Our Favorite New (Old) Game
Country of the Week: Antarctica / Blubber Gloves
Sanity Saver / Mind Jar
DIY Homemade Crayons
Will’s Science Lab: Milk Art
The Boredom Is Not Allowed List
Our Favorite Play DoughOlympic Fever / My Favorite QUICK Workout
Do you have Olympic Fever at your house? We definitely do. I’m seeing Olympic rings everywhere, even in the craft tape Lily got for her birthday!
When you watch the athletes perform their amazing feats are you inspired to get moving, to push yourself harder?
The thing is, most of us don’t have hours to spend working out even if we wanted to. But I’ve learned that you can get a great workout in a short amount of time if you get a little organized about it.
By the way, I realized today that I hardly ever talk about working out on here. And yet it’s one of my favorite things to do. When I exercise I feel so much better about myself, and that attitude carries over into other parts of my life.
So. Let’s start with strength training. Does anyone still need convincing that strength training is an important part of overall fitness? Just in case, here are some of the benefits of strength training:
- Reduced body fat
- Stronger bones
- Increased joint flexibility
- Weight control (muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat)
- Reduced age-related muscle loss
- Reduced risk of injury
- Better balance
- Reduced symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis, back pain, depression, and diabetes
- Increased energy
If you’re struggling to find time to work out, I really encourage you to look into programs like Holly Rigsby’s Club FYM that are designed for busy people who are willing to work hard. If you do the strength training and intervals correctly, you will be dripping with sweat and 15 minutes will seem like more than enough!
If you have time to do P90X or take an hour-long Soule Cycle class, that’s wonderful. But for those days—or months, or years—when time is scarce, these shorter workouts can be a godsend. I’m still able to sign up for 5- and 10Ks even though I don’t have time to do long runs very often at this point in my life. I’m convinced that strength training and effective intervals make all the difference. You may have noticed this yourself, but when I worked at the Y and the Greenway Athletic Club in college I saw lots of people wasting hours on treadmills and exercise bikes just phoning it in.
Wow, I’m really pushing this, aren’t I? It’s just that I see so many women who are tired and overweight and frustrated. I went through it myself after we brought our fourth child home (see Where Did I Put That Mojo?), and I was so glad to find a way to get myself back. So that’s where all this enthusiasm is coming from!
The workout below is one of my favorites. It takes about 15 minutes and works everything. All you need are a mat and some weights. Challenge yourself to use weights that are at least 5-lbs. No pink Barbie weights, please! I’ve included links in case you’re not familiar with the exercises. So go put on some good music, channel your favorite Olympian, and give this all you’ve got.
Superset 1
Dumbbell Squat and Press (10‒15 reps)
Deadlift (10‒15 reps)
Repeat set three times
Superset 2
Push-up (10‒15 reps); you can start on your knees or against the wall, but try to work up to full push-ups!
Dumbbell Row (10‒15 reps)
Repeat set three times
Superset 3
Belly Blaster (10‒15 reps) or Plank Hold (30 seconds)
Mountain Climber (15 each side)
Repeat set three times
Next up: Intervals! (And the one workout that keeps popping up in interviews with amazing female Olympians!)
Posted: July 31st, 2012 under Fitness, Inspiration.