Running with the Dog, and The Stroller...

MudMom and MudPuppy (aka: The Terror)

My wonderful MudPuppy (aka Carter), was doing so well walking with the stroller on the trails. So today I decided to skip going to the trails and just leave from my driveway.

IT WAS HELL.

The whole run, Carter pulled and PULLED on his leash. I had to stop multiple times to attempt to calm him down. By the end of the run I was so angry and frustrated because he would just not stay at my side. I don't understand how he can do so well on the trails and be a complete terror when we just walk out the door.

I wanted to turn back at a quarter mile already (with a quarter mile walking warm up) but knew if I turned back I wouldn't actually go for my run. I want to enjoy my run and not have to trip over a stroller as I get bullied by my dog! I tie him around my waist so at least I have my hands free and that limits how much force he can get since it's only a 5 ft lead and my waist isn't tiny.

So, enough with the venting about MudPuppy. He's evil at times, but I love him. And hopefully, since all weekday runs will be out the door and not at trails, he will maybe learn to behave himself.

I don't like ab exercises.

Long ago a friend and I were comparing workout routines. It’s basically the elliptical or the treadmill followed by ab work for her. She’s not looking any more buff than she did 6 months before asking me about my routine and she does this regularly. She does LOTS of cardio. Still does for that matter and still looks the same as she did about two years ago when we were discussing this. I was pretty damn buff back then. I'm still in good shape, but back then... damn... I had muscles. So anyway, she asked me about my routine and asked for me to show it to her.

There were two huge differences in our routines. Make that three. First, I don’t do steady state cardio unless I'm running and I’m unlucky if I end up having to do more than four or five minutes of cardio during a workout session. Even running, I try to do intervals. My “cardio” consists of tabata or intervals running up and down steps. Second, I lift real weights. I don’t use machines (except the cable/pulley). I lift actual dumb bells (which is anything over fifteen pounds in my book). Third is those ab exercises. I have only one exercise per workout for abdominal. Why? Because if you’re lifting heavy stuff off the floor, you’re going to work your abs anyway stabilizing your back and core to lift the damn thing without ending up in the hospital. So, no need for ten minutes or a half hour a day dedicated to working on crunches.

I tell people not to waste their time on those and they get mad at me. Maybe it’s my tone… I’ll try to say it nicely next time ;).

Pretty much everything we do works our abs. Even running works them, particularly from my experience my weak obliques (no, they’re not really weak, but they hurt like hell after my first few runs of the season which was finally today by the way). Lifting yourself up onto something works them to stabilize your core so you don’t have to fight your floppy self while lifting yourself up. Lifting dead weight (like a potato sack) is much more difficult than lifting a child that will grab onto you to lift. Same thing with your body. If it’s as limp as a potato sack, it’s going to be harder to lift. If your abs are doing their job, it’ll be easier to lift yourself. And your abs will be doing their job, they just can’t help it most of the time.

If you REALLY want to work your abs for a long time, do one ab exercise and then mix one in with another exercise. If you must, do walking lunges with a twist or a lean. Or, skip the ab exercise and just do the lunges with the lean or twist. Course, you should know your limits so don’t do anything that would cause yourself harm.

So two things I don't like in the fitness world- cardio machines and ab exercises.

I’m not a trainer or anything so my advice is pretty useless :D, but hey, it’s my blog and I’ll write whatever useless stuff I want. So there :P.

Go get your six pack! (or a six pack of beer, whatever works).

Cardio Machines, Good or Bad?

Been a busy week! Sorry I've been so late in posting this week. But here's something for you all :).

Cardio machines. I’m not a big fan. I think they have their place, in a garbage heap.

Okay, that’s harsh and I don’t really mean that fully.

The one I hate least- Treamills. I think treadmills are good for only when going outside is a bad idea (like snow covered ice). Pro’s- I think it immitates our natural rhythm as closely as any machine can because our own bodymechanics are allowed to take precedence. There is no spot to place hands and feet leading to irregular patterns. Although those patterns in ellipticals, bikes, and stair climbers are probably good, our own stride is better in my opinion. Cons: people place their arms on the siderails which decrease calorie burn and also decrease our natural gait pattern. People then tend to lean forward when holding onto the machine. Also, for interval drills, this is a bad piece of equipment. The speed changes are not instant like if a person was running outside. Max speed on a machine for 20-30 seconds also takes some practice to learn what that top speed is. Otherwise it’s a guessing game getting to that top mark. And hitting top speed on a treadmill is more dangerous than hitting top speed outside. I’m definitely not going to fall off the back of the sidewalk but for someone maxing out their speed on a treadmill, hitting the button to slow it back down could be a bit tougher.

Ellipticals- pro’s: Not to hard on the joints so they’re better for people with joint pain and osteoarthritis and osteopenia. Negs: well, the calories burned readout seems pretty wack to me. I’d alternate that and the treadmill. I’m sure people lose weight with this, but there are better options waiting on the sidewalk. 

Steppers- I’ll admit, I’ve only used a stepper twice, maybe three times tops. I can’t really say what is good or bad about them, just that they’re a machine and that I don’t like machines.

Bikes- I love bikes people ride outside for fitness purposes although I do still have a bit of fear of them. Yes that was 10 years ago, yes I’m still anxious. Indoor bikes such as in spinning classes’n'stuff I’m not a huge fan of. It doesn’t challenge balance because it’s stablized on a frame. The benefits of riding outside totally beat riding an indoor bike.

Recumbent bikes- I’m totally prejudiced against these things. I think they’re the lazy person’s way out. It’s like being able to say I did something without actually doing anything. No core work at all, not even having to hold yourself up, just lean back and rest why dont ya? No pro’s at all other than at least it’s better than sitting doing nothing but I dont think these can hardly be called exercise. Cardio, okay fine, call it that, but it’s not real exercise unless you’re an extremely deconditioned person.

Cardio I like: intervals with swimming, running/walking, boxing, tennis, and many others. Not golf. And not ping-pong either ;).

And now, even though I don't like recumbent bikes, I own one. Yes I do. It makes a good place to hang clothes to dry. I do use it occasionally. Fine, more like rarely.

Looking Ahead

This year so far has been rough on our family. Nothing actually huge, just an overabundance of small things that add up. I need a vacation from it all. And a winning lotto ticket :).

Though right now things aren't always pretty financially, physically, or emotionally around here it's temporary. Eventually I'll have a couple more things paid off and that will release some stress there. Eventually I'll not be in daily physical pain which will also lead to a better emotional state... Pain kind of sucks and it's also caused be to be overly fatigued since it interferes with me sleeping at night at least a few times a week now. And emotionally will improve as things become more stable for the family in general.

It's hard to not feel stressed and overwhelmed some days. But I know I have a great family to go home to every day. I have a baby who needs me, though at this point I'm not really sure he cares who takes care of him as long as it gets done. He certainly recognizes me :). But they're so adaptable at this age. I have an awesome teenager who is surprisingly well behaved. And I have an amazing man in my life, though he has his own struggles, is always there for me.

So, looking forward to how this year will end I'm not sure how much of our situation will change but I know that things always get better when you have good people around you. And family, you're good people :).

SNOW!

So, the week the weather was supposed to stay nice, it didn't :(.

I might as well just give up and buy a treadmill.

Nightly routine is still going well. My car hates me and I helped a friend today so still no workout this week. I know, I'm making excuses. And I hate that I'm making excuses. Really I could have watched one less episode of House (now on Netflix!!!!) and done a workout instead. OR I could have done my kettlebell workout while watching an episode of House.

Overall, the morning routine is still my nemesis. I have no trouble with the Baby Muddy part of the routine. It's more when it comes to me. I know what my problem is, if there's an excuse to use, I'll find it.

And tomorrow I need to take my car to the shop because my tire is doing something crazy. It feels wobbly but my tie rods and lug nuts and something else were replaced last June. So hopefully if it's one of those it'll still be under warranty.

Also, there is snow on the ground. SNOW! In April... This really really sucks. I want to get outside and run. I got in a nice walk the past weekend with the stroller and our dog. Don't worry the baby, not the dog, was in the stroller.

Teen Muddy trained both Saturday and Sunday for her upcoming run. So proud of her!

Hope everyone gets out there.

Routines

I have some routines that I do pretty well with.

One of them is my routine I do when I get home from work. I put a load of laundry into the wash and the one in the dryer goes upstairs to be folded. I get dishes into the dishwasher and put the clean ones away if there are any clean ones in the dishwasher. Once the sink is empty I fill it and put the bottles in it. Then I clean the cat boxes while the bottles soak a couple minutes. I wash my hands. Then I wash the bottles. Then if the washer is done I put it in the dryer.

AND where I fall apart on that routine is actually folding the ones I brought upstairs. But alas, at least our clothes are clean and I don't have a huge Mount Washmore in the bedroom.

But my cat boxes get cleaned pretty much every day. I don't do so well on this when I'm not working (weekends) or when I'm on call because I don't go home that night.

I also have a once a week routine where toilets get washed, floors get scrubbed, and everything gets clean basically. That takes two hours. I put the sheets in the wash and do the downstairs. I put them in the dryer and clean the upstairs then mop everything. That's usually done on the morning after I'm on call since I get up earlier that day or on Mondays after I take Teen Muddy to school. That's pretty well ingrained into my week as well. Rarely gets skipped. And you can hug my toilets most of the time.

My mornings are pretty much the same too. Baby Muddy is my alarm (joys of second shift). He gets changed, then I feed him his food and his bottle. Then I get myself generally presentable. This routine doesn't really fall apart ever. If I don't do something on it then I'd end up going to work without pants on or something so it's pretty much a bare bones have to do kind of routine.

What I'd like to really incorporate in my day is a workout routine. Auto pilot my workout. It should be take care of baby, get myself ready for workout, workout, then get myself presentable. Most of the time I work out and have to strip out of my work clothes, grab a tank top and shorts, do my workout, and redo getting myself presentable. Then I'm like well, I'm already ready for work so why bother... then the workout is missing :(. And the Mudder is not getting any farther away.

This morning routine is going to be my goal next week (since this week I'm still putting furniture away).

Bellin Run

The Bellin Run is a huge event around where I live.

It's also the first of only two runs I have planned for this year so far. It's a relatively inexpensive run. Some runs can cost a huge amount of money. This one is a whole $20. Seriously. For a 10K!!!

I'm going to run it with my sister's running partner. She's way way awesome :). She was part of our Tough Team last year. And she's the leader of our Tough Team this year. I'm not sure if she knows that... but she was the first to sign up for the Mudder so by default I say she's leader.

My daughter, aka Teen Muddy, is also running the Bellin this year. She's going to run with a friend of hers. They don't want to run with this here old lady :'(. Sad sad. Running is an awesome habit to get into. It keeps you young, literally! Seriously, there have been studies that runners age slower than non runners. All the more reason to run.

The run is on June 13th. Teen Muddy is starting her training this week. The weather outside is finally above freezing consistently so I can get Baby Muddy out in his stroller so I know I need to stop with just the weights and add on the running too. I'll still lift the weights and swing the kettlebell, too.

During the weekdays I know I need to get out for at least a mile on the days I start work later. That would be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I wish I had a second shift friend who lived near me to keep me on track to run. Maybe someday...

Everyone out there, find what you love and go do it!