Brenda Tollefson
How do I stay active?
I go to the gym 3 days a week, but I feel that what you do outside the gym is just as important, if not, more important than what you do in the gym. I'm constatntly looking for new ways to challenge myself and more importantly, I'm always looking for ways to keep our whole family active. Currently, my son, mom, and I are training for a half-marathon. I love running, hiking, kayaking, and rock climbing most of all.
How do we maintain a healthy diet on the go?
It can be difficult to eat healthy when you're always so busy! Our schedule is pretty jam packed, but if eating healthy is a priority, you'll make the time for it. I read lables! When I buy prepackaged food it HAS to be real food. But, truth be told, we eat more fresh fruits and veggies than anything. It's so easy and convienient.
What's the best piece of advice for beginners?
Don't be shy. Just get out and get started. There's going to be days where you just can't get motivated, but if you can make it to the gym or start an activity, you sort of reset your brain. It's a whole lot easier to keep going once you've gotten yourself started, but sometimes you really have to give yourself a big push.
Outside the gym what are the best strength and endurance activities?
Rock climbing is a total body workout. You'll feel it in every muscle in your body. But I think the best workout is rough-housing with the kids and dog. It's totally free, completely facilitates family bonding, It's the most fun you'll ever have, and you'll feel it in every muscle.
What are the biggest mistakes you see at the gym?
Bad form definitly tops this list, but I also see a lot of people jump into working out and forget that they're not young anymore. As you age your body takes longer to recover and if you haven't been to the gym in year, you probably can't do as much as you think you can. Jumping in too hard is only going to leave you feeling exhausted, overworked, and burt out. That's why nearly 75% of people give up within the first 2 months of starting a new fitness routine. Don't try to overhaul your life all at once. Just make small changes that you can stick with and keep incorporating more small changes as you get more comfortable with what you're doing. Fitness is a lifstyle, not an end goal.
What are some of the benefits to incorporating other activities to your workouts?
It keeps your body guessing. You'll also use muscles you might not be training in the gym already. Most importanly, staying active outside the gym is more fun for you and it'll remind you of what all that effort is for.
What can someone expect as they start incorporating lifestyle changes?
This is going to be different for everyone. You can deffinitely expect muscle soreness. I remember the first time I went jetskiing. We were having so much fun that I didn't even realize how much of a workout my legs were getting. The next day when I woke up I could barely walk. I was so sore.
As far as changes to your diet go, I can say that I grew up eating really healthy so I didn't have the need to cut out junk food. I did convert to a lacto-ovo vegitarian diet (with the occational fish) when I was 15 or 16. (I still can't believe my parent let me make such a huge life decision at such a young age). I remember about 4 months after I gave up meat, I began to crave it when I would smell a barbeque or something. I never even liked meat and even though I was craving it, I still couldn't bring myself to eat it. When I told my mom this, she experimented with cooking things like tofu. This was before we had internet, so there was a lot of trial and error. I imagine junk food cravings would have been a lot harder to kick.
How can someone stay fit and active if they have mental or physical limitations?
Fist of all if you have a physical limitation it's going to be that much more important for you to listen to your body. Muscle soreness is normal, but you should never feel pinching or straining. I recommend yoga as a good place to start for people who have physical limitations. Yoga is low impact, easy to get into, and will ease your body into exercise while you figure out what exactly you're capable of. Yoga can be helpful for people with mental limitations as well. This is especially true for children! Yoga and martial arts require a great deal of focus and discipline. Working on that while keeping your body engaged and your blood pumping is the best thing you can do for your brain!
What got you started?
When I was in junior high I came across a magazine from the 1950's at my grandmas house with an article on yoga. I was instantly hooked! That year my parents got me a subscriptions to a yoga magazine and enrolled me in a class at the library. Then in highschool I got into skateboarding because that's what all my friends were into. At first I thought I'd just give it a try, but then I found myself spending hours trying to perfect my ollie. This is kind of how I take to all sports I guess.
Talk about some of your best memories.
Most of my favorite memories relate more to the commeraderie with the people I enjoy being active with. I love that my husband will take on virtually any physical challenge I throw at him. We've built some amazing memories together and forged a stronger bond based on trust, good times, and so much fun!
How do you see your athletic endeavours changing in the future?
As the kids get older I find that they are both very physical and SO motivated. As I said before, my son is currently training for his first half-marathon, but I don't think he's going to stop there. It's only a matter of time before he talks me into a full marathon. I look foreward to the kids pushing me even harder. I can't wait to see where their passions lie too. As they get older, we're also able to do more as a family so I look foreward to seeing how that changes as well. I believe my husband may want to go back to coaching or assistant coaching JV sports too. I can't wait to see what the future has in store!
Is there any sport or athletic endeavour you plan to takle next?
I have never ran a full marathon so that's definitly on my bucket list. I've also always wanted to go white water rafting and parasailing. I don't think I'll be able to talk my husband into either of those so hopefully one of the kids will want to go when they get older. My mom and sister always talked about trying temple running. I may have to tag along for that venture as well. :)
What are some of the places you've been to?
We've kind of been all over. Just off the top of my head: Texas, Washington, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, NorthCarolina, Alaska, Oklahoma, California, Nevada and my home state Minnesota.
Walk us though a typical day.
I'm not a morning person so I typically stumble out of bed around 9:00am and sit quietly while I drink my coffee. By the time I make it to the gym it's about 10:00am. I do weights, stretch, and treadmill for about and hour and a half. When we get home, it's time for lunch followed by homeschool. We take a lot of breaks, but dispite not starting the school day until after noon, we're still done by around 5:30pm. At that time we either go outside to play with the neighbors or we go for a run (sometimes just Tre' comes, other times we go as a whole family). Then it's time to cook dinner, clean house, study my classes, and update my blog. Finally, I get to rest my head around midnight or 1:00am. Notice I didn't mention any TV time. We really don't have time for it at all.
What keeps you motivated to keep training and progressing?
I would love to say that my kids are my motivation, but that's just not true. I've been active since before I had kids and I'll continue to be active long after they move out. What really keeps me motivated is seeing how my body has changed and the progress I've already made. When I think about where I started, where I've been, and where I am now, I can't help but wonder just how far can I push myself. I love a challenge.