These Dreams--and Workout part 3

IT’S FUN TO SAY STUFF IN FRENCH ACCENTS!!! It’s even more fun to say things both in French and with a French accent.

In answer to Elayna's question, the second exercise in my last entry is to be done at a moderately slow pace. Something like, 2 seconds going up, and 2 seconds coming down. Maintain control and don't let your leg swing around wildly. Thanks for your comment! (p.s. about the 20 & 10 thing--I may be able to write the screenplay next month unless you really want to).

Well, last night I dreamed a very interesting ongoing dream. Firstly, it was “November Halloween” (the Halloween in November) and the State fair was back in town. And I was hanging out with this group of s that decided to get together for a sleepover in the Ferris wheel. So we did that, and then I went to the beach with some people I actually know.

At the beach, we (like, Jeffrey, Jeremy, Dean, Joanna, Allison and my mom and some other filler people) took turns reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy aloud, and we were about to go back and do The Hobbit when my mom declared that it was “quiet time” and we had to sit around and do stuff quietly. So, my mom went to bed. I decided to read the dictionary, Jeffrey did Sudoku, Dean was playing on the computer, Jeremy read the newspaper and Joanna and Allison communicated in ASL.

Then my alarm went off. Thuh-ehnd.

Well, that’s off my chest. Now on to more important stuff.

Lie on your left side. Now, roll over on your side. Your left arm should be supporting your head, and your other hand should be placed on the floor in front of your bellybutton to support you. Are your legs on top of each other? Good! Point your toe and lift up your right leg. Not very high up, maybe about 8-10 inches away from your left leg. You should be lifting with your outer thigh. Hold for a second or two, then lower down. Do this for 25 reps if you’re a beginner and 50 if you’re advanced. Roll over onto your right, assume the same position and do it again with your left leg. Remember to also concentrate on balance and coordination.

For our next exercise, roll back over onto your left. You can keep your hands in the same position mentioned in the above paragraph. Bend your right leg and place your foot on the floor directly behind your left leg. Flex your left foot. This is a small movement targeting the inner thighs. Lifting from the heel, bring your left leg up off the ground about 6-8 inches, and slowly bring it back down again. Again, beginners do 25, advanced 50. Remember to repeat on your right side.

At last, it is time for our third and final teen fitness exercise of the day. Roll on to your left side AGAIN. Now bend your knees so that they are a 90 degree angle, and bring your hips up towards your torso at a 90 degrees. Basically you should look like you are sitting in a chair laid on it's side on the ground. You will be lifting with your knee, targeting the buttocks. Lift your left leg 6-8 inches up from your right leg and then lower down slowly. Keep your ankle and knee parallel with each other. Make sure you’re in control the whole time. Don’t let anything fly up or drop down. As usual, I recommend 25 for beginners and 50 for advanced.

And also as usual, I urge you to PLEASE leave a comment if the exercise descriptions are unclear. I apologize for not having pictures but it’s not my fault. No need to get all angry at me or anything.

Well, so long and thanks for all the fish!

~Jessica

My workout (with a little help from Nirvana)

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve devised what is basically a full-body workout. However, considering that I don’t want to take all of one day to write it and you probably don’t want to take all day reading it, I will recall it to you day-to-day this week.

Now, allow me to warn you that these are the movements and repetitions that work for me. Depending on your fitness level, you may want to begin with more or less than what I do myself. Basically what I am saying is that I have no idea what my actually fitness level is on a scale of 1-10. All I do know is that these work for me. I feel the burn and see results, to put it in a blunt cliché-ish form.

I will attempt to describe these as visually as possible. I do not know how to put pictures on an actual entry, and I think if I did then it would take forever to because there are so many movements. If the descriptions are unclear, please feel free to leave a comment telling me so, and I will attempt to revise what I’ve written either here or in my next entry.

I suggest listening to music while exercising. It helps the time go by faster and keeps a rhythm going. I had a dream last night where I was locked in my room listening to a Nirvana-athon on the radio. This has resulted in my having Nirvana songs in my head all day, along with the Weird Al parody. They all basically have the same rhythm (*cough*) so I can use them to my advantage and work out to them. But considering that Nirvana isn’t the top-choice among a lot of people, you can listen to anything: Wham, Madonna, the Who, the Chili Peppers, Larry the Cucumber, Metalica, M&M (I like to spell his name that way)…you know, whatever suits you.

I always begin with abs. I don’t know why, but I do. I lie on my back with my feet on the floor and my knees at 45 degrees (fitness is good for Geometry application) and do 100 standard crunches. Then I tilt my knees slightly over to my right and crunch up, making sure to get both shoulders off the ground. This works the sides of the waistline. I do 50 of these on one side and then 50 on the other. Back to the center. Pick your feet off the ground and move your still-bent legs to 90 degrees. Now, lift your hips up and down. This is only a small movement but is very effective for the lower abs. I do 100.

Note—For beginners I suggest cutting the reps at least in half. That’s 50 of the regular crunches, 50 of the reverse crunches and 25 to each side for the sides. You may also want to take a 15-second break after each set of five or ten.

Well, there you have it. Part one of your daily workout. I hope it works for you as well as it works for me, and I’ll write again tomorrow!

Love and Peace or Else,

~Jessica

Sleepytime mottos

Usually when I say, “It’s vital to my health and well-being”, I’m talking about some sort of play I want to be in, or something sweet.

But this time, I’m talking about sleep.

Oh…woe is me! The night before last I didn’t sleep well because of all the caffeine I had beforehand. But last night, I didn’t technically have anything of that sort. I went out with Amy and Katherine, and we stopped by their favorite coffee shop (that one with the elk-thing as its logo) and I got some decaf minty-something. It was good. Then we went to Wal-mart and I got hyper because we were shopping. I bought a hoodie, a keychain and some mints.

I got home about 11:15. I went to bed about 12:15. Then I woke up after what felt like the longest time. I looked over at the clock and it said 12:45.

What is it with me??

I tossed and turned the rest of the night, having some strange dream where there was a law that everybody had to dress as either a sledgehammer, anvil, or something else potentially dangerous for Halloween.

So, I’m wondering if it’s the sugar, or just my cold that haunts me. I don’t really have a cold at all, except (apparently) when I lay down to sleep. How convenient.

I don’t know. I’ll get back to you on that.

Now, the hoodie I got says, “Strength, Spirit, Sport.” I like that a lot. It’s a new motto of mine.

You: “Not another motto!!!”

Oh, you be quiet. I love strength. It makes me feel powerful (thank you, Capt. Obvious). Just the sound of it makes me think about muscles. But there’s also mental strength, which is really more of the spirit part. Both of these build up to the sport part. It’s kind of like in 2nd Peter where God is telling us things to add to our faith (if you’re lost, just play along). They are virtues that produce a fruitful Christian life. Strength and spirit produce a “fruitful” sport. In other words, you’ll prosper.

Anyway, I’ve got to head over to my grandma’s and eat pizza. So long!

~Jessica