Why yes that is Gym Buddy Allison’s adorable grin gracing the front page of Shape.com!
One-legged squats. Push-ups. Plank. Burpees. We’ve all seen them done so many times that, admit it, sometimes we write them off as too easy or boring. But in an article I wrote for Shape, I discovered that while these humble exercises may be simple they sure aren’t easy! Check out the Gym Buddies and I on the homepage of Shape.com and read up on all the exercises we think are harder than they look. (And of course, us being us, we got kinda silly during the photoshoot so there are some pretty hilarious pics up there! My fave is Allison elbowing me in the face as we race up the stairs. Fitness models we are not but sure had a great time doing it!)
If you haven’t read it yet, you have to check out my article for Redbook on The 8 Messiest Mom Chores (that no one ever warned you about). Bodily fluids are always funny!
Things got a little serious though with my post on 10 Thing to Never Say to a Mom of Boys. Mostly I wanted people to stop criticizing my boys for acting like boys but the commenters got all crazy with the circumcision debate… which I don’t mention anywhere in my post. Ah well, such is the Internet.
And don’t forget – there’s still time to enter my Olay $100 gift card giveaway! (Yes, I know it feels like I’ve been touting this one forever but they set the giveaway to be open for a month.)
Tune in Monday for a great giveaway!
I tried to do that single leg squat when I read this post….not happening. You rule.
And, your article on the stuff moms do officially scared me off having kids ever. Not that I was planning on it, but still.
Hahah – that’s what I’m hear for: to make you fall on your butt and never procreate! Oh wait…
We call those single leg squats “pistols.” A good way to practice it is to pistol on to a chair or a bench or a sturdy box. Make the chair lower and lower as you get better and better at it. Also, I find it easier to hold my balance if if grab on to my big toe with my opposing hand.
I saw your facebook post about this article — very cool! I loved seeing the pics of you all doing the moves. I’ve tried doing those one legged squats (a bodyrock workout is where I saw them). I could barely do one!
They are tougher than they look fo’ sho!
Loved the exercises. Thought I’d try a few right now, and immediately remembered they’re hard! Probably means I need to revisit my plank a bit more. And the Mom of Boys article was spot on. Having boy/girl twins, I get to see all the similarities and differences. People make the wackiest assumptions about my son! Speech (he didn’t speak late), potty (easier then my daughter), and toys…he loved her dolls long before she ever looked twice at them. And the toy kitchen? He’s right in the mix. He also enjoys playing dinosaur eats dollhouse on a regular basis. Thanks for speaking up for Mother’s of boys. I won’t even touch on the wacky off topic comments 🙂
Thanks for understanding! I felt a little raw after I wrote that one – hadn’t realized how defensive I can get of my boys. I know that some people will disagree but I think society feels like it is “ok” to put down boys in a way that would never be acceptable if the target were a girl…
Y’all are adorable. Loved it. And this is what I think people mean when they talk about wanting to see ‘real’ women in magazines! It was so refreshing to see all of the beautiful gym buddies busting out the moves without any airbrushing. And I agree about the single leg squat. I do single leg squats all the time, but never with my leg out in front like that! I am excited to try, but since I just ran 10 miles I think I’ll wait til tomorrow. My prediction is I will fall on my a**. 🙂
Thank you!! I agree – getting a good workout has nothing to do with how good your bare abs look and everything with how willing you are to try new things… speaking of, how’d those squats go??
They went well, actually! I felt like a rockstar, even though I probably shouldn’t have. I attribute it to the fact that I do balancing yoga moves on nearly a daily basis, plus regular single leg work due to a hip problem I have. All those strengthening exercises for the gluteus medius in particular have come in handy, I think!
You totally should feel like a rockstar! You are awesome! And yes, I totally think yoga helps with these:)
Good photos!
Aww, I’ll have to miss that give-away. I’m off to San Diego for more than a week. See ya; I have to get ready for my 3am bus to SFO!
Have a fun, safe trip!
have a great weekend my friend!
sitting in the ATL airport checking everyone’s posts 🙂
xo
LOVED YOUR 25 EXERCISES!!!!!! Did you get that I am EXCITED? LOVED IT!!!!!! 🙂
Hee! Thank you!! I’m not gonna lie: I was super excited to see this up there too! 🙂
You and the Gym Buddies make great magazine fitness models!!
Also, having two boys then a girl, I get tired of people asking me which is easier to raise. Don’t all kids come with their own set of challenges regardless of gender?! My oldest son and my daughter have very similar personalities. Gender has nothing to do with it. Good article!
Thank you Liz! I agree – each gender has its own challenges.
I think you and your gym pals make much better fitness models than the ones usually chosen by the magazines. Your faces have more personality and you make fitness look more fun. 🙂 Marion
Thank you! I think so too – nothing like seeing a mom who doesn’t do this for a living busting out some moves to make you think you can try it too!
You and Carla are way too famous for me! 😉 The paps will be after both of you soon & blabbing about how fat we all are cause we are not a size 0 or minus that! 😉 Love the pics on the Shape page!
Thanks Jody! YOu are so sweet!!
Loved the Shape thang.. all your girlfriends were there! FUN… I have a question.. I googled donkey kicks but can only find the ones on hands and knees… do you have a link to the one you’re doing?? I don’t get it… Thanks!
Thanks Annie! Here’s a post I did on how to Donkey Kicks – you’ll love ’em! https://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment.com/2010/12/donkey-kicks-boot-camp-move-to-try-today-plus-bonus-circus-trick.html
Let me know how it goes!!
Oh my gosh – you guys are on the cover of Shape.com. That is huge and so exciting! By the way, please tell Gym Buddy Allison I have always envied her arms. They are beautiful.
Aw, thanks – Your too kind 🙂
Thank you Heather!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and pride.
I kvell.
Thank you Miz – that means a lot to me:)
Woah, you do indeed totally rule for that pistol squat – in my dreams I can do this! In reality I can only do one legged squats with the other leg behind which feels like cheating.
Loved the photos of you and the gym buddies. Just a thought, but are burpees called burpess because they make you feel like you’re going to throw up? Or is that just me… Also I introduced my roller derby group to supermans with heavy skates on – great way to work the core and balance out ab work.
hahah thanks – for me the pistol squat is a lot more about balance than leg strength. Keep working on it, you’ll get it! And i would LOVE to try rollerderby sometime. Looks like a freaking riot and you know how I love me my costumes!
Love the Shape article, including the awesome tip by Girl-Heroes’ Jenn!
Jenn is amazing!! Love her!
OMG, I love it!! You guys all look like you’re having so much fun. Way better than a “fitness model” shoot!
Thanks! I thought so too!
So many of my favorite exercises in there!! Including my # 1 Stair running 😀 and my close 2nds planks and push-ups. Simple but effective that’s my motto 🙂
I like your motto!
I just put the screen over my cube and tried the (I forget the name) knee-to-jump kowabunga jump thing. Um…are you sure that’s possible? That’s damn hard!
The ninja tuck jump? It is possible but it took us a lot of practice (and sore knees) to get it;) Kudos to you for trying it!!! I love you!!
I found one legged squats to be by far the best exercise to to legs and butt. It is very challenging but it is amazing. Burpees are are Ok, I personally prefer instead of doing a regular burpee where you just jump straight up, do it as a star jump instead. That way it works more muscle groups.
LOVED IT!!!!!! I’ve tried doing those one legged squats (a bodyrock workout is where I saw them). They went well, actually! And I agree about the single leg squat.
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