52 Card Workout

Have you ever done the 52 card workout? We did this awhile back and I found it really challenging. It is a very versatile workout that you can take with you anywhere! The beauty is you can switch up the exercises to anything you want. The goal is to try and do the whole deck in 30 minutes or less. All you need is a deck of shuffled cards and your own body! Here is a sample version, but remember there are infinite possibilities!

Aces = 25 tricep dips
Kings = 25 squats
Queens = 25 jump rope
Jacks = 25 jumping jacks
Hearts = face value Burpees (example: a 9 of hearts would be 9 burpees)
Diamonds = face value lunges
Clubs = face value mountain climbers
Spades = face value bicycle crunches
Jokers = can be removed or add another exercise, like planks or sprints

Turn over one card at a time, do the prescribed workout and then move quickly on to the next card's exercise. You will find many variations of this workout on the internet. This is a challenging workout that can be adjusted to your fitness level and to your exercise preferences.  So the next time you are at a loss for what to do for your workout, or you can't make it to the gym, grab a deck of cards and get to work!

A New Chapter

I'm turning over a new leaf. If you have read any of this blog before, you know I love to eat, cook and yet maintain a healthy BMI. Heretofore, I have used fasting for my main body weight control method. But as I get older I have really come to believe that it is more important to focus on overall health, than on weight or dress size. In the last year I have focused on getting more exercise, eating more healthy foods and not obsessing on the gravitational pull of the earth on my body. Oh, I still look at the scale once in awhile to make sure it's not getting out of hand, but I'm not AS worried about numbers on a scale anymore.. they are, after all   just numbers. Fasting works, but I really want to protect my bones as I get older, so I want to concentrate on eating what my body needs for healthy maintenance and repair, which includes calcium, leafy green vegetables and variety of fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes I feel like I have two dueling personalities. One side loves to cook, eat, create and celebrate life, often with food. Think Paula Deen... the more butter the better! The other side loves to be healthy, exercise, get stronger and be lean. After all  exercise is the key to staying younger longer, and toned muscles under your clothes look far better than flab or even skinniness alone. These two personalities often seem to conflict with each other, but I am determined to enjoy both of them and try for a balanced whole.

So this year on this blog I will try and find delicious, yummy and satisfying meals and desserts with a healthy twist. I will still indulge in my favorite unhealthy foods too, but will balance those times with exercise and eating right most of the time.  My goal is not to be skinny, but to be strong and healthy. 

I have joined a gym recently, and have been exploring their aerobics classes and weight room, (as my husband can attest, as he has to listen to me grunt and groan as I go up and down the stairs after some of my workouts). It has been a lot of fun though and I love moving my body.

Maybe you will be encouraged to move more and eat better most of the time too, while still enjoying those special moments that call for that decadent chocolate brownie with ice cream and hot fudge topping!

Daily Workouts Free App Review

Day Two of my New Year's  Resolution to workout more using weights and I am already LOVING the Daily Workouts Free app.

This app provides you will a full body workout including cardio, upper, lower and core strength exercises. Each exercise lasts a minute. You can choose how long your workout will be, from 10 minutes up to 30 minutes. For example, if you choose a 20 minute workout, you will get 20 exercises. Every workout is different.

In the right hand corner it will tell you how many exercises you have left. On the left hand corner it shows how much longer you have to go for that exercise. There is a pause button at the top, if you need to stop and answer the phone or get a drink, or chase a baby.

Every exercise is announced and there is a video of a person doing the exercise. I like this because you can compare your form to theirs and make sure you are doing it correctly.

You will need two different sets of weights, one lighter and one at least medium, a chair for step ups, and I found a workout mat to be more comfortable than the hard floor (thanks Penny).

If you buy the Full Version of this app for $3.99, it will provide even more exercises and also let you focus specifically on one area at a time, such as upper, lower, core or you can even make your own custom workout.  I am seriously thinking about buying it.

This is a great app for getting in shape. I like it because you can choose your workout time frame, and every workout will be different. This way if I have a few minutes in the afternoon I can add another 10 minute workout to my day and have it be different from my morning workout. Absolute genius! I wish I had thought of it! ;)

New Year's Resolutions

I don't always make New Year's Resolutions, because it is so disappointing when you don't keep them. But I did this year.. I really want to do two things. Read my Bible every day, and lift weights... I know, they don't go together at all, but I really feel they are both important, one for my spiritual well being, and the other for my physical health.

So in this day of iPods and iPads, I downloaded a Free Daily Bible app, which will get me through the Bible in one year if read daily, and another app called Daily Workouts Free to give me a daily workout in addition to my daily walk/runs. Nothing too strenuous or crazy, but something to just keep me toned and in shape. I'll let you know how they work out! No pun intended.

Hopefully 2012 will end with both resolutions met! Speaking of which, I better get to it!