What’s Your Minimum?

I used 2 of my small wobble balls again for the 44 – 

so many possibilities!
so many possibilities!

This time I stood on them and did dead lifts.

ready
ready
down
down

This was a good challenge – staying balanced on the little balls was tricky.  Dead lifts are one of my favorite moves and I loved the challenge with the balls!!  15 pound dumbbells was plenty today since I was trying to balance.

Finished the February challenge – 50 push-ups and 50 walking lunges today.

Today I did another old DVD (remember I’m trying to go through my DVD workout library this year!!!) – The Firm, Dangerous Curves Ahead.  This workout uses a small band for some extra resistance!

small but powerful
small but powerful

I actually didn’t do the entire workout today.  About 30 minutes in I was dragging and thinking about all the things I needed to get done before taking  the boys to school so I just stopped.  

Not gonna lie – it is rare for me to cut a workout short!!!  And, it made me wonder – what is the minimum length to work out and count it as a workout?

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 6.35.22 AMI actually read a post earlier this week that was talking about running and what is your shortest distance.  Now, I’m wondering about your shortest time to call a workout a workout!   (Sorry, I can’t remember whose blog!!)  

(Update – Miss Zippy wrote a post called When is a run a run?  asking a similar question about running.)

I track all of my workouts (not just my running) and I like to keep up with how many days I actually workout.  If all I do is my daily 44 then I don’t count it as a workout day.  Normally I get at least an hour (or more) of working out on the days I count.

However, today I stopped the DVD around the 30 minute mark.  
So, does it count??

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 6.41.32 AM

 

30 minutes has always been my minimum!!  I see tons of workouts that can be done in 12 minutes or 14 or 17 or 20 and I think they look like great workouts but I always feel like I have to combine several of them to actually count it as a true workout day.

I don’t have a set number of miles that I’m trying to run this year because I have learned by now that if I try to push too hard I end up injured.  But, I do have a goal to workout over 300 days this year and I do use my 30 minute minimum as part of the criteria on what counts.

Do you have a minimum time that you use to count a workout – weather it’s a DVD, something from Pinterest, a walk – whatever?  Or do you even track how many days you workout?

Happy Fun Friday!!

Kim

BTW – I have worked out 52 out of 59 days so far in 2014.

Favorite Things

Today’s 44 used one of my favorite pieces of equipment – 

BOSU
BOSU

I did a bicycle crunch while trying to stay balanced on the BOSU.  

right
right
left
left

Umm….this was hard!!  I wobbled, nearly fell off many times, touched my feet to the ground….but I did manage to get 44 crunches to each side.

I did another favorite workout today – Les Mills Combat – Combat 60 Live, Ultimate Warriors Workout.  This one is fun and because of the number of reps on some of the moves it is not only cardio but offers a nice toning workout, too.  And, the time flies by!!!

BTW – this week for the February challenge with Taylor we are doing 50 push-ups and 50 lunges every day.  I’m making my lunges walking lunges because I like them!!!

I say that some things are my favorites a LOT because I think I have tons of favorites.  Today I thought I would share a few – this is pretty much an ever changing list!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 6.37.14 AM

Drink:  Water is what I drink the most (all day long!) but we all know I love my wine, too!

a favorite!!! Wine from Germany
a favorite!!!
Wine from Germany

 

Food:  This one is hard – it changes and I don’t know that I could pick just one food as a favorite.  Maybe pizza – pretty sure I could eat it almost every day (but I don’t!).

Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 6.41.30 AM

Candy:  Gobstoppers!!  

Song:  Hard to pick one so I’m going with 2.  Brown Eyed Girl  and Toes (actually I like all of the songs by Zac Brown Band & Jimmy Buffet)

Season:  SUMMER, duh!!!!

my favorite
my favorite

Sport to Watch:  College basketball!!  Almost time for some March Madness!

College Team:  Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 6.45.05 AMState:  Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 6.46.14 AM

Time of Day:  Dinner with my family!!!

Shoes:  This is another hard one.  I love shoes and boots and sandals!!!

some favorites!
some favorites!

Computer Brand:  Screen Shot 2014-02-27 at 6.50.58 AMI love my MacBook Air!!!  And, iPad mini and iPhone.  I don’t really love the Samsung (something) phone that I bought for our business phone – can’t figure it out!!!

Book:  I love to read but I rarely re-read any books.  The one book that I have read many times is from my childhood – Little Women.

Person:  Well, there is no way I can pick just one!!!

my boys
my boys

What are some of your favorite things?

Happy Thursday!!!

Kim

What is Your Cure for Waking Up in a Funk?

Today’s 44 was fun!!  I did a squat with a bonus.  When I squatted, I touched my dumbbells (just 5 pounds) to the floor then jumped up and pushed my dumbbells over head!!

Talk about getting your heart rate way up there really quickly!!!

I did a DVD from a series that I love and haven’t done much lately – Jari Love Get Ripped and Get Extremely Ripped.  Today I did Get Extremely Ripped Lean Body.  I did the 30 minute complete lean body section and a 30 minute body rock section.  By the end, I felt like I had worked every muscle group in my body  – AWESOME!!!

Ever have one of those days where nothing is wrong but you just aren’t completely happy for some reason?!

That’s sort of how I feel – could be the layer of snow/ice/whatever on the ground and the cold temps – but I’m just in a bit of a funk!  So, I decided to  find some fun eCards because they always make me laugh!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.51.56 AMThat’s what the song says anyway!!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.52.19 AMThis might happen on occasion – you would think that we are old enough to learn this lesson but…..

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.52.41 AMTrying not to be the cloud today!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.53.39 AMVery true even though I probably woke up and looked at the clock myself 5 minutes earlier!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.55.17 AMHaHa!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.56.30 AMI’m going to try adding the cape – I think it will make me feel more productive!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.57.03 AMActually I don’t wish it would snow but I’m pretty much guaranteed to complain every time it does!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.59.22 AMFor real!!  And piling your stuff on top of mine on the belt isn’t the solution either!!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-26 at 6.58.23 AMI know that a lot of parents can relate to this one!

These are so much more fun than listening to me ramble!! And, after I get back from the school drop-off I think I will hop on my treadmill for a run before moving on with the day!

What is your cure on those days when you wake up in a bit of a funk?

Happy Wednesday!

Kim

 

 

Time to Make a Few Changes

Today I used one of my small wobble balls for the 44.  I balanced on it – 

lifting up so you can see it
lifting up so you can see it

Just sitting on this was a bit of a challenge!!  While staying balanced on it, I did double leg raises.

start
start
lift & hold
up

You can’t even tell that the wobble ball is under me in the pictures but it is and I promise it adds to the challenge!!!

Today was a run day!!!  8 miles in 63:12 with 1.5% incline
I’m planning to run again tomorrow – rare for me to run back to back but I’m thinking it will be OK!!!

Screen Shot 2014-02-25 at 6.58.13 AMSo, I know I won’t ever be perfect but I do need to make a few changes.  

I think I’ve talked before about the fact that we try to eat healthy most of the time but I love chips, Cheetos and several other empty calorie items.  And, I know I haven’t made any secret about the fact that I love my evening cocktail!!!

Cosmo
Cosmo

But lately, I feel like my appetite has been out of control.  Last night within 30 minutes of dinner (where I ate more than enough!) I was starving!!

I think that I need to play around with the amount of protein I get because I’m not sure that I always take in enough.  I know that over the weekend I had minimal protein which might explain how hungry I was yesterday.

I can also tell that I have put on a little weight around my middle and I want to get rid of that – 

after run
after run

Sort of hard to see clearly from this angle but trust me, it’s there.  

So, nothing major but I figure I need to make a few changes now and see if it helps.  I realize that each year I will have to work a little harder to maintain the shape I want and there are always things that I’m not willing to give up completely (potato chips & WINE!) but I can scale back on some of the things that I love and try some new things.

Do you ever feel the need to make some small changes in your eating to maintain the size/shape you want to be?

Happy Tuesday!!

Kim

BTW  – this is just me being real about myself.  I’m not comparing myself or size to anyone because what works for some isn’t necessarily right for me.  I just know what makes me feel my best and I want to try to stay at that point.

The Marathon from a Spectator’s Point of View

Today’s 44 was another multi-move exercise!!!  I started in a lunge – 

ready
ready

Staying in a partial lunge the entire time, I did a row –

row
row

and then I opened to a fly.

fly
fly

After completing 44 with my right arm, I had to switch and do 44 more with my left arm.

2nd side
2nd side
row
row
fly
fly

I used an 8 pound dumbbell which was a challenging weight by the end!!!

I decided to do another forgotten DVD today – TaeBo Amped – Express Sculpt.  The amped workouts use this cool stick or “amplifier” –

AmplifierThe amplifier can be used in the shortened form or extended to look like this – 

extended
extended

This workout was 45 minutes and it isn’t  very cardio heavy (not like most TaeBo workouts) but using the amplifier is a great way to really make your shoulders burn!!  

Yesterday I was in Ft. Worth, TX to watch my sister-in-law, Stacy, run her first marathon.  

Start – Between the half, full and ultra which all started at the same time, there were about 30,000 runners and all I can say is – WOW!!!  The start was actually pretty well organized with 8 corrals.  I was in a great position right at the corner for the first turn (about 100 m in).

Stacy and her running partner in matching orange tops
Stacy and her running partner in matching orange tops

So, Stacy and her running partner, Anna are looking fresh and ready for the race here.

After the start, I coordinated with Sam (Stacy’s husband/my brother) and he picked me up so that we could get to our first view point.

Mile 4 – the runners were still in one huge pack at this point and it was hard to pick out Stacy but we did see her!!

Mile 4 - stopping to say hi to Hays & Isabel
Mile 4 – stopping to say hi to Hays & Isabel

I think that it was a nice place to stop for a second since they were half-way up a long hill!!!  Both Stacy and Anna were still smiling at this point – all good!!

From here, we had to figure out our next view point (and feed the kids!!).  Getting from place to place was a challenge since so many roads were blocked off.

Mile 10 – this was the point where the half marathon runners were being directed to stay to the right and it was still very crowded.  This time, I managed a picture before they got all the way to us!

still smiling
still smiling

Anna had enough of the long sleeves so she handed her shirt over to me when they passed.

After we cheered for them and many others, we let the kids explore the water gardens for a bit and then headed to our next view point.

Mile 15.8 – This was a fun wait!!  There were some other people cheering for runners and we had a great time yelling for people.  Hays and Isabel decided to encourage runners here.

so fun!!
so fun!!

This might have been the first time I cried during the day – it was so amazing to watch the runners switch over so that they could give the kids “5.”   Stacy and Anna were still running strong and seemed to be doing well when we saw them.  

One lady had a huge fan group here and when she came into sight and saw them she did a cartwheel – awesome!!!  I watched another lady stop and hug her baby before continuing on – so many emotions watching all these runners!

Mile 20 – I think that mile 20 was my favorite spot!! (and sadly, the only one where I didn’t take any pictures)  We were at this spot for close to 30 minutes and I had a great time cheering for all the runners.  At this point, they either looked really strong or completely over the whole thing!  

The funny thing about getting to watch and cheer – so many people said thanks for coming out and encouraging them – I don’t think they realized how incredible the experience was for me as a spectator!!!

Mile 26 – Sam, Hays and Isabel found a view point so that they could see Stacy cross the finish line but I went further out.  I was close to the 26 mile point (so they still had to run those long last 0.2 miles) and make one final turn.  

I think I was here for over 45 minutes and this was by far the most emotional part of the entire day for me.  Watching so many runners realize how close they were to completing the marathon – for some their first and for others one of many – but all were happy!!

I saw runners crying, spectators running with them.  Some runners were jubilant and others were just gutting out that last little bit but all had one thing in common – they were marathoners!  

almost done!!!
almost done!!!

Tired but excited and so close to completing their very first marathon!!!

I didn’t see them actually cross the line but I heard the announcer as he read their names!!!

Marathon Finishers!!
Marathon Finishers!!

WooHoo!!!  Watching the race was an awesome experience and I’m so happy for Stacy (and Anna).

I wasn’t totally prepared for the emotional experience that it would be for me.  I always thought that I was OK with not actually racing a marathon – now I’m not so sure.

Congrats, Stacy!  I'm so proud of you!!!
Congrats, Stacy! I’m so proud of you!!!

By the time I got home last night I was completely exhausted and felt like I had crammed at least a week into Saturday and Sunday but I would do it all again!!!

Do you get emotional as a spectator at a race?

Happy Monday!!

Kim