Yesterday inside, today outside.

Yesterday I exercised at the gym:

35 minutes on elliptical
Then strength training:

15 swings with 4kg medicine ball
15 squats with 4 kg medicine ball
repeat above 3 times

15 "girl" push-up with one hand resting on medicine ball (7 right, 8 left)
repeat 3 times

using a resistance band looped over bar:
30 seconds of "crawl": bend at waist, one leg in front of other and do the motion of swimming.
allow heart rate to recover and repeat above 3 times.

Then the worst of all: towel exercises.

I did this exercise on the 2nd or 3rd session with my trainer and I just about vomited.  It was then that I realized how very deconditioned I had become and I vowed never to feel that way again.

To do these, you need 2 towels and a slick surface.  A kitchen floor is perfect.

Sit on your  behind, stretching your legs out in front of you.  Place a towel under each heel of your shoes.  Now place your hands at your side, push up and bring your right knee up, then extend and repeat with your left leg.  Do this at a pretty decent pace for 30 seconds.  The goal is to go the whole thirty seconds so go at a pace that is challenging you but doesn't push your heart rate above 85%.   Repeat 3 times allowing your heart rate to come down to 65% in between each rep.  Eventually increase your time to 1 minute with 3 reps.

The other towel exercise I like is similar to a low running motion.  Put your body into a plank with your hand holding up your body.  Places towels under the toes of your shoes.  Now bring right knee to chest, extend,  repeat with left leg.  The key is to keep your bottom down.  Repeat as above increasing time to 1 minute as your endurance increases.

Today I did kettle bells outside.  I love love love exercising outside.  Something about the rays of sunshine, the sounds of rustling leaves and the chirping birds just renews my spirit.  Plus it's a change of pace.

I've been doing kettle bells for about a year but I still don't know the names of all the exercises.  I'll do the best I can here today but promise to sound more official next time!

10 one arm swings on each side
Repeat 3 times (60 swings total)

10 one arm swing and punch on each side
Repeat 3 times (60 total)

Swing kettle bell above head using both arm.  Straighten arms, keeping elbow close to ear.  Walk around court, or walk to the count of 60, letting arms drop at 30 and immediately lifting again for another 30.

Allow heart rate to come down to 65%.  Then:

Using both arms, swing kettle bell up to chest height while at the same time stepping forward with both legs.  Repeat 25 times, turn and go back starting with other leg.

Repeat kettle bell overhead walk and swinging walk 3 times.

Then, do "around the worlds".  Hold kettle bell on outside of handle.  Sing up and around back of head. Repeat from the opposite side.  Do 20 then repeat 3 times.

Then resting one hand on "ball" of kettle bell, do 15 push-ups, (7 on right, 8 on left).  Repeat 3 times.

Finally, do a 5 minute "snatch" rotation.  Do 5 snatches with R arm, 5 with L arm. Rest 15 seconds.  Repeat for a total of 5 minutes.  This will take your hear rate up to about 80-85% and keep it there.  Hard but feels oh so good.

Stretch. A lot. Seriously!

Monday

Yesterday was a quiet day for me.  I woke up, cleaned and then made strawberry jam.  Then off to work at the quilt store.  So, no exercise.  But that's ok.  I was on my feet for 4 hours and busy cutting fabric and organizing bolts.

But the day before, at that community event, I had an interesting conversation that I willshare.

Lucy and I were making our way through the crowd when we ran into one of her friends from school.  All of us continued to walk together and stopped at the booth of a local personal fitness studio.  The guy was giving away his fitness videos and the gal was offering free personal training sessions.  Not a bad deal given that this play is crazy expensive with an intense boutique vibe.  Of course the female personal trainer started talking to me and asking if I exercise.  I proudly stated that I had completed a triathlon the previous summer after working with a trainer and that now I exercise 5 to 6 hours a week doing a mix of kettle bells, crossfit and spinning/jogging.  And then I added that I was actually on a path towards becoming a trainer myself.  That's when she got this look on her face.

Now, I have to be honest at this point.  Yes, I've been exercising for a bit over a year and I feel great but the weight loss hasn't been as impressive.  I'm down about 10 pounds with another 30 to go.  Losing weight is hard for me because food is so easy.  Actually, chocolate is so, so very easy for me.  I don't drink to excess, I don't do drugs but I love me a good brownie.

So I'm not really sure what she was thinking but I have a few ideas and none of them are very nice.  She didn't say "oh that sounds great" or "how are you getting certified?"  She was just silent.  Then she said, "well, I'll call you this week and we can set up a training session, ok?"

My feelings aren't hurt.  It's not a completely unexpected response.  I mean, I don't look the part.  The take away point is that it didn't discourage me - instead it lit my fire even more and made me realize how important this is to me.

Today I went back to the gym.  I find myself planning my workouts days before hand.  I knew that today I would do the bike for 30 minutes.   Then some strength training.  Here it is:

30 minutes on bike.  Average heart rate 142.

15 medicine ball overhead swings
15 medicine ball deep squats with overhead press.
Repeat above 3 times.

Then using cable pulley machine:
15 presses
15 pulls
15 squats - I call them bottom taps.  "sit" back on an exercise bench.
Repeat above 3 times.

Then using cable pulley machine:
Place pins at heaviest weight.  Lower handles.  Go into plank and do 15 push-ups.
Then lie down, feet on flower, knees bent.  Hold handles and pull body up - 15 times.
Repeat above 3 times.

Stretch and your done.

Today's workout

Today was a bit hectic.  Lucy had a sleepover and Mitch had to be to work by 8am.  Plus I had promised Lucy that I would take her into town for the community festival.  So, I had a plan and here's how it went:

This morning while Lucy and her friend rode bikes and played tea party I did a mini Kettle Bell circuit and some push ups:

15 kettle swings on each arm
15 kettle swing and press on each arm
15 push ups on ball
1 minute of "steps" - I do them on the curb

Repeat above 3 times

Then 5 kettle bell snatches on each arm with a 15 second rest, repeat for a total of 5 minutes.  I like doing this because it gets my heart rate up to about 80-85% without going over.  Plus it makes me feel kinda kick-ass.

Lucy, her friend and I then went to breakfast at the local diner to celebrate Lucy's 5 1/2 birthday.  I got egg whites with spinach and tomatoes and a bit of feta.  And a few bites of 1/2 birthday pancake.

Then we took our walk into town.  I took the jogger in case Lucy got tired which she seemed to be right from the start!  Our walk in is mostly uphill so I eventually convinced her that she needed to walk a bit by helping her find dandelion to blow for wishes.  We hung out in town and then made our way back.  I think I walked about 4.5 miles total.  Not fast but still it got me out and moving.

Now she's asleep and I can write for a bit and enjoy my peanut butter sandwich.

My friend made me do it

So, I was having coffee with my dear friend Jess yesterday and she suggested that I start writing about this whole personal fitness thing I'm doing these days.  It's not a bad idea considering that there's so much swirling around in my head about it.

There's a big back story which I have to elaborate on over time but here's the basics: Just over a year ago I decided to do my first triathlon.  It has been a goal of mine for almost 10 years.  I finally bit the bullet, hired a trainer, exercised out of pure fear and then completed the event in July.  After it was over, I found that I wanted to continue what I had been doing and push even harder.  In essence, I had become addicted to the feel-good properties of exercise.

So why write about it?  Well, recently I decided that I wanted to further my commitment to fitness and become a personal fitness trainer. Fitness has changed my life.  I started training overweight, out of shape and generally not feeling great about myself.  It's not been an easy road for me.  In the beginning I often felt like vomiting after workouts, I was tired and my body ached.  But then I started getting endorphin rushes and began to discover muscles that I never knew existed.  And now, in the midst of allergy season, my body is strong and coping well with the ridiculous amounts of pollen in the air.  I'm rarely sick, sleep well and awake rested!

The biggest change for me has been the mental component.  I just feel better.  I smile more.  I laugh more.  I'm hopeful.

There is a lot of work to be done to accomplish this goal: continue my own journey towards a fitter self, attend training and pass an exam (or two.)  And of course, I have to find people who are willing to let me train them!

I'm not sure exactly how this blog is going to go but I'm thinking that I will address the following issues on a daily/near daily basis:

1. My exercise routine of the day
2. How I'm feeling about my fitness goals
3. Postulations on life (this should be entertaining)
4. Frustrations
5. Where I am on my journey towards training others.

So come along with me and maybe do an exercise or two.  I can't promise that it will change your life but I can promise that you'll at least feel better while living it.