Monday Workout: Planes, planks, and sides

This week we have both suitcase swings and woodchoppers, a similar motion in two different planes to work on stability with different muscle groups while getting the heart rate up.  In the same kind of way, flies and rows work the front and back of the body.  The deadlifts or squats get the lower body more involved; choose the squats if your knees allow it and the deadlifts if they don’t.  For the plank and side planks, alternate rounds, odd rounds plank, even rounds side plank.  Four rounds total.

1 min cardio
ball flies	20
suitcase swings	20
deadlift or squat	20
bent over row	20
woodchoppers	20
plank/side plank

See the Love? Right there, in the plant!

Sometimes we get too enthusiastic and we end up, well, sore.  I’m not talking about when we are actually injured—in that case, go to the doctor and do what she or he tells you to do.  But when we’ve overdone ourselves a bit, here are a few things that can help:

• Ibuprofen.  It is all right not to want to be in pain.  You can build character by being nice to people who cut you off in traffic instead.

• Ice.  If you have swelling, ice will help reduce it.

• Heat.  It helps dissolve tension.  Bonus points for a bath with Epsom salts.

• Rest.  You’ll come back stronger.

• Love.  You are valuable.  Treat yourself like it!

Big Gulps (Not That Kind)

When I write about breathing, I usually do it from the perspective of slowing down, of tuning in, of chilling out.  Today, not so much.

Let’s breathe hard today.  There are lots of ways to get to that point.  We can run, lift, dance, swim, bike, walk, or ellipt (that would be the verb form for using the elliptical machine, right?).  We can take the stairs.  We can race the kids or the dog.  Whatever it takes, today is a great day to put those lungs to the test.

Big gulps, people!  It’s good for us!