Join The 30-Day Abs Challenge

1 Comment
Join the 30 Day Ab Challenge for June. So far 2.5 million have signed up via Facebook.

Join the 30 Day Abs Challenge for June. So far 2.5 million have signed up via Facebook.

This is awesome. My friend — Miss E — who loves monthly challenges as much as I do, shared an invite a girl set up via Facebook.  The invite was a simple way keep herself accountable. Well her friends shared and now this challenge is ginormous — 2.5 million people (and counting).

The timing is perfect as I had a lousy day on the scale (more on that tomorrow). Thanks to my cheat days, I gained a chunk and it went straight to my waist and stomach.  An abs challenge is just what the doctor ordered (as well as getting back to diet basics).

I’m doing Day 1 — 15 sit ups, 5 crunches, 5 leg raises and 10 planks — in the next 5 minutes.  Won’t you join me? You know you want to.

 

 

Switching My Office Chair For An Exercise Ball

1 Comment
Say hello to my new chair!

Say hello to my new chair!

I have a very nice ergonomic home office chair. But I’ve decided to give it up for a GoFit Proball. That’s right, I’ll be doing a core workout while writing this blog. Awesome!

Now, I’m not using one of those ball chairs – the one where the ball sits in a chair frame. That is just stupid. I’m sitting on a real ball…OK, that does sound strange. Bear with me.

When sitting on the ball, my body has to constantly make small adjustments to remain balanced. I’ll use my core (abdominal muscles) to compensate for changes in balance, resulting in a low-key abdominal workout. I spend roughly 2-3 hours online a day. That’s a nice core workout.

Seems like cheating to me. What say you?

Seems like cheating to me. What say you?

As for why I am opposed to the ball chair, I just view it as defeating the purpose. Seems like the balance part is completely removed if the ball is sitting in a frame with arm rests (what, no cup holder?).

Picking the right ball is key. I had to factor in my height, weight and my desk’s height. The ball needs to be about 4 inches higher than my current chair. I’m 5’5” so I’m using a 65cm exercise ball.

The ball gets blown up tonight and I plan to start using it tomorrow. The office chair doesn’t go away. I can only use the ball for 20-minute intervals. That way my muscles can get some rest to prevent fatigue and get maximum benefit.

Now my only major concern is kitty claws.