Tag Archive for exercise

Day 1

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Today has been great! I got up around 9 and walked to the gym (about 3/4 mile) and began my workout. Today was chest and triceps. Let me just say, narrow pushups are my enemy! They were so tough! After my lift, I hopped on the treadmill for 30 minutes for some incline walking. I started at 10% 3.3mph and worked up to 15% 3.3mph. Afterwards, I jumped into the tail end of a circuit/plyometric class that was going on. It consisted of 1 minute each of:

-Medicine ball squats on a bosu ball

-Jumping jacks with a dumbbell held in front of you

-Exercise ball knee crunches (Start in push up position with your feet on the ball and crunch inwards)

-Battle Ropes

-kettle bell swings

-Step Up Jump offs

It was a good end to my work out!

I can’t believe it’s already 1:30pm. I got some work done at the gym and am at home now…..still doing work. I’ll post later with an update on my food intake!

 

Posted in cardio, Plyometrics, Workout tagged with , , , , ,

Tabata and Running…and then I got all preachy.

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Buenos Tardes amigos!

Today has been somewhat crazy, and the next few will be even more-so! This wedding is really starting to stress me out, and it’s not even mine!

I went to my (almost) final fitting for my dress and finally got shoes for the wedding. I just need to finish up my speech, and the rest should fall into place! I have to go back one more time on Friday because she is making a few slight alterations, but it’s basically ready.

Today’s workout was pretty killer. I was sweating up a storm! I started out on a jog around the neighborhood I’m house sitting in. It is a really nice, overcast day here, so the conditions were great. I set out for 5 miles and was just going to call it a day after that. About 2 miles into the run, I decided that although I was enjoying myself and the time was flying, I wanted to push myself harder. My pace was pretty fast, but I was starting to mentally check out and get my brain set on doing something more intense. I finished up 3 miles and came inside to do a Tabata style workout.

Tabata is a style of training that involves 8 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest. You need an interval timer to do it, but luckily I found this handy tool online. Makes it easy when I just have to listen for a bell!

My tabata exercises included:

-Mountain climbers

-Squats

-Pushups(holy hell.)

-Bicycle Twists

I actually wanted to do more, but I’ve been having some lower back issues the past few days and started to feel it a little bit. I’d rather be smart and do less, than do more and be out for a long period of time!

It’s funny, I think that females, or maybe everyone, tends to work the body parts they don’t like much more than any others. I have ALWAYS worked my legs like crazy, not to mention, I love leg workouts. Combined with all of the cardio activities that I do, my legs have some crazy endurance. The squat rounds really didn’t phase me. Next time I will definitely add weights. The mountain climbers were tough but not terrible, the bicycle twists weren’t so bad, but the push ups? Murderous. I work my upper body A LOT, but it has always been my weak point. If you saw the way my body is made up, it would make total sense. I actually have a decent amount of upper body muscle, but it is all self made. Prior to my working out days, they were stick arms. My lower body is very athletically proportioned. Although I’m carrying around a few extra pounds these days, I have very muscular glutes and hamstrings. My quads are also pretty muscular, but it isn’t as noticeable as the backside.

Random thoughts: I skyped with the man(funny to call him that because he’s about as mature as an 8 year old. But who am I to talk, so am I.) who got me started in the fitness world. He’s currently in New Zealand working on his PhD and we haven’t talked in a few months. We talked about when I first started working out at his gym, and how I’ve changed over the years both physically and mentally, specifically towards my views on strength and conditioning. It’s just still crazy to me that I walked into Lifts almost 4 years ago just thinking I’d start working out a little bit. Little did I know that my entire LIFE would be completely changed. Even though my weight has fluctuated through the years (if I was a yo-yo I’d definitely be a Bumblebee) my perspective on life has constantly been getting better and better. My parents were never big exercisers, other than my mom having a short stint with the gym. It still amazes me that I played sports my entire life, when the other 5 members of my family sat on their ass (my older brother actually was a swimmer/mountain biker but everyone else was a sit-on-their-asser). My grandparents were very active and involved with sports though, so maybe that’s where I got it. My dad started working out about a year and a half ago. Over the last 6 months he has told me that the best gift and greatest lesson I have ever taught him is how much exercise can change your life. He doesn’t realize that him telling me that is one of the greatest gifts I’ve been given by him. It feels good to help someone. Exercise doesn’t just change your body and health, it transforms your mind. There is NOTHING, N.O.T.H.I.N.G in this world that can do for your mind what exercise can do. Yes, one workout gives you endorphins, but long-term continuous exercise makes you believe in yourself, instills confidence in you, and really gives you a drive that you may have never had before. I would assume that the happiest people on the planet are those that exercise regularly, whether that means they live in a walkable city and walk everywhere, or whether they spend hours in the gym, exercise has the ability to change you and bring out the best in you.

Okay, I’ll stop with my preaching, but I just can’t begin to describe how wonderful exercise has been to me. It’s a gift and a privilege to be able to work out as lightly or as fiercely as I want to each day. I am continuously thankful for that, regardless of being 15% body fat or 25%.

Posted in Abs, body image, Running, tabata, Work Hard, Workout tagged with , , , , , ,

Lifting the Dead

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Woah. That’s an inviting title, right?

Before you all run away thinking I’m the spawn of the devil, have no fear, it’s not what you think.(Although some may argue…?)

I’m talking about deadlifting.

By far, my favorite exercise. For one, it targets my favorite muscle groups(glutes and hamstrings), and two, it’s just fun.

The Workout

Today was a really good one. I started with a 20 minute jog on the treadmill to warm up. Then it was weight lifting time!

5 sets of Deadlifts- high reps, 95×15, 95×15, 95×15, 115×12, 115×12

3 sets of Hip Thrusts- 65×12, 65×12, 65×12

3 sets of Reverse Hyper- 10×15, 10×15, 10×15

3 sets of Reverse Lunges-15×12, 15×12, 15×12

2 sets of Quadrupled Hip Extensions using the Reverse Hyper – 40×10,40×10

2 sets of Glute Ham Raises- bwx5, bwx5

My glutes are going to be sore manana methinks!

I finished up the workout with 30 minutes on the stairmill. Speed intervals at Level 8.

Didn’t even break a sweat! (hahaha, right.)

Nutrition

I mentioned that eating has been really great. I’ll give a snap shot of what my days have looked like.

Meal 1: Protein shake and 1/4 cup of oats(more on this later)

Meal 2: Post workout protein shake(just protein powder +water), Ground turkey pita wrap and veggies.

Meal 3: 4 oz. turkey, 1/4 avocado, hot sauce, mas veggies

Meal 4: Usually another protein shake. or sometimes spinach and egg whites. Veggies of course.

Meal 5: Usually one of the meals above.

Meal 6: 1 cup spinach, 1 egg, 5 whites, and more veggies!

So basically I eat a lot of vegetables. 🙂

Here are my thoughts:

The past 2 ish weeks I haven’t been consuming very many complex carbs. Aside from oats/wheat bran in the morning, I haven’t had any other complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc.

I feel incredible. I think that my body likes this way of eating. I am NOT saying that you shouldn’t eat those complex carbs, because they are essential. I am actually going to experiment with brown rice and see how I feel with that in a few meals of the day. Slow digesting carbs like that are really important in helping to build muscle, keep muscle, and for your body to run efficiently. This doesn’t mean I am eating low carb. Veggies contain carbs, and the amount I’m eating still gets me to about 100-150 grams of carbs each day.

Yesterday i ate my usual 1/4 cup of wheat bran with 1/4 cup oats mixture and I was exhausted  afterwards and could feel the carbs. I don’t like that weighed down feeling. This morning i left out the wheat bran and just had the 1/4 cup oats. I felt okay and couldn’t really feel the carbs again.

Basically, I am going to keep experimenting and see what works for me. The only way to be successful is to follow what fits you. For now, this is what fits me, so I will continue to document how I’m feeling, looking, etc.

Anyways, I’ve rambled enough and I’m off to take a spin class with a fellow blogger and my roommate!!

I’m high on life!!! 🙂

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