Taking a break for a few days from being plugged in. It’s a battle for me. Most of the time when I’m “attached” to the network I’m in the process of making money for my family. I think I do a good job of balancing work and play/family, but I do work a lot. For me I usually try to get it done after hours when the kids are in bed. In the summer that’s a little more difficult since the kids are up later and there seems to be more activity going on.

The best way for me to unplug is to get away and go somewhere where being connected to the machine is challenging. For me, that’s camping. Electricity and wi-fi are hard to come by when you’re out in the woods. Cell phones are frequently in roam which doesn’t allow me to connect for data transfer.

What do you do? Do you call “technology free” days or nights? How do you get away? Do you get away? Do you think it’s important? Let me know your thoughts.

Image: Modified flickr photo by Pulpolux

Post from: EveryJoe

Going Offline – Unplug from Your Tech Addictions

As you know, I’ve been focusing on building better balance in my legs lately.  This is paying off.  Just by putting shorts on, I can already tell my balance is much better than before.  Now that I’ve moved up a few notches with my balance, I’m adding to that foundation and working to increase my coordination as well.

SXC.hu

One long lost exercise that I brought back in the routine combines coordination, balance, and strength efficiently.  I don’t know what it’s called but you get on all fours and then stick one arm forward and then the opposite leg straight back.  This is great for toning not only your gluteus but also increasing coordination and balance within.

I applied the same idea to another exercise.  I’ve told you about my 1 legged body weight squats before.  This time, I grabbed a 2 lb medicine ball and palmed it in the opposite hand of the leg I was lowering down with, holding that hand outstretched in front of me.

Other leg exercises included:

• air squats
• jump squats
• squats with medicine ball
• calf raises
• leg extensions
• hamstring curls
• adductors
• abductors
• 18:00 running

I would have liked to have gotten to some lateral weight movements and lunges, but by the time I reached that point I was noticeably hungry so I went home and replenished.

How are your workouts going?  If you have any unique awesome exercises, please share them with us.

Post from: EveryJoe

Resistance Training Without Weights

Workout

30 minutes treadmill 2.95 miles, 32 minutes 3.07 miles counting cool down
3×12 regular dumbell curls 30 lbs
3×12 back extension
3×10 cross curls while doing step-ups on 10 inch platform (curl the arm opposite of the leg stepping)
3×12 bent over row 87 lbs EZ bar
3×12 twisty dumbell curls while standing on one leg (alternate leg and do 1/2 split last rep) 30 lbs

Image: sxc.hu

On the workout

When I’m running treadmill, I always start off walking and increase my speed until ending at my peak.  After I’m finished, I walked for 2 minutes to cool down.  My peak today was 7.6 MPH speed. I never want to end my running by pressing the down arrow on speed. I always want to build to my highest point in the time I give myself and then stop rather than slowly descending.

The rest of the workout was obviously bisected into biceps and back with a good implementation of balance into the workout. I would have liked to get in another set of both muscle groups, but my time was up. I obviously put an emphasis on running in this session with over half my time spent on the treadmill. I would really like to trim some excess fat/weight off my body so this will be a continuing theme in my workouts.

One annoying thing I do know is I talk about everything I do inside my head as if I was writing it back to you. It’s kind of like when Peter (from Family Guy) was narrating his life.

How is your workout schedule going?

Next, we’ll continue on the workout string and discuss foods to eat before and after a morning workout.

Post from: EveryJoe

Morning Workout A Success

Ok. Here is a statement that I will neither confirm nor deny–yoga makes sex hotter.

Not terribly surprising, since it helps us all get in touch with our bodies and our minds, sex is another facet of our lives where yoga can really help “flip the switch.”

I have to admit, it’s not the reason I got interested in yoga, but it seems like an excellent reason to for me to keep pushing my practice.

When it comes to your sex life, yoga can help in a number of ways.

I think most of us feel and know that the breathing exercises we do when we practice can help us breath more deeply, decreasing our anxiety and blood pressure. When we relax, our minds actually turns the genes that are turned on or off by stress the other way. All of which makes us a little more ready for intimacy–and sex.

Hoping for a more powerful orgasm? Yoga helps us strengthen our sexual “core,” giving us increased control over our pelvic floor muscles and sex organs. In fact, our practice makes is easier for us to release muscle tension, which enables more full-bodied orgasms.

Because it heightens our mind-body connection, yoga also makes us more aware of our body’s strengths and limits. It also helps us achieve greater flexibility, coordination, balance and physical strength, all key to a better bedroom experience. Yoga also helps us get in closer touch with our bodies and feel more comfortable in our own skin, which is key to feeling sexy and engaged with our partners.  Try thinking about that the next time you’re considering blowing off your daily practice.
Hmm. Well, good night ;-)

Post from: EveryJoe

New Meaning for the Phrase “Tune in and Turn on”