Tag Archives: cardio

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Life, Parenting

What Counts as Exercise?

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Many parents, at-home and working alike, succumb to the “I don’t have time” mantra when it comes to exercise, but it’s  an important part of life and is worth making time to do.

You might think exercise is something that requires special equipment or is only done at a gym, but you might already be “exercising” without even knowing it. Exercise falls under several definitions, and one way it is defined is that it’s a regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ. Knowing this, I’m positive we all have a long list of things we do every day that count as “exercise” and we never thought of it as such.

Carrying your kid around the house or grabbing them before they grab the cat’s tail several times a day would definitely count.

DSC_1454

That was before she could walk, now just doing what she does would be an excellent way to exercise without even knowing it.


Daily things like going for a walk, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry, and playing (or squatting) with your kids are all great ways to fit in exercise and accomplish your laundry list (pun intended) of things you need to get done.

In a nutshell, movement of any form is, in and of itself, exercise. An important thing to remember is to be consistent with your movement and make sure it’s something you enjoy. If your stomach churns just thinking of going for a run, don’t do it, you’ll never stick with it. Ride a bike, walk, swim, row, hike, or……clean house. The point I’m trying to make is, keeping active, however you so choose, helps to make a better you.

As parents, we need to be excellent role models and should let our children see us being active and living a healthy lifestyle so they will hopefully follow suit and WANT to be like mommy and daddy. Note I said “healthy lifestyle”; this means exercise and good nutrition! If you are trying to lose weight, you can workout all you want, but without good nutrition, your results will be minimal at best.

Finishing a great workout session is NOT a pass to go pig out on packaged, processed junk or order takeout without thinking of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Do you even read the ingredients label on some of these things? Actually, real food won’t have a label at all since it’s just the one ingredient in its whole form. Crazy, right?

No matter your fitness goal, lose weight, gain strength, maintain current level, etc., we will all benefit from moving more and practicing good nutrition for the quality of life it provides. If you are already a conscious eater and get a good dose of daily movement, good for you, keep it up and hopefully you are inspiring others! Bonus points when it’s your little ones that are being inspired. I love knowing Avery is seeing her Mommy and Daddy keeping active and wants to do the same whenever she can.

 

Do you struggle with motivation or find yourself doing too much when it comes to working out?

Are you a health food lover who cooks their own meals or could you use some work help in the nutrition department?

Going Strong

A Full Body HIIT Strength and Cardio Circuit During Naptime

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Here’s a quick but efficient HIIT circuit I created to knock out during naptime. I love working out with Avery, but sometimes, you just need space. Otherwise, they’ll walk right into the dumbbells you are holding as you perform your workout. Not good for anyone!

Full Body HIIT Strength and Cardio Circuit_Naptime

You might need another pair of dumbbells for the lunges with a curl to overhead press, but work with what you have on hand. Hey, if your kid is awake, use them as the weight!

I put leg work first since legs are such an integral part of our body and literally carry us each and every day at work and at home. Treat them well, keep them strong, and feel awesome! Plus, you need to make sure you’re ready for an impromptu playtime session anytime, anywhere.

What I love about this circuit is that it can be tailored to any fitness level depending on the weight used, rounds completed, and intensity it’s performed. Even if you have only one set of weights, try completing the circuit faster than the last time.

With the colder weather setting in, I love having routines like this to satisfy my need for fitness while staying indoors. Give it a go and please, let me know what you think. Looks like Avery is ready to rock!

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Guess that means no naptime…..

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Life, Parenting

Last Week’s Workouts + What Counts as Exercise?

4 Comments

Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while is share my previous week’s workouts as a way to give to keep myself in check and possibly help others get or stay motivated. Many parents, at-home and working alike, succumb to the “I don’t have time” mantra when it comes to exercise, but it’s  an important part of life and is worth making time to do.

You might think exercise is something that requires special equipment or is only done at a gym, but you might already be “exercising” without even knowing it. Exercise falls under several definitions, and one way it is defined is that it’s a regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ. Knowing this, I’m positive we all have a long list of things we do every day that count as “exercise” and we never thought of it as such.

Carrying your kid around the house or grabbing them before they grab the cat’s tail several times a day would definitely count.

DSC_1454

Chores and daily tasks like going for a walk, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry, and engaging in playtime with your kids are all great ways to fit in exercise and accomplish your laundry list (pun intended) of things you need to get done.

In a nutshell, movement of any form is, in and of itself, exercise. An important thing to remember is to be consistent with your movement and make sure it’s something you enjoy. If your stomach churns just thinking of going for a run, don’t do it, you’ll never stick with it. Ride a bike, walk, swim, row, hike, or……clean house. The point I’m trying to make is, keeping active, however you so choose, helps to make a better you.

As parents, we need to be excellent role models and should let our children see us being active and living a healthy lifestyle so they will hopefully follow suit and WANT to be like mommy and daddy. Note I said “healthy lifestyle”; this means exercise and good nutrition! If you are trying to lose weight, you can workout all you want, but without good nutrition, your results will be minimal at best.

Finishing a great workout session is NOT a pass to go pig out on packaged, processed junk or order takeout without thinking of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Do you even read the ingredients label on some of these things? Actually, real food won’t have a label at all since it’s just the one ingredient in its whole form. Crazy, right?

I plan on going into more detail with my thoughts on fitness and nutrition in future posts, but just keep these general things in mind for now. No matter your fitness goal, lose weight, gain strength, maintain current level, etc., we will all benefit from moving more and practicing good nutrition for the quality of life it provides. If you are already a conscious eater and get a good dose of daily movement, good for you, keep it up and hopefully you are inspiring others!

I’m on my feet most of the day and rarely sit down until night (I stand at the counter to use my computer) and move around a lot with Avery. I bring her with me to workout in our garage which holds a power squat rack I am quite proud of. In addition to my below strength training, I walk and/or run multiple times a day. Most days out of the week, my walk/run schedule looks like this:

  • Walk/run 1.5 to 2 miles with Avery in stroller and our dog, Abby; this is immediately after my strength session if there was one that day. I’m still letting my fractured foot heal all the way, but once I’m good to run again, I’ll probably increase this up to 4 miles if able.
  • Walk 2.5 to 3 miles with Avery in the Onya Outback after nap time while listening to a podcast
  • Walk 1.5 miles with Going Mom and Avery in stroller in the evening

My main goal is gaining strength (you’ll see my weights used below), but I contradict myself with so much walking/running coupled with not eating a caloric surplus in order to facilitate muscle growth. Yep, I’m aware of the issue and still can’t get it right. It’s a mental thing as a former fat boy, but I’m getting better.

I typically prefer an upper/lower body split routine, but am currently in a transition and not following anything in particular. This is bad since I am on the opposite end of the spectrum from most in that I do more work than necessary and it most likely hampers my recovery. However, working out is a great mental relief for me and I feel I must do it every day or else I’m edge. Yep, I wake up pissed off and only feel better after a great sweat session…..and coffee.

Here’s what last week’s workouts looked like

Monday: Crossfit-type “WODs”

5 Rounds:

Dumbbell Thrusters x 10 —> Pull-ups x 10

Count Down/Up:

30, 25, 20…10, 5 – KB Swings (50lb)

5, 10, 15….25, 30 – Push-ups

Tuesday:

Barbell Back Squat – 5 x 8 x 210lbs   —> Superset with Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 x 8 x 57.5 lb/arm

DB Straight leg deadlift – 5 x 12 x 57.5lb/arm  —> Superset with wide-grip pull-ups – 5 x 5

Lunges with 45lb plate overhead – 31/leg

Tabata Bike (20s on; 10s off x 8)

Wednesday:

Deadlift – 5 x 185, 205, 235, 255, 275, 280

Power Clean  – 130lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10

OH Press – 4 x 8 x 100lbs

31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

Thursday:

Supreme 90 Day Cardio Challenge video + 31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

Friday:

Front Squat – 180lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10  —-> superset with 5 pull-ups and 10 incline push-ups

Bench Press – 5 x 6 x 175lbs  —-> superset with DB Bent Row – 5 x 12 x 45lb/arm

Turkish Getup w/ 25lb Kettlebell – 3 x 5/side

31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Saturday:

6 rounds of Tabata:

1. Bike, 2. 15lb Ball Slams + Push-ups, 3. Bike, 4. Side-to-side Ball Slams + Incline Push-ups, 5. Bike, 6. Ball Slams + Push-ups

31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Sunday:

Mow lawn with Fiskars Reel Mower while wearing Elevation Training Mask

31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

So yeah, I could tone it down and probably see a lot better results in strength gain. If I could stick to a simple 5×5 routine, I’d be good to go, but I always feel the need to do more. Anyway, I’ve carried on far too long, check back for more thoughts on fitness and nutrition in the future.

Do you struggle with motivation or find yourself doing too much when it comes to working out?

Are you health food lover who cooks their own meals or could you use some work help in the nutrition department?

What would you like to read more about first; nutrition or working out for specific goals? Let me know and I’ll be happy to share!