Tag: fitness

The Twelve Blogs of Christmas – 12

12blogsofxmasHey all! This holiday season I’m going to do twelve blogs that will focus on the true spirit of Christmas, giving, while still embodying the true spirit of A Measured Life: maximum results for minimum cash. This series is going to feature twelve ways you can bring joy to others this holiday season even if you don’t have a lot to spend. I hope you find this series fun and inspirational and try some of the tasks I’ve set out for you. They’re easy, honest!

I’ll be counting down from twelve and ending with one on Christmas Eve. Spread the joy along with me!

12blogsofxmas_12

# 12

On the 12th blog of Christmas AML posed to me:

Give a flower to twelve people!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhy 12? It’s easy to buy a dozen flowers, and they don’t need to be fancy: carnations will do just fine. If you live in a warmer climate where there are wildflowers in bloom this time of year, you can even pick your own (with permission if you need it). If you prefer to be festive and can afford to do so, consider giving small poinsettias in pots so the flowers will last through the Christmas season. You don’t even need to explain why you’re doing it: in fact, it’s better if you don’t! If someone asks you why, simply reply “Because I wanted to!” and watch the smiles grow.

Keep your eyes peeled for #11, coming up next!

signoff

Exercises That I DO NOT Enjoy

I’m a pretty open-minded person. I like to try all sorts of workout routines and moves, and I’m willing to try almost anything once if it has to do with fitness. There are a few things in the fitness realm that I’ve discovered I just do not like. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate them (I can’t think of a single thing I actually hate) but there are a choice few I vastly prefer not to engage in. Here’s the short list:

Treadmill aka THE DREADMILL

dreadmill
Image source.

I enjoy running outside, but there’s something about the treadmill that always makes me feel as if I’m a nanosecond away from falling and breaking my face. It feels unstable. How did we take something that feels so natural and make it feel so… awkward? I’m awkward on stable ground as it is. (Seriously, ask my husband, I’m prone to randomly walking into corners of walls and table edges.)

 

Elliptical

gym_cardio_area_overlooking_greenery
Image source.

There really isn’t a reason that the elliptical sucks for me except that it makes my knees feel funny and I feel unnatural doing it. Also, like the treadmill, it’s BORING. I despise anything I have to do for an extended period with minimal change of view. Major snoozefest, man. Unless they face the weight room… 😉

 

Burpees

burpees-photoBurpees are pretty much the worst thing ever. I have occasional orthostatic hypotension, so the act of being down on the ground and standing up quickly makes me feel like I’m either going to vomit or pass out, which is never fun. Cross Fitters swear by them, and I’m sure they provide excellent calorie burn, but I am SO not a fan. You can keep your burpees.

Mountain Climbers

I also am not a fan of any exercise that puts a ton of pressure on my wrists. Now the lady in this video is fantastically fit, and I’m sure she knows what she’s talking about, but I’d rather do something much more fun, like kettlebells. Plus, I can pretty much guarantee you that you will never have a body like hers without lifting weights, so don’t let the mountain climbers deceive you. (Or maybe I’m just bitter.)

What are your least favorite exercises?

signoff

Potpourri: Nutrition Comparisons, Muscle Stretching Guide & AML Slack Team

There’s a storm coming here this weekend, so this is a quickie potpourri post before I have to buckle down and shovel. I found a couple of really awesome resources on the web. The first one is a nutrition comparison website!

Screenshot 2016-01-22 at 7.52.21 AM
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts-compare.php

This website is SO cool! You can compare up to three foods and their respective nutritional values. This can be really helpful when you’re worried about macros (protein/fat/carbs) or diabetic (needing to watch your carbs). As you can see, boiled carrots have approximately one third the calories of white potato, and one third the carbs, but way more of those carbs come from sugar. I’m going to be playing with this site for a while!

Yoga1_2-1024x576
http://beyoungbegreen.com/36-pictures-see-muscle-youre-stretching/

The second I got from a member of the Frogpants LoseIt! community, and it’s a guide to which muscles you’re stretching. It’s great to have a visual guide to stretches, because if a part of your body is tight, you can actually see which stretches will help that part of your body. Neat, huh?!

2b26437d72e949db88e62d251c736c45Lastly, I made an AML Slack Team! Slack is a messaging and file sharing app where we can chat about all things AML. If you’re interested in getting an invite, all I need is your e-mail address. Send me an e-mail at ameasuredlife@gmail.com or leave your e-mail in the comments! You can download Slack for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Mac, Windows and even Linux here. We’ll be able to chat in real time about stuff in the chat channels, and you can search conversations to see what people are talking about. I hope to see you there!

Signature