Category: health

September 23, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

15 min LiveFit back workout in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.44 miles

Tuesday:

20 min LiveFit chest and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.55 miles
25 min walk at lunch with mom
20 min rest of LiveFit from Monday and Tuesday

Wednesday:

45 min LiveFit legs workout in the AM

Thursday:

25 min LiveFit arms and abs in the AM
30 min run, 2.55 miles
30 min bike ride

Friday:

15 min LiveFit shoulders in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.57 miles
15 min FlashFit workout

Saturday:

60 min LiveFit legs and more of Friday’s shoulders

Sunday:

Rest

I am past the halfway point of the LiveFit Series, baby! Every day since I got to add cardio back into my routine, I’ve beat my past mileage by at least a smidge. It really helps to have that little personal competition to be ~Better Every Day.

Today I feel like junk, so I’m not really that talkative. I was thisclose to leaving work early, but slugged my way through the day and actually got some things done. Can’t quite pinpoint what is wrong, but I’m just not feeling up to snuff.

This past weekend, I went to the Sports and Fitness Expo in Oshkosh and had a great time. I’ll share more about that hopefully tomorrow. I also started training my mom, who gets to be my first personal training guinea pig. I’m so excited about doing this! And I really hope she gets some great results, because she deserves to feel good about that. After that, I worked on a writing project while watching a Big Bang Theory marathon. #BigBangBinge I’ve been challenged to put together a 4-5 page document for my church, so I’ve been giving that some of my undivided attention. Well, sort of…

Sunday was just as busy with church, followed by a Donut Date with my Peanut (yes, I am human!) and then a living room screening of the Great Gatsby. That is one of my very favorite books of all time, so I love anything to do with the Great Gatsby. After that was Bible study and bedtime. Now, I’m dreaming of bedtime again. I just want to curl up and have someone sing Soft Kitty to me. Only my fellow Big Bangers will understand what that means:)

Donut date after-church tradition

September 23, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

15 min LiveFit back workout in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.44 miles

Tuesday:

20 min LiveFit chest and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.55 miles
25 min walk at lunch with mom
20 min rest of LiveFit from Monday and Tuesday

Wednesday:

45 min LiveFit legs workout in the AM

Thursday:

25 min LiveFit arms and abs in the AM
30 min run, 2.55 miles
30 min bike ride

Friday:

15 min LiveFit shoulders in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.57 miles
15 min FlashFit workout

Saturday:

60 min LiveFit legs and more of Friday’s shoulders

Sunday:

Rest

Donut date after-church tradition

September 16, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

30 min LiveFit Series back in the AM
30 min AM run 2.35 miles

Tuesday:

30 min LiveFit chest and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.22 miles
20 min casual walk at lunch with mom

Wednesday:

45 min LiveFit legs in the AM
15 min FlashFit workout at lunch

Thursday:

30 min LiveFit arms and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.4 miles

Friday:

20 min LiveFit shoulders
30 min AM run, 2.45 mi
15 min FlashFit workout at lunch

Saturday:

90 min LiveFit legs, triceps and abs

Sunday:

Rest

On weekday mornings, I only have a set amount of time that I can dedicate to my workouts. When 6:45 rolls around, I have to hit the shower or Peanut will be late for school. That’s my cut-off and there’s no compromising it. So what happens when I hit snooze an extra time and don’t complete a full workout? I save the moves for a day when I have more time or for after work. This happened on Thursday. I didn’t get to my triceps and abs, so I did them on Saturday with legs. It worked out pretty well because my arms weren’t too tired by Saturday. Plus, I had time to spare on some really good stretching and self myofascial release while watching the amazing Veria channel.

I can’t even tell you how sweet it is that I can run again!!! I betcha in heaven, there will be running involved. I feel like myself again, only a bit stronger version of myself since starting the LiveFit series. I play little games with myself, trying to eek out just a little extra mileage every day in my 30 minute runs. I always warm up and cool down for three minutes each, so I try to play with that other 24 minutes. I’m nearly halfway through Phase 2 and can’t wait to see what Phase 3 does to me when HIIT runs and hypertrophy training are involved. I can already notice a difference in my strength level. I was pulling down our garage door a few days ago, and it felt like such a smooth simple move that I even had to stop and make sure nothing was wrong. Ha! Nothing was wrong…with my muscles!

I found a pull-up bar at a local second-hand sporting good store, so I can finally perform a real pull-up. I was modifying my workout at home by just doing extra pull-downs with my stretch tubing. Then, whenever I took Peanut to the park, I would practice pull-ups on the monkey bars. Now I can do the workout properly. The only door frame that the pull-up bar fits around is Peanut’s door though, so I have to wait until he’s awake to eke those bad boys out, one measly pull-up at a time. I’m loving the convenience of the bar though. I’m planning a full post on how to do some of the LiveFit moves at home, since it seems to be a recurring question. You can be really clever and resourceful and do all the moves just fine at home. I’ll show you how soon.

Going strong so far! See you next week.

September 16, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

30 min LiveFit Series back in the AM
30 min AM run 2.35 miles

Tuesday:

30 min LiveFit chest and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.22 miles
20 min casual walk at lunch with mom

Wednesday:

45 min LiveFit legs in the AM
15 min FlashFit workout at lunch

Thursday:

30 min LiveFit arms and abs in the AM
30 min AM run, 2.4 miles

Friday:

20 min LiveFit shoulders
30 min AM run, 2.45 mi
15 min FlashFit workout at lunch

Saturday:

90 min LiveFit legs, triceps and abs

Sunday:

Rest

Going strong so far! See you next week.

September 12, 2013

Free Workout Roundup

Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean offered a challenge today to share five of our feature blog posts. We’re challenged to meet new bloggers, give our favorite bloggers more exposure and increase the feeling of community through this challenge. Hey, I can get on-board with that! And it’s quick enough to whip together on one’s lunch break. In that vein, here are five free workouts from Boun-See that you don’t want to miss:

1. 30-20-10 Printable Running Plan: Scientifically proven to improve race times, this interval running plan is great to mix in your race training plan.

2. FlashFit Workout #1: To challenge my lunch workout buddy and I, I started putting these strength and cardio circuits together to get the most out of our short time at the gym. They feature combo moves that hit all the major muscle groups and cardio bursts to keep the fat-burning furnace on high. I’ve got many more of these put together in a notebook for a class I hope to teach that will eventually migrate here to Boun-See.

3. Broomstick Stretch Workout: A simple broomstick can sometimes give you a better stretch than your body alone.

4. Broomstick Full-Body Workout #1: Likewise, this common household item can also give you great full-body fitness benefits. Throw in 1 minute of cardio between each move and you’ve got yourself a pretty comprehensive training circuit.

5. Broomstick Full-Body Workout #2: Part two of the above. Work every major muscle group from different angles using something as simple as a stick!

Thanks for the challenge, Lindsay! I hope to see some new faces around here and meet some new fitnessistas myself. The blogging community is so inspiring, isn’t it?

My goal this week has been to get some video set up of some of my workouts that I may post on YouTube. I got the wrong cord for my camcorder from Radio Shack, so I’m trying to source the right one on Amazon. After I figure out all the logistics of all this video stuff, I might just start putting together an exercise library. How cool would that be? Sign up for updates from Boun-see in my sidebar so you won’t miss any!

I’ve made all of the images above easily Pin-able, so feel free to share the love. I appreciate it!

September 12, 2013

Free Workout Roundup

1. 30-20-10 Printable Running Plan: Scientifically proven to improve race times, this interval running plan is great to mix in your race training plan.

3. Broomstick Stretch Workout: A simple broomstick can sometimes give you a better stretch than your body alone.

5. Broomstick Full-Body Workout #2: Part two of the above. Work every major muscle group from different angles using something as simple as a stick!

Thanks for the challenge, Lindsay! I hope to see some new faces around here and meet some new fitnessistas myself. The blogging community is so inspiring, isn’t it?

I’ve made all of the images above easily Pin-able, so feel free to share the love. I appreciate it!

September 9, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

40 min LiveFit legs in the AM
25 min incline interval run in the AM

Tuesday:

30 min LiveFit back and biceps in the AM
25 min moderate walk at lunch

Wednesday:

35 min LiveFit chest and triceps in the AM
30 min moderate walk at lunch

Thursday:

40 min LiveFit legs in the AM
30 min moderate walk at lunch

Friday:

30 min LiveFit shoulders and abs in the AM
25 min run at lunch, 2 miles

Saturday:

Active rest (jet skiing)

Sunday:

Rest

I am now 1/3 of the way through the LiveFit series, entering Phase 2. Even though I threw a few runs in during the past four weeks, I am excited to get back into my full-on running habit in Phase 2. I finally get to run 4 days per week! The younger me never thought the older me would be making such a statement, ha. This morning was the first allowable run and it felt great!

Our jet skiing adventure on Saturday worked out my lung muscles more than anything. Hubster is quite the beast on a toy like that, and I swear, the screaming that I did was completely instinctive and unintentional. When you feel like you’re going to flip, you just scream. And I was flipped off three times at lower speeds, so the worry was not unfounded. Oh boys! Peanut was even braver than I was, laughing through the scariest moves. I was just happy to be dropped off at a public sandy beach while the boys went crazy.

Other than that, not much to report this week. I haven’t yet seen the results on the LiveFit plan that I’m sure will come, especially with the addition of cardio again. I have lost a few inches, but the scale seems to be creeping up, which can only mean that I am gaining muscle, and I’m happy about that. I’ll keep you posted!

September 7, 2013

Jillian Michaels Hard Body Review

I was killing some time at a two-story Target in Chicago, waiting for Hubster to pick me up after my NASM workshop. I perused the workout section and was a little hesitant to pick up this video. I have three of Jillian’s videos already, and sometimes they can be a bit repetitive. But it was only $10, so what difference does it really make, right? Plus, Hubster had bought himself something from me for our anniversary, so I decided to buy something for myself from him. Old married people, I tell ya. I put this DVD and Tracy Anderson’s Mat Workout (the only thing related to her that sells for $10!) in my cart. I have to say I’m pretty happy about this purchase, because Jillian really mixes things up in this series.

Let’s break this down:

The video consists of two levels, 45 minutes each.

These were my stats for Level One:

Heart Rate: I averaged 130bpm and stayed inside my target heart rate zone for 21 minutes.

Calories: 527 (based on my body weight, exertion level and heart rate)

Pros:

In each circuit, there are three versions of most of the moves. One model shows the basic move, one model shows the intermediate move, and Jillian sometimes chooses one model to take it up to the advanced level. Given the three levels of the moves within the two levels of the workout, there is plenty of room for growth.
The moves are mostly compound moves, hitting multiple muscle groups at once. For instance, there’s one move where you perform a sumo squat with a calf raise and shoulder press for a total-body hit. You get a really effective workout in a short-ish amount of time because you’re targeting more at once. I never once felt like I wasn’t getting anything out of a move.
Like the back panel states, Jillian finally uses some fresh new moves, even some that I’ve never seen before. Such a relief! This coming from a person who gets bored with workouts quite quickly.
Jillian is always great about giving proper exercise form cues. She stops to point out different aspects of the exercise on her models, which is really helpful especially when working out at home.

Cons:

The only drawback I really saw with this video is the scant amount of stretching at the end of the workout. I would suggest doing quite a few more stretches after these workouts, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds.
I would also be hesitant to suggest this video for beginners. You can modify most of the moves, but it might be a bit too much for someone who is just dipping their foot in the fitness-spiked water. Something like Barefoot Cardio would be a much better option for a beginner.

Bottom line: If the 30 Day Shred feels tough to you, this will feel tougher.

My favorite motivational sentiment from Jillian in this video is her encouragement to dig deep, to think about what you’re doing this all for. She says to think about why you’re here and let that motivate you. It really is important to reflect on that to keep your athletic spirit from waning.

Thanks Hubster for the Anniversary gift. You’re the best:)

Tracy Anderson’s mat workout is up next. I hope to share a post about that too, just as soon as I can.

*This post is based only on my opinions and results. I was in no way compensated for this post, I just thought it was a great DVD to share.

September 3, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown: LiveFit Week 3

Monday:

30 min AM LiveFit Legs

Tuesday:

35 min AM LiveFit Back and Biceps

Wednesday:

40 min AM LiveFit Chest and Triceps

Thursday:

40 min AM LiveFit Legs
30 min casual walk at lunch

Friday:

15 min Tough Mudder boot camp at lunch
40 min LiveFit Shoulders and Abs after work
30 min run after work

Saturday:

1 hr Crossfit class (10 min warmup/cooldown, 12 min WOD)

Sunday:

Does 6 hours of pushing Hubster in a wheelchair through the Milwaukee County Zoo count? I say it does. Holy sweaty!

I tried a CrossFit class for the first time on Saturday. Our new local studio offers free community classes so you can try before you buy. I’ve read a lot about Crossfit, but never actually tried it, and I thought it would be good for a personal trainer like myself to try out. I had a great time! Our instructors were very passionate and knowledgeable about Crossfit and nutrition. By the end of our 14-minute WOD (workout of the day), I was super sweaty, shaking, and exhilarated. My favorite kind of feeling! Seriously, 14 minutes to torched! We did three rounds of the moves, four minutes on and one minute of rest. We did AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 15 kettle bell swings, 10 air squats and 5 burpees, oh my. It was even fun to be able to chalk my hands and write on the floor, all hardcore-like.

Source

I am going strong, beginning week four of the LiveFit Series this week. By today, I am already through legs, back and biceps, with a little off-program running thrown in. I should admit that I don’t do as well with eating on the weekends as I would like. Prepping food for 5 days is quite the chore. Prepping for 7…ugh! Plus, most food doesn’t keep in the fridge for that long. Double plus, it was Labor Day weekend which meant several cookout invitations. I tried to keep it clean, but I did have a slice of cake and a few chips. And my hamburger bun was of the white variety, but what gives anyway, right?

Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow, where I’ll be posting Workout #2 of the Workout Stick series. It’s a full-body workout this time, so get ready to work everything!

August 28, 2013

Maximizing Life

It all started with a book I picked up from the library. Hey, Chalene Johnson wrote a book? Cool. What I thought was a book about fitness turned out to be a book about making every goal in your life you’ve ever wanted to achieve happen. This led to me signing up for Chalene Johnson’s 30-Day Challenge, reading Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog (a reference Chalene uses), reading Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan manifesto, and re-reading The Art of Nonconformity. The universe is trying to tell me something I think.

Out of ~~nowhere~~ everywhere, all these resources starting coming at me and they all seemed to have a common synergy. And they all seemed to pick up on my desire for personal progress. I’m feeding my ambitions with all of these resources and you can too.

Here are some of my favorite FREE resources for maximizing your hours, days, and life; melding your passions with your talents until you’re unstoppable; making your dreams a reality; and being more productive. These are not the new-age-y send-positive-vibes-into-the-universe-type resources either. These are legit, human psychology- and science-backed strategies.

Bubble.us: free thought bubble mind map software. Here’s a peek at my thought bubble. I broke it down by life priority and then by goal within that priority. My biggest priorities are God/Spirituality, Relationships, Health, Environment/Home, Career/Financial, Giving Back, Hobbies and Writing/Blogging. You MUST break down your life by priority in order to figure out where to best spend your time, with intention. If you’re not giving time to the things you value most, you’re not going to feel well-balanced.

List-making apps: Chalene strongly recommends using your smartphone for your daily list-making. I do find that when I make lists, I get more done in a day. I’ve used Astrid before and am currently looking into Evernote, Wunderlist and Remember the Milk. List-making sounds like such an unnecessary habit, but those of us that are most productive know just how magically motivating those lists really are. They perpetuate your goals.

Chris Guillebeau’s A Brief Guide to World Domination. Also check out The Art of Nonconformity from your library if they have it. You do not need to approach life in the conventional way, the way mom and dad taught you. Dare to be different. And if you can travel hack like Chris does, then you’ll be well on your way to every continent on Earth.

Michael Hyatt’s Creating your Personal Life Plan manifesto (see his sidebar). I like the way Michael takes a different approach to charting your future, by starting with your death. Michael also takes a Christian approach to life planning, which I strongly identify with.

O magazine: Finding your Passion. If you like pretty charts and worksheets, you’ll love this, my diligent little worker bees. If you don’t know where to start with any of this, start here. You need to know what your passions are before you can embark on pursuing them.

Self Magazine: Creating a 5-year plan based on your passions, dreams and goals. This isn’t the type of 5-year plan that the black suits ask you about in job interviews. This is the type of 5-year plan that makes you feel all giddy to get started.

Erica House: How to Architect your Own Happiness. Check out the mind map Erica uses. You could do that with Bubbl.us listed above. Just doing concept maps makes me happy:)

The Leap: I found this little gem when I was writing reviews for a local bookstore. The case studies of people in this book that went from ho-hum jobs to giant successes are so motivating, it’s hard to sit still. In the most general terms, Rick Smith talks about finding the overlap between your deepest passions and your best talents. Then, you take baby steps to get there, testing the waters first before you make that leap. No need to live in the poor house while you work on your startup!

You can read them all or read one or two. They all boil down to getting your priorities aligned, making steps each day toward your big life plans, and keeping to-do lists to find your happy. The only caveat to this reading list is that you can spend a whole lot of time reading without actually doing anything. Make sure you’re actually putting your plans into action in some small (or big) way every day. Use these materials to give you momentum while you’re charting your future.

Start today. Figure out what you’re meant to do on this Earth.