Day 4, 5 ,6 of 30 days of Creativity and workouts

I have been amiss in posting my creativity projects for the past few days, so here is the catch up:

Day 4 was create a bouquet from my garden day:

Day 5, I colored a mandala:

 

Day 6, I created My3Cats Black&White on Linen:

Today, I have no idea what I am going to do, and I have a busy day ahead too.  I'll figure something out.

Now for the workouts.  I have been hiking and biking over the weekends.  Today I was back doing Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix.  I love this workout! 

Later, I think I will use my rowing machine while watching tv.  I'm attempting to burn at least 300 calories per day. 



Today is going to be a busy day, so I'm glad I took time out to workout in the morning as a break.  I highly recommend it, even if you work in an office.  Take at least 20 minutes out to take a walk, or something in the morning hours.  You will feel more fresh, alert, and ready to conquer the afternoon!

SDF :O)

Learning to pace yourself

Slow and steady wins the race.
 -Robert Lloyd

Don 't hurry. Don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So don't forget to stop and smell the roses.
 - Walter Hagen



Last night I was a little naughty.  I stayed up until 2 in the morning reading a book that I couldn't put down.  the book was Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris.  I woke up in the morning at my regular time feeling exhausted.  After eating breakfast, I ended up going back to sleep for a little bit.

I know that we all sometimes have trouble stopping an activity that we enjoy, but learning to pace myself and enjoying in moderation would have been the wisest choice.  Plus, I would have had more of the book to enjoy at another night.  Lucky I have one more book from my birthday stash to read, as well as a library close by.


I also had a conversation last week about taking regular breaks when you are working.  My friend suggested 40 min. work with 20 min. break.  They have actually proven that even though these are slightly longer breaks, the times you are working are more focused and you get more done.  You can do a great deal in 20 min.  It would almost be like finding time for yourself during your work day too!  She mentioned that during the down times, your brain is still churning about the work in the background, so if you are stuck on something, take a small break, and when you come back, you might have the solution popped up all of a sudden.  I think I will try this type of pacing during my next big work week.

Pacing yourself can also mean scheduling batches of work over longer periods of time.  This works really well if you have a plan with different phases.  Of course this means that you need to come face to face with your procrastination demon.  You will not be able to pace yourself and meet your deadlines in life if you wait until the last minute and cram all the work into a smaller amount of time. 

Getting back to my morning, I decided to make myself do my daily workout regardless, no excuses for me.  I ended up doing the killer, but fun, Kettlebell Cardio Balanced.  Holy cow.  I feel pretty worked out from head to toe and ready for another nap.  I'm glad I managed to get through it.  It's a 40 min. cardio with a 7 min. tone and stretch session.  If you like an all around workout, this is a really good one.

I think the reason I managed to get through this workout is because I paced myself.  I did take a couple of breaks, pause action, and then went right back into it after a quick breather.  I think my taking the time outs made all the difference.  

So I continue to live and learn, and I do hope I can learn how to pace myself better in all that I do. 

SDF:O)

Time off and time on

I recently found myself in a time off zone.  I am in between projects and such with no clue what the future is going to bring.  The first day in this time zone, I was upset.  Yes, upset.  After most of my life working and working and working with few and far between vacations, I didn't know how to do this thing called "time off."  What do I do with myself?

I realized I have a slight problem.  I have been working for others for so long, I barely know how to do anything for myself anymore.  Plus, I do admit my ego has been bruised.  Something I wanted for a while did not turn out, and I have nothing to fill this void with.  I have been preparing to shift to a new future, but I didn't realize that the time in between this shift would open up something I have been avoiding for so long - doing things for myself.

The way I was raised probably has something to do with it.  I felt validated as a person when I accomplished things and usually when I did things for others.  My lifestyle mainly turned into working to make money and to helping others.  Most of the money was spent on surviving.

I'm in a different place now, a place I have never been.  I have the support to take some much needed time off.  I have to shirk off all the "oh wouldn't that be nice, you are so lucky," comments.  They have been making me feel guilty.  None of these people know how hard I have worked my entire life without time off.  I understand that some people never get this opportunity.  What would they do if they had it?  They would probably embrace it for all its worth.

I have decided to use this time to recharge, to workout, to explore new opportunities, to reconnect with myself and people in general, to have some fun.  Wow, allow myself to have some fun just because.  There's a new concept.  I mainly had fun and did things to reward myself for hard work.  Now to have fun just because?  It is very foreign to me, and I need to rediscover that I deserve this even if I am taking time off.

Yes, I'm a little in need of catching up to the reality that we are here and because we are here, we are automatically worth good things.  This lesson was not handed to me on a silver platter so instead, I will need to learn it the hard way - by forcing myself to take the time off.  In the past, I have filled this void time with other work.  Today, let's see if I can finally let myself go blank so I can rediscover the possibilities for myself and the future.

Today I'm starting a twice a day work out program.  This morning I did the 43 min. Cardio Party I from Turbo Jam and will probably do some Nordic Track as I watch mindless television tonight.  I am also looking into a volunteer opportunity I have put off for years.

Maybe this "time off" will not be so bad and will turn into "time on" well spent!

SDF :O)

Have fun in whatever you are doing...

Today I did my bonus workout Cardio Groove from Hip Hop Abs.  I adored this work out!  I was having fun, getting my cardio in as well as working my abs the entire time. 
I also noticed myself laughing at Shaun T.  He is a goof ball for sure! 

This work out made me think of how even though I was doing something I had to do, I was laughing and enjoying myself.  Can I transfer this attitude to the other things I "have to do?"

Are there ways to make dreaded chores a little bit more fun?  I'm sure you could think of ways to make a task a little easier to swallow.

Here is the list I came up with:

1. Add a little music to a chore.  Dance while you dust and sing while you fold the laundry.
2. If you have a cardio workout machine like a Nordic Track, treadmill or such, why not watch a little television.  Make sure you step up during the commercials for some extra interval work.
3. Do your dreaded task with a friend. Maybe you both have the same task on your list and doing it together would make it more fun.
4. Figure out a way to reward yourself when you do something you had to do.  It could be something as simple as making sure you take time for a nice bubble bath after a workout or after doing a dreaded chore.

If you have any other ways to make a chore more fun, please feel free to comment!

The next time you are sighing and rolling your eyes about something you have to do, even if it is good for you, remember to figure out a way to make it more fun and go for it!

SDF :O)

Hip Hop Abs kind of day!

I've been a little lazy the past couple of days getting used to crutches and all. Like that is an excuse! Today I am back at it. I did as much as I could on the floor of Hip Hop Abs Total Body with Shaun T. I only had to skip the squats and cardio segment. My abs are really feeling it.

I did work up a little bit of a sweat, so I know I was working. I do miss the cardio though and am in need of researching about how to get cardio when you can't stand up.

Keep pushing play out there!

Fitnfun :O)

Thrift shop bonus!

I went to the local Humane Society thrift store and found an incomplete set for Hip Hop Abs. It is missing one of the workouts, but for $4.00 it was worth it to try it out.

This morning I popped in Total Body Burn. The workout was one of the funnest workouts I have done in a long time and Shaun T was a riot! It did not seem like an over 40 minute workout since I was grooving the entire time. And let me tell you, complete body workout with cardio! I was sweating!

I was on the hunt to see if I could find the missing dvd, but Beachbody does not sell their dvd's individually. Too bad for them. They wanted to resell the entire workout set to me again. I said, nah! However, I will keep Shaun T workouts in mind in the future, but only the dance vibe ones.

Here's the real lesson in the great find, if the workout is fun, I want to workout! I guess I really was bored. Now that I have a few new workouts to rotate in, I seem to be more excited about working out again. Yay!

Keep pushing play and make sure you have workouts you really enjoy.

Fitnfun :O)

40 minute kettlenetics

So today I got the guts to try the 40 minute kettlenetics. It turns out that it was 47 plus minutes, but at least there was a good stretch at the end this time.

I am sweating, and I have a feeling I'm going to be sore tonight and tomorrow. The good news is that for the past week, I did 5 days of really good workouts! All of them had some cardio and toning so everything is covered.

Tomorrow starts my new week. I will step it up a notch and go for 6 days of workouts cardio/toning. I'm going to add some turbo jam with the weighted gloves in too. Should be fun. Over the weekend I'm going to search for another workout and donate some of my dvd's to a local thrift/charity store. If I had a gym membership, I'd be spending at least $20 a month, right? So, to keep from being bored, why not rotate new workouts in every month.

Keep pushing play out there and enjoy the sunshine!

Fitnfun out :O)

2010 and new start

It's been a while. I'm still looking at steps once in a while, but I think I really needed a new workout. Yes, I have been bored. I have tons of dvd's, but nothing new and exciting now. So, I was at Target and saw the workout I was considering (for an entire year), Kettlenetics, and I bought it! I start today!

Now I really know the importance of keeping workouts fresh. If you keep doing the same things over and over, you can get bored to the point of not wanting to workout anymore, which is where I was at. I'll check back in later to let you know how I liked the workout.

Sick and back!

I had a few days of the flu to get through. I didn't do much exercising during the past three days. I ended up gaining 2 pounds that I had lost last week. However, after one day of slightly more exercise, I lost one pound.

I've been wearing my step meter religiously. One sick day was around the 800's which was pitiful. When I felt a little better, I was at 1,098. The next day with a little more was 2, 235. Today I'm finally feeling like I can get back to it. I did some stair work and Nordic track for 20 minutes and right now am at 1,157! Can you believe it?! This is more in a few hours of being up compared to the one entire day! So, I'm setting a goal today of around 6,000 steps and see how I do. I can always jump on my Nordic Track if I want a little tv break. I can go for a little walk before coming home from my errands. I can also do a dvd to make sure I get some toning. The possibilities are endless!

It made me think, while I was sick, how much we sit around and are on the computer, or watching tv, or playing video games. We say we don't have time to work out, but many people are watching tv 2-3 hours per day. What if during one of those hours, you worked out during the commercials or even worked out the entire hour with a Nordic Track, eliptical, tread mill, or other home gym equipment. I'm wondering if any of you still have the Gazelle. That's perfect for doing while watching tv too!

I think the Biggest Loser is attempting to promote doing crunches and toning during commercials. It will add up. An hour show is about 20-25 minutes worth of commercials. That's a great toning workout right there!

I'm going to attempt to be creative and find new ways to add up more steps. I'm also researching today how many steps equals how many calories. It's fun having an easy way to keep track.

Fitnfun :O)

Post-workout Post!

Yay! I did it. I opted for an all around workout. Today was a Cardio Flex Band Workout by The Method. The instructor was great with easy combinations, using the band while moving, and she hit every major muscle group. The low impact was a little too low for me, very beginner, but for a 35 complete body workout, not bad.

The instructor's cuing was really good, but she was a little lacking in personality. However, I would still recommend this workout if you are shorter on time and want to hit all the muscle groups and still get some cardio. I will add it to my list.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the flex band inside was a little on the short side, even for a pint size like me. So, lucky I had other bands to work with.

If anyone out there has a recommendation for an all around workout that is under 45 minutes, let me know.

I'm going to keep pushing play, and I hope you join me soon!

Fitnfun :O)

Tuesday Troubles

I haven't been feeling that great today, but I managed to sneak a workout in. I did two 10 minute workouts of my 10 minute toning solutions. I did the overall tone and then the abs workout. The abs were killer with the band at the end.

Today I had a day where three previously set up tasks didn't go through due to others not following through. It made me think about why this could happen. Maybe I need more follow through in life and this was simply the universe's way of telling me to think about it. Or, maybe it was a test on my patience, which it definitely was.

I also thought about how I deserve to be happy like everyone else and the fact that until I get my energy back, I will not be able to fully help others.

I'm happy that I did get the workout done and am grateful to go to bed feeling like I at least followed through today despite the challenge.

Fitnfun :O)