Done with April!

We made it to the end of another month!  Gold star for us!

 

This is a good time to pause and take a look at how things have been going.  Are we getting the results we want from our workouts?  How are we feeling?  Are we stronger?  More flexible?  Or, conversely, have we been focusing too much on opening the fridge door?

 

If things are going great, great!  We can pat ourselves on the back and carry on.

 

If not so great, also great!  We have data!  We know what isn’t working.  That means we can figure out the next batch of things to try.

 

What do you want from the next months?  Anything I can do to help? 

Monday Workout: Short and Different!

End of the month means time for a shorter circuit just to wake up our bodies with something different.  Four rounds!

 

1 min cardio
mountain climbers	30
lunge twist	20
1 leg squat	10
kb swing	30
renegade row	20
chest lift	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Medicine Ball Chest Pass

Today the Amazing Stickie is working with medicine balls again.  This exercise can be done alone or with a partner.  When Stickie does it by herself, she thinks of the part where she goes to fetch the ball as part of the work, but having a friend does make it easier.  Either way, she begins standing in good posture, holding the medicine ball at her chest with her elbows a little out to the side.  Using her arms, she thrusts the ball forward and tosses it away from her.  Sets of 10 are good.

Substitute!

Sometimes the person we are when we plan our workouts is not the person we are when it comes time to do the workouts.  This can happen for any number of reasons (alien invasion, cranky baby, sore hammies…).  Why it happens is not that important.  Having a backup plan is, however, helpful.

I was recently reading a habit blog that suggested making a list of things that make us feel good for those times when we need to be reminded of how to feel good.  I am shamelessly stealing the concept and applying it to our workouts.  We need to make a list of exercises or a list of workouts that make us feel good.

 

In practice, this might mean that when we look at our planned workout, see that there are burpees, and think we might die right then, we choose, instead, to substitute an exercise we like for the burpees, like maybe flies.  Another way this could work is that we could look at our planned weight workout, recognize that we’re sore already, and choose some restorative Pilates instead.  We can all adapt.  We just have to remember to plan for it!

 

Go play.

When it hurts...

We all overdo ourselves from time to time.  Maybe we were on vacation and we were hiking and it turned out to be more strenuous than we expected.  Maybe we were trying to impress that cute person in the gym and we lifted more than was good for us.  Maybe it was just one of those days.  Now everything hurts.  What do we do?

First, we need to decide if we’re sore or actually injured.  If we think we might have an injury, we want to seek qualified medical advice.  (I am not a doctor, a physical therapist, or anything like it, so I do not diagnose or prescribe treatment; get real help when needed!)

 

If we’re just really darn sore, I can make some suggestions that might help.  Pain, while useful in keeping us from doing too many dumb things, is not a fun thing to experience.

 

Take ibuprofen or your favorite OTC pain reliever as appropriate.  This is not being wimpy.  Pain relief is a good thing.  We are nicer when we don’t hurt.

 

Use ice or heat.  Ice is particularly good for anything that feels inflamed or swollen.  Heat soothes when things feel tense.  Bonus points for heat in the form of a soak in Epsom salts, which will add to the soothing.

 

Move a little.  This one may sound counterintuitive.  We got this way from moving too much!  But a little gentle movement really will help the body heal by keeping everything from stiffening up.

 

Rest.  Duh.  We need to stop doing what made us sore until we feel better.  A good night of sleep or two will also help.

Monday Workout: Compound

We’re all about the compound exercises this week to build our metabolisms and challenge our bodies.  Three rounds.

 

plank jacks	30
lunge to curl	20
Arnold press	10
sumo squat to high pull	30
flies	20
1 leg deadlift	10
leg kicks	30
bench press	20
pretty princess	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Medicine Ball Soccer Throw

The Amazing Stickie loves to play with medicine balls.  Today she’s doing medicine ball soccer throws.  (She’s demonstrating doing it by herself, which means that after each throw, she has to walk and pick up the ball to do the next throw.  She could also do this with a friend and they could toss the ball to each other.)  She begins standing with good posture holding the medicine ball behind her head.  Maintaining good posture, she lifts the ball over her head and tosses it in front of her.  Sets of 10 are good.