How to jump start your fall workout plan and stay motivated

October 13, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

Summer is officially over, which means, the wonderful season of fall has arrived. It takes longer to get daylight in the morning and it’s almost pitched black by the time you get home from work. The weather starts to cool down and the pants, jackets, tuques, and gloves come back out of the closet. We are all back into the routine of daily life. Wake up, make the kids breakfast, get kids to school, go to work, come home, cook dinner, relax, and go to sleep.

Wait a minute…we missed something there…OH YA…EXERCISE!!!!!!!

Where the heck are we going to make room for that? The darkness and cool temperatures make it a lot harder to get ourselves out of bed in the morning for our daily walks, runs, gym sessions, or bike rides.  So, you tell yourself you will do it after work, but by then its dark and cold outside and your tired from a long day at the office.

I have heard every excuse in the book about what’s preventing people from exercising and eating right. I really have. But, I also know first hand what it takes to get around those excuses. Here are a few examples of the most common excuses I get when it comes to lack of exercise and poor eating habits.

Excuse # 1: It’s too cold outside.

If your one of those people, who hates the cold weather, try an indoor spin class, bootcamp, yoga, circuit, or core class. There are a lot of options out there for the price of a Starbucks Venti latte and a pastry.

Excuse #2: I lack motivation.

Try working out with a buddy or going to a group class. It’s a lot easier to motivate yourself to get out the door when you know you have someone else waiting for you. You won’t let them down. Another good way to stay motivated is to write your goals down on a piece of paper and put them  on the fridge and at your work desk. If you constantly see what it is you ultimately want, you are more likely keep focused and make it happen.

Excuse # 3: I am so tired after work.

If you are one of those people who lack energy after work, I’ll pay you $100 if you go exercise and don’t feel energized afterwards. No matter how tired I am, if I just get out the door and start moving, I am instantaneously filled with energy. You will come home and your kids won’t know what hit them. Also, if I am tired after work, I am less likely to make something healthy for dinner. I am more likely to order out. If I have exercised, I have more patience to cook. Furthermore, I am more likely to cook up something healthy for all that hard work I just did.

Don’t let your energy slip during the day. Keep snacks on hand and eat at least once every 4 hours and try to have a snack in between. A good example of things to keep on hand: a handful of nuts, dried fruit, crackers and peanut butter, or an Elevate Me protein Bar!

Excuse # 4: There is no food in the house.

I get this one all the time. Write down 6-7 healthy and nutritious meals you are going to cook that week. Post them on the fridge so that they are in clear view. When you go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week, buy everything you need to make those meals. Then when you come home, all the ingredients will be on hand. If your children are old enough, get them to help with dinner. They can start preparing food while you are on your way home from work or your workout. One of the best things to do is take a couple hours on one of your days off to cook. Prepare a few meals you can put in the freezer. Pull it out in the morning or when you get home from work. Make a nice salad or steamed veggies to go along with it and presto, you have yourself/family a nice healthy meal.

Excuse # 5: Someone has to look after the kids.

Set up a plan with your partner. Maybe you do your exercise in the morning while he gets the kids ready for school, and he can do his exercise after work. Better yet, get the family together for some exercise. Take them for a nice walk, run, or bike ride.

There you have it, a list of excuses and the solutions to help you work around them. The best thing you can do is set a goal(s), identify barriers, and implement strategies to avoid those barriers. Set short and long term goals. A long term goal might be to train and finish a 10 km running event. A short term goal would be to run 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Remind yourself of your goals everyday because you are more likely to see them through to fruition.

Until next time,

Nicola Gildersleeve

Personal Trainer/ Endurance Coach

Elevate Me Ambassador/Athlete

http://www.ngildersleeve.blogspot.com

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New blogger/athlete/ambassador: Nicola Gildersleeve

October 6, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

I first off want to say how tremendously excited I am to be an Elevate Me athlete/ambassador. Not only have I been using Elevate Me energy bars as fuel for years now, I have also had the pleasure of knowing the owner’s, Trish and Earl Ellingson.

I first discovered Elevate Me organic energy bars through a friend I worked with at North Shore Athletics. He was diagnosed with Celiac disease a few years ago and had to change his diet drastically. One of the things he was able to fuel himself on were Elevate Me health bars. Besides being Gluten-Free they are packed with whey protein, making them the perfect snack on the go for a hungry athlete. I have experimented with a lot of different energy bars and Elevate Me protein bars are THE BEST! My favorite is the Acai Berry Bar.

Background:

I grew up playing team sports, mainly soccer and basketball. After high school I went on to play Varsity Basketball at Capilano College for 2 years. It was during these years that I discovered my passion for running. After College, I trained for my first marathon and I absolutely fell in love with the sport. I went on to work at North Shore Athletics and a co-worker introduced me to Ultramarathon running. Since then, I haven’t looked back and have run distances such as 50km, 50 miles, and 100km. I hope to run my first 100 miler in 2010! Many of the ultramararthon’s I have done are on the trails. I love spending time running in nature and it is definitely where I feel most at ease.  There is something magical about running in the trees listening to the sounds of the river flowing along side the trail.

After Capilano College I transferred to U.B.C to finish my Human Kinetics Degree. I ran on the track and field/cross country team for 2 years. I currently work as a Personal Trainer and run coach in North Vancouver. I work with a wide variety of clientele who have their own individual goals.  Some people want to lose weight, improve core strength, learn to run, and/or gain strength and improve balance and flexibility. I am also a Certified Lactate Threshold Tester through F.a.C.T Canada. This certification allows me to measure your current level of fitness and provide training recommendation based on your own personal physiology.

I am very passionate about health and fitness and I am proud to support and promote a health product I believe in.

Past Accomplishments:

2007:

  • Iron Knee 25km: 2nd place female, 16th overall/Time: 1:51 (First time)
  • Knee Knacker 50km: 2nd place female, 14th overall/ Time: 5:48 (PB: 52 minutes)
  • Stormy 50-miler trail race : 1st Place female

2008:

  • Knee Knacker 50km:  1st place female
  • Iron Knee 25km: 1st place female
  • Comfortably Numb: 1st place female
  • Hallow’s Eve 21.2km: 2nd place female
  • Haney to Harrison 100km: 1st place female
  • Giv’r Take Around The Lake 30km: 1st place female

2009:

  • Way Too Cool 50km: 4th place female
  • Iron Knee 25km: 2nd place female
  • SFU 5 peaks 10km: 1st place female

Upcoming Races in 2009:

  • Giv’r Take Around the Lake 30km, 17/10
  • Mountain Masochist 50-mile (Virginia), 07/11

Nicola Gildersleeve
http://www.ngildersleeve.blogspot.com/

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