Good to see you again, I hope you're enjoying this amazing weather!

Workout of the Week
I found this WOW on Pinterest and decided to try it out at home. This workout is designed to get the heart rate up, burn 100 calories, and build stamina. I found it looked a bit too silly to try at the rec, but it definitely had me breaking a sweat. I had to clarify how to do long jumps here. Give it a try!

~March in place for one minute

~Jog in place for one minute

~Jumping jacks for one minute

~Long jumps for one minute

~Jog lightly for one minute

~Jumping jacks for one minute

~Squat and kick alternating legs for one minute

~Jog lightly for one minute

~Long jumps for one minute

On Monday I decided to try running a couple laps on the outdoor track...which brings me to my:

Most embarrassing moment of my week in fitness:

Running on the track for my first time should not have been a feat I tackled alone. I took off at a jog, and actually passed the first jogger in less than a minute, then came the second and the third. By the time I had passed everyone twice, the lightbulb in my head brightened revealing why I had been receiving irritated looks every time I flew past a fellow runner. I was running in the wrong direction. Suddenly the arrow markers pointing toward me as I approached them seemed extremely accusative of my stupidity. I guess I had ignored the whole "Start/Finish line" and just took off going clockwise. Needless to say, as soon as I turned and ran in the other direction, I was passed by every other runner on the track.

Something I learned this week:

Although there is no "best time of the day" to exercise, many choose morning to keep them motivated. As the day progresses, excuses tend to come up and exercise can be skipped altogether. The best time of the day to workout is a whatever time you'll actually do it.

I'm very excited for next week's post because I'll be writing my first review on an SSU InMotion class. Here's a hint to which one I'm attending first: 

What does a dyslexic cow say?

Tahoe, New Shoes, and Push-up Blues

Hello!


Welcome back! Now that we've become acquainted, let's get started. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to get a few days off to make an escape to South Lake Tahoe. It's not often that my snowboard leaves it's dusty corner in the garage, and I'm ecstatic when it does. After a long day on the mountain I was pretty tired; feeling a bit guilty about not having the energy to workout I decided to stretch. Soon I found out just how sore the day had made me. Wondering how I could be sore, I researched the exercise benefits of boarding and was pleasantly surprised. 


Three hours of snowboarding vigorously can burn up to 1500 calories! As much as that amazed (and relieved) me, what I found even more awesome was the site that led me to this information. MyPlate by Livestrong is a diet, and fitness log that offers some really phenomenal tools for people who - like me - don't have a freakin' clue about that little thing called health. If you're like me, and find that you lack any motivation whatsoever to exercise and/or eat right, then I really encourage you to check out the site and take advantage of this great resource! It's like finding the perfect workout playlist or getting a new pair of running shoes, it actually makes me excited to be active.


Over the course of this semester, I'll be trying out a lot of five to ten minute workout routines for those busy days when I don't have time (or energy) to make a trip to the gym. This first one was designed by master trainer Keli Roberts to target every major muscle group. Minutes one through three seem pretty easy, but the routine definitely hikes up intensity and difficulty for the last two minutes. Try it out, you'll see what I mean!

1. Clean and Press

Minute: 0:00-1:00

Targets shoulders, back, butt, legs

a. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place a 5-pound dumbbell on the floor near each foot. Squat, bringing the dumbbells to the outside of your knees, palms down.

b. Stand, bringing the dumbbells to your hips, then raise the weights through your shoulders and overhead. Lower and repeat for 60 seconds.

2. Side Lunge and Row

Minute: 1:00-2:00

Targets back, butt, legs

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a pair of 5-pound dumbbells at your sides. Take a big step out to the right with your right foot, bending right knee 90 degrees while keeping left leg straight. Draw your left elbow straight up, keeping arm close to side and butt tight. Return to start and repeat for 30 seconds; switch sides.

3. Plié Squat and Biceps Curl

Minute: 2:00-3:00

Targets biceps, butt, inner thighs

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out, holding a 5-pound dumbbell in each hand with arms extended, palms up. Bend knees 90 degrees, squatting as you curl weights toward your shoulders. Return to start and repeat for 60 seconds.

4. Push-Up Plus

Minute: 3:00-4:00

Targets shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, back

Begin in full push-up position, palms on floor undershoulders and legs extended. Do one push-up, then carefully lift your left hand off the floor, extending your arm out to side. Holding here, lift your right foot off the floor. Lower hand and foot to floor. Do another push-up and repeat with opposite hand and foot. Continue, alternating sides.

5. Single-Leg Deadlift with Kick-Back

Minute: 4:00-5:00

Targets triceps, back, legs

Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding 5-pound dumbbells with elbows bent 90 degrees, hands close to your rib cage. Lift your left foot behind you and bend forward slowly from the hips as you straighten your arms, bringing them next to your hips. Return to starting position. Repeat for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, December 2006.

Something I learned this week: 
No bouncing! When stretching, I'm usually tempted to bounce in order to get a deeper stretch, however, it's actually really damaging to the muscles. When I bounce while stretching, I'm actually making small tears in the muscle which can result in scar tissue and lessen that muscle's flexibility. 


Most embarrassing moment of my week in fitness: 
Realizing that I can't do more than five pushups.... :( 


See you next post!


-KC

First Post Ramblings

Hi!


This is your lucky day! You've stumbled upon a fitness blog like none other; of course the topic of interest here is personal fitness, however, I think you'll find that the information and tips on this site are more comical than those of your average fitness junkie. "Why," you ask? Oh nothing really, just that I have absolutely no prior knowledge about anything health or fitness related, and no clue what I'm doing.


Which brings me to the reason I decided to start this blog. I was involved in multiple sports and teams before coming to college, always juggling at least three different activities at once. When I graduated high school and moved away, I started fresh. As an 18 year old college Freshman, having never ONCE entered a gym, I suddenly had access to the brand new recreation center at SSU. Admittedly, I was terrified of it. I never once ventured inside alone, and the only times I found myself there were for weekly intramural volleyball games. I was a bit more brave during my Sophomore year, but still never went more than a few times a month. When I did go, I spent about fifteen minutes on some scary machine and about thirty minutes stretching.


As a Junior,  I am now on the second leg of my college career and starting to realize how much my campus has to offer, and how soon it will no longer be available to me. Side-note, did you know Sonoma State offers wine tasting in our library? Well I guess that's part of the reason I decided to learn my way around a gym.


A little bit about me:
I'm a 20 year old college female studying Communications and Business at Sonoma State University in Northern California. If I could, I would spend all my free time snowboarding. I'm very outgoing and I love trying new things, and here's what I know about working out... oh yeah, I don't know anything about it. My goal this year is to educate myself on all things fitness, and in the process, maybe this butt-less brunette will get herself into shape.


This blog is a weekly account of things I learn, my experiences, and embarrassing moments inside the Sonoma State Rec center; a "Fitness for Dummies" of sorts. I'll post a "workout of the week" for those busy people who don't have time to hit the gym, and I'll be visiting InMotion classes along with getting tips and pointers from the instructors. Though this blog is geared toward students on the SSU campus, I think you'll find that many of my posts will be basic tidbits and are applicable to almost anyone.




Leave comments for feedback, or message me at: http://www.facebook.com/k.casa22


Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next week!
 -KC