ALERT: TO GET FIT, LEAVE THE GYM!

So lately I have been slacking a bit on #lifting. Don't get me wrong I love to lift but while on a two-week vacation, one traveling and the other in the Florida Keys I gave my body a rest. Normally, I would feel horrible about missing an ENTIRE TWO WEEKS at the gym. After all, wouldn’t I look like a beached whale at the end of the trip?

Well let me tell you a secret: you won’t look like one ;) In fact, when I did return from vacation and got back to work, I kept receiving comments, “Kel it looks like you’ve lost weight” or “Kel, you look good.” The reason I mention these comments is because prior to my return I was a little hesitant about my physique. After all, the most strenuous workouts I completed were leisure walks with my family! Talk about an amazing, restorative workout, seriously! .

 

My mom and sister walking on the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida

The hiatus from the dumbbells and drone of the treadmill were bitter sweet. The second I let go of my guilt it was just sweet. “What? Kelley are you cra-cra -- you are a fitness professional – your job is to live and breathe the gym?!” The fact of the matter is I am human too, and honestly, a break feels great once in a while! In fact, I venture to say it is NEEDED, yes A BREAK FROM GYM ROUTINES IS NEEDED TO GET FITTER!

How can this be? Haven’t you lost strength? Haven’t you lost endurance? Yes, a little. But within a week I was back to doing my sprints up to 10.5 MPH and hitting the moderately heavy dumbbells. I know my strength will get back, and be even stronger. But what are ten, maybe twenty times more durable now is my intrinsic motivation and my own satisfaction of getting in a good day at the gym. I am back to a place of loving it again.

A little sweaty after sprints J!

In closing, I wanted to share the leg workout I completed yesterday (post interval training) We will just call this one Lactic Acid Legs! Inspired by fitness gurus Mike Davies & Jill Coleman, after jumping off of the treadmill I through this puppy together:

LACTIC ACID LEGS

•         You will need at least one, up to three sets of dumbbells & a bench or box to step on
•         Do as many rounds as you can in 25 minutes
•     And an “ BRING IT ON” mindset J

Your tools for magic!

EXERCISE	REPS	WEIGHT
Alternating lunges	12 each leg	Heavy
Bulgarian split squats	13 each leg	Medium
Single leg hip raises (on your back, one leg in air and raise hip – rest weight on hips)	14 each leg	Light to medium
Single leg step up w/ squat at the bottom (when you return to floor)	15 each leg	None to light
Dumbbell deep squats (elbows to knees)	16 total	Medium to heavy
Wide stance deadlifts (dumbbells go down outside of leg – not in front)	17 total

Looking forward to an amazing 2014. Share with me what you do to restore your intrinsic motivation and success on your fitness endeavors on twitter @kelleyvargo or on facebook.

Have an amazing day!

Xo,

Kel

Why being THE best isn't a good thing

I have always had a motivated and driven personality. Whether it was in school, work, or training, I strived to be the best. Most people would say that is a good thing, striving to be the best, but I beg the differ. I think striving to be YOUR best and striving to be THE best are two different things.

When I was constantly striving to be the best, I found myself in constant anxiety or as a failure. I came to adopt an “all or nothing” mindset that set me up for failure almost every time. I found this mindset extremely detrimental when I began training for my first fitness competition. I was relentless on myself if I only got in one of two workouts for the day, basically I was a failure if I was only at the gym for 90 minutes instead of 120. I was a failure if I had a bite of anything off of my “competition meal plan.” Tomatoes weren’t on the plan, so no tomatoes here.

And then it came to the cheat meals on Saturday, you would have thought I was a starving child. I would eat until my heart was content, or my stomach couldn’t extend. All in that one meal. Feeling bloated and disgusted on Sunday, I would head to the track. Not taking overall in a show meant that I was a failure. It didn’t matter that I had gotten in to the best shape of my life, that I had inspired hundreds of people around me to be healthier, or that I had learned about myself along the way.

This vicicious cycle continued after the competition. I would guilt myself into spending 2+ hours or more at the gym everyday. If I wasn’t at the gym by 7 am I was already failing at the day. I was disgusted that I didn’t maintain my physique from the stage. I wouldn’t eat fruit that wasn’t on my former meal plan, I created these ridiculous standards of living that made it almost impossible to succeed.

I miss competing and I will get back to the stage, but this next time it will be a completely different person stepping foot on stage. This time I will have a balanced mindset. What does this mean? If I can’t fit in 2 workouts, I will realize it is okay. If I am out to dinner and I want a fry off of someone’s plate, I will have a fry. Not my own order, but a few fries.

So whether you’re thinking about competing, starting a new workout regiment, or a lifestyle change, release yourself now from the all-or-nothing mindset. How many times do we vow to start our new workout plan or “diet” on Monday? We slip up on Tuesday and then vow to start on the following Monday because we already “ruined” the week.  How ridiculous is this? Our health is a continuum, it doesn’t have days associated with it. Our body will not know if it is Monday or Wednesday, so you can release yourself of that! Rather, take things one-step at a time and practice moderation. If you miss a workout or eat a piece of chocolate cake, be okay with it, and move on. Do not associate your worth to a choice.

Strive to be your own best before being THE best. There are a lot of things that go on in life that are outside of our control, roll with it. Control what you can, and even if you slip up, be okay with it. Life is a journey and should be enjoyed!

Be your best today! Tweet me your thoughts @kelleyvargo

Xo,

Kel

The Two Choices For Attaining A Fit Life

The number of choices we make throughout a single day is pretty amazing, I mean think about. Did you hit the snooze button or wake up for your morning workout? Did you pack your lunch or plan on eating out? Did you watch your TV after work or read a good book? So many choices! Between juggling day-to-day commitments and decisions, it can seem daunting to choose when get in a workout, and how to prepare healthy meals.

1. First things first, we have to have the right mindset. We can all choose to spend our time working out, but is this what we want to do? Take for example a dear friend of mine. She works a 9-6 job and has a daily hour and a half commute. She has been trying to lose a few pounds and get more active. Typically when she gets off work she is tired and does not feel like going to the gym.  If it is not too late, she enjoys walking, but sometimes it is not always feasible. In my mind I am like duh, just wake up 45 minutes earlier. But I realize that’s not fair, not everyone is a crazy morning person like me :).

Her and I sat down and started talking about how to work around this. I started probing a bit and found out she enjoyed taking group fitness classes offered at work. So why not start there? She decided on packing her clothes the night before so that way immediately after work she could go to the class.

Switching up her mindset to not make working out seem like a drag helped her get in workouts without dreading it!  Case in point: choose what is best for you! 

2. Choosing how you spend your time. You have the power to choose how you spend your time. And when it comes to exercise, it all adds up. Whether it is 20-40 or 60 minutes, it all counts. We all have 1440 minutes in a day, surely we can spend at least 20 on exercise. For some people 60 minutes of exercise a day seems overwhelming and impossible. I have been through some of the most brutal workouts and they have been done in 20 minutes! Think about it, the time you spend fumbling around in the morning, you could have crushed a 20-minute workout. 

I constantly remind myself that it all counts.  Being a gym rat over the years, I am used to having a minimum 90 minutes (45 for my lift and 45 for my cardio) in the gym. These days, juggling graduate school full time, working, and traveling with my boyfriend, I can spend more time in classrooms and airports than in a gym. There are days where I cannot get to the gym for a solid hour. However, knowing that I can train efficiently in 20 minutes makes fitness on the road and in school doable.

Health comes down to two choices: mind-set and time. What are you going to choose?

Let’s give everyone the tools to a great exercise mindset; tweet me your mindset mantra today @kelleyvargo #kvmindset

Until tomorrow,

Kel