Work it out

I am trying to hit 100 pounds by the end of the year. Now whether or not I hit that number I am very proud of myself, and what I have accomplished so far. I am doing my strength training 3-4 times a week, and have added in a little cardio at the gym, elliptical, bike etc... And I have also started t25. I have seen insanity advertised for a long time, and wanted to try it, but let saying I didn't think I could do the 45 minutes a day for it. Well then I started seeing t25 advertised, and hearing great results about it. My hubby and I decided to give it a try. He unfortunately broke his hand and has been unable to start it. I started 2 weeks ago and so far I love it. It is very hard work. I am dripping sweat everytime I finish a workout, but the great thing is that it is only a 25 minute workout. I do it 5 times a week and twice on Fridays. So 6 t25 workouts a week combined with my other workouts. My kids actually enjoy doing the t25 along with me. So far after the 2 weeks since ice started it I have lost 1 pound, 1 1/4" off my thighs, 3/4" off my arms, 4" off my waist, and 4" from my chest. I would say those are some good numbers for 2 weeks. I will check my measurements again in 2weeks and I'm hoping for some more great results. I would highly recommend t25 to anyone interested init. Here are a few pictures from after my workouts.

 

   

  

Workout Wednesday

Today's workout is what I did a lot of while on vacation SWIMMING!! I think it is one of the best exercises because besides all the benefits it has it is a lot of fun. I mean don't you have more fun swimming than doing say 200 burpees? So onto the good stuff why is swimming so great other than being so fun?

Swimming offers something no other aerobic exercise does: the ability to work your body without harsh impact to your skeletal system. When the human body is submerged in water, it automatically becomes lighter. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50 percent of its weight; dunk yourself to the chest and that number reduces to around 25 to 35 percent; with water all the way to the neck, you only have to bear 10 percent of your own weight. The other 90 percent is handled by the pool.
This means that the pool provides an ideal place to work stiff muscles and sore joints, especially if you're overweight or suffer from arthritis.
In its recommendation for the right types of exercise for people with arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation suggests those that stretch muscles, those that strengthen muscles, and those that provide an aerobic workout. A few laps in the pool combine all three!
If the pool is heated, so much the better for arthritis sufferers, as the warm water can help loosen stiff joints. In fact, people with rheumatoid arthritis receive greater benefits to their health after participating in hydrotherapy than with other activities. It's also been proven that water-based exercise improves the use of affected joints and decreases pain from osteoarthritis [source: CDC].


Swimming is also a great way to increase muscle strength and tone. Have you ever seen a flabby competitive swimmer? Yea I didn't think so. For example when you are running you are only moving your body through air, but when swimming you are propelling yourself through water, which is about 12 times as dense as air. So every kick and arm stroke become a resistance exercise. Resistance exercises are the best way to build muscle strength and tone. Swimming has also been proven to help increase bone strength.

Unlike doing a machine exercise in a gym where you are only working one body part at a time, swimming is working your whole body at once. You are increasing your flexibility while swimming through water as you are stretching your whole body all at the same time.

In addition to helping tone the visible muscles you are also building up your cardiovascular health. Because swimming is an aerobic exercise you are increasing the strength of your heart. You are making it more efficient in pumping which leads to better blood flow throughout your body. The American Heart Association reports that just 30 minutes of exercising a day, such as swimming, can reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30 to 40 percent.

Swimming is one of the biggest calorie burners out there. So it is great in helping keep your weight under control. The exact number of calories you burn is based on your own physiology and the intensity in which you are swimming. A general rule is, however, for every 10 minutes a breast stroke burns 60 calories, backstroke 80 calories, freestyle 100 calories, and the butterfly 150 calories. That sounds fantastic right? To boost those calories try intervals. Work hard for short bursts then recover. Go all out for 50 yards then rest for 10-15 seconds, then repeat. You will be tired at the end, but will have burned a lot of calories. Make sure you refuel with healthy snacks and plenty of water afterwards.

There is also research that shows you can help lower your cholesterol, help control asthma symptoms, lower your risk of diabetes, and help lower stress. So it sounds like one of the perfect exercises right? So get out and swim swim swim!! Your body will thank you.

 

 

 

                                                                    

 

 

 

                       

                                

                                        

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

 

Workout Wednesday

Let's focus on the back today. This is probably the biggest area I struggle with as far as what to do for it. I like to work my back and shoulders together on the same days. Usually when I go to the gym I do 3 days a week of strength training, back and shoulders one day, legs one day and biceps, triceps and chest another day. I am thinking about changing it to 4 days and doing one day chest and abs. We will see how that works. These are just my days in the gym of strength training. I do cardio there sometimes, not that much I am thinking about adding some more of that to my routine, and of course I do lots of other things at home.  Anyways I have gotten side tracked again. Back to the back :) (See what I did there). My go to exercises for the back are dickersons, lat pulldowns and seated cable rows. I do other things as well, but those 3 are in my routine every week.

Let me explain those three to you.

Dickersons (straight arm pulldown)
You are standing on this one, I like to use the short straight bar. Attach your bar to the cable machine at about shoulder height. Grab the bar walk backwards a little bit, and pull down with your back not your arms.

 

 

 

Lat pulldowns

You are seated in this exercise. Sit down on the pulldown machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Grab the bar with the palms facing forward. You can do a wide, medium or shorter grip depending on what you want to work on exactly. Pull the bar down in front of you, not behind your head, until it touches your chest. Once again you should be using your back to pull it down. Slowly raise the bar back while staying seated.

 

 

 

 

 

Seated cable rows

You are also obviously sitting in this one at a low pulley row machine with a V-bar. Sit on the machine with your feet on the platform and grab the v-bar (your palms will be facing each other). Your knees should be slightly bent. Your back should be slightly arched with your chest sticking out. Keeping the torso stationary pull the bar back towards you (once again using your back to pull) also try to keep your elbows close to your body.

 

 

 

 

What are some of your go to back exercises?





Workout Wednesday

When we hear our favorite songs on the radio we all feel like dancing. This is very normal, but did you know it is a great exercise? One thing that is great about it is that you are exercising without even knowing it. You want to burn some great calories? Crank up the music and dance around the living room for an hour. You will have definitely broken a good sweat doing it!

So what are some of the benefits of dancing, other than it being really fun. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals that encourage nerve cells to grow. And dancing that requires you to remember dance steps and sequences boosts brain power by improving memory skills. Have you seen some of the dances they do on these shows like so you think you can dance or dancing with the stars? They have some pretty intricate moves they have to remember. Also have you noticed how in shape all of the dancers are? Obviously they are doing something right. Whether it's ballet or ballroom, clogging or jazz, dance is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities get and stay in shape. There's even chair dancing for people with physical limitations. A 150-pound adult can burn about 150 calories doing 30 minutes of moderate social dancing.


Dancing helps:

strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints

tone your entire body

improve your posture and balance, which can prevent falls

increase your stamina and flexibility

reduce stress and tension

build confidence

provide opportunities to meet people, and

ward off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression

All of those benefits sound great to just be able to dance around my living room for awhile. I'm not saying stop all of your other cardio, but this is a fun and easy cardio routine that anyone can do.


There are also a lot of dance related fitness classes. These are a lot more intense than just dancing around your living room. I have never taken any of these classes, but I have heard a lot of great things about them. I do have the zumba game for the Wii. Let me tell you after about 30 minutes on there I am dripping sweat for sure. So go grab your dancing shoes and burn off some calories tonight!!