Wednesday WOOT! Factor
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 11:10PM
Kids!! Sorry so late for posting the Wednesday WOOT! Factor, but my flight from DC just got in...and I am anal about unpacking and having everything put away before I settle in and relax. Here it is almost 10:30pm!! WTH!!
Today's interview is with my Canadian BFF Jackie- aka @girlwithnoname on Twitter and she can be found at www.girlwithnoname.com, so bookmark that blog.
Enjoy today's interview, and please write in the comments what questions you have for Jackie, she'll be doing a guest vlog next month. And of course, as I said before, please tell me your nominations for bloggers with the fitness WOOT! Factor that I can feature here. I'm booking up through the end of 2010 so get your vote in now!!
I'll be back with a vlog/blog Kelly O style tomorrow.
Q: When did you start working out and why? Many years ago (too many to mention... haha), the day I quit smoking, I went for my first (very short) run and a few days later sought out the gym I wanted to join. Not yet realizing you could get totally ripped at home, I felt I needed a gym membership. The best move I ever made was the decision to quit smoking and get in shape. I've had my stops and starts (like when I fell out of love with the gym scene and STILL didn't realize that I could get ripped at home) but I've always come back to it, knowing it’s the best thing for me, not only physically but emotionally and mentally. There's something about a good hard run or lifting session that makes me feel accomplished and proud to be doing the very best for myself.
Q: You and I both are fit after 40. What do you say to women that whine about "it's all downhill after 25, 30, 40, etc."? Give it up (the whining I mean). It's an excuse and if you want it BAD ENOUGH you can have it... at any age. I know people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s that are still kicking it and are in GREAT shape and having much better, fun-filled lives than their peers who didn't bother to keep up their healthy activities (or never bothered to start in the first place). I also know people who never bothered when they were younger and wised up in their later years and got with the program well after 40 that are experiencing HUGE leaps and bounds in their health, that will see them through their retirement years in much more comfort than those that will never bother or clue in to the realities that FITNESS IS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Bar none. If you want it, go take it. And stop whining. Excuses bore me to tears.
Q: Tell us about your food philosophy? What do you say to people that claim they can't eat healthy on a budget? Well I don't spend tons and tons of money on groceries and I eat healthfully and clean for the most part (with the occasional cheat day of course... I am human and my taste buds need their fun too). My diet is pretty simple, consisting of one-ingredient foods for the most part. I shop the perimeter of the store (or stick with the small produce markets) and buy fresh food that's full of nutrients. I've experienced huge positive changes in my health since changing up my diet in this way, completely eliminating a couple of conditions I had previously believed to be chronic and permanent. Plus my clean diet was INSTRUMENTAL in changing the way my body looks. Hello Six Pack, nice to meet you finally, in my 40s. I do not eat packaged foods for the most part (except for things like rye crackers or canned seafood) and I won't touch artificial sweeteners in any form... that stuff is sheer poison in my opinion. Do some research about how they're made and you'll scare yourself off of them, too. Also, it need not break the bank. Vegetation is pretty cheap for the most part. And that's the largest part of my diet. Meat and dairy can be had cheaply if you know how to bargain hunt or shop the sales. I eat mostly organic meat, eggs and dairy which I admit is not cheap, but the health benefits far outweigh the costs, in my opinion. Plus I only eat wild seafood. That farmed stuff scares the heck out of me.
Q: You workout mostly at home- what do you say to people whining that they don't have a gym membership? So? Am I hearing another excuse? With a small investment in some dumbbells and fitness bands, you're good to go for a LIFETIME of hard workouts. Add a kettlebell and make sure you use bodyweight work and you'll NEVER run out of ways to change things up every 6 - 8 weeks like you're supposed to (to keep your body progressing). Don't freak out that you need to buy lots of stuff RIGHT now. One set of adjustable dumbbells will keep you going a long time. Or if you prefer regular dumbbells or want to get a barbell and some plates, just buy the next size/weight you need AS you get stronger and don’t worry about it UNTIL then... one step at a time, don't go nuts off the top spending lots of money until you get to the level where you need the heavier sizes. That's how I do it and it's very manageable on the budget to just buy as you need, as you grow, as you gain strength.
Q: What does a somewhat "regular" workout week schedule look like for you? That's easy. Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Full body weight training for about 1.5 hours. Usually a two or three day program so I have lots of different moves implemented throughout the week. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 40 - 50 mins of cardio. Either an endurance run, or some form of HIIT (high intensity interval training), like flat-path interval sprints or hillsprints or an endurance run with hills added into the route ... sometimes if the weather absolutely prevents me from being outdoors (or I just feel like a change) I'll climb the stairwells in my highrise apartment building for 45 minutes for a quick, hard cardio burn (great for the butt and legs too). Sundays I ordinarily take as my 'rest day' but once in a while I will do a long walk that day, more of an 'active recovery' day, but that's not every time, just sometimes.
Q: What is your favorite body part to work and what is your least favorite? No favorite. No least favorite. I love working all parts of my body and observing what different moves will do to change the look of my body. The whole thing is a massive self-experiment in my opinion... I love testing different moves on different body parts and seeing what works for me and what doesn't. Got a new move to show me? Bring it on, I'd love to learn it. Although all that being said I LOVE the 'big-boy' moves like Squat Cleans (add a Should Press to the move and I'm in heaven) or Clean & Push Presses or plain and simple barbell squats or deadlifts. That stuff will activate your Central Nervous System like no other and its great fun too! Kettlebell moves are also great for CNS activation. I love monkeying around with my Kettlebells... all this stuff really rips up your core too. Not all good ab moves are actual "AB" moves, for the record.
Q: Favorite gear or gadget? Oh. Um. Did I just cover that? But to reiterate: Barbells. And also the Pull-up bar. Only the TRULY serious touch that stuff. And I'm truly serious. Let me at that stuff... I'll kill it. I love my Kettlebells, too. But there's something about Barbells that just makes me feel STRONG and WORTHY. I don't know why women are so darned scared of them... they are the MOST fun to train with and REALLY know how to get you in shape and ripped fast. Ladies, pleeeeeease don't be afraid to train heavy and on the big equipment. You will NOT bulk up. You don't have enough testosterone in your body to 'bulk up'... what you WILL get is in the BEST shape of your life and the envy of all your fraidy-cat girlfriends. Trust me.
Q: What do you say to people that whine about not having TIME for working out? LOL... omg, don't get me started. Priorities. What's yours? Mine is to be the healthiest me possible... so I MAKE THE DAMN TIME. There are no excuses in this world. If you want it, you WILL FIND A WAY. Join a 24 hour gym, get home equipment and do mini circuits between conference calls, or workout INSTEAD of sitting on your butt in front of the TV every evening. If you want it you can have it. Make it happen. Time is only an excuse.
Q: You still go out and have fun with friends, eat and drink....how do you fit it in with staying healthy? I exercise moderation. And if I have a big cheat coming, I account for it in my schedule. I also might counteract a big, unplanned meal with short intermittent fasting on occasion to keep my overall weekly caloric intake in check ... or I eat something low-cal but filling and healthy BEFORE I go out so I do not even have the URGE to eat once I'm there. And I always get my workout in anyway. If I have to change my day off from Sunday to another day to account for a busy day or the OCCASIONAL hangover day, then so be it... but I make sure to make up for it with a workout on Sunday instead. I'm committed and that's what you do when you've committed to yourself. You find a way. Have I said it enough times? Find a way, ditch the excuses and you can be as fit as you want to be.
Reader Comments (5)
Kelly!! I love this interview. What wonderful informative motivating and fun to read blog! Keep this up.. please!
Thanks girl!! ;-) I like spicing it up around here!!
Great interview with a great person. I have been Twitter "friends" with her for awhile now and she always knows what to say if you need some motivation.
Darren, thanks so much!! We have a great friend in common!!
thanks for the kind words gang!! If you have any questions, fire away, am happy to answer.
xo
J