Corvallis Fitness Adventures, LLC » hiking corvallis oregon

Corvallis Fitness Adventures August Mini Boot Camp

shandra — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:25:39 +0000

August 16th will start the beginning of our mini outdoor fitness boot camp. *Send me a quick email to secure your spot:)

Some of you have already told me that you will be here in August, thank you in advance:)

The month of August starts a little darker in the mornings but don’t worry, I have you covered! We will meet in semi-lighted locations and some I will request that you bring a head lamp so if you don’t have one this would be a great time to get one. Peak sports has them, you don’t need anything fancy just functional. By the end of the month our sunrise will be about 6:28am.

Workouts will start every M/W/F morning sharp so arrive early to start warm ups and to get set up. I do everything possible to make sure I start and end on time so you can get to your next appointment, work, school etc. If you arrive late please make sure you warm up before joining the group. Warm ups can be jogging for 5 minutes, walking lunges and push ups. Start hydrated by drinking a tall glass of water when you wake up and trying to eat something small so your body can function with some energy. A banana and some yogurt or glass of milk for a quick absorbing carbohydrate and protein. Part of a smoothie works well especially if you blend it up the night before. Remember, after a hard workout your window of opportunity for your body to start the recovery process is about 45 minutes so make sure you eat something after the workout, the rest of the smoothie, oatmeal with a protein and fruit, whatever you can digest and works for you. **Please let me know if you have questions about the nutrition.

The evening workouts will not be meeting for the month of August. I will have some “special” workouts that I will send out for the anyone that wants to do some after work activities. Mountain bike rides, if you have one lets ride a few miles!!! Hiking Dimple hill or another location?? Something to get excited about:)

Cost for the 2 week mini workout will be $59.00 for 3x per week and $39.00 for 2x per week. Any additional workouts will be a $5.00 drop in fee.

Interval Training- We do this with stairs, runs, sprints, hills, burpees

Lack of time is the number one reason people give for not exercising. And lack of results once they do start exercising isn’t far behind. Interval training is a great solution for both of these common problems.

Interval training involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with what is called active recovery, which is typically a less-intense form of the original activity.

The Swedes came up with a term for this type of training: Fartlek, which means speed play. Not only is it an efficient training method, Fartlek training can help you avoid injuries that often accompany non-stop, repetitive activity, and provides the opportunity to increase your intensity without burning yourself out in a matter of minutes.

Unlike traditional interval training, Fartlek training does not involve specifically or accurately measured intervals. Instead, intervals are based on the needs and perceptions of the participant. In other words, how you feel determines the length and speed of each interval.

Advantages of Intervals

Interval training utilizes the body’s two energy-producing systems: the aerobic and the anaerobic. The aerobic system is the one that allows you to walk or run for several miles and uses oxygen to convert carbohydrates from various sources throughout the body into energy.

The anaerobic system, on the other hand, draws energy from carbohydrates stored in the muscles (in the form of glycogen) for short bursts of activity such as sprinting, jumping or lifting heavy objects. This system does not require oxygen, nor does it provide enough energy for more than the briefest of activities. And its by-product, lactic acid, is responsible for that achy, burning sensation in your muscles that you feel after running up several flights of stairs, for example.

Interval Basics

Interval training allows you to enjoy the benefits of anaerobic activities without having to endure those burning muscles. In its most basic form, interval or Fartlek training might involve walking for two minutes, running for two, and alternating this pattern throughout the duration of a workout.

The intensity (or lack thereof) of each interval is up to how you feel and what you are trying to achieve. The same is true for the length of each interval. For example, if it is your habit to walk two miles per day in 30 minutes, you can easily increase the intensity of your walk (as well as up its calorie-burning potential) by picking up the pace every few minutes and then returning to your usual speed.

A great trick is to tell yourself that you’ll run a particular distance, from the blue car to the green house on the corner, for example, and then walk from the green house to the next telephone pole.

When you first start Fartlek training, each interval can be a negotiation with yourself depending on how strong or energetic you happen to feel during that particular workout. This helps to break up the boredom and drudgery that often comes from doing the same thing day after day.

Exercise and Cellulite- We have all seen this lurking behind us!

Cellulite. We all know what it looks like, but misconceptions prevail. The first thing you should know is that, in the true medical sense, cellulite is simply plain old fat. Yet it does have one defining characteristic—a dimpled, cottage-cheese, orange-peel look. Here’s why: Everybody has connective tissue that separates fat cells into compartments. While men tend to have horizontal or crisscross patterns to those compartments, women’s compartments have a honeycomb appearance, giving fat a greater chance to protrude or bulge, hence the cottage-cheese effect.

As a result, women are more likely to develop cellulite than men, mainly around the hips and thighs. However, men can develop the condition, too. Although cellulite becomes more noticeable with age, largely because the skin gets thinner over time, it generally strikes individuals in their 30s.
Of course, not everybody will develop cellulite in their lifetime. That’s because genetics determines where your fat cells are and how many fat cells you have. Activity level is another crucial factor associated with cellulite. If you exercise regularly, you’ll decrease your odds of developing cellulite, or if you do, the dimpled look won’t be quite as pronounced.

Beware of the Quick Fix

Unfortunately, too many people still hang on to the idea of quick and easy fixes. Beware of cellulite creams, medical procedures like liposuction and cosmetic treatments like body wraps. They don’t work. No cream applied to the skin can penetrate the skin and rearrange the fat cells beneath the surface. Liposuction is designed to remove excess deposits of fat, but it won’t change the appearance of fat. As for body wraps, the effect is only temporary. Fat is compressible, so when you do the wrap, it will smooth your skin, but your skin will be back to normal by the next day.
Another misconception is that dieting alone can zap fat. Although there are diets that make you lose weight, at least one-quarter of the weight lost is muscle, which lowers your metabolism. If you return to your usual eating habits, you’ll likely regain more weight than you lost because your metabolism is slower.

The Cellulite Solution

So what can you do to diminish the appearance of cellulite? Experts recommend daily cardio exercise combined with two to three strength-training sessions a week and a healthy diet.
The good news is that there’s actual proof that this approach works. Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass., and co-author of No More Cellulite, designed a cellulite-reduction program that includes 20 minutes of strength training, with five exercises for the upper body and five for the lower body, and 20 minutes of treadmill walking or jogging, staying at about 70 to 80% of maximal heart rate. This program is followed three days per week, although participants can always do more cardio.
Participants in an eight-week study of Westcott’s program lost about 1 pound per week, or about 10 pounds after two months. When participants combined the exercise program with good eating habits (a Food Pyramid–based diet consisting of 1600, 2220 or 2800 calories), they doubled the fat loss, losing 9.1 pounds of fat (compared to 4.5 pounds without the nutritional component alone).
In another study led by Westcott, 72 men and women did three 30-minute workouts for eight weeks. The group that did only aerobic exercise, cycling for 30 minutes at a time, lost 4 pounds of fat but gained no muscle, which only slightly improved body composition. Yet when subjects did aerobic exercise (15 minutes of cycling) and strength training, they dropped 10 pounds of fat and added 2 pounds of muscle, which resulted in a greater improvement in body composition.

How to Get Started

An exercise program doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. For strength-training exercises, any tool is fine, including dumbbells, elastic bands, body weight and machines. If you prefer machines, leg presses, seated leg curls, hip adduction and abduction, and overhead presses are recommended. And effective free-weight exercises include the dumbbell squat, band hip adduction and abduction, bodyweight trunk extension and trunk curl.
Still not sure where to start? A session or two with a certified personal trainer can help get you started on the right track. And while results won’t happen overnight, a consistent program of regular exercise combined with a sensible diet can go a long way toward not only improving your appearance, but your overall health as well.

In health!

Shandra

Corvallis Fitness Adventures Boot Camp Running Group

shandra — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:11:07 +0000

Wow! What a beautiful run we had this morning in and around Chip Ross Park on Dan’s Trail. Just a gorgeous morning to get up and hit the trails with great people and canine companions. We walked and warmed up as we headed up 29th street and then hit the trail and got in a nice four miles this morning before 6:20 am. Our running group typically meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and you do not need to be a competitive runner to come on out and join us for a friendly run. Some of us are training for races in the near future and many are just wanting to get in a little mileage with great company. If you would like to join us for a run just send Shandra an email or simply give her a call at (541) 207-8526. This picture below shows why we have no problems getting up early to hit the hills…………………

Corvallis Fitness Free Workouts during Boot Camp Break

shandra — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:40:57 +0000

Summer is finally here! Get outside and enjoy your workouts!

**Outdoor Boot Camp is on a break from today until Friday July 9th.**

1. New Session to start soon. New classes will start up on Monday July 12th, there is still time to sign up, don’t wait to start, your body, mind, and overall health depends on it!**

2. FREE workouts this week. Our regular schedule 4 week session is on a break but I am already feeling like a workout….. anyone?? This Wednesday July 7th at 5:30am we are going to do a Reser Stadium stair workout!!! Meet at the big football out in front of Reser or the side team gate, bring your water and a Yoga mat, all are welcome to join in on this 60 minutes high intensity cardiovascular and body weight exercise FREE class.

Friday July 9th at 5:30am, Chip Ross Bench timed hill climb and workout, if you want to see how fast you can climb to the top of Chip Ross mountain where the bench is meet me at 5:30am SHARP at Chepenafa Springs park for a timed hill climb and a few hill hill repeats at the top! Maybe an upper body workout! Bring your water, you are going to need it.

**Bring a friend to try out one of the workouts, they must bring a signed copy of the liability waiver.

3. Fitness assessment -Saturday July 10th at 8:00am meet at the Corvallis High School track for a timed mile on the track and fitness assessment. We will be doing push ups, dips, planks and curl ups to fatigue to test your strength and endurance. NO amount is too small, you have to start somewhere and this will give you a starting point! Bring your Yoga mat and some water.

4. New 9:00am sessions to start in July, perfect time if you like to sleep in and have that extra cup of coffee!!! Sessions start on Tuesday July 13th, times are Tuesday 9:00am – 10:00am, Thursday 9:00am – 10:00am or Friday 9:15am – 10:15am. These can be combined with any of the other sessions at 5:30am or 5:30pm. (You may not do 2 workouts in the same day, you animals!!!)

5. Nutrition – YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! Think about this as nutrition is 80% of the work here. If your goals are to lose wait make sure you are eating clean, unprocessed foods 80% of the time. Think of it like this, eat well Monday – Friday, pack your lunches, eat your mid-morning and afternoon snacks, drink tons of water during the day (this does help you lose weight!!) limit your soda intake, make small changes like dressings on the side, yogurt instead of sour cream, low fat or non fat dairy instead of whole dairy.

MAKE SURE YOU EAT BREAKFAST WITHIN AN HOUR AFTER WAKING UP!!! THIS TRULY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. A simple breakfast as toast, low fat milk and fruit or whole grain Kashi Go-Lean cereal with our fresh Willamette valley berries or even a smoothie with yogurt, fruit, flax seed meal, simple to make and you can eat on the go!!!

ENJOY THE SUNSHINE, GET UP, GET MOVING, GIVE YOURSELF THAT GIFT OF EXERCISE EVEN A WALK COUNTS!

IF YOU ARE TIRED MAKE YOURSELF AT LEAST ATTEMPT 10 MINUTES AND I BET YOU WILL BE AMAZED TO SEE THAT AFTER 10 MINUTES YOU WILL WARM UP AND GO!!

Corvallis Fitness Adventures Outdoor Boot Camp for June

shandra — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:35:25 +0000

It’s raining out there! Good timing for a few days of rain since we are currently on our one week break between Boot Camp sessions. We have a great group of returning Boot Campers for the June session as well as some terrific and motivated new people that will be joining us. Cannot wait to have the group together once again and start hitting the trails, parks, stairs, and unique terrain in and around Corvallis. We have some exceptional dynamic workouts planned for our June Boot Camp that are sure to give all of us challenging workouts for the entire body. It is not too late to sign up so if you are interested please email Shandra Milstein or give her a call at (541) 207-8526!

Corvallis Fitness Adventures June Outdoor Boot Camp

shandra — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:42:34 +0000

Yee Hah! We just wrapped up our May Boot Camp and it was terrific. It was so great to be back in the parks, on the trails, along the waterfront, and just generally outside no matter the conditions! Thanks to everyone that joined in for this past session. We will have a one week break before our next Boot Camp begins so now is the time to sign up and reserve your spot! Just click on the flyer image below for all the info. You can send Shandra an email or give her a call at (541) 207-8526 for more info and it is easy to go to the registration page to get started! Hope to see you soon!