Oops! I forgot to catch you up on this weekend’s posts earlier. So, in case you missed it -

• 5 Minute Tropical Ice Cream
• Jump Around – fun way I spent my Saturday + the FFF Features
• Self-Love Reflection of the Week – Little Letters to the body
• One Month to Live Weekly Review – discussion on loving completely

Today was the big day. I mentioned tearing up early this morning at the thought of Makenzie starting preschool officially today. I cried a bit after dropping her off.

And then…I got home and realized the blessing of extra time to rock out some productivity. I love my little munchkin and thought about her consistently, but I can certainly see the bright side to this whole preschool thing now. Plus, her beaming grin when I picked her up let me know how happy it made her. I can’t argue with that. 🙂

Before dropping Makenzie off at preschool, I decided to keep things as normal as possible for her routine. I didn’t want her noticing me hovering extra and then thinking something was up with this whole preschool thing. That meant hitting the gym for my Monday morning weights session as usual. I did something a little different this morning and incorporated a plethora of stability training into the mix.

I coupled a bunch of exercises together in supersets with one traditional exercise and one stability exercise for the larger muscle groups (legs, chest, back) and a couple stability exercises together for the smaller muscle groups (arms, shoulders, abs).

• Legs: deadlift superset lunge on upside down Bosu
• Back: cable high row superset dumbell pullover on the ball
• Chest: flat dumbbell bench press superset alternating incline press on stability ball
• Shoulders/Biceps: side raises and bicep curls on upside down Bosu
• Triceps/Abs: dips on stability ball, ball crunches

I did three sets of 8 to 12 reps for each superset. It went rather quickly but I really felt the challenge on doing two exercises for the same muscle back to back. Plus, I have recently fallen in love with stability training! I used to think it didn’t add much of an extra challenge or benefit, but it really does. I can feel it work my body in new and different ways. Plus, from my personal training studies, I have learned the large benefits in focusing on stabilization muscles for a broad spectrum of fitness improvements. Gotta love a solid foundation to help better your fitness overall. 🙂

I have recently been loving on the following to add some extra fun in the form of stability or balance training to my workouts:

Doing Moves on an Upside Down Bosu Ball

Doing Alternating Movements (on or off stability ball)

For example: Instead of pressing both arms at once in a shoulder or bench press, do one arm at a time. Training one side at a time can increase the need to balance yourself and it can display if a side is weaker than the other.

Traditional Moves Done on a Stability Ball

Wow. The iPhone takes junky pictures. LOL

Almost any move I would use a bench for I can sub in a stability ball for an added challenge in balance and stability training.

 Staggered Moves

Having one side of the body slightly higher than the other can increase a need for balance. Another example would be doing squats with one leg higher on a step with risers.

I gotta say that I love putting into practice a few of the things I have learned. Hopefully I can stay on track to get certified sometime in November and start up with the online training stuff by the new year. Sometimes I even brain storm ideas of having an end of the year or start of the year (depending on timing) program to host for all of my blogging friends. What a fun way that would be to kick off the new venture! Who would be with me? 😉 Okay…getting ahead of myself. Sorry, but I just can’t wait!

Well, now I must get to making up lost time with my little M before settling in for an exciting night of leftover lasagna straight out of the tupperware and Bachelor Pad viewing. Peter’s Monday night meetings this month will equal high class evenings around here. Ha!

• Do you ever incorporate stability or balance training into your strength training workouts? What ways do you like to do so?
• What things do you tend to do when by your lonesome for the night?

Disclaimer: This post is not meant as advice on how you should train. I simply strive to share my personal fitness journey and some fitness ideas along the way. Use them at your own discretion. 🙂

Sometimes life seems to have no rhyme or reason. Like the fact that it is Monday again already. Or that I leave for Healthy Living Summit in three days. Or that I have already cried today and I still have T minus 2 hours before dropping Makenzie off for her first day of preschool. No rhyme. No reason. Just like the post I’m about to throw at your eyeballs. 

Ice Baths Are Torture

I have succumbed to the torture technique known as the ice bath to help my legs heal after my long runs. It works. I haven’t felt sore at all, despite mileage increases, since taking the frigid 15-20 minute dips over the past few weeks.

I Like Free Stuff

I received a coupon for a free recovery shake from my gym. Free is good. I cashed in on the drink yesterday afternoon after my 3 mile treadmill run and 15 minutes on the stepmill. I picked up a blend of strawberry, pineapple, and coconut. Verdict?

Yowza that is too sweet for a smoothie! You all know I like sweet (reference below), but this was over the top for a smoothie. But free is good, so you better believe I still drank it.

You Will Hate Me For What I’m About To Do To You

I made these this weekend. And you have to wait until Wednesday for the recipe. No amount of begging can help your cause. Just like no amount of begging I do will make these “health food” as I so deeply desire.

Surprisingly Good

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The movie Just Go With It with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston pleasantly surprised both Peter and I. We had an unexpected open night on Saturday and decided to have a night in together since I go out of town next weekend. We had some pizza (duh), ate too much sugar (you did see above, right? so…duh), chatted, and watched this movie. A predictable movie, but pretty funny too!

Strange & Bizarre at Church

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In our Sunday group study this weekend we had some interesting tangent conversations – like wanting to ask God what happened to the dinosaurs and is there any other life out there? Random. I know.  Also random? In fourth grade I had a dream that aliens abducted me. It felt vividly realistic and I still remember it in detail…including waking up and immediately projectile vomiting. It creeps me out even though I don’t believe there are aliens like depicted in films out there.

I told you. No rhyme or reason. But it’s all good, baby. Unlike that smoothie.

• Do you think there is such a thing as too sweet? What things can be too sweet easily to you?  

• What random thing do you always wonder about?