I've been pretty busy unfortunately and I'm really trying to make this blog an every day thing! I'm sorry it hasn't been and it's been a little all over the place, but things get like that when you're losing your sanity ;)
As many of you yourselves may be, I admit to being a severe Pinterest addict. If you have no clue what it is, Google it and be in awe. I have found so many cool, fun, unbelievably witty ideas and I can't get enough of it. One of my favorite categories is fitness. Now, admittedly, I love to repin it and put it on my board and I think "OO!! I'm going to try that sometime!" and then it sits on that board and I forget that it ever existed. I know that many of us pinners follow this terrible cycle. I am proud to announce that I have finally broke the chain!
Last night I printed off two workouts off my board that I've been meaning to try and I did them. Before I get into what they are, let's have a little chat. Now, I'm not sure how much you know about working out, but it can be boring, annoying, time consuming, space consuming, a pain in the diaphragm, among many other things. But the pros outweigh the cons by a long run (no pun intended!)!! Being overweight, or even just out of shape, can impact your health in a lot of negative ways. The average blood pressure is 120/80 mm of Hg (millimeters of Mercury for those of you who don't do med speak) and anything about 140/90 is considered hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertension is just plain bad for your body because it makes your heart work a lot harder to get blood to all the places it needs to be. Diet and exercise are two of the most effective ways of lowering your blood pressure. If you're on medication, definitely talk to your doc about incorporating the natural treatments with your medication regimen. You might even be able to get your BP to a manageable state that can get you off the med completely (that is in no way a guarantee). You should always talk to your doctor about any new diet or exercise regimen, whether you're on medication or not, to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
Alright, now that my nursing teach-a-thon is out of the way, let's talk about the low-down nitty gritty. I love exercising...I'm overweight and out of shape, but I crave the way it makes me feel after. I always feel like I'm on top of the world and just overall great. Usually I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off so it can be hard for me to stop myself and say "Self. You need to make time for this. It's important!" I have low blood pressure (although I have a family history of high blood pressure so I check it often) and good cholesterol so I say "Eh. It can wait until tomorrow. I still have x,y, and z to take care of." Next thing I know I'm laying in bed metaphorically kicking myself in the butt for not working out. The chain then repeats and nothing really gets done. So, I found two pretty quick (not necessarily easy) workouts that I gave a shot last night, and it was sooo worth it!! You should always try to incorporate 20-30 minutes (minimum!) of cardio into your day. This gets your heart pumping, which is good exercise for it, and it can help to clear some of the plaque buildup off of your blood vessels! Which is great because in the long run it can decrease your chances of arteriosclerosis and a heart attack in the future. Along with cardio, which encourages weight loss, you should get in weight training. Weight training is great because it helps build muscle which burns more calories than fat at rest! Who wouldn't want that?? Another great plus is that it helps women who are at risk of developing osteoporosis or who have already been diagnosed. Weight bearing activities such as walking and even lifting weights (starting with light weights and increased repetitions and then moving up as appropriately recommended by their doctor) encourages the body to take calcium out of the blood stream and build it back into the bone. It isn't a cure all, but nothing is for anything negative related to health (in my own opinion).
Okay! Workouts! Sorry...the nurse part of me usually gets first dibs here ;) One more thing though! Always warm up and stretch out before you start! You'll be one sore hurt puppy the next day if you don't!
Do it Daily x2 Reps
20 Jumping Jacks
10 Crunches
5 Push-Ups
10 Calf Raises
25 Russian Twists
10 Squats
20 High Knees
10 Reverse Crunches
30 Second Plank
15 Second Side Plank (on each side)
Alrighty. A few notes. I put my yoga mat down and I found that I jump a lot higher and with more motivation because I say my feet can't drag up the sides of the mat or I have to do the jumping jack again. So feet on the mat then feet on the floor. No dragging! The crunches. Don't pull your head up. Use your abs to pull you body together and keep your nose pointing to the ceiling. Push ups - if you have to put your knees down, do it. Don't push yourself. Try to make it a goal to do one military and then the other four modified. Then 2 military and 3 modified, and so on. It's a manageable goal that gets you somewhere and shows your improvement. If you can do them all military, try to see how close to the floor you can get. Calf raises! These are a body weight workout. Like yoga, its all about going slow and maintaining control. Go up slow and go down slow...don't just let your heel fall to the floor. Russian twists will be the metaphorical death of me. They hurt and they can be tricky. Keep your core tight to keep your back supported-you don't want to get hurt! If you need more of a challenge, hold onto a weight at both ends and have at it. Again, going slow really can intensify this exercise, as well as how far back you lean. Squats, don't bend to far forward while you're doing them and try to go slow and push towards the floor with your buttocks and thighs. That's really what you want to be working with this exercise! High knees...one is a right AND a left. Not right knee up is one then left knee up is two. I find counting one and two and three and etc helps me to not skimp. LiveStrong has a good youtube video on how to do this exercise. Planks, do them however you're comfortable. Don't kill yourself but try as hard as you can to stay up! What I did was one circuit of this routine and then I threw in a short weight circuit.
I did 10 reps of each with 5 lbs weights (**I'll add the link I used to get to this to show pics!**)
"Tone your Arms in 7 Days"
Triceps Kickbacks
Biceps Curl and Front Press
90-Degree Raise
Standing Shoulder Fly
Reverse Curl & Side Press
Notes: The slower and more controlled movements you have the better results you'll see. Control your breathing to match your lift...so inhale and then as you exhale slowly lift the weights into the exercise and after you complete the move and are returning to start inhale slowly. It helps with controlling the weights, your form, and completing the whole movement.
I did the cardio once through instead of twice, then the arms and then the cardio again and then arms again and then I cooled down by walking around my building and stretching everything out! I hope you guys give this a stab and comment to let me know what you think of it! :)
Peace
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