Surprise!

I surprised myself this morning.  I fought that negative voice inside my head that said I couldn't plank for 6 minutes and planked for 6:15!  I haven't planked in a couple days, so I had to make up for lost time!  So, with 17 days to go, I have planked 54:30 out of 120 minutes.  I'm almost 1/2 way there!  I have to say that this is one if my favorite exercises now.  It takes a lot of focus to get to the last seconds of the plank, but it is always a challenge!

Old Goal Met, New Goal Set!

My last post stated that I wanted to reach 3 minutes in a forearm plank by the end of the summer.  I surprised myself.  I've now surpassed that goal by a whole 2 minutes and 15 seconds.  I planked (accompanied by my sweet, fit friend Natalie) today for 5:15, beating yesterday's time of 5:03 (below).  I honestly feel so amazing after doing these planks.  By 5 minutes, my arms are shaking, but with each day, I feel myself getting stronger.  So, my new goal that I made for myself 9 days ago was to do 120 minutes of planks in 30 days.  I have planked a total of 48 minutes in those 9 days and am going to keep chipping away at that goal.  I have 21 days and 72 minutes to go!  I find it goes faster if I do the planks with someone, watch some Netflix on my phone, or listen to a sermon to make the time go faster!

My hubby joining me for a plank!

Where have I been?

Ha!  It has been some time since I've blogged and I totally pooped out on the Pinterest Fitness posts.  For those of you who were following that, sorry about that!   Perhaps I shouldn't have committed to posting that while on vacation!  Despite that, I did run on my vacation, and did some workouts from Pinterest.

My kiddos had to wake up early for this... ;)

My 10k went well, considering I fell at about mile 2.  I was running down hill and my leg sometimes likes to stop working when going down hill.  I land on my toosh and my hands, got up quickly, and was on my way.  Quite a bit of the race was uphill and at an elevation of 5,000 feet.  So, considering all that, I came in at 59:18.  Not bad.  I definitely want to improve on that, though!

Since the 10K and our return home from vacation, I have run, but haven't enjoyed that so much because it gets hot really early.  So, I'm taking it indoors and doing the workout I won from the before/after photo contest.

With the 10K behind me, I want to set some new goals.  Goals are so important when it comes to staying fit.  I need something to work towards.  I need a challenge.  Here are some of my new goals for the summer:

1.)  Be able to do 20 pull-ups.  Unassisted.  I'm up to 5 right now.
2.)  Build up my core muscles.  Hold a forearm plank for 3 minutes.  I'm up to 1:30.
3.)  Complete the "Busy Mom Gets Fit" workout series and as a result, stay toned!  I'm in the second week of that.
4.)  Keep running twice a week!  (Haven't been too good with this one!)

So, there you have it!  What are some of your goals for the summer?

Pinterest Fitness Day 18: Health Benefits of Cherries

I went to the local farm the other day to buy produce and I discovered the cherries are ripe!  Yum!!!  This morning, I found a heart shaped cherry and it reminded me that these red beauties are full of antioxidants.  They also can help you get to sleep.  I found a nice summary of the health benefits from Oasis Advanced Wellness on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Pinterest Fitness Day 17: Bedroom Workout & Punjammies

Sometimes its nice to roll out of bed and workout.  Or perhaps in your pajamas.  That is what I did today.  I found the workout above on Pinterest.  A lot of the exercises posted through tumblr.com end up not showing up through the link, so I hope just by posting the image with the link on the bottom, I will give credit to whom it is due!

Anywho, this workout proved to be fun and invigorating---perfect to jumpstart your day!  The jumping jacks really help with that, of course.  I used my exercise ball to do the leg extensions to make it a bit more challenging.  I also leaned on my medicine ball to do the russian twists with to make it more of a challenge.  It took about 30 minutes and I built up a good sweat!

Speaking of pajamas, I want to point out that I exercised in my Punjammies.  "What are Punjammies?" Well, they are pajamas made by young girls and women in India who have been rescued from the grip of human trafficking and prostitution.  The International Princess Project is the organization that produces and sales the Punjammies.  In their words from their Facebook page, they are "ADVOCATING for enslaved prostitutes, RESTORING their broken lives, EMPOWERING them to live free."  To learn more about the Punjammies and the International Princess Project, you can go to www.intlprincess.org, and view the video above.  Human Trafficking is horrible.  HORRIBLE.  That word seems too weak.  There really are no words to show the shame, filth, and lack of human moral and compassion of human trafficking.  So, take a look at the video.  Each pair of Punjammies are made by a rescued girl or woman.  It is an awesome cause!  Oh, and they are super compfy! 

Pinterest Fitness Day 16: Widdle Your Middle

I love to do a variety of abdominal exercises to keep my middle widdled.  Doing just crunches and sit-ups doesn't cover all of your abdominal muscles.  Through Pinterest, I found that Fitness magazine has an arrangement of ab exercises that give you the variety your abs need.  You can find that workout HERE.  I did the exercise 3 times through, with the reps that Fitness Magazine suggested.  Fitness Magazine is a great resource for exercises and nutrition, as well as motivational articles from people who lost weight or achieved their fitness goals.  I get one in the mail every month and look forward to it!  The website is just as resourceful! 

Pinterest Fitness Day 15: Kitchen Tips for Weight Loss

I was inspired by a Pinterest post to make my own list of things I do in my kitchen to stay healthy. They are all important and they are in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. Keep a pen and pad of paper by your side all day long. Draw a line down the middle. On one side, write "Food" and on the other, write "Calories." Record everything you eat. Caloriecounter.com has a great App for that. This way, you can calculate the calories you need and record the calories you consume. It's on old tip, but has stood the test of time!

2. Stock your kitchen up with produce. Make it just as accessible as a bag if chips. Cut and wash ahead of time if you need to.

3. Keep in your kitchen and cook with healthy fats--- Flaxseed, Chia seed, Coconut oil, Olive oil. As long as you measure your portions, these healthy fats have great benefits.

4. Have measuring cups and spoons available and use them! Food scales are pretty cheap and those come in handy as well.

5. Own a good blender or food processor. When choosing the healthiest option for dressings and sauces, especially if you are watching your sodium intake, it sometimes is best just to make your own. You may be surprised how easy it is!

6. Have a little bit if dark chocolate everyday. Yes. One square of a Trader Joe's chocolate bar does it for me and I believe that is 1/16th of a serving! If you deny yourself those things every single day, you may just binge!

7. Put veggies in your smoothies. Spinach and carrots actually work very well.

8. DRINK WATER! Lots of water! No juice! No monster drink! No sugary coffee drink! Most of those drinks are either made up of calories or chemicals or both. Mineral water is an acquired taste, perhaps, but it is very refreshing when ice cold! Drink 8oz of water before a meal to feel up faster.

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt w/ berries and Stevia = YUMMY!

9. Pre-package your snacks. Pack 100-150 calorie snacks like string cheese and a small apple. It is way easier than walking to a vending machine and just as easy as reaching for the bag of empty calories you may consume while watching the Dr. Oz show.

10. Take your vitamins. Everyday. For those of you who are inside most of the day, talk to your doctor or do some research on the benefits of taking extra vitamin D.

11. Use your kitchen. Cook at home. Take meals with you when you are away from home. It is always healthier.