Exercise for at least 10 minutes a day

Skipped Thursday because I got home really late and exercised, but didn’t time the last two days.

Friday I did a bunch of clam exercises, which are awesome to me because you really do feel it in your hard-to-work saddlebag-type area, and a bunch of random arm exercises with my figure-8 band and a few other random things.

Yesterday, A and I ended up walking about 7 miles (per the Gmaps Pedometer), which I think should cover it. He says he’s sore, but I’m not. ;)

I might do some actual circuits today, but we’ll see. I’ve been trying to focus on “bringing my navel to my spine” frequently/constantly, allowing my hips to swing when I walk (which I’m pretty sure I’m awful about, and is one of the reasons, I’m guessing, that I don’t have a more defined waistline) and taking advantage of random times to do stuff like squeeze and hold my abs or glutes.

Tried the Fit’s Full Body Circuit Workout today, included:
1) Narrow Squat With Overhead Press (15 reps)
2) Plank With Reverse Row – Right arm (10 reps)
3) Plank With Reverse Row – Left arm (10 reps)
4) Side Lunge – Right (12 reps)
5) Side Lunge – Left (12 reps)
6) Plie Squat With Side Arm Raises (15 reps) My poor shoulders! :)
7) Side Plank Push Up – Right (10 reps) These were hard, but not in a good way – hurt my wrist. Maybe would be better once I actually get a yoga mat?
8) Side Plank Push Up – Left (10 reps)
9) Backwards Lunge With Bicep Curls – Right leg (10 reps)
10) Backwards Lunge With Bicep Curls – Left leg (10 reps)
11) Seated Russian Twist (16 reps each way) Thought these were pretty easy.
12) Scissor Abs (15 reps each leg) I’m not coordinated enough for these.
13) Superman (3 reps, 30 seconds each)

By my stopwatch, took me 24 minutes (and 33 seconds) total including looking at the computer for instructions.

I’m sweaty.

Tried to do:
1) this Tracy Anderson workout… but my chair wasn’t stable enough and I figured I’d better check myself before I wreck myself.
2) this “Butt Workout with Kim Strother”... which has great exercises, but it’s not really a workout video as much as it samples of the exercises which need to be taken and rep-ed separately from the video. Which I may do, but not tonight.

I did:
1) Fitsugar’s Clam Series [Video Length: 3:09] Pretty nice! Harder than it looks.
2) Fitsugar’s Figure 4 Stretch Not an exercise really, but a great stretch, especially for someone who sits at a desk all day.
3) Pilates Mat – 30 Minute Workout (Pilates on Fifth Video Podcast) [Video Length: 28:59] And I’m tired! Some stuff I cannot do – at least not on a hardwood floor, even with a towel. Plus it’s really hard to keep your form while trying to look at the screen. But some of it was good – I’m just not sure if I can pull of pilates by myself, I feel like maybe I would need someone watching telling me to suck it in and all that. I think I’d rather do the weightligting-y type stuff. But maybe I’m just doing it wrong.

Okay, I totally lied about exercising this weekend other than (ahem) exercise and several long walks – about 3 miles on Saturday and about 3 miles today.

But! I tried some video workouts today and they were actually easier than I thought. Plus it’s easier to not feel like time is dragging on when you’re watching people do the exercises too.

I did:
1) Fitsugar’s 4 Minute Love Handle Operation [video length: 4:34]
...a) Pilates Twist: 10 reps (I felt like I was slouching, will have to do this with the mirror next time)
...b) Can Can: 10 reps(fun but hurt my butt on the floor)
...c) Twisted Crunch: 10 times, each side (I liked this)
...d) Side Plank and Thread the Needle: 3 times each (really hard to do while watching the video, I was basically falling everywhere)
...e) Dumbbell Side Bends: 10 reps

2) Fitsugar’s 4 Minute Starter Arms Dumbbell Workout [video length: 3:51] (I didn’t like the instructor for this one, she kept finishing before the last rep countdown and looked embarrassed, but the workout was good. I used two (2) 10lb dumbbells.)
...a) Bicep Curls: 10 reps
...b) Tricep Kick Backs: 10 reps
...c) Bent Over Rows: 10 reps
...d) Zipper: 10 reps
...e) Pulling the Bag: 10 reps
...f) Overhead Tricep: 10 reps
...g) Arm Raises: 10 reps
...h) Push Ups (I actually did them though! I effing hate push ups.): 10 reps
...i) Tricep Dips: 10 reps

3) Fitsugar’s 4 Minute Booty Workout [video length: 4:42] (found this worked my thighs more than my butt – maybe my hips too?)
...a) Kicks: 10 reps
...b) Donkey Kicks: 10 reps
...c) Charlie Chaplin: 20 reps
...d) Bridge with Pulses: 10 reps
...e) Bridge with Kicks: 5 reps per leg
...f) Squats on 3 Levels: 10 reps
...g) Plié Squats: 10 reps
...h) Pulsing Lunges: 10 reps

4) Fitsugar’s 4 Minute Ab Workout [video length: 4:55]
...a) Traditional Crunches
...b) Pulsing Crunches
...c) Up Up Down
...d) Toe Taps
...e) Heel Taps
...f) Hip Ups
...g) Hyper Hip Ups
...h) Criss-cross
...i) C-curve Twists

Hrm. Damn it, I’ve not been keeping up with this. The last time I actually did this was Tuesday. I mean, I’ve gone on quite a few walks and got (ahem) another form of exercise, but I really intended this goal to be calisthenics or another specific workout session. I will try to get back on this tonight and tomorrow as well as Monday, especially given that it is a long weekend.

I skipped last night because I was feeling icky, but back on the horse tonight…

One (1) minute each of the following:
1) Basic Crunches
2) Squats with One Dumbell
3) Triceps Curl
4) Biceps Curl (both arms together, 10lbs each)
5) Forward Am Raise (both arms, 10lbs each)
6) Lateral Raise (both arms together, 30 seconds with 10lbs each, then switched to Figure-8 Resistance Band since the dumbbells were too hard… resistance band worked well through)
7) Fly with Figure-8 Resistance Band
8) Lunges (Left)
9) Lunges (Right)
10) Rotating Chair

So apparently I’m really only counting “every day” as work nights. I think that’s okay with me, especially as we tend to go on long walks and stuff on the weekend.

1) Lunges (Left)
2) Lunges (Right)
3) Reverse Crunch
4) Vertical Leg Crunch
5) Dumbbell Triceps Extension – 10 lb
6) Dumbbell Curls (Right) – 10 lb
7) Dumbbell Curls (Left) – 10 lb
8) Dumbell Upright Row – 10 lb (single weight)
9) Standing Twists with Dumbbell – 10 lb
10) 30 seconds jump rope (then the stupid thing broke!); 30 seconds jumping jacks

Ooh, out of breath… pant, pant

Well, I did it again. More fun than yesterday, I guess. I think maybe my hormones are making me feel crappy and useless. Oh well. The show must go on!

One (1) minute each of the following:
1) Archery Pull with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Right)
2) Archery Pull with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Left)
3) Biceps Curls with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Left)
4) Biceps Curls with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Right)
5) Posterior Deltoid Fly with Figure-8 Resistance Band
6) Lateral Pulldown with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Right)
7) Lateral Pulldown with Figure-8 Resistance Band (Left)
8) Side-to-Side Lunge
9) Rotating Chair (I liked this)
10) Plié Squats

I thought I was going to get out of it tonight, but I went for it. Bleh. Not a very fun workout really. I feel like my posture is off on everything, all out of alignment and I’m not sure what to do about it.

One (1) minute each of the following:
1) Warrior Forward Bend (Right) (surprisingly burn/stretch-inducing on the inner thighs, backs of thighs and calves)
2) Warrior Forward Bend (Left)
2 1/2) Stretching, once I realized I hadn’t
3) Tri-Dip Bridge (easier than I thought)
4) Triangle (Right)
5) Triangle (Left)
6) Tendu Front and Side (Right) (my posture was horrible on these, I wonder if I should work more on ballet-type stuff to try and get my posture right)
7) Tendu Front and Side (Left)
8) Straight Leg Donkey Kicks (Right) (fun)
9) Straight Leg Donkey Kicks (Left)
10) Standing Spiral Twist (good on my shoulders, wish it was on my obliques)
11) Single Leg Lift (with bridge on ball) (I actually probably did about 90 seconds of this, very poorly, my ball kept sliding away and I couldn’t tell if I was maintaining my bridge)
12) Single Leg Kick (seemed too easy)
13) Side to Side Stretch

Well, I didn’t do my calisthenics today, but I just got back from a 45-minute walk to Japantown with A, so I guess that counts.

I’m kind of stiff today, especially my thighs, so I think I need to be more through with my stretching, both before and after exercising.

I like what calisthenics means – a combination of the Greek words kalos, ‘beautiful’ and sthénos, ‘strength’. Which is lovely.