What’s in my Gym Bag?

I carry a packed gym bag every where I go, I think I learned this from my mom. I always like to be prepared to get in a quick workout and then be able to look (and smell) presentable after. Check out what’s in my gym bag below:  

• Clean Top: Let’s be real this is more for when I spill my coffee on my shirt than anything else! Most of my workout clothes are from Revelry Boutique or Athleta

• Water Bottle: Hydration is extremely important! Try to drink half your body weight in ounces each day.

• Protein: Make sure to consume some type of protein after your workout, I love bars and shakes from Profile by Sanford

• Deodorant Wipes: Sometimes you just don’t have time to shower!  

• The Best Hair Ties  Ever! They don’t leave a crease!

• Clean Socks (no one wants stinky feet) Feetures are my favorite workout sock brand.

• Living Proof Dry Shampoo  

What is in your gym bag? I am always looking for quick and convenient items to throw in my bag and I would love your input.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021

Did you know that approximately 40% of men and women will develop cancer at some point in their lives (National Cancer Institute) and 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer?

Because of this October has been appointed Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Unfortunately I have fallen victim of the idea that this isn’t something that I need to worry about right now. But the fact of the matter cancer is a disease that does not discriminate, young, old, healthy, athletic, it can target any of us. So, I am using this month to educate myself on signs for early detection of breast cancer which I listed below:

• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.

• Pain in any area of the breast.

• Nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood).

• A new lump in the breast or underarm.

I am also taking the time to discuss with my doctor when the appropriate time for regular mammograms begins, and learning different ways to donate time and money to breast cancer research.

Cancer is a terrifying disease and unfortunately we have seen many clients fight so courageously to beat it! If you or a loved one is fighting this fight please allow us to help in any way possible.

Injury Prevent and Rehabilitation at Live Fit

Did you know Live Fit specializes in Injury Prevention And Rehabilitation?

Feeling better includes many things! The Certified Personal Trainers at Live Fit will combine strength training, stretching, flexibility, and nutrition in each workout to ensure you leave the gym feeling better than before!

Your plan to living a pain free and healthy life can include many different services at Live Fit. They can either be combined or done separately to create a perfect routine for your needs.

These Services Could Include:

• Personal Training

• Pilates Reformer

• Private Yoga

• Nutrition/Weight Loss

• Recovery Session

Still wondering what your customized plan will look like? Schedule a Free Consultation at Live Fit to learn more!

Preparing for Winter Workouts

I know, I might be jumping the gun a little bit considering if was still 90 degrees in Kansas City this week, but have you started to think how you will continue to get your activity in during the winter? If you are strictly a gym exerciser you should be fine! But if you get a lot of your activity outside you might have to make some adjustments. I typically complete most of my cardio outside during the warmer months so during the winter I have to get a little bit creative, do you have any fun ways to get cardio in during the winter? Below are my top choices let me know what yours are also.

HIIT Workout - This is required to be a partner workout because no body wants to die alone!

Mitt Boxing - Boxing is mentally challenging so you kind of forget you are getting an amazing cardio workout!

Dress Warm and Brave the Cold! My puppy prefers this option! He pretty much wants to walk or run no matter the temperature.

Live Fit Trainers 2021

What’s been happening at your house this month? How are you feeling since school has started and fall is right around the corner? There have been some fun changes happening at Live Fit, starting with new head shots from The Rye Studio and man did they turn out so good! (Not that we had any doubt because Amy and Chase are amazing). We are excited to tell you about all the new changes coming…I am sure you have noticed some of the changes already ;)

Check out the first round of photos below!

Back to School Quick Dinner Ideas

What does your typical night look like now that school is back in session? Sports are ramping back up and night time routines are more difficult and rushed. In an attempt to streamline dinner we have our staple dinner options that are quick and easy and always on hand! I figured I would list a few in hopes that they can help you and your family continue to eat healthy meals even when there is not much time to cook.

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders w/ Steam-able Veggies: We typically marinate the tenders in oil and seasoning and they air fry in 12 minutes!)

Frozen Turkey Meatballs w/ Cauliflower Tots: We sauté the meatballs in Buffalo sauce and dip both the tots and meatballs in ranch!

Shrimp Fried Rice: We use cauliflower rice but a steam-able bag of brown or white rice would also work!

Turkey Sausage Links w/ Mixed Veggies: Slice the turkey sausage and sauté all the veggies together with any type of marinade your family likes!

Breakfast for Dinner: Pre-made Kodiak Cake Waffles, eggs, and bacon!

What are your favorite go to dinners?

Back To School - 2021

Fortunately or unfortunately summer is coming to an end! Today is officially our first day back to school, back to the hustle and bustle of mornings and after school activities which always takes a minute to get back into the swing of things!

We hope each of our students, teachers, and parents have the best school year yet! There are still things that are uncertain pertaining COVID and we will all manage them as they arrive.

Be safe, have fun, and learn something new today!!

We would love to see your back to school photos!

Why Do I Have pain in My Wrists while Doing Pushups?

Do you experience pain in your wrists during exercises like pushups? Fortunately often times this pain can be emliminated by making a feW minor adjustments! Try a few tips from below to ease your wrist pain during exercise.

• Stretch: Tight wrist flexors can cause pain in your wrists. Stretch your wrist by placing your palm against the wall at shoulder height with your fingers pointed down. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds.
• Strengthen Your Wrist: Grab a pair of dumbbells and try wrist curls!
• Lessen the Angle of Your Wrist: Try placing a folded towel under your palms or try doing push-ups elevated on a bar to relieve the excess stress put on your wrist.
• Engage Muscles Throughout Your Body: Pushups are a total body exercise, make sure to be engaging your core and leg muscles simultaneously to relieve the pressure out on your wrists.

If these tips do not seem to help, reaching out to your physician might be your next step to ensure there is not a structural problem.

Travel Workouts

I feel like we are in the thick of summer vacations! Do you have any travel plans before the kids return to school this fall? If so, what happens to your workout routine when you are traveling? Do you take the time off to recover or do you try to get in a few workouts during your vacation? I think whatever works best for you is best, no judgement if you want to sit on the beach with a margarita for a week!

Most of the time I attempt to stay active in some way during vacation just because I genuinely enjoy working out, but my workouts typically look a little different than my normal week. Check out below for some fun ways to add exercise into your vacation.

• Rent Bikes and Explore the Town

• Hike to Some Place New

• Check Out a New to Your Workout Class in the City

• Challenge Yourself to Try a New Activity

• Ask Your Personal Trainer for a Vacation Workout You Can Do as a Family

How do you stay active during vacation? Let us know if you have any ideas to add to this list!

Stay on Track During Summer

How do you stay on track with your fitness and health goals? Is there a certain time of the year that is more difficult? The holiday’s immediately come to mind but for me the summer is the most difficult time! Summer is my favorite season because there are so many activities, and activities mean unplanned dinners and less time to squeeze in a workout. The first thing I try to remember is we all only have one life to live so gosh dang it we better live it up! So I am not extremely hard on my self if I miss a workout or have a scoop of ice cream after the pool, but I know I feel way better when I stick to my typical diet and workout routine. So let’s chat about somethings I do to stay on track during the summer. As always chime in if you have any ideas to add!

• Be Realistic: Like I stated above I know the summer is a bit busier, so I might only get in a half hour workout instead of a full hour on a Saturday and that is completely fine!

• Make a Plan: I am a planner year around but during the summer I make sure to plan time for workouts and even grocery shopping so neither of those chores get left off the list.

• Build a Support Group: Yes, we might be traveling more during the summer but find out which friends will wake up early and go walking or will willingly bring a healthy food option as well as the S’Mores!

• Take It a Day at a Time: Don’t let one day of missing a workout or over eating ruin your entire week. Wake up each morning with the intention of meeting your health and wellness goals no matter what happened the day before.

• Find an Accountability Partner: This can be a friend, spouse, or a personal trainer at Live Fit. It is important to have some body to chat with about your health and wellness goals so you don’t feel completely alone during the process! Live Fit personal trainers would love to assist you in any way possible during your health health journey.

Summer Sessions

I think it’s clear that summer has officially started! It’s been about one thousand degrees for the last few weeks in Overland Park and we are trying and dialing to adjust.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of summer? My least favorite is when it is 100 degrees and harder to exercise outside…I am not a morning person so having to wake up early to run the dog is not fun! My favorite is the long days where you can pack in so many activities and the fact that so many of our college student clients are back in town! Summer workouts are always so much fun because we get to catch up on the school year and everything in between!

Don’t forget if you haven’t been into Live Fit in the last three months contact us today yo receive a free personal training session!

Let us know your plans for this summer, we hope it includes a few fun workouts at Live Fit.

Schools Out for Summer!

We have almost officially made it through another school year! I think most parents and kids can say the 2020-2021 school year was extremely different than any other school year and are happy to be coming out on the other side of this pandemic!

Now that school is out do you all have plans for this summer? How do you keep the kids and yourself from just vegging out behind the tv or computer? We thought it would be fun to compile a list of summer activities that can be done with (or let’s be honest without) the kids this summer that will help keep us all active! Let us know if you try any of these activities or if you have tried them before; many are new to me and are going on my list!

Hiking: There are many great hiking trails near us. Hiking is a great workout and choosing a new trail can add extra challenges. The Parkville Nature Sanctuary is beautiful and has trails appropriate for all fitness levels; you even get to see a waterfall.

Frisbee Golf: Try to pick up a new sport! Frisbee golf is great because it requires a lot of walking (even more if you are not so great) and there are many amazing frisbee golf courses around Overland Park.

Swimming: Swimming is a great aerobic exercise to do during the summer when it is so hot! Skip that long run and jump in the pool for a challenging cardiovascular workout. Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Rent a Kayak or Canoe: Rowing is a great total body workout! Did you know you can rent kayaks and canoes at Lake Olathe? This is for sure on my list to do this summer!

Do you have any other ideas to add to our list? We can’t wait for this rain to move on so we can get outside and get moving!

Recovery

What does your typical workout schedule look like? Do you workout 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, of 7 days a week? Do you prefer strength, cardio, or Pilates? Maybe a bit of all three? Do you schedule a recovery day or time at the beginning or end of each workout to recover?

Recovery is important to ensure you live a pain free life! Live Fit offers Recovery Sessions as add on services to your workouts. During these recovery sessions your personal trainer will combine the use of percussion therapy, massage, stretching, and rehabilitation exercises to ensure you are able to workout and live your life pain free.

Want to learn more about a Recovery session at Live Fit? Come in for a FREE Consultation to see if one of our certified personal trainers can increase your quality of life by helping you feel better through stretching and massage.  

Try Something New at Live Fit

When was the last time you tried something new? Maybe a new recipe, a new way of thinking, or a new type of exercise?

I am a creature of routine, certain house chores happen each day of the week, laundry is completed every Monday/Thursday, grocery shop gets done on Wednesday’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I thrive on routine but every once in a while I begin to feel anxious and I know I need to try something new! This could be a simple change in my routine or maybe something crazy like sky diving (just kidding…kind of).

Trying something new not only challenges us physically but mentally as well! Routine’s can always be made better, exercise can become fun again, looking at a problem through someone else’s eyes might allow you to learn something new.

Spring has officially begun and it’s literally the time of new begginings, the grass is turning green, you can see new buds on trees, and flowers are blooming. Maybe it’s time for us all to try something new as well!

Live Fit has 12 trainers who all specialize in different training techniques, if you are interested in trying a new workout contact us today! Our trainers skills range from yoga, Pilates, agility training, mitt boxing, and everything in between! We hope to see you soon…maybe a little bit outside of your comfort zone.

Virtual Personal Training at Live Fit

Today a long term client and I were training virtually while she was on vacation in Los Angeles. Her husband came into the camera view to allow his wife to say hello to his family during a birthday Zoom session. After he walked away I asked her if these birthday Zoom sessions were normal before the pandemic and she quickly said no. We then began discussing the positives that have come out of COVID. Trust me, I would happily have skipped the pandemic but at this point acknowledging some of the positives is kind of nice! Look below to see a few of the positives in our minds.

Virtual Training: Whether virtual training is more convenient, you are traveling, or you are required to be at home for some other reason Virtual Training has now been proven to work!

Virtual Hangouts: Before the pandemic I would very rarely virtually “hangout” with many friends and family members that live across the country. But with the pandemic virtual hangouts have almost become normal! There are so many great apps to make hanging out so much fun!

CurbSide Pick Up: I am hoping curbside pick up stays after COVID! I have become so much more efficient especially with grocery shopping and meal planning.

Can you think of any positives that have come out of the pandemic? If you can let us know!

I also appreciate being able to virtually train clients with amazing back drops like this!

New Additions to Live Fit

It’s always fun to get new toys at Live Fit! Just last week we added a Stair Stepper to our cardio arsenal. We love the addition of the stair stepper because it is extremely versatile. You can utilize it as your warm up, finish a workout with a 5 minute leg burner, or even make an entire workout utilizing only the stair stepper.

Also, if you haven’t been into Live Fit for a while come in and check out the new LED lights we have had installed! They brighten up the space so much!

We are always trying to improve Live Fit, are there any upgrades you would like to see? Let us know!

Heart Health Month-2021

February is Heart Health Month! According to the American Heart Association heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Fortunately heart disease is often times preventable!

So let’s chat about how heart disease can be prevented. Heart disease can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle that includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and getting regular check ups to ensure your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure are all at appropriate levels.

Are you doing everything you can to prevent heart disease? Why not take the rest of the month of February to evaluate your lifestyle, are there a few things you can modify that might make a difference in your heart health? Why not try walking during your lunch break, substituting your sugary breakfast with a high protein option, or putting down the cigarettes? These simple changes could save your life.

Live Fit is always here to help in anyway possible, we would love to be your resource on living a healthy lifestyle starting with your diet and exercise. If you are interested in more information please contact us today!

Polar Vortex-At Home Workout

Well, unfortunately the polar vortex does not seem to be letting up in Kansas City! I think tomorrow morning it is suppose to be -16! Ugh, it’s sad when the prospect of 22* is exciting. If you’re anything like me walking the dog is a big part of your routine and I think both the dog and I are going a little crazy being stuck inside because of these temperatures. In an attempt to change up my workout routine I did my entire workout on the stairs; check it out below and let us know if you complete the workout on your own.

Warm Up: 3 minutes Stair Run (or walk)

Workout: Perform each exercise for 1 minute resting when necessary, repeat 2-3 times for a total body workout.

• Squats (tapping booty on the 2nd stair each time)

• Push Ups (to make it more difficult perform decline push-ups by placing feet on second step and hands on the floor)

• Mountain Climbers

• Rear Foot Elevated Lunge (place back foot on 2nd step) (30 seconds each leg)

• Triceps Dips

• Toe Taps on Stairs

• Stair Step Ups (alternate legs stepping up to 2nd or 3rd step)

• Plank Position Shoulder Taps (to make more difficult put feet on 2nd step)

• Calf Raises

• Seated Leg Raises

Harvesters “Souper” Bowl Food Drive

**Not an official Sponsor of the NFL

For a list of Harvesters’ most needed items please click here!

Winter Blues-Gratitude Journal

Yikes, the winter blues have hit hard this week! I know it’s a combination of the pandemic and this gloomy weather but man I am over it! Do you have any tips or tricks that help you get out of the “funk”? My typical go to is writing in a gratitude journal, I try to write 3 things I am grateful for that happened during each day. They can be as simple as getting in a good workout, the fact that my husband changed the laundry over, or I had time to chat with a girlfriend. Typically once I step back and look at my day I realize it is not near as bad as it seemed in the moment!

This is once again one of those “do as I say, not as I do” moments; obviously it would make more sense if I practiced writing in my gratitude journal all the time, not just when I am having a rough day, or week, or month! Do you have any “go-to’s” that help you get through the winter blues? Mental health is just as important as physical health, if there is ever anything your Live Fit personal trainer can do to help you mentally please let us know! We are always here to help!