Feasibly Fit Mom

Lazy 10k Training and Patience

After a good night's sleep (finally), FitBoy and I went to Grandma's house for the afternoon. He went down for a nap and FitSis and I ran (slogged:jogged) about 10 minutes and came back for a resistance workout.

We lifted dumbbells to failure:

• Squats
• Swiss Ball chest press 
• Press-ups
• Swiss Ball crunches
• Overhead triceps extensions
• Biceps curls 

Total workout time: 25 minutes.

* * *

She and I are getting ready for the March of Dimes 10k coming up next weekend and agreed that we'd walk 5 minutes/run 5 minutes so we'll finish within a couple of hours. Running just doesn't feel the same after having FitBoy. 

Later today I met-up with a friend who is a Kinesiology professor and trainer; I was encouraged when she said it took her a year to feel like she had her body back...and she took excellent care of herself before, during and after pregnancy. So there you have it: A little patience.

Top 5 - Five Minute Workouts

(Photo: wwarby)

Combine these or repeat each workout up to 3x for the ultimate timesaver. All you need are hand weights and a can-do attitude. Squeeze in one at a time when you have a spare 5 minutes.

1. Seriously Fun 5 Minutes

• Squats with overhead press - 1 min.
• Alternating lunges with biceps curl - 1 min.
• Bent-over row with kickback - 1 min.
• Push-up - 1 min.
• Plank - 30 sec.
• Bicycles - 30 sec.

2. Upper Body Animal

• Push-ups - 1 min.
• Hammer curls - 1 min.
• Overhead triceps extensions - 1 min.
• Arnolds - 1 min.
• Punches with weights - 30 sec.
• Lateral raises - 30 sec.

3. Lower Body Blitz

• Squats - 2 min.
• One-sided lunge with 3-count pulse - 1 min.
• Other side lunge with 3-count pulse - 1 min.
• Squat jumps - 30 sec.
• Side kicks - 30 sec.

4. Cardio Blast-off

• High knees - 1 min.
• Rear kicks - 1 min.
• Jump ropes (no rope) - 1 min.
• Jumping jacks - 1 min.
• Hop on one foot - 30 sec.
• Hop on other foot - 30 sec.

 5. Full Body Mix-up

• High knees - 30 sec.
• Plié squats - 1 min.
• Rear kicks - 30 sec.
• Bent-leg deadlift with front raise - 1 min.
• Reverse crunches - 30 sec.
• Chest flyes with skullcrushers - 1 min.
• Press-ups on back - 30 sec.

Bonus Round - AB-tastic!

Rest 30 sec. between each ab exercise.

• Plank - 1 min.
• Crunches - 1 min.
• Reverse crunches - 1 min.
• Roll-ups - 1 min.
• Bicycles - 1 min.

Add your favorite 5 minute workout in comments and feel free to email me for an explanation of any exercise. Happy sweating!

I Finally Exercised! A little of this, a little of that

I realized today I'm at that point where less exercise is going to make me feel more run-down and I've just got to get through a couple of good exercise sessions and my energy will boost. Today after FitDad unloaded a bale of straw into our garden (?!), he took the boy and I squeezed in a little Jillian (modified, of course) and then busted-out some of my own moves:

• 20 squats-to-modified dead lift with weights
• 20 biceps curls
• 20 overhead triceps extensions
• Pilates ab work 

Repeat once.

Re: Jillian -- as I said before, her workout is pretty good (I do Level 1), but these knees are not down with her cardio intervals. And I personally don't love her style. So I muted it, turned up some Vampire Weekend, and got through the whole album without having to listen to her workout. I wouldn't recommend it if you feel the cueing motivates or instructs you, but I was in the mood for some music.

* * *

Tonight FitDad asked me for a little support and motivation for the mornings when he is supposed to get up and exercise. I know it can be tough -- and he's been a rock star at nighttime parenting lately -- but I also know how great we both feel when we accomplish even a modified workout each day. So as he supports me by watching our son during my evening workouts, I will encourage him each morning.

Workout Themes: Camping and gardening workouts

I posted on incorporating some fun into your workouts a couple days ago. How about a couple workout themes? Here is one for those of you when you're camping and can't take along any weights. Feel free to dial it back a little...these are pretty tough exercises (especially the burpees, explode lunges and pike push-ups).

And for FitDad on his recent gardening spree, I came across this warm-up put together by a personal trainer just for gardeners. An ounce of prevention and all...sure beats the price of a massage and soak in the hot tub!

* * * 

On a personal note, if you're missing today's workout posts, it's because they've been few and far between. I did Stroller Strides on Monday, but the boy was having an off day so I didn't get much exercise in, and I actually taught class on Wednesday. So there you have it. 

We've gotten a few walks in, but I'm missing the running and resistance training. 

To do: lift some weights. Today. 

Walk + Shred Workout

It was an awesome day yesterday for a walk: clear, bright and warm. We met with Stroller Strides for our walk on the Bob Jones Trail. About 3 miles in all, a parade of sorts: Strollers and carriers, babies and toddlers. FitSis and my nephew joined us for the walk and then she and the boys and I scooted over to Honeymoon Cafe for a quick and early lunch. We both had walked the boys in our Ergos and ended up pushing empty strollers along the way, so we were hungry. It was a good reminder that I need to start keeping snacks for myself in my car again. 

* * * 

Later, after getting FitBoy down for his nap, I popped in the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred DVD, which I've been wanting to check out. My impression of her from The Biggest Loser is that she's a bit extreme, both in the exercises she assigns and her motivational style. Nonetheless, I was curious what some of my clients (and about 900 Amazon reviewers) loved about her DVD. 

The Level 1 workout was reasonable. Not easy, but not too hard. My only hang-up was that she doesn't offer an alternative to the jumping jacks, saying that 400-pound people can do them, and so should you. Only thing is, most of us have some lateral (side-to-side) knee joint instability or weakness, so a lower-impact alternative is reasonable to offer. Other than that, it's a solid full-body workout and plenty of high-quality compound movements.

The workout kicked my butt, in a good way. It was right on target with what I've been doing. I don't recommend, however, doing the workout 30 days in a row, as it is intended. I think 3-4 days/week is reasonable...and feasible. I think FitDad and I are going to do it together during the boy's nap tomorrow.

* * *

Today we took it easy and spent some time with family. FitSis and my mom made some homemade soft pretzels today while I rested with FitBoy and caught up on some TV shows. Perfect!

Sister-time speed workout

At my mom's house again today and with FitBoy and my nephew watching Grandma cook lunch, FitSis and I sped away for a 20 minute run and found-object workout:

• 2 minutes walk
• 5 minutes jog
• 15 incline push-ups
• 15 squats
• 15 dips
• 15 step-ups

 

We run past the tree and work out near the rocks on the left.

• Repeat once
• 3 minute jog 
• 2 minute cool-down  

And the best part: Lunch with the family back at the ranch. 

Today's workout: brought to you by naptime...sort-of

(Photo: mahalie)

In a burst of energy, I thought I'd squeeze in a quick cardio-strength workout while FitBoy was down for his midday nap. I went with a 3-2-1 theme, a favorite of Jillian Michaels. My 3-2-1 was 3 minutes cardio, 2 minutes strength, 1 minute abs:

• 3 minutes jump rope (Hint: Kids' jump ropes at Target are perfect for petite athletes)
• 2 minutes alternating lunges
• 1 minute opposite shoelace 
• 3 minutes jump rope
• 2 minutes modified bent-leg deadlifts
• 1 minute bicycles
• 3 minutes jump rope
• 2 minutes bent-over rows
• 1 minute plank 

Oops, time-out - crying, sweaty baby. Darnit -- only 2 minutes left!

Finally, back to 2 minutes rear leg lifts and side leg lifts. And finished.

When the boy's papa came home this evening, I wanted to squeeze in a bit more cardio, since I had to sit out of several exercises at Stroller Strides today getting FitBoy situated. So I jogged 15 minutes on the treadmill, with a 5 minute cool-down. Stretch and done!

Today's workout: easing back into it

After a great, if not cold and rainy, weekend, it's time to ease back into more serious workouts again. I managed to make it to Stroller Strides today. I'd missed Friday so I could try and catch-up on some sleep. FitBoy is still not happy in the jogging stroller and since I'm team-teaching now, I don't want to deal with moving him from stroller to Ergo halfway through class.

So he's starting and ending the workout in the Ergo, which is starting to really wear me out! Not sure how heavy he is, but by the end of the hour, I'm tired and even a little sore. I'm thinking of "practicing" with him in the stroller on the weekends and during weekday walks, and I've ordered a Warm Fuzzy to make him even comfier. Any other ideas?!

So only walking today at Stroller Strides and an evening stroll with FitDad, the boy and the dog. I'm hoping to get an interval workout in tomorrow evening, but we'll see. My priority this week is get caught up on sleep by napping when the boy's down for his afternoon nap and going to bed before 9:00pm. When I'm able to do that, then it'll be time to focus on upping my workouts again.

Also, I've ordered a workout DVD to review and see if it'll be feasible to do it during FitBoy's naps. We'll see...here's to a great (sleep-filled) week ahead!