THINGS NEEDED:
1 box or step
Begin the exercise on one side of the box. Using a squat jump position, jump laterally on to the box then off to the other side. Do the same on the opposite side and repeat until desired reps are completed.
THINGS NEEDED:
Yoga mat
This move is one of our favorite functional exercises.
Start by lowering one knee down to the mat, then the other so that both knees are on the mat with hands on the hips or above the head. Stand by bringing the original foot back to the mat in front of you, stand by lunging your body upward to a standing position and repeat.
THINGS NEEDED:
1 box or step
Step up and over the box, always leaving one foot on top.
GARY STARKEY
2020 is shaping up to be Gary’s breakout year in all things fitness and health. Before I get into his amazingness, let’s back it up to exactly 5 years ago when we met.
Gary came to us broken in all sense of the word. He had a torn rotator cuff, a torn bicep tendon, a replaced hip, aches, pains, and issues with balance. He couldn’t even squat his own body weight. This, he knew was a problem, given how active he wanted to be…. After all, he was in his mid-60s and loved the outdoors. He wanted to continue snowboarding, boxing, and hiking with his wife but was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to physically do it.
In the last five years, Gary has dedicated thirty minutes a day, five days a week to working out with us here at Encore Fitness. He has increased his overall strength and can now successfully squat his body weight. He can even do it with added weight. He can do push-ups and overhead presses where before these things were impossible for him. These milestones in the gym are just the tip of the iceberg.
he continues to climb...Outside of the gym, Gary has grown in more ways than we could have imagined. This past winter Gary and trainer Courtney went up the mountain every week to shred the soft white powder at our local ski resort. They amused each other by laughing at epic face plows and talking about what their next adventure would be. He pushed himself to ski runs that he would never have attempted before. He nicknamed one of Courtney’s favorite runs the “trail of tears”, but he said it with a smile on his face...well I mean after he reached the bottom he smiled. This spring the two of them took off on foot for a little climb and ride which they both got to check off the ol bucket list (pictured below).
Gary & Courtney at the top of Superior chair- Bogus Basin
Fast forward, Gary had always loved riding his bike on gravel roads and on the greenbelt but Courtney pushed him out of his comfort zone, and so they set forth on a new fitness quest….Mountain Biking. For the first two years of learning this new skill, Gary struggled. He crashed…..a lot…. He walked …… a lot…. And he cursed ….. A lot, he even got branded with a new nickname after a gnarly crash. He is now known as “stitches”, after the seven stitches he received above his brow. Gary never gave up.
he climbs further....After a few hard spills and road rashes, Gary’s wife suggested he protect himself by using full-body gear, I mean like gladiator gear with the chest protector, the shoulder pads, knee pads, even wrist guards and a full-faced helmet. He wore his battle suit well. His gladiator suit seemed to give Gary the confidence he needed to rise to the challenge because the spring of 2020 he is currently having an unbelievable riding season. He no longer needs the safety of his battle suit because he has found his balance on and off his bike. He climbs hills that he would have walked, he takes turns like he isn’t afraid of bashing his skull. Although he is not always eager to try new paths, he does it anyway. This is without a doubt Gary’s BREAKOUT biking season and we couldn’t be happier for him. And guess what? This guy doesn’t stop here.
he continues climbing...
Gladiator Gary
Gary turned 70 in May and despite his past injuries, he just completed a 10-mile round trip hiking expedition to Stack Rock. If you have ever hiked 10 miles in one day then you know just how exhausting it can be. Courtney asked him the next day how his legs felt and he nonchalantly said: “I feel great Court”, “My legs don’t hurt at all”, to which Courtney thought, What?!? How can that be? five years ago, he struggled to get up and down from the floor, and stepping up on a medium-sized fitness box was a definite no go….how on earth did he not ache from that hike? Hell, she admitted that her legs were tired afterward. Well, the answer was, he was either A. lying or B. he genuinely built enough strength and endurance for something as big as a ten miler on mountain terrain, and Gary is no liar.
Gary Starkey- Hike to Stack Rock
We could go on and on about how far Gary has come with his fitness and health but what we haven’t touched on yet is his heart. There are few people in this world that would literally give the shirt off his back for someone else. Gary is one of those rare gems. He is fiercely loyal, kind even with his hard shell, compassionate, curious, strong, and is the guy I would want in my corner if I were ever in a jam. Gary is unstoppable at whatever he decides to do. Age has no limit, fear has no grip, he is this year’s client highlight.
Thank you for just being you Gary. Never stop climbing, the sky is the limit. We are excited to see what you do next!
LOSING YOUR GYM BOD AND YOUR MIND?
Are you surviving the Coronavirus? I barely made it past day 1 and am currently on day 10 of total and complete isolation, feeling bored, stagnate, lazy and fat. So, I’ve decided to implement a few things into my quarantine day to day to help myself stay fit and mentally intact.
1. If you need a day to be mad, I’m giving you permission to do it. One thing though, be honest and kind to your spouse. Let them know that you are struggling and need a day to be angry. This is important… Don’t take your anger/stress out on anyone else, it’s not their fault and its not your fault for feeling this way so go ahead and be mad, sad, or whatever emotion you feel, feel it. Don’t have any expectations of yourself for that day and take it one hour at a time. If you need to nap, curl up and take one. If you need to deep clean the house to make yourself feel better, clean away. This is your day to be angry at what this virus has caused and that’s okay.
2. If it's at all possible SLEEP IN or at least sleep longer than you normally would on a regular workday. Most experts would tell you not to disrupt your sleep/wake cycle to maximize productivity. Here’s what I think…. A little extra sleep feels damn good and makes me feel like I'm on vacation. I have found some peace with this since I’ve been waking up without an annoying alarm clock, I feel rested and happy, and It makes me feel like I took back some of my control over this. Try it and I don’t feel bad about it.
3. Make an extremely healthy breakfast. Like something you've always wanted to have time for but never could make it happen because of time restraints. I'll throw on a couple of my go-to breakfast ideas at the end of this blog.
4. It's still wise to have some sort of daily schedule so that you feel accomplished at the end of the day, however, you should also make time for something that feeds your soul. For example, read a book, do a puzzle, color, meditate, learn how to draw, or exercise. BTW it’s OKAY to do more than one of these in a day and there are a million other ideas to choose from, these are just the tip of the iceberg. If you need help getting off the couch, go to our “motivation” tab to see workouts, tips and other good stuff.
5. If the sun is out, go for a walk, run or hike. If you're stuck at home, drag out the lawn chair and watch your kids play, read a book, or practice your harmonica. Yes, I've been learning the Harm, check back for some sweet homemade music videos.
6. Don’t eat junk. In order to do this, don’t buy junk. All you have to do is say no to that bag of double stuffed Oreos once while at the store instead of 20 times after you bring the thing home. If you want a treat learn how to make better for you sweet treats. I am currently munching on my homemade no-bake cacao/peanut butter oatmeal cookies, I’ll link my favorite recipe at the bottom of this blog. Bottom line….Don’t be lazy, you literally have nothing better to do so you might as well make better choices.
7. Plan a healthy dinner for the whole family. Eating better foods makes you feel better and gives you a chance to practice making better choices for the whole family. Why not come out of quarantine a few pounds lighter, have more energy and feel like you made a positive impact for you and your family.
8. In today’s age, we have such amazing technology. Use this to your advantage if you’re like me and needs person to person interaction; Use these social tools: FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangout, or Skype to connect with your family, friends, and coworkers, whatever fills you up, that’s what you should do. Go grab your beverage of choice from the fridge and have a virtual Happy Hour with your buddies. It’s fun, it’s free and it gives you a sense of community and support.
9. If you need to put in some hours for work, try to balance it with these other ideas. What this virus is teaching us is humility and a valuable lesson in BALANCE. If one element is out of balance the whole freaking world will be.
10. When all else fails…. Get silly. Dress up like a dork and make workout videos, have a nerf gun shoot out with your partner and kids, make pillow forts and obstacle courses. I guess what I’m trying to tell you is, get outside of your grumpy mood and make the most out of a shitty situation- You’re welcome.
Bottom line—— FEED your soul, whatever that means to you please do it. These are the things I've been doing to get through each day and I hope some or all of these things will help you too.
-Practice patience, empathy, and love.-Take less and give more.
I love you all and hope this will help get you through this tough time!
Stay strong Encore warriors!
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Links To My Favorite Recipes:
-Poached Eggs & Cottage Cheese- https://www.myencorefitness.com/blog/2020/3/25/poached-eggs
-No-Bake Cookies- https://www.myencorefitness.com/blog/2020/3/30/no-bake
-Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet- https://www.lifeloveliz.com/2017/05/15/ground-turkey-sweet-potato-skillet/#_a5y_p=6338506
Written By: Courtney Coleman
No Bake Cookies
DESCRIPTION: Peanut butter chocolate healthy no-bake cookies made with half the amount of sugar in traditional no-bake cookies and coconut oil instead of butter. Dairy-free, vegan and refined sugar-free.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or stevia, to taste)
1/4 cup cocoa power1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups instant oats
INSTRUCTIONS
Add melted coconut oil and peanut butter in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Add coconut sugar, cocoa powder, almond milk, sea salt, vanilla, and oats into the bowl and stir until combined.
Drop the dough by the spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined parchment paper.
Place baking sheet in the fridge until cookies are set, then serve. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
Resources:
Eating Bird Food- https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/healthy-no-bake-cookies/
Poached Eggs & Cottage Cheese Breakfast
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
5 cups water
1 tps kosher salt
1 cup 2% Cottage Cheese
2 slices roma tomato
1/2 medium avocado
Instructions:
Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup or small ramekin. Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to quickly stir the water in one direction until it's all smoothly spinning around.
TIP: Use this whirlpool method when poaching a single serving (one or two eggs). For bigger batches, heat the water, salt and vinegar in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and do not stir.
1. Add the egg: Carefully drop the egg into the center of the whirlpool. The swirling water will help prevent the white from "feathering," or spreading out in the pan.
2. Let it poach: Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set your timer for 5 minutes. Don't peek, poke, stir or accost the egg in any way.
3. Lift it out: Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and serve immediately. Alternatively, move the egg to an ice bath and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Reheat in warm water just before serving.
NEXT: Add 1 Cup of 2% cottage cheese to your plate with 2 slices of Tomato and 1/2 avocado and enjoy.
MACRO BREAKDOWN
Roma - Tomato Slice, 2 Slice 10 calories 2g carbs 0g fat 0g protein
Avocado, 0.5 medium 120 calories 6g carbs 11g fat 2g protein
Cottage Cheese, 2% Milk-fat, 1 cup 180 calories 10g carbs 5g fat 20g protein
Eggs Grade Aa, 2 140 calories 2g carbs 10g fat 12g protein
TOTAL: 450 calories 20g carbs 26g fat 34g protein
Total Body with Courtney
Prepare yourselves to sweat in this simple but challenging workout.
What you’ll need:
yoga mat
timer
Time yourself and complete each exercise with 10 repetitions. Best out of three rounds wins. Can you beat Courtney’s time? If so, go to our Facebook page and let us know!
Before you add weight to this exercise, be sure your form is correct
Squat to 90 degrees then stand and press your dumbbells above your head
FOAM ROLLING SESSION 1
Foam rolling is an important part of training and overall wellness. The purpose of foam rolling is to speed up recovery time. This is done by breaking up adhesions and scar tissue in your body. Releasing or breaking these adhesions allows increased blood flow to those areas of the body allowing you to move more freely and with less discomfort.