I know I'm late, but I've wanted to do this post ever since my November 14th workout. We did 100 Burpees that day, and during that I knew my post had to be about them. They're simple, nothing fancy or confusing, but a brutally thorough and complete workout. After 10 or 15 you hate them, but when you're done and feel your heart pumping and muscles sore you love them...you get the idea.
Ignore the end of the video; it gets into how to modify them to be more difficult. I love how they can be modified to be more easy. Just starting out? Only do the pushup from your knees. Can't get the umph you need to jump? Just stretch your hands up and don't. Can't do 10, no problem, do 5. If you've got 30 seconds to whip out 5 of these you're in much better shape than had you done nothing.
It's not a squat, plank, pushup, frogger, jump.....it's all of those in 1. Gotta love it :-)
While I have been pregnant I have really tried to keep up exercise. I love taking classes at the gym. I am so much more motivated to work out when I have someone yelling at me:) My favorite class is boot camp. I try to take it every friday. This has been our latest workout. I'll try to remember everything we do, but I will probably miss some things. Its amazing what these teachers can fit into an hour!
warm up: jumping jacks, running in place, straight cardio for about 5 min. to get the blood pumping, and short stretch
-alternate between holding plank, mountain climbers, and push-ups.
stations: We have 4 stations we alternate. I think each station we are at for a minute each.
-station 1-squats while holding a weighted ball, throw it in the air and squat again
-station 2-running in and out of a ladder placed on the floor.
-station 3- Abs on exercise ball
-station 4-running up and over a row of steps (can do one leg jumps or 2 leg jumps too)
...transition into the big gym which is the size of a basketball court.
-sprint 3 laps around the gym
drills: we are then put into groups of 3..we do each thing 4 times and go the full length of the court and back.
-sprints
-kareoke
-high knees
-tire runs
-barrel runs
Then we all lunge half the length of court then do inch worms the rest of the way (repeat to the other side)
wall sits
kicks across the court then kicks with a jump (hitch kicks across the court)
repeat all the drills (sprints, kareoke, high knees, tire runs, and barrel runs, but doing each one once (instead of 4 times)
transition back to the workout room
-repeat the stations from the beginning once
-4 sets of abs ( I usually just stick to plank since I can't really do ab workouts anymore)
-stretch...or just lay on the floor like you are dead...that's how I always feel after I do this class:)
-So it may seem a little much for being about 8 months pregnant...but I just do my best and try not to overdo it. I feel like I have a pretty good sense of my body and can tell when I need to stop for a break, but for the most part I feel like I keep up pretty well! I am just hoping this helps with the marathon of labor and delivery:) I just love how good I feel after I workout...I could obviously work on some of my eating habits, but feel for the most part we eat pretty healthy. My biggest weakness is chocolate and I just hope the exercise makes up for it!
Diet plan for the month of November...get the 24 hour flu and then stay in bed basically for the next day and a half- alas it happened. Mom said I looked a little bit more of the skinny side...not the way I wanted to lose any weight that's for sure! But down to business. I have several friends who happen to love the paleo diet(aka caveman diet). To me it's a bit extreme...actually all diets kind of do- It always just seems too hard to plan. However, I have had the luxury of tasting some things from the paleo diet due to my interactions with Ian Shields. There was this one meatloaf that was really good that he made. http://paleomg.com/italian-meatloaf/
Place a medium skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Then add your onions and roasted red pepper to the pan.
Cook until onions have become soft and translucent.
Once they are done cooking, add them to a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for your meatloaf and use your hands to mix it all together.
Press ingredients into a bread pan and baking for 35-40 minutes.
Once your meatloaf is almost done cooking, add your sauce ingredients to a saucepan to heat up until slightly bubbly.
Let meatloaf cool slightly then add sauce on top. Top with some fresh basil.
Then eat it all up!
2.2.1
I really want to make it myself and just be able to tell myself I was putting good things into my tummy.
But speaking of exercise- I always feel better after I'm done! There is something fulfilling after swimming a lap, dancing some zumba, teaching choreography to high school students or stretching at the bar....I just feel good moving my body- I'm so grateful that my body can do what it needs to - to accomplish much good! Everyone in this family has had their own seperate health challenges...I've had a few...but right now, today, I'm grateful! How fitting this was around Thanksgiving! To give thanks for the bodies we have and for all of our many blessings!
So lets be honest...I haven't done any exercising or any cooking in the last 3 months, food being my archenemy right now (We've always had a precarious relationship, food and I).
And seeing how I get up to wash a dish or move something and I end up laying back down and falling asleep, exercise has been quite out of the picture.
BUT I have a treat that has agreed quite nicely with my stomach as of late, and it's a treat I've always enjoyed.
Avocados. But sweetened. My favorite way: in smoothies :).
I guess this isn't really a recipe, you can play around with it many different ways. But one smoothie we love is a creamy strawberry banana. The avocado makes it super creamy and super nutritious, and it doesn't even look green when you're done.
Try something like this, add more or less of things as you wish:
(serves 1)
3-4 ice cubes
3-4 strawberries
1/2 banana
1/2 avocado-not too ripe! If it's brown, it's yucky. Nice and green is what you want: firm, but soft enough to cut and pull apart from the seed.
Milk of choice (I do rice milk)
Sweetener of choice (I do stevia or honey)
If it's too thick, add some more milk and sweetener and blend again.
You can also do a banana peanut butter version (trade strawberries for a nut butter of choice)
The avocado really fills you up, and if you had toast or something with it, it would make a good lunch.
I had a lot of extra zucchini and I wanted to find a new way to eat it. So I thought I would try this recipe I found here. I combined this with another recipe that had more seasoning ideas. We really enjoyed these zucchini sticks.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Romano cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 medium zucchini
1-2 eggs (I saw another recipe that omitted the eggs and used olive oil instead)
Marinara sauce, ranch dressing, ketchup, etc. to dip them in (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray
3. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and seasonings in a bowl.
4. Cut zucchini into slices (unpeeled and cut into about 3 inch long by 1/2 inch thick)
5. Beat egg in a bowl
6. Dip each stick in the beaten eggs and then dip into the bread crumb mixture.
7. Place on baking sheet.
8. Bake 20-25 min. or until light brown and desired tenderness.
9. Serve with desired dipping sauce or enjoy it all by its own deliciousness.
My fascination with Paul Blair aka "Dizzy Hips" began earlier this year when I stumbled upon a youtube video. Admittedly, though I will admit it unabashedly, I will occasional peruse the internet looking for videos of stellar hula-hooping. However, what I really have wanted to find through these searches never seemed to exist. Instead, I saw more of the same. (yes, the election jargon is finding its way into my blog posts). The elements of modern hooping is more flowing, artistic movement coupled with modern dancing and a dash of hippy. Nothing too exciting, but it can be beautiful. Something like this:
This is Lisa Lottie. She is one of the better hoopers out there. However, this type of hooping is common, and sometimes it can be dreadfully boring. I would normally begin my video search by typing in " hula-hooping dance," and videos like the one above would pop up. Then, eventually, I saw a violinist (Lindsey Sterling) doing hip hop violin on America's Got Talent. Change of plan for my search engine. I now included in later searches "hip-hop hula-hooping." Usually, the search ended as a fruitless endeavor and I was disappointed. I even thought of posting my own video, because even if I am not the best hooper, I could offer something different (more on that later). I began to think I was the only one out there who liked to let it loose and go crazy while hula-hooping. Did no one have any creative, original moves? I wanted fast - upbeat - something different.
Enter Dizzy Hips. I don't know how I missed this guy. Buried in the youtube search engine is perhaps one of the most intriguing and jaw-dropping hula-hoopers of our time. I was drawn in by a video of a guy setting the hula-hoops on one of his feet while rock-climbing with his three other limbs:
I had never seen anything like it before. Then came other videos. One with a tractor. One with a sledgehammer. The man clearly knew no bounds. He invented a square hoop. A triangle hoop. He hooped while snow-boarding. He hooped while running a 10k. But, most impressive were his stunts and dancing in his everyday show. I didn't think anyone like Dizzy existed. He does, and he is probably, without a doubt, the best hula-hooper in the world. You see, Dizzy doesn't just do stunts, he tries to break records. World records. The highest 2 honors in hula-hooping is being able to hula-hoop either the longest or hula-hoop with the most hoops at once. Dizzy owns the latter record by a whopping 25 hoops (132). No one is even close. He holds the record for the hooping while running a 10 k and the 1 mile. He used to have the record for fastest revolutions per minute, but he was passed by Xia Tao and Greg Dillon. Only one person has run a marathon by hooping (Sasha Kenney), though I wouldn't put it past Dizzy to try it.
It is difficult to to maintain these records, but Dizzy Hips has pioneered making hooping fun, making it creative, and ultimately carving out a new way to stay fit.
So enthralled by his hooping, I wondered where I could catch one of his shows. I searched and found, somewhat coincidentally, that he would be teaching a four-hour hooping class in Sedona, Arizona (1 hour away) in two weeks. I called the number to sign-up immediately. Unsurprisingly, Dizzy doesn't have the fan-fare of an NBA star, but I was still stunned to hear Paul Blair, Dizzy Hips himself answer my phone call. Apparently, I was the only one who had signed up so far, but he promised he would still hold the class even if I was the only one. At the end of the day, I dragged my wife up to Flagstaff (he had changed venue to his hometown, because, well, I really was the only one that signed up), and did the class there.
He came to the park where the class was to be held and showed up rolling his tire, carrying several hoops, and walking his yellow labrador to the park. Not only was Dizzy a great teacher, but he was genuine, down-to-earth, and fun to be around. Meagan spent much of the time studying for school while I endeavored to increase my hooping skills through a 3 hour class. It was awesome. Not only did he give me pointers, but his show was great, and he even dazzled us with a card-throwing trick. Apparently, he is second place in the world at being able to throw playing cards at long distances. We watched him nonchalantly toss a playing card over forty yards across the park, the street, and over a building. With all this said, one thing Dizzy told me stood out: his only workouts were some running, some swimming, but mostly hula-hooping. And let me tell you- for a short guy, he appeared rock solid and strong to the core. And he indicated he NEVER really weightlifts. My wife and I were extremely impressed. It dawned on me that hula-hooping isn't something that I could just do in random talent shows. Hula-hooping could be one of my workouts.
Talents have varied amongst my family members. But one talent is prevalent. We all hula-hoop. As kids we used to try and see if we could go at least an hour. We would try walking with them. My Dad caught on and put us in a talent show at church. We rocked it, even at young ages. We performed again in front of a larger audience. Then, for whatever reason, the hooping seemed to disappear, but only on occasion. I would win any contest I ever came across, but that was about it.
Then, in high school, I began to dance. I would go to every dance available. I didn't know how to dance at that time as I never had formal training. So, I would just make stuff up. And that's what I became good at- making stuff up and just going crazy on the dance floor.
Eventually, after my mission, I got the idea to use the hula-hoop while dancing. At a talent show for EFY counselors, I decided to give it a try. I went nuts. Absolutely flipping nuts. I did some crazy dancing while hooping. And tried other things. Hula hooping on the knees. Doing the cha-cha while hooping. Standing on a balance board while hooping. I honestly didn't hula-hoop much in my spare time, or ever practice much, but I reveled in any opportunity to enter a talent show. For years I had somewhat hidden my talent, but I have slowly climbed out of what I like to call the "underground hula-hooping community." Sure, my family knew. I'd win some hula-hoop contests in front of people I didn't know. I even did a talent show held at Creighton University while in law school. I didn't tell all but three people of the event, and none of my classmates had a clue. I took second place and won fifty dollars worth of prizes. I loved it. All of it.
One thing I have always noticed though is how remarkably exhausting hula-hooping can be for me. It is a combination of dancing and moving the hoop, which causes considerable more energy than just the dancing. I am usually quite winded, especially after an appearance at a talent show. Most recently, I MC'd a fair in Gilbert and pulled out the act. I was extremely tired, but had a blast nonetheless.
It has lately dawned on me that I can hula-hoop, not just for fun, not just for talent shows, but- for my own well-being. I have discovered that hula-hooping doesn't have to be a simple pastime. Hula hooping can be a workout. With some of the things Dizzy showed me, I have discovered ways I can turn it into a workout. It doesn't just have to be a cardiovascular activity. You can learn balance. You can learn some strength exercises. And if you follow the path of Dizzy, there is so much more.
So, in essence, if you don't want to go to the gym, and if you have that hula-hooping talent within ya; which, if you are a Hardy, then, you got it; then, I encourage you all to grab a hula-hoop. Put on some music. And just hoop it up. Hula-hooping doesn't have to be confined to a contest. It doesn't have to merely propagate pastimes. It doesn't have to be a fond memory of walking like an egyptian in front of a few hundred people in Michigan. Instead, it can be much more. You can hula-hoop your way to a healthy life.
And, then, perhaps one day, you can do at least one hula-hoop trick that Dizzy Hips can do. I know I want to.
Sometimes I get so down on myself for little mistakes that I make. It is comforting to see someone that had honestly hit rock bottom and was able to come out of it through the atoning sacrifice of the savior. There is hope for everyone, no matter what mistakes we make, to feel clean again through our saviors sacrifice. That is ultimately where happiness comes from is when we are consistently trying our best to stay clean and pure in the saviors eyes. This is done through making repentance a daily act. I have come to find that repentance is a blessing rather than a burden. Growing up I always felt that having to repent all of the time made me a bad person. That is how satan wants us to see it. Heavenly Father knew we would feel guilt when we made mistakes. That is why he sent his son for us so that we could feel relief from that guilt. Anyone can feel this if we humbly repent, desire to change, and are trying our best. I love you guys and hope this video touches someone in the way that it impacted me. Love and miss you all.
