The Runsie

LuLu Lemon has just come out with, wait for it, a Runsie. Incase you, like most the human race, are new to this word, a Runsie is a onesie you wear for running. Yep, that super in style clothing you love for summer can now be worn dressed down, dressed up, and dressed with sneakers for your fave workout. 

The runsie comes in two color options for now- black and gray flowers oh so reminiscent of that leotard-shirt I wore for all of first grade. For now, the runsie is also lacking one of our favorite built-in running commodities- a sports bra. Hopefully they will be adding in some support in the near future since any open back top made for exercising that does not have a shelf bra option should be shamed. For shame you unsupportive tops, for shame. Otherwise though, it is a pretty interesting idea and one that I am super excited to see the future of.

Would you wear it?

Unfortunately for me, my incredibly long torso has already made that decision already. That is unless I am ok wearing an x-large or looking like a left my runsie in the dryer for far too long. 

Workouts You Look Forward to with Kids

Happy Monday!!! I hope that your 4th of July weekend was splendid! Ours was absolutely fantastic. We started things with a trip to one of Michigan's lakes with the campers where we had canoeing, swimming, and nature hikes. Then, the hubs put together a complete fireworks show that would put many a small town to shame. Thank you to Michigan for changing their firework laws so now we can have the real stuff! And yes, these pictures are just a few of the ones him and two other trusted companions set off. Surprisingly, no one got burnt! 

The following Saturday we had a wonderful camp fire with s'mores and singing. Michigan summer nights seem to be made for camp fires. The air is cool, the stars are out, and the smell of roasting marshmallows seems to drift along everywhere. I am proud to say that there was only one s'more consumed by this one. 

As you may have noticed, there was no This Week in Workouts yesterday. Although the week was filled with incredible workouts, I cannot remember which one was done when. Memory fail. So, this week's goal is to write down and take one picture of every workout. Hopefully, that will help me jog that memory by the time the week is over. For now though I will say that last week had one of my favorite runs ever and I officially have the outdoor running bug- you will hear more about that later in the week! Also, the 1776 workout is super effective and one of my new favorites- abs and legs so sore!!

This yoga workout and this one were also done back-to-back, although I have absolutely no idea what day that was on. Both are part of a 30-day yoga challenge that seems quite great! These are great for people who are new to yoga or those who want to refine their skills. I seriously enjoyed doing each and am considering making the 30-day challenge something us P+Ker's do in August!

I also found this dance workout that I cannot get enough of. We currently have the young camp session and these are the exercises I love picking for them to do. The dance workout is fun, the leader is hilarious, those pants are a show of their own, and kids are able to get a great workout. All the little kiddo's have loved doing this workout... even the boys!

Helping these young campers see working out as fun and productive is super important to me and these videos are perfect! I would totally recommend getting your kiddos together are giving this video a test run! Be warned though, you may have sore abs in the morning from all that hysterical laughing! 

How is your squat challenge going? I am definitely noticing some stronger glutes when running!

Indoor vs. Outdoor Running

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First, I am so excited for all of us who are doing the 30-day Squat Challenge that starts today! This first one is a simple start with six reps of each then we will kick it up tomorrow.

I promise to only bring this up like 2-3 times per week for the rest of the summer, but running outside is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Michigan. These country roads are wonderful to forget it all and let my feet take me away. 

Runs are a bit different inside to outside, of course, but I really did not realize how different they were until this year when I started focusing more on run times and muscle groups worked. It also helps that I am running farther and faster this year... Well, that was until we got up here. I think that everyone knows the main difference in indoor running verses outdoor running can be the hills that nature offers compared to the flatlands of those air conditioned treadmills. These hills here have KILLED my run time. Really. Each mile averages are about 90-seconds slower than ones back home. 

Another part of outdoor running that seems to make or break a run is the weather. Sure, rain is a nuisance and one of the reasons my run time has so rapidly declined, but wind has another big part in running. No matter where you run, chances are you will face wind resistance at some point. This can make a run that much more difficult to get through compared to inside when temperature, running conditions, and wind are always the same and usually a happy medium. 

To combat the difference of indoor vs. outdoor running ultra runner, Michael Wardian, recommends always keeping your treadmill at a 1.5% incline or higher. This will replicate the difference wind resistance can make when running outdoors. As much as we all may hate it, it is also smart to increase that incline a few times throughout your run to replicate the energy exertion of hills. 

Something else quite interesting about indoor vs. outdoor running is the muscle groups we use. When running on a treadmill we are mainly using our quads since the belt is giving all forward momentum we need. Unlike treadmills, the ground gives us no forward momentum, thus forcing us to use the hamstrings and glutes far more. This is super important for those who are use to running indoors to note since changing and running outside could cause injury. Not only is the ground much less even than a treadmill, but hamstring injuries can happen when changing from indoor to outdoor running since they are not use to working quite so much. 

Strangely enough, just after reading about all the differences of indoor and outdoor running, the hubs ran outside for the first time in a while and tore his hamstring. He is a pretty fast and strong runner and is now having to do therapy to get that hamstring back up to working order. 

The moral of that story would be to not push yourself too hard when changing up a run. Listen to your body, watch your surroundings, and you should be good for both indoor and outdoor workouts! 

July Squat Challenge

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Goodness, can you believe the month of July is almost upon us?! I have decided to make July my get my bum in shape month. How, you ask? Well, with squats, of course! In the month of June I did my fair share of squats and have already started noticing a change in those upper thighs and the bum area. There are tons of different types of squats to do and each work a different muscle. Most every squat will work the glutes, hamstrings, quads, inner thighs, and even our calf muscles! Working all these areas instead of the bum alone is how so many people achieve that gravity defying, bikini loving bum!

For July's squat challenge, I decided to go with one of the Fit Sugar squat workouts. This one os pretty incredible since it combines five different types of squats for an all-around workout and some serious boredom fighting. This one also has break days and gets us up to 200 squats by the last day!

Some of the before and after photos from squat challenges are simply incredible. Those alone, without even adding in the strength component give me reason enough to get those squats going! 

Tomorrow will be the first day of the squat challenge since it is the first of July and July 30th will be the last. I am so excited to start this challenge and complete it all with you! Happy squatting :D