Category Archives: Motivation

How to Make a Morning Workout Work Out!

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Are you going to bed at night with the best-ever intentions to wake early for a run or workout, yet when the alarm goes off, hitting the snooze button, cursing, and throwing a pillow over your head? Or, do you get in a vertical position, but just stumble around and never make it out the door? It can definitely be a challenge to make a morning workout work out, especially if you haven’t taken steps the night before to streamline the process. (Hint, Alert Gum is involved)How to Make a Morning Workout Workout

But, morning workouts are ideal in so many ways from the fact that important hormones are working to your benefit and there are fewer work interferences, family obligations and recreational distractions in the early hours. Read on to find learn 8 strategies that make it easier to rise and grind and get your butt moving for a morning workout. Continue reading →

Abs, Core, Pelvic Floor Problems + How to Bounce Back (and stop peeing your pants) Post Pregnancy

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After growing, giving birth and nursing three babies, I came to appreciate my body in a whole new way extending far beyond what it had done for me physically in my running career.  I enjoyed (most) every minute of being pregnant and the sweet months of new motherhood following. With each pregnancy, I allowed myself to step away from my type-A training schedule and expectations of how quickly I should be bouncing back in both athletic ability and appearance. These physical and mental respites were a blessing that helped keep me healthy, happy and centered.

Abs Core Pelvic Floor thefitfork.com

What wasn’t a blessing were the progressively worsening issues I experienced as a result of these big babies, average weight over 9lb pounds! Embarrassing problems like incontinence and bladder prolapse related to pelvic floor weakness and dysfunction and, to a lesser degree, Diastasis Recti, a muscles separation in the abdomen that can contribute to mommy pooch. My doctors were pushing surgery, but I was scared and unsure, so I researched ways to self-correct with specific exercises and have been feeling great for years. I recently discovered the team up between Natalie Hodson and Dr. Monique Middlekauff, a specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction, to create a 30-day program called Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor. This easy-to-follow, at-home program includes many of the things I did and LOTS more, and I am excited to recommend it! Read on to get the details! Continue reading →

7 Ways to Keep Fitness Fun!

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Life Time Fitness has provided me membership and services in return for sharing my experience. All thoughts, opinions and enthusiasm are my own.

I’ve dabbled in gymnastics and playground sports as a child, but it wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I discovered running and began to consider myself a serious athlete. Now, 25 years later, I’m still running strong, able to compete at a fairly high level, and continually grow with new fitness challenges like yoga, weight-lifting, and obstacle course racing.Life Time Fitness Jennifer Fisher thefitfork.com

There are a few reasons why I think I’ve never burned out of sports and been self-drafted to the armchair. The first is consistency, I’ve just made being fit part of my lifestyle and engage in some sort of physical activity on a daily basis. The second, is how I’m wired; I have a personal drive to compete with myself and others without letting it affect my confidence, win or lose. The third, and what I’m talking about mostly today, is that even in serious training cycles, I enthusiastically believe in “keeping fit fun.” Read on to find out 7 Ways to Keep Fit Fun and how I’ve been #KeepingFitFun lately at Life Time Fitness. Continue reading →

12 Ways Get Your Running Groove Back During a Marathon

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Running a race is just as much mental as it is physical. You can be in the best shape of your life, but show up on the start line with a fatalistic, “I can’t do this” attitude, it’s my experienced guess that you won’t. On the flip side, while you can’t give up solid training for attitude alone, developing mental toughness and maintaining a positive outlook can help you get through some bad patches in a marathon, triathlon, obstacle course, or any other type of race.  12 Ways to Get your Running Groove Back in a Marathon

Read on to find out a dozen ways you can get your groove back and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel once you’ve flirted with the dark side.  Continue reading →

How to Age Proof Your Abs – Diet, Workouts, Wellness for 40+

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The plain truth is, as we get a little older, it’s harder to make muscles and convince them to stick around, especially in the abdominal area. The potential for maximum muscle mass lasts until the 30s, after that it’s a small gradual decline in mass month by month, year by year. Gasp, experts say a sedentary lifestyle can result in a 3 to 5 percent decline per decade! This loss of muscle is often replaced by a little extra padding around the middle or “muffin top,” even if you are in good or reasonable shape overall. Plus, the hormonal changes brought on by peri-menopause or full-on menopause don’t help matters much.How to Age Proof Your Abs in 40s 50s and beyond

The quest for a flat mid-section or six-pack abs in middle age or older shouldn’t be about rocking a bikini or turning heads at the gym, although I guess these are nice side benefits – but, haven’t we moved past this ego feed?!  Instead, appreciate what a strong core through functional fitness can do for your daily living. Strong abs help improve balance, stability, back strength and posture, and, in my opinion, can make you feel and look 10 years younger.  A strong core also lessens the chance for injury from actual exercise or random stupid stuff, like twisting the wrong way while holding a bag of groceries, keeping up with your kids, or even playing with grand kids.  Read on to get the tips on How To Age Proof Your Abs Continue reading →