Making Tracks

Sometimes the worst part of the workout is the tracking.  It’s fussy.  It’s boring.  It usually needs to be done while we’re tired and sweaty and distracted.  There are a couple of ways of dealing with this.

 One is:  skip it.  I hate to break it to my fellow achiever-minded folks, but there is no great gradebook in the sky.  God is not going to conduct a notebook check, even if every middle- and high-school teacher led us to think it was inevitable.  If writing down the details of a weight workout or the parameters for a spin session or even the very fact that we did in fact work out seems like too much trouble, that’s fine.

 

But.  (Of course there is a but.)

 

Maybe it’s worth doing if we can keep it simple.  (I’ll talk to those of us who love our complicated systems and colored pens and boxes to tick in tomorrow’s post.)

 

How simple our system can be depends on what our goals are.  If all we want is a little accountability, we can get that from a basic checkbox on our normal to-do list or calendar.  Or we can rely on our Wristy Overlords (aka fitness trackers) to do it for us; once our little circles are complete, we’re done.

 

If we are the kind of folks who are motivated by making progress, we might want to track a few more things.  It doesn’t have to be a huge burden.  If, say, once a month we do a benchmark workout and record stuff like how long it took, what weights we used, how we felt, what speed or incline we used on the treadmill, we can see whether or not we’re moving toward our goals.  (A caveat:  some days we just aren’t as strong as others, even if we are generally improving.  We need to avoid attaching too much emphasis to any one snapshot and check out our general trends.)

 

Another option:  we can take a literal snapshot of our bodies, front and side view, to see how our bodies are changing.

 

Let me know what happens if you try!

Monday Workout: Jump

 

We have some jumps this week.  If jumps are not appropriate for you, modify!

 

woodchoppers	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
squat raise	30
flies	20
YTA	10
lateral bound/side lunge	30
curls	20
V sit press	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Plank Jacks

When the Amazing Stickie wants the benefits of plyometrics plus some extra ab work, she chooses to do plank jacks.

She begins in the classic plank position, her hands directly under her shoulders and her body a straight line from the top of her head to her ankles.  Then, keeping that straight line, she jumps her feet apart and then back together.  That is one rep.

 

Try a set of thirty.

 

Go play.

Spring Cleaning

Sometimes our workout equipment needs to be reminded that we love it.  Here are a couple of things to think about:

Inflating the stability ball:  If it’s getting a little squishy, it’s time to get out the foot pump and add air.  Bonus points:  stomping on that thing counts as part of the workout!

 

Lubricating the cardio stuff:  It depends on what kind of equipment we’re talking about here, but most stuff with moving parts needs some lube from time to time.  This might mean the pedals of an elliptical or the wheel of a stationary bike or the chain of a real bike.

 

Checking for wear:  Things that have straps or springs or chains may need an eye cast over them.  We need to replace frayed or stretched or rusty bits before they break, just to be safe.

 

Cleaning:  Of course we wipe down the sweaty bits every time we work out, right?  That’s just good manners.  But dusting the weight rack, wiping down the weights, sweeping and vacuuming the floor are all important things to do, too.

 

Go play.

Captain Obvious Says...

Captain Obvious here:  not all our fitness comes from actual workouts.  Here are some things that count toward fitness:

Moving.  It’s a little extreme to decide to go live somewhere else just for the fitness benefits, but all that packing and schlepping of boxes does in fact make us stronger.  This item is here to alleviate any guilt anyone might have for missing workouts during a move:  you are doing enough.

 

Gardening.  OK, not the kind where you sit in the shade and pull a weed every once in a while and you drink a lot of lemonade (although it does sound fun).  The kind where you need to mix a bunch of compost and vermiculite into your garden beds, rake up a bunch of debris, or lug a bunch of 5-gallon plants to their new locations.

 

Housework.  Again, not the light swishes of a feather duster.  More the heave-the-vacuum-up-the-stairs sort of housework, or the kind where all of a sudden there are fifty seven things in the wrong place and you need to run all over the place putting them where they belong because company is coming and God forbid they see you make messes sometimes.

 

Shopping.  That twenty pound bag of dog food counts as weight lifting.  Ditto the bulk rice, the cases of fizzy water, and the twenty cans of on-sale soup.  Depending on where you’re shopping, you may also have to walk miles and miles (looking at you, Costco).

 

Pro tip:  if you get sweaty and/or breathless, it counts as exercise.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Balance and Burpees

This week we’re doing asymmetric work and balance work.  And burpees because it’s time.  Three rounds.

 

leg kicks	30
Arnold press	20
burpees	10
split squat pulldown	30
1 leg deadlift	20
1 leg squat	10
oblique knee-ups	30
(lunge to) twist	20
femur arcs	10

The Amazing Stickie and Depth Jumps

The Amazing Stickie loves plyometric exercises.  (Those of us who have knee issues may not.  If this hurts, don’t do it.)  Today she is practicing depth jumps.  There are multiple ways of doing this exercise, but this time Stickie is focusing on a simple version.

She begins standing on a sturdy step, box, or bench.  She steps down to the ground and immediately jumps up into the air as high as she can.  Then she gets back up on the box and does it again.  She likes to do sets of thirty, but we can choose how many we want to try.

 

Go play.