Tag Archive for hiit

Memorial Day Weekend + FitLizzio Experiment Update

Happy Hump Day friends!

This week seems to be flying since most of us had Monday off. It was nice to have a few days without any real responsibilities!

Saturday was spent running errands, working out, and taking Oscar to not one, but TWO different dog parks. He’s one spoiled pup!

boxer dogs

Oscar and his girlfriend Hope.

On Sunday, Charlie joined me for a workout and then we tackled unpacking the rest of our boxes from moving, and getting our apartment a bit more organized. It feels sooooo much nicer now!

Sunday evening, we headed to Charlie’s friends house for a Memorial Day party. He has a few dogs, so we brought Oscar. He had a BLAST running around with the other dogs and picking up people’s scraps of food throughout the night. They had live music in the living room, tons of food, and a good mix of people. We loved the live music, but Oscar was not into it and stuck with us the whole time they were playing.

boxer dogs

Oscar sitting on Charlie’s lap.

Since I’m doing the 21 Day Clutch, my diet is a bit limited. I ate before we went and then ate a hamburger patty with ketchup and mustard while I was there. I waited until I got home to eat the rest of my dinner. (update on the FitLizzio Experiment below).

MONDAY

Monday was technically a day off, but I had a few things on my agenda.

I headed over to an oral surgeon’s office first thing in the morning to have a consultation about getting my wisdom teeth out.(yes, i still have them, hence all the wisdom ;-)). Unfortunately they’ve been bothering me a bit lately, so I’ll be having them removed in about 2 weeks. Eek!!!

After my appointment, I got a quick workout in before training a client at the gym. Once I was done, I headed home to relax with my boys for the rest of the evening.

Fit Lizzio Experiment Day 8

So far the 21 Day Clutch has been going pretty well! I have been sticking to the diet for the most part (had a few minor slip ups), and have stuck to the workout portion 100%. I feel good and am seeing changes, but I do have some initial reactions from my first full week on this.

1. I don’t like this style of working out very much. While the workouts kick my butt, they aren’t “fun” to me like my normal workouts. It’s getting me out of my comfort zone and all, but I definitely DO NOT look forward to them. Oddly enough, I don’t mind the HIIT sessions, but the “lifting” sessions (i use parentheses because it isn’t really lifting. there are some weights involved, but most of it is bodyweight) just aren’t my thing. It’s a LOT of exercises and a LOT of sets and it just gets old quickly. This is why I’m such a big proponent of finding something you like, because I can totally see how hard it would be to stick to this long-term, seeing as I don’t enjoy it very much.

2. The diet is a little too skimpy. I mentioned that I needed to bulk it up a bit for myself, but if someone was doing this without that type of knowledge, I feel it could be a problem. She recommends 1g of Protein per pound of bodyweight, which is fine, but only .5 g of Carbs per pound of bodyweight. For me, that would mean 75g of carbs per day. That is just nowhere near enough. I need at least 150g at a minimum.

3. I do like the HIIT sessions. They last about 25 minutes and go by pretty quickly. I’ll probably incorporate these into my workouts even after the 21 days is over.

Overall, so far I do like this program and I think it’s a good little reset/ass-kicker. However, I’m reallllly excited to get back to my normal heavy lifting. I’ve done a couple of sets of heavy hip thrusts and deadlifts here and there (because I just can’t stay away), but for the most part I haven’t done any heavy lifting. Either way, it’s only 21 days and it’s definitely a good “push” for me to work hard and grind. It’s exactly what I needed right now, so I’m glad I’m doing it.

Hope you all have a great rest of your day!! See you soon!

 

P.S. Rockstar Fitness shirts are done!! WOOHOO!

fitness boot camp

fitness bootcamp Instructor shirts

 

 

20 Minute Sweatfest! {workout inside}

Hey guys!

I’m so glad the weekend is almost here! I’m getting over a little cold, and I want to just chill out and watch movies. Remember the good old days when you were sick and it meant that you were automatically excused of all responsibilities? Oh how I wish that were still the case! As an adult, being sick just means you feel like shit as you go through your normal daily tasks. Boo.

Today I was feeling a bit on the mend and decided to see how a workout would feel. Working out when I’m getting over being sick is a 50/50 risk I take. Sometimes I feel like it kicks me out of the sickness for good….other times it just makes me feel worse. I’m happy to say that I think I’m feeling better after this one! Fingers Crossed.

For this workout, you need a barbell, a kettle bell (or a dumbbell would work too), and a medicine ball. I used a regular 45 lb bar, a 12kg Kettle Bell and a 16 pound medicine ball, but use what works for you.

20 min sweat fest

This workout kicks my butt. I do it once per week for conditioning and it never fails!

After:

IMG_7926That’s my sweaty post-workout bathroom selfie inception photo. What do you ya think?

I’m spending the rest of my day getting a bunch of work done, finding some boxes (oh yeah, we’re moving!), and then going to hopefully relax and get the rest of this sickness OUT of my body.

Have a wonderful day peeps!

Question of the Day:

Do you work out when you’re sick?

 

xo,

Lizzy

HIIT On! and a Thought for Today…

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?

HIIT Workout to Try + Wednesday Things!

Happy Hump Day peeps!!

My day is off to a great start. I got up early and did 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I love starting my days with this. I only do it 1-2 days per week, but I might start doing it more often, as it gets my energy level up for the day. I’ve also had 2 cups of coffee already, so that might also be contributing to my fantastic mood!!! Maybe I found the formula:

20 min. HIIT + 2 Cups of Coffee = HAPPINESS

In case you want to give it a try (coffee not included):

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

In other news, I’ve had a very productive writing morning. espana-med, I work from the office at the gym, but it can be distracting at times. There are 3 other people that work in that office, plus about 5 others that are in and out throughout the day. I think I’ll be working from home more often!

On today’s agenda:

  • Write, write, write! I’ve gotten a few blog posts and e-mails done, and now I’ll be doing more e-mails and more blog posts!
  • Brainstorm some fun Fit Lizzio posts to do next week (survey below!!)
  • Meeting with my awesome work peeps
  • Full Body Workout this evening
  • Stop by CVS to pick up a prescription
  • Take Oscar to the dog park

Update on my New Year’s UN-Resolutions:

If you remember, I decided that in 2015, I was going to care less, stress less, travel more, and live more! So far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

  • I feel much more calm
  • I’m breaking up my day into a workflow that fits me better
  • I’m not letting life stress me out (it’s all small things, right??)
  • I’m planning some more travel!

First up, is a trip to go see my new nephew this weekend! Little Jacob is 2 weeks old tomorrow and I can’t WAIT to snuggle him!! I’ll also be cheering on one of my besties at the Phoenix Rock n’ Roll Marathon this Sunday!!! She invited me to do it with her, but I decided that I’d rather just watch and cheer and eat donuts with her when she’s done. ๐Ÿ™‚

That’s all I’ve got for now. Hope your day is awesome!!

Oscar wanted to take a post-workout selfie. I couldn't say no to this face.

SURVEY (Also posted on my Facebook Page)

I’ll be writing a post next week, but wanted to put the topic in your hands:

A) Best exercises for the booty
B) Why cardio isn’t the answer to fat loss
C) How to Write Your own Workouts

Leave your response in the comments please!

Monday Ramblings + Workouts for the Week

Good morning!

This post is going to be all over the place, so brace yourself!

I’m currently drinking a coffee and recovering from a great HIIT session! As you may know, Mondays are always HIIT days. They tend to be really busy days for me, so I like to get it done in the morning to kick off my day.

This weekend was a mix of fun, stress, and relaxation. My mom is in the hospital, so that definitely put a damper on things. She’s doing okay and will hopefully be going home in the next few days.

I spent Saturday hanging with a good friend and just catching up. I don’t have many close friends in LA (as anyone that’s moved away from home knows, new friends are much different than lifelong friends), so it’s nice to spend time with the few that I do. We also got to hang with the cutest french bulldog in the world, Pudge:

pedgeSeriously…can I keep him?

Saturday evening, Charlie and I got together with some of my co-workers. We had a great time chatting and eating (what’s better than that!). We had grand plans to go see a movie afterwards, but literally spent 20 minutes driving through the parking garage to find a spot. NOT. ONE. SPOT. So we headed home and watched World War Z instead. It basically reminded me of The Walking Dead and Outbreak rolled into one and not nearly as good. Brad Pitt was okay to look at though. ๐Ÿ˜€

World_War_Z_poster

Sunday was pretty uneventful. I dyed my hair, did laundry, and got a bunch of work done. Charlie and I also got a great fully body workout done. (I’ll have some videos up this week!) I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m trying to kill him every time he steps in the gym. I swear I’m not….(but he better be nice!!! ;-))landmine

Breakfast this morning is 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg whites scrambed and 1/3 cup cooked oats with cinnamon and stevia. I’m a creature of habit and basically eat this for breakfast every day. I’m super exciting, you don’t even have to tell me.

I’m working all day and then plan on doing a Chest/Triceps workout after work. You may have noticed that I’ve been doing more split body part days lately. I go through stages. Sometimes I do more full body workouts, or split between upper/lower body workouts, and sometimes I revert to plain old bodybuilding style and do split body parts (like I am now). I still do full body workouts (like this one I did last week, and one I did yesterday), but I do them closer to 1-2 times per week as opposed to 3-4 times.

I know that everybody talks about “confusing the body” and all that jazz (hint…your body doesn’t need to be “confused” to make progress), but for me, I do what feels good. I go through stages and since I’m in this for the long haul (life), I do workouts that make me happy. I truly think that is the key to sticking to fitness. If you don’t like what you’re doing (and I’m convinced there is something for everyone), you’re less likely to stick to it. Personally, I don’t like yoga. So I don’t force myself to do it. Instead, I do other things that I DO like. Of course, I do think that sometimes the things we don’t like are the things that we NEED (like yes, I know I SHOULD do some yoga), so it’s good to incorporate those things from time to time. Long story short:

Find the things you like and do them often. Find the things you don’t like, and do them sometimes.

Anyways, I’ll step off my soap box now. It’s Monday and way too early for that. ๐Ÿ˜€

Here’s my fitness plan for the week:

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + Chest/Triceps

Tuesday: Boxing

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Shoulders + Boxing

Friday: Back/Biceps

Saturday: Full Body (I’m doing workout demos for a trainer’s competition in Santa Monica)

Sunday: Rest

Hope your Monday is off on the right foot!

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite way to workout?

Workouts & New FitFluential Ambassador

Hey Friends!

Hope your week is going well! I’m just over here working away. I love my jobs and what I do, but sometimes I think I’m doing so much that I forget to stop and smell the roses. It’s something I need to work on. I try to be as efficient as possible, which means that stopping to chat with someone for 5 minutes can be a bother. I just need a little more “Wuuusaaaaa” in my life. I’m going to put in the effort!

79ipe1gg1lsluktmz09r_400x400

I’m extremely excited to announce that I’m an official FitFluential Ambassador!!! I got accepted last week while I was at the airport, and basically jumped for joy in the security line. FitFluential is such an amazing company and I’m so glad I get to be a part of it. Stay tuned for some fun posts!

Here’s video of some of the exercises I did during my hotel workout this past weekend. Small gyms don’t scare me! You can always make something up, you just have to get creative sometimes. (And I’m always happy to help you get creative…just ask!)

P.S. You can find more of my videos on my Instagram: @fitlizzio

Workouts for the Week:

Sunday: Hotel Gym Workout

Monday: 20 min. HIIT on the Stairmill (Funny story, I went to set this up and instead of 20 minutes at level 11, I accidentally hit 11 minutes at level 20. It actually took me 5 minutes to realize my mistake. I thought I had gotten really out of shape miraculously and couldn’t figure out why it was so hard haha!)

Tuesday: CrossFit Workout + Boxing

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Legs + Boxing

Friday: Shoulders + Chest

Saturday: Back

I’m going to be in the studio a lot this weekend, which means I won’t really get a weekend. It’s all good, I’ll be doing fun things, but I definitely need to make sure I pay attention to getting enough rest. I am a much more functional and pleasant person to be around when that happens! (Trust me, Charlie can attest LOL)

Have a great rest of your day!

Questions of the Day:

1. Have you ever set up a machine wrong and started wondering if you had gotten completely out of shape or vice versa?

2. Do you stop to smell the roses? Or are you like me and could probably be much better about it?

 

Monday Food Diary + Abs Pic

Another Monday in the books. Glad I got that one out of the way! It was a good, but busy one! (aren’t they always?)

Workouts

On the workout front, I got my 20 minutes of HIIT on the stairmill in + a bouldering session at Rockreation. I got WORKED at Rockreation. I didn’t take many breaks and was completely sweaty by the end….and I was only there for about 35 minutes! Such a fun sport. I’m so glad I was introduced to it years ago and re-introduced since I’ve been back here in LA.

 

Food Diary Monday, 6/24/14

On the food front, I journaled what I ate yesterday for you guys. I’ll be honest, my breakfast isn’t anything to be proud of. I forgot to make breakfast and this was my best option with the time I had.

Breakfast:

Americano w/ Nonfat Milk

Nugo Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

Snack:

Americano w/ Nonfat Milk

Lunch:

Paleo Beef Burger (Ground beef, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, ketchup)

Side of fresh fruit

Snack:

Quest Cookies n Cream Bar

Dinner:

Salmon, Avocado, & Brown Rice Sushi (the perfect ratio of protein, fat, carbs)

Mango Slices

Grapes

I realize that I’m a really weird eater, by the way. I eat a lot of fruit. And could easily eat a bag of grapes in one sitting (and often do). I need to be better about my breakfast and morning snack options (Coffee really doesn’t count! Just a busy morning). It’s helpful to look back at a day and see what I’m missing. I could definitely use some veggies, hello! I’ll double up today at lunch. ๐Ÿ˜‰ (Maybe I’ll even take photos of my food one of these days! Haha…i’ll try…)

Here’s what my abs looked like after dinner last night. I’m going to try to take a few each week to see the changes. I’ll also try to take one in the morning before I’ve eaten or drank anything. The difference is quite large…

photo(2)

I’ll be heading down to ABA this evening for a Boxing class. I love boxing and ABA is definitely is the best sweat in Los Angeles. You don’t leave ANYTHING when you take those classes. It’s awesome.

Trying to get a bunch of work done early in the week so that I can jet out early on Friday and head home to hang with my family. I don’t like the 6 hour drive, but I miss them and want to hang with my cute little nephew, sister, brother, dad, and some friends.

Seriously?! Look at him!!!

Seriously?! Look at him!!!

Questions for the Day:

1. What meal is the hardest for you to stay on track with?

(Mine is breakfast just because I’m always rushing out the door. )

2. Have you ever journaled your food? Did it help you?

 

 

Fitness Plan for the Week 2/17-2/23

Hope you’re all having a lovely morning! If you’re taking a break from work today, I hope you’re not reading this just yet and you’re out enjoying your day! If today is a work-day for you, sit, stay a while, plan your week out with me!!

As you all know, I love to take my Sunday nights to plan out my fitness for the week.

planning

There are a few reasons for this:

1. It lets me know how I need to plan my day (i.e. a Heavy Lift is going to take much longer than a WOD or HIIT)

2. It gives me a focus and gets me excited for the workouts! Mental preparation is important!

3. It gives me a chance to program for the week so that I can fit it all in!

With that said, I’m back into CrossFit this week (took a few weeks off) and I have a feeling I’ll be pretty sore by the end of the week!

Fitness Plan for the Week

Monday: 15 min. HIIT + Heavy Lift + Rock Climb (indoor)

Tuesday: 15 min. HIIT + Metabolic Workout

Wednesday: CrossFit + Rock Climb

Thursday: 15 min. HIIT + Heavy Lift

Friday: 15 min. HIIT + Climb

Saturday: OFF

Sunday: Hike

This is only tentative, and I definitely go by how I feel. If I’m super sore from CrossFit Wednesday, there’s a good chance my heavy lift will get moved to Friday. I listen to my body and there’s no use doing a workoutย just becauseย it’s on the schedule if it doesn’t feel good.

Questions for the day:

What’s on your fitness plan this week? Try anything new this month?

HIIT It!

It’s only Tuesday?! Monday was crazzzzzzy. I feel like I say that every day actually, but it’s true! I wear many, many hats and sometimes I start losing my mind. ๐Ÿ˜€

This cracked me up!

This cracked me up!

Yesterday I hit up the gym for some HIIT action before my climbing action. I had a few questions as to what I do for HIIT. Maybe you’re even wondering, “Lizzy, why do you keep talking about beating people up?!”. Let me dispel….

HIIT is short for High Intensity Interval Training. It sounds just like it is. The intensity is high, and you’re doing intervals. (Thank you Captain Obvious)

The idea behind it is that you are working at 90-100% for, say, a minute or two, and then giving yourself ample rest (walking, jogging, doing nothing for another minute or two before doing it all over again…and again…and againandagainandagain.

Here are some of the reasons I love HIIT:

1. It is anaerobic, which means that your fast-twitch muscles are recruited, engaging strength and speed. I could get extremely technical on this, but I’ll let you do some googling if you’re really curious (or feel free to e-mail me fitlizzio (at) gmail (dot) com). Your body response with anaerobic work is different than that of aerobic work (such as jogging, walking, etc.). In addition, the “after-burn” as they call it can last up to 8 hours after exercises (sometimes more or less depending on how hard your body worked). This means that your metabolic rate (calorie burning furnace that lives inside your body) will be higher long after your workout finishes.

2. My favorite: It’s quick! While it can be much tougher than just jogging steadily for 30 minutes, it is done in about half the time. You can pick and choose how long you want to do it, but if it’s more than 20 minutes, odds are you aren’t working hard enough during your “working” intervals.

3. It makes me feel strong and keeps me focused. While a nice jog makes me feel refreshed, a hard HIIT session makes me feel like a badass. I like feeling like a badass ๐Ÿ™‚

The beauty of HIIT is that it is different for everyone. My “working” interval may be your rest interval and vice versa. The point is to work to YOUR potential, not mine or anyone else’s.

Here’s a HIIT workout I’ve been doing before my workouts a few days per week. This can be done on a treadmill, or outside. It can be done on a bicycle, elliptical machine, or swimming laps too. The point is simple: Work hard for 1-2 minutes, rest 1-2 minutes, and repeat until you’ve completed about 15-20 minutes.

HIIT IT AND QUIT IT (:-o)

Minutes 0-2: Jog at a leisurely pace (for me, this is 6.5-7.0 mph)

Minutes 2-3: Sprint! 90-100% intensity..go go go!!

Minutes 3-4: Either jog or walk, depending on what you want to do. I like to jog for my “rest” intervals, but walking is completely acceptable. It’s your REST so rest as you see fit.

Repeat minutes 2-4 five more times

This workout will be done in 15 minutes, and if you’re truthfully working to your full potential, I guarantee you will be a sweaty mess by the end!

Happy HIITing!

Okay, not this kind of hitting...

Okay, not this kind of hitting…

Do you prefer HIIT or steady-state cardio?

The A.D.D Workout

Is it just me or do other people find that as soon as they step on a treadmill, they suddenly have ADD to an extreme level? I’m not poking fun at anyone that actually has ADD (I am pretty sure I actually do have it), but I know I’m not the only one that feels this way about the revolving sidewalk of death.

Today I had 45 minutes slated on that thing and the patience of a puppy at a dog park. I decided to get creative and have some fun. It tends to keep me from getting bored and pushes me to change things up.

The A.D.D Workout

Give it a try and let me know what you think!