R & R with Rachel (Rant and Raves with Rachel): Fun (and Exercise) in the Mud

This past Sunday I participated in my first 5K MuckFest with five of my relatives. The run was to raise money for MS. The MuckFest is one of the less serious of the mud runs that now seem to be trending. Races like the Tough Mudder and Spartan Race for example involve many more miles and very challenging obstacles. As the website for the Muckfest says all you need to do their race are "sneakers and a sense of humor" (well actually you do need clothing too - LOL). We crawled through mud-filled obstacles, walked through mud, climbed mud ridden hills, zip lined across a pit in which you dropped into dirty water, and more. The morning was not meant for people who did not want to get down and dirty. I had a smile on my face the entire time. It was so much fun! When I finished the last obstacle called the "Skidmark" due to the fact that you are going through mud (surprise) lying on your back and pulling yourself through with a rope, I was sad the morning was over. It was hard to believe we also ran a 5K.

So, if you don't mind mud, want a fun way to exercise while raising money for a good cause, I highly recommend signing up for a MuckFest. I should mention however that some people I knew (you know who you are) who participated and did not regularly exercise were sore the next day.

If you would like to see more of the obstacles or find out more information about the MuckFest I participated in here is the link: MuckFest

Here I am jumping off of a big swing into water

The skidmark obstacle

Crawling through a mud-filled tunnel

AARP Welcomes Fitness Guru Denise Austin

While most of our Fit Librarian subscribers might not yet be old enough to be reading AARP magazine or even know that AARP stands for the American Association of Retired Persons, the organization often gives good advice for people of all ages.

Recently Denise Austin, the well-known fitness expert became the wellness ambassador for AARP and has posted a series of exercise videos exclusively for the organization. Some of these exercises take just over a minute to perform. For those wanting to strengthen and stretch specific body parts Ms. Austin has videos targeting feet and ankles, knees, backs, shoulders and more. She also demonstrates a few exercises that can be done while watching TV (like a modified sit-up) or while standing waiting for your morning coffee (such as a kitchen-counter push-up). So, no matter what your age, check out the link for some exercise ideas. Here it is: Denise Austin for AARP

R & R With Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): Being a Catcher is Physically Challenging

Although I play softball on a non-competitive league, which is perfect for me because I am not a competitive person, I still want to play my best. I am one of my team's catchers. This is a position I enjoy but is physically demanding on my body. My job, even in a fun league, is much more than simply catching a pitched ball and returning it to the pitcher. As a catcher I must be strong enough and prepared for the physical demands of the sport. During the course of a game catchers can squat and stand over 100 times. A catcher must also be able to move laterally and explode out of a squat to track down balls. To do all this a workout program needs to involve improving strength and agility. Although I will be doing the exercises that follow to improve my technique as a catcher they are good for anyone to perform.

Lower-Body Plyometrics
Lower-body plyometrics is an effective way to build explosive leg power.

1. Crouch down and jump as high as you can.

2. Repeat this 10-20 times.

Side Lunges
Side lunges will help strengthen the muscles a catcher needs for lateral movement.

1. Stand with your hands on your hips, take a step to the right.

2. Keep your toes pointed forward.

3. Extend the left knee, driving your weight to the right, flexing the knee and hip into a side lunge.

4. Maintain good posture through the entire spine, keeping your head and chest up.

5. Go to the right 5 times and then switch legs, repeating the exercise on the left side 5 times.

Squats
Squats are an exercise that builds leg power, which catchers need during a game, and to endure a full season behind the plate.

1. To perform a squat, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and bend your legs until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.

2. Hold this position for about 20 seconds.

Have a look at our previous blog "Squats with a Kick" for a visual reminder of how to do a squat.

Throwing Exercise
This is one of the most important drills for softball catchers.

1. Start by crouching in a catching position at home base. 6-8 balls should be laid out about 15 feet in front of you.

2. Running towards the balls, picking one up and throw it to a randomly picked base (if you are with another person they can call out what base you should throw it to) .

3. Run back to home base.

3. Repeat this process until you run out of balls to throw.