My new hand weights
So when I was learning how to surf in Rio this winter, I was totally impressed at how good of an upper body workout it gave me, (I once referred to learning how to surf as learning to run with your hands -catching a wave is super tough!), and also how good it made me feel afterwards.
While I have always been a pretty active person, I have never really done a lot of sports that require a lot of upper body strength. What’s more, I think that basketball, the sport I have played most consistently throughout my life, can kind of give you a kind of lopsided upper body workout because you are constantly using only your shooting arm.
So when I got back to Montreal I had it in mind to seek out some upper body cardio -something along the lines of swimming or boxing. But because I have been on a tight budget this last month, I opted for a more simple alternative. I purchased these fairly light weight (0.75kg) hand weights at Sports Experts with a gift certificate Hugo gave me for 14.99. I went to Canadian tire later that week and saw that they sell hand weights starting at about 3 bucks a weight - a pretty cheap investment.
Now my goal is not to gain a lot of upper body muscle but just simple tonnage and balanced upper body strength. I don’t think I will be moving up in weight any time soon. But I have been loving the simplicity of doing a 5 minute weight routine every morning.
Here are some links to a few of the routines I have been using:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/183206-beginning-weight-training-routine-for-women/
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/body_toning/upper_body.htm
Last night I made sweet potato fries and a quinoa salad for dinner for my boyfriend Hugo and his sister Marie. Marie asked me whether sweet potatoes were healthier than potatoes. My immediate response was of course, but I did a little internet research to back up what I already thought I knew. While the way you prepare them helps a lot (baked or lighty steamed is better than fried), sweet potatoes (meaning yams) are way more nutritious than the regular potato regardless. First off, one source says that despite tasting more sweet, the complex carbs found in sweet potatoes means that your blood sugar goes up 30% less when you eat them, compared to regular potatoes. This link also says that they are the highest ranking vegetable when it comes to nutritional content. Impressive!
