After you create and achieve a goal, do you reward yourself for the effort it took to reach the outcome you wanted? Having a reward linked to a goal can help to motivate towards reaching it, but sometimes can be difficult to give yourself. Many of us have a hard time patting ourselves on the back for a job well done. It's easier if it comes from someone else, say a boss, friend, parent, or loved one, and doing for ourselves feels selfish, but it isn't. Taking the time to set a goal, whatever it is and then being determined to reach it, even if it means overcoming obstacles is very admirable and you should give yourself the credit you deserve.
What types of rewards do you allow yourself once you have decided you earned it? Do you indulge in something that has nothing to do with your goal or something that helps further along the ultimate quest you are on? I for one will buy a new piece of clothing, maybe workout related, or some kind of equipment that will enhance my exercise performance. Sometimes I elect to give myself some quiet time that I haven't had because I've been so busy. Maybe a special healthy meal, or fun night out. Whatever you reward yourself with, remember you worked hard for it. Be good to yourself, you are so worth it!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
My Workouts
I'm often asked what my workouts consist of. I have many answers to this as it can vary from week to week and season to season. My summer workout can be very different from my winter one, or at least from a more typical winter one. So I thought in this blog post I'd describe what a week might look like, how workouts change from season to season and outline a typical in gym workout.
A typical week: Monday off, Tuesday 2 hours of dance classes, Wednesday 1 hour spin & 1 hour Bodypump class. Thursday or Friday a run, the other day off, Saturday 1 hour spin, 1 hour free weights, half hour swim, Sunday is dance practice in the morning and then maybe an hour of yoga, or a long bike ride. When the weather is nice a bike ride or run is in order. During the summer most weekends have bike rides, runs, swimming, and/or kayaking. When cooler, the workouts are mainly in the gym.
What does my weights workout look like?
As I walk to and from the gym and often am doing weights after a spin class I don't do a typical warm-up.
Squats: 3-4 sets 15-20 reps usually add bicep curls and shoulder presses.
Lunges: 3 sets 8 reps may add bicep curls or ab twist
Chest press: 3 sets 10-12 reps
Bicep concentration curls: 3 sets 10 reps
Triceps extension: 3 sets 12 reps
Bench dip: 3 sets 15 reps
Single arm row: 3 sets 10-12 eps
Lateral pulldown: 3 sets 10 reps
Bicycle crunch: 3-4 sets 25 reps
Plank
Exercises will vary depending on what I most want to work on and what the timeframe is. Combination exercises are great if short on time, and circuit training is also great for moving from each thing more quickly and keeping the heart rate up. There are so many exercises that I'll change things up from time to time just to keep the muscles guessing.
Let's keep moving!
A typical week: Monday off, Tuesday 2 hours of dance classes, Wednesday 1 hour spin & 1 hour Bodypump class. Thursday or Friday a run, the other day off, Saturday 1 hour spin, 1 hour free weights, half hour swim, Sunday is dance practice in the morning and then maybe an hour of yoga, or a long bike ride. When the weather is nice a bike ride or run is in order. During the summer most weekends have bike rides, runs, swimming, and/or kayaking. When cooler, the workouts are mainly in the gym.
What does my weights workout look like?
As I walk to and from the gym and often am doing weights after a spin class I don't do a typical warm-up.
Squats: 3-4 sets 15-20 reps usually add bicep curls and shoulder presses.
Lunges: 3 sets 8 reps may add bicep curls or ab twist
Chest press: 3 sets 10-12 reps
Bicep concentration curls: 3 sets 10 reps
Triceps extension: 3 sets 12 reps
Bench dip: 3 sets 15 reps
Single arm row: 3 sets 10-12 eps
Lateral pulldown: 3 sets 10 reps
Bicycle crunch: 3-4 sets 25 reps
Plank
Exercises will vary depending on what I most want to work on and what the timeframe is. Combination exercises are great if short on time, and circuit training is also great for moving from each thing more quickly and keeping the heart rate up. There are so many exercises that I'll change things up from time to time just to keep the muscles guessing.
Let's keep moving!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Belly Fat; Why you have it and how to conquer it.
You are eating healthy, exercising regularly, not gaining weight and yet you have that little area of belly fat that you can't quite get rid of. I know, super frustrating. As we age muscle mass may diminish which means a larger percentage of your body mass will be fat. To make matters more unpleasant women loose estrogen with age and this determines where fat is stored in the body. Meaning you may notice less fat in arms, legs and hips, but more in the abdominals. The increase in abdominal fat (visceral) can also increase the risk for diseases such as cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer among others.
So what is a gal to do? Are there ways to reduce/control this fat? Absolutely! Exercise, diet, sleep and stress are all ways to keep this in check. Don't think that doing a million sit-ups will do it however. You can't spot reduce this area. Sorry Ladies! I know that would be ideal. Regular cardio and strength training 4 times a week will keep this in check along with a healthy, portion controlled diet, getting enough (~7 hours) sleep and reducing stress.
Seems like a lot to do for one area of your body, but all these things are beneficial for overall health and wellbeing. Remember this is a part of aging, but we don't have to take it lying down, we have ways to age well and look awesome doing it!
For more information check out these web sites:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Happy New Year!
What a year 2020 was! So much so I let this blog slip through the cracks! Well it’s a new year and I have just posted a new workout video...
