Tough Love

TOUGH LOVE!

Here's the deal.  We are going to be doling out a little bit of tough love because we truly do care about you! Tough love in the workouts you are going to be experiencing, and in our Energy Lab team reminding you of balance!  First off, you need to know that if you are excited about the Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED™ classes that we are launching during our upcoming Preview Weeks, then you also need to know that to be successful with them, you will want to take the class 3-4 times a week. It won't work to show up once or twice a week and expect results.  It is an intense 30 minutes.  We have programmed the class to last for 45 minutes because we will be doing a demonstration of the exercises for the first 15 minutes. Once the timer starts and the 30 minute workout begins, there will be no stopping.  The reason the workouts are effective is because they will increase your metabolism by giving you a physiological effect called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).  Basically, during the workout, you will be in oxygen debt. You won't be able to get in as much as your body requires.  Your body will "make it up" post-exercise causing your systems to use energy as the body continues to drink in oxygen. The more oxygen you consume, the more calories you burn. Every two liters of oxygen is equivalent to 10 calories. The energy your body uses to keep sipping oxygen even after you are done exercising is calories.

However, because it is intense, if you are really going at 100% of what you've brought, you should not be able to repeat the same effort the next day. Your body will require repair.  If you are looking for changes and to gain energy and lose weight or change the composition of your body, you will benefit the most by taking the classes every other day. The in-between days should still be active but not at an intensity to cause EPOC. Pilates, Yoga, T'ai Chi are ideal. Cycling, running, swimming and other steady-state endurance are also perfect options.

If you are at an ideal weight and feel good in your body, then using this format for maintenance is perfect! You may not need it every other day, but you might love it so much that you can't help it!  As long as your body stays in balance and you are not over-training any one aspect you can stay injury free and avoid burnout!

Keep in mind the components of fitness are cardiovascular health, muscular endurance and strength, flexibility, nutrition, and a healthy mindset (get your mind right!)  Your heart is a muscle too and needs attention like all of your other muscles do. The body is a synergistic system. Everything inside of us becomes something else.  It is beautiful.  It is also the reason everything is interconnected and when one part thrives, the whole system thrives. When one part is thrown off, the whole system is thrown off.

To adequately repair and stay true to all the components of fitness:

• I highly suggest that you fine-tune your nutrition. The quality of what you give your body as nourishment is the quality of what you will get out of it.
• More tough love... do something you might not normally do. You know what I am talking about.  If you have never tried Pilates, I will see you in Pilates. If you have not experienced Yoga, I will see you at our Barre Yoga Blend or Flow Yoga.  We have an amazing t'ai chi instructor who would love to offer you t'ai chi.  There is a MELT session coming up or schedule a training session with me to learn MELT.
• To keep your mind right, a healthy piece required for everything in life is to meditate.
• Enjoy time on a bike, on a run, hiking a mountain, swimming, with people or solo, inside or outside. Practice patience and discipline.

Change, growth, your best version are all within your reach.  Your potential is limitless.  There are no gimmicks or fads.  Everything we are talking about is real and based on the science of our bodies and the chemicals of our brains and systems! I have spent the last couple decades of my life learning about the body, creating relationships with mentors and experts in human movement and nutrition, and cultivating a team at The Energy Lab that I have modeled our teaching and training styles to. When I created The Energy Lab, I envisioned a community that was different than a gym, that was a lifestyle!  That means, even when you get where you want to go, we will still be there for you, with our Tough Love!