My Fitness Bucket List

Today's blog is courtesy of our trainer, April Crosby.  Check out what is on her "fitness bucket list"!!

Almost everyone has a bucket list, right?  Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, sail around the world, have dinner with [enter a famous person's name]....etc.  Do you have a "fitness" bucket list?  You should!  We all have dreams and aspirations of completing something fantastic, even if it is only fantastic in our own eyes.  I have a fitness bucket list and I would like to share with you 5 of my current list items.  Now remember, this list is not all inclusive and some of you may find these silly or crazy but remember...this is MY list!!

1.  Perform 10 unassisted pull-ups with proper form.
Those of you who know me or see me working out in the gym, know that this is a nemesis of mine.  I am able to do a couple pull-ups but that's it.  I consider myself to be somewhat strong in my upper body, so my big question (to myself) is, "Why can't I do 10 pull-ups?!?!?".  To me it is very frustrating and it is the number one item on my fitness bucket list.  Some day it will happen!!

2.  Do a handstand (without the help of the wall).
Aside from the fact that handstands make my sinuses and head hurt, I love the feel of my upper body strength holding me up during a wall-assisted handstand.  A friend of mine walks on his hands across the room with very little difficulty.  I have to say, I am so jealous.  This may seem like a weird thing to put on a bucket list but, darn it, I want to be able to do that!  I am tired of taking two or three tries, near a wall, to get my feet up and perform a handstand.  Once I'm up there I'm OK...it's just getting to that point that is tough.

3.  Complete a 2nd Tough Mudder event...IN NORMAL WEATHER.
If you live in Kentucky, as do I, and you were around a couple years ago when the Tough Mudder event was held near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, in September, you probably heard at least one or two people talk about that event held on Saturday.  Let me give you a little background in case you aren't familiar with what happened.  It was mid-September and the weather was beautiful...until Saturday, the day of the event.  I think the temperature dropped from the 80s to the 40s overnight.  It was EXTREMELY cold and we had to cover 12+ miles at an ATV park/course.  Let me tell you, jumping in a dumpster of ice water when it's barely 40 degrees is NOT FUN!  I know, I signed up for the race so "suck it up, April", right?  Well I did and I completed the Tough Mudder...body cramping and all!  A lot of participants were carried off on stretchers, not because of the obstacles but because of the extreme temperature.  Needless to say, I WILL do another Tough Mudder but I will choose the climate/state carefully!!

4.  Set a new PR (personal record) in a half-marathon.
I have run 6 half marathons...some good, some not-so-good.  I set a PR on a course here in Kentucky that is beautiful, yet challenging.  Oh, did I mention I never trained for the race AND I signed up for the race the night before when my friend was picking up her race packet??  That was not bragging, OK well maybe a little!  I was so proud of my time that I thought, hmmm, what if I had actually trained for that course??  It will happen because it's on my bucket list.

5.  Improve my back bends in yoga.
I have 3 herniated discs in my low back (check out my previous blog about it HERE) that limits my activity.  Yoga has been a huge help for me but I am still lacking the flexibility in my low back to comfortably perform back bends.  Now, I am not talking about rolling myself into a ball, bending backwards.  Some days, just a little extension in my low back (i.e., back bend) is painful.  So on my bucket list, I want to be able to perform some back bends pain-free.  I will accomplish this one, even if it's only a small back bend, but I am determined to make this happen.

Well, there you have it, 5 of my "Fitness Bucket List" items.  I love checking things off of lists so you can be these will be checked off at some point.  Hopefully at least one of these will be checked off in 2014!  So what's on your bucket list??