Go the Distance Workout

For the next few days your workout will be about going the distance – choose your distance one, two or three miles.  Get outside of your comfort zone – the distance should intimidate you a bit.  Now, map out that distance and get going!  Go at the fastest pace you can (walk or jog).  Then, every 3 minutes increase your speed for 1 minutes.  If you are walking, walk faster or jog.  If you are jogging, sprint! Go your whole distance each day, see if you can improve your time each day.  Try the app Runkeeper – it allows you to track your pace, your distance and your time.  You can even have it run a playlist from your itunes in the background!

Stop the Insanity!

Stop the insanity!

            I know I am dating myself to even reference Susan Powter, but while she seemed a smidge intense (intentional understatement), her catch phrase lives on in my head. “Stop the Insanity.”  Benjamin Franklin defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  Today many people are our shopping to save a few dollars.  They are fighting crowds and wrestling packages into their cars.  Many go in packs and seem to enjoy it together.  And perhaps the savings are significant, but was the purchase as significant as the savings? Christmas morning will come and go and is it the gifts that you remember?  Name 3 gifts that you received last Christmas… do you find yourself saying, “”Was is last Christmas that I got that?”  “What did I give the kids last year?”  Now think back to what Christmas morning felt like.  That feeling of contentment, happiness and joy you can recreate can’t you?  See, it is not about WHAT you bought – chances are if you can’t remember what you received, no one remembers what you gave either.  Christmas is about a feeling, not a thing.  So, stop trying to fulfill some expectation about what someone will receive and think about a memory you will build on Christmas day. I suspect Mary didn’t remember the gold, frankincense and myrrh (all great gifts) nearly as well as she remembered looking into the face of her newborn baby, who had come to save the world.

            I do remember a gift we received last year.  On Christmas Eve Dan gave the kids and I a mission.  We had 30 minutes to solve a puzzle, like a Mission Impossible.  We barely made it in time, so glad the thing didn’t self destruct in my living room.  The gift was an adventure trip to New England, which we took this past summer.  I remember us on the floor as a family trying to solve that puzzle.  We were laughing and guessing and trying to get clues from Dan, the dog nuzzling in on the action. And the memories carry  through to the summer when we took the road trip through New England and all of the places we went to see together; friends in Connecticut, touring Boston, Fenway, Cheers, family in New Hampshire, family in New York and Hershey Park Pennsylvania.  The trip was amazing and it was a family bonding experience.  This year, I look forward to another Mission Impossible – a gift you won’t find in a store on Black Friday.  Stop the insanity – you won’t find Christmas happiness in a store on Black Friday.

Be thankful for what you have and who you are – from facebook post

A few weeks ago, I was inspired to write this facebook post and I feel today is a great day to share it again:

Careful what you wish for: I finally had a minute to sit down and share, so here goes. You know from time to time you look at someone else and think; "I wish I had her body, her money, her education, her well behaved kids, her doting husband, her job, etc." Don't lie, we can't see you, so be honest and own it. Well, here is the deal, you don't get to wish for that one thing that someone else has and not take on the rest of her life too. Just because she has the kitchen you want, did you know she is fighting breast cancer? Just because she is in great shape, did you know that her oldest child was killed in a car accident three years ago. Stop wanting what someone else has, because in truth she has what she has and God has a path for her and He has a path for you. You are on that path now, so stop wishing for someone else's life and listen to what He has in store for you. No one else can live what you have lived, feel what you feel, experience what you experience, love what you love, do what you do. You will be fulfilled when you stop and live the life He has planned for you. Someone was supposed to hear that and maybe it was just me. But God wouldn't let it go, so I wrote it and now I'm done... So persistent that guy Carry on!

Today, be thankful for what you have, but why must that stop today?  Tomorrow, wake up and be thankful again.  And the day after that and the day after that… Instead of chasing a deal tomorrow on Black Friday, chase Him instead and be thankful for what you have.  I am often reminded of the quote I saw that said, “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today.”

Eating tip for today – Eat first the foods that look whole, the way God designed them; turkey, salad, corn, etc.  Then have one spoonful of any of the other foods you want to try.  Last tip, walk away, you are full, walk away – it will be worth it.

Countdown Workout – 10, 9, 8, 7, ….

Do this workout everyday until you receive a different blog workout! 

No equipment necessary.  Print out this workout (or stand in front of your computer) because you need to transition from exercise to exercise very quickly.  You will start at the top of the list of exercises and do 10 repetitions of each one, no rest.  Then begin again at the top and do 9 reps of each, then 8 and so on until you finish with 1 repetition of each one.  Quick transitions are key to get your heart rate up and keep it up.  Water break after you finish the 6 reps of each.  Feel free to email me for modification ideas; annacarterfitness@gmail.com  Here are a few illustrations of some of the moves, list below...

 Burpee

 Boat Twist

Burpees

Speed squats (squats in place as fast as you can)

Prisoner get ups (kneel down on the floor and then stand back up)

Alternating lunges (lunge right leg and lunge left leg = 1 repetition)

Jumping Jacks

Triceps dips

Mountain Climbers

Push ups

Downhill ski jumps side to side (jump right, jump left feet together = 1)

Boat twist (twist left, twist right = 1) Heels down on floor or lifted for more challenge

Crunches

Pomegranate Salad

Haven’t decided what you are taking to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving?  Well, here you go!  Fruits, veggies, nuts and whole grain rice, this salad is awesome!  I do not make the dressing but use a raspberry vinaigrette (work smarter, not harder, I say!)  Also, you can substitute black and burgundy rice for the wild rice – yum! 

http://pinchofyum.com/pomegranate-kale-wild-rice-salad-with-walnuts-feta

Launch Day –You control you!

            Today is the day.  You will make a commitment that your long term fitness and wellness is more important than the over indulgence which has begun to define the holiday season.  From Thanksgiving to the new year you will encounter family meals, work parties, cookie exchanges, school parties, church functions and much more!  There will be many opportunities to splurge.  Not this year!  This year you will have a goal and you will focus on attaining that goal while selectively deciding when and how to indulge. 

           

You are in control of you, period.  Since the age of 5 no one has “made your plate” for you.  You control what goes in your mouth.  Since the age of 2, no one has spooned food into your cheeks.  At any meal you attend, if you are asked to bring an item, you are in control of the ingredients that go into that master piece.  Bottom line, you control you.  What happens in the next 45 days is no one else’s fault, you do not get off the hook because you HAD to eat anything.  Got it?  Good.  Let’s move on.

           

Find a sticky note, scrap paper, pretty paper, ugly paper, it doesn’t matter and write one of the following things:

           

“I will maintain my measurements through January 1 because it will be worth it.”

            “I will lose 5 pounds by January 1 because it will be worth it.”

            “I will lose 1 inch in my hips (or waist) by January 1 because it will be worth it.

            Now, go weigh yourself or take your waist (at your belly button) and hip measurements (measurement tape comes together in front of your pubic bone), write these numbers on a separate slip of paper and put them in your wallet.  We will revisit them latter in this series.

Write your goal on multiple pieces of paper and post it in multiple locations.  DO NOT hide it.  Put it on the mirror in the bathroom, the rearview mirror in your car, your computer screen at work.  Don’t want others to see it?  Why, are you afraid of inspiring them?  If someone is going to harass you or sabotage you, they are the only ones who do not need to see these notes, otherwise – wallpaper the town!  This note will remind you of why you are controlling what happens through the holidays.

            From today through January 1, follow these blogs for workout ideas, recipes, motivation and education that will get you to your goal by January 1.  Feel free to look back in the archives to see other blogs that can inspire and motivate you to your goal!

            This holiday season is about being Thankful for what you have, the birth of Jesus and a New beginning on January 1.  Jesus came to this earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for us.  This Christmas season is about celebrating His birth, focus on Him and less on you and see what happens this Christmas.

Creating Commitment to Exercise

Are you have a hard time committing to exercise?

Two key criteria must be met when selecting or designing an exercise program:

1)                  The program must place the appropriate demands on the systems of the body (cardiovascular, metabolic, muscular, etc.) in order for adaptation to occur.

2)                  The program must maximize an individual’s willingness to comply.

Designing an exercise program unequivocally requires the direct supervision of a trained individual.

The following information will allow such an individual to assist you in designing a program based on your health history, goals and interests.  If you have already had such a program designed then perhaps this review will assist you in analyzing and improving upon it.

An exercise routine must address the following four categories:

            Muscular strength

            Muscular endurance

            Cardiovascular endurance

            Flexibility

Remember the following with regards to your exercise routine:

            Aerobic exercise

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that aerobic/cardio exercise be completed 3-5 times per week for a minimum of 30 – 45 minutes.  These segments can be broken into 10-15 minute intervals and will still allow for metabolic changes.

 

Such exercise should cause an individual to exercise at 65-80% of maximal heart rate. 

Weight bearing aerobic exercise (ex. walking or aerobic exercise class) will create a greater total calorie expenditure than non- weightbearing aerobic activity (ex. swimming or biking).

            Strength training/weight lifting exercise        

The ACSM recommendations for strength training are that an individual take part in weight lifting exercise at least two times per week. 

This program must create an overload on the musculoskeletal system to receive the metabolic and muscular changes associated with weight lifting. 

Weight bearing machines that can be adjusted for position and height are critical in a safe strength training program. A free weight exercise routine should focus on the balance, strength and ability of the participant.

Critical factors with regards to exercise adherence:

1)                  Safety

2)                  Time

3)                  Boredom

4)                  Results

To increase exercise adherence the following guidelines can be helpful to consider:

1)                  Have a plan

2)                  Create short term quantifiable goals

3)                  Minimize injury

4)                  Request fitness testing

5)                  Group exercise participation

6)                  Variety

7)                  Establish accountability

8)                  Chart your program and progress

9)                  Compliment exercise program with recreational activities

10)              Use music to motivate

11)              Establish and commit to a routine

12)              Enroll in motivational rewards programs

Select a qualified and enthusiastic exercise leader