Category Archives: Running

Butt, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Resistance Bands, Running, Thighs

Therapy Moves (12/7 – 12/13)

December 13, 2014 Kim 71 Comments

This week a lot of the daily moves were from PT – not sure that any of it is helping but I am running again so I will keep trying these things!

Sunday 12/7 – 45 single leg inner thigh raise with foot tap.

I’m supposed to be working on single leg moves while working on keeping my alignment straight. (Notice Hunter working in the background?? Nice, huh?!)

Monday 12/8 –45 plank (elbow) with knee in to leg lift. (right – left = 1 rep)

I haven’t done any planking in over 3 weeks so this was tough!!!

It was a running day!!! 7 miles in 55:50 followed by 1.5 easy miles.

Tuesday 12/9 – 45 back kicks.

After the first set of 45 I had to switch sides and do 45 more.

I did a DVD that I hadn’t done in a long time – Reebok Cardio Tone. This was just over an hour of cardio based toning – fun times!!!

Wednesday 12/10 – 45 medicine ball crunches with legs straight up and hands holding ball reaching to feet.

And, another day of running!!! 8 miles in 63:57 followed by 1.5 easy miles.

Thursday 12/11 – 45 single leg squat while on a step – push leg off ground down in front of step.

The left side wasn’t too bad! But, then I had to switch and do the move on my right leg (the one with all of the problems!!).

You can tell that I couldn’t go nearly as low on this side:(

I did a weight lifting DVD – Get Ripped & Chiseled. WOW!!! I haven’t lifted in over 3 weeks and I have been sore for the last 2 days! Love it!!!

Friday 12/12 – 45 front straight leg lifts with small band around ankle.

Part of the challenge on this is to stay straight (trying to work on my alignment). BTW – I noticed after the fact that I had my T-shirt on backwards – classy!!!

This was my 3rd running day of the week!! 6 miles in 48:00 minutes followed by 1.4 easy miles.

Saturday 12/13 – 45 back leg lift with band (my special therapy band:).

Still trying to work on balance with good alignment!

The rest of the day consisted of about 6 hours of shopping, a cello concert at the library, and a couple of hours of cleaning and ironing at the venue – not a true workout but lots of moving!!!

I’m not running the speeds or distances that I really want to run but I”m happy that I’ve been running again!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Quad, Resistance Bands, Running, Treadmill

Dropped the Ball on December Challenges but Still Sweating! (11/30 – 12/6)

December 6, 2014 Kim 38 Comments

I had hoped to take part in some of the fun challenges going around:
Josie (YumYucky) has the Fit Holiday challenge going on right now.
Moniques (Burpees to Bubbly) has the Happy, Healthy Fit Challenge for the month.
Amanda (Run to the Finish) has her incredible Holiday Sweat Challenge running!!

I wanted to be part of all 3 of these challenges!! However, I’m at a point where I’m happy to be working out but realize I have some limitations right now. So I will do the parts of the challenges I can do and that will have to be enough!!!

Sunday 11/30 – 45 1 minute wall sits!

Even though this was hard – 45 minutes of wall sits in one day is my new record – it was fun because the boys did a lot of the minutes with me!!!

Monday 12/1 – 45 dancing balls. Hold a stability ball with your feet and hands while lying on your back –

Lower right leg and left arm –

right arm down left arm down — right arm down
left arm down

Switch arms and legs –

left leg down right arm down — left leg down
right arm down

This move will really work your core!!

I tried running but quickly realized it wasn’t going to happen so I walked 6 miles with a 10% incline.

Tuesday 12/2 – 45 1 minute boat poses.

This took place mostly between the 2 parts of the treatment I had on my hands/arms – perfect!!

I did TaeBo – Fat Blasting Cardio. I love TaeBo!!!

Wednesday 12/3 – 45 running knees while on upside down wobble ball –

After doing 45 with my right knee I had to switch and do another set of 45.

This move was fun and went very quickly!!

I did a slow 3 mile run (27:00 minutes) followed by 4.1 miles at a 10% incline.

Thursday 12/4 – 45 leg abductions with a small resistant band.

After doing 45 with the right leg I switched and did another set on the left side.

I did one of my favorite workouts ever – Les Mills Body Pump – Combat!!!

Friday 12/5 – 45 single leg balance with arm move (open and close).

I’ve been going to a PT for my leg and she mentioned that when I stand on one leg I lean (very obvious in the pictures from Thursday), so I decided to work on some moves that require me to balance on one leg.

This move was easy – balance on one leg and open arms to side –

balance on right - open arms to side — balance on right – open arms to side

Stay still and bring arms together in front of body –

I stood in front of a mirror to try and make sure that I didn’t lean.

I actually got in a decent run finally!!! 8 miles in 65:20 followed by 1.5 cool down miles.

Saturday 12/6 – 45 rope climbs. Lay on your back with your legs extended and act like you are climbing a rope as you slowly sit up. Hold your abs tight and slowly go back down.

I love how focused Hunter looks while doing this!!!

I’m hoping to join in on some of the challenges this next week now that I can start lifting and doing more with my arm!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Butt, Calves, Core, Fitness, Lunges, Running, Squats

Thankful for the Things I CAN Do!! (11/23 – 11/29)

November 29, 2014 Kim

This week I decided to push myself a bit even if it “hurt” and I ended up feeling very thankful for all that my body is capable of doing!!!

Sunday 11/23 – 45 calf pulses with feet front, feet out and feet in.

I just bounced up and down – this was a fun way to work my calves!!!

Since this was such an easy move I decided 3 sets of 45 was good!

Monday 11/24 – 45 double crunches with feet on a chair (lift butt while crunching up).

I decided to try running some this week.
Today started with a 3 mile walk/jog followed by 5 slow miles of running and a mile cool-down.

Tuesday 11/25 – 45 plie squat on upside down wobble balls.

I did one of my favorite workouts ever – Les Mills Combat: Extreme Cardio Fighter – 60 minutes of a super fun workout!!!

Wednesday 11/26 – 45 bridges with alternating foot lift and touch (right – left = 1 rep).

lift left foot and reach with right hand

Return to start and switch sides –

lift right hand - reach with left hand — lift right hand – reach with left hand

This was a challenge to keep my butt up the entire time!!!

I decided to try running again.
2 miles of walking/jogging followed by 5 miles at a moderate pace and an easy mile cool-down.

Thursday 11/27 – 45 pulsing lunges with feet on upside down wobble balls.

This move was a challenge because of the balance aspect!!! (The hardest part was getting set up on the wobble balls!!!) After I did the first set, I switched around and put the other foot on the front ball.

I think this is the first Thanksgiving in at least 5 years (probably way more!!) that I didn’t do a hard workout in the morning!!!

Friday 11/28 – 45 butt lifts with legs up and a medicine ball (8 pounds) in between feet.

I’m happy that I didn’t drop the ball on my face!!!

I ran 7 miles (57:51) and then did an easy mile cool down.

Saturday 11/29 – 45 twisting crunches on a stability ball while holding an 8 pound medicine ball.

You can see that the move is a twist to each side and then a crunch. This was a great core workout!!!

Overall, I’m happy with this week of workouts. The running is slow and sort of painful but it is good for my mental state!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

BOSU, Butt, Chest, Core, Fitness, Plank, Running

Still Not Running (11/2 – 11/8)

November 8, 2014 Kim 40 Comments

Sometimes as runners/athletes we make choices based on what we want to do and not what we should do – at least I know I’m like that. This week was one of those times – I just tried to do what I wanted as far as working out. It didn’t really work but…..

Sunday 11/2 – 45 machine gun kicks.

balance on right leg - left leg kicks — balance on right leg – left leg kicks

These go quickly – the challenge is supporting yourself on the standing leg and staying balanced while moving your leg back and forth!! And, both sides have to be worked equally –

This move is actually one I learned from TaeBo!!!

After a week almost completely off and a couple other minimal weeks, I decided to try and run. It wasn’t great but I pushed through and did a slow 5 miles. (sometimes I’m not very smart!!!)

Monday 11/3 – 45 star crunches – right hand to left foot, down, left hand to right foot = 1 rep.

Return to extended position then switch sides –

And, since I was already working my core I decided to do TaeBo Insane Abs. This workout always makes me sore for a few days!!!

Tuesday 11/4 – 45 standing crunches (hold each crunch about 3 seconds).

round and squeeze - blow all the air out and hold — round and squeeze – blow all the air out and hold

I really like standing crunches like this even though it looks a little odd!!!

I wanted to run again but it only took about 3 steps to realize that wasn’t going to happen. So I walked 6.35 miles at a 10% incline.

Wednesday 11/5 – 45 elbow plank with knee tap to a leg lift – alternate sides (right – left = 1 rep).

Return to plank then do left side –

This ended up being a LONG time to hold plank by the time I did all 45 reps!!!

I pulled out another older DVD – Denise Austin: Personal Training System. Many years ago this was my go-to workout when I had a stress fracture in my foot and we were traveling – 20 minutes of cardio, 10 minutes upper body, 10 minutes lower body, 10 minutes abs and 10 minutes stretching.

Thursday 11/6 – 45 fly to pull-over. (8 pounds because 45 is a lot!!)

bring arms back to certain and push weights together — bring arms back to center and push weights together

pull arms over head (don't touch the ground) — pull arms over head (don’t touch the ground)

Keeping this movement slow and controlled is the key (especially on the down part!!). My chest is still sore from this one!!!

I’ve mentioned before that I love the 10 Minute Solution DVDs. I chose Sculpt, Tone & Reshape with the Figure 8 for the workout. The figure 8 is a resistance band.

I like the combination of moves in the workout using the band!!

Friday 11/7 – 45 side plank dips on the BOSU. This move is a move I got from Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) and her weekly Wednesday Workouts.

Holding plank while lifting and lowering your hips is a challenge – holding the plank on the BOSU makes it an even better challenge!!!

And, I tried and failed at running again!! So I just walked 4.25 miles at a 10% incline.

Saturday 11/8 – 45 standing pilates leg circles.

to back – squeeze your butt at this point to help with balance!!

If you look closely you can see that my foot is barely off the ground. Even to close the circle (half circle actually) you keep it just above the ground.

I did all 45 on one leg before switching sides.

I like this move even though it is small – after several reps you will start to feel it in your thighs, core and butt!!

I’m not thrilled that I can’t run still but I guess I will just keep doing things that don’t make my leg hurt worse until I get some answers from the DR(s)!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

BOSU, Butt, Core, Fitness, Plank, Running, Triceps

A Weak Week (10/19 – 10/25)

October 25, 2014 Kim 28 Comments

This week was pretty light on the workout front. But I did get in some really fun 45s!!!

Sunday 10/19 – 45 side lunge (stay in wide position between).

I did all 45 to the left (just returning to the middle position in between. Then switched and did 45 to the right.

Monday 10/20 – 45 BOSU balances (start with hands on BOSU, feet on ground – raise right arm to side and left leg, hold then switch to left arm and right leg for 1 rep).

This move was HARD!!! I like it because it worked everything – triceps, shoulders, core, butt, quads, hamstrings….

I tried to run – 3 miles in 25:40 and then realized that my leg is hurt more than I thought so I ended up walking 4.5 miles with an incline.

Tuesday 10/21 – 45 twisting elbow planks (twist right, then left = 1 rep).

Return to middle then twist the other way –

This move was hard – 45 complete reps ended up being a long time to stay in a plank!!!!

I did a workout that I hadn’t done in a long time and it ended up being great – The Firm: Cardio Fusion. The workout uses these little balls –

I will definitely be doing this workout again!!!

Wednesday 10/22 – 45 twisting frog crunches with weighted (5 pound) punches. (right-left = 1 rep)

up - twist and punch right with left hand — up – twist and punch right with left hand

Return to the ready position and then go the other way –

I did another workout that I’ve always enjoyed – Cross Training for Fitness.

Thursday 10/23 – 45 back bow cross-over. This move is one I had never seen before until Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) showed it as her Weekly Wednesday workout. (another one where right-left = 1 rep)