Thursday, January 31, 2013

Variety


The cave men used their physical strength to provide for themselves and their families. They had to work extremely hard. The human body adapts quickly to stresses placed upon it. This was a very good characteristic for our ancestors. Not so great for us stuck in a modern society of computers and Pop Tarts. Few people have to eke out an existence by the sweat of their brow which is one of the causes of an increase in obesity, heart problems, and many different health challenges.
Because our bodies are so amazing we have to work harder and challenge ourselves differently to maintain optimum health and vigor. If we want to increase our fitness and health we have to be willing to push ourselves and add some spice to our workout.

Variety is key when you're trying to lose weight, get past a plateau, or become more fit. If you do the same cardio or weight routine over and over it will become easy. This is a good thing because it means you're getting stronger, but it also means that you are burning less calories because your body is accustomed to the demands placed upon it. 
You can fix this problem by upping the intensity, duration, and speed of your workout or by changing the type of workout you do, known as cross-training. Cross-training recruits different muscle groups, challenges your body in a new way, and will help you burn more calories. 

How can you cross-train? If you always bike, try swimming or running. If you love the elliptical machine, try something fun like Zumba. If you faithfully lift weights, sample a yoga or Pilates class. If you workout at home and need some variety, rent a new workout video, borrow one from the library or plan a girl’s night out at the gym or hiking a nearby canyon.
Variety really is the spice of exercise. My challenge to you is to try something different this week. Mine isn't exactly new but I'd like to start incorporating more yoga. Please share which new activity you're going to try.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Win iFrogz products, $50 Running Chics, and $50 or $25 Amazon G.C.



The blog tour for Dead Running and Dying to Run is finishing up tomorrow. Last chance to win $50 from Running Chics, $50 from Amazon, $25 from Amazon, and three sets of iFrogz armbands and earbuds, plus Dead Running will be going from $.99 to $4.99 after tomorrow.

Click here to win the Running Chics or $50 Amazon card.
Click here to win the iFrogz or $25 Amazon card.
Click here to read a sample of Dead Running or Dying to Run.

Thanks so much to Kathy from I Am a Reader Not a Writer for organizing the tour, Running Chics and iFrogz for their amazing donations, and all the wonderful bloggers who participated in the tour!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Filthy Fifty

So I stole a title I heard about at Cross-fit for this workout. Fifty reps of each thing. So fun!

Bent-over row
Squat (holding bar above head for as many reps as we could)
Overhead press
Lunge (fifty on each side, ouch)
Pushup
Box Jump
Lateral Raise
Dead Lift
Biceps Curl
Jumping Jacks
Triceps Dip
Ab Curl
Plank (hold for fifty)

Cool-down

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Workout

We did some crazy stuff in this workout. I thought it was fun, but not sure anybody else did!

Warm-up

10-20 reps, three times through the circuit

Burpies
Walking lunges - with barbell overhead if you like
Crabwalk (on the 2nd and 3rd rounds we did walk on hands and toes and then an army crawl)
Seated Row
Ball twist
Upright row
Jacks
Biceps curl
Overhead triceps extension

Have fun!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Workout

My boys are off registering for the upcoming lacrosse season. Ah, I can just envision it now. My cute boys whacking the opposing team with stick as I yell, "Knock that kid down! Come on, you're bigger than him, take him out!" Lacrosse does not bring out the best in me. I am not a competitive person. I usually think I'm pretty nice, but put pads on my boys and a stick in their hands and I turn into some kind of evil, yelling spectator. Step one is being aware of the problem, so maybe this will be the year that I'll get in control of myself on the sidelines.

Monday's workout was a fun one. We grouped lower and upper body exercises so warmup and then do 20 reps of the lower body and 10-12 of the upper body, repeat through it all 3-4 times then cool-down and stretch.

Lower body - Box jumps, lunge forward and back onto a platform or bench, step-ups, one-legged dead lifts
Upper body - Bicep curls, overhead triceps extensions, pushups, reverse fly, lateral raise

Thanks for stopping by!



Thursday, January 3, 2013

Dead Running and Dying to Run Book Blast - $50 Running Chics GC and $50 Amazon GC Giveaways



Dead Running

Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.

With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.










Dying to Run

Cassidy Christensen wants to run.

Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.

This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.







Purchase









Author Cami Checketts

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.

Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.


Links








#BookBlast Giveaway


Details
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
$50 Gift Card to Running Chics
Ends 1/31/12
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Broken Path



The Broken Path is for sale on Amazon now. Click here to buy the book or read the first few chapters. If you have Amazon Prime you can download it for free. I love Amazon Prime, it's so great to try out free books and the author still gets compensated so I don't feel bad about it. Print copies will be available soon for those of you who don't want to pay the $1111.00 currently being offered on Amazon. Crazy.

Back cover blurb:

Injured in a debilitating accident at age six, Ethan Searle believes women eye him with a mixture of pity and disdain. He’s tried love before. He won’t again. He meets his match in a precocious two-year old who loves him despite his disability, even while her mother seems bothered by everything about Ethan.

Autumn Reader escaped her abusive marriage with her beautiful daughter and a stack of fear. She can’t make the mistake of trusting a man again. Autumn’s daughter becomes enraptured by Ethan. Despite Autumn’s best intentions, she finds herself following her daughter’s example. When her ex-husband reappears, threatening everyone she loves if she won’t submit to his demands, Autumn has to learn to trust or lose her chance at real love.

“Characters to fall in love with, action to keep you turning pages, and the most adorable little girl ever, The Broken Path is a compelling tale of strength and trust, courage and heart. I truly enjoyed this book.” –Maria Hoagland, Author of Family Size

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Fun Workout

This workout about killed me, but I think that's because I've been eating treats and not sleeping much! Hope you enjoy it.

Combination workout:

12-14 reps, repeat through entire workout 4 times.

Dead lift with bent-over row
Lunge with lateral raise
Jump lunge
Burpie with pushup
Squat, jump into lunge while pressing bar overhead
Plie with bicep curl
Plie, jump to center
Lunge with triceps kickback
I'm a Mormon.