Self Magazine Workout-Gimmick or Not?

I've realized in my foraging across cyberspace that there are a lot of "Lose 10 pounds in 1 week!", "5 minutes for a Better Butt", and "Easiest Weight Loss Plan Ever" things out there. Most of them I look at and think "Sh*t 10 pounds in 1 week is super unhealthy, what the heck are these people thinking?" or "If it really only took 5 minutes a day to have an amazing butt, I would already be styling Beyonce's booty." In a quest to find some diamonds in the rough, I decided to give a promising workout regime a try, and post my thoughts here.

Questionable? I think so... [Image]

I must admit, I didn't go very far out on a limb with the first workout regime I want to try. I found it on Self Magazine's website, called The One-Hit-Wonder Workout, by Jessica Smith. I think it's the name that caught my attention, I read One Hit Wonder and I'm thinking of that old movie, "That Thing You Do." If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check it out-pretty sweet movie if I remember correctly. 

Glancing through the workout, I saw some cool exercises that definitely looked like they would challenge my flexibility and coordination, but I wasn't too sure about pushing my strength. Overall, I deemed it worthy of a try. I'm not going to write down the exercises or how to do them, because the website already does a way better job of it than I could ever do.

Here's my analysis:

Overall, I liked the workout today. So far, Ms. Smith at Self has my vote-it does not look like she is pulling our leg.

It was WAY more difficult than I imagined. Though it did not directly challenge my strength, the exercises asked my body to do things it wasn't used to-and my muscles weren't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect. Smith suggests doing 3 sets of the circuit-I did only 2 today and am already starting to feel it especially in my back, inner thighs, and calves. I often neglect these muscle groups, so it's nice to finally be making them work.

 [Vanessa Rogers Photography]

If you do this workout, you'll need a decent amount of space. I live in a small apartment where it's difficult to not stick an arm out and hit a wall or piece of furniture. Some of these exercises require kicking or reaching out, and left me scrambling to find a way not to accidentally kick through a wall. I had to stop and reset for the exercise in the photo or else I would have put my foot through a glass door every time.

11/2/2012 Workout

[Image]

TGIF people! I'm running out of cool names for my workouts, so I think I'm just gonna go with the date. Feels awesome to get back into it though.


Yoga

3X through 10 reps each
Military Press
Upright Rows
3-Way Lift
Pushups
Bicep Curls
Superman
Spinal Balance Opposite Arm/Leg

Where has Summer Gone??

I know its November now, but I'm used to my nice mild Southern weather. Not this cloudy, raining, cold stuff. My ears are still defrosting from my run. Wishing for those hot summer days...

Workout:

3 mile run-this is my new thing, though I run less, I'm running at a faster pace

Yoga
towel slides (10)
toe touches (10)
crazy Ivans (10)
plank (30 sec)
side plank (30 sec each)
Spinal balance (10 each)

Happy Halloween!!

Trick or Treat!!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Halloween! Here it is:

Yoga

3X through 10 reps each
Military Press
Upright Rows
3-Way Lift
Pushups
Bicep Curls
Superman
Spinal Balance Opposite Arm/Leg

Time to Catch Up!

So now that Hurricane Sandy has blown through, I can sit down without fear of sudden power outage or falling trees and catch up on my workouts. To say I feel blessed that DC didn't suffer too much is an understatement. I spent half my day trying to help my parents in CT find a place to stay with power. Here's a picture of one of the trees that went down on their property: luckily none of the trees hit the house!

This evergreen took 2 apple trees with it too.

Sandy was my first hurricane. I've spent the last several days operating under this weird combination of anticipation, excitement, and fear. But I somewhat managed to keep up the exercise! Considering that there were people out running along the Hudson River in NYC Monday, the least I can do is get up off the couch.

I've broken down my exercise by the day to better keep track of what I do. It's an arms kind of week: my hamstrings feel like they are about to snap they are so tight for some reason.

Frankenstorm

So I got one last run in yesterday before Hurricane Sandy hits us. Did a nice 5 mile run. Halfway through felt awful-you really do start losing muscle and conditioning after 72 hours-but I kept going anyways. Followed by yoga was clutch: I feel way less sore than I expected today.

Frankenstorm!!! [Image]

Anyways, I have my water, I have my nonperishable food, I have candles and flashlights. Going through everything one more time. This is my first hurricane so I have no idea what to expect, but my Florida friend has been badgering me since Friday to prepare. Good luck to everyone else in the path of the storm.

How many calories do I burn a day?

This week has been a fitness struggle for me. After pretending I was still in college for the weekend, it was hard to get back into the swing of things. The extent of my exercise for the week was moving from my bed to the couch and occasionally walked to work. After a whole week of no exercise, I'm starting to get a tad antsy.

While couch surfing, I looked into how my daily activities contribute to my fitness goals. Walking to work, standing on the Metro train, walking up and down the stairs to my apartment, cooking, cleaning. All the real world stuff we have to do.

Normally, I'm not a calorie counter, pound focused individual. But sometimes its nice to know how much you're getting out of your workout. So to put all these things in perspective, 1 pound=3,500 calories. 

Run v. Walk

Speed walking! My friend and I had contests this summer-I lost [Image]

Runner's World has a nice article from 2005 comparing the calorie burning power of our two cheapest exercise options. In general, running burns about 50% more calories per mile than walking. So for 1 mile a woman burns about 100 calories running a 9:30 mile, verse about 50 walking a 19:00 mile. Do a little math and running for an 1 hour burns about 450 calories. Walking burns about 150 calories per hour. For me, my daily walking commute is about 2 miles, so I'm burning only 100 calories per commute.

Amby Burfoot, the author of the article, did a little experiment of her own to compare fast walking to running. When she crunched the numbers, she found that walking at a pace 12 min or faster is better than running. I'm not sure about other people, but at a 12 min mile I'm basically jogging it out on my short legs, so I think I'm gonna stick with running.

Stairs

I usually walk a total of 6 flights of stairs daily. According to LiveStrong the average woman can burn about 800 calories an hour running stairs.

I will never run stairs for an hour. That sounds like my own personal hell. My knees would probably just give out after about 30 min and someone would have to push me around in a wheelchair for the rest of the week. Not to mention, I doubt I will ever run stairs in a skirt and blouse while going to work.

When I feel ambitious, I even walk up the escalators [Image]

However, they break it down for us mere mortals. Walking up or down the stairs burns about 7 calories a minute. I would guesstimate I spend about 5 min on stairs a day, so I'm burning about 35 calories a day by taking the stairs. They end with this little tidbit:

"By taking the stairs for five minutes a day five days a week, the typical person can expect to lose about 2.5 pounds in a year."

Other Activities

Here is a quick list of other activities and the calories they burn [Source]. These are all weight dependent, so I'm listing the numbers for my own weight (125 lbs).

Working at a Desk: 106 calories/hour
Watching TV: 46 calories/hour
Cleaning: 270 calories/hour
Cooking: 150 calories/hour

Check out Self magazine's calorie counter if you want a more specific amount.

My Totals:

So my calorie total is about 935 calories/day. Of course this does not include such things like the calories my body burns purely to survive. This is called the basal metabolic rate, which is basically defined as the calories an individual would burn if they didn't move from bed all day. It varies with gender, age, height, and weight, but DiscoveryHealth has a calculator. My BMR is 1402 calories per day.

So my grand total....2337 calories per day!! Obviously the FDA does not think of people like me when they suggest a daily calorie intake of 2,000. I would shrink into nothingness if I actually did that.

Travel Day!

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” -Tim Cahill

Today I am being picked up at 1:00. I haven't packed at all, or returned movies to library, or cleaned, or basically anything that I am supposed to do by then. I have baked cookies for my college friends-that's an accomplishment. So in this hectic day, I am going to do a shortened workout (aka no run today)

Yoga

3X Through:
Squats (30)
Lunge Wheel (10/leg)
3-Way calf raises (10 each)
Hamstring Kickbacks (15/leg)
Leg Climbers (10/leg)
Russian Twists (30)
Opposite Arm-Leg Situp (10/leg)
Toe Touches (15)
Supermans (15)

Why Run?

One of the places I used to run [Image]

I started my love affair with running when I was about 16. My house backed up to a national wildlife preserve and there were so many trails to choose from. I loved the isolated freedom that came from running down those trails, the amazing views, the wildlife. It was completely invigorating.

One more day!

 "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle

One more day until I'm on my way back to college. Every time I think about it I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement. I might not come back at all. I mean who would? All that free time, no bills, food whenever you want it, parties, friends.

My school is one of the most beautiful campuses in the US [Image]

Containing my excitement, here's my plan for the day.

5 mile run
(Insert, taking a break to go to work today)

Yoga

3X Through:
Plie Squats (10)

New Exercise: Single Leg Glute Bridge

Tried this out yesterday (called it by a different name in the workout), and I liked it. Worked the muscles a little differently than normal, and seems relatively low impact in comparison to a squat (trying to save my poor knees).

It focuses on the glutes and the hamstrings, but expect some work out of your core (especially if you've got a weak lower back/bad hips).  This exercise reminds me of a variation I used to do with a Swiss ball, but seeing as I don't have one, this will do for now.

Eye opening type of day

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." -Oscar Wilde

So when I finished up my run and yoga, I had a text from my best friend asking if I was on the metro this morning and if I was ok. At my home station, on the line that I take to work, some one jumped in front of the metro train. Such a tragedy happening so close to home is shocking and depressing, but also reminds me that I better make my time on this little blue planet worth it. My thoughts go out to the individual this morning, and all of his/her friends and family.

Workout today:

5 mile run

Finding a way around set-backs

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." -Confucius

So once again, I find myself with a problem. My wonderful wrist is still nonfunctional, which leaves me with a big questions. How will I work out today?

Injuries happen: they are an unfortunate fact of life. Some people may see injury as a reason for quitting: working out made this happen, so that means I shouldn't exercise at all. This is a super negative way to think. Instead, injury means you have to limit or change what you are doing, not stop.

So today, and probably for the rest of the week I have to do only exercises that don't stress my wrist. Which means no upper body workouts. My legs are going to be jacked.

Day 7

 "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement." -Matt Biondi

I woke up at 3:30 AM last night in the most pain I've felt in months. I still have no idea what I did yesterday, but it really aggravated my bad wrist. Unfortunately, that means I have to change around my exercise plan today, because I won't be able to bear weight.

5 mile run

3X through

30 burpees
50 squats
50 situps
50 lunges
50 russian twists
50 jumping jacks

New Template

So I'm new to this whole blogging thing. Basically have no idea what I'm doing. But I really enjoy looking and playing with the different templates. So I've changed my template for the second time. Why you may ask? Honestly it's the old school map background. My travel bug is beginning to make me itch and I'm trying to satisfy it as best I can. So many places I want to go, not enough money or time. Someday, it will happen. Until then I will look at my map background and smile.

Day 6

 "Fall 7 times, stand up 8."-Japanese Proverb

Back to work today, and I'm going to up the ante. The 10 min run will help me prep for next week which will be mostly anaerobic.

10 min run

Repeat 3X (15 sec break between exercises):

Pushups (10)
Rocca Press (4)
Dips (10)
Bicep curls (15)
Military Press (10)

Day 5: Unload

"The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle."-Unknown

Today is my recovery day. I choose this awkward day because I had to go to the DMV. And a trip to the DMV is hard enough. Good news is that I finally got a driver's license: bad news is it looks like a mug shot. I need to work on being more photogenic.

Recovery does not equal sitting on my bum all day. I went on a 4 mile walk, nice low intensity exercise that gets the blood pumping.

Day 4

 "If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." -Fred Devito

In the spirit of healthy eating, I decided to double check my bread ingredients for my sandwich.  No trans fat, no simple sugars, or high fructose corn syrup. It did mention that the whole wheat was unbromated, which sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. So of course I googled it, and was dissappointed with the lack of resources.

From what I gathered, flour gets bromated to speed up the required aging process of the wheat, which can normally take up to 2 months. It is also used to improve dough elasticity/make it easier to work with while baking. Bromated flour is also outlawed in the U.K., is a carcinogen, and has been implicated in thyroid problems.  Bad things...

Anyways back to workouts:

Day 3

"It is not the mountain we must conquer, but ourselves." -Edmund Hillary

Getting pretty sore, especially in my legs, right in the butt region. I put in some extra time stretching what hurts in between the workouts to try to help things get moving.

When I was a sophomore in college, I went to Europe for a month, and had my wisdom teeth removed. I had lost about 10 lbs of muscle by the time I showed up for off season. It was the first and last time I have ever broken down and cried during a workout. Probably one of the more embarrassing moments in my life as football players and such are squatting like 500 lbs around me, who is just standing there crying. I couldn't dress or undress myself for about 2 weeks because my arms were so sore I couldn't lift them above my head. Needless to say, after that life experience, soreness is not a big deal anymore.

3 Ingredients to Aviod

So I'm not that into dieting. And when I say not that into I really mean I love food.  I believe everything tastes good with enough butter, salt, and garlic, and that the proper number of meals a day is around 5. Right now you're probably thinking: "This girl has the crappiest eating habits ever." Well I got you....

After spending 18 years in the care of my health nut mom (who I secretly appreciate for teaching me how to eat delicious and healthy food), it's hard to avoid eating healthy. It's pretty simple: buy fresh ingredients, cook fresh food, and eat all the different colors.

Mini Boot Camp: Day 2

"Of course it's hard. It's supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Hard is what makes it great."-A League of Their Own

Feeling decently sore, but good to go for day 2. Day 2 is a long one...here's the plan:

First...THE WEIGHTS:

15 second breaks between reps and sets.

100 jumpropes
30 mountain climbers
30 jumping jacks
Plie squats (3x20)

Mini-Boot Camp: Day 1

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."-Beverly Sills

So I'm attempting to defrost from walking to work this morning. I seriously don't understand this northern weather. Last week it was like 80 and sunny and I was ridiculously sweating it up. Now, I'm curled up in sweats and a blanket and still freezing!! But today is the beginning of boot camp, so I have to just take the US Postal Service motto to heart (thank god today is indoors though).

"Born to Run"

So last night I saw an old college friend for the first time since graduation. Ok, so maybe I use the term "old" loosely here considering I graduated like 4 months ago. But I digress...

My friend brought up this book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, and we then ended up in an epic discussion that lasted two hours.

[Image]

I have never read the book, but its definitely hit the to-do list after this conversation. My friend said, "This has inspired me to start running". Which is a pretty big deal considering I'm not sure if my friends has done any exercise since like high school. So that is a ringing endorsement.

New Exercise: Plie Squat

Even though I can't do much more than walk still, I'm getting myself mentally prepared to get going again.

I've been researching different leg exercises. It's always been widely accepted that squats and lunges are two of the best exercises for sculpting legs, but I'm slowly running out of variations. And the last thing I want to do is get stuck doing the same BW exercises every day-then I'm just gonna plateau real quick.

So enter the Plie Squat. Check out the video to see it done. She goes through different variations that can add a little more benefit to my workout. Here's a quick look:

Slow Recovery

I'm slowly on the mend. I'm feeling better mostly, I just can't really breathe because my nose is so stuffed (grossness I know). 

So I haven't had any deadlines really for my fitness regime. I think I'm going to put a short term deadline on it.  My college homecoming is in about two weeks, and seems like a good of time as any. So I'm going to say its two week bootcamp time once I can breathe through my nose.

Looking forward to getting started again!

What I wish I was doing

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."-Thoreau

Still feeling rough today, so I'm curling up in my bed with Netflix. No judging but I'm watching 90210 and it's the episode where people are getting asked to Homecoming dance. I'm quite disappointed in the creativity. When I was in high school, asking people to dances was a huge production, totally nerdy and cheesy stuff, but it was awesome. Kids these days really need to pick up the slack.

Anyways, it is a leg day, if I had the strength to actually exercise. I think the most activity I will be doing today is walking a block to the store to get soup.

Repeat 3x (15 sec rest between sets)

Exercise VS The Common Cold

I woke up this morning feeling off. Just a little scratchy throat, a slight cough. You know, the stuff you kind of blow off thinking it's just a bad morning.

This is the bugger that's killing me. Looks kinda like the ocean with starfish...[Image]

Fastforward about 12 hours, and here I am, cocooned in my bathrobe with a mug of tea, pretty convinced I'm going to die. Just kidding about the death part. But it got me thinking about something my college trainer always said: "Exercising when you're sick will help you feel better faster, unless you have a fever."

Part of me thinks they just told us this as an excuse to keep pushing us, so I think it's time to do a little Internet research.

Working Out Indoors Has It's Benefits

"Pain is simply weakness leaving the body." -Unknown

This is the mantra of like every sports team-and they wonder why we get injured so much! 

So glad my workout is indoors today, considering it looks freezing and wet outside. Meanwhile I'm nice and warm in my apartment.

I'm thinking about joining a yoga class. I need a little more challenge to press my yoga skills, if I want to be learning new poses and such. I'm going to look into it, because I would prefer if I didn't have to go elsewhere to exercise.

15 second breaks between reps and sets.

Arm and Cardio Workout

"At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don't." -Andy Roddick 

Week 2 of this workout. I thought about shortening the breaks but I think any shorter and my arms wouldn't recover properly. Working out is definitely doing its job though-I'm not that sore from my full day of digging.


Repeat 3X (15 sec break between exercises):

Pushups (10)
Rocca Press (4)
Dips (10)
Bicep curls (15)

Top 5 Reasons I Want to Be Fit

1. Pride

What can I say? When I look into that mirror I want to be like "Hey girl, check out that sexy bod." I want to be proud of what I look like and comfortable in my own skin. Call me vain or shallow I don't care you know everyone thinks about body image. I have always had a very positive body image and I want to keep it that way. This is why I don't look at the scale. Weight is a number that means nothing to me. For me its when I am in a bathing suit and look athletic.

Gardening is Great Exercise

"Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won."-Bill Bowerman

How do I know this post title is true? Because I just spent my Sunday planting new beds for my parents. My back is especially sore from all the digging. But it looks amazing-I wish I had a picture to post so I can brag some more.

I made this garden bed. It's looking pretty good. Sorry, I'm bragging a little bit:)

Now that I'm finally home, I'm getting around to adding all my gloriously important thoughts that have been wasting away on my hard drive this weekend. I like to pretend my workout life is riveting stuff.

T.G.I.F

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." -Jack Dempsey

Good news people-I am now employed and will not become homeless/starve to death!!! That is an amazing thing in this economy when so many are struggling.

If only we all could swim in money [Image]

Today is the amazing day of CrossFit! Get pumped because there's a timer involved. And whenever there's a timer you know its going to be a good one.

Maximum rounds in 20 minutes:
Burpees (5)
Pushups (10)
Situps (15)
Squats (20)

If it takes 2 seconds/exercise, you should be able to do about 11 rounds. And some of those exercises shouldn't take 2 seconds to do. So at minimum that's 55 burpees, 110 pushups, 165 situps, and 220 squats. No big deal.

Then we have the cardio portion. Note, I find when I do heavy ab workout immediately followed by cardio I get very bad ab muscle cramps. So I would give myself a good break on this one.

Cardio (20 sec break between sprints):
1 mile run
20 yard sprint + 60 jumprope
20 yard sprint + 10 burpees
20 yard sprint + 20 mountain climbers
20 yard sprint + 20 side to side line jumps
20 yard sprint + 20 jumping jacks
20 yard sprint
1 mile run

Exercise of the Day: Spinal Balance

Many exercises I already do activate the back, but I really want a good exercise that focuses on toning the back. All I really have are supermans, and I've been getting kinda bored with them.

So I did some research...and...nothing. Literally all I got was do pullups. Which is awesome: I think pullups are a great exercise. It's just like, "Check it, I can do pullups. I'm basically amazing." Minor problem: I don't have a pullup bar.

So I kept looking. I got some other exercises, which don't look like fun. AKA pretty sure they aren't actually good for your body. You're bending in ways you aren't supposed to bend, like questionably back breaking. Not cool.

I ended up with the spinal balance exercise. It is basically a modified version of supermans. I'd do 3 sets, 10 reps each side. Here's the basics:

• On your hands and knees, with a straight, activated back.
• Slowly lift opposite arm and leg, keeping both straight, until they align with your core
• Hold at the top for about 5 seconds and then slowly lower back down
• Obviously repeat with the other side

Pretty basic, but without a gym it's difficult to focus on the back. [Image]

Crankiness: Good Thing Exercise Gives You Endorphins!

"Fitness-if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body" -Cher

My sister woke me up this morning, violently. As in, I went from REM to fight-or-flight-where's-the-bear in a millisecond. I hate it when people do that to me. When I'm at home my mom will let the dogs loose in my room at like 6 AM. First off, why does my mom think I want to wake up at 6 on vacation? And secondly, why the hell would she think letting 200 lbs of exuberant dogs wake me up will not make me panic?

I completely agree Garfield [Image]

Anyways, with a morning like that, I have to believe today is going to be a good day. I've already had my low point so it's only up from here.

Yoga today. Practicing my happy baby pose, which I did not expect to be this difficult to "master." But I like the challenge.

Leg Wrecking Day

“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.”-Lou Holtz

I'm going to be upfront here. This day is gonna be hard. The kind of hard where while I'm doing the workout my brain is like this "#@$@3 this exercise, @#$ #!@#$ #%$^#$%^ @#$%@#$%" (insert many many swear words), and afterwards my brain does this "Yeah that's right, I'm a badass. Check out what I just did." I'm a cocky individual: it's a family trait.

Repeat 3x (15 sec rest between sets)

Overhead squats (10)
Hamstring kicks (15)

Injury Prevention: Shoulders

Note to the wireless universe out there: if you want your body to be in good shape, don't be an athlete. Seems like a smart plan, hours of conditioning, playing, and weightlifting should make having an amazing bod easy. That's a dirty lie. What actually happens is the total destruction of your body, making you feel like a senior citizen. Hence the hip injury prevention exercises. And now the shoulder prevention exercises.

I never did these in college but watched all my hitters go through this every day. I thought it looked way more fun than my own rehab workouts. I feel like I'm about to prove myself wrong.

Tuesday Workout

"If you are going through hell, keep going." -Winston Churchill

Love this quote for 2 reasons. 1) It's common sense about something no one makes sense about 2) Winston Churchill is awesome. Sorry I'm a history nerd.

No fun title for today. It's hard to be creative when literally every day is simple "workout" or "exercise" or something of the sort. But excellent news-somebody got a callback for a job!

It's a yoga day. I decided to work on perfecting one pose in the spirit of improvement: happy baby pose. Quality name. Considering I can't even hold my feet in this pose I figure it's a good place to start.

Starting Strong

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does- that makes you a winner right there."-Venus Williams

Today's a big day. I get to hear about whether I got this kickass job or not. So I've got to start the day off right.

Mixing things up this training segment. Doing a burnout style workout for specific muscle groups. Today is arms/upper body, therefore it makes sense to have a Venus Williams quote for today. Seriously, that woman has some crazy jacked arms.

But really, check out those biceps-talk about some serious definition! [Image]

Repeat 3X (15 sec break between exercises):

Sunday Funday

"Pain is temporary, pride is forever." -Unknown

Sunday Funday used to mean finishing off all the extra beer from the weekend. Now, it means slowly recovering from my Saturday night with comfort food and water. Reasons why I make Sunday a slow day.

Hungover Bear. Pretty sure this is exactly what I looked like this morning. [Image]

7 Ways to Increase Your Intensity

The 2 week marker was a big deal for weights when I played in college. We got new exercises, and I would be like "Thank God! I don't have to do step-ups anymore!!!!" (I hate step-ups). Besides being a great confidence booster, changing the workout every two weeks is crucial to avoid The Plateau. The Plateau is an evil place where you are working hard but go nowhere.

This is what happens with plateaus. Frustration, followed by quitting. [Image]

Increasing intensity is the key to avoiding this dreadful place. Usually this means increasing weight and variety of workouts. However, since my "gym" consists of a yoga mat, 5 lbs dumbbells, and the streets of DC, I have to get a bit creative.

Not So Fun Friday

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way."-Satchel Paige

Talk about a rough day. I feel like it's a giant cosmic joke that Fridays are one of the hardest days of the week. The roomie kept me up all night talking on the phone, had an early job interview, a good friend with boy troubles, and now CROSSFIT??? What the heck was I thinking? My brain was probably doing one of these "rent money, rent money, want sexy bod, sexy bod, chocolate bar, wine...nap."

Exercise of the Day: Rocca Press

The Rocca Press

The Rocca Press is like a modified BW shoulder press. I couldn't find the exact muscle groups this works but if I had to guess, I'd say this is good in varying degrees for scaps, triceps, biceps, abs, back, and lats.

Check out the video to see it done but here are the basics:

Dreaming Big

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."  -John Wooden

I'm becoming more of a believer in yoga every time I do it. It mostly has to do with the fact I can touch my toes for the first time in probably over a year (I'm ridiculously inflexible).

This will be me one day. And by one day I mean HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??? [Image]

Anyways, after my amazing yoga session, here's my workout for the day:

60 jump rope
10 burpees

Time to Crack the Whip

"Make sure your worst enemy doesn't live between your own two ears."-Laird Hamilton

If Hamilton can do this, I should be able to do a measly workout [Image]

Struggling to work up the enthusiasm to exercise. My mind is under the impression that I am "busy". Not sure what I think I have to get done today, because I'm pretty sure I've got nothing to do.

60 jump rope
20 jumping jacks
Back lunge w/ bicep curl (10/leg)
Hamstring kicks (10/leg)
Shoulder stability (2x45 sec/arm)
Suitcases (15)

Injury Prevention: Hips

I've got bad hips. Apparently it has something to do with the way I walk, or the way my skeleton is, or just because I'm weird. But apparently most people are in the same boat as I am.

Common Hip Injuries

As a victim of daily hip pain, I decided to do some quality self-diagnosis via the Internet. Here are some common ones. Disclaimer: if you're actually in pain, you should probably go see a doctor.

Taco Tuesday

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing" -Abraham Lincoln

Confession, I really want some Mexican food, hence the title. The Californian in me is pushing to get out: if only I had the money or knew of a real Mexican restaurant to go to. Anyways, enough about food.

Had my 20 min yoga today. I suck at the "constructive rest pose" or whatever it's called at the end. I lay there thinking I could be doing dishes, or my laundry, or I really need to review ecology, instead of being meditative.

SO COOOLLLL!!!!

I love things like this!! Not normally an Under Armour fan but this pumps me up like nothing else. I literally feel like doing a million stadiums right now. Check out the video.

Happy Monday!

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle" -Christian D. Larson

Week 2 of this workout! This is about the time where I start to be like, "hmmm how badly to I want to be in shape, because I really don't want to work out." But time to suck it up and get things done.

Repeat 3X:
60 jump rope
10 burpees
Pushup to plank row (5 pushups)
Bicycle (20)

Ab-tastic Sunday

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." -Jim Rohn

Spending my Sunday with a nice little Grey's Anatomy marathon. Forgot how awesome the first couple seasons are!

"You're my person"-what a classic quote! [Image]

Anyhow, plan for the day! I like to kind of take it easy on the weekends, but have an inability to sit still, so I figure a nice little ab circuit will be a nice little activity.

Repeat 3x:

Exercise Some Self-Control

I don't think I've ever kept a New Year's resolution. Why? It's probably a mix of I never seem to come up with good ones and I completely lack self control in most aspects of my life. So I decided to see what I could do about this and did a little research.

My idea of willpower, being sucked away by dementors and restored by chocolate! [Image]

Willpower is a muscle

 

Well this is surprising. I always pictured willpower as something more ethereal- like a soul.

Crossfit Friday

"You want me to do something...tell me I can't do it."-Maya Angelou

This quote completely goes with my personality to a fault. This is literally the best way to get me to do anything, sometimes to the point of dangerous. This is what I visualize:

When in doubt, put in a Lost reference. [Image]

Anyways, figured I'd spice it up with a little modified Crossfit workout. I love Crossfit because it goes with my give it all mentality. I know there's a bit of controversy about Crossfit as a program, but there are pros and cons with every exercise regime. So on to the workout!

Thirsty Thursday!!!

"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything." -Thomas Carlyle

I figured I should continue with the Wasted Wednesday theme....

Reminder of my time and friends in London [image]

My Thirsty Thursday:

Maybe I'll meander over to a happy hour DC seems to be so famous for (that and brunch apparently are regular staples of the "locals'" diet). But alas, before we can have fun, we must work. We aren't gonna get too complicated here:

Wasted Wednesday

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not." -Anonymous 

So I couldn't think of a good title for this so of course reverted back to my college days. I know, nothing to do with working out, but it has a nice alliteration to it. Not to mention it sounds more fun!

Newcomers, you've got the day off to nurse your soreness. Here's my workout for the day:

60 jump rope
20 jumping jacks
Back lunge w/ bicep curl (10/leg)
Hamstring kicks (10/leg)
Shoulder stability (2x45 sec/arm)
Suitcases (15)

Tone Up Time!

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” -Tommy Lasorda

Today I started my workout with yoga. I discovered a beginners yoga DVD in my apartment last week and am trying it out. I figure it might help my horrible posture, which is good.  The session is only 20 min long too, so I'm not really wasting a ton of time on it.

No cardio today! Only a little weightlifting to tone up the body. The "+" sign means super sets-so you do one exercise right after the other.

Starting Line

"So many fail because they don't get started-they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin." -W. Clement Stone

I realized this morning that most people on this planet haven't exercised in months or even years. My sister is one of those people. She enlisted my help about 2 weeks ago to get into shape. Long term goal: run a marathon this spring. Pretty sweet goal if you ask me.

Anyways, I had to start her workouts differently. Most notably, everyone wants to do cardio-they think that is the quickest way to lose weight. Well in case you haven't figured out, like with the economy, or the broken window in my car, or just life in general, quick fixes never work (unless they involve duck tape). 

Nice Little Circuit

 “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” -Joe Namath

Time to take a little breather and work out a tad. Here's my circuit for the day (~30 min):

Repeat 3X:
60 jump rope
10 burpees
Pushup to plank row (5 pushups)
Bicycle (20)
Front Lunge w/ DB Shoulder Press (10 total)
BW Squats (30)

Purpose

“Every time you stay out late; every time you sleep in; every time you miss a workout; every time you don’t give 100%… you make it that much easier for me to beat you.”  -Unknown

So it's about 11:30 on a Monday and I'm sitting on my couch waiting for the public library to open, where instead of being productive I will sit in front of the computer until dinner. I decided to start this blog to give myself some motivation that I seriously need.

I am a recent college grad, who played Division I volleyball, and used to be in amazing shape.