A holiday
centered on the appreciation for the pioneers who first landed on American
soil, has seen the cornucopia grow to be much more than turkey and potatoes.
When you’re giving thanks this November with your family’s favorite recipes,
it’s hard to use self-restraint when it comes to the less wholesome choices.
Instead of
cropping out the sweets and carbohydrates altogether, on the nation’s most
agreed upon “cheat day”, try to split portions into half sizes. I’d recommend
teaming up with your grandmother on this—she’s known for taking smaller
portions, anyhow.
To continue
this theme of treating yourself, Ace Fitness compiled a list of foods you don’t
have to avoid on this holiday. Amongst this list of eight edible items worthy
of second helpings, my favorites include turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing with
turkey broth, and the sweet potatoes.
If 2013
should have a slogan, it would be “Learn from Your Mistakes” (we’re lookin’ at
you Miley Cyrus and Obamacare). So learn from Thanksgivings of your past and
don’t cut any foods out this year. Make room for small portions of every dish,
and re-visit the leaner choices.
During this time of year,
there are a number of things that might keep you from changing into running
clothes and log some miles for the day. The devil on your shoulder—picture a
hairy, couch-potato version of Danny DeVito—might try to convince you to
indulge in some sweets, catch up on the last few episodes of Modern Family, or
stay in the warmth of your bed because it’s a cold, dangerous world out there.
With that being said, it’s a
good thing we all have that ideal, healthy version of ourselves sitting on the
opposing shoulder to urge us into our workout routines day-to-day. While we’re
on the subject of the fit version of yourself, it should be said that you
should remind yourself of your goals every so often. When you’re losing track
of the progress you want to make and the goals you’ve set, take a break from
the calorie counting and workouts schedules to revisit your ‘fit-spiration’, if
you will.
Some common ways of
maintaining your motivational levels involve making a vision board with quotes,
photos, and other miscellaneous items that urge you to keep going. A less
crafty version of a vision board might include a hand-written list of five
reasons you want yourself to stick to your workout regimen. Keep your vision
board or list in a visible place.
Pushing past the days where
you’re sore or are tempted much more towards snacking versus running, can be
made easier with reminders from your ideal self—the angel on your shoulder. Be
sure to give yourself a cheat day, and if all else fails enlist your fitness
guru friends as workout buddies. This way you feel a little more accountable,
if not nervous as to what insane push-up routine they might put you through if
you miss a workout.
With fair skin and a
likeness for wearing dresses when the weather permits, McKenzie Kimball is
getting accustomed to showing a couple bruises as a rookie on the Women’s Rugby
team at Colorado State University. After years of adoration for the sport of
rugby, the Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism senior has traded her fandom
for a team jersey.
Growing up, Kimball spent
her childhood in Silverthorne, Colo. and her adolescence in Fruita, Colo. With
a small town upbringing on either side of the state, her interests were shaped
by her surroundings. In Fruita, like many other regions of the United States,
rugby is a lesser known sport alongside football and soccer. Her first exposure to
rugby took place in Silverthorne, but it wasn’t until her collegiate career
that Kimball would don a pair of rugby cleats all her own.
During her first year at
CSU, Kimball walked out of the rugby interest meeting in a fit of intimidation.
Two years would pass before she deeply considered joining the team.
“It’s the sport that tough
girls play, and one that people have respect for but its always on the
outskirts,” Kimball says of rugby. Though she was content with her involvement
on campus, and with her academics, Kimball says she entered her third year at
CSU “ready for something that really scares me and pushes me out of my comfort
zone.”
Seated in an office chair,
the rugby newcomer can’t help but to look approachable as she hugs her right
knee to her chest and swings her left leg rhythmically. It seems like a misplacement
to imagine Kimball with her pixie-cut, blonde hair out on a field, where
physicality has few limitations. She admits that she had her reservations, as
well.
Up until her first game, a
scrimmage against the University of Wyoming on the CSU intramural fields,
Kimball can’t recall having any “physical responses to stress”.
“I fell silent about an hour
before the game,” Kimball says. “Typically, I’m reserved before games and the
like, but I was thinking ‘shit what did I get into?’”
After about 60 ‘scrums’—where
teams vie for possession of the ball by pushing against their opponents in a
head-to-head huddle—her mentality began to change.
Like a mass of humming bees
from flower to flower, the two opposing teams are in constant motion whether
the ball is or not. As a forward on the team, Kimball is continuously at the
center of the swarm with a few specialized roles. If she’s not following
allowing with the referee’s cadence of, “crouch, bind, set” to dig her cleats
into the ground towards the ball in a scrum, Kimball is helping lift the jumper
in the air in a lineout to catch the ball.
“I was surprised that I
could actually lift and tackle girls,” Kimball says between giggling. But the
surprises didn’t stop there.
Aside from her ability and
budding love for the sport, Kimball was equally surprised by the amount of
camaraderie within the women’s rugby team.
“There aren’t very many of
us, which is part of this sport,” says Kimball. “It’s a family. They want to
know about you and support you like a family does”.
Nov. 3, signified the end of
the fall rugby season for the CSU club team, with a loss to the University of New Mexico. With a record of one win and two
losses, the team looks forward to a spring season that will begin again in the
New Year. As the snow makes its last flurries for the winter, the women on
CSU’s rugby team will play one last game against Air Force Academy, and begin
preparing for regionals and nationals according to their season performance.
“I don’t really have much
opportunity to rest, or to think about stuff which is kind of good because it
forces me into a rhythm,” Kimball says with an intonation that suggests she’s
realizing more about herself as she finishes her sentence.
“Leaving my first game, I
was exhausted. It was really fun, it was terrifying, it was brutal, and it
definitely made me fall in love with the sport”.
Strength
training is often regarded as a less than favorable workout amongst
runners—aside from rest days, that is. Though your favorite running trails may
look much more appealing than a weight bench and dumbbells, strength training
is not only for preventing a disproportionate upper to lower body, but it’s
necessary for a runner’s good form and endurance.
All you
need for this workout is a dumbbell or plate that is challenging for you (I
used a 25 lbs. plate), a stop watch, and an open space. The goal is to work
quickly to complete three sets of four exercises within seven minutes.
The Breakdown – 1 Set 1.Over-head lunges (30)
Holding your weight directly overhead, lunge forward with your left leg so that your right knee touches the ground. Come back up to a standing position and repeat for your right leg. Alternate legs for 30 repetitions. Remember to keep your weight above your head for the entire 30 repetitions.
2. Mountain climbers (20)
In a push-up position, bring your left leg up as close you’re your left hand as you can, then back down to your right leg. Alternate between your right and left legs for 20 repetitions. When you get into a rhythm, you might begin to bounce—try to minimize bouncing and keep your body parallel to the ground. You should feel toning in your hamstrings.
3. Side-to-side Planks (10)
Starting in push-up position with your arms fully extended, turn your body to the left so that your left foot rests on top of your right and raise your left arm to the sky. Bring your arm down, and turn into push-up position. Repeat this, facing the right side now, and continue for 20 repetitions. Remember to put your feet on top of one another for a full rep.
4. Standing Squats (30)
To finish, stand with your feet at shoulder-width, toes facing forward. With your weight held in front of you, lower your butt until your quadriceps are parallel to the floor. Tip: keep an upright back and don’t look down at the ground.
Aside
from learning just how quickly seven minutes passes, you’ll also gain
high-level cardio and hints of muscle definition in your quadriceps, hamstrings
and biceps. Chip away at that layer of stored sweets and coffee you may have
gained thus far into hibernation season.
Though
you may not complete three sets of these exercises on your first attempt, don’t
subject yourself to boring strength workouts. With a workout like this one,
it’s easy to set a goal for yourself because it is divided into separate
movements.
Don’t get
me wrong, I am an offender of talking myself out of strength workouts, as well.
Yet, this seven-minute burn will prove to you that efficiency is not always
positively correlated to length of a workout. You’ll find that this routine
gives you an adequate mixture of cardio and muscle pinpoint movement.
