Workout Wednesday: Rock Climbing with Katie Ashby

Hey there! I'm Katie from These Are The Days - my husband, Devin and I are here to talk to you today about one of our favorite things to do: Rock Climbing!

It may come as a surprise to some people that rock climbing is actually extremely beneficial for your health, on multiple levels - that is, if it's done correctly!

Boring stuff first: the absolute most important thing to remember is that rock climbing is a dangerous sport, so it is essential that you get proper training and practice safety as you climb! If you're local to Utah, we highly recommend climbing at Momentum Indoor Climbing Gym (in Sandy) seeing as how Devin works there and all! The staff is amazing, helpful, and new climbers are always welcome and encouraged! Momentum is an awesome place to learn how to climb if you don't already know someone with the experience to teach you.

Like I said before, rock climbing is a great way to get in shape, stay in shape, and what's more, it's an awesome social activity. For starters? Climbing is heart-healthy. And by that I mean, it helps improve your cardiovascular system by stressing your heart (in a good way!) - it gets the blood pumping, and makes your heart stronger!

Rock climbing can also contribute to healthy weight loss! I think I read somewhere once that 1 pound = 3500 calories (just double-checked. I read right.), which means to lose 1 pound a week, you need to eliminate 500 calories each day. And guess what? Climbing at a "moderate intensity" for about 1 hour, burns 400! That means you spend some time at the gym, skip your daily can of soda, and you're there!

The most obvious benefit of rock climbing, I think, is toning and muscle building. Rock climbing is a progressive sport, so the better you get, the stronger you get, and the harder stuff you can climb! Climbing at those harder levels, and even as you're working your way up, requires a lot of strength, and a lot of that strength comes from your fingers, but it also counts where your arms, legs, and core are concerned! Climbing targets all of those main muscle groups in one total body work out! (plus, if you're asking me, it's a lot more fun than running on a treadmill!)

More awesome things about rock climbing: what some people don't know about climbing is that it is actually a very technical sport. You aren't just pushing off rocks to get to the top of a wall, there is a sequence to follow - so rock climbing requires a lot of mental (and physical) focus. Now, this is important.  It's easy to "plateau" in rock climbing if you let the mental part of it get the best of you! But as long as you have the right mental control, it's an awesome way to involve your mind while you exercise, and it helps increase your hand-eye coordination. Rock climbing is a sport where you can constantly challenge yourself and improve.

Oh, don't worry, we're not even done. Rock climbing is one of the best ways to increase your endurance! Walls in a climbing gym are typically anywhere from 30-60 feet tall - which doesn't seem like much, but when you're spending every inch of those feet pushing yourself mentally, and physically, it can seem much longer! Building up endurance is probably one of the most immediate benefits you'll notice if you start climbing regularly, which doesn't just benefit your improvement in climbing, it can help you last longer in other exercises (that is, if you even care for them anymore, now that you've found your new love for climbing!)

Okay, okay I'm almost done. Mostly because I know I've already convinced you to give it a try. But there's even more good that can come from tying into a rope and climbing up a wall. Climbing increases your FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE and COORDINATION! Just think about it! Am I right? I am.

And lastly, rock climbing is awesome because it is a sport that you can do rain or shine, inside or outside. And there are even different kinds of climbing:

1. You can boulder, which is done on much shorter walls, without a harness.

2. You can top-rope, which is the normal kind that most people begin with - the kind you probably think of when you think of rock climbing.

3. And when you become more experienced, you can lead climb!

Climbing is a sport that anyone can do, at any age! If you have any questions, click here and ask us!

**Isn't she great? If you are interested in guest posting on YOUR area of fitness expertise shoot me a email!**

Workout Wednesday - But I'd Rather Be Lazy...

A while ago I posted about an upcoming fitness series on Black with a Chance of Cheetah. Well here it comes. I know you've been anxiously waiting.

Why a fitness series? Why now? It's June and we're all feeling weird about our swimsuit physique. It's beautiful outside and it gives you more reasons to go enjoy it. I'm done with school and super bored all the time. I don't know, pick one. (By the way, I hate YOLO.)

Let me take you on a little journey through my fitness development:

Stage One: Super fit during year-round sports. Fitness was a by-product of athletics. 

Stage Two: Freshman laziness. I replaced exercising 3 hours a day with 3 hours a day of studying on my butt and eating crap. I got a Gold's Gym pass and started working out regularly, but I didn't lose any weight and didn't really improve my fitness, somehow. 

Stage Three: Busy life. I stopped working out altogether and spent all my time with The Beard, running from place to place and planning my future (graduation, teaching, marriage). I was really happy and subconsciously starting eating less and much better. 

Stage Four: Weak. I noticed how winded and pathetic I was running the bases with my slowpitch team. Moving things around in my new house made me feel like a wussy lightweight. I've been strong my whole life, until now. I started teaching and found myself mentally and physically exhausted. This whole not-working out thing isn't working out. 

Stage Five: Balance. That's when I found my PERSONAL fitness balance. I'm not a gym rat or a couch potato. I don't work out every day, but I'm not afraid to jump into a random game of flag football vs the students. 

Fitness isn't about losing weight anymore, though I wouldn't mind losing a few (amiright?). It's about feeling good. It's about confidence. It's about making myself better. 

And I do. I feel better. I feel good. I'm confident. I have more energy. I sleep better. I naturally make better eating decisions. I don't work out everyday. And I'm not a gym rat anymore. But I'm active and I feel good. That's what it's about. 

Personally I don't think fitness should be about your inspiration board full of half-naked Nike models. I don't think it should be about spending 20 hours a week at the gym. I don't think it should be about doing situps and starving yourself to fit into a size whatever. 

Fitness should be whatever works for you. Whatever makes you feel good. Whatever gives you confidence. Whatever makes you feel alive!

That's what this series is about. I will post about fitness topics that I know and love (weight-training, yoga, Just Dance!), and I have several guest posters lined up to blog about their fitness routines. Join us next week for my adorable and tough Miss Ashby's post about rock climbing!

If there's anything you want to see on the fitness blog series or if you have a hilarious gym story to share, let me know by email at dholdy {at} gmail {dot} com