Kersten Kimura is a personal trainer and a women’s health coach. Her goal is to help high-achieving women recover from the burnout that’s caused by overtraining, under-eating, and too much stress. After recovering from severe burnout, herself, she now teaches women how to find the healthy middle ground with food and fitness and get results without doing anything extreme. She’s speaking my language because, I WAS ONE OF THOSE GIRLS!

I can totally relate to Kersten and her clients that she works with. If I didn’t workout every single freaking day and if I wasn’t sore all the time, I was a failure. If I wasn’t burning a certain amount of calories when I was doing cardio, my thought was then why do cardio and eventually my body gave me the middle finger. Maybe you are an over trainer, or you have overcome it, or you are in it and you just don’t know it. That is the focus of the conversation that I had with Kersten and she dropped some serious knowledge bombs for me to give to you guys!

When you are in that overtraining mode, you think it is totally normal, you think that everyone does it. You think that you are no excessive, you are not crazy and that your body can take it. But guess what girl, I see you!!! I have been there, and it is just a matter of time before your body decides to not do what you want it to do and you are going to crash.

Kersten’s schedule was intense. She worked out 6 days a week running for about 60 minutes a day or 10K (6.2 miles for us ugly Americans ) then she started training for marathons and the running turned into more and more miles every day. She was eating less and running more, and sometimes would not eat and go run for hours at a time. After 6-7 years of this, she found strength training and how strong it made her and the muscle she put on but it meant she had to eat more. She started eating better with more calories, but the OVER TRAINING was still there.

Her workouts still consisted of 6 days a week and even on her rest days, she still had to do something. She always had this huge fear that if she didn’t work out 1 or 2 days a week that things would go to shit. Sound familiar”’ As Kersten did more and more strength training, the running fell off a bit, but she was working out an average of 90 minutes to, sometimes up to 3 hours!  And a lot of these workouts were extremely intense with HIIT and power walking. And this went on for a while.

There were signs that Kersten was overdoing it and pushing herself way too hard, but she didn’t want to think anything of them or pay any mind to them because she was way too focused on her how she look, how much she weighed and how long she was training for. Looking back, she used her training as a way to measure her self-worth. She was cold a lot, she had irregular and missed periods, she was not sleeping and she didn’t realize that this was part of something bigger until in 2016 she started getting really exhausted a lot and she knew than that something was up because she just wasn’t motivated anymore… She wasn’t excited to work out like she used to be. She just thought life was catching up to her.

Kersten had gone to see an acupuncturist for another injury and when she started talking with them about her health, she then realized that these symptoms she was having were not normal, they weren’t supposed to be happening. The acupuncturist started asking her all kinds of question, from her sex drive and period to sleep and right there she said that she didn’t have any of those! And that is when the acupuncturist told her that her body could be reacting this way because she was too active and told her that she needed to take it easy and slow down at the gym

Kersten was waiting for this. For this permission. She didn’t know how to do this, but she had wanted some sort of external permission to slow down... And hearing it from someone else that she can do it and that she should do it for her health, felt sooooo good! She knew that this acupuncturist was right, she knew that she had hit rock bottom, she just could not admit it. And this holds so true to so many of her clients even though a lot of them hate it when they hear me say this exact thing to them.

Slow Down…

For many of us, it has to be a cascade of events to finally say, maybe there is something wrong with me, maybe I need to see someone. Maybe I need that permission to see someone.And I truly hope that this podcast gives someone permission to slow down because if someone had given me permission to slow down, I would have slowed down before I broke down. Before I completely crashed.

Kersten said it best If you don’t hear your body whisper, you will never have to hear it scream.You get these whispers from your body all of the time, and you (your ego) are still saying I know better and ignoring the whispers. But when your body does scream, it will shut down functions and coming out of that will take much longer than if you had listened.  How many times have you been laying in bed and your body is like, Girl, today is not the day and you are like NOPE you don’t know what I need!! YOU ARE NOT LAZY!! THS is your body telling you to slow yourself!!

The line between being dedicated and being obsessed is very vague! And sometimes you don’t know where exactly that line is drawn.

You don’t have to be crazy about the numbers, you don’t have to be a perfectionist and get 30,000 steps in every day or burn 3,000 calories a day and stick to strict caloric intake or workout for hours a day! Make peace with numbers.  Numbers now are a tool to experiment with, not something that runs your life and days. If we are able to get 10,000 steps then great, if not then don’t beat yourself up about it. These numbers are simply just data now.

I want you to think about your bank account, this is a great example of what I am talking about. If I have $3,000 in my bank account, and I want $5,000 in my bank account, I know it is not an overnight thing. I have to do a few things and it will not happen today, but I will eventually get there. For many of us, we think that the more we do now at this moment is getting us to our goal faster, but instead, you just need better tools to figure out how to get to that $5,000.

So, to help people with all of this, realizing they are overtraining, Kersten has created the 3 Phase Approach: The Recovery Burnout Spectrum which consists of the Burnout Phase, the Healing Phase, and the Balance Phase.

Burnout Phase

By the Burnout Phase, you are overtraining and under eating and being really stressed out in general! You are doing a lot of workouts and being super perfect with your workouts, you are under-eating or dieting constantly and your metabolism starts to slow down. In return you have no sleep, you get headaches, no periods, constipation, hair loss and just feeling really drained.

Healing Phase

The Healing Phase you have to start doing the opposite things that you were doing before. So in order to get better, you have to nourish your body which means getting enough of all 3 macronutrients. Not cutting all the carbs and giving your body the fuel, it needs. You also have to slow down and do less.

Balance Phase

The Balance Phase is when everything is healed and things are going well. You are mentally feeling better and your relationship with your body gets better as you enter into this phase. This is the middle ground. You start working out a little more intensely, but carefully this time. Can bring back your Fitbit and Apple watch as long as it doesn’t make you obsessive. You can start tracking your steps and be conscious of how much protein you are eating. THIS IS THE MIDDLE GROUND where you can make choices based on how you are feeling and what your body needs. And you add in your knowledge about basic nutrition and exercise that you have learned.

But let me make this clear There is no 12 weeks to burnout free and healing and balance, there is no finite timeline.  It is a listening to your body process.Everyone is so different. 12 weeks may be enough to get out of that damage phase for some people, but for others, they may require 24 weeks or more to get out of it.

How do you help someone who is at that burnout phase who is TRYING to step into that healing…’

Sometimes people see that there is no other choice and they stop completely!!

And others need a gradual approach and it consists of baby steps, like going from 1 hour of cardio to going to something that’s easier on your body. She doesn’t take everything away from you… And Kersten eases each person in and insures to give the mind and body time to adjust.

We know that you see people who have these perfect bodies and you want to be just like them, but in order to get that, it’s not about working out more and more and rest very little, you have to workout hard AND rest hard too! That is why people look the way they do and look as good as they do!! Balance!  You can have it all, but you have to take the first steps to heal and what comes after that.

I want you to take some stock, are you that person who is caught up in the workouts that must be a certain time, you cannot eat a certain thing, you have to take in certain calories, do you have a LOT OF RULES’  Maybe its time to take a step back from the rules and see where it takes you. And ask yourself, “Are you in any of these phases right now’Which phase are you in’.

If you are unsure, reach out to one of us! We would love to help go over this more in full and help you get to that next level.  With things like this, it is really imperative that you have a support system, that you have a coach and mentor to get you through this. HELL, I have been using a coach for 3.5 years after my burnout!  And if you are in that burnout phase please!! Kersten is the one to help you!  No shame at all, just reach out to her if you have any questions. And if you know someone who needs to hear this, share it with them, they do not need to suffer in silence!

What is one thing that makes you feel magical’

“Getting a really good, full night’s sleep. Sleep has been a problem for a very long time. When I stopped doing so much it got a lot better. But I am still sensitive to it. So, if I do too much during the day, I know my sleep will be affected. A night of truly a good nights sleep is what does it for me.! Kersten

Another episode you may like is this one with Natalie Newhart, The Secrets to Heal Metabolic Damage

Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerstenkimura/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/balanced-vibes-podcast-healthy-fitness-food-and-mindset/id1509566999

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXUL86gzaJKANEC2ZrB9CzQ

Website: https://urbanjane.co/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

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1. Try differing paces.
   One option is to start out your normal walking speed and slowly ramp up your pace until you’ve found somewhere comfortable that’s a little quicker or more deliberate than you normally walk and then bring it back down when you’ve had enough, varying your pace until you’ve finished your walk. You can fast walk to one tree and then slow walk  to the next and continue like that until you finish your walk.
2. Walk in different places.
   I love that I live near the Charles River in Boston, it’s an amazing place to go for walks. It’s never dull.  I do venture out to other places in the Boston area to meet up with friends, but it seems like all my walks center around water.  So i you are getting bored just circling the block a few times so try to plan out something new and different every once in a while if you have time. Pick a walking trail at a local park or find a nature trail in an outdoors or camping area that suits your level of activity. Having varied terrain like winding paths and hills can help you to work a little harder and also gives you some beautiful scenery to enjoy while you exercise.
3. Find some walking buddies or join a fitness/walking group.
   One of my favorite ways to catch up with my friends or to hold a business meeting is by going for a walk. I’ve also found that making dates with my husband has been a wonderful way to strengthen our relationship. Finding someone to walk with will help to keep you motivated while also bringing along some company to enjoy on your walks. Having someone to walk with can be just what you need to help you stay focused and, in some cases, might give you cause to walk longer or more often than you might have originally.
   Whether you’re on day one of your diet plan or you’re looking for something small you can add to your existing weight loss regimen, walking is a great and low impact choice to help you warm up or wind down.

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• Swimming – You get a double whammy. Not only are you staying cool, but you get a great workout. Even if you don’t live near a natural body of water, it shouldn’t be tough to find a gym with an exercise pool or even a public pool (though those might end up a little crowded) to get your swim time in.
• Running/Jogging – You will need to use your judgement when running in the summer. It may not be the best idea in the heat but bear with me. You won’t be running and exerting yourself during the hottest parts of the day, instead try starting your day with an early morning jog before things really heat up. It will help to wake you up and get you going in the morning where you might not normally be too active. If you’re not a morning person, enjoy a cool evening or afternoon breeze and jog while the sun is going down.
• Summer Sports –  Check your local paper or online resources to find groups getting together for football, soccer, baseball, or whatever else suits your interest and spend your summer having fun and getting a good workout on the side.
• Biking – Bicycling is a bit of a step up from jogging when it comes to your level of physical effort.  Here in Boston many commuters take to their bikes to get in a quick workout while saving the earth. Don’t have a bike” Check out Hubway, think Zipcar but for bikes. I’m not sure what they call it in other cities but Hubway is what we have here in Boston.

Tweet: The weather may be warm, but it’s still the perfect temperature for these warm weather…
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HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – as the name suggests, HIIT is a program that works you hard to produce the fitness results you desire. HIIT is becoming the “go-to” method for athletes and celebrities who want to restore their fitness levels and look and feel better. Come one who doesn’t want to button their pants OK look good naked  =)

HIIT has long been used by professional athletes and Olympians to increase their endurance and fitness in a shorter amount of time and for the best results. Here are five of the main benefits of HIIT workout routines:

1. Fast and Convenient – In our fast-paced lifestyles, who has time for an hour long workout at the gym’ HIIT exercises allow you to get the same or even better results in less than half the amount of time.
2. Super-Charges Your Metabolism – The interval training in HIIT causes EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) which means that your metabolism will enjoy a boost of up to 48 hours after a HIIT routine.
3. No Equipment Needed – You can use equipment such as a treadmill or other equipment you’re used to, but you can also perform HIIT when running, swimming, body weight and other cross-training exercise routines.
4. Do It Anywhere – You don’t need a gym membership or a special place to exercise. If you’re pressed for time, you can simply do a number of body weight exercises for a certain amount of time and then rest.  As long as you’re giving the intensity portion all of your effort, HIIT will work.
5. Challenging – If you’re ready for the workout routine of your life, get involved in HIIT. It’s difficult, but the results you’ll see in so short an amount of time will make you a firm believer in HIIt.

HIIT is one of the top fitness trends of the year, and is only poised to grow in the next year. Because it’s fast and you don’t have to spend hours in a workout routine, it works for most of us with ultra-busy lifestyles.

It can also be performed with a variety of exercises, including those you enjoy most. Any type of exercise that lets you get your heart rate up to a high level will help you burn more fat in a much shorter time. The intervals involved with HIIT tend to increase your body’s demand for oxygen and actually cause an oxygen shortage.

This demand for oxygen increases your metabolism so that your “afterburn” will be burning calories long after the exercise routine is over. HIIT workouts are all about saving time and getting the same results as those exercises that last for an hour or more. Click here for a sample HITT workout.

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High intensity interval training requires that you exercise as intensely as you can for a short period time and that you follow that will active recovery for a period of time. By alternating these intense bursts with recovery you get a great cardio workout as well as strength training. This workout can be done at home or in a gym.

For this workout routine you’ll need some simple equipment including:

• dumbbells – no need to be very heavy
• box for box jumps – you can also use a stair if you don’t have one or can’t jump to knee height
• jump rope
• timer for intervals – a clock with a second hand will work

Warm Up. You should always begin your workout with a warm up. You can do jogging, jumping rope, jumping jacks or high needs for 5 minutes to allow your muscles and joints to be prepared for exercise.

Intervals. You’ll be performing 5 intervals that you’ll repeat for a total of three times to get a full body workout in just 30 minutes.

Interval 1 – Lunges. You’ll perform lunges as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery while jumping rope.

Interval 2 – Box Jumps. Perform box jumps as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery by jogging in place.

Interval 3 – Pushups. Perform pushups as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Interval 4 – Uppercuts. Uppercuts are performed by standing in a squat position while holding your dumbbells at your side. With your right hand punch up across your body to the left side. Repeat with the other hand. Follow 1 minute of this with 1 minute of jogging in place.

Interval 5 – Overhead Press. Stand in a quarter squat holding your dumbbells at your shoulder level. Press them both overhead. Then return to the starting position. Repeat this action for 1 minute and follow up with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Repeat this entire cycle 5 times.

Cool Down. After completing this cycle 5 times, cool down with light jogging, walking, or high knees for 3-5 minutes. Then perform a total body stretch routine to prevent injury and improve your flexibility

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Then I started to get smarter about my cardio. The goal of cardio is to get your heart rate up. Did I have to do it by slogging away on a piece of equipment no….

If you are someone who hates cardio like I do here are some alternatives that I have come up with.

Get a gym boss timer — you can purchase one or get the app for your phone.

3 rounds

30 seconds kettlebell swings

30 second jump rope

Minimal rest between swings and jump rope.

Rest 1 mn after the circuit.

3 rounds

row 500 meters

20 box jumps  (or up and down as fast as you can

1 min jump rope

Rest 1 min after the circuit

3 rounds

20 mountain climbers

20 jump jacks

20 squat jumps

1 min rest

Give all of these a try and let me know what you think.

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Trust me done right, you get one killer workout. Studies have shown that these workouts are as effective as longer traditional workouts.

To do the following 3 workouts you’ll need. (Yes, these can be done at home)

• interval timer or clock with second hand
• box for box jumps
• kettlebell
• sandbag, weighted vest, or dumbbells

Warm Up. The warm up isn’t included in the 12 minute time frame, but it’s always a good idea to get your muscles warmed up.
10 jumping jacks
10 squats
10 pushups
Repeat 3 times

For the intervals in this workout, you’ll be performing high intensity exercises for 30 seconds with 10 minute rest periods in between. Once you’ve completed all the intervals once, you’ll repeat them for a total of 3 cycles.

• Interval 1 – Box Jumps – Do as many box jumps as you can for 30 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. ( you can use a curb, a reebox step or an box at the gym)
• Interval 2 – Kettlebell swings – Stand with wide legs and hold your kettlebell with both hands. Start with the kettlebell between your legs and swing it directly overhead. Return to the starting position. Repeat as many times as you can for 30 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. (if you don’t have a kettlebell you can do it with a dumbbell.
• Interval 3 – Elevated pushups – Get in a pushup position with your feet elevated on your box so that they’re elevated above your shoulders. Perform as many full pushups as you can for 30 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. (find these challenging’ do them on the ground from your knees or toes)
• Interval 4 – Side lunges – Perform lunges alternating on your left and right sides for 30 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. (can be done with or without weights)
• Interval 5 – Bicycle crunches– Perform as many as you can for 30 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds.
• Interval 6 – Step Ups – Using a sandbag, weighted vest, or dumbbells for additional weight, perform step ups on your box. You can also perform them with no added weight. Do as many as you can for 30 seconds and rest for 10.

Cool Down. After completing these intervals you should feel exhausted. But hang in there for just a couple more minutes and cool down with a walk for 2-5 minutes.

Keep track of how many you do and see if you keep this up for 1 month if you get more and more reps in. Best of luck. Leave a comment below and tell me if you like this workout.

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Source: Fix.com

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What make jumping rope so effective is that you can vary the intensity. It allows you to build up your heart-rate and develop your conditioning without having to even leave the comfort of your home. I also like bringing a rope with me to the gym and jump between my weight lifting sets.

The Best Jump Rope Routines

Here are a few different techniques you can use to change up your jump rope routine and get back on-top of pushing yourself.

• Timed Method – Grab your stopwatch and jump for 30 seconds. If you think you can get 50 jumps, go for fifty and try to hit that number every time you do the set. Repeat this for about 10-12 sets and be sure to rest in between each set. With this, you can create a good way to up your challenge each week and burn fat.
• Count-Down – If you have been working out for a while give this one a  try.
  • Go for 350 jumps in a row and use that as your first set.
  • 2nd set drop that to 300 jumps in a row
  • keep dropping by 50 jumps until you hit 0.
  • Be sure to rest 30-90 sec between sets.
• Kettlebell swings and jump rope — Swing a kettlebell for 30 sec rest 30 sec and then jump rope for 30 sec  — continue for 4 rounds
• Rowing machine, box jumps and jumprope — this is one of my favorites.
  • Row 500 meters
  • 30 box jumps
  • 1 min jump rope
  • rest 60 sec
  • Repeat 5 rounds

It’s pretty easy to get creative with a jump rope and doesn’t require a gym membership. If you have a favorite jump rope routine. I’d love to hear it. Please leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear how you how you did with the workouts I suggested.

Are you new to exercise or been exercising for a while and just looking for way to mix it up or your results have stalled. My new Lean & Sexy program will teach the tools and systems you to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life. Hurry program starts Monday, September 1st.

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One of things I like about Fly Wheel Boston is the scoreboard, now it’s not on all the time which is nice as I would become a little fixated and not really focus on my ride or form, but it’s flashed just enough so you see if you are challenging yourself.  They also will send you and email post class to give you your results. I love that so I can see that while I’m not the best cyclist in the world, I’m on my way. This journey is me vs me and not me vs the class. I will admit in the back o f my mind it would be nice to be at the top of the leader board. Hmm..

Now I’m not one of those cycle class junkies. I actually really don’t enjoy biking, but I needed to mix things up. FlyWheel Boston is what gives me just that, I’m able to get out of my fitness rut and push myself out of my comfort zone. The times of the classes are at convenient for me and I also like that you can sign up 1 week in advance. I block out my exercise times 1 week in advance and this is perfect. I treat these classes as an appointment I cannot break and in fact, I can’t if I don’t cancel before 5pm the day before my class I lose $$ now that’s an incentive! I also like the fact that when I register I can register a friend.

I took a second class this week this week with Melinda.  She was just as motivating and Jessica but she had a humorous edge, which I love. It reminds me not to take myself to seriously when working out.  At the end class we were doing a race and she was encouraging us to break out of our comfort zone and said we should be pedaling so fast that we should be scared that we will pee our Lululemons. Now that’s my kind of humor and yes I did pedal faster and no I didn’t wet my lulus =) If I did pee my Lulus I’m lucky there is a Lululemon in the Prudential Center so I could easily replace.

When you get about 30 min into class you pull out 2 different weight bars and we will do a nice upper body strength training session. Now don’t turn your nose up with you are pulling out 2 pounds and 4 pounds. With the number of reps we do and the static holding.. Boy your upper body feels it.

The bikes have torq and RPM so I like that during class you know where you should be. I LOVE that becasue in the past when I took cycle classes I  never really knew where I should be. With that said, the instructor is reminding that this a range and you should listen to your body.

I almost forgot the best part. They give you cycle shoes. I’ve never in my life worn cycle shoes and I’m still struggling to “clip in” and “clip out” but they made a huge difference in the ride. I had never invested in a pair becasue I was a casual cycler, and really didn’t see the point, well.. now I do… I felt I was able to pedal faster and really climb hills much easier than when I just had on sneakers. They also provide you with self locking lockers — so no need to bring a lock with you. FlyWheel  Boston is so smart there is also a board where you can write you name and locker name in case you forget. I’ll admit I haven’t used this, I play guess the locker game, but I’m sure that will soon wear on my patience. =) There are also nice white fluffy absorbent towels and filter water for the ride of your life.

If you are in the Prudential Center give FlyWheel Boston a try, you will not be disappointed.  My goal is to be there every Monday and Wednesday on my favorite bike which is bike 14. Why bike 14, don’t ask I”m not sure why.

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