Sounds on Thursday

This week's sounds is Raindrops by Basement Jaxx. A good song for any type of cardio!

As always available on iTunes.

Wednesday's Workout

Lately on Frugal Fitness we have been talking about getting outside and running and running for your favorite charity. This Wednesday's Workout is a *free* training schedule to help you train for a race.

Beginners- Follow this program but subtract one mile from each workout and add in intervals of walking where necessary.

Advanced- Add in one extra mile to every run.

Week 1

• Mon- Run 2 miles
• Tues- Cross train (anything from swimming, biking, aerobics, elliptical)
• Wed- Run 3 miles
• Thurs- Strength train
• Fri- Rest
• Sat- Run 4 miles
• Sun- Run 2.5 miles

Week 2

• Mon- Run 3 miles
• Tues- Cross train
• Wed- Run 4 miles
• Thurs- Strength train
• Fri- Rest
• Sat- Run 5 miles
• Sun- Run 2.5 miles including a speed workout- Sprint for 30 second, recover for 1 minute. Repeat 5-8 times.

Week 3

• Mon- Run 4 miles
  
• Tues- Cross train
• Wed- Run 5 miles
• Thurs- Strength train
• Fri- Rest
• Sa- Run 6 miles
• Su- Run 3 miles including a speed workout- Sprint 1 min, recover for 1 min. Repeat 5-8 times.

Week 4

• Mon- Run 5 miles
• Tues- Cross train
• Wed- Run 6 miles
• Thurs- Strength train
• Fri- Rest
• Sa- Run 7 miles
• Su- Run 3.5 miles including the same speed workout from last week. Try to increase repetitions to 8-10 times.

Week 5-Race Week

• Mon- Rest
• Tues- Run 8 miles
• Wed- Cross train
• Thurs- Run 4 miles at an easy pace
• Fri- Rest
• Sa- RACE DAY! Good luck.

Tuesday's Trim Down

This week's Trim Down is a great frugal tool for those of you with iPhones, iPad or iTouch. Apple offers Apps (short for applications) for working out you can download to your iPhone. The Apps provide you with information and pictures you can use while working out. Best of all, these Apps are available for *free* or for a small fee.

Some of FitBritt's recommendations:

1.) Runkeeper (free)- Tracks your distance, pace and calories burned for running, walking, hiking etc.

2.) Lose It! (free)- Lets you set goals and keep track of your calories intake and exercise output. Great for losing weight.

3.) Body Fitness (free)- Ever get confused when FitBritt explains an exercise- use Body Fitness to show you how to perform exercises like V-sits, crunches, lunges, yoga moves and more. Also tracks workouts and weight.

4.) Weight Watchers (free)- Everyone can download this app to get information on recipes but those signed up for Weight Watchers can also track their point intake.

5.) Yoga Trainer Pro ($1.99)- Shows you how to perform yoga poses using pictures and lets you create yoga sequences.

6.) Fitness Builder ($9.99)- A comprehensive program providing you with workout ideas and programs, custom exercises, fitness trainers, images, videos, text and audio, capability to share workouts, ability to ask ask fitness questions and track your progress.

7.) Distance Meter Pro ($2.99)- A GPS distance tracker that can show you how far your trail is and how fast you are going.

For more information on these and other apps visit: apple.com

Who knew your phone could help you workout??

Monday's Retail Madness

This Monday's Retail Madness is great deals by Reebok! Right now Reebok is offering 30% off your order plus free shipping with the code TAKE30 at checkout. Offer expires 5/31/10 and excludes some products.

In addition to this great promotion, Reebok also offers a Sign Up and Save program which gives you 15% off your first order when you join their email list.

Reebok also offers a deal of the week, promoting huge savings for you. This week's deal is 20% off all running shoes using the promo code RUNNING at checkout. There is also free shipping over $99! Offer valid from 5/21-5/27 and excludes some products.

Visit Reebok.com to find all these great deals!

Also, following a previous post about toning shoes, Reebok has come out with a new pair of shoes called RunTone, which offers toning for your calves, hamstrings and butt while running. Most toning shoes are for everyday walking but these shoes are designed for serious running. Check them out at Reebok. Reebok is also introducing a similar shoe designed for training and working out called TrainTone. Stay tuned for more info on the release.

Special Groupon Alert

Crunch Gym is offering $39 one month membership! Check out Groupon.com.

Weekend Activity

This weekend go out and try a new activity! Anything you haven't tried before like tennis (usually you can get free court space at local highschools), swimming (look for a community pool for low rates or try a day pass at the YMCA, which has reasonable rates), golfing (try a driving and putting range to keep fees on the low-end or try a public course during off-peak times--call your local course for details), sailing (see if your park and rec department offers a low-cost course), basketball, etc.

Friday's Food

This Friday's Food is a great recipe for staying healthy and also enjoying a favorite food of pretty much everyone: PIZZA! This recipe is loaded up on veggies and contains lower fat versions of some of the ingredients. By using flatbread or pitas you will make individual serving sizes, thereby controlling your portions. To make FitBritt's healthy pizza follow the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flatbread or Pita
Low-Fat Marinara Sauce
Fresh or Dried Herbs such as Basil, Oregano or Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Veggies Such As: Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms, Eggplant, Spinach
Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Take a flatbread and spread a thing layer of marinara sauce on it.
3. Add herbs and garlic if using.
4. Spread veggies on the pizza.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Special Update-Bicycling

Today is official Bike To Work Day! See our previous posts on Bikes in Buildings, Bike Paths, and the Bicycle Commuter Act to get more information on biking.

So get your bike out and get moving to work!

Sounds on Thursday

This week's Sounds on Thursday is Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. A great song for endurance workouts and strength training.

As always available on iTunes and Amazon.

Wednesday's Workout

A great way to save money and keep your workouts fresh is to get some new fitness dvds. This Wednesday's Workout is to hold a DVD swap! Get together some friends together and have them bring fitness dvds they are tired of and don't use anymore. Let everyone browse each others dvds and then swap for the ones they want.

Don't forget the healthy snacks!

Monday's Retail Madness

The thing FitBritt hates the most is when you decide to spulrge on something only to have it disappoint your expectations. One place this can happen often is with a personal trainer. This Monday's Retail Madness is focused on how to get the most out of your trainer.

1.) Shop Around- The first and most important thing for getting the most effective trainer is to find one that suits your needs. If you belong to a gym you will most definitely have a number of trainers at your disposal to choose from but you can also search elsewhere. A simple Google search can give you a directory for finding trainers in your area. Of course word of mouth is a really effective way for finding out about a trainer so don't be afraid to ask someone at your gym who you seeing working out with their trainer if they like that person. Ask around in your social or business circle of acquaintances if they have a trainer that they like.

2.) Figure Out Your Goals- Take a minute and write down the goals you wish to achieve from you training sessions. For example, maybe you want to lose 10 lbs, become more flexible, get flat abs, be able to run a 5K, break a plateau. Whatever your goals are write them all down.

3.) Find a Trainer Who Fits You- Most trainers have a speciality or focus area, for example weight loss or marathon training or endurance fitness. Some also have special certifications like boxing, pilates or yoga. Using your list of goals from above, try to match a trainer based on his or her speciality with your goals. Then once you have chosen a trainer, be clear with him or her about the goals you want to achieve. Show them the list and talk to them about the time frame in which you would like to achieve your goals. Your trainer can't help you train for that 5K in time if they don't know the race is in 6 weeks.

4.) Look for Deals- This may take a little bit more creativity but you can find good deals on personal training if you look around. Most gyms have an introductory special, for example, buy three sessions for $100. Ask at the desk about any of these offers. From our earlier post, check out Groupon which often has personal training packages that you can take advantage of and the discounts are great! Consider splitting the cost with someone else by training with a friend. Negotiate a rate. If you have a trainer you like, ask them if they would be willing to give you a discount if you paid up front or if you committed to a certain number of sessions.

5.) Keep the Trainer Focused on You- Don't let the trainer text or email during your session. The entire length of the session should be focused on you the entire time. The trainier can take care of other business on his or her own time.

6.) Communicate- Tell your trainer if you don't think the exercises you are doing are working, if you feel that you have not made enough progress, if you are sore or injured. Keep the trainer informed about everything, including your progress outside of the session including your own workouts and eating. By communicating with your trainer, you will have a greater likelihood for success and if things are not progressing, you'll have the chance to change before wasting a ton of money.

Friday's Food

This Friday's Food is a great *freebie*. Thinking up healthy menu plans can be difficult so its best to leave it to the professionals. Check out the Food Network on television for great recipes and demonstrations. But beware, not all of the popular chefs are dedicated to healthy eating. Try to stick to some that incorporate a lot of fruit and vegetables and keep things like butter, frying, bacon and cream to a minimum. Some of FitBritt's favs are Giada at Home, 5 Ingredient Fix, and Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.

Sounds on Thursday

In honor of some of FitBritt's own accomplishments today, the recommended sound for this Thursday is Celebration by Kool and the Gang. An old song but it always gets you moving!

Wednesday's Workout

This Wednesday's Workout is completely free and focused on stretching. Stretching is an important part of staying fit and avoiding injury but many people overlook stretching. Here are a few stretches to try after a workout or maybe just after a long day when you want to unwind.

1.) Runner's lunge- Start with right leg in front with right knee bent and step the left leg back with the heel lifted off the floor and leg straight. Drop your hands down to the floor and hold this lunge position for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

2.) Butterfly Stretch- From a seated position bring the soles of the feet together in front of you so knees are pointing out to the side. Try to press the knees to the floor while keeping your back straight. You can use your elbows to help you. Hold for 30 seconds.

3.) Hamstring stretch- Lie on your back and bring the right foot straight up in the air. Keep the left foot flat on the floor with your left knee bent or for a more advanced option, straighten the left leg. Grab hold of the right leg that is in the air either at the calf, ankle or foot and draw the right leg in towards you shoulder. Keep your right leg straight and do not go to the point where the leg hurts. Hold for 20 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

4.) Straddles- Sit on the floor and bring your legs out wide into a straddle position. Lean over to the right and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat to the left and in the center.

5.) Back stretch- Lying on the floor with legs straight out in front of you, grab the right knee and hug it into your chest. Allow the knee to drop over to the left side until the knee is touching on the ground. Extend your arms out to the side and if you can turn and look to the right side. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

6.) Hip Flexor Stretch- From a runner's lunge position with the left leg straight behind, drop the left knee to the ground. If you can bring your hands up and place them on the right front knee. Lean forward into the right knee but do not let your right knee go past your toes. You should feel this in your left hip flexor. Hold 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

7.) Quad Stretch- From the hip flexor position, bend the back knee and catch the back foot in your hand. Pull your foot in towards your butt and hold it there feeling a stretch along the quad. Switch and repeat.W

Tuesday's Trim Down

This Tuesday's Trim Down builds on yesterday's concept of a home gym. Another fun piece of equipment to add to your home gym repetoire is a hula hoop. Hula hoops are a fantastic way to burn calories, tone your abs and have a little fun. You can also buy a weighted hula hoop to add extra resistance for a more difficult workout. Check out amazon.com for options. Remember when hula hooping that the motion is back to front with the hips, not side to side or a circle. Keeping a steady back to front motion will help you keep the hula hoop going. A great advantage to using a hula hoop versus traditional ab exercises is the fact that the hula hoop forces you to work your entire core, including obliques and back muscles, and it forces you to keep you stomach muscles pulled in, instead of pushed out, which can happen with ab curls.

For a little bit of fun, try this hula hoop 10 minute workout from Exercisetv.tv

Monday's Retail Madness

One of the major goals of Frugal Fitness is to provide advice on staying fit without spending a lot of money. One way to do this is to cut out costly gym memberships but you may still require equipment to get in a good workout. Therefore, this Monday’s Retail Madness is focused on creating a home gym.

To create a home gym, start with the basics. It is not necessary to have a designated space for a gym if you don’t have room in your house or apartment. The most important thing when it comes to space is being able to shift around some furniture to create enough room when you need it. Keep in mind that if you have to move too many pieces of furniture you will be less likely to stick to a workout on the premise that it takes too much preparation. Try to pick a space that requires only minimal furniture movement but still offers maximum space benefits for your needs. A common place is an office space or in the living room. Also, keep in mind that you want your equipment to be easy to put away and take out so it is accessible without causing clutter. A good idea is to store it in a closet close by or buy a woven basket to store things like weights so it is functional but will still fit in with the décor of the room.

Here are a few ideas for starting your home gym:

1.) Weights- A good idea is to buy a few different sets so that you have a heavy, medium and light set on hand. For instance, a woman may want to consider 3 lbs, 5 lbs and 8 lbs. A man might like 8 lbs, 10 lbs and 15 lbs. Check out the Shape Store or Sports Authority for options. Weights-$50.

2.) Mat- A good mat is essentially for yoga, pilates, stretching or just performing some strength moves on the floor. Try gaiam.com for some great non-stick yoga mats. Mat-$15

3.) Jump Rope- This is a great way to get cardio in without spending a lot of money. See our previous post. Jump Rope-$20

4.) Stability Ball- This is especially great for ab workouts but can also be used for general toning exercises and stretching. Check amazon.com- $15

5.) Clock or watch with a second hand stop- This is necessary to determine how long you have been working out for and to time yourself for interval training.

Thus you can put together a basic gym for about $100. Now that is frugal!

Here are some other extras that you may consider when building your home gym.

1.) Boxing gloves- Boxing is a great cardiovascular and strength workout. Boxing gloves are usually around $30. You can invest in a pair of focus pads if you have a partner who wants to work out with you. Or go big and get a punching bag.

2.) Exercise DVDs- These are great if you love classes at the gym. See our old posts on ExerciseTv and Yogatoday.com for free videos. Otherwise check out collagevideo.com for tons of options and sales!

3.) Resistance Tubing- This is great for strength training or adding resistance to pilates workouts to simulate pilates machines. For strength workouts look for resistance tubing with handles. For pilates and stretching, try a theraband which comes in a rectangular shape made from rubber with no handles.

4.) Medicine Balls- These are great and inexpensive for adding resistance to cardio workouts (Check out Steve Marcesa’s Workout Rock Hard Body Extreme on Exercisetv on demand or online for good ideas) or for replacing weights. Medicine balls are inexpensive and a good addition to any home gym.

5.) Books and magazines- These can help you get ideas for routines and workouts to prevent boredom.

6.) A Step- A step can be useful for doing a cardio workout without requiring too much extra space. Look for step aerobics dvds or just trying running up and down on the step. It is also a good substitute for a weight bench and can be used for numerous strength exercises.

To splurge or not to splurge? If you have the space and can afford an exercise machine like a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike this could be a great investment. Home exercise machines can save you money in the long-term by cutting down on driving or public transportation costs, saving time and improving motivation and the overall cost of the equipment will pay off compared to the cost of a gym. Pick a piece of equipment that you think has enough variety and can hold your interest. Visit a sports store or local equipment retailer and ask a lot of questions, get demonstrations and make sure you are completely comfortable with the equipment before purchasing it. Also, find out about payment plans and discounts to ease the financial burden. Avoid purchasing this type of equipment online or via an infomercial because you could end up with an impaired piece of equipment that could threaten your safety and find yourself without maintenance support from the manufacturer. Make sure you are aware of the guarantee for the equipment in order to get the most longevity.

Weekend Activity

This Weekend's Activity comes from a suggestion by a reader a while back. Most of us know that sitting around playing video games is not good for our health, however, Ninetendo Wii can be a fun video game that also burns calories. Most Wii games are done standing and require the player to use his or her own body motions to play a game. The basic Wii consul is around $200 and games can range from $20-$60. However, FitBritt recommends looking on eBay for a Wii at a lower price. Follow the tips from an earlier post on buying on eBay.

A good investment is the Wii Fit Plus. This comes with a balance board upon which you stand and play games involving balance, strength and coordination. The Wii Fit Plus allows players to burn calories with cardio moves (the step aerobics, run and hula hoop are the best), invoke calmness through a yoga practice, build strength with toning exercises and have fun playing games that involve all types of skills. The Wii Fit Plus is especially good for building core strength as most of the exercises require you to maintain balance while performing moves.

Fit Tip: Instead of going out to dinner, make some (healthy) snacks and stay home to play Wii. Set up a competition by choosing a few activities and creating a prize for whomever achieves the greatest number of high scores for each activity.

Friday's Food

This Friday's Food is somewhat related to last week's post on growing your own vegetable garden. Another good option for getting fresh fruit is to pick your own. Since some fruits can be difficult to grow in your backyard, visiting a local farm or orchard is a chance to get freshly grown fruit and to save some money over the market price by going directly to the source. It's also a great activity to get outside and move around!

Depending upon the season and the geographical area you can get fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, cherries, pumpkins, etc. For information on farms available in your area, the seasons to pick certain fruits, canning, freezing or making jam with the fruit you pick and other tips, visit PickYourOwn.org.

Readers, do you have any experience picking your own fruit?

Sounds on Thursday

This week's Sounds on Thursday is from a great artist, Alicia Keys. Her song, Wait Till You See Me Smile is an uplifting song that can be used for light to moderate cardio (walking, biking) or a pilates workout.

Wednesday's Workout

This Wednesday's Workout is another *free* workout. A fun way to stay in shape is kickboxing. You can do your own workout by trying these shadowboxing moves in your own home.

1.) Jabs- Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder width apart and knees bent. Bring hands up to chin height and keep hands in tight fists. Throw a punch forward with the right arm and then immediately retract and repeat to the left.

2.) Hooks- Staying in the same position, this when you throw your punch keeping your elbows at a 90 degree angle.

3.) Uppercuts- From the same standing position, bring you arms down to stomach height. This time throw your punches upwards and away from your body.

Try to do 50 punches of each. Then try putting the moves altogether.

Tuesday's Trim Down

This Tuesday's Trim Down is based on a hotly debated issue, which is the government's involvement in helping create a healthy population. While most of us support efforts aimed at helping people make healthier choices, the question is where to draw the line. When do we want the government to help out and when do we want it to butt out? Some examples of recent government initiatives include: requiring food chains to list calorie values for food and drinks (e.g. Starbucks, Chiptole, Au Bon Pain, etc), taxing sodas, asking food manufacturers to reduce the salt content of their foods (e.g. Campbell Soup, Heinz, Kraft), and taking the trans fat out of peanut butter.

Readers, what do you think about these and other initiatives? Do you support them? Do you think it is too paternalistic? Would you prefer more initiatives aimed at lowering the cost of healthy foods or increasing access to exercise? What is your suggestion for helping create a healthier population?

Special Update-Bicycling

In relation to some of Frugal Fitness's recent postings on biking to work and the benefits of biking, a recent law passed in New York City called the Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law requires commercial office buildings with a freight elevator to allow bicycle access into their buildings.

To gain bike access employers (building tenants) must file a request with the building owner. Individual employees cannot file requests. The employers must be able to store the bikes safely in their own office space. Office buildings that provide alternate bike parking may apply for an exception to the law.

For more Frugal Fitness Special Updates, visit us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FrugalFitness

Monday's Retail Madness

This Monday's Retail Madness is a fantastic find. Frugal Fitness has talked about the benefits of bringing your own lunch to work before and now it is even easier with these super cool lunch bags from Built (pictured left: Lunch Purse). These bags are insulated to keep the contents cool for up to four hours without the use of ice packs or refrigeration. They are easy to wash and contain inner pockets for easy storage. FitBritt likes her lunch purse because it fits easily over her shoulder like a purse, which is great when carrying other bags or needing hands free for coffee, cell phone, iPod, train ticket, etc. Also, FitBritt tends to pack her lunch the night before, pop the entire lunch box in the fridge and grab n' go in the morning.

Built offers a range of styles and colors to suit everyone's taste. Prices range from $20-$45 for lunch totes, not including shipping and handling. Built also has other products such as laptop cases, camera cases and more.

Readers how do you bring your lunch to work?

Weekend Activity

Although you may not find this to be a lot of fun, with spring here many of us are interested in doing some spring cleaning. This can sometimes be tedious work but a great way to get through it is to think about how many calories you are burning by getting off the couch and moving around the house. You can burn well over 100 calories an hour depending upon your height, weight, age and activity. Some really great calories burners include vacuuming, window washing, dusting, and of course in reference to Friday's post, gardening. In addition to burning calories, just think about all the lifting and squatting you are doing to get things clean. You may even get a whole toning workout in from a spring clean. You may want to even try putting on Thursday's playlist and see if you can combine spring cleaning with some of Wednesday's Workout to bring in the fun factor to your cleaning efforts.

Happy Cleaning!