How about a little inspiration this Monday? Some things to check out below:
{Above} From lesson #32 in the book below!
let's be awesome together ♥ |
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How about a little inspiration this Monday? Some things to check out below: {Above} From lesson #32 in the book below!
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Maybe you're new to exercising {talk to your doctor first}, maybe it's been a while, maybe you just want to start over or try something new. Whatever the reason, we often find ourselves at a point where we need to walk before we run {metaphorically and literally}. This program is for you. Before starting the program, decide on which days and times you will schedule this very important appointment with yourself. Ideally, you want 4 days a week. Whatever you choose to do, the best results are seen in those who are committed, consistent, and frequent. As a bit of a "pre-program" go out on those scheduled days/times and walk for 10 minutes. This gets your mind and body in the routine of doing something during those times. Just hop on the treadmill or head outside and pick a direction to go for 5 minutes then turn around. This is also a good time to scout out where you plan on doing your walk/runs. Week 1 will be all about walking. If you're already a walker and feel good about it, then you can skip to week 2. Pick your four days and go walking for 30 minutes on each day. If you can't walk for 30 minutes then you're going to build up to it. Repeat week 1 until you can walk for 30 minutes on all four days. Week 2 introduces running. You'll walk for 5 minutes, run for 1 minute, then repeat for a total of 5 times, which equals 30 minutes. WARMING UP & COOLING DOWN This applies to all of the walk/runs. For some of the weeks, there is enough walk time at the start of the workout that it may double as your warm up. There are other ways to warm up and you will figure out what works for you and incorporate it in yourself. As for the cool down, it isn't stated on each workout, but you will need to walk a bit after you finish the last run segment. This walk goes for as long as it takes you to regain control of your breathing so that it returns to normal. RUN DOES NOT EQUAL RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, GO FULL SPEED, OR LOOK LIKE SOME OLYMPIC ATHLETE. You want to go at a pace that is comfortable for you, you do not want to be huffing and puffing, if you are then slow down. In fact, when you're just starting out, your run shouldn't be much faster than your walk. The difference is that tiny moment where both your feet are in the air. That lift makes it a run. Do the talk test: talking with a buddy while running helps you determine if you're pace is too fast. As long as you can still talk comfortably, you're fine. I do the sing test because I often run alone {no, I can't sing}: I lip or whisper sing the song I'm listening to and it helps me judge if my pace is okay. Week 3 Walk for 4 minutes, run for 2 minutes, 5 total times equaling 30 minutes. Don't forget your cooldown! Keep going 4 days a week!
Sometimes you just need to stretch. Whether you just woke up or you're at work and could use a minute to refocus and loosen up. I know that at my job I like to set a couple times during the shift where I'll give myself a minute to stretch. This is a big help especially if you're having a long day. A little "ME" time goes a long way and feels good ;) I just put together a little video to show you some basic stretches you could do while standing. You never have to sit or touch the ground. If you're at work, you likely wouldn't want to. Give them a try and let me know how it goes in the comments here, youtube, G+, or Facebook. Try this mindful exercise: Find yourself a clock, watch, or timer. You could use something like this. Find a place with minimal distraction and get comfortable {seated, standing, laying}. Take one whole minute to just focus on your breathing. This can be difficult because it's hard to quiet your thoughts at any time of the day, but do your best. If thoughts arise, don't get mad or frustrated or hung up on them, just let them go and bring your attention back to your breath. The best method that I use to bring my focus back is to actually pay attention to the air flowing in through my nostrils, feel it filling my lungs, and then flowing back out. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. TIP OF THE WEEK Tackle the task you like least at the start of your day so it's out of the way and not tugging at your focus and energy all day. Also, it prevents you from pushing it off for another day. Motivation Monday via Runner's World
In February, I had a birthday! I turned 24 and decided it was a fantastic time to create my "25 by 25 List" I posted it on two blogs, my anything goes personal whatever blog --> HERE and my more critical thinking & creative writing blog --> HERE. I posted both places to help keep me accountable. NOW, I was at work and realized it has been about a month. So, I asked myself, "What have I done?" Which made me revisit my list. In a few days I'll have a more complete update post for you on my other blog. However, one of the listed things is a 3 day juice fast. I plan on starting it at the beginning of April, which gives me time to wean off of the dairy, meats, and sweets. Good thing is, I already have minimal intake of dairy and meats. It's the sweets that will be more difficult. I'll be honest here, it's been stressful this past month. I got a new position at work, had to go through a ton of training, had to travel up north for a lot of it, and then there were some family issues that took my attention away from things. These events were stressful and stress triggers me to eat more sweets, which triggers more acne. The being stressed AND busy combination didn't fair well with my exercise. I didn't cease working out, I just adapted it to home workouts, but I miss my stadiums. All-in-all, it's a perfect time to get serious and back in control. A 3 day juice fast will be the perfect reboot. Here's my plan. I am a huge fan of resources, so I'll be using a lot of tips, recipes, and plans from Kris Carr, Reboot with Joe, and Just on Juice. I encourage you all to dig through their sites, books, videos, and so on if you want some serious motivation to reboot your own nutrition. Next, I've made a plan to introduce the juice again, now this isn't my first time. You can check out my first juice fast experience in the list below and I'll tell you, I've learned a lot of lessons since then. I want to try out the juice recipes that I plan on using for the fast, so there isn't any interruptions or snags during my 3 days. I want to know it will be good, tried and true style.
Great tip here that I learned on this site {tip #7}: I'm going to prepare my recipes the day before. So, instead of preparing the juice itself {I prefer fresh juice}, I'm going to wash, cut, peel everything for a single recipe and then place it in a gallon bag. Then I'll have about 4-5 bags in the fridge that will be labeled with breakfast, lunch, snack, etc... OR with the recipe name. This cuts preparation time which relieves the sometimes daunting feeling you get when you're hungry and you know you have to prepare a juice that takes 20 min or more to do. Instead, I'll just have to grab a bag, juice it, wash the juicer and enjoy my juice. I'm most excited about this. Another thing I want to mention as part of my 3 day juice fast plan is that I'll be taking a day off of work. Where I work, I can't bring in certain items. Juice in a jar or something, would be one of those items. Also, I can't afford to be peeing that much {let's be real}. SO, since it's a 3 day juice fast, I'll be taking off one day before or after my normal two days off. As the final thing to mention, I plan on recording the whole process. Preparing the juice, the recipes, how it tastes, when I'm juicing, how I'm feeling, etc... I'll post the videos here. I'm SO excited! I have about 2 weeks to prepare, if you're interested, join me! |