SPORTS
Week four of getting fit while social distancing
In week four of my series about getting fit while social distancing, I went back to the wide world of YouTube to see what other channels have to offer.
I settled on another effeminate sounding channel called Popsugar Fitness. Maybe one day I’ll feel confident enough to try workouts from a more macho looking guy who promises me I will get as jacked as him, but I want to steer clear of that for now.
Pop Sugar Fitness is one of the biggest workout channels on Youtube, with more than four million subscribers and more than 570 million total views. A couple of workout videos get released every week, with hundreds dating back nine years.
Popsugar Fitness, as the name implies, seems to mostly cater towards women. While the workout leader could have just been encouraging the two ladies working out with her, she was looking up and addressing the camera right at me when she yelled “Come on ladies.” Also in one workout, the way I was asked to move my hips was a way I had never been asked to try before and am glad I was in the privacy of my own home.
Further research reveals Popsugar to be much more than just a YouTube channel. It is media lifestyle brand all to itself, focusing on catering towards women. While there is some turnover, every video is led by a different fitness personality.
Some I assume work at the channel while others are friends of the channel who drop by to maybe get some exposure or are workout celebrity’s in their own right.
Besides the main person leading the workout, there are usually two women on either side of her.
One demonstrates the easier version of every exercise in the workout while the other does normal version the person leading the workout is doing.
Usually both of these people serve to reinforce how much they are feeling the workout incase you needed to make sure it is not just you and your out of shape self that is feeling the burn.
I again settled on 10 minutes because I needed some comfort in dropping again into the unknown. Despite two weeks of doing exercises at home, I still feel a long way from what I would consider fit.
I had one previous experience with Popsugar Fitness in January. I randomly did a 10 minute workout my first day. While it said it was a standing cardio workout, I have come to learn since then, that for me, the only thing I will be feeling afterwards is soreness from my legs.
With a different workout personality putting out a different type of workout every day, with some workouts ranging from as long as 45 minutes to as short as four, I was not sure what I was going to get in terms of intensity with each workout.
My first one on Saturday was 10 minutes that had words like “standing” (so I would not have to face my shedding rug) and “barre” in the title. The lady leading it was a guest who’s claim to fame was being actress Drew Barrymore’s trainer.
The workout was tough. It was hard. I was not ready. The mentioned hip movements, supposed to work out your core, came in this workout. Despite the name labeling it a mostly core workout you could do standing up, the only thing burning were my legs from the workout and my cheeks from embarrassment at attempting to move my hips in a way I never want them to move again.
I usually have started my weekend workouts in this series being overly cautious and starting light, but this first day seemed like I might be in for a tough four more days. I saw no workouts on the channel with the beginner label or low impact next to it.
Luckily, I found shorter workouts. I found a five minute arm toning workout and a four minute core workout that I did the next two days that were easier only because they were shorter.
I have done a few arm toning workouts now since I own no free weights and want to avoid large quantities of pushups. Wiggling your arms at odd angles for 30 seconds to a minute straight will get them tired and sore, but not in the same way lifting weight will.
I get the feeling these short workouts are meant to be added on the end of some other workouts or are maybe a part of a longer workout that got cut off. Still, I did them on Sunday and Monday and my quota of two easier workouts out of five was met.
The fourth workout was a longer arm and core workout that got me back down on my shedding rug. Surprisingly it was not full of tons of pushup variations.
There was some awkward side planking that had me cursing at the workout leader.
It was not because my arm was hurting, but because the lack of circulation had my forearms falling asleep on me while trying to hold myself up. I guess these were the crux of the second half of the workout because we did a couple sets on each arm.
This was the one workout I did this week that was led by a guy. I am pretty sure he is one of two guys featured on the channel outside of guest instructors.
He happily admitted midway through the workout it was getting too hard for even him and the one women who was supposed to be doing the more advanced version that featured a small amount of weight that I opted not to include at the start.
This did not make me feel any better they were struggling. What are you doing leading a workout this tough without labeling it as such you evil tyrant?
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers again made a come back win against Perrin-Whitt in a high scoring affair that ended early.
The Lady Panthers won 20-10 against the Lady Pirates, winning after six innings due to run-rule.
Saint Jo’s last game had been 12 days earlier against the same Perrin-Whitt team it had also beaten in a high-scoring game 35-20. Another win would secure the Lady Panthers district title.
Saint Jo started off the game well, scoring five runs in the first inning and one more in the top of the second inning to go up 6-0. The Lady Pirates then reeled off nine runs in the bottom of the second inning which usually would change the whole momentum of the game with them up 9-6.
Perrin-Whitt added one more run in the third inning after holding Saint Jo scoreless, which is another rare feat in the team’s history of playing the other. The Lady Pirates led 10-6 and had momentum.
Then the Lady Panthers scored six runs in the fourth inning to take the lead back. Saint Jo’s pitching and defense tightened up to not allow any more runs in the final three innings while the Lady Panthers added four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
It was enough to end the game early by one inning, with Saint Jo winning 20-10.
Symbri Evans and Reagan Wilson each had four RBIs to lead the team while Mercedes Diaz was second with three RBIs. The team finished with 20 hits while drawing nine walks.
Defensively, Saint Jo allowed only seven walks, a good improvement from a lot of games where the total in the double-digits while the Lady Panther defense committed four fielding errors and allowed 15 hits.
The win wrapped up a district title for the team. For the girl’s program, it is the fourth team district title this season, having already secured one in volleyball, basketball and track.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians ended their regular season on a sour note against one of the top teams in the district last week.
The Lady Indians lost to Lindsay 12-2, with the game ending after five innings due to run-rule.
Nocona was coming off of securing its first playoff appearance the previous week, but knew it would be tested against a Lady Knights team they had previously lost to handily in late March. The Lady Indians hoped they could competed better and try to treat the game like a playoff game.
Lindsay led after the first inning 1-0. Nocona came back in the second inning with two runs scored by RBI singles from Ashlynn Brown and Gwyndelyn Forsyth to take the lead 2-1. The Lady Knights tied the game with one run in the same inning to make it 2-2.
Unfortunately, the next three innings belonged to Lindsay. The Lady Knights scored six runs in the third inning to grab momentum. Lindsay then scored three runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth inning to end the game early due to run-rule.
The Lady Knights won 12-2.
Nocona ended with four hits while drawing six walks in the game. Lindsay finished with 11 hits and the Lady Indians committed four fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians picked up wins against Era last week to secure their second straight playoff appearance with one more game to play.
The Indians beat the Hornets 12-5 and by run-rule 10-0 after four and half innings.
Nocona was coming off of a tough series against Muenster, losing both games, playing well in one but not the other.
The Indians knew they had a good chance to beat Era if they played up to their potential and they showed it from the first inning in game one.
Nocona rallied off seven runs in the first inning before the Hornets had even bat to put itself in a good situation to possibly end the game early.
The only downside was the Indians were not able to offensively keep up the pressure. Nocona added one run in the seventh inning, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning.
Era scored four of its five runs in the final inning to put a bit of a sour note on an Indians win that could have finished stronger as Nocona won 12-5.
Miller Jentry led the team with four RBIs while Walker Murphey and Jayce Lehde each drove in two runs. The team had 16 total hits and drew five walks.
On the mound, RJ Walker pitched three innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out seven. The defense committed three fielding errors.
While letting the Hornets off the hook in the first game, Nocona made up for it in game two.
The Indians scored seven runs in one inning again, this time it coming in the second inning. Nocona added three runs the next two innings and shut out Era to secure the win by run-rule after four and half innings. The Indians won 10-0.
Brody Langford and Murphey each drove in two runs each to lead the team. Nocona finished with 10 hits, with four going for extra base hits while Era committed three fielding errors.
On the mound, Walker pitched all five innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out eight and walking two. The defense committed two fielding errors.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers lost a tough game at Perrin-Whitt last week, with most of the damage coming in the sixth and final inning.
The Pirates scored eight runs in the sixth inning to win the game one inning early due to run-rule 16-6.
The Panthers were coming off an uplifting win against Bellevue that saw them come back several times the previous week on the road. Saint Jo had played Perrin-Whitt in late March and had lost both games in close fashion so the Panthers hoped this time would be a different outcome for them.
The Pirates scored four runs in the first two innings before Saint Jo answered with three runs scored in the third inning. Perrin-Whitt added one run in the same inning and three in the fourth inning.
The Panthers cut the lead down to two runs after scoring three more runs in the fifth inning, making the score 8-6 heading into the sixth inning.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo had an inning from hell, allowing eight runs on five singles, a triple, two walks and a hit batter. The final run scored ended the game early.
Perrin-Whitt won 16-6.
Charlie Barclay led the team with two RBIs while Devin Stewart, Trent Gaston, Charlie Evans and Rylan Forrester each drove in one run. Saint Jo finished with eight hits and drew seven walks.
Unfortunately, the Panthers gave up 12 hits and walked seven batters while committing two fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles only played one game last week due to weather concerns later in the week and lost to Perrin-Whitt.
The Pirates won 15-0 after four innings, winning by run-rule in a game the Eagles hopes to forget.
Bellevue had one from Brycen Bancroft and River Trail drew the only walk in a game where not much went right. Eight fielding errors from the Eagles, eight walks issues and six hits added up really fast.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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