WHHHOOOOHOOOOOO! Made it through another Metabolic workout today. This time we did two sets of the 12 exercises. 1 minute for each exercise first and then 20 seconds for the second round. I pushed it hard and really felt winded at the end. We added some weight, abs and some sprints and called it a day. Another cool morning, but we warmed it up pretty quick.
I had a tear in my eye when I read the note below from my Boot Camp instructor, last night:
Hey Campers,
What a great morning. The temperature was a little cool but sure felt good once you got moving. "Race Day" was a lot of fun and you guys really worked you butts off. I wanted to let you know of a few things coming up so you can go ahead and get prepared.
"Bring a Friend Day" is next Wednesday, October 7th. This is a day that you can bring any friend. It is designed to let those ladies who are interested but can't seem to make the commitment have a taste of how much fun it is and how good it makes you feel. It is also a great time for you to bring your husbands, children (if old enough to participate), coworkers or anyone important in your life to get them excited about a healthy lifestyle. Also, this helps your loved ones understand what you do each morning and they usually become much more encouraging. This is the only time a man is invited to camp.
"Metabolic Workout Day"
I have attached a link to a You Tube video I did with the Greensboro Boot Camp instructor showing you how hard you should be pushing yourself while doing the Metabolic Workouts.
"Metabolic Workout video"
As you can see, he is pushing himself as far has he can go. This workout is meant to push ALL the oxygen out of you body and make your body take in more while building endurance. Pay attention to how you feel each time we do this. It's a great indicator of your progress.
"Timed Mile and Push-up Day"
Next Friday is our second timed mile and push up test. If you weren't here for the first one, don't worry about it. It is still a great workout and if you continue to the next camp, you have a head start building up to your time.
Recognition Corner
Everyone is truly doing a great job. There isn't one of you in camp this time who isn't pushing yourself hard. It is so great for me to train people when they really care. I would like to recognize a few though that are just pushing themselves over the limits with sheer determination in their eyes to make a difference.
Lynne Hackaday(5:30), Susan Scott(7:00) and Tori Triplett(5:30). Way to go guys!! I see these three ladies fight so hard each time they are at camp. They are an example for everyone.
Half way through camp
Listen up ladies, we are already in our 3rd week of camp. It's time to really put the pedal to the medal and step things up a notch. You should be really watching your diet as well. If you don't know about it already, please go to www.myfitnesspal.com to keep track of your daily food intake. It is free and friendly and will really open you eyes to what you consume in a day. It will also show you if you aren't getting enough calories. That is the biggest reason that people don't loose weight once they have entered into an exercise class. They go overboard on their dieting and don't get enough calories. Your body will hold what is has until you give it something else. So just make sure that you are giving it enough but you're giving it the right nutrition. I am always here for questions or advice.
O.K. enough of me for today. Get lots of rest and I will see you in the morning.
"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything." -Arabian Proverb
Your Friend in Fitness,
Cherie Haught
haughtc@yahoo.com
www.WinstonBootCamp.com
Phone: 336-987-1273
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
To your Health!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Shin Splint Help
To reduce your risk of shin splints, use the following protective exercises:
1. Wall shin raises
a. Stand with your back to a wall, with your heels about foot-length from the wall. Then, lean back until your buttocks and shoulders are resting against the wall;
b. Dorsiflex both ankles simultaneously while your heels remain in contact with the ground: bring your toes as close to your shins as you can, then lower your feet back towards the ground, but do not allow your forefeet to actually contact the ground before beginning the next repeat;
c. Complete 12-15 reps of the above;
d. Maintaining your basic position with your back against the wall, dorsiflex your ankles to almost their fullest extent, then quickly dorsiflex and plantarflex your ankles 15 times over a very small range of motion.These short, quick ankle movements are called pulses;
e. As you gain strength over time, make the exercise more difficult by progressing from one set of 15 reps (of both basic raises and pulses) to two and then to three, walking around for 15-30 seconds between sets if you wish.
2. Heel step-downs
Simple but devastatingly effective exercises for preventing MTSS.
a. Begin with a natural, erect body position, with your feet about shoulder-width apart, then step forwards with one foot. The length of the step should be moderate, as with normal walking;
b. When your heel makes contact with the ground, stop the foot from fully plantarflexing by using your shin muscles to keep the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground. After heel contact, the ball of your foot should descend no more than an inch towards the floor or ground, held in check by the eccentric contractions of your dorsiflexors (shin muscles);
c. Return your foot to the starting position (back by the other foot), and repeat this basic stepping action a total of 15 times. Then repeat on the other foot;
d. As with the wall shin raises, progress to three sets of 15 reps over time.
Once you have mastered the basic heel step-downs, try the same exercise with dramatically longer steps, which will increase the accelerating forces placed on the dorsiflexors and force them to work more forcefully and quickly, as they must do during running. Start with one set of 15 reps of long steps per foot and progress to 3 x 15 on each foot over time.
Finally, you will be ready to carry out the heel step-downs from a high step, which will increase the forces on your shin muscles to the greatest extent and, of course, build the greatest amount of strength. Use a bench or exercise platform which is about 4-6 inches off the ground. Apart from beginning each step from a bench, your movements are the same as with the basic step-downs, the idea being to land on the heel of the forward foot, then use the shin muscles to prevent the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground (again, don't let the ball of the foot move downwards by more than an inch). The actual length of the step is moderate at first (you can progress to long steps later). As before, begin with 15 reps per foot, and progress to three sets of 15 reps as you gain strength and coordination.
Both the wall shin raises and heel step-downs can be carried out 3-4 times a week, along with your other strength-building exercises. You can perform them more often if you've had lots of problems with MTSS in the past, but not to the point of pain. Once you are an accomplished wall-shin-raiser and heel-step-downer, move on to the next two exercises, which are the ultimate MTSS prevention.
3. Heel hops
a. Using erect but relaxed posture, standing on your right foot, with your right knee just slightly flexed and your left knee flexed to about 90¡ so that the foot is completely off the ground;
b. Hop forwards on your right foot, but instead of landing in the mid-foot area, land on your right heel and hold the position for about two seconds, keeping the rest of your foot off the ground;
c. Repeat on the same foot 14 times more, then repeat on the other foot.
Initially, the hops should be just 4-6 inches in length, but you can increase the hopping distance as your strength and coordination improve. Another key progression is to gradually build up your speed of heel hopping, so that you are moving forwards quite quickly, while remaining on your heels. You can gradually move up to 3 x 15 hops per leg (or even more), but the ultimate progression is to carry out the exercise on a slight downward slope (initially just 1-2%). Using the slope will put severe pressure on your shin muscles, so be careful to begin with a modest number of reps.
4. Heel running
a. Start in a comfortable position, using relaxed and upright posture with your feet roughly beneath your shoulders;
b. Begin jogging slowly, allowing only your heels to make contact with the ground. Stay relaxed as you do this, and avoid the natural tendency to look down at your feet to see what is happening.
At first, keep your movements slow and jog for just 10 metres or so, but as you become more skilled your can speed up your heel running and go for about 3 x 20m, with a short break in between reps. Ultimately, you'll want to be able to do some of your heel running on a very modest downward slope. The overall idea is to keep your ankles significantly dorsiflexed as you run and permit just a little plantarflexion with each heel-fall, allowing only your heels to make contact with the ground.
How to use your warm-ups to strengthen your shins
You can also incorporate the following shin-splint-preventing routines into the warm-ups which precede your regular workouts. The exercises develop shin-muscle strength and resilience as well as overall ankle coordination. Performing them before a training session transforms your warm-ups from humdrum routines into important strength-and-coordination sessions. Here's what to do:
1. Walk on your toes
a. Walk on tiptoe as high as possible with your toes pointed straight ahead for about 20m. Your legs should be relatively straight and your steps initially small;
b. Repeat with your toes pointed outwards. Your legs should rotate outwards from the hips when you perform this movement; don't simply turn each foot at the ankle - the whole leg must be involved;
c. Finally, repeat with your toes pointed inwards, rotating the entire leg in from the hip, not just the ankle;
d. Repeat each step at least once more before progressing to the next exercise.
2. Walk on your heels
a. Walk on your heels with your toes pointed straight ahead for about 20m, getting as high up on your heels as you possibly can. As above, keep your legs relatively straight and your steps small;
b. Repeat with toes pointed outwards then inwards, as with the previous exercise;
c. Repeat the whole sequence at least once more.
As the toe and heel walks become easy for you, graduate to doing the three variations of each exercise while jogging lightly, instead of walking, using a padded or grassy surface at first.
3. Skip for 20m
Landing in the mid-foot area with each contact with the ground, with toes pointed straight ahead. Repeat with toes pointed outwards, then again with toes pointed inwards. Repeat the whole sequence at least once more.
4. Skip high on your toes
For 20m, first with toes straight ahead, then pointed out, then pointed in.
Once the toe skipping exercises are comfortable, try some light skipping on your heels. Gradually build up your ability to heel-skip with toes straight ahead, pointed out, and pointed in for 20m at a time. Heel skipping is a great way to build dorsiflexor strength, but do it only on a padded or grassy surface to avoid impact injury to your heels.
5. Rhythm bounding
This doesn't mean leaping along with extra-long strides, at least not at first, but jogging along with very springy, short steps, landing on the mid-foot area with each contact and springing upwards after impact. As you rhythm bound, your ankles should act like coiled springs, compressing slightly as you make your mid-foot landing and then recoiling quickly - causing you to bound upward and forward.
a. Move along for 20m-or-so with these quick, little spring-like strides, alternating right and left feet as you would during running;
b. After 10-20m of regular jogging, rhythm bound for 20 more metres, alternating three consecutive spring-like contacts with the right foot with three with the left;
c. After 10-20 more metres of regular jogging, close the set by bounding along for the full 20m on your right foot only, followed by 20m on the left (making sure that you land on the mid-foot area with each ground contact and that your ankle area, not your knee or hip, is doing most of the work).
Make sure, at least at first, that all of this is done on a padded surface or soft grass. As you become stronger and more skilled, you can increase the length and height of each bound and include additional sets of bounds, up to a maximum of four.
6. Dorsiflexion bounces
Jump vertically 10 times at close to maximal height, landing in the mid-foot area with both feet and then springing upwards quickly after each contact with the ground. The interesting part of this exercise is that you should dorsiflex your ankles - pulling the tops of your feet toward your shins - on each ascent, plantarflexing your ankles just before making contact with the ground. Rest for 10 seconds or so, then repeat. Over time you can add additional sets and increase the number of reps to 30. When you are really strong and skilled, try this exercise on just one foot at a time.
7. Rhythm bouncing
Rhythm bouncing is actually just jumping around, but what jumping!
a. Start with 10 jumps on-the-spot, moderately fast, to a medium height and with maximal motion at the ankles, but little flexion and extension at the knees and hips. Over time, you can work up to 30 jumps;
b. After resting for a few seconds, reduce the height of your jumps to less than an inch and complete 20 as fast as possible, minimising impact time as if landing on hot coals! Again, almost all of the action should take place at your ankles, not at your knees and hips. As you become more skilled, work up to 40 quicksilver jumps without stopping;
c. After resting for a few seconds, complete five 'high-impact' jumps, reaching as high as possible. Over time, work up to 30 of these maxi-jumps;
d. Now make things interesting by jumping forwards and then backwards as quickly as possible, with a total of 20 ground contacts;
e. Rest for a few seconds, then jump from side to side for a further 20 contacts;
f. Rest again, then jump diagonally forwards, first to the right, then to the left, in zig-zag fashion for 20 contacts. Remember to use your ankle muscles to propel you, not the big muscles at the knees and hips.
1. Wall shin raises
a. Stand with your back to a wall, with your heels about foot-length from the wall. Then, lean back until your buttocks and shoulders are resting against the wall;
b. Dorsiflex both ankles simultaneously while your heels remain in contact with the ground: bring your toes as close to your shins as you can, then lower your feet back towards the ground, but do not allow your forefeet to actually contact the ground before beginning the next repeat;
c. Complete 12-15 reps of the above;
d. Maintaining your basic position with your back against the wall, dorsiflex your ankles to almost their fullest extent, then quickly dorsiflex and plantarflex your ankles 15 times over a very small range of motion.These short, quick ankle movements are called pulses;
e. As you gain strength over time, make the exercise more difficult by progressing from one set of 15 reps (of both basic raises and pulses) to two and then to three, walking around for 15-30 seconds between sets if you wish.
2. Heel step-downs
Simple but devastatingly effective exercises for preventing MTSS.
a. Begin with a natural, erect body position, with your feet about shoulder-width apart, then step forwards with one foot. The length of the step should be moderate, as with normal walking;
b. When your heel makes contact with the ground, stop the foot from fully plantarflexing by using your shin muscles to keep the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground. After heel contact, the ball of your foot should descend no more than an inch towards the floor or ground, held in check by the eccentric contractions of your dorsiflexors (shin muscles);
c. Return your foot to the starting position (back by the other foot), and repeat this basic stepping action a total of 15 times. Then repeat on the other foot;
d. As with the wall shin raises, progress to three sets of 15 reps over time.
Once you have mastered the basic heel step-downs, try the same exercise with dramatically longer steps, which will increase the accelerating forces placed on the dorsiflexors and force them to work more forcefully and quickly, as they must do during running. Start with one set of 15 reps of long steps per foot and progress to 3 x 15 on each foot over time.
Finally, you will be ready to carry out the heel step-downs from a high step, which will increase the forces on your shin muscles to the greatest extent and, of course, build the greatest amount of strength. Use a bench or exercise platform which is about 4-6 inches off the ground. Apart from beginning each step from a bench, your movements are the same as with the basic step-downs, the idea being to land on the heel of the forward foot, then use the shin muscles to prevent the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground (again, don't let the ball of the foot move downwards by more than an inch). The actual length of the step is moderate at first (you can progress to long steps later). As before, begin with 15 reps per foot, and progress to three sets of 15 reps as you gain strength and coordination.
Both the wall shin raises and heel step-downs can be carried out 3-4 times a week, along with your other strength-building exercises. You can perform them more often if you've had lots of problems with MTSS in the past, but not to the point of pain. Once you are an accomplished wall-shin-raiser and heel-step-downer, move on to the next two exercises, which are the ultimate MTSS prevention.
3. Heel hops
a. Using erect but relaxed posture, standing on your right foot, with your right knee just slightly flexed and your left knee flexed to about 90¡ so that the foot is completely off the ground;
b. Hop forwards on your right foot, but instead of landing in the mid-foot area, land on your right heel and hold the position for about two seconds, keeping the rest of your foot off the ground;
c. Repeat on the same foot 14 times more, then repeat on the other foot.
Initially, the hops should be just 4-6 inches in length, but you can increase the hopping distance as your strength and coordination improve. Another key progression is to gradually build up your speed of heel hopping, so that you are moving forwards quite quickly, while remaining on your heels. You can gradually move up to 3 x 15 hops per leg (or even more), but the ultimate progression is to carry out the exercise on a slight downward slope (initially just 1-2%). Using the slope will put severe pressure on your shin muscles, so be careful to begin with a modest number of reps.
4. Heel running
a. Start in a comfortable position, using relaxed and upright posture with your feet roughly beneath your shoulders;
b. Begin jogging slowly, allowing only your heels to make contact with the ground. Stay relaxed as you do this, and avoid the natural tendency to look down at your feet to see what is happening.
At first, keep your movements slow and jog for just 10 metres or so, but as you become more skilled your can speed up your heel running and go for about 3 x 20m, with a short break in between reps. Ultimately, you'll want to be able to do some of your heel running on a very modest downward slope. The overall idea is to keep your ankles significantly dorsiflexed as you run and permit just a little plantarflexion with each heel-fall, allowing only your heels to make contact with the ground.
How to use your warm-ups to strengthen your shins
You can also incorporate the following shin-splint-preventing routines into the warm-ups which precede your regular workouts. The exercises develop shin-muscle strength and resilience as well as overall ankle coordination. Performing them before a training session transforms your warm-ups from humdrum routines into important strength-and-coordination sessions. Here's what to do:
1. Walk on your toes
a. Walk on tiptoe as high as possible with your toes pointed straight ahead for about 20m. Your legs should be relatively straight and your steps initially small;
b. Repeat with your toes pointed outwards. Your legs should rotate outwards from the hips when you perform this movement; don't simply turn each foot at the ankle - the whole leg must be involved;
c. Finally, repeat with your toes pointed inwards, rotating the entire leg in from the hip, not just the ankle;
d. Repeat each step at least once more before progressing to the next exercise.
2. Walk on your heels
a. Walk on your heels with your toes pointed straight ahead for about 20m, getting as high up on your heels as you possibly can. As above, keep your legs relatively straight and your steps small;
b. Repeat with toes pointed outwards then inwards, as with the previous exercise;
c. Repeat the whole sequence at least once more.
As the toe and heel walks become easy for you, graduate to doing the three variations of each exercise while jogging lightly, instead of walking, using a padded or grassy surface at first.
3. Skip for 20m
Landing in the mid-foot area with each contact with the ground, with toes pointed straight ahead. Repeat with toes pointed outwards, then again with toes pointed inwards. Repeat the whole sequence at least once more.
4. Skip high on your toes
For 20m, first with toes straight ahead, then pointed out, then pointed in.
Once the toe skipping exercises are comfortable, try some light skipping on your heels. Gradually build up your ability to heel-skip with toes straight ahead, pointed out, and pointed in for 20m at a time. Heel skipping is a great way to build dorsiflexor strength, but do it only on a padded or grassy surface to avoid impact injury to your heels.
5. Rhythm bounding
This doesn't mean leaping along with extra-long strides, at least not at first, but jogging along with very springy, short steps, landing on the mid-foot area with each contact and springing upwards after impact. As you rhythm bound, your ankles should act like coiled springs, compressing slightly as you make your mid-foot landing and then recoiling quickly - causing you to bound upward and forward.
a. Move along for 20m-or-so with these quick, little spring-like strides, alternating right and left feet as you would during running;
b. After 10-20m of regular jogging, rhythm bound for 20 more metres, alternating three consecutive spring-like contacts with the right foot with three with the left;
c. After 10-20 more metres of regular jogging, close the set by bounding along for the full 20m on your right foot only, followed by 20m on the left (making sure that you land on the mid-foot area with each ground contact and that your ankle area, not your knee or hip, is doing most of the work).
Make sure, at least at first, that all of this is done on a padded surface or soft grass. As you become stronger and more skilled, you can increase the length and height of each bound and include additional sets of bounds, up to a maximum of four.
6. Dorsiflexion bounces
Jump vertically 10 times at close to maximal height, landing in the mid-foot area with both feet and then springing upwards quickly after each contact with the ground. The interesting part of this exercise is that you should dorsiflex your ankles - pulling the tops of your feet toward your shins - on each ascent, plantarflexing your ankles just before making contact with the ground. Rest for 10 seconds or so, then repeat. Over time you can add additional sets and increase the number of reps to 30. When you are really strong and skilled, try this exercise on just one foot at a time.
7. Rhythm bouncing
Rhythm bouncing is actually just jumping around, but what jumping!
a. Start with 10 jumps on-the-spot, moderately fast, to a medium height and with maximal motion at the ankles, but little flexion and extension at the knees and hips. Over time, you can work up to 30 jumps;
b. After resting for a few seconds, reduce the height of your jumps to less than an inch and complete 20 as fast as possible, minimising impact time as if landing on hot coals! Again, almost all of the action should take place at your ankles, not at your knees and hips. As you become more skilled, work up to 40 quicksilver jumps without stopping;
c. After resting for a few seconds, complete five 'high-impact' jumps, reaching as high as possible. Over time, work up to 30 of these maxi-jumps;
d. Now make things interesting by jumping forwards and then backwards as quickly as possible, with a total of 20 ground contacts;
e. Rest for a few seconds, then jump from side to side for a further 20 contacts;
f. Rest again, then jump diagonally forwards, first to the right, then to the left, in zig-zag fashion for 20 contacts. Remember to use your ankle muscles to propel you, not the big muscles at the knees and hips.
The 12th day of Christmas
The 12th day of Christmas is Triceps Kickbacks...20 of them! In case anyone was wanting to do their own 12 Days of Christmas!
Great to be back!
All 5 alarms worked today and I got to boot camp 20 minutes early! All were there early so we started early...and probably a lot had to do with us wanting to warm up. We did our normal morning stretches and started out today with an Indian Run. But, that wasn't it to get us warmed up. We teamed up in twos and ran to a basket which had about 12 exercises in it that we had to perform as a team and try to beat the other teams. My team one!!!! Not bragging, but we did push ourselves pretty hard. The exercises ranged from different weight work...bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, shoulder presses, shoulder raises, or bent over row. Then the other things ranged from an Indian Run, duck walk, walking lunges, or running up and down a hill. Needless to say we were warmed up! We did some arm work on the weights today that really burned...and of course ended with push-ups...so my arms were a shaking today! Then you can't finish any better than doing ab work.
I hope it portrays through my typing how excited I was to get back into the grind of boot camp this morning. I really do love it...the pain and all! The only issue I'm dealing with is my shin splints, but I've already been sent some help for that. This is part of the reason that running/jogging has never been my choice of aerobic activity. I'll post some help on this in another post if anyone has similar issues!
To you Health!
I hope it portrays through my typing how excited I was to get back into the grind of boot camp this morning. I really do love it...the pain and all! The only issue I'm dealing with is my shin splints, but I've already been sent some help for that. This is part of the reason that running/jogging has never been my choice of aerobic activity. I'll post some help on this in another post if anyone has similar issues!
To you Health!
Monday, September 28, 2009
I NEED A BETTER ALARM CLOCK!
I was so mad this morning when I woke up at 8:30am...2 hours late from when I usually get up to go to boot camp. I slept through all 3 of my alarms going off and 2 phone calls...with my phone sitting right next to my head! I was really upset about it! So I pushed that anger into my Jillian Michaels Metabolism Workout DVD. I feel a bit better, but I know tomorrow I will be pushing myself extra hard at boot camp.
I hope you all have a good Monday!
To your Health!
I hope you all have a good Monday!
To your Health!
Friday, September 25, 2009
12 Days of Christmas
No holding back this morning! Even though our regular instructor was out of town today, we still worked our butts off. I was introduced to the 12 Days of Christmas.
1 jog/walk/run around the playground
2 dozen mountain climbers per leg (48 total)
3 inch worms w/ push up
4 Burpees
5 squats w/bicep curl w/ dumb bell
6 lateral raises w/ dumb bell
7 push ups
8 plie squats w/ dumb bells
9 skater squats
10 standing crunches per side (20 total)
11 squats
12 ???? I apparently can't remember this because I only did this one once.
Anyway, basically you start with number one...then you come back and do 2, then 1...then 3, 2, 1...and so on till you get through the whole 12 days of Christmas.
And I am happy to say that I cam the only one in my camp this morning to finish it all for the first time doing it! I was empowered by hearing that no one in the 5:30am class finished it! It was tough, but I sort of got more power as I went...pushing myself more and more. And from what I hear I missed a grueling day yesterday...so I hope to push myself into some hard work this Saturday on my day off. I got a new Video from Jillian Michaels I may try out tomorrow...I'll let you know how it goes.
So this was an awesome end to my second week of Boot Camp!
I just want to thank all that keep encouraging me, it really does help keep me going. Thank you!
To your Health!
1 jog/walk/run around the playground
2 dozen mountain climbers per leg (48 total)
3 inch worms w/ push up
4 Burpees
5 squats w/bicep curl w/ dumb bell
6 lateral raises w/ dumb bell
7 push ups
8 plie squats w/ dumb bells
9 skater squats
10 standing crunches per side (20 total)
11 squats
12 ???? I apparently can't remember this because I only did this one once.
Anyway, basically you start with number one...then you come back and do 2, then 1...then 3, 2, 1...and so on till you get through the whole 12 days of Christmas.
And I am happy to say that I cam the only one in my camp this morning to finish it all for the first time doing it! I was empowered by hearing that no one in the 5:30am class finished it! It was tough, but I sort of got more power as I went...pushing myself more and more. And from what I hear I missed a grueling day yesterday...so I hope to push myself into some hard work this Saturday on my day off. I got a new Video from Jillian Michaels I may try out tomorrow...I'll let you know how it goes.
So this was an awesome end to my second week of Boot Camp!
I just want to thank all that keep encouraging me, it really does help keep me going. Thank you!
To your Health!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Hungry Mother!
This is my first day that I couldn't be at boot camp...and I truly was sad about it! But, I did conquer the Lake Trail at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA this morning. A 5.7 mile wooded hiking trail around the lake! It was beautiful and perfect weather for being outside and walking. So I don't feel so bad about missing boot camp one day since I did walk pretty hard on this trail. It took me just under 2 hours to walk it, and tried to keep my pace up to 4-5 miles per hour so as to keep my heart rate up. The hills slowed me down a bit, but I just picked my pace back up after. I did learn something this morning about my pedometer though...it says I walked 12.2 miles...HAHAHAHAHAHA...yeah definitely got to get that pedometer reset to the correct stride length! So maybe I burned 500-650 calories on that trail...not sure since my pedometer was screwy. I am looking into getting a heart monitor that tracks my heart rate and calories, then I feel like I can keep up with calories burned better.
I have been keeping track of the food intake for the past week and a half as well...which makes you aware of how many calories you are really eating...and what you are missing from your diet. Learning lots this week!
I also have been meaning to post something that I have noticed about myself lately. I am aware that I am standing and sitting straighter than normal. My posture seems to be more erect and correct. I am excited about this, since this is something I remember so well about my Grandfather Rooz. He would always tell us to sit up straight...and I think my Aunt Bori had some help in that too...always telling us to sit like there was a string being pulled from the top of our heads upwards. Anyway, I am excited about my posture, because I felt like I was not taking care of my posture lately. Also, something else I have noticed about changing...I think I see definition in my thighs...HELLO...this is exciting and empowering. I definitely give credit to my boot camp instructor Cheri for that...as she busts our butts every morning to keep moving.
So, Marion, VA has proven to be a good place to find exercise if you happen through here anytime. Be sure to check out Hungry Mother State Park. It has lots of things to do...canoeing, paddle boats, swimming, hiking, biking, and camping, of course. And it is absolutely beautiful this time of year...perfect weather these two days and breezy!
I hope you all have a great day today and hope you learn something inspiring about yourself today like I have this week!
To your Health!
I have been keeping track of the food intake for the past week and a half as well...which makes you aware of how many calories you are really eating...and what you are missing from your diet. Learning lots this week!
I also have been meaning to post something that I have noticed about myself lately. I am aware that I am standing and sitting straighter than normal. My posture seems to be more erect and correct. I am excited about this, since this is something I remember so well about my Grandfather Rooz. He would always tell us to sit up straight...and I think my Aunt Bori had some help in that too...always telling us to sit like there was a string being pulled from the top of our heads upwards. Anyway, I am excited about my posture, because I felt like I was not taking care of my posture lately. Also, something else I have noticed about changing...I think I see definition in my thighs...HELLO...this is exciting and empowering. I definitely give credit to my boot camp instructor Cheri for that...as she busts our butts every morning to keep moving.
So, Marion, VA has proven to be a good place to find exercise if you happen through here anytime. Be sure to check out Hungry Mother State Park. It has lots of things to do...canoeing, paddle boats, swimming, hiking, biking, and camping, of course. And it is absolutely beautiful this time of year...perfect weather these two days and breezy!
I hope you all have a great day today and hope you learn something inspiring about yourself today like I have this week!
To your Health!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
2nd Metabolic Workout down!
I did it again! The Metabolic Workout was today...again. We warmed up with an Indian run! 12 exercises as fast as you can for 45 seconds each, then do it again for 30 seconds each, then the final was 20 seconds each. Can we say sweat from head to toe?!?!? Light headed is an understatement...but that's the point, to work yourself as much as you can, pushing yourself as much as you can to improve yourself all around...and HELLO we are getting in shape! We did some serious butt crunches today that were killer! Then, of course we were not done, we did some ab workouts.
I learned last week that this workout kicks my metabolism into overdrive. I was so hungry last Wednesday! I will be sure to eat more protein today to curb that hunger!
I hope you all have a good day!
To your Health!
I learned last week that this workout kicks my metabolism into overdrive. I was so hungry last Wednesday! I will be sure to eat more protein today to curb that hunger!
I hope you all have a good day!
To your Health!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Burning those legs up!
This morning was tough to get up! We burned up our legs today. Jogging, step ups, squats, walking lunges, mountain climbers, and then to top it off we came back under the shelter and burned up some more with some weights! Needless to say I was definitely breathing hard today...you never realize how much weigh is in those thighs until you start burning them up! I feel good about it, but I will not lie, it burns during the process!
Hope you all are moving a little bit here and there...a little can go a long way!
To your health!
Hope you all are moving a little bit here and there...a little can go a long way!
To your health!
Monday, September 21, 2009
2nd week of Boot Camp!
This morning was awesome. The light was getting brighter as I rolled into the park for Boot Camp! The kitty was still wandering around, and all 6 women that started last Monday were there again this Monday. Not a bad start to a Monday!
So we started with our Indian Run...where you all start running/jogging/or walking...I jogged the whole time...and then when you get the the finish you turn around and go to the last person. You do this till the last person is at the finish. We then a few sprint splits with partners, shuffles back and forth with a partner, and resistance running with the bands. All enough to make my shin splints burn. We then went back up to the shelter to do more resistance work with the bands...working those shoulders and making out shoulder caps defined! Finishing off with some duck walking, pole sitting, and jacks.
It was a good Monday morning burn! A great start to the week.
To you Health!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Feeling good and I am proud of myself!
Well, I did it! I made it through my first week of boot camp. I did my first timed mile since high school this morning and finished at 14:30. I plan to improve on that by the end of the four weeks. I also did 10 Male push-ups and 20 Female push-ups for the push-up test. After that we did some resistance band walking. We did 20 Mountain Climbers, 20 bench dips, and then 20 jumping jack splits for a few minutes as well. Overall I felt like it was a great end to the week.
I don't know if I am more excited about accomplishing the workouts for the week or the fact that I get up and stay up that early in the morning. I have got so much done after workout and before I have to go to work this week than I have in the last few months!
I picked up a log journal this week too tat will keep track of my exercises and food for me, so that I can ensure that I am not eating more calories than I am burning. No serious weight loss yet, but the toning is definitely happening. I am starting to truly feel my abs under this layer of flab that hides them. I think that if I am feeling mentally better I should focus on that right now instead of the numbers. I know this is a process and nothing happens immediately!
I also have been thinking that it is time to join the gym. I feel more energetic than I have in a while and I think I need to be doing one more hour of workout, for a total of 2 hours a day.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
To your Health!
I don't know if I am more excited about accomplishing the workouts for the week or the fact that I get up and stay up that early in the morning. I have got so much done after workout and before I have to go to work this week than I have in the last few months!
I picked up a log journal this week too tat will keep track of my exercises and food for me, so that I can ensure that I am not eating more calories than I am burning. No serious weight loss yet, but the toning is definitely happening. I am starting to truly feel my abs under this layer of flab that hides them. I think that if I am feeling mentally better I should focus on that right now instead of the numbers. I know this is a process and nothing happens immediately!
I also have been thinking that it is time to join the gym. I feel more energetic than I have in a while and I think I need to be doing one more hour of workout, for a total of 2 hours a day.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
To your Health!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Strength and balance...we all need this in more ways than one!
Today we worked a lot on strength and balance. Some tough moves that burned and burned. I felt stronger at the end and not as exhausted as yesterday. I am working on removing the the flying wings on my triceps and toning that bum up nice and firm!
I am so excited that I have pushed myself every morning for the last 4 days to get up and go! It was raining the last two mornings, but we have continued to workout under our shelter at the park. So NO EXCUSES!!!
We were greeted by a little tiny guest today at the shelter too...little grey kitty that reminded me of Smokey, The Scott Family cat, so of course I named the kitty Smokey 2. He/She watched us work out all morning and then us softies went to get it food and milk. It didn't come home in my car...yet!
I hope you all have a great Thursday!
To your Health!
I am so excited that I have pushed myself every morning for the last 4 days to get up and go! It was raining the last two mornings, but we have continued to workout under our shelter at the park. So NO EXCUSES!!!
We were greeted by a little tiny guest today at the shelter too...little grey kitty that reminded me of Smokey, The Scott Family cat, so of course I named the kitty Smokey 2. He/She watched us work out all morning and then us softies went to get it food and milk. It didn't come home in my car...yet!
I hope you all have a great Thursday!
To your Health!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Can we say exhausted!?!?
Well, Ms. Cherie, my boot camp instructor, definitely whooped our butts today! We did a Metabolic workout that was tough! Basically, we did a series of 10 different calisthenic exercises for 30 seconds each as fast as we could...rest for 1 min...then do each exercise for 25 seconds each as fast as we can...rest for a minute...and then do it one more time for 20 seconds each exercise. Needless to say, I was hurting and wondering if passing out may be in the near future! It was tough, but the heart rate was definitely up there burning those calories.
We worked on our backs and shoulders with weights today and then, of course, we did Ab work. I am extremely exhausted. She did explain that we would probably have a boost of energy towards the middle of the day from this workout.
No Pain, No Gain...right?
To your health!
We worked on our backs and shoulders with weights today and then, of course, we did Ab work. I am extremely exhausted. She did explain that we would probably have a boost of energy towards the middle of the day from this workout.
No Pain, No Gain...right?
To your health!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Still recovering from day 2
Today was not so hard to get up and go. Just a little tightness in my legs, but nothing severe! Tomorrow may be another story as today was tough on the arms and the legs. I am sure I will feel what we did today tomorrow morning.
My confidence was boosted a bit this morning when my trainer asked me if I did sports in high school, since I was so athletic and had such great form. I of course thanked her and proceeded to explain that I rowed in crew for a year and a half in college. That was a bit of an ego boost though.
Today my toughest cardio was jogging 20 steps, 20 shuffles, and then 20 jumping jacks. We did this combo for 15 minutes. My calves were on FIRE!!! We did some chest weight today too that still have my arms shaking like a leaf!
Overall, a great workout though and I continued today to jog whenever she wanted us to walk, jog, or run! Pushing as much as possible to see the best results!
Something else that I have been introduced to this week is http://www.myfitnesspal.com .
This is an awesome site to log in your food intake for the day and your exercise and track the calories you've eaten versus the calories burned. It is very helpful to have a calorie tracker for when you are exercising to make this work though. I have a calorie tracker on the new watch pedometer I got from Target. Anyway, check this site out. You put your weight, height, and desired weight, and then the amount of exercise you are willing to do per week. Then it will calculate the amount of calorie intake you need to stick to so that you can reach your goal! It helps keep you on track! Great FREE program!
Until tomorrow...I know I will be sleeping well tonight...if not taking a nap in the middle of the day.
To your health!
My confidence was boosted a bit this morning when my trainer asked me if I did sports in high school, since I was so athletic and had such great form. I of course thanked her and proceeded to explain that I rowed in crew for a year and a half in college. That was a bit of an ego boost though.
Today my toughest cardio was jogging 20 steps, 20 shuffles, and then 20 jumping jacks. We did this combo for 15 minutes. My calves were on FIRE!!! We did some chest weight today too that still have my arms shaking like a leaf!
Overall, a great workout though and I continued today to jog whenever she wanted us to walk, jog, or run! Pushing as much as possible to see the best results!
Something else that I have been introduced to this week is http://www.myfitnesspal.com .
This is an awesome site to log in your food intake for the day and your exercise and track the calories you've eaten versus the calories burned. It is very helpful to have a calorie tracker for when you are exercising to make this work though. I have a calorie tracker on the new watch pedometer I got from Target. Anyway, check this site out. You put your weight, height, and desired weight, and then the amount of exercise you are willing to do per week. Then it will calculate the amount of calorie intake you need to stick to so that you can reach your goal! It helps keep you on track! Great FREE program!
Until tomorrow...I know I will be sleeping well tonight...if not taking a nap in the middle of the day.
To your health!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Survived my first day!
Well, I definitely survived my first day of boot camp! I pushed myself the whole time and actually jogged instead of walking for the times we were to walk/jog/run...our choice! I was impressed with myself and excited about the experience. I am one of 6 women that started this camp this morning and they all are different fitness levels. It is inspiring to see women 20 years my senior out doing me, but it is also very helpful in my push to succeed and improve this health.
Happy Monday all and stay healthy!
To your Health!!!
Happy Monday all and stay healthy!
To your Health!!!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Winston Boot Camp
Ok, so to start off, I am sorry for my slack posting. Hopefully this week helps me get back on track. I have definitely had an up and down time in the last few months with my fitness. This week, actually in just about 12 hours I will be starting a Fitness Boot Camp in Winston. I am doing it by myself, with other women in the Winston area that want to improve their health. I will need as much encouragement as anyone wants to give to keep me going. I have signed up for 5 days a week for the next 4 weeks. I start at 7am tomorrow morning and I really am excited...even though I have been working the longest job of the year for the last 4 days.
So I hope all of you followers are doing small things to improve your health too! More power to us all!
To your health!
So I hope all of you followers are doing small things to improve your health too! More power to us all!
To your health!
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