My Embarrassing CrossFit Experiment Results! [Plus July's Great Fitness Experiment]
See? Some squats are so funny you just have to stare! I wonder if Coco has a butt wink.
Embarrassing: (Me) “Hey Al! Check out that guy in the squat rack! He totally has a butt wink too!!!” (Gym Buddy Allison) “Oh yeah, that’s a bad one! But look how deep his squat is!”
Embarrassing-er: Gym Buddy Allison and I, temporarily deafened from our TurboKick class (it’s not Turbo if the music isn’t loud enough to make your heart beat for you!) were speaking louder than we thought we were and the guy in the squat rack heard us talking about his butt.
Embarrassing-est: When he turned around to say hi, I realized that I’d been staring at his butt so much I hadn’t noticed his face – the face that belongs to my friend Amy’s husband. Oops. (In my defense Amy, I swear I was only looking at his butt wink and not his actual butt. Wow, that sounds even worse doesn’t it? Egads.)
June’s Great CrossFit Experiment (now with actual professional coaching!) went well. Since I already know what a hardcore and effective workout CrossFit is, the point was more to see how different it was doing it in a CrossFit gym as opposed to just trying to wing it at our gym. The verdict? It’s way different. And I’m torn about this.
One of the greatest draws for me for CrossFit is that it’s a) free and b)do-able on your own. You can use any old gym, your local park or even build your own CrossFit gym in your garage without too much difficulty. The downside is that you have to teach yourself the moves or throw yourself on the mercy of someone well versed in Olympic lifts introducing the potential for injury at worst and quite often bad form, as I discovered with my butt wink.
But when you go to a CrossFit-specific gym they take care of the equipment, the Workout of the Day (WOD), the music, some of the motivation, the water fountain and even your form with the in-house trainers. Of course, you have to pay for all that. And travel to another location. (“Never go to the second location ladies! They will kill you in the woods and no one will ever find your body! If you’re going to die, best do it in the parking garage where at least there are security cameras!!” Sorry, self-defense class flashback. I’m done now.)
So while I ADORED CrossFit St. Paul and our personal trainer/owner Andrea (hah – I mean she owns the gym, not us. Although she’s tough enough she could probably do that too), the latter problem was what did us in this month. The Gym Buddies and I are busy people. We have EIGHTEEN children between us (19, if you count Daria’s bun-in-the-oven squeee!) and the gym was an 80 minute drive away. We only went once. I’m sorry! I meant to go more! Heck, it was free and fun and I totally wanted to go more! But between said kid mob, the drive and my 2-week vacay to the hinterlands, it just didn’t happen.
Doing the WOD in our gym again though brought back some great memories though. We had fun remembering to hate the “small” workout and cheered each other on as we all clean-and-jerked the heaviest loads we’ve ever done and pushed each other until I had one week where I was toilet sore in my legs (so sore you have to fall the last 2 inches to the toilet because your quads give out), bra sore in my arms (so sore you can’t reach around to clasp your bra) and laughing sore in my abs (so sore that you intentionally cut off a laugh even when something’s hilarious because your abs hurt so bad that even laughing feels stabby) all at the same time! Of course we also remembered how hard this workout is on your joints as many of us re-developed pet injuries (Megan’s upper back, Allison’s lower back, Daria’s elbow, my wrist and Krista’s…mojo all went out of whack again.)
Our verdict? CrossFit is one of the most intense and effective workouts we’ve tried. And doing it in a CrossFit gym makes it even more intense and effective. There’s a reason we keep coming back to CrossFit periodically. Of course there’s also a reason why we don’t stick with it – and not just because we’re workout ADHD – it’s tough on your body to do it for long periods of time.
What’s your take – would you rather pay for a gym that will take care of the details for you so all you have to do is show up or do you prefer to do it on your own for free? Anyone try CrossFit with us this month? Anyone else say something reallllyyy loud that wasn’t meant to be heard?
PS. July’s Great Fitness Experiment is… nothing! Yeah, I just got back from vacay. Megan’s gone now. Al’s leaving in a week. Krista’s gone the last week of July. So to each her own this month! I’ll be revisiting Rachel Cosgrove as I miss having my butt (wink and all) handed to me. Tomorrow we’re trying out her Spartacus workout for Men’s Health – anyone want to try it with us? Come on, boys against girls!! Don’t worry though I’ve already got something awesome lined up for August!
June’s Great CrossFit Experiment [For real this time]
Andrea may look tiny but girl can squat all 3 of us Gym Buddies put together. Plus she’s a mom of 1-year-old twins – if that doesn’t say strong, I don’t know what does!
Butt wink. Andrea (long A) from CrossFit St. Paul hadn’t even known me for 30 minutes when she first told me I had a butt wink. The first time she said it, I was at the very bottom of a below-parallel back squat (First thing you should know about CrossFit: it is not enough to get to parallel on a squat, they are so hardcore you must go beyond parallel to make sure it counts. Second thing you should know about CrossFit: it is all about the counting.) and did a double take. “What did you just say??”
“You have a butt wink,” she repeated, totally serious. Pulling Gym Buddies Megan and Allison over, she told me to do another squat. Right at the bottom of the move she clapped her hands, “See! Right there. She tucks her pelvis under just a little bit and loses the extension in her back.”
“Oh yes! Uh huh. I see it.” Megan and Allison chimed in as they all examined my butt that apparently winks. (And I’m not alone in my winkage either!)
It’s a bad thing in practice but it is a totally awesome word and I’m working it into a sentence at least twice a day now. It was also the perfect re-introduction to the workout religion that is CrossFit.
Back in year one of the Great Fitness Experiment, the Gym Buddies and I did a CrossFit Experiment. We were total noobs to weight lifting and so everything from the theory to the moves was brand new to us. We remedied this by watching endless videos on YouTube and the CrossFit site and roping in an ex-high school track competitor to teach us the Olympic lifts. We have never worked so hard during an Experiment as we did that month (our experience is detailed in my book) and while we were crazy toilet sore for pretty much the entire 30 days that was also the first time in my life I got a pull-up.
Four and a half years of Experiments later (I know!!), it remains in my top 3 favorite workouts. I was prompted to revisit this workout because Andrea and Mike, who own CrossFit St. Paul, offered to give us free introductory lessons and full use of their CrossFit gym. We have never done CrossFit in an actual CrossFit gym – something that makes a big difference. Most importantly for us we get Andrea to teach us the proper form for all the lifts – instruction we’ve never had before and desperately need. (When I showed her my clean she smiled “um, kinda sorta!”) Unfortunately since we have 14 kids between the 4 of us, we will not be able to travel 40 minutes to use their gym daily. So we will do our workouts at the Y, the place with childcare (dear child care staff: I LOVE YOU. MORE THAN CHOCOLATE.).
Me – concentrating realllly hard on not winking my butt. And also on not laughing about my winking butt. Seriously though – is this not awesome? I look so strong! Now if only there were plates on that bar….
What is CrossFit?
If you haven’t heard of CrossFit or have heard of it and been to scared to try it, it’s a combination of Olympic weight lifting, (mens) gymnastics and short cardio bursts organized into different high intensity circuits. Workouts are generally fairly short – under a half hour – and really hardcore. There will be no chatting, giggling or cartwheeling during the workout. There may possibly be puking. That’s my definition. The official site refuses to be so clearly defined: “Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.” From my experience, it’s pretty punishing all around.
Who Does CrossFit?
This is not typically a question you ask before starting a workout but in this case it’s important. CrossFitters are a special breed of people – super competitive, very dedicated, no-frills and unbelievably, amazingly strong and fast. When we first walked into CrossFit St Paul there was a man doing standing box jumps… onto a box taller than I am. Like it was nothing! Says the site, “CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.” Be still my heart. Who wouldn’t want to train like the military special ops??
How Do You Do It?
Every day a new “workout of the day” (WOD) is put up on CrossFit.com and this is what you will be doing. They do a 3 days on, 1 day rest schedule. If you go to a CrossFit gym they will likely have their own WODs but if you are following along at home, just check the site! At first when you look at their prescribed weight loads you will wet yourself laughing – that’s ok, you can always scale them down either by just doing what you know you can handle or by using one of the many sites out there that specialize in this. If you don’t know what an exercise is, look it up in the CrossFit library.
What Do You Need?
This is generally not a workout you can do at home unless you set up a special garage or basement gym (like my friend Tyler – we will be touring his CrossFit garage later this month!) as you need a variety of equipment including a pull-up bar, set of rings, parallel bars, boxes (for box jumps), an Olympic weight bar, rack and plates, climbing rope, kettlebells, jump ropes, and weighted balls. You will also need some place you can run with varying distances marked off (a high school track is perfect). I know it sounds like a lot but CrossFit gyms are usually no-frills kind of places. What you won’t see: machines of any kind, painted walls (unless it’s chalkboard paint to write the WOD on), fancy lockers, spas, mirrors or other creature comforts. Some of this equipment can subbed out (we use a towel thrown over the chin-up bar instead of a climbing rope) so if your gym doesn’t have gymnastics rings, don’t let that stop you from trying this!
What Else Do I Need to Know?
It’s very competitive. Every workout is either “for time” or “as many reps as possible (AMRAP)” or measured by weight loads. They key word here is “measured.” Ardent CrossFitters track all their times, weight loads and reps of the benchmark workouts (known for their funny names like “Fran” and “Fight gone bad”) and they will post them to the CrossFit boards. There is even a CrossFit Games every year that is
Weight gloves are for wusses as callouses are a badge of honor. (We wear them anyhow).
Many many CrossFitters are also avid Paleo/Primal eaters. I think they work so well together because the level of dedication and willpower required is very similar.
The CrossFit FAQ page is a gold mine. Any question you could possibly have – like what a butt wink is, say – is answered there.
Be aware that because you are handling such heavy loads and performing complex movements, this workout can be injury prone. Use a spotter, go lighter if you’re unsure and make sure you have good form.
Push yourself. This is your chance to open up and really see what you can do! It’s tough – I’m not going to lie to you – but you can do anything for 30 days!
Who’s crazy enough to try this with us this month? What do you think of CrossFit? Anyone else not know what a butt wink is either??
Check out this vid for the best explanation of CrossFit ever! (Warning for language)
Great Hula Hooping Experiment Results! [Pics! VIDEO!!]
YOU GUYS. HULA HOOPING IS RIDICULOUSLY FUN! See? It’s making me all scream-y and caps-y. But I cannot tell you enough how much fun we had this month. Not only that but this has got to be one of the most commented-on Experiments we’ve ever done (and we’re used to getting a lot of comments/stares/crazy looks). Here’s a sample of what we heard this month:
Q: I could never hula hoop! My hips don’t work that way!
A: Yes, you can! You just need a big enough hoop! Make your own or buy an adult-sized one! Don’t mess around with kiddie hoops.
Q: Does hula hooping really work your waist?
A: Honestly it felt like more of a cardio/dance workout than anything else. It never made my abs sore, even when we used a weighted hoop (not pictured).
Q: Ok, so it’s fun but how good of a workout is hooping?
A: Surprisingly sweaty! While it doesn’t skyrocket your heart rate like Tabata intervals (hmmm… could you Tabata hoop? Will have to try.) as long as you keep moving, it keeps your heart pumping. I’d say it’s similar to Zumba or Hip Hop Hustle or other dance cardio classes.
Q: Are there any toning benefits?
A: Holding your arms up that long so you don’t knock the hoop really (really) makes your shoulders burn after a while! Also, all the squats we did while still moving the hoop got pretty burny too.
Q: (From an African man, this morning) Does hula hooping make you skinny?
A: (From Krista) Well, not really.
A: (African man) Well good. We Africans like our women with more meat on their bones. You girls are too skinny.
A: Umm… thank you?
Q: Would you do it again?
A: I would love to try a real hooping class sometime. While we were able to teach ourselves a lot on our own, I think it would have been a lot better in a class setting.
Without further ado, here’s what we’ve been working on all month! (I am so so so proud of my girls!)
What do you guys think – those of you that are seasoned hoopers (that sounds like a state fair food!), did we do ok? Those of you who aren’t, did we convince you to try it? Ever had a culture-clash comment like the one from the African man?
The Great Fitness Underwear Debate: Do You or Don’t You?
I had a lovely informative post set for tonight about how about how our sleep patterns affect our hunger cycles (scintillating!) but I had to drop everything when this happened:
Yes, these are MANTIES. (Panties for men in case you didn’t catch that. It’s late, I’m tired. And also hungry… if only I knew if there was a connection!)
Gym Buddies Jeni, Megan and I came across them in the gym parking lot this evening after finishing up a sweat-soaked TurboKick class and my presentation/book signing afterwards. Since only a handful of people showed up to my book event – which didn’t bother me in the least since it was 8 times as many as showed up to my last two book signings combined (Holla TurboJennie, Katie, Michelle, Becky, Melissa, Jeni, Megan, Kim, Other Megan and Mike Who Bought Two Copies Of My Book!!) – and they’re all people who not only know my bra size and shoe brand but pretty much every Gym Adventure I’ve had, I decided to forgo the presentation and just do what we do best: discuss gym- inappropriate subjects! What was the topic of the night? Undies, of course!
How did these get here? How did the owner not notice they were missing? Should we take these in to the lost and found? With tongs?? So many questions.
It all started when Jeni asked me to tell the story about how I split my pants in boot camp. Short version: I was being a show-off and snapped myself reaaalllly hard across the butt with my rope. My tight Lycra pants ripped like nylons. It was bad enough that my favorite capris now had a quarter-sized hole and I had a red, stingy welt that would remind me not to show off every time I sat down but, as I explained to my little group, “I wasn’t wearing underwear.”
“Wait, WHAT?!” Jeni gasped. “Who doesn’t wear underwear when they’re working out??”
“Well of course I wear them when I have on looser pants or shorts but some bottoms are made to be worn without underwear,” I backpedaled. “You know they have that sewn-in crotch thingy? A gusset?”
“Yeah and so do nylons and I wouldn’t wear those without underwear either!”
It was at this point I started looking to all the other girls for support.
“I always wear underwear,” Gym Buddy Megan shrugged.
“Unless you’re wearing the running shorts with the mesh undies!” What? I’ve run with that girl plenty of times.
“I’d wear underwear under those too!” Jeni exclaimed.
“That’s like wearing two pairs of underwear at the same time…” I started.
“I’m wearing two pairs right now!” she finished. “I need my support!” Her face lit up, “Although, that would explain why when I look around the room in Turbo I don’t ever see panty lines!”
“They could be wearing thongs,” Megan pointed out. At which point I’ll stop writing verbatim what we said as we then launched into a very detailed discussion of whether or not thongs are comfortable and/or hygienic. At the end of the conversation it was suggested that I, naturally, ask my readers to weigh in on The Great Underwear Debate. I took it as a sign that it was meant to be when we walked outside and came across the manties. Obviously someone was wearing underwear at the gym… until they weren’t.
Please please take my poll and let me know how you feel about workout underwear! I’m hoping you prove me right (or perhaps you’ll teach me that I’ve been wrong all along about the purpose of those sewn-in crotch thingies.) And don’t worry, we’ll return to less frivolous subjects tomorrow! (Unless I come across something else disgusting in the parking lot and force my friends to sit by it so I can take their picture.)
Making Outdoor Memories: Your One Great Summer [Giveaway!]
Cartoon from XKCD (Best cartoon site ever. Don’t argue with me.)
That summer found me a sophomore in college taking classes (compulsive me, remember?), working three jobs (computer lab consultant, Chinese restaurant waitress and catering waitress), living in the crappiest apartment ever (it had a hole the size of a plate in the front exterior wall that we covered with a hubcap we found across the street) and no car. Best summer of my life! Why? Because every free second I had was spent up in the Rocky Mountains rock climbing with my best friends. As long as there was daylight in the canyon we were tethered to a rock face and when the sun set it was tent camping, midnight hikes, bonfires and whatever food I’d managed to scrounge from my waitressing gigs. We rarely slept, we never showered – isn’t that the definition of awesome?
That was the summer I was free rappelling down a 100-foot cliff, got my waist-length braid stuck in the figure 8 and had to hang in space for half an hour waiting for my friends to hike up to the top and lower me a pocket knife in a shoe so I could give myself the worst one-handed haircut ever while trying not to plummet to my death.
That was the summer we wallpapered our ugly apartment with multicolored butcher paper, taped three boxes of tinfoil to the ceiling, covered the whole mess – walls, ceiling, door frames -with multicolored Christmas lights and topped it off with a disco ball. It was every bit as horrendous as you are imagining. Probably worse.
That was the summer I went to a party on an island in the middle of a lake to which the directions included the bizarrely accurate imperative “Turn left at the goat in the road” followed by “Signal with you flashlight and we’ll send the canoe over.”
That was the summer I waited on the same elderly “sunbird” couple, who never tipped, every single day and the last day of their vacation the man told me with tears in his eyes that I was like family to them as he slipped a folded bill into my hand. It was $5.
That was the summer I rode on a bullet bike going 80 miles an hour through a canyon known for its mortality rate. Sans helmet. And I’ve never felt more free before or since. (For the record I would never do it again and it scares the crap out of me to think that one of my kids might attempt something similarly idiotic someday.)
The summer ended when my boyfriend proposed to me – while rock climbing, naturally – and I said no and gave him back the ring and he asked me again and I said no again and then we had a huge fight culminating with him throwing the ring (and some other stuff) at me which sadly broke up our little merry bad of hygiene-challenged mountaineers.
I kept the braid. I kept the ring. I kept every minute of that summer etched into the memory of my body. The sunlight is burnt into my skin, the cool slippery rock face still rough under my fingertips, the slick coating of chili out of a can lines my throat, the lyrics to every Sublime song just behind the tip of my tongue (okay, and a lot of Scorpion songs too – some of my friends had terrible taste in music). Someday, I’m going to be the grandma in the old folks’ home yelling “I said belay on!!” at the orderly before hitting him with a rock.
One great summer. Everyone has one. I’ve shared mine with you, now I want to hear all about yours!
Giveaway
PlanetGear.com – a site dedicated to bringing you the best outdoor and sport brands at the lowest prices as well as discounted travel destinations – is all about helping you have an epic summer (or winter). They are offering one GFE reader a $50 giftcard to help make some outdoor memories. They run like Steepandcheap and Gilt, in that they have one crazy blowout mega sale for a few days and then that stuff is gone and they’re on to the next. Today, for instance, through midnight on May17th you can buy gear from Kelty and winter outerwear from Rossignol for less than half the sticker price. Then starting at midnight on the 17th they’ll have shoes and apparel (both men and women) from K-Swiss. Right now, when you refer a friend they get a $10 credit and you get a $10 credit so it’s a win-win!
To enter leave me a comment telling me something you like from the Planet Gear site. For a second entry, like them on Facebook and leave me a separate comment. For a third entry (and one I hope you’ll do whether or not you are entering the contest!) tell me a story about your One Great Summer! I want to hear it all!! Anyone is eligible to enter this giveaway. Giveaway ends Saturday May 21st at midnight. (FTC: I did not receive any free stuff – seriously, I know! – nor am I being compensated in any way for this post.)
Check in tomorrow for another great giveaway!!
May’s Great Hula Hooping Experiment
I'm allowed to laugh at this; I used to be goth.
“I need 100 feet of 3/4″ 120 PSI irrigation tubing, please.” The Home Depot man’s eyebrows shot up, marking the one and only time I have ever walked into that store knowing what I’m talking about. I hate to be the stereotypical girl here but thus far in my life all my visits to hardware stores involved paint chips or toddler potty stops. It was even better because I’d just come from a church function and was wearing a hot pink/navy blue mod 60′s sheath, had my hair in a ballerina bun on the very top of my head and was tottering around in 5″ stiletto booties – you know what everyone wears in the hardware store.
“Wow, bad day to be working on your irrigation system,” he said as he led me to the very farthest back corner of the store. (It snowed again this weekend. In May. Upside: great maple “sugaring” weather. Downside: everything else.)
“Oh, I’m using it to make hula hoops!” I chirped. He burst out laughing.
Any workout that involves the use of a blowtorch, a mallet and makes the Home Depot salesmen do a double take is my kind of fun! We’ve only done one hula hooping workout so far – today, baby! – but if the past weekend is any indication of how entertaining May’s Great Hula Hooping Fitness Experiment is going to be, it’s going to be a fantastic month. Since I’m brand spanking new to hooping – graduate of the YouTube course on hooping as of last night – let’s start with all the things I didn’t know just in case you are as clueless as I was.
Things I Didn’t Know About Fitness Hooping
1. Fitness hoops are not the same as the ones at Toys ‘R’ Us. An adult fitness hoop is BIG – between 10 and 13 feet in circumference or when stood on end, hits between your navel and shoulder. This is important because apparently the larger and heavier the hoop is, the easier it is to use. Toy or children’s hoops will only frustrate you endlessly.
2. Fitness hoops are expensive. To buy the real deal, expect to lay out anywhere from $30 to $100. To be fair, they do come in collapsible versions and every variety of sparklyshinypretty you can imagine. To be realistic, I cannot afford one much less four.
3. You can make your own hoop for just a few bucks. Enter the magic of the Internet! Livelovehoop tweeted me a link by the king of hooping Jason Unbound on how to make my own. (See my version with slightly disastrous results below.)
4. Hooping is really complicated. Just like most things I don’t spend much time thinking about, I had assumed that fitness hooping would be simple. Perhaps an hour of twirling it one way and then the other? Not so, my friends. There are hundreds of tricks and variations. Check out this round-up of YouTube tutorials by Hula Hoop Basics. They list how-tos for 582 basics. For our Experiment this month, I wrote down a list of about 20 basics and 5 tricks that I’d like to master before the end of the month. Considering how today went, that might be a bit lofty.
5. Hooping is sexy-sexy! Check out this video from Hoopnotica and tell me you don’t want to lick her. Wow she makes it look easy. Seriously though just like any dance form, hooping is an art as well as a workout. It did get a little awkward though practicing our “booty bumps” and “hip thrusts” – at least the hoop keeps a nice large no-touch zone!
6. I can hoop. Since I hadn’t seriously tried a hula hoop in probably a decade I figured I would be really rusty and have to practice just the basic movement forever. As Gym Buddies Krista, Megan and I (plus two of the people who are in Special-Ed at our gym) all discovered, we’re pretty good at it. We all fairly easily kept the hoop off the floor for 5 minutes and mostly off the floor for the better part of an hour. If you think you can’t hoop it’s probably because you’ve been using the wrong hoop.
Making My Own Hoop (A Pictorial)
Step 1: buy some PVC irrigation tubing. I had a coupon for the cute kid.
Step 2: cut it to the desired length. Jason suggests ratcheting pipe cutters. I only had a hacksaw and a lot of time.
Step 3a: heat the ends of the tubing so you can insert the connector piece.
- Step 3b. When the hair dryer does NOTHING, break out Gym Hubby and the blowtorch. Just be careful not to melt the tubing or set it on fire… like we did. A lot. Boy that stuff stinks.
Step 4: Test it out like The Little Guy here – he kept calling it a “monster truck tire.” Close enough!
Warning: Do not ignore other children in the meantime. But hey, at least Jelly Bean didn’t get the blowtorch.
Step 5: Decorate your new hoops with colored electrical tape. Yes we’re doing this at the gym. People love us.
The Workout
Because I know some of you will be curious, this month the Gym Buddies and I will be hooping 2 days a week, weight lifting 2 days a week following Chris Gethin’s “Body by Design” book, hip hopping for 1 day, running for 1 day (Gym Buddy Megan is training for a half marathon) and doing TurboKick 2 days a week. Obviously some days we are doubling up although we are still keeping my time limit in mind – don’t want to slip back into old habits!
The hooping basics we hope to learn: hooping in both directions, walking forward & backward, walking sideways, squatting, lunging, hip hooping, chest hooping, shoulder hooping, one-hand and two-hand lasso, turning in a circle, arm weaving, angled hooping in both directions, stalling, the booty bump, the hip bump along with several off-body moves like around-the-world, the revolving door, skipping rope and infinity.
Hooping tricks we’d love to learn: Over the Shoulder roll, the Corkscrew, the Vortex
By the end of the month I hoping to have choreographed a 30-minute routine set to music that keeps the hoops moving the whole time.
Who’s in with me?
What was your fave active childhood toy? Skip-it? Hobby horse? Pogo stick? Hula hoop?? Have you done this kind of hooping before – if so, leave me your tips, fave workouts or tricks in the comments (Please!!). Anyone else throw the hardware store sales people with a weird request?
April’s Great Urophagia Experiment!
What if I told you that right now you have a healing elixir inside of you, just ready for the taking? Said to enhance beauty, cure acne, heal diseases of the throat, the liver and the heart, plus a host of other benefits, urophagia may be the next biggest health trend. And yet there you go, first thing every morning, wastefully peeing yours into the proverbial great ocean in the sky every day. That’s right, this magical elixir is your own urine. Lemonade anyone?
for more of my crazy antics and uncomfortable over-shares!April’s Great Dance Experiment! [Ballet, Capoeira, Latin and Breakdancing oh my!]
What I am about to do will likely really torque a certain segment of my readers. Believe me, I do not enjoy causing that little vein on your temple to throb as you resist the impulse to throttle me through my screen but I hope you will at least listen to all my reasons before you get all Kim Cattral on my bikini wax. (Sure she might have been drunk but in my mind that just makes it even awesomer!) For the month of April, I am taking what I’ve found works the absolute best for me so far – Rachel Cosgrove’s program of heavy lifting and HIIT cardio – and am now doing exactly the opposite. April will find the Gym Buddies and I upping our cardio by a lot and going back to mostly bodyweight exercises as we arabesque like a ballerina, handstand-cartwheel like a capoeria artist, headspring (oh yes, really) like a breakdancer and discover whether or not our hips lie. (Sure, sure, Shakira’s would pass a polygraph but after childbirthing I think mine might be more, um, given to false positives.)
: Training for Peak Performance in all Dance Forms by Eric Franklin (while this is an affiliate link, I’m not recommending this book yet – so far I really like it but I want to work through it before I make any opinions!) provided the inspiration. Instead of just lifting weights or doing body weight exercises we will be doing exercises and moves designed to fit the particular type of dance we are studying that week. For instance, break dancing will have us doing a lot of push-ups, handstands and other upper-body intensive moves while ballet is mostly lower-body work on the barre. We’ve already test-run a few of the moves – like the TRX handstand walk-up – that are super intense. In addition we’ll be doing dance cardio classes including Zumba, Hip Hop/break dancing, and ballet. (And so help me, if I can ever find a capoeira class around here we’ll be there too!)
series by Andrea Rogers. It combines elements of ballet and Pilates to get us “lean and chiseled.” If nothing else, I’m sure this will give us lots of fodder for embarrassing moments and hilarious pictures!Written with love by Charlotte Hilton Andersen for The Great Fitness Experiment (c) 2011. If you enjoyed this, please check out my new book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything
Welcome to the NEW Great Fitness Experiment site! [Giveaway!]
(aff) and I will send one of you a copy!
April’s Great Dance Experiment! [Ballet, Capoeira, Latin and Breakdancing oh my!]
What I am about to do will likely really torque a certain segment of my readers. Believe me, I do not enjoy causing that little vein on your temple to throb as you resist the impulse to throttle me through my screen but I hope you will at least listen to all my reasons before you get all Kim Cattral on my bikini wax. (Sure she might have been drunk but in my mind that just makes it even awesomer!) For the month of April, I am taking what I’ve found works the absolute best for me so far – Rachel Cosgrove’s program of heavy lifting and HIIT cardio – and am now doing exactly the opposite. April will find the Gym Buddies and I upping our cardio by a lot and going back to mostly bodyweight exercises as we arabesque like a ballerina, handstand-cartwheel like a capoeria artist, headspring (oh yes, really) like a breakdancer and discover whether or not our hips lie. (Sure, sure, Shakira’s would pass a polygraph but after childbirthing I think mine might be more, um, given to false positives.)
: Training for Peak Performance in all Dance Forms by Eric Franklin (while this is an affiliate link, I’m not recommending this book yet – so far I really like it but I want to work through it before I make any opinions!) provided the inspiration. Instead of just lifting weights or doing body weight exercises we will be doing exercises and moves designed to fit the particular type of dance we are studying that week. For instance, break dancing will have us doing a lot of push-ups, handstands and other upper-body intensive moves while ballet is mostly lower-body work on the barre. We’ve already test-run a few of the moves – like the TRX handstand walk-up – that are super intense. In addition we’ll be doing dance cardio classes including Zumba, Hip Hop/break dancing, and ballet. (And so help me, if I can ever find a capoeira class around here we’ll be there too!) series by Andrea Rogers. It combines elements of ballet and Pilates to get us “lean and chiseled.” If nothing else, I’m sure this will give us lots of fodder for embarrassing moments and hilarious pictures!Written with love by Charlotte Hilton Andersen for The Great Fitness Experiment (c) 2011. If you enjoyed this, please check out my new book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything
