On my third trip around the neighborhood for the week, I realized how far I've come in the scheme of things. I beat myself up a lot for not working out as much as I'd like, not making getting a gym membership a priority and not eating exactly right 100% of the time. But really, when putting one foot in front of the other on a cold January day, it is amazing to think about everything that I've accomplished in the last year. Since it's all fresh on my mind, I figure I'll list everything I can think of here:
1) Quit my day-job to write full-time and support my husband's business.
2) Began writing weekly for sites like Associated Content, Yahoo!, Examiner, Rivals and more.
3) Managed three blogs (almost) weekly.
4) Started an exercise routine.
5) Moved my mom in with me and my husband.
6) Helped my mom move back out on her own.
7) Finished writing a novel.
8) Started writing a second novel.
9) Began submitting writing to contests, magazines and journals (still keeping fingers crossed that those pan out someday).
10) Kept up with friends and family as best I could.
11) Went to Disneyland.
12) Went to Legoland.
13) Went to Dragon*Con.
14) Played paintball more times than I can count.
15) Suffered a death in the family.
16) Had to put a pet down due to illness.
17) Started reading again.
18) Started sewing again.
19) Started crocheting again.
The list goes on, I'm sure. It's a lot - much more than I thought could possibly fit all in one year, but there it is. 2011 is shaping up to be even more jam-packed, and I am glad that I've been able to stick to my desire to live a healthier lifestyle through it all. Of course, I'm not perfect, but the changes to my well being have stuck and that is what matters.
On that note, I'm off to do laundry for the first time this year. Thank goodness for clean underpants!
Showing posts with label 10 minute workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10 minute workouts. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8
Wednesday, May 26
Custom Workouts To Shake Things Up!
One of the many reasons I have difficulty going to the gym on a regular basis, or any basis at all, is that I bore with exercise easily. If you haven't noticed this far in the blog, I try to do something different every day to keep myself interested. When I'm bored, it's far too easy to just plop down in front of a movie or spend the day cruising the internet instead of getting myself moving.
Today, plagued again with rain, I tuned into Exercise TV On Demand and realized that they have deleted several of the 30 minute workouts I had yet to try (this is when I start talking myself into believing the universe is against me) and none of the 20 minute workouts seemed interesting. I tried a 20 minute workout with Kim Kardashian called "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday", but about three minutes into trying to follow Kim as she step-touched her way over and around an aerobics stair in a distracting catsuit... I just couldn't do it. I found myself spending more focus on making jokes about her outfit... Hey, looks like Kim is one set of ears away from a Catwoman revival!... which Pooch didn't find as funny as I did. So I did something I rarely do once I get going; I stopped the workout and tried to find something else. Sorry, Kim!
Surprisingly, the magic of On Demand saved me from myself once again. Cruising on over to the 10 minute workouts, there was plenty to do. And in a moment of clarity, inspiration and addition-type skills, I realized that I could do 4 of the mini-workouts and they would equal one big workout. Brilliant!
The first area I targeted this morning was my butt and thighs. Like many women, getting pants to fit around all these curves AND fit around the waist is like trying to fit a parachute over a jumbo jet. You might be able to figure out a way to do it, but it sure won't be pretty. 10 Min. Buns & Thighs by Cindy Whitmarsh fit the bill perfectly, and I was happy that as adorable as Cindy is she was able to keep my attention without being annoying or bossy.
My next problem area is my abs, or rather, what SHOULD be my abs but is more of a giant marshmallow encased in a layer of Jello tapioca pudding. Amy Dixon's Abs & Back Workout (sorry, the link just goes to a clip of the workout - I couldn't find the full version online but it looks like you can purchase the full version from Exercise TV if you decide you like it. Give it a shot On Demand first.) took some pretty basic moves I'm already familiar with and added a few twists and turns that really made my abs feel like they were working!
I decided to round things out by throwing in some Arms With Attitude by Kathy Kaehler (Wha? No link for this one that I could find, but it's still available On Demand) to change the fabulous flab stuffing up my shirt-sleeves into what will one day be toned shoulders and arms. Kathy uses dumbells and a yoga ball in the exercise but I used neither, opting to do the ball exercises either standing or on the floor and doing the dumbell exercises sans weights.
Finally, wanting to make sure that I really got my heart rate going I added Give Me 10 Blast by Amy Dixon (again, available free On Demand). This workout really gets your heart rate going as you use ice skating and basketball inspired moves to work out from head to toe.
In the end, I got a custom workout that hit all the places I wanted to with several 1-2 minute breaks between each segment (for browsing and loading the new videos) and ended up moving and sweating for over 40 minutes. Not bored, not annoyed, just pleased with myself and the way my body handled all the diversity.
Today, plagued again with rain, I tuned into Exercise TV On Demand and realized that they have deleted several of the 30 minute workouts I had yet to try (this is when I start talking myself into believing the universe is against me) and none of the 20 minute workouts seemed interesting. I tried a 20 minute workout with Kim Kardashian called "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday", but about three minutes into trying to follow Kim as she step-touched her way over and around an aerobics stair in a distracting catsuit... I just couldn't do it. I found myself spending more focus on making jokes about her outfit... Hey, looks like Kim is one set of ears away from a Catwoman revival!... which Pooch didn't find as funny as I did. So I did something I rarely do once I get going; I stopped the workout and tried to find something else. Sorry, Kim!
Surprisingly, the magic of On Demand saved me from myself once again. Cruising on over to the 10 minute workouts, there was plenty to do. And in a moment of clarity, inspiration and addition-type skills, I realized that I could do 4 of the mini-workouts and they would equal one big workout. Brilliant!
The first area I targeted this morning was my butt and thighs. Like many women, getting pants to fit around all these curves AND fit around the waist is like trying to fit a parachute over a jumbo jet. You might be able to figure out a way to do it, but it sure won't be pretty. 10 Min. Buns & Thighs by Cindy Whitmarsh fit the bill perfectly, and I was happy that as adorable as Cindy is she was able to keep my attention without being annoying or bossy.
My next problem area is my abs, or rather, what SHOULD be my abs but is more of a giant marshmallow encased in a layer of Jello tapioca pudding. Amy Dixon's Abs & Back Workout (sorry, the link just goes to a clip of the workout - I couldn't find the full version online but it looks like you can purchase the full version from Exercise TV if you decide you like it. Give it a shot On Demand first.) took some pretty basic moves I'm already familiar with and added a few twists and turns that really made my abs feel like they were working!
I decided to round things out by throwing in some Arms With Attitude by Kathy Kaehler (Wha? No link for this one that I could find, but it's still available On Demand) to change the fabulous flab stuffing up my shirt-sleeves into what will one day be toned shoulders and arms. Kathy uses dumbells and a yoga ball in the exercise but I used neither, opting to do the ball exercises either standing or on the floor and doing the dumbell exercises sans weights.
Finally, wanting to make sure that I really got my heart rate going I added Give Me 10 Blast by Amy Dixon (again, available free On Demand). This workout really gets your heart rate going as you use ice skating and basketball inspired moves to work out from head to toe.
In the end, I got a custom workout that hit all the places I wanted to with several 1-2 minute breaks between each segment (for browsing and loading the new videos) and ended up moving and sweating for over 40 minutes. Not bored, not annoyed, just pleased with myself and the way my body handled all the diversity.
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