I confess.
Not only do I not know how to swim, but…
I hate working my abs.
I hate stretching or anything to do with yoga-like moves.
I get bored and have no patience (which probably has a lot do with my go, go, go mentality and my severe lack of flexibility, ha!).
But – one of my goals this year was to build a stronger core.
So far, I’m doing ok, but not great at meeting that goal.
Plus – I just finished the first mesocycle of STS and the program calls for an “active recovery” week which means no weight training, mainly stretching, cardio, and, well – rest. (let’s not even get me going on how much I hate to take rest days *gasp*).
So what’s a girl to do, when:
- Cardio options are limited given bum knee issues
- I can’t weight train this week (or shouldn’t for maximium results with the next phase of STS which is all about building muscle definition – hypertrophy)
- And, I need to focus on my core, desperately.
Well, it’s time for a self-imposed Core Fusion challenge. This week coming up I am going to do mostly just Core Fusion workouts at home mixed with a couple of Ride classes and a Kick class.
And that’s it.
I envision my schedule looking something like this:
Sunday – likely a rest day or Core Fusion
Monday – Core Fusion (Body Sculpt)
Tuesday – Core Fusion (Pilates Abs)
Wednesday – Ride
Thursday – Core Fusion (Body Sculpt) and Kick after work
Friday – Core Fusion (Pilates Abs)
Saturday – cardio TBD (seriously hoping I can run by then)
Sounds pretty good, right? I’m trying to tell myself that it’ll be fantastic but I know (based on this morning’s Core Fusion workout) that I will have bouts of frustration because I can’t hold the ab curl moves long enough or because I seriously miss runner’s high (and STS for that matter). But, I’m sticking to my guns and seeing how this pans out.
Who knows? Maybe next week I’ll confess that I now love to work my abs.
Hey, it could happen. 😉
**********
#TheLittleThings – today, I am thrilled to see the sun shining and to hear that the weather forecast for this weekend includes milder weather. We’ve had a bout of dreary, dark, cold weather this past week so the sheer thought of sunshine on my face makes me smile. Truly a little thing, but makes a world of a difference on my mood. (remind me again why I live in New England??)
EatDrinkBreatheSweat 
I think that’s a great idea sis. Wish I thought of it since my recovery week is this week! But I gotta admit,the core fusion stuff is already helping. I still hate it, but damn that stuff works!
Well – you have another recovery week coming up in a few weeks, you should try it then! I know…love to hate the core fusion challenge, am I right??
Yay on sunshine. I don’t know how you can hate to work your core that much. Crazy girl 😉
At least I confessed to it, right?? First step is admitting to the problem, next step is conquering the problem. Hopefully I’ll one day have abs like yours and maybe then I’ll actually LIKE to work my core 😉
It sounds like you know what works for you when it comes to your fitness practices. While I LOVE yoga, I’m not big on Pilates. I love a Crossramp elliptical, but hate the ones with the moving arms. I absolutely HATE lifting weights. We all have our “things”!
So interesting that you love yoga but not pilates! AND you hate lifting weights – I looove it! So true though…we all have our quirks right? But that’s what makes us fab 😉
Small world, hate hate working my abs too. I always leave them out or press skip on the dvd if it’s a full body workout. I definitely need to balance out my strength between my lower back and core. Loving STS, I did disc 3 legs today, didn’t find the leg workout too hard, think I found disc 1 a lot harder.
Good to know that you’re trying the Core Fusion dvds, let me know what they’re like, could certainly do with doing some ab work.
Seriously – what is the deal with those abs, right? I think it’s just that I have no patience and working my core takes patience and diligence. I’d much rather spend my time running, weight lifting or something else. But I know the right thing to do is to focus on my core – it’ll only help all the other areas of my life, right?
I would totally recommend the Core Fusion DVDs, they are great for the core (so far – very hard) and for the glutes and thighs too.
SO glad you are loving STS!! Keep me posted!
Got to work that core but man how I hate stretching or (gasp) yoga
Ha! I’m SO glad someone else can relate to the whole core thing. I feel a smidge better now that I’ve confessed. 😉
Thanks for stopping by! I’m on my way to your blog right now!
I completely agree that sunshine makes a huge difference. I need to be out enjoying some fresh air!
I slack on the strength training. My passion is running and I enjoy yoga, but weights?! Dear me!
Well – if you love yoga and I love weights, we should swap our favorite workout tricks and maybe we’ll each learn to love the workouts we collectively hate?? Worth a shot at least?? (PS Thanks for stopping by!!)
Hehehehe, sounds like we’re all on the “I confess” kick, eh? I hate working my abs, too…especially after the kids. They killed me! I do like doing the weighted crunches and oblique twists…it kills the next day.
As for the stretching, oh my goodness, I LOVE yoga. I take a class, which actually got me loving it. I hated doing it alone at my house, because I never knew how I looked doing it. With someone being there to help guide you, it’s a totally different experience.
Good luck with the core fusion! I’ll pull a little Tony Little…
YOU CAN DOOO IT!
Thank you for the vote of confidence! Maybe I do need to suck it up and try a yoga class – every time I’ve gone, I get so bored and/or frustrated because I’m so inflexible. Maybe I’ll start with improving my flexibility at home and then “graduate” to a yoga class at my gym. That might improve the odds of me sticking with it. 😉
I am very excited about Core Fusion, I already feel stronger just since I started weaving it into my workout routine a couple of weeks ago!
core fusion is awesome! You’ll love it! I know its hard to get out of the cardio mode but its better than nothing, right? Swimming will take time, just keep it up friend! 😉
I think you will see a huge difference by incorporating the Core Fusion DVDs! I promise, the longer you do the curl the more you will be able to stay in position. It takes time and patience but it works, my abs are pretty awesome if I do say so myself!
Excited to hear how this goes.
Hi! So glad to hear how well Core Fusion has worked for you. I’ve seen the results from your own Core Fusion challenge on your blog which is totally motivating me to get stronger in my core! I hate, hate, hate how hard that curl is but at the same time, I’m dying to conquer it, too! I’m so excited to see how this week goes!
jess, i swear we are related. i hate yoga too! but i learned how to swim and am so excited that you are taking it up. you will love it!
btw – i started trying this new yoga dvd specifically for runners. its pretty cool. i’ll write a post about it this week.
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