Getting Twisted

A Pic from Someone Else’s Camera

A big Wake Up! for me this morning. Went whitewater rafting yesterday, and the guide took a pic and posted on FB.  oHHH. eMMMMM. Geee. I forget that I sometimes take 10 pics of the self and choose my fav. shot PLUS I know my own best angles, but someone else can come along and snap a pic in whatever angle they fancy and BAM! Trouble spots make themselves known for the whole world (or at least my friend list!) to see.

 Not bitching though, because I really got a good, unbias view of my shape, and now I really know what is out of place. My obliques are outta control! I have been flailing on working out my abs and today really scream-reminded me about that little daily omission. Other than that, my legs are bulking out a lot; I’ve been running but skipping Yoga, and I see now how much the long periods of stretching lean me out. Lastly, my upper body needs some serious definition; I’ve never seen the need for chest exercises, but I am definitely going to incorporate some in my routine. I’m seeing this:

30 min Yoga

2 Mile run - mountains

Superset running with walking lunges

Squats

as many crunches as I can stand, rotating styles as follows: standard crunch, 90 degree knees, straight legs, bicycle, lowering slowly, standard sit-ups

Obliques!

Standard Pushups

Chest!

10 min yoga cool down

On the daily: Balancing  (handstands, tree pose, arm balances, etc.), Splits Conditioning

Here’s the dreaded pic, because I am making myself accountable!

(far Right)

Workout Partners

Workout partners are awesome for pushing past boundaries, more safety on the road, and, like school, keeping you accountable for your goals. The past three days I have been running with a partner, and together we have turned my pitiful running sessions into a running breathwork and endurance class!

Day One:

I know you are supposed to breathe in through your mouth and out your nose, and my partner mentions this when we get going. Keeping the breath natural in this way is hard while running, so I just kept huff-puffing my way though like I do and the run was like it always is for me. Short distances before I can’t breathe, even though my body has hardly been worked, and recovery periods that don’t speak of someone in training. High Five at the end for making it to our mark and back, but we are both reeling from thinking about tackling this distance and being ‘real’ runners, like our cross-country friends.

Day Two:

We don’t have a plan but are determined to run way more this time. I decided to force myself to breathe in through my nose out through my mouth, and, Eureka! it can be done! It’s just a forceful 1-2 count in and 2 counts exhale out. After about 10 breaths, the body simply gets used to it and it’s no problem. After all these years! =) I’m just glad to know now. Suddenly, the run is easier, and, when we do stop, I don’t feel like I’m about to pass the fuck out as per usual. All we talk about is how much we admire people that run early each morning before beginning the day, and, just like that, we have a new goal! We decide that, by Summer’s end, we will be running @6:30 every morning. All the hype about that really increased our endurance this run, but I realize I need a plan. High Five’d and headed to Pinterest’s Health and Fitness Section.

Day Three:

Stoked to tell my partner about our NEW running program. Goes as follows:

1. Run 1 min. Walk 1 min.

2. Run 2 min. Walk 2 min

3. Run 3 min. Walk 3 Min

4. Run 2 min Walk 2 min

5. Run 1 min Walk 1 min

You get the gist, so we go out to our golden starting point and carry on in this way. We work out on a desolate highway, we started to have trouble counting and talking without a watch on hand. So, we decide to run based on mile markers instead, and, I mean, Damn!

 We probably ran 50% of the entire course, rather than snippets of sprinting off here and there. I need a good runner’s watch, but the markers really do all the work for you. We would approach our end point, and I’d say, ‘Let’s keep going!’ I couldn’t believe I was breezing through like that, and it was all thanks to a workout buddy and forced nose breathing! We decided the next morning we should just GO FOR IT and get out there at 6:30am like we wanted.

Well, that is this am and she ‘didn’t sleep well’. =( This would be the downside of having a partner. Maybe we just aren’t ready for the hardcore stuff yet, but we are getting there!

Getting Fit for Summerrrrrr!!!

It’s ON! Been doing my run EVERY day. Last week was crap for me, but I’m staying on top of myself and getting out rain or shine! The rainy days are actually nice, b/c I stay cooler longer. I’m a Fire Tiger/ Leo and all that fire gets hot! I’m currently doing supersets with running and lunges, and it is really increasing my endurance and leg strength. I’ve been eating healthy, too, but I’m still eating way after I need the energy from it. So, I’m starting a thing where I stop eating after 6 o’clock. I’ll let you know how it goes…

My Fit Diet

You can see my link on the R of my page for The “Fit” Diet. I live by these foods. They keep me balanced and make for a clean fuel all day. Right now, I am basically liquid diet aka coffee/water/tea in the AM and really want to get off that. I can do eggs or oatmeal; I just rarely feel like that. I always get so hungry early on if I eat in the morning, but I can tell I’m not fueling right and it shows. I would probably be more motivated 11am-3pm, because, at this point, I’m not doing any strengthening or cardio until around 3 o’clock. I’ve been sporadically doing more early AM yoga, but it’s not consistent enough. Every Day needs to be what’s up! My goal for Breakfast is:

6:30AM water,

7AM Yoga

8AM Detox Tea 8:30AM Protein with a little grains, and no freaking Coffee! I can’t believe I got myself addicted to nasty, sugary sludge!

I like the Energy teas, and I’m excited to see caffeine-free energy options. Did you know caffeine in coffee and teas is really damaging to the kidneys? Other foods that are mean to your kidneys include Salt (I love Pink Himalayan Salt, which is made of minerals and isn’t salt at all!), Dairy (my fav. bad-for-you food group! this one is so hard b/c I <3 Whole Milk, but, truth be told, you just can’t process the stuff that well…=( !) and diets high in red meats (remember: the size of your fist is one serving of meat!). Other predators are artifical sweetners, gmo’s, and carbonated drinks, but, just so you know, those are terrible,terrible non-foods that you should never touch! Well, there’s my late-night ramblings on food. =) Off to bed!

Bon Voyage,

Morgan

Visualize to Exercise

An idea I am very familiar with, this visualization technique for performance. Ages ago, studies showed that thinking about the muscles you pump as you workout increases your results by up to double compared to distracted fitness. Arnold advised us many a time to concentrate on what we are doing and give your 100% attention to each motion.

 I follow these rules like the Golden Rule. It hasn’t led me astray from fit, but today I decided to try another mode of thought, and it worked! Here’s the secret:

 Visualize success of your fitness goals rather than the hard work it takes to get there. I imagined myself running my goal distance with ease and witnessed my body stepping up to my new thoughts. I had the strongest run of my life! I ran a full distance, which, until now, I have always done in 3 sections. I even added 100 walking lounges and side squats with a stroller, like it was no prob. It was as if my mind ((mentally)) prepared my body for the work. Blew my mind!

My fitness mantra:

Raise your Mind; Raise your Workout.

Simple as that. Enjoy accomplishing your goals!

Peace,

Mo

“Go, Mommy! Run!”

It’s amazing how much my (almost)2yr old can push me when I’m running. He reads my mind out there -I’m sure of it- b/c he always tells me GO! when I think of gaining speed. He loves going fast up the hills, so he really cheers for me on the inclines. And to top it off, he even gets a nap in about 50% of the time! This is really rare at this point with Ti-bear, so I love it. Letting him tucker out fully involves an extra lap or two, so it really works out in my workout’s favor. I wonder if he will be in to running when he’s older; it would be so cool to go out together =). After my food poisoning forced detox, I’m focusing on basic healthy foods, pyramid-style, but with the grains portion cut in half. Tonight is Chix & Veg and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day….

Peace!

Keeping up with Goals

My goals this year are to keep to my “Fit Diet”, run 6 days a week, and do Yoga every morning. I’ve been out of swing with Contortion and more in to dance. I’m reminiscing on that Dirty South vibe and thinking about putting up some freestyle booty-shaking seshs. Check out of of my fav inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/user/LoyNatalia .

Nike Free -Way to Be!

Just got my Nike Free 4.0 v2 in the mail (thanks, Mom)! I’ve wanted to try Free’s forEVER, and this one is my fav. style so far. I quickly became very skeptical; none of the reviews ever mentioned that the tongue is connected on one side. So weird! And they were super thin, too; so much that they hardly stand up on their own. It’s like putting on swim shoes. I was already thinking ‘I am never getting these again’, but then I went to walk in them. Suddenly, this amazing foot support shows up, cradling the bottoms of my feet just right to make them hit ground so nice and evenly; it was beautiful! I am a Nike Free-r from now on! They are THE running shoe to get if you are thinking of starting to run or looking for a new shoe. I also stretch with them on; they have Vibram’s “second skin” appeal with the far sharper (and wearable) look of a Nike. A++

How to have a beach body in two easy steps! (foolproof!)

translunar:

1. Have a body
2. Bring it to the beach

BAM! Now you have a beach body!

As an added bonus I’ll tell you how to have a bikini body in a similar amount of steps:

1. have a bikini
2. put it on

:D

(Source: littlelostdragon, via thebitchinthehouse)