The Snow Plow Widow's Workout...

When winter hits, like it just did in Montana, my hubby drives a plow truck. If winter happens to hit in full force over a holiday weekend, my girls are not in school and my workout schedule changes.

Here are a few thoughts on getting plenty of exercise around your home, with your kids and everyone having a great time.

Find a big sled and haul your kids around. I just returned from pulling my girls down the road to get the mail. They laughed the whole time and I was shedding layers after the first uphill stretch. Drag em through the deep snow and give your hamstrings and glutes a workout!

Chop & stack some wood. Use your core muscles, your arms and shoulders will feel just as much as they would from a trip to the gym.

Shovel, shovel, shovel! Think about your core and posture and clear off your sidewalks, decks and pathways. Great exercise for your whole body!

Put on your boots and trudge through the snow. Walking around in the snow is an amazing workout for your legs, heart and lungs!

It feels great to sit down after spending a day outside! Remember to drink lots of water! It is really easy to get dehydrated in the colder months when we are not so focused on staying hydrated in the heat. No matter the temperature our bodies always need plenty of water!

Enjoy these beautiful winter days and play hard! It is really fun!

All Over Blaster!

My lovely friend Gerda first introduced me to these absolutely fabulous treats; Dolphin Push-ups!

Start out in plank position with your forearms in a straight line on the floor and your fingers pointing forward.

Inhale and lift your hips so your body becomes an inverted V; similar to Down Dog. Slowly lower your hips back into plank and repeat for 12 repetitions. Press back into Child's Pose to rest.

This will target your core, arms and legs!

Tabletop Pullover

For this week grab your stability ball and a weighted medicine ball or light dumbbell. This first exercise begins in a table top position with your stability ball.

To get into a proper table top position begin seated on your stability ball with your feet hip distance apart, your shoulders down and back, your spine in neutral and your core engaged. Begin to walk your feet out away from the ball so you can come to create a table of sorts with your head and shoulders on the ball. Maintain your proper body position and engage your hamstring and glute muscles to keep your core in a level table top position.

Hold your medicine ball in both hands with your arms extended to the ceiling. If you are using a dumbbell, hold on to the weight horizontally with your hands grasping either end of the dumbbell. Using your core strength, inhale your breath and extend your arms overhead so they create a straight line with your torso. Exhale your breath and lift your arms back up to the starting position. Repeat for 10 to 15 repetitions, 2-3 sets.

Arm Toning Tricks!

Lie on your back, with your right arm extended to the ceiling holding a weight. Keeping the arm raised, roll onto your left side propping yourself with your left forearm and thigh, bent knee. Push your self to kneeling then to stand keeping the arm extended through the entire motion. Reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat for 10-12 repetitions and switch sides.

A Different Stability Ball Squat!

Sorry...this is coming at the end of the day, better late than never.

Begin with your feet hip distance and parallel...hold your ball out in front of you at chest height with your arms extended. Bend your knees into a squat with an inhale of your breath and press through your feet to straighten your legs. Continue your squats for 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Things to remember: proper posture, core engagement, do not lower your bum past your knees, keep your knees pointed toward your toes (if you have a yoga block, squeeze it between your knees, it will keep them aligned), and keep your chest up, not breaking your torso at the waist.

Have fun!

A Twist On The Lunge!

Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, drop your shoulders and engage your core. Take a large step, about leg length, back with your right leg and drop into a low "runner's lunge." Engage all the muscles in your extended leg, reaching back through your heel. Reach your arms straight overhead, your shoulders dropped and with your core and all the muscles in your arms engaged.

Take a deep breath and on an inhale, bend the knee of your extended leg while maintaining the lunge of your front leg. Straighten your extended leg and continue to bend and straighten your leg for a series of 15 repetitions, working with your breath. Step your back, extended leg up to meet your other, lower and relax your arms. Take several deep breaths and repeat with the other leg. Perform 2-3 sets.

Arms, Back and Core!

This week I wanted to focus on our arms and back so in looking back, pun intended, here is a quick recap of the exercises.
Starting off, after taking a few moments to contemplate your life’s distractions, bang out a set of 15 bench dips or a few push-ups.
Follow that up with:
• “Y”: Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended out from your shoulders forming a ‘Y’ position overhead. Engage the muscles in your arms all the way through your finger tips with your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. Slide your shoulder blades down and back and engage your core. Using the strength of your core and with an exhale of your breath, lift your torso, head and arms off the floor, inhale, lower and repeat. If you are looking for an extra challenge, lift your legs, with your muscles engaged, off the floor at the same time.
• Begin in plank position. Engage the muscles of your arms up to your shoulders, your core and your legs, reaching through your heels. Maintain a straight, neutral spine, not allowing your stomach to sag to the floor or your tailbone to reach to the ceiling. Take a deep breath and "roll" on to your right hand, coming into a side plank. Take a breath and from there roll toward to your back into backward plank position. Take another breath and roll over on to your left hand in another side plank. Breathe again and return to your starting plank position. It is important to maintain your core integrity and spine alignment through all these positions!
• Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, shoulders down and back and your core engaged. If you have a set of light dumbbells, hold one in each hand. With your palms facing forward and your arms by your sides, bend your elbow, engaging your bicep, into a curl. At the top of the curl, turn your palm to the front again and extend your arm into a shoulder press. Lower your arm to your hip. With the same arm, extend it up into a diagonal overhead. Lower back to your hip and again with the same arm, punch across your chest. Lower your arm to your side and repeat the entire series with the opposite arm. Repeat this series of exercises for 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each arm. It is a fun one!
• Begin this on your hands and knees. Balance your weight on your knees and one arm, engaging all the muscles of your balancing arm and pressing through your palm and all your fingers. Make a fist with your "working" arm and with a slightly bent arm, bring your fist to your rib cage. This is your starting position. With the muscles in your arm engaged, squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arm, still slightly bent, laterally, (to the side) to shoulder height. Return and repeat for 15 repetitions and switch arms.
Cycle through these exercises for a great arm, back and core series. Have a great weekend!

Back Again...

Begin this on your hands and knees with your shoulders down away from your ears, your core engaged and your spine in neutral. Balance your weight on your knees and one arm, engaging all the muscles of your balancing arm and pressing through your palm and all your fingers. Make a fist with your "working" arm and with a slightly bent arm, bring your fist to your rib cage. This is your starting position. With the muscles in your arm engaged, squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arm, still slightly bent, laterally, (to the side) to shoulder height. Return and repeat for 15 repetitions and switch arms. Do 3 sets of this exercise. You will feel it in your core, especially you obliques, your arms and shoulders!

Happy Friday!!

Loving Your Arms!

This is a great one for your arms and shoulders. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, shoulders down and back and your core engaged. If you have a set of light dumbbells, hold one in each hand. Two soup cans also make effective weights, the action without weight is great as well.

With your palms facing forward and your arms by your sides, bend your elbow, engaging your bicep, into a curl. At the top of the curl, turn your palm to the front again and extend your arm into a shoulder press. Lower your arm to your hip. With the same arm, extend it up into a diagonal overhead. Lower back to your hip and again with the same arm, punch across your chest. Lower your arm to your side and repeat the entire series with the opposite arm.

This is a bicep curl to a shoulder press, lower to your hip, lift to an overhead diagonal, lower to your hip and punch across your chest. Switch arms.
Repeat this series of exercises for 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each arm. It is a fun one!

You Ask "Y"

…for your shoulders and back.

Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended out from your shoulders forming a ‘Y’ position overhead. Engage the muscles in your arms all the way through your finger tips with your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. If someone was looking down on you, your body would be the stem of the ‘Y’ and your arms would form the v. Slide your shoulder blades down and back and engage your core. Using the strength of your core and with an exhale of your breath, lift your torso, head and arms off the floor, inhale, lower and repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you are looking for an extra challenge, lift your legs, with your muscles engaged, off the floor at the same time.

Enjoy the day!