Wellness & Weekly Workouts

Wellness

To me, wellness has many meanings. It's made up of our emotional, mental and physical selves and takes daily effort to keep in check. There are going to be days you're not in the mood, or you're sick or tired, or your back hurts, or you just ate a giant meal but consistency is key. Doing something everyday is what truly makes a difference, even if it's a tiny something.  

Ultimately, there are an infinite number of healthy habits one can practice but these are my personal favorites: stop taking shortcuts, move as much as possible, stand instead of sitting, take the long way around, eat well, sleep well, relax your mind, avoid negative energy and reward yourself.

Lifestyle

Work it Out | Not the stroll around the gym on your phone kind of workout but the, I'm gonna die or pass out or both, kind of workout. Safely, push yourself harder every time you move. A trainer once told me the first eight reps of every set are just a warm up. The real progress comes during those last two when you're struggling.

Take the Stairs | Always take the stairs and I mean, always. If you must take an escalator walk on it. There's no shame in asking someone to move out of the way either.

Stretch | Stretch throughout the day. You can have a formal stretch in the morning or take a moment during the day while waiting in line, sitting at your desk or riding the bus.

Eat Well | Prepare your food at home. That way you can ensure everything you put into your body is fresh and healthy. Buy healthy ingredients and try to use packaged items as little as possible. For example, when eating salads I sprinkle them with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. That's it, no salad dressing full of chemicals and preservatives. Shop around the edges of the grocery store where food is perishable and try to limit animal products as much as possible.

Eat Often | Eat often but in small portions. If you ask anyone who knows me, eating is my favorite thing in the whole world. My entire life revolves around my next meal. Generally, I eat multiple breakfasts, lunch, snacks throughout the day and two dinners if I'm working out. The idea is to keep your metabolism going. The ups and downs of starving yourself are not healthy and have the opposite effect (unless you’re able to conquer intermittent fasting). And diets don't work long term. Think, lifestyle.

Cayenne Pepper | Benefits of taking cayenne pepper are not exactly a proven science but I swear by it. Being fairly thin already, I started out taking cayenne to get my blood moving and stay warm during Chicago winters but it’s transitioned into much more. When taking cayenne, I have more energy and a higher metabolism (which means I can eat more). 

Sleep | Get your sleep. It's that simple. How much sleep do you need? Read this article about sleep needs based on your zodiac sign. 

Work Me Out

Every week I try to get as much variety and intensity in my workouts as possible. But I'll admit, I'm not the best at creating new workouts from scratch. Increasing weight, frequency or adding new activities is always a good option though. Trying new things like paddle boarding, cycling, rock climbing or ax throwing, anything that'll get me moving and a little fun doesn't hurt either.

The key is to find activities you love and are convenient enough you'll stick with them. Consider joining groups or working out at home if hitting the gym isn't your thing. A few years back, I was super intimidated by the gym, especially the weight area, so I did my research, asked around for help and scheduled a few personal training sessions to get familiar with the equipment. And when in doubt, YouTube.

Current Practice

Yoga | Yoga keeps me loose, calm and grounded. Typically, I get my yoga practice in as often as possible. Depending on who's teaching I'll attend 2-5 classes per week. For the most part, I enjoy vinyasa flow but there are so many other options available.

Strength Training | Strength training has become a wonderful addition to my weekly routine. Each week I focus on three areas: legs, arms and chest/back. Here are my typical weightlifting workouts, mixed and matched, as I see fit.

Leg Routine

Because of low back pain I tend to do two lighter leg routines each week instead of one intense workout (squats and lunges are not an option for me).

Set One:

1. Step ups with weights: 10x each leg, 17.5 pounds

2. Modified burpee (using bench): 10x

   • Place hands on bench wider than shoulders, bend 90 degrees at the waist, spread legs wider than shoulders, jump legs back to modified plank and push back up to standing position keeping your body as straight as possible

3. Plank walkout: 12x

Repeat three times.

Set Two:

1. Low lunge taps: 20x each leg

   • Begin in a low lunge, tap toe of back leg to heel of front leg as quickly as possible

2. Wall squats: 45 second hold

Repeat three times.

Set Three:

1. Leg extensions, single leg: 6x each leg at 30 pounds (low weight/four second hold)

2. Leg extensions, both legs: 10x at 70 pounds (higher weight)

3. Leg extensions, both legs: 10x at 50 pounds (medium weight)

4. Leg extensions, both legs: 10x at 30 pounds (low weight)

   • Complete 1-4 using the leg extension machine and 2-4 as quickly as possible

Repeat three times.

Arm Routine

Personally, once a week is adequate for arms. My arm routine is based on P90X and no equipment is needed other than free weights. In my opinion, you'll see better results with higher weights and lower reps, but lots of sets. Contrary to belief, t's fairly impossible for me (and many others) to get bulky so that's never a concern of mine. What's more of a concern is seeing others do arm curls with five pound weights (stop being a pussy).

Set One:

1. Shoulders: alternating should press, 16x at 12.5 pounds

2. Biceps: in & out bicep curls, 8x at 12.5 pounds

3. Triceps: two-arm tricep kickback, 8x at 10 pounds

Repeat twice.

Set Two:

1. Shoulders: deep swimmer's press, 8x at 12.5 pounds

2. Biceps: full supination concentration curls, 8x at 12.5 pounds

3. Triceps: chair dips, 10x

Repeat twice.

Set Three:

1. Shoulders: upright rows, 8x at 12.5 pounds

2. Biceps: static arm curls, 8x each arm at 12.5 pounds (4 at a time)

3. Triceps: flip-grip twist tricep kickback, 8x at 10 pounds

Repeat twice.

Set Four:

1. Shoulders: seated two-angle shoulder fly, 8x at 10 pounds

2. Biceps: crouching cohen curls, 8x at 10-12.5 pounds

3. Triceps: lying-down tricep extensions, 8x each arm at 12.5 pounds

Repeat twice.

Set Five:

1. Shoulders: in & out straight-arm shoulder fly, 8x at 10 pounds

2. Biceps: condon curls, 8x at 10 pounds

3. Triceps: overhead tricep extension, 8x at 17.5 pounds

Repeat twice.

After some time, feel free to either bump up the weights or reps.

Chest & Back Routine

Chest and back are a bit tricky, especially if push-ups aren't your thing. Taking breaks throughout is helpful but I try my best to complete as much as possible for this one. A pull-up machine (or similar) for most of the back exercises is required, along with free weights. Once a week for chest and back is more than enough, as this one is really intense.

Like I said, I had no clue what any of this was until I YouTube’d each exercise. I'd suggest doing this before you hit the gym so you're not standing around on your phone. Write a little description of each exercise and take a photo of the list.

Set One:

1. Chest: standard push-ups, 10x

2. Back: wide front pull-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

3. Chest: military push-ups, 10x

4. Back: reverse grip chin-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

Set Two:

1. Chest: wide fly push-ups, 10x

2. Back: closed grip overhead pull-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

3. Chest: decline push-ups, 10x

4. Back: heavy pants, 10x at 15-17.5 pounds

Set Three:

1. Chest: diamond push-ups, 10x

2. Back: lawnmowers, 10x at 17.5 pounds

3. Chest: dive-bomber push-ups, 10x

4. Back: back flys, 10x at 10 pounds

Set Four:

1. Back: wide front pull-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

2. Chest: standard push-ups, 10x

3. Back: reverse grip chin-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

4. Chest: military push-ups, 10x

Set Five:

1. Back: closed grip overhead pull-ups, 10x at 55 pounds

2. Chest: wide fly push-ups, 10x

3. Back: heavy pants, 10x at 15-17.5 pounds

4. Chest: decline push-ups, 10x

Set Six:

1. Back: lawnmowers, 10x at 17.5 pounds

2. Chest: diamond push-ups, 10x

3. Back: back flys, 10x at 10 pounds

4. Chest: dive-bomber push-ups, 10x

Running & Sprints | I love a good run only because it sucks so bad. Half the time I want to die or barf or shit my pants but I do know one thing, after a run I feel incredible. My runs are typically only a few miles and not particularly fast with my best runs after the sun sets and it cools off. Plus, less people are out on the streets causing distractions. 

For sprints, the treadmill is perfect. The idea is to run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then take 30 seconds off to rest. To begin, warm up for a few minutes and then pump up the speed to a run (start around 7.6 mph). Run for 30 seconds and using the supports jump off spreading your legs to the sides. Rest for 30 seconds, then hop back on and run for the next 30. Continue this way for about 10 minutes while increasing the speed every round (I've made it up to about 10 mph). Then, cool down. This quick set of sprints will kick your ass (even my abs get sore). Try this a few times a week and you’ll be in great shape. 

Jumping Rope | To mix things up, I'll pull out my jump rope at the gym and spend about 10 minutes jumping. This gets my heart pumping and is great for toning arms. 

In the end, the best wellness advice is what works best for you. How do you know if it's working? Well, my measure is mood, quality of sleep and energy level. If I'm grumpy and feeling like a giant dump something isn't right. One of the best moves I’ve made was to become #glutenfree which gives my body and mind that extra boost I need. 

What are your favorite wellness practices?