Furniture as Fitness Equipment (5/25-5/31)

This week I decided to take a basic piece of furniture and use it for all of my daily 44s.  I used one of the little footstools in our basement – 

great piece of fitness equipment!
great piece of fitness equipment!

Sunday 5/25  44 elevated plank with extended arm and opposite arm row.

ready
ready
row
row

Can you tell that my arm is in front of me?  Positioning my arm like that instead of under my shoulder made this move HARD!!!!  And, I had to do a set of 44 with my right arm!

ready
ready
row
row

I think I need to do more planks with my arm out in front – I felt that for days!!!

Monday 5/26  44 triceps dips with hands on my step and feet on the foot stool (so they were higher than my hands).  This move is similar to one that Josie (Yum Yucky) showed recently – advanced tricep dips!!!

ready
ready
down
down

Total burn during this move!!!

I did a fun workout – Prevention 3-2-1.  I like this workout because the format makes the time fly by.  You do 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of strength work and 1 minute of core for 6 segments!!!

Tuesday 5/27  44 split leg dead lift with one foot on the foot stool.

ready
ready
down
down

After finishing one set and having a hip on fire, I had to do 44 on the other side!

ready for side 2
ready for side 2
down
down

I love dead lifts and this was a fun way to do them – the key is make sure that most of your weight is on the leg/foot on the ground!!!  (12 pound dumbbells)

I started back on one of my favorite weight lifting programs – Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 1.  (for the record I’m still sore today!!!)

And, after that, it was time for Hunter’s final long run – his best one ever!!!  We continued with our 5 minutes of running/1 minute of walking because he likes that and wants to do that for the half – 10.65 miles in 1:41.26 (average pace 9:31).  

Wednesday 5/28  44 single arm bent over row with one foot on the foot stool and a wobble ball under the foot on the ground.  (12 pounds)

ready
ready
row
row

This week had lots of days that had 2 sets of 44 – always fun!!!

side 2
side 2
row
row

For some reason, I spent all of Tuesday night with a stomach ache so when I got up Wednesday I decided to do something fairly simple – I just walked 8.25 miles with an 11% incline.  (It took just over 2 hours!)

Thursday 5/29  44  hip lifts with feet on the foot stool (toes up).

ready
ready
up and squeeze
up and squeeze

Another day of weight lifting – Chalean Extreme – Burn Circuit 2.  

Friday 5/30  44 push-ups with feet pressed against the side (at the top) of the foot stool.

start position
start position
down
down

And, for the record, Chris took a bit to take the 2nd  picture – pretty sure I said “Holy Hell, take the picture already!!”  This move was HARD!!!!

It was a running day again – 9 miles in 67:47 with 1.5% incline + 2.5 miles easy!!!!

Saturday 5/31  44 box jumps using the foot stool – fun times!!!

And, yesterday when I was reading blogs, Taylor @ Lifting Revolution  had this great Weekend Warrior Workout as well as a statement that I took as a challenge – she said to set a timer for 30-40 minutes for the workout but that “we weren’t going to finish and that’s the point.”  Of course, that meant I had to try it!!!

The workout includes:
     1 mile run
     500 jumping jacks
     400 squats
     300 leg raises
     200 push-ups
     100 burpees (either dead man or with push-up)

The moves can be broken up any way you want to but the plan is to keep moving for the entire time and see how much you can get done.  

Total time – 48:40 broken down to 41:35 for the moves + 7:05 for the mile.  I did all the push-ups on my toes and deadman burpees for all of them.

Pretty sure that I will be moving slowly the rest of the weekend after that workout!!!

Do you ever use furniture for your workouts?

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

There Are Some Things I Just Don’t Get

There are lots of things I don’t think I will ever understand!

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.30.50 PM

1.  How can a 15 year old boy sleep over 12 hours day after day?!Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.35.04 PM

2.  How is it possible that no matter what road I take, no matter what time of day it is I always get behind someone who refuses to drive even close to the speed limit?  Yesterday I followed a guy who literally drove between 15 & 20 mph when the speed limit was 35 (which, of course, means I prefer to drive 40!!).

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.39.25 PM3.  How can I be cold all day (unless I’m running or laying out!) and hot all night?!

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.44.14 PM

4.  How come I can remember trivial information that is pretty much totally useless but the things I really need to remember I have to write down if I hope to ever think of it again?

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.46.57 PM

5.  How could I be anything but happy today?!  It’s Friday and after I finish cleaning and ironing  at the venue this morning my weekend will pretty much be started!!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.49.42 PMWhat things baffle you?

Happy Fun Friday!

Kim 

Sometimes Sore Is Good…

Not long ago I made the comment that I rarely get sore.

Screen Shot 2014-05-27 at 9.16.54 PM

I thought that last week I did a pretty good job of easing back into strength work and that I would be ready to really hit it hard this week!!

Umm….I can barely lift my arms above my head after a couple of tough workouts this week!!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-27 at 9.21.35 PM

It has been a long time since I felt like this and I can’t decide if it is another (in a long list) sign that I’m getting old(er) or just because I took an extended break from serious strength work. (I think I will go with the last choice!!!)

Screen Shot 2014-05-27 at 9.21.22 PM

I guess I will just call it a success and hope that I can move my arms on Thursday when I have to clean, set-up and iron all day!!! 

Do you ever get sore?

For me it really is a rare thing – even when I do new moves or up my weights I’m usually not sore.

Happy Wednesday!

Kim

18 Years Ago

May 25, 1996 – The Day We Said, “I Do.”

Look how young we were!!
Look how young we were!!

A lot has happened in the past 18 years!!!

*  We have moved 6 times.

*  We have 2 incredible boys!

Jordan - dressed up for HS graduation
Jordan – dressed up for HS graduation
Hunter - in his standard neon yellow
Hunter – in his standard neon yellow

*  We have buried all 4 of our grandmas, my Poppa, and both of Chris’ parents – thankful for the time we had with all of them.

*  We have cried.

*  We have laughed!!!

*  We bought a business!

the day we closed
the day we closed

*  We have had good days and bad days.

*  We have loved each other every day!

18 years
18 years

Here’s to the next 18 years!!!

Happy Monday!

Kim

Back to Work!!! (5/18-5/24)

This week has been all about getting back into a solid workout groove.  For the past couple of months I sort of let my weight training and cross training take a back seat to running.  Even though I plan to keep logging lots of miles, I need to add in the other work again!!!

Sunday 5/18  44 shoulder burners!!  This move was a front raise, flip arms over and do a bicep curl with arms out in front (and up), shoulder press, then reverse each step for 1 rep – oh, and I stood on my wobble balls just to increase the FUN!!!

ready
ready
lift arms
lift arms
flip arms over - palms up
flip arms over – palms up
bicep curl
bicep curl
shoulder press
shoulder press
back down
back down
ready to reverse the curl
ready to reverse the curl
out
out
flip
flip
finally finished the rep!
finally finished the rep!

Not gonna lie – my shoulders were dying by the time I finished all 44 of these!!!!  (and I only used 5 pound dumbbells)

I did a DVD that I haven’t done in a long time – Jackie Warner X-Treme Crunch Free Abs.  This is just over 30 minutes of serious ab/core work.  The first half is all done standing and the 2nd half is on the ground.  About midnight Sunday night I could really feel all of those moves!!!

I also did a treadmill run.  Lately I haven’t even tried to push my pace much and I’m still going to focus on running more miles at an easy pace but every once in awhile I need to pick it up.  

5 miles – 35:27 + 1 easy mile to cool down (all at 1.5% incline)

Monday 5/19  44 step-ups with a bicep curl.

ready
ready

Push off foot on step to lift up and curl at the same time.

up and curl
up and curl

After I did 44 on this side I had to switch sides – a total of 88 bicep curls!!!  (the main reason I stuck with 8 pound dumbbells!)

ready (not sure what I'm doing with the weights!)
ready (not sure what I’m doing with the weights!)
up and curl
up and curl

The nice thing about this move was that it got my heart rate up besides working my biceps, butt and quads!!!

I did one of my favorite workouts – Les Mills Combat – Extreme Cardio Fighter.  60 minutes of kicking and punching at a fairly high intensity!!!  Love it!

Tuesday 5/20  44 fall backs with medicine ball.

ready
ready
fall back - hold
fall back – hold

This move was HARD!!!  It is great for your core and also for your quads.

The rest of the workout was 10 Minute Solutions – Hot Body Boot Camp.  Not gonna lie, of the 5 10 minute sections my favorite this time was the stretching!!!  I think I was dragging a little!!!

Wednesday 5/21 – 44 waving triceps while standing on wobble balls.

ready
ready
right arm
right arm
left arm
left arm

Trying to stay balanced on the wobble balls and keeping my arms extended the entire time  turned this into a great challenge!!! (8 pound dumbbells)

This was a running day – 10 miles in 78:43  plus 1.2 easy miles.

Thursday 5/22  44 pull-overs while on a stability ball.  This move was from Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) and her weekly Wednesday workout.

ready
ready
arms back and down
arms back and down

I’m not sure I dropped my arms as far as you are supposed to but I was trying to keep my form good and not bend my arms – lots of muscles involved here!!!  (1 12 pound dumbbell)

I wanted to do something a little easier so I did The Biggest Loser – Weight Loss Yoga.  Ummm….there was very little easy about the workout.  Bob Harper knows his stuff and after 50 minutes of yoga I felt like I had worked out for sure!!!

Friday 5/23  44 triceps kickbacks while in chair.

ready
ready
back
back

I know that I should have been lower in “chair” but my quads were burning!!!  (8 pound dumbbells)

It was another run day and I decided to make it a bit of a harder pace because lately I feel like I’ve been running slower most of the time.

8 miles (1.5% incline) in 53:27 + 2.4 easy miles.  I try not to run hard too often anymore (I used to do it every single run – part of why I was injured more than not) but it was nice to push the pace. (6:41 average)

Saturday 5/24  44 leg lifts with a medicine ball between my lower legs.

ready
ready
up
up

Yikes – that move was hard!!!  The medicine ball I used was 8 pounds and I told Chris that the hardest part was the ball hurt my ankle bones!!!  Even with the whining, I still did another set of 44!!!

2nd side ready
2nd side ready
up
up

Hunter and I are supposed to be out running right now – his final long run but it is raining and I’m not a diehard!!!  I have zero desire to be soaking wet for over an hour and a half!!  We will run later or even in the next day or two – we have some flexibility since he is going to run quite a bit this week before scaling back for the final week before his race!

This week wasn’t a high mileage week for me but it felt good to get in a few runs again.  I’m ready to focus on a new goal and plan to keep my miles up while getting in more strength work again!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Fitness – Food – Fun