Taking the issue with Taos Mountain Warrior Fitness

Don't wait until New Year's Eve to make the resolution to get fit.

"It's better to start now, so you are in shape by New Year or as soon as Thanksgiving," said trainer Carmen Medrano-Ruiz.

Medrano-Ruiz and her husband lingzhi 3x slimming power Daniel Ruiz, of Taos Mountain Warrior Fitness, offer fitness classes Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. in the Taos Senior high school gym. They've Cross Fit Level 1, Cross Fit Mobility, Cross Fit Olympic Lifting weights and Cross Fit Strongman certificates.

"Getting fit is a process that takes time to complete and you just have to start somewhere," said Medrano-Ruiz. "We take any fitness level and work with what you have. If you're committed, you will see results soon."

"Taco stand to restaurant" approach

After residing in Taos for several years, Carmen Medrano-Ruiz and Daniel Ruiz gone to live in Albuquerque in 2009 so he might get an engineering degree. She started learning Cross Fit -- a strength and conditioning program that includes Olympic weightlifting, high-intensity interval training workouts, cardio routines and strongman gymnastics.

"At first, I couldn't even do push-ups," she said, "but I kept in internet marketing and also got better. Finally, I came to be a certified instructor and started teaching. It was a natural process for me."

They came back to Taos last summer, after Daniel Ruiz finished the UNM School of Engineering.

"Lots of individuals from Taos leave rather than return simply because they believe that there aren't any opportunities for them here, but we wanted to stay and bring about the city," Medrano-Ruiz said. "Though we would like to open a gym, we have to make use of the 'taco are in position to restaurant approach' because we don't have money to book our very own space now."

Both of them helped the Taos Senior high school football team with strength and conditioning classes.

"Now we're dealing with the volleyball team and taking on the basketball team and also the cheerleaders," Medrano-Ruiz said.

They use our prime School facility but also their very own "traveling gym." All their equipment (weights, bars, and jump boxes) is within a trailer. Medrano-Ruiz also works with Taos Paramedics, training them in their place of work.

"It is not always easy, but we're going to go on," she said. "I hope more and more people see what we do and choose to complete the same thing -- stay here which help our community live to its highest potential."

Medrano-Ruiz organized the Flex Your Chest Throwdown, an exercise competition and fundraiser event in support of Taos Cancer Support Services that happened on Sept. 6-7.

"It was a success," she said. "Ninety-five athletes participated and most of them originated from on vacation, incidents where from Colorado and Clovis. They stayed here and spent profit Taos. That helped our economy as well."

Value of teamwork

Medrano-Ruiz believes working out in a group setting outweighs doing the work alone since people tend to motivate one another on the way.

"They push one another harder because there is that component of competition," she said. "Though, of course, they're mostly in competition with themselves, to make themselves stronger. And it is also social time: participants get to know one another and become friends. Many of them keep in touch following the class is over."

Medrano-Ruiz' advice to stay fit:

Be gentle on your own. Getting fit is a continuous process. As long as you build good habits you could return to them, even though you slip briefly.

Set achievable goals, ensuring they're specific and fit in your everyday or weekly routine.

Focus on your body. Sometimes you may need to lessen the concentration of your workouts and others you may want to push yourself harder.

Make sure you eat 5 times each day, proteins, vegetables and carbs. Yes, carbs. Don't cut them out completely. After a strong workout, root vegetables like potatoes, beets and carrots are great since you wish to put sugar back to your blood.

A perfect breakfast

Medrano-Ruiz stresses the importance of a well-balanced diet for overall good health.

"Breakfast is very important and you shouldn't skip it," she said. "You need energy to begin the day properly."

Within the mornings she often fries an egg in coconut oil, then sprinkles it with kale and turkey bacon.

But she isn't on a diet. She only follows an "eat-to-perform regime."

"I don't count calories nor come up with myself skinny," Medrano-Ruiz said. "I eat to be healthy and strong so I can enjoy life and look after my loved ones."

The experience of group fitness

Participants in Medrano-Ruiz' classes say they enjoy working together and have started noticing positive results.

Lisa Mart??¨¬anez works out and spins regularly but she hasn't done any kind of Olympic weightlifting in Ten years.

"That's why I started taking this class," she said. "I wish to be strong and healthy and to provide a great example for my two boys. I'm happy Used to do because I cash more energy now."

Celia Pacheco wants to learn better weightlifting techniques.

"I should also slim down," she said. "And I am experiencing the classes. Carmen is such an qing zi shou weight loss inspiring instructor that they makes it fun for everyone, though all of us work harddefinitive goal will be fit.

"I'd prefer to gain more muscle strength," he said. "My push-ups are already getting betterwithin the football team that Medrano-Ruiz coached some time ago. They both agree their performance improved because of it.

"I am very pleased with the resultsIt had been worth the effort and the sore muscles."