The Living Plank Ab Workout

Just call me the Dr. Frankenstein of planking. I’m gonna make yo’ plank come ALIVE!

If you’re ready for it (and I know you are), grab a heavy weight and jump into the video. Let’s do The Living Plank together…

If you prefer to watch the video in Youtube, just click here.

Subscribe to Yum Yucky on YouTube for more Quickie workouts.

INSTRUCTIONS, PROPER FORM & MODIFICATIONS

You’ll need a heavy weight for this workout.In plank position (arms straight, not on elbows), with weight about 6-10 inches in front of you, grab the weight with your right hand, lift 2-3 inches off floor and move the weight to place under your hips.With left hand, grab weight from under hips and place back in starting position. Do not drag the weight along the floor. Be sure to lift it up to work your arms.Continue with the move with a slight side-to-side dip in your hips (as demonstrated in the video) to further activate your obliques.To modify, choose a light to medium weight.Continue with as many reps as possible with good form.

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Four steps to intuitive living.

I knew INTUITIVELY this was what my body needed.

Ive blogged for a million years & penned a bazillion posts.

Even with all my prolificnessment (<—technical term) there are two pieces Im most frequently asked about : intuitive eating and intuitive exercising.

Readers/offline friends/family inquire about the specific steps I took to relinquish control, learn to trust myself and eat/workout intuitively.

Yeah I kinda parent (playfully &) intuitively (with thanks to my village who helps me ‘check’ my mama-intuition to be certain it’s on target).

After reflecting, however, Ive realized it’s larger than that.

The majority of what I do is the result of mindful, intuitive living.

I make choices after a process of tapping into my inner-misfit, challenging myself with regards to what action to take, and listening to what I intuitively know is the correct answer for me.

mindful living is not IMPULSIVE living.

This way of life has become so (waitforit) intuitive it was difficult to break down my thought-process & decipher how I arrived where I am today.

But I finally did.

I give you, aided by the fantastic 20/20 of hindsight, the four steps I took to begin living an intuitive life:

Step one: I spent time IN my body.

This is also when I went gluten-free (I wouldnt realize thats what I eliminated for years).  With hindsight I wonder if I’d always felt symptoms—but lived *outside* my body & never noticed.

The exercises I recall doing during this phase are ones to which I return when I find myself veering toward FEAR-BASED living.  I focused on my inner senses.  I skipped the mirror for all but the swiftest of hair brushing.  I s-l-o-w-e-d until I became aware of the inner-workings of my body.  I consistently asked myself to define how my body felt (stressed? electrified? serene? exhausted?) with no attention paid to how it looked.

I didnt live IN this body

Step two: I began to hear what my body was saying.

As I progressed I demanded more of myself.  Each time I faced a choice I’d stop, focus inward, and listen to what my body instructed me to do.  I tapped into my ‘gut’ (Gavin DeBecker explains this well) and s-l-o-w-l-y developed a sense of intuition.   I experienced my body intuitively offering answers I’d previously looked to others for.  What job to take? Who to date? Where to live? I began ‘feeling’ my intuition/gut emerge when I paid attention.

who knew this contained so much knowledge!?

Step three:  I heeded my body’s response.

This was the most terrifying and most rewarding step. In the spirit of “leap and know your intuition net will appear” I squashed my urge for paralysis by OVERanalysis and plunged forward.  I practiced my new body-whisperer skills and *followed* my gut response/intuition. I acted on my intuition.  It was weird, awkward, contrived, frightening and incredibly freeing. I recall these first experiences clearly because I still re-read the journal I used to capture the feelings in at the end of each day (<—-tip alert! tip alert!).

it felt great to let go.

Step four: I launched a meditation practice.

I knew a meditation routine would help me tap into my intuition. Meditation clears the mind & helps us focus. It also (purportedly) provides the intuitive part of our brain the quiet it needs to “see” whats really happening around us. Meditation silences our minds so we can rise ABOVE thinking. It all sounded promising, but I had no time for meditation. I made time. I also created zen moments wherever I could.

meditation doesnt always look like this

That, in all its edited brevity (yes. it was initially *more* rambling.), is my experience of making my way to mindful living.

Exhausting, exhilarating and enlightening.

And you?

In what realm(s) do you live intuitively?What tips might you offer others to ease the transition to mindful living?

View the original article here

Living not blogging: Presidents Day edition.

Yes, People.

Even with the relocation & move to a new ‘hood I am still that mom.

Im excited when the Tornado has a day off from school & even MORE SO when it’s not because Ive slunk up to the office, fabricated an excuse & stolen her away for a day of play.

big thelma and little louise?

 Today, to my delight, is a school-sanction playday.

An opportunity to git up early, work-like-the-wind, and spend the rest of the day living my priorities.

Ive planned some of this:

Get yours yet?

Lots of this:

calloused monkey bar hands.

Perhaps some joyriding:

the HAT kills me every time.

Definitely this. LOUDLY:

ahhh nappage…

We will probably get new tattoos:

Im eager to finish my back piece!

hers is almost done…

Im not yet certain what else….

must.explore.new.hood.

All I know is Im typically this:

love my RAW THREADS

but not today.

And you?

Is your “work” technically closed today? Are you self-employed, able to work in the wee hours & gifted daywithchild?What are YOUR plans on this Presidents Day 2013?

View the original article here

Living not blogging: birthday edition*

I know.

I, too, feel, as though Ive yammered about my birthday coming! soon! for the past 364 days.

Ive prattled on and on and on & it’s finally here.

And, after all that, Ive decided to spend today pretty much in the same fashion as I spend every other.

Ala the notion of happiness not being having everything you want—but wanting everything you have.

I shall spend time hanging out with this one (& marveling it’s been close to 3 years since I had this caricature made for her):

Last I heard she was gunning  for us to spend the morning making gluten-free cake pops (like these from last year):

Im hoping, as in years past, she’ll demand to be my doppleganger:

As I know the years of her requesting that are waning:

(Im not sure I have any idea where my headband is. We may need to birthday-gift ourselves new ones.)

I plan to follow her lead and let her show me how she thinks birthdays should be celebrated.

I imagine when given free reign over my day she’ll be just like her I LOVE MY ROUTINE! Mama & pick some time with this:

And with these lovely yoga-loving folks:

Perhaps she’ll pick to spend some time here:

I *hope*  she’ll choose some QUALITY time with these:

Perhaps we’ll hang with him**, too:

And afterward Im hoping for some good old fashioned beanbag/snacks/movie time:

Im hoping for a day spent discovering (her) & reminding (me) we are happy because we want what we have.

And that life—and birthdays—is (are) as simple as that.

*Ive closed the comments today as this post is 100% my forcing you to peer inside my birthday-brain.  No need to wish me a happy ANYTHING as *my* wish is you take the 30 seconds or a minute you’d spend on a comment & and share them with a loved one in YOUR life!

**The husband.

View the original article here

Mindful living.

I wish all of  you were here with me at my house.

More specifically sitting along side me in my office:

(oh and lest you imagine it’s all as immaculate as my desk—this is what’s behind me. a mess of a (finger quote) fitness center (unFQ).)

Because then I could lovingly turn to you and say:

I know youre so very busy (& we’d digress to chatting about why GROWN UPS dont get a summer vaycay) but Id love for you to visit me at the Attune Foods blog.

And you’d sling your arm over my shoulder, smile and respond:

Girl (thats what you’d call me) I am so.slammed.  I cant believe I made it *here* today.  Whatcha talking about over there?

And Id grab you by the shoulders–with a firm yet loving grasp—spin you around to face me and reply:

Yes. Everything. All of it.  A reflection on how I got to where I am (mindfully.), how Ive maintained (weightloss.sanity.) & how I know Ill keep moving forward on my path (focus.priorities).

You’d pause.  You’d furrow your brow.  You’d glance around the room.  You’d admire my mural:

You’d think about all the “stuff” you “have” to do and all the “distractions” from real living and mindful living in the day(s) ahead. 

And you’d say YES.

You’d pause your day.  Give yourself the gift of time & self-reflection.  Youd come hang out with me and we’d ponder together.

This post is sponsored by Attune Foods. My longing for the s-l-o-w life and attempt to force you to slow d-o-w-n with me is all my own.

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Tags: being present, living mindfully, living my priorities

View the original article here

Living in One of Ohio’s UNHEALTHIEST Counties

The local news turns to Rebecca Regnier’s Full Plate to help after Lucas County rates 72 out of 88 of Ohio’s Healthiest Counties! What can you do right now to effect your health.

View the original article here

Living my priorities

The end of 2011 was kind of a mess for me.

It was filled with great things yet I sensed in my heart I was teetering on the edge.

I felt thisclose to being someone who gave lip-service to what was important in her life & lived otherwise.

I felt thisclose to being the blogger who, while writing a post about the fabulousnessment of family time & family exercise!, snapped at her child “you need to WAIT.  I’ll play later. Mamas working!”

I did not like how being even *close* to reacting like that person felt.

As a result I spent lots of time formulating my 2012 mantra.

I needed something which wasnt only about or for me (Id grown a little too mememe by the end of 2011) and words which would constantly remind me of who I aspired to be.

I chose  the phrase living my priorities.  It felt fitting and, only 27 days into the year, has already challenged me in ways I couldnt have predicted.

Ive been reminded how difficult it is to say NO.

I have a hard & fast rule about never saying YES! in the moment. I always sit with an opportunity/make certain something is a fit before answering in the affirmative.  I do this with fun things, I do it with volunteer-stuffs, and I do it with work.

Many of the things Ive NO’ed to in the past 27 days looked *very* alluring at first glance, but when mashed up against my mantra were easily declined because they didnt ‘match up.’

Ive been reminded I still have a bad case of Freshman Year Syndrome.

When I was an undergrad I went out a lot.  Like every.single.night a lot for a while.

It wasnt so much I craved socializing & late nights and more the fact, at age 18, I feared something *amazing*  might happen and I wouldnt be there.

Ive NO’ed to stuff in the past 27 days where Ive paused and thought “…but what if theres some great! connection! to be made and Im not there?!”

But when Ive mashed the opportunity up against my3-word mantra Im reminded it’s ok.  I know all I need —truly need—I already have.

Ive been reminded how easy it can be to slip into fear-based living.

Ive let go of & said NO to opportunities which could have been amazing…for me.

Opportunities when mashed up against my mantra clearly fell outside the realm of living priorities *outside* of myself.

I felt the fear.  I felt the panic of “what if I say no now and no one wants me later?”  I almost caved. Frequently.

Yet when I mashed the ‘stuffs’ up against living what’s important to me I felt the fear, reminded myself of life’s abundance & NO’ed with faith.

Ive been reminded how my life is not all that unique.

Im writing this post not to preach or be ‘recognized’ for doing what I feel is a basic responsibility to those things we love & are important to us (be they people, passions, or causes).

Im writing it in response to so many of you who have reached out and asked how things are going now that we’re 5 months into the Garten of the Kinder.

Im writing in response to your collective responses of “I had to step back and decide what was important to me and only focus on that.  It all is too much if you dont.”

Im 27 days in. 

It’s more challenging than Id thought. 

Im stilling living my priorities—one long no-filled, boundary drawing day at a time.

Pictures by twentyfivetwentysix studios.

View the original article here

Im living the s-l-o-w life.

(click on my face to get to my post. I’m the big one.)

 It’s who I am.

I know what’s important to me & Im savoring every minute of it.

If you have a moment please read this post.

If you dont think you have the time—then you need the post even more.

Tags: Attune Foods, savoring the small stuff

View the original article here

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Visualizing and Patience: A Divorced Girl's Guide to Living Alone...Kind Of

Like you haven’t noticed, I’ve avoided writing for weeks. It’s not that I don’t love my blog or love talking with all of you about weight and food and all that good stuff. It’s just that I feel like I have nothing to write about, when the truth is I have a LOT to write about. I’m just afraid to put it out there. I’m afraid if I start writing, I won’t stop.

The minute I open Microsoft Word, I find a distraction, something to keep me from the keyboard. Facebook, a computer game, making a complicated recipe, texting, something…anything…to avoid writing.

Why? Well, part of it is that whole Minnesota Norwegian Lutheran anal retentiveness. Growing up, I heard, “That’s not something we talk about,” a LOT. So why write about the stuff no one wants to talk about? Oh, but wait. People DO want to talk about it. They ARE talking about it. They’re not afraid to put it out there – their pain, their heartaches, their joy. Shelley’s blogging through her mother’s surgery . Ellen’s blogging about her post-weight-loss body and acceptance and all that huge emotional stuff.  Lyn’s blogging through sickness Samuel’s blogging though his grief.
Bloggers do this all the time. They put themselves out there. Maybe not all of it, but at least the stuff they think most people can take, the stuff we have in common. I used to do that, too. All the time. You guys know that. But then I got quiet.

It’s not like I didn’t have things to write about. I mean, I made a killer hummus the other day. I lost a pound that took me three weeks to lose. I went on an awesome hike in the 50-degree muck. But it was the background noise that kept me from writing. Those paper-thin moments when things seemed so clear, and then disolved like a communion wafer on the tongue.

Then I read this: “If you don’t visualize what you want out of life, then you are at risk of other people and external circumstances influencing your life because you are not influencing it yourself.” That’s from the book “7 Habits of Highly Frugal People.” A friend sent me this link the other day.

Except for a project in a class in high school (“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”), I’ve never visualized my life. I mean, really sat back and imagined the big picture. I’ve lived most of my life by the seat of my pants, often letting other people tell me what’s right for me, what’s wrong with me, and what I “should” do. A victim mentality, perhaps (ouch). But I really never had much of a backbone (ouch x2).

I lost weight this last time, and am keeping it off, by sheer determination. It’s probably the first thing I’ve ever done just for me. But living alone for the first time in 30 years? It’s harder than weight loss ever was.

This whole “visualizing” my life…well…that’s been the interesting part the last few months. I needed a compass and so I went to what I knew. And what I know is that, like losing weight, living alone is a lifestyle change. And when you want to incorporate change in your life, it has to become part of your life. It has to move within the fabric, the ups and downs, the scheduled and the unexpected.

I love this quote from a WW success story I read recently: “Patience is key. It took me a really long time to lose the weight. I think I became successful when I accepted that some weeks I would gain and that was OK. I didn’t let weight gain give me an excuse to throw in the towel. When I realized I didn’t have to be perfect, I was able to commit.”

Finances, weight loss, getting used to living alone…it all takes a certain degree of commitment, acceptance, and forgiveness. There is a learning curve, and with that learning curve there must be patience.

Just as I learned how to lose weight and I continue to learn how to maintain, I will learn to live alone. I will try to not let the people I don’t invite into my life to influence my thoughts or decisions.

What I visualize, at least right now, is a life not spent alone, but spent in the company of people I love and who intrigue me. I don’t mind cooking for one, it’s challenging. I like setting my own schedule. I can sit in the pain and the tears without running away…most of the time (HUGE step for me…FYI). I will read/listen to the criticism that is bound to come (that happens online…), but I will still blog about it. I’m doing my best to not be afraid.

Thanks for sticking with me. I really do love writing this blog and communicating with all of you.

View the original article here

Visualizing and Patience: A Divorced Girl's Guide to Living Alone...Kind Of

Like you haven’t noticed, I’ve avoided writing for weeks. It’s not that I don’t love my blog or love talking with all of you about weight and food and all that good stuff. It’s just that I feel like I have nothing to write about, when the truth is I have a LOT to write about. I’m just afraid to put it out there. I’m afraid if I start writing, I won’t stop.

The minute I open Microsoft Word, I find a distraction, something to keep me from the keyboard. Facebook, a computer game, making a complicated recipe, texting, something…anything…to avoid writing.

Why? Well, part of it is that whole Minnesota Norwegian Lutheran anal retentiveness. Growing up, I heard, “That’s not something we talk about,” a LOT. So why write about the stuff no one wants to talk about? Oh, but wait. People DO want to talk about it. They ARE talking about it. They’re not afraid to put it out there – their pain, their heartaches, their joy. Shelley’s blogging through her mother’s surgery . Ellen’s blogging about her post-weight-loss body and acceptance and all that huge emotional stuff.  Lyn’s blogging through sickness Samuel’s blogging though his grief.
Bloggers do this all the time. They put themselves out there. Maybe not all of it, but at least the stuff they think most people can take, the stuff we have in common. I used to do that, too. All the time. You guys know that. But then I got quiet.

It’s not like I didn’t have things to write about. I mean, I made a killer hummus the other day. I lost a pound that took me three weeks to lose. I went on an awesome hike in the 50-degree muck. But it was the background noise that kept me from writing. Those paper-thin moments when things seemed so clear, and then disolved like a communion wafer on the tongue.

Then I read this: “If you don’t visualize what you want out of life, then you are at risk of other people and external circumstances influencing your life because you are not influencing it yourself.” That’s from the book “7 Habits of Highly Frugal People.” A friend sent me this link the other day.

Except for a project in a class in high school (“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”), I’ve never visualized my life. I mean, really sat back and imagined the big picture. I’ve lived most of my life by the seat of my pants, often letting other people tell me what’s right for me, what’s wrong with me, and what I “should” do. A victim mentality, perhaps (ouch). But I really never had much of a backbone (ouch x2).

I lost weight this last time, and am keeping it off, by sheer determination. It’s probably the first thing I’ve ever done just for me. But living alone for the first time in 30 years? It’s harder than weight loss ever was.

This whole “visualizing” my life…well…that’s been the interesting part the last few months. I needed a compass and so I went to what I knew. And what I know is that, like losing weight, living alone is a lifestyle change. And when you want to incorporate change in your life, it has to become part of your life. It has to move within the fabric, the ups and downs, the scheduled and the unexpected.

I love this quote from a WW success story I read recently: “Patience is key. It took me a really long time to lose the weight. I think I became successful when I accepted that some weeks I would gain and that was OK. I didn’t let weight gain give me an excuse to throw in the towel. When I realized I didn’t have to be perfect, I was able to commit.”

Finances, weight loss, getting used to living alone…it all takes a certain degree of commitment, acceptance, and forgiveness. There is a learning curve, and with that learning curve there must be patience.

Just as I learned how to lose weight and I continue to learn how to maintain, I will learn to live alone. I will try to not let the people I don’t invite into my life to influence my thoughts or decisions.

What I visualize, at least right now, is a life not spent alone, but spent in the company of people I love and who intrigue me. I don’t mind cooking for one, it’s challenging. I like setting my own schedule. I can sit in the pain and the tears without running away…most of the time (HUGE step for me…FYI). I will read/listen to the criticism that is bound to come (that happens online…), but I will still blog about it. I’m doing my best to not be afraid.

Thanks for sticking with me. I really do love writing this blog and communicating with all of you.

View the original article here

Living not BLOGGING (President’s Day edition).

Ahh People.

Today is a great day.

So great Im not even bothering with the ‘I feel badly for those of you who have to work or who dont reside in the USA and have the day off’ dizclaimer.

OH NO SHE DIDNT!!! Oh YES SHE DID!

Ren Man is home.

The child is home.

Im always home home but plan to have my work finished at the CRACK of dawn.

And we’re going to just HANG OUT ALL DAY.

First we will workout.

Non-traditionally of course because (all together now) fitness isn’t about fitting in.

(if youre joining via a reader theres a 20 second video below of the Husband doing creative corework in the domicile)

Next we will be doing a President’s Day craft:

(Im seriously excited about this for some odd reason. Pretzels, frosting, all reminiscent of my FAVE Lincoln Logs toy? What’s not to love?)

After all *that* excitement we shall unwind with some family yoga time (please to enjoy the ephemeral video below where Ren Man & Tornado demonstrate the obscure and seemingly random well-known Lizard on a Rock pose.  Then please to grab a partner & attempt at home):

Then, if this misfit gets her way, we shall cap the day off with a family outing to an educational film or somewhere equally serious & fraught with learning potential.

And you?

What are you up to on this Monday?

Will you join us in frosting & frivolity?

Core-work & (movie) candy?

Please to hit us all up in the comments…

View the original article here