Random Act of Fitness #21 - Exercise Band Mini-Burst Workout

I busted out the exercise band at the playground the other day and K and I took turns doing a 4-minute workout while the girls played.  I noticed while we were doing our little RAF that one of the other dads on the playground started doing some pullups on the monkey bars, so I'm sure it was us who totally inspired him to overcome Lazy!

This is a great little mini-burst of a workout.  If you do each exercise I show for 1 minute (30 secs for unilateral the exercises) It takes 4 minutes, that's all - great for an RAF.  Do it a few times in a row and you've done a nice little mini-workout.  Alternate it with 5 minutes of cardio (jumping jacks/rope, step-ups, treadmill, elliptical, etc.) for 30 minutes and you've done a great full workout!

Do yourself a favor and make sure you have an exercise band around the house.  I like the flat ones because they're so versatile.  You can find them at any sporting goods store and usually at Walmart and Target as well.

How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I’m Trying To Eat Like A 5-Year-Old

We just had my daughter’s favorite dinner tonight:  salmon.  Wait, did I just write those words?  Could this possibly be true?

Tell me if I’m wrong, but it’s gotta be every parents’ dream to hear their 5-year-old child declare salmon as her favorite thing to eat.  Well, I’m livin’ the dream, then, because R has proclaimed just that.  I tend to believe her, too, because not only did she gasp with delight when I announced we’re having salmon for dinner but after she gobbled up her own portion, she demanded about half of mine!  My 3-year-old loves it too.

Trust me, my girls have VERY normal nutritional preferences on a day-to-day basis.  They would marry chicken nuggets and fries if they could, they go bonkers over “fruit” snacks and can magically find room in their tummies for large amounts of sweets just moments after they’ve declared themselves “stuffed” from picking over their dinner.

But there are enough aberrations from their typical kiddie predilections that I feel like I’m getting somewhere with their nutritional inclinations!

Another recent example:

The green guy is Rody.

He (although R calls him, “she”) is a bouncy horse toy inflated with air that one can sit upon and hop with… or dress up in a tutu and crown and use to give rides to Rapunzel Barbie…

Anyway, R told me one morning that she’d had a dream that Rody was broken open and brownies came falling out!  (She must’ve heard me talking in my sleep!)  So a few nights later as we cuddled at bedtime, I started the game of: what else could Rody be stuffed with?  Going off the brownie theme from her dream, I started listing off things like candy corn, Junior Mints, ice cream, etc.

She was giggling, enjoying the game, but quickly stopped me by saying that Rody should really be stuffed with healthy things first so we wouldn’t get a tummy ache!  Well, she certainly put me in my place!

So we switched gears and took turns listing healthier fare that could come tumbling out of a Rody piñata:  carrots, broccoli, pistachios, yogurt, bananas… and, yes, salmon.



In a perfect world, this would be the aftermath
of a pinata...

...not this.



Yep, it’s my 5-year-old that has helped me stay on track nutritionally more than once!  Now if I could just get her to figure out shoe-tying life would be sa-weet!

How My FRIEND Overcame Lazy This Week... Because I Sure Didn't!



Sloths may be pretty lazy but it takes some
amount of muscle to stay hanging in that tree!

 What is WITH me, lately?  I train for and run a half-marathon and then I become the laziest person on earth!  This is exactly what happened a year ago after I ran in the Ragnar Relay. In both cases, I went from being in pretty damn good shape to becoming a 3-toed sloth power vacuum for weeks following both events.  It's been 3 weeks since my half and I've managed to get in 2 Random Acts of Fitness and 1 single workout.  Woo hoo.  Yeah, and yet my calorie intake has resembled that of a sumo wrestler in training. 

Perhaps, subconsciously, I fear I'll tarnish my "Lazy Personal Trainer" title, so after accomplishing great feats of fitness, I have to make up for it with an episode of colossal apathy.

I can't "overcome lazy" too early in life.  Oh no.  Then how would I keep things interesting?

Anyway, since I, myself, have been over-welcoming Lazy lately, I must feature my friend's amazing way of overcoming it on a daily basis!  Thank goodness I'm surrounded by awesome, motivating people that are inspirational examples to me when I need it most. 

Friday, after dropping R off at school, Z and I decided to take the long way home so she and I could play at the park for a few minutes (see, I really am trying!).  That's when I ran into my friend who was also heading home with her two sons after dropping off her daughter.



Ok, I'm pretty sure Kim's
not pulling stunts like these...
but she's still overcoming Lazy!



Okay, so I can pat myself on the back that my daughters and I walk to school every day... and, when we met up, my friend even complimented us on our daily habit of walking.  But here's the thing:  our route is less than 1/2 mile and takes us about 12 minutes walking each way.  My friend's route is about 1 full mile from the school.  She lets all three of her kids ride their bikes while she hops on a scooter to keep up with them!  She could easily and sensibly justify driving them to school, but, nope... she's overcoming Lazy.

I really needed our chance encounter on Friday.  I'm pretty pumped now to end this pathetic slump I'm in and feel normal again!  Even though Lazy is appealing to me, it doesn't feel normal to me.

And I'd like to keep it that way!  Thanks Kim!

Random Act of Fitness #20: Kegels.... They're baaaaaack!

I'd like to report that nary a day goes by without me doing a set or two of Kegels.  But, honestly, that's not the case.  Kegels are easy to do, but they're easy to not do, too! 

The small amount that I have been doing over the past months do seem to have helped prevent any major leaks but I've had a few small reminders that it's been a while since I've incorporated them into my fitness routine.

So, today I've been doing some as I'm sitting here at the computer and I think this is my new spot to do them.  I'd been trying to do them as I brush my teeth, but it turns out that's trickier than I thought it would be! 

I'm sure almost everyone has daily computer time, right?  Well, that means we can all have daily Kegel time too!

Just remember:  Pelvic floors are muscles too!  They're definitely not as visible as bulging biceps or as flashy as 6-pack abs, but they shouldn't be neglected, people!

Kegels are surprisingly popular among some of the famous (and infamous).

Reliable sources inform me that these are authentic celebrity Kegel action shots:



With a look like that you know she's enjoying
strengthening her pelvic floor.



Whether you agree with her politics or not,
you can't deny her Kegel efforts are impressive.



So what do you think is going through his head?
I bet it's either: "Hold...1...2....3"
or
"Why did I ever think I wanted this job?"



Even Heidi Klum isn't too sexy for Kegels.



I'm positive this is George Clooney.
And I'm positive he's doing his Kegels.

Of course if you look like any of these guys while doing your own Kegels, you're working way too hard.  Here's a reminder on the proper method.
Have fun with your Kegel-ing.  I sure am!