Today’s 44 was fun because not only was it a good move to tighten the butt/hamstring area but it was a great calf stretch – always a necessary thing!!!
I did a donkey kick from downward dog. Start in downward dog position:
readybring right knee inkick back
Pull the knee in as close to your chest as possible (good for the abs) and then kick your foot back – repeat x 44. Then switch sides and start again!
left sidekick
This move went quickly – definitely one that I will do again!!!
Today I ran – always a happy thing. I did 5 miles just under 7 minutes/mile (34:44) and then 2.25 more miles at a nice easy pace with a steeper incline.
I need an easy button!!! Or maybe I need to be like Sam in Bewitched
and just be able to wiggle my nose and take care of everything!!! (Although, if I remember correctly, it didn’t always work out that well for her!)
Lately, it seems that everything takes 10x longer than I expect it to and every time I turn around there is a new problem/issue to deal with.
I know it’s just a phase and things will level out (I HOPE!) soon.
In the meantime, I will just suck it up and
HaHa – just kidding!!! (sort-of!)
This eeCard makes me laugh so I’m going with it!
If you have an easy button that you don’t need anymore, feel free to send it my way – I will return it as soon as possible!!!
Today a did a dancing inspired move for my 44. (Relax – I didn’t actually dance – that would be scary!!!) I did a plie to a releve – sounds fancy, huh?
ready – heels togetherlower down to plielift heelsstand with heels still upreturn to start
This was actually a nice 44 – I kept a slow steady pace through the motions and really enjoyed it.
I went old-school today for my workout – The Firm – Bootcamp Maximum Calorie Burn. I have always been a fan of the The Firm workouts and this one is great – 50+ minutes of toning (fairly light weights), plyo moves and cardio segments.
Filters are useful for keeping the “bad” stuff out!!! Sometimes I forget to use the filter that controls things I say or even things that I write.
Yesterday in my post about writing like you talk one of the comments was to the effect that in writing it is easier to go back and edit things. So very true – unless for some reason you don’t. A lot of times when I’m telling Chris something about my day, I add a lot of thoughts that I didn’t really say out-loud but I sure did think them!!!! Other times, I slip and say something that if I had taken a few seconds to think through would have never come out.
When I comment on blogs, I try to really think about what I write. My goal is never to be negative or snarky on someone else’s blog.
The other night I totally blew it!!! I wrote something on impulse (no filter), clicked publish (or whatever the button is) and immediately regretted it. The sad thing is, you can’t delete a comment on someone else’s site. (I did go back and type a reply saying that I was sorry and should have never left the comment I did but still…..)
I love the little reminder about thinking!!! I try to always keep it in mind especially when I comment on other blogs because I really believe that everyone is entitled to write whatever they feel/believe on their site and it is not my place to judge or be rude.
Have you ever left a comment and then immediately regretted it?
Happy Fun Friday!!! I’m off to replace my filter!!!
Today’s 43 was one of those that was much harder than I thought it was going to be when I decided to do it. I used a foam roller –
just needed 1 today
and did a single leg glute lift.
lift
(BTW – I didn’t really do these barefoot – I just had Jordan take the pictures for me last night because I knew that no one would be up at 5 am this morning!) So, from the bridge position, I just lifted my hips and lowered them – 43 times!!
And, of course I couldn’t just do one leg!!!
switch sides
Supporting myself with one leg is always a bit of a challenge but supporting myself with one leg on the foam roller was no joke. My calves actually cramped up before I completed all 43 lifts!!!
Today was my 3rd (and final) round of The Lucky – the workout that I’ve been doing this week as part of Taylor’s challenge! This workout was made up of 3 circuits with 3 moves each. To complete a circuit, you do each of the 3 moves for 20 seconds, then 40 seconds, then 1 minute. Finish with 5 final reps of each move and then 1 burnout move of 50 reps.
You count the # of reps every time through and track them. I’m happy to say that I improved each day!!! I wasn’t sure that I would today but – BOOM – nailed it!!!
As of 7:00 AM this morning we are on vacation!! The only downside is to get to the destination (Bradenton Beach, FL – near Tampa) we have 20-24 hours in the car!!! (Chris thought is would be fun to drive this time – guess who voted against that plan?) So, we are driving (and driving and driving and….)!!
Unless you are the driver (which I actually prefer), it is mandatory to have something to do to pass the MANY hours!! We will entertain each other but I also brought a few things to keep myself busy!
We bought this cool little thing called a WiFi Hotspot (we went with the Verizon brand from Best Buy) so that I could have internet access on the road.
It’s pretty cool – just activate it (we just did a 1 month plan), plug it into a USB and – Voila!!! I can still blog!!! My little set-up –
And, yes, I’m in the back seat!! Jordan likes the front and I don’t really care where I sit if I’m not driving!!!
I also have a whole bag full of entertainment – iPad, Nook, several magazines, trivia books and logic puzzles to quiz the boys with!
If Hunter and I get bored, we can watch a movie on my laptop (I just picked up 42 the other day and can’t wait to see it!).
Other forms of car entertainment – Turner style!!
* see how many different state license plates we can find (and yes, I’m keeping a list)
* ABC game (no less than 500 times!)
* the boys like to sleep (or pretend to be asleep)
* take 100s of pictures of each other (documenting the day!)
* music trivia – see who can name the artist of the song first
* play word games – rhyming words, starts with, memory games
* car bingo
* who can find _______ first (things like an RV with a bicycle on the back, a bright yellow pick-up, a horse…..)
* snacks – when the boys are bored they decide it is snack time
I’m sure that we will come up with other fun things (cause, you know, we have plenty of time!!).
What are your favorite ways to stay entertained or to keep the family entertained during a long car trip?
Happy Fun Friday!!! (I’m hoping our day is full of fun on the road!)
Instead of using it for an ab move, I amped up a squat by placing the ball between my knees while doing squats. I also stayed on my toes throughout all of the reps so that the squat targeted my both my quads and calves. To add a tiny bit of shoulder burn – I kept my arms extended straight in front of me (at shoulder level) the entire time I was performing this move.
Here is a fairly decent demo by Hunter (just overlook the sword slinging through the air!). I did hold the squat for 2-3 seconds at the bottom each time but otherwise, Hunter did a nice showing the move!
He didn’t get on his toes and the boys were in rare form while we recorded this!!!
Try this move next time you want to add some punch to a standard squat – you don’t have to do 43 (or your age) – just try 5, 10, 15, whatever you can do!!!
As you know if you’ve been reading for awhile, I’ve been doing Les Mills Combat for a couple of months now. I really enjoyed this program but I’m done with it (there are supposed to be 4 days this week but…). There are so many things I want to do – I jsut can’t fit it all in!!!
Today I did one of my old favorites – Turbo Fire – Fire 55EZ. (Don’t let the EZ fool you – this is a fast-paced, high intensity cardio workout!!!). There really isn’t anything about Turbo Fire that I don’t love!!! On a day where I’m not super motivated, this is always the perfect choice for me!
Is accountability an important part of exercise? I think it is!! But I think, unlike many other areas of our lives, it is an accountability to ourselves!! Of all the people I know, I’m probably the only one who truly cares if I get up every day this year and do 43 of a particular exercise because I’m the only one who will benefit (or lose out) from completing that goal.
As much as I love fitness and working out, every once in awhile I have a day (or days) where I’m just not feeling it. On those days I have to decide – Do I need a break or am I just being lazy? I don’t think it’s possible (or even a good idea) to good hard-core all the time (at least for me!!) but I do think it’s OK to do something everyday!!!
So when I’m laying in bed awake at trying to decide if I really want to get up at 5:00 and workout, I have to listen to my inner self and know that either way the only person who it will really make a difference for is ME!!!
Do you keep yourself accountable when it comes to working out/taking care of yourself?
A couple weeks ago I did calf raises for my 43 and because I had neglected training my calves for a long time (other than running and jumping), I was sore for a couple of days. So I decided that I need to start making a more purposeful effort to strengthen my calves (which will hopefully help my sore Achilles!).
Today’s 43 was another move to target my calves. It was just a rocking move – rock up onto your toes and hold then rock back onto your heels and hold (or try to hold – my balance was a little off today!).
You can hold dumbbells or not – I held 15 pound DB for this.
start
The hold up on my toes wasn’t too hard.
up on toes & hold
The hold back on my heels – a bit of a struggle. (Jordan seemed to enjoy watching me attempt this.)
back & hold
This was a simple (other than the not toppling over part) 43 that is great for both strengthening and stretching your calves. (Plus it can also help strengthen your shins.)
And, because I’m trying to listen to my body, today was a day off!! (Sundays seem to be my day off more often than not!)
Training is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. (from Wikipedia)
Training is a word that we hear and use all the time. Runners talk about training for their next race. Chris (and all the people in the Guard) do regular training as part of their monthly drill. Kids at school are being trained in lots of ways.
I think that training should be an ongoing process for all of us. According to the definition it is not just perfecting old skills but gaining new skills and knowledge. At times I feel like I’m a little stagnant in different areas of my life and those are the times that I should pick something new to learn.
I don’t consider myself a gourmet cook, but I do enjoy cooking. This past week, each of my boys took a night to pick a recipe and prepare it for us (with a bit help). I love that they are willing to learn a new skill and that I get to be the one to help them with it.
I already shared Jordan’s meal but here are a few pictures from Hunter’s.
peeling carrotswatch out for your fingers!
Final stir before serving. (Asian Shrimp Soup)
looks good!
Currently I’m training for:
a 50-mile race in October
my ACE Personal Trainer Certification (test on Thursday) – renewing my certification but because I let it completely lapse several years ago, I have to retest
???? This is my dilemma! I need something new to focus on!
So, what are you training for? Do you like to learn new skills or just work on perfecting the ones you already have?
I need an easy button!!! Or maybe I need to be like Sam in Bewitched
and just be able to wiggle my nose and take care of everything!!! (Although, if I remember correctly, it didn’t always work out that well for her!)
In the meantime, I will just suck it up and
HaHa – just kidding!!! (sort-of!) 
This eeCard makes me laugh so I’m going with it!
