Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
photos by aly nicklas
20+ girls, 30+ miles, and 2 bum feet. This was definitely a girls trip to remember, and prob the most epic adventure I've ever been on. Nothing beats sleeping in a hammock above a river, running through a monsoon, waking up to thunder so loud it feels only feet above your head, swimming under waterfalls, hiking in waist high water, and bathing in streams. My first time backpacking was such a dream, and one of the best workouts I've ever had. Can't wait to get back to this dreamy place someday.
As I'm sure you all know, Chase and i LOVE to be outdoors. As soon as we are off work or have a free moment, we like to take it outside. We have such good weather here in California that eating inside seems weird. Unless its while watching one of my favorite shows, I'm always down for that ;). I just love eating dinner on the porch, better yet breakfast. And where we live we can hear the ocean in the distance. Oooo soooo good. Anyway, there I go on one of my rambles. Not what I am blogging about, oops!
A few weekends ago Chase and I decided to go on a hike for our Saturday adventure. We typically choose the beach or surfing, but we like to mix it up here and there and I felt it was time for another hike. Plus its always a good excuse to get some exercise in on a day we usually choose to relax. Hiking in my books counts as a workout ;). It's been fun discovering new places local to our area. This was about 15 minutes or so from our house. I'm typically not a fan of hot desert hikes, but hitting this waterhole at the end made it all worth it. I felt like a lizard basking in the sun :). For more details on this hike see post HERE.
>> Happy weekend everyone! <<
A few weekends ago, Chase and I ran a relay race with Chase's mom, brother, and cousin. We each ran 10 miles to complete a 50 mile course between two beautiful lakes in St. George. All I had was my cell phone, so don't mind the quality of the pics. Either way, I was glad I took some because those red rock mountains against the blue sky are to die for gorgeous.
We decided to have Lance, Chase's brother run first, followed by his cousin McKenzie. She is a cross country and track star in high school, so thank goodness we had her :). I ran third and after me was Chase and then Shannon, my mother in law. We made Chase run the toughest legs of the race which were practically uphill the entire time. Poor thing :). We weren't exactly training or planning to run a race, but decided to help my mother in law qualify for the St. George marathon which she runs every year. Hey at least we got cool work out shirts and a medal :)!
i am so excited to share this workout with you all today! mainly because
look how CUTE van is! ok, i just had to get that out of the way ;). as
many of you know, my sis meg had an adorable baby boy in january. i went to idaho in february to help her move and settle into their new home, as well as help with baby van. while there, i couldn't help but think of ideas and
ways to get "new mama" movin' again, to whip that body into shape and
help my sis feel like herself again.
there is nothing better than
feeling strong and confident. every woman deserves that, especially one
that just had her body stretched in crazy ways to bring such a beautiful
person into this world. having a baby is tough, especially on the body. this at home workout is to all you new mamas who are fresh on the road of post-baby fitness. because exercising has to be done between feedings and naps, you may find that you just don't have the time to drive yourself to a gym and be away from your baby for too long. or by the time your spouse gets home from work, you just don't have the energy anymore to work out. so to solve this problem, work out with your baby! they may enjoy it more than you think! give it a try, it may be a hoot. i know megan sure enjoys it. pump up your favorite music and go for it!
meg named these three moves herself. so feel free to insert your own child's name on the "van man" exercise ;). remember to start small when you first begin working out. your body is still healing and needs time to recover. by doing these basic strengthening moves alongside a 15 minute walk or jog, you are on your way to a stronger and toned body!
the van man
this is similar to a bench press, but baby-fied (hah). it's a great workout for your triceps. start with your baby on your hip, then slowly straighten your arms in front of you. continue to straighten your arms upward without locking your elbows. pause, then lower your baby back to starting position. starting position will be holding them on your hip. do 10 reps, then rest and play. repeat 2 more times.
the milk monster
this is similar to a weighted squat, but baby-fied. it's a great workout for your butt and thighs, and with your baby you get a great arm workout as well! start with feet shoulder width apart and baby on hip. straighten your arms out in front of you and slowly go into a squat position. be sure to keep your back flat and butt out. make sure your knees do not extend over your toes, and squat deep to where you almost feel like your thighs are resting on your calves. hold your baby in front of you just as you would a medicine ball. do 10 reps, then rest and play. repeat 2 more times.
the baby curl
this is similar to a bicep curl, but baby-fied. start with feet shoulder width apart and baby resting in your hands, stabilized by your wrists and forearms. to get a deeper curl, start with baby below your hips and slowly curl upwards toward your chest, and return to your hips. do 10 reps, then rest and play. repeat 2 more times.
baby steps
plank kisses
lay your baby on a blanket or pad on the floor. hover your body over them in plank position while making playful noises and talking sweetly. keep your feet shoulder width apart and legs extended, while holding your upper body up with your arms extended. hold for 30 seconds. slowly lower your body towards baby into a pushup position and give baby a kiss. slowly return to plank position and hold for another 15 seconds. repeat 2 more times.
*good luck and never forget how beautiful you are! and even better, how beautiful your baby is. have fun!
i realized i haven't done a work out post in a long time, so here i am back at it! recently, i picked up jogging again and it feels oh so good! i shouldn't have taken a break as long as i did, but owell. i also go to the gym at least 3 times a week and do a combination of strength training and cardio for an hour workout. and if you haven't already, download the app nike training on your phone. it is amazing, and you will see results fast! do it! beware though, it takes up quite a lot of storage but is very worth it.
as for today, i decided to share an awesome beach work out you can do while on vacation or at your local stomping grounds if you're a lucky one who lives on the beach. what's better than working out while getting a tan?! win, win. my mom and i did this while my parents were visiting for spring break, and it was all directed by my mama baby. she was an awesome workout partner! the north shore has beautiful loose sand, creating butt burning resistance to deepen your workout. if your beach is hard packed, get out there anyway. it's still a nice change and fun environment to get your fitness on. and don't fear the stares, people admire a dedicated exerciser (wink).
also, don't forget to finish off your workout with a protein drink! you need that protein to repair the muscles you just tore up (normal when working out, pretty much how they strengthen). it also helps you slough off any carbs you eat during the day. i personally love the jillian michaels chocolate one you can find at walmart or any vitamin shop. the big bag of vanilla or chocolate whey at costco is yummy as well and lasts forever. i prefer to throw a scoop in some cold water with ice, but there are millions of ways you can do it. you can mix it with milk, smoothies, pancakes, shakes, you name it. the options are endless, my pinterest board HERE can help you too.
beach body workout
25 lunges with sprint back x4
25 jump squats with sprint back x2
15 incline push ups x4
25 bicycles x4
50 yard beach sprint x2
1 minute plank
1 minute side pank, each side
*Alternate between sets of lunge sprints and squat sprints, and incline push ups and bicycles till all sets are completed. This will help you from getting bored of doing same thing repeatedly back to back. Remember, to give yourself 30 or so seconds between exercises to let your muscles recover. You will be feeling the burn extra hard with that sand beneath your feet. Good luck and work hard!
wow! for reals, this hike was AMAZING! definitely my favorite on the island so far, and i have been on a lottttt of hikes. based on the picture overload, i'm sure you can understand why. isn't it beautiful!? so jungly and one of the best views of the kahana valley on the east side of oahu.
it was a beautiful hot day so my friends kalohee, ashley and i decided to finally do this hike. crouching lion is located in kaaawa, oahu and winds up the ridge line through the jungle, overlooking kahana bay (one of my fav surf breaks). there are two parts, a long one and a short one. we decided to do the shorter one since we weren't with our husbands and wanted to feel it out first. after doing it, we decided it was an awesome workout with all the uphill so we decided to try and do it together weekly on thursdays. we will see if that happens ;) it's just nice to mix things up with difficult hikes rather than all gym and running workouts. anyway, overall this hike was about an hour in a half up and an hour in a half down. the ending point was the rock you see us all standing on together. in one of those pictures we were trying to be "roaring lions." scary, i know haha.
the trail is super narrow and steep, so if you have a fear of heights, i don't recommend this hike. other than that, don't fear this hike. i feel like the reviews i read about this hike try to freak people out. but honestly, it's totally awesome and doable, and not threatening. as long as you are smart. so DO IT and you won't be sorry! if you do the shorter version, wear really nice hiking shoes or sneakers with good traction and workout clothes. you want your pants or shorts to be stretchy because you do some mild rock climbing. if you decide to hike the whole thing, wear long sleeves and pants because you're likely to be trudging through some plant life. for more details on this hike and how to find it, go HERE. yelp works miracles.
ps, do you see why it is called crouching lion? hint: the first picture. it's a profile view of a lion resting on it's paws, overlooking the valley. i like to think he's guarding his home :). it's easy to spot his ear, mane, and mouth. look close!
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