The weeks are flying by lately.  I feel like this one went super fast!  It seems like the first part of our summer was kind of slow and the second half is gone in the blink of an eye!  Does anyone else feel that way?

This week I was busy with getting my kids back to school supplies together, the dreaded shopping for those – although this year it is not so bad.  The older they get the less they seem to need.

Also, band continues for my high school age son.  A pretty rigorous schedule this week with long days and some nights.  This morning we had to be up by 5:15 am as he had to be there for group photos at 6 am.  So, I was up extra early today – before it was even light out.  I did my routine a little different today.  Since I couldn’t see to go out and ride my bike that early I did my morning devotional reading first and had a cup of coffee – then by 6:45am I was out for my Saturday morning bike ride.  Not too many people out that early on a Saturday morning.  It was nice to see the sun coming up and breathe in the fresh morning air.

Workout Schedule for week 33 of 2014:

• Monday – 101 Ways to Workout on the Ball book – 30 min.
• Tuesday – Ride Bike + Yoga – 35 min.
• Wednesday – 101 Ways to Workout on the Ball book + Body Bar Book – 35 min.
• Thursday – Ride Bike + Body Bar book & foam roller stretches – 42 min.
• Friday – 101 Ways to Workout on the Ball book + Body Bar Book + jump rope – 38 min.
• Saturday – Ride Bike + Jump Rope + Yoga – 34 min.

The above book is the book I used several times this past week.  It is an older book published back in 2004, ten years ago, that I got on sale in 2006 or 2007.   It is still a really great book though and has lots of great ball exercises, some with weights and some without.  The book is all color photos and has step by step photos of the moves which I like.  Also, the back of the book has various routines for arms, abs, core, legs, total body, etc that you can do.

The above is a sample of what the routines in the back of the book look like.  It refers you to the page number where the exercises are so you can get the full explanation on how to do them.  I like books that are set up this way.

The above photos are from my Monday session using the ball book which were the 15 minute Morning Wake Up and the 15 minute Arm Toner routines.

On Tuesday I went to the library – a place I visit often and always find new books to read or listen to on audio.  I have an ereader, a nook, but haven’t used it in over six months.  I am a “book” person and I enjoy going to the library.  I was checking out the fitness books and found an interesting Body Bar workout book.  The book again is an older book, published in 2006, but it has some good workouts in it.

I have this body bar from some Firm workouts I used to own many years ago.  I do not have the dvd’s anymore but kept the bar.  I think it is an 8 or 10 pound bar, I can’t remember.  Anyhow – I used the Bar book along with the Ball book on Wednesday.  The above bar move is called the kayak and you can feel it in your core for sure.

On Friday I used the Ball and Bar books again and I also decided to combine some of the moves using both together – having some creative fun with my workout this day.

The above is a photo of my new 6 pound dumbbells that I found at Academy the other day when shopping for new backpacks and lunch boxes for the kids.  They had some odd increments of dumbbells in this brand that you don’t normally see – like 4, 6 and 7 pounds.  I thought the 6 would be nice for when 5 is too easy and my 8 is too hard.  I used them some for the tricep work in my workout on Friday.

Also, in the above photo is my new jump rope.  I had one but had not used it in a while and when I went to go look for it I couldn’t find it.  I think the kids used it for something and forgot to hang it back up in the garage, but no one admits to that.  I read this article in our newspaper about a month ago about this guy in Dallas who jumps rope about five times a week as his form of staying in shape – I think he is like in his 50’s (I don’t remember his exact age).  I decided I am going to try and jump rope for a few minutes when I get home from my biking.  Let me tell you I thought I could do 10 minutes but I am lucky to get in 5 minutes.  Jumping rope is a real intense workout!  You will sweat and get your heart rate up in a very short amount of time.

I discovered this new way to lace my shoes last Sunday on pinterest.  The info said it was from a podiatrist.  This is the way to lace your shoes if the ball of your foot is wider than your heel – as mine is.  It really helps give your toes room to spread.  I have now re-laced all of my fitness shoes this way.

Weekly Fitness Tip:  Be Patient – Change Takes Time

-Working out for just a week or two is not going to get you dramatic results – as the saying goes “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”

–Stick with a schedule – realize that doing even just 15 minutes a day of exercise 5 days per week is better than none at all.  Not everyone is able to workout for 30 to 60 minutes per day.  Do what works for your schedule and don’t compare it to others.

–Fitness is about a way of life, a lifestyle change, not a quick fix so you can reach a goal and go back to old habits that are not healthy.

-Not everyone is ready for extreme hard core workouts at the beginning.  Start off with something simple like walking or running or jumping rope (which is an excellent workout I am finding, in a short amount of time).  You can then alternate that with lifting light weights or some yoga or stretching.  If you start something that is too hard it will just frustrate you and you are more likely to give up.

-Make sure you schedule in “rest” days each week so you don’t burn out.  I usually only schedule a rest day for Sunday but I like to workout 6 days per week.  Maybe you only want to do a 4 or 5 day a week workout routine to begin and then add more days later on.

I hope everyone had a great week.  See you next week!

Kimberlee