All posts by Kim

I am a 44 year old wife, mom and athlete. I started running in high school and have loved it ever since. As I got older, I had to stop running every day so I added in weight training and all sorts of fun work-outs like Insanity, P90X and Turbo Fire. I'm a certified personal trainer and I love all aspects of fitness.

Uncategorized

Special Post – Special Guest: Exercise & Cancer

February 21, 2013 Kim 2 Comments

Please welcome Melanie Bowen!! She has a degree in nutrition and is working on her Master’s in exercise science. She also enjoys learning about different types of alternative health options.

You can read more about Melanie on her website Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

How to Exercise when You Have Cancer

Living a healthy life while battling cancer seems like an impossible task. You probably go for your traditional chemotherapy and feel like doing nothing else but resting when you get home. Cancer treatment can leave you feeling exhausted and in pain. While it may be difficult to recover from treatments, exercise can help to strengthen your body and improve your general mood. You will find that there are numerous benefits when you are committed to a regular exercise regimen. Even if you are in later stages of mesothelioma or just diagnosed with colon cancer, exercise can still be quite beneficial.

The reason doctors recommend exercise and advise many people to workout regularly is because of how beneficial it is for both the body and mind. Whether it’s just a walk around the block or an hour-long jog on the treadmill, exercise can improve bodily functions and the way you perceive things. For cancer patients, exercise helps to strengthen a weakened immune system so that it is easier for your body to ward off illness. Exercise improves circulation, cardiac and respiratory function, and strengthens bones and muscles. Working out can also help to boost your mood through the release of endorphins. This will help you feel better about your health, body and your current situation in life.

You should never forgo regular cancer treatment and rely on exercise to cure your cancer however; it should be used to complement your cancer treatment so that you are taking care of the underlying problem and addressing issues that might arise due to treatment. Working out can make you feel more energized and happier while you routinely go for treatment. Many cancer patients find exercising relaxing and helpful in order for them to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.

If you feel that a workout regimen is right for you, you might want to think about speaking with your doctor and establishing a set routine that works with your schedule and condition. Ask your doctor about exercise and which workouts they recommend for cancer patients who are in your current state of health. Your doctor might recommend working out lightly only once a week or he might even suggest working out every other day at a moderate intensity. It is up to you and your healthcare provider on the types of exercises you do and how often you happen to do them at home.

Butt, Cardio, Fitness, Running, Treadmill

It’s a Blizzard!!

February 21, 2013 Kim

DSCN2728 — 7:30 am (snow started around 6:30 or 6:45 I think)

Snow day here is Kansas!! (Actually, the city basically cancelled everything last night before the snow even started just based on the forecast – surprisingly the weather predictions were all true.) Boys are out of school and the base even shut down so Chris is home!!!

For my 43 I went old school!! I used my transfirmer step and did a “tall-box climb”

14" double step (the Transfirmer) — 14″ double step (the Transfirmer)

while holding 12 pound dumbbells. (This is a move that I got from the Firm DVDs – it is one of their signature moves.) Standing behind the step, you step up with your right foot then your left foot and then step down with you right foot then left = 1 rep.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrfAA0wYeeM’]

I did 43 with my right leg leading and 43 with my left leg leading. Great quad/butt work and my heart rate went up quit a bit (the weights really add to the move).

Then, while my legs were already a bit fatigued (21 x 1 minute wall-sits today + the tall-box climb!!!) I decided to start experimenting with a run-walk (more like jog-walk) pattern for my 50 mile race (in October).

For those who know me at all, walking is usually not part of my training. Actually, I don’t like to jog that much either – I just want to run!! However, I know that if I don’t train correctly and just go into the race like an idiot it won’t be pretty. I know that running and walking use the leg muscles differently and I want to have lots of experience going back and forth between the 2 before October.

Today I started with a 10 minute jog followed by a 5 minute walk. After 2 sets of that I decided that I don’t want to walk half the time. I switched to a 7.5 minute jog with a 2.5 minute walk for the next half hour. I think I might like that pattern. Over the next few months I will start training for several hours at a time like that and see.

I also need to play around with my hydration and eating. I’m pretty much a water only drinker (except my evening happy hour!) so I need to try some of the electrolyte drinks.

So many choices!!! And I have never really been one to fuel while running – I know it’s not good to go hours without anything but I do! I’m going to have to play around with all the options for snacks, too!

My preference would beHigh school track meets I lived on Hershey bars and oranges!! It was great!! (or maybe not that great but…)

Anyway, I figure I better get some of this figured out between now and mid-October!

Here is a fun little snow video if you like snow (me – not so much!!).

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR41H4pFxLE’]

(That would be Jordan and I talking during it!)

DSCN2733 — same shot as the 7:30 at about 10:30
snow is slowing down!!

I know y’all are jealous if you don’t have snow like this! I’m in hibernation mode till it stops and the roads are clear!!

The back deck shows how much it has drifted in some places! Good thing we don’t need to get out there for any reason.

Happy Thursday!! Happy snow day!

Kim

Core, Fitness

SLEEP – Why Can’t we be Friends???

February 20, 2013 Kim 14 Comments

Today’s 43 targeted the lower abs (one of the hardest areas to work, I think). I laid on my back with my legs straight up at 90 and feet flexed. The actual move is small – lift your hips while pushing your feet up to the sky.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMZ7fOhIMg’]

I tried to make sure that I wasn’t using my hands to push off – all core. A simple, quick 43 today!

Then – more Les Mills Combat!! Combat 45 – another fun, but intense work-out. I’m pretty addicted to this Combat program!!! I think they are all great work-outs but also very enjoyable!!

SLEEP – such a simple word!! Why is it so difficult?! I have always had a few issues with sleep as well as a few requirements: completely dark, cool, quiet. Seems reasonable -right?

So, why can’t I sleep???

Hot, then cold, oh wait now I’m hot again!!! Sweating during a work-out is awesome, sweating at night, not so great!
2-3 trips to the bathroom! I have always been a huge water drinker – all day long. I don’t drink different amounts now, my body just handles it differently!
Comfort – there is no single position that I can stay in for more than about an hour. If I sleep on my back, it hurts. If I sleep on my right side, my elbow hurts.
My brain won’t shut off!!! I don’t usually feel stressed about things when I go to bed but during the night I have 1000s of thoughts that run through my head over & over & over again!!

SLEEP – let’s make up and move on! I don’t think it’s too much to ask!

Do y’all have sleep issues? What do you do when you can’t sleep?

(A lot of nights I read for hours – good thing it doesn’t bother Chris – he can sleep through most anything!!)

Happy Wednesday!!!

Kim

Calves, Fitness, Running, Stairs, Treadmill

Pure Joy

February 19, 2013 Kim 5 Comments

Today’s 43 worked a muscle group that I rarely spend much time on – my calves. I guess I just assume that running and plyo work is enough for them. (Weird, cause I use to always add in calf work.)

Anyway – I did calf raises on my bottom step (on a separate note – I really need to vacuum the stairs!). I held 15 pound dumbbells for added weight and tried to work all angles of my calves. I did a set of 43 just straight up and down:

I really tried to focus on holding not just the drop portion but the raised portion of each rep.

up - this is the real work! — up – this is the real work!

Then I turned my toes out for a set of 43.

A third set of 43 with my toes in.

Then I thought I might as well go ahead and really work my calves to fatigue by doing each leg by separately. (For these, I held one 15 pound dumbbell in the hand on the same side as the leg I was working.)

43 on the left leg.

Final 43 on the right leg.

Yikes!! I really should start doing these more often. I think it would help my problem Achilles a lot!! The hold at the top of each rep is where the true burn comes in!!

Today was a Les Mills Combat day – HIIT Power. 30 minutes of high intensity strength and plyo moves. There was a brief moment during the last segment where I questioned why I was putting myself through such ~~torture~~ ~~pain~~ an intense work-out. Then I remembered – I LOVE IT!!!!

Since the work-out was short, I decided to get in some extra cardio – Hello, treadmill!!!

Today was maybe the best run I’ve had since sometime last summer. Not because of the speed or distance – it just felt so great!! I felt like I was running simply because I LOVE it.

Such a great feeling!! I ran 6 miles (41:38) and then did and easy 1.5 to finish an hour of running. I don’t know what was different today but I will take it – Pure, 100% joy from the run!!!This babies expression sums it up beautifully!!!

Happy Tuesday – I hope your day has a great deal of true joy!!!

Kim

Beef, Pasta, Recipes

Beef Manicotti on National Drink Wine Day

February 18, 2013 Kim 1 Comment

First off – today is National Drink Wine Day (not to be confused with National Wine Day which is May 23)! Thank you, Google!!! Of course, I felt the need to participate! :Happy:

I used to think that making manicotti was to difficult for me!! I don’t know why I thought it would be hard!!! I do have a little cheat that I discovered the very first time I tried to make it! (see below)

Manicotti is a family favorite!! And, I’m going to go ahead and say right now, there is really nothing healthy about this particular recipe!!! Jordan loves it and since he is the only one in the family that worked (paged for a Senator, you know!) today then I told him I would make it tonight.

Beef Manicotti

1 lb ground beef (we buy a side of beef – very lean and never even has to be drained)
onion, to taste
garlic, to taste (tonight I just put in a little garlic salt instead)
1 package manicotti
mozzarella cheese, shredded (1-2 cups)
cheddar (or your choice of kind – I think I used Colby Jack tonight) cheese, shredded (1-2 cups)
spaghetti sauce (I use the kind that comes out of a can cause I’m me – feel free to make your own sauce)

Heat oven to 350 and spray a 9 x 13 pan.

Bring large pot of water to a boil and then cook manicotti according to package directions. (7 minutes for the brand I used.) In a large skillet, brown the meat with onion and garlic.

Add the cheese into the meat mixture and stir until the cheese melts in. Remove from heat.

Drain the manicotti. To make the job of filling it easier, I always just slit the pasta up the side and fill it like a tortilla:So much easier than trying to stuff the filling into the shell!!! (and no one will ever know unless you tell them!)