Toning Shoes

As a personal trainer, I have been getting a lot of questions lately about Toning Shoes. It seems like every shoe company out there has started to market one. They all claim that they will do fabulous things for your legs and butt. But, (pun totally intended!) do they really work?

Until now, all studies that have been available were from the companies themselves. So it stands to reason that those studies would say that the shoes deliver on their many promises. Now, thanks to American Council on Exercise we have a concrete, UNBIASED study on Toning Shoes - putting them to the test to see if the claims the companies are making are true.

Here's the article sharing the study's results.

So here's the bottom line:
Want slimmer legs? A better butt? Want to burn more calories?

START MOVING!

And do it safely - in properly fitted shoes for that specific activity (walking, running, cross training). Never been fitted for shoes? Visit your local running store: Fleet Feet Sports (Santa Rosa and other cities), Heart & Sole Sports (Santa Rosa), The Running Store (Napa) and See Jane Run (Oakland & Danville) are a few you can find in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will get you all set to start on your new walking/running/exercise program.

Want or need some guidance on getting started with a new walking/running/exercise program? Contact me and let's chat. I would love the opportunity to help you get started on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Email me your favorite exercises!!!

Hello! So coming up in a couple weeks at Outdoor Family Fitness is a class made up of YOUR favorite exercises. All you have to do is email me the exercises that you have LOVED from other Outdoor Family Fitness classes and I will take the top ten (making sure we have a well rounded class!) and use those top 10 exercises for that class.

Who's excited?!?!?!!! I know I am! I can't wait to see what your favorites are.

Tip on Staying Hydrated

With the super-hot weather we had this week I thought it would be good to touch on the importance of staying hydrated while exercising.

Here's some hydration facts:
1) Being dehydrated by 1% increases your heart rate by 3-5 beats per minute!
2) Being more than 2% dehydrated in warm environments causes a decline in performance!
- In one study of runners in a 12K race, those who were dehydrated finished 2:30 minutes SLOWER than the runners that were properly hydrated.
3) Dehydration causes your blood volume to drop which lowers your body's ability to transfer heat and forces your heart to beat faster.

So how do we properly hydrate??
1) Drink 8 - 16 oz of water 1-2 hours prior to a run (or any exercise done outdoors in heat)
2) Drink 4 - 8 oz 15 - 30 minutes prior to starting the run/exercise.
3) Sip as needed during your run/exercise. You should not get to the point you feel thirsty!
4) After exercise, be sure to consume 4 - 6 oz for every 20 minutes that you were running/exercising in order to replenish your fluids.

Are you a distance runner? Here's a tip for doing distance in the heat: Before your run, make a slushy of ice and your favorite sports drink. Or, fill your water bottle half full the night before and freeze; before your run top off the bottle with water or your favorite sports drink. Either option serves the same purpose - colder drinks lower your body temperature which thereby lowers your Perceived Level of Exertion (how hard you think your working). Lowering your PLE means you don't think you're working as hard and therefore you end of working longer.

I hope these little facts and tip are helpful to you. Remember that hydration is extremely important to our overall health and performance.