And I survived!
Before we hit the WOD, we did some clean & jerk work. I've never done a clean & jerk (or just a clean, for that matter) with any actual weight. I was able to clean & jerk 75 lbs today though! Our coach today told me that I have great potential. I guess when you watch people do things for three years straight, you DO learn something afterall ;)
But, the clean & jerk stuff wore me out a little bit. THEN it was time to hit the WOD.
The WOD:
"Human Centipede"
Rx
For Time
25 Front Squats (95/65)
50 Cal Row
25 OH Squats (95/65)
Scaled
For Time
25 Front Squats (75/45)
50 Cal Row
25 OH Squats (75/45)
Beginner
For Time
25 Front Squats (65/35)
50 Cal Row
25 OH Squats (65/35)
I used the scaled weight (45 lbs.) for the front squats. The row was AWFUL. I was about halfway through my row and other people were DONE.
My cardio is terrible. Just HORRENDOUS. So the row really did me in and I was feeling a little bit woozy. But dammit I was determined to finish!
I got 10 reps into the overhead squat (which I did with just the 25 lb. bar - I've never squatted with weight above my head really) and felt like I just needed to sit for a moment. So I did. Got 5 more done and needed another rest. By this time the 10am class was coming in. Our coach told me to take another 30 seconds and then just get up and try to get 3 more in. I was so damn angry that I was having such a hard time that I got up and did all 10 remaining reps without stopping. GRRR!!!
So in the end, my time was 17:33. Everyone else's was 7 minutes...8 minutes...oh well. I FINISHED! And wow, am I tired now!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
I'm back and you're not going to believe it
I started CrossFit two weeks ago. Last summer I bought a coupon for $50 that entitled me to the 2-week-long Elements class, plus 4 weeks of an unlimited gym membership at CrossFit Bettendorf. It was good for a year. Well...that coupon was about to expire, folks. I figured no time like the present, so, I got signed up for Elements and I just GRADUATED from Elements tonight. This blog post is just going to chronicle what we did for our 6 Elements courses and how I felt about it.
Honestly, this is just a way for me to record everything somewhere...it probably won't be super entertaining for many people.
Night 1 - Tuesday, July 8th, 2014:
I survived. May not be able to raise my arms tomorrow.
21-15-9, 10 minute time cap:
Air squats
Push ups
Kettle bell swings
Honestly, this is just a way for me to record everything somewhere...it probably won't be super entertaining for many people.
Night 1 - Tuesday, July 8th, 2014:
I survived. May not be able to raise my arms tomorrow.
21-15-9, 10 minute time cap:
Air squats
Push ups
Kettle bell swings
I made it through the round of 21. Got 15 air squats in and 14 push ups when time ran out.
Push ups: bad.
It can only get better from here.
Night 2 - Thursday, July 10th, 2014:
Not as bad, but still tough. We talked squats - air, front, back, overhead. Also burpees (aaaaaa!) and butterfly situps.
Workout was 4 rounds of:
6 burpees
8 front squats
10 butterfly situps
6 minute time cap
Got through two full rounds plus 6 burpees in the third round before time was up.
I have new respect for those good at overhead squats. Crossfit athletes make it look easy. I think the back muscles you need to stabilize yourself on the way down are muscles I very rarely use, lol. I'm super excited to keep working on my overhead squat.
Night 3 - Friday, July 11th, 2014:
Fun time tonight - push press, push jerk, box jumps.
Workout was:
AMRAP
8 push press
8 box jump
7 minute time cap
Made it 3.5 rounds but I was being pretty careful on the box jumps - haven't done any since my tendon injury and I just felt like I didn't have the "ups"... Nor have I ever done them after becoming fatigued from a different activity.
I feel good!
Night 4 - Tuesday, July 15th, 2014:
Tonight we talked deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, sumo deadlift high pulls, slam balls, and rowing.
Workout:
12-9-6-3
deadlifts
slam balls
250m row.
I got TWO deadlifts into the round of 3 when time ran out.
That's the CLOSEST I've come to finishing a workout. If I had had 2.5 more minutes, I could have finished. I'll get there some day.
Two more Elements courses and then I get thrown in the pond with the big kids. We only had 7 people tonight - I think there were 11 of us to begin. So either some people are going to the early morning Elements class instead, or, they've dropped out. So now I'm quite literally the worst athlete in my class. Oh well.
I am feeling like a badass and most of the time my lifting only requires minor corrections, if any. I've been watching people do CrossFit movements for so long, and studying what judges look for, that I think it has REALLY helped me.
I have a pair of shorts that I literally could not button on the Saturday before I started CrossFit. I wore them this past Saturday and needed a belt. ONE WEEK of CrossFit did that. I've been eating better too, that can't have hurt ;)
Night 5 - Thursday, July 17th, 2014:
Snatches, snatches, snatches tonight!
Did lots of work with PVC pipe, but at the end of class he let us try with an actual bar. Just the 18 lb. bar. Of course on my first one I got carried away and lost my balance! Eek! Once I adjusted to getting the weight overhead it was fine.
Night 6 - Friday, July 18th, 2014:
I have GRADUATED from Elements class. Tonight we talked about pull-ups, both kipping and strict, and handstand push-ups. Boy was that an eye-opening night. I thought for SURE when we used bands I'd be able to get a pull up. Nope. CLOSE, but nope. I do have a good kip swing though, he said. I just lack the upper body strength to get myself all the way up there.
Handstands, handstand push-ups...wow. Saddest thing I've ever done. My brain sort of short-circuited once I actually got up in a HEADstand...and I had to think real hard about how to get back DOWN, lol. It was the strangest thing. Even as a kid I was not very good at upside down things, so, that will probably be my toughest challenge!
The regular class WOD tonight was something I think I would have enjoyed...
"Jerky Boys"
Rx
5 Min AMRAP
5 Push Press (135/95)
15 Kb Swings (55/35)
Rest 3 Min
5 Min AMRAP
5 Push Jerks (135/95)
30 Double Unders
Modified version is lighter on the weight and 60 single unders instead. I think I could've done that.
I'm signed up for the noon class on Monday. Might be something fun to do over lunch :D
I'll continue to update here with the WODs I do and how I feel about them. I am such a lazy person most of the time but I LOVE CrossFit. Everything people say is true. If you've ever thought about trying it, do it. And push through the first few days. They're hard. Tonight my class only had 6 people. There were originally 16 people signed up for Elements. I am DAMN proud I got through Elements and I'm excited to try new things and "get into the pond" and just keep swimming!!
Push ups: bad.
It can only get better from here.
Night 2 - Thursday, July 10th, 2014:
Not as bad, but still tough. We talked squats - air, front, back, overhead. Also burpees (aaaaaa!) and butterfly situps.
Workout was 4 rounds of:
6 burpees
8 front squats
10 butterfly situps
6 minute time cap
Got through two full rounds plus 6 burpees in the third round before time was up.
I have new respect for those good at overhead squats. Crossfit athletes make it look easy. I think the back muscles you need to stabilize yourself on the way down are muscles I very rarely use, lol. I'm super excited to keep working on my overhead squat.
Night 3 - Friday, July 11th, 2014:
Fun time tonight - push press, push jerk, box jumps.
Workout was:
AMRAP
8 push press
8 box jump
7 minute time cap
Made it 3.5 rounds but I was being pretty careful on the box jumps - haven't done any since my tendon injury and I just felt like I didn't have the "ups"... Nor have I ever done them after becoming fatigued from a different activity.
I feel good!
Night 4 - Tuesday, July 15th, 2014:
Tonight we talked deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, sumo deadlift high pulls, slam balls, and rowing.
Workout:
12-9-6-3
deadlifts
slam balls
250m row.
I got TWO deadlifts into the round of 3 when time ran out.
That's the CLOSEST I've come to finishing a workout. If I had had 2.5 more minutes, I could have finished. I'll get there some day.
Two more Elements courses and then I get thrown in the pond with the big kids. We only had 7 people tonight - I think there were 11 of us to begin. So either some people are going to the early morning Elements class instead, or, they've dropped out. So now I'm quite literally the worst athlete in my class. Oh well.
I am feeling like a badass and most of the time my lifting only requires minor corrections, if any. I've been watching people do CrossFit movements for so long, and studying what judges look for, that I think it has REALLY helped me.
I have a pair of shorts that I literally could not button on the Saturday before I started CrossFit. I wore them this past Saturday and needed a belt. ONE WEEK of CrossFit did that. I've been eating better too, that can't have hurt ;)
Night 5 - Thursday, July 17th, 2014:
Snatches, snatches, snatches tonight!
Did lots of work with PVC pipe, but at the end of class he let us try with an actual bar. Just the 18 lb. bar. Of course on my first one I got carried away and lost my balance! Eek! Once I adjusted to getting the weight overhead it was fine.
Night 6 - Friday, July 18th, 2014:
I have GRADUATED from Elements class. Tonight we talked about pull-ups, both kipping and strict, and handstand push-ups. Boy was that an eye-opening night. I thought for SURE when we used bands I'd be able to get a pull up. Nope. CLOSE, but nope. I do have a good kip swing though, he said. I just lack the upper body strength to get myself all the way up there.
Handstands, handstand push-ups...wow. Saddest thing I've ever done. My brain sort of short-circuited once I actually got up in a HEADstand...and I had to think real hard about how to get back DOWN, lol. It was the strangest thing. Even as a kid I was not very good at upside down things, so, that will probably be my toughest challenge!
The regular class WOD tonight was something I think I would have enjoyed...
"Jerky Boys"
Rx
5 Min AMRAP
5 Push Press (135/95)
15 Kb Swings (55/35)
Rest 3 Min
5 Min AMRAP
5 Push Jerks (135/95)
30 Double Unders
Modified version is lighter on the weight and 60 single unders instead. I think I could've done that.
I'm signed up for the noon class on Monday. Might be something fun to do over lunch :D
I'll continue to update here with the WODs I do and how I feel about them. I am such a lazy person most of the time but I LOVE CrossFit. Everything people say is true. If you've ever thought about trying it, do it. And push through the first few days. They're hard. Tonight my class only had 6 people. There were originally 16 people signed up for Elements. I am DAMN proud I got through Elements and I'm excited to try new things and "get into the pond" and just keep swimming!!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The first part of my journey is coming to a close...
So, I'm almost finished working with my personal trainer. I have two more workouts this week - legs tomorrow, upper body Thursday. Then I have my fitness post-test on Monday the 29th. I'm definitely looking forward to rocking it!
Today was a core workout. I'm definitely going to be feeling this one tomorrow!! He really kicked it up a notch on me, and we sort of mixed core stuff with some cardio. In addition to some crazy long planks, sit-ups, and other stuff, we did oblique crunches, but, in a whole new (to me, anyway!) way.
Normally, if you hear oblique crunches, you think of this:
While I have done crunches like this before, it puts some strain on your neck, no matter how much you DON'T pull on your head. I just don't feel like they do enough to work that area and I end up focusing less on working that area and more on how uncomfortable I am.
What we did today I can't even find a video for, but, my trainer did it in his core workout class. So, I'm going to do my best to describe what to do...
First, find a good wall :) Place your right hand on the wall, and stand an arm's length away (so you can lean sideways on the wall). Lift your LEFT arm straight up, and bring your left leg straight out to the side (about 45 degrees I suppose). Bend your left leg up at the knee, while bringing your left elbow down to meet your knee. Make sure you SQUEEZE everything. Do 10-15 reps and then switch sides! We did 15 reps each side, 3 sets. I'll never lay on the floor to work my obliques ever again.
I'm also finding it SO EASY to stay primal with my eating since I've been working out. I'm not craving sweets and bread like I used to. Part of it is that I'm conscious of what I SHOULD be putting into my body in order to ensure that I'll have a good workout, and part of it is just that I crave meat and veggies instead.
At first I was having some issues - I was not sleeping enough at night, and I was probably low on potassium. One of my upper body workouts was a total mess because I was SO run down. Honestly it was a little bit scary. That day at work I'd just felt like I could collapse into a pile and it would feel SO GOOD. I wasn't SLEEPY, but I was TIRED. It was difficult to pinpoint what was going on, but it was really a combination of not sleeping enough and not getting enough of the right nutrients. I was always making sure to eat protein-rich things after workouts, and I was drinking a lot of water, but, I wasn't doing enough of the other things to help my body.
Since that horrible day, I've worked really hard to sleep a lot, get lots of water, eat potassium-rich things, and eat protein-rich things too. Since then my workouts have all been GREAT.
I'm really sad that my time with my trainer is coming to an end, but, I've learned SO MUCH about myself, and also a ton about working out. SO MANY things to do!
My plan for the next chapter is to continue my workouts on my own (with a short hiatus to get the inside of my nose fixed so it's not so messed up!). I REALLY want to join a CrossFit gym and drink the kool-aid, even though I really already have - my trainer has worked with me on some basics and I'm pretty much obsessed with watching last year's CrossFit Games, and I'm anxiously anticipating the 2013 games. I'm not sure when I'll be able to actually go join up, but, I'll continue to work on basics on my own now that I have a good foundation as far as some of the weightlifting is concerned, so I don't hurt myself!
A big goal of mine is to be able to do some bar work - pull-ups, toes-to-bar, etc. I haven't even tried anything with the bar yet - we're going to shoot for that on Thursday. I need to just hang from it and see if I can do ANYTHING else, lol. So stay tuned for the story on that.
Other plans include getting good at box jumps and burpees. I don't know if anyone is ever "GOOD" at burpees, but, I would like to be comfortable enough doing them that they're just torture, instead of agonizing torture! Seriously, burpees were part of the CrossFit Open workout 13.1 this year, and even those guys (one of whom - Scott Panchik - was dubbed the burpee king last year when he did 161 burpees in 7 minutes in the 12.1 Open workout) struggle with them after a while:
Watching this stuff just gets me all amped up though - at some point I HAVE to set foot into a CrossFit box and do it for real!
Today was a core workout. I'm definitely going to be feeling this one tomorrow!! He really kicked it up a notch on me, and we sort of mixed core stuff with some cardio. In addition to some crazy long planks, sit-ups, and other stuff, we did oblique crunches, but, in a whole new (to me, anyway!) way.
Normally, if you hear oblique crunches, you think of this:
While I have done crunches like this before, it puts some strain on your neck, no matter how much you DON'T pull on your head. I just don't feel like they do enough to work that area and I end up focusing less on working that area and more on how uncomfortable I am.
What we did today I can't even find a video for, but, my trainer did it in his core workout class. So, I'm going to do my best to describe what to do...
First, find a good wall :) Place your right hand on the wall, and stand an arm's length away (so you can lean sideways on the wall). Lift your LEFT arm straight up, and bring your left leg straight out to the side (about 45 degrees I suppose). Bend your left leg up at the knee, while bringing your left elbow down to meet your knee. Make sure you SQUEEZE everything. Do 10-15 reps and then switch sides! We did 15 reps each side, 3 sets. I'll never lay on the floor to work my obliques ever again.
I'm also finding it SO EASY to stay primal with my eating since I've been working out. I'm not craving sweets and bread like I used to. Part of it is that I'm conscious of what I SHOULD be putting into my body in order to ensure that I'll have a good workout, and part of it is just that I crave meat and veggies instead.
At first I was having some issues - I was not sleeping enough at night, and I was probably low on potassium. One of my upper body workouts was a total mess because I was SO run down. Honestly it was a little bit scary. That day at work I'd just felt like I could collapse into a pile and it would feel SO GOOD. I wasn't SLEEPY, but I was TIRED. It was difficult to pinpoint what was going on, but it was really a combination of not sleeping enough and not getting enough of the right nutrients. I was always making sure to eat protein-rich things after workouts, and I was drinking a lot of water, but, I wasn't doing enough of the other things to help my body.
Since that horrible day, I've worked really hard to sleep a lot, get lots of water, eat potassium-rich things, and eat protein-rich things too. Since then my workouts have all been GREAT.
I'm really sad that my time with my trainer is coming to an end, but, I've learned SO MUCH about myself, and also a ton about working out. SO MANY things to do!
My plan for the next chapter is to continue my workouts on my own (with a short hiatus to get the inside of my nose fixed so it's not so messed up!). I REALLY want to join a CrossFit gym and drink the kool-aid, even though I really already have - my trainer has worked with me on some basics and I'm pretty much obsessed with watching last year's CrossFit Games, and I'm anxiously anticipating the 2013 games. I'm not sure when I'll be able to actually go join up, but, I'll continue to work on basics on my own now that I have a good foundation as far as some of the weightlifting is concerned, so I don't hurt myself!
A big goal of mine is to be able to do some bar work - pull-ups, toes-to-bar, etc. I haven't even tried anything with the bar yet - we're going to shoot for that on Thursday. I need to just hang from it and see if I can do ANYTHING else, lol. So stay tuned for the story on that.
Other plans include getting good at box jumps and burpees. I don't know if anyone is ever "GOOD" at burpees, but, I would like to be comfortable enough doing them that they're just torture, instead of agonizing torture! Seriously, burpees were part of the CrossFit Open workout 13.1 this year, and even those guys (one of whom - Scott Panchik - was dubbed the burpee king last year when he did 161 burpees in 7 minutes in the 12.1 Open workout) struggle with them after a while:
Watching this stuff just gets me all amped up though - at some point I HAVE to set foot into a CrossFit box and do it for real!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Workout 4 - Cardio & Core Work/Pilates
Today's workout was a little bit of a mishmash of cardio stuff and some additional core work and some Pilates stuff.
I did a nice 5 minute warm up on the treadmill, followed by just a few high knees, butt kicks, and walking lunges.
Then, I hit the treadmill again for about 20 minutes at a higher speed to get my heart rate into the optimal range for cardiovascular health (my range is 120-145 bpm). At first just the speed wasn't doing it, but, after we added a bit of an incline, we got my heart rate up a little bit higher.
After that we did a little bit of core work again...
First I did Supermans again, but, I didn't hold them for long - I did repetitions instead.
Then I did some bridges. It was kind of amusing - he told me "okay now I'm going to have you do some bridges..." and, having taken tumbling as a kid, to me, bridges means these:
THANKFULLY, that's totally NOT what he meant. He meant these:
Which I can TOTALLY handle! So I did a few sets of those.
Then he had me do what is called the Pilates Roll Up. Here's a nice video that shows you how it goes:
http://youtu.be/I1pWz27ln-U
It's a little bit hard yet for me to get UP to the sitting position, so, I was doing that part a little bit faster than this lady in the video, but, it can only get better from here!
Tomorrow is more core work along with lower body stuff!
I did a nice 5 minute warm up on the treadmill, followed by just a few high knees, butt kicks, and walking lunges.
Then, I hit the treadmill again for about 20 minutes at a higher speed to get my heart rate into the optimal range for cardiovascular health (my range is 120-145 bpm). At first just the speed wasn't doing it, but, after we added a bit of an incline, we got my heart rate up a little bit higher.
After that we did a little bit of core work again...
First I did Supermans again, but, I didn't hold them for long - I did repetitions instead.
Then I did some bridges. It was kind of amusing - he told me "okay now I'm going to have you do some bridges..." and, having taken tumbling as a kid, to me, bridges means these:
Then he had me do what is called the Pilates Roll Up. Here's a nice video that shows you how it goes:
http://youtu.be/I1pWz27ln-U
It's a little bit hard yet for me to get UP to the sitting position, so, I was doing that part a little bit faster than this lady in the video, but, it can only get better from here!
Tomorrow is more core work along with lower body stuff!
Workout 3 - Upper Body
I had my upper body workout on Monday, and I was SO tired after it that I didn't sit down and write a post about it.
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE upper body work. While it can be tough of course, it's really gratifying. Plus, everyone wants to have nicely toned arms and shoulders for summertime! I have a wedding in June that I'd love to wear something sleeveless or strapless to - that's good motivation!
Monday we did a bunch of things:
Bicep curls - OUCH! My biceps are by far my weakest upper body muscle group. I pushed through, but man, it was tough. By the time I was finished with those, my arms were burning pretty good!
Tricep extensions - I do these quite a bit at home, so, I wasn't hurting too bad after those.
Shoulder work - I did both external rotation and internal rotation. After having done the bicep curls, my arms were a little bit weak, but I was able to get through these without too much of an issue...a little bit of muscle shakiness though.
Bent over row - I did this with a 35 lb. bar. A bit of an awkward motion, but, it's really beneficial and it'd be nice if I could someday add some weight to that bar! Good exercise to eradicate that pesky back fat! ;)
Kettlebell swings! I used a 10 lb. kettlebell for these and we did quite a few of them. I enjoyed them because they also give you a little bit of a cardio component too. I think that I could handle quite a bit more weight for these, but, seeing as how it was really my first time doing a lot of them, we started with the 10 lb. one.
Bent over tricep kick backs - I do these a lot at home too, but, by this point in the workout, my triceps were burning pretty good - felt like they were going to EXPLODE out of my arms!
Wall push-ups - I did a bunch of these and by the end, I was beat. My right elbow clicks a little bit when I do things like push-ups. Most of the time it's just a little bit annoying, but, doing so many irritated a tendon in my elbow, so it was a little bit inflamed on Tuesday. Some ice helped calm it down.
The post-workout pain didn't rear it's ugly head until this morning (Wednesday). I quite literally could not straighten my arms out all the way! I would try and it was almost like I couldn't even force them to straighten. I did a lot of stretching (and whining) all day today just trying to work out the tightness. It's finally a little bit better, but I'm sure once I'm done typing this post, I'll have a hard time straightening them again for a while. I felt like a poor little T-Rex!
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE upper body work. While it can be tough of course, it's really gratifying. Plus, everyone wants to have nicely toned arms and shoulders for summertime! I have a wedding in June that I'd love to wear something sleeveless or strapless to - that's good motivation!
Monday we did a bunch of things:
Bicep curls - OUCH! My biceps are by far my weakest upper body muscle group. I pushed through, but man, it was tough. By the time I was finished with those, my arms were burning pretty good!
Tricep extensions - I do these quite a bit at home, so, I wasn't hurting too bad after those.
Shoulder work - I did both external rotation and internal rotation. After having done the bicep curls, my arms were a little bit weak, but I was able to get through these without too much of an issue...a little bit of muscle shakiness though.
Bent over row - I did this with a 35 lb. bar. A bit of an awkward motion, but, it's really beneficial and it'd be nice if I could someday add some weight to that bar! Good exercise to eradicate that pesky back fat! ;)
Kettlebell swings! I used a 10 lb. kettlebell for these and we did quite a few of them. I enjoyed them because they also give you a little bit of a cardio component too. I think that I could handle quite a bit more weight for these, but, seeing as how it was really my first time doing a lot of them, we started with the 10 lb. one.
Bent over tricep kick backs - I do these a lot at home too, but, by this point in the workout, my triceps were burning pretty good - felt like they were going to EXPLODE out of my arms!
Wall push-ups - I did a bunch of these and by the end, I was beat. My right elbow clicks a little bit when I do things like push-ups. Most of the time it's just a little bit annoying, but, doing so many irritated a tendon in my elbow, so it was a little bit inflamed on Tuesday. Some ice helped calm it down.
The post-workout pain didn't rear it's ugly head until this morning (Wednesday). I quite literally could not straighten my arms out all the way! I would try and it was almost like I couldn't even force them to straighten. I did a lot of stretching (and whining) all day today just trying to work out the tightness. It's finally a little bit better, but I'm sure once I'm done typing this post, I'll have a hard time straightening them again for a while. I felt like a poor little T-Rex!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Eating better
Since I got back to working out, I've really tightened up on what I'm eating as well. Most important for my digestive system is being GRAIN-FREE!
Being grain-free comes with a decent set of challenges. Everywhere you turn, there's something made with flour, etc. It's tough!
I eat a lot of steamed veggies, meat, and cheese. Since I'm allergic to nuts, I can't eat those as snacks, so, I end up eating thinly sliced meats and cheeses as snacks. I also make my own ground beef jerky in my dehydrator.
When I NEED something sweet, I grab some Dove dark chocolate. Most primal and paleo folks will tell you to get something even darker, but, I have found that I don't tolerate it very well. A couple little Dove promises and I'm satisfied.
My newest thing to do is make smoothies (I keep hoping that the weather will warm up a bit!). My favorite smoothie is made with frozen blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and coconut milk. Just blend in the blender or if you have a Magic Bullet, that's what I use. Strawberry + coconut milk isn't bad, but it takes a lot of strawberries to get it to a taste that I enjoy.
Here's my smoothie from earlier:
Even my cats wanted to smell it!
Being grain-free comes with a decent set of challenges. Everywhere you turn, there's something made with flour, etc. It's tough!
I eat a lot of steamed veggies, meat, and cheese. Since I'm allergic to nuts, I can't eat those as snacks, so, I end up eating thinly sliced meats and cheeses as snacks. I also make my own ground beef jerky in my dehydrator.
When I NEED something sweet, I grab some Dove dark chocolate. Most primal and paleo folks will tell you to get something even darker, but, I have found that I don't tolerate it very well. A couple little Dove promises and I'm satisfied.
My newest thing to do is make smoothies (I keep hoping that the weather will warm up a bit!). My favorite smoothie is made with frozen blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and coconut milk. Just blend in the blender or if you have a Magic Bullet, that's what I use. Strawberry + coconut milk isn't bad, but it takes a lot of strawberries to get it to a taste that I enjoy.
Here's my smoothie from earlier:
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Workout 2 - Cardio!
I'm still pretty darn sore from my core and lower body workout on Tuesday. But, I met my trainer this morning for a cardio workout. We incorporated a lot of stretching too for my sore quads, so, that was helpful.
We did a lot of work on the track today - a nice walking warm up for starters.
Then I had to do some high knees...can't believe how much that hurt today! I felt it in my quads, and I REALLY felt it in my lower abs...holy moly!
Did some walking and had to kick my own butt (literally) for a while.
Then we got into some walking lunges, and some grapevine work. I remember having to do grapevines as fast as I could for softball practice. I used to be really good at it and now I feel like some weird un-coordinated beast. I'm sure that'll get better as time goes on. Our focus today was to actually do them a little bit slowly to get some good stretching for my legs and hips.
Finished off the workout with a ride on the recumbent bike at about 17mph. I usually ride 20mph when I ride at home, but, my leg muscles just didn't want to cooperate enough today. 17 was all I could eek out, but I made it!
After that I took another decently paced walk around the track for a while, and then cooled down, and did some more stretching.
Next week and moving forward from there, we'll meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays will be upper body days, Wednesdays will be cardio days, and Thursdays will be core/lower body work days.
I have to say I'm REALLY excited for the upper body workouts, and continuing to work on my core and lower body. Even though I'm sore, I feel AWESOME. Of course as you all know, cardio is my least favorite activity, so I hope that I'll learn to enjoy it as much as I enjoy the things that focus on upper and lower body.
I'm also getting more comfortable with the facilities available to me at school, so I can continue to work out there even after my personal trainer finishes this capstone course and graduates in May. That can only be a plus. I still want to go work out at the Football House though ;)
Warmer weather HAS to be around the corner - I just ordered new harnesses for my little guys so we can take some nice long walks once it gets warmer!
We did a lot of work on the track today - a nice walking warm up for starters.
Then I had to do some high knees...can't believe how much that hurt today! I felt it in my quads, and I REALLY felt it in my lower abs...holy moly!
Did some walking and had to kick my own butt (literally) for a while.
Then we got into some walking lunges, and some grapevine work. I remember having to do grapevines as fast as I could for softball practice. I used to be really good at it and now I feel like some weird un-coordinated beast. I'm sure that'll get better as time goes on. Our focus today was to actually do them a little bit slowly to get some good stretching for my legs and hips.
Finished off the workout with a ride on the recumbent bike at about 17mph. I usually ride 20mph when I ride at home, but, my leg muscles just didn't want to cooperate enough today. 17 was all I could eek out, but I made it!
After that I took another decently paced walk around the track for a while, and then cooled down, and did some more stretching.
Next week and moving forward from there, we'll meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays will be upper body days, Wednesdays will be cardio days, and Thursdays will be core/lower body work days.
I have to say I'm REALLY excited for the upper body workouts, and continuing to work on my core and lower body. Even though I'm sore, I feel AWESOME. Of course as you all know, cardio is my least favorite activity, so I hope that I'll learn to enjoy it as much as I enjoy the things that focus on upper and lower body.
I'm also getting more comfortable with the facilities available to me at school, so I can continue to work out there even after my personal trainer finishes this capstone course and graduates in May. That can only be a plus. I still want to go work out at the Football House though ;)
Warmer weather HAS to be around the corner - I just ordered new harnesses for my little guys so we can take some nice long walks once it gets warmer!
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