Walk this Way

Recently, I have made it one of my fitness goals to run more. I have always been more of a walker, but it seemed like an easy way out. It was too easy to be a good workout, or so I thought, so I started trying to incorporate more run time into my walks.  I can run, or I can at least do some version of running... 

but I always end up wanting to walk. I sure hope that some people know where this picture is from and got a chuckle out of it. I even got new running shoes with high arch support and blah blah blah running terms blah blah blah.

Over a few weeks, I was up to 3-4 miles daily, which for me, is pretty good. I was pleased with my accomplishment, but I didn't like what my body was telling me. 

1. My joints hurt. My knees, ankles, hips, even lower back. Maybe I should blame it on form, or not sticking with it long enough, I don't know, but I do know that I did not enjoy the way my body felt during or after.

2. My thighs were growing. The muscle tone was nice, but I don't want hulk thighs.

3. Interestingly enough, my ab definition disappeared.

I went back to walking in addition to my Piyo and other various beach body work-outs. During one particularly long walk, I started paying attention to how I felt. I felt my core muscles working way more than they did when I was running. After changing back to all walking (still 3-4 miles per day), I am starting to see my thighs thin back out and my core definition is making a comeback. Now, I am not an expert trainer, I am merely telling you how I walk in order to tone my core. It works for me, of that I am sure. All you can do it give it a try.

Walk this way

Sorry, I couldn't help it.

1. Stand up straight. 

As a chorus teacher, I say these words every single day. They apply to singing posture, but applying them to my walking posture opens me up so that the core muscles have the space to move. Shoulders up, back and down, chin parallel to the floor, spine straight. As I am walking, I constantly remind myself of these posture corrections.

2. Strive to lengthen the size of your steps. 

This practice seems like it would target the leg muscles, but it's actually very much lower core.

3. Think about exaggerating hip rotation. 

The rotation of the hips is the huge basic difference between running and walking. When I run, I feel my hips squared forward, placing most of the tension on the leg muscles. When walking, I feel the hips rotating from side to side, engaging the entire core, especially the side obliques.

4. Breath deeply. 

Deep breathing is a core exercise in itself. When combine with the other core attributes of walking, thats a killer ab workout.

5. Stretch afterwards.

 I do cat/cow, runners lunge, and pigeon pose after my walk/workout.

So, get outside! Make up a route, download some podcasts. Take the dog, take the stroller. Enjoy nature, get a tan. Walk this way!

21 Day Fix Bracelets

When I get a good idea, I get a little CRAZY with it. My ideas have tendencies to be all-consuming and I spend ALOT of time working on them when they happen. Some have worked out great for me, others have naturally fizzled out, but either way, I love the moment when a good idea strikes!

Let me explain.

If you aren't familiar with the 21 day fix meal, well, it's the absolute best. Cancel everything because this is it. It's realistic, reasonable, not weird, and doesn't force you to drink any weird herbal teas that make you pee a lot. 

Anyways, the concept is that each person is allotted a certain number of color coded containers every day according to her (or his) calorie bracket, which is determined by height and weight. The containers are different sizes, which regulates the portions of each of the food categories. For example, I can eat 4 red (protein), 3 purple (fruits), 3 green (veggies), 2 yellows (carbs, starches, some other randoms foods), 1 blue (healthy fats), 1 orange (seeds), and 2 teaspoons (oils/butters), which I like to refer to as silver or gray.

At first, I found the diet to be pretty easy, but then life hit and I realized that I don't always have time to meal plan that intensely. I needed something to help me keep track of all of the foods that I consume without having to be the weirdo that pulls a meal plan out of her back pocket every time I want to eat something.

Instead, I decided to be the weirdo who strung beads non-stop for the next 2 weeks. I made a small bracelet to represent every portion that I am allotted throughout the day. 4 red ones, 3 green ones, 3 purple ones, etc.

The idea is to start with them ALL on your left wrist.

Say that you have your Shakeology for breakfast and put spinach and grapes in it. Thats one red, one green and one purple. You then move those bracelets over to the right wrist.

Then for lunch, you have a chicken salad with vinaigrette dressing and sunflower seeds. Lets see... one green, one red, and one silver all over to the right wrist.






The color bracelets left on your left wrists are the foods that you still get to eat. By the end of today, all I have left is....

ONE YELLOW. You know what that means.