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Showing posts with label lose 100 pounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lose 100 pounds. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Lunch Break Boot Camp

I have blogged about food choices and cutting calories but I have never given any advise on exercise other than walking, usng my eliptical, treadmill or riding my bicycle.  In one of my days of research I saw an interesting idea.  The article proposed the idea that you could get a good work-out during your lunch hour.  Actually according to the article, it only takes 20 minutes of your lunch break to torch calories and power through the rest of your day
This information is shared by The Editors of Men's Health

Fighting off a desk nap? Jump start your heart. "A high-intensity lunchtime workout can give your body the boost it needs to power through the rest of the day," says James Batey, an ACE certified personal trainer at Brooklyn's Fitness Collective. But you'll need a fast workout that you can do anywhere. That's what you'll find below.
The Lunchtime Workout
Perform these moves in order, spending 1 minute on each exercise—a total of 5 minutes for each set. Rest 2 minutes between sets, and don't do the workout 2 days in a row.
Set 1
Calf Jump with Overhead Arms 00:01
Stand on your toes with your legs shoulder-width apart, and stretch your arms over your head. Jump as if you were skipping rope. Repeat until the time expires.   
Switch Split Jump 00:02
Start in a lunge position, knees bent. Clasp your hands behind your head. Jump and switch legs midair. Allow your body to descend into the next lunge, and immediately repeat the jump, minimizing your time on the ground.           

Speed Side-Shuffle Pushup 00:03
From the pushup position, extend your right arm and leg as far to the right as possible. Bring your left arm and leg over so you're back in the starting position. Shuffle 10 times back and forth.         
Soft Jump Squat 00:04
Place a cone outside your right foot. Assume a squat position, bending your legs until they're parallel to the ground. Jump over the cone sideways, landing gently with the cone outside your left foot. Go back and forth.         
Burpees 00:05
Do one pushup. Jump into a squat position. Raise your hands overhead and jump up, bringing your knees into your chest. Land on your toes and drop back into a squat. Kick your feet back into a pushup. Repeat.

Break 1  00:05-00:07
Set 2
Bear Crawl 00:08
Assume a crawling position. Bend your elbows and knees, with your hips in the air. Pick a point and crawl toward it as fast as you can. Then move backward using the same form, until you reach your starting position.          
Pulsing Sumo Squat with Jump 00:09
Lower yourself into two consecutive squats, holding each for 1 second. As you rise out of the second squat, explode up and land while maintaining form. Repeat.
High Knees in Place 00:10
Sprint in place, driving your knees up to your chest. If you feel your legs lagging, hold your hands straight out in front and aim to connect your knees to your elbows.           
Pushup with Side Plank 00:11
Complete one pushup and then immediately puash yourself into a side plank. Align your head, neck, shoulders, core, and legs. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat, alternating sides. 
Jump Squat/Jumping Jacks 00:12
Stand with your hands behind your head. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then push up so your feet leave the floor. Land with bent knees, do 5 jumping jacks, and repeat
Break 2  00:12-00:14

Set 3

Bicycle Crunches 00:15
Lie on your back with hands clasped behind your head. Lift both legs slightly off the ground. Touch your elbow to its opposite knee, alternating and moving quickly, as if you're pedaling a bike.           

Forward Distance Hop 00:16
With your feet hip-width apart, jump as far forward as you can, using your arms to propel you. Land in a low squat position and immediately jump forward again. 
Basketball Shuffle 00:17
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees into a low squat; shuffle to your left for 10 seconds, then back to the right for 10 seconds.

Heels High 00:18
Sprint in place, bringing your heels up behind you, as if you're kicking your own butt.

Kangaroo Hops 00:19
Stand with your legs slightly apart. Extend your arms out to your sides. Jump and drive your knees to your chest, using your arms to balance. Aim for 10 to 15 jumps in a minute.
Even if you don't do all of the exercises shown here, if you did a few of them you would be making a healthy choice to "burn" some calories.  And if none of these exercises are right for you, try something really simple... take a 20 minute walk.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The "Love - Hate" Relationship

Today I wanted to share my thoughts about a "Love-Hate" Relationship that I have. Now before you go thinking that I have someone in my life who I both love and hate, please continue to read this blog post for all the information before coming to a conclusion.  Here is what Wikipedia.com has to say about having a "Love-Hate Relationship":


A love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate. This relationship does not have to be of a romantic nature, and may be instead of a sibling one. It may occur when people have completely lost the intimacy within a loving relationship, yet still retain some passion for, or perhaps some commitment to, each other.

The term is used frequently in psychology, popular writing and journalism. It can be applied to relationships with inanimate objects, or even concepts.[3][4] It is sometimes employed by writers to refer to relationships between celebrity couples who have been divorced, then who reunite (notably Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, or Eminem and Kimberly Scott).

The portion that I would like to draw you attention to in the above statement is found in the last paragraph, "It can be applied to relationships with inanimate objects, or even concepts.["    

You see, my feelings are not actually a "love-hate" relationship that I have with anyone, but with something, FOOD.  You see even though I have successfully lost 101 pounds on my journey to a new me during the past year, I still have my own issues with food.  Food is a simple four letter word that is both nourishment and a stumbling block on my journey.  When I eat the right types of foods my body grows leaner and is energized. But when I eat the wrong types of foods I feel tired and sluggish and do not have the stamina to exercise like I know that I should.  So you are probably wondering why this would matter.  I have declared in all of my blog post up to this point that I can eat anything that I want as long as I do not eat more than my daily allotment of 1400 calories, and this is still true.  But the longer that I am on this journey the more that I am realizing that the food or should I say "Fuel" that I am putting into my body does make a difference.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.  If during the day I use 180 calories at breakfast eating a Thomas bagel thin and a serving of the 1/3 reduced fat strawberry cream cheese, and then for lunch I use another 400 calories on lean protein and a salad with light or fat free dressing, then dinner comes around and I find myself with 820 calories to use for my last meal of the day.  What I find that happens is that I use these calories on entree that are high in carbs. Although I don't allow myself to go over the 1400 calories, I am now too full or stuffed to want to get my exercise in.  You know the feeling that you get when you over eat on a holiday?  That is what I am talking about. 


So starting today, I would like to change my thinking about the four-letter word "food"
and begin thinking about a new four-letter word, "fuel".   My vehicle takes unleaded gasoline to operate.  Like most people I always opt for the 87 octane.  But what kind of performance would I get if I used the higher 93 octane?  I don't know what my car would do, but I believe that my body would respond positively.  If I even switched my heavy meal to lunch time and had my lighter entree for dinner at night, I would still be consuming the 1400 calories, but I would probably have more energy and stamina to get my exercise in and other activities too!

So my resolution begining tomorrow will be to try this process for one week to see if it makes a difference in my results.  I don't know about you but  I am ready to put an end to the "love-hate" relationship that I have with food and begin the next phase of my journey to lose 50 pounds in '2012.  I know that I can do it, I guess I just needed to hear myself say it!