Tag Archives: burpees

NEW MOON ON MONDAY

Leave a reply

download

Music inspires, it invigorates. It heals a bad mood and can remind you that someone broke your heart just as you were starting to forget. I was a dancer in the past, and music motivates me to run instead of to walk, to pick up my pace just a little more, and to keep going when my energy is starting to falter. Before I even started to workout, to speed walk, and to run I made a playlist to prepare myself to make it joyful and fun. Music keeps me going then, and today music motivates me to begin anew.

Duran Duran just happens to be on my running playlist, and when I first began this blog I would practice my burpees to New Moon on Monday.  ( I practiced burpees. Have you done them?  Don’t judge) My former trainer Mike and I worked on them over and over. I tried not to be embarrassed because I was a beginner. Here I am after my move and it feels like I am a beginner all over again. 

Starting over after my move is not easy but my commitment begins today. I have no shame, here I am and ready to run.  I really missed my regular scheduled workouts and running, and my body feels it.  My weight is dropping again, and now I add my workout and running schedule since things are starting to revert back to a routine here in Los Angeles. My next charity will occur when I hit 164 lbs, and I will announce what I plan to do soon. Back on track, back on track. Have you ever slacked off for a few months and found yourself a little slower and softer?  Mondays are perfect for new beginnings.

Here is my plan for the week.

 This week I will run 3.1 miles three times a week. If I am not running, I will be speed walking and getting plenty of cardio in. My day off will be Sunday.

I will do melissa bender fitness workouts three to five times a week depending on time but at minimum I will get it in there times a week.  I am doing her Bikini Prep Series. Each week I will do three to five workouts, starting with day one.

Today is a new day, my new moon on Monday. Coffee first!! That was non negotiable in the very beginning as it is today.

Namaste’

Rose

http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/02/my-first-bikini-competition-prep-month-1-workouts.html

80bce7c3-5c2a-4230-bd97-6d389eafbaf8

BACK TO THE GRIND

Leave a reply

Good Morning to all. Labor day is behind us and now it is time to get back to work. I have a lot of  exciting things going on and I will post all about them in tomorrow’s post. Today it is all about the work, the workout, and back to the grind. I have Melissa Bender Fitness schedule, this is week 1 of Month 2. I am doing great but I admit I am a little more fatigued as of late, because of later nights than usual. I am trying to get to bed at a more reasonable time so I can have the energy to do the best workouts possible. A little coffee helps too. I hope you are crushing your own personal goals. Make sure you find time to stretch and do a yoga flow to recover and soothe your mind and body. I downloaded some amazing Hawaiian music to do sun salutations to. Here is a photo update. On far Left is the beginning photo in 2013, and in the middle is me 5 weeks ago, and the far right is me now. I am still stocky but you can see I am much more lean and fit than I once was. I actually had someone tell me not to lose my body, that made me feel amazing. Oh, and someone told me I looked like Shania Twain and Sandra Bullock, which to me translates to my face is skinny lol. 11947697_1005430582835741_1320152200900790489_nNamaste’

Love and Light

Rose

So here is week 1 Month 2 of BenderFitness Bikini Prep Workouts

 
Tuesday Day 1: Body Definition Workout
 
Wednesday Day 2: Bikini Ready Tummy Workout and Body Definition Workout (Body Definition Workout was done interval style, 2X through. The breakdown is listed in the information above the Bikini Ready Tummy Workout). 
 
Thursday Day 3: Strong and Toned Lower Body: Legs, Thighs, and Butt and 30 minute run on the treadmill. Day off from work
 
Friday Day 4: Ab Exposure Workout
Saturday Day 7: Off Saturday Day off from work
 

Beginner Burpees

1 Reply

Done for today

















Burpees are very hard for me because of knee issues and in the beginning I could not do them at all. I have improved and I am doing them, although I am slow and I do not get too low in my push up. My trainer Mike and I are working on them, and I am getting stronger. Practice will make perfect and I will conquer the dreaded burpee. I practice daily and my push ups are getting better as well. 


This is me now, and in the future we will make more videos to compare as I get stronger at my burpees. I am always better version of myself than I was yesterday. I am never giving up, it just gets better each day as long as I continue to try.


Namaste’

Rose

MARCH MOTIVATION

Leave a reply


I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.



Good Morning to all. Today is Thursday, and day six on Melissa Bender Fitness 30 day Challenge to exercise for every day out of the month. I am on it, no skipping. My ankle feels a bit tender, but a brace is helping me stabilize it. I am so grateful to Melissa. Not only is she an amazing best friend, but one on my main inspirations in life. I am so proud of her.

Tonight is my workout with my trainer Mike. I am trying to go further in my yoga and in my strength. I am focusing on the fitness and not the scale, but I have to admit I cannot wait until I get in the 160’s. I am so so close. I have signed up for my first 5k, Run Seal Beach and I am signing up for Aerial classes at the Cirque School in Hollywood. I am knocking two things off my fitness bucket list. Life is an adventure and I am in competition with myself. 

Thursday my trainer Mike and I did a video of me doing burpees, and we are doing a redo tonight and I am going to post it. It is not instructional, merely me doing burpees to show my improvement in a month or so. They are not great, but in the beginning I could not do them at all. I wish I had video of that, or maybe not. Funny how you can really look like you have lost weight in still photos but video, that is another beast. I am doing it though, I promised no fear.

I am busy coming up. I am volunteering next week with Two Hands, Two Cans, and working on my book drive. Training, yoga, and James and I are heading to Arizona at the end of the month. This Month is already moving too quickly for my liking.  I am excited to see one of my dear friends Ally and to see Phoenix for the first time. 

Off for now, I need to give these Siamese cats a little attention. They make it so difficult to leave. Love and Light.
Namaste’
Rose





OFFICIALLY AN OUTDOOR GIRL

Leave a reply


Good Morning to all. I am up and raring to go. Today is day 5 of Melissa Bender Fitness challenge to work out for all 30 days of the month. It is keeping me pumped and motivated. After work I will be at it, no rest for the weary. My ankle only seems to bother me when I am barefoot, so I am watching it and wearing a ankle brace for support. Reminding myself to eat enough, and keeping up with my daily doses of inspiration and motivation. I am half way to my goal and loving my new lifestyle.

Yesterday was my Tuesday workout with Mike my trainer. It was a great one, he used these long ropes and those are not easy to maneuver but I do everything no matter how awkward I may appear. 
As I improve things get harder, a higher step up, more lunges etc. We did a burpee video but I fell so we are doing it again tomorrow. I know I am not perfect but I can do better than that. It was an awesome workout and I am constantly grateful to Mike for his time, expertise, and patience with me. My body and mind are evolving, and I could not be happier.

There were dogs everywhere and of course they interrupted us and came over to say hello and give me lots of kisses. Nothing like getting your endorphins up through exercise and then laughing hysterically at a pack of dogs wanting you to play with them instead of working out. I almost died when I decided I could burpee in the grass without the mat and my hand was christened by one of the precious pups in the form of something that did not smell like dirt. I could not stop  laughing, and I told Mike I am now officially an outdoor girl. If you go back to my first post back in July when we worked out for the first time I was appalled he wanted me to”get dirty” and crawl in the dirt. Now I am laughing and totally at ease with the outdoors, the dirt, and well the dooggy doo doo I washed off and was no worse for wear. I was old recently by my husbands friend who has lived on both coasts that I am as Californian as the sun. This east coast girl has traded her steel skyscrapers for towering trees reaching for the sun.

I am in love with life, and the older I get the more I feel this connection. It can be overwhelming at times to feel everything but I am happy because this is where my creativity comes from, this is where my number one muse lives.  My enthusiasm is overflowing, and I am forever grateful. Wishing you love and light.
Namaste’
Rose

TUESDAY WORKOUT AND DAY 4

Leave a reply
Inspired by the beauty of timeless trees



Good Morning to all. I am up and tired, My Siamese cats were in rare form last night. Nothing that a little caffeine cannot fix. It is day 4 of the Melissa Bender Fitness 30 day challenge, to exercise for all thirty days. I have been doing her workout videos along with everything else I am doing, I wanted to raise the bar so to speak and this should really help me gain strength. I already feel like it is working, to be stronger in my workouts with my Trainer Mike and to improve in all of the exercises we do. I mentally feel the results.

Tonight after work I workout with Mike, and I believe we are videotaping me doing burpees today or Thursday. I am not instructing, only showing where I am now. We will do more videos in the future to show my progress. My burpees have improved since the beginning, but I do have a ways to go. I am so up for the challenge.

Today I faced a few morning challenges, and this is how I met them head on.

Woke up tired, friend bought me a muffin. I only ate a quarter of it. No deprivation but portion control.
My ankle feels a tiny bit strained. I am wearing an ankle brace and listening to my body as I work out.
I am tired, the cats were playing all night. I am having some coffee and mentally telling myself I am awake and raring to go.

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday. 
Love and Light
Namaste’
Rose


SATURDAY WEIGH IN

Leave a reply



Good Morning and Happy Weekend to all. I am up early with the kitties drinking some needed coffee. I have a million things to do before we head to La Jolla CA, plus I needed to weigh in. I decided last week to focus on my fitness and not the scale, but that does not mean I do not get excited when I lose. I lost 3 pounds. I am at my lowest today, 172 pounds. I am almost in the 160’s, that is so amazing to me and I am so proud of myself and grateful I have such a support network.

I am having a splurge this evening or tomorrow. One meal splurge and that is it. I feel I am at a point when I can indulge just a bit and get right back on the bicycle. I am going walk as much as possible when I am away, and I am splurging for just one meal. I will also continue my burpee challenge, and do those in the hotel room as well as my stretching. I am also so excited I get to see one of my amazing friends Tracy Gittens. She owns a yoga studio in San Diego and she is one of my inspirations as well as a dear friend.

I need to work on fueling my body more, and planning and carrying snacks with me since I am on the go. In a few weeks my trainer Mike and I are going to video tape me doing burpees, they are not the best but I have improved considerably. Practice, practice, practice, and practice some more.

Off for the day, I am so happy with my results. I will take lots of photos while I am away.
Happy Weekend,
Love and Light to all
Namaste’
Rose

FOCUS ON FITNESS

Leave a reply
Spanky and Rascal, this is what I wake up to. Precious kitties are finally sleeping together.

Good Morning to all, and Happy Tuesday. I am up and raring to go, even though my adorable Siamese kitties hate when we leave. I am so happy to see them sleeping together for the first time since we adopted Spanky last April. This made me so happy, it is the little things. Well, that and morning coffee. On that note I have decided to only have one cup a day, I am watching my caffeine from here on out.

This week I am focusing on my fitness even more, and less on the scale. I am still weighing in every Saturday and I am not doing anything different except not stressing about the scale. I am stepping up all of my workouts, focusing on becoming stronger and improving in my movements, exercises, flexibility and lastly but not least health. I am a Sagitarrius, the centaur and my bow and arrow is focused directly on my prize. What I want, I set my sights to.

I did my cardio exercise yesterday, I walked outside because the Santa Ana Winds created this amazing warm breeze and I had to be a part of it. Nothing like working out with a warm wind wafting through my hair. I believe exercise in the outdoors feeds all of your senses. I love the gym and classes too, but there is a unique feeling you get while exercising outside, an alive feeling as you improve your fitness and practice mobile meditation being one with nature.

I did my 25 burpees. Today is the second day of my 25 burpee a day challenge. It was not an easy feat to do those yesterday, and I admit my form needs work but I am practicing. Everything of value is worth the work. Tonight I am working out with my trainer Mike at the park, and I will do my 25 burpees when I get home after my workouts. I am also focusing on my yoga and flexibility, and getting my quads to open up.

Off for the day, the kitties would like me to play hookie and I wish I could, they are the best distraction. Happy Tuesday and remember to focus and never give up.

Love and Light, Namaste’
Rose

BURPEE CHALLENGE

Leave a reply





Good Evening to all. In honor of the Olympics I have decided to really turn up the volume on my workouts. I do still somewhat struggle with Burpees, so I have decided to sneak in 25 Burpees a day, in addition to my regular workouts and not including when I do them with my trainer Mike. This will help me improve, practice makes perfect. Plus I need more work on my pushups. I am starting this challenge tomorrow, no matter what my workouts are I will add 25 burpees a day. 
Tonight I got my cardio in outside, the weather was in the 60’s and so lovely.


Off to do some stretching before bed. Namaste, Love and light and goodnight.
Rose


CORE OF THE MATTER

Leave a reply



Good morning Wednesday. I am up extra early today, savoring a few precious moments of sunrise, solitude, and silence and trying to gather my thoughts over a delicious cup of coffee. I greet my day with a heart filled with gratitude for everyone that has graced me with their positive presence. I am grateful for this beautiful planet we reside in and of course for my beloved cats and this cup of coffee. I am grateful for the sheer blessing of being alive, tired yet so alive.

I am really getting much stronger and more balanced in my workouts with Mike my trainer and friend. Yesterday he stepped it up a few notches, He said he has been too easy on me and it was time to make things more difficult, and he and guaranteed I would be sore today. I woke up sore of course, but it is that job well done type of soreness that comes with accomplishment. 

We jogged a lot, or for me it was a lot. The hardest part is my breathing, and some of that may be due to allergies. Nothing that the neti pot cannot cure. I actually did more than I thought I could, and I will continue to improve on the jogging part of the workouts. I will do some jogging this week when I do my walking.  I have also been googling breathing techniques. I will get this. He plans on us jogging longer distances. Nest week we are going to video tape me doing simple beginner burpees for Melissa @ Melissa Bender Fitness so she can post them on her blog. We figured out a way for me to do them using the bench as a prop so I can ease into them without straining my knees. 


My core is pretty darn strong. I was a dancer and of course your “center” as we called it in dance is the most important part. You have to constantly pull up, suck in, relax your shoulders and do not arch the back with your hips tucked in. I still walk like this to this day, head high. I guess some habits stick over time and this particular dance habit is really helping me with my core. The core matters!  My sit ups are getting so much more fluid, I was really proud yesterday. My hard work is starting to really pay off and I feel so motivated to continue. I am very grateful to Mike, he teaches as well as instructs and I can feel my body changing. I am so much stronger than I was over six weeks ago. 

When I got home I did some yoga poses to stretch, but of course doing yoga poses at home with cats is a challenge. They are mesmerized by the mat, and attack your feet as you are doing downward dog. Tonight is yoga with Nicole. I will be sure to drink enough water and eat enough so I do not get lightheaded or sick like I almost did last Wednesday. I still need to get to YogaWorks and use my month unlimited Groupon, it doesn’t expire and works from the first day you use it. I will begin there either this week or the next. I am really enjoying the process as well as the results, and that is what keeps me going each and every single day. This is my lifestyle and I absolutely love it.

Wishing you a Happy Wednesday
Love and Light
Namaste’
Rose