Piece of Advice

When you get tired of wearing the same shirts to the gym, do not wear a light gray 100% cotton shirt instead.  It will immediately show sweaty pits, sweaty neck, sweaty back, and when you get super sweaty, a sweaty belly button.  This no light gray rule applies to all cotton knit shorts.  Not pretty. If you are going to go all cotton, stick with dark colors.  On top of that, my shirt had 3/4 sleeves. 

 

Dri-fit and other wicking fabrics totally make a difference. Eventually, sweat marks will appear, but it is more gradual. You can get good deals at TJ Maxx or Target.  I haven't tried any Old Navy stuff, but they do have a large selection these days. Time to go get a new shirt. Maybe this one.

 



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What the Wednesday

Yesterday was quite eventful.  Haylee threatened to stay in the car and eat her coat instead of eating the dinner I was making.  She did come inside eventually and had some broccoli and chicken nuggets. Amy had a project due and I had to shake the printer ink cartridges for all I was worth and hope that they would still print out 11 decent pages.  And to top it all off, Luke decided to wake up several times and fall out of my bed when I finally gave up and let him sleep with me.  After he fell, I said, "We need to take you to your room so you can be safe," and he said, "Okay."

Haylee has started writing notes, no more waves and squiggles. She tries her best to sound out the words and leaves out lots of vowels.  Surprisingly, she got this one right. It's a note she placed by to bathroom for her older sister.  Got to love Kindergarteners!

While we are on the subject, I got these for little man.  He wanted to put them on right away.  10 minutes later I had to change them and flush some stuff down the toilet. I said, "Don't pee on McQueen."  Technically he was obedient.



Booty Barre was tough again today.  I cannot stay on my tiptoes for very long. It was fun to be in class with 10 other women.  All sighing and groaning. My legs were shaking.

Workout:

Booty Barre--45 minutes

35 minutes--treadmill--sprints (3.5 miles total) 9.0 mph, walking and jogging breaks.

Balanced Diet

This is what I've eaten so far today.

Spinach, avocado, chicken breast, multi-grain chips, a muscle milk, and some mini cinnamon rolls.

Add 4 more cinnamon rolls to that picture.

In an attempt to get more sleep, I have been using a white noise app.  It has worked for me the last 2 nights, but neither of us are sure if our little boy has been waking up in the night.  When he got up this morning, he seemed extra stuffy, which is a clue that he was crying in the night. But he wasn't upset enough that he woke us up or crawled out of his crib. Win?

My legs felt heavy when I woke up this morning.  My arms and back felt tired too. Perhaps I overdid it yesterday.  Today was arms and shoulders.  I never hit a groove, it was hard.  Even running seemed hard. I did get a good laugh today.  This older gentleman said, "I gotta workout. Out comes the sun, out comes the guns," then he flexed.

Workout:

10 minutes--AMT--warm-up

40 minutes--lifting arms and shoulders

• neutral shoulder press with a twist
• shoulder fly
• upright row
• outer bicep curl
• hammer curl
• triceps pulldown
• shoulder tap planks
• burnout: 5 lb. lateral raise

45 minutes--treadmill--5.2 miles ran at 6.8/7.5 mph most of the time. Some walking between miles.

Back At It

After a few days of "vacation" I was excited to get back to the gym.  I worked my legs today, planning to be sore tomorrow and ready for Booty Barre class on Wednesday.  I pushed myself hard, rep wise, not so much with weight.  My legs were shaking and I felt like I couldn't do any more when I was done.  I guess that means it was a good workout.  Then I ran 5 miles.  And it didn't feel like anything.  I went slow and mixed in sprints.  It felt good to get sweaty and now I am definitely tired.

 

 

Workout:

12 minutes--AMT--warm-up

45 minutes--legs

• squats on Smith machine
• calf raises (Smith)
• plié squat (Smith)
• squat and overhead press with medicine ball
• jump squat
• deep bodyweight squats (3 sets of 50)
• hack squats
• squat and overhead press with dumbbells (15 lb. and 17.5 lb.)

10 minutes--abs

45 minutes--treadmill--5 miles (3 miles, then sprints)

Playing in the SNOW

This is where we were for a few days last week.



 View out our window

 

 He wouldn't keep his gloves on

 

 These 2 are good buds

 



 She crashed into a tree going down a lightning fast sled path. She had cuts on her head and a  bloody lip.

 

The kids had fun sledding and snowmobiling. We played games, "slept" in a fancy cabin, and ate more junk than we care to admit. Sledding was super fun.  I happened to crash and smash a sled to smithereens. I knew when I got on that it was flimsy, but I didn't think it would break. Luckily there were a lot of sleds go around.

 

Now back to a regular schedule, hopefully regular sleep, and regular exercise.

Rowing Machine--What I Should Have Read First

This information comes from the Concept2 website. There is also a how-to video.  I got the form down after a while, but I also got some blisters. There are probably lots of video demos on YouTube as well. This was my first try on the rower. I really felt it in my glutes. Is that right?

The Rowing Stroke
The rowing stroke can be divided into two parts: The drive and the recovery.
You will learn a coordinated movement pattern built upon the following positions and phases:

The Recovery (Phase 1)

• Extend your arms until they straighten.
• Lean your upper body forward to the one o'clock position.
• Once your hands and the oar handle have cleared your knees, allow your knees to bend and gradually slide the seat forward on the monorail.

The Catch (Position 1)

• Arms are straight; head is neutral; shoulders are level and not hunched.
• Upper body is at the one o'clock position—shoulders in front of hips.
• Shins are vertical and not compressed beyond the perpendicular.
• Balls of the feet are in full contact with the footplate.

The Drive (Phase 2)

• With straight arms and while maintaining the position of the upper body at one o'clock, exert pressure on the foot plate and begin pushing with your legs.
• As your legs approach straight, lean the upper body back to the eleven o'clock position and draw the hands back to the lower ribs in a straight line.

The Finish (Position 2)

• Legs are extended and handle is held lightly at your lower ribs.
• Upper body is at the eleven o'clock position—slightly reclined with good support from your core muscles.
• Head is in a neutral position.
• Neck and shoulders are relaxed, and arms are drawn past the body with flat wrists.

Workout:
5 minutes--AMT--warm-up
30 minutes--rowing--resistance=8, distance=6000 meters

Happy New Year!

One of my kids used to say "Happy You Here!"  So to all of you who read this, Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. I have enjoyed writing this blog the last 3 months. Thanks for the encouragement and I hope my blog has encouraged you as well!

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!