ActiveATX

PLEASE, EAT SOME TURKEY – JUST DON’T BE ONE

Thanksgiving Day gatherings always offer a wide variety of “traditional” food and drink, mostly in excess (heaven forbid we leave out Aunt Bea’s casserole). And, not to mention the never-ending finger foods and pre-dinner cocktails that can tack on some serious calories, even before you sit down to give thanks.

PORTION VS ASSERTION

Over eating is not a competitive event -If you’re going to snack and drink, do so in moderation and choose the healthy options, but most of all, pace yourself – it is Thanksgiving Day, not Thanksgiving Marathon.

FOOD VS FITNESS (scratch out FITNESS and insert FUN)

Ok, we know that most of us have no will power whatsoever, we are going to over EAT – and, we are not going to the track to run off all those calories, so Mix it up and combine family time with fitness time.

Here are a couple of fun suggestions for staying active before, during, and after this Thanksgiving with your family and friends:

Move pre-Thanksgiving activities outside (if the weather permits).

Whether you go to a park, like Zilker Park, or just go out in the back yard, find a football, Frisbee, basketball, kickball, and challenge everyone to a friendly game—it is only natural for one to take joy in a little family competition.

Plan a Scavenger Hunt.

Scavenger hunts can keep children from being bored and give you a boost to keep your energy up. Keep in mind a list of "treasures" they can find, such as a red leaf, a blue house, a black dog, or an out-of-state license plate. This can also be an indoor activity if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Have a Wii games competition (I remember my parents playing Pictionary) Living in a world of technology it seems uncommon for at least one family member not to have a Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, or Guitar Hero. And if you do, use it! Challenge everyone to a game of your choice—boxing, tennis, bowling, or baseball— and may the best person win!

Just because it is Thanksgiving and you are with your family, or can’t get to a gym doesn’t mean you can’t combine family time with staying active.

BEING HEALTHY IS A LOT TO GIVE THANKS FOR!!!

All right it’s official: dodgeball is not just for elementary school playgrounds.  Exhibit A: The Austin Sports and Social Club’s Wednesday night Dodgeball games.  The games typically run from six to 10 p.m. Before walking into the gym, I was skeptical and found myself wondering if any normal Austinities played the sport or if the teams would be primarily groups of athletically challenged misfits akin to the movie Dodgeball. I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only were about 65 people there, but the games were much more competitive then I expected. The players even warmed up before the games, with some brawny fellows throwing the balls as hard as they could against the wall for practice. I hoped I would not find myself in their line of fire. As I observed the others who were warming up, I noticed most of them were in their early to mid-twenties, but there were some older players in the gym as well.  Some teams there had definitely been practicing and even had complex game strategies.

As I warmed up with my teammates, I learned that each team plays two “matches” that are seven games each.  For each game, it is single-elimination.  If you are hit with a ball or an opposing player catches your ball, then you are out for that game.  You are also out if you step out of bounds to chase a ball. You are supposed to wait for one of your teammates to throw the errant ball to you from the bench. Contrary to my elementary school playground, however, if a player on your team catches a ball, they can’t tag one of the “out” players back in. 

Overall, our team did pretty well.  Against a team of players who rivaled our athletic ability and who looked to be about our age (early 20s),we easily won our first match five games to two. For not playing dodgeball in years, our players were surprisingly skilled. I quickly realized the most challenging part of the game was the endurance aspect. Each player essentially did a series of intense sprints each game, and it definitely added up. 

For our second match, we played an older team.  We quickly jumped ahead two games to nothing, looking agile and dominant.  Yet after many careless mistakes — more often stepping out of bounds than getting hit — we ended up losing the match four games to three.   

All in all, it was a great workout and a fun way to hang out with friends — much better than sitting in front of the TV in sedentary silence. Anyone who is at least 21 years of age can register a team at the Austin Sports and Social Club or join as an individual.  Whether or not dodgeball is your game of choice, the Austin SSC has a sport for you.  Sand Volleyball, soccer, and flag football are just a few choices. For more information on registration, fees, and times visit austinssc.com

Keep Austin Active!

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it can be hard to find the motivation to stay active. Prepare yourself for the lazy and sugary temptations of the holidays by resolving to rejuvenate your exercise and nutrition habits beginning today.

Here are some tips to keep you motivated throughout your holiday season:

Buddy up.

It is always easier to stay motivated when you have a buddy who shares your active lifestyle.  First, meet up with a friend. Together, you can come up with fun workouts and sign up for upcoming fitness events, like the Turkey Trot or the Jingle Bell 5K. Having a friend to hold you accountable and keep you company will help you prioritize health and exercise during the holidays!

Although my workout buddy lives two hours away in Victoria, Texas, she is still my number one partner in health: We constantly exchange cool new workouts, health tips, and words of encouragement over the phone. Whether through e-mail, phone, or in-person meet-ups, talk to your workout buddy daily. Frequent communication with a person you know you can count on and workout with, making friends with a regular in your workout class and even just talking to co-workers and new friends about staying active is important for not only getting motivated but staying motivated.

Don’t put away your workout gear.

When getting ready for the holiday season, one of the first things that comes to mind is cleaning. With family and friends joining together to celebrate, we all rush to dust every corner and make our homes welcoming and presentable. If your workout gear is out in a common area that you want to clean — whether your sneakers are in the entry way or your gym bag is on the couch — try placing your gear in another highly visible area to keep exercising on your mind.  Putting your sneakers or workout clothes near your bed or even on top of your scale will serve as a visual reminder to keep exercise at the forefront of your mind. Along the same lines, if you are traveling this Thanksgiving break, make sure you give yourself the option to work out by squeezing your fitness attire in your suitcase!

Try a new workout.

Trying a new workout before Thanksgiving break can boost your motivation by keeping you excited and interested.  If you find a workout that is new or challenging, it can get you pumped about the next time you are going to do it and keeps your focus on staying active. Perhaps you want to hone your hooping skills in a Hoop Circle Class. Or maybe you’d prefer hike the woods of the Wild Basin. Whatever it is, get out there and try it! If the new workout is a total bust, turn your negative thoughts into positive ones by thinking how it did not fit your exercise needs and how you want the satisfaction of going back to exercise that works best for you! You have nothing to lose — nothing but a few Turkey Day pounds!

It’s a close game — tied at 13 and we’re playing first to 15 points. This is a pick-up game, and for the sake of easy scorekeeping, three-pointers count as two points and everything else counts as one point. The game isn’t over until one team wins by two points. 

Shirts have the ball, and my team, the Skins, needs a stop more than ever. The point guard for the Shirts inbounds the ball and dribbles down. Every player on his team scatters out, trying to find his opening, his chance to score, his Friday afternoon glory.  The redhead I am guarding runs down to the baseline, under the hoop, and is heading for the three-point line.  He has been shooting great today, and I know the point guard will be looking for him.

As the redhead weaves between players, one of his teammates screens me, freeing him from my defense. The point guard takes this opportunity and passes the ball to the redhead. Fortunately, the screen doesn’t work as well as they had hoped, nor do they anticipate my speed: I sprint forward while the ball hangs in the air and intercept the pass. I am at full speed with nothing but two yards of concrete between me and the basketball hoop.  Do I go for the easy lay-up to tie or spot up for the game winner? 

The decision is made for me.  A defender comes out of nowhere and I can’t risk missing the three, so I drive hard to the hoop. I pick up my dribble, take two steps, and get ready to shoot. Suddenly, I notice my teammate posted up in the left corner, behind the three-point line, completely unguarded.  Instinct takes over. I fake the lay-up and pass right into the hands of my teammate.  He channels Mr. Clutch — Kobe Bryant — swishing the shot and getting us the win.

If you stroll by Adams-Hemphill Neighborhood Park on most Friday and Saturday afternoons, a group of guys are almost always ready to play a friendly and competitive game of pick-up basketball. Most of the guys are undergraduate or graduate students at UT with some middle-aged guys thrown in every once in a while. It’s a great mix of talent and age, and it often tests the younger guys as much as the older veterans.  At the end of the day, this is the perfect place to unwind with some testosterone-fueled competition.

The park itself feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Austin. Tucked neatly behind a city fire station on 30^th Street, just west of Guadalupe, it’s within walking for most students at UT. Despite its central location, it feels more like your best friend’s backyard than a park in the middle of the city. I’m not sure what it is — the huge Oak Trees all around, the cool creek, the hiking trail or maybe just being able to enjoy the outdoors while the city buzzes around you — but this park is one of Austin’s well-kept secrets. You can even let your inner elementary school kid out on the swing set. Laid-back and hidden, Adam’s Park offers you a refuge from all the real-world challenges that might be weighing you down.

If you feel like playing catch, swinging, relaxing with your dog, or jumping in a pick-up basketball game, check out Adams Park. For you Central Austin folk, your oasis is closer than you realize!  Adams Park is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Last Friday, Jesse, the founder of ActiveATX, and I drove over to the High Intensity Training (HIT) Center in Northwest Austin. We walked into the state-of-the-art center feeling excited but knowing little about HIT. We figured the trainers would would show us around, let us hop on some of the machines, give us a light workout, and then send us on our way. Well we were WRONG.

Tony, a HIT trainer and former U.S. special forces soldier, greeted us at the door and then toured us around HIT’s 11,000-square-foot facility. Not only did the gym have all the basics, like top-of-the-line weights and a 50-yard track, but also, it had agility equipment, a sand pit, fitness tests, and a BodPod — a an egg-like contraption that calculates body fat and lean muscle.

After the tour, Tony led us through a few agility warm-ups, including butt kicks, karaoke, lateral lunges, and sprints. Once we got the blood pumping, he threw us onto one of the most advanced treadmills around. In fact, it was much more than a treadmill: the machine inclined at such an extreme angle that Tony had us strap our bodies to it so we would dangle “like Spiderman” if we tripped and fell (high possibility) instead of smashing into the ground. After completing multiple sets of explosive and lateral drills on the treadmill, Jesse and I not only were sweating profusely, but also, realized that we were going to be doing much more than “just sampling the facility.”

Next up was the sand pit where we did more athletic explosive training. About this time, my legs were feeling like jelly, and I’m sure Jesse was hurting as well. After the sand pit, we performed three rounds of 10 Resistance jump squats, 10 weighted jump squats, 10 hex machine jumps, and 10 standing jump squats. Each one of these movements isolated a unique group of leg muscles, and by the end of the four-workout circuit, every muscle fiber in my legs burned.

Luckily for my legs, the next workout focussed on the upper body. Tony had us grab huge ropes in each hand and then swing them in circles as quickly as possible. Before trying HIT, I had never encountered any type of rope workout, but now, I would advise anyone who wants to shred his core, arms, shoulders, and back all at once to immediately head over to HIT and ask for the ropes.

Next, my favorite HIT machine trained our hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and stamina. Jesse and I stood in the middle of three columns that were lined with lights. When a light flashed, we tapped it as quickly as a possible. In between taps, Jesse would toss me a medicine ball, and I would toss it back before hitting the next light. Finally, Tony had us wind down the workout with sand bag cleans and ground-ladder workouts for quicker feet. Two hours after we had arrived, Jesse and I walked away the proud survivors of a VERY High Intensity Training session.

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The HIT facilities and staff promote physical fitness by grounding their training programs on the principles of exercise sports science. The Center welcomes anyone — from the elite athlete to the average Joe looking to shed a few pounds. To try out HIT, check out their training programs HIT Center Austin or give them a call at 512.338.4448.

Keep Austin Active!