Working At Weights

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Coco

I used to reluctantly squeeze a weight workout into my schedule once or twice a week. Now I usually look forward to doing weights three days a week, but it’s still not easy. As I was doing my weight routine Monday, it struck me how certain moves always seem harder than others. I noticed this while doing my military-style push-ups. They seemed particularly hard yesterday, but they never seem easy.

Here’s a breakdown of my routine.

Group 1: deadlifts (15 lb wts)/military presses (15 lb wts)/push-ups
I do three sets of 15 reps each, cycling through without a rest.

Group 2: plie squats (single 20 lb wt)/tricep dips
I do three sets of 15 reps each, alternating without a rest.

Group 3: lunges (10 lb wts)/bicep curls (10 lb wts)
I do three sets of 15 reps each, alternating legs, and doing the bicep curls in alternating sets. (So, I do three sets for each leg, but only three sets of bicep curls.)

Group 4: squats (15 lb wts)/lateral raises (8 lb wts)/front raises (8 lb wts)
I do three sets with 15 reps of squats and 12 reps of each of the lateral and front raises, cycling through without a rest.

Group 5: bent-over rows (15 lb wts)/hamstring curls (Bowflex)/leg extensions (Bowflex)
I do three sets with 15 reps of rows, 12 reps on each leg of curls, and 15 reps of extensions, cycling through without a rest.

Group 6: chest press (15 lb wts)/crunches/tuck & pike (on fitball)
I do three sets with 15 reps of chest presses, 20 reps of crunches, and 8 reps of tuck & pike, cycling through without a rest.

Group 7: side-lying leg lifts (5 lb ankle weights)/crunches (on mat)
I do three sets with 15 reps of leg lifts (alternating legs to work adductors and abductors), and 20 reps of crunches, cycling through without a rest. (So, I do a total of six sets on each leg–three sets of adductors and three sets of abducotrs–and a total of six sets of different types of crunches.)

I find that the push-ups are always challenging (if not during the first set, definitely by the last!), as are the lateral and front raises.  The tuck & pike move was ridiculoust at first (I could barely do four reps without falling off the ball) but I’ve worked up to almost eight reps with almost-good form.  The side-lying leg lifts are just boring, but seem to be effective so I keep doing them.

What “staples” of your weight routine am I missing?

What moves always challenge you?

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Too Much Technology

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Coco

No, this is not a post about how I spend too much time on-line.

I do, but I’m OK with that. 🙂

This is a post about how too much technology is ruining us in other ways.

  1. We rely on technology to tell us things we already (should) know. This weekend my daughter ran out of gas because the “gas light” in the Tahoe that she was driving didn’t go on. The thing is, the Tahoe doesn’t have a gas light! She is so accustomed to relying on the gas light in her car that she didn’t pay attention to the fact that the gas gauge needle had dropped below “E.”
  2. We rely on technology to do things we should do for ourselves. Most but not all of the restrooms in my office have toilets that flush automatically. I always almost forget to manually flush when I’m in a restroom that isn’t quite so hi-tech.
  3. We trust technology more than we trust ourselves. I can be having a great run until I see a slow split time on my Garmin. For some reason, I think that external number (which may or may not be accurate) is more meaningful than how I feel.

How about you–are there ways you are over-reliant on technology?

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Respecting Privacy

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Coco

I had a whole blog post written, but I just deleted it because it is about a family member who would feel violated and betrayed if s/he ever discovered the post. I know people like it when bloggers are honest in their writing and don’t only write about positive things, but I think we owe it to friends and family members to respect their privacy. So, I will just say that Sunday was a bit rough emotionally, but has ended well.

As a good friend whom I am not referring to says: Onward!

Is there a privacy line that you won’t cross in your blog?

Are there certain people who are off-limits?

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Running On Fumes

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Coco

 

It’s been one of those weeks when life has conspired against me getting enough sleep: work stress and after-work functions, night owl teenagers who are willing to talk to me late at night, my husband being out of town. I honestly can’t remember the last time I even got 6 full hours of sleep.

When I’m stressed, I usually wake up early, so I’ve still been getting in my workouts. I certainly need to burn off some adrenaline and load up on endorphins. When my alarm went off on Thursday, though, I was tired. I easily could have hit snooze and gone back to sleep. But then I thought of the french fries I had with lunch on Wednesday–and the bacon that was on my chicken sandwich–and the cheese–and also remembered that my day would include a dinner meeting at a nice restaurant, so I got out of bed and went for my run.

(I don’t know if that was a “healthy” decision. I know sleep is important. I know I can indulge once in a while without veering too far away from my healthy goals. But I know I would have felt crappy mentally if I had skipped that run.)

When Friday came, I cut myself some slack and decided to start my day with Rodney Yee. It was the perfect way to “do something” that was gentle on my body, but still satisfied my mental need to start my day with some form of exercise.

One reason I decided that yoga was the right workout for Friday was because I had promised my friend I would run with her on Saturday before our work “retreat.” We both really enjoyed our run two weeks ago, and when I refused to run outside last weekend because of the heat, I promised I would go this weekend.

It wasn’t any cooler this weekend–we hit 104° yesterday and it was 81°F and muggy at 6:00 am this morning. We opted for the same route as last time to catch the breeze off the Potomac River and the shade along the Mall. We managed to keep a decent pace, but the humidity definitely took its toll. I was really glad I had put Gatorade in my water bottle!

When we got back to the office I begged a cup of ice off of Starbucks to help me cool off. I put some ice down my back and in my sports bra, but it didn’t seem to make a difference! I took a cold shower to speed the cool down process–I swear sometimes I am still sweating after I take a shower–gross!

Garmin Data
Total Distance: 7 miles
Total Time: 1:05
Average Pace: 9:17 min/mile
Split Times: 9:17, 9:18, 8:51, 9:01, 9:36, 9:37, 9:20

How do you cool off after a hot, summer run?

Do you use any sports drinks?

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Who Inspires You?

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Coco

Are there people you admire or look up to, who inspire you work hard to do your best–to be your best? Some people might be inspired by celebrities and their rock-hard bodies, but I am more inspired by everyday people. It means more to me to know that another busy working mom is getting up at o’dark-thirty to squeeze in a workout before she has to get her kids ready for school and get herself in to the office.

I am inspired by another unlikely candidate: an elderly man who lives a few neighborhoods over. I first encountered him this winter, during one of my pre-dawn runs, and I see him almost every morning when I run near where he must live. He is always dressed nicely in a button shirt and khakis, but I also noticed that he wears good athletic shoes! He is always friendly, returning my smile and wave no matter how sweaty I am.

(OK, he doesn’t have a pipe, but otherwise he does look like this!)

It really struck me that someone his age (probably retired) would be out so early (barely dawn) and so regularly (at least a few days a week). I started to make up his life story. In one scenario, he is out so early to get in his “daily constitutional” before he has to take care of his wife. In another scenario, he lives with one of his adult children and their children, and these walks are his only quiet time before the kids wake up and he becomes “grandpa.” No matter what his “real” story, I continue to be inspired by him when I see him out for his walk in the mornings (even in this heat!).

Do you make up life stories for random strangers? 

Who inspires you?

Posted in Fitness, Life | Tagged , , | 8 Comments