STROOPS GIVE YOU STRENGTH!

I love working with women in the health, fitness and lifestyle arena. From clients I’ve had the honor of meeting through clinical weight loss, to the young mom in the gym looking to get back in shape, to the 40 something professional who has zero time to waste in busy day, to motivated athletic women who attend my circuit training and toning classes at bikini bootcamp retreats in Tulum – there are a few thingsI hear over and over again…

Two of the big ones?

“I have no upper body strength!”

“Push ups are too hard and don’t even talk to me about how many pull ups I can do!”

My response?

#1 - YES, you do have upper body strength and no, you don’t have to do struggle through push ups or pull ups to get the results you want.

#2 – Stroops!

Stroops is my all time favorite brand of resistance band exercise equipment. Stroops are portable, affordable and can be used for workouts anywhere and anytime. Choosing a band will depend on the type of workout you are doing. If you are performing upper body strength training exercises such as chest presses, rear deltoid rows, shoulder presses, punching and bicep curls with high reps of 50 to 100, you will probably use a thinner band. Thinner bands marked with light colors on the Stroops.com website have a lower resistance. If you are planning on performing between say 10 to 20 reps per set in your upper body program, you would want to choose a thicker band which is marked with darker colors on the Stroops site. Your fatigue level while performing circuit training (combined cardio and strength training) will also play a roll when choosing a resistance band. One easy choice would be to choose a medium-high level band (like the one I have in dark orange in the video) depending on how intense you conduct your training.

For more information check out - https://stroops.com/

Below are 2 basic exercises that will tone your chest & back.  No push ups or pull ups required!

CHEST PRESS EXERCISE

 Orange Stroops Band (medium-heavy resistance level)

 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps or 30-60 sec rounds

• Stagger feet in a lunge like position
• Hook thumbs in handles and lean forward to balance on one leg with a bent knee
• Arms are bent at 90 degrees to start (with tension)
• When you’re stable, exhale and press arms forward
• Return arms to 90 degrees & switch legs

REAR DELTOID ROW & SQUAT

Orange Stroops Band (medium-heavy resistance level)

2-4 sets of 10-15 reps or 30-60 sec rounds

• Grab the handles of the band and walk back to establish tension
• Stand in a wide squat position with arms reaching like the video
• Pull the band  behind you (row) as you stand/jump
• Return to squat position and continue the set

Best Job on the Beach

I have been the head personal trainer and lead group fitness instructor at Amansala’s Bikini Bootcamp since I started my fitness career in Tulum, Mexico in 2009. A typical morning at the 7 day beach fitness retreat looks a little something like this: in the dark at ~6:30am I ride my bike from my house in the jungle to the beach.  By 7:30am I greeting my group of bootcampers coming out of morning meditation and I lead them to the beach for a stretch and 5km run. By 9am, everyone’s back from the run and it’s all celebratory high fives at the finish line and sweaty hugs. As we walk into the bootcamp restaurant for green juice and sit for breakfast - we talk. We really talk. We share our stories of struggle and success in health and fitness. More importantly we connect with one another, we laugh with one another and in that moment we come together as a female fitness family. The rest of the day will be a mix of training: beach workouts, circuits, core classes, pilates, yoga, Zumba, cardio kickboxing and the like.  But the best part of my job isn’t the training – it’s what happens in the quiet moments at the table or at the end of a private session or at the close of a class that tells me I have the best job on the beach.

Here are some words from the women I’ve had the honor of training had to say about their experience…

The best way to describe Kate is full of light and after spending a week training with her at Bikini Bootcamp in Tulum I feel like I got to share a little bit of her light. She is overflowing with positivity, energy and enthusiasm for not only fitness but for life.  I came to work with Kate at the end of a one-year journey toward improving my overall health.  I had reached a plateau and was struggling with how to breakthrough.  Kate’s vast fitness and dietary knowledge and her encouragement is the reason I was able to overcome my plateau.  She took the time to understand my needs, my lifestyle and my limitations and provided me with well tailored advice that worked for me not only during my time in Tulum but also continues to work in my daily life.  I am thankful every day that I met Kate and the other bootcampers at the retreat on my journey to a healthier lifestyle and I look forward to working with her again.

Katie B., Zurich, Switzerland

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Kate is the most inspiring and awesome personal trainer I have ever had the pleasure of training with. Every training session with Kate is fun, energetic and really tough!  She keeps the sessions fresh and creative, and keeps cheering you on, so even when your energy starts to flag you’re motivated to push yourself and keep going. She explains each new exercise in a descriptive way so you know you’re making the right movement, and which muscles should be feeling the burn… And when you look at Kate you’re motivated to keep going, because who wouldn’t want her abs?!

Kate helped me re-discover my training mojo, and I hope to return soon to idyllic Tulum for more sessions where I can laugh, sweat and finish each session knowing that I’m one step closer to my fitness and body goal.

Kate – you rock – thanks for inspiring me!

Jemima D., Venice Beach, CA

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Last winter I experienced a serious loss and was depressed and in a rut. Having been to Tulum prior I decided to take a week alone and go to Bikini Bootcamp. Kate was one of the trainers there that made my week. Not only was she a great group trainer she was instrumental in getting me motivated and moving. I also signed up for one-on-one sessions with her and she had me doing jump rope moves I never thought possible in all of my 40 years. She is an amazing trainer and cares, she kept in touch and sent me follow up work outs. I will 100% want to work with her during my next trip to Tulum which will hopefully be every year. I strongly recommend anyone that is going to Tulum to call her!

Jessica V., New York, NY

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From the age of six, I have always been sporty and played sport. In the intervening 27 years, I have played for my country in two different sports and been trained by literally dozens of different coaches at all levels. I’m terms of motivation, ability, knowledge and encouragement, one week working with Kate totally changed my outlook! She is unquestionably the best PT and motivator I have ever had the good fortune to work with and she inspired both myself and the group I was in, like no-one else ever. Had Kate been my lacrosse coach, I would still be playing today!

I honestly cannot sing her praises highly enough. Thanks Kate, for everything! (And for making me want to get a six-pack back!)

Clemmie M., London, UK

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I can say without any hesitation that Kate is the best trainer I have ever worked with. Since she has a really thorough understanding of body mechanics she is able to provide clear directions and easily accommodate injuries.  Most importantly her energy and enthusiasm are completely contagious! Kate will motivate you to push yourself harder than you ever have before.

Marla B., New York, NY

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Kate Nolte
Tulum Personal Trainer

My Magic Green Powder

I started taking an advanced superfood supplement called “Green Vibrance” last summer after getting diagnosed with salmonella and parasites. Mexican summers are hot, humid and long! The summer I got sick, we had record high heat for over 5 months straight and with my intense bikini bootcamp retreat training schedule, my body was over stressed and my immune system was weak and I got very sick.

After weeks of eating a (not so delicious) specific diet to flush out the parasites and way too many strong antibiotics to count, I knew it was time to heal my body with the best nutrition and probiotics I could find!  My dear friend and Tulum pilates instructor, Adele, gave me a jar of her beloved Green Vibrance powder and I started using it daily for 1 month. In less than 2 weeks, I felt a shift in the detoxification in my body. I felt the stress from being sick slowly evaporate each time I put a scoop of magic green powder in my midday smoothie. I gained confidence back in my body and in my health because I knew I couldn’t possibly get all the nutrients I needed from my regular meals.

About the product:

• GREEN SUPERFOOD: Contains over 70 ingredients, 25 billion probiotics, enzymes, fruits & vegetables, liver support, vitamins, trace minerals, skeletal support, and adaptogens.

• THE MISSING LINK: Modern foods provide fewer micronutrients, and we're often living much more sedentary lives than our Paleolithic ancestors. Green Vibrance helps fill in gaps in our nutrition and health due to our modern lives and food system.

• ACHIEVE PEAK HEALTH: Green Vibrance addresses the four foundations of health - Digestion, Immunity, Nutrition, and Circulation. Find your healthy balance through this comprehensive formula.

• EASY NUTRITION: It's a challenge to integrate the nutrition we need to feel our best into our busy day to day. Green Vibrance is a one-stop solution, simple to drink added to your beverage of choice. Add it to your smoothie and take your greens to go.

Find Green Vibrance on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vibrant-Health-Plant-Based-Superfood-Probiotics/dp/B00SK66JZ6


Kate Nolte
Tulum Personal Trainer

Afternoon Siestas for Everyone!

Ahhh the siesta. That great mid-day nap that symbolizes sleep more than anything else. I live in Tulum, Mexico where many local shops, offices and churches will close midday because it’s just too hot to be productive. A siesta doesn’t necessarily mean sleep. For me it’s the beauty behind practicing a slower paced lifestyle at that 6th hour in the day and allowing yourself some necessary quiet time.
Afternoon siestas or naps were never part of my daily routine before I became a personal trainer and fitness instructor.  But after 7 years in the fitness industry, taking a siesta after high intense training with clients became an important piece in my wellness program.

 Sometimes I actually do sleep, but usually my siesta is my midday “me time”… which often means I do absolutely nothing. I schedule space for myself after my last morning training appointment. It’s almost as if I’m my own client and I honor that “me time” appointment like I would any paying customer. That hour is for me to refuel, recharge, recover and re-energize not only my physical self but my emotional self too.

 My siesta can take place at home and if I’m super lucky an actual nap happens in my bed with my lovely dog. More often than not, I have to create my quiet time somewhere convenient and in public. I have a favorite café in downtown Tulum that I’ve been a regular at for the last 2 years. The staff nods me hello as I walk to the back and settle into a corner table for one. The staff knows me really well and they understand I’m there to siesta. They understand I’m coming in to find time for myself and to not be disturbed.  I’ll settle into my seat, close my eyes, block out the noise from the other tables and just breathe. After about 20 min or 30 min, I’ll open my eyes, come back into my day and slowly drink a massive green juice.

A siesta is a conscious effort to take a break, to stop and reflect, and to take time for yourself. In Mexico siestas are common, and as a fitness professional, quite essential to my self-care and mindfulness practice. But why not get inspired by this idea of doing nothing midday in order to rest and recharge, be it physically, mentally, or otherwise?

Kate Nolte
Tulum Personal Trainer

My Bike is My Yoga

The small tattoo on the inside of my left wrist is hidden by an

enormous watch and 3 bracelets. It says MOVE. I had it done as a reminder

I need to move to become the person I enjoy being. I have a lot of

energy so when I have to sit longer than I want, my brain gets stuck

analyzing the same idea over and over that becomes a swirl of

negative noise. The result is indecision, self-doubt and anxiety. I

have found the best way to move my thought is to move my body - a

mind/body connection. The tattoo is a reminder.

Tulum is a community of wellness people who understand this. It is

famous for Yoga, Yoga teacher training programs, Bikini Boot Camp

retreats, fitness retreats, body workers, therapists, and Mayan

healers. Over the past ten years it has become THE PLACE to host

mind/body retreats for people from around the world.  People who want to

do more of what they love and do it more often.  Living here has provided

me a wide range of fitness and wellness opportunities with people who

value body work and movement in their everyday lives.

Through my years here, I have found I have a lot in common with my

neighbors but Yoga or healing therapies don’t give me what I want. I

discovered {or re-discovered) joy riding my bike to work every

day. From my casita in the jungle to the beach where I teach fitness

classes takes 30 minutes - the most joyful window of time in my day.

It has become my absolute favorite way to get moving, to get back

to myself, to get really, really happy. Riding my bike doesn't require

a philosophy, studio space, special wardrobe or any planning at

all. Just me and my bike. Whether wearing my pajamas and flip-flops or a

bikini, I am free to ride. It is so simple and so easy and so perfect

for me.  I don't track my mileage, record my time, or even see it as exercise at all.

I flow and let go – it’s my Yoga.

On my bike I am present, happy, the person I want to be. The noise

in my head is gone and I am flowing.

What is your Yoga?

Kate Nolte

Tulum Personal Trainer

About: Kate Nolte, Personal Trainer:

This is a blog for the person who cares more about health and fitness than the average person.
How exciting! I decided to share my passion for health and fitness by starting a blog about all the cool stuff I get to see, try and test about living and being healthy, balanced and well each day.

From new ideas to try in the gym to beauty tips for fit girls on the go, from healthy dessert recipes and bike rides to positive thinking and self-empowerment - this blog will explore the methods and madness of the everyday person trying to get in - and stay in - shape.

This is not a weight loss guide and I am not selling an exercise program. This blog is about the daily moments on the road to sustainable health and fitness for all of us, whether the journey began years ago or it’s about to start right now. It’s about going to the gym, the studio, your group class, or going outside and taking a walk, and getting your body moving because you love it. It’s about finding some inspiration and staying inspired.

This blog is written by ME! Kate Nolte. I am 37 year old personal trainer, group fitness instructor and aspiring fitness model. I have been in the best shape of my life, to out of shape and depressed, to sick and injured and out of the gym for months at a time,  to back on my feet again training 6 hours a day and killing it.

I believe there is always the need, especially after falling, to get back up and get back to movement. In other words. Don’t get down and stay down. Keep fighting.

 “The winners are the losers who chose to get back up.”

So, if you’ve ever sought a bike ride to clear your head…

Or needed to revamp your gym routine because you’re sick of your old routine…

If you’ve ever eaten Reese’s peanut butter cups for dinner and felt like a badass for doing it…

Or gone to the gym and left because you really just needed a nap and not a workout…

If you’ve ever been so sore that you can’t walk normally and you were super proud of the pain…

Or thought you’d never like a kickboxing class and then you became GI Jane during the warm up…

Then I invite you to come back here and check out the blog, post your comments and suggestions and share your stories with me.

Kate Nolte
Tulum Personal Trainer