It might seem like kettlebells appeared in gyms out of nowhere five years ago, but did you know they’ve actually been around since the 1700s? Daphnie tells us how kettlebells jumped from sexy Russian farmers to modern day gyms and walks us through her favorite kettlebell exercises.
Links in this episode: Kettlebells USA, Form videos: Kettlebell swing, clean, hip hinge, deadlift, swing, Turkish getup, and goblet squat. jerk, snatch
Pull-ups are one of those exercises that it feels like only Super Fit people can do. But there’s got to be a way for normal people to learn if they want, right? Daphnie reveals her deep dark pull-up secret and gives us her three step plan to building up to doing a pull-up of our very own. Plus, we reveal the “healthy” foods we won’t eat in “Real Talk”.
Links in this episode: Difference between pull-up and chin-up grips, Good images of the back muscles, How to use a pull-up assist machine
Lots of us are paying for gym memberships where we show up, walk past all of the weight machines we don’t know how to use, and hang out awkwardly in a corner using hand weights. That’s fine! But if you want to up your level of gym mastery, Daphnie explains how to correctly use some of the most common machines at your gym, which ones she loves, and which are, in her words, “completely useless”. Plus: we get angry in “Rage Box”!
Links in this episode: Photos of most of the machines we mention, Ad we discuss in “Rage Box”
Lots of people feel anxious about going to the gym. What if I’m not wearing the right clothes? What if I don’t know how to do an exercise right and people notice? WHAT IF SOMEONE TALKS TO ME? Daphnie walks us through some common anxieties to help us find a gym life that feels comfortable and safe. Exercise is meant to lower your stress, not increase it!
Links in this episode: Our episodes on Form and Wellness for Every Body, Cute gear from Athleta and Girlfriend Collective, Joanna’s favorite workout capris under $30
It’s one thing to say your workout class is for all levels. It’s another to actually make it a place where everyone feels comfortable and can get a great workout, from newbies to professional athletes. Colleen Conlon, Studio Manager of The Sweatshed, walks us through how she does it with Sweatshed’s HIIT workouts, how she trains her instructors, and what we should be doing to take care of ourselves when we take a new class.
Links in this episode: Sign up for our free Listener Meetup Class on June 4th, 2018! Sweatshed, Crunch Gym, Colleen on Instagram, Sweatshed on Instagram, How to be extra in your workout class
“Wellness spaces” can be less than welcoming, especially if you don’t see other people who look like you in class (or even on the posters). Personal trainer, nutrition coach, and marketing expert Chelsea Burrell of Leah B. Wellness talks with us about her experience as a curvy, multicultural fitness enthusiast and professional, and she offers advice on how we can make the world of wellness open to people of all races, sizes, and life experiences.
Links in this episode: Chelsea’s website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Nutritious Life Studio, Splendid Table piece about restaurants and race, The Bradley Method birthing classes
Making positive, sustainable life changes is hard enough as it is. Add in the cost of organic produce, expensive gym memberships, and $100 pants, and it can feel totally out of reach for us normal people. Well, sorry, that excuse won’t work anymore after today! In this episode, Daphnie and Joanna have 10 Cheap Ways to Get More Awesome, and there’s something for everybody, from cheap college students to new parents on a budget. Plus we talk about internet buzzwords in “This is Crazy, Right?”
Links in this episode: "Ice cream" made from bananas, Free Prospect Park yoga, Fitness Blender, Yoga with Adriene, Planet Fitness gyms, Blink Fitness gyms, YMCA, Planet Money episode about how gyms make money, Video we talk about in "This Is Crazy, Right?"
For normal people, the thought of being a fitness professional can seem romantic and unattainable: a flexible, empowering job for naturally hot people. This week, we invite personal trainer Haley DeGroat onto the podcast to talk about what it’s really like working in fitness. How do you go from desk girl to trainer? Did my personal trainer have to go to school for this? Why do gym employees keep following me around and offering me supplements? Haley and Daphnie talk about the great parts of being your own boss, and the tough things you might not realize are part of the gig. Plus, a listener asks, “What is a starch?”
Contact info for our fabulous trainers: Haley's email, Daphnie's website
It’s easy to feel like fitness and nutrition are TOO EXPENSIVE! But just because you aren’t rolling in dough doesn’t mean you can’t afford to get more awesome. How can you stay physically healthy AND financially healthy? Daphnie and Joanna talk through what you don’t need to spend money on (hint: fancy athleisure wear) and ways to save on the good stuff (like produce and good running shoes). Because as Daphnie says, “There was health before Soulcycle and $11 green drinks.” Plus, we talk barefoot running in “This Is Crazy, Right?”
Links from this episode: Running Warehouse, Zappos, DSW, Moving Comfort sports bras, SNAP e-cookbook, Fitness Blender
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