Monday Workout: Gotta Do It

I will always love compound exercises because they do so much so efficiently!  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
kickbacks	20
pushups	10
squat to leg lift	30
deadlifts	20
YTA	10
mountain climbers	30
renegade rows	20
plank	10

 

Inertia-Beaters

As Newton has explained, the hardest part of getting moving is getting started (Look!  I learned at least one thing in physics!).  Here are four ways to beat inertia:

 

1.     Give it five minutes.  If you’re not into it at the end of five minutes, stop!

2.     Go outside.  The fresh air helps us get motivated.

3.     Get childish.  What did you do at recess?  Try that.  Hopscotch?  Tag?  Handball?  Grab a couple friends for kickball or baseball or football.

4.     Use bribery.  Promise yourself a hot bath or a nap or an extra episode of that show.  (Note:  food bribes are not the best choice.)

 

Go play.

One Two Three Kick

A gazillion years ago when I was in high school, I had a friend who always said, “Kicking is a sign of affection.”  His point was not that we should go around kicking people (definitely not recommended!), whether we like them or not, but that someone who kicks us is not indifferent to us.  (Yes, people who can only express their feelings by hurting other people need to do some work on their stuff so they can become functional humans.)  Indifference can be more painful than outright dislike.

 

What does this have to do with working out?  Oh, right, I’m supposed to tell weird anecdotes that have a purpose.  A lot of people come to workouts wanting me to “kick their butts.”

 

Obviously, I do not literally comply.  However, what those folks are asking me to do is to care enough about them to help them work to their full potential, even if it is hard.  When I approach my clients with love, I will push them.  They will finish their workouts tired and sweaty.  And they will get stronger.  I do it because I care.

Healthy, all the way around

I am not a therapist.  It is beyond the scope of my practice to diagnose or treat illness, bodily or mental, of any kind.

 

I do, however, help people feel better, in body and mind.

 

Bodies like to move.  I help people move their bodies in ways that are healthy for them.  We push a little, but not too much.  Ideally, my clients end up good tired at the end.  I plan workouts that mix some cardio, some weight training, some balance work, and a bit of stretching, so we cover all the bases.  And I’m right there, the whole time, offering accountability, encouragement, or both.

 

The links between exercise and mental health are many.  Science has demonstrated that cardio exercise in particular lifts mood.  Just showing up for a workout and doing it can help people feel like they have accomplished at least one thing.  Then when clients begin to get physically stronger, somehow they also feel mentally stronger.

 

Bottom line is that working out is good for our whole selves.

 

Go play. 

Monday Workout: Sideways!

A lot of life runs front and back, but sometimes we need to go sideways, so this week we’re taking our usual step ups and turning them.  There are several ways to do this, but the one I like best involves stepping up sideways with the right foot, bringing the left foot up on to the step, then stepping down on the other side of the step with the right foot and bringing the left foot down; then step up with the left foot and continue on.  Three rounds.

 

side step ups	30
squats	20
Arnold press	10
woodchoppers	30
1 leg deadlift rows	20
pushups	10
(lunge) punches	30
skullcrushers	20
Russian twist	10

 

Four things

Things to do on a rest day:

 

1.     Go for a walk.  A relaxing one, not a death march.  Take a friend and chat, or take photos, or listen to music.

2.     Take a nap.

3.     Stretch a little.  This is not the day for super double extra hot yoga with weights.  Just some gentle movement to let the muscles lengthen and relax.

4.     Nothing.  It’s a rest day.  Rest!
 

Oilcan, part 2

Yesterday I wrote about my oilcan exercises and why I do them as an example.  However, since everyone else has a different body than I do, here are some things we might want to include for various issues:

 

If you are recovering from an injury:

            • Do the exercises your physical therapist has given you.

            • Stretch whatever feels tight.

 

If you have knee issues:

            • Do band walks or band squats

            • Use sliders to do skating

            • Do hamstring curls with a stability ball or sliders

 

If you have shoulder issues:

            • Do supine arm twists

            • Do arm arcs with or without a foam roller

            • Do floor angels with or without a foam roller

 

If you have lower back pain:

            • Do pelvic tilts and/or bridging as possible

            • Do core exercises (e.g., femur arcs, pretty princesses, brains)

 

If you have ankle/foot issues:

            • Do toe lifts

            • Point and flex feet

            • Make ankle smiles or circles

            • Do calf raises

 

If you need to work on balance:

            • Do single leg squats

            • Do single leg deadlifts

            • Do calf raises, on two legs then one leg

            • Do core exercises

 

If I didn’t mention your particular issue:

            • Talk to me!

 

As always, don’t do anything that hurts!