My New Favorite Saturday Morning Workout

I apologize for my absence!  Mike and I bought a house in February and it seems like every free second since has been spent painting, rearranging, and making trips to Goodwill!

I have also been spending my free time studying to become a Certified Personal Trainer through NASM.  That's how I came up with the workout below.

The beauty of this workout (in my totally-not-humble opinion) is that you can do it at home with no equipment (although a foam roller and a couple of weights might help).  It shouldn't take more than 40 minutes, and can be adjusted for any skill level.  You can take long breaks between exercises or move right from one to another.  If you want to add weights to the squats, lunges, or step ups, go right ahead.

I love it for Saturday mornings, when I don't feel like getting dressed in 15 layers, driving to the gym and taking off 14 layers, working out, and then layering up again to drive home.  With this workout you can be finished and onto the next thing, no driving necessary.


My New Favorite Saturday Morning Workout
(Click on the exercises below for videos of each move)

Foam Roll and Stretch (:30 on any tight area)

Then move on to this:

50 Jumping Jacks
50 Squats 
50 Jumping Jacks
25 Front Lunges (Each Leg)
50 Skaters
25 Back Lunges (Each Leg)
50 Skaters
50 Push Ups On Knees (or not if you're Hard Core)
50 Step Ups
50 Bridge
50 Step Ups
:50 Plank (Enjoy his Boston accent)
50 Lateral Jumps Over Foam Roller
50 Bicep Curls (25 on Each Side)
50 Lateral Jumps Over Foam Roller
50 Bicycle Crunches
:50 Run Up and Down Steps
50 Side Crunches (25 on Each Side)
:50 Run Up and Down Steps
25 Lower Ab Criss Cross
25 Lower Ab Leg Lift

Foam Roll and Stretch

5 Cheap and Easy Valentine's Day Upgrades

There is nothing that I love more than the sight of burly, unshaven men toting red heart balloons down the street or schlepping pink and white flowers up to the register at the supermarket.  I understand that Valentine’s Day is a miserable day for anyone who doesn’t have a significant other.  I do.  But somehow, watching all of the men around quite literally wear their hearts on their sleeves (—or err—in their hands?) restores my faith in humanity.  It is an instant and obvious reminder that we all are human.  We have hearts and homes, people to love and people to love us.  We have whole lives apart from the :30 seconds we might spend with a stranger in line at a grocery store.  I love that.

So in honor of this totally-made-up holiday meant to torture the single AND those in a relationship who are destined to do, make, get, or say the wrong thing, I wanted to provide some mostly inexpensive upgrades on the ways to honor your loved one this Valentine’s Day.

1)      The Card.  As any kindergartener can tell you, Valentine’s Day cards are an important way to define the relationships in your life.  Does little Jimmy get the My Little Pony card or Dora the Explorer?  Did he write, “from” or “love”?  Girls always read the card, and while guys might not admit it, I have it on good authority that many of them have cards hidden in piles in their sock drawer, so I’m pretty sure they like them too.  I mean, who doesn’t like being told that they’re adored?

Upgrade:  The letter.  I think it’s safe to say that most women assume you spend very little time picking out the Valentine’s Day card you give them, and really only focus on what you scribble in blue ink at the bottom.  Why not save your $4.25 and make the whole message the scribbled blue ink at the bottom?  It will mean a lot more.  Not sure what to say?  Here’s a start.  “I love you.  You make my life better.  I’m so glad you picked me.”  You hear that?  It’s the sound of every woman in America collectively saying, “Awwwwww.”

2)      The Candy.  While I’m sure that Mr. Russell Stover was able to send his great, great, great, great grandchildren to college on the profits of those red heart-shaped boxes covered in cellophane, this candy can come with a conundrum.  First of all, I am convinced that no one actually likes half of the flavors.  What is nougat anyway?  It looks like Pepto Bismol, tastes like modeling clay, and is a great way to make sure you reach the deductible on your dental insurance.  Plus, we always have to offer you some, and then those empty calories do nothing but undo all of the work we did in Zumba this week.

Upgrade:  Their candy.  Whether it is Junior Mints, M&M’S, chocolate-covered marshmallows, or Jelly Belly jellybeans, just knowing will get you major brownie points.  Added bonus if you go to an actual candy store to get it instead of just picking it up from the counter of CVS.  It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day themed, but a pink or red ribbon makes it even more special.

3)      The Flowers.  Roses are beautiful and they smell nice and any woman would be happy to get them, but here’s the thing.  Flowers die, and they don’t look very pretty when they’re doing it.  They also require upkeep.  Flowers are a commitment.  I know people love getting them at work and showing off their loving relationship to that snotty know-it-all in Accounting, but the world doesn’t need more baby’s breath.

Upgrade: Time to Stop and Smell the Roses.  The greatest gift you can give a loved one is your time and undivided attention.  I understand that trips can be expensive and often involve added expenses of travel, babysitters, dogsitters, and if you’re really lucky, sunblock.  That said, there is nothing that can recharge a special someone's batteries better than a little break.  Even if it is just a day trip or a night at a local Bed and Breakfast, there is nothing more romantic than actually spending time with the person that you love without the demands of daily life getting in the way.

4)      Jewelry.  You’re good.  No sassy quips necessary.  I have nothing more to add.

5)      The Massage.  I happen to love massages, if for no other reason than for an hour I can lie still and not feel guilty about the 500 other things that I SHOULD be doing.  I’m stuck.  I can’t get up without creating an awkward scene from some sort of romantic comedy that would probably star Meg Ryan.  Therefore I just lie there with my eyes closed and enjoy every second of it.  I do understand, however, that to some people the idea of having a random stranger rub oil all over you while awkwardly trying to make small talk is less than appealing.  For those people may I reccommed…

Upgrade: Real Stress Relief.  You can barely scratch your head these days without hearing someone talk about how stressed out they are.  Everyone is stressed.  Everyone is exhausted.  We’re all overworked and underpaid, trying to balance family and work while lowering our cholesterol, putting something edible on the dinner table, making it to the gym once a month, and keeping the house clean enough that no one thinks to call Human Services.  With that in mind, may I recommend giving your significant other real stress relief?  What drives your loved one totally nuts?  Is it that their car ends up covered in salt or worse, with crumpled up pieces of Cheerios?  Buy them a book of carwashes.  Is it that the house is dirty and an in-law might pop by unannounced at any given second?  Hire a cleaning service.  Is it that they hate figuring out what to do for dinner?  Print out some awesome recipes and make a book out of them.  Can they never find a second to work out?  Buy a few sessions at the gym daycare.  They might be things that no one would be able to buy for themselves without feeling guilty, but as a gift from someone else, they’re pure bliss.

Good Luck and Happy Valentine’s Day!

20 Things No One Told Me When I Was 20

(Or if they did I was too stubborn to listen...)

1) Travel now. I know you might not have a lot of money and your vacation days are probably limited (not to mention the guilt that you might get from your employer if you actually use them) but getting away will only get harder as you get older. Heck, take a year to travel. No one will notice a 12-month gap in your resume and the stories you’ll have will make any job interviews to come far more interesting. You’re at an age where it is totally acceptable to live off of pizza and beer and share a room with 4 other strangers. Take advantage of the world’s hostel systems. Just go!

 2) You don’t have to know anything yet.  You just have to be willing to take the time to figure it out.  It’s OK if you don’t know what you want in a relationship or what your dream job is. The people who fell in love with their soul mate in 8th grade or have known that they wanted to be a doctor since they were five years old are freaks.  Stories about people who try, fail, and have to start all over again are far more interesting than the ones about people who have it all figured out already.

 3) Stop spending all of your money on clothes. Suddenly you have disposable income and you need a new work wardrobe, and clothes for going out, clothes for the gym, clothes for shopping, and clothes for hanging out…. If you don’t wear them in a year, you don’t need them. Stop shopping and save your money for important things… like flights to exotic places.

 4) Why marriage is work. Before I got married, I always wondered about this. I think the idea is that when you get married, suddenly it’s not all about you anymore. You can’t spend $5,000 on a sofa just because you feel like it. You can’t quit your job and move across the country without consulting your significant other. You have to agree on things, especially the big things… where you want to live, what you want to spend money on, what you need to be happy, whether you want to have kids, how you feel about religion, and where you spend your time. You have to talk, even when you don’t feel like it and listen even when you really just want to watch TV. Relationships take effort, but they take more effort if you don’t have the same goals, values, interests, and preferences, or if you’re a super-independent person who doesn’t want to have to consult someone else before you make big changes.

 5) Stop fighting your body. After years of stressing over labels, counting calories, and slaving away on the treadmill, I realized that I ended up in just about the same place on December 31^stas I had on January 1^st. When I stopped worrying about all of it, ate when I was hungry, worked out to be strong and sane instead of to lose weight, and stopped stressing when I ate ice cream and whoopie pies (which is daily), my weight got to a happy place. My pants fit, I feel good, and now I can focus my attention on far more important things than the number on the scale.

 6) In the world of beauty, sometimes experience trumps youth. Sure, at 20 you probably have great skin, you can get away without wearing makeup, and throwing your hair in a ponytail still looks cute and not silly. That said, nothing beats experience for learning what works for you and you alone. The fact that something is trendy does not mean it will look good on you. Just because something is hanging on the rack at your favorite store does not mean that you should take it home with you. Time will help you know what will look good on you before you even try it on. You’ve learned how to apply makeup in 5 minutes or less, how to camouflage dark circles under your eyes, and how to make the most of whatever assets you have. In other words, stop stressing that these are your best years and you'll turn into a troll as soon as you hit 30. That's why they make wrinkle cream.

 7) Things never "get easier", they just "get different." My very wise husband told me that once and it’s true. At 20 it might be that you have no money, you don’t have the work experience you need to get the job you want, you want to lose 5 pounds, you haven’t found “the one,” and you still live at home. At 30 you might have your dream job but realize that it comes with stresses or frustrations that you didn’t account for. You might have moved out, but realized that oil is expensive and when the toilet starts leaking it’s up to you to fix it. You may be in a great relationship, but he/she might live halfway across the country and neither of you really want to move. You may have had to deal with a significant loss or a health issue. You may have had your heart broken. The best we can do is deal with our circumstances now… not pine for the past or long for the future. Every situation has its positives and negatives... the positives can just be more difficult to see when you're right in the thick of things.

8) Where you go to college doesn’t really matter all that much.  Neither does your first job, what sorority or fraternity you join, or what your parents do for a living.  I remember thinking my entire life depended on where I went to college, and then later, which sorority gave me a bid.  Sure you might make some good connections and it might look nice on a resume or sound good at a dinner party, but there are plenty of incredible entrepreneurs who didn’t go to Ivy League schools, have memberships into secret societies, or have extremely well-connected parents.  That’s not a shot at the people who do--use any advantage that you can--just a reminder to the rest of us that just because something doesn’t go your way early on, that doesn’t mean your life is ruined.

9) Guys/Girls like girls/guys who make them work for it. “It” being anything… your number, a date, a kiss, or an I love you. Just watch the Bachelor. The guy inevitably goes for the girl who doesn’t gush about him from day one--the girl who is sweet and polite, but not easy or desperate.  To clarify, this is not the same as playing hard to get... it's expecting someone to treat you with respect, to make an effort to "court" you, to spend time getting to know you, and it's cutting them loose when they don't.  It also means they should get the same respect, effort, and time from you.

10) You alone are responsible for your health. Doctors are great, but they have tons of other patients and they will never care about you as much as you care about you. Read your medical records. Speak up about your symptoms. Ask questions. Follow up. Pay attention. Get second opinions. Don't just assume that your doctor will catch or notice everything. You are your best advocate. 

11) Floss. The plaque in your mouth is the same plaque that can build up in your heart. Gross.

 12) Wear sunscreen. Once you hear the doctor say, “I think this could be melanoma,” and start thinking about Izzie on Gray’s Anatomy you don’t care about being tan ever again. It’s not worth it.

13) Planning a wedding kind of stinks. Especially if you’re the kind of person who tries to make everyone happy.  So if you’re getting married just to have a wedding, don’t, and if you think planning is going to be the thing that gets you through a tough time, it won’t.

14) You’ll probably have to rough it. Especially now, with a crummy job market. No one is going to offer you your dream job on a silver platter, complete with a 6-figure paycheck, 5 weeks’ vacation, health care, and total independence to do what you love. You have to pay your dues. Usually that means taking a lower salary, working longer hours, and doing the silly errands that no one else feels like doing. That's OK. Say "Yes" to any errand or task and you'll move up in a hurry.

15) Not everyone is going to like you. I’m still working on this one, but I know it’s true and you can let it drive you crazy or accept it. I’m still in the drive you crazy phase, but I’m trying.

16) No one has it all figured out. Even if they look totally put together all the time. Even if they seem to have the perfect spouse, house, car, career, and post lots of annoying vacation photos on Facebook. We all have issues, flaws, and things that scare us to death. Everyone has hang ups.

17) Negotiate. Before I worked in sales, I was mortified at the idea of asking anyone for a discount on anything ever. Now it just seems silly not to. I'm not saying I would go into The Gap and offer them $20 for a $25 t-shirt, but when you're trying to get the best deal on a cell phone, or a wedding band, or a hotel room, it never hurts to ask. Even just saying, "Is that the best rate you can offer me?" can be effective. As long as you're polite and realistic, it's totally appropriate.

18) They can't shoot you. This one came from my grandmother, when I was telling her how nervous I was for the first day of a new job. Her response to me was, "What are you so afraid of? They can't shoot you." It was totally the perspective I needed. No one ever died of embarrassment. If you want something (assuming it's legal, ethical, and moral) go after it. At worst you might fail--and OK if you do it's embarrassing. People will talk about you behind your back. You will feel like a big, giant loser. Oh well. Life is short and so are people's attention spans. They'll move on and so will you. The big losers are the people who sit in cubicles thinking of the great idea they had that they never followed through with.

19) Volunteer.  Give back in any way that you can.  Start yesterday.  The world needs as much positive energy as it can get.  You have time.  You have skills.  Every minute helps.

20) Stop procrastinating.  Do what you love and start today.  Don’t wait until your changes have to be big, dramatic, and scary.  If you don’t know what you love, just do something.  You can only find out what you like by trying things.  Do the thing you don’t feel like doing.  Maybe it’s homework, maybe it’s getting on the treadmill, maybe it’s calling a potential dream employer to find out what experience you need to get a job there.  In the words of an underpaid, freelance copywriter, “Just do it.”

2013

It's funny how a new empty calendar can momentarily inspire all of us to change... to be better, healthier, more interesting people who suddenly have time to volunteer, take up ballroom dance, sleep 8 hours a night, do regular cardio, and become gourmet chefs.  Somehow a new year makes anything seem possible.  Every magazine from Runner's World to Guns and Ammo screams with headlines of, "New Year, New You,"!  We're supposed to lose 10 lbs., get organized, spend more wisely, save more often, eat organic, and become experts in our own ancestry.  

I am actually a firm believer in New Year's Resolutions.  Not the ones that make you feel guilty and not good enough, but the ones that inspire you and get you one step closer to something you've always dreamed of.  There is something about putting things in writing that makes them seem more attainable, more real.

In 2013 I want to take more risks.  I want to have more fun.  I want to spend less time stressing and worrying and more time remembering what I love.  I want to stop feeling so bogged down by the things I'm supposed to do and spend more time doing what really makes me happy.  That's it.  I'm not making promises to lose 10 lbs. or drink more water, to actually use my vision benefits, or write more.  Frankly, I just don't need that kind of pressure.

So here's to you, 2013.  I'm in.  Happy New Year everyone.  Hope it's the year that your wildest dreams come true.

Good vs. Evil

I, like most Americans, am having a really hard time processing what happened in Sandy Hook, CT on Friday morning.  I am having trouble understanding what would allow someone to do such terrible, awful things to hurt so very many people.  I can't seem to comprehend why these events keep happening over and over and over again.  This world we live in, or at least this country that we live in, seems terrifying these days.  We can't fly without at least a thought in the back of our minds that a terrorist might somehow take down the plane.  We can't seem to get through a year now without some freakish weather event, be it an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or all four.  Now we can't go to a movie theater, mall, or even an elementary school without looking over our shoulders and worrying that a crazed man or even more shocking--woman--that we have never met might decide to take our lives into his or her hands.
I have always been someone who believed in good triumphing over evil, but sometimes it seems like evil has a head start.  It only takes one terrible human being to steal a gun and shoot up a school, but millions of people can give money to a charity and it still might not be able to fix a child's cancer, or heal the mental or physical wounds of a veteran, or help a child who grew up in poverty to get an education and a job.  I know there are so many more good people out there than bad, but it seems so much harder for the good to make a splash.
Sure, there is a wonderful post going around on Facebook right now about "26 Acts That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year," and for a second it gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, but it is not enough.  I want to believe that everyday a police officer puts shoes on a homeless man.  Why is that so uncommon that he gets a Today Show appearance?  Why are there not millions of people going up and offering pieces of clothing to homeless people each day?  I thought it was adorable that there was a security guard at Disney who went around getting autographs from all of the little girls dressed as princesses, but why should it be so unusual that children feel important?  Shouldn't every child in the world have someone hug them each day and tell them they are special and they are loved?  There were photos of people rescuing pets during storms.  Why aren't we all adopting pets, providing foster homes, or volunteering at organizations like Monsters Milers or the SPCA?
I believe that all of the good people are just waiting for opportunities.  Waiting for the "right" way to help.  Scared of putting themselves in a bad position.  Frustrated that even though they might donate their time or money, the letters from charities still roll in and nothing seems to be getting better.  I believe that many times life just gets too busy, too hard, or too exhausting to think about going out of our way to do good.
Well after Friday, I am convinced.  It is no longer enough to wait for opportunities to do good.  It is no longer acceptable to wait until someone asks you for help.  We need to seek out opportunities to be good people.  We need to work harder at being a force for good in the world.  There is a quote on Pinterest that I love, and it reads, "Be the kind of person that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, 'Damn, she's up.'"
We need to be actively looking for ways to help, beyond donating money to a couple of good causes or anytime that an old British rock band decides to put on a telethon.  Invite someone over for dinner, and not just the smooth bachelor with great stories and good wine, but the recovering alcoholic who is still looking for a job.  No one has ever died from awkward breaks in conversation.  Offer to babysit for the new mom and pay for her to get a pedicure.  Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in Wawa.  Hold the door for the man with the stroller.  Actually look at the cashier and ask how his day is going, instead of just acting like he doesn't exist.  Let people merge on the highway.  Stop acting like you're in such a damn hurry.  Look people in the eye and smile at them.  Talk to your family members.  If you know people with mental illnesses, insist that they get help instead of just believing that they are someone else's problem.  Go through your drawers and realize that even though you love them all, you don't actually need 50 t-shirts and can afford to give some to Goodwill.  Compliment a stranger.  Put some grocery store gift cards in a neighbors mailbox who you know is struggling.  Keep it anonymous.
You might think you don't know anyone who is struggling, but if you pay attention and open your eyes, you'll see opportunities to help.  You'll see ways to do good.
Will it keep people from doing evil?  No, probably not.  But hopefully it will make it so giving a homeless person clothes is no big deal, that rescuing animals in need is a given, and that the acts that restore our faith in humanity are so high in number that we will never be able to track them in a list anymore.  I will do my best to do the same.

The Spin Class That Wasn't

I knew getting to the gym from work by 6:00 p.m. would be a stretch, so when I made it in the doors by 6:05 p.m. with athletic attire and both sneakers on, I considered that a victory.  After four months of really only running for marathon training (I know you’re supposed to cross train, but when you’re doing that kind of mileage, trying not to get injured, and working long hours, who has the time?)  I have been more than excited to get back into other kinds of workouts… Barre, Weights, Crossfit, Zumba,… pretty much anything that doesn’t involve a treadmill.  Last night I figured a spinning class might be a great way to mix it up.
 

I have never done spin before.  I’ve always wanted to, but I’ve always been a little intimidated and somehow the timing never worked out.  That said, I’ve been a gym member since I was 14 and have used a stationary bike plenty of times, so even though the classroom was dark, the music was blaring, and the instructor was already spinning her little heart out, I thought I could slip in the back and figure things out as I went along.

I tiptoed my way to a bike, adjusted the seat (that alone took 2 minutes and I’m still pretty sure it still wasn’t right) and started pedaling.  I realized pretty quickly that my bike only had clips, not pedals and for some reason when my foot slipped off the pedals kept right on going.  And going.  And going.  They were spinning faster than a cassette tape on rewind.  (Remember them?  Funny.)  I figured they would stop eventually, but they didn’t.  I couldn’t figure out whether they were secretly controlled by the instructor.  I tried turning my bike off, but that didn’t work either.  After trying to stop the pedals with my feet and scraping up the back of my leg in the process, I gracefully totally awkwardly hobbled to the bike next to me, which appeared to have pedals.  I didn’t want to go through the embarrassment of adjusting the seat again, so I just got on and started pedaling only to realize that this bike only had one pedal and wouldn’t turn on.  It was like the Land of Misfit Bikes.  I pedaled away with no resistance for a couple minutes before realizing that my arms were really hurting, and since I wasn’t using them at all, that probably meant that my bike wasn’t adjusted properly and since the bike wouldn’t turn on I wasn’t really doing anything except potentially hurting myself.  With that I snuck off the bike and tried to make the fastest, quietest exit possible.

Unfortunately, a friendly gym employee was standing outside the door and wanted to know if I left the class because I didn’t like the instructor.  When I explained what happened he laughed at me, then scolded me and told me that going into a spin class after it had started for my first class was, “Borderline reckless.”  He also told me that there was an intro to spin class at 5:45 p.m. (of course, if I can’t make it for a 6 p.m. class, I don’t know how I would make it for a 5:45.) 

Thus ends the story of the spin class that I failed miserably.

Healthy Eating Habits (Holidays Included)

A great link from Gina Roberts-Grey at Prevention Magazine.  I love that these aren't your traditional switch mayo for mustard tips.  #4 and #5 are my favorite...

Trick yourself into losing weight with these 8 sneaky ideas

David De Lossy / Getty Images stock

Holding the line on holiday weight gain can be as simple as cutting 100 calories a day from your diet. Here are a few tips to try.

By Gina Roberts-Grey, Prevention