Mother Teacher Scatterbrain

This man says he lost fifty pounds in three months using ten nontraditional tips: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-unconventional-diet-tips-how-to-lose-50-pounds-in-three-months.html

Brazilian butt

I have a major problem with my butt! I mean, I have great legs, a cute face, nice boobs, great hair, and a bad gut and butt.  So what should I do about it?  Why, whatever they do in Brazil!

This is a way that watching more TV can be good for you.  

I found this on Facebook.  If I start Monday, I should be able to get it in by mid-September.  FOCUS,  MAMA, FOCUS!

UPDATE: I found an app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch that will keep time for your interval training. I am ready! Monday! It's on!

Summer school kicked my butt
...and I stopped exercising
...and I ate bad
...and I am back where I started weight-wise.

I hurt my knee. I think it is a torn meniscus or cartilage tear. I don't have health insurance so I can't see a doctor. This leaves me with the Internet. I will be trying the following plan. I won't stop moving though. My workouts help me remember to eat better. I will just be going super low impact.

My knee is bothering me so I will be low impact for a while. Here are some low impact activities that will burn calories. I will also be doing some exercises to strengthen my knees.

The best way to have great looking breasts is to wear a good bra and to what you can to prevent sagging, and while there is nothing that can tighten up your breasts, you can firm the muscle behind them and it may help. I am going to try that and tell you how it works. Below you will find links to two workouts. (Both links include video demonstrations of the exercises.) Even if my breasts don't lift, they are big enough that I will never have body builder breasts!

I got a Schwinn Turismo Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller which has a speaker and mp3 hookup. This means that baby and I can go for jogs with music. I have been looking into interval training, and have come across several playlists, but I don't really like the playlists that I have been able to find. So I wanted to personalize my own. So here are the resources I have gathered so that I can begin to develop my own intervals playlist.

School is about to start back and I need a fitness routine that I can stick to. I am taking two summer school classes so time will be a hot commodity. For this reason, I am rescinding my original June 30 day challenge with the squats, planks, crunches and push ups with additional cardio in favor of a something more compact. I have chosen to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Slimdown. That is my new June Challenge. I will post when I feel it is necessary, but it is unlikely that I will post daily.

Here is a chart of the calories burned by different exercises during workouts. Included are aerobics, bicycling, golf, karate, tae kwan do, kick boxing, judo, racquetball, rowing, running, stationary cycling (spinning), swimming, tennis, walking, and yoga. The calories burned for each exercise are listed by body weights between 100 and 240 pounds. Take a look and plan your workout!

This is an option for cardio as well. I am generally unable to get to a gym much because I have to take care of baby, but this looks like a wonderful option! In fact, it would fit right in with my thirty day challenge. I think I will push myself!

I have assembled a YouTube playlist of all but the Quick Trouble Zones, but I imagine that No More Trouble Zones is an appropriate substitution. All you need is five pound weights. So join me!

I want a jogging stroller, but I am absolutely unwilling to pay hundreds of dollars. In fact, my interest drops off at about $80. So I will be hitting up consignment shops, but I need to call first because gas is high. In this economy, I encourage anyone to do the same. I have seen themas low as $60! I am definitely not paying full price!

Aka. The June Challenge in the Top Menu

Since the summer semester is upon me, I am thinking seriously about doing this challenge because I can read as I stretch which I will likely have to do as a full time student, but I don't want to have to give up my health and fitness, teaching my baby, or my Bible study. I think that I will try to do the two mile walk too because it is only 30 minutes. Or maybe, I will use the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, Jillian Michael's 30 Day Slimdown, jogging outdoors (with interval playlists and a stroller suggestion), and jumping rope. I will be doing squats, planks, crunches, and push ups. Be sure to check out my Progress on the Challenges! (Join me and get your own 30 Day Progress Chart!)

So starting June 1, here is my plan:





How to Do a Squat


How to Do a Crunch


How to Do a Plank


Push Up Challenge--I will be using a beginner variation






And to stretch:


Yoga for Splits Videos

Squats are very good for you. Below, I have an image depicting all of the muscle groups worked by a squat and directions on how to do one correctly. Then I have several variations.

I imagine that doing plank in different ways will work your body in different ways. At the very least, it will hold off a bit of boredom.

UPDATE: I decided to do some research. Lateral planks work your sides and obliques more; reverse planks work the posterior muscles, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and abs; front planks planks work your abs. All planks work your upper back, lower back, and arms as you work to stabilize yourself.

So I plan on getting my cardio in using one of these each day. We will see how far I get and which one I choose: elliptical, treadmill, or stationary bike. I have chosen interval training because it burns more calories and ones that are supposed to build butt muscles because muscle builds fat. Another cardio option is jumping rope. (More on outdoor jogging workouts with playlists and a suggestion on a jogging stroller.)

Elliptical

Treadmill






Spinning




For outside and beginners (the link has the playlist on Spottify)


Stair master (Stairmaster)

So I found my jump rope this weekend! I am so stoked because I love jumping rope! I was like the jump rope champ in first grade and as a teacher I loved to go outside and jump rope with my students.

Below, I have the benefits of jumping rope and several workouts.

I keep coming across these HIIT training things and all of them talking about burpees. But I had no idea what a Burpee was! It is really something at I couldn't describe. According to Fitness Boot Camps UK, burpees work your pectorals, triceps, biceps, deltoids, rectus abdominis, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, calves and hamstrings. I mean if you can do one of theses, you can get it in!

So, in this post, I will be addressing three things:
What is a Burpee?
How do do a proper Burpee
How to do begin with burpees
How to advance with burpees