• Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Top 10 Posts
  • Train Hard
    • Printables
    • Videos
    • New Move Monday
    • Shed & Share
  • Eat Well
    • Food Tips & Tricks
    • Recipes
  • Live Free
    • Challenges
    • Mindset
    • Spiritual
  • Your Second New Year
  • “Living + Active” Challenge
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Services
    • Coaching
    • Speaking
    • Essential Oils

Clare Smith

Training Body & Soul

“Deck of Cards” Workout

November 25, 2015

I am always looking for fun, creative ways to spice up my personal and group fitness workouts. Using a deck of cards is a great way to do just that! The awesome thing about this is that you just need a timer, a deck of cards and your body! Of course, feel free to add in other equipment if you have it available, but no need to complicate it! If you aren’t a fan of these exercises, then insert some of your other favorites!

The premise is basic: grab a deck of cards, pull out a card and the number on the card is the amount of reps you do, and the suit tells you the exercise!

You can do this one of two ways:

  1. Set a timer and see how many cards you can get through
  2. See how long it takes you to get through the whole deck of cards and beat that every time!

Exercise Explanations:

  1. Travel Push-Ups
  2. Squat Lunge Squat
  3. Star Jumps
  4. Mountain Climbers
  5. Burpees

 

Deck of cards workout: www.claresmith.me

I want to encourage you. If you can get in 15 minutes of workout for the day, then do it!  Maybe you need to split it up and do a morning and afternoon session of 15 minutes–that’s great too! This is a very easy way to “stay in the game” this holiday season!

p.s. There are also smartphone apps you can purchase that will do this for you! (RipDeck, Deck of Cards WOD)

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Fitness, Lower Body, Train Hard, Upper Body 23 Comments

About Clare

Comments

  1. Margarito says

    January 7, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    No matter if some one searches for his necessary thing, so
    he/she wants to be available tha in detail, so that thing is maintained over here.

    Reply
  2. cele mai bune saltele says

    January 9, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to get that “perfect balance” between usability and appearance.
    I must say that you’ve done a great job with this.
    In addition, the blog loads extremely quick for me on Internet explorer.
    Exceptional Blog!

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    January 19, 2016 at 1:08 am

    naturally like your web-site however you have
    to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts.
    A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to tell the reality however I will certainly come again again.

    Reply
  4. utensilios de reposteria en el corte ingles says

    January 26, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    Al presionar cara abajo reiteradamente sobre los trozos de margarina fría u otra
    grasa en un bol con harina, los alambres cuchillas cortan y
    reducen la grasa a porciones mínimas que se mezclan con la harina.

    Reply
  5. Hannah says

    November 11, 2016 at 11:19 am

    I just found this, and I think it’s such a good idea! It sounds like something fun to do with my husband. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. tirebouchon electrique says

    November 30, 2016 at 9:26 am

    Hello to every one, the contents existing at this web page are actually awesome for people
    knowledge, well, keep up the nice work fellows.

    Reply
  7. tondeuse thermique says

    November 30, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    It is in point of fact a great and helpful
    piece of info. I am glad that you simply shared
    this useful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. appareils a fondue classement says

    December 10, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    Hello very cool site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful ..
    I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally?

    I’m glad to find a lot of helpful info right here in the post, we want develop extra strategies on this regard, thank you for
    sharing. . . . . .

    Reply
  9. secondyearofmylife.com says

    December 11, 2016 at 11:12 am

    Wow, wonderful weblog format! How long have you been blogging for?
    you made running a blog look easy. The entire look of your
    web site is magnificent, as neatly as the content!

    Reply
  10. casserole induction says

    December 14, 2016 at 3:12 pm

    I don’t even understand how I stopped up right here,
    but I thought this post was good. I do not recognise who you might be
    however certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger should you aren’t already.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  11. lavapavimenti says

    December 15, 2016 at 11:03 am

    Have you ever considered publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other
    sites? I have a blog centered on the same ideas you discuss and would really like
    to have you share some stories/information. I know my
    viewers would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested,
    feel free to send me an e-mail.

    Reply
  12. Demetria says

    December 16, 2016 at 11:19 pm

    Having read this I thought it was extremely informative.
    I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this short
    article together. I once again find myself personally
    spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.
    But so what, it was still worth it!

    Reply
  13. cepillo electrico says

    December 19, 2016 at 2:41 am

    Awesome! Its genuinely amazing post, I have got much clear idea concerning from this article.

    Reply
  14. litiere pour chat says

    December 26, 2016 at 11:24 am

    What a information of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable knowledge
    about unexpected emotions.

    Reply
  15. desbrozadora barata says

    December 27, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    I just like the helpful info you supply for your articles.
    I will bookmark your blog and test once more right here frequently.
    I am somewhat certain I’ll be told many new stuff proper here!
    Best of luck for the next!

    Reply
  16. machines a pain classement says

    January 10, 2017 at 4:12 am

    Hey There. I found your blog the usage of msn. This is an extremely
    smartly written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and come back
    to learn extra of your helpful info. Thanks for the post.
    I’ll certainly comeback.

    Reply
  17. cea mai buna oala sub presiune says

    January 11, 2017 at 8:26 am

    I’ve been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts
    on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this website.
    Studying this information So i am glad to exhibit that I’ve an incredibly excellent uncanny feeling I discovered just what I
    needed. I so much unquestionably will make certain to do not put out of your mind this web
    site and give it a glance regularly.

    Reply
  18. Marilou says

    January 11, 2017 at 8:39 am

    My family always say that I am wasting my time
    here at web, except I know I am getting familiarity every day
    by reading such good articles.

    Reply
  19. ventilador sin aspas says

    January 15, 2017 at 2:50 am

    Thanks for every other informative blog. Where else may just I get that type of info written in such a perfect manner?
    I have a challenge that I’m just now running on, and I have
    been at the glance out for such info.

    Reply
  20. migliori portabici says

    January 30, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    I got this site from my friend who informed me on the topic of this web site and now this time I am browsing this
    website and reading very informative posts here.

    Reply
  21. mejores altavoces del 2017 says

    February 13, 2017 at 6:45 pm

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on best headset.

    Regards

    Reply
  22. 5tofit says

    August 30, 2017 at 3:28 am

    Shift your weight from both arms to solely your left
    arm and rotate your torso to the fitting utterly.

    Reply
  23. Kathrin says

    March 7, 2019 at 2:39 am

    Hi, constantly i used to check website posts here in the early hours in the dawn, as i like to learn more and
    more.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube

looking for something?

post archives

Instagram

I’ll keep this short because I want you to read I’ll keep this short because I want you to read the poem. We can bring our burdens many places nowadays- friends, Instagram, Facebook, text, to gym, to work, to sleep.. you get the point. But let’s make sure we bring our burdens first to Jesus. After the week.. month.. year.. many of us are having, there’s no better time to do this than now. #sweetunfailingrefuge

(I found this tucked in an old book at my family’s 100 year old farmhouse that we were selling this summer 🤍)
•My house was a mess with everyone being home to •My house was a mess with everyone being home today
• I only had ingredients for one batch of soup
• I don’t drink alcohol on Mondays
• Hubs had the sink totally apart in the middle of a project
• The kids were in and out of our deep conversation

Sometimes the quick stop to say hello turns into a therapy session with dinner and wine. Everything was stacked against me – so I thought- but the mayhem is often beauty and normalcy to the person’s life who is spinning. Sometimes “the plan” goes off track... but it’s not off track in God’s eyes.

Living life knowing that the minutes of your day are not yours but for God to use to encourage and be there for people who are hurting changes everything. It changes who you marry. It changes how you spend your money. It changes what you do with your time. Dinner portions may not be what you planned but God always finds enough to fill those who come to His table to be loved on and heard.

If I know one thing – it’s this. People are hurting right now. Some things are private and some are public. What would it look like if our homes became safe places for people to land? For our hearts to enter in the pain? For our embrace to provide the temporary relief needed? We can be people who talk about bringing the kingdom here on earth or we can be people who do what we can with the little we have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 🤍
I’ve been on a “physical” comeback over the I’ve been on a “physical” comeback over the past few weeks. Between an insane December, Covid recovery, Ohio winters, and the mere fact I don’t have the bounce back that I used to (#thisis40) it’s been a slow go for me to get to feeling where I feel best physically. It’s been discouraging to say the least and I feel like I just turned a corner last week. 

While a lot truly was physical exhaustion, it was more of a mind game I was playing. I had to be my own #hypeman and tell myself to keep chipping away at the goal. I had to tell myself that the only way to the end was through it…no shortcuts. Just time and steady work. I often dismissed the small wins I had because I hadn’t hit the finish line. Well that thinking wasn’t helping me and one day had the “aha”that while I wasn’t yet at the goal, I was BETTER.

Each of us have something in our lives where it’s not what we want. We are on the path to achievement but it sure ain’t there yet. It can be with some of the obvious things such a health or financial goals but I see this often with people regarding relationships. The marriage, friendship, child or community in which we live falls just short of “perfection” and so we just settle instead of putting in consistent, hopeful work, which allows room for the Holy Spirit to work. 

I just want to encourage you to keep chipping away because while things may not be what you want, they can be better. In fact the way we reach what we want is not by snapping our fingers and it magically appearing but by a process or journey which involves ups and downs, straight stretches of boredom, and then finally a renewed energy as you see the end in sight.

What have you given up on achieving because it hasn’t come to fruition in the time you wanted? Remember… things can be BETTER. And that counts for something. 🤍
I was recently telling someone my journey or where I was recently telling someone my journey or where I am today in regards to what I do for a living... the crazy road I’ve travelled over the last 10 years to get me here. It’s changed a lot and if you’ve been here online with me, you have seen it! If you would have asked 18 year old Clare what she saw herself filling her days with at 40 years old, it would be about 5% of what I’m doing. Goodness...none of this was even around when I was 18!

I look back and see all the twists and turns. All these tiny moments and conversations. Many open and closed doors. Things that I thought were just random or not a big deal, but in hindsight, they were a huge deal. I appear to be a very type a “has her stuff together and a plan” type girl but the truth is, I am (was) taking everything day by day.

All I know is that everything I stepped into prepared me for the next thing. Many times I didn’t even know it! But I look back often and am like, “ohhh, God, I see what ya did there!” 

My encouragement to you is this- no matter what age you are- trust the path you are on. Let peace be your guide... not some assumed plan an “expert” or author told you. Sure- be wise with your time. Put in the work with diligence wherever your feet may have you, but be open to the nudges of where to go.

Maybe I’m crazy but living a life of faith in God is one of the most exciting and fulfilling things. I don’t know what He has for me in 5 years let alone 1...and for whatever reason, that thought alone gets me up and helps me live with a holy anticipation. I trust Him.  I live less with resistance to the unexpected now. God is indeed preparing you for what he has prepared for you. What a loving Father!
We all know this but it’s so easy to forget. Rem We all know this but it’s so easy to forget. Remember that seeds are buried and “in the dark” before anything springs forth. Our journeys in life can often feel like that. Do the daily work. Tend your “heart garden.” Time is on your side. And when it’s time...it’s time. 🤍

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬
A few years ago I was the speaker for a women’s A few years ago I was the speaker for a women’s retreat in the Chicago area. I just finished a session & a lady ran up to me asking if she could ask me a few questions. She was early 50’s, striking in appearance… fit & confident. She started telling me that she resonated with my health/fitness message & wanted some encouragement on starting “this late in life”, but as we continued talking, her demeanor changed & tears started to fill her eyes.

She told me that was she was struggling with something that had been weighing on her since she was 18…the decision to have an abortion. The tears were streaming down her face, the clear guilt she carried from it weighing heavy on every part of her beautiful stature. Not many knew about it. Her current husband did not…many friends did not. She felt it was keeping her from this life she saw that was just within reach. The more she sat in silence, the heavier the chains felt. She needed to speak and I watched the tears fall like visible chains.

We chatted a little longer, prayed & hugged, & as I walked away I couldn’t help but think of many women I’ve encountered with this same story but I would’ve never known. Walking through life seemingly fine, yet carrying a deep wound inside, questioning every bit of her worth and ability to make a difference. Heartbreaking. 

If you relate to that woman, I want you to know that you are loved & seen. Your past, as hard as it has been, has formed & shaped you into the woman you are today, & a woman that God greatly desires to use. He wants your broken, fragile heart. He will bind it up and heal it. He will walk with you in the shadows. He will lead you beside still and soul-quenching waters. There may be many words you can attach to your situation but there is one more powerful than all that I want you to keep remembering…RESTORATION. Jesus is renewing and reviving something within you that will bring light to yourself & others.

For the rest of us who may not have this as a part of our story, let’s remember that we are walking amongst those who have & that we are to be healing arms, not ones of judgement & legalism...but ones of compassion & grace. 🤍 DM me if you need prayer!
This came up on my Facebook memories and I just fe This came up on my Facebook memories and I just feel it’s always applicable! There is always something in our lives that if we could just “get our hands on” would work to our favor. We dream about what it would be like if we got that thing/person etc. We think about the 2 tweaks that need to happen for it to occur. We pray about it. Perhaps obsess over it.. sound familiar?

But we also start to resent our current lives. We stop living in what God has fully given us. We live everywhere but the here and now and alongside that dream of yours comes a side dish of anxiety and sadness. So then we get our hands in it, perhaps without God’s “OK” and then we see a mess unfold. We’ve all been there. If only we had waited. 

This is the grind of living in reality. We are pulled from living what is before us into living into a dream we have deep within. Here’s the cool thing. We don’t have to choose.. reality or dream. It’s not an either/or but both/and. We can live fully here while also giving energy to our hopes. The difference is how tightly we hold into those things and how much they get elevated in our hearts.

If you are here this morning I just want to encourage you that you aren’t alone! I truly believe with everything I am, that God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) I believe in His sovereign timing. I believe that the work He started in you (and everyone else in your life) will be completed. (Phil1:6) Keep praying, stay faithful to where you are now, walk in the “peace path” and hold onto Jesus. He will lead you. 🙏🏻
My daughter’s 6th grade class worked this week o My daughter’s 6th grade class worked this week on “words for the year” and this is what she was given to create and talk about. I had to laugh when she brought it home as she explained that we do not always have control over our things in life but we can control how we respond. I was like, girl, can you say that louder for the people in the back?! 👏🏻 

I know many of us have health or financial goals for the New Year regarding self-control but I believe 2 areas we often forget are our emotions and words. There is no better time for us to look introspectively and see if the things we say and do (and “like”) are from a position of wisdom and pause or one of an emotional whirlwind. 💨 

There is no doubt that this is a practiced skill. We have to come to the day knowing that our ability to “control self” will be a challenge but that we can make headway. I love this verse in Proverbs as it gives such a great visual.

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Proverbs 25:28

We are EMPOWERED because we are HIMpowered. We truly can live with self-control because we have the Holy Spirit!
Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube

© 2021 · Clare Smith · Design by Heart & Arrow

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.