Caring For Your Toning Sticks

You bring your pair of Zumba toning sticks to class, work up a mighty sweat, throw them in your bag, and forget about them until the next class. Now, after working up a sweat in class after class without taking care of your sticks, can cause them to not last as long, not to mention all that dried up sweat (eewww!). So here are some tips that Zumba recommends. 

• Store at room temperature. Keep them away from direct heat, and prevent prolonged exposure to extrememtemperatures or direct sunlight. (like your car)
• Clean your sticks with a soft, damp cloth. Don't use harsh chemicals or soap

Does the Type of Shoe I use Matter?

The type of shoes you wear to any fitness class can be the difference of a great class and hurting yourself and tarnishing your feelings about that class.
For the best fitting shoe, know your foot type.
There are three basic types: 

• Normal arch
• High arch
• Flat (no arch).

Don't know what kind of feet you have? Just take the wet test. Simply wet one foot and stand on a surface that will show an imprint of your foot, like when you step onto a bathmat after a shower.

• A normal arch leaves an imprint that clearly shows an arch with the forefoot and heel connected
• A flat foot leaves an imprint with the entire bottom of the foot having contact with the floor

How to find the perfect shoe:

• try on shoes at the end of the day when feet tend to be largest
• wear the socks and any orthotic devices you would normally would exercise in
• try replacing the shoe's insoles with over the counter insoles for extra cushioning and arch support, especially if you have high arches. Extra cushioning is also needed as people age and the fat pad at the bottom of the foot thins
• A good shoe will be flexible and allow you to easily move back to front and side to side.If it doesn't, excessive strain will be placed on the foot and Achilles tendon. Test your shoe's flexibility by holding it in both hands and twist cross wise. 
• A stiffer shoe is better for those with flat feet and a more flexible shoe for those with high arches

Did you know? each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles and tendons

Excerpt from Fitness: Theory & Practice 

AFAA Group Fitness Certification

This week I will be taking my AFAA Group Fitness Certification exam!!!

What does having the group fitness certification mean?

• means that the person who has their group fitness certification, have studied how to design a safe and effective group exercise program for the general healthy population
• we learn a basic understanding of:
• anatomy
• kinesiology
• biomechanics
• exercise physiology
• nutrition and weight management
• group exercise program design
• technique, alignment and performance with or without equipment
• injury prevention

Once passing my exam, I will have a globally recognized and fully accredited certification! Wish me luck on my exam!

Los Angeles Zumba Instructor Conference 2014!

This week I have been down in Los Angeles for the 2014 Zumba Instructor Conference!! I will be taking workshops in "flavors" of dance styles, like quebradita, dancehall, and reggaeton. I am so excited to have the opportunity to come down and learn more about all these different styles of dances! Here is a look at what my schedule looks like!

• Mexican Fiesta includes:
• cumbia sonidera
• quebradita
• pasito duranguense
• Colombian Connection:
• cumbia
• vallenato
• mapale
• joropo 
• chande 
• sanjuanero
• Caribbean Heat:
• soca
• dancehall
• Reggaeton Rebellion
• reggae
• jamaican dancehall
• hip-hop
• Warrior
• kickboxing techniques
• boot camp formats
• martial arts

All this in just three days!! So excited to learn and expanding what I already know!! Can I say that the one i'm most looking forward to is the Warrior?? I will be back on Monday for class!! So get ready to rock it out!!

When To Say No To Food

NO. A simple two letter word.

 My parents come from a really poor upbringing where food was not always available at every meal. So, I grew up with the mentality of "you must eat and finish all of your food". This also applied to when we visited friends or family. If the host offered us food, it was rude to decline. Even if you weren't hungry, or didn't like it. It was pretty much an obligation that we had to accept whatever food was offered to us. Now, you can see how this can set you up for failure in the future. As an adult, I had to re-teach myself how to eat. It sounds kind of extreme for a problem that has such a simple solution, "just say no". But after most of my life being told one thing and having it become habit, a way of life. It can take a while to reverse it. 

When visiting family, they always want to feed me. And for the longest time I would eat their food offerings, even though I would be full, or might not like it. But then I realized. I am only hurting my body by force feeding it. 

So I started to say no. 

And let me tell you how hard it was. For the longest time, after saying "no" to food offerings during visits, I would feel so guilty. I felt like I was being rude. And that I needed to accept their gift. I started to dread visiting family, because all I could think of was, "I'm being  rude" or "they probably think I'm being completely rude". I had to constantly keep reminding myself that I was only hurting myself by force feeding it. Slowly, it started to get easier. I would accept their food if I was hungry, but I started to not feel as guilty when I declined their food. 

I know this is a learning process. And I am getting better. Even to this day, I at times feel guilty for not taking their "food gifts" or "offerings". 

So, don't feel obligated to eat when you are not hungry. Don't feel obligated to finish your food.  Learn to say NO! 

Stay Hydrated!

Seems silly to remind someone to "stay hydrated" or "drink water" but it is something we tend to put off. 

Did you know:

• water regulates the body's temperature
• aids the digestive system
• cushions and protects vital organs
• water makes up 75% of all muscle tissue
• makes up about 10% of fatty tissue
• it's impossible to sustain life for more than a week without water!

In one hour of exercise the body can lose more than a quart of water, This depends on exercise intensity and air temperature. And if there is not enough water for your body to cool itself through perspiration, the body enters a state of dehydration. 

What happens during dehydration?

• it can lead to muscle fatigue and loss of coordination.
• being unable to cool itself efficiently, it can lead to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke
• the body will lack energy and muscles may develop cramps

so remember to bring your water bottle to class and to drink plenty of water all throughout the day!

source: ACE 

New Class: Turbo Kick

Studiok is more than proud to say that it will be the new home of our local Turbo Kick classes taught by the beautiful instructor Jennifer Russell. 

Classes will start Wednesday January 15th at 8:30 am, and will be every Monday and Wednesday at 8:30am. You can print out our schedule here.

What is Turbo Kick? 

Turbo Kick is an interval based, full body workout that begins with a sports specific warm-up, high paced intervals followed with kickboxing-specific strength/endurance training sequences and easy to follow combinations, class ends with a mind/body-like (think Tai-Chi) cool-down.

Labels and Food Allergies

If you are like me, and so many people who have or seem to be developing food allergies and sensitivities to foods now a days. You understand how frustrating it is sometimes when grocery shopping and searching the food labels for any trace or sign of the allergen you are trying to avoid. In my continuous search in broadening my knowledge, I came across this here and thought it was very interesting. It definitely opened my eyes to our food labeling standards. I personally avoid anything that has "natural flavors" and "spices" as well as anything that says to have "shared equipment", "shared facility", "may contain" or "may contain traces of". What do you do to try and avoid allergens? 

DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner

I have a small confession to make. I don't clean my personal yoga mat I have at home as often as I should. Now you can buy yoga mat cleaners at target or even just use Lysol on your mat. But I am a little cheap. I recently saw at Target the other day a small package of  10 yoga mat wipes for about $20. So, when I decided to look up a simple recipe on how to make your own simple yoga mat cleaner for pretty cheap I couldn't pass it up. 

Now, now most recipes are basically the same. Feel free to use your own essential oils. 

Materials: 

• spray bottle of your choice (I used a travel sized bottle I found at Target for a $1)
• distilled white vinegar (you can use Witch Hazel, not as strong of a scent as vinegar. But, it's a little more expensive.)
• water
• Tea Tree Essential Oil (for it's cleaning and disinfectant properties)
• Lavender Essential Oil (you can use whatever essential oil you like)
• eye dropper

Directions:

• fill your spray bottle a 1/3 of the way up with vinegar or Witch Hazel
• fill the rest of the way up with water
• using the eye dropper, put about 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil
• using the eye dropper, put a few drops of your favorite essential oil you like. It depends on how strong you want it to smell.

Breakdown:

• I bought my Tea Tree Essential Oil at Natural Grocers in Bend for under $4. 
• Small spray bottle I bought at Target for $1
• I already had water, lavender essential oil and the eye dropper. 

So for $5 I made myself a good smelling yoga mat cleaner that will last me a lot more than 10 uses and that I can refill (you will have plenty of essential oils left over to make refills!)

Use it to wipe down your mat after each use. Or you can lightly spray your mat and let it air dry after each use. 

Fat Talk

I must admit, I have put myself and my body down. Pointing to all my flaws, pulling on my fat and calling myself names. And in the end, it makes me feel horrible about myself. Depressed. A failure. 

So why do we do it? I know, hear, and see a lot of other women do it. And even more disturbing to me, young girls as young as pre-schoolers in my dance classes do this to themselves. We need to stop putting ourselves down. This, I know is easier said than done. Especially when we have been doing it for so long. But we need to break away from this cycle. We need to teach our young girls to not hate themselves. Instead let's get ourselves into action and choose to eat a little healthier, get active a little more, and compliment our selves a little every day. Let's try not to focus so much on our flaws, failures, and imperfections and instead focus on what makes us happy, and what we DO like about ourselves. 

Let's make it a part of our new year's resolution to stop fat talking to ourselves.