Backyard Bootcamp

"Side, side!" Eva said this morning, begging to go outside. I was all dressed in my workout clothes, but didn't know what to do, so I went outside and did this bootcamp workout while she played. It was great because I was able to watch her and get a great cardio and strength workout at the same time. It was simple enough that I could pull her out of the mud if I needed too and then get right back. Just a few tools are needed:

sturdy chair or deck stairs
jumprope (imaginary one works too)
stability ball (optional)
mat
8 lb minimum weights
watch

Start with a warm-up by jogging back and forth for 2 minutes. Then begin the workout:

Station 1: repeat 2-3 times
Sprint running for 1 minute back and forth or around your yard then 30 second recovery walk.
30 lunges

Station 2: repeat 2-3 times
Chair (up R up L, down R down L) or Stairs for 1 minute
Jumprope for 75 jumps

Station 3: repeat 2-3 times
25 Jumping Jacks
25 Squats holding the weights at your sides

Station 4: repeat 2-3 times
Push-ups- as many as you can. If you can't do 10, do as many as you can on your knees (girl push-ups).
Bicycles (abs): Elbow to opposite knee.

Station 5: repeat 2-3 times
Bicep Curls- as many as you can.
Ball Crunches: around 3o. Make sure you are keeping your back straight and not arching it.

Cool down and stretch.

I did this workout on my tiny cement pad that is too weak to even be considered a backyard. It doesn't take much space. I thought it would also be fun to invite another mom over with her kids so they can all play and you can do the workout together, switching off stations. Who knows, maybe the kids will want to join in! What a great way to set an example of being active to your little ones. Have fun!

Workout Tip: Take care of those knees please!

One of the most common complaints heard among exercisers is knee pain. There is no wonder why there are so many knee problems these days with all of the constant smacking against concrete and other hard surfaces. Our bodies weren't really made to do some of the things we do, but there are things we can do that can help prevent knee problems that will in turn allow us to be active throughout our lives.

1. Run on a softer surface. If you can, find a dirt road or track to run on. If you run in a neighborhood, run on the asphalt on the left side of the street rather than the concrete sidewalk. It is a little softer.

2. Do squats and lunges correctly. Stand to the side in front of a mirror and as you go down for a squat or lunge, your knee should not extend past the toe. While squatting, push your hips back. While lunging, go straight up and down with a wide stance in a 90 degree angle.

3. Wear proper shoes. When you notice knee pain, take a look at the tread of your shoes. If they are pretty worn, invest in a new pair. If you go to a running store, the clerk will watch the way you walk/run and make suggestions on different shoes depending on your gait.

4. Stretch after a warm-up or after your workout. While the muscles are warm, stretch the hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. As we age, we become less and less flexible which makes it more difficult to move. Maintaining flexibility may help prevent injury.

5. Crosstrain. If you are a runner and a runner only, try and do a different workout once or twice a week to change it up. It will decrease the wear on the knees and help strengthen the muscles around them. Try cycling or swimming. If you are into races, try a sprint triathalon.

6. Weight Loss. If you are carrying around excess weight, the knees can be affected.

7. RICE. If you are experiencing knee pain, use this formula: rest, ice, compression, elevation. If the pain doesn't go away, see a doctor. There are a number of things that could be causing the pain. They may give you certain exercises to help strengthen an area around the knee.

Workout Tip: Use your Stroller and burn more Cal

I hope you are enjoying some exercise outside as the weather is getting nicer. And for you moms: You can burn more calories and get a better total body workout by pushing a stroller while walking or jogging rather than not. It is great because you can bring the kids along during your workout, and not only are you using leg muscles, but upper body as well by pushing, especially if you're going uphill. According to a study by ACE, exercise intensity and calorie burn were about 20 percent higher when walking with a stroller at 3 mph than when walking without a stroller.

So don't feel bad if you missed your morning run before your husband left for work. Just enjoy the outdoors with your kiddies and get a nice workout at the same time!

Workout Tip: Exercise During Pregnancy

For my friends who have a bun in the oven: keep working out! Exercise can help you have a healthy pregnancy and can also make the delivery easier, shorter, and less complicated (ACE Certified News). You should first check with you doctor before beginning. But usually, if you were physically active before your pregnancy, you can do most of the same activities within reason during pregnancy. And as your belly grows, modify your routine to what is comfortable. Keep in mind that your resting heart rate is faster during pregnancy due to the blood supply going to the uterus and you want to make sure the uterus is getting plenty of blood and oxygen as well as keeping your core temperature stable, so maintain a moderate intensity. Some women prefer not to lay on their backs and if that is the case, you can do most exercises standing or on a ball. Evaluate each form of exercise and rule out any that have risk of:
1. Injury
2. Falling
3. Abdominal Trauma

Cardio that is great during pregnancy:
Walking (jogging if it is comfortable and you are used to it)
Swimming-you feel weightless in the water and it's wonderful! It is easy on the joints too.
Elliptical

Strength Exercises that are great during pregnancy:
Ball Squats (ball up against wall and back against it)
Standing Shoulder Press
Standing Bicep Curls
Crunches on Ball: small crunches are ok to do on a ball in more of a vertical position rather than horizontal. Sit on the ball and roll forward so that your bottom is closer to the floor
Pelvic Lifts on Ball: In that same position as crunches on the ball, lift pelvis up and down. Feels great!
Cat pose: Get on hands and knees. While inhaling, arch the back and exhale while flattening it out. Yoga pose- helps ease lower back pain.
Tail Wags: Sounds funny, but while on your hands and knees move your hips side to side. This eases hip and back pain.
Hamstring Stretch

Click on my link for Fit Mama to see all of my workout tips!

Workout Tip: Move the Furniture and Shake it!

Excuses, excuses. I wanted to do cardio today, but I don't have a gym membership, it's freezing outside and I'm stuck at home. What to do? Well, I thought of a fun idea. Don't you sometimes just want to dance with the music blaring when no one is around? Maybe I'm the only nerd. Use those moves that were hot in the 80's or when you were in high school and make your own cardio routine! If you're not a dancer use punches and kicks or aerobics moves. You and your kids will end up laughing your heads off. Here's what you do:
Write down 12 different moves. Here are some simple ones you can use:
1. Grapevine
2. Step touch side to side and clap above your head
3. Shimmy
4. Jumping Jacks
5. YMCA while jumping
6. Hamstring Curls
7. Famous move from Grease (only Kim will know this one)
8. March in Place
9. Stayin' Alive disco move
10. Kicks and punches
11. Speedbag while doing lunges
12. Jump Squats

Then, break them down into 3 groups of 4. Put 8 or 16 counts to each move. Do your first four moves, one right after the other. For example:

Grapevine for 8 counts
Step touch for 8 counts
Shimmy for 8 counts
Jumping Jacks for 8 counts

= 32 counts- should go great with any upbeat music. Once you have this one down, move to your next 4 moves. You can combine them however you'd like.

Workout Tip of the Week: SMART Goal Setting

Sorry for the gap in workout tips. The holidays have kept us quite busy and frankly, I haven't been working out as much as I'd like to. So just like many of you I am setting some New Year's Resolutions and Goals. As I have thought about them, a few good tips came to mind:

Make your goals SMART!

S: Specific. A goal should be specific in time and amount. For example: I want to lose 10 lbs in 2 months.

M: Measureable. You should be able to measure your success. Rather than saying, I want to be stronger, set a goal to be able to do 50 push-ups by March.

A: Attainable. Set goals that you are likely to achieve.

R: Realistic. Don't go overboard on your expectations of yourself. Set goals that you can achieve in a realistic amount of time. Perhaps set smaller short term goals that work towards a big long-term goal.

T: Timely. Always set a time frame for your goals so that you actually work on them!

Set 3 exercise goals and 3 nutrition goals for 2009 and then watch how great you feel as you have worked to improve your health. Go for it and good luck!

Here are mine:
EXERCISE:
1. Be able to do 30 push-ups without stopping by February 1st. I have always been so weak at push-ups!
2. Create one new strength training routine a week for 6 weeks so I don't get bored.
3. Run for 30 minutes once a week for 1 month.

NUTRITION:
1. Try a new healthy recipe once a week for 8 weeks until March 1st.
2. Eat 3 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for 1 month, until February 1st.
3. Drink 6 glasses of water a day for 1 month, until February 1st.

Workout Tip of the Week: Stuff the Turkey, not Yourself!

There is nothing worse on Thanksgiving night than feeling stuffed and lazy. Why not feel great and enjoy the time with family and friends? Here are a few tips to help:

1. Start the day by eating a small breakfast rather than skipping meals until turkey time. This will help you not to over-eat after being hungry all day long. Our bodies aren't meant to eat 2,000-3,000 calories at once and will store the excess calories as fat.

2. Workout! Go for a walk, jog or do a quick weights routine at home. It will feel great to burn some calories before the Thanksgiving meal.

3. Watch your portions. Eat a little bit of the foods that you really like. Sometimes if it is there, we eat it. Stop and ask yourself what you really want. Stuffing and cranberries aren't my fave so I like to save those calories for pumpkin pie, which I love!

4. Bring a healthy side dish. Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients and taste great by themselves. Bake some without adding all of the sweet and fatty stuff. A little cinnamon and sugar is all they need.

5. Do something active with your family after the meal, especially if you weren't able to workout in the morning. Play tag with the kids, start a basketball game, or go for a walk.

Workout Tip of the Week: Interval Training Workout

Ready to spice up your workouts? Interval training is a time-efficient way to do strength training while also getting cardiovascular benefits. You can burn a lot of calories and so it is excellent for individuals who want to lose weight. It involves alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercise with rest. Here is a total- body interval training workout to try:

It takes about 45 minutes. You will need weights (8-12 lbs) and stairs or a chair.
Warm-up for 10 minutes.

Station 1: Lunges with weights/ Running: Do a set of 15-20 repetitions of lunges (walking or in place) holding weights. Then run as hard as you can outside or on a treadmill for 1 minute. Slow down to walking for 30-45 seconds Repeat twice so you do 3 sets at this station.

Station 2: Push-ups/ Jumping Jacks: Do as many push-ups as you can then do 20 jumping jacks. Rest for 30-45 seconds by walking in place and repeat all twice.

Station 3: Bicep Curls/ Jump Squats: Do 15-20 bicep curls. Then do 15-20 jump- squats, which is going into a low squat and then jumping. Rest for 30-45 seconds and then repeat all twice.

Station 4: Crunches & Bicycles/ Stairs or stepping up on a chair: Do 15 crunches and then 15 bicycles (for abs: elbow to opposite knee while legs are in cycling motion). Then climb up and down the stairs 3-4 times. Or you can step up and down from a chair or bench for 1 minute. Rest 30-45 seconds and then repeat all twice.

Cool down for 5-10 minutes. Stretch.

You may add more stations or create your own workout. Here are some more ideas for your intense cardio sprints. Just simply partner them with a strength exercise.

jumping jacks, running, jumprope, jump squats, stairs, lunges, stepping up on a chair or or an aerobics step, cycling, etc.

TURN UP THE MUSIC AND HAVE FUN!

Workout Tip of the Week: LOWER ABS: From Flab to Fab!

While working at the gym I think the number one complaint I heard was along the lines of, "For as many crunches that I do, I just can't get rid of this lower ab flab." Especially for women who have had babies, it is not easy to flatten that area around the bellybutton, but there are some things that can really help and the first step is to learn what ab exercises work the different parts of the core. A common belief is that standard crunches work the whole abdominal area, including the lower part. But although they are good to do, they mostly work the top which is where you feel it.

In order to strengthen the lower abdominal region, you have to do exercises that involve lifting the lower body. Don't worry, you don't have to do the dreaded straight-leg lifts that are nearly impossible for post-pregnancy abs. There are many variations and different things you can do. If you are feeling really weak in that area, simple pelvic tilts work well: Lay on the ground or a ball with your feet on the floor and tilt your pelvis towards you. It is a rotational movement rather than lifting up and down. You can do these while doing crunches at the same time to work the whole abdominal muscle. A few others for the LOWER ABS are:

• Bicycles: These are my favorite because they work all of the abdominal muscle- upper and lower, as well as the obliques on the sides.
• Bent-Leg Lifts: Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet on the floor. Lift, bringing your knees in towards you and then tap your feet on the floor.
• Bent-Leg Lefts with Ball: Same as above with a stability ball between the knees. Also works inner thighs!
• L-Shaped Lifts: Similar to the bent leg lift, but when you lift your legs, straighten them out so your feet point toward the ceiling then bend the knees and straighten them about 6 inches from the floor then touch toes on floor. You are drawing an L with your feet.

Give some of these a try a few times a week and you'll feel your core getting stronger and maybe even see some definition! Keep up on your cardio- it will also help you to stay slim in your middle.

Workout Tip of the Week: SQUAT-PUSH-PULL

I know these words sound a little silly, but I use them every time I plan a strength training workout. They are key in a workout because with just those three exercises alone you can work all major leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), all major arm muscles (biceps, triceps, shoulders) as well as chest and back. Then you can add whatever core exercises you like that work abs and lower back. What do I mean by squat, push, pull?

SQUAT: A squat is any exercise using both the knee joint and the hip joint such as traditional squats, lunges, and back kicks.

PUSH: A push is any exercise using both the shoulder and elbow joint such as push-ups, bench press, chest press, and shoulder press.

PULL: A pull is any exercise using both the shoulder and elbow joint such as a lat pull-down, row, pull-ups, and chin-ups.

Pick one or two of each to do twice a week. Start with 2 sets of 15-25 repetitions. You should struggle to get through the last set. Make appointments for yourself just like you did with your cardio. It should only take you about 30 minutes and you'll feel awesome afterwards!

10 good reasons to do strength training:

• You will be able to carry your kid in a car seat without tipping over.
• You will stop wishing you had Cameron Diaz's arms.
• You will have more energy.
• It burns calories.
• It helps prevent osteoporosis by strengthening bone.
• You will have a better chance at being an American Gladiator.
• You will be better and stronger at doing the activities you enjoy.
• It boosts your metabolism as muscle requires more energy to maintain that fat.
• It makes aging easier both physically and mentally.
• It helps prevent injuries such as breaking your arms.

Workout Tip of the Week: Keep Moving!

Now that swimsuit season is about over, it's not as easy for most of us to stay on top of our workouts. So my first tip includes just a little motivation to keep you going (or to get you going!)

Make a little list of the activities/sports that you like to do such as walking, running, tennis, dance, aerobics, biking, chasing kids outside, etc. Then, look at your planner to see what days and times you can workout the following week. Pick at least 2-3 workouts of at least 30 minutes and actually write down the activity and time you will do it as if you are making an appointment for yourself. You will be surprised at how efficient you will be at getting all of the other things done on your list after you have had some fun and done your body some good! Kids make it difficult? Bring them along in the stroller or do a workout video or tell your hubby you want to start doing better with your workouts. He will most likely encourage you and help you out with the kids. Eric has been awesome and watches Eva thursday mornings before work while I go running with friends. I also decided I was going to go jogging (with Eva) in a different place every week. I did this last week and went to a new cool part of town I had never been to called Hyde Park. I was in a better mood the rest of the day and Eric encouraged me to do it again the following week suggesting a few cool places in Boise.

Remember: The best form of exercise is the one that you will do! Have fun!