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Cons to Training for Something:
So obviously the 'pro' list is longer than the 'con.' So I guess there's my answer.
Like Bex always says, I know I won't regret it, so what do I have to lose?
In other news....
I have done a couple day's worth of the Fitnessista Summer Shape Up. Her workouts are awesome! They are quick and you sweat alot. And yall know I love a good sweat.
With her program, there are no long distance runs (she hates running) or bikes or anything like that. Mostly weight training and yoga and interval training. So I have been sort of taking her workouts and working them into my own running schedule.
This week I'll do:
Maybe if I start posting a weekly plan I'll do better at following through.
Okay so I have hodge-podged together a bunch of my favorite ab exercises and have been doing them durning workouts. Try some of the below exercises and see how they work for you!
Obligatory Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or a physical therapist or a personal trainer or a super model so I *technically* don't really know what I'm talking about. This is what works for me, and it might not work for you. I'm not responsible for ya if you hurt yosef. :)
Okay so the Name of the Ab Game is FORM. FORM AND CONTROL. If you are doing these in bad form and rushing through your ab workout, you might as well just get back on the couch with a bag of potato chips. I have put a few 'form tips' on here, but do your research and make sure you're doing them right.
1.) Ball Crunch: 1 set of 25 I do this while holding a 12-pound weight in front of my chest. Simply lean back in a regular crunch and come up again. Keep your back flush against the ball. The difference between this exercise and regular crunch is that it takes you past the 90 degree position, thus giving you a wider range of motion.
2.) Reverse Crunch 1 set of 25 I do this one with a small medicine ball in between my knees. Pull your hips up slightly, bringing your knees towards your chest. Keep core engaged and your back against the mat.
3.) Bicycle Crunch: 1 set of 25 Most of us are familiar with this one. Stay controlled and slow, focusing on form. Bring your right elbow to your left knee, then switch to your left elbow and right knee.
4.) Medicine Ball Twist: 1 set of 25 Start in an inclined sitting position with the medicine ball in front of you. Twist your upper body to the right, touching the ball to the floor beside you. Repeat on your left side. Be sure to keep your legs out in front of you, and your upper body controlled and steady.
See how much Pink Tank Top Girl loves her Medicine Ball Twist? They're fun for everyone!
Play around and see how many reps are good for you. Since I do this in combination with other workouts (running in itself is a good core workout) the 1 set of 25 per exercise is good for me. You might want to increase your reps, or do 1 set of 25 each, then do the circuit again for a hard-core ab workout!
Happy Tuesday Everyone!
Caty and Carson
Me and Caty makin' that boat look good!
Me, Lee, and Caty. Lee is in heaven ha ha!
Lee and Caty's boyfriend Dan...solving the problems of the world.
Caty and Me again
On Sunday night my mom and I went to visit my Auntie Lynda at her new house! We had a great time celebrating her new home!
Me loving on Lynda's poodle Simba!
Champagne toast! Those two will use any excuse to drink champagne!
Me and my Auntie! She is on her tippie-toes and I am squatting down. I am seriously about 8 inches taller than her!
I just realized I do not have a good pic of my sweet mommy from the weekend! :( Sad. Sorry, Mom! You need to come to Tunica for a visit so I can get a good picture of your purdy face. :)
*Unfortunately* because I was a crazy eater/drinker/socializer I did not force myself to work out while in Knoxville. I took three (of my cutest) workout outfits and they did not even come out of my suit case.
I was having a little 'whoa-is-me' party yesterday morning in reflection of my debaucherous weekend when something on the Today Show caught my attention.
Dr. Nancy Sniderman (NBC Cheif Medical Correspondant) and Joy....um I can't remember her last name but she is a tiny healthy mini-person....were talking about fad diets and about how they're terrible and they make you lose weight only to put it right back on.
Dr. Nancy reitterated that you have to make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and to form good habits. She said you cannot be expected to have NO comfort foods or NO alcohol or NO sweets....but when you do, just get back on track the next day.
I liked that because when you have a crazy weekend, or a vacation, or a celebration, you can just brush yourself off, say, "Okay, that was fun." and get back into your good routine of eating and exercise. No need to get down on yourself. Just get back at it the next day!
I was just telling Bex this morning (we did a sweaty, sweaty, sixer at the break of dawn!) that I have been really psyching myself out about my workouts and stuff lately. Like, the thought of running six miles does not seem like a ligit workout to me anymore.
But *hello* six miles in 85 degree Mississippi heat is an AWESOME workout! I need to give myself more credit and just bask in the light of 'look how far I've come.'
Every now and then I will have a mental battle but that is to be expected, I guess.
Speaking of 'how far I've come,' I ran across a picture of myself in the Caymans from a trip Winston and I took about two years ago. And let me tell you something.....well, I will wait for you to make your own judgments. I might just get ballsy and post it tomorrow. Just brace yourselves.
Weight Watchers Update:
I stayed the same this week at weigh-in. 154.5. But I am not too down in the dumps because at this point honestly WW is just a technicality for me. I am going to be happy with the way I feel, and happy with my size as long as I stay in the 150-155 range. And that's that.
Well, I'm off to meet Tom at the house for lunch and let Reba in for the afternoon. The heat index in our area is 106 today. YES ONE HUNDRED AND SIX DEGREES!!!!
In the mornings I have been filling Reba's water bowl (which is actually an old HORSE feeding bucket) with ice cubes instead of water. It melts fast so it is just icey cold water for a few minutes and she LOVES it and gulps it down! She thinks ice is a treat. This way I at least know she starts the day off hydrated.
Please remember to keep a close eye on your four-legged children in the crazy crazy heat!
I am just so frustrated because I feel like I worked so hard and sweated so much and now....nothing to show for it. How do I expect to ever be able to maintain 150 pounds if I can't even get there with $55 as motivation?
Soooooooo frustrating!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! I am at my desk grinding my teeth right now because I am so annoyed with this body.
And the thing is....I look fine right now. At 155. I feel fine. I am size 6 for goodness sake! But it's the simple fact that I have a goal---an attainable goal--- and I can't meet it. For me, it is more about simply acheiving a goal than anything else. Sigh.This message brought to you by your friendly Mississippi Humanitarian Runner. :)
Last night (in order to stay on pace with the Summer Firm-Up) I did Jillian and then went on a 15-mile bike ride. I chose 15 miles because that usually takes me about an hour. I am to the point now where if I want to see a change in my body I have to put in a 90 minute workout about 5 days a week.
Sheesh, that sounds like a lot.
Those first 20 pounds were actually *easier* to get off than these last 5 or so. Just goes to show that I really needed to lose them!
So the bike ride was awesome and wonderful. By the time I got started it was already 6:30 so the sun was fairly low in the sky, making the temps a little more bearable. My ride goes way out on some country roads (don't worry, I'm always less than 1 mile from someone's house I know), so the route is surrounded by cotton, wheat, rice, and soy bean fields.
This time of year the fields are so leafy and green and lush and they smell like pure nature. Reminds me of camp. So I just enjoyed the ride and took in all the beauty of the Delta. By the time I got back to town I was nice and sweaty and hardly even noticed what a good workout I had gotten....I was just so entralled by the scenery.
*Anyway* I wanted to ask yall if you have tried or seen this product I tried this morning. We got a 16-oz can of it in our swag bag from the Gibson Guitar 5K (along with a full-sized bottle of Lubriderm body lotion, a lavender scented candle, band-aids, floss, and a coupon for a free chicken biscuit from Chick-Fil-A which I promtly threw away so as not to be tempted. This swag bag was random as can be, but whatev....).
I have always been scared of energy drinks because most are just full of sugar. And we all know that sugar=calories=fatty fatster.
But this one only has 2 grams of sugar in the 16 oz bottle so I figure it can't be too terrible. And only 20 calories in the whole 16 ounces.
It also has 100% of your daily value of Vitamins B3, B5, B6. And 250% of your daily value of Vitamin B12. I'm sure there's artificial sweeteners in it, but that doesn't really bother me since I basically bathe in Diet Coke.
So this morning after a humid five-miler with Bex, I wanted to do Jillian and needed a little more of a boost. I had this little guy in my frige from Saturday and decided to give it a try.
It tastes like lemonade, not carbonated, but comes in a can. I felt like 110% during my Jillian workout, and had some energy to spare. So I guess it worked. I liked it, but probably won't make it part of my daily....um....energy-increasing routine.
I think Emergen-C works equally as well and for some reason I feel better about drinking it instead because it's more natural, and you mix it with good 'ole H2O.
What do you think? Have you ever tried these energy drinks? Are they totally bad for you or what?