Tag Archive for arizona

HIIT On! and a Thought for Today…

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Hey from AZ!

I flew in super early yesterday morning and it all just feels like a whirlwind. My first stop was here:

Obvious first stop upon arriving to AZ. COFFEE TIME!!!They make their almond milk fresh here and it is SO SO good. I get my usual stop-acne-meds (americano with steamed almond milk), and it never disappoints. Just wish they had this in Cali!!

I spent most of the day yesterday working, got to see some family and friends, did a leg workout, and then slept like a baby last night. You know when your entire day feels like two days combined? Yeah, it was like that.

IMG_6825

This morning I headed back to the gym to get a quick HIIT session in before I started working for the day.

In case you want to try it, here it is:

HIIT ON Workout

It was pretty brutal for me today, but I could also tell I was extra tired. This brings me to my thought for the day.

Something to Think About:

There are some days that I get in the gym and I’m just ON. The workout is fun, I feel strong, good, and everything just seems to fall into place. Then there are days where I just flat out feel like dog shit. I don’t want to move, everything feels heavier, and it just sucks. I used to beat myself up about it and feel like I was weak or just not trained enough, but luckily these days I’ve found a way past that.

Instead of feeling bad about myself for it, I now just accept what the day will be. Just like this morning, when I feel weak, tired, or just off, I do the best that I can for that day and know that everyday won’t always be like that. I don’t feel bummed out for not being able to do what I did the week before or even a few days before, I just remember that there are days like this and I have to push myself to TODAY’S limits. Reminding myself of that has helped me immensely with the brain game factor of training (which is a biggggggg part of training).

Question for the day:

1. When you have off days, what do you do about it?

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Fitness Weekend! {VIDEOS & PHOTOS}

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Happy Monday!!

I started my morning off with some HIIT today! Starting off my week with fitness definitely helps me get focused. Especially since I was out of town this weekend and totally discombobulated from real life. 🙂

I’m going to get right to this weekend’s shenanigans. It was an amazing weekend with friends and fitness!

Last Thursday night, my friends and I drove out to AZ! One of my friends was running the Rock n Roll Marathon, and since my family is from AZ, we decided to go support her! Instead of writing all about it, I figured I’d like pictures and videos tell the story!

I spent some time with my family..

mattytongue

My dad and my nephew, Matty

Hanging with my little big bro!!!

Me and my littlebig bro, Ben at La Grande Orange

sillymeandben

DRANK GOOD COFFEE….

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Kombucha ON TAP at La Grande Orange…(GAME CHANGER)

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

Shenanigans with friends…

with .
・・・
! !! #26.2 ! powered by plants !! Finished my 3rd marathon with a PR of 4:00:45. -- if I did not have to stop to poo - it would have been 3:55:00 ! Cut 17 minutes off my time from the last race in 2011:) I'm pretty stoked about that! Get your ass up and do something!! If I can run 26.2 miles then you can at least run 1 or 2!! ! Fitness is a lifestyle..join the movement!! Thanks to and for driving my ass to the race from Cali..and supporting me at the finish line!!

Torri set a new marathon PR…and Francesca and I walked a mile to meet her at the finish line..so that counts for something, right?!

Worked out at my favorite gym, Maximum Fitness with the master, Karl

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1...

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1…

Set some new PR’s at Bret’s (i’m pretty sure there is special PR Fairy dust in Bret’s garage….I always hit PR’s when I’m there!)

OH, and I can’t forget the #bootybump! Who needs a chest bump when you can booty bump?!

I had so much fun this weekend, but back to work it is!

Hope everyone had a great weekend themselves!

Question of the Day

1. Have you ever run a marathon or 1/2 marathon?

I did the AZ Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon a few years ago, and have thought about doing another, but right now I’m focused on my lifting.

 

 

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Vacation Help and Random AZ Photos

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It’s that time of the year where the hype of New Year’s is over, spring is upon us (although here in L.A. I’m pretty sure spring is still sprung from last year) and everyone is starting to think about vacations. Is it just me?!

Dana Point circa....2007?

Dana Point circa….2007?

My birthday is on Monday. My birthday was always around Spring Break when I was in school, so maybe that’s why I think of vacations. Who knows! Regardless, I was thinking about where I want to go on my next vacation. I do light traveling throughout the year, but sometime this year, I want to take a REAL vacation. Like, longer than a weekend and not to my hometown. I feel like there are SO many places that I want to go, so it’s been hard to narrow it down. Thoughts so far: Seattle, Cabo San Lucas (been there but want to go back), Alaska, Washington D.C/New York, or Chicago (I have family there). HELP ME PICK  A VACATION SPOT!

Okay, moving on...this week has been a whirlwind. I drove back to L.A. from Phoenix on Tuesday. I was actually making AMAZING time until I hit this

Lovely Los Angeles Traffic

Lovely Los Angeles Traffic

I definitely knew I was home…

Tuesday’s workout at my old stomping grounds was awessssooommmmmeee. I did some heavy squats, push-ups with dumbbells and a rotation, chin-ups, walking lunges with a barbell, kettlebell swings, and snatches. My glutes are definitely feeling the soreness from it! I always like to kick my ass (literally) right before a long car ride. It makes it easier to sit in a car for 6 hours.

Other random pictures from my trip back to AZ

Lux Cafe Central

Lux Cafe Central

Tuesday morning we stopped by Lux Cafe in Phoenix. My dad is always going on about it, so I finally tried it. The verdict? In the words of Chris Farley…It.. was… AWESOME! The coffee was realllly good and the egg white sandwich I got was even better! I devoured it in .9384 seconds as seen below.

Twas an egg sandwich from heaven

Twas an egg sandwich from heaven

It had fire roasted tomatoes, egg whites, and cheese on an english muffin. Best egg sandwich of my life right there. Worst looking photo of my life right there. Balance, people.

We also made a pit stop at See’s candy. My dad’s girlfriend introduced me to their Butterscotch lollipops this weekend. Let’s just say it’s a new addiction. The bright side is that they are only 80 calories and take about 30 minutes to eat just one. Therefore, I deem them the PERFECT treat.

Samples? Yes, please!

Samples? Yes, please!

I’ve been working like crazy since I got back and haven’t had a ton of time to blog, but I AM planning on shooting some videos for the blog in the next week….so I ask you this…

What would you like to see in my fitness videos?

Specific Exercises? Full Workouts? Certain body part focused workouts? How To’s on form?

Let me know in the comments please!!

 

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Workout Plan + Weekend Pics

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Traveling always makes me lose track of the days and times. This weekend, I was in Arizona spending time with my family. I’m here until Tuesday, but I’m feeling like I have no sense of anything! Strange how that is.

Thursday was spent driving, so I took it as a rest day and left it at that. By Friday, I was itching for a workout. I didn’t have much time, so I created my own workout in my dad’s living room.

5 Rounds of: 

-10 Squats

-5 Push Ups

-10 Jump Squats

-15 V-Ups

-10 Jumping Lunges

Afterwards, I did 3 sets of:

-15 Wide Stance Squats (holding my laptop bag filled with cans of beans as a weight!!)

-10 Burpees

This workout took me about 15 or 20 minutes and was the perfect heart rate boost/sweat sesh. You really can get a great workout ANYWHERE!

On Saturday morning, the boyfriend and I headed to the gym for a workout. We did a mixture of Deadlifts, Pull Ups, Glute Kicks on the Reverse Hyper, and DB Military Press. We finished off with a burner using the sled. It was pretty killer and we were both WIPED afterwards.

Workout Plan for the Week: 

Monday: Home Workout (Probably similar to what I did Friday)

Tuesday: Full Body Workout at the gym

Wednesday: CrossFit + Rock Climbing

Thursday: Heavy Lift + Boxing

Friday: 15 min. HIIT + Rock Climbing

Saturday: CrossFit

Sunday: Hike

This is tentative and likely will fluctuate a little bit, but it’s where I’m starting.

And for your viewing pleasure, some photos from the last few days!

AZ Sunrise

AZ Sunrise

 

 

My little bro and I :-)

My little bro and I 🙂

Country Car on a Country Road

Country Car on a Country Road

 

Beautiful Mountain Scenery

Beautiful Mountain Scenery

 

My babe and I in the mountains!

My babe and I in the mountains!

Feeling thankful this weekend for the people in my life. Life is a crazy road and lately it has been testing me, but I’m just taking things one day at a time and making sure I take care of myself. Eating healthy, working out, working hard, and enjoying the moments.

Question of the Day: 

What are you MOST thankful for?

What are some ways you “slow it down” when you’re feeling overwhelmed?