New Year’s Resolutions:  love ‘em or hate ‘em, everyone kind of makes them.  You take stock of your life, you resolve to “be better”… what are your goals for 2012?  What do you want to do better? (Pictured: New Year Sunrise, originally uploaded to Flickr by joka2000.)

For me the answer to that question is to “get fit.”  I’m unfortunately at my highest weight ever after the baby, but what really bugs me is how much my muscles deteriorated — due to some pregnancy aches and pains I couldn’t do much more than swim during the last 5 weeks of the pregnancy for cardio, and you’re not supposed to exercise before 6 weeks postpartum… which took me more like 12 weeks because every time I started to exercise I felt so off I thought, “this can’t possibly be right,” and would make another doctor’s appointment.  Having now been cleared by my OB/gyn, my primary, and my podiatrist, I have no excuses left… so I’ve started Couch to 5K again.

And oh: it hurts.  But I love, love, love this program.  The first time I did it, in 2006 or so, I was pretty fit from DVD workouts, but was under the impression that I could never, ever run because my lungs just couldn’t handle it.  Someone suggested Couch to 5K, and I remember eyeing the program warily — it’s basically just a 9-week schedule that tells you how much to run and how much to walk during 3 30-minute workouts a week.  There is no way it could possibly be true, I thought.  I will never run.  But I did it — my lungs burned, and I remember coughing for hours after some of my runs, but I finally figured out how to breathe and run at the same time.

This time around, my lungs are fine — but it’s my leg muscles that are killing me.  After the first very mild workout, I tried to do 15 minutes of leg exercises in addition to the run — and the next day I could barely walk.  Ouch.  OK, lesson learned.  But still: starting the program as someone who literally has been on the couch for far too long, I’m here to tell you: everything that the Plan asks of me, I’ve been able to do.  I love the challenge of each workout… and I love the built-in impetus with the program, the mild fear that if I skip a few days or even a week that I’ll be losing ground and have to repeat a week or two.  I also love that it’s only 30 minutes — perfect for busy women with no time.

Readers, what are your resolutions? Has anyone else done Couch to 5K, or do you have any other fitness goals?

There was an interesting article in Forbes the other week about how power women wake up early, and commenters seemed interested in talking about it more, so I thought we should explore in an open thread. How early do you get up? What do you do with the time? Any tips that make it easier to get up then? For those of you who don’t rise that early, do you have another special time of the day? (Sunrise, originally uploaded to Flickr by killthebird.)

For my $.02: I was always a night owl when I was younger. Term papers and graduation speeches alike got written in the hours between 12 and 3. I realized this was a problem sometime around high school when, reading a college admissions essay I had thought brilliant the night before, I realized a good two sentences were devoted to “finding a piece of licorice on the floor.” And not even in a metaphor way, just a “Kat had a dream while typing” way. Still, the habit perpetuated until after law school, I think. By then — working crazy long hours — I realized that my best time truly was first thing upon waking. So I started getting up earlier.

I also realized a funny thing: that the time was truly mine when I got up earlier. I wasn’t rushing out the door to get to work. I had time (and energy) for a workout. Then I truly got greedy and realized I could get the ME stuff done then — the stuff I’d always wanted to do but never had the chance to. I attempted to finish NaNoWriMo in the hours between 4:30-6:30 one November. I read books I had meant to read in college but never gotten around to — thinky books that won National Book Awards, and not just the latest brain candy. I started this blog. (In fact, most of the longer posts for the first six months of this blog were written primarily in those morning hours.) Occasionally, I would even use this “super Kat” time for good and do work work (usually when I was up against a deadline and needed super focus to get it done.) I love these hours — time to myself, and time to be proactive rather than react to the day.

All that said — I’ll admit it’s really hard to get up, especially when it’s dark outside. I’ve found that it’s helpful to set the coffee the night before, and also to put my workout clothes in the bathroom so it doesn’t take too much effort to change into them.  I also tell myself, “If something is important to you there will be time in your schedule for it somewhere, and now is that time.”

Readers, how about you? Do you rise and shine early — and do you use it for “me” time or productive work time?

Reader S wonders if her refreshing bikeride to and from the office is harming her professional image…

I ride my bike to work and struggle to look professional and yet arrive at the office safely at the same time. I’ve started keeping my clothes at work, and so now, I frequently wear leggings and sneakers and then run to my office to change before anyone notices. Other times though, I need to go out for dinner or a client meeting after work, and it can be annoying to have to “change” into my sneakers afterwards so that I can bike home.

What do I do? Should I just start riding the subway? I love biking because it’s fast and refreshing, but I wonder if it’s unprofessional.

I’m really curious to hear what the readers have to say here. I applaud Reader S’s effort for a healthy lifestyle, and I’m kind of envious that her situation is such that she can bike to work. That said… you don’t have to do it 100% of the time to get the effects, and I think some days (such as, say, when you have a client dinner) you should plan to take other means of transportation to work, whether it be by subway or car (or if the distance is short enough, perhaps even walking).  To me, that seems to be the easiest answer — what do you do otherwise, travel by car back to the office, then change, and then bike home? Take your bike with you to the client dinner?  The latter just sounds a bit extremist — and inflexibility is usually not a good thing. (Pictured: Walk Your Bike to Work Day, originally uploaded to Flickr by Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious.)

If there is another person at your office who bikes to work — preferably a superior — ask them how they’ve done it through the years; it’s a great way to bond and get a mentor or at least a friend in the upper echelons.

I’m curious, readers — have you biked to work?  Do you have opinions on others who bike to work?  How have you (or they) made the activity appropriate for a professional woman?

Reader A has a question about what to pack for a workout before, during, or after work hours:

I am an attorney in Chicago. I absolutely LOVE your site and I was wondering if you could do an article about gym bags. Specifically, essentials to have in your gym bag so you don’t have to repack it every time you work out. Also, maybe some cute/durable/good sized bags that you’ve seen. Finally, this may sound silly, but advice on how to pack the bag, like have the stuff you’ll use in the shower in one little pouch; hair stuff in another; or maybe hair stuff with makeup combined.

I don’t necessarily want to own two of everything and my gym does have hair dryers, brushes (not the best though), etc. but if I workout in the morning and I am going to the office afterwards, or after work and want to look presentable when I leave (it is a nice gym with lots of potential business connections), it’d help to have some guidance on what to have and how to pack it in there.

Great question, and I’m curious what readers have to say. The gym bag that I’ve used and loved for the past few years is similar to the one above (LeSportsac – Deluxe Everyday Bag (Dance Dance) – Bags and Luggage, available at Zappos on sale for $58.50) — it’s super lightweight, big enough to fit everything, but small enough to keep me from getting overly ambitious.  When I’ve gone to the gym near work it’s been after work, so for my own $.02, my gym bag would contain:

• flip flops for the shower — my very first job was as a lifeguard at a public pool and we got a lot of lectures about how gross the natatorium floor was as well as the bathroom floor, and as a result I would never, ever go barefoot in a public space like that.
• tiny bottles of face wash and face moisturizer/SPF (kept in a ziploc bag)
• very limited makeup:  for me, an eyelash curler, blush, concealer, and lipgloss (but if I were planning on going to the gym before work, that answer might change)…One of the reasons I love LeSportsac so much is because they always come with perfect little bags for cosmetics like this.
• a shower cap, a hair tie, and dry shampoo such as Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo, and a comb — my hair is at the point where it’s really comfortable with dry shampoo so I would probably just wash my face and body and skip the full wash at the gym. Furthermore, most of the gyms that I’ve used have provided soap, shampoo, and conditioner, which would be fine if I did want to wash my hair fully. The hair tie is key, though, since I’ve been known to forget them… I keep them stashed everywhere and somehow am still always out!
• sport wipes in case I didn’t have time to shower, such as Neutrogena Deep Clean Sport On-The-Go Cleansing Wipes
• deodorant, possibly a small vial of your perfume
• fresh underwear in a Ziploc bag — I’ve always done this on the theory that the Ziploc bag keeps the fresh underwear fresh, plus it gives you a place to put your old sweaty underwear
• a lock for the locker
• tech equipment to use at the gym — a spare set of headphones, an old iPod shuffle, even a music CD if your gym still has slots to put a CD near the equipment.
• an empty, clean water bottle — that way you have it if you forget one, but it doesn’t add bulk.
• extras: an extra sports bra, an extra pair of socks — possibly even an extra bra or an extra black t-shirt (I’ve actually never used these at the gym, but I have headed for my gym bag when I realized that, say, my black bra was showing through my shirt, or when I spilled soup or something on the shirt I wore to work — but you don’t need to keep these in your bag!)

Readers, what do you keep in your gym bags at the office?  Which bags are your favorite?  And what are your best tips for working out near the office, whether it’s before/after/during work?

Reader M has an interesting question that brings us back to that old classic: what do you wear to workout or exercise in front of coworkers?

I am an articling student at a mid sized law firm and I have a “law day fun run” coming up, hosted by the law society. It just occurred to me that my running outfit (mini skort and a skin tight tank top) might not send the right impression even though it’s what I actually wear when I go running. I have seen male lawyers biking and running in skintight and/or revealing outfits before but I am not sure if I can get away with that as a female lawyer.

What should I wear?

I offered my advice on what to wear to the corporate gym way way back in 2008, and I’m curious to hear what readers today have to say about it. More and more companies are offering on-premises gyms for their staffers’ use, and even if they don’t, many people go to the gyms located near the office, where odds are high that you’ll see coworkers. (Pictured: Printed Chase Skort, available at Athleta for $54.)

Runners particularly can get into trouble here. Half of the runners I know rely on old (ollllld) t-shirts and shorts — the other half buy shiny, new, TIGHT clothing — running tights, sports bras-as-tops, and more.

A lot of this depends on your personal modesty. For my $.02, the skort and skintight tank sounds fine to me, if that’s what your comfortable running in. A few notes, though:

a) Whether your shirt is tight or not — please make sure that your sports bra is a good one and actually stops the bounce. If you have a less than stellar sports bra, not only is it bad for the girls, but wow, talk about distracting.  As someone with a larger bust myself I’ve always sworn by Enell bras (such as Enell Maximum Control Wire-Free Sports Bra, available at Bare Necessities for $64.)

b) Wear an opaque shirt. Even though I don’t think twice of passing women on the street wearing nothing but a sports bra, it’s a wee bit different when you know that person in a working capacity. So wear a shirt, and wear an opaque shirt at that.

c) Whatever you wear on the bottom, make sure that it’s something vaguely flattering. Avoid pants that are skintight (and, please, pants that emphasize too-small underwear, as well!).  If it were me, I would also gauge whether my shorts or skorts were overambitious, given the state of my legs.  Don’t get me wrong, I wear a lot of shorts during summer months if I’m working out in the apartment or going for a run near the apartment — but it’s just a different calculus, for me at least, when I consider wearing those shorts to anywhere near the office.  In fact, a friend was just telling me about a line of workout clothes featuring shapewear built into it — Apifeni.

Ladies, what do you think?  Should shorts/skorts be off-limits entirely? Should only loose tops be worn?  And what about hair — would anyone advise a friend to not wear a ponytail or pigtails?

As warm weather approaches, people everywhere are rethinking their fitness routines. For some, that may even include hiring a personal trainer. But finding a good personal trainer can be a slightly difficult proposition: it’s expensive, so you want your money’s worth — but you also want to make sure that your limited time and energy is “spent” well at the gym. So let’s talk about it. (Pictured: study in annoying eddie II, originally uploaded to Flickr by hmmlargeart.)

My own experience with a trainer was less than stellar: It was January 2008, and I was gearing up for a trial with a very small trial team — so I knew a lot of late nights and early mornings were in my future. I went to my gym and requested a trainer, and took the first person they recommended who could meet my schedule. I think I wound up paying about $75 per session for 10 sessions. It was worth it, I figured, if I could still fit into my suits come trial time.

My trainer, a youngish man named F, was a nice enough guy. But throughout our 10 sessions, we floundered. Sometimes he would kick my @!#$@#$ (oh, I still ache a bit from the one-legged walking lunges across the room). Other times, though — actually, a lot of the time — I felt like F was wasting my time, overestimating my coordination (no matter how long I tried, I was apparently incapable of hitting the little speedbag boxing thing with any regularity), and treading on my patience. I left most of the sessions feeling like the 60 minutes spent at the session and the 15-20 minutes walking to/from the session would have been a lot better spent with one of my FIRM videos, going to a spin class, or doing a long run outside by myself. (I ultimately caught a truly nasty cold — right in the midst of trial, too, joy — and ate so little that I wound up fitting into my suits just fine.)

For those of you who’ve had success with personal trainers: how have you chosen a trainer? How have you communicated with him or her to ensure an amazing workout?

Reader M had a question about post-interview anxiety, something I notice coming up in the comment threads a lot…

I had a second round interview this week, and I’m waiting to hear back. The job is working in-house for a big company. Their legal team is spread throughout their offices, so my first interview was with HR, then my second interview was with their VP Legal Counsel and another Senior Counsel attorney. I think it went well, but I’m so anxious. My first question is what to do with anxiety while waiting to hear back about a job? My second question is if anyone has stories from successful interviews that might shed light on whether or not it went well.

The wonderful thing about interviewing for jobs outside your own company is that they have no idea what a stressball you may be after the interview. (Of course, for jobs inside the company you have to keep your cool, which is even tougher — but hopefully less stress-inducing given that you can “read” the personalities better and they know you better.) There are two interesting questions here: what to do to ease anxiety, and how to know if an interview went well.  I’ll take the second one first.

How to know an interview went so well that you’ll get the job: You can’t. Unless you know the interviewer (or the interviewers), you really won’t have any idea if things went well. I’ve been on some interviews that I thought went laughably bad (and then was offered the position) and some that I thought went over-the-moon great (and then didn’t get the position). (I fondly remember one interview, during interview week at law school: I sat down, prepared to talk about the law firm, and was shocked when the interviewer said “Yeah, so, based on your first year grades and the fact that you’re on law review, we’re going to extend an offer. Can I answer any questions you have?” — couldn’t they all be so easy?) But interview success depends on that fine mix of who else is interviewing for the position, what the company is looking for (which may be something as simple as “someone different than the last person to hold this job” in ways that you can’t really identify), what MOOD the interviewer is in, where they are in the interview process (too early and they may not have figured out what they want; too late and it may just be a polite gesture). So how do you handle interviews? You focus on what you can control: you. You give the best interview you can, you prepare as much as you can, you follow up to the extent that you feel comfortable (there is a wide spectrum, on both sides, of what is “go getter” versus “pushy”) — and you let the cards fall where they may. It isn’t necessarily a personal reflection on you if you don’t get the job.

But all of this is easier said than done — the anxiety after an interview can be intense. We’ve talked about ways to relax before, and now might be a great time to reopen that discussion.  I think general stress is one thing, but I think of anxiety as really strong stress that is triggered by one particular situation or one thing, which you probably can’t do anything about.  Personally, I do the following kinds of things when I’m anxious:

- Exercise. A walk, a run, a good aerobics workout — it’s amazing how I can feel my shoulders and neck “unlock” in the middle of the workout. You carry so much stress with you, and you don’t even realize it.

- Make dates with a lot of friends. This way you keep occupied enough that you don’t dwell on the anxiety too long, and by seeing a lot of different people you won’t drive any one person crazy with your own anxiety. In my experience, I’ve found that friends have to be very, very close to sit through more than 3 conversations about the same stress points, especially when there a) is no clear way to resolution, or b) they’ve suggested things to handle the situation (more appropriate where it’s boyfriend- or family-related stress) and you haven’t taken the advice.

- Brain candy. When I’m stressed, I find that focusing my full brain power on anything else seems impossible. So I turn to things that I call brain candy — reality TV shows (America’s Next Top Model is a particular favorite — so many of the contestants are unintentionally hilarious) or easy-to-read books that are well-written but lurid enough to suck me in. I just devoured (again) Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, and Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse mysteries always capture my attention. I particularly find that these books are great before bedtime, because they get my mind away from things that are stressing me out.

- Make lists. Maybe I’m alone here, but lists sometime help me solidify my thinking. I’ve used them to nail down what I’m worried about (you’ll be amazed at how the list goes on once you start writing them down), and to make pros and cons lists to remember that there are both pluses and minuses to getting the situation.  I find that lists are also helpful to realize that some of the thoughts in my head can be kind of silly when I’m stressed — for example, write out “this one job will make or break my entire career” — see, doesn’t that look fairly silly? (This isn’t to say that there aren’t hugely important, singular opportunities — things like a Supreme Court clerkship, for example. But those are few and far between, and if you have gotten to the interview point on something like that, your career already sounds golden.)

- Sleep. Everything looks better in the morning.

- Avoid anxiety loops. Every so often, I let myself get overwhelmed by stressful, anxious thoughts, and I go into what I call “loops” — StressPointA takes me to slightly-related StressPointB which takes me to slightly-related StressPointC (and so forth) which leads me back to A. When I find myself caught in a loop, I can’t actually make any decisions or come to a helpful point of view — I just get panicked and frenzied, leading to sleepness nights and totally unproductive days.  Avoiding the loop is critical — getting enough sleep (see above re: brain candy and exercise), keeping occupied, etc.  I also try to avoid too much “alone in my head” time when I’m in one of those moods — I once broke down in tears in a yoga class because my brain was looping.   (Once you’re in a loop, well… a glass of wine may help you ease up or cause you to loop further; it really depends on you and the moment. If you find yourself frequently in this situation, talk to your doctor because there may be a prescription that can help, either on a sometimes basis or an every day basis.  Be careful, though: anxiety drugs can be very addictive, so don’t borrow a friend’s pill — talk to your doctor about them, and follow his or her instructions.)

Readers, what do you do when you’re trying to relax from anxiety, either from a job interview or from a particularly stressful situation? And, do you have any fun interview stories to share — times you knew you nailed it, or wondered how it could go so wrong?

Today’s guest post is by Lindsay Vastola, CFT (pictured), who has a cool new blog we just found for women executives:  Be a Boardroom Babe.  She’s put together a lunchtime workout for us to maximize time…

If you’re as limited on time as I am (or have a limited attention span for exercise), you may want to seriously rethink your workout routine.

I used to think that if I didn’t have time to workout for at least a full hour, it made no sense for me to workout at all. You see, I was taught the “old-fashion” rules of exercise…longer workouts = better results. When I was working long hours at my last corporate job in New York City, I would often forgo my workout all together because I didn’t think I had enough time to get in a “good” workout (not to mention the fact I was continually stressed, tired, and overworked…even though a workout would have been the perfect antidote…sound familiar?).

Since making my career-change from corporate manager-to-personal trainer, I’ve spent a lot of time researching how to create effective fat-burning workouts for my clients who are primarily success-driven working women on tight schedules given the demands of their careers and schedules.

So here’s what I discovered (and what is backed up by loads of research): the problem with the “old way of exercising” is that in a typical workout you might spend 30-45 minutes of slow cardio on the treadmill and then 15-30 minutes of moderate resistance exercise. Problem is, you basically wasted almost an hour of the valuable time you could be getting work done, setting up meetings with your important clients, hanging with the gals, or shopping for that new top-notch wardrobe (recommended by Corporette.com of course!).

Oh…and worse yet, you wasted a great opportunity to set your body up for maximum fat burn. You’re getting ZERO return on your investment.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is my cardio training of choice. Why? Because it works. Plain and simple. And I don’t waste my time. I love working out, but frankly, I’ve got better things to do. I hate wasting time…I bet you do too.

You need to do these high-intensity interval workouts to burn maximal fat and maintain muscle and give up long, boring cardio for good!

Here is an intense workout I call my “Lunchtime Body Blitz” you can do in about 30 minutes or less, start-to-finish. You’ll not only burn maximum fat calories during your workout, but this method of training will amp-up your calorie “afterburn” (basically the calories you burn post-workout for several hours following your workout) and will enhance your results helping you reach your long-term fat loss and fitness goals.

The Lunchtime Body Blitz workout has two parts: part 1 is a HIIT cardio workout and part 2 is a circuit-style bodyweight resistance workout. You can do this workout anywhere since it really does not require any equipment. This makes for a great travel workout too!

Part 1: HIIT Cardio Blitz (print out the workout chart below and take it with you wherever you workout!)
You can do your HIIT cardio workouts on a treadmill, running outside, biking, on a stair climber, elliptical, swimming, stairs at home or in a stairwell, jump rope (great when you’re travelling), jumping jacks….get creative!

The goal is to give maximum effort – you should be exhausted by the end…and don’t do extra cardio!! Long, boring cardio workouts ARE NOT EFFECTIVE for fat burn (unless you are training for a marathon); more does not equal better in the case of cardio for fat loss.

For the time indicated for each round in the “Work” column, you will give maximal effort. On a scale of 1 to 10, you should be working at about a 6-8…out of breath and difficult to hold a conversation. Then for the time interval indicated in the “Rest” column next to it, you’ll bring your effort down to a 4-6 level. For example, if you are running outside or on a treadmill, you’ll run hard/sprint for the “work” interval, then bring it down to a jog or fast-paced walk for the “rest” interval then go right into the second round. In lieu of running, you could also use the incline function on a treadmill as your “Work” period and then level it out for “Rest” (great work for the legs and glutes).

Part 2 – Resistance Blitz
You’ll do exercises 1-3 for 30 seconds each and rest for 15 seconds before moving to the next exercise. Repeat the complete circuit 2-4 times depending on time and fitness level.

Exercise #1: Wide Squat (legs, butt, thighs, and core)
Exercise #2: Pushups (shoulders, chest, back, triceps, and core)
Exercise #3: Ab throw-downs (abs and core)

1. Wide squat: Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width. Slowly squat aiming your hips slightly back (as if you’re trying to reach for a chair behind you) and return to the standing position pushing up through your heels.
2. Pushups: If you can’t do full pushups (no girlie ones here ladies!), use a table or set of stairs to start at an incline and then as you get stronger, gradually work your way down to the floor.
3. Ab throw-downs: Lie on your back, with a bench or the foot of a bed or sturdy bench at your head. Reach back and grab the “post.” Start with your legs up straight in the air. Slowly lower your straight legs, as low as you can go without allowing your back to arch off the floor (don’t let your feet hit the floor), then bring your legs back up to the start position.

I know you’ll love this high-intensity, time-efficient Lunchtime Body Blitz…try to do what you can in 30 minutes or less. Work hard, push yourself, and I guarantee you’ll feel awesome, burn off some extra stress, and get closer to your fitness goals. Intensity-over-time always wins when it comes to quality fat burning workouts…not to mention it will make it a lot easier to get in those workouts amidst your daily craziness!

Lindsay Vastola, CFT is corporate manager-turned-fitness professional specializing in designing fitness programs for the success-driven career woman. Updated frequently, you can find information on Lindsay’s latest transformation programs, online workouts, and nutrition tips on her blog at http://www.BeABoardroomBabe.com. She is also the founder of Body Project Fitness located in Central New Jersey. Her goal is to help the ambitious career woman get to the top and look damn good while she’s at it!

Readers — what are your favorite lunchtime workouts?

I know that many readers of this blog are outdoor exercisers — runners, bikers, and walkers.  If you’re like me, you worry about things from a safety perspective.  (Warning: morbid thoughts comin’ up.)  On the one hand, you want your ID on you in case you’re hit by a car or otherwise incapacitated — but on the other hand, if you’re attacked, the last thing you want is for the attacker to have both your keys AND your address (which they will if you’re carrying your license).  So when I heard of this nifty bracelet I just about swooned — it has your name, city, and the phone numbers of loved ones — no address.  (You can also add information about blood type, allergies, and more.)  Perfect!  It’s $29.99 at RoadID.com.  WristID Elite

(L-0)

Here in NYC it’s one of those “102 degrees, feels like 107″ kind of weeks. So this seems like a great time to talk about summer workouts. What are you guys doing to stay fit (and manage stress) as the mercury climbs?

For my $.02, I find myself incapable of running in this heat — so I got up first thing this morning and did one of my favorite workouts, The Firm: Get Chisel’d– with the A/C on high and a fan on.  Forty minutes, interval training with some weights, and a not-too-annoying instructor… not too bad.

P.S.: In theory, this should be Beauty Wednesday… except I think I’ve written about all of the products that I love at the moment! If you have a good sunscreen (that you still use after the scary study a month or two ago) or a good mask or something else that you use occasionally that boosts skin turnover (I think it’s either alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids that are the active ingredient), please e-mail me (or comment below) — I’m in the market for ‘em.