Those Nasty Habits...

At one time or another, we've all had that clarifying moment where we wake up one day and realize that we have been perpetuating a bad habit for far too long. We realize it, and think about doing things differently, and maybe we even do for a while, but more often than not, old habits die hard. Whether it's hitting the snooze button for an hour every morning and then having to rush to get out the door, skipping breakfast, or indulging in too much dessert after dinner, all of these habits are detrimental to overall health and well being.

If you find yourself perpetuating some bad habit--or maybe a few bad habits!--don't be too hard on yourself, because habits really are difficult to break. It's not because we're lazy or weak, and there's actually a lot of science out there about why we tend to fall into bad habits over and over again.

In March 2012, NPR put out a piece called, Habits: How They Form And How To Break Them which explains how habits form by discussing the psychological three part process. It says that "as soon as a behavior becomes automatic, the decision-making part of your brain goes into a sleep mode of sorts...."

"In fact, the brain starts working less and less," says Duhigg. "The brain can almost completely shut down. ... And this is a real advantage, because it means you have all of this mental activity you can devote to something else."

The idea is that we make things like eating healthy meals and exercising regularly the ones that become automatic rather than hitting the snooze button, which can actually make us more tired in the long run.

So what happens when you want to break an unhealthy habit and replace it with a healthy one? Create rewards for yourself for all those good habits you're trying to start. They can be little things, like promising yourself a coffee and healthy breakfast with friends immediately after finishing a work out. You could reward yourself for waking up with the first alarm by getting yourself some amazing body scrub to use in a long, hot, sense-awakening shower. Looking forward to those showers might be just what you need to get out of bed.

This week, try a little exercise to get those habits changed:
1. Choose one habit you'd like to change, and try to identify the reward you've been giving yourself that makes it difficult to stop indulging. Work on removing that reward.
2. Choose one healthy habit you'd like to begin, and a reward to go right along with it.

Starting off slow an easy is key. Be nice to yourself, and don't get too upset if you slip up once in a while, because we all do!

Good luck with all those habits, and feel free to comment below to talk with others about their habit progress.

Why Wake Early for Fitness?

As most of you know, Ladies Gun Club is held at 7 am three days a week, and when people hear what time it's held at, the first question they ask is usually, "Why so early?"

We all have our own reasons for getting up and getting going at different times, but some of us are inclined more toward the early morning than others. Before you sell yourself short and say, "But I'm not a morning person..." I assure you that I'm not naturally a morning person either, and a lot of the time, choosing to be feels totally counter-intuitive, but the benefits of working out early in the morning greatly outweigh the initial discomfort of rolling out of bed before I'm ready.

My reasons for working out early:
1. I like working out early because by the time I finish at 8 am, I still have time to enjoy a relaxing morning before beginning my work day. If it weren't for boot camp, I might just start making coffee at 8 or 9 and then next thing you know, it's time to get ready for work
2. I start the day with self care. Beginning the day by doing something really healthy and good for you that doesn't involve thinking about taking care of anybody else really sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. We all need a little 'me' time, but with kids and bosses and pets, it's difficult to prioritize without a goal that gives you a little accountability. Signing up and committing to something like boot camp definitely provides the accountability I need
3. No matter what I'm in the mood to eat, I know that I've jumpstarted my metabolism and that anything I eat will be put to better use than if I was just sitting around. You burn more calories and for longer after a workout with the LGC.

Boxing Scene's #5 reason for working out early is:
If you exercise at about the same time every morning, and ideally wake-up at about the same  time on a regular basis, your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to that. Physiologically, some wonderful things begin to happen; A couple of hours *before* you awaken, your body begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows" it's about to happen. Why? Because it "knows" you do the same thing just about everyday. You benefit from that in several ways

 TESTIMONIAL:
Ladies Gun Club is great because it creates easy to manage goals and accountability. Each boot camp is a month long with a week off in between and that works great for me because I am able to set a realistic and achievable goal for myself: work out 3 times a week at 7 am for 4 weeks. That's only 12 work outs. After a few weeks like this, I start to automatically wake up early and even if it's not a 'work out' morning, I have begun to think about the extra time I have before work as an opportunity to relax, spend time with the dog, or catch up on some reading--all things that make me happier and healthier.
                                                           --Ryan-Ashley Anderson

What are your reasons for working out early in the morning? Comment below to weigh in!

Referral Incentives!

Since Ladies Gun Club began last year, we have seen it grown so much, and it has all been because of your commitment to your own fitness, and willingness to spread the word. That being said, we would love to see it grow some more, so as a 'Thank you' to all of you who have talked about bootcamp, and to encourage you to continue to do so, we have created a new incentive program...

1 for 1: Get one friend to sign up for a bootcamp, and get one class free
2 for 2: Get two friends to sign up for a bootcamp, and get two classes free
3 for 3: Get a third friend to sign up, and get not only two bootcamps classes for free, but an additional, private, hour long personal training session with Teah (valued at $50/hr)! This is a great opportunity to really focus on problem areas and develop a plan of action for continued fitness and progress.

Have a friend who might be interested in joining but wants to check it out first before the next session? Bring them to tomorrow's FREE bonus class tomorrow morning at 7 am at Pack Square Park (by Splashville in front of the courthouse) to check it out!

Hope you had a great day off yesterday. See you bright and early!

Bittersweet

It's always a little bittersweet to come up on the end of a bootcamp series after a month of hard work and intentional fitness with an amazing group of ladies, but once again, we're nearing the end. This group has been particularly amazing, because they have shown up time and time again despite bad weather reports and a particularly wet Asheville. Part of the time this month we couldn't even use our usual Carrier Park location because the river had completely flooded it!

Looks like the sun is coming out just in time for our next Ladies Gun Club, which begins Monday, July 29 and runs through the month of August. If you're worried about getting off track between now and then, or just want to check it out without committing, check us out NEXT Wednesday, July 24, at Splashville in Pack Square Park downtown. Dudes, even though it's 'Ladies Gun Club,' we're making it guy friendly for August, so come on out and give it a try next week.

Why are we going Co-ed? Don't worry ladies! For those of you who really appreciate the ladies-only atmosphere, it's going to be coming back; we just want guys to have a chance to try it out so we can start working on a co-ed class.

If you plan on bringing a friend for the August series, or you're a new bootcamper, stay tuned because we'll be posting incentives for new folks as well as tried-and-true bootcampers on the blog!
Click HERE for pricing info.

Check out some snapshots of members and the beautiful mornings we've been working out in...

Building strength from the inside out! 

7 Day Core challenge

All the movements we make in life are initiated from the core, a stronger core equals a stronger body.  A stronger body means moving thru life in an easier more graceful manner and not to mention seriously decreasing the chance of injuring yourself.  Building core strength isn’t only about getting a six pack or a V, though those things will happen if you eat right and exercise.  But core strengthening is a dynamic process in which we develop strength as well as mobility throughout the torso through a variety of functional movements and exercises. 

For this challenge we will start with some very basic exercises and in a couple weeks I will follow up with a more dynamic, active set of exercises for more of a challenge. Start here, go for 7 days, check in with yourself to see if anything has changed in the way you feel and move and then do it again!! 

Wether you are in the gym on the regular or not working out at all right now, you can incorporate this quick bonus core series into your day or workout. You can do this anywhere without any equipment.  The series consists of 6 moves, 20-40 reps each repeat 2-3 times

Here she is:

• Mountain climbers (20 counting on the right)
• Basic stomach crunch (40)
• 45 degree leg lift (20 with both legs together or 10 ea side)
• Side plank hip press (20 on R)
• Static plank (hold for 20-60 seconds)
• Side plank hip press (20 on L)
• Supermans (40)

Some of these moves most people are familiar with, others may be completely new to you. Here is a brief explanation of each exercise:

Mountain climbers- From a plank position (on hands-or-elbows) pick up one foot and draw the knee into the chest, pause for just a moment to feel the front of the core contract then return the foot to the floor and do the other side.  Continue to alternate legs in a slow controlled motion

Basic stomach crunch- This one is self evident, but make sure to lift your upper body in a diagonal motion, think of lifting from the chest and not using the neck, a small movement is ok, we are not doing full sit ups.

45 degree leg lift- Laying on your back with a little bend in the knees, start with the legs up in the air just slightly lower than 90 degrees.  Slowly lower the legs as far as you can without the lower back lifting up off the floor and return the legs to just under 90 degrees.  Keep going up and down through your range of motion in a smooth controlled manner.  If this agitates the lower back then start with one kneed bent, foot planted on the floor and perform the exercise with one leg at a time.

Side plank hip press- From your forearm side plank make a small pushing movement of the hips up towards the sky.  Keep your body straight in that side plank!

Static plank- simply hold your perfect plank (hands-or-forearms) for at least 20 seconds, work up to 60 seconds or more.

Supermans- Laying face down with the hands behind the head pick the chest up off the floor and squeeze the back, lower and repeat.  If that isn’t challenging enough then add in lifting the legs as well and squeezing the back as the upper body and legs are up.  Imagine a string between your elbows and ankles and its shortening as you squeeze.


Make no excuses, get after this challenge every day for 7 days and see how you feel! You may be pleasantly surprised!!

Carryon in Health~

Teah