20 Minute Challenge

*Update: Since writing about the 20 minute challenge, I realized that the original hashtag was utilized by a bunch of 20 year olds during their birthday celebrations...while fun, not exactly the get moving with fitness movement we were going for. So we've changed the hashtag to #20MOVEment . Spread the word and the motivation!

The challenge is on!

Two weeks ago, my friend Emily and I started "challenging" each other to up the quota of our daily fitness. After my appendicitis, most of my fitness motivation went out the window. It started because I wasn't sure what exercises were allowed and continued because I had fallen out of a routine. While I still wanted to be active, getting over my mental block wasn't going so well.

Enter the challenge: at least twenty minutes of daily exercise and half your body weight in water. Emily chose to "start drinking more water" as her second half, which is perfect because you've got to start somewhere! Twenty minutes may not sound like much, but the point was to get us moving with the hopes that once the mental wall had been broken down, we would keep going. Not to mention, when life gets busy, it is much harder to imagine giving up an hour-plus at the gym than it is a few downward dogs with Erin Motz.

The challenge has been delightful!  It immediately got my blood flowing, and the daily snaps accompanied by the hash-tag #20, bring a smile to my face. Even Adam has gotten on board to see if we've sent our daily message confirming challenge participation!

But, as with anything, my motivation is starting to lag again...so, guess what?

The challenge is on! Join us! Let's make it a movement, no matter how small! Get those bodies moving and help motivate one another! Who's in?!

The Challenge Is On! #20movement

How cool would it be if #20movement became a thing?

love.

Nike Training Club

Oh my goodness!

Oh my gracious!

I have just found my FAVORITE new fitness app!

Have you heard of Nike Training Club? It would be no surprise if I were completely behind the times, but my friend Teresa invited me to join in at the beginning of July. Of course, then life happened (Osage Beach vacation, two weeks in Iowa City for classes) and I didn't make working out a priority again until this week. And let me tell you, I wish I would have started sooner! This app is like having a FREE personal trainer anywhere, anytime!

I am always telling Adam that I would like to be more active, but I struggle to find a workout schedule I can stick to. Whether I get sick of doing the same workout week after week, or I refuse to pay for a real trainer for more than a bootcamp, the result is always the same...frustration. But this app changes all of that! You choose your challenge level (beginner, intermediate, advanced), decide if running will be a possibility, and voila, your trainer gets the ball rolling. Amazing!

Do it. Stop reading and download it right now. Seriously. I want everyone to enjoy their workout as much as I do!

So, You're Fat: How One Doctors Appointment Can Rock You

If you know much about me, you know that I have been working on my fitness. I'm not where I want to be physically, and sometimes that gets me down.  But I also feel good about the path I'm taking to my goals. My husband's fitness focus keeps me on track, I have a new group of friends who keep me motivated, and my yogi BFF makes weekend workouts fun. Things are going well! They are going slowly, but progress is happening.

Weekend yoga on the patio with Ashlynn! 

Enter my yearly doctors appointment. If you're a woman, you know that the yearly appointment is not something you look forward to. It is like cleaning the bathroom; nobody wants to do it, but it has to be done. While at my appointment, I found out that my current medications may be having an adverse effect on my body. This translates to the super scientific method of, "Try this one, and we will see..then if it doesn't work, we will try another," until we figure out what medications will be best for my body. Gotta love process of elimination when you are the test subject!

To be honest, I trust my doctor completely in this department. I'm scared for the changes hormonally and physically, because I've had a hard time with them in the past, but I know it is a necessary part of staying healthy. Thank God for modern medicine!

Which brings me to the part of my appointment that caught me off guard. With all of the unnerving medication talk, when she told me I showed signs of obesity (yes, OBESITY), I had no idea how to react. I had no special tests done to show such a thing. I hopped on the scale, showed a number that was four pounds more than last year, had my blood pressure taken (passed with flying colors), and all of the sudden...I was fat.

I sure didn't see that ball coming in from left field!

How did those four pesky pounds take me from not a word about my weight, to a handout on body mass index, healthy eating, and regular exercise? I was told that I needed to loose 20 pounds to get to a healthy weight, when my goal has only been to loose 10.

Talk about a statement that can rock you. I had nothing to say. I just sat there with a shocked look on my face and complacently answered, "I'll work on it."

I'll work on it? Lady, I've been working on it!

I have now had 24 hours to process the information, and a decision has been made. I will not let it rock me any longer. I am not obese. I'm not perfect, but I'm not obese. I will not allow that thought to be in my head and taint my every move. I need to continue on my path, create reasonable summer goals, and love myself. In the last six months, I have worked very hard to remind myself that I am important and worthy. This will not rock my new found confidence.

Besides, I have the perfect body...it is just currently covered in a thin layer of fat :-)

#workhardbutloveyourself

May 28, 2014 - Captain America, not Captain Obese

Three Day Diet: We're Going to the Beach!

My name is Molly, and I am an addict...of travel. My addiction started at a young age because my mom was always looking for ways to keep her children "well rounded". This desire generally meant trips to Chicago to visit her family or to Florida to get away from the Iowa weather. In my early/mid twenties, my addiction was easily fed because I was young, single, and I had very few obligations to adult life. Every school break was filled with trips to Colorado, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and beyond. The older I have become (and the financial responsibilities that come with age), the harder it has been to "get my fix," and I haven't been on a plane for almost a year.

Yes, I know saying I haven't been on a plane in almost a year sounds pretty snooty, but I have a problem.

However, thanks to my rock star husband, I've planned a trip to keep me going! Praise the Lord! For our one year anniversary (wow!), we are going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I haven't stopped grinning since we booked the trip through Orbitz. We got a great deal by packaging flight, hotel, and car rental, saving almost $500! I. Love. A. Good. Deal.

Hold up. Did I just say beach? Does that mean swimsuit season is upon me? Indeed it does. I have been proud of my physical progress over the last couple of months, but I'm not exactly where I want to be yet. We leave for the beach in a few short weeks, and I want to do everything I can to keep my confidence high. Nothing ruins a beach day faster than feeling self-conscious in your suit! Which is why I'm sharing "The Three Day Diet" with you.

The Three Day Diet is an app I found before my wedding last year for $1.99. It is all over the internet for free, and derives from what they call "military" eating. For three days, you have a set diet. You are to eat the food on the list, all the food on the list, and only the food on the list. Then you take four days to eat normally, within reason, and finally, repeat the cycle. The first time I tried it, I lost 8 pound in three days!

The Three Day Diet

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
BREAKFAST Black Coffee or Tea 1/2 Grapefruit or Juice 1 Slice of Dry Toast 1 Tbsp. of Peanut Butter	BREAKFAST Black Coffee or Tea 1 Egg 1 Slice of Dry Toast 1/2 Banana	BREAKFAST Black Coffee or Tea 5 Saltine Crackers 1 Oz. of Cheddar Cheese 1 Small Apple
LUNCH Black Coffee or Tea 1/2 Cup of Tuna 1 Slice of Dry Toast	LUNCH Black Coffee or Tea 1 Cup of Cottage Cheese or 1/2 Cup of Tuna  5 Saltine Crackers	LUNCH Black Coffee or Tea 1 Hard-Boiled Egg 1 Slice of Dry Toast
DINNER 3 Oz. any Lean Meat 1 Cup String Beans 1 Cup Carrots or Beets 1 Small Apple 1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream	DINNER 2 Beef Franks 1 Cup Cabbage or Broccoli 1/2 Cup Carrots or Turnip Greens 1/2 Banana 1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream	DINNER 1 Cup Tuna 1 Cup Beans or Cauliflower 1 Cup Carrots or Beets 1 Cup Melon 1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream

Source

I plan on doing the diet once a week until the trip. The most challenging part for me is not snacking between meals. This diet has shown me what a crutch mindless snacking is for me! The BEST part is that I get ice cream every day. Now, who can argue with a diet like that?

Goodbye snacking. Hello, Myrtle Beach body!

Stress: Relieve it Through Fitness

Life has been a glorious, stressful, jam-packed tailspin for me lately. I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water, and I'm not even a college student with finals coming up. Though sometimes, the end of an elementary school year feels about as taxing. After biome week, I felt like I would be riding high and fancy free...but those were thoughts of a crazy woman.

Other than looking at the positive (which always helps), how do you compartmentalize and digest your stress?

One thing I am trying to do when I feel this way is to relieve some of the stress with fitness, not food. I had previously been doing a boot camp here in town, but decided it wasn't working for me anymore. I was no longer having fun with it and found myself dreading going. It was one more thing on my "Ugh! Do I have to?" list, so it went to the wayside.

Instead, I have started working out with a friend here in town a few days a week and with the hubs when schedules allow.

Here is a rundown of a couple quick workouts I've done in the last few days.

Repeat each round 3-4 times, depending on time and energy!

I plan to do two leg and two arm days per week. But don't you worry, I haven't forgotten my love of yoga. Please enjoy the wonderful Erin Motz for a quick stress relief session below... it was exactly the restoration I needed.

Erin Motz is the BEST! Check out her website and the 30 day challenge! 

Only 13 days of school left...I've got this!

1000 Rep Workout

Yesterday was one of those days that was either going to drive me to Junction Creamery (yum ice cream!) or to a sweaty, get some stress out, gym session. As I sat on the steps of our living room, giving Adam puppy dog eyes, I was inches away from blowing my healthy day with a big, fat sundae...but then, I chose the workout. Proud moment!

I knew Adam would be going to the gym either way, so yet again, I used the hubs as motivation.  We decided to head to the high school gym instead of Snap because it was a leg day for him, and Snap just doesn't have what he needs. I like working out at the high school, but that also means I need to find a workout to do that doesn't involve a cardio machine and HGTV.

To solve my workout dilemma, I browsed my fitness board on Pinterest and came upon the 1000 Rep Workout from Julie Fagan's blog, Peanut Butter Fingers. Her blog is full of great workouts and recipes.   As the name suggests, the 1000 Rep Workout is just that, one thousand reps! It is mainly focused on legs, but has some good overall toning as well. I made a few tweaks to the reps to accommodate my current fitness level. Thus, I'm calling yesterday's version the 900 Rep Workout.

When I was losing motivation half way through, my friend Teresa jumped in and finished it out with me. It was just what I needed!  Grab a friend, give it a try, and let me know what you think! 

Boom! Fitness! 

SkyRobics: An Absolute Repeat

Last night, I went out of my fitness comfort zone and tried something different. Something that had me reaching for the stars. Something I will absolutely be doing again. Last night I tried SkyRobics!

SkyRobics is a new new to me trend of working out on a trampoline. According to Sky Zone, SkyRobics is a low impact, high energy way to burn up to "1,000 calories in an hour".  The first two statements are completely accurate. I don't know about you, but there is something about jumping on a trampoline that brings a childlike smile to my face. I am fairly positive the smile never left my face!

 However, the class I attended was an intro class, so we didn't quite reach that 1,000 calorie mark. One of the other women in the class had an active tracker on, and by the end it read between 450-500 calories burned; still, not to shabby for sixty minutes of pure FUN!

Sky Zone socks to prevent slipping

On Tuesday night,  I received a text from one of the other teachers at school asking if I would be interested in a jump workout in Des Moines with a few other ladies. Of course I was! But, the 45 minute drive both ways didn't seem as fun. Luckily, we carpooled, and Adam told me suck it up...and I am so glad I did!

I'm sore today, so my fitness goal was achieved. Score!  The only suggestion I would give to people that are considering trampoline fitness would be to call ahead, and find out their busy times... then avoid those times at all costs! The experience was a blast because it was such a small group, four of us total!  If there had been 125 other jumpers...I may have had a different opinion :-)

SkyRobics

• We started with a quick warm up which consisted of jumping side to side, back to front, etc. The instructor was amazing! Our class was supposed to be canceled due to low attendance, but she kept it going just for us; four teachers from 45 minutes away, bouncing, bouncing, bouncing. 

• Then it was circuit time. There were six stations set up which ranged from TRX bands and battle ropes to bounding across the floor and spiderman jumps. The spiderman jumps were pretty fun once you got the hang of it, though they also caused my only crash of the night. 

• Next was the cardio section. For this, we bounded up and back for two minutes and then played catch with a partner. During catch, we did high knees, butt kicks, butt drops and free jump. We were having so much fun, the time just flew by! 

*BONUS* When the workout was complete, our instructor took us to the foam pit! I was a little nervous at first, but the actual jump was pretty exhilarating! The worst part was the climb out of the pit. Try to imagine what it would feel like to climb out of quicksand made of kitchen sponges...

If you have anything like SkyZone in your area, I highly recommend it! It was a great switch up from my usual workouts. Plus for a cheap $7, it gave me just the boost I've been craving. 

Oh So Cosmo's take on SkyRobics

New Fitness Page

I've decided to start documenting my workouts on a regular basis. Over the last ten years, I have swung the scale back and forth anywhere from 132 pounds to my heaviest 174 pounds (that was hard to type!). I have tried calorie counting, a few fad diets, and different types of workouts, but it really comes down to a lifestyle change. I have to limit my cheat days, and fuel my body with real foods.

Enter my husband. Though schedules do not allow it anymore, when we met, Adam could easily be at the gym for several hours a day. He is a fitness fanatic. He rarely takes a day off, and he shows me just how great you can feel when you put the time into it. I have a hard time with the motivation to get started, but I always feel better after a good sweat. He is my inspiration on those days, and I'm not even sure he knows it. Maybe I should tell him.

I'm not where I want to be, but I'm working on it. This is my journey.

March Date Night

I'm not always sure it is okay to publicly pat myself on the back, but when it comes to the 12 Dates for Christmas, that is exactly what I'm about to do... Making the 12 Dates of Christmas was one of my best ideas decisions ever!! I honestly cannot think of a more amazing present I could have given Adam/our marriage! It is so gratifying to know that at least once a month, we get to spend a prepaid, preplanned, stress free night together. No worrying about schedules, jobs, or money. With life's crazy demands, any time with my husband is a blessing, so a full night is just what the doctor ordered.

When Adam opened his envelope this month, he found a $50 Visa gift card, a Panera Bread card, and the following note.

March
Let’s take this date night to new heights!

 You and I have a date with a rock wall. 

I’ll spot you if you spot me! 

Climbing = no makeup date! 

This month I planned a physical date at Climb Iowa in Grimes, followed by a "we have chalk all over our body so let's not go someplace nice" dinner at Panera Bread. We both climbed a bit back in college, so I thought it would be a perfect date for us. Adam was working on a case, so the date started later than planned, but it still worked out perfectly. Thankfully, the gym was pretty empty when we arrived, so we were able to auto belay the whole time. 

Blurry cell phone pic, but look how high I am!

I mentioned we had both climbed in college, right? Well it turns out college was a long time ago, and we were out of practice! The gym staff was awesome and gave us a great rundown of the belays and rules. Rule number one: the auto belay must be clipped to something at all times. Apparently it is fairly difficult to retrieve the belay if it snaps up to the ceiling. We kept joking and laughing that we didn't want to be that guy. The walls are marked with different routes and we tried our best not to cheat, but I only made route once or twice. The rest of the time, I used whatever rock pleased me to reach the top! In the beginning, I  thought we could climb for a couple of hours, but my hands were sore after about 45 minutes. I felt like such a wimp! After a few more runs, Adam mentioned his fingers were also feeling less than awesome, so we called it. I'm still not sure if he was actually feeling it, or if he was just trying to be nice to me.  

It was pretty obvious that we didn't want the night to end so soon, so we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to kills some time. It turns out Dick's has a mini putting green, so we pretended we were interested in buying some new clubs and played around a bit. Even though it was, yet again, off of the original plan, I think that may have been my favorite part of the date! A smile was permanently on my face. That smile lasted through dinner at Panera and the drive home.

P.P. was pretty happy to see us when we got home, and the three of us cuddled for a bit before I needed to head to bed. Happy family time! 

Looking forward to next month!

P.P. is always glad to see us :-)

Our little family

The Batman Workout

Our house is a superhero house. We both go nerdy for all things superhero related, and I'm ok with that! So when Adam came to me with a Batman workout, you'd better believe I was on board!

Back story: Batman is my favorite superhero because he isn't actually a superhero at all; no toxic sludge, alien parents, or poisonous spiders. He is simply this rich dude, with a tortured past, who has a lot of fun gadgets and a vigilante attitude.  In contrast, Adam's favorite superhero is the Man of Steel himself. For the last four years, we have had several discussions about which superhero is the best (wow, we really are nerds), so the fact that he suggested a Batman workout was a very sweet gesture.

Did I mention spring has sprung in Iowa? People are coming out of hibernation, enjoying the sun, and smiling more than they have in months, which is why we decided to enjoy the weather while it lasted and bring this workout out to our front yard. The nice thing about the Batman workout, or any bodyweight workout, is that you don't need a gym. As long as you have enough room to do squats and planks, you are good to go.

Who wouldn't want to work out to this view?

The Batman consists of nine exercises, ten reps each, ten rounds. Did you do the math? That is 900 exercises by the time you are done! I only made it through seven rounds before I needed a break, but I blame that on the hill sprints (yuck!) and tire flips we added after each round. If you're an occasional fitness fanatic like me, this is a great workout... if you push yourself. If you are like Adam, an always fitness fanatic, you might need a little more.

Geeks of Doom

The Batman Workout: 10 reps each, 10 rounds

1. Squats - Adam is always on me about my form: hinge your hips, lift your toes... Even during this workout, I really have to focus on pulling up my toes so my bodyweight is on my heels. Form is important to avoid injury. Check this video out if you need some more pointers. 
2. Pushups - What a difference a few months can make! Before the wedding, I was pushing out pushups like it was my job. Ten months later, my arms are not quite as ripped as before, so this was a challenge for me after round four. 
3. Mountain Climbers 
4. Triceps Dips - We used our front porch as the ledge, but you could also use a chair, bench, whatever you have around. 
5. Cross Punch Sit Ups - Adam had the brilliant idea to bring our punching bag out on the font lawn. You could just punch the air, but I sure do love hitting a bag. I feel so tough! 
6. Jumping Lunges - This became my nemesis, but mostly because my legs were torn up from the hill sprints and tire flips. 
7. Side Plank Crunches - I hadn't done these before, but I sure could feel then come round seven. 
8. Leg Raises
9. Bicycle Crunches - slow and steady
10. *BONUS* - Between each round we did hill sprints and tire flips. I'm not quite strong enough to flip the tractor tire alone yet, but it is all about knowing where you are and then pushing yourself! 

Like I said, I only made it through seven rounds, but next time I'm going for all ten rounds! It took us around 50 minutes, but if you did a 30 second rest between sets and cut out the bonus, I think it could be done in around 30 minutes.  

The most hilarious part of this workout was not workout related at all. Since spring has sprung, so have the kids in our neighborhood. During round two of seven, a few of my students came outside and started riding their bikes in our driveway. For a few minutes, I had the panicked feeling that my students were seeing me out of the teaching element, but that quickly went away when I started punching the bag. It is good for my kids to see me working out and taking care of myself! Hopefully it will inspire them to get more minutes for our classroom Live Healthy Iowa Kids challenge!

Do you have any fun bodyweight workouts that would be great for this time of year? I'm guessing Adam will find a Superman fitness session soon, and I'm looking forward to it. 2014 is the year of fitness and self improvement! Watch out Iowa: soon there's a new superhero in town! 

This workout was found on Geeks of Doom.