Lent - Work out Challenge - It is not what you give up.. it is what you give!

Lent is here already!

Hey mamas of the world,

Instead of just giving something up this year, I would like to purpose giving some of your time to prayer/ exercise with me.

This lent I will be saying the rosary while using my elliptical, hula hoop, or when I lift weights in our basement each morning.

What are some other fun ways to work introduce prayer into your work out routine?

Work out Schedule: The Advent Novena Challenge!

Today marks the beginning of Advent.
 My younger brother, Austin, had recently told me that " Christians used to fast during advent."  In leu of fasting, I would like to offer my presence to Christ this Advent season and if any other friends would like to join me I will be praying an Advent Novena this season.

Here is the Kicker: While praying the novena with each prayer (  there are 15 ), I am also asking you to give not only yourself mentally but also physically.

The goal: is to not only strengthen our mental ability for concentration, but also our body's ability to persevere beyond all pain.


These are the challenge details:
The Advent Novena is said 15 times a day.
Starting on St. Andrew's Feast Day, November, 30.

With each prayer, do the following:

1. Hula Hoop
2. Jumping jacks
3. Hula Hoop while doing Ballet First position
( Pile- squat with your heals touching, make a diamond shape with legs and move up and dow) I found this work ( without the hula hoop) here.

4.Hula hoop (other direction)
5. Jumping Jacks
6. Hula Hoop while doing Ballet Second Position ( Pile- squat with knees facing out on your tippy toes, and move and move an inch up and down.)  ( check link above for details)

7.Hula hoop while triceps kick back I found this work out here.
8. Jumping Jacks
9. Hula hoop while Ballet first position

10. Hula hoop while doing over head triceps extension ( check link above )
11. Jumping Jacks
12. Hula hoop while Ballet Second Position

13. Hula hoop
14. Jumping Jacks
15. Hula hoop

~ Helpful tidbit- Printing or writing out these instructions  makes it easier to keep your workout moving.

~ For those of you not as advanced in hula hooping, feel free to modify the routine.

Also, if you have any fun things you do to prepare yourself for Christmas, I would love to read about your traditions.

Here is the prayer:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[hear mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother.

Amen.

For more information about the Novena Please check out The Catholic News agency.   And, if you haven't already, please subscribe to my blog for more updates!!

Pax tecum ! 

~ Christine 

Hula Hooping beyond the due date!

Hula hooping while pregnant is a relaxing and joyful way to exercise.
Yet, Hula hooping in the third trimester adds more of a comic relief to your life than your average exercise.

 Comically I am still trying to maintain an exercise routine of some sorts. Exercise or just forcing myself to move has been beneficial mentally and physically. With all that said, I must not hide the realistic humours facts that exercising this far along has it's challenges. For one, I constantly feel like I have to run to the bathroom. Two, hiking is now waddling, or my preferred name pregnant strutting. And three, the heat ( last week felt like July ) creates swelling; the cure to swelling is drinking water, which brings me back to issue number uno.

  Back to the note of hula hooping past the point of ready to pop, I am grateful that I have learned to do more than just hula hoop around my stomach. Stomach hooping is more challenging than ever and I often spend more time picking it off the ground than actually hooping when attempting the normal hooping methods. So, I have resorted to working on my arms, chest, upper back, & my sides.

 Halos are my best friend. This exercise is when you twirl your hoop with your hands like a halo above your head [hence the name]. There are various ways you can do halos; right hand, left hand, prayer hands, and hand off position. Each of these positions tone a different part of of your upper body.

   Passing, a bit more challenging at this stage in the game but definitely do able. Passing is exactly what the name means. To pass, you literally just pass the hoop around your body from one hand to next.

  Upper body, chest, shoulder, and neck are also great ways to avoid tummy hooping. These movement burn lots of calories and get your heart rate up. Lately, I have been trying to master Babz Robinson's trick tutorial, Should Duck Out, that is a great way to utilize the skills learned with these movements.  

Good luck moving around!

Fears of Hula Hooping Pregnant

 


            Through out my pregnancy, I have heard many people adress their fears of Hula Hooping during pregnancy. Sensibly so,no one wants to hurt their precious baby and spinning a hoop around your stomach can often seem threatening, but the truth is that your baby is well protected in the amniotic fluid. Like any work out though, you should check with your dr. or midwife before you start.

   My midwife advised me that it was okay to hula hoop through out pregnancy and that it even had many benefits. Some of the benefits I have found are:

• Hula Hooping lightens up my mood & relieves my stress  { It's enjoyable }
• I am able to raise my heart rate & energy levels 
• Strengthens my abs & core 
•  Strengthens my floor muscles in preparation for birth 

   When I am grumpy, bloated, & overwhelmed I often get stressed out and sleepy. But, I have found that if I find something to take my mind off my negative thoughts I am able to overcome this temptation. Hula Hooping, is my favorite way to lighten up. I am able to escape from reality for minute, workout, get some endurance, & dance. I love that Hula Hooping changes my mood and and relieves me of stress. 

  Raising my heart rate now that I am 30 weeks pregnant is no challenge. This is so much so that one should watch their heart beat while hooping. Hooping has proven to be a great way for me to bring my heart rate up without having to worry about over working my body. As with all workouts, Hula Hooping gives you more energy ( not that won't be tired.. especially in your third trimester ) but you will maintain healthy levels of energy. 

    A common fear of us preggers is that we will let our bodies go to the waste side, yet with Hula Hooping I am able to maintain strengthened muscles fairly easy. I find it empowering to be able to enjoy working out during these special months ( even if I cannot afford to swim all winter). 

   Theses are the benefits I have recognized as important, but if you are a hooper please share with me your findings. I hope that this little excerpt released your fear about hooping pregnant and empowers you to embrace whatever your heart seeks. 

On the note of whatever your heart seeks, if Hula Hooping is not your thing, I would love to know, as I have shared with you, what is and why? 

the true confessions of a Hula Hooping Mama

Happy 50th Birthday Hula Hoop Patent  
U.S. Patent Number 3,079,728)! 


Today marks 50 years since the Hula Hoop was patented! 

For this reason, I would like to celebrate by sharing my love for the hula hoop. 

I have been hula hooping adamantly for over two years. If you are reading this wondering if I was one of those hula hoop prodigies, I am going to splurge my confessions here. 

In the beginning, I was the type of girl that would not be caught dead in a hula hoop contest. The thought of being put on the spot, or in the circle if you so please, was horrifying to me. 

Then on one latin immersion weekend, a weekend spent speaking only in latin with college classmates (If you don't believe that my college did this; see video below), I bonded with the Hula Hoop! 

Now if you are wondering how Latin immersion and Hula Hooping have anything in common, let me explain myself: 

While hooping, a great realization dawned upon me; namely, no one really tries to communicate with someone that is swinging a large plastic pipe around their hips. 

Waa Laa, my love for the hula hoop was born out of my inability to respond in Latin. Personally, I loved listening to others talk in Latin, but responding was a bigger challenge. 

Today, I am proud to say that: I am 7 months pregnant and still hooping! 

In the following weeks I am going to adress the good, the bad, and the ugly about hooping throughout my last months pregnant and beyond.