Spring Shapeup Week 4 - Exercising While on Vacation

After a long and cold winter up here in Canada, I knew that I wanted to take full advantage of the warm weather while I was in Siesta Key, Florida. Before I left for the trip, I looked up different fitness events and classes in the area to see if there was anything that sparked my interest.

Right away I saw something that was up my alley...

Yoga classes on the beach!

Several mornings a week, this instructor does a free class (you can donate if you'd like) for anyone to join. It was an interesting experience doing yoga on a towel with your feet in the sand. You could feel the sun warming you up and hear the water hitting the shore. My sister was even lucky enough to spot a pod of wild dolphins feeding near the water's edge. It took me awhile to finally spot them too, but when I did it was amazing. You'd never get that in a yoga studio back home!

Most days we had an activity planned that the whole family would like to do, so it was nice to take a breather some mornings and do a little yoga. I felt much more relaxed and centered after each class. I would definitely go to this often if I lived there.

Another activity that I took advantage of while I was there was running. It had been five months since I last had a chance to run outdoors and I relished the opportunity. Its amazing that I only started running last spring, but I already love the feeling of going for one. I'm not a fast runner by any means, but I keep on going anyways!

I started my run on the beach and then made my way back through the neighbourhoods. I saw so many things that I would never see at home! - sandpipers running along the beach, hula girl dolls along kitchen windows, little lizards running across the sidewalks, boats coming in through the canals. There was no shortage of things to keep me interested! This is one of the great motivators for taking a run while I'm on vacation - you'll always see things you won't see at home. Plus, running shoes are just about one of the easiest things to toss in your bag and you can do it just about anywhere.

Being on vacation with my siblings also meant that I wanted to take the time to do some of my exercising with them too. We ended up renting a few kayaks for $25 each and headed down to Turtle Beach.

It had been years since I'd been in one, but both my brother and sister have been going regularly on trips, so they were quick to help me out. I didn't even fall in once!

We kayaked for about three hours, working our way through a series of mangroves around the Jim Neville Marine Preserve. We didn't see any manatees or dolphins, but there were plenty of fish and birds to watch. We even took a little break and pulled our kayaks up onto a secluded beach for a little lunch break. It was so much fun and it felt great to do a fun activity that I don't usually get to do at home.

Another form of exercise that is great to do on vacation is going for a bike ride. Not only to your get to fit in a little heart pumping action, but it also gives you the chance to explore the area that you are visiting.

When we arrived at the rental house they had a couple of bikes, but they needed to be pumped up with air.

This is one of the great things about having a brother who is handy. He can take care of the things that you just don't want to do ;)

I had a great time riding around the island with my brother. We'd go along the surf in the beach (and inevitably get soaked), then we'd work our way through the different neighbourhoods, along the canals and eventually make it back home in time to do the next step...

...hopping in the pool!

Nothing like cooling off after a hot bike ride or run with a nice dip in the pool!

Whatever you do, the key thing is to find ways that you can fit in some physical activity while you're on vacation, but still have fun. Trying something you wouldn't try at home, or look for interesting ways to change up your favorite activities! You'll have some great vacation memories and keep up your fitness as well!

In honour of my vacation, this week's playlist theme is full of beachy songs. The perfect motivations to gear up for bikini season!

1.Soak up the Sun - Sheryl Crowe

2. Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys

3. Steal My Sunshine - Len (Great song by a Toronto band!)

4. Hey Baby - Bruce Channel

5. Good Time - Jessica Andrews

6. Fly - Sugar Ray

7. Wipe Out - The Surfaris

8.Chattahoochee - Alan Jackson

9.Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind

10. Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

Spring Shapeup Week 2 - Strength Training

Like many women, for years I was fearful of strength training. I was afraid of getting "bulky" so I stuck to doing cardio and taking classes. I couldn't have been further from the truth. Building muscle strength is a key component of being in good health and you don't have to fear about getting bulkier. If anything, it will make you look tighter and leaner than ever before. I've found that ever since I started incorporating it into my workouts, I have loved feeling stronger - both physically and mentally.

There are many great health benefits to strength training:
- Improves quality of life - You'll be stronger in your day-to-day activities!
- Increases bone density, which is very important as women get older
- Reduces your risk of diabetes and heart disease
- Strengthens ligaments and tendons, decreasing the likelihood of injury in other activities
- Increase in resting metabolism, making it easier to keep your body fat down, especially as we get older.

The greatest thing that I had to overcome with strength training was my fear of the weight room. These are usually full of more men than women, which can be intimidating, especially if you don't know what you're doing. I've found that its easier to get started on a routine if you go to the gym at a quieter, less busy time and let yourself get acquainted with all the machines. Then when you go to workout it will be less intimated because you don't have to fumble around the equipment in front of other people.

I am an absolute novice at this, so please consult a professional before you take on anything yourself. I am just telling you what I do that works for me and hopefully it will give you ideas of how you can incorporate more strength training and weight lifting into your fitness routine.

My typical routine right now is to alternate my cardio and strength days, while always trying to have a total of:
- 2 days of 30 minutes or more of Cardio (biking, running, swimming, etc)
- 2 days of Strength Training
- 1 day of a class that I enjoy (BodyPump, Pilates, Yoga, etc)
- 2 days off, while trying to stay active (Walking the dog, going on a hike with friends, etc)

For my Strength Training, my very sweet boyfriend put together a great routine that I can do in the weight room at our local gym. He helped me break up the routine into two different days where I can make sure I target all the different muscle groups: Shoulders, Chest, Biceps, Triceps, Back, Legs and Core.

Day 1: Legs, Shoulders & Triceps
- 10-15 minute warm up on the treadmill/elliptical/bike
- Leg Press
- Leg Extensions
- Hamstring Curls
- Calve Raises
- Shoulder Press
- Lateral Raises
- Cable Pushdowns
- Dumbbell Extensions
- Abs
- Stretching

Day 2: Chest, Back & Biceps
- 10-15 minute warm up on the treadmill/elliptical/bike
- Dumbbell Benchpress
- Chest Fly
- Incline Benchpress
- Cable Rows
- Lat Pulldowns
- Dumbbell Rows
- Barbell Curls
- Dumbbell Curls
- Abs
- Stretching

If you would like to see videos on how to do each of these exercises, a great website to check out is the Exercise Guide at Bodybuilding.com. They are not only informative, but also lets you view the videos with either men or women performing the exercises.

Go Marilyn!

One of my goals during this challenge is to increase my strength and I encourage you to try it as well. This week, go to the gym and give strength training a chance! It will take a few sessions to get into it, but once you do you'll start to see and feel the rewards of lifting weights.

This week's playlist theme is Kick Butt Girl Tunes! The perfect mix to make you feel like the strong and capable woman that you are! I also threw in some of the great songs that were submitted in this week's giveaway. Fun pop songs that will push you through this week's workouts!

Week Two Playlist: Kick Butt Girl Tunes
1. Respect - Aretha Franklin
2. All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow
3. Bootylicious - Destiny's Child
4. Stronger - Britney Spears
5. Ready To Run - Dixie Chicks
6. Fighter - Christina Aguilera
7. Survivor - Destiny's Child
8. Wannabe - Spice Girl
9. So What - P!nk
10. Man! I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain

Set up your playlist and go check out that weight room. After a few weeks of adding more strength work to your routine, I'm sure that you'll see a difference.