Fitness-Inspired Halloween Costumes

It’s that time of year! The week where everyone gets to don their best costumes and dish out all varieties of candy (though we hope you can find healthier alternatives). This year, instead of dressing up as something you’re not, how about dressing up as something you are – a fitness guru!

To help you out, we’ve pulled together a few of our favorite fitness-inspired Halloween costumes.

1. ’80s Aerobic Instructor

“It’s all about the layers. The shinier, brighter, and tighter, the better — think lamé, spandex, and fuchsia. Pair a leotard over color-contrasting leggings and legwarmers. Boom box and roll-on lip gloss are optional.” – PopSugar

2.  Jillian Michaels

Curl your hair, and pull on track pants and a sports bra.

Bonus: Add a whistle and be sure to yell at all of your friends to drop down and give you 20!

3. Richard Simmons

Come on, how often do you get a chance to wear an afro wig, chunky white socks, and Reebok hightop sneakers?

Photo cred: Fit This Girl, Jillian Michaels, Closer Weekly

What are your favorite fitness-inspired Halloween comments? Leave in the comments below!

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to learn more about how you can earn cash reimbursements for your gym visits! Ready to sign up for your free eligibility check? You can do that too, here.

 

Beginner Basics: 3 Types of Workout Classes at the Gym

One of the values of having a gym membership is that it provides access to a variety of workout classes that one would not otherwise have. If you have a membership to a yoga studio, you’re limited to taking yoga classes and so on.

For gym newbies, the sudden access to so many classes can be overwhelming. What are the most popular classes? Do they require different skill levels? Here are the 3 most common workout classes and what you need to know in order to succeed in them:

1. Spin

“Spinning is a specific format of indoor cycling. Only certified Spinning instructors are allowed to teach ‘Spinning,’ but other group cycling programs exist by different names, and some have their own certifications. Most classes last between 40-60 minutes, although some places offer beginning or intro classes that might be shorter.” – SparkPeople

Read the full breakdown here.

2. Zumba

Zumba is a dance fitness program that incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mamba. They are typically about an hour long and are taught by instructors licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC. The exercies include music with fast and slow rhythms, as well as resistence training.

“Dance to great music, with great people, and burn a ton of calories without even realizing it.” – Zumba

3. Bootcamp

This is a great way to switch up your normal cardio vs. weights routine. These group sessions typically focus on military-style exercises and functional movements like push-ups, squats, springs, and sit-ups. Most classes last an hour, and the expectation is that if you give 100 percent you’ll get the best results:

“If you are willing to be pushed beyond your comfort zone and trust your instructor, you will see better results than when working out alone” – Ariane Hundt, founder of Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp via Greatist

• Go with it. It’s only an hour, so give each class 100 percent to get the best results. “If you are willing to be pushed beyond your comfort zone and trust your instructor, you will see better results than when working out alone,” Hundt says. One final word of caution: Always listen to your body first and foremost. If you’ve got nothing left in the tank, or feel an injury coming on, remember that no amount of encouragement (or ego) will get you through that last rep safely. So always train smart.

Photo cred: PopSugar, A Windy City Momma, The Gym Ft Lauderdale Beach

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to learn more about how you can earn cash reimbursements for your gym visits! Ready to sign up for your free eligibility check? You can do that too, here.

Gym feature: Fit Athletic Club

Last week we toured the Pacific Northwest to feature Olympic Athletic Club in Seattle, Washington. This week we’re heading all the way down to San Diego, California to highlight urban hotspot, Fit Athletic Club.

Summary: Fit Athletic Club, located in Downtown San Diego boasts unbelievable views of the famous PETCO Stadium, a rooftop pool and fireside lounging areas. Ideal for busy professionals, Fit Athletic club markets itself as a one-stop shop for all of your wellness needs.

“It’s layout and aesthetic imitates the the lively, vibrant and sophisticated culture of San Diego’s burgeoning East Village – creating a true urban oasis.” – FitAthletic.com

Amenities: Members have access to spa and tanning services, a Vitaboost clinic, effective training equipment and endless classes.The Natural Foods Cafe can help keep you on track with meal planning, and you can even save money on the things you already by with the Fit Perx. (FitAthletic.com)

Bonus: The outdoor pool deck, available to members of the Fit Perx program (which offers discounts at hundreds of local restaurants, spas and retailers). We can imagine worse ways to relax after a long work out.

Club information:
350 10th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 764-5348
Online: http://fitathletic.com/club/downtown-san-diego/

Photo cred: FitAthletic.com, Yelp.com,

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to learn more about how you can earn cash reimbursements for your gym visits! Ready to sign up for your free eligibility check? You can do that too, here.

 

 

Get Your Company Started with Fitness Reimbursement Programs Today

While gym reimbursements are becoming more popular across the corporate world, there are still a lot of companies that haven’t yet made the leap to promoting a healthy workforce. This isn’t because these companies are bad – they are likely constrained for resources, such as time and budgets.

That said, gym reimbursements are a win-win for everyone. Healthy employees cost less and are more productive, and fitness incentive programs put money back in employees pockets to reward and encourage good behavior. Everyone comes out on top!

Do your company a favor and get the process started. Email info@spott3r.com and spott3r Founder, Rami Rafeh, will personally follow up to help set your company up with a fitness reimbursement program.

Think they’ll take more convincing than the benefits listed above? Learn more about how how-companies-can-save-money-with-fitness-programs.

Just think – what will you do with all your extra cash?

While you wait for the paperwork to process, be sure to check out the following articles:

• 10 Ways to Save Money at the Gym
• 13 Benefits of Gym Reimbursements

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to learn more about how you can earn cash reimbursements for your gym visits! Ready to sign up for your free eligibility check? You can do that too, here.

A New Approach to Fitness: Aligning Behavior Change Around Fitness to Your Personal Values

A New Approach to Fitness: Aligning Behavior Change Around Fitness to Your Personal Values

A guest post of Mary Little of Wellness by Little.

Have you ever set a New Years resolution to get in shape or trained for an event like a triathlon or wedding? Did you succeed in accomplishing your goals because you devised a plan and maintained a routine schedule?

In the world of fitness, there is more information at our fingertips then ever. There are fitness experts, Instagram Fitness Guru’s, ample Crossfit gyms, yoga studios and a variety of classes taught at athletic clubs. While all of this seems to make exercising incredibly convenient for us, we still have difficulty reaching and maintaining our goals.

Rather than sharing a list of exercises you should do to get in shape or posting a photo of some abs you someday hope to have, we believe that by aligning your behaviors with your deeper values, true lasting change can occur. This requires a more personal, introspective approach to your health.

1.) List out 3 goals you’re currently working on in order of importance (These can be any health goals. For example: smoking cessation, lose 15lbs, gain 15lbs muscle mass, prepping meals, etc).

Goals/ Concerns(in order of priority)	What you’ve tried	What makes it worse?
1)
2)
3)

 

2.) Visioning. If you could create a vision statement centered around the ideal person you’d like to be someday, what would it be? Vision statements are intended to be long term being statements that start with “I am.” When you’re done writing your vision give yourself a % of completion for today’s date. 0%= not this person today 100%= I am this person!

Sample Vision Statement: I am a person who stewards my body well by eating in moderation and exercising regularly. 45% on 07/30/15

3.) In the next 7 days what are 3 baby steps you can take to work towards your vision/goals? These goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-oriented (or SMART). If I were to take the vision statement from above a goal might be:

I will do in home strength training workouts on M/W/S over the next 7 days.

On Sunday afternoon I will look at 4 recipes that I can make for dinner M-Th this week.

I will go grocery shopping on Sunday evening for M-Th dinners.

4.) Lastly, rate your goals on % confidence and % of importance.

Next Session Goals			% Confidence/% Importance
I will do in home strength training workouts on M/W/S over the next 7 days.On Sunday afternoon I will look at 4 recipes that I can make for dinner M-Th this week. I will go grocery shopping on Sunday evening for M-Th dinners.			85% / 100%  90% / 95%   90%/ 100%

If you’re below a 70% confidence how might you alter that goal to raise your confidence? These goals are designed to be SMART so that you experience small weekly successes that empower you to move closer towards your vision.

Our professional recommendation is to track your progress for 6 weeks. Every week reflect on your previous weeks goals and reset new weekly goals. At the end of week 6, rate your overall % of completion towards your vision statement. Have you made progress? If so, how does that feel? If not, what were the barriers to change?

Creating your own pathway to success has proven to work for many of our clients. It’s often easier to look at a magazine and hear how someone else was successful but we are not all the same people, with the same circumstances, with the same goals. Embrace your uniqueness by doing what you know will lead you to personal success!

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!

Gym Facts from the spott3r Community

From fit moms to Jiu Jitsu masters, we really have such a versatile, awesome fitness community here at spott3r. And through everything we’ve seen, one thing is certain: fitness is not one size fits all. Some are at their best when they work out in the night, others would never make it to the gym if it weren’t before work. We decided to poll our community to see what some of the larger trends are, and just how many of our fitness community skews one way or the other.

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!

 

Spott3r Spotlight: Wellness By Little

We are constantly blown away with how inspiring the members of our fitness community are, and today’s feature is no exception. We are delighted to introduce you to Seattle-based fitness coach and owner of Wellness By Little, Mary Little. This PNW native takes a holistic approach to health and fitness, and has an expanding network of happy clients to prove that her methods work.

“Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our clients through phenomenal training experiences, qualified coaching, and ongoing support that will keep you motivated and living a happy, healthy, purpose driven life. We believe that when a person aligns their behaviors with their deeper values, true lasting change occurs. Wellness by Little builds deep personal relationships with individuals to accomplish specific health goals through qualified training, structured planning, and ongoing accountability.” – Mary Little

A little bit about WBL:

Mary Little, owner of Wellness By Little, has a unique training style incorporating fundamental movement principals tied directly into principles of yoga. Yoga Conditioning is what it’s called and it’ll kick your butt no matter what your exercise background is. Mary believes quality of movement prevails over quantity of repetitions 100% of the time and because of that there is an element of movement education in each training session.

 

In addition to quality personal training, Mary infuses her sessions with health coaching.

“Meeting a client where they are at is an important piece to building trust and rapport in your relationship. In the personal training world, we humans have this inherent desire to be good stewards of our bodies. Often times, I’ve found that clients struggle with reaching their goals not because they lack motivation but because they haven’t aligned their behaviors with their deeper values of why they want to get to a certain health goal.”

Mary’s motivation behind living a vibrant, active lifestyle ignited when she decided to do her high school senior project on organic versus non-organic food and sustainable agriculture.

“Around that time, a friend told me about Bastyr University’s Exercise Science and Wellness program, which ultimately stemmed my personal interest in stewarding my body well and a strong desire to teach others how to do the same.”

In need of some wellness coaching? Visit Wellness by Little on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or email Mary directly at mary@wellnessbylittle.com.

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!

Common Gym Terms You Should Know

Let’s face it, the gym can be daunting. Whether it’s your first time at a health club in years or you’re trying out new equipment, there can be a lot to learn to navigate your way around! Naturally, we’ve got you covered. Below is a glossary of some of the most common gym terms and what they mean, so you can walk around like you own the place.

Train

Spot: When someone assists another person with an exercise. ie: “Can you spot me?” or “I need a spotter.”

Rep – A rep (short for repetitions) is how many times you do a single exercise in a row. i.e.: “I did 8 reps at 80 pounds”.

Set – A set refers to a group of repetitions done without stopping. i.e.: “Do 3 sets of 10 reps”

Circuit Training – A method of physical conditioning in which one moves from one exercise to another, usually in a series of different stations or pieces of equipment.

Intervals – This is when you train at a low intensity for a period of time, followed by a high intensity.

Body 

Ripped – Someone is ripped when they have very low body fat and muscle separation is visible and defined. i.e.: “That guys is ripped!”

Pecs – Short for pectoral muscles (especially with reference to the development of these muscles in bodybuilding).

 

Lats – Short for Latissimus Dorsi – the large muscles that run down the back

Quads – Quadriceps (front of the thighs)

Core – Refers to your trunk – your low back, mid back, abdominals, obliques and stabilizers.

What other terms do you think are important to know? Leave in the comments below!

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!

References: “Do You Speak Gym” via pfitblog, “The Ultimate Guide to Gym Lingo” via greatist.

 

[Friday Five] The 5 Hottest Fitness Apps Right Now

Technology and health are starting to overlap in a lot of noticeable ways. Some argue that technology can lead to unhealthy habits, though we think its clear that, if used correctly, the benefits of technology in fitness far outweigh any perceived side effects.

Without further ado, we’ve dedicated this week’s Friday Five to our favorite fitness apps! Our short list if you will. (Think we missed any? Leave your favorites in the comments below!)

1. Nike + Training Club

This app allows you to tailor your workouts based on intensity, length of time, and areas of focus. Better yet? When you hit milestones you get fun rewards, such as recipes or free workouts from celebrity trainers and athletes. Each workout move comes with a video “how to”, and the trainers call out fun workout tips, including reminders of how much time is left in each pose so you don’t have to fiddle with your phone. Bonus points for syncing with your personal playlists and music apps!

Learn more and download the app here.

2. RunKeeper

RunKeeper lets you track your pace, measure workout distance, chart weight loss, crush training goals and so much more. We love that you can add mileage accrued via treadmill for a comprehensive view of your running journey. And of course, RunKeeper makes it really easy to share your progress on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Learn more and download the app here.

3. ClassPass

This app is not free (you have to have a ClassPass membership in order to use it) but it is a great option for those who who like to switch things up. Rates vary across locations but for a certain amount per month, members can enjoy unlimited classes at their favorite local studios. The user-friendly app makes it easier than ever to find and schedule classes on the go!

Learn more and download the app here.

4. MyFitnessPal

Medical studies prove that the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to keep track of the foods you eat. With that belief in mind, MyFitnessPal designed a free website and mobile apps that make calorie counting and food tracking easy. Fun fact: MyFitnessPal has over 500 million foods in its database, which make it seamless to integrate into your existing diet!

Learn more and download the app here.

5. Fit.net

Fit.net offers workouts in as little as five minutes, and can be tailored to fit anyone’s fitness level or accomodate injuries or limitations. Better yet? Your device’s webcam intelligently analyzes your synchronicity with the Trainer and you are provided with real-time feedback on your performance. It also doesn’t hurt that the all of the coaching is done by live, certified trainers.

Learn more and download the app here.

Think we missed any of your favorite apps? Tell us in the comments below!

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!

Spott3r Spotlight: OC Personal Trainer, Ali Metzger

A warm, spott3r welcome to Orange County powerhouse, Ali Metzger! This super fit bombshell works for a technology startup by day and personal trains at The Training Habit in Irvine on  nights and weekends. After being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance two years ago, Ali has changed her diet and perspective on health in the best way possible. She is now extremely passionate about health and fitness and hopes to share this and help inspire others to do the same! Continue reading for the low down on how this fit chick maintains her healthy lifestyle, AND what her extra incentive is to working on her bod:

“I’m getting married next spring, so now it’s a double goal to look fab in my wedding dress, as well as maintain a healthy lifestyle! I am an avid crossfiter, but I also love being outdoors and hiking, running with my dog, playing beach volleyball, etc. I also love traveling, trying new restaurants, and bringing those delicious flavors home to my own kitchen to cook for my fiance!”

What’s your favorite workout?

“CrossFit! Any type of CrossFit workout is my favorite. I love the high-intensity movements and the idea of always striving to be better than you were yesterday.”

When Ali isn’t at her box then she incorporates some of the cardio-based CrossFit movements (box jumps, jumping push ups, jump squats, kettleball swings) into her workouts.

What’s your biggest fitness achievement to date?

Ali’s biggest fitness achievement is getting her training certificate through the ACSM.

“It was such an exciting, proud moment to know I’d be able to do what I love for work!”

Aside from that, Ali is super excited to finally being able to do a full pull up.

What’s your current fitness goal?

“Right now I’m focusing big time on my arms. Not only thinking about true strength, but that tone that women (and men!) are always trying to achieve. I’ve been doing extra shoulders/back work in addition to bicep/tricep work to get that tone all the way around.”

What’s on Ali’s workout playlist right now?

Ali likes anything upbeat and/or with a beat she can move to. Here are her top three favorite songs right now:

“Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap

“Take U There” by Skrillex

“Call on Me” by Eric Prydz

What motivates you to get to the gym?

Ali loves how great she feels when she’s at the gym and how she feels after. Also, she is super motivated by her community at her CrossFit box.

“It’s so fun to have a group of people you see throughout the week that have similar goals and keep you motivated.”

At the same time, Ali gets movitated when she’s at her gym training others.

“I absolutely love helping people achieve their goals and helping motivate them by my own personal stories. The group of people I work with are the absolute best; it’s a constant dance party! (When we’re not with clients;) )”

When it comes to making excuses for not working out, Ali says that she doesn’t really have any! In fact, the gym is one of her top priorities, for many reasons.

“If I’m not able to make it to the gym, it is usually because I’m traveling or have plans with time frames that don’t allow me to fit it in my normal routine. If this is the case, I always bring gear and find a new way to get a sweat in. That way, I don’t have any excuse! You don’t have to have a full gym to get a good workout in. You can use anything around you — your hotel room floor or the great outdoors!” 

What’s your favorite gym to work out at and your favorite thing about it?

Ali has worked out in and been to many many gyms, so she can confidently say tat her two gyms are my two favorites! The Training Habit and Orange Coast Crossfit.

 “The Training Habit – the gym I personal train out of- has brand new, top of the line gear, and pretty much anything you can want or think of. I can switch up my workouts every day and not be on the same machine twice in a week!”

Ali’s one piece of advice for fitness newbies:

“If I have one piece of advice (which I do, and I use it often) it’s to find what works for you. There are so many different gyms, classes and types of workouts out there. Why stick to one if you don’t love it? Some people love going to the gym and making up their own programs. Some people need the direction of a coach or teacher in a class. Some like heavy weight lifting, some prefer using their own body resistance. Keep experimenting until you find what sticks for you, and keeps you wanting to go back for more!”

Want to keep up with this Orange County fit chick? Pop by our Instagram page where Ali will be guest-posting all week! Want even more Ali in your life? Check out her Facebook and Twitter pages or email her directly at metzgerali@gmail.com.

Spott3r helps people get people paid for their workouts. Click here to see if you’re eligible for a free gym reimbursement check!