We Need People (& Good Workouts Too)!

 

Hey guys! How has your week been so far? I’ve been away from home and the computer for most of the days – which is kind of nice considering the past few months I’ve been on the computer a lot more than I’d like to during my free time! However, I’ve missed blogging for that writing release and reading up on some of your lives too! I’ll have to play a little catch up today and perhaps over the weekend. 🙂 More insight on the title (a workout + video below!) in a bit, but first…

I’ve been learning this week to trust my training, trust my knowledge, trust my experience and trust where God has me. I’m slowly feeling more comfortable and being able to sub for a Hard CORE class yesterday (1/2 hour core and heart rate blast!) as well as train some of the trainers’ clients (many are away this week at a fitness conference in LA I already can’t wait to go to!) has helped instil more confidence that I do know what I’m doing! But a healthy dose of humility is always good to keep around, and I know that will stay (if it doesn’t something is amiss!). Any lessons you’ve learned this week?

Here are some shots of the fitness studio in the gym where the classes take place (so much fun equipment to take advantage of!):

Love the motivating words on the wall and look forward to using up this space with more members in the future!

After the class I had a little break and decided to get my sweat on. Here’s a great workout that I did using a kettle bell (30 lbs) and two dumbbells (15 lbs):

Notes on the workout:

• You can hold any weight for the lunges (both back and side); the “goblet” part is simply a way to hold a kettle bell for the move (hold it upside down, fingers pointing skyward). Any weight will do – the heavier the better (as far as challenging your core is concerned) as long as your form isn’t compromised.
• Plank Ups: start in a plank position from your elbows and come up to your hands; then walk back down elbow by elbow and push back up hand by hand. Do 6 with one arm leading and 6 with the other leading. Here’s a video of Lori (and Michelle) doing them if you want a visual. Watch starting at minute 0.36 -1.14 (their blog is great too!).
• You can also use a dumbbell for the KB swings.
• Here’s a video of Man-Makers: they work EVERYTHING!

I also wanted to share with you a brief glimpse into our Tuesday nights, Mikey-Lang-video-style! He put this together after our “Fat Tuesday” weekly gathering with friends (called so because we eat good food and wine, meet on Tuesdays in someone’s home, and then talk about life!):

 

Fat Tuesday Small Group from Mikey lang on Vimeo.

We really are so thankful for this tight-knit community we are a part of and for their continual love, support, and encouragement in our lives. Do you have a group of people (or a few close friends) who know you well enough to keep you accountable for things in your life, love you and support you no matter what, and who got your back? These people are that for Mikey and I. If you don’t have a community that you’re a part of, I encourage you to put yourself out there (sometimes people come into your life but often you need to get involved to make that happen!). Join a running club. Join a church and in a church get involved in a small group for that real accountability and connection. Take a hobby you like and find a group that corresponds with it. It’s good to have alone time and those moments to debrief (all my evenings certainly aren’t filled with up activities; most people I know do much more than me!), but I think many of us are indeed lonely. We need people for the journey! We’re not meant to do life (or fitness or work through challenges or enjoy happy moments) alone. It takes intentionality to connect with others and part of that involves us reaching out, being vulnerable and being open to sharing life with people.

Well, I’m not at the gym today but have my own evening clients tonight. On that note, I’ve got a house basement to clean and some meals to prep! Being gone all day really makes that tougher. 😉 In posts to come on the blog: a running clothing review (I’m excited!) and more thoughts on work/life balance and workouts.

Have a great Thursday, friends! Live well & be well today,

Bonnie