Lists and Arms Exercise: Action!
More and more lately I have found myself becoming restless and a touch stir-crazy. During these summer months in between the school year, I really lack a proper routine. Working part-time has the benefit of leaving plenty of time for me to play, read and write, see friends, experiment with cooking, and explore my fitness limits. But without any real routine, it is harder to keep myself accountable and keep on top of all of these things. It is too easy to wake up in the morning, stumble out of bed and munch on whatever food I can find before wandering between a book and my laptop, trying to decide what I should do with my day. There’s lots of things that I need to do, and should do, but “there’s always later”.
Today Cammy wrote a really great post at The Tippy Toe Diet about not only making a list of things to do (I adore making lists), but also tacking on beside each item just how long it will take to accomplish each of them. For example, today, part of my list might look something like this:
– Walk to travel agency for ISIC and walk back home: 50-60 minutes
– Make whole wheat buns for lunches: 20 minutes for total prep work
– Tidy/vacuum room and organize my crazily disordered and teetering bookshelf: 15 minutes
Looking at that now, its not that difficult to accomplish those things. I can easily do all of that this afternoon and still have some time to relax and read in addition to doing some abs work (crunches have been falling by the wayside of late and I gotta get back on that). In fact, lets add that to the list right now:
– Read “The Watchmen” (I know, a graphic novel? But I’ve never read one before, and I figure I’ve got to try everything once): while the buns are rising/baking
– Abs exercises: 10 minutes
This is shaping up to be a pretty good day!
Everything Arms
It seems as though most of us bloggers have an obsession with toning up our arms. Hence the pull up craze and push up challenge. How are you all doing for the push up challenge, anyway? Feeling stronger? I know that I am! The first time I tried to do Week Six I collapsed halfway through (literally. I would have laughed at the time but I was so out of breath that all I could do was lie unmoving on my floor, trying to will that glass of water to come to me), so I am doing Week Five again. But I’ve only got a couple weeks left before I leave for my travels, so I really need to buckle down and work my little butt off to complete this challenge! I don’t really fancy belting out 100+ push ups on the floor of some youth hostel with everyone else in the room watching me in amusement as my face gets redder and redder until I finally collapse in a rubbery-armed heap on the ground. And I can only imagine the consequences if I tried to attempt these same push ups in a train… although that would be a good way to work on improving my balance…
And whatever happened to the pull ups, you ask? Pull ups seem to be a lot more difficult than push ups, which is why, I think, they have become neglected by just about everyone. I know that I stopped attempting them a few weeks ago. But, yesterday I happened upon a playground and couldn’t resist giving it another shot. Well, I guess all of these push ups are really paying off, because wouldn’t you know it but I easily did 3 pull ups in a row, with as much nonchalance as my sister did the first time I ever tried to impress her with my spectacular failure of a pull up! It made me ecstatic beyond belief to realize how much stronger I’m getting with every passing day.
We do many, many push ups in Boot Camp each day. Pull ups can be a very solid work out as well.
I have a copy of The Watchmen sitting at home, waiting to be read; hope to get to it soon. You’ll have to let me know what you think. 🙂
When you say pull up, is that a chin up? Anyway, I do a bodyweight workout at least twice a week. Pull ups(palms away from body), chin ups(palms facing body-they are easier), lateral pull ups, dips, and push ups to finish. Oh, yeah, then ab stuff. Incline situps, v-ups, crunches. Jeez, this being fit must be worth it, cause it takes a lot of work!!
That is a good addition to a list. I usually make a list a mile long and then never get the satisifaction of really completing it. This would help me stay on track with creating reasonable lists! 🙂
hey, that’s great progress! keerp it up.
Work it out, Woman! That is great! May have to try a pull up or two myself at some point!
You’re not the only one who feels the effects of summer, Sagan. With my kids out of school, my work/workout routine goes out the window. Unfortunately, by the time we settle into a summer routine, it’s time for school to start back up again. Making lists helps :-).
I, too, loved cammys post.
and so needed it today as well.
and the TRAIN PUSHUPS? please do. please video 🙂
Miz.
You go super girl! 🙂
You listed a lovely day. I bet those ww buns smelled delicious while baking!
Great advice with the lists, I am definitely going to have to do that and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it too! I’m a sucker for planning 🙂 good luck with the guns!
Nice job on the pull ups! Yay!
Mark- they sure can be a solid workout! Boot camp jealousy.
Javachick- So far its pretty good! And theres going to be a Watchmen movie coming out next year, too. Have you read any other graphic novels?
Dr. J- hm, if those are the correct definitions, then I've been doing chin ups all this time. Damn! I'll have to try a REAL pull up soon. And goodness that IS a lot of work that you do!
Jenn- me too. I love the lengthy lists.
Jim & Running Knitter- thanks!
Dadivastreet- go for it! Its so satisfying.
Dara- routines are so sneaky like that. But it must be even more difficult having kids to work around.
MizFit- I'm thinking instead of carting a garden gnome with me and taking a picture of it in front of everything I go to, I'll get a photo of me doing push ups all over Italy. In a gondola… at the Colosseum… beside the statue of David…
Susan- heart the buns. The smell of baking bread has got to be one of the best smells in the world!
Danielle- planning can be a lot of fun:)
Girl, I LOVE your chin-ups! And list-making. And lists about exercise especially;)
Dr. J – you’re a freakin’ rockstar.
Hi Sagan, glad to hear Watchmen is good so far. I finished the novel I was reading last night, so I think I’ll start on Watchmen next.
I’m pretty new to reading graphic novels myself, but I have read Persepolis (you can look it up on amazon) and it was a very interesting read.
The Bag Lady makes lists of things she needs to do every day. Such a sense of accomplishment when you can cross something out…..
Good job on the whatever-ups!! 🙂
I am such a list person too, I almost have a list for my lists!
and great job on the pull ups! The more we do, the easier they get.
Aw, thanks for the nod! I’m glad you found the post useful!
I’m still working on my pull-ups! They still hurt. 🙂
I want some kick ass arms too. That way I can sell people tickets to watch my “gun show” 😉
Hey
Sagan
I love reading your blog…….now,I hope it is OK with you but I have put a link to you on my blog
Glad you are enjoying summer…long may it live!
Sagan, I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one needing to repeat push-up weeks. I figured I wasn’t alone. I’m on my second stab at week five.
The Watchmen? So. Good.
I’m re-reading it now.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. Luckily, I’ve been staying on pace with studying for my cert exam. I guess getting the new job helped keep me keep my schedule!
I’m doing the challenge, too, but I’m only on week 2!
However, last weekend on the ferry, in my room with 5 other women (who I didn’t know), I decided to stick to my challenge, despite my face’s tendancy to look like a tomato when I am embarassed. So, I got on the floor and did my pushups. Tomato face and all, I felt good after, for doing it!
All that to say… if you have to, pump out those pushups in the hostel if you have to! 🙂