Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Category Archives: Fitness


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What in tarnation is a Fitness Court?

Fitness Court in action!

Fitness Court in action!

Well, if you Google “fitness court” you’ll see that a fitness court is simply a place set aside specifically to work your body out. Could even be a basketball court by another name. In this case I’m referring to the Nation Fitness Campaigns’ Fitness Courts.

I bring this up because a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a nice fellow named Alex with the NFC (National Fitness Campaign). Alex emailed to let me know about the new Fitness Court his organization is putting in on the Marina Green and invited me to Treasure Island for a sneak peek.  A chance to have my way with the court before it launches. After reading about the NFC and seeing photos of the court I figured I’d be a fool not to check it out.

So, on Saturday right after our Stair Climbing Workout, I gassed up the car and headed for Treasure Island…

When I walked into the massive airplane hangar that temporarily houses the Fitness Court I had flash backs of walking into a school dance without a date.  Panic set in as I shyly strolled in and realized I didn’t know any of the 30 beautiful people rhythmically jumping, lunging and bounding around the court. There was a cameraman and orchestrated workout session with music going on. It looked to me like serious business and that everyone knew exactly what they were doing. As I stood on the sidelines in awe, a tall, fit Alex magically appeared and began to explain the court. As I stood there wondering if I had the nerve to jump up and have a pass around, another really nice, fit looking fellow asked me if I’d like to have a go. Again, I flashed back to school dances, it was kinda like being asked to dance by a stranger. Finally I managed to gather the words “yeeea, okay, thanks” and off I went for my romp around the Fitness Court with my partner giving me detailed FC 101.

Here’s what I learned; The Fitness Court is a free outdoor body weight training system designed with adults of all fitness levels in mind. The court features seven exercise stations: Core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend. These 7 stations are meant to build strength, balance and flexibility. The idea is that you go through the entire court a number of times, with one minute at each station recommended. After a full circuit, rest for 3 minutes and then around again and again if you like.

On this day I managed just 2 circuits but only because they were starting to do a serious photo shoot and I figured I’d stay out of that business.  I do wish I’d had longer to play around on my own. I was so busy trying to do the right thing at the right time, and follow the circuit that I didn’t have time to think about all the different exercises one can actually perform at each station.

So… with that, I highly recommend that each and every one of you make the effort to go check out the Fitness Court once it’s planted on The Marina Green. I’m not certain how long it will be there but I do know that this is a trial and if it’s a hit it may get to say and we may get to see more of them pop up in other parts of the city and the country for the matter.  If you are worried about knowing what to do once you get to the FC, don’t be. There are directions and there will be trainers there to help you during peak hours. Or, you can go with me. If you’re a current client, be sure we’ll be visiting the court as soon as it sprouts at the end of this month.

Lastly, I’d like to say THANK YOU to: Alex for finding me and inviting me to check out the FC! To my workout partner whose name has escaped me (I’m really sorry about that because you were very nice to take me around. I’m just super bad with names!) To Chelsea for chatting me up, and to the National Fitness Campaign for doing what they do and for bringing this super cool contraption to my hood. I hope to see you all again soon…

P.s. The National Fitness Campaign is an organization works to build fit communities by providing public outdoor fitness courts in schools and parks across the country.


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Do not look up!

Do not look up!

With our Run for the Seals 4 mile foot race just around the corner, my clients are starting to get a little worried about the “hills” along the course. See, the course description states that the route is “hilly in parts.” Those three small words have evoked large-scale panic in my brave, newbie runners.

Here’s what I have to say about the psychology of hills and words:

  • First – Remember that “hilly” to one person is rolling or flattish to another. Everything is relative. Don’t let someone else’s words get your feathers in a fluff. Remember my “Do not crawl on the stairs” melt down?
  • Second – When the elevation starts to go up, shut everything out of your head, listen to your calm slow breath like it’s music and “focus” on that. If you start gasping then slow the hell down and get your focus and breath back.
  • Third – Do not look up. Look straight ahead just up the road, but do not look up the hill! If you look up and see how far you have to go you’ll freak yourself out, panic and lose your focus. The climb is almost always easier than you think it will be.
  • Forth – Break the task down into small, easy to digest chunks. Think to yourself “let me just get to the first switch-back,” once there, get yourself to the big tree or some other small goal and keep it going, all the way to the top.
  • Lastly – Never anticipate the top. Trust that it’s there and keep going until you find it. Remember, once you’re over the top you get to go down!

And there you have it. Kelley’s hard earned words of climbing mind games and wisdom. Use it wisely…


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Be extra nice day

I love you!

Yippee! Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Why am I so excited? Well… in my mind Valentine’s Day is an excuse to be nice to someone you like. You don’t have to profess your undying love; you can simply be nice and show some warm-hearted affection. It’s also an excuse to be kind to yourself.

Last year this time I wrote about Valentine’s Day expectations and who Saint Valentine actually was. What I learned was that Saint Valentine was a priest turned saint who did kind things for single soldiers, that is until he pissed off Emperor Claudius II. What happened next, you can read for yourself.

So… again this year, I remind you to use this day to be extra good to yourself and to those who capture your attention. I suggest, luring your sweetie to a heart healthy pillow fight and/or, a long walk up and over some hills to visit your favorite ice cream shop. No sweetheart? Don’t need one, take yourself or a pal. If chocolate’s more your style than how about chocolate dipped strawberries? They’re a tad better for you than a truffle or hunk of Sees. Just sayin’…

Now giddy up and go engineer yourself a hot and healthy Valentine’s Day!

Kisses…


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One step, event, mile or seal at a time!

Sula the seal

Some of us run ultra marathons, some of us ride our bikes for miles and miles, and some of us wonder what people who do those things are thinking. Those of us who push ourselves are not nuts, and we’re not “special,” we just don’t mind making the extra effort so we end up going big. The thing to remember is, we all started with one small step and took off from there.

The people I work with are usually just getting back into working out or have never really been all that into it. They tend to be in various stages of motion starvation, until I get my hands on them anyway. After about a month of working with me, like clock work, every single person has verbalized that they might like to attempt an endurance event. Usually seconds after they make such a statement I notice then cowering as I start listing off events and training ideas to get them started. I guess “training” sounds like a large, painful task at first. Fortunately we trainers and endurance veterans know victory is just within your reach and we salivate at the idea of helping you realize that.

On that note, I’ll say to you as I’ve said to all my clients. If you want to play around with endurance events, then let’s get started. Start small and go from there. Even if you’ve run dozens of marathons in the past but currently need a push to get rolling again, start with one small step. Begin with one small event or one small goal that will lead you to where you want to be.

Here’s what the Motion Starved crew is doing to get started: We’re Running for the Seals. Run for the Seals is a relatively easy 4-mile foot race on mostly paved road. This will be the very first event for 6 of the 10 of us attending. Two of my clients have run half marathons but are using this event to train and motivate to go bigger. The 6 who have never attempted an event before are currently sweating bullets, but in the end, this small step will have taken them miles toward a lifetime of fitness and self-confidence.  They’re starting small but the reward will be huge!

Join us! Run with the Seals is a great cause benefiting The Marine Mammal Center in the gorgeous The Marin Headlands. 100 percent of the money raised goes to the critters. How can you say no to that?


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Don’t groundhog yourself!

Punxsutawney Phil

Groundhog day is celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it’s cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day then spring will come early. If it’s sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.

Is it me or does that make absolutely no sense? Read it again and think about it. I got the paragraph from Wikipedia. They know their shit, but it’s the logic that has me confused.

From what I can tell there are a few groundhogs around the country that have been coaxed into predicting the weather. There’s Jimmy the groundhog, Wartian Willy the groundhog, Staten Island Chuck and the most famous, Punxsutawney Phil. PP lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and does his work there. Being a person that hates the idea of caged animals I don’t much care for this practice especially after seeing photos of these critters. While they all look well-groomed and “healthy” they’re all extremely chubby and perhaps (although I’m not an animal fat specialist) very over weight. I fear they all could use a bit of exercise and some diversity in their daily routines.

That brings me to the Movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Remember that? Bill plays a TV reporter who finds himself repeating the exact same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities and eventually realizes he’d be wise to take advantage of the situation and break out of his patterns. Once he makes some changes to the cycle, his life improves and all is well. Storybook ending so to speak.

Unfortunately Punxsutawney Phil probably doesn’t have the option to change his ways to better his life and health but you and I do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; change it up, mix it up, challenge yourself, excite yourself and you’ll become a more rounded athlete, happier, flexible, interesting person. Doing the same thing over and over again makes you good at one thing and teaches your body and mind to move only in that one direction, and eventually it will fight back.

Lets start with this: today brush your teeth, your hair and open doors with the opposite hand you normally do.  Just try it!

Happy Groundhog Day!


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Morning people

Morning stretch

Most mornings I wake up at 5:30 am and trudge around making coffee and getting ready to go out into the freezing cold where I command people to do things they usually don’t want to do. That’s my job these days. I’m a trainer. I love this job although I’m not used to thinking of myself in this manner just yet. Regardless, it was early on the morning of Friday, January 27th 2012 that I realized just how special it is to be up and out, starting your day while most of The City is still snug in their beds.

I think we all know that it’s difficult to cultivate and maintain the self-control and motivation necessary to regularly hoist ourselves out of a warm cocoon and heave our bodies into a state of ferocious discomfort, in the name of physical fitness. I will say this though; it’s well worth the effort. There is truly something special about watching the fog pull back from the shore or watching the sunrise, realizing that the clouds are sometimes orange, pink or purple early in the day.  Sometimes you hear owls and see wild critters, on a very special day you might see a bunny or three darting across your path. These are things you can’t begin comprehend until you experience them yourself.

So, the next time you’re laying in your warm bed trying to force your leg over the edge and toss the covers off, remember, feelings of discomfort are fleeting, only lasting for a moment. And, the first step onto the cold floor is the hardest; the day gets brighter and warmer from there.

Hope to see you out there…


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FMFW’s are back by popular demand!

Glow Sticks are cool.

When I was in high school, my mom made me get up at 5am to run with her before work. She was afraid to run alone in the dark because she thought she’d get mugged, or fall into a ditch. As an adult I can see her point and while a creepy guy did follow us once, neither of us fell, and frankly you can get hurt just as easily in the light of day. Plus, creepy guys harass day and night! So, no more excuses folks, go it alone or grab a friend and get out there!

Back in the day, my mom and I ran with flashlights. Now they have fancy contraptions called headlamps, you strap ‘em to your head and look like a coal miner. Then, there’s my personal favorite the Glow Stick. Glow Sticks don’t really light your path but they’re hella fun and they come in super cool colors.

So, at the very least, giddy up and go for a walk around the well-lit city. How about this: make a pact with a friend or your kids to walk by the light of each full moon this year. Full moons come around only once a month (except twice in Aug this year) and the added light should keep you from falling off an unseen cliff or something.

For those of you here in San Francisco, I’ve made it easy for you. All you have to do is come walk with me! I’ll even bring Glow Sticks for the dark nights. Here’s the deets:

Full Moon Fitness Walks
There’s no better way to celebrate our beautiful city than to go for a walk by the light of the full moon. The evening of each full moon this year we’ll walk, look at the sights and visit corners of The City you may never have seen. Walking is the perfect way to shrug off stress, burn calories and breathe fresh air. Along the way we’ll have the opportunity to talk about your fitness questions, take in the views and participate in some light stretching and toning exercises. This is a low impact workout designed to offer folks a casual relaxing way to get a little exercise. Make no mistake however, this is a workout, you will sweat!

Time: 6:00 – 7:15 pm
Cost: 9 workouts for $50 paid in advance, or $10 drop in
Dogs are absolutely welcome as long as they’re friendly!

Schedule:
February 7th – Meet in the East Beach Parking lot on Crissy Field. Look for the orange windsock.
March 8th– TBD
April 6th – TBD
May 5th – TBD
June 4th – TBD
July 3rd – Sorry no walk this day
August 1st – TBD
August 31st – TBD
September 29th – Harvest moon! We’ll head for the hill for this one!
October 29th – TBD
November 28th – Last FMFW of the year!

For more information and to sign up contact Kelley@motionstarved.com


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Your homework assignment

Do like Dr. Oz does!

People ask me all the time for “homework” or an exercise routine they can do on their own. If you read Motion Starved often you will have seen short, home workouts I’ve posted in the past. This time after pondering for hours I decided to simply steal the workout Dr. Oz does. It’s a good one as it wakes up all your muscles, promotes strength, balance and flexibility.  Do it in the morning, according to the good doctor you’ll be ready and raring to start your day. I will warn you, this routine contains quite a few push ups. Do them on your knees or against the wall if you must, but make the effort.

Watch the video and work out along with Dr. Oz a few times to get it down. The list of the exercises below is for your traveling pleasure. You’ll need to watch the video for a better direction however.

Give it a try; what do you have to lose? It’s only 7 minutes of your time.

Dr. Oz’s Morning Workout 2011

Head Rolls
Forward Bend (soft bend)
Forward Bend with twist
Push ups (10)
Down dog (cross ankle, both legs)
Crocodile Lunge (both sides)
Wide Grip push ups (10)
Down Dog
Spade Push ups (10)
Up Dog/Down Dog
Crocodile Lunge
Lunge Twist (both sides)
Push ups (10)
Up Dog/Down Dog
Crocodile Lunge
Push ups (10)
Up Dog/Down Dog
Lunge (both legs)
Pushups (10)
Lunge (both legs)
Butterfly, open feet
Crunches (25)
Full body stretch


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Almost too easy!

Magic Fruit

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I trust you’ll be getting outside and doing something exciting this weekend.

I thought I’d share a few simple weight loss tools I learned this week hoping to send you off for the weekend on the right foot.

  • Surely you remember that apples are full fiber (among other wonderful things). Due to this fact, research has shown that if you eat an apple every day before lunch, on an average you’ll eat 187 fewer calories at lunch, generating a loss of five pounds of weight per year. “Dieting” doesn’t get any easier than that!
  • Normally I don’t drink juice because it’s full of sugar, I learned (seems so obvious now) if you dilute your juice with half seltzer water to cut sugar and calories, you could lose 13 pounds in a year! Yow! You juice drinkers take heed!
  • You know you need to exercise, but did you know that if you workout just (fast walking counts) three times per week for just 30 minutes at a time you can lose 13 pounds a year. Imagine what you could do with a little more effort.

Enjoy your weekend, make it extraordinary!


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Things that go crunch

Crunch!

I first posted this piece, this time last year. Looking back at my year in blogging I realized that I’ve covered a shitload of topics and that my newest followers and clients have not been privy to some of my (in my mind) best work. That said, do me a favor and have a read, or read this post again. It’s got some smart ideas.

Popcorn – Popcorn is a whole grain that provides carbohydrates and fiber. One cup of air-popped popcorn contains only 31 calories, and when popped in oil is only 55 calories per cup. Stay away from the “butter” they slather all over it at the theater, that’s a whole different story. By the way, National Popcorn Day is January 19th 2012!

Leaves on the ground – Try this, it’s fun. First, think like a kid. See a leaf, step on it. Step on all the leaves you see on the sidewalk ahead of you. Unless the sidewalk is paved with leaves you’ll find that you have to zigzag and do some jumping.  It’s good for your agility, it’s fun and it burns more calories than just walking along. I do it all the time.

Lettuce – It’s popular these days to substitute lettuce leaves for bread when having a sandwich or even a burger.  Good idea for a change of pace but if you keep to whole grains you can have your bread and lettuce too.

Abdominal exercises – Okay so your abs don’t actually make a crunching sound but I’ve heard some other noises come out of people while doing ab work.  I suggest starting with as many crunches (any variety) as you can do at one time. Rest for a minute and then do it again. Do this three times.  The next day, do it again.

Toasted whole wheat bread – There’s nothing wrong with a piece of whole grain toast spread with a little nut butter before a morning workout or for an afternoon snack.

The sound a motorcycle makes when you back into it while parking – If this happens best not to panic. Get out of your car, assess the damage and leave a note containing your name and telephone number.  Then pray the owner’s not really big and really pissed.

Apples – You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the Dr. away. Make sure to eat the peel that’s where most of the fiber is.

Cereal – Choose a cereal containing whole grains and lots of fiber.  Breakfast cereals are good sources of vitamins and fiber. Watch the sugar level. The recommended amount of sugar consumed per day is a maximum of 12 teaspoons (48 grams).

Your ankle when Dr. Barbara adjusts it – Call me a dummy but I didn’t realize that I could go to a chiropractor to have my ankle adjusted. When I sprained it last month Coach B suggested that I do just that.  He was right, once the swelling went down Dr. Barbara gave it a little twist and the next day I was back on the prowl. Remember that.

Nuts – All nuts are yummy and contain lots of good things. Try Almonds as they’re full of fiber or Walnuts, which are high in fiber as well as omega 3’s, both good for heart health.  Personally I like Brazil nuts which contain high amounts of selenium. Selenium is shown to reduced risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Ice – Who doesn’t like to crunch on the ice in their glass after finishing a beverage (I like a Manhattan these days but I should probably suggest juice or water)? Crunching on the ice works your facial muscles and ice is water so that’s always a good thing.