I’m not a fan of excuses when it comes to working out!
I think that exercise/activity is something we can all fit into our days if we really want to. There is no need for fancy equipment or hours and hours – it is just a matter of making a choice to MOVE YOUR BODY!!!
When I travel, I love bands like these –
one or more – small and portable!
They don’t take up much space or add any extra weight in a suitcase. They are great for toning moves (on Saturday I will show all the moves I did this week using a band for my daily 44).
You can combine moves for a full body workout or just do a couple of moves.
If you only have a few minutes, you can still get your heart rate up – Tabata is a great choice. In as little as 4 minutes you can really push yourself.
Burpees – one of the greatest moves ever!!! Cardio, toning, hard, fun = burpees!!! Think you don’t have time to workout? Just do a few burpees – you will know that you made an effort and feel much better!!!
So, the next time you think you don’t have the time or space to workout – do some burpees or a tabata, grab a resistance band – just spend a few minutes and you will feel much better all day long!
What is your go-to move when you don’t have much time or space to workout?
This week, the 44s were all about plyometrics!!! I decided to really push my legs hard for the week since today is exactly 2 weeks until my race (50 miles!).
Sunday 4/20 – 44 hopscotch jumps onto step. Start by straddling step – hop up with the right leg – hop back down to straddle – hop up with the left leg – hop back down to straddle for 1 rep.
Hunter had an 80 minute run scheduled so it was a run day. His legs were hurting a lot so we ended up running 4 miles and walking 2.4 to finish up our 80 minutes.
Monday 4/21 –44 plie jumps with heels touching at top of jump.
And, since it was marathon Monday, I ran!! 12 miles in 92:30 + 2.1 easy miles.
Tuesday 4/22 – 44 single leg dead-lift to a knee up with a hop while keeping arms in a goal post position.
I liked this move because even though it was plyo, it also included balance and control! And, of course, I had to do 44 on each side.
I did TaeBo Insane Abs – a fun cardio based core workout!!! Because I wanted to really tire my legs out, I also did Turbo Fire Fire 30.
Wednesday 4/23 – 44 lateral jumps over a foam roller – a right jump and left jump = 1 rep.
I started with my longest foam roller but after about busting my ankle decided to use a shorter one!!!
And, I started a run streak!!! 8 miles in 62:43 + 1.75 easy miles.
Thursday 4/24 – 44 low squat jump outs – right + left = 1 rep.
This was a fun move!!!
Another day of running – 9 miles in 64:31 + 1.5 easy miles.
Friday 4/25 – 44 donkey kicks with hands on the wobble balls.
In the video, I did slow kicks but during my 44 I mixed it up and did some slow and some fast.
Running – 7 miles in 53:48 + 2.25 easy miles.
Saturday 4/26 – 44 double butt kicks.
Not gonna lie – I’m happy that the week of plyo is done!!!
Today’s run was fun!!! We moved Hunter’s long run back a day because I’m fixing to head to Texas for a few days (my sister just had a baby!!) and I didn’t want to miss it.
Hunter crushed this run – 85 minutes and he did 9 miles. We actually did a run 5 minute/walk 1 minute plan and he still averaged 9:22 miles!!! This was his furthest run by over 2.5 miles – I’m so proud of him and happy that I get to experience these first running moments with him!!!
Total miles for the week:
49 miles
10.05 easy miles
This week the daily 44s were all about my favorite piece of equipment –
BOSU
Sunday 4/13 – 44 curtsy lunge on upside down BOSU.
readydown
After 44 on my right leg, I had to switch feet and do another set!!
2nd sidedown
The pictures were actually after Hunter and I did his first 60 minute run!!! We ended up doing 61 minutes so we could do an even 6 miles!!! For the run we did a 5 minute run/1 minute walk cycle and he did great!!!
Monday 4/14 – 44 tricep dips on upside down BOSU.
readydown
By the 25th rep my arms were shaking – 44 of this move was no joke!!!
And, I decided to run a marathon!! Actually, I wanted to get in a long run of 2-3 hours. When I got close to 3 hours I thought I would keep going to 25 miles and then I decided to just go to 26.2!!!
26.2 miles – 3:40.57 + 0.8 easy miles
Tuesday 4/15 – 44 push-ups with one arm on the BOSU.
left armdown
And, of course, I had to do 44 more with my right arm on the BOSU.
readydown
(I know I have on the same clothes from Monday’s pictures – Chris took the pictures on Monday morning before he left to go out of town for a few days!!)
I only did 22-24 on each side on my toes and the rest were on my knees.
I wanted to do an easier workout since my legs were tired from Monday so I did Poise-Core Training. It was a lot like pilates and a nice 45 minute workout!!
After school, I ran with the boys – 30 minutes (we did 3.25 miles) and then walked 0.25 miles. The first couple minutes were rough and I almost stopped but by the end I was happy I had gone with them.
Wednesday 4/16 – 44 side leg abduction on BOSU.
readylift
This was another one of those moves that I had to do one set of 44 and then switch sides to do another set!
side #2lift and hold
I tried to hold each lift for a couple seconds and then control my leg on the way down – my base leg was shaky!!!
And, since the week was already about the BOSU, I did a couple of BOSU DVDs – BOSU Balance Trainer and BOSU Reactive Strength & Power. Both of these workouts had a mix of cardio, strength moves and some core work!!
Thursday 4/17 – 44 crunches on BOSU.
in position
The start position was nice because it was a good back stretch!!
crunch
It wasn’t a big crunch (otherwise I would have rolled off!) but it was very effective!
And, I ran again!! 8 miles (63:03) + 0.5 easy miles.
Friday 4/18 – 44 BOSU butt bridges.
down (butt slightly off ground even in this position)squeeze and lift
I liked this move – I don’t think I work my hamstrings as much as I should but this move definitely did the trick!
I did a fun DVD – Cross Training for Fitness. It is a lot of kickboxing with some great core work thrown in.
Hunter and I also ran. It was a 35 minute run but we ended up coin 36:51 so we could finish our 4th mile. Hunter is doing a great job with his training – so far he is still enjoying it and I love the time we spend running together!!!
Saturday 4/19 – 44 squats with a twist (holding a medicine ball) on upside down BOSU.
readydownside view
I did all 44 to the right side and then switched and did 44 more.
twist to the left
You can look back at the week and see that I did several moves with the BOSU upside down. If you have never tried using the BOSU this way, you should!! The balance challenge is incredible!!!
There are so many ways to use a BOSU – I think I will have to pick another week soon to focus on it again!!!
Weekly mileage 47.45 + 1.55 easy miles for a total of 49 miles.
This week the daily 44 was all about trying new plank variations – fun times for sure!!!
Sunday 4/6 – 44 plank with opposite arm/leg reach and crunch. This one took a LOT of balance but it was fun!!!
right arm/left leg
Of course, after I did one set of 44 I had to switch sides and do another set.
left arm/right leg
Not gonna lie, this move was a challenge!!!
And, Sunday was Hunter’s first long run for his half marathon training. It was 50 minutes. We did a 4 minute run and 1 minute walk (we will probably do this for at least a month on the long runs since he had never run over 3 miles before starting this!).
4.78 miles total
Monday 4/7 – 44 plank with feet on wobble balls, alternate step offs. (right foot off – right foot on, left foot off – left foot on = 1 rep)
readyright foot off
Back to plank with both feet on.
left foot off
I liked this plank move but it was a long time to hold plank!!!
Run – 8 miles (63:50) + 1.25 easy miles
Tuesday 4/8 – 44 side plank with rotation (elbow to ground)
readydown
And, you know that I can’t be lopsided so I had another set of 44.
readytwist
This move was hard – sometimes I think that holding plank on the elbow is just as hard as holding it on your hand!!!
Another day, another run! 7 miles (54:04) + 0.5 miles easy
Wednesday 4/9 – 44 rocking planks with hands on foam roller (my favorite move of the week!).
foam roller of the dayreadyforward
This one must have been easier than some of the other options of the week because I really enjoyed it!!!
The morning workout was all about Turbo Fire. I did Upper 20, Lower 20 and Core 20 for a nice hour that worked my entire body using bands!!!
Red band – upper and core Green band – lower
Wednesday afternoon we went on a family run. Hunter and I had 35 minutes on tap and Chris and Jordan tagged along for some of the run.
35 minutes – 3.5 miles
Thursday 4/10 – 44corkscrew planks. This move I got from Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) and it was HARD!!! Basically from the plank position, you twist your body so that your right arm goes underneath you and you drop your hips. When you return to plank, lift your right leg.
right side
After suffering through completing all the reps on one side, switch sides and let the fun begin again!
to the left
I struggled a lot to finish but I made it through all of the reps – thankfully!
Basically, you start in plank with a dumbbell outside of your right hand (I used 12 pounds). With your right hand, move the DB between your hands (return to plank). Take your left hand and move the DB outside of your left hand (return to plank). Reverse the move to complete 1 rep.
Trying to keep the rest of my body still was HARD!!!
The workout was fun – Turbo Jam – Turbo Sculpt. This workout is a fun way to get in some toning with Chalean. She suggested 3-5 pound dumbbells for females but I went with 8s – it was a challenge!!!
And, after school, Hunter and I (Jordan joined us for about half) had another run! This was supposed to be a 30 minute run. We ended up running faster than we have been.
3.37 miles in 28:26 (8:26 pace). We picked up the pace every mile – hooray for Hunter!!!
Saturday 4/12 – 44 pike planks on the stability ball. So, maybe these were the hardest move of the week -not sure but they were definitely challenging!!!
readyup
Lots of wobbling to complete 44 reps of this move!
And, another day of running (I’m on a major streak right now!!) – 7 miles in 47:51 + 0.65 easy miles.
I’m loving the extra running with Hunter right now – good for preparing for my big race that is 4 weeks from today!!!
Total miles for the week – 43.87 + 3.68 easy one = 47.55
Do you like planks? Do you have some new variations I need to try?
So the title is my poor attempt at a catchy song – but I think I’ve always said it wrong!! I thought it was supposed to be, “It’s all about the money, money, money.” Ummm….maybe it’s supposed to be “It’s NOT about the money, money, money.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlKA3a11CRw
Oh, well – this week has been all about weights and running!!!
Sunday 3/30 – 44 stacked leg oblique crunches with dumbbell (15 pound)
start – right leg on topcrunch to the left
After doing 44 to the left, I switched my top leg and crunched the other direction.
left leg on topcrunch right
Reaching with the dumbbell made this move a challenge!!!
I ran 9 miles (72:51) + 1 easy mile. Trying to continue to increase my miles for about another month (big race coming up!!).
Monday 3/31 – 44 alternating shoulder press while standing on wobble balls. I used 10 pound dumbbells and that was hard by the end!
readyrightleft
I love using the wobble balls for moves like this because you have to keep a slight bend in your knew to hold the balance and that helps take pressure off of your low back!!!
see how little they are?
This was also a running day!!! 8 miles (59:57) plus 2 nice and easy miles.
Tuesday 4/1 – 44 combo shoulder/arm move (5 pound dumbbells – this was hard plenty!) Start with palms facing body –
ready (don’t forget to look bored!)
Raise arms straight up in front –
up
Rotate weights so that your palms are facing down –
palms down
Pull arms back (squeeze your shoulder blades together) –
pull back and squeeze
Lower arms down to side –
down
Curl arms down so that you are back to the start position.
I liked this move – it was a great way to work my entire upper body!!!
I needed a little break from running so I did a 10 Minute Solution DVD – Sculpt, Tone and Reshape with the Figure 8.
figure 8 band
There are so many fun moves with this band – I love what a great workout you can get with it. This DVD was just over 50 minutes and I worked my entire body!!!
This was a challenge with the amount of weight I used but I don’t want to have saggy arms!!!
I did Shelly McDonald (a Caribbean workout) Core Pilates. I had a horrible headache (woke up around 1:00 am with it and it never went away) so I thought some pilates would be a good choice. I made it through almost the whole hour before I quit!
Thursday 4/3 – 44 side bend with shoulder press (8 pound dumbbells).
readydown with right hand, really reach up with left hand
After doing 44 to one side, I had to switch and do another set!
ready to go againgo
By the time I finished, I had worked not only my core but also my shoulders – just holding an 8 pound weight up for the entire time was a workout!!!
I did a double run on Thursday to break in my new shoes!!! Well, really just to get used to running on tired legs but….
new shoes – Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3
First run – 10 miles (79:24) plus 1.15 easy.
Second run about an hour and a half later – 5 miles (36:53) plus 2.35 miles at a nice pace.
Total – 15 miles of hard running and 3.5 easier miles!
Friday 4/4 – 44 bicep curls in Warrior I (5 pound dumbbells).
readycurl
I had to do another set after I finished 44 that way!!
switch sidesculs
5 pounds doesn’t seem like much until you do a total of 88 bicep curls and keep your arms extended out the entire time – then it feels like at least 20 pounds!!!
The workout was a fun one – Turbo Jam – Cardio Party 3. 50 minutes of pure fun with Chalean and her crew!!!
Saturday 4/5 – 44 lateral raise on wobble balls (first 22 with 8 pounds, second 22 with 5 pounds).
trying to stay balancedreadygo
This move is always hard for me!!! After the first 22 I knew that I couldn’t continue to use good form unless I dropped down in weight!!!
And, today was another day of running!! 9 miles – 63:17 plus 1.1 to cool down.
Overall, this was a great week of strength work and running!!!!
41 miles of hard running plus 7.6 easier miles for a total of 48.6 miles!!!
