Well, howdy! And welcome to our first ever Fit and Fabulous, the linky party that’s all about motivating and keeping each other accountable to be fitter, healthier, and stronger…and looking fab while we do it!

As a Christian, I have zero delusions about God’s caring one way or another about my measurements or the size of my muscles, but I do know that 1 Cor. 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

So, for me, this linky is a public opportunity to be a good steward of my “temple” and hopefully help others do the same, whether or not they share my motivation.

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Top: Walmart, Shorts: Nike/Goodwill, Shoes: Asics Nimbus 12

Here’s my outfit choice for this week’s Fit and Fabulous Move-it Monday. Those who know me well will probably find it an odd one since I’m not usually much of a pink/purple fan, but I guess I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the days when my childhood best friend, Ronda, and I would argue about which color—pink or purple—was going to be the fave of the day. I’m pretty sure I was six.

So, what did I do while wearing this outfit? Two words: tricep pushups.  Oooooh yeah.

So, what’s the big deal with tricep pushups? Well, you know how when you’re practicing your Miss American wave in the mirror (go on, admit it), and that annoying flabby bit on the back of your arm waves back?

Well, I know. *shudder*

Tricep pushups are your surefire bet to banish the jiggle. And they’re really not much different than the ones in the standard pushup tutorial I posted a while back.

Here’s how:

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Start with your wrists under your shoulders, elbows soft.

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Here’s a side-view. Shoulders down, abs tight, neck flat, bottom down.

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Lower your chest toward the ground, sliding your elbows along the sides of your body as you do. The tighter you squeeze your elbows against your sides, the bigger the burn and the better the toning.

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Holding this position for a picture is also a great workout. Ouch!

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Modification #1: It might not look too bad in the pics, but tricep pushups are hardcore. If you go at it and find yourself unable to do more than few correctly, then give this a try. Bring your knees up under your hips, and then proceed with the steps from the standard tricep pushup.

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Modification #2: Slide your knees back a bit farther (you can also anchor your toes into the ground), making sure to brace your abs to support your lower back. Knock out a few knee pushups to get a feel for the move and then determine which option is best for you from there.

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Modification #3: For fitness freaks out there (yeah, I’m a proud card-carrying member of that club), here’s an advanced option. Find something elevated to dig your toes into, and then proceed as usual.

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This balance ball wasn’t ideal since it wasn’t fully aired up (I might have fallen off at least once), but you could also use stairs, a step riser, bleachers, or even a (sturdy) stack of books.

Even though tricep pushups are a fantastic isolation exercise for toning, they’re also fairly easy to get wrong if you’re not careful. Below are some of the most common mistakes to avoid.

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Elbows going out instead of straight back and tight against your sides.

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Are my shoe-laces tied? Now’s not the time to check. Keep your neck nice and level, never letting it fall between your shoulders…or…

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…raising your chin too high.

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Get your fanny out of the air!

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But don’t drop it down too low.

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Make sure your movement is vertical, not horizontal (no rocking forward over your toes).

And that ought to do you for starters. Try it out, and let me know what you think!

And now it’s time to par-tay!

The “Rules:”

1) Link up to your specific Fit and Fabulous post, not just your main page address.

2) Please don’t link-up any giveaways, products, or advertisements for your blog (let your fit and fabulous self be advertisement enough : )).

3) Please include the Fit and Fab button somewhere on your blog so that others can see it and join in the fun.

five days five ways | fit and fabulous

4) If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment telling us about your workout and include a picture (using the “+ image” button on the bottom left) in the DISQUS box.

And that’s it! I can’t wait to see what you did to get your fit on!

8 Comments

  1. i started out light – i’m making myself go up and down the stairs 5 x’s a day. i know its not alot but as someone who doesnt exercise and needs to loose, ahem, two people sizes. its a huge start for me. this linky party thingy is what got me started doing it, thank you!

  2. Hmmm…I “fixed” it, but now that I look at the link, it still looks blurry. I had to log into linky tools to fix it, and the one I deleted looked like the blurry one, but now that I’m on my blog, it looks like it was this one. I can delete this one too, and you can start over? Sorry. : ( Lemme know.

I love hearing from you guys!