10 Min Workouts

Looking to firm up your abs in 10 minutes?  What about tighten up your arms?  Well, I have two go to dvd's that help exactly with that.  I've mentioned these pilates dvd's in the past but here 2 years later I'm still turning to them for the in between workouts.

(If you're a little overweight and still fairly fit these workouts are perfect for you.  If you don't exercise regularly or are more than 20lbs overweight they are most likely too hard.)


My go to 10 min ab workout (for the past 10 yrs) is :

Crunch - Pick Your Spot Pilates - Belly

Sure there are other exercises on the dvd but I always start with the ab exercises and depending on time work my way through the other 10 minute exercises like butt, thighs, or total body.







My go to 10 min arm workout is :

10 Minute Solutions - Pilates - Sculpting

This one actually gives you obvious results in your arms.  It doesn't bulk you up but manages to firm your arms and help create a bit of definition.  It also has 4 other 10 minute workouts.







I've tried at least 5 different 10 minute pilates dvd's and I promise the two workouts I mentioned above will give you results within a couple weeks.

At one point pilates was my main form of staying in shape.  These days I try to jog twice a week, and use pilates when I see my arms or abs could use some attention.  Or during the weeks when I know I over ate in the weekend.  The beauty of these 10 minute exercises is that you barely break a sweat, if you even do at all, unlike cardio workouts. 

Unfortunately last weekend we packed up my beloved crosstrainer (elliptical machine) into a storage unit.  But to be fair, I haven't been really using is since I started jogging, plus the weather is too cold for my crosstrainer workouts in our outside shed!  When we eventually get a house we'll be sure to bring it back home and incorporate it into our fitness regime.

Besides jogging & pilates (wow, I almost sound fit but I promise I have 5-10lbs that come and go monthly) I dabble in other home exercise dvds.  I recently just tried some of Jillian Michaels workouts, but I'll save that for a future post.

If you haven't noticed the theme, I like to save money by not having a gym membership.  I can use the same exercise clothes for jogging, pilates, & the crosstrainer.  And equipment I have collected over time as I find them on sale.  I have pretty standard stuff like an exercise mat & light weight dumbbells, and of course a couple fads like the balance board & kettlebell.  All of this keeps me fit for little costs and saves time by being able to do it from home.

What do you do to stay in shape?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Fitness Update

I figured it was about time for a fitness update, especially considering I haven't been quite doing what I had originally planned (big frown).

How are the smoothies going?
Well, I'm definitely still drinking at least 3 a week.  I'd like to work more into my schedule, but it seems like lately I just haven't had the time.  Smoothies take a bit of effort, and I don't always have time to chop up the fruit, make the smoothie, and then clean the blender.  Occasionally time wasn't the problem, it was the fact I was already full and even though a smoothie is a drink, well, it's still quite filling.  Think my last smoothie was in the weekend, not too bad.

How is the arm & ab challenge going?
The first week went great!  But after that it started becoming harder and more time consuming.  There were so many exercises I was having to split them up into reps and then split that up into a morning & evening exercise just to be able to squeeze it into my schedule.  At some point I actually just forgot about the challenge, oops.  I did see results in my arms even after just a week, so maybe I can use a toned down version of the challenge & create something more realistic for my life.

How is the jogging going?
This is the most frustrating part!  I love jogging, besides immediate results, the strange trance of endorphins was quite addicting.  Unfortunately within 3-4 jogging sessions I developed ridiculously painful shin splints, ouch!  Meanwhile, jogging has been cut back to once a week, and I'm working on my stance.  Besides that I've adjusted the surface I run on and plan on new shoes for my b-day.  Hopefully these adjustments and rest will get me back out jogging 2-3 times a week!

How is cutting back on energy drinks going?
I went a week without any, which was great considering I had been drinking 1 a day.  And now I've allotted myself 1-2 in the weekend as a treat.  This seems to be working out.  Who knows, maybe once I get fit again, I will not even want the energy drinks.  (Kind of like the McDonald's I ate last night, which made me feel gross, I didn't even finish my burger.)  Perks of starting to get fit - the unhealthy stuff is more yuck than yum!

The beauty of getting fit & healthy is you can start immediately!  With that said, I'm hoping to get to water aerobics tonight and if not, there's an elliptical machine with my name on it!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Ab & Arm Challenge

After seeing these challenges floating around online I've decided to give it a shot.

My original plan was to participate in the ab challenge but then when looking for the right calendar online I stumbled across the arm challenge and decided to add that in as well.  I might have to drop the arm challenge after a couple weeks, we'll just see how much time I have.

 

Today was the 1st day and obviously the easiest of them all, finished in less than 5 minutes and didn't break a sweat.  But looking ahead on the calendar I see there will be some painful days to come.  Besides the 2 challenges I will also keep up pilates (use a dvd at home), occasional jogging & crosstrainer (depends on what my leg allows after the stitches), and hopefully water aerobics if I can ever find a day when my friends can join.

Wow, I sound kind of like a fitness freak, but it's not true.  I exercise so that I can eat and drink what I like, and in the end hopefully just look normal and healthy.  (See, I have a soft spot for beer, and chocolate chip cookies, of course!)

Any of you feel like joining in the challenge?  I'm trying to get the husband on board, unfortunately his schedule is just a bit too busy to keep up the challenge consistently.

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Sour Smoothies

Been going smoothie crazy again! Due to my allergies it limits what I put into the smoothie but I have still been able to come up with tasty combos.  And for some reason, I have been into sour smoothies this week, there's just something refreshing and cleansing about them.

Check out some of the combos I've thrown together!

Kiwi, Orange, Red Grapefruit, & Spinach

Apple Juice, Banana, Kiwi, Lime & Orange

Banana, Kiwi, & Red Grapefruit

Grape, Lime, Orange, Tomato 

 

Kiwi, Lime, & Red Grapefruit

Here are links to other smoothies I've posted (1 & 2)

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Energy Drinks

I admit, I like energy drinks.  Not really sure why, can't say they even work once you get used to drinking them regularly.  But somehow they slid right into my weekly routine.  And not only that, they helped slide a few extra pounds around my waistline!

So... I've decided to take a break from the energy drinks and see what happens.  Oh how I'll miss you Red Bull, and SPAM, and Golden Power, and Power Booster, and Bullit, & of course store brands!  (You know me, I buy what's on sale.)

I'll try and give you an update soon to see if it's helped me kick any of the extra weight.  And since I also like smoothies, I'm hoping the natural energy will start taking over soon.  (There should be a smoothie post this week.)

Wish me luck!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Loving Spinach

This week I've been loving spinach!  I bought a huge bag (only because they don't really sell small bags) and it's been going into everything!  There are so many things you can do with spinach, especially if you have a knack for cooking.  Me, I'm not the best cook, so I try and keep it simple.
 

 

-There's the spinach smoothie, which no matter what I seem to combine it turns out tasty.  I basically grab whatever fruit or veggies are lying around, toss them in the blender and voila, a healthy smoothie.

-There's the fresh salad, also quite simple.  I combine lettuce, spinach, shredded cheese, and again whatever veggies are in the house (usually mushrooms & tomatoes), and ta-da, a healthy meal (or side).

-There's also the omelet, yum-yum!  I toss some onion and garlic in a pan, add a couple more veggies including the spinach and I have a hearty breakfast.  Usually I just don't have the time for this most mornings.

 

Unfortunately no one else in the house shares my love of spinach, so I have a huge bag to get through alone.  I doubt I'll be able to finish it off, but I'm trying.  -Just had a quick thought, I CAN get my husband to eat it tonight if I put the spinach on the fresh pizza we're going to make, ha!-

Any of you love spinach?  Have any ideas for quick spinach use?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Smoothie, Yum

When I drink a smoothie, I actually feel my health improving with each sip, as silly as it sounds.  And smoothies have endless possiblities, so they never grow boring.  But they do have their downfalls, fresh fruit & veggies can be expensive, it takes effort & clean up, and they don't store well.  So basically you have to buy the fruit as you go and not make portions larger than a glass, unless you have people you can share it with.  The sharing in our house gets complicated... see my husband rarely drinks a smoothie.  And half the ingredients my tot likes in hers, I can't have.  I end up making mutiple single serving smoothies (like I said, lots of effort & clean up).  I've always liked smoothies, but I originally started making smoothies for my tot so that we could freeze the blend and make healthy popsicles (turns out she also likes drinking them).  Since she has no fruit allergies, I toss in everything, this way the popsicles and smoothies are always surprising.  Some blends she prefers more than others, she'll tolerate some seeds & bits, but I know not to push it.  Now for myself, smoothies are tricky.  During my pregnancy years ago, I developed allergies, and this includes a lot of raw fruits.  Most all of the general ingredients for a yummy healthy smoothie I just can't drink.  So I have to get creative.  I have a couple smoothie recipe books and I keep meaning to gather the ingredients but inevitably I just use what's on sale or already in the house.  I can still manage to make a tasty smoothie despite the fact apple, pear, and strawberries are on my "avoid like the plague" list.  Due to ingredients around the house this past week, I came up with a tasty fruit & veggie smoothie I thought I'd share.  

1 mandarin
2 kiwis
2 cherry tomatoes
5 baby carrots

This mix of ingredients means the smoothie turns a strange orangish color, but who really cares what color it is as long as it tastes nice.  The first time I made one I was overwhelmed with the carrot chunks (luckily I like carrots), so the next time I was sure to blend longer.  And these fruits & veggies are high in vitamin A, C, & K.  A is good for your eyes, C is good for the immune system, & K is good for bone health.  Can't complain!

Hope you give the smoothie a chance, and if not, I'm sure I'll come up with another one you can try out!!!

Chicken Pox Again

Like father - like daughter, my toddler has managed to get chicken pox twice!  What happened to her father is common, light case as a child, heavy case as an adult.  But my tot didn't wait for her adult years to get the 2nd round, it's been less than 6 months!  At first I thought the spot was a bug bite, and when I found two more I thought maybe a rash... in my mind there was no way she could have them again.  Then when the one on her forehead popped up there was no denying what it was.  I took her to the doctor who confirmed she had chicken pox again.  I asked how this could happen and she said possibly last time she didn't build up enough antibodies.  I figured the doctor would send off for blood work, but she just sent us home.  Now my poor 3 yr old is covered, and it's way worse than last time!  Last time she had a lot of little itchy bumps and fever which lasted around 10 days or so.  This time she has the large ones full of fluid and she keeps getting more and more, they're even all over her scalp.  This was one way to ruin her vacation, she had a week off school and lots of fun activities planned, of course they were all cancelled after our doctor appointment mid-week.  I'm crossing my fingers this round will be enough to build up the proper antibodies so she doesn't have to suffer through it again.  Anyone else know of a toddler that had chicken pox twice?

Pet Insurance

I'm definitely looking for feedback on this one... do you think getting insurance for your pet is worthwhile?  I think maybe, my husband thinks no, so I'm basically throwing all of this out there to convince myself and him that it is necessary. 

Pros :
-Maggie is purebred and runs a higher risk of diseases
-We live in busy downtown which can be dangerous for a dog
-She needs to get fixed, and they cover 1/2 the costs
-Checks up & meds are expensive
-She's only 8 months old, so it's not like if she develops something serious she's had a long life

Cons :
-Paying around €35 p/m but most likely not needing to use it
-If they pay 1/2 the spaying costs you have to use them for 5yrs
-They don't cover medicine for fleas which can cost around €30 a month
-We'll eventually move to a quieter neighborhood, lowering risks
-They cover the costs of a chip implant, but she already has one

I am big on health insurance, despite the fact I actually despise insurance companies.  We pay a lot for our little family but I at least know we get compensation for most of the health bills I turn in (and I turn them all in!)  I figure we take the precautions for the humans so why not the animal too?
Anyone have experience with Proteq (Dutch animal insurance)?

Circle of Sick

Our family has been rotating a cold now for a while.  We sent our visitors from The States back with a cold, and we have been spreading it ever since.  This week has been the worst so far.  My husband missed two days of work, my toddler has been participating in minimal activities, and now it's my turn.  It's what I get for dancing around Tuesday night bragging about how healthy I am!  I spent most of today on the couch trying to convince my daughter why the Santa Clause trilogy is way more fun than playing outside in the snow, aww poor kid.  As soon as the body aches and sore throat are gone, I hope to get back to blogging as usual.

Yearly Membership

Why are fitness memberships so expensive?  I recently had the urge to sign up for a fitness class but have been quite discouraged after looking at the costs.  In general I am content with my elliptical machine, and I do walk often out of necessity but things like power walking and water aerobics have fallen by the wayside.  I've practiced pilates off and on for years from home, I love my dvd, but I thought if I enrolled in a class I would do it more consistently but the costs are no joke.  Either you enroll somewhere specifically geared to pilates or at a gym that offers the classes, and either way the costs are €200-€400 a year, if not more.  I am a stay-at-home mom, I can't dish out that kind of money on exercise, especially considering the entire family is signed up for other activities throughout the year (the combined costs really add up). 

The other day as I left the grocery store I heard this incredible music outside, quickly I realized it was coming from a dance studio.  Then a new idea popped into my head, I could sign up for adult street dance classes, I could get in shape and have fun at the same time.  Again I jumped behind the computer, looked up the dance school, and again I was disappointed with the costs, €300-€400 a year.  Realizing I wasn't going to spend the money, I thought I should buy a new exercise mat to help encourage me to do pilates more often, our hard living room floor isn't very inviting.  But again I was shocked at the costs, they want at least €25 for a yoga mat, what?  Either I'm the biggest tightwad in the world or everything is overpriced these days.  I guess for now I'll stick to my cross-trainer (elliptical machine) and pilates dvd, they're already paid for!  And if I can somehow get myself back in the routine, I need to get my butt to water aerobics because that only costs €2 a pop thanks to the yearly swim pass I already have for the city pool.

Beloved Cross-trainer

In 2006 my husband bought me an early Christmas present, my beloved cross-trainer.  I haven't been to a gym since 2001 and at that time relied mostly on exercise DVD's and my own calisthenics routine.  I originally wanted a treadmill (one of my old favorites from my gym days) but they are unfortunately too big for most Dutch homes, especially apartments.  I did some research and it turns out the cross-trainer (aka elliptical trainer) is actually better for you than the treadmill.  We ordered it online and it was delivered to my front door.  When it arrived in a box I grew concerned, I convinced the delivery man to at least lug the heavy box to my bedroom but he refused to assemble it.  Sometimes customer service baffles me, you pay hundreds of euros for something and they will not even put it together for you!  I pulled out the instructions and managed to assemble it myself, later I realized I had mixed some of the nuts & bolts up, and they later broke off.  So I advise you to read the instructions carefully if you ever purchase fitness equipment for your home.  I was immediately over the moon with my cross-trainer, it was such a smooth work out and had great results.  The biggest problem (I found) with exercising at home was boredom, using the cross-trainer while just listening to music wasn't enough.  I had to make it entertaining in order to make myself get on the thing (getting in shape apparently wasn't enough back then).  Grey's Anatomy was a fairly new show at the time, so I bought the first few seasons on DVD and started watching them while exercising.  One show lasted about 45 minutes, that was enough time to exercise and stretch out.  Eventually I ran out of tv shows and went on to movies, splitting it up over a few workouts.  When I became pregnant in 2009 I told myself I would keep using the cross-trainer, besides overhauling my diet I planned on exercising too.  But pregnancy wiped me out and I didn't set foot on the cross-trainer.  Even after my daughter was born I still didn't get on it, it haunted me, everyday hovering over me in our bedroom.  (It literally haunted my husband, he would hang his shirts on it and awake in the middle of the night thinking someone was in our bedroom, ha-ha!)  Finally after a series of efforts to lose the pregnancy weight... pilates, zumba, walking... I decided it was time to get back on the old machine.  Five years, and many workouts later it had grown creaky and was too loud to use while my daughter slept.  Excuses, excuses, I had plenty.  After growing depressed about the lack of weight loss, I knew I had to do something, I had my husband drag the cross-trainer to our shed and I set up shop there.  While my daughter napped I could use the loud old cross-trainer in the comfort (yeah right) of my shed!  In the summer it is occasionally too hot to go out to the oven for a workout and in the winter (weeks like now, -8°C/17.5°F degree weather) it is unbearable to exercise in the shed.  But all of the time in between, which is a lot, I can get out there 3-5 times a week, I try not to let more than 2 days go by without a good 30 minute workout.  I even added extra arm exercises with weights while on the cross-trainer to help tone up one of my problem areas.  Nowadays I get to stare at a supply shelf and listen to music through my cell phone, but I'm not complaining, I'm just happy to be toning up and shedding the pounds!!!  I'll leave you with a recent photo of my cross-trainer, it's cracked, chipped, and about to fall apart but I still love it.

Vitamin Fanatic

Vitamins are a part of my daily life, I'm not sure when I became such a vitamin fanatic, but it has definitely been a few years now.  Some vitamins come and go depending on sales and some vitamins are a fixed part of my life.  Barely a day goes by that I don't take a multi- vitamin & mineral, I eat fairly healthy but just in case I like to make sure I'm getting whatever my meals didn't provide.  Plus I have a toddler at home and come in contact with a lot of kids, I need all the extra help I can get.  Besides the multi-vitamin there is the B-complex vitamin, I find this almost as important as the multi-vitamin.  B-complex produces energy & helps metabolism.  It also helps with the health of hair & nerves.  I also regularly take an Omega 3-6-9 vitamin, essential fatty acids. Fatty acids are important for the body to function normally, inc. skin, respiratory system, circulatory system, brain and organs. And then when I need an energy boost I take a Q-10 vitamin, and it's also a great antioxidant.  You might read this and think I go over the top, but that's my personality.  Plus, I'm allergic to a lot of fruits and if I don't take the time to cook them, I can't eat them. 

Obviously I don't want to solely rely on vitamin supplements so I also try and find foods that provide them as well.  A book that has helped me along the way is "The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book".  The book provides a description of each vitamin & mineral, it explains the pros and cons behind them, and also provides a list of foods in which you can find them.  One food that helps the body on multiple levels is the avocado, peanuts and spinach are also great.  I'm not the only one in the family that takes vitamins daily, it's a habit I started with my daughter also.  Even at just 2 yrs old there are plenty of multi-vitamins available.  Her favorite seems to be the raspberry flavored SpongeBob multi-vitamin, but she will eat most any of the brands I give her, thanks to the flavors.  Living in a cold country with little sunshine in the winter months she needs the extra help.  One of her friends always seems to have a cold and now that she's in preschool who knows what she'll come in contact with, I like knowing I am doing everything to help.  I also give her a vitamin D drop along with her breakfast to ensure she builds strong bones, again the lack of sun here means less access to it naturally.  She does enjoy drinking milk and it's in things like her cereal and yogurt but like myself why not ensure she is getting enough.  I want her to be accustom to eating healthy and living a nutritious lifestyle.  There are so many unhealthy and overweight adults and children in the world, I like to know I'm doing what I can to help me and my family, and to for come issues later down the road.