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!

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!

Eating Clean

What do you have for breakfast? Today I found a new way to enjoy my eggs in the morning. I took 1/2 cup of egg whites (13g of awesome protein & no fat!) and whipped them, then added some chopped spinach. I poured this into the waffle maker and topped it with Frank's Hot Red Sauce. The texture was perfect (different, but turned out as I had hoped). I can't wait to try this again with my banana & eggs. Stay tuned!

I couldn't even finish all of it. That made my dog happy. 

My outdoor playground

How cool is it to have your very own outdoor fitness playground? VERY COOL!! 

And it's even better when you get to invite your fitness friends over to join you. 

Bring your group out to train outdoors! 

This is The Leviathon by our company -The Big Bad Rack 

40' hand over hand, 6 20' rope climbs, 16 wallballs targets, Salmon Ladder, Parallel Chin, Battling Rope hook ups, & plenty of space for chin ups & squats.

There are many tires for flipping, along with a 1/4 mile fitness trail with rock climbing walls, log jumps, chain climbs, straw bale jumps, chin up rack, and tire runs all within a beautiful wooded setting. 

Rain or shine, you are bound to have a great time. 

Here are some links to some video trailers of groups working hard & having fun.

CFM Adventure WOD 2013

Basketball Team

586 CrossFit