Fabulous Friday Fitness Challenge

Drop and give me 20.

That's right, let's start the Fabulous Friday Fitness Challenge off with push ups. This is the classic full body exercise, we use our chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and core to do push ups. Women are great at pushups!

Form

• Form is paramount, it ensures we are using the correct muscles and not putting any joints at risk.
• Place hands beneath your shoulders, comfortable space apart
• Keep your back straight from the top of your head to your feet or knees
• Pull your naval in and away from the floor to engage your core
• Butt down, Head up
• Bend your elbows till your arms are parallel with the ground. (lowering just your head and chin does NOT count)
• If pushups on your knees with a flat back, butt down are too much, start on your hands and knees, knees under your hips. Lift and lower from here.
• Use a mirror or ask a friend to spot ya.

 Tune in next week for another Fabulous Friday Fitness challenge.  

Do 20 full pushups, do them on knees, break them into 2 sets of 10 or 4 sets of 5. Just do them. Comment when you're done.  

READY...SET...GO!!!

Let's roll

Roll, roll what? Foam roll of course!

These super sized pool noodle looking thingies are evil and wonderful at the same time, and have been my saving grace since discovering my IT band syndrome. You first experience with a foam roller is sure to be a memorable one. (Love to hear your story in the comments below)

Foam rollers are a tool for lengthening the muscle and releasing adhesions. Adhesions can be scar tissue, tight spots from a bruise or an area where soft tissues "stick" to surrounding structures. All of these shorten the muscles length keeping you from your best performance. Using your foam roller can restore the muscle to it's full length, or at least close. You'll be surprised how many adhesions you have in any given muscle.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm

Soooo let's roll! You can find a foam roller at Target, a local running store or on Amazon. I find the shorter ones are easier to store and do the trick. The darker the roller, the more dense the material so when in doubt start lighter in color.

The image above shows a great way to stretch the area from the base of the leg down to the ankle. Roll slowly from one end of the leg to the other, stopping at any tight spots, breathing and allowing the adhesion to release then come right back up. Repeat the process along the quads, hamstrings and calves.

When? Ideally you'd foam roller before a workout to lengthen the muscle, then again afterwards to stretch them out again. Most moms are lucky to get the workout done in the first place, so do what you can. I often find myself rolling while a tv show is on or while my kids are playing. Whatever works, get it done.

If you're a visual learner check out this Youtube  video for a couple others to try.

Happy Rolling. And as always, keep movin' mama!

ack!! I missed my class

Sitting in front of the computer blogging and I missed my class!

Ever happen to you? You had the intention to get there, you got your workout clothes on but something happened and you didn't make it to class.

Doesn't even matter if I'm teaching it or if I'm participating I thrive, push harder and enjoy working out with a group 9 times out of 10. So when I miss my class because the kids didn't want to stop playing Legos and get in the car, someone pukes on the way to the gym, my shoe laces break..you name it...I still have to do something. So what do you do?

Here are a couple of ideas and standbys:

Around the block-
In the event you didn't make it to the gym, get moving around the block. Kids on bikes, in a stroller, at school, left with a neighbor...let's move. Run, walk, jog, skip, side shuffle, roller blade...use what you've got and go.

Hit the floor- 
You made it to the gym, you're just late. Although some are quite happy jumping into the weight room with the guys, not everyone will do it. So find a quieter spot in the gym, the stretching area or a back corner and a few pieces of portable gear. A handle tube can be used for bicep curls, a chest press or lateral raises. Sit down and use it for seated rows or assisted v-sits. Use a few light weights and do lots of reps to build endurance.

Stuck in the house-

So maybe it was the puke option, and now said puker is sleeping it off. What can you do without leaving the premises. Walking lunges down the hall, pushups, squats, crunches, or jump rope...see some circuit ideas in the previous post XT???

Made it to the park-
You opted to give up and take the kids to the park. Now what? Work it in girl, be the mom who exercises while the kids play. Chase them, squat with each swing push, take a few laps on the monkey bars, do a pull up on a bar, tricep dip on a step, do pushups on a bench, climb the rock wall and do it all again. You may even giggle.

A mom with muscle must get it done, squeeze it and make it happen. We subscribe to the philosophy that something is much better than nothing when it comes to exercise. Love to hear your questions and comments below.

Keep movin' mama!

Raisins are great workout fuel

What is a goo??? And why would I subject myself to eating that!?!?

I have to say, I totally agree! One goo trial, followed by another and this mama is done. There are an assortment of goos, bars and blocks to use for your workout fuel. You may already even have a favorite that works for you. Awesome.

As in so many areas of my life I have chosen to think out of the box and find a few whole food options for fuel during a workout. Let's start with some basics:

Once your workout time has extended beyond 60 minutes, it's time to consider adding more than tissue to your shorts pocket. Your body can store energy to keep it going the first 60 minutes, after that you'll poop out, feel quesy or just not give your best. Whats a mom to do?

Here are a few items you may already have in your cabinent that can help ya out:

• Raisins - these don't squash in your pocket & come in a snack pack size.
• Dried Cranberries- ditto
• Blueberries - another hardy traveling favorite
• Nuts- these last awhile & give you something else to think about on your journey
• Juice Plus chewables - fruits & veggies in chewable form- whole food on the go (www.livemorewithjuiceplus.com)
• Honey sticks - those long sticks your kids always beg for at farmers markets or if pick up a few packets from your local fast food joint.

These are all easily digestible carbs that your body can use NOW, in just the right portion for a body in motion. Love to hear any you have to add to the list.

Stay tuned, follow the blog and I'll post more on food and fuel later this week!

Keep movin' mama!

Who ARE moms with muscle?

What? Moms with muscle? Really? Is that possible? Heck ya!

There really are moms out there with muscle. And no, you don't have to have abs and buns of steel. But you have to choose to make yourself and your health a priority. Not only for a pedicure, although I must admit that would be nice once in awhile, but for their own health. Making time to exercise, move and feel strong.

I've had the honor of being in mom fitness the last 7 years and have noticed a few things that are unique about moms with muscle.

5 minutes
As everyone who has experienced the term "mom" first hand knows, it can be an hour one day and 5 minutes the next. Either way, 5 minutes is better than none....right??? Moms with muscle make the 5 minutes count just as much as the hours. They get down to business, get it done then get back to being a mom.

role model
Don't just talk, show your kids that it's important to move and exercise. That may be by including them in the action, but it's equally important to be ok with telling them you need your own exercise too. Don't mistake me for a mom that's not involved, one reason I got involved with mom fitness was to stay home and be over involved with my kids.

seek support
Those that stick with it, keep moving, challenge themselves to do more and succeed find support. From a mom based fitness program (yup...like Moms In Motion) or a local boot camp, a group of friends to walk with, stroller fitness program. Women are social creatures, we love to chat, to compare, to obsess, to ask, to seek help, to do this together...and to have someone call us when we don't show up to workout.

food
Moms with muscle are the moms that TRY to choose the carrot sticks more often than the artichoke dip at parties. Try, we don't always succeed and often rationalize, but generally we are the ones who think about food choices because we worked out tooshy off this morning and don't want the effort to be wasted.

family included
invite, include, nag, role model, force, encourage, whatever the word, moms with muscle include their families in the fight. In some way we influence our husbands, kids, grandparents and neices to make health and strength a priority too.

If this is you, or who you strive to be, like my blog and let's do this together. My goal is to post more hows, whens and wheres to help you be a mom with muscle. Looking forward to your comments and to getting back to the blog.

Keep movin' mama!