December Burpee Fitness Challenge

Happy December!

I am a day late posting the December Challenge this month, but no worries you can still make up yesterday's 10 Burpees today for a total of 20 on December 2. 

There seems to be a love/hate relationship with Burpees, I for one love them. Sure they suck, but Burpees are a great total body workout completely, functional and only requires the use of your own body weight. Burpees combine a squat and push up while also targeting your lower body, upper body and your core. It's a quick way to get your heart rate up while targeting the muscles in the lower body, upper body and your core at the same time. 

There are many different variations of the burpee, you can check out youtube for one that looks challenging for your fitness level. You do not have to do all the burpees at ones (especially as you start getting into the 40 rep range) break them up throughout the day if you need to. 

You can also check out my Facebook Get Fit with Ris "LIKE" it and post to comments when you are done. Share and do the challenge with a friend to help keep you accountable.

Let's end 2015 in a big way and look forward to a healthier and fitter 2016!!

Thank you again for following along for another year.

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

November Fitness Challenge - Grab your Water Bottles!!

For the last 3 years I have been creating body weight fitness challenges that require no equipment and can be done just about anywhere. This month is pretty much the same except that I’ve thrown in a few movements that we haven’t done in the past challenges. The challenge this month is to create some additional intensity by adding some additional resistance with filled water bottles.

After a certain point your body will begin to plateau, so the additional weight provided by the water bottles (filled with water, sand or marbles) will add more intensity, and maybe to some extent a little more difficulty or challenge. Feel free to add in dumbbells if you choose or modify as necessary.

The new movements include shoulder presses, lateral raises, upright rows, bicep curls, over head tricep extensions, bent over raises and bent over rows. There are some combination exercises including squats with a shoulder press, lunges with bicep curls and jumping jacks with lateral raises. You can also add the water bottle(s) to the sit ups and Russian twists if you desire.

I hope you have fun with this month’s challenge. If I get the time, I may try to make a few videos demonstrating the exercises. You can follow my facebook page at Get Fit with Ris, this is where I will post videos.

I’ve always kept these challenges very “basic” for those who do not go to a gym, or need something “quick”, or for those just beginning a workout program.  If you are looking for something more intense, more challenging just let me know and I’ll be happy to work with you and put something together based on what you have access to.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family & friends!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

October Fitness Challenge

The challenge this month is all about Tabata training. Tabata's are a great way to kick up your metabolism in a short amount of time, it's the ultimate in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). You do however have to work at maximum effort to benefit from it. Some day's will be a regular tabata alternating between :20 seconds of work and :10 of rest for 4 minutes. Other days you will repeat the tabata twice for 8 minutes, and some days you'll experience active rest while planking.  

Have fun with this one, and as usual everything revolves around your own body weight so no equipment is necessary except for maybe a tree or a wall for the wallsits and a chair or sturdy table for the dips. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Git! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

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Get Fit With Ris

September Fitness Challenge

This month you can expect to increase your endurance as you navigate through 4 different AMRAP's (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible) in the designated time allowances. Remember, form & quality trump your score so please be mindful to work through full range of motion on all exercises while doing your best to complete each workout as quickly as you can. 

September is also Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and if you have children I hope you are leading by example the importance of physical activity and healthy eating. Too many young children are experiencing critical health problems that were once only inflicting adults. Click on the link where you can find some excellent information, handouts and tweets to help spread awareness. 

One in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

The good news is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, I am encouraging your family to make healthy changes together.

• Get active outside: Walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or play basketball at the park. Have them join you in the monthly fitness challenge.
• Limit screen time: Keep screen time (time spent on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games) to 2 hours or less a day.
• Make healthy meals: Buy and serve more vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods.

Taking small steps as a family can help your child stay at a healthy weight. 

September also raises awareness about the importance of Fruits & Vegetables.

Most people know that eating fruits and vegetables is important for good health, but most of us still aren’t getting enough. This September, I am  proud to participate in Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month.

Eating a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits can help you:

• Lower your risk for heart disease and some types of cancer
• Maintain or reach a healthy weight
• Keep your body strong and active

Here are some ideas to help you and your family fit more fruits and vegetables into your day:

• Keep a bowl of fruit handy where the whole family can see it.
• Cut up fruits and veggies ahead of time so they’re ready for quick, healthy snacks.
• Challenge your family to try a new veggie or fruit every week.

Remember, eating more fruits and veggies can be fun – and it’s worth it!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Sources:

American Council of Sports Medicine retrieved from: http://www.acsm.org, Health Finder retrieved from: http://healthfinder.gov

August Fitness Challenge

Well, I am a little late getting the August Fitness Challenge out on my blog and I apologize for that! This month, the challenge is to do the following:

Beginners do either 100 kettle bell swings or squats during the day

Intermediate do either 200 kettle bell swings or squats during the day 

Advanced do either 300 kettle bell swings or squats during the day

You can mix & match the swings & squats. For example, do 1 arm swings & squats one day, and 2 arm swings and goblet squats the next day.  

Mix it up to add variety so you do not get bored doing the same thing every day. 

Here are some examples:

Beginners: 100 Reps

25 Squats

25 KB Swings to eye level (Russian Swings)

25 Squats holding your kettle bell (Goblet Squats)

25 KB Swings over head (American Swings)

Intermediate: 200 Reps

4 rounds

25 KB Swings to eye level (Russian Swings)

25 KB Swings overhead (American)

Advanced: 300 Reps

5 Rounds

10 1 arm Kettle Bell Swings Right

10  1 arm Kettle Bell Swings Left

15 Goblet Squats

25 American Kettle Bell Swings

One of my favorites is to incorporate a jump rope in between my squats or swings. If you are a beginner it will take you 10 minutes, intermediate 20 minutes and advanced 30 minutes.

 Do 40 seconds of jumprope and 20 seconds of squats or swings. 

If you can get in 10 squats & swings during the 20 seconds you'll have your 100, 200 or 300. 

If you don't get all 10, just make up the missed ones at the end of the workout. 

Good Luck!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Fit-with-Ris-Crossfit-Level-1-Trainer-CPT/124459840908514?ref=bookmarks

July Fitness Challenge

Hi all! Well, half of 2015 is behind us and I hope you are well on your way to meeting your long term goals and have been successful in meeting your short term goals. It's never too late to make new goals or re-evaluate the ones you made earlier in the year. Remember to make SMART goals, (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely).

I hope you have enjoyed the monthly challenges and have found new ways to incorporate fitness into your daily routine. I've tried to keep all the workouts based on body weight movements with little to no equipment needed. I trust that those of you who are more avid fitness enthusiasts have challenged yourselves by modifying the workouts accordingly. 

Here is the monthly challenge for July. You will notice that I've asked you to record your time (or score), remember not to sacrifice your form in order to achieve a faster time (or better score). Do all the movements for quality, but try and see if you can improve on your time throughout the week. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jarrettmarissa@gmail.com

You will notice that I've left the weekends open. I know the summer months can be busy with family activities and vacations, but I hope you will find ways to incorporate some physical activity into them. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa 

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

June Monthly Fitness Challenge

I hope you enjoyed your challenge for the month of May and went on to inspire others to achieve a more active and healthy lifestyle. Even if you only reached out to one person during the month, you may have had a positive impact on their life! I enjoyed several walks during the month with my daughter, worked out with awesome people in my CrossFit classes, and continued to work with the young boys I train. Even though May has come and gone, I hope you continue to inspire others through your hard work and efforts. Feel free to share this months challenge with them, or invite them or someone else to do it along with you. 

Burpees, Squats, & Push Ups, OH MY! There is a a lot you can do with the June Challenge this month! This months challenge is a great set up for beginners while more advanced exercisers can add reps, turn the workouts into AMRAP's (As Many Rounds & Reps As Possible in "X" time, for example 8:00 min or 15:00 min), or repeat 2-3 times depending on what your schedule allows. 

Each week is different but the reps add up as you progress Monday through Saturday making them a little more challenging as you go through the week. Sunday's are open for 20 minutes of your favorite cardio, a bike ride, roller blading, paddle boarding, what ever activity you enjoy that gets you outside and enjoying the great weather (don't forget your sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and other protective gear).

If you share this workout with a newbie, they can stick with the rep scheme set on Monday's & Tuesday's for the first two weeks and then gradually increase reps as the month goes on, depending on their ability.

Remember to challenge yourself, stay hydrated & have fun! If you turn any of the workouts into AMRAP's, remember do not sacrifice your form in order to get more rounds and reps in. Form always comes first!

If you have any questions about any of the movements, you can leave me a message or seek me out on Facebook at Get Fit With Ris.

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

May Fitness Challenge - Inspire Someone to Get Moving!

Do you enjoy working out alone? I don’t! I enjoy having other people around while I workout and someone to workout with can be very motivating. So, this month I challenge you to inspire someone to workout with you for the month or someone new each day or each week. Take a friend, a neighbor or a co-worker on a walk with you, go out and play kick ball with your children, invite someone to join you for a yoga class, walk your 18 holes of golf instead of taking a cart, or invite a friend to join you on a 5k walk/run. All you have to do is ask!

I’ve spent years motivating others to get up and move, to change their lives and get fit and healthy. It’s not as hard as it seems. If you have been following along with my monthly challenges over the past several years, you can invite someone to do them with you. There is a sample workout included on the May Fitness Challenge if you need something structured, otherwise you can try any of the activities mentioned above, or find a workout from a past challenge you enjoyed. If you follow me on Facebook (if not, you should at Get Fit with Ris) I will post different workout suggestions throughout the month of May for you to follow too.

I’ve already had one person tell me that they invited a friend to join them at their gym for a workout and they even signed up for a month of training with their trainer. See! It’s that easy. You never know whose life you might change. Sometimes it just takes a little nudge, a little suggestion to get someone interested in a healthy lifestyle.

When I reflect back on the people whose lives I touched over the years and inspired to get up off the couch and start being more active I am so thankful for having that opportunity.  At 70 years old this August my mom and dad move around as if they are 40. They attend yoga and strength-training classes every day, they get out and walk on the beach when they are vacationing; they golf and have no problem keeping up with their grandchildren. I’ve inspired my own daughters who have been active over the years with dance, track, yoga and strength-training. I can’t tell you how excited I get when my daughters “snap chat” me their photos rowing, or doing a headstand, or running their first marathon. I know I’ve instilled in them a lifelong habit.

So are you up to the challenge to go out and inspire someone this month?

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa 

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Results from the 2015 CrossFit Open

Photo Credit: CrossFit

Well last week Friday was the last Open workout for the 2015 CrossFit Open.  15.5 was a workout for time and consisted of rowing and thrusters. It began with a 27 calorie row followed by 27 thrusters at 65#, then 21 calorie row, 21 thrusters, 15 calorie row and 15 thrusters and 9 calorie row and 9 thrusters. On Friday, I had a head cold and breathing was not fun, so I elected to wait until Sunday afternoon to give this one a go hoping I would be feeling better. I was looking forward to it, I was hoping I would have finished it in under 11 minutes, but on Sunday I still was not feeling 100% and breathing was still a little difficult. I ended up with a time of 12:28 and was glad to be done! 

Here is how I placed in the State, the Central East Region, and World Wide for my age group; and among my fellow athletes at the box I work out at. 


Michigan: 11 out of 132
Central East Region:  37 out of 472
World Wide: 407 out of 6,156 
Overall at my box I finished 15 out of 35

While I would have liked to have finished in the top 20 for my age & division as I did the previous two years, I am happy with my overall placement this year. I look forward to this time of year because it inspires me to work even harder. Looking ahead, I can work on my weaknesses. I would like to be doing muscle ups before the year is over. Once I am able to get them under my belt I know this will go a long way in the workouts next year. I also need to work on my speed a little more and get stronger at kipping for my pull ups and handstands. 

Congratulations to all the outstanding athletes that participated in this years Open and to those who are on their way to Regionals and the Games later this year. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

*Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!*

April Fitness Challenge

Let's keep going on those fitness goals! Here is the April Fitness Challenge and we are changing things up just a little bit from the March Challenge. 

An EMOM is Every Minute on the Minute and this is how you perform it. Beginning on the first minute you will do 8 burpees (or what ever is indicated on the day). Then you will rest the remainder of that minute. On the next minute you do 8 more burpees and then rest. You will continue this until the specified time for example: 4 minutes, 5 minutes, etc., up to 9 minutes during weeks 2, 3, and 4. You will also notice that each week the movements change or more are included. The faster you work, the more time you have to recover before repeating them again. 

On Sunday's you can choose to do 20 minutes of cardio. With the warmer temperatures approaching you might like to take your workout outdoors for a 5K, or a brisk walk, it's up to you! Do your favorite cardio for 20 minutes, what I have listed is only an example of the variety of choices you might like to partake in. 

During the third week you also have the option to substitute kettlebells swings instead of doing the burpees and push ups that week. Or, if you have a rower you can row for calories every minute and rest until the next. 

If you have any questions just leave me a comment. Share this with a friend that you might like to do this with to keep yourself accountable. The more the merrier and working out with friends is always more fun. If you don't know anyone, check out my Facebook page Get Fit with Ris, you can always check in there as you complete the daily workouts and I'll be sure to keep you motivated and inspire you to continue. 

Remember, have fun and make sure you challenge yourself each and every day to be better than yesterday. Summer is almost here!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Workout 15.4 CrossFit Game 2015 OPEN

Only one week left in the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Open! My current standings after last week are:

38/472 for the Central East Region and 434/6,158 worldwide. I've moved up quite a bit from last week and I am very excited about that! If only I could have gotten 1 muscle up in 15.3.

I did give 15.3 a second attempt last Sunday to get my first muscle up. I spent the 14 minutes working on it with no success. When it was over, my husband pushed me forward which got me thru the rings and I pushed myself up. Of course, this does not count, I just need to work on “head butting” my way through the rings so I can get up on my own. I will continue to work on them and know that they are not too far away from becoming a reality.



Photo Credit: CrossFit


In the meantime, this past Friday was 15.4 an 8 minute AMRAP of ascending Hand stand push ups (HSPU) and Cleans. I felt pretty good about getting at least 1 or 2 HSPU, so I was excited that I did the first three so easily. Then I had to do the cleans and knew that it wouldn’t be a problem since in 15.2 I did a 125 Clean & Jerk, so I knew I could clean it up. Then I headed back over to the wall for 6 HSPU, and I only got 1. I then spent the last 5 minutes trying to get another one, but again I was not successful. I just couldn’t push myself up. I tried kipping and by the end of the 5 minutes I almost had it and by that I mean I could push my head up off the mat about an inch, but that was about it. So, I completed 5.4 with 7 reps.

What I like about the Open this year is that it showed me where my weaknesses are and what I have to work on. So, over the next couple of months I will spend more time working on my muscle up and learning the kipping for the HSPU. I know I have it in me!


Stay tuned next week to see where I fall in the rankings after the 15.4 submission and what challenges 15.5 will bring.





In Health & Fitness,



Marissa





Get Fit! Stay Fit! Be Fit!

My current standings in the Cross Fit Open after 15.2 are:

57/472 for the Central East Division and 685/6,157 World Wide 

Here is the 15.3 Workout from Friday:

Photo Credit: CrossFit

Ugh! Muscle Ups are something I have not yet perfected or performed. I know that I am certainly strong enough to do them, and if I worked on them more often I know I can get them. I was conflicted going into this workout on Friday morning wondering if I should spend my 14 minutes trying to get a muscle up (or two), or doing it scaled and skipping the muscle ups and just do the Wallballs and Jump Ropes. The scaled version was 50 wallballs at 10# (instead of 14#) and 200 single jumpropes (instead of 100 Double Unders, which I can do).

Well, I chose to do 15.3 scaled on Friday and ended up with 1,007 reps. I was honestly surprised. One of the trainers said to the group as we were warming up to shoot for 700 reps. The timer was counting down, 3…2…1 GO! I started right in with the first round of 50 wallballs and 200 single jumpropes. I never once looked at the clock. I took only a few short breaks during the wallballs to shake out my arms. I did the jumpropes unbroken. There was about 20 seconds left when I finished my last round of jumpropes and I picked up the wallball and was able to complete 7 of the 50 before time was called. I had no idea how many rounds I did. I just tried to stay moving the entire time. I was pleasantly surprised when Meggan told me how many reps I had completed.

 

Now, do I give it another go on Monday and try and get a muscle up or two during the 14 minutes? Even though I had some pretty decent reps with the scaled version, I am told that even 1 muscle up will earn me more points on the leader board than my scaled score. If I am able to catch up with the other coaches on the box, I think I may attempt to do it. After all, I have nothing to lose by trying and I may even surprise myself.

Stay tuned next week to see where I land on the leader board after this weeks workout. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!