Confessions from a Recovering Perfectionist on taking Action

  I was on my weekly nature walk the other day in Tecalote Canyon with my workout buddy, Harley!  I love taking at least one of these walks a week because it allows me to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, clear my mind, and decide what secrets and insights I want to blog or email about.   It’s also fun to watch Harley look for the nearest puddle of water and then just plunge or cannon ball right in! (you can’t keep a Lab out of water ;)) Of course on this walk, I was also listening to my Pandora Busta Rhymes Radio Station, as I love my Hip-Hop!   A song came on by Busta, called “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II”  It’s mainly a fun, upbeat song that’s about being at a club partying, but there was a line in the song that really stuck out to me! […]

I am not a COW, so why am I always Grazing?

Do you find yourself taking samples of food while you are shopping at Sam’s Club or Costco?  Do you nibble on food as you are prepping dinner for the family or at a buffet style cocktail party?  What about opening the freezer and spooning ice cream from the container as you stare off into space?  Or do you eat chips, popcorn, or cookies right out of the bag and before you know it….the package is empty! Whoops!   What do all of these scenarios have in common?  We are usually STANDING UP &/or GRAZING while we engage in them and probably feeling a little anxious or bored, too, whether we are aware of it or not.   None the less, we are in a state of mindlessness or low awareness of what or how much food we are putting in our mouths in all of those scenarios, which can lead to […]

“How’s that Workin for Ya?”

Did you think that Dr. Phil had stopped by for a guest appearance on my blog?  Nah, I’m not that famous….YET 😉  But, his infamous question, “How’s that Workin for Ya?”, is a relevant question to ask ourselves as it pertains to our current diet and exercise plans to see if they are really working for us or against us!  So, let’s dive in a little further! Can you imagine yourself eating and exercising the way you are right now, a year or two from now?  If you answered, “NO WAY JOSE,” to that question, than I would bet that you are eating foods that you don’t enjoy and/or depriving yourself from the foods that you do. If you aren’t enjoying exercise or being consistent with it, you might be participating in exercise that is boring to you, spending TOO much time working out per day, or the exercise is […]

Why I don’t care about fitting into my skinny jeans anymore!

I used to feel discouraged when all week long I stuck to the food and exercise plan that I was on and didn’t see the scale budge or feel my jeans fitting any better. It’s easy at this point to want to give up and just quit!     But….Wait….Stay with it! Keep your head up and keep going! No one ever won anything, fit into their skinny jeans, or reached any of their goals by quitting! It takes time to see results and changes in your body from diet and exercise. It took me years and many food and exercise experiments to really find out what worked for me!  And believe me…I’m still experimenting.   You Mean I Won’t Always See Results Right Now?   Experimentation takes patience and knowing that results aren’t going to happen over night.  I know and it sucks, I wish I had better news […]

Train like a Beast…Look like a Unicorn Workout Challenge!

As some of you may already know that I am obsessed with Unicorns and will find any opportunity to have some fun and incorporate the idea of them into anything that I do, even my workouts!  Whatever it takes to get you through the day, right?!

I know that it is challenging to find the time to get a workout in.  There have been days when I only had about 15 minutes to do something.  In most cases, I really believe that something is better than nothing, and that goes for even when you are feeling a little low in energy and not even feeling like working out!  A workout at 50% effort done consistently over time will produce more results than giving 80-100% effort once and in awhile.

The following low-impact workout circuit targets all the major movement patterns with a few isolation exercises for the arms to get those “guns” in tip-top shape ;)!  It will only take about 30 minutes to complete.  I believe in training all the major movement patterns dynamically because this mimics how we move in everyday life.  The major movement patterns are pushing (horizontally and vertically), pulling (horizontally and vertically), hip dominant (hip hinge), knee dominant (knee bending), and movements to strengthen the Core!  Most people start moving, feeling, and looking better when all of these movement patterns, along with mobility work, are taken into consideration when designing a workout program.

I named this workout for purposes of having a little FUN, The 1 Min Unicorn Workout Challenge.  This workout is what I refer to as Metabolic Resistance Training or Circuit Training.  This type of training is great for getting your “cardio” and “weight training” in at the same time.  It is great for weight loss and burning fat so that you can turn that fat into unicorn fuel for later!

Here’s the Details:

Equipment Needed:  Light set of Dumbbells (5-8lbs) and a Positive Attitude.

Important Cues:  In any of the Bent-Over Exercises, the most important thing to remember is to keep the head in line with the spine, chest up, back straight!  Never round the spine!

Disclaimers/Helpful Hints:  Check with a doctor before starting any exercise routine, anyone with shoulder or knee issues, leave out the Squat to Presses.  Pushups can be done against a wall and planks from the knees for beginners.  Beginners can start with 30 sec time intervals and Intermediates with 45 sec intervals instead of 1 min intervals.

Side Effects:  You may be left with burning muscles, sweat pouring off your body, heart pounding, and feeling MAGICAL, all at the same time!

There are 7 exercises that are performed in a row for 1 minute each.  The exercises are hip bridges, pushups, bent over rows, squat to presses, bicep curls, bent over tricep extensions, and plank.  The goal is to do as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in that one minute segment.  Try to do all 7 exercises in a row without taking a break between exercises.  You may have to pause for a moment to reset your form when you start to get fatigued.  After you finish 1 full round of exercises, take a 1 minute break to catch your breath.  Complete 3 rounds total.  Please spend a little time warming up before you jump right into the exercises.  I will write more about the importance of a dynamic warm-up later in another blog.

Here is a video to watch and follow along to:

So the next time you are in a time crunch or just don’t know what to do, give this workout a try!  Feel free to let me know how you did in the comments below or ask any questions you may have!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tommie