Its been a busy last couple of weeks. Lets start with last Thursday.
Last Thor's day was pretty terrific exercise wise. Our instructor let us loose on the trails behind Aquarina Springs. My previous post has lot of info on the area. Zac was persuaded to go with me after only a little bit of nudging. We decided to take the intermediate trail. It is shorter but steeper and much more rough in the terrain. I imagine it was probably half a mile to the top. I loved the twists and turns as well as the changes in incline.
When you get out of that route, it joins up again with the regular path and soon you arrive at a big sun dial. Its kind of fun to stand on the month chiseled into a big block of granite and look for your shadow to see what time of the day it is. It was about 2:30 pm when I got there. Zac took a rest in the shade (it was blazing hot and his sunglasses were nowhere to be found) and worked on his fives with a stick he picked up.
If you continue along the path, you will go up a ramped section of the trail that takes you up to a lovely high spot where you can see all the way into Kyle. I skipped that part so I could get back to Zac and get back to the starting point in time to sign back in for class credit.
Next time, instead of water bottles, I'll want to bring my Camelbak. I want my hands free when I hike and I'd feel better about being in the woods, possibly sometimes alone, if I could carry a few things with me. There apparently are frequent reports of wild boar in the area and god knows what else or who else I might run into. A snack would be nice too.
Monday was a lot more strenuous. The DECK OF DEATH, as it was spelled out in all caps on the syllabus, was on the schedule. So here is the run down.
Supplies: one deck of cards
Rules:
1. Choose one exercise for each suit. Hearts= body squats or, Diamonds=8 count body builders, squat jumps, or mountain climbers, Clubs= crunches, Spades= jumping jacks...or whatever you choose but once you set the exercises, they are law.
2. The number on the card is the number of reps for each exercise. Kings are a 45 second plank, Queens are 12, Jacks are a 30 second break, Jokers are instructor's choice.
3. Hope that you hydrated enough before the workout begins.
I am still incredibly sore from this workout. The most sore part of me is my inner thigh. With all of the jumping, that area was targeted hard and now I know what I need to do more of to get my thighs lean and strong. It doesn't mean I like it though. This workout was pretty hard on my knees...and boobs.
Tuesday was intimidating on the syllabus written as DEVIL'S REVENGE. It was silly. We ran relay races back and forth where we had to do silly challenges at the end.
1. Sprint down the court, hula hoop 5 rotations, sprint back.
2. Sprint down, hula hoop 10 rotations and print back.
3. Frog jump down the court, hula hoop 20 rotations, running grapevine back.
4. Everyone gets in plank position, last person low crawls under the rest of the line. the rest of the line raises their butt into downward facing dog position as the person crawls under you and then lowers back into a plank after they are clear of you. Repeat until you get to the other side of the gym.
5. Everyone get in line, hold hands, and move the hula hoop down the line, without breaking the chain, and move it back.
6. Do the same thing in a circle.
7. The whole class holds hands in a circle, first person lets loose of one hand and starts walking to the inside of the circle making a giant walking spiral. When they get to the center, they change directions and works the spiral back out into a circle. the people on the end of the line end up running for their lives to keep up.
I have to add that those hula hoops were of the lightweight child variety. The kind you pick up at Walmart to keep a birthday party of kids busy. She had large ones and small ones. Our group was the group with the 25-50 age group, a few of us bigger than the others, and she gave us the small hoop that would be more suitable for a 5 year old. I took it upon myself to switch it out for a bigger hoop.
When we were given our teacher/course review surveys, I put "get grown up hoops" and suggested the YouTube sites where one can learn to make them DIY style. I also suggested that she look into Hoopnotica exercise routines. The class consists of a variety of different types of aerobic and resistance training. If she can look into alternative exercise like Zumba, Hoopnotica and other hooping exercises would not be out of the realm of the objectives of the course.
Yesterday was our final exam. It had some nutritional and body chemistry/composition, and kinesiology content on it. All of which could be found on the 4 page review sheet she sent home with us. Easy Peesey.
I had my German II final yesterday as well. I think I did well. I studied pretty hard for it and I didn't get the test anxiety I usually get. Should turn out good.
Today, I have my German II oral exam. I have to do a skit in German with a partner discussing my last holiday activities, what i did last weekend, what i liked to do as a child, and future plans to visit Germany. Next he will give each of us an individual exam, asking us questions and he will grade us on how well we respond. I would rather slam my nuts in a sliding door than do this.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
SPY Training and Nature Trails
SPY training. It is not nearly as exciting as it sounds. It means Strength-Power-Yoga. This is a routine that consists of 30 exercises to all be done at 60 seconds each. 10 sets of 3
You start with a strength exercise. We used dumbbells for all of them. Use your imagination. Bicep curls, lunges, lat raises, calf raises, hip raises, body squats....undsoweiter.
Immediately after your strength component, jump into your power exercise. Squat jumps, jump rope, quick feet, jumping jacks....and so on.
Next is the yoga. You go straight into a yoga pose. Tree pose, Warrior 1,2,+3, Happy Baby pose, Downward Dog.... and so on.
Complete sets of SPY ten times and you just had yourself a 30 minute workout that leaves you sweating your ass off and really sore. Yesterday was tough for me asthma wise. I was able to take breaks for water and I used that time to raise up my arms and get the ole lungs caught up on the air intake and the airways open again.
Today, we will be going over to the Aquarena area to walk their nature trails. She has a main trail that most of the girls will be taking. It's half a mile up and half a mile back down the other side. There are alternate trails she is allowing us to take but only with a partner or group. They go a little deeper into the woods and she doesn't want us running into any wildlife alone. She said there have been wild boar down there, deer, snakes, feral cats and dogs, vultures, etc.
Sounds like the trail for me! The most exciting part is that Zac needs to be in San Marcos today anyways so he is going to pick me up after German class, drive us over, and he's going on the trails with us! I'm so stinking excited. Of course he will be bringing the snake hook.
I have been wearing my vibram toe shoes for the last couple of weeks. My ankles and shins are still sore as hell. I'm hoping that pain will subside in the next few weeks when my stabilizer muscles in my legs get stronger. I am going to leave them at home today though. If they were the next model up with the beefier sole for rougher terrain, I would probably hit the trail with them. Even though the main trail is crushed granite, I don't want to risk hurting myself. I have no idea if the the alternate trails have this fine gravel or not. They might just have a worn path.
In that case I will be wearing my North Face Gortex lined hiking shoes. I bought them a few years ago to hike the ancient temple ruins of the Maya. I never went to Central America so, now I only wear them for mowing the lawn...and hiking!
I probably won't have the money to pay for monthly Zumba classes. When I went to TCC in Fort Worth, I hit the walking trails along the Trinity River almost everyday. It was wonderful. Time to myself, a nice safe path, the homeless were polite, great calorie burn, very little shade until you hit mile 3 but, it was free. Yay for free! These trails are free and more interesting to walk. They wind up, down, and around the wildlife preserve. I like it already.
I can't wait to hit these trails when the weather gets cooler too. The woods will be gorgeous in the fall and I won't have to worry about heat stroke so much. As for now, SHADE, glorious sun shielding shade provided by my favorite lady, Mother Nature.
For more info on Aquarena Springs, click on their Home Page. This hidden gem of San Marcos is so beautiful and it has a rich history. The water coming into Spring Lake is three times cleaner than the water that comes out of your tap. Check it out. Take the tour. Hike the trails.
You start with a strength exercise. We used dumbbells for all of them. Use your imagination. Bicep curls, lunges, lat raises, calf raises, hip raises, body squats....undsoweiter.
Immediately after your strength component, jump into your power exercise. Squat jumps, jump rope, quick feet, jumping jacks....and so on.
Next is the yoga. You go straight into a yoga pose. Tree pose, Warrior 1,2,+3, Happy Baby pose, Downward Dog.... and so on.
Complete sets of SPY ten times and you just had yourself a 30 minute workout that leaves you sweating your ass off and really sore. Yesterday was tough for me asthma wise. I was able to take breaks for water and I used that time to raise up my arms and get the ole lungs caught up on the air intake and the airways open again.
Today, we will be going over to the Aquarena area to walk their nature trails. She has a main trail that most of the girls will be taking. It's half a mile up and half a mile back down the other side. There are alternate trails she is allowing us to take but only with a partner or group. They go a little deeper into the woods and she doesn't want us running into any wildlife alone. She said there have been wild boar down there, deer, snakes, feral cats and dogs, vultures, etc.
Sounds like the trail for me! The most exciting part is that Zac needs to be in San Marcos today anyways so he is going to pick me up after German class, drive us over, and he's going on the trails with us! I'm so stinking excited. Of course he will be bringing the snake hook.
I have been wearing my vibram toe shoes for the last couple of weeks. My ankles and shins are still sore as hell. I'm hoping that pain will subside in the next few weeks when my stabilizer muscles in my legs get stronger. I am going to leave them at home today though. If they were the next model up with the beefier sole for rougher terrain, I would probably hit the trail with them. Even though the main trail is crushed granite, I don't want to risk hurting myself. I have no idea if the the alternate trails have this fine gravel or not. They might just have a worn path.
In that case I will be wearing my North Face Gortex lined hiking shoes. I bought them a few years ago to hike the ancient temple ruins of the Maya. I never went to Central America so, now I only wear them for mowing the lawn...and hiking!
I probably won't have the money to pay for monthly Zumba classes. When I went to TCC in Fort Worth, I hit the walking trails along the Trinity River almost everyday. It was wonderful. Time to myself, a nice safe path, the homeless were polite, great calorie burn, very little shade until you hit mile 3 but, it was free. Yay for free! These trails are free and more interesting to walk. They wind up, down, and around the wildlife preserve. I like it already.
I can't wait to hit these trails when the weather gets cooler too. The woods will be gorgeous in the fall and I won't have to worry about heat stroke so much. As for now, SHADE, glorious sun shielding shade provided by my favorite lady, Mother Nature.
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| Aerial View |
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| The Viewing Deck |
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| The View from the Viewing Deck |
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| Glass Bottom Boat Tours |
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| New Discovery Hall and Aquarium Exhibit |
For more info on Aquarena Springs, click on their Home Page. This hidden gem of San Marcos is so beautiful and it has a rich history. The water coming into Spring Lake is three times cleaner than the water that comes out of your tap. Check it out. Take the tour. Hike the trails.
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