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Posts Tagged intense exercise

13 Exercises for Friday the 13th

Nov 13

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 4 Comments

Happy Friday the 13th FitFeat friends!  Any superstitious readers out there?  In honor of Friday the 13th, I did this crazy workout this morning:

Today’s Feat:  Shari’s “13 for the 13th” Workout

Warmup on treadmill, 5 minutes

  1. Smith-squats (tabata style, 4 min)
  2. Seated Row (tabata style, 4 min)
  3. Leg Extensions (tabata style, 4 min)
  4. DB Upright Row (tabata style, 4 min)
  5. Leg Curls on FitBall (tabata style, 4 min — I was crying by the 3rd minute on these)
  6. DB Chest Flyes 1 set of 15 reps
  7. High StepUps 15 left, 15 right
  8. KB Side Lateral Swings 15 right, 15 left
  9. Band SideSteps 25 right, 25 left
  10. KB Biceps Curls 20 right, 20 left
  11. KB Ab Twist (in boat position) 30 reps
  12. Triceps Dips 15 reps
  13. Explosive Lunges 20 reps

OK, I officially have squiggle arms and squiggle legs…  ;)

Yesterday’s Feat

A beautiful (and tough) 3.6 mile hilly run with a training client 

Yesterday’s Eats

I had my standard pre-run meal Coconut Cream Pie Larabar with coffee about an hour beforehand.  I’m now officially out of this flavor in my Larabar stash and will have to wait until they go on sale again.  :( I refuse to pay more than $1 per bar if I can avoid it. 

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After our run, my client was telling me about these wonderful breakfast burritos she picks up on occasion, and it inspired me to come home and make a Breakfast Wrap:  whole wheat tortilla, leftover roasted potato bites, one HB egg, a bit of avocado and a drizzle of salsa.  It was SO good!  And it hit the spot after a fast-paced hilly run.  Perfect!

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It did such a good job of filling me up, that when lunchtime rolled around all I really wanted was a green smoothie!  And Brendan Brazier snuck into the picture too…

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I don’t often like to have two Larabars in one day, but a Lemon Bar sounded too good to resist.

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I spent some time late afternoon putting together dinner:  Heavenly Ginger Curry Squash Soup, for which I posted the recipe earlier today.  As mentioned in that post, I had to make myself eat a large salad to tame the hungry beast inside before I devoured my soup.  I KNEW I wouldn’t have leftovers if I started with it, it was that yummy.  My salad included spinach, dulse, sundried tomatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast and 1/2 tbsp of Goddess dressing. 

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And then the main event.  I am already dreaming of lunchtime today when I can have some more of this delicious meal!  Behold the best soup ever:

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And I didn’t figure the evening could get any better, but it DID!!!  MSP surprised me with dark chocolate covered cacao nibs!!!  WAHOOO!  (Thanks MSP!  You’re the best ever!)  Wow these are delightful.  Good thing these come in small bags… Not something I’d want to stay stocked up on because I had a hard time putting them down last night.

I’m looking forward to tonight when I get to catch up with some girlfriends over wine & apps tonight!  In the meantime, there is a LOT to accomplish so I better get crackin’!  Have a FANTASTIC Friday! 

See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

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Gotta Getta Garmin

Nov 9

Posted by Shari B. in FitFeature | 6 Comments

Hello blog buds!

Where did the weekend go?  It FLEW by!  I hope yours was wonderful!  I took Sunday off from blogging and enjoy some time with MSP and the pups. 

Exercise highlights from the weekend: 

  • 4 mile hike session with MSP on Saturday. It was a blue sky morning and absolutely gorgeous.  The mountains always look so amazing in the morning light.  Later in the day a haze will often build up and obscure them somewhat.  Seeing them first thing in the morning never gets old to me.  It was a great hike.  We had a fun time chatting about anything and everything.
  • 5k run with MSP on Sunday morning.  It was a chilly and breezy.  We followed the same route that will be used for uur town’s Turkey Day 5K, which has 360 feet of ascent over the first half and then descends that same amount over the second half.  We ran our legs off and still were only able to keep a 9 min mile pace.  It felt like we were working so much harder than that.  I did see sub-7:00 briefly on a downhill portion, so that was exciting.  :)
  • As a follow up to last Friday’s very brief Tabata leg training session, let me just say:  Oh. My. Aching. Legs.   My legs were SO sore still yesterday!  Normally cardio will bring some extra blood flow to sore muscles so they can heal and feel better.  After yesterday’s run and stretching, I was even MORE sore.  YOWZA.  That Tabata training can be ouchie.  MSP did that leg workout this morning while I did upper, so I’ll be interested to see if he’ll be limping around tomorrow like I was this weekend. 

Some food highlights for the weekend:

First I have to tell you about an idea I had for changing up my baked kale over the weekend.  I used Annie’s organic Goddess Dressing (well the generic brand anyway) to coat the kale pieces this time in lieu of olive oil, and it made for another tasty treat.  It gave the kale chips a little extra zip.  I was able to control myself this time and eat it in TWO sittings instead of one.  This is one sitting:

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I’m still using up some of my pumpkin puree, so my weekend oatmeal was looking a little orange.  On top is a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut and some raisins.

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I reached for the cinnamon plus spice bottle to sprinkle on my oatmeal and ended up with the cajun herb bottle.  Thank goodness I took a look before I sprinkled, or I would have been in for a shock to the tastebuds with my first bite!  Cajun oats anyone??  (I suppose it COULD be interesting…)

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I purchased carob powder Friday to make the chocomole recipe, and it has a recipe on the back for a hot carob drink.  It sounded good yesterday when I was feeling chilly post-run so I gave it a try.

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And of course I made substitutions to it:

  • 1 cup unsweetened organic soy milk (and now I have officially finished that jug of soy – they restocked the almond milk at the store, yay!!)
  • 1 tbsp carob powder
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I even made it on the stovetop, since it said to be sure not to boil.

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It wasn’t bad.  I’d say it’s a nice replacement for a packaged hot cocoa mix. 

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(Sundays during football season require the obligatory Broncos mugs…!)

The weekend often calls for a visit to MSP’s favorite place:  Chipotle.  I ordered the veggie bowl with no rice.  So it came with fajita veggies, black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo and guac.  I added some baked Tostito scoops at home. 

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Late Sunday afternoon meant ‘treat time’ and I was in the mood for a savory treat rather than something sweet.  I ran down to Vitamin Cottage for my favorite raw, unpasteurized version of goat cheddar (that’s the one that doesn’t seem to cause me any digestive trouble) and some almond Nut-Thins.  MSP ran in the other direction to the liquor store to pick up my favorite organic wine, “Our Daily Red”.   Ahh, my elegant afternoon wine and cheese plate!

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It was a wonderful weekend (as they should be, which is why I’m in love with Saturdays!!) 

***

Today’s FitFeature and discussion topic is about fitness gadgets.

I am a gadget gal.  (I somewhat blame MSP for this, because he is a gadget guy and it’s rubbed off onto me.)  :)  Often, I am loaded up with gadgets when I head out for runs.  My hydration pack, my GPS, my iPod, my whistle, pepper spray, etc.  (Safety first, people!!)  If you passed me on the running path, you’d probably think I was all loaded up for a marathon run.  Nope, more likely around 4 miles.  Just like to have my gear!

My favorite fitness gadget by far has to be my Garmin Forerunner GPS 305, which I received for Christmas last year from MSP (he’s such a great gift-giver!)  He got me the newer model to replace my original Garmin 201.  My old one was getting really slow at catching a satellite signal, didn’t offer an option for heart rate and the readings started to become inconsistent. 

I fully credit the Garmin with keeping me interested in running.  I LOVE that I can look down at it and see what pace I’m doing at all times.   I love that it comes with a “virtual trainer” so you can set a specific pace and a little guy on the screen will tell you to run faster if you are getting behind.  I love that it has a “breadcrumb trail” feature to keep you from getting lost.  I love that the newer model has a heart-rate monitor option. 

Above all, I love that I can plug it into my PC, download each run and look at all the stats.  I like to compare pacing from previous runs on the same routes, or see how my heart rate compares on different routes.  There is something about being able to look at these that propels me to want to go out again, and then agai, and again another time.

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I also love that there are so many features left for me to discover.  One of these days I’ll actually look at the manual and see what other cool things it does! 

Do you have a favorite gadget that helps keep you motivated in some way?  Please drop a comment and let us know!  Gift-giving time is coming up and maybe you will inspire a great gift idea!

Have a MARVELOUS MONDAY! 

– Shari B. =)

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How Do You Avoid the Winter Slump?

Nov 5

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 4 Comments

Wahoo it’s Friday-EVE!

I have been a bundle of energy since yesterday’s crazy coffee that I swore my dogs spiked.  Well until 8:15 last night when I was trying to watch “Modern Family” and my eyelids kept doing this weird thing where they’d fall down over my eyes uncontrollably.  :)   Are you someone who go-go-gos and then the minute you sit still your body just decides it’s time to sleep? But I woke up at 4:00 this morning feeling FANTASTIC.

My dogs, however, were another story:

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Apparently they think 4:00 a.m. is just too early.  Zzzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzz.

And I wasn’t out of bed 5 minutes this morning when Miss Thing decides to take not only my spot in the bed but also my PILLOW!

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Yeah Alien-Eyes, I mean you. If I find drool on my pillow, you’ll be in trouble!

(Sorry MSP for the early morning “camera flash as alarm clock”!)

With all that energy yesterday, you’d think I’d have squeezed in a fabulous workout.  Unfortunately, no.  It was just one of those days where it wasn’t high enough on the priority list.  I don’t let it happen often, but it was necessary yesterday.  You can even tell by my food that I was busy.  No big salad as I didn’t have time to CHEW!  :)   I’ll get some extra time in today though.

I did have time to chew my favorite breakfast:  Ezekial toast with raw almond butter and a drizzle of raw honey.  (Sorry for the repetitive food!  I know it’s SO boring, but it’s just so yummy and goes really well with the morning joe.)

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While in front of the PC I had a mid-morning snack of baby carrots and a plop of homemade hummus.

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I really don’t think I can eat enough hummus in my lifetime.  Since I love beans so much and especially baked beans (which I haven’t been eating since I gave up meat), I am certain that someday I will attempt a baked bean hummus and combine two of my favorite foods — if I can find a pork free version of Busch’s beans.  Mmm beans.   I know you will all be secretly CLAMORING for the recipe when that happens. ;)

My lunch if you can believe it was actually a soy chai latte.  This is not a “lead by example” moment for sure.  A latte does not a lunch make. But it just sounded so darn good and I can’t resist their holiday cups!  What a nice message it has:

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And by the way Mr. Starbucks CEO, please put some of your mugs on clearance, would ya?  I haven’t seen a single clearance mug since last Christmas and my Starbucks mug collection is getting boring.  But I already pay you a ridiculous amount of money just to steam my soy milk, so I won’t also give you $12.95 for a mug.  $5.00 please. Thank you.

Later, a quick afternoon snack while running upstairs back to the computer.

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I did at least manage to get some greens into  my crazy day.  Spinach, cucumber, sprouts, 1/4 cantaloupe, 1 tbsp hemp oil, celery stalk, and a pear.  I had this glass X 2.

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Dinner was another attempt at the leftover chalk balls falafel.  Even adding Annie’s Goddess Dressing and some juicy tomato slices could not save them.  The rest are going in the trash today.  In the future I’ll stick with making mine from scratch, or giving in to the deepfried version at Garbanzo’s.  This powdered mix is a big DON’T.  Looks tasty, though, right?

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Today’s discussion question is about Winter Slump:  Are you finding that with the change of seasons your exercise is not as abundant?  Or does it have no effect on your routine?  What strategies to you use to keep from falling off that wagon?

I definitely get less active this time of year.  With the snowstorm last week, then the time change so causing evenings to be so dark it is easy to let motivation be zapped a little.  During the warm months, I was getting the dogs out for a couple miles every day on top of my running and weights plus a few hikes here and there.  Even my yardio.  Add to that the fact that cold weather makes one crave heartier foods like Halloween candy root veggies and squash which are a bit higher in starches and calories, the body composition can definitely take a little hit.  I can feel it this week for sure and will be making an effort to ramp up the intensity in the upcoming days (in order to get some “afterburn” calories) and keep the “hearty” foods to a minimum.  I’ll add in additional faster intervals, a round or two of Iron Yoga, some high-intensity Tabata weight sessions, and last but not least I’ll be getting out for runs as much as possible when the weather cooperates.

Speaking of season changes…

Guess what?  It’s time to get outside! Our forecast for today is 76 degrees! Wahoooo hallelujah!  Maybe this is why I’ve been a bundle of energy.  Vitamin D City! It was even in the 60′s yesterday!  Maybe all the snow still in our yard from last week will disappear.

Today will be much less computer-filled than yesterday if I can at all help it.  :)

Last call for biceps flex pics today!  Join in the fun!  I have some fun ones from Cindy to choose from… the rest of you get busy flexin’ today!  Email them to me:  shari@fitfeat.com and I’ll plug your blog as well!  (FYI if you did email them to me and I did NOT reply with a thank you message, then for some reason they didn’t make it through… drop a note in the comments section if that’s the case.)

Have a GROOVY Thursday and join us tomorrow for some FLEX IT FRIDAY fun!  :)

– Shari B. =)




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Tabata Time!

Nov 3

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 11 Comments

Hi friends!

Happy Tuesday…!  I hope your week is getting off to a lovely start.

In case you didn’t see it, there was a comment made to yesterday’s post by reader Tray about a FLEX IT FRIDAY this week – saying that if I post a flex shot (biceps) she’ll post one to her blog too.  This totally put a smile on my face (mostly because I have pretty tiny ‘guns’) and I thought it might be a fun way for you all to join in too!  Send me an email with your best BICEP flex shot shari@fitfeat.com by midnight Thursday and I’ll add it to Friday’s post with mine.  Don’t leave me hanging, now!

Monday was a great day for feeling on track again.  After the morning joe, it started with some Tabata-style weight training, which really becomes more a game of muscular endurance than strength.  Originally designed for sprint intervals to increase VO2 max, you see it used for many other types of training now.  You alternate 20 seconds of high intensity with 10 seconds of low intensity and repeat for 4 minutes.   When you do this for sprints, the goal is that your high intensity segments are so tough that truly by the end of the 4 minutes you are wiped.  Full-body exercises are a great use of this training style as well.

Well you know I love any exercise that alternates intensity with rest so when I first read about Tabata last year I was excited to try it out.  I later downloaded a Tabata timer on my iPhone and use it to turn pretty much any exercise into an interval session.  And of course, I like to make up my own rules, so instead of things like pushups and pullups, I like to do a full Tabata round for each muscle group.  Here’s how Monday’s workout went down.

Tabata Full Body

  • TM Warmup 5 minutes
  • Chest: DB Bench Press 4 minutes
  • Back: Seated Rows 4 minutes
  • Shoulders: Side Lateral Raises 4 minutes
  • Biceps: Seated DB Curls 4 minutes (2 min palms up, 2 min palms in)
  • Triceps: Tricep Pushdowns 4 minutes
  • Core: Planks 4 minutes
  • Legs: Static Ball Squats 4 minutes
  • Legs: VS Rear Lunges 4 min (alt legs every interval)

This is a quick and efficient training method, less than 40 minutes.  My bis, tris, and shoulders are definitely ‘vocal’ today!

By then, my bod was ready for a post-workout shake:  chocolate Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer with 1/2 banana.

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Then a mid-morning Lemon Larabar while working at the computer:

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At lunchtime I wanted to use up a couple of veggies that were looking a little wilty, so I cut up an orange pepper, roma tomato, baby bellas, and zucchini, tossed them with a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt and roasted them in my toaster oven for about 25 minutes.

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During the last few minutes I sprinkled nutritional yeast on them to give them a ‘cheesy’ feel and made an avocado/sprout sandwich for the side:

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Veggie-licious!

Midafternoon called for another Larabar, this time Cashew Cookie flavor.  And a cup of herbal tea.  Mmmm, tea and “cookies”.  I feel so PROPER!  ;)

Dinner was a special treat because MSP’s brother happened to be passing through town and we hadn’t seen him since June.  So we went to one of our local favorites, Via Baci, where I would normally order a pizza (oh do they ever have great pizza!!) but since I have been making so many pita pizzas at home, I opted for the seared tuna salad with lemon vinaigrette on the side.  It was SCRUMPTIOUS and I even have a little leftover for today.  (Caution:  fuzzy iPhone pic ahead, view at your own risk!)  :)

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A few pieces of candy corn for dessert at home while chatting with family – it was a great end to a fabulous day.

***

Today’s questions:  Do you prefer intervals or steady-state exercise?  Have you tried Tabata for your cardio or weights?  How did you like it? Drop a comment to let me know your thoughts.

And then drop me an email with your BICEP FLEX!!!  We’ll all have a reason to pump up our biceps with some exercise beforehand ;)   and I know some of you are jokesters so it could be comical!

Have a TERRIFIC TUESDAY!

– Shari B. =)

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Turning the Tables on Naysayers

Nov 2

Posted by Shari B. in FitFeature, Keeping Fit | 10 Comments

Good morning FitFeat friends!

I’m feeling ready to hit the reset button and get back to my regular routine.  Between hosting houseguests and then getting snowed in, I feel like it’s been 2 weeks since I’ve had a routine day.  Vacation is over.  Back to reality!  :)

MSP and I did get out yesterday for a great 5 mile interval session.  Intervals of any sort are my favorite, which is why I love to hike.  Hiking to me is basically one big interval session.  Higher intensity on the uphill portion, recovery on the downhill.  We did something similar on our run yesterday, as where we live is pretty hilly.  We speedwalked the uphills and raced on the downhills.  It was so fun and the miles flew by in a hurry.

The sun was shining  and the sky was clear blue.  A big thanks to our Recreation Association for taking a snowplow to the trail system, because they were in great shape despite all the snow that fell.

I fueled up about an hour prior to the run with a Larabar Coconut Cream Pie.

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And a post-run green smoothie (that I almost forgot to photograph, so it’s almost gone).

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***

On to a new FitFeature topic that I’ve been wanting to cover for some time:  using naysayers to propel you to success.

Through the years, I have tried many different nutrition plans and fitness routines as I enjoy experimenting to determine what works best for me.

When you are eating healthy and exercising, chances are you are going to bump into people who want to rain on your parade.  I could do a whole series on the reasons WHY and HOW people will do this to you, but for today I’d like to focus on YOU turning naysaying into motivation.

Many years back, before I became a personal trainer and while I was still new in my fitness journey I was working as a consultant and had been assigned to a project with a fairly large company.  Over time, people got used to the fact that I packed my own food and ate healthy most of the time.

I had a 3-ring binder in which I kept my food and exercise logs.  On the cover of the binder was an “Avia” fitness ad I’d torn out of a magazine as motivation.

One of the women that worked in the department I’d been assigned to saw my motivation photo and actually told me that I could “never look like that”.

Now I am sure she didn’t mean it maliciously.  I like to think she was implying that she figured only a select genetically gifted few looked that way and that I’d only be wasting my time or setting myself up for failure.

Ten years later, I STILL remember that comment. And boy did I prove her wrong.  Not that she knows it – my contract there ended and I moved on to the next consulting gig and then ultimately became a full-time personal trainer.  But just knowing that I reached my goal and THEN SOME, gives me satisfaction that she could not diminish my excitement or drive with her negativity. 

In fact she PROPELLED me further.

I am one who responds when you tell me I can’t do something.  When you tell me I CAN’T do something, I will move mountains to show you I just how well I CAN. 

When I first embarked on my journey to better fitness I looked like this (~150 lbs, 5’4″) – geez I look unhappy don’t I?

Before
After a couple of rounds of “Body for Life” I’d improved to this (this is where I was when I was working the consulting job) – cheesy pose due to entering the BFL contest :)

before mid

This is the ad I’d referred to for motivation:

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And then at my first NPC figure competition:

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Now I won’t kid you – getting ready for figure competitions was no easy feat.  I worked my tail off and I endured ridiculously strict diets for each one.  But it was something that I chose to experience.  I’d moved on from my AVIA model and soon her pic was replaced with that of NPC and IFBB figure competitors.

What I want you to take away from this is:

Never let naysayers talk you down from your goals.  Use it as fuel for your motivational fire.  You CAN accomplish what you want when you put your mind to it and really dial-in  your focus.  

Don’t let it hurt when people say you can’t do something, or shouldn’t do something.  And when it comes from people close to you, I know it can sting even more.  Often times, people just don’t quite grasp what you are aiming for and that’s OK.  Let it get under your skin to ENCOURAGE you, rather than allowing it to cause doubt.

Here is the body “I live in daily” now, eating foods I ENJOY and doing exercise that I look forward to (and obviously in dire need of a tan, but hey it’s November!)

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So today I would like to say thank youto all the naysayers out there who help propel THE REST OF US to kick a$$, take names and show ‘em how we roll.

***

Today’s discussion:  Have you experienced people attempting to rain on your parade or make you feel that you can’t achieve a certain goal?  Get picked on for eating healthy?  (That’s a big one for me.)  Please drop a comment and share your experiences with us.

Make it a great Monday friends, and a great week as well!

See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

If you know someone embarking on their own fitness journey (or could use some help battling the naysayers!) please feel free to send them my way. I offer fitness consulting by phone nationwide and in-person in the South Denver area.

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The Lunge: Love to Hate It

Oct 20

Posted by Shari B. in Exercise Instruction, FitFeature | 6 Comments

Hello there friends! 

Oh my goodness, where to start today.  I always seem to have more words than time!  :)

Let’s start with the FEATS recap:

Weight Training  (Legs/Abs):

  • TM Warmup 5 min
  • High Step Ups 3 sets of 15 reps per leg
  • Plie Squat with Pulses 3 sets of 40 reps
  • Side Step Ups 3 sets of 15 reps per leg
  • V-Ups for Abs 3 sets of 20 reps
  • VS Snow Angels 3 sets of 20 reps

Afterward, I left the conehead at home with MSP (to save her the ridicule from all the other doggies out on wogs), grabbed Rascal and we went for a quick 2.11 mile run.  Just enough to get him a little activity for the day.  Why are my dogs so good when they are taken out by themselves and such little freak-monsters when they go together?  Are kids like that?  It was a great little run – felt so good after working the legs.

A scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer mixed with almond milk and a banana served as my post-workout meal, with a little fall view in the background.

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Mid-morning brought about the urge for apple pie, a la Larabar.  For some reason I felt the need to include more fall foilage in the shot since apple pie feels so very “autumn” to me…

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I was so hungry at lunch I completely forgot to take a photo.  I had the leftover shrimp & scallops takeout with a single “Simply…Cookie” for dessert.

I had a doc appointment after lunchtime way out east of where I live.  My ‘health food store radar’ went off like crazy over there  – they have a very new & much bigger Vitamin Cottage that I had to visit.  This is where I did some of the shopping for the giveaway.

And lookie what I found….
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A tropical fruit tart Larabar!!!  I’ve been trying to track one of these new flavors down for a couple of MONTHS!!!  (Apparently I wasn’t trying hard enough, guess it was in Parker CO all this time!)  I was so excited to try it! 

Friends, this is like a Hawaiian mini-vacation in a wrapper.  OH. SO. YUMMY.  Wow.  I need to order a box online PRONTO!  And there will be one in the giveaway schwag.  (shwag? swag?  I’m schticking with schwag…)  :)

By dinnertime I was feeling a bit lacking in the green department, so I made an extra-green (read: not really any fruit to speak of) smoothie.  Extra cucumber, sprouts, frozen spinach, extra celery, 1/2 avocado, and only 1/3 apple.  It was THICK.  And kind of ‘savory’ rather than sweet.  But as a side dish to my open-faced Gardenburger, it worked!

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One thing I meant to mention in yesterday’s post –and somehow didn’t– was a SPECIAL THANKS to Alison of Mama’s Weeds.   I found my new hosting company through her site, and she very kindly and graciously answered all the questions I’d emailed her before I made up my mind on which company to use.  Alison, thanks so much for all of your help and encouragement!  You’re awesome! 

***

It’s about time for a FitFeature, don’t you think?  So today I’d like to talk about one of my favorite exercise moves:  the LUNGE.

If you don’t have a lot of time to get in a full workout (or maybe don’t really have access to exercise equipment) the lunge is an excellent move to employ. 

1. It utilizes pretty much the entire lower half of the body and your core, so you get a lot of ‘bang for your buck’ as far as hitting a lot of muscles in a short period of time.

2. It gets your heart rate up so you can also get an effective cardio workout.

3. There are more variations than you can imagine to constantly change it up.  Here are just a few:

4. You can easily turn it into a full body exercise by adding upper body movements WHILE lunging (bicep curls, side shoulder raises, overhead shoulder presses).

In any lunge you perform, draw an imaginary line straight upward from your big toe on the forward foot and be sure your forward knee does not cross that line.  You are exercising to strengthen and protect your knees… letting your knee travel past that line is asking for pain and trouble in the long run.

If you are just starting out, try a couple sets of however many you can comfortably perform with GOOD FORM.  As you get better, go for the burn.  Out on a walk or run, pick an object in the distance and do some walking lunges (alternating legs) as far as you can go.  Get those legs burning like crazy, watch that knee/toe line, keep your front heel DOWN and GO FOR IT!  This is a fabulous leg/butt shaper. 

Or do some uphill lunges.  Ouchie.  :)  

Squats and Deadlifts are two other EXCELLENT exercises that essentially utilize the whole body, especially when done with heavier weights (as long as the form is impeccable).  But they will have to wait their turn for the spotlight on the FitFeat blog.  ;)

Today’s question:  do you incorporate lunges into your leg routine?  Do you love them?  Hate them?  Have a love/hate relationship with them?  Drop a comment!

***

Quick note about an update to the blog:  there is a new tab in the navigation bar at the top called “Favorite Things” — check it out!

OK, now I’m off to write the next post, which is the one with the giveaway!!!  So check back again yet today!

Have a GREAT Tuesday!

– Shari B. =)

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Yardio & Doody Duty

Sep 11

Posted by in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Hi friends!  It’s FRIDAY!  OK, no matter where you are right now I want you to holler “WOOT! WOOT!”  :)   TGIF!

So I’m still feeling Wednesday’s workout like nobody’s business.  The combination of the straight-leg deadlifts AND explosive lunges has hobbled me – in a good way!  Each of those exercises alone kicks my you-know-what, but put them together…?  Whoa.  I’m so in need of a good stretch – my hams are so sore/stiff I don’t think I could touch my toes at the moment even if someone put some chocolate on my shoe.

Then yesterday’s workout was YARDIO!!! (Yardwork cardio…!)  First step, Doody Duty ‘squat & scoops’.  Hopefully you find that self-explanatory.  ;)   (FYI folks, if you hire a service to do this for you, do them a very nice favor and do NOT run your sprinkler system within 24 hours of their scheduled time.  Just sayin’.)  Next step was the weed-whacker for a great arm workout.  Then the lawnmower with the catcher attached, which gets heavier as you go.

After a quick snack and some water (because Yardio is hard work, you know!) it was on to Part Deux: digging out sod.  Another fine total body workout.  I was sweating early on because I thought I could do this with a little garden spade.  Eventually I realized that I would be without the use of my hands for a few days if I kept that up, so I moved to a small shovel that I could hop on and force into the ground.   I am supposed to do Back & Triceps this morning, but I fear that the dumbbells will just fall right out of my hands!  We’ll see how that goes.

Yardio was apparently also exhausting for these two lazy bones cuties:

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Let’s talk about FOOD, shall we? :)

Channeling my inner surfer chick with my Hawaii Starbucks mug (thanks Jimmy!)

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Since I hadn’t had a workout yet, I had a very light breakfast.  Half a cantaloupe:

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It was gone in like 2 minutes flat – SO GOOD! I can’t even remember the last time I had one!

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Midmorning snack was a toasted piece of Genesis sprouted grain bread with some raw organic almond butter and a drizzle of raw local honey.

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For lunch I decided on an open-faced ‘wich.  Slice of Genesis toast, schmear of Tofutti (soy ‘cream’ cheese), sprouts, avocado, yellow tomato slices, sea salt & pepper.  Red pepper sticks and remaining avocado on the side. I also at the rest of yesterday’s patio salad. After the photo was snapped, I slapped a romaine leaf on the top as my ‘wich lid. 

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Followed by a little bite of heaven:

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 A little mango passionfruit herbal tea with a side of Cashew Cookie by Larabar: 

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Dinner was the reheated Falafel.  I don’t think I’ll do the reheat again.  One, you realize just how greasy they are and two they getsa bit mushy.  But the flavor was still good.  A new reader, Jen, let me know yesterday that the yummy pickled stuff is eggplant!  (Thanks Jen!) Now THAT still tastes good the next day.  :)   This was a tiny little dinner so I knew I’d be looking for food again later in the evening.  

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 And so I ate half of this little beauty for which I’d been impatiently waiting to ripen.  It taunted my on my counter for three days… ‘HaHa, I’m not ready yet!’  The minute it looked ripe I was all over it.  I saved half for today.

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And when I should have been going to bed, I was still a little hungry to I had some Kashi GoLean cereal and a splash of almond milk. 

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OK, my DAH-lings…. enjoy your Friday!  Drop a comment to let me know what exciting FIT plans you have for the upcoming weekend.  Hiking?  Running?  Cycling?  Yoga?  What will you do this weekend to thank your body for all it does for you?

 – Shari B. =)

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Even Energizer Bunnies Need Their Rest

Sep 8

Posted by in FitFeature | 8 Comments

Hi Fit Peeps,

I’m back to finish my Lazy Labor Day recap since I had to scoot out in a hurry mid-post about 90 minutes ago!  I confess that I can’t call anything I did yesterday “labor”.   :)   A good portion of this holiday weekend was spent relaxing!

Which leads me to today’s FitFeature:  recharging our internal batteries and energy balance.

First, let me say that I am all for regular bouts of intense exercise.  I am all for pushing beyond our perceived personal limits.  But I also strongly believe we start each day with a certain amount of ‘gas in our tank’ and need to use that fuel wisely for a fit, healthy and BALANCED life. As a ‘recovering perfectionist’ :) , I used to go, go, go and go some more and never felt that I could afford a break.  Both in fitness and life in general.   It took me a long time to wise  up and acknowledge the belief that I now subscribe to fully:  that our physical exercise should enhance the rest of our daily living, not take from it.

Think about if you kept your foot on your car’s gas pedal and didn’t shift gears – you know that high revving sound?  Don’t do that to your body!  Don’t run your body with  your RPMs all the way into the red.  Do it for too long, and things might start to breakdown.  If I know I have a crazy day ahead of me that may take a lot out of me physically or mentally, I have no problem planning my exercise around that, by switching with a planned rest day or maybe using lighter weights and higher reps if it’s a strength day.  Or rather than intense cardio intervals, maybe I’ll do a slower paced run and just enjoy the scenery.  Try to be tuned in to what your body is telling  you.

Additionally, I try to take one full rest day each week (or at the very least a MILD activity day, like walking or yoga) and I regularly aim to spend some quality “ME” time just to top off that gas tank a bit and get the batteries charged back up.  My “ME” time can be a full-on lazy day or it can be as quick and simple as taking in a minute of sunshine or a cup of tea.

Push hard to make gains, but do it wisely by including appropriate rest and recovery.  REST is when your body is busy rebuilding and getting stronger, so making sure to build that time in is JUST as important as the exercise itself.

And when you listen to your body, by all means if it is telling you it’s a strong day, GO FOR IT!  It’s a two-way street!

Do you take the time to recharge your batteries?  How do you unwind and renew? Drop me a line in the comments section!

OK, on to yesterday’s eats:

I was so focused on getting my coffee yesterday morning that I didn’t even snap a photo!  Luckily it was in a boring white mug so you didn’t miss much ;)

After our weight training and doggie rollerblading, I was in the mood for some eggs rather than my green smoothie.  I sauteed some finely chopped mushroom and added a few slices of avocado and manchego sheep’s cheese on the side.  I had a few sips of some OJ left in the fridge so I had that too.  I don’t drink straight juice very often but it did sound good with breakfast.

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While we were out getting a few groceries, I had a tall plain soy steamer to get me through till lunch.  I LOVE their new cup “We don’t just want to make your drink, we want to make your day.”  Oh Starbucks, how I love thee.  You always make my day!

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Lunch was the second half of the Hookipa Salad I had leftover from Tokyo Joe’s yesterday.  Mmmm, salmon, greens, dried cranberries, edamame, pecans.  It was almost as good the second day.

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And a little piece of chocolate for dessert!

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Mid-afternoon I was in full-on LAZY mode.  We watched Julia Roberts and Clive Owens in “Duplicity”.  With all the flashbacks and flash forwards, I needed a snack to fuel my brain just to follow along!  So I made some brown bag microwave popcorn (because we don’t want all the extra stuff that they put in store-bought microwave popcorn!) and sprinkled it with nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy flavor and some sea salt.

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When dinnertime came around MSP was craving a calzone, so while he went to pick up his carry-out, I started putting together my healthy little dinner.  I was feeling like something really light because somehow little chocolate chips just kept jumping into my mouth straight from the bag during the day!  Boy do they have springy legs and good aim, those little chocolate chips!  ;)   I used my potato peeler and made raw zucchini ribbons, then I mixed up some “improv sauce” with half of a leftover tomato, some sundried tomatoes,  drizzle of olive oil, spinach leaves and some red pepper flakes.  After plating it, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on top.  Look how pretty!  And I was not disappointed when I ate it either – quite tasty!

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OK friends, it’s time for me to peel myself away from the computer!  Have a great Tuesday and I’ll look forward to showing you how dark it was during today’s run when I’m back with today’s recap!

– Shari B. =)

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