#FitnessFriday | Getting My [Running] Groove Back

June 26, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 7 Comments

My journey back to running post-pregnancy has been a bit rockier than I had hoped. I started back running two days a week in the Fall and in January I bumped my running up to three days per week to coincide with my race training schedule. Two months in and I just stopped running due to knee pain. At that same time I was offered an opportunity to check out Therapydia Portland and to have a run analysis done as well as some therapy for my knee. I went for two complementary sessions and decided to stay on for weekly/bi-weekly sessions.

Here I am nearly four months later and I can say that my knee pain is pretty much gone. While I still have a bit of work to do to get stronger I am finally back to running and it’s prefect timing too because I have the Pints to Pasta 10k to train for and run.

I probably could have been back to running sooner but I have been slacking on my at home PT workouts and just doing basic strength training on a regular basis. Lately my workouts consist of about 10 miles of walking per week and around 60-120 minutes of barre workouts. Really that boils down to a few miles per day and 15 or so minutes of barre per day; in other words I need to dedicate more time to my fitness and PT.

So to help me stay on track I have put together a workout schedule (and I’m sharing it here) from now until my 10k. This schedule is one that I believe is something that I can really stick to, in other words I am setting myself up for success not failure. I am focusing on the Galloway 10K (run/walk) race plan and on my non-running days I am incorporating more barre workouts and/or my 7 Minute workout app.

I know my plan looks a little packed but there are many barre3 online workouts ranging from 10-60 minutes and some are more focused on stretching so I can really do whatever feels right for me on any given day.. So here is to getting back to running (run/walking for now) and focusing more on being active.

Are you training for any races right now? I am currently training to run the Pints to Pasta 10k (there is also a 1/2 Marathon this year) which is on September 13th. For those of you who are local and want to run it as well register soon because the fee goes up on August 16th. As part of my training schedule I am also running the Sunset on Springwater Family 5k (there is also a 10k and half for this race as well) on August 15th. I have to say I am super excited for this 5k and to run it as a family (with Neil pushing the double BOB – cue evil laugh).

Fitness Friday | FitFest 2015 from Title Nine #T9FitFest + Giveaway

May 29, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 22 Comments

title 9

Before Edith I never really felt like I needed a high impact sports bra and most of the time I wore just whatever I thought was cute. Once Edith was born this all changed because of nursing and because my boobs found themselves a entire cup size bigger. I can still remember that first run after having Edith; I only made it about 1/4 of a mile down the road before I had to turn back and put on a second sports bra. That’s when I knew I had to go shopping and buy something that would really support the girls.

Those sports bras I bought when I was pregnant with Edith worked fine until Alder was born. I actually didn’t go up a cup size but the band size changed so all of my sports bras were on the too a bit too snug side. That being said having a toddler and a baby doesn’t always leave time to go sports bra shopping so I have been either squeezing myself into one of my more supportive bras or wearing one of my low impact bras. That is until now.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a media only Title Nine fit fest. At the fit fest I received a personalized fitting from a Title Nine “bravangelist” expert. First we went over what I was looking for in bra, what I thought my bra size was and we went from there. In my case I was looking for something for running that would hold everything in place. So after a selection of bras were chosen for me I headed to the fitting room to give them a try.

I ended up finding a few bras that worked for me (one of them was the one above but it’s not the one I took home). Once I found my winner, the 2-In-1 Full-Support Adjustable Sports Bra (unfortunately in the mocha color) I went out and tried the bounce test. Now the bounce test was completely optional but I figured since I was there I might as well try it out. So I grabbed a jump rope, I’m not sure why since I haven’t jumped rope since I was probably 10, and I did a few embarrassing jumps and determined that yes this was the bra for me. I will say this I didn’t love the color option but the support was awesome so I went with it anyways.

I have to say thank you to the ladies working at the Portland Title Nine shop who were really amazing, so friendly and welcoming . I look forward to returning and stocking up on more sports bras and other cute fitness clothes/gear.

Title Nine will be holding FitFest events throughout the spring and summer that span cities across the country and include:

 Personalized bra fitting advice from a “bravangelist” expert

 An expanded assortment of bras

 Bras for sports, work-to-workout, everyday and date night

 A “Bounce-ath-a-lon” for those who want to put Title Nine’s bras to the test, with stations like hula hoop, jump rope, cup stacking, run around the block, hippity hop ball & burpees

Anyone interested in participating should RSVP at the local Title Nine Retail Location.

Visit www.titlenine.com for a full list of cities and more information.

WHEN/WHERE for the Oregon FitFest:

 June 3-4, 10am- 8pm

Title Nine Portland
1335 NW Kearney Street, Portland

 June 10-11, 10am-8pm

Title Nine Eugene
5th Street Market
296 East 5th Ave. #229, Eugene

Giveaway:

This giveaway is open to anyone in the US and will include a personalized fitting (either in-store or by-phone, depending on location) and one bra.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Title Nine provided me with free sports bra as part of attending this event. I was not required to blog about the event, provide a giveaway or to write a positive review. I am just sharing this with you because I had a great time and I am excited to provide one of you with the opportunity to win your own sports bra!

Fitness Friday | barre3 Anywhere Challenge

May 22, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

Take four 60-minute workouts per week
Do one 10-minute outdoor workout per week
Try one new summery barre3 recipe per week

You guys I can’t believe it’s almost June (and I’m still not back to running). This month I have been focusing a lot on my physical therapy exercises and taking advantage (when I can) of ClassPass. So that leads me to June plans. I am going to continue with PT for now and I’m still working at getting back to running but my big fitness plans are to participate in the barre3 Anywhere Challenge.

As many of you know I have been really into barre workouts lately and have been doing barre3 online workouts for the past few months and I also have attend a few barre classes this month (unfortunately not barre3-yet). That being said when I saw barre3 post about their June challenge I immediately went and signed up to participate (it’s $15 for a month of the online program but if you already have a membership it’s “free”).

While you could do all your workouts online with the exception of the 10-minute outdoor workout you could always drop into a studio and try out a class. I am really hoping that I can make it to a live class in June (fingers crossed) until then I’ll be sticking to online classes. There are so many new classes that I haven’t tired yet but I probably will turn to some favorites which include Post Baby Bounce Back and Studio Fit.

Who wants to join me this month?

*This post is not sponsored. I paid for my own barre3 membership through June.

ClassPass Fitness Night Out | THE BAR METHOD

May 1, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 10 Comments

Monday night I finally got myself out of the house and downtown for a much needed solo workout.Most of my workouts these days involve pushing a double BOB or trying to fit in an at home barre or yoga class either while the kids are sleeping or during the day while I trip over them. That being said when I found out about the ClassPass Fitness Night out at The Bar Method I was all over it. Now this was my very first The Bar Method class and actually it was my first official bar style class because while I love my barre3 online program I still have never taken an official class.

The Bar Method here in Portland is located in the Pearl District. The location is perfect for me and I had no problem finding street parking which was great considering it took me 40 minutes (I left 45 minutes early) to get there from my house yesterday so I had no time to spare searching for a parking spot.

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the studio and honestly I was a bit nervous considering it was my first visit. Nothing to worry about though because as soon as I entered I was greeted with warm welcome of big smiles and hellos. I checked in, filled out my health history and waiver. Once all of the administrative tasks were completed I took a little tour of the facilities and let me tell you this studio is small but it is beautiful and fully equipped. There are lockers for you to use which include a key which is so prefect for me because I never remember a lock. There are also showers which is great for taking a class before or during your work day or maybe before heading out in the evening.

Finally I headed into the actual studio room (see above) and thankful another blogger I had met at an event the day before was also in attendance and had taken a bar method class before was there. She helped me out with getting the necessary items (two sets of weights and a towel) that I would need for the start of the class. Then it as go time!

You guys this workout seriously kicked my butt. I had an amazing time and the instructors are really great. During the class I received a little extra help because lets face it my form is a work in progress but I loved how the class was super hands on and personal – you don’t feel like you just an anonymous participant but actually are part of a group. The instructors provided little adjustments when needed as well as verbal instructions on how to improve positioning/stance which helped to make sure we all got the most out of the workout.

Conclusion: I will be back. I loved The Bar Method class and the studio and instructors.

After the class there was a mini-reception in the lobby thanks to ClassPass. We enjoyed snacks from Luna Bar and Portland Juice Co. Side Note: the best Portland Juice Co. juice (IMO) is the Karma.

Thank you ClassPass (and Jess from ClassPass for including me in this event) and The Bar Method for hosting! I look forward to trying more classes via ClassPass and returning to The Bar Method in the next week or so.

So all this mention of ClassPass – what in the world is it?

ClassPass is a monthly membership to the best boutique fitness classes in your city. There are thousands of classes available to ClassPass members, including cycling, pilates, yoga, strength training, dance, martial arts, and more.

For $79 – $99 a month (price varies by city), ClassPass members get unlimited classes to studios in the ClassPass network. While members can take as many classes per month as they’d like, they can visit the same studio up to 3 times per monthly membership cycle.

ClassPass is located in so many cities around the US, Canada and even London!

Have you ever tried The Bar Method? If yes, what did you think? How about ClassPass- have you given it a try? I just signed up for another The Bar Method Class for next week!

Disclaimer: I attend this event at no cost. I was not required to blog about my experience but I chose to because it was a great one. Additional Disclaimer: affiliate link included via “ClassPass” links.

Fitness Friday | My Run Analysis at Therapydia PDX

April 24, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 13 Comments

Happy Friday! Sunday morning I received my run analysis from Jason at Therapydia Portland and I wanted to share it with you. For the run analysis Jason put little dots on my right side at all the points you see below for recording/analysis purposes. Once he did that I started walking at a level 3 on the treadmill for 3 minutes and then bumped the seed up too level 4/4.5 to a jog for 2 minutes.

Read my full Therapydia Portland post here.

Heads up the analysis is a bit technical so I moved it to the bottom for those of you who are interested in reading more!

April 16, 2015

Lindsay Ingalls RUN ANALYSIS Summary:

Summary: If we increase your trunk flexion by 5-8 degrees you will help increase glut activation improve shock absorption throughout your run. During your deceleration phase your knee comes slightly in front of your toe during peak knee flexion, which indicates more quad dominant mechanics versus hip dominant.

Recommendations are to increase glut med/max strength couple with core stabilization exercises with resistance theraloop to improve motor control for SL stance. We will continue with hip isometric exercises with progression for higher levels as appropriate with efforts to improve single leg shock absorption on the right and concurrently decrease contralateral hip drop leading to asymmetrical stride.

Posterior view displayed significant hip drop on left side further indicating weak hip abductor muscles during shock absorption on the right in stance. Excessive pronation noted on bilateral feet.

Lindsay Ingalls RUN ANALYSIS Details:

During initial contact we are looking for what type of contact you make: You are a heel striker, which indicates that you will recruit your hip musculature more effectively versus calf musculature. You have adequate ankle dorsiflexion however your hip flexion angle can improve. Decreased hip flexion angle at this phase can be caused by decreased velocity or inability to absorb shock at the glut med/max musculature. Trunk is actually extended ~ .13 degrees and we look for ~ 10 degrees of trunk flexion. We would like increased trunk flexion to recruit the hip shock absorption. Ideally we look for 20-40 degrees of hip flexion during initial contact to improve glut activity. During initial contact optimal knee extension reaches 0 degrees.

Next phase is peak knee flexion, which indicates shock absorption or deceleration. Ankle moves from ~4 degrees to 0 degrees indicating a 4 degree eccentric load, the knee goes from ~6 to ~26 degrees with a 20 degree eccentric quad load, and the hip remains moves from ~19 degrees towards ~14 degrees which indicates a negative shock absorption in the right hip. Your knee has a good positive excursion however in the ankle we would like to see greater than 10 degree positive change and in the hip we would like to see the hip flexion angle increase indicating some shock absorption in the glut musculature.

Next phase is toe off: We look at total hip excursion from initial contact to this phase: you have ~ 30 degrees of hip excursion, we would like to increase this by at least 10 more degrees. We are working towards this via the hip flexor stretching. Trunk is flexed at 7 degrees, we can improve this at least 5 degrees.

Last phase is just before initial contact. Hip is going back to a flexed position where we would like at least 20 degrees which you do very well! Also we would like 8-10 degrees of trunk flexion which you have ~1 degree.

Have you ever had a run analysis?

Read my full Therapydia Portland post here.

Fit In PDX | Therapydia Portland

April 18, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

I am registered to run a race in just four weeks, but the truth of the matter is that it’s just not going to happen. I’m feeling pretty disappointed because it was the first race I ran after having Edith and it would have been the first race I ran after having Alder. But alas, my right side just isn’t happy. So, instead of running the race I’ve been going to physical therapy and working on getting stronger so that I will be able to run the six other races that I am registered for (so far) this year.

Honestly, I am kicking myself right now. Despite knowing that I should go and being encouraged by my physical therapist friend, Catherine, it took me months and an invitation from Therapydia Portland before visiting a physical therapist. After just two sessions, I’m already starting to feel stronger. Although these first two sessions were gifted (full disclosure, per FTC rules), Clinical Director Jason Villareal, DPT, ATC and PT Tech Nikki of Therapydia Portland have won me over and I’ve made my third appointment (that I’m fully responsible for).

For my first therapy session, Jason started with an evaluation of my troubled area (my right knee up to my hip) and checked the symmetry and flexibility of both of my legs. Once that was done, Jason got down to work on my knee doing some work on the leg as well as applying some heat therapy. Once my knee and side were warmed up Nikki, the PT Tech, guided me through and had me perform the exercises that are going to help strengthen/”fix” my right side. Below you’ll see Jason kindly modeling what I considered to be the most challenging exercise that I need to do. Basically I need to do a controlled squat with a band around my legs down on to the box and then stand all the way back up and repeat.

Session two involved evaluating my progress over the past week, a running analysis (I’ll blog more specifically about this next week) and going through all of the same exercises again. Honestly, half way into my first session I knew I would be going back and continuing to go back until I am back to regular running. I am already noticing a difference and am learning what I need to work on. Right now there is no running going on just lots of exercises and gliding (fast walking). With the support and help of the Therapydia Portland team I know I’ll be back at it soon and hopefully I won’t just be back to running but I’ll be a much better runner.

Jason and his PT tech Nikki are warm, welcoming and knowledgeable making it an easy decision to go back. Whether you are experiencing a running related injury (like myself) or another injury, sports related or not, this office is worth a visit. Therapydia Portland is centrally located at East Burnside and NE 28th in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Street parking is easy to get and free. Also the office has early morning and later evening hours meaning you shouldn’t have a problem finding an appointment time that works for you. Learn more about Therapydia here.

Therapydia Portland

2808 E Burnside St

Portland, OR

97214

info@therapydiaportland.com

Phone: 503.477.4802

Fax: 503.477.9395

Hours
Mon: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tue: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wed: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thu: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Fri: 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Not in PDX? Head on over to therapydia.com to find an office near you.

Every Day Health | 5 Tricks To Stay On Track

February 24, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 8 Comments

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Stayfree® via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Stayfree®.

Every Day Health: Tricks To Stay On Track

I think we too often focus on staying healthy in broad terms such as eating healthy or working out and this can cause actually attaining our health goals a little more daunting. I personally like to focus on the little things that help me stay healthy everyday. I find by doing this I am able to reach my bigger goals more easily without all the stress.

Tips:

– Drink Water. I know that I have said this in a number of posts but seriously if there is one thing that the majority of us (myself included) should be doing more of it is drinking water. Drinking water keeps us hydrated, flushes out all of the toxins from our body, helps to keep us going throughout the day and basically it’s overall just something great to do for you body. Side tip: If you find drinking water a challenge add a little bit of fresh fruit or a drop of essential oil (I like wild orange) to your water.

– Eat The Rainbow (and I’m not talking about those sugary, food dyed things). I’m talking about eating a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday. Different colored fruits and vegetables have different nutrients that are important to our body. I like to make big salads filled with different veggies or big grain and veggie bowls or when I’m feeling lazy I just throw a bunch of fruits and veggies in the blender for a smoothie. If you’d like to see a more detailed “eat the rainbow” post let me know in the comments.

-Move. Just do it. Move for a little bit everyday. I don’t care what it is that you do but find time to move that body and try to do it for a minimum of 30 minutes (in a row) per day. I like to get out for a 30 minute run, HITT or at home yoga session when I am crunched for time. If you have more than 30 minutes then by all means keep moving!

– Prepare yourself. Instead of making excuses as to why you can’t do something make sure that you prepared. Spend a little time on the weekend cutting up veggies and doing a little meal prep for the week. Make sure your workout clothes are clean and ready to go for the week and if you are forgetful like me, keep a second pair of shoes and a stash of socks at work so you never forget your sneakers (does anyone else call them that?). Other things you might want to consider if you are a lady is preparing for that time of the month and keeping something on hand just in case; for me that would be Stayfree Ultra Thin Liners.

Now I’m not perfect and I have my days where I don’t drink nearly enough water, I eat too many beige foods, my only means of exercise are chasing two kids and I find myself without any clean workout clothes, but every day is a chance to practice implementing the healthy tips and so that’s what I do.

What are your tips and tricks to stay on track with your health and wellness goals?

New year, new you! Yoga is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and who better to lead the yoga-lution than you. Inspired by athletic wear, Stayfree® pads feature flexible layers that move with your body from child’s pose to side crow. Visit http://www.stayfree.com/ to find which product best fits you or visit our Facebook to learn more about our mission. Also, don’t forget to use your Stayfree® purchase to get a 30-Day membership to My Yoga on Gaiam TV and access FREE yoga classes online now through March 12!

Naturally Lindsay

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