Today's physical challenge, DONE!

I thankfully am not in pain today. OH, I DEFINITELY feel the muscles in my calves, thighs, and butt (almost typed butts, LOL), but I am not cringing when I get up and down off the couch or have to sit on the toilet, LOL! The muscles feel...well, USED? They are sore. And, I particularly feel it after I am sitting for a bit. I think all the water consumption is helping!!

So, today I was originally thinking, "Hmmmm, maybe I will ride my bike down to the school." Now, I have no idea how long this is, unless I use Google maps, but I live up on the flats near the airport, and Okanogan High School is down in Okanogan. This would be an awesome ride there, since it's MOSTLY flat and downhill. BUT, coming home, not so awesome. I could get someone to pick me up, that's always an option, too. But, in the end, since the little rugrat wants to go play teacher and help organize my classroom, and since I finally thought, "Um, I wonder if I should hard core workout the same muscles again...probably not." I did decide to do an exercise ball workout instead. I cranked up the classic rock and kicked booty!!

So, you think that's not so intense...let me challenge you first to do this: Hold your arms out to the side, palms down, for two minutes. Keep them up. It's hard. I used little 2-pound exercise balls and did that. Then I also held them directly in front of me, and then back out to the side but palms up. That right there was six minutes of arm workout, and already I was sweating!

Next up I went to my big exercise ball and I did a rotation between sit-ups and push-ups. I did 15 sit-ups, then 15 push-ups, then 14 sit-ups, and 14 push-ups, all the way down to 1 of each. I am not a mathematician, so I admit I used my calculator on my phone when I was done to determine I had finished 120 sit-ups and push-ups!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOO!!

After this I stood back up and did more little ball and arm work (big circles both forwards and backwards, triceps extension and biceps curls, and then what I can only describe as cross-country ski arms) for two minutes for each exercise. I also did push-ups on the wall with the big exercise ball, just 15 of them. Have I mentioned that I LOVE MY EXERCISE BALL?! Even better, it was a gift from someone who didn't use it :)) Yeah for recycling!

I have determined, I can do ANYTHING for two minutes! And, I just keep rotating through and end up doing it for maybe even 10 minutes total!!

To close out I laid down and did one of my favorite ab exercises, though it's more effective with someone to help. If you have a partner, you have her stand by your head, you hold her ankles (you are on your back), and you bring your legs all the way up to her, and she pushes your legs hard back towards the ground, and you have to keep them from touching the ground, but take them as close to the ground as you possible can. Without a partner, you don't have the resistance part of them pushing your legs down and you trying to stop them, but you can still point your legs straight up to the ceiling, and bring them down as close to the ground as possible without touching. KILLER ab workout :)

Two exercise excuses I have made or heard before:
1) I can't afford a gym. Well, you don't need one. Even for strength training. Grab a couple of cans from your pantry.

2) Winter is harder for me to exercise. I agree with this, but I have been working hard at figuring out exercises that I like and can do inside NO MATTER the weather, so it doesn't have to be an excuse for me.

This War of the Scales exercise challenge was EXACTLY what I needed this weekend :)))