Posted by terrepruitt on March 22, 2013
Ahhh, Friday, yes? Here we are at our twenty second day of planking. I bet that you are better at it than on the first Friday, March 1st. Whether you are doing it for a longer time or whether you have better form, I bet you are better. Even if you missed a day or two, you are better today than you were twenty-two days ago.
Do you feel better at it than when you first started?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: better form, better plank, day twenty-two, planking | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 21, 2013
So today marks fifteen years that my hubby and I have been married. It does not feel like it has been fifteen years, but then again, what does that feel like, right? I mean I know I have been waiting in line for something and if you ask I would say I have been waiting for months. 🙂 Time is an odd thing because if you ask me if it “seems” like it has been FIFTEEN YEARS, I’d say, “No.”
We have know each other eighteen years as you might have read about in my Day Ten Of Month Of Planking, First Day Of Nineteenth Year post. We have been married for fifteen years. It was my ideal to be married on the first day of spring. And honestly looking at calendars back then there seemed to be different ideas of whether the first day of spring was March 20th or March 21st.
I had always believed it was March 21st so that was the day that I thought would be nice to get married. It so happened that March 21st was on a Saturday in the year 1998 . . . . so that is when we got married.
The first day of spring is like an announcement of new beginnings. New life begins. New things happen. Flowers bloom. It’s all new. I think it is fitting and romantic to be married on the first day of spring. Even though we had been together for three years, our wedding was the start of a new life for us. A life for us together.
I wasn’t nervous, because I had no doubt. I was impatient. We had created a very short ceremony where the minister only talked for about ten minutes. There was no singing, no reading, nothing. It was scheduled to last about 20 minutes. Now, if you ask me how long it felt, I might reply fifteen years. I swear the minister sounded like all the adults on Peanuts and he could not be done fast enough. When he had John’s ring in his hand I kept reaching for it. I mean, he was just talking jibberish anyway. All I was thinking was, “Let’s get this marriage started!!” And I was shocked out of my revery when my husband-to-be playfully smacked my hand after my third grab. Yeah, the whole ceremony was wiggles and giggles.
I am very blessed to have been granted partnership with my honey.
To my Honey:
Thank you very much for all the wonderful times we have had. I appreciate all you do for us. I look forward to the next fifteen (and hopefully a lot more) years with you. Thank you. Happy Anniversary.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for reading this post. I know I don’t always stay on track EXACTLY, but many of you know that a happy healthy relationship is key to well-being. Now, I am not saying that a relationship is a steady ride, there are ups and downs, but getting through them is what helps with the “well-being”. Also, I am not saying that one needs to be in a relationship in order to well, but I am saying that when there are relationships and they are happy and healthy that adds to someone’s well-being.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: fifteen year wedding anniversary, first day of spring, Freedom Hall, Freedom hall garden, Marriage, married, month of planking, new life, plank a day, wedding anniversary | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 21, 2013
YEAH BABY! This is day twenty one of our Plank A Day For A Month Challenge!!!! And I am sure you are feeling good about it! This is also my fifteen wedding anniversary and I am feeling pretty good about that!
So how are you feeling about your planking?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: day twenty one, fifteenth wedding anniversary, first day of spring, Plank A Day For A Month Challenge, plank challenge | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 20, 2013
So have you found yourself doing more than one plank a day yet? This is day twenty of our Plank A Day For A Month Challenge and I was just wondering if you think about it during the day after you’ve done the plank for the challenge or not and decide to do another one. Why not, right? It is only 15+ seconds out of your day?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: day twenty, plank, Plank A Day For A Month Challenge, plank challenge, planking | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 19, 2013
While you are doing your plank you might notice some of the muscles involved in doing the plank. As I am sure you know, there are many variations to the plank. Many movement practices/exercise disciplines do planks. There is a plank in yoga, in Pilates, in weight training . . . you probably have seen it all over. That alone tells you that it is an exercise/pose worth doing right? We even do planks in Nia. If there is a version in so many different disciplines it could be that is because does a body good. The plank we are doing in our Plank A Day Challenge is the plank on our forearms as opposed to the plank where your arms are straight (the position of the “top” of a push-up). There are a lot of muscles used in this plank.
The muscles being used in a plank are the abdominal muscles, the back muscles, the muscles in the arms, the shoulders, leg muscles, and butt muscles. So pretty much muscles in every muscle group. You can understand why it is such a great exercise. It is a full body workout. So, while it might not utilize every muscles it calls upon a lot of them. If you are participating in the challenge you might even notice that the endurance in the muscles is improving.
I often think of the plank as a great exercise to work on your core. You might have heard “core” and “core muscles” before. You might even wonder what they are. And just like so many things there are so many answers. I think of the core as a muscle group. I think of the core muscles as the group that allows your body to remain stable and/or upright. So sometimes that could include your quads if you are standing or doing a plank.
Having a strong and stable core helps us accomplish everyday things. From sitting, to walking, to doing things with our arm as in pushing, pulling, carrying, etc. A strong trunk helps us when we need to work with are arms. Especially with our arms extended. If we are do something with our arms out, say opening a window, grabbing a grocery bag and bringing it towards you, or pushing something in to a vehicle for transport, you rely a lot on your torso. So when it is strong and stable it can support you while you do these task.
On top of the strong core having arms that are able to open windows, grab and hold groceries, pull them towards you or push things help with every day life too. Be able to do all of these everyday things might be one reason the plank is in so many exercise disciplines. It is a great functional exercise. It is understood that it can assist with muscle strength and endurance. And it is one of the exercises that gets a lot of muscles all at once!
Are you participating in our challenge? Are you feeling your muscles? You have probably felt the muscles used in a plank, right?
Posted in Core Muscles, Muscles, Planking | Tagged: abdominal exercise, core muscle group, Core Muscles, core workout, exercise, functional exercise, Nia, Nia exercises, Pilates, plank, plank a day challenge, plank challenge, plank muscles, planking, shoulder exercise, stable core, weight training, workout, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 19, 2013
So here it is day nineteen. Where are you? You can add time any day, it doesn’t have to be Sunday? Have you decided to add some time? Have you tried the stopwatch duration?
As I mentioned on my Sunday comment, planking before planking (as in doing another workout be it yoga or Nia) is a bit easier so I am shooting for a big jump this week. Again, I have my goal duration, but I am letting my stopwatch go to see how far I can comfortable get!
How are you doing? Do you have a goal duration you want to be at when the month is up?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: Nia, Plank A Day For A Month Challenge, planking, stopwatch, Yoga | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 18, 2013
Here we are on our Plank A Day For A Month Challenge post. So really, it is not easy coming up with titles for a challenge for thirty one days. I could just keep it at “Day XXXXX Of Plank A Day For A Month Challenge” but I get bored with that. So . . . I make titles up, as you can tell.
Here is your Monday Plank Post to check in on. How are you feeling today about your planks?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: Plank A Day For A Month Challenge, planking, planks | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 17, 2013
Wow! We are on day seventeen of our Plank A Day For A Month Challenge. Pretty good.
I am always hoping that many people will participate and comment, but my one good friend is good enough for me. We are having a good time, right, Dear Friend?
I am trying to decide whether to add time today or to keep it at my present duration. I just use the stopwatch feature on my phone. I make certain I plank until my “prescribed time” then I let it run until I am “done”.
Ok, as I typed this I decide what I am going to do. I am going to change my present goal time/”prescribed time” to what has been my “done” time. And then see how far past that my “done time” becomes.
Does that makes sense to you?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: Day seventeen of challenge, plank a day, Plank A Day For A Month Challenge | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 16, 2013
My last post was about how I have two late Nia classes in San Jose so I use my “Time Bake” feature on my oven. I think something that would be GREAT to put in the oven to have ready when I get home is the Rantings of an Amateur Chef’s Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes. I made these this week for the first time and I don’t think I will make potatoes any other way again.
Basically you boil the little red potatoes in salted water. Then you drain them and let them cool. Then you smash each one individually only so much as to make them a bit flat, but not so much they break apart and end up mashed. Then you put them on a pan that is covered in aluminum foil AND parchment paper. Oil and salt each potato and bake them.
I only used 8 potatoes. The recipe instructions include placing the potatoes on a towel to dry and covering the potato with a towel for smashing, but I am not sure that is necessary. I did it that way because I was thinking the towel helps soak up some of that water and less water makes for a crispier potato. Plus I usually follow instructions when trying a recipe for the first time. I will try it without the towel next time because I don’t need the extra laundry. I will let you know if the towel is imperative.
The initial cooking time (boiling) was longer for me and I didn’t turn it to simmer. “Simmer” on my stove is almost off so I left it a little below medium and boiled them for about 40 minutes. I used the foil and the parchment paper as per the recipe. But my potatoes took a bit longer than 30 to 40 minutes. BUT . . . . I also put asparagus on my pan. The pan I was using is so large it takes up an entire rack in my oven and I didn’t want to put another pan on the rack above or below, so I decided my asparagus and potatoes could share a pan. They both came out GREAT. But the potatoes needed a few more minutes than the asparagus.
I was so excited to eat the piping hot crispy gems that I forgot to take a picture of them once fully cooked. Not taking a picture was due to my excitement AND the fact that we were already eating the rest of dinner and so I was in a rush to get them from pan to plate! But they were delicious.
The smashed potatoes would be a perfect thing to put in the oven on Time Bake. But . . . . maybe not, huh? Parchment paper. That stuff kind of freaks me out in the first place. I mean it is PAPER in the oven. I don’t know that I would want that baking with me not home . . . . .
If you like potatoes these little smashed potatoes are GREAT.
Do you like potatoes? Can you imagine these little crispy nuggets on your plate?
See comment below for an alternative way to make these — all bake, no boil!
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: Amateur Chef, Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes, Nia, Nia at night in San Jose, Nia class, Nia San Jose, oven baked potatoes, parchment paper, roasted vegetables, San Jose Nia, Smashed potatoes, The Foodie Smash | 15 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 16, 2013
I am calling today, the 16th of March, our half way point. There are 31 days in March so it makes it kinda not even, but that is ok. Today, we are done with the first half of the month and on our way to the last.
I really like daily challenges because it helps motivate me. Plus I like the daily contact with my friend. 🙂
Are you still with us?
Posted in Planking | Tagged: 31 days in March, half way point, month of planking, planking challenge | 5 Comments »
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