I have been lucky enough in the last year to sit down and talk with some of my biggest running idols: Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Deena Kastor…so I thought my cool would last right through meeting Jackie Warner.
Apparently the difference for me is that with runners I am just giddy and with Jackie I was just intimidated! I have been working diligently to embrace intensity and knowing that is her life made me probably just a little more in awee. Do I look more comfortable with her or the poster?
I of course totally asked if she wears sunglasses to workout as I was prepared to hand over my Oakley’s, but alas she said no..followed by a DUH she workouts in a gym most of the time. Err right, strength training not running, got it.
THE RALEIGH HOTEL
Let’s back up a bit…The Evian Water Live Young Event was held on Miami Beach at the Raleigh Hotel. Gorgeous. 
The Raleigh is tucked right off of Collins Ave in Miami Beach which means you would expect hustle and bustle…instead once you walk up to the doors everything seems to simply stop. This is definitely a luxury hotel which extended right on out to the poolside area where we were going to be sweating like crazy. If my plans had allowed for it I would have spent my afternoon at their awesome pool with a few cabana boys.
Of course we were going to be properly hydrated for this workout! I loved that one of Jackie’s key messages in to drink 3 Liters of water each day because it will ensure that you are clearing toxins out of your body, keeping your skin hydrated and restoring your muscles.
Overall she kept all of her messages simple, which I appreciated! We all make getting healthy far too difficult. Then of course you have Mother Nature also trying to make things difficult…the outdoor event nearly didn’t happen when a downpour came through just 30 minutes before the event. Luckily it cleared up just in time for a 10:30 AM outdoor in the full on Miami sun workout ( I was totally set up next to a fan!!).
WORKOUT
As noted once the sun came out that meant we were ready to get down to business with Jackie for an intense workout. Evian provided the tools we would need…water, a band and a mat! That’s right the point was to prove to everyone you have no excuses not to workout because you can do it with very little.
I don’t think anyone knew exactly what to expect when Jackie hit the stage, but there was a definite nervous energy!
She started right off the bat we would be doing what she calls “Cardio Acceleration”, which you can read more about in her new book 10 Pounds in 10 Days: The Secret Celebrity Program for Losing Weight Fast (review soon). Largely this means doing strength work with bursts of cardio, 1 minute rest and repeat like crazy. Let’s just say that after the “warm up” portion a few people dropped out and the rest of us were already sweating! Jackie does not believe in extended cardio, but rather intense bursts. In other words, strength, HIIT and Tabata type workouts.
Lucky for me Bex from BexLife was also there and we commiserated throughout the event about our sore our bums were and yet how excited we were! Who knew getting your ass kicked could be fun? Oh yeah marathon runners. I do have to say that while intensity is still not my strong suit, due to my endurance I can always tough out these workouts. However, she is a MAJOR fan of pushups and I did a crazy ZWOW the day before so that part was extremely difficult.
After the workout Jackie did about 15 minutes of Q&A which provided more great information that I will be including in my full interview report! I figure this is long enough already. For those of you who couldn’t workout with her in LA, New York or Miami they have a great LiveStream of the LA event so you can see if you think her workout was tough or a walk in the park! I kept wondering if she may have eased up a bit on us due to the heat/sun, but that may not be in her nature.
Have you ever done an outdoor workout? What do you think of celebrity trainers?
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Gratitude Journal
June 17
I am grateful for the ability to accept opportunities as they come.
