Monthly Archives: October 2013

Core, Fitness, Plank, Shoulders

A Few Fun Facts

81 Comments

Today I took the basic plank and turned it into a great 44.  This move include core strength, hip flexor action and shoulder work.  

Put your right hand down while stepping your right leg back (to plank position), put left hand down while stepping left leg back – step in with right leg and take right hand off the ground, step in with left leg while taking left hand off the ground.  (Just watch the video!!!)

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNBjmPP178′]

The only bad part of using this for my 44 was that after I finished all 44, I had to start over and lead with my left side!!!

Today I went back to one of my favorite workouts – Les Mills Combat – Combat 60, Extreme Cardio Fighter.  This workout is almost an hour but doesn’t feel like it – the way it is broken into segments and the high energy of the Les Mills team make the time fly by.  I can already feel it in my shoulders and upper back (been awhile since I did that many punches!!).

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 6.40.25 AM 

I thought that it would be fun to share some random things you might not already know about me.

1.  I lived in the dorm all 4 years of college.

2.  From kindergarten to my senior year of high school, I attended 9 different schools.  (In 8th grade alone, I went to 3 different schools).

3.  I have a twin brother and my dad had a twin sister.

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 6.45.55 AM

4.  I have Raynaud’s – 

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 6.47.40 AM

After I finish working out my hands are always freezing and turn white (almost transparent).  I wear gloves with shorts a lot – I’m super cool like that!!!

5.  I didn’t lift weights or cross train until I was in my mid-30s.  Now I can’t imagine my life without a huge variety of workouts!

6.  I like Mac & Cheese for lunch (even when there are no kids around!!).

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 6.51.40 AM

7.  I might have a slight shoe addiction!!!  One day someone asked me how many pairs of shoes/boots/sandals…I had – Ummm…..we try not to actually count them!!!!

Not my closet - I wish, though!!!
Not my closet – I wish, though!!!

8.  I rarely wear make-up – just some mascara and lip stick (maybe).

9.  I used to be the Queen of the Snooze button!

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 6.57.32 AMI would literally hit the snooze button for over an hour – everyday!!!  Not sure why I always thought that the next morning would be the day I would actually got up early but….

When I went back to work  after both boys were in school, it was the first time in my entire life that I didn’t hit the snooze button.  Now I never use the snooze button.

10. I think I was around 27 before I ever really drank water (other than just a sip or 2).  I used to drink Diet Coke ALL DAY long!!!

Screen shot 2013-10-23 at 7.03.12 AM

Your turn to share a fun random fact!!!

Happy Wednesday!!

Kim

 

Butt, Fitness, Quad, Squats

We Really Only Need 4 Basic Things!!!

71 Comments

Today for my 44 I did a squat on a wobble disc – 

Wobble Disc

Just standing on the disc is a challenge for your balance!  I started with my hands reaching up –

start
start

then reached my hands down to my toes during the squat.

reach for toes
reach for toes

There were lots of wobbles before I completed all 44 of these!!!

And, Tuesday means Garage Boot Camp!!!  (not sure how fun this will be in the winter!!!) Today we did one of my favorites – ABC Boot Camp.  Because we have a shorter amount of time  than we did in the summer, we only did 1 minute of each move (in the summer we did 75 seconds).  Still a great workout!!!

Entitlement:  the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something  (Merriam-Webster)

Screen shot 2013-10-21 at 9.00.40 PMHave you ever met people who feel “entitled”?

More and more lately it seems that people feel like someone (that ubiquitous entity) owes them!  I don’t get it!!!

When our boys were little we told them they needed 4 things:  food, water, oxygen and love.

We made sure that they had all of those (I guess we didn’t really have much control over the oxygen thing!!!) things and everything else was just a bonus!!!

I still believe that we can boil our needs down to the basics – everything else (and there is plenty) is like icing on the cake, sunshine at the beach, the star on top of the tree!!  It’s EXTRA!!

Last Thursday (cleaning, set-up, ironing day), the bride of the weekend called me.  She wanted to know if they could have the venue (for free) Friday night since they had rented it for Saturday.  She felt like I “owed” her that even though the rental for a Friday night is completely separate!!!

I’m pretty sure if we book a hotel and then call them up and tell them they should let us come in a day early for free they would laugh and/or hang-up on us!!!

I think that we all need to remember that we can live with –

Food
Food
Water
Water

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Screen shot 2013-10-21 at 9.24.19 PMWhat do you think?  Do people have more of a sense of entitlement these days? 

Happy Tuesday!!

Kim

PS – I let the wedding party have their rehearsal at the venue on Friday evening like the bride wanted.

Core, Fitness

Am I Old?!

73 Comments

Today’s 44 was for the core – primarily the lower part of the abs.  I did a single leg crunch with a leg extension.

right side
right side
crunch
crunch

This move is slow and controlled – extend the leg and hold, then crunch in.  Of course, after I finished 44, I had to switch sides and start again!!

left side
left side
crunch
crunch

For my workout I did one of the 10 Minute Solution DVDs – Ultimate Boot Camp.  I did all 5 sections for a great full-body workout.  

Lately I feel like I’m sort of struggling with some of my workouts  for some reason – maybe it is part of the “old” thing!!!

Most days I feel like I’m still in my 20s – well, maybe not but….I don’t feel OLD!!!

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However, some days things happen that make me feel old.

The other day I went to a networking luncheon to meet other small business owners.  This guy that I sat next to (he looked about 15!) kept calling me Ma’am.  Really?!  It would be one thing if he really were 15 but he wasn’t – he was a local business man!!

Screen shot 2013-10-20 at 9.12.11 PMI felt old then!!!

Friday evening we took dinner to some friends who just had a baby.  The new mom asked me if I wanted to hold her – – – YES!!!!  While holding this tiny precious baby I realized that I’m closer to grand babies than when my own boys were babies – What????

Screen shot 2013-10-20 at 9.16.07 PMA lot of times when I’m showing our venue to a perspective bride, I realize that I am old enough to be her mom!!

So, I guess I will just keep doing my daily 44s and be happy that even though I might be “old” I can still workout hard and keep up with some 20 year olds!!!

Screen shot 2013-10-20 at 9.18.19 PMAnd – I do remember what it felt like to slam a phone shut after a conversation – so there is that!!!

Do young adults call you Ma’am or Sir?  
Do you feel older than your age or younger?

Happy Monday!!!

 Kim

Fitness, Push-Ups

Favorite Exercises

47 Comments

Today’s 44 was another push-up variation and it was hard!!!  I used – 

Step Stability Ball
Step
Stability Ball

To do the push-ups, I put my toes on the step and my hands on either side of the ball.

Ready
Ready

Just getting in this position was hard – I don’t think you can tell but my arms were shaking!!!  From here, I just did normal push-ups.

down
down

I couldn’t get my chest all the way to the ball without killing myself so I went as low as I could.  Using the stability ball for push-ups is always super hard for me!

It’s no secret that I like to workout and try new moves!  Today I thought I would share 

Screen shot 2013-10-20 at 7.32.11 AMPush-ups:  As few as 5 years ago, the only way I even attempted push-ups was on my knees.  Quite honestly, I never even considered trying them any other way.  Now I like to try all sorts of push-up variations.  Here are just a few:

toes on medicine ball
toes on medicine ball
Alt. sides of the BOSU - walk over in between
Alt. sides of the BOSU – walk over in between
tricep push-ups (one of my weakest
tricep push-ups (one of my weakest)
stability ball
stability ball

 

incline push-ups
incline push-ups

Squats:  Squats have always been one of my favorites!!  I used to do 100s of squats at a time way back in my 20s!!!  There are so many ways to do squats but I’m just picking a few today!

sissy squats
sissy squats
lift and hold
Start on ball – lift, hover, hold before lowering back down
dumbbell squats
dumbbell squats

 

single leg squats
single leg squats – right toe is barely touching floor

Burpees:  Burpees are one of those moves that many people hate.  This is another move I used to dread.  There was a time not many years ago that when I did workout DVDs and burpees were included, I used that time as  a water  break!!!  Now, I have all kinds of fun with this move!!!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RpUfTqSsc’]

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thv3mJioVSA’]

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCSfRRoiuA4′]

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQT6e33BNuM’]

Burpees with rotating squat jump:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtBPSB1xiDo’]

I could actually go on and on with my list of favorite exercises because I like to work every part of my body and there are really only a few moves that I still don’t like – JUMPING LUNGES!!!

What are some of your favorite exercises?  Do you like to do different variations?

Happy Sunday!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Running, Treadmill

Running Because I Want to Not Because I Have to

50 Comments

Because I was so excited to do weighted burpees on Thursday, I didn’t do Nellie’s (Brooklyn Active Mama) Wednesday workout yet – so today I did 44 toe touches.  

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyo4p5cw-7c&feature=youtu.be’]

This is a move that you will feel after just a few!!!  44 of these were a challenge!!!

And – because it’s been a week since the last time I ran, I ran today.  All week long I’ve thought about how far I would run today – I thought about doing 50 miles (on my treadmill, of course!) just because I know I have it in me.   Then I thought about running 25 so that I could complete the 50 (over the course of a week but whatever….).

Screen shot 2013-10-19 at 9.57.48 AM

However, this morning, I ran the way I felt – because that is what running is all about for me!!!  I did 7 miles in 45:43 (1.5% incline) and then another 1.5 miles at a nice easy pace to cool down.  

I have realized that I am not a person who like to follow a running training plan at this point in my life.  I just want to run for the pure enjoyment I get from running.  

I know lots of people thrive on training plans and knowing exactly what each day will bring but when I run that way, I start to resent everything about running – and I hate that feeling.

Screen shot 2013-10-19 at 9.57.30 AMSome days I want to run 5-9  miles at a quick pace just because – so I do!

Some days I feel like doing some intervals – so I do them!!

Some days – the idea of running for 3-5 hours is my idea of a good time!!!

Some days I don’t want to run at all – so I pick a different workout and I am completely OK with it.

Today, I decided that I don’t have to prove anything with my running – I just want to continue to enjoy it!!!  And one day, that might mean lacing up my shoes and running 50 miles just because I want to!!!  (today was not that day!)

Happy Saturday!

Kim