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This is my favorite part of racing - all the supporters. And I always high five all the kids :)
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If you think that the nice guy ranting only happens on the internet, you’ve never had to deal with your thoroughly drunken friend shouting about how...
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This Monday morning brought to you by..
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“Eclectic Chair” workout! Crazy arms, booty & core!
Haven’t worked out with a chair in awhile, and kicked my own ass hard with this one. Brutal. (Wicked piece of FREE equipment by the way. When’s the last time you used one?)
The ‘Elevated Tuck’ exercise (above) is a fav of mine: intense, hanging leg raise alternative. Knees come into the chest, then push away, core 100% engaged and weight in the palms. I tap down on the floor quick, then back up (works because I’m shorter). You don’t need to do much to really feel this in your arms & core.
It’s FAB to switch up your equipment from time to time. Sometimes, I’ll just pick a piece of equipment I haven’t used in awhile, and brainstorm on ways to make it intense & interesting. Using elevated surfaces can take your workout to the next level, especially if you’re not used to it.
Took pics of everything and posting 2 chair workouts later today!
What are your favorite chair moves?
Hahaha! This was so me!
I love yoga now, but I didn’t at first. I felt more confident about it after I got familiar with poses from doing workouts at home. I use quickie yoga videos often for a stretch, warm up/cool down, or as an energizer: good to get the blood flowing. :)
If you’re feeling blah today (like me), but still wanna move, LIVESTRONG.COM & Tara Stiles have a ton of videos online to
choose from (most are +/-10 minutes). They’re fab to relieve some stress post-thanksgiving blahs. :)
I’m did a few yesterday: trying to perfect my Crow Pose (held it for ONE minute last week, but haven’t been able to repeat). Also did Tara’s tutorial - Hard Poses Made Easy - highly recommend for intermediates.
Choose your channel below! Try just one. 10 minutes. Feels good. -xo
Beginner
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEC7D48A0D649DD3B
Intermediates
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22D86CB788445480
Advanced
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0197CF821DCBF1B
Are you pushing “play” today?
MOVE please.
I could tell you it’s about your goals. Give you some rhetoric about “not quitting” or “busting through excuses”. Provide you with random numbers supposedly representing the calories you may or may not have eaten. Guilt trip you with images of really fit women, looking bad ass and happy and tell you to BE like them. I could go on and on and on with the “reasons” you should move today. But NONE of them are the reason I want you to.
Move today. Because you’ll feel GOOD. Better than now. Amazing, even. You’ll be a happier person. Less stressed out. You might find yourself smiling more. Maybe get a boost of confidence. And WOAH… you might have FUN. Remember fun? Fun is FUN!
I don’t care about the calories you’re burning, how it fits in with your goals, or your plan for flat abs. But I do care how you FEEL. And moving today is a surefire way to FEEL awesome. All the other stuff is a bonus and something you can get back to whenever you please.
10 minutes. A walk. A DVD. A video online (ask me, I’ll send you TONS). A dance party. A game on the Wii. Yoga. Stretching. Sports .
Trust me now. Thank me later.
xo
SOME ideas…
Fire Drill! 16 Minute Dorm Room H.I.I.T Cardio BURN
‘Like A Boss’ Booty! 16 Minute Lower Body Sculpt
Dorm Room Challenge: 16 Min KILLER Core Meltdown!
Tuesday Torture Anyone? 10 Minute Total Body Challenge
Yo- GAHHHHHH…. Why Adding Just A Little, Goes A Long Way
“Body Burn Out!” 16 Minute Strength & Power Circuit (With Dumbbells)
Buffer Zone! 16 Min (No Equipment!) Arms & Back
Lazy Lady Workout: A Guiltfree Quickie When You’re Feeling ‘Blah’
Crammin’ Core! 16 Minute Core & Cardio Challenge (with Dorm Room Friendly Options)
Unleash The Beast 3: Sweat Revenge! Intense 1000 Rep Total Body Challenge
Dumbbell Dance Party!
My unintentional “workout” today: grab 15lb dumbbells (yup, mine are pink). Set a timer for 20 minutes. Only “rules”: Don’t stop moving and don’t put them down.
Squatted. Lunged. Curled. Pressed. Danced my butt off to 90’s anthems with weights. Had a BLAST. Drenched in sweat and feeling like my arms are going to fall off. Way more intense than I expected, and just the kind of workout I wanted to have. No thinking. Fun first. Awesome.
In my old “box”, this workout wouldn’t have ‘counted’. I’d be scrambling to add more, more, more. Very happy I broke out of that. :)
What’s your workout today?
Step Back Lunge & Rotation
Works: legs, glutes, core
How To Do It
A. Stand tall and plant your right foot firmly into the ground. Step your left foot WAY back, bringing your hands to the floor (runner’s lunge). Keep weight in the heel of your front foot. (modification: bring hands to your front thigh instead of all the way to the floor).
B. Keep your left hand on the floor as you twist through the core and bring your chest towards your inner thigh. Raise your right hand overhead & reach your fingertips towards the ceiling. Keep your chest open.
C. Come back to a runners lunge (untwist) and push through the heel of your front foot to come back up to standing. Balance as you bring the right knee up and out in front of you (to hip level). Replace your foot and swing the left leg back into a runner’s lunge, repeating on the same side.
Modification: reduce range of motion. Bring your hand to your knee for the twist (don’t lower to the ground) and don’t raise your knee when you stand (or tap down first).
This is a faboosh combo for both a cooldown or a warm up: it really opens up your hips and chest, while working the whole body. Use your core for balance as you stand and fight to keep weight in the heel of your stationary foot.
Goal: 10-20 reps per side, repeated 2-3 times!
Swivels & Pike Press
Works: core, shoulders
This is a two part move: 4 swivels and 2 pike presses. Repeat this combo 5-10 times, rest & repeat.
A. Come to plank position with hands wide & in line with your shoulders. Eye line should fall in between & front of the hands. Keeping your butt down, draw one knee across the body and towards your opposite elbow. Really work to make the move count, bring your knee as deep as you can. Repeat switching sides for 4 reps.
B. Hop or step your feet in a few feet, piking your butt up into the air (like a downward dog). Position your head directly between your arms. Bend your elbows and lower down to the floor. Press back up and repeat twice.
C. Step or hop your feet back to plank, and repeat with the swivels. 4 swivels, 2 pike presses.
Tip: keep your knees bent during the pike press to make it easier.
Advanced: try the swivels and the pike presses with your feet elevated. Walk your hands in for the pike press.
Bitchin’ Burpees! Time Challenge!
This workout’s tough, but the key is going your own pace. Go as quickly as you can with proper form, and time yourself. Set a reminder in 30 days to try it again and see if you can beat your own time!
I’m doing it right along with you: hoping to shave 2-3 minutes off my time. :)
G’luck!
Tuesday torture anyone? :)
This is a CRAZY workout that’s perfect for those of you short on time. All you need is 10 minutes, your body weight and a timer.
I love quick ‘n’ dirty workouts, but this one is NUTS. Intense, but a TON of fun! The workout is a combination drill: you’ll go through several exercises back to back to count as 1 rep, then repeat the combo as many times as you can in 10 minutes.
Try to pace yourself and minimize breaks: it’s brutal, but very efficient. Warm up first (as always) and take 5-10 minutes to cool down and stretch (total workout time 20-25 minutes).
Tuesday Torture
A. Walkout To Pushup
B. Forearm Plank Walk Up To Belly
C. Roll, Get Up & Tuck D. Burpee
Repeat.
There are a few ways to do this workout (see below), but I did the 10 minute AMRAP. I gassed out HARD, but still managed to get 42 reps in 10 minutes (the last 10 were harder than the first 32!).
Do your best: even 10-20 is REALLY tough.
Other ways to do it…
 "Pin It")
Planks are a fantastic recovery & strength exercise (for those of you who love your H.I.I.T, dropping to plank during your recovery intervals is a great way to bring your heart rate down and keep your body working). They can also be done anywhere, need no equipment, and get easier with time.
Planks are core heaven, but they work everything else too… when they’re done properly. Read below for tips on how you can make yours more rockin’, even if you suck at it now. :)
Note: I mention cues for “from the hands” planks below, but tips for forearm planks OR planks from the knees are essentially the same! Just make sure your elbows/hands line up with your shoulders.
1. WIDEN YOUR BASE. The wider your base, the easier it is to balance: take feet wide apart, instead of having them together. Hands should also be shoulder width apart or wider: whereever’s comfortable. SPREAD your fingers: a wider base through the hands and weight in the palm will help too. (As you get better, take the feet in more narrow to make it challenging).
Yo-GAHHHH….
I’m by NO means a spiritual yogi (though I totally get that “zen” feeling. I just get it from burpees, lol). I’m the girl giggling in the back while everyone is Oh-mmming, and who can’t stand spending the last 5 minutes in Corpse pose (lying still is just NOT my thing).
If you’re new to yoga, I recommend taking a few classes to get used to the terminology/form/technique etc. It’s easy to injure yourself without modifications and an instructor can guide you through beginner poses better than a DVD can. BUT, if you are somewhat familiar with the terminology and classes aren’t your thing, there are THOUSANDS of yoga workouts, FULL ones, available for FREE on Youtube.
Tip: before doing a yoga workout or DVD, watch it first and give yourself permission to press pause, rewind etc. It’s tough to keep an eye on the instructor when you’re upside down, and you want to make sure you’re doing the poses correctly. As you get used to it, it becomes easier, but at first give yourself the upper hand by reviewing the flow before you start.
Some of my favorite online Yoga workouts (usually do 2-3 a week)
ra’yoKa Yoga
Energy Flow
Full (but short) Workouts (15-20 minutes)
Yoga For Weight Loss (Sadie Nardini)
Yoga Detox
Yoga For Tension (hamstrings & shoulders)
Yoga For Strength
Yoga For Recovery (runners)
Quick ‘N’ Dirty K.I.S.S. TV Workout (Keep It Simple Sassy)
Lie down and stand up during every commercial break.
It’s that easy: lie down on your back. Stand up as quick as you can. Use your arms to help you up, or just use your core (no hands) to make it harder. Beginners can use their own momentum to help (rolling up), but the less momentum you use the harder it is.
During the show, you can jog in place, jump rope, do jumping jacks etc. Every commercial break, you lie down and stand up as many times as you can (trying to beat your score from the previous break). Rest after each commercial for 30-60 seconds, then repeat.
Tougher than it sounds! VERY functional and total body. Beginners can feel free to use a chair or sofa to help them up, but the more core you use, the tougher it is. Push through your heels as you come up to standing.
Alternative: alternate between lying on your back and lying on your tummy (like a burpee).
Hot Yogi’s rejoice! Lululemon introduces the Towel Mat.
One side towel. One side mat.
Want.
Other Lulu Posts
By FAR the most intense of the ‘Beast’ challenges. Try it this week! 1000 reps of insanity.
You’re welcome. :)
Beginners: start with the modifications given and work your way up. You can also try just 2 rounds and see how you feel.
Bad asses in the house? See if you can beat my time with the advanced modifications. :)
Single Arm Climbers (Advanced)%0A%0AThese%20are%20considerably%20harder%20than%20regular%20mountain%20climbers%2C%20so%20expect%20to%20slow%20down%20a%20bit.%20Focus%20on%20form%20and%20not%20speed.%20(having%20a%20dumbbell%20underneath%20your%20planted%20hand%20MAY%20help%20if%20you%20have%20wrist%20issues).%20Not%20recommended%20for%20beginners.%20%3A)%0A%0AHow%20To%20Do%20It "Pin It")
These are considerably harder than regular mountain climbers, so expect to slow down a bit. Focus on form and not speed. (having a dumbbell underneath your planted hand MAY help if you have wrist issues). Not recommended for beginners. :)
How To Do It
A. Start in plank position, and step one foot in as far as you can towards your hands, planting your heel (if you can) into the floor. (landing on your toes may put too much strain on the knees - listen to your body). Your opposite hand stays planted on the floor and your other hand swings back behind you, on the same side as the planted foot.
B. Find your balance, then hop and switch your feet, keeping your planted hand firmly on the ground, and swinging your free arm forward. Use your core to switch, and work to keep your butt down throughout the move.
C. Continue hopping your feet out and in for 30-45 seconds, then switch sides.
This is CRAZY core: focus on tightening your core to really get the most out of this move and practice proper form.
If this is too difficult, you can step the feet in and out OR swap in regular mountain climbers. :)
