Shape Workout Review: June Issue Jump Rope Routine

I have pretty much always wondered if these magazine exercises really help anything, but have never taken the time to test them. Diverging from the usual fitness routine to try something from a magazine has just sounded, well, silly... If you have ever felt that way, hopefully this will help you decide whether or not to take the magazine plunge!
The routine I picked is a cardio plan that uses a jump rope mixed with certain core and leg exercises to give you a total cardio and strength workout plus burn 250 calories in 25 minutes (Hmmm, ten calories in ten minutes, I see a pattern). It was created by Mark Harari in Sherman Oaks, CA and located on page 73 in Shape’s June issue.... The one with Malin Akerman on the cover. Side-note, every time I see this cover on my kindle, I think she is naked. It’s a flesh toned bikini, what do you expect?

Anyway, I was so ready to try this one out that I almost did it yesterday and thought to do a day-after review- I ate dinner and watched a movie with the hubby instead :) Maybe I will do the day-after thing another time!

Now, to the working!

Alternating leg lunges for two minutes.
Jump rope at an easy pace for three minutes
Torso twist for one minute. This is what the workout was created for.
Jump rope at a moderate pace for two minutes
Mountain climbers for one minute.
Jump rope fast for one minute
Repeat steps 1-6
Alternating leg lunges for two minutes
Jump rope easy pace for three minutes

I should note that I hate doing exercises with equipment, so opted to only use a band when doing the torso twist. For the rope jumping I did it pretendzies. Also, Shape rates the workout intensity as hard.

The long and short of it

Overall, I like it! Some parts were a little boring, but if you are in a gym rut and want something new, this is great! There were parts that seem intense (mountain climbers) and parts that did not feel like much work at all (torso twists) but it was nice overall. I would rate this as an intermediate-advanced workout since you do get quite the sweat drip-age out of it. The exercise took me 28 minutes total and burned 268 calories. Not the ten calorie/minute burn  that was stated, but I could have worked harder and the calorie burn was based on 145 pounds. After this, I went on to bike two miles and do some stretches. In total, my exercise lasted 44 minutes and burned 416 calories... Not too shabby!

Next week we will be reviewing the new workout in this month's Shape magazine done by Jillian Michaels. Ooooo, so excited, I just cannot wait!!

Six Ways to Use Push-Up Bars

Push-up bars have quickly become one of my favorite (and only) workout tools. They are great for increasing a workout's intensity, while decreases stress and strain on your joints. The increased range of motion gives muscles a longer distance and amount of time to work. This means that the same exercise done with push-up bars can work more muscles for longer and give better results than a workout without. If you have ever suffered from sore, tight wrists when done with a plank workout or a set of push-ups, these will help decrease that pain and stiffness during and after the workout. I use my push-up regularly after a jog when I am doing my plank workout and find my shoulders and wrists are less stiff post workout, while my range of toning increases!

There are plenty of ways and workouts that we can benefit from using the push-up bars, these are six of my favorites that will increase results and work everything from the arms and back, to the bum and legs, to the core.

Push-Ups

Doing regular push-ups with push-up bars is a great way to vary a common routine. The difficulty level is increased with these since you can go about two inches lower. Complete a regular push-up with bars out straight and palms facing in, then lower down so you are almost touching the ground, hold, and return to starting. So great for the arms, shoulders, chest, and back.

Wide Arm Push-Ups

These are great for working the back and triceps. Place the bars so they horizontal  and a bit more than shoulder width apart. Hold the bars so your fists are facing forward and the bars are in the same line as your shoulders. Lower down so your head is level with the bars, hold, then rise back up.

Shoulder Press

This is a step up from the usual push-up and will work your shoulders, chest, and arms. Go into push-up position with bars under shoulders and feet resting on a chair. Complete the push-ups as usually with feet remaining stationary on the chair the entire time. If you would like to increase the difficulty, place feet against a wall instead.

Plank Toe Rolls

Go into plank position and begin on the balls of your feet with arms in alignment with shoulders. Roll your body forward so your you are on your tip toes and your shoulders are above the arms. Be sure to keep your core tight and body fluid while moving. Hold, then return to starting position. This is great for the inner thighs and core!

Leg Tucks

Leg tucks will give your core and arms a workout. Begin by sitting on the ground with arms to the side and palms facing in- holding the push-up bars. Raise your body off the ground so your arms are supporting most of your weight but your feet are still at rest. Tuck your feet and bend knees into the chest. Hold, then extend the right leg. Hold the right leg out while the left is still tucked in, then tuck both legs to the chest. Repeat, extending the left leg out. The straighter your leg and back are, the better the results will be. To increase the intensity, try extending both legs together.

Triceps Dip

Like the name implies, these are will work your arms, and more specifically, your triceps. Begin in the same position as the leg tucks with arms by your side and palms facing in. Legs should be extended and heels should be on the ground. Lift your body up so your arms are supporting most the weight. Bend arms backward so the body lowers toward the ground and hold right before the bum touches the floor. Slowly come back up to starting position.

Push-Up

Wide Arm Push-Up

Shoulder Press

Shoulder Press

Plank Toe Rolls

Plank Toe Rolls

Leg Tucks

Leg Tucks

Triceps Dip

Meat Free Monday: Recipes and Resources

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This weekend definitely ran away with us a bit. My well-worked plan was to have a Meat Free Monday post all about our favorite juicing recipes that we found during this three day juice cleanse has been postponed a few days. Life got in the way and this weekend quickly turned into the Murphy's law of events. Everything from ill family who we are taking care of to broken appliances used for juicing, to my mouse suddenly breaking has happened. We are still on the juice cleanse, but have not been able to be as strict as we needed to be. The cleanse will be done on Tuesday evening, so I am looking forward to a (more brief) overview of our likes, dislikes, energy levels, and results.

That said, this week's MFM is something that falls into the same vein of last week's health and fitness resources. I have found that the interest is my biggest resource for so many things in life. Shopping online, for one, has completely changed my world. I cannot even count the number of things I have bought or not bought because of reviews. Searching for the perfect thing has turned into an hour search rather than days. The same can be said for recipes.

There are some wonderful cooking websites and recipes out there in the internet abyss from sites that specialize in food only or a type of cooking, to sites that have a broad variety and cooking is just one of them. Below are three of the sites that I use most for recipe finding. Some are great for party hosting, some are great for using what you already have, and some are hidden treasures you will love!

MeatFreeMondays.com

Of course this would be first on a MFM post, it is a wonderful site for all vegetarian dishes with lots of flavor and variation. One of my favorite parts of this site is the weekly recipe. If you have taken the Meat Free Mondays pledge, this is a wonderful asset. There are tons of recipes and a yummy, weekly options for the easy, cut and paste cooker. This is also a great resource if you have recently become a vegetarian. You will find no braised pork or chicken confit temptations here!

Skinnytaste.com

This site, as the name implies, is wonderful for those watching their weight or wanting to eating healthier. Every recipe shows weight watchers points and has all the nutritional content listed. I love this! It makes my life so much easier to just know what I am cooking rather than figuring all the ingredients separately, then adding it together. SkinnyTaste does have non-vegetarian recipes, but they also have some great vegan and vegetarian options mixed in. There are so many recipes here, I am sure you will find one to love.

MarthaStewart.com

I love this site. It is not something I use as a day-to-day cooking resource, but is wonderful if I want to prepare a special meal or need something for a party. There are so many recipe to choose from here, some have meat but there are a lot that do not. This site is up there as one of my favs because of its searching ability. You can choose if you are cooking for a party and want appetizers, a dinner party with a five course meal, holiday themes, or vegetarian. It is wonderful for pinpointing that perfect meal in very little time! Do not let the "Martha Stewart" name scare you if your are not a big cooker. There are plenty of easy recipes here with great tips and reviews. I have not have one that is too hard to make or turns out terrible!

Juice Cleanses

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Tomorrow, the hubs and I will be starting a three day juice cleanse. This is something we have been planning to do for quite some time as a new year's kick off, and a third the way through January is the soonest we could.

If you have researched juicing, smoothies, and cleanses in general, you know there is a big debate about the usefulness of any. There are also quite a few arguments out there about which is worst, better, and best. I am not a dietician and do not claim one is better than the other or that any can give significant improvements in health. All I can say is I enjoy the taste of juice and getting lots of extra healthy veggies in my diet!

Juice cleanses have become popular over the past year, especially with the resurfacing of some documentaries, including Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead- by far, the most popular of any juicing movie out there. In this movie, Joe (juicer extraordinaire) encourages people with massive health issues and overwhelmingly terrible diets to only drink certain juicing recipes for up to six weeks. The results for some of these people is incredible.

We are not doing anything as dedicated as the six week cleanse, but have decided to complete a three day instead. The three day cleanse that we are using can be found here. I am so uber excited to get started on this and share the process and results with you. Next week we will go over some of my favorite recipes from the cleanse, the process, and the good and the bad of it. If you would like to join us for a three day juicing party, go ahead, I would love to hear how it goes for you! We will be starting tomorrow morning and strictly following the recipe guide until Tuesday.