I discovered a great use for an old broomstick. See video below:
I do 100 of each exercise and then repeat. It’s harder than it looks, especially once you pass the 50 rep mark, but I can feel the difference. I can hardly wait to see what my abs look like a month from now.
One of the commenters on the YT page claims to now have an 8-pack as a result of doing these exercises. Of course this guy also has the advantage of being male and running 7 miles a day. Frankly, I’d be happy to get a four pack.
Making my abs look toned is really hard for me, because of my body type.
I reached my goal of 900 minutes and exceeded it! 950 minutes total walking time for the month of May. Despite my schedule and work load I intend to find a way of getting in even more exercise in June.
Also, I switched to the medium resistance band, and it has been somewhat hard, but not extremely so. I am definitely getting stronger and the moves that I am using are very firming. However, I am still looking for new moves that are doable with the type of bands I have and don’t require Herculean strength.
My new goal for June is 1000 minutes of Walking. That averages out to about 33 minutes a day. I know I won’t be able to do it every day, but I can walk an hour when possible and 30 minutes minimum the rest of the time, to reach my new goal.
When I update my fitness routine(s) I will post again.
As of today, I have walked a total of 764 minutes. An average of 29 minutes a day. I have not been able to walk every day, but I did most days. Will make time this week to walk every single day. I’m hoping to end the month with at least 900 minutes. So, that will be my goal for May 31st.
1. Foxey Lady – Jimi Hendrix
2. (Night Time is) The Right Time – Ray Charles
3. 1999 – Prince and the Revolution
4. Goody Two-Shoes – Adam Ant
5. Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer
6. Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg – TLC
7. All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
8. All Star – Smash Mouth
9. Buttons – Pussy Cat Dolls
10. Caribbean Queen – Billy Ocean
11. Mr. Jones – Counting Crows
12. Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
13. London Calling – The Clash
14. Super Bad – James Brown
15. Taking Chances – Celine Dion
16. It Ends Tonight – The All-American Rejects
17. Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles
18. Rock the Casbah – The Clash
19. The Pleasure Principle – Janet Jackson
20. The Rubberband Man – The Spinners
21. Tik Tok – Kesha
22. I Still Believe – Tim Capello
23. True Faith – New Order
24. Tusk – Fleetwood Mac
25. Wheel In the Sky – Journey
26. Woman – Neneh Cherry
27. Work It – Missy Elliot
28. Let’s Dance – David Bowie
29. Modern Love – David Bowie
30. House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
31. A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
32. Extreme Ways – Moby
33. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
34. Higher Love – Steve Winwood
35. Hold On! I’m Comin’ – Sam and Dave
This is my favorite walking playlist, so far. It has a great selection of upbeat songs and I never feel tired or bored when I use this playlist. I often feel more like dancing than walking when I hear these songs. Hope it works for you as well.
1. Back In Black – AC/DC
2. Give Your Heart a Break – Demi Lovato
3. Bushfire – B52′s
4. Dirty Deeds Doe Dirt Cheap – AC/DC
5. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
6. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – U2
7. Jumpin’ Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones
8. Junebug – B52′s
9. Love Shack – B52′s
10. Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode
11. Roam – B52′s
12. Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) – Beyonce
13. The Passenger – Michael Hutchence
14. The Riddler – Method Man
15. She Bop – Cindy Lauper
16. Walk Away – Christina Aguilera
17. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon
18. Always on Time – Ja Rule and Ashanti
19. Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
20. You’re the First, the Last, My Everything – Barry White
21. Beautiful Day – U2
22. Everybody Wants You – Billy Squier
23. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
24. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
25. And Fools Shine On – Brother Cane
26. Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas
27. Candy Man – Christina Aquilera
28. Lady Marmalade – Christina Aquilera, Missy Eliot, Mya and Pink
29. Come Fly With Me – Frank Sinatra
30. Come See About Me – The Supremes
I had no choice but to update this playlist and, as you can see, it is very different from the original. On Friday, I used a program called Bulk Rename to fix a title search issue I was having with my mp3 player. As a result, the playlist was completely empty when I was finished and I had to start over. At the same time, I had just finished adding only my favorite music files (nearly 700) to my mp3 player, giving me a wider selection to choose from. I made the best of the situation, and a few songs from the original playlist remain the same.
As before, I use the list on shuffle, so that I am surprised by the change in tempo and, therefore, pace. I think I like this updated playlist better than the original.
I will be posting my #2 – and favorite – Walking Playlist shortly.
If you read my previous post – the post before the last post, you already know that I have returned to using resistance bands. I’m still using the weakest one, from before. I think it best to create a FULL resistance workout before changing to the medium resistance band. Which may be soon.
Note: The bands depicted in the image to the left, are not the type I use. In fact, I have a deep fear of using the multi-piece kind (the kind with handles attached), because if they come apart while in use, you can be severely injured. That could also happen if you let go of the one piece variety, BUT I totally trust myself to hang on to the ends of the one piece variety. I would have no control over whether the handle came apart from the multi-piece kind.
Below are the resistance band moves I have been doing thus far (some names are merely descriptions, because I don’t know the proper name for the move):
“Y” to “T” Pull – I stand with legs hip length apart, my arms above my head, the band wrapped around each of my hands so that it is taut and my arms and body form the letter Y. Then I pull until the form the letter T.
Chest Presses / Extensions – Since it’s easier to show than to tell. See the video below, and keep in mind that the middle of the band was directly against my back (tube bands are used in video).
Cross Chest Extensions – Same as above, except arms cross over each other as they are extended outward.
Resistance Arm Lifts – Middle of band under feet, holding both ends with each hand, bend arms upward as if doing a dumbbell curl.
Resistance Squats – Middle of band under feet, feet hip length apart, bands tightly grasped on both sides, squat down and lift up.
Standing Leg Presses – I have a video that demonstrates the move, however, I do mine while standing. But the principle remains the same.
That’s all of them. Only six moves. Which is why I call it my “half-assed resistance workout”. For each, I do 2 sets of 15 and I repeat the list. I do them before I go for my walk, which is why I only do standing movements. I intend to add more movements, as I find them. But for now, these suffice. My upper arms are definitely stronger with the bands (after a short time) than they were with months of the Calisthenics & Abs Workout alone. My upper arm barely jiggles anymore.
I will update this list as I progress and add more sets, repetitions and movements. Also, I will be posting my second Walking Playlist for you. It’s become a favorite, as it has a lot of fast-paced, fun music. So, look for that to be posted soon.
Keep in mind that because I walk a minimum of 30 minutes up to an hour and sometimes beyond, this playlist is very long.
1. Mr Jones – Counting Crows
2. Rock the Casbah – The Clash
3. She Bop – Cindy Lauper
4. Extreme Ways – Moby
5. I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick
6. And Fools Shine On – Brother Cane
7. One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx
8. Good Luck – Basement Jaxx, featuring Lisa Kekaula
9. Bushfire – The B-52s
10. Candy Man – Christina Aguilera
11. No Diggity – Blackstreet
12. Let’s Get Retarded – The Black Eyed Peas
13. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
14. Tighten Up – The Black Keys
15. Back In Black – AC/DC
16. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – U2
17. Hold On! I’m Comin’ – Sam and Dave
18. Foreplay/ Long Time – Boston
19. Single Ladies – Beyonce
20. The Riddler – Method Man
21. More Than a Feeling – Boston
22.Howlin’ For You – The Black Keys
This playlist is used on my mp3 player only. And not necessarily in the order described above. The shuffle setting is usually used, so that I won’t know what tune is coming up next. My gait and pace are determined by the tempo of each song. I’ve really enjoy this playlist. I hope you will too.
950 minutes total walking time for the month of May. Despite my schedule and work load I intend to find a way of getting in even more exercise in June.
