Where being strong is a lifestyle
I was getting on the highway this afternoon when something directly to my left caught my eye. Since there were no other cars in sight, I took the liberty of turning my head to see what it was. “It” was a wheat-colored grasshopper clinging to the outside of the window as I traveled at 60-plus miles per hour. Startled, I snuck a few more quick looks trying to figure out how the grasshopper was actually holding on against such a {Read More…}
Today I’m totally at peace with my world. My quest for defined abs has less importance – is this due to more solid self-acceptance? Although clean eating, exercise, and water consumption help stave off water retention, it’s still difficult to see your abs unless you have less than 14% body fat (according to Oxygen magazine). For myself, I would look like a skeleton at this body fat level; I’m just not willing to do it. So the question becomes: Is it {Read More…}
Great biceps workout tonight using Oxygen Magazine’s biceps routine (August 2010 issue). I love shaking it up and I’m sure to notice some soreness tomorrow. I also threw in an old favorite of mine, hammer curls. If you need to see videos on these exercises check out www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/main.html. Do each exercise for 12 repetitions and three sets. Use enough weight so that you have trouble completing the final rep with proper form. V-bar cable curl – Attach a v-shaped bar {Read More…}
A confounding, frustrating, and wonderful thing about our bodies and minds is that they gravitate towards balance. Our bodies need to be in a state of ease at least some of the time, and things like prolonged negative emotions and overtraining place us in an unbalanced, unnatural condition. Sometimes we recognize the imbalance and try to fix it; many other times we ignore it. And once in awhile, the mind – or body – leads us towards balance unconsciously. This {Read More…}
As someone whose nirvana is chasing after a muscular, healthy body – my own, that is – I was slightly aghast during my first belly dancing lesson when my instructor, wearing a sports bra, let her stomach hang out. Not only that, but she instructed us to do the same. “No!” was my first thought, which felt almost instinctual, and I may have even said it aloud. I didn’t believe she was actually serious – no one in their right mind {Read More…}
Sometimes you’re trying to push yourself in the gym but you just can’t get past a certain weight. It’s either tough to get into position with the heavier weight or you can’t get past a certain point in a rep. If I found myself in this position in the past, I would just keep lifting the same amount of weight and think I was somehow getting stronger, or try to lift more in very small increments. All I was doing {Read More…}
