Tag Archives: BOSU

BOSU, Butt, Fitness, Hamstrings, Triceps

Is Curling Really a Sport?

February 12, 2014 Kim 94 Comments

Today’s 44 is a move that Kristin (Stuft Mama) did with her class and showed on her blog. I had to try it because it uses my favorite piece of equipment -the BOSU!!! It is a triceps dip with alternating kicks.

Start with your hands on the BOSU and feet on the ground –

Dip (triceps) and kick right leg –

Go back to start position –

Dip and kick left leg –

Since I counted a right kick and a left kick as 1 rep, I had to do 88 tricep dips to complete the 44!!! My arms were shaking!

The February challenge with Taylor (Lifting Revolution) is a fun one! Last week we did 100 walking lunges every day. This week it is 400 push-ups split however you like. Yesterday I did 135 push-ups and today I did 80 so in 2 days I’m over half-way!!!

And, I added in Les Mills Combat – Extreme Cardio Fighter today. 60 minutes of kicking, punching, twisting and just plain fun!!!

Curling – is it a sport or just a past-time? I don’t even get the concept. Chris keeps saying it is like Shuffleboard. Well, I’m pretty sure that shuffleboard is a game they used to play on The Love Boat so I’m not convinced it is a true sport.

pushing the stone

Here’s what I’ve figure out about curling – one person pushes the stone.

The rest of the team does a sweeping motion to speed up (or maybe it slows it down?) the stone. Pretty sure the object is to get the stones into certain parts of the ring or something and try to knock your opponent’s stone out of the circle.

What I do know is that there is ZERO cardio involved and I’ve never seen any of the participants even come close to working up a sweat.

In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics one of the competitors was actually 6 months pregnant – So, if you compare curling to some of the other events in the winter Olympics, is it really a sport?

Ski jumping – look at the strength required to hold the body in the jump position!!!

Snowboarding – Half Pipe: These guys (and girls) are flying up to 15 feet in the air on some of their flips. And, then they have to land the jump and do another and another and another….

Have you seen how fast these athletes guy down the mountain while still dodging the gates?! Look at the leg strength required to hold the position without falling!!!

The amount of athleticism required to perform some of the jumps, holds and other tricks that the ice skaters perform is amazing!!!

All of the skating races seem brutal – short ones, longer ones – just staying in the low position requires tremendous lower body control!!

Then we go back to curling – at least they can wear “fun” pants!!!

So – what do you think? Is curling really a sport or is it just a hobby?

Happy Wednesday!!

Kim

BOSU, Core, Fitness, Plank

Favorite Traditions

December 29, 2013 Kim 59 Comments

Today’s 44 was another plank variation – using my BOSU!!! I flipped the BOSU over and did a plank with my toes on it. Then I alternated stepping my feet off and back on.

My arms were shaking by the time I finished all 44 reps – between holding plank (2:10) and the balance challenge from using the BOSU upside down – this was tough!!!

I know that everyone develops their own traditions over the years – some are passed down from generation to generation and others are new. I thought today I would share a few of our favorite Christmas traditions.

1. Since we have trees in every room, we use the tree in our down-stairs living room to put presents under.

sometimes the presents go around more than under

2. We open presents on Christmas Eve and we always just do 1 at a time. I like doing it this way because we can actually watch everyone opening their gifts and take time to really appreciate all of them!

Hunter's big gift this year was a keyboard!! — Hunter’s big gift this year was a keyboard!!

I might be as excited about this one as Hunter!!! Maybe I can learn to play again, too!

Jordan is into all thing Medieval – like weapons!

Jordan with 3-D glasses – nice!!! Funny, no pictures of me – I have the camera(s)!!!

3. On Christmas Eve we use our raclette grill and have a fun contest! We all cook shrimp, chicken and steak and vote on the winner in each category and the over-all. It is fun to make different seasonings and marinades.

There are times that Hunter will put some of each seasoning in his mixture – fun times!!!

Jordan and Chris were the top winners this year. I didn’t get a single vote!!

4. On Christmas morning, we get to check our stockings!! We always have stockings in our upstairs living room.

This tradition has changed as the boys have gotten older. Now they get dressed first (notice how Hunter went with red & green?!) and I’m wearing my sweaty running stuff because I had already gotten in almost 6 miles! Still a fun tradition!!

5. We always have Reindeer Bread for breakfast after stockings!

I think a lot of people call this Bubble Bread or Monkey Bread but in our family it is Reindeer Bread no matter what time of year we have it!

So, just a few of our favorite ways to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

What are some of your favorite family traditions?

Happy Sunday!!

Kim

BOSU, Cardio, Fitness, Lunges

Games, Movies, Snacks and Plenty of Relaxing!!

December 28, 2013 Kim 34 Comments

Today I used my BOSU for the 44 and did jumping lunges! I counted a right and a left lunge as 1 rep.

Clearly my memory is slipping after several days of no routine because I sort-of forgot that I just did a lunge move yesterday! Oh, well – they were totally different!

This past week has been full of fun – doing things that we don’t do very often!!!

We have played games – all 4 of us!!! We just got Logo Party –

this week and we’ve already been through over half the cards! We also tried –

This game is fun but I think it will be more fun at our New Year’s Eve party with a group of adults!!!

The boys have actually had time to play the X-Box and have enjoyed that since they hardly played during the fall with school and other activities keeping them busy.

Chris and I have watched a few movies in the afternoon (so much better than night-time movies since I get tired at night!!).

One day we watched The Way Way Back –

It was really a cute movie! It made me cry a little at the end but I enjoyed it. (thanks for recommending it, Shashi!!)

And, to show you how far behind we are on movies, yesterday we watched –

I liked this one much better than the 2nd one!!!

I haven’t cooked since Tuesday when I did all of the prep work for our open house on Christmas Day – we have had left-overs and snacks!!!

We have all enjoyed sleeping in (some more than others – Hunter and Jordan!!!).

Over-all this past week has been the perfect mix of activity, get-togethers and plenty of down time so that we start the new year refreshed and ready to go again!!!

Happy Saturday – I hope it is fun and relaxing in your world!!!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Triceps

A Valuable Lesson

November 22, 2013 Kim 77 Comments

Today’s 44 was all about control. I used my favorite piece of equipment –

and did a walking movement by lifting my right hand and left foot, holding then switching to the other side.

Left hand & right foot up and hold — left 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.

Happy Fun Friday!!!

Kim

BOSU, Butt, Core, Fitness, Running, Treadmill

Memory – Can you Remember what you Forgot?

November 7, 2013 Kim 74 Comments

I used my BOSU for the 44 again (such a fun piece of equipment!!). Today’s move was all about balance!!! I did jump squats.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym22a52AGWE’]

Just to say – the video was right after I finished running 10 miles and Jordan said I only got one chance – pretty shaky on those jumps!!! (That’s why I always do my 44 before the rest of my workout – more strength then!!)

So, the rest of the workout was running – 1.5% incline – 8 miles in 59:55 + 2 more miles at a nice easy pace. It’s been awhile since I’ve put in that many miles so it was nice to get a long run today!!!

Do you have a good memory?

I used to think I did – I never needed a grocery list, I could rattle off phone numbers, when I taught I knew all of the my student’s names (usually 100+) by the 2nd day.

Now it’s a completely different story!!! When I use something up in the kitchen I can’t even remember to write it on the list (which I have to have!!!).

One day I called someone and ended up leaving a message for them to call me back – I said the first 3 numbers of my phone # and went completely blank on the rest!!! Duh….

When the boys ask me about doing something later in the day or for the next day I usually tell them sure but they will need to remind me! (They don’t get that at all!!!)

I know that there are tricks for helping your memory but I can’t even remember what they are!!!

Yep – that’s pretty much how I feel most of the time. I have to write everything down (in my calendar!) or there is very little chance that I will remember.