DumBell Fitness Demos: Frog Jumps

In today's demo, lead DumBell Fitness trainer Christina Landry demonstrates how to utilize a stair stepper to get in a great cardio burst at the gym or at home. Try these frog jumps today! 

Wednesday's Winners: Candice Chapman

This week our featured Wednesday's Winner is Hickam recruit Candice Chapman. Way to go, Candice! 

Candice Chapman joined the Hickam AFB Boot Camp in November. She says, "Honestly, prior to joining Boot Camp, I thought I was able to lose weight on my own. I now realize that it isn't just about a group of women coming together to exercise. It's so much more." 

When Candice didn't lose any weight after her first month of training, she approached trainer Alicia Palmer, who suggested she get in at least 20 extra minutes of cardio each day. "I made sure my feet hit the payment daily," says Candice. "In the process, I have improved my overall running ability and have even begun to enjoy it!" 

Hickam trainer Alicia Palmer says of Candice, "She's a quiet one, but she's always working her tail off. In her first month, she suffered from a fairly serious calf strain, so she had a lot to overcome. She didn't make excuses, she just fought through it. And now, she's the Biggest Loser!' 

"I know that if it wasn't for Alicia and the rest of the Hickam crew, I would not have the motivation to continue to push myself," raves Candice. "Alicia commented at my last weigh-in that she could see the skinny girl inside me. And to tell the truth, I can finally see that person again, too!" 

Candice and Alicia after class. Keep up the great work, Candice! 

Fitness Tips: Why I Love Spinning

Most of our classes are taking two weeks off this month, and many of our Boot Campers may be wondering what to do with all their free time. The answer is simple: CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO!  Many people will count on their old standbys of walking or running to burn their calories, but why not try something new?

Group exercise classes are a great way to rev up your cardiovascular endurance while breaking up the monotony of an hour on the treadmill or elliptical machine. Today I’m going to discuss one of my favorite cardio classes: Spin. I have been teaching Spin since 2006 and to this day still find the class entertaining and challenging. The great thing about the class is that it offers a low-impact, high-intensity workout. You’re giving your joints a break, but still burning as many calories a 5-mile run or walk.

Many people who are new to Spin are intimidated their first time, but please don’t be! Show up to class 15 minutes early and introduce yourself to the instructor. They will assist you with setting up your bike for the first time. (The bikes can be positioned differently according to your height.) Another advantage to Spin is that you can determine your own intensity level. Every bike has its own resistance knob that you turn to make the pedaling either harder or easier. If you start to feel too fatigued in the beginning of class, just remove some of the resistance; if you’re not feeling challenged enough, simply add more resistance.

For class, you’ll need to bring plenty of water and a sweat towel. Regular workout clothes are just fine. Some of the regulars wear special Spin shoes, but these are not necessary for beginners. What makes Spin classes even more fun is that they’re set to music. Each instructor has their favorite style of music they like to play, so you may need to shop around until you find a leader that shares your taste. I love current music and tend to play songs from the top 40 charts. I also love Michael Jackson and usually play one of his songs in every class. However, other instructors may like 80’s music and play a lot of older tunes. If you like the playlist, it’s more than okay to ask the instructor for a copy. (I always bring a few extra to hand out after class.) 

Hickam Air Force Base offers several Spin classes. (View the schedule here.) I teach the Saturday 8:30 am class and am always there early to help out beginners!

I hope you’ll try out a Spin class this month. Remember, changing up your cardio routine brings more balance to your body and usually a higher calorie burn. If you always do the same cardio routine your body will become accustomed to the repetitive motions and actually expend less energy, giving you subpar results. So change it up and do something new. You’ll never regret burning more calories!