Day 19...Even though today makes day 13!

Just a quick post to check in and see how it's going. Today is day13 of our whole30 (for Renee its day7) and so far things are off to a good start. So let's hear it! What are some of your struggles? Triumphs? What are you finding to be really easy? What are doing okay with living without?

For me, I surprisingly do not have any huge cravings. Sure, I wouldn't mind a homemade paleo chocolate chip cookie but I'm getting by just fine without desserts and sweets. Last night I was chatting with my friend Stephen who also jumped on the whole30 wagon and we talked about what our first meals would be after our 30 days is over. I honestly couldn't think of anything because I feel really good about the way I'm eating lately.

Keep up the good work everyone and be sure to add some comments, especially if you need help!

Day 18...Tall Mountain Dreams and Eating Squeaky Clean

What's up friends?! Long time no update. Well, things are progressing nicely in terms of feeling better about my diet and my balance with exercise. I've gotten back into running 2-3x a week on a regular basis and the ankle is slowly but surely getting stronger. This week has been a light week for me; I was coming off two big weeks of training/class teaching so I took this week to cool the jets while still getting in at least 30 minutes of some form of a workout each day. I can successfully say I've been tracking my calories for about 3 weeks now and I'm feeling good with it. Next month is whole30 month and starting June 1st its nothing but clean eating and the bare essentials. No sugars, dairy, alcohol, and very low to no carbs. I'm oddly looking forward to it but I will admit, I've been letting myself enjoy certain foods this week because of it ;) (Man oh man a Hershey's dark chocolate bar with almonds has never tasted so good!) Any who, along with the whole30 I'm doing, June will be a big month! I'm planning to hike Mt. Washington on the 22nd and I cannot wait! I've been getting some small hikes in every other weekend so I hope I'm prepared when it comes to hike the tallest mountain on the eastern seaboard!

Enough about me, how are y'all doing? Thanks Brittany for commenting on a recent post, I'm glad my rambling and venting is being read! Keep up the hard work you've put in, and if you haven't put in any yet, there's no time like the present! Until next time, let's keep our eyes on the prize and our feet moving!

Day 17: Don't stop, keep tri-ing!

I did a swim workout this morning and I couldn't help but get so psyched for race season! It was just the kick in the head that I needed to get me out of the slump I felt I've been in this week. All of this talk and obsessing I have over weight loss has kept me from losing sight of what I love the most. I'm an active person and I love fitness. There's more to exercise than just burning calories for me and I think I need to remind myself of that. I worry so much about diet that this week I've been in the mentality of "I'm so done with obsessing over every piece of food I eat!" Food needs to fuel my body and I think I need to just buckle down and grasp the concept of eating for me and my lifestyle, indulging every now and then but not getting carried away. A method that worked for me in the past was logging my calories so I do not overdo it on portions and my goal for next week is to try and get back to that. I'll always remember a quote that Brittany said to me one day, "You can't get too crazy or else you'll go crazy." She is 100% right! I obsess so much over how I look that I sometimes do not think about how I feel. After my workout today I felt like I could jump in and compete in a triathlon tomorrow! Basically, I hope after yesterdays post about struggles and road bumps that you find some motivation and inspiration in today's post. Find something that you get psyched about and enjoy it! Whether its swimming, walking, doing zumba, or playing chess, go do it and enjoy it. Keep in mind that health is first but don't obsess so much over body image. I have to remind myself that from time to time. Until  next time y'all, keep moving and keep living. Don't sweat the small stuff and move on from your blunders!

Day 16: Riding the struggle bus...

We've all been there, we've all let loose every now and then; we call them "cheats". We do so good during the week that we allow ourselves those little splurges on the weekends: A chocolate bar here, a margarita there, a handful (or several ) of M&Ms. Next thing you know you're downing bags of chips and polishing off huge helpings of ice cream cake! I fall victim to this almost every Saturday and it's a struggle for me. This past Saturday I was eating trail mix like it was my job! Sure, there are other evils out there but when combined with shots of apple pie schnapps my appetite gets the best of me and I'm devouring the whole bag.

Its frustrating because I undo every good workout and every healthy meal I eat during the week. Its impossible for me to drop any significant amount weight if I keep succumbing to these indulges. All I want is to polish off these pesky 10lbs that have accumulated since last summer. Which brings me to my next struggle: Over exercising. I teach roughly 15-17 classes a week, typically they're for an hour at a time and vary in intensity. On Mondays I'm pretty well back to back so I should consider the 5 classes I do good enough, but yet I still feel the need to get my own personal workout in. I've realized I do not take enough rest time during the week. I usually workout Monday-Saturday and then do nothing on Sunday. I've got to revamp my regimen because at this rate I'll have tendonitis in every ligament in my body! I've decided to take a break from doing insanity workouts and cut myself some slack during the week. On Mondays when I teach 5 classes, that's it! I've also decided to start incorporating more swim time than just once a week. Swimming is a good alternative to heavy impact workouts and I can still amp up the intensity without doing a number on my joints. A goal of mine for the month/upcoming month is to hit the trails and the mountains and get a lot of my exercise from hiking. Last summer I was doing a hike every weekend and I'd say that was ideal for me!

Call this post a vent sesh if you want, but I just wanted to express the struggles I'm going through. What about you guys? Any issues you want to iron out? Or offer up some words of encouragement for me? I don't want to end on a sour note so I'll just say for now to map out some solid weekly goals for yourself and try not to overdo it. Too much of something is never a good thing. Also, lets practice some restraint on the weekends. Obviously, cheats and treats are okay every now and then, but binge sessions usually lead to extra unwanted poundage. Party on party people, but keep it reasonable ;)

Day 15...Something Different!

You're all rocking and rolling and doing great! I figured I'd change things up a bit with the blog and create more of a space to share what we're doing to keep fit and motivate each other. Consider this a community journal with anticipation for me to visit in July! Post your workouts, diet tips, maybe even a fun recipe! I'll still occasionally post workouts for you guys, especially if the demand is high, but for the next few weeks I'll be a little selfish and post about what I'm doing to stay moving!

 If I may share a personal testimony, I'm looking to shed a few extra pesky lbs before I venture to NC. Please note that my goals, workouts, and diet are not meant to be given as advice but just as inspiration and maybe spark ideas for you guys. My diet is primarily paleo and it works for me, but I would never suggest someone dive in and go for it. With that being said, I've found some amazing recipes that I'd like to share sometime that are based off of the paleo style.  Also, my training style works for me but I would never recommend doing 5 hours of exercise a day! (Keep in mind I teach about 17 classes a week). Moral of this testimony, I'm just happy to share with you guys my fitness/health escapades.

Today, I did an Insanity Cardio Recovery workout. It was a little under 40 minutes and was mostly core and balance work to take a break from heavy impact activity. My quads have been tight this week so that workout helped a lot! I also taught an indoor cycle class for 55minutes and worked up a really good sweat. After that I did a sprint interval swim on my lunch break. I made it a goal to get one swim in during the week to help prep me for triathlon season. I won't go too much into my diet because I don't want to be one of those girls who always talks about what they eat, however, I do eat about every 4-5 hours. Most of the time fruits and nuts are snacks, and I have lots and lots of veggies for lunch with some good solid protein (usually its chicken). I'm looking forward to another whole30 in June and I hope you guys are psyched too!

Well, I guess that's it for my rambling today. Feel free to leave lots of comments and lets really try to keep each other moving. Share your goals, your struggles, or maybe your frustrations with diets and we can try to coach each other along. Can't wait to see how this turns out! Until then, keep on rockin' in the free world!

Day 14...Birthday Blast Work Out!

Happy birthday to my awesome brother in law! Without him, my sister Brittany wouldn't be as cool...just kidding! But seriously, I hope you have a great day and I wish I could spend it with you guys. This workout is just for you, have the happiest of birthdays! 

Warm Up: 

4pt squats x 12
Reverse lunges x 16 (8 to each leg)
10 push ups
10 Squat Jumps
Plank for 1 minute

Beast Mode: AMRAP 20 minutes

8 Burpees
Sprint 100m
40 Jumping Jacks
Sprint backwards 100m

Jam Session: 

20 GHD sit ups
5 push ups
15 GHD sit ups
5 push ups
10 GHD sit ups
5 push ups
5 GHD sit ups
5 push ups


Have fun :)

Day 13..."Let's Get Physical, Pysical!"

Hiya kids, how we fairing during these cold winter weeks? Oh wait, didn't y'all just have 65 degree weather last week? Well it's cold up here in Maine so lets stay moving for my sake! We're going to keep things simple and keep it short and sweet. Double AMRAP time.

Warm Up: 1 minute jumping jacks
                 1 minute high knee jog in place
                 1 minute planks
                 1 minute push ups
                 1 minute squats

Boom! Workout time:

As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 10 minutes of 5 burpees, 10 push ups, 15 squats.

THEN!

AMRAP in 10 minutes suicide intervals. One slow, one medium, one fast.

You can decide which AMRAP you want to do first but try to limit your time in between each block of 10 minutes to 2 minutes.

Jam Session: Repeat warm up at a slower pace and replace push ups with GHD sit ups.

Rock on, stay warm, have fun! :) 

Day 12...Holiday Damage Control

Happy ho ho ho to you! Hope y'all  had a good Christmas and you didn't let all that good food get you down. (I know I had the most amazing 5 minutes with a slice of peanut butter pie and did not feel one ounce of guilt!) My sister Brittany said it best when it comes to watching what you eat: "You can't get too crazy or else you'll go crazy." But I'm not here to talk about diet so lets get down to business. Ready for action? Let's hit it. I call this workout: Breakfast. 

Warm Up: Crack the Eggs

10 Fast feet Burpees...
     -Drop and do a burpee
     -Stand up and stay in place running fast feet for a count to 5(1 mississippi...2 mississippi...3 mississippi...you get the idea)
     -Drop and do another burpee
     -Repeat this sequence 10x

Workout: Scramble(You will need a stop watch for this) 

Using the field down the street from you, pretend you're a kid on the playground at recess. Basically, run around the field as fast as you can. Go wherever you want, backwards, forwards, side ways, around the perimeter, suicide style, etc. At the start of a new minute, complete 30 jump squats. Once you've finished, continue to run around. So for 20 minutes, every minute, on the minute: 30 jump squats. If the minute overlaps and you haven't finished your set, guess what? Keep jumping. If you've got a solid 40 seconds to spare, keep running. 

Jam Session: Serve With Toast
Cool the jets after that little free for all with some core work. Double tabata planks. (8minutes total.)

Best served warm...enjoy kids ;)

Day 11...Colder weather, hotter workouts!

We won't let a little rain and chilly air get in the way of our fitness right? Right! This is a picture of me on top of Mt. Katahdin back in September. Couldn't feel my fingers but it was still a great hike, so I hope it motivates you to keep going even when the climate isn't ideal.

So lets get to it, take it to the park y'all! 

Warm Up
Just like we did when I visited, run 5-10 suicides. You gauge how you feel, if 5 or 6 doesn't cut it, keep going. However, if you feel like you're sufficiently warm and you've got some beads of sweat going, maybe 5 or 6 will do the trick.

Workout
3 Tabatas with a 1 minute rest between each one. (Remember, tabatas are 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest.)

Tabata #1-Jump Squats
Tabata #2-Sprints
Tabata #3-Bear Crawls

Jam Session
Raise the roof push ups and GHD sit ups!

(Remember those in track Britt?) 

10 RRPU
20 GHDs

Stay warm and have fun ;)

Day 10: Hail to the Victors...which would be Michigan, of course!

Rah-rah-rah boys and girls! It's football season and of course we're honoring our Sugar Bowl Champions with a workout that even a wolverine would love! Grab your waterbottles, lace up those cleats, and head to a football field! (You can use the UNC field, right?) If not, just make sure you've got a nice span of grass to run around on!

Alright, here's your warm up, channel your inner football player. Lulu-think back to the glory days of track and field. We're training like athletes today kids...

100m of high knees
100m of high skips
100m strides
100m reverse run
50 Jumping Jacks
10 Push ups

Tired yet? Hope  not...

Hail to the Victors Workout

This workout is a double ladder, which means one exercise will ascend while the other will descend.

Sprint 100m
50 Walking Lunges 
Sprint 200m
40 Walking Lunges
Sprint 300m
30 Walking Lunges
Sprint 400m
20 Walking Lunges
Sprint 500m
10 Walking Lunges

Jam Session
Jog 500m
10 Push Ups
Jog 400m
10 Push Ups
Jog 300m
10 Push Ups
Jog 200m
10 Push Ups
Jog 100m
10 Push Ups

Good luck athletes! Get out there, get moving, get strong! GO BLUE!

Day 9: We're back in action!

Its a great summer to be up and moving! So what are you waiting for? Me to post to the blog? Oh yeah, you are waiting for me to post to the blog. Anywho, lets get you going with a workout, shall we? Lately I've been really into interval work, not only does it burn fat but it really gets the job done when you're looking for a good burn. So here we go...

Warm Up

10 Body squats

10 lunges

10 jump squats

10 push ups

Light jog for 5 minutes

Workout

(If you can find a hill, all the better!)

7 Rounds of sprints, either up the hill or for the length of 100m

Before and after each sprint, do 15 jump squats.

Recover for 1 minute before starting the next round. The minute should start after your last jump squat.

Extra Credit

For 10 minutes, do 2 minutes of jogging followed by 2 minutes of walking. Complete this sequence until 10 minutes are up. 

Enjoy!!!!

Day 8: Don't Get Sloppy!

Hey Kids! My apologies for not updating in a while. I hope you're still moving and shaking. Alright, lets not waste anytime and get to the good stuff! You're workout is as follows...

Warm Up: Run 800m

10 Push Ups

Workout: 10 Burpees

20 GHD sit ups

30 Box jumps on a plyo box or bench

40 Squat Jumps

30 Box jumps on a plyo box or bench

20 GHD sit ups

10 Burpees

Jam Session: Run 800m

Plank for :30

This workout is pretty simple and gets the job done. Good luck, have fun, give it hell ;)

Day 7: Revisiting Day 1

My work out for today was one that I posted for the very first post. I titled it "The Sugar Bowl WOD" in honor of Michigan going (and winning) the sugar bowl. However, due to limited equipment I've made changes if your gym isn't equiped with certain amenities. Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

My workout:
4 rounds for time.

15 Jumps on a 24" plyo box
50m sled pull of 105lbs
15 burpees
4 Tire Flips
15 Push Ups

My Workout (Modified)
4 Rounds for time

15 Squat Jumps
500m row on a concept 2 rower
15 burpees
10 Thrusters (select a weight that is fairly heavy)
15 push ups

Not sure what a thruster is? Consult the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCl-Lft8LSQ

Jam On: Run 800m

Day 6: Have You Tabata'd Lately?

What's up kiddos?! Today you're going to do the exact same workout that I did today. Remember how to do a tabata? (20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes) Well today you've got 5 of them in a row! This is actually taken from the crossfit website and it gave me a good kick in the butt so I hope you guys like it too. You'll need a concept 2 rower for this workout and a pull up bar. You can use the smith machine and sub the pull up for a body row if pull ups are too difficult. I've posted a picture of a body row for guidance. All you're doing is pulling your chest up to the bar and then lowering down to the floor keeping a slight bend in the elbows. You can keep the legs extended just as I demonstrated or bend the knees to make it a little easier. There is a 1 minute (and 1 minute only!) of rest in between each tabata. Warm up with a 1 mile run before doing this workout. The order goes as follows:

Row
Rest 1 minute
Squat
Rest 1 minute
Pull Up (or body row)
Rest 1 minute
Push Up
Rest 1 minute
GHD sit up

JAM ON: For my post workout, I did wall climbs with some clean and presses at 55lbs, however, I'm changing yours up a bit. Finish up today's workout with some plank holds. Do 3 sets of planks. First set is for 1 minute. Second set is for 1:30. Third set is for 2 full minutes.

Have fun, work hard, make muscles, and feel good! Steak it UK!

Day 5: Jello.

Hey gang! How are the workouts treating you? The last workout I was unable to post on a count of technology being on the fritz. Needless to say I intended it to be strength based by having you work with different squat postions and using weights. Today, let's hammer in on your endurance, shall we? Do you have access to an indoor track? How about a stop watch? Hopefully you do because you'll need both for this workout. I did this one a while ago and it certainly kicked my butt! I call this workout: Jello.

Warm up: 10 Burpees

Mile Run

(That's it? It sounds so easy! But wait, there's more...)

Using a watch, every 2 minutes stop and do 40 squats and 20 push ups.

(Doesn't sound so easy anymore, does it?)

Post Workout aka "Jam": 10 Burpees

An alternative to this would be to run on a treadmill, but I hate treadmills so I tend to stay away from them. Let me know what you guys think! Have fun! Give it hell! Treat yourself to jello afterwards in honor of the workout.

Day 4: Weekend Workout Warriors

You've successfully made it through the week! Now you're thinking, hey, lets catch a breather and put our legs up. Nope! Even on the weekends we workout :) Lets keep up the good work and bust it out!

Today let's do an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) over a span of 20 minutes. The objective is to get as many rounds in as you can during the 20 minutes. Post the amount of rounds you complete to the comments if you want. If you've got a 20inch bench or box, it will be needed for this workout. If not, tuck jumps will suffice.

21 GHD sit ups
15 Box or Tuck Jumps
9 Push Ups

But wait! There's more....

After the 20 minutes are done, take a quick break. Grab some water and shake it out. Then, move on to a walking plank tabata. A tabata is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes. During those 20 seconds, you should be working hard and pushing all the way through. A walking plank is when you're up on your arms and toes holding a plank position and traveling laterally. Here's a little video I found if you need help (don't do the push up, just focus on the walking plank). Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrWjWSYJ4Vg

Day 3: Squat til You Puke...but not literally.

okay gang, time get those legs working and burning. the objective of this workout is complete 7 rounds as quickly as possbile of: 15 squats, 15 jump squats, 30 walking lunges, 5 burpees, 25m forward run/25m backwards run. take a 1minute rest between each round. good luck!! "somebody call 911, shorty's fire burnin' on the dance floor, whoaaa!"

Day 2: For When You Don't Have a Gym...

This workout is similar to the one we did at the BHS track over the holiday. Hopefully it's not too cold out there in Ann Arbor. You can do this on a track, at a park, around the block...any place where you can run.

Run for 2 minutes
21 Burpees
10 GHD Sit Ups
Run for 2 minutes
15 Burpees
10 GHD Sit Ups
Run for 2 minutes
9 Burpees
10 GHD Sit Ups
Run for 2 minutes
5 Burpess
10 GHD Sit Ups

Work hard!! Try not to take long breaks, and if you need a little encouragement just think of this...

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day 1: For the Kids Out in Michigan

My workout for tomorrow is going to be a little different than the one I have planned for this blog post. The reason for this is because my work out involves equipment that not all fitness centers come equipped with. I'll post my work out just the same in case you do have a 300lb tire and space to flip it ;)

My Workout: 15 Jumps on a 20inch plyo box
50 meter Sled Pulls with 100lbs
15 Burpees
4 Tire Flips
15 Push Ups

4 Rounds, with limited rest.

Main Workout: 15 squat jumps
500m row (on a concept 2 or whatever stationary rower is available)
15 burpees
10 Thrusters ( select a weight that is heavy)
15 push ups

4 rounds, with limited rest. Be sure to keep track of your total time and time for each round.

In case you're not sure what a thruster is, please consult the link below :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCl-Lft8LSQ