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Boot Camp

What were you doing at 5:30 this morning?

Learn more about Fit OC Women HERE

Personal Update

Three months ago today, our youngest son was born. It has been a roller coaster of love, laughter and fatigue... a bit less of the last one lately, thank goodness. During one of those sleepless nights, I thought it would be pretty cool if I could pull on every pair of jeans in my closet three months after having a baby. I figured what the heck, go for it. Today I was able to do just that. I did the happy dance in my closet!

A bit snug but YES they fit!

First off, you hear of those moms that slip right into their pre pregnancy jeans when they leave the hospital. That was not me! I gained 40lbs this time and those jeans were not even sliding up my thighs when I got home! So for me, it was a lot of hard work.

I wasn't going to post this update. Then I figured there may be some expecting mom out there who wonders how they will ever feel great in their clothes again. You will and those clothes will feel even better than before because you earned them back, big time! Plus you will have a little extra love in your life :).

Two Amazing Boot Campers

Last weekend, two of my very dedicated boot camp ladies, Kathy and Julie, participated in the San Francisco Marathon and Half Marathon. To say they did an amazing job is an understatement!

While they trained for their races, they continually made boot camp a priority. I can recall Kathy running 20 miles on the weekend and still showing up for Monday's 5:30am class ready to go... amazing!

Myself as well as the other boot camp attendees, truly enjoyed supporting these two women and celebrating in their success!

Here is what they had to say about Fit OC Women Boot Camp and how it contributed to their accomplishments:

"I just want to thank you for the tremendous boot camp training. Last week-end, I ran the San Francisco marathon with my sisters and I'm very pleased with the results. Your boot camp classes provided excellent cross-training for me. In the past, if I tried to go on a long run, I would have hip and sometimes knee pain related to my IT band. Since your workouts are all about movement and development of all muscle groups, I have been virtually pain-free on all of my runs. Also, I have gained strength and endurance from your classes....which were definitely needed, especially for the last 6 miles of the marathon. I have never been athletic; yet I was able to meet my goal of 3 hrs: 50 minutes.....and you helped make this happen! Lastly, your creativity, knowledge, and caring personality make our workouts fun! Thank you for everything!"

Kathy Jackson

"Hillary thanks to your boot camp program I was able to do the San Francisco Half Marathon last weekend! Prior to the marathon I wasn’t really a runner, I ran 3 – 4 miles at a time (mostly walking). The day of the marathon I had endurance and strength which I attribute to the boot camp training that allowed me to finish the half marathon and I felt great!

Thank you Hillary!"

Julie Kenney

Surf City Beach Derby- Who's In?!

We have quite the group of Fit OC Women who have proclaimed they will dominate the sand on November 6th. Whether it is the 10 miler, 10K, or the 5 & 2K beach obstacles, choose your race and join us!

Do it to be a part of a fun group of women. Do it for the cool shirt we will all wear and do it for the great event with an ocean view!

Shoot me an email if your interested.

http://www.beachderby.com/

Official Boot Camp of the Anaheim Ducks Power Players

Fit OC Women is the official Boot Camp for the Anaheim Duck's Power Players... fun season ahead!

Click HERE for more details on this season's girls.

Peanut Butter Pancakes

I have heard about PB2 for awhile now. I finally ordered the stuff and it definitely lives up to the rave reviews. I have put it in oatmeal in the morning, a shake during the day, and yogurt at night. I never would have thought powdered peanut butter would be so good.

For the last few mornings, my son has asked for "my peanut butter pancakes". He loves them!

1/3 cup Oatmeal

1/4 cup Egg Whites

1 Tablespoon PB2

Blend and top with Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup

If you or your kids love peanut butter this is a great option. You can read about the company HERE

Nutritional breakdown from the Bell Plantation website:

PB2: Powdered Peanut Butter
Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar and salt.
Serving size: 2 Tablespoons (12 grams)
Servings per container: 15
Amount per 2 Tablespoon serving (when mixed with water):
Calories: 45
Calories from fat: 13

Value and % Daily Value*

Total fat 1.5 g 3%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Trans fat < 0.01 g Cholesterol < 0.01 mg 0% Sodium 94 mg 4% Total carbohydrate 5 g 2% Dietary fiber 2 g 8% Sugars 1 g Protein 5 g Vitamin A < 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium <1% Iron 0% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

One happy boy...

If you have already tried this product, I would love to hear how you have used it!

What Time of Day Do You Exercise?

I get asked all the time when is the best time to exercise? My response is, generally speaking, I don't think it really matters. As long as you get it done, you get it done. Each to their own but for me it is get up early, focus on me for an hour or so and then get on with the day. Some days require a bit more caffeine as a result :) but when that alarm goes off the determined girl in my head says to get out of bed or you WILL regret it later.

So really does exercising at night mean an inferior workout? Click HERE to read an old post that links you to a great article on why morning exercise is superior. However, if it simply doesn't fit your lifestyle then afternoons or nights it is.

I am personally learning to love the evenings as well. I will always be an early riser but lately I have found that teaching an evening boot camp class is really fun for it's own reasons.

But tonight, I decided one of my top five favorite ways to end a day is to put my son in the Bjorn, or "jet pack" as we call it, and go for a leisurely 2 mile walk and take in the scenery.... an older couple walking and holding hands, lady walking and talking to her dog, kids riding their scooters and giggling, group of women walking with weight vests on and clearly enjoying their conversation, few runners, and a teenager working on his car... simply people enjoying their night and living their lives. So next time you fret over when you SHOULD exercise, figure out what works best for you and stick with it. There is no right or wrong answer.

Evening Class for the Night Owls

Anaheim Hill’s All Women’s Outdoor Boot Camp

created

to help you meet your

fitness goals

What FIT Boot Camp delivers

Fun and creative training

All levels challenged

Inviting and non-intimidating setting

Motivation for healthier living

Improved strength and endurance

Improvement in health and appearance

Fat loss and lean body mass gains

New Class Offered: Monday & Wednesday evenings 7:30-8:30

starting Monday July 25th

contact me regarding locations

hillaryskahan@sbcglobal.net

Shushing Your Hunger

Have you ever fed a hungry screaming baby before? I am guessing yes since most of my readers are women or maybe even some fathers. There is that moment right before you give them a bottle that is pure pandemonium. You wonder if that little baby thinks they may just die if they don't eat.

We have noticed this look on our son's face quite frequently throughout the night... like every 3 hours. He looks as if he would put anything in his mouth to squelch his hunger pains. He would eat his jammies, angry fists, blacket... anything. Then once you put the bottle in his little mouth, the world is a more peaceful and better place.

I know I can relate to his sheer panic. I have been to that tipping point of hunger when you think you just may lose it if you don't eat something. That is the exact time when very very bad decisions can be made. You could find your car in the fast food drive thru lane or your hand in a bag of chips.

Having a plan of attack when this moment hits can save you some serious unwanted calories that you will regret later. So what can you do?

Drink Water- yes boring but have you ever guzzled 16 ounces of water and took notice of how you feel? You are a little full. It may be just enough to get you through to your next healthy meal.

Chew Gum- I am a gum freak and think it really does fool your mind into believing it is eating something.

Take A Fiber Supplement- regular or not who cares when it comes to hunger. Dr Oz even recommends this particular supplement HERE

Drink Coffee Or Tea- this has been my go to method lately because it kills two birds with one stone, the hungry baby at 1 & 4 am fatigue as well as my own hunger.

Eat A Handful Of Nuts- don't go crazy here, this could get out of hand if your not careful. Buy one small snack pack of nuts, eat half the bag and save it in your purse or car for later. This is a better quick fix than the other possibilities.

Lastly, I am a big believer in taking a mental step back for a split moment. Remind yourself how hard you have worked in the gym or where ever to achieve your results thus far. I have a go to thought that helps me at these moments, "I didn't work that hard to eat this bad, it's not worth it".

Belly Progress Pictures

1 Week Before Due Date

4 Weeks After

8 Weeks After

Slowly but surely I am getting there.

Check out an interview HERE I did with a mom of 2 a few months back, amazing!

Swings to Sprints and 13 weeks update

Find yourself a field or a treadmill will work too. Get a heavy kettlebell, I used a 32 kg (70lbs). Perform 30 second swings (roughly 20 good swings), put the kettlebell down and go into a 30 second sprint. Use the walk back to start as your recovery or use your heart rate as your gage.

Perform 8-10 sets of paired intervals at the end of your workout and you will feel this in your booty the next day!

Tip: If you do this on a treadmill, keep it running during your rest period so it doesn't take so long to get to a sprint speed.

Personal Update:

13 weeks out

weight 154

body fat 21.2%

Hard work, a solid diet and true dedication to my plan is paying off!

Fun Changes Ahead for Boot Camp

I am very excited about what is to come for FIT OC Women boot camp classes! In the next few weeks, I will be offering more class times as well as a great time slot this fall for the not so early bird (perfect for the mom who has just dropped their kids off at school and wants to get their workout done for the day). I will have limited spots for the the later morning class so check back often for updates and to reserve your spot!

I am also looking forward to announcing a very cool opportunity that has come my way!

Later this week, I will share a great finisher to your training session... it has left this woman with the sorest booty ever.

Fun stuff ahead!

14 Weeks, Long Road Ahead

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to do a competition in early October. Initially I had thought I would do an NPC competition in late October (unfamiliar with physique competitions click HERE). I have decided to switch and try a different organization, INBA- The International Bodybuilding Association, click HERE to read more about it.

I had contacted Kellie Davis who had recently done an INBA competition to get her feedback on the organization. She raved about it and only had positive things to say. She has a great site, www.motherfitness.com check it out. So, thank you Kellie, you helped me make the decision to switch and I am excited to give it a try!

The competition I have my eyes on is Clash of the Natural Champions, October 1st in Corona, CA. That is 14 weeks away! I wouldn't be honest if I said I was totally confident that I will be ready by this time but like most things that are tough in life you never know unless you try. Switching to this competition cut my prep by 2 weeks. Lots of changes need to be made in this 7 weeks post baby physique. Thankfully I am a girl who likes a challenge and love to work hard!

So, with 14 weeks to go and a body fat at a higher level than I have EVER started at, I am ready to go!

The nitty gritty details...

16 weeks out- weight 157

body fat (taken with 3 spot Skyndex)- 23.5

Currently (14 weeks)- weight 156

body fat- 22.5

I will post progress pictures eventually but for now I am just not quite ready to do that yet :).

If posting my progress in this journey inspires you to try something new or commit to something way outside your comfort zone, than I have succeeded.

Your Weekend Workout

If you are in need of a quick weekend workout, here is one straight from today's session at boot camp, 500 reps.

Warm Up- jog, skips, butt kicks, knee hugs, wide out squats, jumping jacks, quad stretch, jump rope, lateral lunges, sumo squat to stand, hip crossover

Core Work- various plank positions

500

Circuit #1

25- Prison Squats

25- DB RDL

25- Mountain Climbers

25- Forward Jump (jump into a deep squat), 2 hops back

short recovery

Circuit #2

20- Right Leg Forward/Backward Lunge

20- Left Leg Forward/Backward Lunge

20- Prone Pike Up (plank position, pike hips up and then back to solid plank is 1 rep)

20- T Turns (push up position, turn open to sky, back to start, open to sky other direction back to start is 1 rep)

20- Burpees

short recovery

**Repeat entire 2 circuits

Last 100

20- Full Sit Ups (keep straight leg, full sit up to tall spine)

20- DB Russian Twist

20- Jackknife

20- Push Up Position, Knee to Opposite Elbow

20- Plank to Push Up

Didn't feel challenged? Add some resistance to the circuit- weight vest, dumbbells, medballs.

For the overachiever, finish the session with 10 minutes of jumping rope. Jump for 45 seconds, rest 15 for entire 10 minutes.

Have a great weekend!

Goal Attained & Lesson Learned

Just three weeks ago, I posted my 5 personal goals regarding fitness. Today, I achieved my goal to run 3 miles under 24 minutes. The last 3-4 minutes my heart rate was through the roof!! I was using all the mind tricks possible to not quit.

During that last 1/2 mile I glanced at my heart rate monitor. It read 173 bpm. I typically see 172-175 bpm when I am doing a timed interval. Those intervals are usually only 60 seconds long with a good rest in between. I feel pretty beat after 60. What I am getting at is, I held a very high heart rate, for almost 3-4 minutes. I didn't think I would be able to keep that pace. However, I wanted to beat that clock so bad that I hung in there.

The take away message is you are stronger than you think you are. You are faster than you believe you are. You can focus on something when everything around you or in you says to quit. If you set goals and share them with friends, family or the internet world in my case, you will achieve them and learn something new about yourself when doing so!

If you have a burning desire in you whether it is to shed 5 pounds... cut out the sweets at night... exercise 3-4 times a week... serve healthier meals for your family... be able to do 10 perfect push ups... drink more water and less soda... write it down and share it with someone else!

My lesson learned today- I am definitely faster than I thought I was and pretty sure I need to up my intensity during those intervals. It is time to set a new goal.

Boot Camp Hill Sprints & Suggested Treadmill Workout

If your goal is fat loss, then long slow runs outside this summer shouldn't be your focus. I can completely understand the need to get out in the sun, take in the scenery and log some mind numbing miles. These runs should be for fun and mind rejuvenation... if that's your thing.

If stripping the fat and getting your workout done fast and fierce is your plan then some hill sprints are a sure fire way to do so.

Boot Camp this morning- ladies getting the job done, the hill is a bit deceiving, definitely tough


If you have access to a great hill, then get outside. First off set a goal for each workout. It may be only making it up the hill one time or it may be 5-10 times. Each week you do this workout add one additional sprint. Warm up for 5-10 minutes prior to sprints. Then run with all you have until you reach the top, pause to make sure you are still alive and make your descent to the bottom. Repeat

Your guide to great sprinting is monitoring how you feel once you reach the top. If you are completely out of breath and need a good few minutes to recover, then you are right where you should be. Another great tool to keep tabs on how hard you are working is a heart rate monitor. Need help figuring out where you should be on these sprints? Then click HERE.

If you have to drive to the next town... town- that would be the northern Minnesota small town girl coming out :)... to find a good hill but you have access to a treadmill, then here is a great workout to try! The suggested speeds and inclines are for a rather advanced runner. Be wise and adjust the workout to your level.

Time Speed Incline
0-10 minutes 6.0 -7.0 mph 0%
10:00-11:00 8.5-9.5 mph 4%
11:00-13:00 3.0 mph 1%
13:00-14:00 8.5-9.5 mph 6%
14:00-16:00 3.0 mph 1%
16:00-17:00 8.0-9.0 mph 8%
17:00-19:00 3.0 mph 1%
19:00-20:00 8.0-9.0 mph 8%
20:00-22:00 3.0 mph 1%
22:00-22:30 8.5-9.5 mph 9%
23:30-24:30 3.0 mph 1%
24:30-25:00 8.5-9.5 mph 10%
25:00-26:00 3.0 mph 1%
26:00-26:30 8.5-9.5 mph 11%
26:30-27:30 3.0 mph 1%
27:30-28:00 8.5-9.5 mph 12%
28:00-30:00 3.0 mph 0%

Time to motivate yourself and try something different if the flat land is where you like to reside. Some hills thrown in your workout will give you huge results!

My parting tip, don't quit before you reach the top or stop the sprint with 5 seconds left... those final feet and seconds are what can take you to the next level. If you are already working this hard, why cheat yourself the full benefits.

Working On My +1

I feel that being able to master the chin up is a truly awesome feat. I have posted various videos over the past few months of myself and most recently a boot camp member performing chin ups as well. It all started with a video of myself doing 10 assisted chin ups at 8 months pregnant and then another video at 9 months pregnant and last week 5 unassisted reps at 1 month post pregnancy.

I have a goal to do a whole lot more than 5! Last Wednesday, I was able to do 5 and have implemented a negative eccentric hold for 30 seconds on my last rep with hopes to get 1 more rep each week. Today, I stepped up to the bar and got 5 1/2 reps. I needed a little hoist to complete the 6th rep and then held on for dear life... 30 painful seconds.

Here is a little video clip of what my 3rd set looked like- 1 rep plus 30 second hold



This Wednesday I should get 6.

Weekend to do list: Bed Bath & Beyond

You hear it all the time that the serving sizes in America are outrageous. We all know this and recognize we need to eat less. But how much less? What does an actual 1/2 cup of rice look like or 4 ounces of chicken for your salad? If you have never measured or weighed your food, now may be the time.

Take some advice from Frank the Tank and spend your weekend at Bed Bath & Beyond. Invest a little money on a food scale and get familiar with what different serving sizes actually look like on your plate. Once you are able to eyeball this, then put the scale away. There is no need to obsessively measure your food. After you have spent a week measuring your food, you will be an expert at knowing exactly what food weighs.

Here is what 4 ounces of chicken actually looks like. Would you have guessed that? Do you know how much calories, fat and protein is in 4 ounces?

4 ounces Chicken
roughly 185 calories
4 grams fat
0 grams carbs
35 grams protein

I have a pretty good sense of food portion sizes but occasionally I will take my scale out and measure my food. I do this simply as a self check. I know when I am making my meal on an empty stomach my portion sizes may be affected by my grumbling tummy. If it is time to tighten up the diet than invest in a food scale and spend a little time learning your portion sizes.

Show Your Kids What a Playground is Really For

Yesterday on facebook, I posted my progress video on my chin up goal. I am striving for 14 unassisted chin ups. I am currently able to do 5. I feel good about this since I am still carrying some extra pregnancy weight. I hope to get one more rep next time I step up to the bar.

Today at boot camp, we had 5 stations and one of them was chin ups/pull ups and sandbag squats. I was able to get a few videos before my Flip died. Here is one video of an incredibly athletic and dedicated boot camp attendee!



What you don't see is that this is her 2nd set and I jumped in late, I missed a few reps before I turned the camera on. Nice job!

I plan to post more videos of boot camp later this weekend. We do some fun stuff at the park before the kids are even up.

You can find my video on a great blog and learning resource- Ben's Blog, check it out HERE

Some of those videos on Ben's blog are unreal. Amazing what people can do with their bodies, love it! Thanks Ben for taking the time to put together a great source of inspiration and motivation!