Jillian Michaels is Ligit

So last night my husband and I decided to try one of Jillian Michael's workout DVD's.  We did the Get Ripped in 30. It has 4 different workouts, one for each week. I love her method because it is easy to follow along. I also like her because she is big on injury prevention, which I am also big on from my dance training. 
 

 Here is a link to watch the DVD trailer.



 How she does it is 3-2-1 = 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. She does 3 sets. So hubby and I think we're pretty tough right because we are dancers, or whatever. We feel good after the warm-up and Jillian actually says, "You are a beginner, follow this girl that is doing the beginning level."  
Alright So I do the beginning, by the 2nd set of 3-2-1, AHH! I'm going to throw up. Hubby is also going to throw up, but he did the advanced! He was regretting that choice the whole night! This just goes to show that Jillian is ligit! She knows what she's talking about people, even if you have been running 3 times a week!


We couldn't even finish the whole week 1 workout because we  were so worked halfway through the second set! We had to go outside, walk it off and just go to bed. I am sure surprised this morning that I am not super sore.  If you need a workout to do- do this one!! It is awesome!! We are going to try again tonight and see if we can get through the whole workout!!  

Also, we started on a Thursday.  So each week will begin and end on Thursday. You don't have to wait until Monday rolls around! Are you even going to remember, when Monday's are so crazy anyway? Do it now! Start your exercise and be active, the sooner you start, the better you will feel!




Wish us luck!

~Boppy 

The Big Switch

I have been thinking over this 4th of July Holiday. I have 3 blogs to keep up, this one (Boppy's Corner), My family one, and the one with my sister.  I love this one but I have decided that I'm going to just add it to mine and my sister's newest one, Pearls in the Mud.

This way you only have to go to and read one blog! It will all look the same, I will just post through that blog, rather than this one. Just click on the Boppy's Corner tab and it will bring you right back here!  I am excited for the switch and hope to be able to blog more, instead of trying to manage 3 at a time!

Look for Boppy's Corner on Pearls in the Mud!! C-ya there!

Motivation

Last week I took a vacation, so no blog post. And then I have been working on this one for a while trying to make is perfect. I have been thinking a lot about why many of us, including myself, can't keep up on the exercise. It has come down to this....

What motivates me to exercise?

Others? Myself? The media? The world telling me I have to be skinny? Why can't I do it to live longer and live a happier life? That should be the biggest motivation.

Well now that I have a sweet little baby, I want to be able to be around for her for as long as possible. So if that means getting into shape, you bet I want to do it! I also want to be able to play with her and teach her how to stay active and healthy.
I have never been a morning person. My husband is definitely a morning person. Since I married him, I have been able to get up earlier because we enjoy that quiet time in the morning together, making breakfast, telling each other about our crazy dreams and just enjoying the fresh air that comes with a morning. Also, it is good pondering time to sit and think about what needs to be done in the day and what is most important. Well anyway since we had Ella, I have not been able to get up and share the morning with my husband.  At first it was because I was up every 1.5- 2 hours feeding the baby, but now that she sleeps almost all night (9:30-4), I should be able to get up at 6 right? UGH!! It's so hard!

I have noticed that Ella is a morning baby. She is SOOOO happy and playful, but I miss that time with her when I sleep in. I have been pretty good about getting up at 8. and some days it's not until 10.  It does crack me up though to see Ella snoozing, cuddled up next to me and the second that I pick her up she is wide awake! She's a pretty good fake sleeper!! But I can tell that she is starting to pick up my habit of sleeping in and not being a morning person!

I don't want this to happen! I want her to be able to get up and be productive and look forward to the day, just as she naturally does! So my goal is to get up no later than 8 am. That way we will have time to go for a walk, get ready, eat breakfast, enjoy our happy playful time and take a morning nap (for the baby) all before lunch time!

The way that I see that I'm going to accomplish this goal is to: JUST DO IT! (thank you nike!) Just simply ACT and follow through.  I see many people struggle with exercise because they give excuses, for example,

-not enough time in the day
-tooooooo tired
-too many other things to do
-don't know what to do
-it doesn't even work it just makes me sore
-etc

It feels easier to give an excuse rather than just doing something. I go through phases where I am the queen of excuses- just being honest. But I know I am suffering for it because it gets me out of good habits and turns them into bad habits.

My husband has always been great at doing push-ups, crunches or lifting weights at night. Last week he asked me to do it with him. So I did. Well since then we have been doing it every night (except Sunday :)) And now that we have been doing our little nightly exercises, the pain in my back has significantly decreased and I feel stronger, better and even a little happier!

He claims that he needs my help to be able to keep exercising and stay healthy, but really I think he has a secret plan to help me get back into shape. It's awesome though, either way. I'd say what motivates me is my husband. I also think I am motivated more that I have started, to keep going and to keep up with my husband.

Here's my challenge. Get together with your husband, roommates, family members- who ever and JUMP IN AND START YOUR EXERCISE!!

 This is what we do...

We start with pushups. 30 each.  We don't have a very big space so we trade off. We do ten at a time and count down for each other. (This is a good way to make sure they have proper alignment.No cheaters with your bums in the air! )

Then we do some crunches, obliques and sometimes bicycles. Depends on the night and how tired we are. ;)

Then we hold plank for one minute! Yeah I know it's not very long, but plank is brutal!

We always do push-ups and plank. I don't know if I've lost any weight, but I do feel better than I did before.

If you don't have a partner to do this with in your home, or in the neighborhood, consider this- 

Make a promise to a family member that you will do this then report to each other every night- like send a text saying- DONE! It's so easy to do. NOW DO IT! (I will too).

Also- figure out what motivates you? Since I have discovered this, I feel like exercise is always possible and I don't have to give an excuse. :)

Happy Exercising!!

BREAKFAST

Why is it called Breakfast?  I've always wondered.

According to Wikipedia, the word Breakfast "literally means break the fast of the night."
Hmm, makes sense. Hopefully most of us are sleeping 6-8 hours a night and not eating in those hours.
So when we wake up our bodies are pretty cranky for food and we need to feed it!

Also from Wikipedia- "Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day, citing studies that find that people who skip breakfast are disproportionately likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, and weight.^[3][4]"

 

Wow. So what does breakfast do for you? Well it starts your metabolism! Imagine this: Instead of driving your car to work, you push it because we don't know how to start it. Although it might be a great workout, it's not the most efficient way to get to work because- #1: It takes longer to get there. #2: It uses more energy, therefore you have less energy for the rest of the day. Well when you don't start your metabolism by skipping breakfast your body does the same thing!#1: Takes longer to get going- to wake up (that feeling like you need caffeine to function).  #2: It takes more energy to do things, since you didn't fill up the gas tank and therefore have no energy to do the important things in the day like: work, exercise, talk to people, walk, think, remember things, etc. The list goes on and on.

 Going back to the original meaning, as mentioned above, the point of the meal is to break the fast of the night. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? 4? 6? 8? Well no matter, try going that long in the day and see if you can not eat- IT'S REALLY HARD!! So by the time you wake up, your body is longing for that egg burrito, or protein shake.  BUT if you skip breakfast, add that many more hours to lunch to hours of sleep OH and don't forget to also add the hours from dinner the night before... that might be more than 12 hours!!

 This is a problem! Only leaving yourself about 6 hours of blessed sunlight to eat ALL of the nutritional goodness your body needs to function! No wonder weight loss doesn't happen, or we are sick all the time or any other weird phenomenon with the body. 

(Okay so the number of hours between dinner and breakfast may not count as much because that is when digestion happens and it is better for it to happen before you go to bed so all the energy can be concentrated on sleep.Also it takes up to 7 hours to digest food so we need a break for eating sometime.) Breakfast is still important. It ends the digestion period. and.....

Even so, consider starting your car, rather than pushing it.

Well I hope that puts a little perspective on BREAKFAST. and why it is CRUCIAL that we eat it. 

What are some reasons you don't eat breakfast?

Post them in the comments. Let's learn together how to make changes to eat breakfast every day and any other unknown things about breakfast.

Back on Track

Got my computer! Whoot! Now to get things back on track....

How did my exercise go last week? I don't want to talk about it... Okay fine. I didn't do much. I went for a walk with my husband one night and drank lots of water! But I didn't complete my plan like I wanted to.
My excuses:
Bad weather
Bad weather
Good weather, but fussy baby
...
Excitement for the upcoming weekend.
Too Tired..

Yeah they don't really work for excuses. There was plenty to do inside!

So a new week is here and I am so pumped to get going again. I really really really want to be in shape so I can dance! I miss dancing SOOO much. I have taken breaks before and remember how NOT fun they are. (By the way, does anyone know of a good studio or company in the SLC area I can just go dance with?)

Anyway, I decided I needed to work out more than 2 times a week. Maybe that will help, we'll see.

Well what I mostly wanted to bring up in this Fitness post was Cardio! I love Cardio! Well, I used too- when it was good. Since I haven't been able to run for a while I have lost my cardio endurance! So now I am like scared, or something, to run. I know I will be out of breath, I know it will be hard and I know that I will get a side ache. Well the Dr said to take it slow. So here's an idea of how to slowly build up my cardio again.

Walk 5 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 5 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 5 minutes

OR

Walk 5 minutes
50 Jumping Jacks
50 Jump Ropes
Repeat 3 times

OR

if that gets boring and you are watching TV instead of working out do this

Walk in place when the show is on
Jumping Jacks throughout commercials.

Shows are usually an hour? That's a great workout!! Make sure to have a water bottle handy and drink at least 3 of them.

So I'm going to try it! While watching The Biggest Loser, which is my netflix addiction. I love that show! I always wanted to be a trainer like Jillian Micheals!!

I encourage ALL of you reading this that need to start getting on track to do this. Try one each day or just find what works for you. If you want a different idea or have a different idea don't be afraid to comment and let me know! I love feedback!

Happy Cardio!

Brains + Oxygen = Love - Headaches

I'm behind on posts! My husband needed to take the computer to work the last few days of the week. My computer is not with me, but I will be retrieving it soon! Anyway, I hope I can remember all that I wanted to post on nutrition this week, if it doesn't make sense let me know. or just ignore it. ;)

Brains love oxygen. That's just all there is to it. I was sitting in Anatomy and Physiology class one day and we were discussing the respiratory system. I don't remember the whole conversation and I'm not sure if this is exactly what the teacher said, so don't quote it!

"Most people have headaches because they aren't getting enough OXYGEN to their brains!!"

Meaning- BREATHE PEOPLE! How many of us focus on our breath all day? Yes it is part of our autonomic nervous system to breath, but are we effectively breathing enough? I don't think so.

Being a part of the dance program in school I took a class called Somatics. Soma= body, so to make it simple for those of you who don't know what the class is about.. we studied and discovered connections in the body. (My favorite!) Well the first connection we make when come into the world is breathing. Don't you think that if breathing is the very first thing our bodies learn to do in the world, that it's kind of important? THE ANSWER IS YES!

Breathing Exercise:
Close your eyes
Inhale- Counting to 10 slowly, hold it at the top for 5 slow seconds. You should feel a rising starting with your stomach and filling up your lungs. You should feel like you can't fit anything more into your body- hold that, then begin exhale.
(Imagine you are filling up a cup of water as you inhale.)
Exhale- Counting to 10 slowly, hold it at the bottom for 5 slow seconds.  You should feel a sinking starting with the top of your lungs all the way down to your stomach. You should feel smaller and like you just emptied your body of all unwanted things. (Think of a balloon with a small hole, slowly leaking air- getting smaller and smaller)

Repeat 3 times.  Or as many times as you would like. It is most comfortable to do lying down, but do whatever is comfortable for you. If you are at work, just sit back in your chair.  If someone interrupts you, you can slug them later. :)

I love breathing. If I can't fall asleep, which is rare with a newborn baby, I do this exercise and actually fall asleep in the middle of it! It is so nice because it not only gets oxygen to my brain, it also supplies more oxygen for my whole body! It is as if I can feel every muscle relax because now it has oxygen! It's so relaxing!

What does breathing have to do with nutrition? Well it helps our bodies to keep working the processes it needs to. It helps Metabolism to happen.

Another reason, (I learned from Anat/Phys), that humans get so many headaches is because they aren't drinking enough water.

The body needs water! and the brain particularly in order to function optimally. Here is a link to a great article about how much water the body really needs.

 http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
Check it out! It's a short read and very interesting!

So how much water do you need to drink in a day to get the right amount for your body? Well it's different for everybody.  Depending on your amount of lean muscle, amount of activity, and body type, you'll need to figure out how much water your body needs. Here are some guidelines to go by.

Water Guidlines  Make sure to read both pages!!! It's a great article from the Mayo Clinic Staff.

I try to carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go. Any time I have a second I take a sip of water. I can usually get through my 30oz bottle 3 times in a day. According to the Mayo Clinic, that is not enough! Well my goal is to drink more water in a day. The hard part is remembering to bring it with me when I move into another room and to not get distracted by other beverages! 

So take on the challenge with me and set a goal to breath more and drink water!!! Let's take care of our bodies!

Starting from Scratch

Just like making a cake from scratch for the first time, we have to have a recipe to know the ingredients. Each ingredient is important, without one the cake would not be as effective to your taste buds as it could be. Also, if you eat the ingredients separately, they taste nasty and not like cake at all.

I am not making a cake, but I am trying to make a healthier lifestyle. Well I'm kind of starting from scratch. Like most people, I sometimes don't know where to begin. Although I might have a slight advantage because i studied nutrition and personal training in college.  I still have all this information rolling around in my head with no organization, and since I've become a mom it's gotten worse. Well I'm going to try and organize here on the blog. I know the ingredients, I just need to put them in order in my life.

My goals for May: Start exercising again! I'm going to start with 2 times a week for 30 minutes. What am I going to do? That is a good question.

I know the key ingredients: Cardio, Strength and Stretching

Cardio: Go for a brisk walk  15 minutes, break a sweat!!
Either around the neighborhood or walking in place while watching my favorite show. That's right, no more sitting down to watch TV!! It helps me to have upbeat music to walk to so if there is nothing entertaining on TV the IPOD is great!
The best way to tell if I'm getting a good workout is if I'm sweating. Or as my husband says, "Glistens."

Strength: 25 Push-ups, 25 Crunches Repeated 3 times 5 minutes
               25 squats, 25 squat lifts repeated 3 times 5 minutes
arms, abs, legs, check! our major muscle groups worked.
Push-up tip: since we are starting from scratch, I can use a counter or dresser to do my push-ups on until I can better support my weight on the floor.

Crunch tip: Breathe!!! Inhale on the down; exhale on the up. Also fill those lungs with air! Muscles love oxygen.

Stretching: Take 10 minutes to stretch muscles worked.
Keep safety in mind while stretching. Keep the knees over the toes. Keeps the hips in line and never put pressure on the inside of your knee.
Here is a good website showing 10 basic stretches, how to do them and safety tips.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/SM00043


Here is a good start.  We'll see how it goes this week. Eventually I want to post videos of workouts that are easy to do and include the 3 key ingredients. But for now, let's get baking!