Operation: Beach Bootcamp

Note: The strategies I used during this little "bootcamp" do not accurately reflect my current habits. I'm learning all the time. I recommended reading more recent posts from the Body Love category to stay up to date!

The first goal I've decided to tackle this year, for health AND for fun, is getting into my personal best physical shape for an upcoming Nicaraguan surf retreat on February 15th. This bikini is standing by!

Wonder_Woman_Bikini1_POP

My plan

Exercise:

I'm really happy with my strength overall.  The emphasis for now is on losing extra holiday pounds.  I also want to pay a little extra attention to upper body strength to help with paddling during my surf trip, and help me progress with my aerial skills.  I'll be doing:

• Cardio 5 x week - Interval training or other cardio classes that will burn claories, strengthen and get it all done in an hour - If I'm working out on my own, I'll run for about 30 minutes
• Mind Body Class 2 x week - yoga, barre, or home practice
• Pull-up training - I should have enough time to run through The 21-Day Pullup Challenge twice!
• Aerials once a week.  If I want to see progress on the silks, I've got to practice, practice, practice.

Nutrition:

Shout out to my nutritionist, Julie! Lots of these are habits I normally practice anyway, but I'll be cutting back on extras and focusing on making the basics really count.

• Commit to eating 3 meals a day plus a couple snacks (no skipping meals, no getting carried away with snacking, and no substituting snack foods for meals. That means no Pinkberry yogurt for lunch... for now!)
• Drink lots of water
• Commit to having salad and dark green veggies every day
• Limit grains to 1-2 servings per day
• Eat lean protein every day
• Eat so many vegetables I can hardly stand it

I got started on this plan on January 2nd, and I already feel really good.  My mood has lifted and my energy is better.

Do you currently have weight loss goals you'd like to achieve?  Other health or strength goals?  I'd love to hear about them, or have you join me in this winter beach bootcamp!

2 tips i'll use to help achieve my first goal of 2013

nicaragua surf

There is an undeniably cyclical nature to our lives. The rhythms of 'on' and 'off' cycles show up in our work, creativity, productivity, and certainly our health and fitness.

Of course, I do advocate having overall healthy habits. Anything we do consistently will yield results! With regard to physical fitness, if you regularly eat junk and don't exercise, your body will reflect this. Consistently do a decent job in these areas and your body will reflect this too.

But we humans also thrive on periods of intensity and challenge, followed by periods of rest.  Both are incredibly valid and rewarding.

Throughout the holidays, I fully embraced the joy of the 'off' cycle. I was skipping workouts, indulging in lots of sweets and drinks, and having a pretty freaking fabulous time resting my body and mind, while enjoying the traditions of the season and the company of friends and family! (Oh yeah, and going to bed with a stomachache pretty regularly.)

With the holidays past, I'm back 'on' in the area of healthy eating and exercise... Oh and the next big thing 6 weeks away on the horizon?? A VACATION!!!! Woooo!!

One of the goals I did not achieve last year was standing up on my surfboard by myself. I am not giving up! I've decided to immerse myself in a week of surf lessons while getting a sunny, exotic, adults-only break from the every day with my love.  We're headed to Nicaragua for a surf retreat and an adventure unlike anything we've ever done.

In order to bounce back from my indulgent holiday lifestyle (Yup, I gained 6 pounds in about 2 weeks!) I'm getting back on the wagon and committing to getting into my best shape by the time I leave for Nicaragua on February 15th.

For this challenge, that means getting to the weight that I know feels best for my body. I still feel strong and 'in shape' but I'm 8 lbs away now from the weight that makes me feel fittest.  (I want to be clear that I know I'm not overweight, or 'unfit.'  As a feminist, I believe in loving and living in one's body without shame.  As a fitness professional, I believe a super healthy and fit body makes for a more enjoyable life.)

How do I plan to reach my goal?  I'll use these two tips:

1. Have a short-term by-when date (a.k.a. deadline). If it's a big goal, break it down into smaller ones.Think how effective runners can be when they're training for a big race.  I'm looking at this as an event, just as an athlete trains for a competition.  Our trip on February 15th is my by-when date.
2. Have someone to hold you accountable.I'll be relying on my trusty holistic nutritionist Julie Starr-Wood to hold me accountable through daily emails of my food and exercise records.  I know exactly how I need to eat to feel my best, but time and again, I have found that I tend to 'cheat' when I feel like no one's looking.  She helps me keep my integrity until the results start to speak for themselves.

Do you have fitness goals for the new year?  Have you thought about breaking them down so that you've got something you can achieve sooner than later?  Feeling successful will definitely help keep you motivated to go further.

Peer pressure can be a good thing!  Who do you have who can hold you accountable for reaching that first milestone?

I'd love to hear about your goals! Just like Buddy the Elf with smiling, "Goals are my favorite!"

I'll keep sharing my progress regarding this goal, as well as what other things I'm looking forward to creating in this new year!

Till soon,

Andrea

{beach photo by Alex Barth}

Featured on Lululemon Blog: The Benefits of Barre

Originally published by lululemon athletica  on October 28, 2011

After discovering one of my old dance recital VHS a few years back, I did two things. I wondered why my parents kept me enrolled in a dance program for so long and I vowed to stay clear of a dance floor for the rest of my life. That was until I discovered a fitness class where I found myself plié-ing and elevé-ing at the barre once more and, surprisingly, quite liking it. Our Boston-based Core Fusion Ambassador, Andrea Isabelle Lucas, takes us back to first position with the benefits of barre.

barre background

For decades, devotees have transformed their health through this practice, which provides the perfect balance of safe and challenging work through a blend of yoga, Pilates and ballet. Lotte Berk (a professional Ballerina) created this practice when she blended orthopedic exercises with her dance training while rehabbing an injury. These days we are seeing an explosion of Lotte Berk-inspired barre programs under a variety of names (Core Fusion, Nalini Method, Bar Method, Barre Fitness, Physique 57, Dailey Method, Rasamaya Barre).

benefits of barre

Regular practice (three to five times a week) can increase muscle density, decrease body fat, improve flexibility and posture and rev up your metabolism. The hour-long class is a blend of strength training with our own body weight or light hand weights, interval cardio and lots of stretching. The ballet-inspired workout focuses on incredibly efficient, tiny movements. Take our average sit-­up. There is about a one-inch range of motion that makes up the most challenging and beneficial part of that exercise – we’ll call it the sweet spot. In a barre class, we’ll spend several minutes holding and working with tiny pulses in that sweet spot until our muscles not only burn but also shake with fatigue. Each muscle group is stretched immediately after it’s worked which promotes longer, leaner muscles and better recovery so we’re less sore the next day.

Don’t be fooled by its ballet roots, even though it looks graceful, it’s anything but effortless. Are you ready to return to the barre – even if your childhood experience was as embarrassing and uncoordinated as mine?

View the original article at http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/barre-fitness/