How to workout with an injury

November 11, 2014

In my latest recap of my Kayla Itsines journey, I let you all know that I was injured. Luckily, it is not too serious (mild perineal tendonitis) but it means that I am taking it easy this week and making sure I do not do anything that exerts too much pressure onto my foot.

I.e. no Kayla Itsines workouts this week!

How to workout with an injury

I wanted to write this post to help any of you who may be injured and are wondering how to workout with an injury. When you are injured, it is vital to rest and recover to ensure whatever is injured gets better and does not get damaged any further. When you are injured, it is best to workout whatever body part is not injured. Since I hurt my poor foot, I will be focusing on incorporating low impact cardio on the elliptical machine, and focusing on upper body and core workouts. On Friday, I will be attending a pilates reformer class at Mint Studios because it is a low impact workout but still works your muscles like crazy. I will also be focusing on fitting in a few yoga sessions to keep myself flexible and to ensure my mindset stays positive!

For Lower Body Injuries

Focus on upper body and core workouts
Here are some great upper body and core workouts you can do:
Get Flat Abs Fast
TRX upper body workout
For cardio you can use the rowing machine, the elliptical or do boxing (there are lots of great free resources online such as Youtube where you can find a cardio boxing workout)
Check out the local pool and do some laps for a low impact workout

For Upper Body Injuries

Focus on your lower body – work those legs and glutes!
Here are some awesome lower body workouts you can do:
14 minute leg blast
Killer butt workouts
Go for power walks or go on a hike with a friend

Hope this helps you! You absolutely can stay fit and healthy even if you may be injured. Just make sure to listen to your body and stop doing something immediately if it is aggravating your injured spot. Be gentle with yourself and soon you will be healed and able to do more intense and all over body workouts again soon.

How did you deal with injuries in the past?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Featured photo courtesy of Health Me Up

Fitness

Making your own home gym

March 2, 2014

Source: Background image from http://www.domundee.com/Condo-Pattaya-Luxury-Jomtien-Beachfront-Aeras-Condominium.html

Okay, so I know that not all of us are part of a gym. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work out and do all the same things that you could do at a gym (minus a few unless you’re willing to shell out some big bucks)! This post will give you a run through of some ‘must have’ pieces of equipment if you want to successfully workout at home.

1. A pair of dumbbells and/or a kettlebell
Dumbbells are imperative because lifting weights is one of the best ways to burn fat and shape your body. A good weight to start with is 5 pounds, preferably working up to 10 or 12 pounds. If you can also afford to get a kettlebell then I suggest you get one, preferably at a weight of 20 pounds or higher. Kettlebells differ from dumbbells because you activate more muscles when using them when you use them to do certain variations of exercises.

2. Resistance Band
Resistance bands are a MUST HAVE especially if you are always on the move! These can also be used for strength training and will help tone your muscles. Resistance bands offer a fun way to change up your routine so you don’t get bored, and a new way to challenge your muscles. There are also certain exercises you can only do with resistance bands which are faaaantastic for toning up the butt.

3. Exercise ball and/or bosu ball
I say exercise ball and/or exercise ball because unfortunately bosu balls are quite expensive. I recommend getting either an exercise ball or a bosu ball (or both!) because they can both be used for stabilization movements and again, as a new way to challenge your muscles.

4. Jump rope
Ahh the jump rope, once thought to only be used by school girls and boxers. The jump rope is an amazing and portable piece of equipment which offers a fantastic form of cardio and also a way to tone your arms and legs. I am a big fan of Michael Olajide Jr, who is the personal trainer of Adriana Lima, and the key component of their training is the jump rope. There are many Youtube videos that coach you on how to do jump rope variations, and jump rope workouts.

5. Super sliders
Hehe, okay so I am a little biased here but super sliders are AWESOME! Super sliders help you mimic moves from the pilates reformer and can be used in a variety of ways that really challenge your muscle in a new way. Anyone who has bought one and tried some of the moves from my super sliders video can certainly attest to that.

6. Foam Roller
If you are working out regularly, I seriously advise you to invest in a foam roller. Not only is it affordable (about $20), using a foam roller is like having a massage. The foam roller is a form of self myofascial release , which essentially means that you are rolling out the knots in your muscles which can become very tight with exercise and can cause your limbs to look slightly bulky.

So there you have it! I believe that if you have all the equipment I listed above, then there is no way you cannot achieve your fitness goals. Look online, read magazines and buy workout DVDs so that you can get ideas for what moves to do using these fitness pieces. An at-home pull up bar is also a great piece of equipment but probably not a necessity unless you are like me and desperate to build some upper body strength hehe.

Honestly yours,
Alice

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Sunday Summary

February 2, 2014

Another Sunday has arrived, and another week has passed by. Time flies so quickly, I really cannot keep up sometimes! And then sometimes it just doesn’t … like during finals week haha.

The spring 2014 semester at SF State began this week so I have been pretty busy with classes. I am hoping I will still be able to stick with my plan of going to the gym 4x a week, but we will see. Some weeks I probably won’t be able too, so it is good to be realistic about things. So because I am so busy, what did I decide to do? Make myself even busier by starting a 6 week program that will help me move from being an intermediate yogi to an advanced one! I found it online on a website called www.doyogawithme.com and it is such a fantastic resource. All of the video’s are free, although they encourage you to donate since this is their primary method of raising money. They have several programs which you can download which give you specific videos to practice to help you reach your goals. It is just such a breath of fresh air to find a way to do yoga where you do not have to pay a fortune, as I am sure you all know if you have ever gone to a yoga class before. I recommend you all check them out, and I will keep you updated on my progress! I started practicing yoga seriously (as in every day) about a month and a half ago although I have been doing yoga on and off for the past 8 years. My Dad is really into yoga so he introduced me to it at a young age (thanks Dad!).

Sticking with the progress theme, my goal for 2014 (as you may, or may not know) is to be able to do 10 consecutive pull ups and chin ups. I am still in the negatives stage (where you hold yourself up and then slowly yourself yourself down), but it is still progress. I have definitely noticed that my upper body has gotten stronger so I am excited to see what I can do at the end of February.

I have also been in the works of experimenting with several sugar free treats for you all. In terms of taste, it is going well, but I am definitely having trouble with keeping the texture of the things I am making nice and moist. Are any of you expert bakers (or even just relatively knowledgeable bakers)? If so, please leave me a comment or email me so I can get in touch with you! I am thinking I need to add butter … and guys, butter is good for you every now and again although it is high in calories!

So that’s a summary of my busy week! What have you guys been up too? Have you set any goals for February? I want to know, so leave a comment below or feel free to get in touch with me via the many social network channels I am on (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest).

Honestly yours,
Alice

upper body