Tag Archives: exercises

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Today, this week rather, has been completely emotionally and physically taxing. I don’t even know how to talk about how I’ve been feeling. Mostly because I don’t have the time. And I’m too tired. Ha. I think the thing that’s been on the front of my mind has been my physical feeling- I have been eating fantastically, drinking tons of water, and exercising on a regular basis. Yet, with the start of this job I have slowly been gaining the weight back. I have so many assumptions of the culprit, but I can’t seem to overcome it!

A couple reasons why this bothers me. Even though I KNOW I’m healthy, I just don’t feel good. And another (vain) reason is because I don’t want this apparent weight gain to cause an outward thought that I’m ‘letting go.’ Meh. Stupid female brain. It is mostly how I FEEL though. 

Onward and upward.

I have some latest things that I want to share!

Fleece Lined Leggings. I picked these up on a whim while we were at Bed Bath & Beyond a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t until this week that I opened them up to see how they fit. And, well…….they did. But they didn’t. There was no waistband to hold the suckers up! Not worth trying to amend on my own. They’ll probably wind up just being leggings I wear around the house. Only because I know Tyler doesn’t mind seeing a little crack from time to time.

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Winter is coming. And just as I slapped on last year’s pair of boots, I realized the heel on the left boot was shot. I can’t risk waiting till I get to the states to buy them on the cheap, so I headed to the mall the other day to utilize a coupon. Come to find out these puppies were already on sale. SO, for a pair of boots that retails on the brand website for $170, I only paid $100! Good deal, Jen. Good deal.

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On my weekly grocery shopping trip, I was in the baking aisle to stock up on all my baking ingredients, and I noticed that Peanut Butter & Co. products were on sale. They’re super expensive here, so I never indulged in a jar for the longest time. I caved and bought the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. Still can’t decide whether I’m gonna enjoy this sucker by the spoonful, or whether I’m gonna bake something masterful with it.

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I went for tea the other day with a coworker at Second Cup. I had never been there before, so I relied on my coworker for a good tea selection. She recommended the Maple tea. Hot dang it was so good. I really just wanted a stack of pancakes after I finished my cup!

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A hair product that I should’ve mentioned a while back is something my hair dresser uses on me every time I go. After I found out what it was, I wondered WHY she would ever using a ‘thickening’ product on my Medusa of a scalp. But this Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray works. However I style my hair using that product, is exactly how my hair stays. That’s something every lady wants, right? In case you were wondering, I actually spray it into wet hair, sleep, then style the next day (on most occasions).

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Are you looking for the best cookie recipe of all time? Then head on over to Sally’s Baking Addiction and make her Favorite Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies. In her post, she tries all sorts of mix ins. I went with white chocolate chips as my mix in of choice. And that, my friends, is the best decision I’ve ever made. I want to bake these cookies over and over and over and over again until my oven breaks. (Maybe a slight exaggeration, as I just made a chocolate pie)

PS: regarding my rant at the beginning of this post. You may say ‘Duh Jen stop eating all that shit and you’ll feel better’. Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. I enjoy in moderation. It keeps the cravings to a minimum AND I can still have some of my favorite sweets.

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SOCKS. Lots of fun socks. These were a steal at Target. The ankle socks were 75 cents and the knee highs were $1.50. Really can’t beat it. (I looked on the Canadian Target website and you can’t buy anything! So the link is to the US website. Silly Canada)

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Favorite workout song I came across on Pandora: 

Two exercise moves I’ve utilized lately (and love):

Last, but certainly not least, my sweet score of the week. I hit the RW & Co. at the mall during my lunch the other day and found this sweater (Originally $65) on sale for $14!!! Nothing like a good savings. To offset the savings, I also purchased two tanks. 

 

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What are some of your latests?

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Some more latests for you!

Nuts To You Nut Butters Organic Sunflower Seed Butter. I picked up a jar of this stuff at Community Naturals yesterday as a snack to keep handy at my desk. I ate some with an apple and it was over the moon delicious. Not quite sure if it tops my favorite Sunbutter from Trader Joe’s though (and yes, I know Sunbutter is available elsewhere, but I’m just professing my love and loyalty to good ol TJs).

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I picked up this snazzy Belkin Easefit for iPod earlier this week, too. My last one had half the velcro come off that was totally past repair. And yes, I realized this problem right before leaving for a workout and attempted to have Tyler electrical-tape it to my arm so I could still have a good workout. Ended up swinging by a Future Shop and finding this bad boy on clearance..only $10! I’ve used it a few times already and really love it- it’s snug and soft on my arm. The end.

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I also loaded it with my most recent music downloads (yes, I know not all these songs are brand new!!)

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I just started reading The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (she wrote Eat, Pray, Love) So far it’s really good, but I’m not too far in it.

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Tyler picked up a new flavor of Quest Bars…White Chocolate Raspberry! I had a bite of one tonight before heading to the gym and it tasted like dessert. This could be very dangerous. But then I remember if I eat too much of a Quest Bar I get all bloaty. You’re welcome for that extra bit of information.

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A couple weeks back, I went with a friend to get our hair and makeup done (she won two tickets for the complimentary service and asked me to join her). The girl who did my hair used one of those wand things and I LOVED how it put some really awesome waves in my long-ass hair. I’ve been on the hunt for a wand ever since and managed to find one at Winners on the cheap- hopefully it’s not cheap in performance just because it was cheap in price! Oh wait, I just googled it and the original retail price for the Le Angelique Ultimate Curling Iron was $149…..and I paid $34.99! Sweet. 

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With the cold weather so brutally seeping in, I managed to find a pair of Anne Klein sweater knit tights. My main concern before purchasing them was that they wouldn’t be long enough since my last tights purchase was an epic fail. Turns out they WERE long enough, only they didn’t have adequate elastic in the waist and would sag every time I walked a bit. Totally annoying when I try to get in about 2 miles of walking during my lunch break.

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At the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Fest this past weekend, Oil & Vinegar had a booth that I managed to swing by. I only tried one of their samples and HOLY CRAP it was phenomenal. I tried their Fig Vinegar. As soon as I tasted it with a small piece of bread, I could immediately imagine sitting down with a nice loaf of crusty fresh baked bread and sopping up the goodness mixed with oil. Mmmm my mouth is watering now.

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Last thing to quickly share are some of my latest favorite moves in the gym:

  • Kettlebell Jerks (link to video demo here)
  • Barbell Front Squat (link to video demo here)

That’s all from this end! Any latests you’ve discovered lately and want to share!?? I love knowing about new-to-me things!

Thursday Things

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-I have been enrolled in this round of Best Body Bootcamp, but I haven’t been as gung-ho on the workouts. I look at them to gain inspiration an maybe refresh my memory on some moves I may have forgotten, but I just haven’t felt I’ve been getting the results I want from them. So, to change it up, I have been referring to one of my favorite books, The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises. I think it’s doing the trick, because my bod has been SORE for the past week. SORE JEN= HAPPY JEN.

Favorite moves as of late:

Single Leg Glute Bridge on Foam Roller

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(Source)

Single Arm Cable Row and Rotation

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Reverse Lunge with Overhead Press on Gliding Disc (<—-click link to see video demo and written description)

-I took the pups to the park the other day and there was a sign about moose sightings.

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I have been here 17 months now and have YET to see a moose.

-Speaking of 17 months, it has also been that long since anyone has come to visit me. I’m not overseas people, get your lazy butts on a plane and come visit. Free ride from the airport and free place to stay. C’mon.

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(Source)

-I had an interview yesterday! Keeping my fingers crossed. Sported the scarf my bestie Katie gave me during my wedding morning shower/mani/pedi party.

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-Anyone watch The Amazing Race? Well, the premiere of Amazing Race Canada aired here this week and yep, it’s only in Canada. The whole race. Lame. But since I have nothing better to do, I’ll be watching.

-My photographer only sent a couple of photos to me last night, and most of them were detail shots, but this one made me laugh out loud. Combine lots of prosecco with a corset and you’ve got yourself a couple of laughs.

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(photo courtesy of Sarah Smith Photography)

-I have been on a huge fruit binge lately. This morning, I made this:

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Yep, delicious.

What’s your favorite way to eat fruit? 

Current favorite exercise move?

Monday Moves #6

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Holy Canoli, I can’t believe it’s already week 6 of this series! I hope these posts are sparking ideas for your workouts and/or reminding you of moves you might not have done in a while. Let me know if you’d like me to post specific exercises….and I might actually do it.

So, yeah, I’ve got FOUR moves for you guys this week. Fancy fancy.

ONE: MARCHING HIP RAISES

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– Lie on your back, with your feet planted on the ground.

– Raise your hips up in the air

-Keeping your hips high, drive your right knee to your chest.

-Bring your right knee back to starting position, and repeat the same with your left knee. Keep your hips high throughout the exercise.

TWO: OFFSET DUMBBELL REVERSE LUNGE

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-Start with feet together, dumbbell in left hand at shoulder height.

-Step back with your right foot into a reverse lunge.

-Come back to starting position. Repeat desired reps and do the same with opposite leg and weight in right arm.

THREE: BICEP CURL WITH STATIC HOLD

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-Holding a weight in each hand, allow the left arm to hold the weight at your side, and the right arm to hold the weight with your elbow at a 90 degree angle.

-Keeping the weight in your right arm still, perform a full bicep curl with your left arm. Continue until you complete desired number of reps and repeat with the opposite hand.

FOUR: SIDE-LAYING LATERAL RAISE

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-Start by laying on your side, feet stacked. You can prop your head up with your bottom arm.

-Hold weight in top hand, with palm down. As your raise your arm up to its fully extended position, rotate the wrist so that is facing away from you.

-Bring the weight back down to your side, again rotating the weight back to starting position.

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Like I said, fancy fancy. And now I must wait for my nails to dry and go to bed. Tomorrow is my final interview which will hopefully end up in the job offer! Fingers crossed (after they dry, of course).

Question: Favorite exercise lately? What’s the last workout that made you sore??

Monday Moves #4

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This week, I have FOUR moves to share with you. As always, I am going to apologize in advance for the terrible pictures. I have Tyler take these on Sunday nights and I am anything but glamorous…especially on a Sunday….and especially on a Sunday after 7pm. But I do these to give you an idea as to how each exercise works (links to existing video demonstrations can get tedious and annoying!) I find it funyy that I am taking exercise photos while I am sporting a pub crawl t-shirt. Also, if anyone wants to come over and paint that back room, be my guest. Poop brown isn’t my favorite. Onto the exercises!

1. Singe Leg squat with hamstring extension

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-You don’t HAVE to hold an object (i.e. weight or med ball or whatever) but I find it helps me concentrate on my balance.

-Keeping one foot planted, extend the other leg in front of you, as you lower your body into a squat. If you are a beginner at this, you might not go very low (but hey, it’s something to work on!) Just remember to not let the anchoring knee go beyond the toes. When squatting, I always remember what one of my high school volleyball coaches told us: “don’t poop in the canoe.” Basically, it was the funny way of telling us to get our butts back and low.

– As you come up from the squat, bend your extended knee (first picture)

– Oh, and try holding that position…if you dare. You have no idea how much my tush was screaming when I had to wait for the dang flash to go off on the camera.

2. Arnold Press

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-Start with weights at shoulder height with palms facing your body.

-As you extend the weights overhead, rotate your wrists so that they will be facing away from your body and the top of the press.

-return to start.

3. Pass Through Lunge

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-WARNING: I will probably suck at explaining this one.

– Start with feet together, holding object in front of you

-Staking a step back with your left leg (left reverse lunge), pass the object under your right leg (passing it from the inside to the outside of your body)

-Come up from the reverse lunge (without touching your foot down at the start position) and immediately raise your knee so that object can circle back around as you pass it going right to left)

– Continue this exercise in a fluid motion until you have reached your desired reps. By not touching your lunging leg back to the start position, you are working on your core and balance!

4. The “X” Plank

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-WARNING: I will suck at explaining this one, too.

-Grab light to medium weights. Place weights on the outside of both hands when in a plank position.

-With your left hand, grab the left weight and move the weight across your body, placing it just under your right hip (Remember: try not to rotate your hips and torso when performing this exercise, as it tests your core strength!)

– Repeat with the right weight, bringing it under the left hip. Return hands to regular plank position.

-Retrieve weights, and bring them back to their starting positions.

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Hopefully these all make sense, but as always- let me know if you have any questions!

I incorporated these into my workout last night, along with some stationary cardio and TRX training, and I was SWEATY.

Question: Any moves you have been LOVING lately?