Tag Archives: healthy lifestyle

Motivation Monday and Fitness Challenge #3

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Before I get to the meat of today’s post, dare I ask: did anyone out there besides me complete their 200 Burpees? Or try out the burpee pyramid challenge from last week?

Let me know how it went!

Now before I give you your challenge for this week, I want to tell you about a part of my day yesterday that was so awesome it’s hard to even describe here.

Will and I set out around 11 am to do a workout down along the Charles River because it was such a gorgeous day. For those of you not from Boston, there’s a little workout area at one point along the river path that has pull up bars, different height benches, push up bars, etc. It’s kind of like a little mini “muscle beach” without the actual weights. Any given nice day in Boston you’ll usually see a handful of people doing various workouts there, and yesterday was no different.  When we got there, I payed particular attention to one gentleman who was doing all sorts of interesting movements, including a lot of work while hanging from his feet on the pull up bar.  After watching him for a little while, I started in on my own workout, and at one point I was approached by him because he was curious about some of the more creative things that Will and I were doing. (He was particularly interested in the backpack with a 40 pound chain in it… But again…That’s a different post).

Once we started talking to him, we all began sharing workout tips, trading techniques, and even sharing some of the equipment that all of us had brought.

Did I mention that this man, Ralph, was 72?

Here he is, talking to Will, who is using Ralph’s leg straps which allow you to hang upside down for ab work, etc. 

Note the backpack in the picture above. That’s the one that’s holding a 40 pound chain, and Ralph couldn’t wait to use it. After showing Will how to use his ankle straps, he put them back on himself, and after being hoisted up to the high pull up bar, proceeded to do upper body work as well as ab crunches while holding the bag.

Just look at the incredible shape he is in!!

After speaking with him about more exercises and he so graciously agreed to be featured on my blog, he also agreed to show us some of the more creative (and extremely difficult) things he had been doing when we first got there.

He honestly smiled the entire time. He was like a little kid up there!

 (Ahem, 72?!?!?) This man, Ralph, was incredible. He was passionate, curious, joyful, exuberant, and hilarious all wrapped up into one tiny, super-fit package.

And the kicker? By the time we were taking these pictures, it was about 1:00 pm. He told us he had been out since 5 am, riding his bike around to different outdoor workout areas and stopping for exercise intervals as he saw fit. Since 5 am! I don’t know many people my age who would have the stamina and endurance to do that, let alone someone who could be my grandparent.

So why am I telling you all about the incredible Ralph? I think it’s quite obvious. He is pretty much the definition of health and motivation. At 72 years old (I don’t think I can say that enough times), he trains at least 4 days per week, is in incredible physical shape, and is on no medications.

So next time someone asks you why you work out so much, or next time you doubt that starting an exercise plan really will make a difference, think of Ralph. Next time you don’t want to get your butt to the gym or do one of my challenges, just think WWRD (What Would Ralph Do?) :)  He was a great person to talk to, and I honestly can’t wait until I see him out there again. Maybe he’ll even agree to an interview one of these days?

Now that you’ve had that megadose of awesome, let’s hear today’s challenge. This week we’re going to take it back a notch from the madness that was Burpees, and we’re going to go a little bit more low-key. Your challenge this week is:

For some of you this will be easy, for some it will be a struggle. But remember, No Cheating! If you can only hold a plank for 5 seconds with good form, than you need to do about a bazillion (ok 96) sets of 5 second planks. If you can hold a plank for a minute, than really you just need a plank a day (plus a little extra somewhere in there).

**Good form for a plank means that you are basically forming a straight line from the tip of your head all the way down to your toes. NO “tent butt” or sagging midsection. Keep that core and glutes engaged the entire time in order to keep your form correct.

**Tip: Do these in front of a mirror so that you can see if your core is sagging or if your butt is creeping up. A crooked plank is no plank at all.

And with that, I’m off! I’ll be gone for the rest of this week for the National Athletic Trainer’s Association conference in St. Louis, and then for a little bonus time in Memphis. I’ll be putting up some great guest posts to finish out this week, and then I’ll be back next Monday. Enjoy your week, and don’t miss me too much!

Don’t forget to send me your plank videos and pictures if you want to be featured on the blog! (itrainthereforeieat@gmail.com)

Do you ever do outdoor workouts? Have you ever met someone like Ralph? Do you do planks in your workout regularly? 

Superbowl FUNday

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Superbowl Sunday. A day notorious for 7-layer dips, guacamole, nachos, chicken wings, and all of the finger-licking good food you can think of. Oh, and a football game. (Or, for those of you who don’t enjoy watching football, there’s also the puppy bowl on Animal Planet or the Lingerie Bowl, if that’s more your style.) This particular Superbowl Weekend, I also had a friend’s birthday to celebrate, which ultimately led to copious amounts of food and drink in a 48 hour period.

So, for your entertainment, I’m going to do something that’s probably going to get myself banished from the “healthy living” bloggosphere for good.  I’m going to tell you everything I ate this weekend. Keep in mind that this is everything Extra that I ate. This is in addition to my usual breakfast and lunch.  Ready? Here goes:

Brownies  - 2 maybe?

Cookies -I made them, so obviously I ate some. I don’t even know how many. Honestly.

How could you bake these and NOT have some of them?!?

Birthday Cake – 1/2 slice

Oreo Cupcake – 1/2

Cup Cake Cone – 1 (Yes, that’s a cupcake cooked into an ice cream cone. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculously good.)

Fried Avocado – 2 pieces

Hush Puppies – 1

Buffalo Chicken Pizza – 2 slices

Pea Pesto Crostini – It’s a Giada recipe that my friend made, and they were delicous!! I probably had 4 of these.

Chips and Salsa

Chicken Wings – 8 maybe? who even knows

Nope, not the least bit healthy. But delicous? Yes!

So WHY am I telling you all of this?

Because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. Yes, even though now, on Monday morning, I feel like this:

It doesn’t matter. And I really don’t feel bad about any of it. I enjoyed time with my friends, had some great celebrations, and savored (in slight moderation) some delicious treats that my friends made.  All it shows is that I’m not perfect (and I bet you’re not either!) But if you ask me, perfection is overrated. In a perfect world, all I would eat would be clean, fresh food, lean meats, grass fed beef, and fruits grown on trees in my own back yard. Actually, scratch that. In a perfect world, I would be able to eat all the chocolate, cupcakes,  and  chicken wings I want, and still be perfectly healthy.

But the point is, it’s not a perfect world, and it’s never going to be. There are always going to be days when you move a little less and eat a little more. There are going to be birthday celebrations and graduation parties and “hey it’s Friday and I just got through the WORST WEEK EVER” celebrations, and that’s OK. Should we treat every day like it’s a party with the best buffet table in the world? Or Every Sunday like it’s Superbowl Sunday?  No, but is it OK every once in a while? Say it with me:

So, after you DO have an inevitable “cheat” day like Superbowl Sunday, you have three options as far as I’m concerned.

  1. You can wallow in self pity, and continue to eat like crap, because you already ruined your diet lifestyle so why even TRY to be healthy now?
  2. You can beat yourself up over your “bad” day and vow to eat only spinach leaves for the next week.
  3. You can acknowledge that you ate some Damn good food yesterday, appreciate the textures and flavors you experienced, and move on with your normally health-conscious life.

Now I don’t know about you but I’ll gladly go with 3. (Those Oreo cupcakes were to die for, and honestly I should have eaten a whole one). Yes, a little bit of that negative-thought cycle of #2 might creep in a little bit, and maybe you’ll start craving more sugar for a few days after a day like that, but overall, you’re going to be ok. I’ll say it again:

You’re going to be ok.

One day does not make or break a healthy lifestyle. Just keep your goals in mind, and get yourself back on track. Maybe you should give yourself a little bit more of a calorie deficit for a few days if you really went overboard, or maybe you should tack on a little bit extra to your workouts this week, but unless you’re competing in a figure competition next Saturday, there’s no need to stress about this too much.  Once healthy habits have been formed, it’s easier to fall back into them, even after an over-indulgent day like yesterday (or, *cough* weekend *cough*).

And if you haven’t yet quite mastered the healthy living habits that you strive for, than there’s no better time than now to work extra hard on them! Just keep in mind that even if it takes you a few days to get back on track, better late than never, right? Positive thinking, hard work, and a little bit of self discipline will take to where you want to be. But take these  inevitable “cheat” days as they come, because it’s up to you to make the most of life along the way, even especially if a few detours include cookies, cupcakes, and chicken wings.