The work comes on the way back down to the plank – you have to really hold your core muscles tight to stop yourself so that you are level (no droopy butts here!!).
back to plank
I tried to keep the movements nice and smooth – not super fast – so that I could get max benefit from this exercise. I timed this 43 and it took 2:38 to complete all the reps.
Definitely a move I recommend trying!!!
Then, I pulled out one of my old-school TaeBo DVDs. I did Total Body Fat Blaster and it was HARD. For this workout, you use bands that slip onto each foot. (I took out the 1 pound weights inside of mine and still struggled!)I’ve always enjoyed TaeBo and today was no exception. This workout was 55 minutes of cardio and toning all tied together. My arms are still shaking from all of the tension the bands provide!!
A friend had this on FB the other day and I thought it was too good not to share!!!
Some of the other “facts” I have learned over the years:
You can’t keep your eyes open when you sneeze.
If you do manage to sneeze with your eyes open, your eyeballs will pop out!
If you cross your eyes, they could get stuck in that position.
Almost all dust is actually human skin cells that have been shed.
It is not possible to tickle yourself no matter how ticklish you are.
You can’t hum when your nose is plugged.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.
Do you know which of he above “facts” are real and which are myths?
Happy Saturday!!! (don’t you feel smarter or at least happier for reading the silly facts?!)
Today’s 43 was fun and quick!! I did a plie jump. Start in plie – jump up, touching heels together – back down to plie. Even just 10 of these will set your quads on fire!!! 43 will really have them singing!!!
I did a new (to me) DVD today – Cross Training for Fitness. (This is a Gaiam workout.) Jessica Smith and Guillermo Gomez lead the 5 different sections. The entire workout is made up of 5 15 minute sections: Cardio Kickbox, Strength & Flexibility, Lower Body Balance, Core Power & Flow and Relax & Restore.
The Cardio Kickbox and Lower Body Balance both had lots of kicking and knee strikes. They were fairly quick paced and got my heart rate up some. The Strength & Flexibility section was great – body weight moves to really work on strength. I loved the mixture of standing and floor work in the Core Power & Flow section. I almost didn’t do the Relax & Restore segment but I’m glad I did – it was very calming!
I loved the variety in this workout. Also, I learned a couple of new moves that I’m sure I can turn into 43s in the future!!!
Mr. Sun
I’m so happy to see the sun again. It was warm in TX (close to 90) but I spent most of my time inside (hospital) so I didn’t get to fully enjoy the warmth. It has been rainy, cloudy, dreary and COLD since I got back to Kansas Monday night.
But today…..
Blue skies and sunshine!!
And, it’s supposed to get close to 60!!! I’ll take it!!
Happy Fun Friday – the sunshine has already made this a happy day for me!!!
For the rest of my workout I ran (first time in a couple of weeks because of a sore hamstring). It was a great time for me to really think about some things and gain some much needed perspective!!!
8 miles @1.5% incline – 54:24 + 2.5 miles at a slower pace with higher incline for a total of 95 minutes.
Yesterday was one of those days!!! I had a long list of things to do and everyone of them took longer and was more difficult than it should have been. After dropping Hunter at school, I had 45 minutes before my dentist appointment so I went by the medical supply store to pick up some of these lovely support hose
However, the store didn’t open till 9:00. No big deal – headed to the bank to make a deposit. Went around to the drive-thru area and thought they were all closed. Fine – back to the medical supply place to wait.
When I went in the medical store, the guy was super nice and said they were cash-and-carry (no insurance) and recommended another supply store (because I guess these support hose are pricey!). OK. Back to the bank – only to realize that I’m an idiot!!!
What I thought were closed drive-thru lines (which I thought was weird since it was way past 7 or even 8:00am) were open. The problem – they all said open in RED!!! Red means STOP – everyone knows that!!!
See – why I thought they were closed?! Oh well – marked it off the list. Next stop was the post office and thankfully that went smoothly!! By this time, it was almost 9:30 so I spent an hour at the dentist – he thinks I might need a root canal but wants to wait until my next visit to decide (6 months) – Joy!!
After the dentist I headed to the other medical supply place (across town) – found it, along with a sign on the door saying they have moved!! Awesome!! Another drive across town, a phone call (couldn’t find the place) and I finally made it. A super sweet lady helped me, measured my legs and said they might be able to get them here by next week (supposed to have them before Wednesday) and my insurance might cover them. (She called later in the afternoon to say they would be in and insurance would cover 80%!!)
I called Chris on my way to the grocery store to vent – he answered and immediately asked if he could call me back. Of course – par for the day (not his fault, he was in a meeting – just seemed to fit in with everything else). While grocery shopping, I got a text letting me know that my PE sub job was cancelled (track meet cancelled due to rain & storms) – not gonna lie – I was elated!!!
Oh – it was rainy and cold all day yesterday, too (and again today) – sort-of wish I was still enjoying the 90 degree weather that Texas had when I was down.
However I know that the events of my day yesterday are so trivial and insignificant when I look at the tragedy in Boston on Monday and the awful explosion in West, Texas last night. My family is all together and healthy and I really don’t have a single thing worth complaining about!!!
In fact, I have much to be thankful for!!!
I wanted to end with something that made me super happy yesterday – I received my newest shirt from the super talented Cait.
I’m out to chick youisn’t it great?!
Check out Cait’s online store to see her other T-shirts as well as art work. She rocks!!!
Happy Thursday – I’m going to spend my day being grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life and not complaining about the things that don’t even really matter!!
Today my 43 ended up being my work-out, too. I decided to use our stairs to really work my legs. I went up the stairs sideways skipping every other step:
push off bottom leg
On the way down, I stayed sideways but didn’t skip steps.
down (slight hold on rail)
Because I didn’t want one leg to get more work (or be stronger!!), I did 2 sets of 43 – one leading with my right leg (left leg pushing off) and the other leading with my left leg (right leg pushing off).
The move is like a sideways squat (just on an uneven surface) and it took 7 “squats” for each trip up the stairs so I did 301 “squats” with each leg!!! Not too shabby – plus I kept the pace pretty quick so I got my heart rate up!!
Then I decided to try a plank hold on my elbows instead of with my arms extended. For some reason, this one was harder – 3:30 today.
Since getting home yesterday around noon, I feel like I have been going non-stop and today is jam-packed!!
Last night Hunter played in the district string fest – 6th, 8th and high school orchestras.It was pretty cool to hear the difference a few years can make! Plus the 6th graders are from 6 different schools in the district and only had 1 practice all together – pretty impressive!!!
The finale was God Bless America (love that song!!) and all of the orchestras played together on it – I just recorded part of it since it was long.
I missed a lot over the weekend with the sleepover and all but thankfully Chris took some pictures of the cake making and birthday celebrating!!Looks like fun was had by Jordan during the afternoon and Hunter and his pals that evening!!
Now I’m off to tackle a mile-long to-do list which includes a dentist appointment, DR appointment, afternoon spent subbing PE…….
43 sets of that move left my shoulders burning for sure!
After I finished that torture move, I did a Les Mills Combat DVD – Combat 60 Ultimate Cardio Fighter. Rachel & Dan (they lead the Combat series) say this is the hardest workout in the set – I don’t think it is but it’s a great one!!!
This morning I will finish my journey home. I can’t wait to get home and see the boys this afternoon. I was happy to see Chris last night but I will be happier when we are all back home together again! It was hard to watch all the coverage about Boston yesterday and know that some families will not be reunited because of such a senseless event! (I had to quit watching and watch some mindless reality TV – Dancing with the Stars.)
Sunday and Monday I really dragged through my workouts – to the point where I thought about not finishing. Then yesterday evening by the time I got to Wichita & saw Chris (about 5:00) I was dizzy and shaky and felt like crap. Lesson learned: Popcorn for dinner does not provide enough fuel for a good workout. I need protein!!
I already knew that for me, the most important meal I eat is usually dinner but I haven’t been eating dinner every night since I left home – STUPID!!! And yesterday, in addition to skipping dinner, I only had a snack while I was driving so I nearly paid a price for my stupidity. Fortunately, a little food (with carbs & protein) and some rest and I was pretty much back to normal.
Just 2 more hours in the car today and I will be home – I can’t wait!!!
I’ve always enjoyed TaeBo and today was no exception. This workout was 55 minutes of cardio and toning all tied together. My arms are still shaking from all of the tension the bands provide!!
