Fabulous Finds - EA Sports Active

Monday, January 4, 2010 by Dea.

I got the EA Sports game, Active, for the Wii for Christmas this year.  I didn’t even crack the box until after New Years, of course.  I just finished day 3 of my first 30 Day Challenge.  And I must say, I really really like this game.

You answer some questions, enter your weight, and pick music style, and you’re up and running.  The game combines cardio with toning exercises to give you a good full-body work out.  It also adjusts the work outs for lower and upper body concentrations from day to day, to give muscles a rest.

I really like the variety of exercises in this game.  So far, the only thing I’ve done all 3 times I’ve worked out is walk/run in place.  The toning band included with the game is decent, though I’m sure I’ll need to buy a harder level in the near future.  Which is fine, as I can let my kids use the easier band when they work out with me.

So far, my only complaints are the leg strap and the sensor.  The leg strap either falls down, or if I wear it tight - it started to rip already.  I’ll be contacting the manufacturer about that one.  The sensor, though, is a bit annoying.  I have knee problems, so I can squat or lunge as low as most people.  But I can do a modified version, which is fine, right?  Wrong, according to the game.  It wants me deep, despite my status as a “beginner” and my weight.  You’d think it would work up to a full squat during the challenge.  I’ve fixed this by taking the one remote out of the holster on my leg and “faking” the full bend position in mid-air while doing my modified squats and lunges.

Otherwise, this is a really nice all around trainer.  It’s not just a static work out - you do different exercises each time you turn on the game.  And to me, that’s perfect - boredom is a big problem for most people starting out a work out regimen.

Posted in Fabulous Finds, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Butt Buster - the Saga on Summit

Monday, November 9, 2009 by Dea.

A friend of mine was talking about her morning walk at school pickup the other day.  She and several other moms called the hill on one of our town’s streets the Butt Buster.  My ear immediately perked up and I started to pay attention.  I love a good butt workout.

The street is appropriately named Summit.  I’ve driven there, and honestly had never even thought about it.  For a prairie region where the highest elevation in my county is a former garbage hill lovingly named Mt. Trashmore, hills are not common.  So walking is, generally, a little flat.

I went out the next morning, figuring it would be a nice change from my bike routine.  The weather here is gorgeous, especially for November.  I decided ahead of time I was going to do the Butt Buster 5 times.  Not a bad goal, I’m walking, not running a marathon.

It was about halfway up this monster of a hill that I realized 5 was a pretty lofty goal.  I was huffing, and sweating despite the 50 degree temperature.  I saw a few other moms walking the neighborhood, and they saw that I was doing the hill more than once, and they laughed.

I made it all five times, albeit slower each successive time.

The next morning, I was to meet 2 mom friends at 6 am to walk together, and we were going to include the Butt Buster.  Let’s just say that I am not an early riser.  It also did not help that my butt was, indeed, busted.  I did, however, get myself out of bed and to the meeting point.

We’ve been meeting and walking for 3 mornings now.  I love it.  It keeps me accountable, because I am meeting people.  The fresh air is fabulous.  And my butt is consistently being busted.  Fantastic!  I sure hope the weather holds, and we don’t have early snow this year.

Posted in Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Fun Theory

Saturday, October 17, 2009 by Dea.

Would you take the stairs over the escalator if it were fun and silly to do so?  Volkswagen tested what they call the Fun Theory in this viral video.

This video got me thinking about every day work outs and ways to be healthier. Would we all develop better habits because we’d made those habits fun? It’s an interesting concept.I like to mix up my work outs by using different equipment, different music. But I know I really enjoy my work out when I bellydance or play the Wii Fit games. I’m sure that we all have ideas that could test the Fun Theory. And I would bet we’d all do these healthy little habits more often because they’re fun.

Posted in Health, Tips and Tricks, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Walking Workouts

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Dea.

One of the simplest ways to get more exercise into the daily routine is to simply walk.  There are smaller ways to get more walking into your day, and there are more complex workouts you can do to rev up your fitness.

The easy ways to add walking into life are silly, at times, but they help.  Every little bit helps.  Things like parking further away from a building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and taking the long way around a block instead of cutting diagonally across can all add steps to your day.

However, there are some wonderful ways to ramp up the simple act of walking, something we’ve all done since we were about 1 year of age, into a great work out.  This site lists  different kinds of workouts, like walking for health, fat burning, cardio challenge, and economy walks.  All of these types are good for anyone interested in becoming healthier.  In fact, I intend to fit more of these into my day.  With this fabulous, crisp fall weather, I want to be outside whenever it isn’t raining.

There are a lot more sites with great walking workout information, and if any of them inspire you to lace up your sneakers and hit the trail, please let me know.  The most important thing is that this is a great fitness boost for FREE.  I love no-cost movement!  It’s good for your heart, and your wallet!

Posted in Freebies, Health, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

At Home Fitness - Great Books!

Saturday, September 19, 2009 by Dea.

I have always wanted to do yoga and pilates, but have felt like there are no classes for people like me.  I’m somewhat clumsy, and I have really bad core strength.  Pilates and yoga are great for getting that core strength, but much like searching for a job, it seems like all the classes I’ve seen offered are “some experience required,” types of things.  It was getting very frustrating, to be honest.

Our new gym room is great.  It does not, however, have a television.  So videos are a bit of a hassle, since I’d have to move furniture every time I want to do one.

I found the solution, though.  Two great books.  One is on yoga, and one is pilates.

First, there’s Yoga for Wimps: Poses for the Flexibly Impaired.   This is a complete book of poses, shown with fantastic modifications for those of us who would fall over if we tried to do Downward Facing Dog during our first stab at it.  All of the modifications are done using things around the house - chairs, towels, books, and old ties, for example.  The instructions are clear, concise, and I was able to do yoga within minutes.  It’s nice to have this ultra beginner instruction.  I highly recommend this book!

Second, there’s The Book of Pilates.   This is also a very good beginner book.  There are a lot of instructions, including how to breathe, how to position your body, and when to inhale or exhale.  There are also three levels of exercises, which is very nice.  There’s Introductory Level exercises (where I am right now) and it shows modifications for doing these exercises without having the balance and strength necessary to do advanced moves.  The next level is Beginner Level, which shows slightly harder moves and different modifications for this level of strength and stability.  Finally, there’s Advanced Pilates.  These are the moves you see in classes and on a lot of videos.

These gradual progressions of both of these types of exercise help to build the core strength and balance required to do the advanced moves.  The modifications are a nice touch, as sometimes, people just can’t figure out how to do a move in an easier way.  This leads to feelings of failure - which obviously leads to quitting the exercise.  These are both such important and beneficial exercises.  These books really help get you to your goals.

Posted in Health, Fabulous Finds, Favorite Things, Exercise | Print | 1 Comment »

Free At Last!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by Dea.

What’s the number one, best reason to have a home gym?  No, it’s not being able to work out whenever you want.  It’s being able to work out wearing whatever, even just your sport bra and bike shorts.  If I wore just that to my old gym, as some women there actually do, there would have been mass hysteria and riots.  People would have rushed towards me with towels to cover all my glaring white flesh.

At home, though, no one cares what I look like.  I’m not roasting when I’m on the spin bike because the only shirt that I felt comfortable wearing in public is two sizes too big and the sleeves go past my elbows.  I can pin back my hair at absurd angles, worrying only about comfort, and not how I look.

I had forgotten how absolutely wonderful it was to just do 20-30 minutes of exercise when I feel like it.  I always felt like I needed to put in 2 hours at the gym because of the stress and difficulty in getting two children and myself ready and out the door and through the 20+ minute drive.  Now, I can just hop on my bike for 6 songs, do some crunches, and leave.  I can go back later to do squats and push-ups.

It is so completely freeing.  I was so self conscious at the gym.  I felt like people were looking at me funny, or pitying me.  I actually had one woman in a spin class that I took regularly, where she was the new person, turn to me and ask me if this was my first spin class.  I was aghast!  I’ve done spin since my 5 year old was born, and had done it regularly at least once a week for a  year and a half at that point.  She assumed that because I was heavy, I was out of shape.  After that day, I felt even less comfortable at that gym.

I love my home gym so much, I don’t even miss my office.  I’m happily sharing an office with my husband.  I can’t wait to try out the Pilates book I found.  I’d always been too intimidated to go to a Pilates class because of how tiny and lean the women who went were.  I do miss my Wednesday night spin class (taught by a good friend of mine) - but other than that, I am just so happy to be free and comfortable in my work outs again.

Posted in Encouragement, Body Image, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Celebrity Arms!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Dea.

I’ve been following a blog by Lisa Johnson, and today I saw this video on getting celebrity arms:

I’m going to try this for the next three weeks, since that’s when we’re heading to St. Croix.  Maybe I’ll have less jiggle in time for the trip?  I’ll keep you posted!!

Posted in Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Wobbly Adventures

Thursday, August 27, 2009 by Dea.

We haven’t been using our gym membership at all much lately, so we decided to put it on hiatus for a while and try to do a whole home gym sort of thing.  I already own a spin bike, so with that and martial arts for cardio, we’re set on that front for now.

We need more toning equipment.  With that in mind, I hit the Target fitness aisle.  They had a wobble board and stability disk on clearance ($15 for both, yay!), so I bought them and took them home right away to try them.

I should say right here that although I can spin like a pro, I have absolutely no really bad core strength.  I’ve used both these pieces of equipment before, but let’s just say we need to catch up.

Just getting onto the wobble board left me huffing and puffing.  I was pitching every direction, and though I’m embarrassed to admit it, I broke a sweat within 10 seconds.  I tried concentrating on tightening my core - nothing.  I tried holding onto the wall - no help!  I was amazed at how little balance I have.

Good thing I bought that one - I will get my ten dollars worth if I try to improve my balance.  Thankfully, I don’t feel defeated, only determined to do better.

I’ll have to get back to everyone with regards to my stability disk.  I can barely do yoga flat on the floor, let alone with a partially-deflated ball beneath one foot.  Baby steps.

Posted in Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Don’t know what exercise equipment to buy? Read on!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 by Dea.

It can be pretty confusing to head down the fitness aisle at the local mega-store.  There are so many fad fitness movements, it’s hard to know what works and what is just an empty promise.  Getting fit at home can be done, though.

The most important things for getting fit are raising heart rate and strengthening muscles.  If you think about it, you can even do this in your home without any equipment at all.  Run in place, do squats and pushups, lift cans of soup - these are all good ways of starting out on the path to better physical fitness.

If you’re looking for a bit more challenge, here’s the best way to get a good workout at home - without breaking the bank.

1. Invest in an Exercise Ball.  You can train core, legs, and arms using these.  They aren’t just for crunches anymore, and trainers swear by them.
2. Invest in some resistance bands.  They’re easy to find, easy to use, and they don’t take up much room.  Another bonus?  They’re affordable - Target even has a set as low as $10.  Not bad, considering how expensive dumbbells and weight sets can be.
3. Invest in an exercise mat.  They’re great for crunches, floor work, and stretching.  I keep mine by the tv so that I do crunches and leg lifts while watching my favorite shows.

Those are the basics you need to do a full body workout in the home.  Aerobic work outs are as simple as walking down the street, climbing your stairs, jogging in place, or putting on some music and doing grapevines.  If you want more variety, many cable and satellite providers have fitness channels and on-demand type shows.  Or you can buy a video.  Anything that keeps you interested will help keep you motivated.

Posted in Money Saving Tips, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Being a Girl

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 by Dea.

It is so frustrating being a female trying to stick to a healthy eating plan.  If you’re also trying to lose weight, it can be downright torture.  Every month we get a nice glitch in the works.  The period.  I think we need a new name, because “period” doesn’t sound evil enough.

First, you get the lovely water retention.  I don’t know about everyone else, but I can gain up to 9 pounds of water weight in the course of a day.  Then you get the drive to eat.  And eat.  And eat.  For the first day, I’m completely ravenous.  I can’t figure that part out, because, really, what is the benefit of eating incessantly?  Finally, there’s all of the physical aspects of this time of the month.

It’s hard to drum up the energy to get on exercise equipment, or even to leave the house for fear of embarrassment!   I’m not trying to be gross, but I’m sure a lot of women can relate to that day or two where you don’t want to be further than 20 steps away from a bathroom.

It’s unfair.

I’m trying not to let myself give in to the urge to lay and eat, though.  I have weights, a swiss ball, and a spin bike at home.  I  am going to work out here, where even if the embarrassing does occur, I’m home and no one will be around to witness.  I am also trying to ignore all those nasty cravings.  It helps that I don’t really have much junk in the house right now.  I didn’t plan on that, but I’m glad it happened this way.  I think I will try to remember to set the house up this way for next month.

I guess my advice, then, is to prepare your house for days like these.  Have some hand weights and bands in the house.  Get a video or piece of aerobic equipment.  Be prepared and have some things on hand so that you have no excuses for not getting in even the quickest work out.  You don’t have to go to the gym to burn some calories.  And you’ll feel better after moving, both mentally and physically.  Working out releases endorphins, which help with cramps and headaches.  Getting your blood moving will help with blood flow and make the whole ordeal move along faster and easier.  Burning calories will help offset any cravings that win, and working out helps curb appetite.  So it is a win-win situation.

So with that advice, I should get off the computer and get on my bike.  What are your tips and tricks for dealing with that time of the month?

Posted in Stress, Weight Loss, Exercise | Print | 3 Comments »