My Inspire(d) Life

There are no limits

2010-02-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Each time I get to visit my dear friend Paige I'm reminded that there are no limits to our capabilities - only the ones we impose upon ourselves.

Paige and I were trying out the sport of track cycling - yes on a bike, on an oval outdoor track in May of 2008 when she had a freak solo accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The longer version of this story and her life back all of us is at http://caringbridge.org/visit/paigeconnard.

I was fortunate enough to get to know Paige just before her accident as she was one of my clients in a cycling program I ran that taught women how to ride a metric century. She excelled in the program as one of the best and brightest stars, always answering the questions correctly (along with her slightly competitive sister, Laura :)),and exceeding my expectations on the bike.

After the accident and her long road to returning home, I was privileged and honored to be asked by her amazing husband to become her personal trainer. This by the way was my first official personal training client and as with everything I do I took extra special care and handling with Paige. She hated me most days but deep down inside I knew she loved the friendship that was forming and I saw that competitive fire coming back. That willingness to keep trying until she got each move. Painful - yes, tears -yes, but never giving up. Paige is one of the key people in my life who gave me the hope and inspiration to pursue my passion of fitness and today I own my own boot camp business for women! Thank you Paige for inspiring me. (http://inspirefitnessbootcamps.com)

Today, almost 2 years after the accident here's a recap on what Paige is up to;
1) riding a two wheeled, geared bike up and down the hilly hills of her neighborhood
2) jog/walking
3) doing yoga
4) doing spin class
5) Driving a car again!

got the picture -no limits and that's how Paige sees her world. Paige is truly my American Idol.

Inspire Fitness Boot Camps are Starting Soon!

2009-04-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Paige's Inspire(d) workout

2009-03-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Check out my good friend Paige working out today. This is why I named my fitness biz "Inspire" fitness because of strong, motivated, dedicated and committed women that have a desire to get fit.

If you haven't met Paige on my blogs please take a moment to read about the journey her life has taken in the last year -- this will put the video of her workout today in perspective. For Paige's personal story look at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paigeconnard

Get up, get out, and get moving America. If Paige can do it anyone can and anything is possible with hope and determination!

4 day fat loss complete

2009-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Just finished a 4 day modified version of Graeme's 7 day fat loss camp and am happy. For me and my schedule as a busy mom, wife, group-x spin instructor and personal trainer, it's so much easier this way than the 7 day one. I bet if you're reading this you're just as busy and wonder how the heck do you change your eating habits for 7 days.

We talked to Graeme about this on our podcast (see our podcast on the right of this blog) and he gave us some great tips on modifying the same 7 day plan, basically condensing it to 4 days. It works great - you have tons of energy and not feel like it's such a long stretch nor a sacrifice. And the best part of all is that I saw 4 pounds come off in 4 days and never once did I feel starved.

I also started tracking my nutrition via sparkpeople - check us out at Team Paige http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=31470.

Lastly if you want to try the workouts I do, I mainly use the TRX system and cycling as my main workouts and Pilates reformer when I get the time.

Personally, the TRX has made such a difference in how I exercise (good-bye crunches!). The best part is that it costs only about $150, which I consider it a steal because you can get a total body workout with JUST the TRX.

Here’s a link to the TRX Online Store:

http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&AFFIL=inspirefitness

As a bonus for shopping via the link above, you’ll get a $20 ‘Thank You’ Certificate that you can use for a future purchase at fitnessanywhere.com to be used for future purchases (that’s more than half of the cost of a Training Program (DVD/Guide).

Let me know how you train!

Turning Wheels for Kids

2008-12-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a memorable day of giving back to children in need. We participated in the Turning Wheels for Kids event in San Jose, Ca. where 600 volunteers come together each year to build 2000 brand new shiny bikes for children in need. \

Not only did I learn how to put together bikes of all types, (my favorite was the Incredibles bike complete with the eye mask, fanny pack, and shiny wheel covers) and we got to watch some pretty incredible children get to hand pick their new bikes out. To see the smiles on their faces as they rode around the convention hall floor, knowing that this may be their first bike (hopefully not their last) and to be able to be a small part of bringing such an enjoyable activity into their lives is pretty amazing.

so, check out the pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/33345998@N07/sets/72157611265248312/

ps-I have lots to blog about - just been too busy with holiday stuff. But the great news on the personal side is that I completed the 7 day fat loss with some remarkable results - for me at least and will be sharing those soon so stay posted.

until then, have a safe and happy holiday.

Joy

Another week

2008-11-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Another busy week - where does the time go!

Saturday - ran 2 miles, Sunday - Wii fit (ok a girl has to add some fun in), and a 2 mile walk
Monday - strength workout
Tuesday - Spin class
Wednesday - 2 mile run (track and hills) and TRX workout after
Thursday - 11 mile bike ride and TRX workout

I am looking forward to starting the Fat Loss Bootcamp post-thanksgiving and am gearing up mentally for it now!

Great day for exercise in California!

2008-11-15T12:51:00.001-08:00

Wow! What a gorgeous day we're having in Northern California. Absolutely picture perfect day for exercise so I had some coffee and decided to take my lab for a run near our home. It's a beautiful paved and sandy trail about 1/2 mile to the end and my dog just loves it. It sits at about 1100 ft. elevation and gains about 250 feet at the peak so it's a really easy place to run. I ended up doing just over 2.09 miles and averaged a 10 min pace. I'm just getting into this running thing as part of my cross training for cycling so it's a nice diversion and helps me mix things up a bit. My goal is to do a 5k (yes Angela I will do this in 2009) at a sub 30 minute finish. We'll see!

After the short run I came home and did a circuit workout with my 8 and 1 1 year old boys --- talk about some energy. They have it oozing out of their pores and for some reason they think their mom is about 12 also. I think I did impress them with my atomic pushups though and the planks :)

ok, gotta go study and get some stuff done while my boys are out with Dad.
enjoy your weekend everyone.

Busy week

2008-11-14T16:00:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted last! I'd love to say I've been on some exotic trip but in reality I've just been too busy to post. A good busy though and I've been doing lots of exercising - really mixing things up with a great variety of stuff.
Let's see if I can recall the last week;
Friday - TRX and Graeme Neuro Muscular drills
Saturday - ab work
Sunday - taught Spin class 1 hour
Monday - Day off with my boys
Tuesday - Taught Spin class and 1 hour of Yoga
Wednesday - Ran for 2 miles and TRX workout, Strength workout (Graeme) + Kates 1 hour Yoga
Thursday - 1 hour hill workout (Graeme's pedaling techniques) + TRX workout
Friday - Circuit work at the park + 1/2 hour TRX workout

I am going to start the Fat Loss camp (this will be my 2nd time) as soon as I receive the "Lean Out" supplements Graeme mentioned. I've never tried these before and am curious to see if it'll help me get leaner. I feel I'm getting some great muscle and core strength and am seeing gains in my flexibility so I'm encouraged.

Cyclo Speed and TRX today

2008-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today I invited a girlfriend over (so much more fun when you have a buddy to workout with) and we did Graeme's Cyclo-Speed workout. Started with the Neuro Muscular Warm-up, then the Advanced Neuro Drills, then onto Disc 1 for the Power and Strength workouts Circuits 1 and 2. Then a few mins. of TRX and done! In total a little over an hour workout - a little bit of cardio, some great balance drills, and strength stuff thrown in.

Weather's good again and I'd like to get out and ride but too busy studying and family/mommie duties call me.

gotta run for now.

Keep mixing it up

2008-11-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

It would have been so easy to just sit by the fireplace today and study and take a pass on working out, after all I had taught Spin class yesterday and got a great workout so I did have some excuses built in. But then a little voice (sounded like Graeme to me) said "if you want to get fitter and stronger for next season you must do the hard workouts".

The nice thing is that I have a bajillion DVDs, CDs, etc to choose from - comes with being a personal trainer I guess. So I went to the Cyclo-Core DVDs and selected the Zen Power Yoga/Spin workout. Boy...I had not done that one in a while and let me tell ya' Graeme is not kidding when he says that last interval #5 on the bike will be the hardest! It was and I could definitely feel the cardiac drift (and you'll see it on the graph prob.).
The Yoga warm-up and cool down was absolutely perfect and I actually feel like I'm getting a bit more flexible, only due to the stretching and yoga that I've been doing from Graeme's workouts. The one thing I know for sure is that you have to continually mix it up so that your body continues to guess and can continue to get stronger and fitter. Thanks Graeme for providing us with such a variety of intense and fun workouts (I use the term "fun" loosely of course :).

Oh and I did some TRX biceps, triceps, and abs work before I finished. Now...off to the fireplace and studying and maybe some spinach garlic and egg scramble - and will have to try Graeme's oregano oil next time I'm sick! Sounds interesting.

Strength and Core this week

2008-10-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Catching up on the blog here:
Tuesday p.m. - taught 1 hour spin class - pyramid workout (15 secs on/off built to 3 mins. on/off, changed positions with each set).

Yesterday I did an hour workout comprised of;
45 mins of Body Bar strength workout
15 mins of TRX - atomic pushups and tris and biceps work
15 mins of stretching

Today was a biggie - most of the workouts taken from Cyclo-Speed http://www.cyclo-club.com/products/item1.cfm

Started with Cyclo-Speed NeuroMuscular Activiation Drill - Warm up Routine
then Advanced NeuroMuscular Training- the Gauntlet and Graeme says
then Overpower/Overspin Intervals - 1 set (I was feeling it) - see attached graph
next up Cyclo Speed Aero Ab Blaster
followed by 2 sets of TRX atomic pushups (here's a video demo http://community.fitnessanywhere.com/blogs/exercise-videos/archive/2008/03/31/atomic-push-up.aspx)
followed by PNF Advanced Flexibility Workout
ending with Active Stretching and Recovery Workout

reward: 2 quinoa quiche muffins (recipe on Cycl0-Club forums) and a cup of hot tea
not to mention a mito cap, a recovery tablet, and my vitamins (Hammernutrition.com)

Focus on strength and core

2008-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and I just finished a 2 hr. workout and will definitely be feeling it tomorrow. I did some of my faves today;
- 30 mins of gliding
- 30 mins of TRX CORE workout
- 30 mins of Graeme's Bonus AB workout and stretch

Off to make my famous quinoa quiche with spinach, peppers, and broccoli. Recipe is at http://cyclo-core.com in the forums.

Joy

Cyclo Climb is paying off

2008-10-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today I got a great 2 hour ride in. Did a 5 min. off-the bike warmup (Grame's of course), then rode from my home which sits at about 800 ft. altitude and climbed to the top of our neighborhood (about 1200 ft gain). Then a quick 4 mins. to the park to meet my girlfriend. I got there a few mins. before her so I got off the bike, feeling tight still so did another 5 min. off the bike warm-up. This helped a lot in loosening up my hips and glutes, which are always always tight regardless of stretches.

From the park we had a beautiful descent, then out a grade about 7 miles (another 800 ft. elevation gain here). Turned around and back up the parkway which includes a bunch of gradual climbs and then one more climb to my home stretch and back home. Once home I popped in a great Pilates for the back DVD and cooled down for an hour. I am feeling wiped out now so I'm not sure if it's the bootcamp workout I did yesterday or just general stress on my body. Either way the pedaling techniques I learned in Cyclo-Climb really helped me up the hills today and I look forward to using them each time I'm on the bike.

Day 7 Cyclo Climb complete!

2008-10-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

I finished Day 7 of the Cyclo Climb Bootcamp yesterday!

I did the Day 7 workout with my Spin class then did the Circuit 5 of Impossible and then did the Fix the Back and a stretch to cool it down.

What a great feeling to hang tough for the 7 days and not only that know that I am stronger and more powerful now. I can't wait to take on hills this next week (after a nice little recovery of course).

If you haven't tried this camp download and do it this year. It is one of the most powerful 7 days of workouts I've ever done. You can do anything if you put your mind to it I kept telling myself.

Thanks Graeme and I'm already thinking about what my next goal will be!

Joy

Day 6 done 1 to go!

2008-10-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just finished Day 6's workout. Not quite to the letter as Graeme intended but I had to adapt. I had hoped to get my workout in this morning but didn't have time and promised my 8 year old we'd go rock climbing (on real big rocks outdoors) with Grandpa. Grandpa Frank is a former Yosemite Park Rescue Ranger and has years and years of rope/rock climbing experience so we never turn down the opportunity to learn from the master!

After climbing we treated to lunch and ice cream at a really great creamery in Oakland (Fentons if you ever get out this way). I knew I still had a workout to do so instead of the ice cream sundae I opted for a chocolate malt.

Needless to say, 2 hours later when we got home it was still sitting in my belly. But I had to do this workout and knew that even if it wasn't outside like Day 3's and it didn't emulate it exactly I still gave it my best.

Here's the graph. What's neat to compare is that my sustained power has gone up. Again, not going to break any of Lance's records (ha ha) but it's still not bad for a 47 year old right?

The other thing I noticed is that my legs and calves are still pretty sore from yesterdays "Impossible" workouts. Fatigue is definitely setting in towards the end here and I'm glad tomorrow is Day 7. My body will be ready for a recovery next week.

Cyclo Climb Day 5 Done - 2 to go!

2008-10-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Whew! Day 5 in one word = TOUGH. Almost impossible but survived. I ended up doing Impossible Circuits 1-3 and for good measure added in Circuit 4. After that I took it outside and did Cyclo Power in 5 and Explode in 5 and then cooled it down with Loose in 5.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

Thanks Graeme you crazy man for coming up with this workouts. I can't wait to go on my next climb.

Day 4: Cyclo Climb - no hills YEA!

2008-10-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 4 of my Cyclo-Climb bootcamp. A much more gentler, kinder workout than Day 1-3 for sure which made my body super happy.

I started with the Power (off the Zen CD) Workout 8 min. routine, then did Kate's (awesome as well) 30 min Yoga workout. Just what I needed today.

I may do a TRX workout later today if I get my housework done ...doesn't that count for something?

Day 3 Cyclo Climb - Hills are my friend....well...

2008-10-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Whew! Day 3 of Cyclo-Climb completed and I'm so glad I'm halfway through this journey. Learning so much about myself and my body's limits - amazing what we can do when our mind becomes strong and we learn to let go of any expectations and limitations we put on ourselves.

Today I had convinced one of my girlfriends to ride with me. She picked the neighborhood, which anywhere in our neck of the woods you go out your door and are looking at hills. Beautiful when you're at the top, but work getting there for sure.
We warmed up on the bikes for a few minutes then hit our first baby hill and proceeded to bigger hills and more challenging climbs as the hour progressed. I thought yesterday's hills were steep -- take a look at today's - it felt like 28% and that's what my GPS said but did I really climb that and live to talk about it. Literally at one point, I felt my front wheel lifting off the ground a bit! I even had to do the zig zag thing up the last unforgiving climb I was so tired. But I did focus on spinning into the hill, relaxing, using the knee thruster, shoe scraper going on, and then just tried to pace myself and push with power near the top.
I'm sure if there were a Power Tap on my wheel it wouldn't show any great results but for me it's more about setting a goal and accomplishing it.

Graeme - I have you to thank for giving us structure and empowering us to become stronger, more efficient cyclists. This is what makes you so special.

If you're a data geek like me (sorry, it's my years of working at Apple) check out my graph from today's ride.

safe rides to all and congrats to Graeme and his amazing family for that awesome victory!

Joy

Day 2 Cyclo Climb Conquered!

2008-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2 Cyclo-Climb done!
Started with Neuro Muscular Facilitation drill (15mins)
Drove 5 mins. to starting locale for workout
5 mins Cyclo warmup off the bike
5 min warmup on the bike
50 min workout - 8 intervals with 3 min. recovery in between each
5 min. warm down on the bike
5 min stretch off the bike

Note: I think the hill I chose albeit a 3 min. hill for me turned out to be a MUCH steeper grade than what I think Graeme prefers for this workout. I know I wasn't able to keep my cadence at 100 rpm so I may have to find another place to try this again possibly next week. Can anyone clarify the level of grade/steepness preferred for Day 2?

I'm tired and I've got to teach Spin class tonight - I think I'll throw a few of these pedaling techniques at them :)
Joy

Cyclo Climb Day 1

2008-10-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, and today was Day 1 of my Cyclo-Club Climbing Camp "adventure". I started with Cyclo Warm in "5", then moved right into the Cyclo-Climb workout
(http://www.cyclo-club.com/products/item14.cfm).

Did I tell you I'm loving the new dynamic warm-up. It is such a great tool and does my body so much better than trying to get an effective warm-up on the bike. If you haven't tried it, try it next time and I bet you'll notice a difference in the quality workout on the bike.

So, after the warm-up I jumped on my Cycle-Ops Pro Indoor Spin bike and started. I had my iPod loaded up with the workout, 1 water bottle, heart rate monitor on, windows open, and ready to ride! The neat thing about doing this workout on an indoor bike and if you're lucky to have a power tap or a bike with power meter it really makes the workout measurable and provides a great benchmark to come back to as I progress (crossing my fingers my power will go up and heart rate will not sky rocket).

The warm-up was as I expected from any Graeme workout - well worth the investment of time and money and challenging (but of course we wouldn't expect less from Graeme would we?). It was tough. But having Graeme on my screen and seeing the demos of the shoe scraper, knee thruster, scissor kick, levitation, and adding the discipline of cadence at 80 rpm (listening to the rhythmic down beat to stay at 80 helps) was amazing and I know it can only help me in the hills here in Northern California.

I was never so happy to see Graeme come to the last effort and enjoyed the cool down immensely. After that I decided I needed a good stretch so I did Graeme's Fix the Back Flexibility and it was the perfect ending to an awesome workout. Now I feel like I can conquer my day.

I'm enclosing screen shots of my workout today, taken off my Power tap. Enjoy and please feel free to add suggestions, comments.

Inspire scrapbook

2008-10-08T16:08:00.001-07:00

Work it out

2008-10-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a great week so far! After I drop the boys off at their respective schools (one's in middle school, the other in elementary so I'm the chauffeur :), I come home and try to stay off the computer for a while, do my workout, then study. I'm completing my ACE Personal Trainer studies - just another goal that I've set for myself. In fact I started studying for this a few years back, then got sidelined with back surgery (I was in every sport growing up in the midwest, resulting in my more mature years in a L5/S1 herniation which required fusion surgery).
Thanks to Graeme's Fix the Back workout (http://www.cyclo-club.com/members/627.cfm) and all the other great core workouts I became stronger than ever in the last 3 years.

Now, I'm back on track and back on the bike but more than ever finding more balance in my workouts. So it really isn't just about the bike if you want to get stronger. Especially as we women age we must find the right combination of on and off-the-bike workouts to make us stronger, quicker, faster, leaner, and lighter.

I've been using a hybrid approach most recently combining my personal and group training background and incorporating Pilates (luckily I own a reformer which is a miracle worker of sorts), the Bender Ball (this completely isolates and activates your core and turns off those hip flexors, the Gliding Discs (balance plus core work = great glutes, legs, inner core work) and of course throw in a few Graeme workouts and you've got a well rounded program.

Check out my workout schedule and I'd love to chat with you - let me know what you're working on as well - maybe we can compare notes and meet our goals together.

best
Joy

Time heals

2008-10-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've been a Graeme Street fan, customer, and friend for a few years now, having found him through a random search on the net a couple of years ago. That was my lucky day for sure, although after some of his genius workouts I wonder :)

If you're reading this, then you're probably a fan as well so no need to brag on Graeme too much but suffice it to say, we as cyclists are better because of him. So keep on keeping on what you're doing Graeme.

A little about me...I'm 47 years old, a mom of 2 wonderful boys, a wife of an avid cyclist (more on that later) and on the side I pursue my own fitness business for women. I grew up in the midwest loving all sports and practically lived at the gym, rolling from one season to the next. I was always motivated by the team sports and think that's why I love trianing groups of women so much. Seeing and feeling the synergy and the relationships that are built with women helping women is incredible.

I've been teaching Spinning classes for a number of years, having started in a traditional women's gym and then moved to other gyms and eventually decided to take my knowledge outside of the walls and start training women how to ride safely and effectively on the road. So for the past few years I've trained lots of women how to ride metric centuries. It's been lots of fun, some bumps in the road, but overall an amazing experience. As a result of these trainings I've met some of my closest friends and cherish those relationships as much as I do the training itself.

Which brings me to why I'm setting new goals...it's a long story but I'll give you the condensed version.

In April of this year, my husband (the avid cyclists and racer) was out on an easy training ride when hit by a car. He suffered broken vertebrae in the cervical and thoraic spine, along with a broken clavicle and loss of hearing in one ear (being thrown into a eucalyptus tree at speed).
Fortunately, he is alive, walking, hearing (with a hearing aid now) and is back to work after months of recovery and is now working on rehabilation. He, believe it or not is anxious to get back on the bike because that is what he loves to do.

After this happened I had to sit back and reflect on just how much I want to invest from a risk standpoint in this sport of cycling. What started as a fun hobby and then business gave me new pause now to think if it's really worth the risk (considering a family and other things).

At the same time, I was encouraged to try a new, much safer sport (e.g. no cars to contend with) called track cycling. A lot of you probably know this sport and love it. So, on May 24th, 2008 a girlfriend of mine, Paige and I decided to try it out (after some persusasion from our husbands who had told us how much fun it was). We went for what was to be a "beginner's session" and the short story is that at the end of the session my girlfriend and I were completing a flying 200 and as she came across the line she did what was instinctual to her from road riding, and that was to stop pedaling. Tragically, this slight hesitation in the pedaling effort (remember no brakes on these bikes) threw her off the bike resulting in a traumatic brain injury. More on Paige can be found at http://caringbridge.org/visit/paigeconnard

So for the last few months I've gone through every range of emotion having experienced my good friend suffer such a horrible injury and realizing that things will never ever be the same. I vowed I would NEVER ever ride again after that day. How could I? The road would never be the same again after my husband's accident, and now a place that I thought we would be safe ended in tragedy.

Then I learned that things will get better in time. Never the same but time does heal. Never forgetting and always feeling a deep wound but healing on my own time, no one else's calendar. And believe me I've received lots of gentle prodding from some of the same women I've trained and encouraged over the years -- now they've become my inspiration.

So...on 9/11 for some odd reason I woke up and got the pedals back on my road bike and went out for a short ride on my own. It felt good. Different, maybe even more cautious than ever. Not as intense for sure and just a good ride. I needed that.

Yesterday I rode with ladies from my group in the Princess Promenade - a ride to benefit women's charities. I ended up doing 40 and it was on a paved trail along the American River -- just perfect for me.

Since then I've ridden once or twice a week, now with a couple of ladies. I may even try mountain biking soon (again one of my girlfriends asking me to try it out).

So goals -- just to ease back into this idea of cycling and do it on my own time. I am committed to getting stronger again and back to my routine of working out with Graeme. I've got lots of other new ideas for workouts that incorporate Graeme's stuff as well as new things too - I'll try and post a video eventually.

until then, ride safe
Joy

2008-10-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is my first attempt at blogging (unless facebook counts of course).