Ask A Trainer Part 2

Ask A Trainer Part 2

Welcome to our Ask A Trainer series! In this series you will find tips, tricks and ideas to keep you on your goal of getting/staying healthy in 2016. We’re going behind the scenes with trainers, nutritionists and more!

We all know one of the most, if not the most popular New Years resolution is to “lose weight”. I cannot tell you how many times I wrote down this goal as if writing down this thing that I’d always wanted to do, but never actually gotten the guts to commit to would magically give me the motivation and knowledge to make it happen. One of the biggest challenges for people looking to lose weight and get fit is that they just don’t have all of the information. I remember when I began my weight loss journey, I just didn’t have any idea what to eat or, more importantly, why to eat those things. I knew a lot of healthy people chose chicken over red meat, but I had no idea why or what that meant in the scheme of things. Every time I would set out to diet, I would get in this mindset of “OMG EVERYTHING IS BAD FOR ME! I GIVE UP!” Well, we don’t want you to give up! So let’s get some advice from a professional, shall we?

Today we’re talking to Renee Hodges from Foundation Physical Therapy and Endurance Coaching. I have actually had the pleasure of working with Renee and she is absolutely amazing. I’ve never met someone who knows as much about body mechanics and she is in super amazing shape, so whatever it is she’s doing, I want to get on board!

Renee has practiced as a Physical Therapist, in the orthopedic setting, since earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from A.T. Still University in 2003. Over the years, she has developed a niche practice of treating runners and endurance athletes. Renee has been running since she was in under graduate school in the late 1990’s. She has completed numerous Marathons (including participating in Boston), an Ultramarathon, numerous Triathlons (2 time finisher of Ironman Arizona) and has a strong love for trail running and racing.  She has been involved in the Arizona endurance community for over 15 years.

What does a typical week look like for you fitness-wise?

Prior to starting my own business I was able to keep a regular and predictable workout routine. However, now my available time to workout is extremely sporadic and very unpredictable. I’ve had to learn how to be flexible and spontaneous with my available workout time. That was very hard in the beginning, but now I embrace it and it’s taught me how to be much more flexible with every aspect of my life.

Typically I like to do something active 6 days a week. I believe in one “rest day,” but let’s be honest, a rest day with the type of life that everyone leads these days is really just a day of not sweating the way you typically do. I can get away with this when I’m just maintaining fitness, but if I’m ramping up for a major event, I take my rest day pretty seriously and will do my best to take it easy.

Currently I like to fit in at least 3 run workouts, 2-3 bike workouts, 2 swim workouts and 2-3 strength training sessions. It may sound like a lot of on paper, but some of my workouts are high intensity workouts for just 15-30 minutes. Those workouts don’t take long, but man they make you work!

What is your favorite workout?

Running is my favorite sport and I LOVE running intervals. My body can only sustain doing hard run intervals one time a week so I look forward to this workout like a kid on Christmas morning every week! Any type of run interval work will do; I enjoy short intervals or long intervals. Anything that gets my legs moving quickly brings me happiness! I also LOVE to lift heavy. Deadlifts are my thing. The power I gain in my running form from lifting heavy is addicting!

What would be your biggest piece of advice for someone just beginning their journey?

First figure out what it is you love to do. Try lots of different activities to figure out what you love to do the most. Once you figure out what activities you love, then set a S.M.A.R.T. goals to keep you focused and consistent with that activity. A Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound goal will keep you focused. Once you achieve that goal, set another one.

Have you always been interested in health and fitness?

I was always been interested in fitness, but eating well did not come until later in life.

My mother was and still is very adventurous & athletic minded and she taught my brother and I how to ski when we were 3. She always encouraged us to try different sports and didn’t push us to focus heavily on one activity. From the age of 3 to now, I’ve been involved in gymnastics, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, softball, and track (sprint distances). I didn’t find long distance running, swimming and biking until later in life and I’m glad it took me a while to find them. Participating in so many different sports, especially team sports, taught me a lot about camaraderie and partnership. However, once I did find long distance running, biking and swimming, it felt like I found my purpose in life.

Learning the importance of food as fuel unfortunately did not come until later in life. I struggle with sugar and eating too much of it, but I’ve changed my ways and have seen the positive effects of eating to support and help my body rather than to satisfy cravings. I still make mistakes and fall back into old habits on occasion, but I’ve learned to not let that stop me from getting back on track again.

What’s your go-to healthy meal?

The meal that helps me return to eating healthy, when I’m having trouble, is the vegan dish: African Yam Stew. I found this recipe through the Forks Over Knives website. So yummy! Try it!

What’s your favorite splurge?

I feel like I’m confessing a secret by talking about this! Well, I already confessed that I have a horrible history with sugar so, currently when I fall off the bandwagon, I typically gravitate towards craving/eating rice krispie treats. Ugh! 🙁

What would you recommend for someone who wants to get fit, but doesn’t have time to commit to a time consuming training schedule?

Making a big change too quickly will likely not stick. Start with 5 minutes a day of trying something new or different. Five minutes may not seem significant enough to make a difference, but I promise you, 5 minutes can make a huge difference. Change often comes about through the snowball effect: small changes practiced over time will turn into long term habits which will grow into major changes over your lifetime.

It’s also important to write down what you do. Seeing your commitment and progression on paper can have a powerful effect on fortitude. Make a change now and you will be pleasantly surprised at how one little change can make a huge difference in the rest of your life.

Also, you never know how your change my effect someone else. Your small change may have a profound effect on someone else’s life.

Have you ever reached the dreaded plateau? If so, how did you break through it?

Absolutely! After completing a major event two years ago my body was trying to tell me to rest and recover, but I wouldn’t let it. I kept trying to reach new goals and instead of reaching them I was consistently doing worse, which caused a great deal of frustration. After hitting an all time low, I finally listened to my body and took the time to rest, discovered new hobbies and enjoyed extended down time. This down time changed me. It changed how I view my physical activity. I still have personal goals, but I’m not willing to sacrifice other things that mean the most to me, like my body, to get there. When I don’t feel like working out, I don’t. I don’t force myself to do something I know my body is telling me not to do. My body is much happier with me and ironically, with more rest and respect, my body is willing to work for me now in ways I never knew were possible before.

Thanks so much for sharing with us Renee! For more from Renee, visit her website, or catch her on Facebook.

Got a question for Renee? Leave it in the comments!