By Fitness Editor Paula Jager CSCS
I am pleased to announce that we have received almost 20 entries for the Fall Fitness Challenge and it is now underway!
Even if you have not entered The Fall Fitness Challenge formally by sending me before pictures with your body fat measurements etc, you can still do this challenge informally by following along with the requirements and update posts each week.
A few questions I’ve been asked. . .
Food Logs: I will offer feedback to any that request it; due to the time consuming nature of reviewing a log you must kept it at www.fitday.com. You will need to make your journal public and send me a friend request (my username is pjager). You must then send me your username and password. That will allow me to view it. This is not mandatory–only if you want feedback on your nutritional intake.
What to eat and how much: A very quick summation or review of the foods to eat are pastured meats, fish, fowl and their fats, vegetables, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Quantity? That which will support activity but not body fat.
Lack of time & other excuses: I may not home school 6 kids but I have sufficient energy to almost single handedly run a business with over 80 clients and 6 coaches working 12 to 14 hours a day. I cook the majority of my family’s meals, render lard, make bone broth, workout 4 to 5 times a week and am 51 years old. Am I a little tired at times, challenged to get enough sleep and find downtime? Yes, yes and yes. But if I did not eat right, exercise and make sleep a priority I would not be able to meet the demands of my life and neither will you. So send over your excuses–I am an expert at negating them and offering solutions to overcoming your obstacles.
Now that we’ve got that covered let’s focus on the exercise portion because you are going to need to move!
Everyone is at different fitness levels, different places in their lives, different schedules and some faced with medical or orthopedic concerns that others are not. Respect where you are at, begin at a comfortable level and push yourself in an intelligent and progressive manner.
There are many ways and paths to exercise. Choose what is best for you.
Creative Work Out Ideas
For those with a gym membership and/or access to equipment: Lift weights 2-3x a week using compound movements. A compound movement works multiple muscle groups, which is how they work in life or sport. Examples of compound movements are squats, bench presses, over head presses, bent over rows and deadlifts. Throw in some lunges, dips and pull ups. Aim for 2-4 sets of 6 to 12 reps for general purposes. Get some cardiovascular exercise in 2 to 3 times a week, making 1 day some type of sprinting. Sprinting can be done on the pavement, a trail, biking, swimming, rowing or other cardio machines. Throw in some plyometrics. You can combine the cardio modes with the weights for a time efficient circuit or crossfit type workout. There are no hard and fast rules; mix and match, get creative, have fun and challenge yourself.
For those with limited equipment or working out at home: Check out these simple workouts that can be done anywhere, anytime with little to no equipment. or contact me [email protected] and I will send you a pdf of over 100 workouts you can do almost anywhere. I would rx installing a pull up bar at home or in your garage along with assistance bands for working your back or pulling musculature. Bands can be purchased at www.ironwoodyfitness.com
Other avenues:  Take a yoga class, tai chi, play basketball, racquetball, softball or any other sport of your choosing with friends and family. Go for long walks but make sure you exert some effort and are not house walking (which btw is the pace you would walk around your house)–breathing must be labored and talking should be somewhat difficult.
Lift heavy things:  So you don’t have any weights–look around your house; fill up a bag with sand and carry it on your shoulder or overhead as you walk around the neighborhood. Fill up an empty milk jug with water and squat or lunge with it. You can hold in it in front of your chest like a goblet or overhead for an added core challenge. Pick up a sledgehammer if you have one in your garage and beat something (like an old tire) or push your car. There are many things you can do; again, be creative.
Reader Feedback: Let’s hear about some of your creative workouts that you put together for this challenge using objects such as above from around the house. Share your tips in the comments section and we’ll learn from each other while offering support.
Next week:  Both Sarah and I will be posting one of our favorite healthy recipes and we’d like to hear yours. Please send me a recipe that falls into the above guidelines for the challenge to [email protected] and I will post a few next week along with ours.
Until next week–now let’s get sweating!
Hi Peggy,
A good quality sour cream or cottage cheese is fine in moderate quanities as part of total daily intake. Absolutely on your own tomatoes. Making it yourself is usually best but there are some good quality products out there and only so much time.
Meant to cover the “sprinting” topic. Sprinting can be “running”, biking, rowing or any type of cardio machine. You would warm up well for about 5 to 7 mins making sure you break a light sweat and go all out for a length of time 10 to 60 s for example and then go at a much lower intensity or rest completely for recovery (1 to 3 x as long). Repeat for 4 to 10 times. No hard rules, start slowly with this if you are not used to intensity and build from there.
I am part of this challenge and I have a few questions. Can we have dairy products such as sour cream or cottage cheese that does not mention pasturized but says cultured milk? What about our own canned goods. My canned tomatoes are organic and the only thing I added to the jars was real salt. Can I drink store bought Kombucha or buy any other fermented products such as kimchi? I know it’s a lot of questions I just want to make sure I don’t eat anything I am not allowed. You also mentioned sprinting one day a week. Do you mean running or are there other types of sprinting we can incorporate? Thank you so much for doing this challenge, I have been meaning to do something like this but always had an excuse to not start.
hi paula,
im veronica. im in a wheelchair at present but id like to build up my knees and calves. i do walk around a little. with a walker.i have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. i have stopped taking statins.(as ive read so much about it) the RA shows normal but i guess the statins have affected me i did take them for over two years. i had 2 strokes. the last one was way back in august last year. i have a lot ofmilk kefir and water kefir. im having kombucha, beet kvass and a lot of fermented veggiies. i try having the fermented veggies at least twice a day.i do have a lot of bone broth and fish head soup. i try having this at least 2 – 3 times a day.well thats my diet so far.so can u please help me . i also sit at lest 15 mins a day in the sunshine before 10. please help id be really greatful. god bless.
veronica.
Hi Veronica,
Sounds like you are doing a lot of good things nutritionally to help with healing the body. Are you trying to lose or maintain your weight?
As far as exercising goes you definitely want to get some type of a program going. Due to orthopedic limitations I would highly recommend working with a physical therapist initially and a qualified trainer thereafter to set you up on a proper program that you can continue on your own.
Keep me posted.
i have sent a email to paula and ive received a falure notice.
Not sure why Veronica. I have received emails from others. Try either of these addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]
Paula,
I’ve been eating low carb these last 3 days and keeping my food journal. Am I aiming to cut calories or just eat low carb? Or both? I know that there are differing opinions out there on this issue, but what is your take on it?
thanks,
Frances
Hi Frances,
That depends on your goals, current weight/body fat, activity level, genetics and what you were previously eating. You never want to cut calories too low and you definitely want to get some carbs from vegetables and fruit–how much will vary between individuals depending on the above factors. Let me know when you have a week logged in fitday/your username and I will take a look at it.
Hi Paula,
Thanks so much for doing this! It really is going to be extremely helpful, as I just had to quit my swim team because the coach is far too up-tight, screamming at the kids and making us feel like we’re walking on egg shells, trying not to mess up lest we get screamed at some more! You know, I know he eats a low-fat diet; poor guy is probably in desperate need of some butter! But anyway, I want my exercizing experience to be a time to let go of stress, and not build up more! When I realized I was starting to really dread going to practice, I quit the team.
I am now going to be working out mostly independently, with a few group training sessions (a group of my friends get together and do a Cross-fit style workout a few times a week, and I also do a few yoga & spinning classes). However, with swimming, I’ve been used to 2-3 hours of pretty intense exercize a day, 6 days a week. I’m really going to need to keep my workouts very intense to stay in the kind cardio-vascular shape that I’m in right now, but I’d also really like to work weight lifting in, as the only strength training I’ve been doing have been bodyweight-type things. Any suggestions on what would be good things for me to add to my workouts?
Thanks so much,
Ariel
LOL, I bet he did need some butter!
Believe me, if done “right” your strength and interval training workouts can be 3+x as intense and well under 45 mins. In fact, the intensity is one you could not maintain for the duration of your previous workouts. In workouts of your previous duration you are only taxing your oxidative system while neglecting the CP and glycolytic systems. Your cardiovascular shape should improve.
Add heavy weights and compound lifts. If you are not familiar with them hire a qualified trainer initially as they must be done correctly and intelligently to get results and avoid injury.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Ariel
I’m excited to follow along informally. We’re working as a family to make sure we get in daily activity, but I want to take it to another level personally. I’m ready to feel better. Thanks for doing this series.
Can I still formally enter?
We had a deadline. I’ve gotten 2 requests today. I just hate to say no since we are only 2 days into it so please get your photos/entry details in my midnight today. And good luck!
Fall Fitness Challenge Part 2: Time to Move It! – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/H3tHIjtb