Adventurous Summer

Fun ADVENTURES to Blast your SUMMER

Summer days are here again, and we want them to never end!   

Go for an adventure run... in the MUD!

Summer is here and the days are long, goals are big, and weeks seem to be packed full of trips and family visits. Before you realize it, Labor Day arrives after what seems to feel like Summer just began. 

  

Don't let that happen this year...don't miss out on the Summer fun-ventures, but embrace them and the long, sun-filled days! Try the following ideas to make this Summer the best and most active one yet. 

Dig deep. PLAY HARD!

1. Create an ADVENTURE BOX with your family and friends.
If you are an empty nester, singleton, family of 10, or newly married do this activity. Take a shoe box and decorate it with pictures, postcards, words and phrases for places, events and ideas that intrigue you. ON different pieces of paper, write down activities, goals, concerts and classes you want to do.  ie: "Go for trail run in Santa Cruz Mountains and then play at the Boardwalk at night",  or  "Camp in Lake Tahoe". Put all the paper slips in the box. Take your calendar and pick out 1 day/week as your adventure day. Each person gets to pick from the box various adventures and add them to the calendar. By Summer's end, everyone will have completed various adventures together and created treasured memories. 

2. Plan Races and Workouts with Friends who don't live by you.

You tell your best friend who lives across the Bay that you want to see him, but long days at work and life get in the way of meeting up. Why not use Summer as your time to train together weekly for a race? Or set a bike date and  meet up in San Francisco for a ride? Use the longer days to make a mid-week training session happen and put it on your calendar...now.

3. Get outside your COMFORT Zone and REGISTER for a NEW RACE.

You have talked about wanting to get outside your comfort zone for a while. NOW is your time. Get dirty, push your limits, see what you are truly MADE of! Each morning you blast through the hour or burpees, sprints and plyometrics training hard. YOU are not just training for life, but training for the adventurous life available to you at your fingertips. Meaning, the Bay Area has some of the most incredible kayaking adventures, mud runs, and urban obstacle challenges in the country. Hop online and register for one now!   

 
Adventure Out- California's Leader in Outdoor Adventure
Outback Adventures 
Envirosports

  

© 2012 Erin Kreitz Shirey- When not teaching Power Fitness PDX, writing fitness articles or creating advneures to conquer, you can find Coach Erin Kreitz Shirey doing cannonballs with her kids in the swimming pool. To reach her visit powerfitnesspdx.com or 503.703.1269.

Power Fitness PDX Rockstar- Donna rockin' her new self in Maui!

Many people start Power Fitness PDX for various reasons.  One PFPDX'er, Donna, has grown exponentially. Not only has she found an inner strength, she has realized that because you are in your 50's it doesn't mean you have to give up on "you".  Donna shared her story, and I hope she may help inspire one of you to hop on a bike and ride to the top of the Haleakala Crater too! 

Cheers- Coach Erin Kreitz Shirey

I came to Power Fitness PDX and Erin at a time that I felt I had hit the wall.  Even though I was working out daily with an elliptical and spin bike and doing some light weights my weight loss had stalled and I didn’t feel like I was getting the results for the effort that I was putting in.  I found myself using the excuse “you are almost 53-lighten up.”  But somehow I knew I was capable of more and I absolutely wanted more.

In my two months with Erin I have learned that while I was working out I wasn’t pushing myself to my limits.  Erin has taught me that its OK to go to a level of discomfort in my workout-I am not going to get hurt, I am going to get stronger!  After 3 months I am down 16 lbs and 12 inches.  When I started I could barely hold plank for 20 secs, now I can hold a perfect plank for over a minute.

Doing burpees on vacation!

I had a trip to Maui coming up and I was worried that I would backslide so prior to my trip I made a daily exercise plan and I packed my bands and my jump rope.  The cottage we were staying at was new to me so I didn’t know what the area was going to look like-I hit the jackpot! The grounds were beautiful with lots of paths and grassy areas so I could do my workouts outdoor and with some privacy.  I set up stations-jump rope for two minutes in the parking lot, run back to the lanai and perform squats and overhead press with the bands, set the timer for an 11 minute run. I pulled out the ipad and watched Erin’s videos-I changed it up each day and since I had a pool not 20 steps from my door I even did some running and swimming in the pool.

On my 53rd birthday we got up at 1 am and drove to Haiku where we joined others for a trip up to Haleakala Crater to watch sunrise and then ride bikes down the crater back to Haiku. This has been something that I have wanted to do since I first went to Maui at the age of 18 and hiked Haleakala. It was definitely a bucket list event for me!  The bike ride downhill was a scream-literally 30 mphs screaming Weeeeeeee!

On the ride down there were three hills that we had to climb and I was worried.  I’ve always had difficulty riding hills and I would have to get off and walk the hill, which always made me feel terrible.  Well I rode up each of those hills with no problem even beating others to the top! On one hill I almost stepped off the bike but I heard Erin’s voice “keep going and going and going.” 

Donna- strong and active!! Way to go DONNA!!

It felt great to be able to do all the things I wanted to do on vacation; scuba, the bike ride, and feeling pretty good about how I looked in a swimsuit and in this little dress that I bought special for our luau dinner.  The early mornings, the bugs, the sweat and yes even the burpees have all been worth it.  Thank you Erin for challenging me to find the power in ME and I look forward to just getting better, and better and making this year the best yet! 

Sincerely- 

Donna Wyatt

Gemma Lim- 2012 Challenge Winner!!!

Here it is, one week post Power Fitness PDX POWER of YOU 2012 Challenge Winner Awards.  All the participants are still on a high, and feeling incredible. In the week since the awards more athletic feats have been happening, such as Annie dropping her PR in the Portland Rock N Roll Half Marathon, Michelle registering for the Mermaid Duathalon and Gemma pacing sub 10 minute miles on her training runs.  Monica, Rebecca, Alyx and Jeanne are all continuing on their dynamic paths in health and fitness too.  To say I am proud as a trainer of these women is an understatement. I am beyond grateful that they believed in themselves to GO FOR IT!

The Challenge was a stepping stone to a lifetime of better health and fitness.  It helped break bad habits while creating good habits. The Challenge allowed the women to focus on making lifestyle changes, that would forever evolve the way they view their bodies, their inner strengths, nutrition, stress management, goal setting and taking time to honor and take care of themselves.

Everyone won the Challenge in various ways, but the overall winner, Gemma Lim, stood out from the rest.  Gemma's entire life was altered and she is a brand new person.  She found a new life while strengthening and growing her already incredible one.  She found a real "athlete" inside a woman who "works out".  Gemma found her true self and isn't done on her health and fitness journey...it is only just the beginning.  The following letter is about Gemma's journey...

Erin,

 

It’s been over a week and I’m still in disbelief that I won the Challenge. We all worked so hard at pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone and I’m truly honored and humbled beyond words.

When I decided to join the Challenge, I had only hoped to lose more weight and inches through 10 weeks of focus and discipline. I didn’t realize that the Challenge is so much more than weight loss. You introduced clean eating as a major component in overall health and fitness. For 10 weeks I ate “clean” and I saw a huge difference in how I performed. Not only did I start losing weight and inches, my body got stronger and I had fewer headaches. What was even more amazing was my mind shifted and I sought healthy eating after the Challenge was over. Don’t get me wrong, the temptations are still out there calling my name, but I choose to eat the healthier options. Eating clean is so easy and sustainable! It really is! I hope that more people embrace clean eating and throw away all the junk food that is making our bodies sick.

Through our discussions, I stopped hesitating and challenged myself to do the SJR half marathon after years of contemplating whether I was fit enough to run a half. My family is amazed at my transformation. They have become accustomed to my Saturday morning long runs as part of my training for the half. I have become a runner! What a huge accomplishment, Erin! I know that SJR is just the beginning and I will run other races in the future. I am so excited that I have found another sport to help keep me fit, healthy and strong.

The Challenge also helped me re-evaluate my personal relationships.  I now put myself as priority and make a point of spending more quality time with Rene and incorporating fitness into our times together. I couldn’t be happier and always look forward to boot camp date nights and future trail runs together. 

I learned so much from participating in the Challenge and I highly recommend it to anyone. Ten weeks is all it takes and you will discover that you have it in you! 

Gemma

  

Coach Erin Kreitz Shirey & Challenge Winner 2012 Gemma Lim

Awards Night, May 14, 2012

Workout Wednesday- April 11th, 2012

Workout Wednesday- are you ready for it?  It is TOUGH, the intervals are intense, and you will sweat buckets. PUSH IT with perfect form.  Any questions on any of the exercises, please email/call/text me.  Each exercise combo you repeat 4x and then flow to the next combo.  My goal is for you to to WORK IT!! 

    "YOU MEAN IT" Workout 

Plank jumping Jack's & Jumping Jacks standing circuit:

   10 Plank Jacks followed by 10 Jumping Jacks, repeated 10x
Reverse Lunge Frankenstein Kick Rotation
4x

Boulder side to side w/push up -20x
Lunge-airplane-superman - 20x
4x

Bilateral side kicks to a burpee - 20x
Plank donkey kicks 20x/leg
4x

Reverse Pelvic Tilts 20x

   - In Pelvic Tilt position: single leg raise 20x/leg &  single leg kick 20x/leg
Dips & Jack Dips on chair
4x

Plank Up-Downs
Side planks 20 count holds
4x

Dig Deep. Play Hard. 

Challenge the Power of YOU. 

Power Fitness PDX LLC

www.powerfitnesspdx.com

Workout Wednesday- April 4th, 2012

Wow- Workout Wednesday hopped onto the hiatus train and I apologize! I know you have been doing all of your workouts at home, on work travel, on vacation, and when visiting family. Right? wink wink. I hope you have, and if not, today's workout is back to basics. I want you to push to fatigue with each set. Know the workout will only enhance your day, you know that, right?? 

Now, DO IT!! 

Back to Basics

20 squat jumps

20 burpees

20 reverse lunges with kicks

20 count plank rotation

20 false starts 

20 caterpillars

Repeat 4-5x