Spice of Life

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  -Albert Einstein

So wise, Al. So wise.

Come on people, variety is the spice of life! You do not need to do the same mundane thing everyday.  Do your workouts consist of dragging your butt onto the treadmill and being miserable the entire time? If so, switch it up!! It will be good for your mind AND body.  And maybe you won't feel "insane", bored, unmotivated, etc.  Remember, your body is a well oiled, efficiency machine.  If you continue to do the same workouts at the same intensity, you WILL plateau and see the same results.  Take a walk on the wild side and try something (gasp) NEW!
 

Monday:

Rest. People barely want to go to work on Monday's let alone be physical and move their bodies.  Take your least favorite day of the week and count it as your day off.  Everyone needs 'em, no shame in taking 'em.

Tuesday:

6- minute abs.  No time? No problem. Bang this out in 6 minutes and it will count towards the six-pack jacked bank! You will be out of breath and you will be tired. I promise.
30 sec lemon squeezes (balance on your butt, extend your legs, pull them back in)
30 sec forward plank
30 sec R side plank
30 sec L side plank
30 sec bicycle
30 sec toe touch
30 sec leg lifts
30 sec R side crunch
30 sec L side crunch
30 sec forward plank
30 sec scissor kicks
30 sec lemon squeezes

Good luck! This one is tough! Feel free to make this workout your own and substitute in your favorite ab exercises.

Wednesday:

Nike Training Club: Fast and Fierce at advanced difficulty for 45 minutes.  This gets me every time and somehow I still get sore the next day.

Hint: When doing these routines where you are jumping sideways, up, down, twisting, etc make sure you do not sacrifice your form to complete the exercises.  This is how you get injured.  If you are feeling tired and your form is getting sloppy, TAKE A BREAK! Nobody is judging, in fact, it is the smart thing to do.  Take care of your body and it will take care of you.

Thursday:

Treadmill day.  This specific workout was suggested by a good friend of mine Dan S. Thanks Dan!! I love/hate you for giving me this workout!

5 minute-warm up
30 minutes speed walking at 4.5 mph and 4% incline
5 minute-cool down
Totaling: 318 calories, 40:01 minutes, 2.73 miles

Now you may be thinking, "Bah, walking...easy peasy". WRONG.  This nice little fat burner was challenging and 100% worth it.  Don't believe me? Try it, I dare you.

Hint: DO NOT hold on to the rails of the treadmill while walking on an incline.  It is just a bad idea for your shoulders and wrists and by not holding on you will get a better workout.  If you have to hang on for dear life then maybe you should tone it down a notch or two so you don't get injured.  Also, by using your arms when you walk on the treadmill, you are walking like a normal human being and not Frankenstein.  Your arms will give you power and aide you in marching up the hill and your legs will be getting the workout that they signed up for. 

Keep up the great work, Rhino.  You're looking sexy!

Followed by an ab workout found on good ol' Pinterest:
Waist Trimmer (backonpointe.tumblr.com)
     30 jumping jacks
     4 burpees
     2 star jumps
     40 Russian twists
     20 oblique crunches (each side)
     30 sec side plank (each side)
     40 sec plank (each side)
     20 bicycles
     30 jumping jacks
     2 burppees
     20 mountain climbers
     10 side leg lifts (each leg)
     20 Russian twists
     30 sec side plank (each side)

Friday:

Not an actual cardiovascular workout, but I count working from 1:30 pm to 3:50 am standing, bartending and cleaning as a workout.  In fact, according to dietandfitnesstoday.com, the average woman who weighs around 163 lbs burns roughly 4 calories a minute standing and roughly 216 calories per hour.  The average male weighing in at 190 lbs burns roughly 4 calories per minute standing and roughly 252 calories a hour.  SO that means since I worked roughly 14 hours, majority standing, that I burned 3,024 calories. Sayyy whattt?! Now, I am taking this with a humongous grain of salt, but having an active job or a job where you stand DOES count for something!

Saturday:

Rest. Do you want to workout after working until 4 am the night before? I. think. not.

Sunday:

Dancing.  This dancing consisted of doing the "Wobble" and a few other wedding favorites which actually caused me to get a side stitch.  On a side note, if running and biking isn't your cup of workout tea, take it to the dance floor.  Look up local classes for Zumba or Hip Hop.  You will sweat and trim your waist like nobody's business.  Plus, you will probably get some sweet moves out of it !

Week Summary:

Looking back on this week, I probably did 3 days of actual serious "workouts" but I had 5 days of consciously moving my body off of the couch.  Take a glance at your daily activities and think of how you can get the most out of them.  If you are able to stand up at work at times, do it, if you can take the stairs, do it.  You do not have to be a gym psycho and spend 3 hours each day in the gym to achieve great results because honestly, who has time for that?  The more you move throughout the day is more than nothing.  Challenge your body and be kind to it and it will return the favor.  As always, every move counts. 


Yours in Health,

Nikki


Upcoming Races:
For those of you who want to challenge yourself and try a race or are just looking for people to run with, here are some races we have on tap for the next month. Feel free to join!
10/27: Freaky 5k-North Park
11/3: Mud on the Mountain-7 mile obstacle race 7 Springs
End of November: Turkey Trot TBD

 

ATTENTION:

If you have any great workouts that kick your butt and would like to share, I would love to hear them! Send me a comment/message/email/tweet and I will try to your workout and write about it!  Looking forward to hearing some great routines!

 

For information about my nutrition program or any suggestions on what you want to see here, contact me at :

gmail: ncmckeone@gmail.com

twitter: @Nik_Lovin