Posts Tagged ‘workout’

The Bathroom Workout

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

No, this does not have to do with sex or sitting on the toilet. Rather little moves to get your heart pounding while doing your daily routine. Each exercise can be done at any time, whether right before getting into the shower, while washing your face and brushing your teeth or while blow drying your hair; get creative and switch it up a bit. You’ll find yourself a little more energized in the morning from that extra rush of blood to your brain and accomplished at night, before bed that you did something other than sitting on the couch watching the Office or Real Housewives of New York/New Jersey/Atlanta.

30 Second Squats
Before getting into the shower, I found myself waiting at least 30 seconds for the water temperature to be warm enough to step in. Getting a bit bored from standing around, I started doing fast, mini squats. Bending down just a little, and quickly pulse up and down to feel the burn on the back of your thighs and of course, your butt. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart or closer together to work different muscles and to add more resistance.

Standing Crunches
These can be done anywhere, anytime and without realizing, you will actually get 50+ crunches in 30 seconds than you otherwise would doing crunches the normal way, on the floor. Stand with legs shoulder width apart, stand up straight, and suck and tighten your stomach. Now move your torso to the left and right. You will begin to feel the burn in no time!

The Stripper Within
Standing with legs shoulder width apart and with a slight bend in your knees, pretend you have a hoola-hoop around your waste and rotate those hips! Go to the left and after a minute, switch and rotate to the right. This will make you feel a little more sexy afterward and you will feel great working your stomach, butt and legs.

Tippy Toes
This is the most basic and easiest to incorporate into any daily routine. While standing in front of the mirror, or coffee pot, lift yourself up and down on your tippy toes to work your calves.

Balance Your Heart
I say balance because you really need balance to do this. I always do these exercises while drying my hair. They are definitely not for everyone, and you might get frustrated if you don’t have good balance, however…practice makes perfect. Right? Standing up, using one leg as your “tree trunk”, lift the other leg to the side and pulse that leg up and down, working the inner thigh, 10 times at first and move up to 20 as you get more comfortable. Switch sides to keep even.

Again, standing with one leg firmly planted as your “tree trunk” bend forward slightly and lift the other leg behind you. Keep it straight or bed at the knee when lifting, this is another way to work on your butt and back thigh.

Yes, You Can Stretch
Stretching is an important part of any workout, no matter how little or hard the workout. Here are three stretches I find to be quick and can do anytime with out having to lay down on the floor.

Calve Stretch: Place on leg out front, bend the back leg and point the toes of the front leg to the sky as you bed slightly. This will stretch the calves/leg muscles.

Knee, front thigh and hip: Standing on one foot, grab the other foot from behind and, making sure you are standing straight and your knees are close together, pull your bent leg back slightly. You will feel a nice stretch and if you ever have knee pain, this is one good stretch to put into your routine to help loosen the muscles around your knee.

Reach for the sky: Standing with legs shoulder width apart, reach one hand to the sky and bend to the other side, stretching out the side of your torso and hips.

I hope these little moves will get you to be more creative with your workouts, no matter how big or small they may be. No, I am not a doctor and you should always check with your physician before doing any type of workout or stretching.

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It’s like going from Wonder Woman to Wimpy Woman in less than 5 minutes.

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

I never knew how out of shape I was until I started circuit training. When ever I am at the gym and on the elliptical, I always feel so alive like I can run a marathon. Then I get off, start to do a little resistance training with bursts of cardio and I pass out.

There is a huge difference from going from level 10 on the light-hearted elliptical to grabbing a couple weights and squatting for 2 minutes. It’s like going from Wonder Woman to Wimpy Woman in less than 5 minutes.

Knowing what I know now, I do feel a bit proud of myself. I started a routine that will wake up my  muscles and allow my body to burn more fat a bit quicker than just jogging in air on the elliptical.

I didn’t get to everything I wanted, because I died alittle. But it’s a great start and I look forward to adding more of the routine each time I workout.

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I can’t seem to find my energy

Monday, April 20th, 2009

While perusing around twitter, I came accross this link in Elle Canada about 5 ways to boost your energy. I, like most are dozing off at my desk every other hour during work, or passing out on the couch after watching an hour of TV. Yes, I know I can get off my butt and exercise, but sometimes I feel like being lazy.

For those who want to try and boost their energy on their non-lazy days, take a look at what I found. Let me know if it works for you.

1. Nix the coffee. WHAT? I must admit, I was not a coffee drinker 2 years ago. I had always been intrigued by it’s distinguished smell and dark smooth color. I love the atmosphere coffee shops bring. Very relaxed, nice people reading their papers, catching up with friends, or typing away on their computer. My drink of choice was and more than likely always will be (unless I need a pick-me-up) is hot chocolate. It wasn’t until I gave into peer pressure from a coworker when I decided to try this caffinated god. Yeah, the taste is still a bit bitter for me, but add some sugar and you are set. Oops, is that another faux pa mixing coffee and sugar? Am I totally going to crash on the sidewalk after drinking?

2. Eat often. Now that’s what I want to hear! Not only does eating often help to boost your metabolism and lose weight, but it will also fuel your body for the day. Now, I don’t think anyone should take this as eat cookies, cakes and ice cream all day, but rather a banana in between lunch and dinner, or some carrots or crackers, peanuts; even popcorn is a yummy snack.

3. Get your beauty sleep. Need I say more?

4. Sweat a little. Heck, sweat a lot! Getting outside or to the gym is a vital ingredient for boosting your energy. Sitting on the couch or at the computer all day can make one feel so lethargic they start to feel gray inside and all they want to do is curl up into a ball and nap. Even a nice, brisk walk on a sunny or overcast day will do the trick. You will feel an instant, natural boost. Sometimes we will take the dog for a walk up to Starbucks which is about a mile or two up the road. Wait - is that going against rule #1? I’ll make sure to get tea next time!

5. Take your vitamins. Are their several bottles of multivitamins in your cupboard collecting dust? Take them out and start using them! Some energy levels are due to vitamin deficiencies. Go ahead and schedule an appointment with your doctor for a blood test to see if you are low on certain vitamin levels. Once you find out what is really going on with your body, you will be able to assist it by taking the right vitamins and boosting your energy along with your health. Your health is what’s most important so don’t forget to take care of yourself! Whether you take a blood test or not, visit www.vitacost.com. They have everything you are looking for, plus great deals.

Here is the link to the Elle Canada’s article on boosting your energy.

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