Plyo-huh?

The main reason I do plyometrics is because I adore the looks people give me...no, kidding, but that's always funny! 


I do plyometrics once a week and tend to do it around a park which is always nice. This is one of the rare occasions I'll run with my ipod (though I don't always do it with my ipod) and I generally enjoy this experience.


Here's my routine:

• High knees
• Butt kicks
• Squats (while walking)
• Grapevine
• Skipping
• Leaps/bounds
• Sprints

I do these for as long as I can stand -  maybe 50 meters, maybe more, maybe less. It was a lot less when I started and when I'm sore....and I do three sets of these. YAY! And I run in between each ones.

My friend Anna leads this series of plyometrics for NBR and they are killer but great:

--2 sets of 10 each:
1. Single leg hops: On one leg, 1) hop up and down; 2) hop forward and
back; 3) hop side to side.
2. Double leg bound: From a squat position with both legs, jump
forward as far as you can.
3. Alternate leg bound: In an exaggerated running motion, bound (which
looks like a combination of running and jumping) forward from one leg
to the other.
4. Squat jumps: With hands on hips in a squat position, jump straight
up as high as you can. Upon landing, lower back into a squat position
in one smooth motion and immediately jump up again.
5. Depth jumps: From a standing position on a 1-foot tall box, jump
onto the ground and land in a squat position. From this squat
position, jump straight up as high as you can.
6. Box jumps: From the ground, jump with two feet onto a 1-foot tall
box, and then immediately jump into the air and back down to the
ground.  

Old Me

Today I ran the 5 minutes to the gym, then went on the rowing machine (my favourite!), followed by 35 minutes on the elliptical, and then strength training. ROAR. Then I ran back home, roused my sleepy boyfriend, and we headed out for a run.

Then I did errands, shopped, ran around all day, came home, and went on another run. I pushed it, running like Michael Wardian does to train for trails in the city (never running in a straight line, approaching obstacles like they are opportunities - that's my line, not his, but I think that's his idea).

This has nothing to do with that it's 2012. I'm an athlete and this is my regular training.

I really don't like the "New You" crap that everyone buys into for the very end of the year/beginning of the year. I went to the gym this morning to see crowds of people using machines incorrectly, creating crowds and waits where there needn't be any ordinarily. Sigh. It's part of this media machine that teaches us to hate our bodies - we must reshape and reform and lose weight. But the way most people in the U.S. eat (tons of processed crap, on-the-go fast food), it's nearly impossible. Eating well is a high priority for me. I have been cooking up a storm of soups lately and am stockpiling my freezer with various soups to grab and heat up another day - that's my kinda fast food, a good red lentil squash apple soup, homemade by me!

I guess if a new year inspires people to healthier living, awesome. But do people really change, I wonder?

My new years' resolution is to write more. Spend more time with my grandmas. Improve my Spanish. Keep traveling. Keep being me.

These are all things I do now, but I just wanted to let you know, I plan on keep doing it.

So yes, do something healthy. Go to the gym, and rather than go a few times now, and then realize in April it's been three months since you went, but you swear you'll go - only to forget and then finally cancel in June - KEEP GOING. Find something that gives you exercise that you love, whatever it is. And keep doing it b/c it's good for you.

And soon, next year, your resolution will to keep being that OLD YOU. Keep the good things, you know, that exercising you are actually doing, and keep on doing it.

Happy Old Me,
Happy New Years!

Why I'll Never Be 70.3

I was trying to be good this morning and went to the gym to lift weights and do a water workout. I almost wrote swim, but if I did, I'd be lying - I wasn't exactly swimming. 

I did water running and yes, some pathetic attempts at the breaststroke and crawl stroke for about a half hour. I never feel as good after swimming (I pretty much spend most of the time checking out the clock to see if it's time to stop.), but I figured I should do some sort of cross-training.

In May, I have a surgery scheduled that will sadly pull me out of training. My focus should be recovery, though of course my immediate questions were, "When can I run???" It looks like I can expect to go back to work within 1-3 weeks, so we'll see when I can run - when I have no pain. The doctor suggested swimming, so we'll see how that goes. I'll try not to drown, and don't worry, I won't do it when I'm on pain medication.

But yeah, I'll never be an Ironwoman. (My coworker used the term "Ironwoman" and I love it!)