Articles / Julia Blanton » Exercises

Mommy Workout

Julia — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:42:22 +0000

As a mom, I know how challenging it is to fit everything into a single 16 hour day and squeezing in a workout can sometimes seem as likely as conquering Mount Everest. We’ve learned to be quite creative when it comes to taking care of our family and keeping our house in order, but we seldom work ourselves into the equation. While pondering this dilemma one day, I experienced a multi-tasking epiphany. It dawned on me that I could, in fact, get in a workout and spend quality time with my girls all at once. We had so much fun making this video. And let me tell you, I was sore for 3 days!

Humbling Tales Of An Athlete

Julia — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:25:16 +0000

In my twenties, my body would do just about anything I commanded. If I could will myself to go for a 100 mile bike ride or a 3 hour run, my body would follow without question. When extreme fatigue set in during the last 5 miles of a 50K trail race, I kept my feet moving toward the finish by setting incremental psychological goals to get to the next rock or tree. The physical challenge always seemed secondary to the mental obstacles.

At 27, I became pregnant with my first child and suddenly my body could no longer keep up with what my mind was more than willing to do. I wanted to keep running and cycling, but I got winded easily and felt exhausted after the workouts. Don’t get me wrong, I pushed it as far as I possibly could; I was still doing 10 mile runs in my 5th month and 50 mile bike rides in my 7th month. Inevitably, though I eventually had to concede. I finished my last trimester with plenty of swimming and I took up a new sport, knitting (it kept me busy, productive, and stationary).

After a couple years of solid training I regained my fitness, was feeling stronger than ever, and Presto! I was served a second helping of humble pie. Just two months after finishing third overall in the Golden Gate Headlands Half Marathon, I was diagnosed with plantar fascitis and a stress fracture in my heel. I found myself, once more, unable to physically fulfill my metal ambitions. Physical therapy didn’t work and ultimately I had to wear the boot immobilizer. Again, I channeled my energy into swimming, only this time I had the capacity to really train. After about 6 months of swimming four days per week (including a 90 min Masters workout on the weekend), I was swimming faster than I ever thought I could (the silver lining!). And just as I was breaking through to the 1:30 lane… I became pregnant with my second child. Yes, it was planned and I was truly ecstatic, but I have to admit a small part of me was sad in knowing that I would lose a good portion of the speed I had worked so hard to achieve.

These experiences have been both humbling and educational. I’ve learned what it is like to carry extra weight, support a growing baby, and work around an injury. I understand what it means to have physical limitations that cannot be overruled by even the strongest willpower. I’ve also learned to embrace such challenges the best I can, move forward with grace, and no matter what, never accept defeat.

4 Ways to Boost Calorie Burn While Weight Training

Julia — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:33:09 +0000

Many of us are dealing with multiple time constraints when it comes to fitting in an exercise plan. This is why our workouts must be as effective and efficient as possible. Before you try to squeeze in another workout, make sure you are getting the most out of the ones you’re already doing. Put these 4 training principles into action the next time you are at the gym to supercharge your workout and reap higher calorie burn, greater cardiovascular fitness, and improved stamina.

Warm up with 15 min of cardio.

Choose any mode of cardio you like (bike, run, elliptical, stair climber, etc) to elevate your heart rate and jump start your metabolism. Start with 5 minutes easy, followed by 5 minutes moderate intensity, and finish with 5 minutes challenging. This 15 minute cardio segment will speed up the metabolism and improve circulation to the muscles, thereby priming them to lift heavier weights, execute more complex exercises, and reduce the risk for injury.

Choose exercises that involve multiple muscle groups.

Now that you’ve elevated your heart rate, keep it up by choosing exercises that use multiple muscle groups. The more muscles you use at once, the higher demand you put on the cardiovascular system and the more calories you will burn. Some of my favorite exercises that fit this criteria include squats, single leg squats, lunges, push ups, dips, shoulder press, pull ups, and the row. If you want to incorporate isolation exercises into your workout make sure to pair them with a leg component. For example: instead of a seated biceps curl, do walking lunges or a wall sit while you tone your guns.

Make sets of 3 exercises.

Put together sets of 3 complementary exercises to maintain higher energy output throughout your workout. Select 3 exercises that work different muscle groups, like squat/push up/row or lunge/shoulder press/pull up, and do 2-3 sets without stopping for rest. While you work one muscle group the other one recovers, so your “rest” becomes active. By decreasing down time, you will keep the heart pumping and improve stamina.

More advanced athletes can piggyback overlapping muscle groups for two of the three exercises. For example: squat/Romanian deadlift/pull up.

Rest less.

As I mentioned you will get “active rest” throughout the workout, but there will be very little non-moving rest. After you complete 2-3 sets of 3 exercises you should allow about 1 min passive rest to recover for the next cycle. This is a great time to get some water or do a couple stretches, but keep it short because you don’t want your heart rate to come down too low.

Sample Workout

Warm up 15 min on the treadmill (5 min @ 5.5 mph, 5 min @ 6.5 mph, 5 min @ 6.5 mph with 4 % grade)

squat/push up/standing cable row with knees bent
pull up/walking lunges with biceps curl/triceps dips
side lunge/shoulder press with wall sit/body weight row
plank with alternating leg lift/bicycle abs/reverse wood chop