Week 5: Yoga!

I adore yoga!! It's peaceful, it's relaxing, but at the same time, it'll make you pant, grunt, and sweat!

For those of you who may have tried P90X, you know exactly what I'm talking about!

Now the computer I'm on today is being temperamental, and I don't want to do a whole post and then lose it because of technical problems.

Which is why I chose yoga this week! It's so personal, only you know You! And yoga is all about union, whether it be with you and You, with you and Him, or you and nature. Whatever you care to unionize with.

There's no greater tool for this, in my opinion, than making your own Yoga Journal. I love this thing! You design your own workouts according to You! You can design multiple workouts and title them! "Monday", "Wednesday", and "Friday; "Morning" and "Night", or maybe even by mood of "I'm Feeling Strong Today" and "Gimme a Break".  This is how I use it, anyway. You just build "sequences", and you can name them for what the positions look like or even what part of the body you work.

Yes, it's about union, but it's also about staying flexible and toned (the general "use" of yoga in America). You know where your weaknesses and your strengths are. Do you have weak knees? Do you have strong arms? Work on your weaknesses, but keep up your strong points. "Balance" is very punny in yoga, meaning you use it in more than one way.

Go make your own personalized Yoga Journal ! It has a ton of poses and ideas to make the best of your yoga experience! It has pictures and detailed descriptions on how to do it. Go make the best You!

Enjoy!

Week 4: In-A-Pinch!

So, I have  this amazing app on my iTouch called In-A-Pinch. This app tells you what exercises you need to do for a certain area of the body if you are stiff or sore!

USE THESE IN YOUR WARMUPS AND COOL DOWNS!!! :)

For those that don't use smartphones, iPods, or any other app-friendly device, and do not know what an app is ... I'm not going to explain myself.

For those that don't use smartphones, iPods, or any other app-friendly device, but you know what an app is, this is for you!

And finally, for those with smartphones, you stopped reading this two sentences ago and have already bought the Free version of In-A-Pinch.

Which brings me to my next point. In-A-Pinch has a free version! This is why I feel comfortable sharing it's secrets to the blogging world. I wouldn't be sharing any of this information if it wasn't the free version.

But I understand that smartphones are expensive, apps can be difficult, and if you don't know what you are doing, very confusing! So I will be sharing some information from one of my favorite apps ever. Remember, it's free! And this post will not include everything, so if you do have a smartphone, go snatch this app!

It starts out telling you to tell them "where it hurts". This will be my non-interactive, 2D version.

Each section has several different things you can do in order to make it feel better. I will only give one exercise per area to conserve room and, do remember, this is the free free version. Also, these are nearly all stretches. Hold each for 15 seconds, or sets of 15 seconds, for best results.

FRONT
Head-(light blue): Stressed: Breathe!!! Take slow, deep rhythmic breaths.
Neck-(red): Head tilts and turns. Straight back, and just tilt the head slowly front, back, left, right.
Chest-(light green):Seated Wings. Sit crossed legged and have someone grab your wrists behind you and gently pull.
Abs-(blue): Fish Pose. Lay flat on your back with hands palm down by hips. Press elbows into the ground as you left your ribs to the sky. Tuck your head under and rest.
Shoulders-(yellow): Yoga Mudra behind back. Stand with tall spine, clasp hands behind your back, lift up trying to squeeze the shoulder blades together, keep spine straight.
Upper arms- (dark blue)-  Tricept Stretch: Reach your arm all the way up then bend the right elbow and reach down your spine. Use left arm to grab the outside of right elbow. Keep your neck relaxed.
Forearms-(orange)- Flexion: Extend your arm out, palm forward, bend wrist and use other hand to increase the stretch.
Wrists-(red): Wrist Roll: Clech your fist, the tighter, the deeper the stretch, and roll it in a circle one way, then the other.
Hands- (fuschia): Gorilla Hands: Start on hands and knees. With hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips, curl the tips of your fingers under. *Deep stretch!*
Hips -(pink): Come to hands and knees and spread knees as wide as you can. Lower forearms under  your shoulders. Take your heels as wide as your knees and start to press your hips back. Keep relaxed! Using padding under knees and elbows as necessary.
Thighs-(brown): Standing squad stretch: While standing, grab your foot behind you and hold it to your rear. If you need something to help you balance, no need to feel ashamed! Grab a hold of the sucker! It can be a wall, workout buddy, table, chair, child in time-out forced to be your prop, whatever you need. ;)
Knees-(purple): Lower Leg Lateral-rotation: Sit on a chair and lift one foot off the ground. Rotate the leg so the foot points out, then rotate it so it points in. Don't forget to switch to the other side!
Ankles-(green): Flutter Foot: Sitting in chair, extend one leg. Point the foot and toe, then draw it back.Repeat several times. Sidenote: When the toe is pointed, it's called Plantarflexion, and when the toes are pulled back, it's called Dorsiflextion. A little Anatomy and Physiology for ya!
Feet-(yellow): Arch massage. Sit and use your thumbs to press into the arch of your foot. Feel for tight or sore spots. Squeeze heels or bottom of foot, whatever feels good!

BACK
Head-(light blue): Same as FRONT.
Upper back-(purple): Protract/Retract: Sit nice and tall, hands on knees, taking deep breaths. Exhale, tuck chin under and round spine. Inhald, lift chin and chest,pull with hands. Repeat!!
Shoulders-(blue): Same as FRONT.
Upper arms-(light green): Same as FRONT
Elbows-(orange): Supination and Pronation:This is basically just rotating your arm/forearm one way, then the other, as much as you can. (Twisting).
Forearms-(red): Same as FRONT
Wrists-(fuschia) and Hands-(yellow): Same as Front
Mid-back-(pink): CatDog: This is also now as Cat and Cow in yoga. Kneel on all fours, knees under hips, hands under shoulders. Press tailbone to the sky, bellybutton into the ground and hold. Then press your hips forward, your spine stretching to the sky. (one of my absolutely favorite stretches).
Lower back-(green): Pigeon: Another favorite yoga move. Start with hands on knees on floor. Move your knee forward and your ankle under your hip. Lean into this stretch. This is kind of hard to describe so please click here to see what it looks like. Then lean over your front knee for a deeper stretch.
Hips-(light blue): Same as Front.
Hamstrings-(light green): I don't agree with In-A-Pinch here, not comletely, so bear with me. I just like throwing my leg up onto a table or chair, and leaning forward to (try to) grab the toe. The V-sit stretch does this too. (So many good hamstring stretches in the world!)
Calves-(purple): Dog Down Runners Stretch: Another yoga pose, also known as Downward Dog. Place your hands and knees on the floor. Tuck your toes under and straighten your legs. Try to place your heels on the ground. You should look like an upside down V. Then spread your legs shoulder width apart, straighten one so the heel is on the ground and bend the other knee. Keep as relaxed as you can.
Ankles-(brown): Same as FRONT.

And that's all I have for you today!

Enjoy!

Week 3: Spring Break

So this week was super busy!!

Short and sweet:

It's important not to over-work yourself!! There IS such a thing as exercising too much!! Train smart and don't forget to take well earned breaks!!!

Enjoy!!!

Week 2: Meditation

Meditation? What does that have to do with being fit and healthy?

Pretty much everything!

This is Samm Speculation, so don't quote me, but your body and mind work together in perfect unison. If you're mind is not healthy, if you are not happy, your mind translates into your body, and your body won't work right for you! Not just in the normal ways of "Oh I'm happy, so I don't have tension in my shoulders", but in others ways. For example, if you are working out, not because you want to or are motivated to, but as a chore "Oh, I have to work out today, but I don't have time! *stress stress stress*", then chances are, you won't gain your goal! You won't lose any weight, in fact chances are, you may gain weight. If your mind isn't happy and healthy, your body won't respond in a happy or healthy way and all you're miles and hard work will not pay off nearly as much as the alternative.

Now the Science of it all. I have a list! (Those that know me on a personal level know I live for lists!) We'll make it a lovely Tens List. This information is about the benefits of meditation:
1. It increases the blood flow and slows the heart rate. In this fast paced world, we could all use some of that!
2. Reduces PMS. Yep! Ladies, who knew that meditation would help with PMS? Relaxation and meditation will make these 'symptoms' less severe! (Also, pickle juice *wink*)
3. Leads to a deeper level of relaxation. Those who have meditated before know what I mean by this. It's such a blissful place between conscious and subconscious, between being close to sleep, but fully awake.
4. It builds self confidence! (Most exercises do!)
5. Reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.
6. It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
7. It can restore blood pressure to normal for those with high blood pressure.
8. Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
9. Helps in post-operative healing.
10. Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.

For more, visit healthandyoga.

We are constantly worrying about exercising to help the outside of our body, but what about the inside? Meditation is one of the ways to achieve a "toned" inside. Here's what I like to do:

I like to Passively Meditate

Step One: Find a quiet place where You are comfortable. No physically, but a place where you feel at home or at peace. Bedroom's are a great place.

Step Two: Be alone! Kick the hubby out for a while, or invest in a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. Or maybe you can find time by taking a bubble bath. We all know that's our Me time.

Step Three: Set the mood. When you study, you turn the lights on, the lamp on, maybe throw ear plugs in to block out extra noise. It's the same with meditation, set the tone. I like to turn all the lights off, light some candles, and play some very relaxing music on in the background a at a low volume.

Step Four: Get comfy! Generally, I like to sit on the floor. You can sit on a couch or a chair, but remember you are moving into a state of relaxation and what I'm going to call sublaxation. It's okay if you fall asleep, but save the sleeping for bedtime! Maybe set a blanket down, or a couple of pillows.

Step Five: Meditate! There are many ways you can meditate, so if you don't like the way I do it, maybe these will be more beneficial to you! Remember, this is about You! I'm no teacher, just a suggester! Listen to your body, pay attention to it! It'll tell you what it needs and what it likes! If your body likes to lay down while meditation, listen to it! If you fall asleep that way, maybe you just need to reclin against a pile of pillows. When your mind and body work together is when you yield the best benefits and results!

I like to go on what I call Yoga-cations! First, I'll completely clear my mind and relax. If I'm laying down, I will relax one body part at a time starting with my big toe until I reach my eyes. Sitting up, I will concentrate on my breathing in and out. Once all stresses and cares of my everyday life leave, my subconscious will kick on and send me where I want to go. It's usually on the beach somewhere. I will lividly try to imagine the sand between my toes, the wind on my face, the water around my ankles. This helps me relax and feel like I'm getting a much needed vacation in my very own bedroom.

Another thing you can do is 'soul searching'. You can learn a lot about yourself through meditation! For example, after  completely clearing your mind and reaching Your sublaxation level, you can think "fear" and find out what is scaring you at this moment in time. Or you can think the word "happy" and find out what, in the real world, can give you the most happiness. It's almost an out of body experience when you are living solely in your mind. It's almost like getting an outsider's perspective from your innermost Inside.

Now yes, I am what the world calls Mormon. There are amazing ways to meditate through religion. Instead of reaching the Innermost You, try to reach the connection between You and Him. Instead of you communicating with yourself, doing self-reflections, communicate in prayer with Him. Instead of relaxing to sublaxation, use that time to clear your pride and humble yourself in order to truly listen. The communication of prayer is limitless and priceless.

I hope this helps you become the best You! Enjoy!

Week 1: Kickboxing

Kickboxing!!!
What a great way to officially start this marathon!! This is such a great workout in every aspect; you get your cardio in, your all-around strength training, coordination, and even self defense! Now ladies of the blogging world, tell me that doesn't sound amazing! It's also a lot of fun and boosts your self esteem, not only because you are whipping that butt-er cream into shape, but you'll feel more confident and get to feeling sorry for any loser who would dare mess with you!
My shameless plug of the day, my two teachers of this subject were 1) Silk Manning, and his '80s/$6 DVD that I got off of ebay, and 2) Vanessa Moffett who teaches at South Plains College, and who I really do want to be when I grow up! So this beginner's guide I've come up with comes from both of these people and thank you for your time and instruction!

IMPORTANT: 1) It's always important to warm up and cool-down in any exercise regimen. I will either devote a week to warm-ups and cool-downs or they may come up as a Bonus Post! 2) 90% of kickboxing is kicking and punching, so make sure you take care of, not only your arms and legs, but the power behind them! 3) Have fun! Exercise is always more productive and beneficial when you have fun doing it! A good way to ensure this is to set each workout to music!

WARM UP: Make sure you do an even amount on the left and the right side, and do about 3 or 4 sets of each!
Since I will have a warm-up post, I won't take the room here. Just make sure you focus on stretching out your arms and your legs, and loosening up those shoulders before kickboxing! Since this is a cardio workout, try to do standing stretches, and get moving! Jog in place or jumprope, you're body will thank you later for it.

WORKOUT: I will just give you the basic moves. You can do them in this order, or you can take this and combine them into a You-Specialized workout!! The punches will work your arms, the kicks will work the legs, but for those out for ab crunchers, I'd recommend the Side push kick, Kneestrike, and the Roundhouse kick for your obliques!

For self defense practice, keep your arms up in a guard! This just means your arms are bent and in a guard position, protecting your face, and ready to move into any block/attack you need.

Get that heart rate up!  This is a cardio exercise, so make sure you are moving.  I like to do the boxer's shuffle throughout a lot of this exercise. This just means you are bouncing on the balls of your feet, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. Use this when you mix your punches together, or transitioning into your next move.

Punches: With doing just one kind of punch, make sure one foot is always slightly forward. Use your hips to drive your punch!

*Jab: With your left foot forward, punch in front of you with your left arm. This one is hard to use your hips, but lean slightly into the punch for a greater effect. Switch to the right, right foot forward, punch with right.
*Cross: Left foot foward, punch forward with your right arm. You will be crossing your body. Rotate the back foot so that you use your hips to energize this punch! Right foot foward, punch with right.
*Hook: Left foot foward, bring your left arm around as if you are punching someone in the side of the face. Rotate your front leg to power this punch with your hips. Right foot foward, punch with right.
*Uppercut: Left foot forward, bring your right arm up, as if punching the attacker in the chin. Rotate the back foot slightly to bring power with your hips. Right foot foward, punch with left.

Kicks: Do your best and forget the rest! Don't worry if your kick isn't as high or as straight as you want. Don't worry if you keep falling out of form! It's not a big deal, just make sure you keep going with your head held high and have fun with it!  With any kick, it helps your balance to lean the opposite way you are kicking! (lean back with a front push, lean to the right when side pushing to the left)

*Front push: This is basically a front kick. Act as if you are kicking them in the stomach or chest, or maybe kicking down a door.  Knee up, push out foward with your foot, back in, knee down. Keep your foot flexed. (Toes are pulled back/Flat foot)
*Back push: This is the same as the front only instead of kicking foward, you're kicking back, kind of like a mule kick. Foot is flexed.
*Side push: Just as it sounds. Bring your knee up, push out to the side, back in, knee down. Foot is flexed
*Roundhouse: No, you will not be doing a full roundhouse like Chuck Norris if you are a beginner! So this is the modified roundhouse. The foot is not flexed! Point your toes! Bring your foot behind you, and whip your leg around to the side. Your leg will look a lot like you are doing the side push, but your toes will be pointed and your shoelaces should be pointing to the front. Ideally, that is where your attacker would be when using this move.
*Kneestrike: Plant your left foot and bring your right knee across your body, and use your arms to meet your knee. Pretend like you are grabbing your attacker's head and bringing it to your knee. Do the same on the other side.

COOL-DOWN Don't forget it! It's just as important as the warm-up!
Just stretch everything that you used!

Remember, this is a very simple, beginner's guide! To describe a complete workout and routine would be entirely too long for a blog. I hope to eventually get to the point where I can teach kickboxing, along with personal training and other exercises! I wish I had time and space to go into more detail and come up with a routine! But you know You better than anyone, so anything I came up with would still just be a guide.

Until next week, Enjoy!

Bonus Post! - Babe

It's the last day of February! I've decided to officially start this marathon in March, so consider this my warm-up!

For those of you who haven't heard of "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias , she has been said to be the greatest female athlete in the past 100 years; some even say of all time. But more importantly, she is my hero. If I would have known about her 15 years ago, I would have said I want to be her when I grow up.

Her real name was Mildred but her friends called her Babe. She was real handy with a slugger, and was living around the same time as Babe Ruth. Now, this isn't a research post, so if you want to know birth dates and death dates and facts like that, click on her name and read her biography. This is basically a gush post.
"But Samm," you may say, "why is she so awesome?" And that's something I am going to blog about.

If I listed everything she ever did, this would be a ridiculously long post SO, once again, click her link! Also, wikipedia.org is wiki-great!

Golf
She played professionally and won 13 tournaments in a row. Even though this was one of her last sports to pick up, while playing in the men's league, PGA (Professional Golf Association), she teamed up with George Zaharias, whom she later married.
I can't root and toot about her when it comes to golf because I'm not pro at golf, not much of a fan, so the only reason why this makes her awesome is because she was awesome at it.

Basketball
She played in a men's league because there wasn't a women's league back then. She averaged about 20 points in a game. (wow!) She won an All-American status in this sport.

Track and Field
I'm sure in her beginning track stages, she could do every track and field event they had available. However, the ones that made her world-wide famous were the 80 meter hurdles, the javelin throw, and the high jump. She won Olympic gold medals in the first two events, and a silver in the high jump. Now here is where Samm goes off record a bit and speculates: According to corbisimages.com, "Babe was disqualified for what she is doing here--"diving." In those days, regulations specified that a high jumper's feet had to go over the bar first. The rule has since been rescinded. Babe had to settle for a silver medal. Under a special rule for women, Babe was permitted to enter only three events, and he would have won all three if it had not been for the "diving" incident" She was jumping against Jean Smiley. Both jumpers had beat the world record at the time of 5'5". I firmly believe, because I'm highly biased, that had they continued on, Babe would have won the gold medal in that as well. She has been on record of saying that she had "always jumped that way" and no one had ever told her it was wrong or corrected her on it. Note: These are no longer the rules in the high jump. She also broke countless word records in the other events she competed in. (eight out of the ten events).

Football
Notice this one has no picture linked to it. She was the best punter on her football team (Yes, once again playing on a men's team) But she never saw one down because she was a woman. She played for SMU.

Baseball
In this picture, she is pitching (middle pic). She was handy with a bat as well. She played with the all-men, bearded House of David team. Once again, not exactly a baseball guru, so I can't rave here either.

Miscellaneous
She grew up in Beaumont, TEXAS! She was an excellent seamstress and won at the South Texas State Fair with one of her dresses she made. She also made most of the clothes she wore. She typed about 80 words per minute. She was a singer and played the harmonica, and even had a record label.  She also performed on the vaudeville circuit. Other sports she played were billiards, and although I haven't found any information on it, I'm sure she skated. Her mother Hannah was an accomplished skater in Norway. She was also an expert diver, and bowler, once bowling a 268. Last but not least, she also played tennis.

WHEW! Time for a breather, what a warm up! Enjoy some quotes from Babe that I thoroughly enjoy:

"I expect to play golf until I am 90--even longer if anybody figures out a way to swing a club from a rocking chair." (She died of colon cancer at 42)
"I was determined to play the game well or not at all."

"You can't win them all -- but you can try."

"That little ball won't move until you hit it, and there's nothing you can do for it after it has gone."

"It's not just enough to swing at the ball. You've got to loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it."
(Babe's when asked how she hits 250 yard drives.)

As Larry Schwartz noted in ESPN.com, when a reporter asked Zaharias if there was anything she didn't play, she answered dryly, "Yeah. Dolls."

And finally, my personal favorite:
"The Babe is here. Who's coming in second?"

More

Blogger Marathon!!

This thing is dusty and full of chirping crickets!!

My life is full of phases. When I was a kid, it was hot pink and purple matching sweatpants. When I was in junior high, baggy pants and refusing to wear makeup. High school was decent clothes to look neither flashy nor bland, and never go out the door without makeup on.

I feel like this blog has done that too. "Write everyday!" "Write when something important happens." "Have I not written this month?" "I should probably write.....tomorrow."

So! To get me back in the blogging spirit, I'm starting a project! If there is never a deadline, I eventually fall off that wagon. But if there is an end in sight, I will diligently do things as needs be.

I'm calling it my Blogger Marathon.  Once a week, I will be posting information and tips on eating healthy and exercising right! I plan on coming up with easy, short routines that you can do daily; healthy, easy recipes that will make you the best You-version; and some scientific fitness facts that you may not have known!

I'm going to start out by doing this for 3 months (roughly 12 weeks). My first post will be next week, and my last will be the last week of May. (No, this does not accidentally coincide with my wedding week).

This is the minimum. If I feel so inclined to do more in a week, I might, so look for special Bonus Posts!!