Badass Fitness

Badass Product Review: Trigger Point Chills Out to Step it Up!

Ever since I tweaked my lower back last year after too many track speedwork sessions and not enough time with my massage therapist and foam roller, I have been diligent and adamant about making the time and setting aside a budget for monthly sports massages, plus weekly CryoSauna sessions and foam roller "therapy"  a few times a week using Trigger Point's products. (I refer to them affectionately as "foam roller on steroids"!)

I learned the hard way that when your body and muscles ARE your job and work tool, sports massages and cryotherapy are not "indulgences." They are critical maintenance tools. Without them, I am no good for my students and clients and my muscles scream at me way too loud.

With massage and CryoSauna, I perform better. My muscle recovery time is markedly shorter - a must given my heavy load of classes and clients. Moreover, I recommend my hard-working students and clients give just as much care to their own muscle recovery and tension release. Overworked and under-indulged muscles don't get stronger. They just get injured.

So imagine my excitement when Trigger Point founder Cassidy Phillips and his team debuted a new product at the IDEA fitness conference I attended in San Diego last month. They call it the Cold Roller, and they had a few on hand at their IDEA expo hall booth, where I fell in love and pre-ordered one ($109.99).

It combines the cold therapy I get in the CryoSauna (which is like a speedy, dry-cold version of the ice bath) with the myofascial release I get with their Grid, Quadballer, etc.)

You store the Cold Roller in the freezer, and once it's out it stays cold for two hours. Much like the CryoSauna but for far less cost-per-use, the Cold Roller provides the benefits of the ice bath  but without the need to "thaw out" frozen, stiff muscles for hours and hours afterward. Instead the Cold Roller rejuvenates and stimulates the targeted muscles with the rolling effect.

As you'll see from the video below, it sort of resembles the much-parodied Shake Weight - but I promise you the Cold Roller is nothing to laugh at. I have used it every other night this week after my 2-a-days of bootcamps and cycling classes, and all I can say is: Wow. My quads, IT bands and hamstrings are very, very happy!

Badass Fist Bump to the Trigger Point theme for this awesome product!

   

Coming up: Algae for extra energy and less hunger?...some of my favorite, latest Fit Fashion...and a Badass playlist and cycling ride to roll through!

Three 'luxuries' that aren't

Massages and 90-minute yoga classes. A new pair of kicks. A warm bath filled with Epsom salts, the door shut to keep out any distractions of pets, kids and family. A workout outfit to replace those ratty, baggy T-shirts we've been wearing.

Indulgent luxuries? Essentials in the Badass Journey? How about both? Massages and warm baths aren't essential like food and water, and we can always find excuses for "better things" to spend money on than sneakers and running pants.

But when you're pushing your muscles harder, running further and longer, and testing your physical limits, these luxuries become essentials. I learned the hard way recently, going a few months without regular massages and running in the wrong shoes for my pronating feet. Result: tweaked right hip flexor and glute.

When we're taking (or teaching) multiple classes per week, or training for a race or endurance event, we are asking a lot of those muscles and joints. And plenty of research shows there are real and measurable benefits from some of these "luxuries." So next time you think about skipping them or "going without," consider...

1. Massages and yoga: An hour of massage has the equivalent healing benefits of 7 to 8 hours of sleep, my masseuse at Cabello's here in Tallahassee told me. A sports massage helps release the lactic acid that builds up with intense training. If you are lucky enough to find the right masseuse, regular visits can speed up muscle recovery and tightness - preventing injuries.

Yoga is equally beneficial, particularly for stretching muscles and improving flexibility so that we perform better when it counts. Yoga, depending on the variety, also can tone muscles and provide a gentle cardiovascular workout that counts as "active recovery." It reduces blood pressure, respiratory rate, and pulse rate, even as it boosts energy levels and helps us sleep better.

2. The right kicks and workout clothing: The owner of Shaw's Athletics, a shoe and clothing store here in Tallahassee, cringes every time he walks past the group fitness room at his gym and sees people doing a step or kickboxing class in running shoes. He also cringed when I went in a few weeks ago for inserts and he saw how much I pronate without them. Investing in a good pair of sneakers - and a pair for each of whatever activity you do - is NOT a luxury. Skipping out for a cheap pair is like going into battle with a toy gun. You might survive a few skirmishes, but eventually it will catch up with you. I learned the hard way, and will never be so foolish again. Your body - including your feet - is your machine. The armor you protect it with is just as important as the fuel you put into it.

This applies to workout clothes, too. It isn't necessary to buy the most expensive line of workout gear out there, and lucky for us places like Target carry good and affordable lines like C3 by Champion. But to perform your best, you need clothes that let your skin breathe and your arms and legs move. If you cycle, you need cycling shorts. If you do yoga, sweatpants and baggy T are not the way to go.

3. Epsom salt baths: I am not sure where these were hiding all my 30-plus years, but I have finally awakened to the awesomeness of Epsom salt baths and am addicted. Just 15 or 20 minutes in a warm Epsom salt bath a couole of times a week can make a big difference in your muscle recovery time. Do it at the end of the day, and it will also ease you right to sleep.

Epsom salt is rich in magnesium, which is absorbed through the skin as we soak in it. Magnesium helps reduce inflammation, thus cutting down on pain and muscle cramps. It is vital to bodily functions including muscle control, energy production and the elimination of toxins. It is also a natural stress reliever - helping the body to bind serotonin, the mood-elevating chemical that gets released from the brain.

I have been diligent in "indulging" in bi-monthly massages, weekly hot yoga, the right shoes, and Epsom salt baths. Result: A healing hip flexor and glute, and stronger performance in classes and my own weight training.  

So go ahead and "indulge." If anyone questions you, tell them your trainer told you to! ;)

Coming up: A few workout moves for a stronger upper body, and a Badass Recruit shares her latest recipe makeover. Hint: a cheesy casserole can still be yours to enjoy this holiday season...

#360 to 30 Guest Blog: When a Roadblock Appears...Regroup!

Chris Turner, an occasional guest blogger on Badass Fitness, is not easily deterred. Not even knee surgery is keeping him from staying on track with his #360to30 goals for fitness and health. That's the heart of this Badass Journey - keep it moving, and when roadblocks come, find a (healthy) way to deal.

I'll let Chris fill you all in on the rest, and hopefully provide motivation to any of you facing roadblocks big and small:

Nothing sucks more than getting something started, only to get derailed.  Earlier this year I started on my quest to get back into shape, to get back to that point of fitness where I was happy with how I felt and what I saw in the mirror. 

Things have been going great. I ran my first 5K in years, became certified to teach on the Real Ryder Indoor Cycle, consistently worked out 4-5 times a week, got involved in a kickball league and had lost about 15 pounds.

Unfortunately, all of that came to a screeching halt a few months ago when I started experiencing knee pain and decided to make a nice trip to the good people at Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic. Turns out, my kneecaps are out of alignment and have been so for my entire life. Options given: Inserts for my shoes, more physical therapy, blah blah blah, and surgery.

I have been down this road before. After knee injuries in high school and in college, physical therapy was something that I didn’t want to deal with again because it didn’t work before. But under the knife I went earlier this month, with the hope that it wouldn't suck too much -- and knowing I will be back.  Luckily it only sucked for about 2 days.  I admit that the next morning it felt like there was a vice on my knee clamping down, while something was in it trying to expand.   But do I think it was worth it?  So far so good -- and I go in for the right knee next month.

So where do I go from here?  I am sidelined from cycling and running for the next few months. The marathon I wanted to do in December is completely out of the question.  All that progress that was made in the last seven months is at a standstill. Out the window, it might seem.

But I am not whining or giving up. My mantra is: Regroup. Refocus. Get to it. 

Just because you suffer a setback doesn’t mean you have to give up on everything. So what if I missed the December marathon? That just means I will finish a triathlon in April to make up for it. And honestly, a couple of knee surgeries are nothing in compared to health setbacks I have seen some of my friends go through. 

Now instead of doing cardio five times a week, I am lifting weights and working on the upper body.  Hey, I lost 17 lbs, my suits barely fit me now (and for those who know how much I spend on suits, this is of GREAT concern).  So to the weight bench I go!

The lesson here: Always maintain a positive outlook and don’t allow something to stop you from achieving what you want to do.  When a roadblock appears in your path, you can stop and give up, find a way around it, or climb over the damn thing and keep going.  It’s your call.

So, to my fellow members of the Badass Army, how have you faced the roadblocks that were placed in front of you? 

Next month in #360 to 30: Why specialty fitness equipment shops are worth those extra few dollars.

An executive decision, for a more sane - and rested - Badass CEO

 One of my favorite ways to end my cycling classes is with the Eminem song "Till I Collapse." The song has a driving beat, and matching lyrics, that push me and my students to push hard - even if we're so tired and sore, we just want to collapse.

But I think I also like this song because it's an apt description of "how I roll," so to speak. I take on a lot of work and responsibilities (three jobs, anyone?), and I just keep going - even when my mind and body are telling me they need me to let off the gas pedal and slooooow down because they're ready to collapse.

My days go like this: Up at 5 am to teach cycling, train clients, squeeze in my own weight sessions and then to the office all day for my "real job..." and then more cycling and clients after work. Oh, and then writing this blog five times a week.

I love each and every one of those things, but the fact is this: I am always tired. I don't spend enough time "in the present," as Badass Foodie calls it. I run from one thing to the next, juggling but not truly taking the time to enjoy and excel at what I'm juggling.

So it goes when you're a textbook Type A.

But even Type A's aren't superhuman. Something's gotta give. Or we collapse. Hence, my executive decision as Badass CEO to publish this blog three times a week instead of five.

This wasn't something I decided lightly. But as I turn another year older this weekend, I come to know myself - with all of the possibilities and limitations - a little better. I know that I need to stop trying to do it all at once, and to the max. It's like what Bethenny says in her book Naturally Thin: You can eat it all, just not all at once.

I promise you Badass Army soldiers that quality will make up for the reduced quantity. Think of it as savoring each bite of healthy real food instead of scarfing down fast food. See, my hope is that I'll have more time to plan out and research each post -- even more importantly, that you'll gain more from reading them than you already do.

So starting Monday, it's three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I'll post extras here and there, but I'll also be sleeping maybe an extra half hour (for a glorious total of maybe seven hours! Yay!) instead of staying up late to write. I'll even have more time to work my own muscles at the gym, rather than just tell you all to work yours. Practice what you preach, right?

With that, I wish you all an awesome weekend. I'll be spending mine relaxing and being "in the present" with my best friend and her newborn #2. I can't think of anything better than a new baby to offer perspective on savoring every moment...

Coming Monday: From the Badass Trio Bucket List - CrossFit will kick your you know what. Just ask our quads!

The Badass CEO, sidelined and learning to 'actively recover'

I've been on the "injured list" for a week (more on that tomorrow), and admittedly, it's starting to drive me kinda batty. If you've been reading Badass Fitness for any length of time, you probably get that I am not exactly the type to sit still for long.

I walk fast, I run and cycle fast, I write fast, I talk fast. I don't do much sitting around unless it involves sitting at a computer working and writing (or meeting friends for a drink on a Saturday night, as I did this past weekend).

This is wonderful for work productivity and time management. Unfortunately, it makes me an impatient patient. My surgery was Thursday, and here I am antsy and wondering when I will be cleared to get fully back to my Badass ways.

But I am working at this whole recovery thing, and reacquainting myself with the art of walking. Just walking. (Cue the sound of me sighing...oh, and check out how my eyes roll with dramatic flair!) Not cycling, not running sprints, not bounding up and down Doak Campbell Stadium.

Oh, these are the things I WANT to be doing. My quads are screaming for more action. My hamstrings want to feel the tension of cycling up a steep mountain. My back wants to do pull-ups. But I am telling them all to just shush and wait.

All the while, I keep walking. Every day this week, I've been walk for an hour to 90 minutes in the morning and sometimes half an hour or more in the evening. I still miss the endorphin rush of teaching cycling, but I'll be back in the saddle soon enough. And I'm reminded during these walks of the importance of active recovery.

At some point, we all get sidelined. Injuries happen, and they stink. But buck up, Badasses, and welcome to life. The Badass solution is to take care of our Badasses even as we keep them active, if only at a much slower pace.

There is a lot to be said for walking, especially outside on a beautiful night as the sun starts to set. There is clarity to be found during these walks, as the chaos of the day falls back.

Physically, walking can help us maintain weight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve circulation, and boost our mood.

There are also some bootylicious strength benefits to walking on a treadmill with a steep incline at a slower pace. Hello, glutes and hamstrings!!!

This week, I've been at the gym as usual before dawn -- but instead of sprinting I am methodically hiking up my own imaginary, Badass-created mountain trail.

I share it with all of you Badass Army soldiers as a go-to workout for when you are taking an "active rest ay" from weight training and intense cardio, or for when you're recovering from an injury or the flu or a cold. Whatever it is that has slowed you down, use this routine to get back into the swing of things, even as you're letting your body heal. If you're just starting out on the Badass journey, start here and work your way up to jogging and running.

Adjust the speed here and there to challenge yourselves as needed, but remember: This is an active RECOVERY workout, key word being RECOVERY.

I actually broke a sweat on this one, and my glutes felt a lot tighter at the end of the hourlong routine. Which is, well ... Badass!

Down but not Out Badass Hike

First 5 minutes: Warmup at 3.0 mph, zero incline

Next two minutes: Bump to a 5.0 incline, 3.0 mph

Next two minutes: Bump to a 7.0 incline, 3.0 mph

Next two minutes: Bump to 9.0 incline, 3.2 mph

Next two minutes: Bump to 11.0 incline, 3.4 mph

Next two minutes: Bump to 13.0 incline, 3.4 mph

Next two minutes: Bump to 15.0 incline, 3.5 mph

Now: Go down the way you climbed up, decreasing the incline by 2.0 every 2 minutes until you get back to a 5.0 incline.

Next: Go back up, increasing the incline by 2.0 every 2 minutes until you get back to a 15.0 incline.

Repeat this up and down climbing pattern for 60 minutes, or as much time as you have.

Coming tomorrow: About that surgery...And the importance of rewards.

Super hungry? You might need a Super Nap!

Confession: I don't always practice what I preach, including my sermon about the importance of sleep. This past week or so has been particularly egregious, and guess where the Badass gods are punishing me?

Right in my tummy!

Yep, as soon as I go a day or two without my usual sleep, I'm as hungry as a 13-year-old boy in the middle of a growth spurt. And while I'm perhaps the size of a 13-year-old boy, this is no spurt. It is, simply, an imbalance.

It is my body revolting against the fact that I'm not giving it enough rest. We are a nation, a society, of people short on sleep. We don't get enough, period. Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels talks about the value of sleep in boosting metabolism in her awesome book, "Master Your Metabolism."

Hormonal imbalances affect our metabolism, in many cases slowing it down. And many studies have shown a link between sleep and the hormone leptin, which affects when and how long we feel full. Consider: The percentage of young adults snoozing for eight to nine hours a night is half what it was 50 years ago -- and during that time, the incidence of obesity has just about doubled.

Studies have found that after just two nights of sleep restriction, participants' leptin dropped -- and their ghrelin shot up. Guess what ghrelin is? The hunger hormone. And we don't just get hungrier, we get hungry for sweets and salty processed foods. (Confession Two: I really didn't need to dig into those organic-brand 'healthy' cheese puffs, OK? Because really, they're just cheese puffs and they don't do much for this Badass.)

It might not seem like much is happening to our Badasses when we sleep, but au contraire! During the so-called slow-wave sleep that comes about an hour after we fall asleep, the body releases growth hormones that burn stored fat. Don't sleep enough or deeply enough, and the fat-burning is disrupted. We want the opposite, right? We want our bodies burning that fat like a well-oiled machine.  

But that won't happen if we're like zombies, half-awake on a mix of caffeine and processed sugar just to get from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. And try motivating yourself to the gym when you haven't had enough sleep. Kinda sucks, right? And odds are, you never get to the gym.

So as you convince yourselves that you really need to see this late-night marathon of "South Park" or "Law & Order," remember that most Badasses need about seven hours for optimum performance. And as tempting as it is to burn the stick at both ends all week and then try to make up for it on the weekends, the reality is you can never get that lost sleep back.

But you can set yourself on a new, better-rested path of sufficient shut-eye.

As for this Badass, I'm sick of these junk food cravings! Ugh. So tonight, after a healthy grilled pizza and wine night with the Badass Trio, I am SLEEPING! For at least seven hours!

Enjoy your weekends, Badasses. Get out there and enjoy spring! MOVE those Badasses...otherwise, they'll start saggin'. Sad but true.

Coming next week: The Mexi-CAN Chop, Kettlebell fun, and the true story of a Badass and his P90X success!