January 27th, 2010
Surrounded by Inspirational men this morning!
This morning after I finished with my AM clients I drove to the NBC station to meet with Chris Schauble. We spoke about our fitness regimens and challenges staying super motivated at all times. It is always comforting to hear that others have challenges and hear tricks of the trade that keep even the best of us inspired and focused on our goal.
Chris and I spoke about the F2 (Family Fitness Program), upcoming family events on February 20th & 27th as well as the O2 MAX Prom Fitness Program launching on March 1st. He loved the combination of using social media and a pro-active, positive approach to helping girls as they get prom ready.
As if I wasn’t energized after all of this already….we got to see Reverend Jesse Jackson on our way out. Talk about inspiration!!!
Tags: Chris Schauble, Family Fitness, Jesse Jackson, NBC, o2 max, Prom Fitness
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January 17th, 2010
This morning I was at Starbucks in Pacific Palisades meeting with Richard Koffler before his Sunday morning yoga class to brainstorm. We were waiting online to get coffee and I was telling him about the fact that I had signed up to do my first marathon and had to get my long run in before the rain started today! The man in front of us showed interest in our marathon conversation and we started chatting with him. He encouraged me to keep my commitment up and to enjoy the journey and also agreed that it was all mental. When I asked him what his usual marathon time was he said something like “I don’t care about that. I have run 50 marathons in 50 states. I think he even said something about Machu Picchu Marathon. I sort of zoned out for a minute as I started thinking about what that meant and what an amazing way to travel the world. You get such a different perspective by foot vs. cars vs. bikes.
I got home and sought out to run 19 and made it about 15-16 miles. My blister on my right foot was bothering me again, my calves were tired and I think mostly my feet were adjusting to the new running mechanics I was trying to implement-more on this in a minute. Then the rain started for the last few miles.
This past week has been crazy busy so I have not been blogging much. My committment and focus has still been dead-on.
Thursday I went to Phase IV to get a follow up Gait Analysis. I had done my first one 2 years ago when I started getting more interested in running but had started getting terrible achilles & low back pain. The low back pain started freaking me out b/c I had fractured it when I had my bike accident. Turns out one of my legs is a little longer than the other structurally (pretty common) and as a result my foot mechanics get compromised. Over time this pain shifted form my achilles to my left bunion. I am genetically pre-disposed to this condition and running can definitely bring it to the forefront much earlier than it otherwise might get aggravated. Long story short-my running mechanics have improved (thanks to the new orthotics and proper sneakers (my K-Swiss stability sneakers) and this super inexpensive thing I got at Rite Aid that helps keep the toes aligned to help with foot stability. AND I was given another insert for my left foot to help with the length discrepancy. I think my feet needed some more adjusting to the new inserts.
Even with all this running is not pain free-but I did it and mentally feel pretty awesome. I Am now resting, icing, eating, etc. I will be on the east coast next week and am trying to psych myself up for treadmill workouts-the treadmill bores me!
Here is today’s route via Livestrong
My K-Swiss long distance running shoe
Tags: first marathon, k-swiss, karen jashinsky, la marathon, o2 max
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January 14th, 2010
Today I went into the gym, not thinking about what specific regimen I have to follow, but just doing some sort of strength workout. hahah it was fun!
I started out rowing for 5 mins, then I did some quad and hamstring machines. Later, I moved to the handles where you lift your knees to your chest and then the one where you extend your back.
After those machines, I used dumbbells to work on my arms and push-ups for my arms.
It was actually pretty fun. I did 3 sets of 10 for each of them and I did them on 30 lbs because I got tired of doing them after 10 times.. (I heard that’s what’s considered a good weight).
I ate well today too! As always, I’ve been shifting back and forth even though the new year has begun. You know, 2010 doesn’t mean anything to my body or my cravings.. xD Only my attitude towards working out does.
So tomorrow I’ll be doing some cardio machines and then playing basketball. Ah, to make exercise fun, I think is great. Instead of saying working out and exercising, I will start saying, once again, playing. =] Go out and play for today!
De-stress myself! Hahaha. Alright, I have to go to sleep. Don’t want to be grumpy for tomorrow. (I should put a picture of myself working out on this blog. Everyone else seems to have done that already. ^_^)
-Christine
Tags: machines, strength workout, weights
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January 10th, 2010
A cold
I have a cold and found this picture and thought it was entertaining. In all seriousness though here is what I have to say:
NEW GEAR = NEW MOTIVATION!
Friday Sarah and I went into the K-swiss store and met with Mark Sheehan -Director of Performance Footwear & one of their first sponsored amateur athletes Scott Davis helped us out.
K-Swiss Santa Monica - 1st Retail Shop in the US
I got a pair of brown running sneakers with extra stability for my long runs and a lighter pair for my track/speed workouts. For anyone that knows me really well-I LOVE the color brown. More importantly though they hooked us up with some running gear and taught us quite a few things. I was am VERY impressed with K-Swiss as a company and a brand. They have done an amazing transformation from tennis shoe company (that I used to wear as a kid) to a hip and high quality product company that is fronted by very knowledgeable and passionate employees and athletes. Mark was super helpful and friendly! K-Swiss is definitely very community oriented and their first US retail shop is in Santa Monica!
My K-Swiss light weight track shoe
My K-Swiss long distance running shoe
1. It is a great idea to have 2 pairs of running sneakers-one for track/shorter distance workouts and the other for longer runs.
2. It is a great idea to try to balance the number of miles you do on your long run days with the total number of miles you do on the rest of the days.
3. I wear custom orthotics because I over-pronate. Apparantly I do not need to wear these with the lighter weight/track workout shoes.
4. We should be running about 5 days a week. NOT a good idea to take several days off when training for a marathon.
5. Best to get into a tub of ice or the cold southern california ocean after a long run to reduce the inflamation.
6. I had developed a bad blister on the bottom of my foot and when I asked Mark what to do about it-he said nothing! Toughen it up! And the new shoes and socks should help.
I am beginning to feel more and more like a runner.
So Saturday morning I was hoping to do an easy 3 mile run per Scott’s suggestion but was not feeling well. So I listened to my body and rested. Today I woke up still feeling like crap. I was cleaning my room and kept looking at my cool new shoes and really wanted to wear them! I also spent some time researching online what to do when you are training for a marathon and are not feeling well. I found several pieces of advice that made sense to me. The one that really stood out said something like if you are sick from the head up it is worth sucking it up and going for a run. If anything the way you feel will prepare you for how you will feel at some point during the actual race day. And I was more stressed about missing 2 days of running right now. So I drank about 3 packets of emergencee, drank my macro greens, miracle reds and off I went. A little excessive maybe but I know that when I get sick my adrenal glands are run down. They need Vitamin C to get rebalanced. And I ended up running about 14 miles, am blister and pain free and am spending the rest of the day resting, catching up on emails and hopefully getting to sleep early! I didn’t even feel ill while I was running-the mind is pretty powerful!
Tags: k-swiss, la marathon, mark sheehan, miracle greens, scott davis
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January 7th, 2010
Today, I did 3 sets of..
10 bosu push-ups (on the black side)
10 bosu squats (on the black side)
20 oblique crunches on bosu
—
20 lateral bosu shuffles
10 bosu crunches
——
30-60 second plank hold on bosu
I skipped the bosu straddle hops that were listed because I was in a rush, but I think it was a good workout nevertheless!
The push-ups are always very hard. I shake and shake, but I think I started getting used to it. The squats are also not that bad. Oh man, the oblique crunches are killers though. I thought it was alright for the 1st set, but the 2nd and 3rd one, I had to rest a little in between because my abs were killing me!
Let’s see, what else? The bosu shuffles got my heart pumping so I guess that’s a little bit of integrated cardio into my workout today. 
It reminds me of ladder workouts on the floor. Anyway, the 30-60 second plank bosu holds are just a nice way to end it all: challenging, difficult, and gratifying.
-Christine
Tags: abs, bosu workout, crunches, plank, push-ups, squats
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January 6th, 2010
First of all thank you to everyone that has been reading and sent their condolences. Much appreciated.
Monday night when I was working at the O2 MAX Studio
working hard!
one of the girls asked me when I started getting into working out. I told her I had been a pretty active kid however I started getting very disciplined about working out when I could not run the 1 mile in gym class under 12 minutes-the required time back then.
I honestly hadn’t really thought about this in a VERY long time but the more I have been thinking about it the more I am remembering how far I have come. I had asthma as a kid so speed was never an easy task for me. I started training at the local JCC every Sunday for weeks-running in circle around the track like a hamster. When it came time to the do the one mile in under 12 minutes again I was able to do it.
I was still never much of a runner. I remember after my bicycle accident hardly being able to run for 5-10 minutes without getting winded. As I started getting back in shape I started logging 20-30-50-60+minute runs. Before this time though I had NEVER run for more than 20-30 minutes straight. Now I am training for a marathon. Insane what the mind and body can accomplish together.
Today I decided to give my running legs a rest and did the bike for 50 minutes and Power yoga.
Tags: 1 mile, high school, o2 max
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January 5th, 2010
I was supposed to meet Whitney and Lacette to do my hill interval workout- which I was actually somewhat looking forward to.
My dad called me early this morning to let me know that his dad-my grandfather died. Today was actually my day to sleep in (till 7) and I was up late working. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. My dad’s parent(s) live in Israel.
Whitney ended up surfing and Lacette did the Santa Monica Stairs solo (sorry girls but I am very happy you didn’t use it as an excuse to not do anything!).
I was feeling pretty blah to be honest but the sun was shining, I had committed to a marathon and I needed to clear my head.
I set out thinking this was going to be a LONG 8 miles. Then I got into. As I started reflecting on my time spent with my grandfather over the last few years I kept fluctuating between tears and smiles. My grandfather was a holocaust survivor. It wasn’t until the last few years that we actually heard his entire story of how he escaped and where our last name came from. Our original last name was Ebelshtark which he had to give up to escape as he took a family friend’s name (I guess Jashinsky was a little better).
The last 5-6 years my family has been going yearly to visit. He was so excited to show me his exercises that he was so diligent about doing 3 times a day. He was a fighter with a gentle sole. Our connection was always our love for physical activity. About mile 6 today Lionel Richie’s All Night Long started playing followed by Cat Stevens-Peace Train. I think my marathon training and discipline will be largely dedicated to my grandfather. I know he would be very proud and the visual of him smiling as he showed me physical therapy exercises that helped him recover after he broke his hip keep me smiling. Exercise is a powerful tool on so many fronts.
I subscribe to Brian Tracy’s Daily Emails and today’s quote seemed very appropriate for my mood. Either that or sort of like it is with fortune Cookies-where they are just so perfect for a given day.
“I love the man who can smile in trouble, gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.” — Thomas Paine, Statesman
Tags: grandfather, la marathon, marathon training, o2 max, youth fitness
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January 5th, 2010
For years and years I used you say I had absolutely no interest in ever doing a marathon. Last summer I did my first triathlon and as I started getting more into running and hit the 2 hour mark-I started thinking that I just might want to do a marathon someday. Then the LA Marathon changed its course and is now going to be passing through Santa Monica-my home and my home for my business-O2 MAX. I started thinking about running it even more. How cool would it be to be a part of this historic event? This past weekend was an amazingly beautiful weekend in SoCal. 70+ degrees, amazing visibility and the first weekend in January. I set out to run only a few miles (after riding almost 30 earlier that day) and ended up running 10. I felt like Forrest Gump. I could’ve kept going and going and going….I got home and decided to sign up before I kept thinking about it. So here I am – January 4th. About 75 days to my first marathon. Tomorrow is hill sprint day. And tonight marks my first post for 2010. Lots more to come. 
Tags: first marathon, karen jashinsky, la marathon, o2 max
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December 23rd, 2009
I have gotten a few requests for workouts that can be done relatively easily while traveling home for the holidays and eating more than usual.
Here is a suggestion for a mini workout you can repeat up to 5 times a day (you might want to mix up the exercises the following day).
The 5-8 minute workout to intersperse throughout the day. This can be done on the way back from a bathroom visit, upon getting up, upon going to sleep, or as a little break throughout the day. This workout will elevate your heart rate and help you keep your metabolism working through out the day. Choose 1 exercise from each category each time you do the 5 minute workout.
cardio INTERVAL:
30 jumping jacks
30 alternating reverse lunges
30 alternating forward lunges
30 squats
AB/ CORE EXERCISE
50 bicycle crunches (25 to each side)
20 double crunches or reverse crunches
25 exercise ball crunches
UPPER BODY
15-20 pushups (wide grip or close grip)
If you cant get to a gym or find yourself in a cold place and very unmotivated try doing a combo of the above exercises. It is a great way to get a little extra calorie burn in throughout the day and give your metabolism a little boost to burn off some of the extra calories you are consuming over the holidays!
Share with us how you are doing!!
Tags: holiday eating, holiday exercise, holiday weight gain, o2 max, youth fitness
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December 19th, 2009
I went to O2 Max today (I am home for winter break) and I did bosu squats. They were like death squats, but I am proud I got through three reps of them! The exercise also made me realize I need to work on my balancing . . . so I’ve decided I am going to learn how to skateboard!
- Jay
Tags: bosu, break, college, fitness, skateboard, squats, winter
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