it's not just for the six-pack: how fitness improves your mind

Forces presence. As we know from Kara Zimmerman’s brilliant brain insight, your brain craves novelty. It pays more attention to the new and less to the habitual. Ever drive along in the car, on the same old route, and you zone out until you’ve reached your destination and realize you hadn’t paid attention for the last four miles? Working out, especially frequently changing up your routine, will create presence in your brain. Focused on one new task (even if it’s just lifting weights in a new way), your brain will be building brand new neural pathways and dropping you into the present moment.

Building mental toughness paves the way to success. Sticking it out, being resourceful, developing resilience - all of these things are what make someone mentally tough. Getting to the gym or group class on a regular basis, especially when you are not in the mood, requires grit. And according to one researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, “grit - the perserverence and passion to achieve long-term goals - [makes all the difference.]”

Discovering new music in class rewards your brain. Ever get into a class and think, I am just here for the playlist. I’m definitely someone who needs music to pump me up and keep me going throughout the most difficult workouts, and it turns out that this is actually giving my brain the gold star. And gold stars make everyone feel good. This study suggests that the same reward center activated during sex or eating your favorite food is activated when listening to some good tunes. So get yourself to class and pump up the volume.

Decreases your risk of dementia. Everyone knows that working out has a zillion and one physical benefits. But did you know that by just logging a few more minutes of exercise to your daily routine means you can help prevent dementia? So play those brain games (I like crosswords as much as the next geek), but don’t forget that your heart health and brain health are connected.

Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t kill their husbands. Did Legally Blonde teach you nothing?! Well if you’re looking for more evidence, look no further. Creating happiness in your life is an ongoing part of the journey, just like physical health, you never just arrive. All it takes is one day at a time to a happier, healthier mind. And as we’ve heard many times before, what you do with your day is what you do with your life.

You become a better leader. Risk-taking makes you a better leader, and often times exercising (especially in a group setting) feels like a risk. Trying something new, putting yourself in a position to learn rather than to already know, forbidding your fears from keeping you static and stuck has been acknowledged as a critical element of leadership. Want to be the boss of your life? Get up and move.

In what ways do you notice fitness improving your mind?

putting some health in your holiday

Do not get it twisted. The holidays should be enjoyed with full bellies, hearts, and arms. It is arguably necessary to indulge in the abundance of this season, and that includes indulgence in your own health. After all, aren’t we celebrating health? A healthy spirit, healthy relationships, healthy outlooks on a new year? So instead of going down that path where you forget to nurture yourself and feel more burnt out than built up, here’s how to keep the health in your holidays:

Write down your workouts in advance. The holidays are always busy. Take 3-5 hours a week to yourself to just connect with your own body. Sign up for classes in advance so you feel accountable. Include workouts in your planner just like you include holiday parties. Carve out the time you need in advance so you aren’t forced to choose when you are strapped for time and inspiration.

Simplify your cooking. I love food. My mom is the best chef I know (even her sandwiches have a way of making me reconsider why I ever moved out), and you can bet your cannoli that my dad makes the best pasta and gravy Sunday dinner this side of the Atlantic. But for all of those in between days, post-turkey and pre-pasta, I like to keep it simple. Just buying the necessities. Keeping it lean and delicious with proteins, vegetables, legumes. Simplifying means two things: a budget you can maintain now, and guilt-free indulging later. You’ll get enough food excitement from parties and family functions, so why not keep your list succinct and sustainable. Here’s a sample of what Craig and I are buying right now:

chicken breast

tofu

eggs

spinach

salsa

avocado

tomato

black beans

lentils

onion

turkey bacon

I can make three or four meals a day with that list:

Hearty Breakfast: scrambled eggs, fried tomato, avocado slices, turkey bacon and black beans

Breakfast on the go or snack: hard boiled eggs, salsa, spinach

Lunch: Salad with spinach, tofu, avocado, tomato, onion, turkey bacon

Dinner: grilled chicken, lentils or black beans with onions, sauteed spinach

That menu costs around $50 a week for two people. That's a lot of savings. That means more money for Christmas gifts. Like, say, I don’t know, this… Meditate, pray, write. Do one or all three of these things depending on your disposition. I’ve taken to meditating first thing in the morning for a mere ten minutes. Clearing your mind, allowing yourself to start your day on your terms is going to give you the juice you need to celebrate with family and friends without burning out. You can’t just hustle to each and every holiday engagement. You’ve got to fill up and recharge so that you have something to give once you’re there.

Get yourself some travel weights. Or resistance bands. Keep it lightweight so that you can pack it easily. This way, no matter where you are you can do a little something. Even if all you’re doing is a set of crunches with weights in your hands, you’re going to raise that heart rate up faster and burn a few more calories in a shorter amount of time. Slipping in a few sets here and there throughout your day when you’re visiting family will make sure you’re not stuck at a gym while trying to hold all those newborn babies.

Like this guy:

Be honest and gentle. I think the best gift we can give each other during the holidays is the acknowledgement of truth via the gentleness of love. So often we don’t say what we feel, and mostly that happens with the people who need to hear it the most. Open up and stop hiding from those you love. I'll admit it, I have a short temper. Sometimes when I’m on the subway and people are starting to irritate me, I will imagine what they looked like as children. I try to see innocence, wonder, potential. If we can do that with strangers, we certainly should do that with our families. It’s the best time of the year to remember that everyone struggles in their own silent way from time to time, and exposing your honest and gentle self gives everyone else permission to do the same.

What other ways do you give your health a boost over the holidays?

the workout pants wish list

True statement here: I'm coveting all of these pants. I haven't tried them, some I haven't even seen in person, but I want them to cover my tush and give me some style stamina to get through the holidays. Yoga Smoga Run Jump 'n Play Crop in Indie Blue

I love the color, the look, the smoothness. I also love the idea of having a basic blue instead of black this winter. Let's face it, I'm basically a ninja when it comes to my color choices during a New York winter, so changing my basics to blues keeps it fresh.

Athleta No Sweatin' It Pant in Grey Heather

I had the pleasure of showing off some amazing new workout gear in the Athleta Flatiron Fashion Show on Tuesday night and one of the other models was wearing these pants on the left. Coveting. Tough. I absolutely loved what I was wearing, but now I own them, so they are no longer just a wish!

Lululemon Jet Crop Pant

There is nothing I love more than getting away with wearing workout pants to a bar or restaurant after class. Call me lazy. Okay, that's lazy. But with these I wouldn't have to feel GUILTY, which makes these pants more productive than therapy, people.

Under Armour Women's UA Cozy Tight Black

These are for all those long runs that Craig and I WILL take this winter. Now it's in writing, so it has to happen. And now that it's going to happen, I need something to wear. Hence, these guys!

Zella Double Dare Sparkle Leggings

Mesh cutout. That's all I really need to say.

What workout pants are on your wish list?

how to trick yourself into loving fitness

There was a time that I would go to the gym, use the elliptical for 25 minutes, break a kind of sweat?, and call it a workout. Because I hated working out. Loathed. Did not enjoy. Was slightly offended anytime anyone anywhere worked out at all. Which is super weird because now I’m a group fitness instructor and personal trainer at the Bari Studio (obviously I’m biased, but Bari is one of the hottest new workout methods in NYC and if you haven’t gone, please just go sign up for class so you can understand how powerful this method is and this run-on sentence can end.)

Can you sense the 180?

My fitness aboutface happened when I was stuck in a variety of ruts that were just not reflections of me. I was pretty sure my life was the ultimate failure and everyone around me would be sucked into my Black Hole of Wah Wah if I didn’t pull it together. So I decided to make some (uncomfortable) changes.

Sidebar: If you start something new and believe that if it’s the right choice, then it should feel great, you’re completely missing the point. New = uncomfortable. And uncomfortable DOES NOT = bad.

So as I was calibrating my newfound personal agency, my interest in fitness reared its sheepish head. I wondered if my inner aggression toward fit people might just be an overcompensation - that I might actually like working out. So I gave it a shot and it turns out I do like it. A lot.

Over time, I have met many people coming back to fitness for the first time in a long time. I look at my clients’ progress and my own and know that this initial hump of “getting into fitness” is just a hump before a sweet, majestic climb to your personal best. So here I’ve compiled seven tactics for scaling that hump and getting yourself on the road to loving fitness:

1. Sleep. You fitness-haters will love this one! Sleep has to be your first priority - get enough of it, consistently, so you can springboard off the energy you gain from your ZZZs into a new fitness routine. If you’re exhausted, there’s no way in hell you’ll want to try something different, you’re just trying to get through the day. Sleep is actually even more valuable than we think: this study shows sleep disposes of toxins in the brain. Go to sleep, grab some energy, and while you’re at it get yo’ detox on.

2. Take photos to track your progress. I’ll admit, I thought this was silly advice when I got it (from Craig), but it’s super satisfying and helpful. Photos let you see progress and inspire you to make more. It’s hard to see day to day changes looking in the mirror. Take the time out to check in with yourself. Plus we just had a great post from Craig on HOW to take an awesome photo, so maybe you will create some art along the way!

Along those lines, any kind of intelligently interpreted measurement system is super helpful in getting you excited about your new fitness routine. At Bari, we use the BodyMetrix system to take ultrasounds of fat thickness. Sounds fun, right?! Well for some reason it is. Really fun. It’s motivating to see where you’re starting from and to decide where you want to go. It takes all of the guesswork out, it makes you accountable to your progress, and leaves you with something measurable so you feel empowered by your choice to work out. If you and your gym don’t have a fancy machine, do circumference measurements, or just use an old pair of pants as your benchmark. The point is: track yourself.

3. Get a team. Accountability is so huge. When Craig and I lived in Brooklyn, we’d go to the gym together a couple times a week, but when he left to work at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival for a few months, MAMA DID NOT GO. Big surprise. He was my motivation, and I happened to like spending time with the guy. Sometimes, before our own goals feel valuable enough to us, we need to hitch our wagons to someone else’s. If you don’t have a friend who can be your accountability buddy, check out a group class - pick a time every week to go, introduce yourself to the instructor, and resist the temptation to be anonymous. If groups aren’t your style, get a personal trainer. A trainer can work one on one with you on your specific goals. I have worked with people on goals ranging from weight loss to increasing their energy level. Tell your trainer what you want to achieve and get to work knowing you’ve got someone in your corner.

4. You have GOT to get some good tunes. A new fitness routine can be PAINFUL - not just from tearing your muscle fibers and building up lactic acid - but if your head isn’t used to “workout mode” it can be tedious, maybe even boring. When I create workouts, I create them in tandem with a sassy playlist that mirrors the ass-kicking we’re about to endure. Find what inspires you, what moves you, what gets you to go that extra mile. My biggest advice on this one is to get on Spotify. Pick a song that’s your total jam, and play Spotify Radio from that song. You’ll be motivated to take a run around the block just to get some one on one time with your new playlist.

Here are a few of my tried and true favorite workout songs:

Okay I can’t give all my secrets away, sheesh... 

5. The 30 Minute Experiment. Schedule 30 minutes every other day for a week. One half hour where you have nothing else scheduled, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Try to fill that 30 minutes up with a walk, or a jog, or maybe try a push up, some crunches, whatever! The point is, you have 30 minutes that you don’t have anything else to do but work out. So you might as well lace up those sneakers and see what you can bust out. 

6. Consciously rewire your brain to like fitness. Holy crap is that even possible?! Yes. Whenever we learn something new (like.. say.. a fitness routine..) we create new neural pathways in our brain. At first those pathways aren’t habitual and can feel effortful, but keep putting yourself in that space and over time you’re strengthening and rewiring your brain for optimum performance. For more smartypants stuff, this article explains the science behind this phenomenon.

7. Use fitness as a metaphor for something bigger in your life. It’s true that working out gives you a healthier physical life. But looking at fitness in a way that helps you become more balanced, present, and clear can far outweigh any physical accomplishment. When I started working out again, I realized that it was not how many push ups I could do - it was the fact that I tried at all. Life was clearly telling me that it’s all about showing up. We happened to just show up on this Earth. How inconceivable, random, and brilliant is it that we are even alive?! And now all I can do with my life is try my best. That’s the essence of your workout: just show up, and do the best you can. Tomorrow might be better or worse, but you’ll know that you showed up and gave it all you had today.

Pick one or two of these tactics, whatever combination works for you, and see if you can come to fitness with a new mindset. You are more capable of this than you could ever imagine. Try it out, and let me know what you discover!

What are your favorite ways to work out? What is the best motivation you’ve come across to get your butt to the gym? What tactics inspire you the most?

FIVER: workout style essentials

Let’s put it out there. I love workout clothes: a new sweat-wicking, housekey-holding, neon racerback makes me run farther and jump faster. I NEED IT. That said, it’s hard enough to stay dedicated to your fitness routine without adding financial stress because of your yoga pants. Still, there’s something to be said for investing in a few key items that will last. So to find the compromise between fitness style and the green, here are my top five workout style essentials:

1. ZELLA AMOUR JACKET - $98. Half the price of comparable fitness brands, Zella by Nordstrom is a fantastic activewear line that I have been wearing for the past nine months or so. The jacket that I swear by has a perfectly tight fit, a slightly longer back to cover my badunk, and thumbholes to keep everything right and tight for those crisp fall runs. It’s super lightweight, which makes it a great layering piece. Even just pairing it with my pleather biker jacket from H&M makes me feel like a badass. My jacket is no longer in stock, but the link above is a close match.

And here’s a mini-splurge option. Throw a chunky scarf on this puppy and switch out your sneakers for boots and you can go straight from workout to happy hour. Not that I’ve ever done that…

2. SOCK BUN OR BRAID - FREE. Doing your hair to work out might seem vain, but I assure you, one rogue strand can completely wreck your mojo. That’s why I invested in my sock bun - an old sock that I cut the toe off of, rolled up to look like a doughnut, and slid on top of my ponytail, pinning my hair around it to form the most perfect bun imaginable. I have run, danced, and bounced on a trampoline for hours with this thing. It doesn’t move. If your hair is too long or too thick for the sock - go for the braid. Either a side fishtail braid with an elastic headband to keep your flyaways outta yo’ face, or two sweet braids on either side of your part, meeting in the back in a simple ponytail.

3. UP BAND + BRACELET - $130 + $3.80. My Up Band is my favorite workout essential. It tracks my steps, my calories burned, even my sleep patterns. The Up band app is also a social platform so you can see what your friends are doing, or if you’re like me, check in with your dad (we have matching bands in black - it’s so cute it’s disgusting). They come in a load of sweet colors and I love to pair mine with my sports watch, and a whole bunch of cheap bracelets from H&M, Forever 21, and a few I found under my bed. They won’t get in your way and will give you a touch of personality while tracking your workout. If you get one of these, friend me.

4. OLD NAVY WOMEN'S COMPRESSION CINCH TIE LEGGINGS - $27. Did I just rock your world? Yes. $27 PANTS THAT ACTUALLY LAST. Here it is folks: Old Navy. I’ve worn their compression pants for a year now with absolutely no complaints. Everything pulls up and in to create a super slim leg in these little ditties. You can go ahead and buy a few different lengths and colors because they are so inexpensive. Old Navy is hit or miss with me and fitness fashion finds, but man when it's good, it's GOOD. 

5. ADIDAS WOMEN'S ENERGY BOOST SHOES - $150. Shoes make or break my workout. If ever you’re going to splurge, do it here. My favorite shoe of the moment is my Adidas Energy Boost. Running shoes with some added cushion, a sweet design, and lots of color options. I wear a six normally and the six is snug but not too tight, true to size. I’ve danced all my life, I work out around 15 hours a week, and on top of the everyday beating my feet endure, Craig and I went on a 4.5 mile run this past Sunday, and in these sneaks: my feet never felt a thing. When I wear these out, I'll probably get a second pair!

What are your favorite workout essentials? Would you rather splurge on shoes or clothing when it comes to your fitness style? What's the most budget-friendly part of your fitness wardrobe?