Archive for July 31, 2014

Workout Jealousy

It’s Thursday! It’s Thursday! I’m excited because it’s kind of a Friday for me.

I’m heading out of town with my man today to watch him do a seminar at an audio convention. Pretty cool! It’s in Tucson, AZ, which isn’t all that exciting, but it has its perks. Like….EEGEE’S!!!!! If you’ve never had or heard of an EEGEE’s, you should really travel to Tucson. Strawberry Lemonade, I’M COMIN’ FOR YA!

StrawberryThis week has been so strange, guys. I thought it was Monday yesterday. -_- Maybe I need this little trip out of town????

I did a fun Crossfit workout yesterday that I thought I’d share with you. This is to be done with a partner, but you could cut it in half and do it yourself too!

100 Hang Power Cleans – Partner Workout

Rules: Partner 1 does 10 burpees, then as many HPC’s as they can before dropping the bar. Once they drop the bar, the next partner does 10 burpees and as many HPC’s as they can before dropping the bar. You continue going back and forth with this until you and your partner collectively reach 100 HPC’s.

It’s a TOUGH one, but a lot of fun. I was shaking afterwards!

 

Workout Jealousy

We all need rest days. Working out every single day without a rest just isn’t sustainable. (Trust me, I’ve tried it.)

But have you ever been enjoying your rest day, perusing Facebook or Instagram, looked at a photo or workout someone posted…..and felt guilty???? I totally suffer from this sometimes. It’s almost a jealous feeling. I’ll see that someone did a crushing leg workout or a fun hike and think to myself “damn, she’s getting ahead” or “wow, I want to do that workout!”

It’s really silly when I think about it. I KNOW I need the rest days, but I can’t help but feeling a little like I’m getting behind, being lazy, or just flat out missing out on something fun.

Have you ever suffered from workout jealousy?

Do you cave in and go workout or do you stay strong and rest?

Wow, what a weekend! It was a fun one, but like usual, I didn’t relax much. Let’s back up to Friday…

Friday Workout

I planned on doing a track workout after work, but for some STUPID reason, I decided to do a workout at the gym beforehand. I’m honestly not sure what I was thinking, but I really just felt like throwing some weight around and getting in a hard workout.

This is what I ended up doing:

Part 1: Tabata Jump Rope (8 minutes)

Part 2: 5 Rounds – Superset: Barbell Snatch & Jump Squats

Part 3: 15 min. AMRAP of 9 Deadlifts (95lbs), 12 Push-Ups, and 15 Box Jumps (20 in. box).

I ended up making it through 6 rounds.

I really wanted to back out of the track workout, but I was meeting a friend and didn’t want to leave him high and dry. We ended up doing:

4 x 75 meters

4 x 50 meters

4 x 30 meters

Needless to say, my legs were and still are DEAD.

Saturday

Saturday I took a complete “rest” day (duh). I say that because I didn’t work out, but I was running around all day.

Charlie and I started off by grabbing a coffee and then getting breakfast at a little cafe called Blue Plate in Santa Monica. It’s a cute little restaurant, but it’s very cramped. The food was pretty good, but I was ready to get out of there by the time we were done eating.

blueplate

After we finished, I picked up my friends and we got ready to head to a going away party for another friend. She’s moving to London and had all of us bring a dish from another country. We intended to do just that, but somehow we ended up at Aah’s (a costume store), bought Ninja Turtle T-shirts, and decided to bring pizza to the party. Ninja Turtles had their own country, right?!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Lizzy

Teenage Mutant Ninja Lizzy

Yeah okay, not the most logical thinking, but it was fun! There were actual some better photos taken, but my friend hasn’t sent them to me yet. We spent the night eating, drinking (well, they did), and just hanging out. It was a good time, but around 11pm, I became a pumpkin and went home.

Sunday

Sunday, my older brother (who just moved back from Israel), Charlie, and I headed out for a hike to Skull Rock. This is one of my favorite hikes in LA. The rock actually looks like a skull!

Skull Rock on Temescal Ridge Trail in Topanga State ParkThe hike is about a 6 on a scale of 1-10 in difficulty, and the weather was great. I was hoping it would shake out my legs, but MANNNNN I am still soooooo sore. Hoping that wears off by the end of today.

Hangin' with my older brother

Hangin’ with my older brother

I spent the rest of my Sunday working with my good friend and former roommate Jules on a project we’ve been talking about. It’s finally coming to fruition and it’s going to be AWESOME. I’ll be sure to let you guys know when that’s coming…..

Here’s my plan for the rest of the week:

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + Bouldering

Tuesday: Crossfit

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Upper Body

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Full Body

Sunday: Rest

I’ll be traveling Thursday – Sunday, so that part of the schedule might change. I’ll likely be doing quick 15-20 minute workouts from my e-book to get a quick and efficient workout in my hotel room!

Have you ever been SO SORE that you actually considered calling out of work?

I’m not kidding, I want to know if someone has ever done this! LOL

Workouts this Week

Hey guys!

Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’m doing my best to get back to regular blogging, but every time I say that something comes up. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week!

I’ve had a few requests to write out my complete workouts with the weights I use, so I figured this would be the perfect way to get back into blogging! I got some good ones in this week and I think you guys will love them too!

 

REMEMBER: You know your own body. What I do might seem like a lot of weight or maybe it will seem like nothing to you. The point is to challenge YOURSELF. Don’t compete against anyone but you. And as always, please check with a doctor before starting any new workout routine.

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Workouts for the Week of 7/21-7/25

Monday: 20 min. HIIT on the Stair Mill. I put it on the Interval Setting at a Level 10 and just stepped my way to sweat!

Tuesday: LEG DAY. I have been working REALLY hard on squats lately. I go through stages where I will do lots of plyometrics and some heavy lifting and then I’ll switch and do the opposite. Lately I’ve been doing the latter and it’s been fun to see the weights creep up! Here’s what I did:

Back Squats:

5 Sets: 95 x 15, 115 x 10, 125 x 8, 135 x 6

My focus is FORM. I could lift heavier than this, but not go down below parallel. I stop as soon as my form starts slipping….lately 135 has been getting easier to do in full ROM, so I’ll be working on perfecting my 145# squat next!

Barbell Hip Thrusts:

4 Sets: 111 x 15 (warm-up), 161 x 10, 181 x 8, 201 x 6

The heaviest I’ve done is 211 for 6 reps, but that was a few weeks ago. I laid off of hip thrusts for a few weeks (for no good reason), so I’m working back up slowly.

2 Burner Sets: DB Step Ups + Jumping Step Ups

These BURN like crazy (hence the name) but are my favorite leg finisher. You take a pair of dumbbells (I use 15-20 lb DB’s) and do 10 reps of a step up on a medium sized box. Then, on the SAME LEG, drop the weights and do 10 jumping step ups). Repeat on the other side. This sucks and you might hate me for it, but they work!

Wednesday: Upper Body/Full Body

This workout was mostly upper body but incorporated some full body movements as well.

1. 3,2,1 Chin Ups & Push Ups – 3 Sets

You do 3 chin ups, then 3 push ups, then 2 chin up & 2 push ups, then 1 & 1. That is 1 set. Do that 3 times.

2. Superset: Barbell Strict Shoulder Press + Medicine Ball Thrusters (extra shoulder burn!)

I did 3 sets of 55 x 10 for the Shoulder Press and 16lb x 15 reps for the Med. Ball Thrusters.

3. Superset: T-Bar Row & Squat to Hammer Curl

I did 25 x 15 for the T-Bar Row and 20 x 10 for the Squat to Hammer Curl

Thursday: OFF

Friday: I’m going to the track today for a workout with my friend. I’ll post the full workout on Monday for you guys!

My co-workers at Iron Fitness Santa Monica. :-D

My co-workers at Iron Fitness Santa Monica. πŸ˜€

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Whether you’re watching (or attending) the Crossfit Games, drinking and eating something delicious, or just hanging out and watching re-runs….ENJOY YOURSELF! (and maybe throw a workout in there too ;-))

 

The Biggest, Baddest Taco Salad On the Planet

Ohhhh my gosh you guys. I have created the BEST taco salad on the planet. And bonus? It’s healthy too!!!

For some reason the other night, I decided that I wanted a taco salad. I haven’t had one in…..years? And it sounded REALLY GOOD.

I wanted a healthy salad, but didn’t want a flavor bore, so I got be-slimmer.

I present to you, the BIGGEST (like, fo’ real), BADDEST Taco Salad On the Planet

Ingredients: I’m not putting amounts for some of these, as you can just put as much as you want!

-Romaine Lettuce (as much as ya want)

-Shredded Lettuce (as much as ya want)

-Chopped Tomatoes

-Pico De Gallo

-Chopped Bell Peppers & Onions

-3-4 oz. Lean Ground Turkey

-1 Dollop of 0% Fage Greek Yogurt

-1 Dollop of Wholly Guacamole Spicy Salsa

-Optional: 1 oz shredded Mexican Cheese

Directions: Put it all in a BIG ASS BOWL (trust me you’ll need it) and mix it up. Then take a bite of the perfectly texturized salad made from heaven.

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YOU’RE WELCOME!

 

A Weekend from my Weekend

Does anyone else ever feel like that? Like you need a weekend to recover from your weekend? That’s how I feel right now. It was a fun one, but I’m pretty exhausted now! More coffee please…..

Saturday started off with a tough workout with my man. We did snatches, heavy squats, pull ups, and bent over rows. To say it was tough is an understatement. It was a lot of fun though!

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After relaxing for a while, I picked up my friend Tedi and headed to Mother’s Beach for some paddle boarding. I didn’t take any photos because although I’m comfortable on the water, I’m not taking the chance on dropping my phone in the ocean! We saw sea lions, a sailboat tip over, and luckily NO STING RAYS. Apparently there is an abundance of them lately, and I’m proud to say I didn’t get to meet one. It was a really nice day out and the perfect way to cap off my Saturday.

Mother's Beach

Mother’s Beach

On Sunday morning, Charlie suggested we drive up the coast a bit to grab some breakfast. I haven’t done that in a long time, so I was totally game! We ended up eating at Marmalade Cafe in Malibu. The food was pretty good, but it was really noisy in there. Maybe I’m just a 90 year old lady stuck in a 26 year old’s body, but I can’t stand loud restaurants. I like quiet and serenity. Other than that, it was a good experience!

When we finished eating, we decided to drive up the coast a bit more. We stopped in Oxnard (the really bad part of town) and had an interesting experience at a frozen yogurt shop. Needless to say, we didn’t spend much time there. Before we knew it, we were renting Kayaks on Lake Casitas and rowing away!

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We only lasted a bit on the water (we were both SOO sore from the previous day’s workout), and decided to head back home to veg out around 4:30pm.

We spent the rest of the night relaxed on the couch, watching The Killing (our new favorite show!!). It’s soooo good.

Anyways, I’m back at work (even though I’d rather be snoozing) and the week is off to a good start!

Have you ever gone paddle boarding?

More importantly, have you ever encountered a sting ray in real life?!

4th of July Weekend Recap + Video

Oh man….is anyone else having trouble getting back into the swing of things after 4th of July weekend?? I kind of felt like I forgot how to work when I got up this morning. 3 day weekends are awesome, but I think I get why we don’t have them every weekend. I’m still getting things done today…but I’m struggling….

I don’t think this sunburn is helping….

sunburn

More on that later…..

Friday morning Charlie and I hit up Best Buy and decided to buy a new TV. We’ve been totally red-necking it with our TV set up at home and finally bit the bullet with a new Smart TV. We still don’t have cable (and don’t want it) but now we can watch Netflix and Hulu on our TV instead of our laptop. Woohoo for getting with the times!

Afterwards, we headed to the [closed] gym for a workout. Perks of working for a gym I guess. We did heavy deadlifts, heavy squats, and heavy barbell reverse lunges. We were SO SORE all weekend because of it.

We spent the rest of the day hanging by the pool and relaxing….not a bad day if you ask me!

Soooo about that sunburn….Not cool. I completely forgot sunscreen TWO DAYS IN A ROW. I honestly don’t know when I will learn. Guess I’ll just keep trying. When I lived in AZ, I could spend hours in the sun and be fine…..here in Cali? 20 minutes and I’m burnt toast.

On Saturday, I headed to Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey (Marina Del Rehhhh…I took the 4055555 to the 101111…yes we really do that here in SoCal) and did some paddle boarding (and forgot sunscreen). It’s soooooo relaxing and nice to be out on the water. I’m not really sure why I don’t live on a boat and just hang out on the water all day every day. That’s the life, I tell ya. Someday!

Marina Boats

Marina Boats

Since Charlie and I hadn’t really gotten a chance to try out our new TV, we spent the rest of Saturday night watching The Killing marathon style and eating chinese food. Of course, I’m only good for a few episodes of anything before I completely pass out, but I’m loving the show! Have you guys seen it?! It’s suspenseful and unpredictable. Lovin’ it so far.

Sunday morning we had our Iron Member Appreciation BBQ….and once again….I was in a tank top…in direct sunlight. And now, I’m paying for it. Sunburns suck and I need to stop being a dumbass and slather on the sunscreen. Leather skin is never in style.

lizzycharbbq

Marina Boats

Marina Boats

Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July weekend…..here’s my workout plan for the week:

Monday: 20 min. HIIT on Stairmill + Bouldering (done)

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: 20 min. HIIT on Stairmill + Upper Body

Thursday: Bouldering + Full Body Circuit (Crossfit Style)

Friday: Legs

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Full Body Workout

What was the best part of your 4th of July Weekend?

A Fun Survey & 4th of July Plans (Pictures)

Woohoo! Tomorrow is 4th of July….and an extra day off!! I love when holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday. It made this week FLY BY.

I plan on hanging out in the sun, BBQ’n it up, and just plain relaxing. I might try to sneak a workout in tomorrow morning, but other than that…I’m layin’ low!

I thought I’d end the week with a fun survey….since it’s basically Friday anyways. πŸ˜‰

1. What did you eat for breakfast?

Egg whites, cheese, tomatoes, & avocado

2. How much water do you drink a day?

Usually about two medium sized bottles. It’s not enough. I need to drink more. I should start switching to the large bottles and drink two of those.

3. What is your current favorite workout?

Oh man…do I have to pick one? Boxing, bouldering, lifting weights….

2014-04-29 10.21.18-3

4. How many calories do you eat a day?

Usually right around 2,000. Some days less, some days more, but that’s about where it ends up.

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?

FRUIT. I love fruit.

photo 3-2

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?

Lately I’ve been eating Paleo burgers….but usually something with chicken in it. I love chicken.

mexican salad

7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?

LEGS. People at the gym make fun of me and say I only work out my ass. It’s not true…..but I do it a lot!!!

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8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?

Abs. I use them all the time and HATE training them on their own.

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9. What are your β€œbad” food cravings?

Hmmm…I don’t really see food as good or bad to tell the truth. I eat in moderation…..but I would have to say ice cream is usually my “bad” treat.

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

I used to take all kinds of things…but lately…nothing.

11. How often do you eat out?

Too often. Usually once a day….but I have a few healthy spots nearby that I go to. We almost always eat dinner at home, though.

12. Do you eat fast food?

I haven’t in years.

13. Who is your biggest supporter?

Charlie and my family

His and Hers Sunburns

His and Hers Sunburns

14. Do you have a gym membership?

Well yes…3 actually. I work at a gym, so naturally I have a membership there, but I also belong to a Crossfit Gym and a Rock Climbing Gym

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Not enough…..6-8

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16. Do you have a β€œcheat”day?

No. I pretty much eat what I want….it’s usually healthy…but I have a treat here and there when I feel like it.

17. Do you drink alcohol?

Nope..not my thing.

18. Do you have a workout buddy?

Sometimes I work out with friends…but usually I prefer to work out alone. I drag Charlie along when I can. πŸ˜‰

sweaty workout

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?

Umm…EVERYTHING. I don’t think I would be as successful, confident, or happy had I not walked into Lifts way back in 2007. I have also been able to make a career out of fitness, so that’s pretty cool too. πŸ™‚

Perfect Stretch

Perfect Stretch

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Ate a bunch of grapes!! (shocker.)

Oh hey there....;-)

I hope you all have a safe, wonderful 4th of July!!!