This post is going to be quick, because I have a whole lot to do! But, I wanted to stop by and record my workouts for this week! I had a pretty great week, and I hit a new low on the scale! So, I'm going to chalk these workouts up as a success!
Monday- Weights and Step. I decided that I wanted to start changing my weight routine up more often, and I actually have a pretty cool idea for that, which I'll talk about in a later post. Step was a good workout, but once again, it was the same routine. I'm not really sure what the instructor is doing. It was fun the first two times, but now it is just super annoying!
Tuesday- I took Bella for what was supposed to be a 4 mile walk. About a mile in she started slowing down, and wanted to go home. So, we ended up getting about two miles in, including a couple of sprints. That night, I did a 10 minute kickboxing video and a 5 minute Ab video.
Wednesday- I did a new weight routine, which was a lot of fun. Then, I went to step. The instructor was Doretha. I've been to her regular aerobics classes before, and they were wonderful, but this class wasn't as great as a workout as I would have liked. It was a super basic step class. We mainly just did variations of basic and traveling kicks, knees, taps, abductors, calve curls, and glute squeezes. At the end of class, we did about 10 minutes of ab work, which was really good.
Thursday- My friend Tracy told me that she was going to try the kickboxing class for the first time, so I decided to try it with her. Before class, I planned on doing an ab workout. I got done with that really quickly so I did the elliptical for about ten minutes before class. Kickboxing was super intense. It was a great combination of cardio and strength training. I definitely plan to go back next week!
Friday- I'd been pretty sick throughout the week. For a few days, my wisdom teeth hurt super bad, and then Thursday morning I woke up with a wicked sore throat, which carried into Friday. So, I decided to take it easy on Friday. I took some medicine and then Bella and I went on a 1.8 mile walk. Sometimes running makes my throat hurt even when I'm not sick (I'm a mouth breather), so I decided just to walk. When I got back, I did a 10 minute upper body workout and a 10 minute ab workout.
Saturday- I headed to the gym pretty early this morning. I did a 10 minute warm-up on the elliptical (interval), and then I did 30 reps on the triceps extender and the shoulder press machine. I went to step, and once again, it was the same routine. 4 times. It is getting ridiculous. After step, I did Pilates. We used the stability ball. My muscles were still pretty sore from kickboxing, so this class was hard, but effective. I decided to stay for Zumba, just because my favorite instructor was teaching, and I wanted to give Matt, Charlotte, and Colt, some extra family time, because Matt is deploying tomorrow night.
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, so I'm not planning on working out. I want to give my sore muscles a much needed break, before I jump back into things on Monday!
This month, I lost 4 more pounds. My leg muscles are really toned. I don't even have to flex to feel them. None of my clothes fit anymore, and my hair is getting really long again, which isn't health related, but it makes me feel good about myself!
Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The other day I had a "brilliant" idea.
While at the gym, I was trying to think about what kinds of exercise I'd done during the past month. But, it was really hard to remember. Days seem to blur together, and I know I have good routines but I can never remember what worked and what didn't. So, I decided that I'm going to start doing a weekly exercise log on this blog. I think it will help keep me accountable, and when I hit a rut I can look back and see what worked and what didn't. Plus, I think it will help keep me accountable. If I look at my week and realize that I haven't worked out as well as I could, then I will know I need to do better the next week.
So, without further ado, here is my exercise log for the past week:
Saturday 3/16- Step and Pilates. Step was really good, but it was the same routine as the previous Monday, which was kind of disappointing. I wasn't going to do Pilates, but my friend Tracy showed up, so I went just to catch up with her.
Sunday 3/17- I can't remember what I did this day. I know I didn't go to the gym, and there is nothing in my running long, so I know I didn't do that, but I know that I did something. My guess is that I either went for a walk, or that I did aerobics at home.
Monday 3/18- I did my weight routine. (Which I will post at the end of this) And 40 minutes on the elliptical.
Tuesday 3/19- I did my weight routine at home, so I used slightly smaller weights, and I went for a run. The distance was 1.8 miles, but my pants kept trying to fall down, so I had to stop a few times to adjust. It was a pretty sucky run because I was trying to hold my pants and iPod with one hand, and pace myself with my other arm. I also went for a walk with Colt later in the day, we put in about a mile.
Wednesday 3/20- Weight Routine at the gym, and 50 minutes on the elliptical.
Thursday 3/21- 1.8 mile run. It went much better this time. Then, at night I did 25 minutes of aerobics , and a 5 minute ab routine.
Friday 3/22- Charlotte, Colt, Matt, and I went somewhere up North and met up with 2 of Matt's friends. Matt and his friends went rock climbing and Charlotte, Colt and I went on a pretty strenuous 4.3 mile hike, that had over 300 steps. It was rough but it felt good to be outside.
Saturday 3/23- My gym had it's second installment of boot camp in the morning. It was pretty intense this time around. My whole body hurt afterwards, and I ended up with rug burns on both of my knees. Afterwards I decided to stay for Pilates. In the middle of Pilates, I remembered that I had an apple and a Cliff bar in my car, so I decided to stay for Zumba so I could burn off those calories. I decided to start taking snacks to eat after the gym, so that I can give my body the nutrients necessary for healthy cellular regeneration, which starts the moment a workout is finished.
Today 3/24 - I've been understandably sore today, and my wisdom teeth are coming in, which is pretty painful, so I'm going to take it easy today, I might do some aerobics tonight, and maybe an ab workout, but that's about it.
This Week's Strength Training Routine (Changes every 2 weeks):
5 Supersets of Straight Leg Crunches and Bicycles- 20 reps each.
2 Supersets of Standing Obliques and Weighted Obliques (20 lbs)- 20 Reps Each
3 Supersets of Squats and Sumo Squats, 10lbs- 10 Reps Each
3 Supersets of Leg lifts, forward leg circles, backward leg circles, and kickouts. - 10 reps each
2 Supersets of Bridges and Toe Bridges- 10 reps each.
2 Supersets of Bicep curls, triceps curls, vertical wings, horizontal wings, and presses. 10 reps each.
60 reps on the low back machine.
So, that's what I did this week. I would say this is a pretty average week, except that I usually do more step and less elliptical, so hopefully I can get back to that this week!
While at the gym, I was trying to think about what kinds of exercise I'd done during the past month. But, it was really hard to remember. Days seem to blur together, and I know I have good routines but I can never remember what worked and what didn't. So, I decided that I'm going to start doing a weekly exercise log on this blog. I think it will help keep me accountable, and when I hit a rut I can look back and see what worked and what didn't. Plus, I think it will help keep me accountable. If I look at my week and realize that I haven't worked out as well as I could, then I will know I need to do better the next week.
So, without further ado, here is my exercise log for the past week:
Saturday 3/16- Step and Pilates. Step was really good, but it was the same routine as the previous Monday, which was kind of disappointing. I wasn't going to do Pilates, but my friend Tracy showed up, so I went just to catch up with her.
Sunday 3/17- I can't remember what I did this day. I know I didn't go to the gym, and there is nothing in my running long, so I know I didn't do that, but I know that I did something. My guess is that I either went for a walk, or that I did aerobics at home.
Monday 3/18- I did my weight routine. (Which I will post at the end of this) And 40 minutes on the elliptical.
Tuesday 3/19- I did my weight routine at home, so I used slightly smaller weights, and I went for a run. The distance was 1.8 miles, but my pants kept trying to fall down, so I had to stop a few times to adjust. It was a pretty sucky run because I was trying to hold my pants and iPod with one hand, and pace myself with my other arm. I also went for a walk with Colt later in the day, we put in about a mile.
Wednesday 3/20- Weight Routine at the gym, and 50 minutes on the elliptical.
Thursday 3/21- 1.8 mile run. It went much better this time. Then, at night I did 25 minutes of aerobics , and a 5 minute ab routine.
Friday 3/22- Charlotte, Colt, Matt, and I went somewhere up North and met up with 2 of Matt's friends. Matt and his friends went rock climbing and Charlotte, Colt and I went on a pretty strenuous 4.3 mile hike, that had over 300 steps. It was rough but it felt good to be outside.
Saturday 3/23- My gym had it's second installment of boot camp in the morning. It was pretty intense this time around. My whole body hurt afterwards, and I ended up with rug burns on both of my knees. Afterwards I decided to stay for Pilates. In the middle of Pilates, I remembered that I had an apple and a Cliff bar in my car, so I decided to stay for Zumba so I could burn off those calories. I decided to start taking snacks to eat after the gym, so that I can give my body the nutrients necessary for healthy cellular regeneration, which starts the moment a workout is finished.
Today 3/24 - I've been understandably sore today, and my wisdom teeth are coming in, which is pretty painful, so I'm going to take it easy today, I might do some aerobics tonight, and maybe an ab workout, but that's about it.
This Week's Strength Training Routine (Changes every 2 weeks):
5 Supersets of Straight Leg Crunches and Bicycles- 20 reps each.
2 Supersets of Standing Obliques and Weighted Obliques (20 lbs)- 20 Reps Each
3 Supersets of Squats and Sumo Squats, 10lbs- 10 Reps Each
3 Supersets of Leg lifts, forward leg circles, backward leg circles, and kickouts. - 10 reps each
2 Supersets of Bridges and Toe Bridges- 10 reps each.
2 Supersets of Bicep curls, triceps curls, vertical wings, horizontal wings, and presses. 10 reps each.
60 reps on the low back machine.
So, that's what I did this week. I would say this is a pretty average week, except that I usually do more step and less elliptical, so hopefully I can get back to that this week!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Bootcamp, Booze, and a Beach Vacation
After my last post, I continued to be strangely sick for about three days. The worst part, other than constant cold chills, was the total lack of energy. If you've ever spent the day chasing around a ten month old, imagine doing it while simultaneously feeling like you hadn't slept for days.
Obviously, I wan't making it to the gym.
I only missed one workout day. As of now, my schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and all morning Saturday. So, I left early on Saturday, and then skipped Monday.
Although that isn't such a tragedy, I knew I needed to kick it up a notch, especially since shorts/tank tops season is days away.
So, I went to Boot Camp...
More specifically, I went to the Boot Camp class at my gym.
When I got there, a woman in Army PT's (who I would later find out was actually retired military) was putting mats and platforms all around the gym's class area.
A woman next to me was saying that she was going to leave if "Basic Training" got to hard, while simultaneously popping pills (I assume it was Prozac).
The real kicker was right before class was supposed to start, some lady walked right past me and, with a smirk, wished me good luck.
I knew I was in for it.
It was basically a circuit training class. Each station had a specific exercise, and we did each one for a minute. Some of the exercises included jumping jacks, mountain climbers, push-ups, squat-jumps, an army crawl, and a tire obstacle course. In between rounds, we all went to the middle of the circle and did "grass drills", which is basically what you would expect real boot camp to be like. The instructor stood in front of us and yelled out commands, "Situps, Push-ups, roll left, roll right..."
It was exhausting.
At the end of it all, we were rewarded with a set of dog tags that say "I survived Boot Camp at For Women Only March 2013", along with the satisfaction of a workout well done.
By the time I drove home and got a shower, I was already sore. My legs ached from the squats, and my abs weren't having fun either. So, when my friend came over for dinner with a bottle of my favorite wine, I knew it was just what I needed to relax my screaming muscles.
Speaking of wine, one of the changes I've noticed lately, is that I don't have to drink very much at all to really feel it. The first time I noticed, was a couple of months ago at my friend Jessica's birthday dinner. I had one drink (although it was on the stronger side), and I felt like I'd had at least three.
A few months ago, we had a lot of people over for dinner. There was lots of wine. I had three or four glasses (over the course of the night), and just felt really tired. Tonight, I had the same wine, with the same friend, and after two glasses I felt super relaxed and social.
I never really thought about how weight and body fat would impact the effects of alcohol, but I must say, that its a change I'm welcoming with open arms. Drinks are expensive, especially with my friends, so if I can have two and be done, my wallet will be much happier. Plus, now that I'm more in shape, I can spend even more time dancing and having fun!
Which brings me to my last point...
Vacation... it is coming fast.
Last year on vacation, I was super fat. I can't even look at those pictures anymore, because they are all of me standing next to my skinny friends... and I look like something that washed up out of the lake.
My aunt had promised herself the year before that she would lose 50 pounds before she was back at the lake. So, I decided to make the same promise to myself.
At this point, I'm down 46 pounds from last year's vacation, so I think I might change my goal to 75 pounds, just so I have something to continue striving for.
GOTL is just a few months away, and I can't wait to see what kind of progress I can make between now and then!
Obviously, I wan't making it to the gym.
I only missed one workout day. As of now, my schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and all morning Saturday. So, I left early on Saturday, and then skipped Monday.
Although that isn't such a tragedy, I knew I needed to kick it up a notch, especially since shorts/tank tops season is days away.
So, I went to Boot Camp...
More specifically, I went to the Boot Camp class at my gym.
When I got there, a woman in Army PT's (who I would later find out was actually retired military) was putting mats and platforms all around the gym's class area.
A woman next to me was saying that she was going to leave if "Basic Training" got to hard, while simultaneously popping pills (I assume it was Prozac).
The real kicker was right before class was supposed to start, some lady walked right past me and, with a smirk, wished me good luck.
I knew I was in for it.
It was basically a circuit training class. Each station had a specific exercise, and we did each one for a minute. Some of the exercises included jumping jacks, mountain climbers, push-ups, squat-jumps, an army crawl, and a tire obstacle course. In between rounds, we all went to the middle of the circle and did "grass drills", which is basically what you would expect real boot camp to be like. The instructor stood in front of us and yelled out commands, "Situps, Push-ups, roll left, roll right..."
It was exhausting.
At the end of it all, we were rewarded with a set of dog tags that say "I survived Boot Camp at For Women Only March 2013", along with the satisfaction of a workout well done.
By the time I drove home and got a shower, I was already sore. My legs ached from the squats, and my abs weren't having fun either. So, when my friend came over for dinner with a bottle of my favorite wine, I knew it was just what I needed to relax my screaming muscles.
Speaking of wine, one of the changes I've noticed lately, is that I don't have to drink very much at all to really feel it. The first time I noticed, was a couple of months ago at my friend Jessica's birthday dinner. I had one drink (although it was on the stronger side), and I felt like I'd had at least three.
A few months ago, we had a lot of people over for dinner. There was lots of wine. I had three or four glasses (over the course of the night), and just felt really tired. Tonight, I had the same wine, with the same friend, and after two glasses I felt super relaxed and social.
I never really thought about how weight and body fat would impact the effects of alcohol, but I must say, that its a change I'm welcoming with open arms. Drinks are expensive, especially with my friends, so if I can have two and be done, my wallet will be much happier. Plus, now that I'm more in shape, I can spend even more time dancing and having fun!
Which brings me to my last point...
Vacation... it is coming fast.
Last year on vacation, I was super fat. I can't even look at those pictures anymore, because they are all of me standing next to my skinny friends... and I look like something that washed up out of the lake.
My aunt had promised herself the year before that she would lose 50 pounds before she was back at the lake. So, I decided to make the same promise to myself.
At this point, I'm down 46 pounds from last year's vacation, so I think I might change my goal to 75 pounds, just so I have something to continue striving for.
GOTL is just a few months away, and I can't wait to see what kind of progress I can make between now and then!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Guys, I'm sick.
Saturday is always my most important day at the gym. I usually get there around 8:30, and stay until 12:00. I do my weight routine, a step class, a pilates class, and then if I'm really ambitious, I do Zumba. It is just a great time to totally de-stress, and it makes my gym membership totally worth it.
Today, I ended up hitting my snooze button, and sleeping in until 8:15. Even after that, I still felt exhausted, but I was determined to make it to my 9:15 step class one way or another.
On the way to class, I had to stop at Walmart and put some bags in the recycling bin, so I decided to go in and get breakfast. Usually I make a shake and drink it on the way, but the blender was in the dish washer, so that didn't work. So, I picked an apple and a cliff bar and ate during the last 15 minutes to the gym.
Big mistake.
The beginning of class went okay, but about half-way through I started feeling so nauseous. I could feel myself slowing down, and missing steps. I contemplated just leaving, which has never happened before.
I'm sure I looked ridiculous.
But, I powered through the last half hour, but decided to skip the rest of my classes and just head home.
By the time I got home, I felt okay, so Charlotte, Colt, and I went grocery shopping, and had lunch at Noodles and Company. I decided that I probably shouldn't attempt to eat real food before the gym again, but everything seemed to be okay.
By the time we got home, however, I realized I was totally wrong.
For the past few hours, I have felt achy and cold. I have chills, and no appetite (which is super rare). I really just want to crawl into bed and not get out until I feel better.
But, life goes on. I've got to make it work.
To be honest, I'm kind of mad.
I have been treating my body so well the past couple of months. My immune system should be top notch. I've gone through two bags of spinach this week, my Vega One Shake has tons of vitamins, and my water intake has never been higher.
So why am I so dead today?
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