Effects of Strength Training - 1

In the new year, I’m going to begin by focusing on the effects of strength training on the body.

Today, we begin with perhaps the most obvious effect:  our muscles get stronger, our bones get tougher, and our tendons and ligaments become more resilient.

 

In theory, I think we all get behind this as a worthwhile goal.  In practice, we come up against a few obstacles.  One of those is that sometimes other people don’t really want us to be strong.  They get invested in our weakness.  We have to decide that what is good for us is more important than other people’s agendas.

 

Another perhaps obvious obstacle is that strength training is work and sometimes we don’t much want to work.  This is another spot where we have to focus on what’s best rather than what is most fun.

 

Go play.

We made it!

We have made it to the end of another year!  Hooray for us!

Today is a good day to ask ourselves some questions.

 

What went well in fitness this last year?  What did we enjoy?  What progress did we make?  What did we learn?  How can we keep our momentum going?

 

What went less well?  What do we need to put in place to make things go better in the future?

 

What would we like to see happen in the new year?  Do we want more energy?  Do we want to learn to tango?  Do we have travel plans that we might want to prepare for?

 

When we reflect on where we’ve been and where we want to go, we give ourselves a better chance of success.

 

Wishing everyone a fabulous 2025!

Monday Workout: Last One For the Year!!!!

We’re finishing out the year with a short circuit full of fun stuff.  (Maybe not YOUR definition of fun, but whatever.)  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
jacks	30
bench press	20
1 leg deadlift	10
suitcase swings	30
(lunge to) curl	20
brains	10

The Amazing Stickie and Push Pull

Today the Amazing Stickie is doing Push Pull for her abdominals and upper body.  She begins in a V sit position.  She bends one knee toward her chest and pushes the opposite arm toward her toes while pulling the other arm back.  Her torso twists toward the bending leg.

Then she reverses it and pushes and pulls the other way.

 

A set of ten is good.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! 

Celebration is good for us.  Humans, to be healthy, need other humans.  So today is a good day to love the folks you love and to enjoy whatever good things are around.

 

Go play.

Squeeze!

For those of us who celebrate, it’s Christmas Eve.  That can be both joyful and chaotic.  We may find that we have way too much to do.  We may be traveling or have guests.  We may have been living on egg nog and Christmas cookies for weeks now.

May I suggest:  squeeze in a workout.

 

It doesn’t have to be a big workout.  It doesn’t have to take long.  A quick walk around the block, weather permitting, can do the trick.  Five minutes of stretching before we get out of bed might be what we can manage.

 

When things are hectic, we need to get back into our bodies, just for a little while.

Monday Workout: Sneaky

This workout is a little sneaky about the core.  We’re going to be using it for pretty much everything.  Bonus points!  Three rounds.

 

leg kicks	30
Arnold press	20
truck driver	10
squat raise	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
mountain climbers	30
hammer curls	20
windscreen wipers	10