddy’s Day 5k in Fall River. The course was through the Fall River Industrial Park. I must say Fall River is certainly a hilly city! We had some really good times despite the hills. The first challenger to cross the line was Becca. This also happened to be her very first 5k. She came in under 34 minutes which is really good especially for a first 5k! Next up was Angela who also ran a personal best of under 36 minutes. Nancy was next followed by Lisa and then Steve and Ron who came in together. Maureen was at the race but had re-injured her knee at work and did not run but came down to support everyone else. Thank you so much Maureen! I am looking forward to tomorrow night’s weigh in. I am counting on the challengers to avoid the temptations of St Patrick’s Day food and drink!
Other big news that has happened at the gym is that we have a new trainer that has joined the Body Revolution team. His name is Shaun Nye and we had worked together for over a year at our former gym. He is a solid trainer with an established following. He is certified by ACE as am I and wasted no time in going to get his TRX-STC today. He has a lot of experience working with teens and preteens and sports specific training so I am excited that he will be taking over the kids’ TRX class. He also wasted no time in acquiring 2 new clients in his first 2 days at the gym! He is a fantastic trainer with proven results and I have no doubts that he and I will be working together for many years to come! Welcome Shaun, so nice to have you on board!
Our final, live weigh in for the Winter Challenge will take place on Thursday, April 4th at the TCAM studio. I am already starting to plan for the Spring Challenge and already have a couple people signed up. We are looking at a start date of Saturday, April 20th. The Spring Challenge is my absolute favorite challenge and I cannot wait to get started again! If you are interested in signing up or learning more regarding the Spring Challenge, please contact me.
See you all soon and get those workouts in!
Corinne
5:39 pm est
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Happy Sunday!
Hi guys!
I was thinking today what I could write about in my blog. You see, not only do I try to keep things fresh with my training, but I also try to keep things fresh in other areas of my life.
It has been an interesting week for sure. I was paid a visit last weekend by an old friend that works for THE NAME in the fitness and figure competition and modeling world. It seems that this particular coach whom is highly respected, has taken to endorsing a supplement company. My friend, knowing that I have a couple of girls interested in competing, stopped by to give me some samples of the products that are highly endorsed. I spent the week trying them. Specifically I tried the protein powder and bars as well as an energy drink. I also had a super busy week at the gym covering extra spin classes while my husband and other main spin instructor, was in Japan on business. I also started the weekend with a pretty bad cold. I first tried the energy drink after teaching my first class last Monday which happened to be a spin class. I then, knowing that I had a super busy day teaching, decided that I really needed to feed my body properly in order to recover and be good to go for class number 2 which happened to be kettle bells. So I opened and ate half of a protein bar. I finished the rest of the bar an hour later as I was finishing up training my morning clients. I was pleasantly surprised at how full the bar made me feel. I was able to eat my normal lunch of a salad and feel satisfied. I went home in between my morning and evening training blocks. I usually crash at that time but was surprised to feel actually pretty good. I went back to the gym, trained my afternoon clients and taught my kettle bell class. I was feeling pretty good. I next had my weight loss group workout and then finished the evening up with my 3rd class, spin. I had tons of energy despite being sick. Okay, coincidence, right??
The next day started off the same. I brought the second protein bar which happened to be a chocolate cream bar. I am a self proclaimed chocolate snob so I did not have much hope that I would like the taste of the bar. I completed my morning training and then went back in later for my evening blocks. It was early evening at that point and I was getting hungry and knew that I had a spin class to teach at dinner time. I took my usual piece of fruit out of my bag then pulled out the chocolate protein bar. I looked at it for a minute then thought, ‘what the heck’ and opened the package expecting it to taste disgusting and chemically. I was shocked that it was actually pretty good! I ate the bar, taught my spin class and felt really good. I had my usual dinner of grilled chicken and salad and was again amazed that I had no cravings later which is the norm.
Fast forward to the next 2 days. While I was home in between my morning and evening training sessions, I was hungry and craving popcorn. I went to the cupboard and pulled out the popcorn box. I spied the protein powder on the counter and thought, ‘what the heck, I need to start increasing my protein anyway.’ I decided to make a protein shake which is something I have not done in years. I found the vanilla flavor to actually not have that dreaded chemical aftertaste. I went back to the gym and finished off my evening schedule. The next 2 days, I made a concoction of frozen banana and protein powder with a little natural peanut butter as a snack. I must say, I felt great all week, had absolutely NO cravings, taught great classes with energy to spare, and kicked my cold’s butt!
I decided that I need to eat better myself and make sure that I am getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals. I eat well most of the time and usually get plenty of fruits and veggies. I decided though that I need to make more of a concentrated effort to get better snacks in to help my body recover from all the classes and workouts I do each week. I called my friend and ordered the protein powder, bars, fruit and veggie drinks, and energy drink. This product is called Isagenix. I will offer it in the gym to those that want to make a concentrated effort with their nutrition.
Those that have known me for a while, will wonder why I have decided to start using protein supplements after all this time of me saying you don’t need them if you eat properly. Here is the truth, I certainly don’t eat properly ALL of the time and will quite frequently pick and fight cravings. I also decided that I want to make a concentrated effort to increase my protein intake to try and build a little bit more lean muscle. We will be heading into the warmer weather and I want to focus a little bit more on getting myself where I try to always get my clients. It’s time I focus a little on my own health and fitness for a change.
I also know how much a lot of people struggle with the nutrition aspect of fitness. By keeping myself more up on the trends and trying things on myself, I believe I can better help my clients. And my goal at all times is to help and do right by my clients.
I have also been doing more research on competing and different styles of workouts. I do not ever want to get stagnant. I want to keep learning and growing. I absolutely love this industry and my clients and will do whatever I can to make them keep advancing and getting fitter and leaner.
Have a great week everyone and make sure to get those workouts in! Keep that focus and push! Summer and short season is just around the corner!
Corinne
9:23 pm est
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Halfway through February
Hi guys,
Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. I have been SUPER busy! I just got back from a 4 day fitness conference in New York City. I love attending conferences! I get to meet and mingle with other fitness professionals and I always come home refreshed, full of new ideas, and recharged! This conference was no different. I was able to do more kettle bell classes with the great Paul Katami who is a well known trainer to the stars out in LA and also has several workout DVDs. I was able to take his Katami Kettlebell core class which utilizes a kettle bell and works the core and entire body beginning in a standing position and ending in positions on the floor and knees. It was a fantastic class. I also was able to do his Build and Burn class again which is a class utilizing a step and a kettle bell. This class has segments of muscle burning and segments of cardio all utilizing the same kettle bell. It was hyped as the best class of the whole conference and was sold out plus had a waiting list. I don’t know if I would agree it was the best class because I was able to take some other very good classes too and can not pick out one as THE BEST.
I was also able to take Keoni Hubdoba’s signature class called DRENCHED. Wow what a great class that was! This class utilized karate and MMA moves and was set to choreography. While I probably don’t have a lot that I will use from that particular part, his ending part which consisted of suicide sets of burpees, push ups, walking planks, planks, and mountain climbers will definitely be used! His energy and enthusiasm was also AMAZING!
Of course, the whole point of going to this particular conference was to get more work in with the TRX suspension system and TRX rip trainer. I can highly say, “mission accomplished!” I learned some fantastic class formats to further challenge all my clients and classes! I was also able to get quite a bit of work in with the Rip trainer. I absolutely LOVE this new tool! Every conference I attend introduces me to new things and I come home with a new love! The Boston Balance introduced me to TRX in the first place which made me end up purchasing 21 feet of multi mount and 16 straps. It also introduced me to Plyo Power which is easily now one of my most popular classes at my gym! I was also introduced to Kettlebell Concepts which I later pursued my Level 1 and Level 2 certifications through and totally changed the way I train. The ECA/ Thrive in Fort Lauderdale introduced me to Paul Katami and mixed up my kettle bell class more. This conference has given me a new love in the TRX rip trainer and I will be purchasing a portable base unit that I can use inside or out and also 4 more rip trainers. I have a TON of ideas in the way that I want to utilize the TRX rip in different various classes!
I think the most important thing I took away from this conference did not have anything to do with an exercise, routine, or prop. What I think the most important thing I took away from this conference is the way I will COACH my clients. Watching the interaction of the other instructors and learning how they cue and motivate will definitely be utilized and I think is one of the most important things I picked up at the conference. A big shout out to all the guys from TRX, Marc Coronel, Fraiser Quelch,, and Susana Pata for the terrific guidance, enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge each one of them brought to each class. You guys are truly the best at what you do!
Okay, so what else is new at Body Revolution? I had the chance to meet with fellow Fit Pro, Abington School Principle, and Cathy Savage coach, Nichole Rich. Cathy Savage is THE NAME in the fitness and figure competition and modeling world. Everyone knows that I am and have always been anti supplement. I’ve always said, you can get everything your body needs in a well rounded diet. Except for certain populations like burn victims, cancer patients, pregnant women, elite athletes, a healthy diet is more than enough for good nutrition. However, I have 2 girls that are training for upcoming fitness shows and they do require more protein than the average person to build lean muscle. I have always recommended to this population to get a protein shake in after a workout to help recovery and build muscle. Because of this and the fact that Cathy Savage encourages the Isagenix nutrition line to all her girls, I decided to go ahead and meet with Nichole to learn more about this particular nutritional supplementation line. I learned about the different products this line provides and how they can be utilized to help the girls get ready to hit the stage. They also carry lines for weight loss. I still firmly stand behind my previous thinking that if you are eating a well balanced diet, that is all you need. But I have also learned in the previous 4 years that I have been doing weight loss challenges, that some people need more direction and guidance with the nutrition part. So, I will be offering some of the products from the lines. I also took a step back and thought to myself that maybe I would benefit from some of the products. I tend to work 12-14 hour days and do up to 3 workouts a day teaching different classes. That alone puts me out of the general population. So I will be looking into their vitamins, stress relief formula, and energy shots which are basically electrolytes that you add to plain water.
Okay, so on to the challenge! We will be having our 4 week weigh in this Wednesday. We have some really good percentages of body weight lost already! I am looking forward to this week’s weigh in. This is school vacation week and a couple of challengers will be away. I am confident that the tools that I have given them will help while they are away from the gym! Congrats to Nancy for winning 2 of the 3 weekly biggest percentage lost challenges and for Maureen for winning 1 of them. We are having some really good efforts both in the gym and outside of the gym! Keep that focus guys! You can follow the challengers and the workouts we do here at Body Revolution by watching TCAM every Thursday evening at 9pm on local cable channel 22. Past episodes are also available on TCAM and my you tube site. Go to www.bodyrevolutiontaunton.com and look for the Link section to find the link to my you tube channel.
Have a great week everyone and get that workout in!
Corinne
12:37 pm est
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Just Getting Started!
Hi guys,
Week one of the Winter Challenge is done. I must say that this is an amazing group of challengers! The enthusiasm and energy is absolutely amazing! We have had perfect attendance the past week and most are even getting some extra in. I hope we continue on this path because we will have some great success stories if they keep it up! I am so honored and proud to get to do what I do! There is nothing better in this world than helping someone.
Tomorrow will be our second day filming and our second weigh in. Usually the first week pulls big weight loss numbers. I hope we have great success! We will be doing a partner challenge tomorrow. I love doing challenges with the challengers because it brings out their competitive spirit and they all work extra hard. I expect tomorrow to be no different!
We had our first Health and Fitness Open House today…what a huge success! It was great to see all the new faces! I am extremely lucky to have my Pilates instructor and co-trainer, Deb Young at Body Revolution. I am also so fortunate to have Yoga instructor, Ann Brock. I also brought in another trainer, Vincent Roberson. He is also TRX-STC certified and will be taking on new clients and running the kids’ TRX class. I also am super lucky to have found my new Zumba instructor, Lisa Sullivan. I really look forward to Zumba doing well at Body Revolution like I know it will! I really like the energy these guys bring to the gym!
Okay so I have a new challenge for you all: I want everyone to try a new class or exercise that is out of your comfort zone. I think it is a great way to expand your horizons and grow. Plus, you may find something new that you love and can’t live without! Face your fears and discomfort head on and just go for it!
Wishing everyone peace, happiness, and health in the upcoming year. Hold your family and friends close and make friends with your enemies. Have a great week and see you all soon.
Corinne xo
8:36 pm est
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Ready, Set, GO!
Hi guys,
We started the Winter Weight Loss Challenge yesterday. We met at the gym and went over the schedule and had our nutrition talk. Then we headed over to the beautiful, new Trucchis in Middleboro to put the challengers to the test to see how much they had learned during the nutrition speech. We split into teams and each team had to pick the healthiest meal they could find. I could not name a winner because everyone did great! We also did our “before pictures.” We had 7 people begin the challenge yesterday and we are suppose to have Mr. Casey Medas rejoining us with a surprise guest tomorrow evening. I can’t wait to see who he brings this time! We are very fortunate to have TCAM TV rejoining us again. They will be filming the weigh ins and part of the group workouts every Monday evening. I cannot wait to get started! We have a couple of challenge newbies joining us this time around. Welcome Becca and Angela!
So how are those New Year resolutions coming along? Are you starting to settle into a pattern with the exercise and planning your food? Are you sleeping better and do you have more energy? Those are the 2 big differences you should be feeling right now if you have started a healthier lifestyle change. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment if you are expecting large losses in weight at this point. It will take a good 6 weeks of CONSISENT exercise and nutrition before you start to really notice a change in your body. At this point, you should be focusing on how much better you are feeling and how the workouts are not as tough as that first week. Focus on how much healthier you feel and how much stronger your muscles are getting. Maybe at this point you are able to do a little bit more in the exercise department. Maybe you can squeak out one push up on your toes right now. It’s a start! Keep it up and pretty soon you will be able to squeak out two pushups! How is your diet going? I don’t mean a diet where you limit food amounts and only eat lettuce. I mean are you focusing on whole foods in their natural states? That is a great place to start. Pick one unhealthy food or habit you do on a daily basis and replace it with something healthier. Do you drink coffee with cream and sugar? Replace the cream with 2% milk and try a sugar substitute. Once you have accomplished this without feeling deprived, move onto another unhealthy food. Keep at it. They say it takes 3 weeks to learn a habit so give yourself credit and time. Know that you are making a positive change in your body. You deserve it!
Okay, need some help or maybe a little extra motivation? Want to check out a new class? We will be having a Health and Fitness Open House next weekend! Saturday we will be having our regular SPINtensity class as well as an additional pilates class at 10am. Sunday will be spin at 9am followed by beginner spin at 10am. Yoga is on for 9am as usual. !0am will feature my new Skilz n Drilz class followed by TRX suspension training. We will also be trialing Zumba at 10am. Monday evening we have kettle bells at 5:15p followed by Flirty Girl Fitness Dance at 6pm. Spin is at 7pm. We also have kids yoga ages 6-9 at 5pm. Come down and try out a class! Please sign up on the sign up tab for classes.
Have a terrific week and see you all soon!
Corinne
5:48 pm est
Sunday, January 13, 2013
So You Want to be a Personal Trainer?
Hi guys,
I love being able to write this blog and being able to share with you all everything that is going on at the gym. I also love to write about more personal things sometimes too. The beauty is that I get to state my experiences and opinions, but you get to choose if you want to read it. I may not necessarily always be politically correct but I try to keep an open mind and try to remain aware of other peoples’ feelings and opinions. I was running this morning and my mind was wandering to what I would write about this week in my blog. I decided I would share with you all how to be successful in this business. Now I know that I hardly know a lot about growing a business. I do not have a business background and I believe a lot of my success has come from hard work, drive, and some has come from luck. I have done my fair share of “paying my dues.“ I have taught classes and small groups for only a few people and have not even made the minimal hourly rate that is fair compensation for a trainer. I taught a half hour upper body class at my former gym for a mere $5 for almost a year. I did it because I loved teaching it and sharing what I had learned. I was told by another trainer at the same gym that you “never get clients from class.” Well that proved to be wrong because not only did I get clients, those clients expanded into whole families. One of those clients that I got from that class is still with me today….almost 4 years later! I recently had a weekly raffle to win a free training session with me so that people could see exactly what it is that I do and how I can help them. I know that I would never be successful in other businesses because I do not have the skills or drives in other fields. But I DO know how to train clients and get them results.
First let me just say that the start of the new year has been extremely challenging already. My other go-to trainer has chosen to pursue a different career path than Body Revolution. That leaves me accommodating some of her clients as well as being down a spin instructor. Next, my boot camp instructor and I have had a mutual, amicable parting. Both ladies share the same passion for fitness and I am sure will do well with whatever they chose to do. I however am very actively looking for another spin instructor and I am also looking to add another trainer that wants to help grow with Body Revolution. I want someone that not only shares the same passion of fitness that I do, but that also wants to keep learning and growing and has the experience and skills to benefit all the members and clients of Body Revolution. It is a tough order to fill but I only want the best for the members and clients. Meanwhile, I myself am up to over 50 appointments a week and the referrals keep coming in. I will continue to work hard and accommodate as much as I possibly can.
I have done a lot of reading lately by the leaders in the fitness industry and the one recent article that I have found especially interesting is by Todd Durkin who is not only a personal trainer to the top athletes in the world, but also an author and motivational speaker/ coach. It is an article about how to grow your personal training business. I found this article to come out at the perfect time because I often hear from other trainers, “I can’t grow.” So how does one grow in this profession? Well the number one thing you need to do is to treat all your clients like gold. They are the reason you have work. Accommodate them and their schedules and treat them fair. Keep their objectives and goals in mind while you are working with them but also address their own personal strengths and weaknesses. Keep them happy and most importantly, keep them healthy. Know what their likes and dislikes are and challenge them just enough to push them and help them advance, but also know when to back off so that you do not turn them off to training. Also, and this is the most important thing, get them results. If they are meeting their goals you will keep them happy. If you can get other people in their lives to notice their improvements, you will get more interest in them wanting to seek out your services. Our clients are our walking billboard advertisements. If they are happy and get results, their friends and family will notice and ask them what they have been doing. This is where you will get more clients.
Okay so we work hard for our clients, they are staying injury free and getting results and are happy. What else? This is not in the article but all the successful trainers I have had the privilege to meet and know do this and that is SELF PROMOTE. They often blog or tweet about their classes, training, and their own workouts. Clients will not seek out your services if you yourself are going elsewhere for your workouts or promoting other instructor classes or gyms. Of course you need to stay on top of the latest in fitness industry so attending fitness workshops and conferences is a must. Learn as much as you can about the human body and how to adapt training to clients with different restrictions. Learn how to not only train those individuals, but also learn how you can lessen their restrictions’ impact and improve their quality of life. Everyone will benefit from physical activity that is tailored specifically to them. Learn from the professionals in the field that have the scientific documentation and studies to back up what they teach. This is such an amazing field! There is so much to learn and it always evolving and changing!
Lastly, have a PASSION for what you do. Make sure that you practice what you preach. Clients won’t seek out a trainer that does not take care of themselves. I don’t think passion can be learned or faked. You either have it or you don’t. If you do not have passion for the fitness industry, maybe it is not the career for you. Find what it is that makes your heart sing and pursue it. It took me almost 40 years to determine this. Remember, if you do what you are passionate about, you are almost guaranteed to succeed at it and do well.
I hope to see you all at the gym this week. The gym has been bustling with activity and everyone has a new focus on improving their fitness and health. Just a reminder that the Winter Challenge will be starting next Saturday morning. It consists of 10 weeks of 4 sessions a week of small group training. We always have a lot of fun and the results speak for themselves….average percentage of weight lost is 10%. It is also a great value. If you are ready to change your life and get healthy, contact me asap! I only have 2 spots open.
Have a great week and see you all soon.
Corinne
4:42 pm est
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Ready, Set, Get Fit!
Hi guys,
We are well into January and those New Year’s resolutions. Even when I was a member at a local gym, I never dreaded the spike in attendance at the gym. I love people and love seeing them trying to better their health. There is always a new enthusiasm to get fit and lose weight this time of year. Now that I own my own training studio and do personal training as well as instruct classes, I love it even more. Everyone has goals to lose some weight or get fit. My job and goal for all these new people coming in is to pace them, encourage them, and keep them from overdoing it and getting injured. I have several new people that are just starting with. We sit down and together make up a plan to get them to their goal without getting burnt out or injured. We take into account their starting fitness level, past injuries, and restrictions, and come up with a plan that suits not only their body, but also their work and family commitments. All the classes, conferences, and certifications I have taken over the past fall, get put to good use now.
So what can the general, moderately fit person without restrictions do to get fitter and healthier?
First, understand that to be fit means more than just being “skinny.” To be truly fit, you need to get some cardio work in. What is the best way to do this? That depends on the person and what they like to do. It could be running, swimming, the elliptical, treadmill, or classes such as spinning. Find an activity that you enjoy and that you have access to and get to it! You should aim for 3 non-consecutive days of 30-45 minutes in the beginning. After a few weeks, increase it to 4 days a week. After a few more, you can add another day or even 2. The current recommendation of the surgeon general is to do at least a half hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Just be sure to take pace yourself getting there. Remember, your body also needs days off to recover. It is during those recovery days that the body repairs its muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons and gets stronger. Even when you are up to 6 days of activity, you should vary your workouts so that muscle groups get a rest.
Besides cardio, which strengthens the heart, lungs, and keeps our weight in check, what else should we be doing? Strength training is very important and sometimes overlooked. After the age of 25, we start losing muscle mass. This translates into decrease strength, endurance, and increased fat storage. Now you don’t have to head to the gym and start using machines or dumb bells to get strength training in even though these are excellent ways to do that. If you do not have access to a gym or weights intimidate you, you can do some simple body weight exercises to keep up your strength and muscles. The top 4 exercises I would recommend are: Pull ups, push ups, squats, and lunges. If you do not know how to do these properly and safely, you can ask a trainer to help show you the proper way to do them so that you do not get hurt. Lunges in particular must be done right to keep the knees healthy. Another great way to get strength training in is with the weights of course and also with kettle bells and the TRX suspension system. Machines and circuits set up in a gym are a good way to start but shouldn’t be the only way to get your strength training in. Make sure you change up your routine every 4-6 weeks to challenge your body and keep progressing. Also, if you are using weights, make sure you pick a weight heavy enough that the last few reps are difficult. Always make sure to watch your form so that you get the most out of the exercise and do not get hurt. Kettle bells are one of my favorite ways to get in a strength session along with cardio and flexibility training. Please just make sure that you check with a trainer certified specifically in kettle bell instruction before using kettle bells! The TRX suspension system is also another great way to get in strength training with flexibility. It is safe for everyone. Again get instruction first. You should be doing some type of strength training AT LEAST 2 days a week.
Flexibility is also very important for fitness. It helps to keep your joints and muscles pliable and also helps prevent injuries. Make sure to stretch after every exercise session. Another way to incorporate stretching in with your workout is to try yoga or pilates. Both will give you some strength training and flexibility combined. They are also great for the mind, muscle connection. I also really like the TRX suspension system for a combined strength and flexibility workout.
Those are the 3 parts of fitness that need to be done to keep you healthy, happy, and fit! Remember to always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Also make sure to increase frequency and intensity gradually so as to not get injured. Give your body a day off from exercise completely once a week and make sure to feed your body a healthy diet full of lean proteins, high fiber grains, and tons of fruits and veggies. Make sure to get enough sleep to help your body repair itself.
Happy and healthy and fit New Year!
Corinne
4:40 pm est