I love compound exercises because we get a lot done in few movements. Also we ramp up our metabolisms. Three rounds.
split squat pulldown | 30 |
bench press | 20 |
shoulder tap pushup | 10 |
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squat to leg lift | 30 |
gorilla row | 30 |
lateral raise | 10 |
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farmer carry | 30 |
skullcrushers | 20 |
V legs | 10 |
A few suggestions about how to get more water in our systems:
1. Add a little something, like a slice of lemon or lime, or some mint leaves.
2. Figure out the right temperature. Some of us want lots of ice and some of us prefer room temperature water. It all works.
3. Find the right cup/bottle/whatever. Personally, my insulated cup was a game-changer. Plus it’s red.
4. Consider the plastics. Not technically about drinking more water, but the world would be better if we drank less bottled water from plastic bottles. (I like my water with fizz in it and invested in a Soda Stream so I could stop buying so many bottles. Economical and good for the environment!)
5. Set reminders. Until drinking a lot of water becomes a habit, we can use little nudges.
A follow-up to yesterday’s reminder about drinking water: here’s why.
Most of our bodies’ processes require water. No water means no processing.
Even a slight amount of dehydration can make us crabby. No one wants that.
We often mistake thirst for hunger. While we can get some hydration from juicy foods like fruits, drinking water is better at hydrating us and also keeps us from blowing the calorie budget. Further, water helps our digestion move along what we’ve already eaten.
Our brains work better when we’re hydrated. Who doesn’t want to feel smarter?
Drink up, y’all.
Friendly reminder: drink some water. Most of us don’t drink enough. How to tell? If we aren’t going to the bathroom every hour or so, we’re not drinking enough. Also, if what comes out is not very pale and clear, we’re also not drinking enough.
Different sources will tell us different things about whether our morning coffee and all those other things we drink count toward our water total. I’m not going to weigh in on that particular issue except to suggest, strongly, that most of what we drink should be water. We don’t need the calories and/or chemicals in all those other things (OK: caffeine addiction is real and understandable, but eventually, we gotta clear that stuff out…).
If it is very hot or we are working out for more than a couple of hours, we might need to get some electrolytes as well as our water, but most people doing normal workouts do fine with water.
The best way to drink plenty of water is to carry it around all the time. Yeah, we look silly, but we feel better.
Go drink!
This week we’re thinking about our feet, among other things. We have two exercises that specifically call for lifting our heels. Strong feet give us a strong foundation. Three rounds.
squat heel raise | 30 |
flies | 20 |
hip rotations | 10 |
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cossack lunge | 30 |
good morning/deadlift | 30 |
reverse fly | 10 |
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1 arm clean and press | 30 |
rows | 20 |
side banana | 10 |
Some days we just need a list of quick pick-me-ups that have no calories or chemicals:
1. Go outside.
2. Take some deep breaths.
3. Take a bath.
4. Hug somebody.
5. Take a nap.
6. Call a friend.
7. Move your body.
Yesterday we talked about objective measurements of how hard we are working out. Today, we’re going to listen in on what our bodies are telling us. This is crucial, because we are far more than a bunch of numbers and we are the ultimate bosses of ourselves.
One way that trainers are taught to assess how hard a person is working out is to ask them about their “rate of perceived exertion.” This is a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being asleep and 10 being about to die. We want to aim for about a 7 or 8 on the scale, otherwise known as “This is hard, but I’m managing, as long as you don’t ask me to talk too much at the same time.” (There are slightly less goofy tags for the various levels, if you want to look them up, but silly is more memorable in my book.)
Some days are just hard. Maybe we didn’t sleep well. Maybe we’re (extra) stressed. Maybe traffic was terrible, or we have a mystery pain in our shoulder. Even if our objective measurements, like HRV, show that we should be able to handle a tough workout, it might not be true. We need to be mindful. If we’re having trouble concentrating, for whatever reason, it is not a good day to lift heavy or to take on a new challenge in our workout. It is perfectly all right to focus on stretching, on yoga, on deep breathing exercises. Some days the right answer is to take a walk, or even a nap. The body knows when we are listening to it. It appreciates our concern and will tell us when it is ready to go hard again.
Go play.
