Mama's Got a Pair of New Shoes! ...Athletic shoes, that is.

If you are an athlete in any form (novice, intermediate, etc.) and feel a bit clueless about athletic shoes like I do, read these FAQ's that I (and other people on my fitness team) have asked in the past. It's worth the read!

How often do you buy new athletic shoes? 

It's a question that I've been learning more about as I exercise on a very regular basis. As I have learned, you should not give your running shoes a birthday. (This also goes for people who do high-impact exercise as well!) I recently found out that I blew through my first pair of serious running shoes in SEVEN MONTHS! This blew my mind.

I'm not a runner. Should I buy running shoes?

Not necessarily! If you are strictly a cross-trainer (ie. kickboxing, high-impact, interval training), running shoes may not be the best bet for you. Running shoes and cross-training shoes offer different levels of support for your feet and body as a whole. It is in your best interest to go to a runner's specialty store and see if you need running or cross-training shoes. 

Can you wear down athletic/running/cross-training shoes without running?

Surprisingly, yes! If you worked as, say, a waitress and are on your feet all day, you are putting pressure on the cushion of your shoes. Standing in athletic shoes for one hour puts the equivalent of one mile of wear on the shoes. Even more so, other forms of cardiovascular exercise (like kickboxing, Zumba, P90X, Insanity, etc.) puts pressure on the cushion of your shoes, thus wearing them down. 

What happens if you work out a lot and DON'T buy new shoes?

Wearing athletic shoes that are too old mean that the cushions of the shoes are too compressed to provide adequate support. Some runners notice certain pain surfacing when it's time to buy new shoes. (I think that my time is here to buy new shoes- I am noticing inner knee pain on one leg.) Not giving your body the support it needs while doing strenuous exercise can result in short- and long-term physical pain and injury. Don't be cheap with your joints! If you exercise almost daily, INVEST in the right shoes and BE WISE ENOUGH to know when to buy new ones!

I don't think I could ever work out. Who can I turn to for help?

I provide 100% FREE coaching to those who reach out and ask for it! All it takes is a click to sign up and start working towards a healthier, happier you. Let me help you today!

Can Fitting in Fitness be Fun?

When people say "I'm really busy", I struggle with finding too much sympathy for the other person. I currently work five part-time jobs while commuting over an hour away for graduate school classes and still fit in time to work out and be a fitness coach. Is it time-consuming? Absolutely. Does it make me insanely busy and obsessive about keeping my day planner next to me at all times? Why yes, it does.

Is it fun?

yes!

I have found that when I make my health a priority, a lot of other things fall into line. For example, I worked out with my sister last Saturday morning. We wanted to do Focus T25 together. We figured out that, instead of killing 30 minutes watching television on a Saturday morning, we worked really hard and had an incredible amount of energy for our day! I showered and immediately went straight to work. Was I busy on Saturday? Yes. Did I work out? Yes. Did it make me feel better? Yes!!


How could fitting in fitness be fun, you ask?
1. Find your fitness soulmate. If you don't like running, don't run! If you don't like to lift weights so much, then don't lift weights. If you like to feel like you're dancing the whole time, then dance the weight off! Do whatever you will want to do almost every single day, and don't settle for anything less.

2. Find a way to commit. Do you like to work out with another person? Then make sure you have that person know your goals for accountability and support. Do you like to jump around in your living room alone? Then make sure you set a calendar alert on your cell phone and stick to it. Does your fitness program come with a schedule for a variety of workouts? Stick to that calendar 100%.

3. Don't quit on yourself. Just because you're out of shape doesn't mean it will always be this difficult. The hardest thing to do is to establish new habits that counteract habits you have subconsciously maintained for years. You must push play on that DVD player every single day and do not quit on the process!

4. Celebrate the victory! REAL healthy habits equal REAL RESULTS! This isn't rocket science! I'm not trying to sell you some get-skinny-quick program. This is a lifestyle change that will continue to reward you! Imagine not being concerned about how you will fit into your winter clothes. Imagine knowing already that your bathing suit will fit just as it did last year. Could you put a price tag on that feeling? Investing in a fitness program that works for 100% of you is like investing in your future. It really is. You are investing in your health, which will mean a healthier, happier, longer life with the people you love. Can you put a price tag on that?

5. Do it today. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Just go run around the block. Buy that fitness program that you saw on a Sunday morning infomercial. Just start for yourself.


And on that note, I must go press play and jump around in my living room. :) Go out there and make this fun!

Day 28 of P90X: Recovering From Injury

Last week I somehow pulled my shoulder while doing P90X's "Chest and Back" routine. My shoulder was extremely sensitive and I was very concerned about hurting it more, so I took a few days off of working out. It was actually really difficult not to work out because I've grown to appreciate the time spent on myself daily as well as the endorphins that keep me smiling through all of the stresses of work!


The one thing I had to force myself to learn throughout this weekend of healing is to respect my pain and respect my injury, despite the fact that I wanted to continue to work out and ignore the pain. Halting my progress in my workouts was just as hard as halting my workouts when I become sick. But I had to remind myself that if I were to work out, I risk hurting my shoulder even more!


Here is the video I made from the weekend about this exact topic:

YouTube: Amanda Plazek's Channel


Have a great post-Memorial Day week, everyone!

Growth and Progress: May 10, Day 10

I am 10 days into my 90-day challenge of P90X! It makes me so proud to say that....

Today I pushed myself through arms and shoulder/back exercises as well as Ab Ripper X, that lovely 16-minute workout that I struggle with most. I like working on my arms the most because I see results- my puny little arms are no more! They reflect the strength I am developing and show the world my efforts. (Or at least I think they do.)

I will admit to you, I was frustrated at myself that I didn't finish Ab Ripper X. Yes, I'm confessing to it! I was spent. But I did succeed at finishing a leg-raise exercise in Ab Ripper X for all 25 reps, which I haven't been able to do before! So, do I consider the exercise a success because of my new accomplishment, or do I consider it a failure because I couldn't finish the remainder of the workout?

It was then that I realized how much progress I have been making. I think people get frustrated at not getting exponential results immediately that they give up entirely. Yes, I gave up on Ab Ripper X today. But I am doing P90X!!! One year ago I couldn't even fathom trying P90X, and here I am, giving up 7 minutes before Ab Ripper X was finished. I was spent after pushing myself, so I stopped. SO WHAT? I was spent after pushing myself. I stopped because I had pushed myself to my limit.

It was a new limit for me. I couldn't even have finished my arms and shoulder exercises six months ago. I almost threw away the gift of progress today until I became my own cheering section. I needed it to realize my growth. Everyone needs to pat themselves on the back along the way of their fitness journey.

You can watch my initial reactions on my YouTube channel video for the day:

My YouTube Channel: May 10, Day 10


Have a wonderful weekend! Kick it into high gear! :)