Meet your new at home trainer: a deck of cards (via Splie Fitness)
This isn’t my first time writing (and raving) about Splie Fitness. Although based all the way in South Lake Tahoe, my girl Tara (owner and instructor) still has me sweating to her demands all the way in Texas. Here’s her latest idea, via Instagram.
According to the easy game to get your sweat on all you need is a deck of cards. You can use just your body weight for these exercises, or add weights if you’d prefer. Grab a deck of cards and start flipping them over one at a time.
♠️ = lunges
♦️ = push ups
♥️ = squats
♣️ = plank rows
Whichever number is on the card, you’ll do that many of each exercise. Go through the deck once and then switch the movements to 4 new moves. You should be good after two times through. Be creative the second time through. Exercises you can incorporate in the second round can include: tricep dips, frog jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, ab exercises like bicycles, bridges – the list is endless.
Try this next time you’re at home or at a hotel and a gym and weights aren’t readily available.
What games have you played to help with your fitness routine?
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/photo-1.jpg710640Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-08-04 08:50:382020-03-22 16:57:58Hit the Deck
Red, white and blue, in a three-way conjunction are my absolute favorite colors. I often say I’m obsessed with America and it may sound silly, but it’s true. I’m obsessed with our country and our freedom and the overall good people that I like to think exist everywhere that make our country so amazing.
This morning I joined a great group of women in South Lake Tahoe at a local fitness studio, Splie (pronounced SPLEE-AY) for a Freedom Ride. I had no idea what a Freedom Ride was, but I knew I was in need of a good spin class to sweat out the toxins and keep myself in semi-bikini shape.
Tara, the owner, encouraged us to wear red, white and blue on the studio’s Facebook page by saying: “It’s how we roll. Red, White and blue ride this Wednesday.”
Wearing her own TEAM USA tank from the leader bike, Tara told us to “ride for something bigger than us, like the blood shed for our country,” and during rest breaks shouted out U.S.A. trivia and facts to encourage us and remind us just how lucky we are to live in this great country. She reminded us that because of what so many brave men and women have fought so hard for so many years, we have freedom. All while sweating up a storm, no less.
“We have the right to live equally,” Tara shouted from her spinning pulpit. “And to add resistance [to our bikes],” she demanded.
The 60-minute ride was a fierce combo of celebrating our freedom (hence the #FreedomRide) and our heritage and patriotic nature, complete with this playlist of varying genres:
The gals from the #FreedomRide at Splie Fitness
Beastie Boys: Fight for your Right
Bruce Springsteen: Born in the USA
En Vogue: Free Your Mind
Metallica: Nothing Else Matters
John Mellencamp: Pink Houses
Jimi Hendrix: Star Spangled Banner
Alicia Keys: Sleeping In My Bed
Brad Paisley: Camouflage
Foo Fighers: My Hero
Kenny Chesney: Freedom
Xtina: Fighter
Miley Cyrus: Party In the U.S.A.
When Xtina’s Fighter came on, Tara reminded us that sometimes we have to fight for our freedom.
In 1848, in New York, women began the long struggle for the right to vote. In 1920, 72 years later, their voting rights were recognized across the nation.
As Americans we are fighters (just like Xtina said) and we fight for our freedom. Remember those that put their lives on the line for us each and every day.
Needless to say, I got my patriotic butt kicked today. And I loved every minute of it. Thanks to those who have and are fighting for our Independence every day.
Exercise your rights. Or just plain exercise.
[This blog post was part of the 2013 Women’s Health Magazine Action Hero Blog. To see that original blog, click here.]
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/photo-2.jpg629629Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-07-03 20:03:492013-07-10 13:22:47Exercise your rights. Or just plain exercise.
I know, I know, it sounds like a country song. But it’s a new fitness trend I recently tried in South Lake Tahoe at Splie (pronounced Splee-ay), and wanted to share the experience.
I came to SLT for a month to finish writing my book (stay tuned), and to take in the summer scenery of this beautiful place while hanging out with a friend.
Early on, I stumbled on this intensely cute gym/workout studio (which refers to itself as a non-gym) just a bike ride away from where I was staying. I’m always up for trying new things in name of The Blonde Side, so Zumba in the Dark sounded like a challenge I was up for.
First off, I will attest that while blondes may have more fun, that in no way, shape or form, means we are better dancers. And by we, I mean yours truly. But the great thing about this class was that it was in the dark (with fun lighting all around), so you felt a little more at ease honing in on your sweaty dance moves. At least I did.
The other great thing about this class, or perhaps the gym itself, was that no one was there to judge. This was clearly not an audition for So You Think You Can Dance, and the girls there, all 11 of them in the class, were there to bond, hang out and sweat up a storm while getting their Monday night cardio on.
I should probably also thank Ashley, our instructor, for that. This little blonde sporting her Zumba racerback and lululemon studio pants was working everyone so hard, they didn’t have time or energy to look around and silently critique your dance moves. As far as I was concerned, Splie was a safe zone, and you could dance like Elaine on Seinfeld.
The class started off with a little diddy from Whitney Houston, then went into some Salsa music, followed by some gangsta rap (which I thoroughly enjoyed), onto some N’Sync and mixed in all kinds of other things you secretly love on your playlist. We danced like “raggedy anne dolls,” did the chicken dance, toe taps and a whole bunch of other fun little numbers working on quite a wide range of muscles while all engaging our core throughout the 60-minute class.
Here goes my non-expert Zumba advice: don’t worry so much about trying to make the exact moves your instructor is. Instead, have fun and keep moving – it’s all in the name of sweat, right?
Another thing I loved about this studio that I noticed on my first visit was the awesome book shelf in the back. Not only is it cute, it’s stacked
The honor system bookshelf at Splie
with a ton of great cook books, self-help books, workout DVDs and much more, along with a handwritten note from Tara (the owner) to her clients encouraging them to borrow anything. This is a gym and owner that truly wants the best for her clients both inside her studio and out. That’s the kind of workout partner and friend we all need.
The non-gym also offers a number of other classes with a focus on personal training, stretch (similar to yoga), group fitness, and spin, just to name a few. Check out their class schedule for more info.
Inside the gym, there was a great wall quote which should serve as a constant reminder for us to keep pushing our limits, even if it means dancing like a fool (you know, when no one’s watching):
“You don’t always get what you wish for, you get what you work for.”
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/61514_636786013001845_440286126_n.jpg612612Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-07-02 00:48:242013-07-02 00:55:09Dancing in the Dark [Zumba]