This week we are doing lots of compound exercises. They make us strong and burn lots of calories. Three rounds.
squat to leg lift | 30 |
flies | 20 |
burpees or pushups | 10 |
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woodchoppers | 30 |
bench press | 20 |
Arnold press | 10 |
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suitcase swings | 30 |
lateral raises | 20 |
brains | 10 |
We all have our favorite exercises. Here are five of mine, and, as a bonus, why I like them so much.
1. Squats. Squats are my Very Favorite exercise because they are infinitely practical. Don’t want to end up in a nursing home? Do squats. The line between independence and dependence is whether or not we can get up and down off the toilet alone, which is a squat. Not enough of a good reason? Squats also use a whole bunch of joints, which means we burn a whole bunch of calories doing them. They increase our stability, improve core strength, and give us a feeling of power.
2. Lunges. OK, lunges are actually one of my least favorite exercises, but I’m including them on this list because they are so good for us. Lunges have the same kind of compound exercise benefits that squats do, plus they work our balance and teach us good knee habits.
3. Pushups. Pushups work the same muscle groups that bench presses do, but they give us the bonus of recruiting our core at the same time. There are many, many kinds of pushups, so there is an appropriate variation for nearly everyone, whether we need them to be easier or harder.
4. Plyojacks. There’s a theme here: compound exercises. Plyojacks, again, work lots of joints, which means lots of muscles have to engage, which means lots of calorie expenditure. Added to all of that, we have jumping, which gets our heart rates up, helps us build coordination, and improves landing mechanics. That last one is a good habit to have for any of us who ever trip.
5. Pretty princesses. This is my favorite ab exercise because the spine is stabilized, making it safe for nearly everyone, and because it works all the abs from top to bottom. Also, it uses a great big rubber ball, so it must be fun, right?
Don’t like my favorites? Do your own!
A few months back, I bought hiking boots. A few weeks back, I bought a water pen. What is the common thread? (No, not capitalism. That’s a different sort of post.) I invested in better tools.
The water pen has improved my artwork a lot because it gives me more control over where the water ends up on the page. It wasn’t an expensive item, but it made a big difference.
In the past, I have gone hiking in flip flops, or whatever shoes I happened to have on. I can say that it is totally possible to have a great time hiking in “wrong” shoes. That said, I really love how my new boots help me interact with the ground (and by “interact with,” I don’t mean “fall on,” which has been the case in the past). I could hop from rock to rock a lot more confidently. I came back without sore feet, blisters, or scrapes.
When we are just starting out on something, we don’t need to spend a chunk of money on fancy stuff, but there is a moment when we can enjoy what we do even more with the right equipment.
I had an interesting week with my Wristy Overlord (aka my Apple Watch). I was on vacation away from my usual environment. I closed my exercise ring most days and my stand ring every day, but my move ring languished without my daily chores and activities. I learned some things.
One lesson is that I have done a pretty good job of making my ordinary life conform to my goals. I am not the couch’s best friend.
Another one is that I don’t have to pay too much attention to the Great Gradebook in the Sky. I talked back to my Wristy Overlord. I explained that I was on vacation, that vacation is good for me, and that I’d get back to moving when I got home. I didn’t want to completely ignore the W.O., but I did want to give it a lower priority than having fun.
I am the boss, not the W.O.
I like the balance set in this workout a lot. If balance work is not a good idea for you, please feel free to substitute other exercises for the single-leg versions! Three rounds.
kb swings | 30 |
kb twists | 20 |
kb 8s | 10 |
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1 arm clean and press | 30 |
1 leg deadlift | 20 |
1 leg squat | 10 |
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(jump) squats | 30 |
rows | 20 |
Russian twist | 10 |
We’re close to the start of a new month, so now would be a good time to check in with ourselves. Here are some things we might want to measure and how often:
1. Weight (daily or weekly). We are certainly more than a number on a scale, but it is a useful metric to track when we are evaluating our fitness journey. Maybe today’s number is a starting point; maybe it is a waypoint on a longer journey; maybe it’s a long-awaited and worked-for achievement. Write it down and then ignore it until the next time.
2. Circumferences (monthly). I like to measure chest (at the nipple line), waist (at the belly button), hips, upper arm, thigh, and calf. This gives a fuller picture of what our workouts are accomplishing because often these numbers change even if the scale doesn’t show progress.
3. Workout days (weekly). How often are we really working out? What days seem to be the toughest for us? How can we organize things for success?
4. Food (daily). Tracking what we eat helps us make good choices. I like apps for this because it takes a lot of the work out of it.
5. HRV (daily). This is a new one I’ve started tracking for myself. It requires a wearable fitness device (I have an Apple Watch, but other kinds also measure it). It stands for Heart Rate Variability. It’s a highly individual measurement, but in general, higher numbers are better. Once we have our baseline (average a week’s measurements), we can use it to decide how hard to work out on a given day. If the number is below average, we want to dial the work back a bit, but we can really go for it if the number is above average.
None of these things is essential, but all are helpful.
I would really like it if I could work out once and poof! There I am, strong, flexible, and fit! I am pretty sure I am not the only one who would like this, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
The good news is that even though we have to keep working out, it doesn’t have to be a terrible struggle every time. We can reach our goals without working out for hours and hours, drenched in sweat, whipped by demons, and groaning the whole time (unless you want to; I’m not going to judge you.).
We want to get our hearts pumping for about 30 minutes, five days a week. Ideally, we throw in a couple of half-hour weight lifting sessions some time during the week and a few minutes of stretching every day. That’s it. We’ve met the basic needs for cardio, strength, and flexibility. We waste more time than that during the week watching silly cat videos or searching for our kids’ shoes.
A lot of people tell me they hate exercise. It might be true for a few of them, but nearly everyone has had a good time walking in a pretty place, or playing in the water, or chasing around on the playground at some point in life. If we pick an exercise that we like anyway, that time becomes play rather than work. This is why I so often end my blog posts the same way: Go play.
