Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Fitness/Exercise
A Welcome Workout
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
I feel fall in the air and what a difference it makes in my workout. For one, I can breathe — the heat and humidity wreak havoc with my asthma so this cooler air is a welcome break. Also, I have more energy to do the workouts with the cooler weather. Win no matter how you look at it!
I am so sore — those squats I did yesterday are really making the back of my legs know who’s boss. Also my shoulders are very tight and when I turn my head to the left..let’s just say that I don’t enjoy turning my head to the left right now.
It was a good workout and my spirit and motivation seem at an all time high!
Warmup x2
high knees
heel to butt
forward lunges
sprints
Core Work x2
6in flutters
ROBS
back extensions
general stretching
50 push-ups
Workout
15,12,9,6,3
65lb hang snatch
heavy jump ropes x4
box jumps x2
suicides
25lb kettle bell swings x2
Photographs can be Hazardous to your Mental Health
01 year ago
I read this blog post by Roni called Sometimes It’s Just a Bad Picture — and it really could not have come at a better time. July and August I did races and with those races were race photographers who put the photos in a gallery for you to view and if you want, buy. Well seeing myself in the Crossfit Rare race in July almost did me in. It was seriously a super horrible sight to me — the thoughts through my head were – How can I be that large? Look how horrible I look? How come everyone else in the pics look good, don’t I work out just as hard? I have put in the time and commitment – how come it’s not working??? Will I ever not have those love handles??!! AHHHHHHH!
You get the idea — sabotaging thoughts, poisonous thoughts that just cut deep. How come I can’t focus on the amazing things –like I did that incredibly hard race and didn’t come in last? or the 2 year ago Stephanie, would not have even been able to even show up to an event like that? Or — just Wow.
What is it about the way I am wired that I zero in on the negative visual aspect of it all — I know i am not alone either — Is it really true that I don’t see the same thing that everyone else does when they look at me? Seeing that image really got me down — but then I read this blog entry about how sometimes it really is just a bad picture, from a bad angle — you acknowledge it and move on — What great advice, although it’s not so easy to just rewire yourself. It takes time, and constant monitoring of how you talk to yourself and what you say — I am going to start changing my internal voice when it comes to this sort of stuff starting today.
So — here’s to moving on!
Group Training Wednesday
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Warmup
2min of jump rope
Core x2
general stretching
rocky tiers
V-ups on the BOSU
6inches with BOSU on your legs (this one is hard!)
30 push-ups (tennis ball placed on the floor and each time your chest needs to touch the ball)
Workout x2
OH Squats 75lb
Roman Deadlifts 145lbs
Toe to Bar
powerclean split 25lb db
row to curl 55lbs
shoulder press 70bs
PT Station
15,12,9
Handstand push-ups
OH Squat 65lbs
Farmers Run 35lb db
Adding a new level of Fun to Boot Camp!
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Yesterday morning I was running so late and rushing around to get out of the house to get to work but as I walked out to my car, I saw this big beautiful butterfly and had to stop to appreciate it. It had bright blue outline on the inside and orange on the outside and it stopped on my dirty Run Amuck sneaker. It wasn’t scared and i reached out to touch it lightly. Sometimes in the middle of rush — you need to stop, relax and breathe. And moments like that are made to remind you of that!
Mikey is trying something new and switching up the workouts for the month – choosing a different workout on a different day to mix us all up. So today we were challenged with the Friday bootcamp workout. I don’t go to Friday bootcamp so it was new to me — I like the element of surprise. It adds a different level of fun to the routine!
I am feeling great this morning too. My foot hurts but not nearly as bad as it did yesterday morning and this workout was made for me. Lots of upper body strength and I am all about the upper body workouts!! It was breezy too! Couldn’t ask for a better workout morning weather wise….
warmup:
side shuffles
pushups
checkpoints
jump skips
core x2
Partner dynamax ball 16lb ball twists
Side toss
25 high five push-ups to partner on each side (alternating)
workout
15,12,9,6,3
65lb back squats
power clean press 25lb db
lunge squats x3
ring push ups x2
200m,100m, 200m, 100m, 200m
Make sure you do something active today – If you are looking to just get started try this out: go for 10 min walk, do 10 pushups, do 10 sit ups, and finish with 10 jumping jacks directly afterwards. Do it 2x and try to finish as fast as you can — You don’t need fancy equipment — good old fashion calisthenics will do just fine!
No More Gym? Don’t Worry, Your Muscles Remember
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
The study challenges the idea that muscles go back to their starting condition when you stop strength training.
“Our findings suggest that there are permanent structural changes in the muscle,” says Gundersen. “We don’t know if they’re really permanent, but they’re very long-lasting in animals, at least.”
The researchers put mice through strength training on their hind legs. Building muscle generates new muscle nuclei, which Gundersen calls the “small factories that will produce new muscle.” Then the researchers took the mice off their training regimen.
Exercise with an injured foot
11 year ago
Mikey switched it up today and had us do Tuesday’s workout on a Monday. Imagine the horror!! He said he was trying to shake our bodies up –but between us, I think he forgot what day it was and set up for the Tuesday workout. We will never know!
The pic to the left is my foot after a cooking mishap yesterday. I was busying talking, turned to resume something at my kitchen counter and some kitchen shears stabbed me in the foot. Yeah it hurt but as I was jumping up and down saying Ow Ow Ow, I failed to notice the blood spurting around. The shears punctured my foot and although once we applied pressure to the foot, it did stop bleeding but it hurts and it’s all bruised. I must have hit a vein that was close to the skin. One of the great things about boot camp though is we have women from all careers and sure enough we have a nurse — Jen P looked at it and said make sure I have an up to date Tetnus, use neosporin and watch it for infection.
Here’s a pic of Jen P — 
She looks like a model doesn’t she!? She’s one of the many amazing ladies I get to hang with every morning — you should see her workout – Strong and fast! Inspiring ———— It’s always fun to see the ladies outside of working out too. All gussied up and dressed instead of dressed to workout.
Anyways — The puncture wound did indeed affect my workout and halfway thru the first 800 m run my foot began to throb and hurt so I stopped after the 400 round and went thru the rest of the workout with some modifications so I didn’t have to flex my foot. It’s always something. Just when my body wasn’t hurting and I was re-ignited with working out, something happens. It’s life and I will deal like I always do. It wouldn’t be Stephanie without some sort of physical mishap.
Warmup:
Rockette Kicks
Forward Lunge
Bounding
Backpeddle
Corex2
pilate half-pikes
crunches
bicycle up and downs
25 bottom up push-ups
general stretching
workout — modified for my foot today
400,200,200,100m run (for me it was a hobble, power walk session)
15,12,9,6,3
SDHP 65lb
25lb db split jerks (each side) I did just shoulder presses
woodchucks (20)
Sandbag dead lifts (45lb) x2
Saturday Run on the trail
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
My big sis Deb was out here visiting for the week. It’s been such a great week too. She got to spend one on one time with HB and my mom came down too. Although the heat got to her, she did manage to go out and see some sites too. It’s hard to live so far from your sisters –
I drove Dee to the airport this morning and came back to go on my Saturday run. I managed to squeak out about 3.5 miles — it was tough though! The combo of a changed routine and heat – I had a pit in the middle of my stomach throughout the run. Not sure if it was because of the coffee I drank or what. But it’s done now and I am on with the rest of the day.
My sister left, and Scott’s family came in yesterday. We are off to show them a good time — probably hit up some of the national parks — observe the beauty of Virginia –there is so much to choose from.
Finding the Motivation to workout
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
What started off as a ‘chilly’ morning quickly turned into a hot and sweaty workout experience. Any drop in temperature is out done by the sweat we work up while working out.
I’m going to be honest — I almost talked myself out of getting up out of bed this AM. I am sad and just not in the mood — but this is commitment is too in grained in me so I quickly went thru my head what the workout was and said — nope — get your ass up and go. Now I’m done and I feel proud and accomplished — so it’s worth it.
If you aren’t feeling it you need to create the drive and motivation to workout — whether that means you think about those jeans you want to fit into, the way you feel post workout, the long term benefits you are getting from it — whatever you need to do – do it. What was the driving force that started you out on your journey — As I have said before — if you let that ‘sleep monster’ talk to you and try to get you to skip your early AM workout – that’s when you need to bring up all of those reasons you are living a healthy and fit life.
Warmup:
high knees
heel to butt
front walking lunges
sprint
core x 2
robs
6 inch flutters
on stomach/opposite leg/arm raises
50 pushups
workout
15,12,9,6,3
BOR (bent over rows) 65lbs
20lb db push press squats
1/2 mi run on the 15 and 9 rep round
deadlifts (135#)
100 jump ropes
Tomorrow = REST DAY
Rainy day workout
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Warmup
2min of jump rope
Core x2
general stretching
rocky tiers
V-ups on the BOSU
6inches with BOSU on your legs (this one is hard!)
30 push-ups (tennis ball placed on the floor and each time your chest needs to touch the ball)
Workout x2
OH Squats 75lb
Roman Deadlifts 135lbs
Toe to Bar
powerclean split 25lb db
row to curl 55lbs
shoulder press 70bs
PT Station
15,12,9
Handstand push-ups – See image to the left -this is a modified p/up which is what I do with knees on box, and bc of that it’s x2. Note how her arms are straight and not bent. You can try this at home with a chair or something.
OH Squat 65lbs
Because of the pouring rain – we skipped the farmer’s run and did the 2 stations inside. My shoulders and back legs are killing me from yesterday’s boot camp. I am considering moving my rest day to Weds and doing group training on Fridays to give my body a rest in the middle of the week to see if it makes a difference.
Deadlifts in today’s workout
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Last week I mentioned how I was buckling down and really re-focus on what I am eating. I lost 2lbs this past week — which was welcome news. I have been having a 150 calorie ice cream treat every night and I decided to cut that out 5x a week to see if it could move the needle — and I think that combined with me taking that 4 day break so that my body could recovery and is not as fatigued has really helped. Mikey – the trainer- said “Steph is Back!” and I actually agree with him. I am feeling excited again to get up and go even though its 5a. I’m crazy I know , but crazy likes company — or is that misery.. oh well either way!
Today marks the start of the 3 days of deadlifts – today was the Sandbag dead lifts, tomorrow – Roman Dead lifts, and Thurs — just Deadlifts. The most important thing to remember when doing deadlifts is to not curve your back – keep your lumbar curve. Your back will thank you and you will avoid possible injuries. Here is a good demo of how to do a barbell dead lift – If you are going to try this, make sure to learn proper technique!
warmup:
side shuffles
pushups
checkpoints
jump skips
core x2
Partner dynamax ball 16lb ball twists
Side toss
25 high five push-ups to partner on each side (alternating)
workout
800,400,200,100m run
15,12,9,6,3
SDHP 65lb
25lb db split jerks (each side)
woodchucks (20)
Sandbag dead lifts (45lb) x2
