As I sat at my favorite local restaurant last night (Tonic) watching game seven of the Capitals vs. Bruins series (Way to Go Caps!), I was speaking with my dear friend and department chair Dr. Loretta DiPietro. I asked her what I should blog about this week. She immediately offered her perspective and said, write about Jimmy Fallon and Obama's Slow Jam. Perplexed I said, "Huh?" She briefly explained to me the premise of the song: congress is looking to increase interest rates on student loans to decrease the national deficit and Obama is not buying it.
Interested in the topic, I replied, "Well, what does this have to do with fitness?" And she replied, "Kel, you know, it is all relative." And the reality of it is, it really is all relative. Education is key! Key to proper nutrition, key to time management, key to exercise. There are many studies that show the discrepancy in health is similar to the discrepancy in education. So this post might not be as straight forward as my usual ones: a workout, a recipe, or a tip of the week, but it is a little deeper and thought provoking.
So take a minute and watch the slow jam! Please, let me know your thoughts! How does education relate to fitness? How does this video speak to you? Regardless of your political affiliation, education is important for us all :)!
This week's post doesn't have to do with wrestling, but it does involve another great person named Paul! I mentioned in a previous post that coming up with my own workouts can be daunting at times. One thing I have learned over 13 years of training is to have an open mind. There are an infinite ways to workout, some more effective than others, but at the end of the day it is being open to new ideas that makes me stronger, efficient, and compliant when it comes to my workouts. Whether you are a coach, athlete, or the working mom, we can all benefit from learning something new when it comes to our workouts.
This is where Paul Holmes comes into the picture, or at least my picture. I met Paul a few years ago through my brother. Paul is my brother's sevens rugby coach. Paul was born in the middle east, raised in South Africa and went on to play rugby in
South Africa, England, Scotland, USA and the Middle East. As for school, Paul has a degree in Exercise Physiology from Loughbourgh and the Sports
Science Institute, he holds multiple PT certifications as well. His experience and education have allowed him to run a successful business for
12 years now.
I don't know much about rugby, but I do know that it takes great
speed, stamina, strength, and agility to play the game well. After meeting Paul, I was intrigued by his passion, knowledge for fitness, and the successful athletes he has trained. Not to
mention, the guys that play sevens are pretty bad ass. Going back to
time and efficiency being of the essence, Paul's workouts are intense,
fast, and efficient, and most importantly effective.
I had the opportunity to pick Paul's brain a bit regarding his philosophy for training and he was kind enough to give me some of his time and energy.
KV (Me): What is your philosophy when training athletes? The average person?
PH (Paul Holmes): Athletes need to develop balance in all areas of power, endurance,
flexibility, and agility. Many athletes need education on how the body
works all together in order to optimize results. The average individual wants to feel good, play sport socially,and
look good. It comes down to nutrition and a balanced workout.
KV: What is your favorite exercise?
PH: Any exercise involving a medicine ball - normally functional,great core and power.
KV: What advice do you have for people with busy schedules and getting in workouts?
PH: Make time, there is no excuse. All my clients are high level and highly
motivated individuals, they make time. If you don't prioritize, then
don't train and be unhappy.
KV: What are the other main aspects are key for maximizing workouts?
PH: Sleep,Nutrition , never settle for yesterdays success , always press on
to tomorrows highs and be realistic with what level you are at , so as
to grow and not hinder your progress. (surround yourself with driven
fitness minded people ie Ryan Cochran)
KV: Anything else?
PH: Stay true to the fact you have one body, one life, don't dream it away, do it.
Within the past few months I have taken a different spin on training,
integrating total body high intensity workouts, a step outside the
box from my traditional five day body part slit. Some workouts are longer than others, and if you don't have an hour that's fine, modify! I don't always have access to the equipment Paul uses in his videos, so I switch it up! If I don't have an Olympic Bar, I use dumbbells. If I don't have a TRX, I modify to a similar exercise without the TRX. You get the picture.
Paul putting us through a medicine ball workout!
One of the great aspects about training with Paul is that he posts his workouts on YouTube (I am in DC and he is in my hometown, Columbus, Ohio). The distance doesn't keep him from kicking my butt. I am realizing more and more, with the constant access we have to the internet, we can have our own trainer at the click of a button. No more excuses especially, "I don't know what to do."
So if you are looking for a challenge or a new exercise or two, checkout Paul Holmes and give your workout a boost. He's inspired me to grow as an athlete and a trainer, and I know he can inspire you too! Thanks Paul!
I posted this article two years ago, but thought it would be fitting to re-post since today I am celebrating my 29th birthday - and remembering the turning point in my life - that lead me to believe I could make my dreams reality.
The Athletic Training Room documented my story and I am reminded of it everyday!
It was Sunday, January 24th, the eve of my 25th birthday and I was feeling lost with life. As I entered the Cheesecake Factory for my Sunday morning serving shift, I continued to question the purpose of my life. I knew I was a smart girl, I went to Wake Forest, had been accepted to Naturopathic Medical school, accepted to the Peace Corps, and was applying to medical schools. However, none of these made me light up. I knew in my heart my passion lied within fitness and nutrition. But I was paralyzed, paralyzed by fear of taking a chance.
As the Sunday dragged on, my manager asked me to do him a favor and work a double - meaning close the restaurant. So here it was the night before my golden birthday and I am serving up some more dessert making America obese. But the next events that happened changed my life indefinitely.
It was 9:45 p.m. and I was beginning to do the closing clean up duties, or "outs" in restaurant terminology, when I heard the host tell me I had been sat. Tired and worn out from the 12 hour shift, I mustered up a smile and walked out to greet the guests. Surprised to see how massive these two men were, I smiled bigger and thought to myself, 'maybe they are bodybuilders'. The gentlemen began by ordering three iced teas, 'a joiner' I thought to myself. When I returned with the drinks, the 'joiner' had joined and was wearing a black shirt with a small WWE logo. A light bulb lit up in my head, and I remembered that Monday Night Raw was in Columbus on my birthday.
After setting down the drinks, I began my usual introduction, but then took a seat next to this man who had long dirty blond hair and a calm voice. I kept thinking to myself, this guy looks familiar. But my rational mind kicked in and there was no way I would know him, I was turning 25 and the last time I had watched wrestling was thirteen years prior. So as conversation starts, I learned that these three men were in town for Monday Night Raw. I spilled my childhood memories to them about practicing finishing moves with my dad and brother, ordering the pay per views, and making wrestling t-shirts in grade school. One of the gentlemen asked me who my favorite wrestler was, and immediately I said, "My favorite was Triple H." As the words came out of my mouth, the nice man with the dirty blond hair put his arm around me and said, "Well, thank you Kelley, for making me feel old!" I felt my heart stop, I slowly turned and looked over my left shoulder and found myself looking at my childhood hero, Triple H.
I was like a kid in a candy shop, or cheesecake factory ;)!
The rest of the evening was a blast. The four of us talked about wrestling and I felt like a twelve year old again, without a care in the world. I had completely forgotten how stressed I was about figuring out my life. Before the men left, they had me write down my number and invited me to the show. As I drove home that evening, I had the biggest smile. I started to reflect on life, and its purpose. Here is this man, in his early forties now who is living out his dream. I thought to myself, 'I bet when he was in his early 20's and said he wanted to be a professional wrestler, people doubted him. But that didn't stop him. And now he is one of the most well known entertainers in the world."
Triple H (Paul) living out his dream for spectators around the world!
My 25th birthday will always be remembered. Not only was I at Monday Night Raw, but it was a pivotal point in my life. I saw the power of following your passion and I started to follow mine. Within the next week I applied to The George Washington University to complete a degree in Exercise Science and left the conventional steps of medical school behind me.
I will never forget this day!
And here I am two plus years later wrapping up my masters in Exercise Science and about to embark on another journey in the world of health policy, continuing to live out my passion for fitness and nutrition.
This past Monday I met up with the three "massive men"to go to Monday Night Raw here in DC. By the way, Terry, Jim, & Paul (Triple H) are some of the nicest men I have ever met despite their intimidating physiques. After the event, I had the chance to talk to Paul for a little bit. We caught up on life, family, friends, training, and goals. I made sure to let him know how he changed my life. Jokingly he said, "Why? Because I ate a bad meal and you thought to yourself I don't want to be like this guy." But on a more serious note, we continued to talk about following dreams no matter how unconventional they may be, and he said something to the effect of, "You just gotta do it."
So whatever your dream, make it your reality. There is no better time than now. So many people are afraid of failure or afraid of success. At the end of the day, the only difference between Triple H and the guy stuck in the office is Triple H did it whereas the office guy thought it. Triple H didn't wait for the perfect time, perfect opportunity, or perfect scenario: he created it for himself.
My lovely coworkers placed this picture above my desk. Although it makes me laugh, it is a constant reminder that I can do anything I set my mind to! Thank you Triple H!
Thank you Triple H for changing my life! It's been four years since I started pursuing my passion for fitness and health. It's just the beginning. Triple H didn't become the COO of an international company in four years, but he's stayed persistent and true to his purpose. You and I both can both do the same! Now, lets go make our dreams reality! Have an #amazing day! I love hearing from you @kelleyvargo
Any of you who know me well, know that my love for baking rivals my love for the weight room. However, we all know we can eat a little cleaner when it comes to desserts. One of my dear friends and inspirations, Dr. Jean Guiterrez has helped me develop in both the weight room and the kitchen. Last fall we spent many Tuesdays, aka Tasty Tuesdays, coming up with new high protein recipes. One of them Jean introduced me to was her tasty protein rice crispy treats.
Per requests of my amazing Facebook friends, I was asked to post the recipe for these delicious treats. I did some tweaking to the recipe and created a new version. The latest addition is my new obsession, PB2. Powdered peanut butter, with 85% less fat than regular peanut butter! Some one is a genius
I made two versions last night, one regular and the other vegan. The main difference being the protein powder used (hemp vs. whey/casein blend). To be honest, next time I make a vegan version I think vanilla soy will work better. But hey, it was a try.
Ingredients:
40 jet puffed marshmallows
8 tsp Earth Balance vegan buttery stick
8 tbsp PB2
~ 85.5 g (2.5 scoops) protein powder
6 cups brown rice crisps
PAM
1. In microwave safe bowl melt Earth Balance vegan buttery stick and marshmallows. (approximately 3 minutes).
2. Stir in PB2 and protein powder
3. Add in brown rice crisps
4. Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with PAM
5. Place dish in refrigerator for treats to cool
6. Cut into squares and enjoy!
I
did venture around Foggy Bottom to get feedback on the treats and from
the reviews they were a hit!
Steve, Manager of Devon & Blakely, Elizabeth, an Exercise Science graduating senior from The George Washington University and Nannette & Beverly of my apartment complex all loved the treats! Below is Dr. Loretta DiPietro and Patti LaPlaza enjoying the treats over coffee and brain storming. Dr. Todd Miller, a true food critic, asked for seconds. Dean DeLoia of The George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services enjoyed her Protein PB2 RC Treat after her healthy salad. Alex Dickman and formed GW basketball player Ivy, made sure to get some too!
These treats are great for everyone: the student, the athlete, the professor, the business owner, and yes, the DEAN! They are great for you too!
Let me know what you and the people in your community think! Have a great weekend!
