Happy 4th of July! Turning a Corner

Here we are, another holiday on our journey to live healthy. Lucky for me, this isn't one of our big family gathering holidays, so not as many temptations. My hubby is going to grill some steaks, and I'm making a pasta dish and trying some whole wheat noodles. Toss in some corn on the cob, and you have the perfect summer holiday dinner. Set off some little firecrackers and poppers to celebrate Independence Day, does it get any better? So, Happy 4th of July to all my blogging buddies, and any blogstalkers out there. :)

Well, my training session yesterday had an interesting start. I woke up, after sleeping in until noon (boy was that nice). I leasurly rise, head into the garage in my robe to grab my freshly laundered gym clothes from the dryer. My son asks me if daddy is still in bed . . . he wasn't . . . we only have one working car right now . . . my session starts in an hour. I grab my phone and call my hubby, who is at the tire place. Turns out he took the car this morning to fill my tank, and realized my back tires were bald to the point metal was showing, oops. Well, no way he would be home in time for my session. Darn, guess I'll have to call Paul and let him know I need to reschedule. Reaching for the phone - mind ticks - here's the conversation the little angel and devil on my shoulders has;

It's the first time you've rescheduled so no big deal

If you cancel once, it'll be a lot easier in the future

There's not enough time to get ready and get down there

It's ok if you're a few minutes late, you will have already gotten your warm up

Oh come on, give yourself a break!

Are you really giving yourself a break? Or are you sabotaging your efforts and taking the first step towards ruining all the effort you have put in to acheiving your new healthy lifestyle?

Wow, OK, the little angel won this round. Before my hand even hits the phone, I was pulling it back. I grabbed my workout gear, threw on my clothes, grabbed my ID and gym card, filled my water bottle, and headed out the door. As I took the first few steps and realized what I had done, I felt a lift in my spirits. Wow, did I just really talk myself IN to going to the gym?! It's usually the exact opposite. I feel like I've turned a major corner in my life. This is a big sign to me that I'm finally really on the right path.

So, now to the actual training session. This session we worked with a Medicine Ball. Standing in one small area I got a full workout that had my arms and legs wobbly and sore (but in a good way). Lets see if I can remember everything (now I had to make up names for some of them):

Ball Crunches:

1. Lie on your back on an exercise ball

2. Hold medicine ball in hands with arms straight pointing at ceiling

3. Push the ball towards the ceiling while contracting the abs

Toe touchies:

1. Hold ball above your head, legs hip width apart

2. Bend down and (try to) touch the floor with the ball

Twists (this one we did with a heavier ball):

1. Elbows bent, feet hip width apart, hold ball in both hands about stomach level in front of you

2. Twist to the side (keep your feet planted, you should feel the twisting all the way down to your ankles).

3. Return to the middle and pause slightly before continuing to the other side.

Swing Squats:

1. Take a wide stance, hold the ball in both hands above your head, arms straight

2. Swing the ball down between your legs and do a partial squat

Toss backs:

1. Stand with your legs hip width apart

2. Behind you slightly to one side

3. Holding the ball with both hands in front of you, twist towards the person behind you and toss them the ball

4. Pause and have them toss it back

5. As you catch it, swing to the other side and repeat

6. When you're done with the one side, repeat the other way.

Diaganal Tree Choppers (this was felt a little awkward at first)

1. Legs hip width apart, hold ball in both hands above the left shoulder

2. Swing the ball down and past the right leg towards the toe, bend the left knee a little

3. Swing the ball back up to the shoulder

Knee Lifts (these felt pointless for the first 10 reps, then I suddenly felt what they were doing, by 20 I could barely lift my arms):

1. Hold ball ofer head in both hands.

2. Bring it down bending at the elbows and keeping the ball close to the body

3. Lift right knee and touch ball to knee

4. Repeat with other leg

We did between 12 and 20 reps for each exercise, and did 2 circuits (once through everything, the through it all again), with an extra set of the crunches and knee Lifts thrown in at the end to torture me.

After this, I don't think I'll be skipping any of my planned activities in the future. If I can make myself walk to the gym when I don't have my car, I can make myself stop whatever I think is more important long enough to do my workout.

Healthy and Happy Living