Miss Independent

Author: Allie Y

I’m what you call the self-sufficient type; you know the inspiration behind Ne-Yo’s song, "Miss Independent." However, this little Miss On-her-own has been reminded lately that sometimes teamwork is the way to go. I ventured out of my usual winter hibernation on Monday night and hit the gym solo, big mistake. It was somewhere between tripping on my jump-rope and losing count of my squats that I realized I needed a workout buddy. It’s not about competition (but let’s be real, I outshine everyone, kidding), it’s about having Becca, Allison, Allie H., or Alexis there to push me farther. Working out becomes less work and more fun when we’re all together. A few qualities to look for in a workout buddy:

1. Choose someone with similar goals.
2. Choose a workout routine that you’ll both enjoy and be able to stick to.
3. Choose someone with a similar schedule so you can make it to the gym together.

Another tip is that sometimes the best workout partners come with 4-legs, a tail, and a squeaky toy. Take your pooch out for a jog, or run around at the dog park. However, if your fury friend is anything like my dog Duchess, she’ll want to run through every puddle along the way; so have a bath ready when you get home.

Five is Stronger Than One.

Author: Allie H.

In the dictionary, teamwork is described as a "cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause." Teamwork is essential to reach a common goal because two, or five in our case, is always stronger than one. We push each other to work out and give words of encouragement in the gym to keep each other energized.

Here is what Lola Red is doing as a team for our weekly workout. (You can see these exercises in action in our latest YouTube video.)

Warm-up:

1) Stretch: Hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings

2) Jump rope: 3x1 minute

Workout:

1) Jumping jacks for 1 min.

2) Bodyweight squat, do 30-50 reps

3) Knee pushups, do 10-20 reps

4) Slow climbers, do 30 reps

5) Ab planks for 1 min

Rest 1 minute and repeat 4 more times for a total of 5 complete circuits. Finish with 10-15 minutes of jogging or walking on a slight incline on the treadmill.

I will end with an inspirational quote to challenge and inspire you and your coworkers to hit the gym.

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is a process. Working together is success." - Henry Ford.

Feeling like a Champ

Author: Alexis

On April 11, 2010 I have a date. It is going to take me 10 weeks to get ready for this one. I wish my date was with some dashing young man but instead it is with the pavement in Denver. I am taking on a mile-high half-marathon and the training began Monday at 8 a.m.

Crap. I hate running but it is one of the few things that keeps me from overeating and indulging in all of my other favorite pastimes. This is the third time I have attempted a half-marathon. I was a bit too aggressive with my training in the past and have learned that you can’t prep for 13 miles by giving yourself two weeks and eight miles a day. I might still be injured from that attempt.

Here is my sched. I am almost done with week 1 and I feel like a champ.

FYI. I learned that you should not eat Chinese food before running. Not fun

Case of the DOMS

Here's a new acronym to add to the LOL, OMG, and NBD obsessed among us--DOMS. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. I would love to say that I am suffering from an acute case of the DOMS today, but truthfully, it is IOMS (Immediate Onset Muscle Soreness). I can't find anything to support that IOMS is a real syndrome, but I would happily turn my body over to science to prove its existence.

I can barely lift my coffee and the high heels I tried on this morning nearly killed me--made the change to Sam Edelman flats--but I know that the aches and pains now will give way to lovely toned muscles sooner or later.

I am new at this whole DOMS thing, but I am going to seek relief by:

1. Taking ibuprofen. It reduces inflammation and pain.
2. Hot shower. Slept in this morning so it was a quickie, but I am taking a long, hot soak when I get home.
3. Stretching. I think of myself as an aggressive stretcher, but I am going to take it easy like Sunday morning.

If anyone has DOMS-relief tips, please comment!

Workin' On My Fitness

Author: Becca B.

According to HealthStyleFitness, 96% of weight loss attempts fail. A June 2002 Consumer Reports Magazine article titled "The Truth About Dieting" reported that the people who were most successful in their weight loss attempts had one-on-one counseling from a professional such as a nutritionist or personal trainer.

The ladies of Lola Red are very lucky to have both Andrea Austin and the workout captains, Rob and Tom, from North Loop Fitness to aid us in our weight loss journey and hold us accountable. I've never been a big fan of working out, but North Loop Fitness has everything I've been looking for in a gym:

• Location: it's so close I don't have time to talk myself out of going to the gym once I leave the office
• Size: not big enough to feel overwhelmed and not small enough to feel like everyone is watching
• Hours: it's open 24 hours a day so even if I'm working late I still have time for a quick sweat session
• Cute guys! Nothing says motivation like a sexy man on the treadmill next to you...or teaching you ;)

Rob has kindly volunteered to be our personal trainer and walk us through different circuit exercises each week. At first I was a little nervous about having a guy as our trainer and I never thought I would be comfortable with it, but boy (pun intended) was I wrong! Rob made me feel completely at ease and was patient with the group when we couldn't do a real push-up. Are you thinking a personal trainer is just what you need to find success? Click here for info about how a trainer can benefit your wellness program and the right questions to ask when looking for a trainer. Watch for Allison's post later today with more about our workout with Rob.

North Loop Fitness, Meet Lola Red.

Author: Allie Y

I’m really excited because the Lola Red ladies have joined a gym! You can expect us to be fixtures at North Loop Fitness starting this week. I think the only reason they let us join is because they couldn’t pass up the chance to see the five of us slightly clumsy, less than athletic, sweat-fearing girls hit the gym and pump some iron. Owner and trainer, Rob Duggan, and his brother Tom Dolphin (dolphin!) have agreed to help us conquer the weights and dominate the treadmill. For motivation Tom sent me this:


I’m not really going for the Chris Farley look, so let the workouts begin! On that inspirational note I hit up my nearest Sports Authority® for some new workout gear. My goal is to jog around Lake Calhoun just wearing a sports bra and shorts in three months. Eat your heart out Minneapolis!

Diet Coke is NOT a diet.

Author: Allie H.

Lola Red had a meeting with Andrea Austin, award winning master personal trainer, creator of tweak idea and co-founder of TWEAKMYWORKOUT. I went to the meeting with a super-size Diet Coke in hand. She laughed at me, but said I had the right mind set by drinking DIET Coke. Andrea was so helpful and made it clear that I have to kick a lot of my poor eating and drinking habits to lose some pounds. I need to eat more early and less at night, eat lots of protein, fruit, veggies, no carbs after 5 p.m. and NO DIET COKE! I am realizing that I have to motivate myself to stick to a healthy diet and I'm feeling confident that I can make it happen.

She gave us four areas of emphasis to work on.

1. Strength Training
2. Cardio
3. Nutrition
4. Flexibility

We are going to add some in-office workouts to our daily routine. I have offered up my home dumbbells and Swiss ball to help us out. Our goal is to do a total of 3 exercises throughout the day in the office. I am going to hit the gym this weekend to prepare for our next weigh-in on Monday. Wish me luck!