an exercise log

posting all these workouts has a two-fold purpose:

1) hopefully someone out there finds them useful
and
2) they form an exercise log for me.

i used to write down all these different workouts on scraps of paper that would invariably end up being thrown away. then i got the bright idea of putting them on my blog for quick reference.

here's today's:
1 min jump rope
30 sec high knees
15 burpees
1 min plank
100 jumping jacks
35 back lunges (each leg)
1 min jump rope
25 leg lifts (each leg)
20 jump squats
1 min plank
50 crunches
40 pushups
1 min jump rope
50 squats
1 min wall sit
1 min plank

Time 21:00

two more workouts

it's cold outside. i do not run in the cold. so i've been logging 15-18 miles a week on the treadmill at the gym. i go early in the morning plug my cheap headphones into the t.v. on the treadmill and run for an hour while watching "dog the bounty-hunter".

is anybody else obsessed with a&e reality shows like i am? i mean can anything be more exciting than watching barry and dave go at it over a storage unit? and then you get poor daryl walking away a loser most of the time. and we don't even have cable! i have to get my a&e fix when we stay with my mom. so basically every time we go to her house i spend hours catching up on my faves. but, i digress.

this post is supposed to be about what i do when i'm not running. there are days when i simply throw a p90x or bazillian butt lift or even zumba dvd and go for it. no thinking involved, just follow the scantly clad models who never seem to sweat and never stop smiling.

but other days i like to put on my thinking cap and come up with my own workouts. i especially like putting together quick hiit workouts; ones reminiscent of something you would find on a crossfit website.


WORKOUT #1
this is 11 moves, 10 rounds. first round=10 reps of each move, second round=9 reps of each move, and so on down to tenth round=1 rep of each move. at the end of each round i alternated between a 30 sec plank or a 30 sec wall squat. alright, here are the moves:
1. pull up
2. push up
3. burpee
4. squat
5. sumo squat
6. squat jumps
7. back lunge
8. bicep curl to shoulder press
9. front/back/side kick combo
10. superman

a note about superman: this is my favorite move to hate. love the results hate doing them.

WORKOUT #2
five moves for five rounds as fast as you can
1. 5 pullups
2. 10 pushups
3. 15 jumping jacks
4. 20 squats
5. 1 min plank

so there they are, my two newest babies. hope someone out there does one (or both) of them and has as much fun with it as i did.

keepin' fit

last saturday i competed in my first full marathon! i could not believe the sense of accomplishment i felt at the end. i told my husband that the only thing that made me prouder of my body than finishing the marathon was giving birth. it was awesome, i'm so glad i did it, and i probably won't do another one for a few years. with 4 young kids and my husbands crazy work schedule i felt like most days i had to decide between being a mom or training for my race. so, for now, i will stick with the half marathons.
i also have some other running goals to work on. next summer i want to run a ragnar relay race and participate in a tough mudder.
that being said, i really didn't want to run today. i just felt like using my muscle in a different way. the gym was out to the questions because hubs is working today and i refuse to pay a babysitter while i work out. so i came up with my own workout for this morning. best part: no equipment needed!
here it is:


10 squats
10 pushups
10 plank jacks
10 sumo squats
10 tricep dips (i did these on a chair but you could do them on the floor)
10 hand to foot cross crunches
10 lunges each leg (i alternated frontward and backward each set)
10 burpees
10 superman
10 plank knee to shoulder


set the timer for 30 mins and busted out as many as i could. i did 6 sets in 29 min. and the last min i did one rep of each exercise for a cool down. it was a fun, quick workout. weights could be added or sets increased.
enjoy!

coupon shopping!

so i am by no means the "queen of coupons". i coupon clip and try to find the best deals, but i'm not one of those super-women who can walk out of a store with 3 overflowing gocery baskets for only $10. that being said, i am pretty proud of today's shopping excursion. all this

for $67!
it's kind of hard to see what's in the back so just b/c it makes me happy, here's a run down of what's in the pic.
6 bags of nestle candy (for the "trick-or-treaters")
4 boxes of betty crocker muffin mix
1 box of fun-da-middles cupcake mix
2 boxes fiber one bars
1 pkg betty crocker potatoes
3 boxes pillsbury frozen breakfasts
5 boxes of cereal
4 boxes of go-gurts
10 cartons of yogurt
2 2lb blocks of tillamook cheese
4 apples
2 bags of salad
4 1lb boxes of butter
1 pantene shampoo
1 pantene conditioner
2 tubs of margarine
18 eggs
loaf of bread
plus 70 extra box tops for my kid's school
plus $.15 off per gallon of gas at albertsons
like i said, i'm sure some maniac couponer could have gotten all this for $5, but for me i'm pretty happy with $67.

silhouette project

so for this last christmas i got a silhouette. if you've seen any of my earlier post you've seen some of the projects i've done. well, i haven't used my poor silhouette in such a long time. i decided to pull it out to see if i even remembered how to use it. the answer is yes, i did. this is what i came up with. it's on my pantry door.

"today," i thought...

"today," i thought "will never end"
"today" was a day full of self imposed stress and anger
"today" boiled inside of me taking away any chance of joy
"today" made me grind my teeth and clench my jaw
"today" i forgot to take the time to enjoy my son's laughter
"today" i didn't stop to hold my daughter's hand
"today" is a day i regret
"today" was a bad day

"tomorrow" is a new day
"tomorrow" i will hug my children and tell them i love them
"tomorrow" i will smile and relax a little more
"tomorrow" i won't stress over the little things
"tomorrow" will have no regrets
"tomorrow" i will remember why i love being a mother

updates

all right, i guess it's time for an update. i'm sitting here waiting for my nails (freshly painted thanks to my daughter, son, and nephew) to dry. and yes, they look as good as you'd expect; three different colors and very bright.
spring has finally sprung in my neck of the woods. the grass is green, daffodils are opening, trees are starting to bud, and we have been gardening something fierce! after we moved to our new home we went 2 years without a yard. very frustrating considering we had moved from a home with a fully landscaped/fenced yard. well, last fall we installed a sprinkler system and seeded the yard. this year we have gone buck-nutty planting flowers and bushes and trees. the hubs is a big fan of yard work so he's been creating multi-leveled flower beds and stone paths like nobody's business and, if i do say so myself, he has done a wonderful job.
i've been crafting, sewing, and experimenting in the kitchen. any little thing to give myself a break from the day to day tasks. not that i mind the day to day tasks. in fact, i know that one day i will miss all the chores i find so tedious right now. i made this wall art out of a thrift store clock, scarp book paper i had lying around, and extra trim we had for the frame.

the picture doesn't really do this piece justice. our camera isn't that great, but i think you get the general idea. i loved making it!
tomorrow, hubby goes back to work after a 3 week break. not a fun break mind you...he had his tonsils taken out. yes, it is as hard on adults as they say it is. i almost want to take all my kids in and have all their tonsils out now so it's easier on them.
i've also been working out in an attempt to return to my pre-baby body. i only have about 2 lbs to lose and then it's all about the toning. i love going to the gym. it's my time away from the home when i get to focus on me and only me. i think every mom needs that sometimes.