Author: Laurie Kelly

I'm an independent personal trainer and running/triathlon coach based in Lone Tree, Colorado.
Exercise Program Design, Strength Training

Elements of an Effective Workout PART 3: Functional Fitness and Neuromotor Training

Laurie Kelly

In Part 1 of this series on the Elements of an Effective Workout, I talked about choosing the right exercises to achieve results most effectively without getting hurt. In Part 2, I describe a number of ways to progress your workouts, so you’re always challenging your body to become stronger, leaner and more efficient. This final Part 3 is all about functional fitness and neuromotor training – which may sound scary, but is really for everyone. I’ll also highlight two fitness tools I love that promote these concepts and are challenging and fun to use – the TRX Suspension Trainer® and the BOSU Balance Trainer®.

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Exercise Program Design, Strength Training

How to design an effective workout PART 2: Progressing

Laurie Kelly

In Part 1 of this series on the Elements of an Effective Workout, I talked about choosing the right exercises to achieve results most effectively without getting hurt. But an effective workout doesn’t remain effective forever – your body will adapt fairly quickly to the demands you place on it, and you’ll stop making progress toward your goals. The solution? Exercise progressions. In this article I describe a number of ways to progress your workouts, so you’re always challenging your body to become stronger, leaner and more efficient.

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Exercise Program Design, Strength Training

How to design an effective workout: PART 1 – Choose the right exercises

Laurie Kelly
Image credit: Skeeze by Pixabay

Your time is precious – and so is your health. When you decide to start (or re-start) exercising, you want to ensure you’re getting the most value out of that time, minimizing the risk of injury and focusing on your goals. In this article, the first in a three-part series, I’ll break it down into the basic elements, then show you how to apply them based on your current fitness level and what you want to achieve.

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Motivation

Why You Should Exercise – Even If You Don’t Feel Like It

Laurie Kelly

I get it – it’s hot, school’s about to start under who-knows-what conditions, and we’re all really sick of COVID-19 with not much end in sight. And honestly, you just don’t feel like exercising. Deep down, you know you “should” (the dreaded “s” word). Now more than ever, I encourage you to get up and move. And there’s even research to back me up.

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Wellness

The Brain: Your Body’s Most Important Muscle

Laurie Kelly
Image credit: Gerd Altmann

When you think about being healthy and fit, you probably think of a strong core, lack of aches and pains, having lots of energy, and being able to perform the physical activities you enjoy – everything from playing with your kids or grandkids, to running a marathon. But do you ever think about the health of your brain?

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Weight Loss

The Body’s Fat Thermometer

Laurie Kelly

Smart_Thermostat

Although you might not believe it, permanent, long term weight loss isn’t about cutting calories and exercising more. This has been proven in countless studies, and also the countless frustrations of dieters desperately cutting calories and depriving their bodies of nutrition.

So what then is the key to successful weight loss? According to nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung, the solution lies in controlling your body’s ‘thermostat’ — what’s also known as Body Set Weight (BSW). Continue reading “The Body’s Fat Thermometer” →

Motivation

Momentum to Move: Igniting Motivation To Exercise

Laurie Kelly

Let’s face it: it’s hard to feel motivated to exercise all the time – even if you’re a professional athlete and you’re getting paid to train. Life is busy, with so many things competing for our time – both important and not so much. Meeting a big deadline at work is important, while watching “just one more” episode of a show on Netflix arguably is not. But what about exercise? Like any form of self-care, we often put exercise at the bottom of the list when things get busy…and even when things aren’t so busy? Continue reading “Momentum to Move: Igniting Motivation To Exercise” →

Motivation, Wellness

Self Acceptance

Laurie Kelly

So January is behind us now…the month of “new year, new you.” Did you set goals for your health and fitness this year? If so, and you’re like most of us, the enthusiasm has already waned. Life takes over, change is difficult, information overloads us. We all want to be healthy and fit – even achieve an epic goal such as completing a triathlon, obstacle race, or running event. But what does it really take to make those goals a reality? Two things: smart goal setting, and self-acceptance.

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Running

How can I become a faster runner?

Laurie Kelly

Committed runners frequently want to improve their pace in their favorite distance, and that is an admirable goal. If this is you, it’s important to establish a realistic new pace goal, with intermediate smaller goals along the way to get you there.

There are many factors that impact how fast a runner you may become – some of them within your control, and others not so much.

First, let’s go back to Physics 101 to understand the difference between speed and velocity.

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Weight Loss

Why is nutrition information so confusing?

Laurie Kelly
Photo credit: Arek Socha

We’re bombarded with nutrition information these days. Every day there seems to be a new study showing how this or that food may cause cancer…or eating lots of one special food (cabbage? kale? green tea?)  makes you lose weight…or that taking this company’s special supplement cures all ills. Even documented, peer-reviewed studies seem to contradict one another.

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