Halloween book

Booooo Booo Boooo Booooo Booo Booooo Booooo Boo Boooooo
Where's the K? I'm waiting for the K.
Oh, here it is, at the end of Boo

BOOK

This halloween I picked out some child-friendly peanut free mars bars for the kids. Being a bad neighbour, I also picked out some M&M peanut treats. After all, what would halloween be without peanut candy?????? Peanut the green wins my nomination for super hero.

One lucky kid gets an extra special halloween treat today. That kid gets a book instead of candy. What a lucky kid, you say. I think so too. Feed the mind instead of the body. Entertainment without a sugar spike and hyperactive behaviour. I guarantee you this, the kid won't appreciate it now but they'll always remember the halloween when they got a book in the loot bag.

The story book came in the candy box and I think I'll give it to the next door neighbour's kid. Actually, I'll give her and her brother a big handful of candy too. They're both cuties and their Mom won't mind if I stuff their loot bags. I'll give both of them a can of pop as well. Just to make their bags feel extra full.

Rest day and then back to work

Yesterday was rest day, except for a short walk. Today was back to the routine with a couple of changes. (3 sets of each)

Warm up - plyometric side jumps off the step X 20/side
abs windshield wiper X 12/side
bench press (smith machine) 60 lb X 12
V-sit 20
Javorek complex 8 lb X 6 of each exercise (Moved this set to an earlier part of the routine and had much more success. The big muscles were not as fatigued.)
V-sit with medicine ball twist 20/side
good mornings with military press 18 lb X 12
squats 18 lb X 15
4 pt shoulder press on bosu 10 lb X 12
skull crusher 18 lb X 15
rotator cuff 8 lb X 10

Overall, much better workout. I'm still increasing the weights to the point where I am finally feeling a good workout. The ab exercises are progressing well, too. Drank lots of water today and feel good overall.

Experimenting with core workouts

Today started with a walk at Lemoine Point and ended with a core workout. I started with a list of ten exercises and tried each in turn. There were some great results from some items on the list but not much effect from others. I'm not sure if it was poor form or too few reps. I'll keep experimenting and will nail down a killer core workout soon.

Here's the list of ten in the order that I performed them:

• swiss ball forward roll out
• front plank
• side plank
• hanging leg raise
• lateral V-up on bosu
• windshield wiper
• leg raise on bosu
• dead bugs
• ass kicker (crunch with a punch)
• V-sit with medicine ball twist

Keeping straight legs during some of the exercises was very challenging. I ended up moving to bent legs to prevent arching in my back. I'll keep working on these exercises and see how things shape up.

Phase two of core workouts is reducing fat. This will come in time as I ramp up my aerobic activity and reduce processed foods in my diet. One thing at a time though. Don't want to change too much all at once or the charm of living a healthy life will quickly wear off.

Weights and Abs

Today I did the weight workout that I had promised myself yesterday, but put off because of the weather. In true Babe fashion, I warmed up with a Large double-double coffee and a muffin from my favorite breakfast place. Then I did the mental preparation necessary for a significant workout like this by surfing the internet for a couple of hours.

Finally it was workout time.
Stage one: weigh in. 158 lbs
Stage two: warm up. 3 sets of 60 step ups alternating with an ab routine using spinal rotation called the windshield wiper.

Stage three: the workout. 3 sets of each
Bench press (smith machine) 60 lbs X 12 reps
bosu crunch with knee up 12
one arm dumbbell row 20 lb X 12/side
situps 30
incline pushup 20
bosu lunge 12/leg
dead bugs 25
javorek complex 8 lb 6 of each exercise
swiss ball bridge with hamstring 12
4 pt shoulder press on bosu 10 lb dumbbell 12
horizontal wood chop 15 lb X 12/side
tricep pulldown 20 lb X 20 reps

Step 4: analysis
This was a longer workout than a person would normally do when they select a weight routine. There are a couple of reasons for this.

• I am experimenting with some new exercises. Some ideas came from the internet and some from an exercise video. Once I've perfected the form then I will include them as part of a regular (and smaller) workout.
• Light weights and resistance movements mean that I can do more repetitions on each muscle group. I am not maxing out each muscle (yet) and still have some room to increase weight. For the time being I think that I will try super-sets rather than going heavy but there are many options to try in the future.
• I was feeling really good during this workout and didn't want it to end. My energy was good, mood was good, music on the radio was good. Why stop a good thing?

My goal right now is to continue working on my core and to experiment with different exercise routines to see what gives me the best result.

Go fitness!

Weather dictates PT

Today I went for a walk in Lemoine Point park. It was a gorgeous sunny day so I took advantage of the fall weather and enjoyed the outdoors. I also spent about four hours getting the garden ready for winter.

Weights were originally on the agenda for today but since there is a 90% chance of rain tomorrow I decided to switch the workouts around. I'll spend tomorrow in the basement doing weights.

See ya tomorrow.

Bosu video workout

The Bosu came with an exercise video and I decided to try it today. The workout will be quite familiar to anyone who has done aerobics and step workouts. The unstable dome of the bosu adds an extra challenge to the workout and it will take time to build up speed and agility.

This workout focused on control and balance. It is very different from the strength training workout that I did on Tuesday, but I think that doing this bosu workout twice a week will lead to visible improvement in a short amount of time.

The most challenging exercises for me were the core exercises where the hips were balanced in the top of the bosu and the remainder of the body was elevated into a plank position. This can be done in the forward and side positions. Very hard to do but would be a great exercise for toning the core.

Fun factoid

Did you know.... chocolate milk is becoming a favorite post workout drink among serious athletes. The combination of protein and carbs helps speed muscle recovery and gives the athlete some quick energy.