The 44 today might sound easy but…..It was a falling push-up. You do the move from your knees and fall forward into a triceps push-up. Then push back to the starting position.
I tried not to round my back so much on the push-up part but not very successfully!
After a couple days break, it was another day of Insanity the Asylum vol.2. Today was X-Trainer. This is the one with a solid 4 minutes of push-ups and plank holds – super fun!! I actually like this workout quite a bit because it is 50 minutes of everything – speed, agility, strength – and every single muscle is involved!!!
Did you know that Wednesday it will be just 2 weeks until Christmas?
Guess how much of my Christmas shopping I have done?!
Actually, other than decorating, I haven’t done a single thing to plan for Christmas!!! Usually we have our family picture done, our cards printed and our newsletter ready to go by now. I think we are going to cheat on the family picture and use one from this summer –
this picture makes my heart happy!!!
Oh – summer time memories!!!
Jordan had an English project to do over the weekend and he was actually very excited to work on it. He had to make a movie trailer for The Odyssey.
It is really good – I should get Jordan to help me jazz up my videos!!! I don’t know how he knows how to do all of that stuff!
Enough rambling – time to get on with this Monday!
Are you ready for Christmas or do you feel behind like me?
Today’s 44 was a great way to work your hip flexors and butt while getting a triceps workout.
In the tricep dip position on the floor, pull one knee in to your chest –
readyextend leg and dip
After doing 44 with one leg, it is necessary to switch legs and repeat (DUH!)!! The downside is your arms don’t get any break!!! 88 total dips!
ready on side 2extend and dip
So, Chris actually took the pictures for me last night (see the fuzzy socks?) but I did the 44 this morning. However, the first time through I did them wrong – I was just reclining on my elbows and thinking it was a super easy move. When I uploaded my pictures I realized my mistake so I had to do them all (both sides) again – my butt and hip flexors really got a workout!!!
I know lots of people who would rather spend hours with a group of little kids than middle school kids. However in my previous life (before kids so 15 years ago) I was a middle school science teacher and a coach (volleyball, basketball and track).
I love the 11-14 year old range of kids – they are still on the cusp of wanting to please adults but also needing to venture off – very teachable!!!
And – they are also capable of teaching us (adults) many things if we are willing to be receptive to them.
Yesterday while “enjoying” my time in a gym surrounded by adolescents (mostly boys!), I observed several things that I thought were worth sharing.
A little background on the tournament – this was a varsity level tournament so it was mostly 8th graders and many of these boys have been wrestling on club teams for 5-7 years. (Hunter was 1 of only a few 7th graders from our school who went.)
1. One of the boys on our team lost his 2nd match and was upset. As an 8th grader (13 or 14 years old) it is so hard to let anyone see you cry – he was trying to fight it and brush off the tears so no one would notice. Another one of the 8th grade boys was sitting close to him on the bleachers. He didn’t say a word – just slid over and put his arm around him for just a second before moving back to his spot.
I thought it was the kindest gesture he could have made! He showed he cared but he didn’t make a big deal about it. Most importantly – he didn’t make the other kid feel bad for the tears!!!
Hunter getting ready to start
2. When Hunter lost (rather quickly because he got pinned) in his 2nd match, his opponent took the time to talk to him for several minutes. This was a boy from another school who had never met Hunter. On the way home I asked Hunter what they were talking about. He said the boy was offering up a couple of pointers and things for Hunter to try in future matches.
Wow!! That kid could have made fun of Hunter for getting pinned so quickly but instead he was kind and offered up some help!!!
waiting for his turn
3. Team support is alive and well!!! Hunter could have left anytime after his 2nd match because he was done for the day. However, he wanted to stay and watch his teammates – and these boys really did watch and cheer on the other guys from their team!
Even though wrestling isn’t my favorite, I’m all about supporting your team, so we stayed and watched (well, I watched when someone from our school was up but mostly read my Nook!).
4. I was a litte worried about how Hunter would react after his 2nd match – he actually got pinned in both of his matches yesterday. However, he was completely fine when he came over and sat down. At first I thought his attitude was kind of lax and that he should at least be a little upset.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that he knew going in that he was going to be up against boys who were older and had been competing much longer than he has (just over a month for him!) and that the day would be a great learning experience for him – he went in planning to do his best and to learn as much as he could during the whole experience.
Hunter didn’t win any matches yesterday but he still came out a winner because of his attitude and willingness to learn!!
So, the next time you’re surrounded by a group of loud, noisy (maybe stinky) pre-teens and teens, remember – they have plenty to teach you if you let them!!!
Favorite age group to be around – babies, preschooler, elementary kids, middle school, high school, college or adults – What is your pick?
Today’s 44 was all about control. I used my favorite piece of equipment –
BOSU
and did a walking movement by lifting my right hand and left foot, holding then switching to the other side.
startright hand & left foot up and holdback to this positionleft hand & right foot up and hold
This was a fun and challenging move – great for core and triceps. I had a few wobbles before I finished all 44. (I counted the above sequence as 1 rep.)
I used another DVD that I rarely do – Crunch – Fat Burning Fitness – this one is sort-of dancey but since it was just me and the TV I did OK!!! When the instructor said more hip swing I just added in some jumps – worked out perfectly!!!
One morning this week when I was driving the boys to school, we passed a couple of cars that had crashed (the front car slowed and the back car hit it) shortly before we got to that spot.
Thankfully no one was hurt!!! The lesson I learned – don’t dress like this to drive:
OK – this might be a slight exaggeration but the lady driving the front car was in her nightgown and robe – about 1 block from the middle school and high school right at the time that everyone was headed that way.
Do you ever drive anywhere in your robe? NO for me – I always look like a rag for the morning school drive but it is in sweaty workout clothes.
Today I did a basic move for my 44 but I added in a challenge by holding an 8 pound medicine ball straight above my head the whole time! I did alternating forward lunges (a right lunge and left = 1 rep) with the ball overhead.
readyright lungeback to start positionLeft Lunge
This move was great because I felt it in my legs, my arms were shaking and I got my heart rate up!!!
I also did one of my 10 Minute Solution DVDs – Sculpt, Tone and Reshape with the Figure 8.
figure 8 band
I like the format of this workout – it is a total body workout with toning and some cardio. Each of the segments goes by very quickly and there are some fun moves!
Have you ever gotten a compliment that you’re not sure if it was really intended to be a compliment?
I’m sure that most everyone has at some point.
My least favorite – “You look good, for your age.” Why does that last little bit (the qualifier) need to be added on? That makes me feel like A. I’m old and B. I don’t really look good at all.
Last night while I was getting my hair done, Jennifer (my hair dresser for over 12 years!) told me about a “compliment” she had gotten over the weekend.
She was at a store and had on some new boots and a cute top. A girl (complete stranger) said, “You could be on a magazine as a plus size model.”
Really?! She couldn’t have just left that last part off?
I’m sure that I’ve added a qualifier to compliments before but I’m going to start really paying attention to how I word compliments!!!
What compliments have you been given with qualifiers?
Did you still feel like it was a compliment?
