The moves you love to hate…
So one of the challenges for the Under Armour challenge was to film the move you “love to hate.”
It was sort of hard to pick one…just kidding…but not really…
There are so many moves that I really don’t like doing, but at the same time I love them because I know that I only hate them because they are super good for me.
Usually the moves I love to hate are moves that never seem to get easier and almost always leave me feeling tired and sore the next day. They are moves that the masochistic me likes.
The Top 10 Moves I Love to Hate!
- “Walking Lunges” – So these are in the video I made for the challenge. I wear a weight vest while doing them, which only really makes them more “lovely.” To do them you jump up and slightly forward as you switch and lunge on the other side. There is something about this plyometric “walking” forward that is torturous. Your legs burn and you get winded. Definitely a move to love to hate.
- Balance Lunges – These are always uncomfortable and painful. Maybe it is just that my balance isn’t awesome but I never have fun doing these. With these, your back foot is up on a bench and you are balancing in a lunge position. Like with the split squat, you just lower the back knee to the ground without going forwards or backwards.
- Dips – These are also in the video. I did them with a weight vest. They suck enough without it though. These for me are just frustrating. There are some days when I can easily bust out ten in a row and other days when one seems impossible. A great upper body and core exercise though!
- Step ups – I can’t explain why I hate these so much, but it might have to do with the cardio aspect of stepping up and down quickly with weights while my legs burn. I like isolating one leg when I do step ups. I don’t alternate legs and I make one leg do all the work while climbing.
- Overhead presses – I think I don’t like these because my shoulders are weak. Also the burnout of such a small muscle group always gets me. Try not to arch your back too much as you press weight straight overhead.
- Planks – I always seem to do planks after I’ve done shoulders, which makes planks extremely un-fun. Plus I hate any exercise where you have to hold a pose…Maybe that is why I “love/hate” yoga….
- Wall sits – Again…I have to sit still why my legs burn and begin to shake. Who doesn’t love/hate that!?!
- Burpees – So if I’ve killed my upper body, my arms hurt a bit during burpees. If I’ve killed my legs, my legs hurt during burpees. If I haven’t killed anything, I get out of breath and my lungs hurt during burpees. Anyway you look at it, burpees are torturous for some reason!
- Rowing – I’m honestly not sure why I hate rowing so much…Maybe it is the fact that my legs feel like they won’t function and I feel like I’m going to puke when I’ve gone all out on the erg…Yea…I think that might be the reason…
- Pull ups – So actually I love pull ups. Sometimes they frustrate me, but I still love them. I feel like this exercise though is definitely one that most women love to hate…or well just hate for that matter!
What moves do you love to hate?
P.S. Foam rolling video coming at the end of this week!!!
The good, the bad and the simply stupid
So I want to start out by saying…I’m not sure if this article/interview about Paleo belongs under the good or the simply stupid.
Am I happy that the Paleo diet is getting more positive mainstream attention? Yes.
But really? Paleoista? Bleh!
The Good
So I mentioned the other day that I had Buffalo Flank Steak from The Meat House. The Meat House gets its supply from Wild Idea Buffalo Co. AMAZING! Grass-fed, free roaming buffalo! It was delicious, tender, juicy and HEALTHY! Plus the animal was raised in a natural way that actually helps keep the Great Plains healthy and thriving!
Here is a great article courtesy of Man Biceper Heather. If you haven’t already, make sure to check it out! This guy is spot on!
This post by Fit and Feminist also made me smile. Have I mentioned before that I hate Barbie weights?
What exercise is she even doing!?!
The Bad
So while I agree that how you “fuel” is very important to your performance (and health for that matter), eating a stupid, processed “chew” isn’t any better than all the crap shown all over the ground. Sorry Gatorade.
The Simply Stupid
Wearing skinny jeans that are too tight can cause health problems. My question is: How can you possibly get those jeans that are “too tight” on? Sometimes I have a hard enough time getting my non-skinny jeans on over my quads and butt!
Ok…those jeans are a bit too tight…
Getting our Vitamin D
It has been nice outside the past few days so Ryan and I have gone outside to workout. A great way to get our Vitamin D for the day! (More about the importance of Vitamin D later!)
Our favorite outdoor workout spot is down by the Charles River. There is a little outdoor workout area with pull up bars and places to do abs, push ups, inverted rows, plyometrics and more.
Last year we did the Murph down there.
This year our first outdoor workout was:
1 round as fast as you can:
50 Pull ups
50 Push Ups
50 Inverted Rows
50 Dips
50 Burpees
50 Sit ups
The 1.5 mile walk down to the river felt good, but the 1.5 mile walk back wasn’t near as fun. The workout was definitely a bit harder because we aren’t yet used to the heat and humidity.
What made the walk back more rewarding was a nice BBQ meal with some delicious Cider Sangria.
We grilled up some delicious Grass-fed Buffalo Flank Steak courtesy of The Meat House!
No sauce needed! Just seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper!
SOOOO GOOD!
To drink or not to drink? That is the question…
I get lots of questions about alcohol and whether or not you should drink it and in what quantities.
This question is always slightly difficult for me to answer because I’ve never been a fan of drinking alcohol.
I’ve had a few run ins with drinking and I’ve always come out the worse for wear. So for me drinking often or a lot just doesn’t sound appealing. I prefer to wake up each morning feeling wonderful and ready to take on the day!
But I do understand that some people really enjoy drinking. While binge drinking still isn’t healthy, a drink or two a few times a week can be good for your health.
Of course there are definitely alcoholic beverages that are better for you than others.
While I loved watching Sex and the City (and still enough the repeats on TV), I wouldn’t recommend that you consume any of those girly drinks near as often as they do. Cosmos, Sex on the Beach, Margaritas, Daiquiris all have WAY too much sugar in them to be consumed more than every once in a while (aka when you are on vacation or during a full on cheat day).
However, if you would like to have a glass or two of red wine a couple of times a week, I fully support that.
Red wine is probably one of the best alcohols you could consume. By best I mean, lowest in carbs with a healthy antioxidant punch! With about 3-5 grams of carbs, red wine contains a ton of antioxidants, including resveratrol, a super antioxidant that is touted as being able to combat cancer and reduce signs of aging among other things.
So if you enjoy a glass or two of wine a couple of nights a week, I say why not?
Of course no matter how “healthy” red wine is that doesn’t mean you can binge on it. It still contains carbs and calories that could slow weight loss if that is your ultimate goal.
White wine is also not a bad indulgence occasionally. It doesn’t contain resveratrol and has fewer phenols, but it still packs a healthy amount of antioxidants in for only 3-5 grams of carbs.
Not a wine drinker though? Prefer hard alcohol?
Well if you enjoy Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey or Cognac, especially on the rocks, you can indulge in a glass or two. Zero carbs and a kick of antioxidants. Actually research has even shown that whiskey may contain more ellagic acid, a free radical fighter, than red wine!
Hey, if you can stomach any of these alcohols, I say go for it!
However, Vodka, Gin and Clear Rum do NOT measure up to Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey or Cognac. None have the antioxidant bonus even though they lack carbs.
Not a hard alcohol drinker or a wine-o? Prefer beer?
Well if you like light beer, you can get a nice antioxidant boost with fewer carbs. Light beer actually holds its own against white wine with a nice dose of antioxidants for only around 3-6 grams of carbs. Be careful though, some light beers do have more carbs than that!
Now regular beers and creamy, dark stouts….Sorry about 10-25 grams of carbs for not near the antioxidant punch you get from red wine. In my opinion, not worth it. But hey, if you really love a beer after a hard week, indulge. Just maybe get in a nice workout either earlier that day or the next to make sure you use those carbs.
Beer is definitely more of an indulgence than red wine.
Now my favorite alcohol. Hard Cider.
I LOVE hard cider. I like wine on occasion and of course indulge every once in a while in a daiquiri or margarita. But if I’m going to have a drink, most of the time I’ll have a hard cider.
Is it the best thing I could drink? Definitely not.
While it has an impressive amount of antioxidants, it comes with a cost – about 15 grams of carbs per bottle.
So do I have to make sure to consume it in moderation? Most definitely.
I love it so I refuse to give it up; however, I also keep my consumption to about 1-2 ciders per weekend, if even that often.
So after all of this rambling, my point is, consume in moderation and try to be aware of what you are consuming. If you love beer, you don’t have to give it up. Just know that you are consuming a decent amount of carbs when you do drink it so you may want to limit how many you have each week.
If you enjoy alcohol, you don’t have to give it up! Alcohol can be a part of your healthy lifestyle!
Here is a great “Sangria” recipe for your Memorial Day weekend BBQ. Definitely not something you want to make too often since it is slightly high in carbs (and contains a diet soda), but boy is it loaded with antioxidants!
Cider Sangria:
Yum!
Ingredients:
1 Hard Cider
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup blood orange vodka
1 can diet pomegranate soda from Trader Joe’s
1/4 cup berries
1 cup mango
4 slices of pineapple
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and let sit a few hours so that all the flavors have time to blend together. Serve chilled over ice! You get 4-6 serving out of this.
A great way to relax after a hard week
I find that there is no better way to relax (or get in a workout for that matter) than to chase after 4 and 5 year olds. To them, exercise is merely playing on the monkey bars. (Which actually is not as easy as it was when I was little!)
Not everyone wanted to participate but they were ready to be chased by the tickle monster afterwards….
Happy Friday Man Bicepers!!! Have a great weekend!
When it rains…it pours…
This week has been legitimately awful. Nothing seems to go right this week!
And because of that, I’ve done just about everything I preach against. I’ve done everything I HATE doing.
I haven’t gotten enough sleep. I’ve overtrained subbing group fitness classes. I’ve expended all my self-control and tried to push through without giving myself a primal cheat, which of course led to a giant binge that only made me feel sick and more drained.
But I’ve got to shake myself out of this funk! I’m determined after what happened last night…
Ryan is a preschool teacher. He is great with the kids, even though I’m pretty sure all of them will have a weird sense of humor after hanging out with him….
Anyway, last night one of the parents called him when we were eating dinner. He at first didn’t answer since we were eating.
But she kept texting him and finally left a voicemail. The voicemail was accusatory and attacking.
Ryan was taken back by her tone and her unfounded accusations. She put him down and tried to get a rise out of him. She WANTED to create drama and to make Ryan feel bad.
But he didn’t let her win.
He stood up to her but he didn’t yell at her or validate her accusations.
He didn’t let the negative things she said about him get to him.
He didn’t let her win.
There are lots of people out there that will yell at you and try to make you feel bad about yourself for no legitimate reason. There are lots of people out there that will put you down when you’ve done nothing wrong.
But those people only win if you believe them.
Don’t let those people win. There are enough things to battle with in life. Don’t let stupid people be one of them.
Believe in yourself.
I believe in myself despite all the crap that has gone on this week. That is why I’m pulling myself out of this funk TODAY!
I will not waste one more minute not enjoying life!!!! 🙂
Spin To Cure
From June 14-16, Candy, Brian and I will be participating in a 16 hour Spin-a-thon to raise money for the PMC (the Pan-Mass Challenge).
We will all be riding all 16 hours.
Will we survive?
I’m not sure.
I’ve participated in the Spin-a-thon every year. The first year I did only 2 hours. Last year, I did all 12. And this year, I will attempt all 16!
And I’m prepared for my butt to be extremely sore for days afterwards!
I’m not a huge fan of cardio, but because it’s a challenge and because it will raise money for a GREAT CAUSE, Candy, Brian and I will do all 16 hours.
I would love for any of you in Boston to join me and the Man Bicep Team and ride in the Spin-a-thon! And if you can’t ride, you can always donate to support the Man Bicepers by clicking here! In the notes section, write that you are sponsoring the Man Bicep team!
If you have any questions, email me at manbiceps@gmail.com!!!
Protecting Big Business
Yesterday Ryan showed me an article that began:
The founder of the Organic Pastures business in California is reporting that government health officials have begun tracking down the names and addresses of natural-foods customers and showing up at their homes, demanding to confiscate any raw milk they might have.
Government officials have actually gone to people’s houses requesting people turn over the raw milk in their refrigerators.
NaturalNews quoted from one of McAfee’s reports:
“I received a phone call yesterday morning from a wonderful young gal, a 36-year-old mom out of LA County. She’s one of our UPS customers that we deliver overnight raw milk to her house. When the CDFA was in here the other day on our recall, they demanded to have all our delivery addresses for overnight UPS delivery. We screwed up and [inadvertently] gave it to them, they got it from one of our secretaries here. The LA County health department started calling her, six or seven times, demanding that she give up her raw milk from her own home to the health department.
She refused, then they showed up at her house and demanded that she give her raw milk to them. She was getting ready to call 911 for the sheriff’s department and have them removed from her front doorstep, and she was threatening to use her camera to take a picture of them and post it on Facebook for harassing her over her raw milk… The investigators left after she told them she was not going to give them the raw milk and to get the hell off her property.
This is what’s going on, it’s like food Nazis, it’s incredible what these people are doing, trying to collect food from people’s houses, that have not made them ill!
Then the San Diego health department called me up and said oh we want a list of all your buyer’s club members, and I said no… and they said we want all their addresses and their names, because we want to go to their homes. I said it ain’t happening, we aren’t going to give it to you.”
Is it just me or does anyone else find this whole story just a bit ridiculous?
Someone is going to come to my house and tell me what food I can and can’t consume!?! I don’t think so! I don’t go into people’s houses and stop them from eating their nasty freezer dinners or McDonalds!
The government is going to stop people from consuming PERFECT NATURAL RAW MILK, but not stop them from eating McDonalds!?! I mean I don’t really think the government has a right to control what we eat in either case.
And on top of that, how can the government put farmers on trial for supplying their communities with fresh, locally grown food!?!
“It is absolutely outrageous that during this time of economic crisis our state government is investigating and sending warning letters to mothers and putting farmers on trial who are helping provide communities with fresh foods. It is my right to contract privately with a farmer for the food of my choice just as it is the right of every American,” said Melinda Olson, a mother and recipient of one of the MDA’s warnings.
So what is going on here? Why is the government so against RAW milk?
The government claims that raw milk isn’t healthy – that you are at a great risk for disease. BUT there have actually been more incidents of disease from pasteurized milk!
Just take a look at this table about why you SHOULD go raw!
So if raw milk really is good for you, why would the government be trying to stop the sale of it?
Maybe because the government is more interested in protecting big business than it is in the health of the consumer!?!
What do you think?
Playing in the Park
So yesterday was beautiful outside so Ryan and I went to the park for a little outdoor workout session.
Some “rock climbing.” And some nice graffiti too…”FREE.”
Some handstand holds and push ups maybe? 🙂
We compiled a few things into a video for one of the Under Armour What’s Beautiful challenges. The challenge was to come up with an excuse to not accomplish your goal and then show yourself defying it.
My excuse was “noise” – doubts and negativity from other people and my own self doubts.
But I overcome all the noise by putting on my headphones and focusing on my workout!
P.S. Can I just say I love to swing on the monkey bars!?!
Man Bicep 