Caroline Jordan Fitness Weekly Update 5/22: FRESH AIR FITNESS!!

SUCCESS!!! Smiles after an awesome outdoor workout at EQUINOX SF!

Caroline Jordan Fitness Schedule and Special Events May 22 – 28:

Monday 5/23: 5:30pm Competition Core and 6-645pm Chisel’d, 6:50-7:30pm Muscles On The Mat** EQUINOX

Tuesday 5/24: *** SPECIAL EVENT!! Tuesday night Club One will be professionally filming my Sports Stretch Class from 7-730pm. If you come to class, be sure to wear your favorite spandex outfit and bring a smile! 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX, 5pm Ball, 5:30pm BOSU, 6 pm Spin Circuit, and 7pm Sports Stretch (FILMING!) Club One Citigroup

Wednesday 5/25: 5:30-6:00pm Competition Core, 6-645pm Chisel’d, 6:50-7:30pm Muscles On The Mat EQUINOX

Thursday 5/26: 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX .

Friday 5/27: 12pm Abs and 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX

Saturday 5/28: 10am Chisel’d and 11am Cycling EQUINOX .

Interested In Personal Training but not sure it fits in your budget? Try out a GROUP workout! Grab some friends and schedule a couples or group session. You’ll get quality training and SUPPORT in a fun group setting. Programs are carefully tailored to fit the unique fitness needs of each client and combined with lifestyle coaching for complete health and happiness. Don’t wait till next year to be healthier: Contact Me for details.

Fearless Fitness Tip Of the Week: Fresh Air Fitness!

I grew up in a studio. From everyday Dance practice to the gym aerobics floor, I was always moving indoors. It wasn’t until I moved to San Francisco that I thought to get outside for a sweat. AND WOA what a difference fresh air makes!I was blown away by the changes I felt in both my mental and physical health. Never had I found such a challenging hill workout or enjoyed the breathtaking views from Fort Point until I stepped OUT into the real world for a workout.

Research shows spending time outdoors has a profound effect on our health and well being. Unfortunately, most of us spend over 90-percent of our waking hours indoors and rarely take the time to get outside and enjoy the serenity and calm that nature has to offer.Most indoor workouts can be boring and repetitive, not to mention force you to breathe in the stale air of the gym.Spending time outside enjoying nature is one of the most basic ways to help reduce your stress level and boost your fitness. Here are a few ways outdoor workouts can affect your overall health and well-being.

  • Free Vitamin D. Scientists recommend outdoor exercise as a way to get your vitamin D through sunlight. Read more on the benefits of Vitamin D here.
  • Fresh Air. Getting outside gives our lungs a chance to fill up on fresh air.  It’s always nice to leave your home or office and feel the fresh air on your face.
  • Mental well-being. When you spend time outdoors, especially being active, you can lift your mood, think more positively, feel more internal calm and greater harmony with the world around you.
  • New terrain. When we exercise outdoors, our mind becomes aware of the changing terrain. Whether we use the hills, sand on a beach, or a winding path, our mind has to focus differently than it would on a flat gym floor.
  • It’s free! No membership fees!!  The outdoors belongs to all of us, you don’t need any special equipment and your starting mark is wherever you make it.
  • It’s not boring. I can hardly STAND 45 minutes of the treadmill, but I look forward to getting out on a trail or in a park and to see the world. Of course, treadmills and spin classes have their place, but breaking up your routine with a run outside or a local park bootcamp can be just the kick in the pants you need to see the results you want and stick with your health and fitness goals.

Ready Set GO! Workout Ideas You can Take ANYWHERE.

When it comes to outdoor workouts, the possibilities are endless. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination and you can make the WHOLE world your gym. Here are a few ideas to get you started…. Soon you’ll be an outdoor workout ADDICT!

Disclaimer:talk to your doctor before starting an outdoor fitness program. I tell my clients to have a goal in mind, start slowly, and work up to their potential. Outdoor exercise can be adapted to anyone’s level of fitness. And ALWAYS include a warm-up and cool down to your workout.  5-10 minutes and you’ll be ready to get in a great sweat!

Walking/Jogging/Running:

  • Intervals.You can vary your intervals with different intensities. Some ideas: Try to sprint for 20 seconds, walk/jog 20 seconds, and repeat 5 times. Or jog/run for 5 minutes with two 1-minute sprints spaced in the middle.
  • HILLS.I learned to love running hills thanks to San Francisco’s inclined terrain. To get some great ideas for hill workouts, check out this post.
  • Suicides (ladders).Use trees, streetlights, or street lines as markers Sprint to the first (closest) mark, sprint back. Then sprint to the 2nd mark and back to the start point, and so on. Try using 3 to 8 progressive marks.

Bodyweight Toning:

  • Pull ups/Chin Ups.Use any bar that you can reach and grip. If you aren’t a pull-up person (yet!) work on a chin-up hold. Grip the bar and hold your chin above it for 30-60 seconds or more. You’ll get to pull-up status in NO time!
  • Squats and lunges.There are endless variations of the squat and the lunge. Squats can be done with one foot or two; feet can be together or split. Squats can be done at a controlled, slow, fast, or plyometric pace. They can be one continuous movement or held at the bottom. Lunges can go in all directions. You can walk and lunge or take one on the spot. Make it wide or narrow, continuous or held. Make sure to always keep good technique; you should feel it in your thighs, glutes, calves and core.
  • Push-ups.You can push up against anything. The floor, a bar, a bench, or an even higher platform to give you a vertical push up. Try all different angles or pushup variations to constantly give your upper body a new challenge.
  • Tricep Dips.Use a chair, bench, step, or even hill slope on your hike. Point your fingers forward and lower your hips using your arms. Create a 90* angle and then rise back up to start. You should feel the back of your arms engage throughout the movement.
  • Step-ups and Step Downs (MY FAVORITE!). Find a platform you can step on to. Step on and off with alternate legs. Or stay on one foot and lift or lower with controlled strength. For a video of how to properly do step downs and step-ups, check out my running specific warm up.
  • Jumps/Plyometrics. Jumping jacks, burpees, squat hops, mogul jumps… the possibilities are endless. Heres my quick fix outdoor cardio circuit for a few ideas to get you started.

Yoga/Stretch/Meditation/Breath-work. You can roll out your yoga mat just about ANYWHERE you want. Do your sun salutes in a neighborhood park or on the beach by the water. Talk about transformative yoga! And of course you can stretch, breathe, or meditate anywhere as well. Take a moment to enjoy the outside and remember that real relaxation isn’t found on the couch. Take it all in and appreciate it!


Do you work out outside? How often? What’s your favorite outdoor workout?

Fearless Fitness Challenge Of The Week: Outdoor Workout Challenge!

This week’s challenge is to get active in the great OUTDOORS and take your fitness to the next level. My hope for you is that each and every outdoor workout is an adventure, an experience that is both invigorating and peaceful. With a little scouting, you’ll find many places where you can stimulate your body, draw power from your surroundings, as well as center and quiet your mind. You will enjoy not just a full-body experience, but also a full-being experience: body, mind and soul.So take a jog along the Embarcadero. Go for a long bike ride and stop somewhere for a Picnic lunch. Take a weekend hike and spend sometime enjoying beautiful views from the summit. Its SPRING time and its about time you enjoy it. So I challenge YOU to get outside and SWEAT!As always, please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or success stories! I love seeing you accomplish all of your health and fitness goals…. feel free to share!See you in class this week for another awesome workout! Have fun getting outside and sweating in the FRESH AIR!!

Caroline

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