Leg Day; My 5 Favorite Body Weight Leg Workouts

I mentioned the "thigh gap" phenomenon the last week. I don't know if you noticed or if you didn't or whether my one aside had any impact on your thoughts. I'm not a fan of the phenom, to say the least. The next day a friend of mine shared this on facebook and discussions ensued. I didn't even read past the first paragraph or so of the article - and really, my contribution to the discussion was no more than a mention that I had just brought the topic up the other day.
But when I got home that night, hubs asked me, "what's this whole thigh gap thing? what's wrong with it?"

...and I had an answer for him - a clear, decisive, two sentence answer.

There is nothing wrong with a thigh gap, but it shouldn't be a "fitness goal". The only way to get a thigh gap is through genetics or anorexia - neither of which are a sign of fitness. 

It is with legs on the brain that I advocate healthy, strong, fit quads, glutes, and calves. These exercises won't make your thighs seem further apart, but they will make your legs strong as f*ck. Pardon my French - at least I used an asterisk.

These are my five absolute favorite at-home no-weights-necessary-but-you-can-add-them-if-you-want-to semi-yoga-inspired leg workouts. 

#strongnotskinny, right?

... in no particular order.

1. Sneaky Lunges

Start with your feet together, high on your toes, then - staying on your toes - step your right leg forward into a long lunge with a straight back leg.

Vote!

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.

I am not a political ranter, and I am not about to become one.

Today is a day of mixed thoughts and emotions for me.

I love being an American. We are so lucky to be able to live in a country and a time that affords us the right to contribute to how our country is run.

I am also heartbroken by the amount of hate the election season inevitably brings to the surface.

That is why I keep my political opinions to myself. Everyday I am surrounded by people I love who disagree. I am not willing to sacrifice the relationships in my life so that I can win a heated argument about whether or not abortion should or should not be legal and in what circumstances.

I respect your opinions and I hope that you have taken the time to educate yourself before coming to a conclusion on any issue. I hope that you will respect mine as well and trust that I have done my best to make informed decisions.

My thinking is this - these people and these propositions did not come out of nowhere. There are reasons upon reasons that individuals have been elected and nominated and propositions have been written, revised and discussed. We are all trying to make America better. A Vote for Romney or Obama - or whomever you disagree with - will, in all likelihood, not ruin this wonderful country. We're just trying to determine who and how we, as a country, can help make America the best.

Do what you gotta do, but make sure you vote.

Mini Rant; Why Emoticons Are Good

I recently read a blog by someone who said they don't believe in emoticons. Something about the English language having enough illustrative capacity. Blah blah blah. At first I thought she was kind of right, but can I just say really quickly that after thinking about this a little bit, I've decided that this is bunk. As a student of communication I know how important non-verbals are. If you can't here the tone in my voice or see my expression or posture, how will you know my full meaning? I have therefore decided to continue the use of emoticons because that little winky face will help you to better understand me. If I wouldn't say to your face, "This is meant in a joking manner", then I sure as sh*t am not going to type it out for you. Figure it out with my emoticons, dammit.

Have a nice day.

:D