Couples who TRAIN together...

You hear me say it all the time... Couples who train together stay together! How can you not be inspired when working out with your better half?  You are both trying to do something great for your body, challenging yourself physically and mentally, get the endorphin rush going, and that endorphin rush equates with the pumpin' through your hormones too!  When you feel better about yourself physically, and add into that some loving competition ...you are on fire together.

Thus Couples/Daters/Spouses, come join for the next Date Night:

Power Fitness PDX's next Couple's Date Night Boot Camp n Pub Class is:
Friday, June 17th, 6 pm
Washington Park followed with drinks (and a potluck) at McGrath's Irish Pub
$20/couple -  RSVP here.


Take a peek at a previous piece with couple's workout ideas. After reading, take a moment to read the piece ACE Fitness wrote about why it is good to train together.  Now, you must be inspired to grab your Turtle Dove and join in some boot camp fun! 

See you Friday night- be ready to sweat, laugh, and have a great date night! -- Coach Erin
 

Courtesy of ACE Fitness Fit Facts Newsletter- June 2011 

Couple’s Personal Training—Fitter Bodies, Stronger Relationship

Do you and your loved one regularly carve out quality time for each other? Are you both getting enough exercise to feel healthy, fit and energized? If the answers are not a resounding yes, couple’s personal training could bring you closer. Sharing a workout is a great way to enjoy some together-time and paves the way to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Accountability and Focus

Your odds of sticking with an exercise program go way up, if your significant other is on board. Whether it’s getting up early for a run or lifting weights after work, following through is much easier when your partner is with you. Committing to a couple’s personal training program helps establish fitness as a shared priority and gets you working toward a common goal. You’ll merge your schedules to meet with a personal trainer, and in between sessions, you’ll help each other stay on track.

Dual Purpose

Whether you’re both already active or new to exercise, your trainer will develop custom exercise plans tailored to your needs as individuals and as a couple. Planning a vacation that involves a lot of walking or hiking? Expecting a baby? Training for a fun run? Remodeling your home? Your trainer will take into account whatever is going on in your lives to create a realistic and sustainable plan to help you reach your goals.

Social Support Matters

The value of social support can’t be overstated. Numerous studies show it’s a big factor in successful behavior change. It stands to reason that the person you share your life with has a huge influence on your lifestyle, for better or for worse, and research supports this. Weight loss studies show that when subjects participate in lifestyle interventions, their spouses also lose significant amounts of weight.
Couple’s personal training taps into the power of social support by enabling you to support each other’s fitness efforts in a very focused way. Because you’re in the gym sweating it out together, you’ll gain new insight into each other’s strengths and weaknesses and learn how to offer support.

Enrich Your Relationship

Couple’s personal training will boost more than your fitness level. You’ll have something new to talk about, laugh about and be proud of—together. Research shows that devoted couples who share new and interesting experiences report higher levels of relationship satisfaction than those who don’t. And here’s the bonus: As you become more fit, you’ll be able to enjoy adventures that you wouldn’t dream off participating in when you were sedentary.

Romance + Fitness

Over the long haul, combining romance and fitness can really lift your relationships to new healthy heights. Share an activity and strengthen your bodies while boosting your love life. Couple’s personal training really connects you with your loved one, improves your body image, your mood and your love life.

Additional Resources

How to Choose a Personal Trainer — American Council on Exercise
IDEA FitnessConnect — IDEA Health & Fitness Association
The Best Kind of Couples Therapy — The Cleveland Clinic

REAL goals- REAL friends- REAL health

It is now January 31st, 31 days into 2011. How are YOUR goals coming along?  Are you meeting them? If not, what is holding you back and keeping you from challenging yourself?  Did you actually "put your goals out there" as suggested?  It has been proven to make a significant difference when it comes to achieving them.  Now, check in time.

At the beginning of each Power Fitness PDX class, we do a check in. The check in does have a focus, without some participants even realizing it.  When discussing what participants want to accomplish at the at the beginning of each session, they are stating something to be worked on and achieved.  It is not to solely wake up and exercise 3 times each week, but to wake up and push to do 20 strong push ups in class or to go running twice each week on Tuesday and Thursday.  When making the announcement in Check In's, the words are "out there" and can't be taken back.

Earlier this month, I wrote a piece for The Power MOB about goal setting and specific exercises for those strapped on time.  Following up on that, is the art of making time and following up on your goals.  With checking in with one person, two persons, three or more you add one more layer to your support network.  You want to be supported by people who believe in you, but are also honest with you.  If you are telling yourself and your friends you are pushing it 110% in class and I notice you are taking rests every 5 minutes, you will be called out because that does not help YOU in achieving your goals.  Where ever you are with your personal goals, reassess.  I just did, and this is what I personally realized when checking in with my teammate, my husband Jack. 

In November, I registered for the Wildflower Half Ironman. I felt if Makenzie could conquer the hospital and her battle for life, i could conquer one of the toughest Half Ironmans. It was a means to prove to myself and to her that anything is possible. But, she was back in the hospital in December for another couple weeks and didn't have a real green light of going to school until December 29th. The race is now 3 months away. With the training hours that go into a Half Ironman, I have to downgrade to the Olympic Distance of the race. Makenzie still has many needs and isn't in school a full day, Jack's new position has him working late hours and I have re-launched Power Fitness PDX full force. Thus my training time for this distance is altered significantly. To keep that pressure over me of the Half Ironman wasn't fair because it was eating at my value of self and balance. Now, I am training for the Olympic Distance for Wildflower, will do 3 more Olympic Distance Tri's this Summer, and hopefully a Half Ironman if timing allows. If not, there is next Summer.  With shifting the focus, it has the intensity of workouts and my time with my kids on a more quality based level.  The balance is back in place and I am able to enjoy, verses stress, over meeting my own athletic goals.

 Check in with your goals.  Talk to your support team about where you are, and evaluate what needs to be changed.  There is no day like today to get started.  Don't worry about what you are not completing, but focus on what you are and how to conquer the next step. You can do it, you have support, you have each hour to GO FOR IT!  
 

--  Erin Kreitz Shirey, 2011
 In addition to being the CEO, Lead Coach & Trainer for Power Fitness PDX, Erin has her BS in Kinesiology, nationally certified personal trainer and certified sports nutritionist. Erin can be contacted at powerfitnesspdx@gmail.com or www.powerfitnesspdx.com

Session Testing!

Friday, September 10th, was testing morning in the Women's Only Boot Camp.  Half of the group made it to class, and the other half will have fun testing later. The women did INCREDIBLE! And I don't say that lightly! Truly incredible! They came early when it was dark and left in what was one of the most beautiful mornings in a long time.

Highlights over all:
Veronica- Ran 7:13 minute mile (On June 25th it was 7:42), did 21 push ups on her toes and 33 overall, held the wall sit for 2:50 (on June 25th it was 1:01)!!
Kate- Held the plank for 1:47 (On July 29th it was 1:30), Mile in 10:30 (July 27th the half mile was 6:29)!!
Aimee- Ran the mile in 7:54 (on July 28th it was 9:13), did 30 push ups on her toes and 45 overall (July 28th it was 15 toes/33 overall) and the wall sit for 3:47(On July 28th it was 1:15)!!
Estie- First time testing and did the wall sit for 3:47, 16 Toes but 50 total push ups, and plank for 1:32!!
Heidi- First time testing and rocked 21 push ups on her knees, wall sit for 1:24 and did the mile in 9:19!!

Now curious what they will do next testing- WOW!!  Congrats ladies on making your mark!