It was a lot of fun to see the finished product because it was filmed in pieces. I thought the co-host, Joe, was going to die from doing so many takes of him swinging. LOL I was proud of the fact that they used regular sized kettlebells unlike most tv segments when they have these little dinky things.

I think it turned out awesome! Enjoy…

Coach Angela

I DID IT!

I ran my first 5K on Saturday morning.  It was exhilirating.  I found out about this 5K from the youth group at my church.

I knew I could run it.  I just finished a 12 week conditioning program so a 5K would be nothing compared to what I had put myself through.

My oldest daughter and I ran it together.  We started off slow and steady at about a 5 mph pace.  After the first mile, her ankle started bothering her (too much tumbling) and we had to really slow down.  She would walk a while then catch up to me.  By the 2nd mile, she was really hurting and told me to keep going.  So, I sped up a bit to a little faster pace and set my breathing to automatic. 

When I got to the last mile marker, I started to pick up the pace again.  All of a sudden, my daughter runs right past me and I’m trying to catch up to her.  When we got to the last 3 blocks she turned on the turbo boost and I was fighting to catch up.  We both sprinted to the end and were pretty darn proud of ourselves.

She finished with a time of 32:14 and I finished with a time of 32:33.  We are already planning our next race.  I can now see how people get addicted to these races. 

Running a 5K may seem a little too much for you right now, but you can set your sights on a goal to run a mile by the end of the summer.  Break it down in bits and pieces.  There are several websites available that give you specific guidelines for achieving a running goal.  Here are a couple:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com

http://www.runnersworld.com

http://running.about.com/od/beginnersrunningprograms/a/4weeks1mile.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2133898_run-mile-treadmill.html
Now, I’m not much of an endurance runner.  I love my sprinting intervals, but I will do an endurance run maybe once or twice a week.  It’s never fast.  Slow and steady is the name of my game, but challenging myself is something I like to continually do.

Challenge yourself today.

Hugs~~

I always get so excited and anxious to dive into school after summer vacation.  There’s something about new topics, notebooks, novels and colored pencils that gets my girls asking constantly when the first day of school is. 

I also get this same excitement right before beginning a new fitness plan.  New exercises, new equipment and a new goal gets me revved up.  Do you have a fitness plan for the year?  You should. 

My plan follows the seasons.  Right now I am in a strength building program until the last week of September.  I will take a week off right before my RKC certification. When I return, I will take 12 weeks and do a muscle building program.  I will take 2 weeks off and then begin my fat loss program so I will be ready for the summer.

Your program might just be fat loss for the year depending on how much fat you have to lose.  But you should go no longer than 12 weeks at a time before taking a week or two off. 

Homeschool moms are awesome schedulers.  We can create an entire year of fun lesson plans.  Don’t neglect physical education.  Create some goals for your children this year and plan some great physical activities to help them attain those fitness goals. 

My girls are avid tumblers.  My oldest competed at the national level this year.  She creates her own fitness goals such as sprinting faster, jumping higher, stronger shoulders and a core of steel.  I then create a physical program that will help her achieve those goals.

Goals for students that are not at such a competitive level might be 50 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, run a mile under 25 minutes, jump rope for 1 minute non-stop, etc.  I’m sure your kids can help you come up with some goals to achieve this school year.

Physical education should be a part of your homeschool experience.  Create family goals and strive to achieve them together.  Have fun, create some memories and get fit together this school year.

My family loves the water. We would stay in the pool all day if the weather and schedules permitted.

Since we homeschool year round, the kids work on their assignments during the hottest times of the day and we spend the remainder of the day outdoors or in the pool.

As always, sneaky fitness mom likes to create fun “games” that keep my kids physically fit during the off season of tumbling. This is a great way to stay in shape yourself and create some awesome family memories.

Here are a few ideas for water fun:

1. Have a relay race. If you have little ones you can race the older siblings from one side of the shallow end to the other while holding your toddler on your back. Great exercise for mom, great fun for your kids.

2. Play a game of water volleyball.

3. Hold on to the edge of the pool and see who can kick their legs the longest.

4. Race across the pool using your arms only or your legs only while holding on to mini boogie boards or pool noodles.

5. If you have an above ground pool, have everyone run around in a circle going the same direction to create a whirlpool. Once you’ve got a really good current have everyone turn around and try to swim in the opposite direction.

I’d love to hear some more ideas for some water fun. Add your comments and share your family favorites.

NATIONAL CHAMPION – USTA 2008

DOUBLE MINI NOVICE

Being a fitness coach has quite an effect on the entire family.    Family vacations always include a lot of physical activities. 

Last month my oldest daughter, Luaxana, competed in the USTA National Championships in Cincinnati, OH.  It was a big moment in her life.  She had qualified for three events, but 3 weeks before Nationals, she dislocated her left ring finger and ended up with a chip fracture when they put it back in place.  So, she was only able to compete in one event.  She rocked it though and became National Champion for that event and level. 

We decided to make a mini family vacation out of our long drive to Cincinnati.  We camped at Indiana Beach the first night and had a blast at the waterpark.  The following night found us in a hotel so my daughter could rest up before her event the next morning. 

While we stayed at the hotel, my husband and I took advantage of the free pass to the gym across the street and got an awesome workout in before the championships.  I’ll share what we did on such short notice in another blog post.

After my daughter rocked Nationals, we went on to our next camping site.  Morgan’s Canoe and Livery in Morrow, OH.  We had so much fun canoeing, hiking, kayaking and hanging out together.  We ate healthy the entire time we were there with the exception of S’mores over the campfire. 

Staying healthy while camping is definitely possible.  I had done some research on camping recipes and was very apalled at the dinners people were putting together.  Even some that were so called “healthy”.  I ended up taking a lot of our favorite grill recipes and revamping them a bit for a campfire. 

I will be sharing a lot of these healthy recipes and the hotel workout in the coming blogs ahead.