body works plus abs

let just say body works plus abs kicked my booty!

i am sore in about every area of my body!! it’s fantastic.

we did some of these for triceps…

and some of these for abs

and some of these for the lower body

 

and some of these for biceps

and many many more!!!

im looking forward to next weeks class :)

Glutes!

Yesterday I worked out my glutes at the gym. It was an awesome workout..I know because I am super sore today!

The workout included:

1. Leg Press machine {5 sets of 15}
2. Lunges with weights {maybe 30? not 30 lbs! 30 lunges.)
3. Stair climber machine {20 minutes starting on level 6 and working up to level 11}

My workout was only 30 minutes long but very effective!
Here are some amazing glute stretches that I looked up and used..they are now my new BF.
Today my sister in law are going to go to the body works plus abs class. If I survive it, I will report tomorrow.

curb your appetite

Just read this in the Sprouts monthly magazine. Thought it was worth sharing!

“Drinking two 8-ounce cups of water immediately before eating a meal can help curb your appetite. This tip is based on research that found that those who regularly drank water before eating lost more weight and kept it off better than those who didn’t. Plus, being well hydrated boosts everything from energy to digestion.”

Staying hydrated is SO important. The last couple of weeks I’ve been having terrible frontal headaches. I decided that I was probably dehydrated. I now keep a large cup of water on the counter for me to see so that I will take a sip every time I walk by. My headaches have been going away. YAY!

rain=slippery mountains=no hiking=racquetball

The title pretty much says it all…

I love the rain and I'm so grateful for it, but i was sad that it meant that we couldn't go hiking this morning.

BUT, we did get to go play racquetball which was the most fun we’ve had in while without M boy. Not to mention an incredible cardio workout!!

Brigham actually had some competition this time around! When we were dating we played a lot but it was super lame because my arms weren't strong enough to hit the ball hard enough…

Thanks to Maddix’s chunky legs, I now have a a little muscle in my arms. Let me tell ya, we had some intense games…don’t ask who won though.

Thanks to my awesome SIL, Katie, for watching the babes!!

{picture from here}

someday i will have a nice camera so I can take my own pictures :)

hiking

just found out that brig has monday off. totally forgot! he let me know that this means we will be hiking the superstition mountains with maddix in a backpack.

im excited. especially since the weather has been b.eau.ti.ful.

hiking countdown: 2 days.

it’s about time i do some physical activity. i’ve been slacking lately.

here are some fun hiking memories.

{good old dating times! i was attached to his side. literally.}

hiking in the beautiful hawaii. man do i miss that place.

i will be posting about our presidents day hike next week!

ab workouts

so i have decided that i am taking a break from long runs for a little while {meaning half marathons :)}. since i don’t have any races that i am training for right now i am going to get on a weekly exercise/running schedule. i went to the gym last night for the first time in a month or so. it felt great. i focused on abs and triceps. then i did a nice little 1 mile run on the treadmill. if you dont have a gym membership, no worries. there are plenty of great “at home” exercises!

here are some of my favorite “at home” ab workouts:

Leg Raising

“This exercise puts an extra stress on the back so it is best to support the back by putting your hands under the hips (palm down). As you lie down with the legs stretched, stick both legs and gently raise them nearly 10 to 12 inches off the ground and then lower them but don’t touch the ground. Inhaling and exhaling while exercising is also necessary. Again at first this exercise would seem a little tough but by the time you will get the hang of it. The target of this exercise is to work on the lump of the belly that hangs below the belt. You will definitely love this exercise.” {found here}

Bicycle Maneuver

“A very effective exercise that stimulates the central muscles like the abs, back muscles and also the pelvic part. If this exercise is done regularly the results of this exercise would be seen in a week.” {found here}

Plank

Rest both of your forearms on the floor laying face down. Raise your body up from the floor, resting on your forearms and your toes. Make sure to keep your back flat from head to toe. Hold for 30 seconds, lower you body and repeat. Gradually increase your time.

Mason Twist {from P90x}

Sit on the floor with knees bent and up against chest. Lift your feet off of the floor. Rotate your torso from side to side, and with your hands grasped together touch the floor on each side of you. Do about 10 touches on each side. Rest, then repeat.

 i dont normally workout in jeans :) brig took these for me…like right now.

…

***You dont want to work your abs out everyday. They need a break :) 2 to 3 times a week will do the trick! Consistency is the key!

Technorati Tags: abs,workouts

londons run

we finished! and we are both alive! hurting, but alive! brig did end up running. in fact, he totally dominated.

legs are aching, booty’s aching, feet are hurting, hot tub already visited, ice cream eaten, now resting on the couch while baby sleeps. yes!

brigham did the race in a whoppin 1 hour and 36 minutes!! a.ma.zing. i am proud to say that i beat my last 1/2 marathon time by 10 minutes which means i did this one in 1 hour and 42 minutes. i also placed 2nd in my age group {out of the girls}. yay!

there were pictures of sweet london {a little girl that lost a fight to cancer} all throughout the course that helped me to keep going strong! i would much rather run a 1/2 marathon than have to fight cancer. i admire everyone out there who does have to fight such a terrible thing.

 

before

after

did anyone else do london’s run?

do share!

londons run!

everyone please wish me {and my husband} luck on our 1/2 marathon this weekend! i am excited/nervous. brigham is injured/nervous.
if anyone else is doing it, good luck to you!!!
p.s. this time i will not be choking down energy gels. i will go for something a little more tasty, even if it requires more time and energy to eat it.

guess what?

i just found out that i CANNOT run without music. okay, i can. BUT it is torturous and i complain the whole time and i run a lot slower and i feel every ounce of pain!!! just ask my husband. we did our 9 mile run together on saturday. i dont think he will ever want to do that again. i’m such a baby. i forgot my ipod and didnt want to go back and get it, so he tried to entertain me while i complained about how my legs hurt and i couldnt run any faster. i thought maybe it was just because i was out of shape {even though i run every week!} or just sore, or for other reasons. so yesterday i went and did my 5 mile run WITH my music. it was beautiful. my legs were hurting a little, but i didnt even care! i was so into my music and thinking about other stuff that i didnt even care if i was in a little pain. i ran it in 8 min miles instead of 9 min miles {which really is a big difference} and i even sprinted the last mile because i was listening to my favorite song.
music works miracles. NO JOKE. i would never EVER run a race without it. just thought id let you know incase anyone needs some encouragement!! :)

picture from here

working up to long distances

kami, thanks for your comment! i feel your pain! i felt like that before my half marathon. here is a good schedule to go by {or something similar}:
start by running 1.5 miles monday & wednesday {or tues & thurs}, then try pushing yourself and running 3 miles on saturday {dont worry at all about speed!}
do that for a couple weeks until you feel comfortable.
once you are comfortable with that run 2 miles monday & wednesday and then 4 miles on saturday {again, do not worry about speed! just endurance}
do that for a couple weeks until you feel comfortable
then continue with the pattern moving up a half mile during the week and a mile on the weekends. does that make sense? the saturday runs are not supposed to be easy by any means. they never were for me. but you learn to push yourself. and be positive! most of it is mental!! this is true. if you think to yourself that its no big deal to just go do a light long run, then it wont be. dont feel pressure to run fast!!
feel free to do each one as many weeks as you need to.
try to do a small workout the days between runs and give yourself the day to rest before your long run and also sunday of course :)
small workouts might include, the stair master, bike, weight training {i like the leg workouts and the ab workouts. getting your abs strong will help you to not get as bad of cramps when running!!}, etc.
another tip. if you run on the streets, run in a large circle instead of running down to a certain street and back. it makes the run much more enjoyable and feels a lot shorter!!!
did this help? i hope so! if you have any questions about it let me know! :)

goals

dont we all start the year out by making a few goals for ourselves? i sure do. i have so many that i think i forgot about half of them by february. thats what happened last year.

here’s a hint. make goals that are realistic. if you want to run a 10k by the end of the year, then make a list of ways that you will accomplish that. ex: how many times a week you will run, how many miles a week you will run, how you will eat better to be able to run that far, etc.

my physical goals this year include:

1. run 1/2 marathon
2. work out 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time {running, gym, walking..whatev}
3. learn more about nutrition, cook and eat healthier meals

if you sign up for a race, you will train for it. especially if you have already paid :) that is my biggest motivation to get out and run, as well as my husbands. the other day he almost decided to not run the 1/2 marathon we signed up for because he didnt want to train for it. then he realized that he wouldve lost 45 bucks! he is now training again :)

set some goals! realistic ones. make a list of how you will accomplish it. review your goals each week!

have fun!

what are some physical goals you’ve set for yourself for 2011??