Tag Archive | cardio

Bikini Series Day12

May10

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May 9, 2014

Today was a jam packed day for me. I did a lot. I wanted to make up for yesterday. No bootycall though. I was at the hospital late last night with Ben. He was having pain in his chest from trapped air. I stayed until he fell asleep. I didn’t get much sleep even with skipping my bootycall.

Ben’s dad took the boys to school and I headed back to the hospital to check on Ben. He was sitting up and looked a lot better. I stayed with him so I could be there to talk to the doctor. He decided to keep Ben one more night since he was not on his feet yet. Ben fell back asleep after getting another dose of pain meds so I headed to the gym.

Warmed up with a mile then worked out my legs:
Leg Press 90’s with 90lbs
Glutes 10 x 3 90lbs
Walking Lunges to squat 30 x 3 25lbs
Glute Bridges 10 x 3 37.5lbs
Single leg Glute Bridges 10 x 3
Deadlifts 12 x 3 80lbs
Jump Squats 12 x 3 40lbs
Glute Pushdowns 12 x 3 94lbs
Leg Extensions 10 x 3 40lbs
Leg Curls 10 x 3 50lbs

Sprint Into Summer on the stairmaster 4.16 miles followed by an extra mile on the treadmill.

The boys school had a picnic lunch where parents could come and join the kids. I met Ben’s dad there as soon as I finished at the gym and enjoyed the boys for about 10min before they ran off to play with their friends. We left a little early to beat the rush and headed back to the hospital.

When I got there, Ben was up walking around :-) And had started to “eat” his food. He’s only able to have clear liquids and he has to eat very slowly. I hung out with him and Gene picked up the boys and brought them to visit. We stayed until Seppe’s practice.

I decided to do the new Making Waves cardio routine during Seppe’s practice. I’m glad I did because running kept me warm. It was sooo cold and windy out. I split up the running and the toning moves. It was my first time running in that area so I just concentrated on doing the running so I didn’t get lost. I did the toning moves when I was done running. I was pretty worn out when I was done.

Dinner then back to the hospital so the boys could spend some time with Ben. He got up again and went for a walk with the boys. They were happy to see him doing him better and hope that he can come home in time for their games tomorrow.

I took the boys home and put them to bed. I did my plank and the ab playlist. My sides are sore from yesterday’s Kettlebell workout. I got ready for bed but put on warm clothes on top to head back to the hospital. I’m staying until Ben falls asleep and then I’ll head home. Saturday is going to be busy as usual.

Meals:
M1: egg whites, banana, and strawberries
M2: Larabar and Zico
M3: strawberry poppyseed chicks salad from Panera, iced green tea and bread. This is my absolute favorite salad from Panera. I only use one of the dressings.
M4: cherries
M5: veggie bowl from Panda. We always eat out when Ben’s dad is here and the boys wanted Panda tonight. I chose vegetables and the shiitake kale Chk entree. It wasn’t too bad.

I met my water goals and I didn’t have any of Seppe’s chocolate :-) So it’s a win today.

Today’s Sunset Challenge was to sign up for something outside of our comfort zone. I’ve decided that next week I will go to a Zumba class. I don’t have to sign up in order to go to a class at my gym because all classes are included in my membership :-) I’ve never done Zumba and it’s definitely something I’m intimidated to try – especially on my own. I’m nervous just thinking about it.

Bikini Series Day11

May8

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I’m writing this tonight in the hospital. Ben had surgery this morning. All went well and he is recovering. He will be here overnight and probably tomorrow too. Even though he is still sleeping most of the time, I don’t want him to be all alone.

My day has revolved around Ben being in the hospital. I was able to get up early and get a run in before having to get the boys up early to drop Ben off. Took the boys to Starbucks for breakfast since we had 30min before they had to be at school. Then I went back to the hospital to wait with Ben. His surgery was suppose to start at 9:15a – he had to be there at 7:45a. They came in around 9a and said there was a 45min delay… We didn’t see anyone again until almost 11! He finally got taken to the OR at 11:30a. I went home and did 3 rounds of Kat’s Kettlebell workout. I used the 20lb Kettlebell for all the exercises except for the plank rows because it was too tall. I guess now that I think about it I could have elevated my plank. Oh well. Next time.

I cleaned up the house then went back to the hospital to wait for Ben to get out of surgery. I wanted to make sure I was there to talk to the doctor. I was so relieved when he told me that everything went well. Ben’s hernia was pretty big and was actually in his chest. This should be the last time he will need this procedure. Hoping this motivates him to get healthy.

After talking with the doctor, I had to go pick up the boys from school. I had just enough time to eat lunch in the car before they got out. Gio had baseball lessons right after school. By the time his lesson ended, Ben’s dad had arrived and we met him for dinner at Red Robin. Then, we headed to the hospital to visit Ben and see if he had woken up yet.

The boys left him notes telling them they love him and hope he feels better soon. They were both very good and stayed quiet so Ben could rest.

Took the boys home and had them finish homework. I tucked them in, did my plank, and now I’m back at the hospital. It’s been a long day. But I’m glad I was able to squeeze in a quick workout.

Meals –
M1: banana and Starbucks spinach gets wrap
M2: Larabar
M3: Half a Sandwich frm Mr. Pickles and strawberries. This was actually left over from a lunch Ben bought yesterday.
Skipped M4 :-(
M5: California Chk Sandwich at Red Robin lettuce wrapped with no mayo. I usually get it with no cheese but I didn’t realize that it came with cheese.
Confession time: Gio ordered a mid pie for dessert and I had a few bites. It was like a drug hitting my system because after that fest bite, I wanted more! I think part of it was also me dealing with the stress from my day. I’ll work extra hard tomorrow!
Didn’t make my water goal either :-(
Water is always the first thing I drop the ball on when my day gets hectic. I need to set alarms during the day to remind me to drink water.

Sunset Challenge: Stop, Drop & Make a List for all the things I’m grateful for:
– Modern medicine for being able to save Ben’s life.
– Ben the love of my life and my dream come true.
– My boys: even though they drive me crazy, they are my world and make me a better person.
– My mother for her sacrifices to give me a better life than she had
– My dad who raised me and my brother as his own
– My second mom, Chris who helped me get through high school
– ToneItUp for helping me change my life and get healthy and fit
– Every sunrise that shows me that there is always a new day and a new opportunity
– My grandparents for being an example of everlasting love and how I hope my marriage will be
– All my tiusisters who motivate me everyday
– social media that helps me connect to friends and family all around the world
– My brother and all those in the military who fight for our freedoms
– All my friends. Each and every one has taught me something and has touched my heart.

I think we spend a lot of time focusing on things we don’t have. Taking time out to make a list like this helps me realize that there is so much I already have and am grateful for. I could go on with my list. As crazy as Life gets for me, I am happy :-)

Bikini Series Day10

May7

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May 7, 2014 –

No bootycall today. I needed to get some rest. I had a good intense workout at the gym to make up for it.

Wednesdays are always dedicated to the booty ;-) Started with a 10min warmup on the stairmaster. Legs felt it right away. Then, off to the weight room.
Leg Extensions 10 x 3 – 65lbs
Single Leg Lying Leg Curl to Lying Leg Curl – 10 x 3 20/50 – I would do 10 on each leg at the lower weight and then 10 on the higher weight
Squats on Smith Machine – 10 x 3 115
Plyo Leg Press Jumps to Single Leg Plyo Jumps on Leg Press Machine – 10 x 5 and 20 x 5 75lbs – I did the 10 jumps first then switched to single leg and alternated for 20 reps. No weight change. This burned the booty!
Followed it with Bikini Cardio on the treadmill. This was tough. My legs were tired and I wanted to stop so many times. I hardly ever do anything longer than 30mim on the treadmill. It was definitely a mental battle. I felt good when I was done and I’m glad it finished. I was pretty worn out afterwards.

I came home, showered and relaxed for a little bit. Boys get out early on Wednesdays so I didn’t have too much “free” time. Dealing with Gio’s bad behavior at school put a damper on my day. I don’t know what to do with him sometimes.

Couldn’t wait to go to volleyball to get away. It was a rough night. My team only won out first couple games and then lost the rest of the night :-( I could serve overhand again but my passing was horrible. It frustrated me. I’ll have to practice so I can be better. Passing is the most important thing in volleyball.

Did my plank and 2 rounds of Surfers Paradise when I got home.

Meals –
M1: eggs/egg whites, banana and strawberries
M2: Zico and cherries
M3: quinoa, broccoli and turkey meatballs
M4: Chk and string beans and Broccoli Beef
M5: PerfectFit Bar

My meals were too far apart today. Ben has surgery tomorrow for his stomach so he won’t be able to eat solids for a while. He wanted to have some Chinese for dinner. I was able to stay away from the rice and ate as much of the green beans and broccoli. I met my water goal :-)

Took time out to look over my goals. I think I’m happy with them right now so I’m not changing anything. I spent some time visualizing and seeing myself accomplishing them. I am a bit stressed over Gio’s behavior and Ben’s surgery. I took time to meditate. I focused on my breathing and let go of the stress – at least for a little while. Focusing on positive thoughts.

Bikini Series Day8

May5

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May 5, 2014

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! It was a little hard to get up this morning. It’s tough when I don’t really get a chance to sleep in on the weekend. It makes me feel like I get no break.

Oh well. I got up and did my neighborhood loop. I actually walked it faster this time. I decided to jog part of the downhill parts because it was harder to slow down. That was all I needed to wake up.

I was happy that both boys were finally healthy again and could go to school. I couldn’t wait to get to the gym after I dropped them off :-) I had a killer leg day. I started with a 1mile run on the treadmill then I hit the weight room. I did a modified version of a leg workout I had done before. Took out exercises I didn’t want to do and changed the number of reps and sets on others. I focused on good form and control.
Leg Press – 15,10,8,6,6,8,10,15
(140, 160, 180, 250) – I increased weight as I lowered my reps and decreased them when I increased reps.
Leg Press Machine – 10 x 10 150lbs – For this one I made sure to get low. I could really feel this in my glutes. That 10th round was killer.
Lying Leg Curls – 10 x 5 50lbs
Glute Pushdowns – 10 x 5 94lbs – this was tough after the leg press machine.
Single Leg Seated Leg Curl to Deadlift –
15 – 10 x 5 (35, 50)
Ended with Excited for Spring Cardio on the stair master. What a sweatfest!!

I was so worn out when I was done. But I was happy. It’s that exhausted from a great workout feeling :-) I walked very slowly for the rest of the day. I had to to do some grocery shopping and it was all in slow motion. Luckily, I had enough time and got most of it done before picking up the boys from school.

I started to feel overwhelmed once the boys got home. I had dinner to prep, homework to help with, and so many things to do before we had to leave for Gio’s game. I totally forgot that I had snack duty so I feel badly that the boys didn’t get a snack tonight :-( I’ll have to make it up to them. It was another rough loss for the boys. And miserable for the parents to watch because it was sooooo cold and windy.

I was really happy that Ben decided to come home and wait for a late dinner instead of picking up fast food. Meals today were pretty good.
M1: egg whites and quinoa
M2: KindBar
M3: Pesto Pasta w/ Chk apple sausage, spinach and Brussel sprouts. I pretty much threw a bunch of leftovers together.
M4: Larabar – at the baseball game
M5: In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I made tacos. Ben and the boys had the last of the taco shells and I had lettuce tacos. The boys really enjoyed filling their tacos with what they wanted. I put guacamole, quinoa, ground turkey, and tomatoes on mine. I did also have a few tortilla chips to finish off the guacamole. I didn’t want to throw it away.
M6: frozen grapes.
Missed my water goal by 1oz. But it’s pretty close so I’m happy. I’m trying to have at least 1 coconut water during the day as part of my water intake.

After the boys went to bed, I did my 2min plank and the Best Ab Routine circuit. This was the first time I’ve done this workout. It does get those abs burning. The scissor exercise is the hardest one for me, especially today when my legs were super tired.

My kitchen is a mess and there is still 100 things I need to do. But they will have to wait until tomorrow because I am done for today!

Bikini Series Day1

Apr28

April 28, 2014 –

Today was the first day of this year’s Bikini series :-) It was tough but I got up early and went out for a 20min walk for my bootycall. I walked around the neighborhood. There are lots of steep hills so it gets the heart pumping. It’s been a while since I’ve done a bcwo. I stopped shortly after I learned I had high blood pressure last year. I decided that I needed more rest to help my body. I cut back on my workouts and tried to not stress out as much. But I really want to give this Bikini Series my all so I am making a goal of doing a bcwo 5x a week. I will keep it to a walk or jog and I will be making a huge effort to get to bed earlier so I can make sure I am well rested.

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Seppe was still sick today so I stayed home with him. After dropping Gio off at school, I did a short upper body workout with my equipment at home:
Pull-Ups (Wide, Narrow, Reverse) 5×2
Band Pull-Downs (Wide, Narrow) 10×2
Upright Row to Deadlift 10, 8, 6 with 15lb DB

I went to the gym after Ben got home from work and did a short leg workout and the new Spring into Summer cardio. I started with a 1mile warmup on the treadmill. Then hit the weight room:
Leg Extensions 65lbs 10×3 Plus a 4th round was a drop set that I started at 75lbs down to 25lbs. I did at least 6reps at each weight.
Deadlift 80lbs 10×3
Leg Press Machine 175lbs 10×3
Seated Leg Curl 55lbs 10×3
I wanted to hit the squat rack but it was taken and I ran out of time.

I did the Spring Into Cardio routine on the stairmill. Wow! What a sweat session!! The stairmaster is probably least favorite cardio machine and is tough for me but it’s so great for the legs!

Did the 3 Moves for Sexy Upper Back 10 x 3, Day28 of 30pushups for 30daya, and 2min plank after putting the boys to bed.

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Meals were pretty good today. I didn’t have a single piece of candy :-) Lunch was my not so great meal. Ben brought home some L&L. Usually it’s really good but today it wasn’t that great. My favorite meal was dinner with Panko Tilapia, broccoli and roasted Brussel sprouts. I also has some frozen grapes after dinner. I also made my water goal today.

I felt pretty good most of the day. Got a little tired after my morning workout. Took a nap with Seppe on the couch. He started to feel better today and his happy personality is starting to come back. I miss him smiling and being goofy. Glad this was a short sickness even though it was pretty rough for him – and me.

Made my Vision Board for the Sunset Challenge:

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The 3 Things I really to Accomplish at the end of 8 weeks:
1. Making Clean, Lean and Green my Lifestyle again
2. Become better at swimming
3. Lift heavier weights

I set out my clothes for tomorrow last night so I’m ready for Day2 :-) Time to get to bed!

Sweat X3!

May8

BeachBody Day 80

I’m really surprised that I’m still up and able to type this up :-) I had a really great and sweaty day! I had to be up at 5a so I could go to the gym before Ben left to go to work. I wasn’t looking forward to it. I’m not even sure I slept all that great but I made myself get up, get dressed, and get out the door. You know that quote – “Get up and exercise before your mind realizes what you’re doing”? That’s what I kept thinking of on my way to the gym. I did yesterday’s Bikini Series challenge – the Drop10 Fat Zapper on the bike for 30min. I love that HIIT workouts get me sweating :-) I was wide awake and full of energy once I finished. I am really thinking of getting up at 5a more often because I can get so much done. I got my workout in, showered – and not just a quick 5min one but a nice relaxing one  – made lunch for Ben and Gio, and had breakfast ready before the boys even got up :-)

After dropping the boys off at school, I wanted to get some cleaning done. The apartment needed it badly! So I broke my morning up – spent the first half cleaning the kitchen and the boys’ bathroom. Took a break for a snack then did my Turbo Fire workout.

Turbo Fire Day 78 – I was glad to see Fire45EZ again. There aren’t any fire drills in this one but it’s combo after combo. I put in a lot of intensity. Punched hard and kicked as high as I could :) I had a lot of fun and I was drenched with sweat afterwards. So much for staying clean after that nice shower ;-) Followed with Stretch10. My legs – especially my hamstrings are super sore from yesterday’s Lean Legs Pyramid. It felt good to stretch them out.  I added the Drop10 Sculpting X3 to wrap up my morning workout.

After TurboFire and Drop10 Sculpting

Did more cleaning after picking Seppe up and had lunch. Finished cleaning after picking Gio up from school. My apartment is clean! Well it was for a few hours. The kitchen is already dirty again. lol.

Tone It Up’s Bikini Sereis challenges for today was to crank things up a bit by adding 30 min of cardio to my day and eating a Lean, Clean and Green dinner. I could have considered my TurboFire as my extra cardio but I decided to hit the gym after the boys went to bed. I did a 30min treadmill program that had inclines for my third sweat session of the day :-)

Back at the gym for BikiniSeries extra 30min cardio

Aerobic Program with hills on Treadmill.

Workout Summary!

A sweaty mess for the 3rd time and still smiling :-)

Ended with my usual plankaday.

PlankADay – 1min low, 1min high, 1min side plank each side, 1min tummy tucks

Meals:

M1: Variation of the SlimDown Scramble. Basically I just put the veggies on top of the egg white instead of mixing it all together. I like this better for some reason.

How I Like my SlimDown Scramble :-)

M2: half a grapefruit and 4 dark chocolate almonds.

M3: Chocolate Shakeology with Zico, kale, and banana. I am going to be having Shakeology for lunch every day this week. Trying to use it up.

Ready to get mixed up!

M4: Tried a new Larabar that I found at Target.

Found another yummy Larabar

M5: Salmon with a Balsamic/Honey sauce (from FitFoodJunkie) with grilled eggplant and zucchini.

Salmon and Veggies for dinner.

100 oz. of water. 1 Zico. 1c of Chamomile Tea

I have my alarm set for another 5a bootycall tomorrow :-) Really looking forward to doing the new “Love Your Legs” workout.

BeachBody Challenge Day49

Mar23

What a Long day! I could have really used a nap today. Today was Gio’s last day before his 3 week Spring Break :-/ I will have to change up my routine a little bit and hopefully I will get a week break with them at Grandmas – fingers crossed. lol.

Day Started at 6a – Bootycall: Day 23 of Mad Abs March – 36 pushups, 44sec side plank, and 46 crunches + MiyaTv Beach Workout with Tone It Up – 20 reps eachX3 sets. Used 6lb. medicine ball during lunges and 5lb. weights for dead lifts.

Self Magazine & Tone It Up Drop10 Diet Inch Eraser HIIT workout. Incline set at 3 during the workout and at 5 during the cool down. Jogging pace was 6.5mph and Sprint pace was 8-8.2 mph. The last few 90 sec sprints were tough.

Tone It Up and Self Magazine's Drop10 Challenge :-) Join Now!

Week1 Workout2 - Inch Eraser 90 sec Sprint/ 3min jog Repeat 6X with 5min cool down

Tone It Up’s Friday Happy Hour Challenge – 40 of your Favorite Exercise Every Hour! – I chose to do tummy tucks :-) Started at 9a ended at 10p. Missed a couple hours but made them up by adding an extra set the following couple hours.

Turbo Fire Day 47 – Did this a lot later than I usually do. Fire55EZ is a long workout but I went all out today.  I had an audience with Ben and the boys watching me the whole time :-/ Lol. I felt like I jumped really high during the tuck jumps today! I could feel my feet actually leave the ground :-) Tuck jumps are super hard for me so I’m really happy that I’m improving.

That pretty much wiped me out. Ending with a 2 min plank.

Meals:

M1: Leftover protein pancake with almond butter, banana, and cinnamon with a side of fruit salad.

Last protein pancake and fruit bowl.

M2: 1/4 c. of Dark Choc Almonds – on the go.

M3: Finally tried the Avocado Egg Salad from Self Magazine Drop10 menu. It was soooo good!! I only used plain Chobani Greek yogurt and mustard. I haven’t had a whole egg in a while but it was nice to have it again. I like that it only calls for one egg.  My 5 yr. old loved it and wants it for lunch tomorrow so it’s definitely a keeper :-)

Avocado Egg Salad from Drop10 Diet Menu

M4: Post workout shake – Chocolate Shakeology with almond butter and frozen blueberries. Seppe decided to drink a good portion of it too. lol. He loves Chocolate Shakeology.

~ While at Seppe’s practice, I got a little hungry. I reached in my bag for a power bar but got an almond Snickers bar. It’s been in there for about a month. lol. I decided to eat it :-) I haven’t had a candy bar in a Long time and I needed some “happy” food.

M5: Didn’t have anything prepped for dinner and I was super tired.  Ben wanted Panda and got some for him and the boys. I went for some Trader Joe’s Turkey Chili with Beans. The can is 2 servings so I just had half so I only had 1 serving :-) It was  actually very filling and yummy.

Trader Joe's Turkey Chili with Beans

80 oz. water and 1 Zico.

BeachBody Challenge Day46

Mar20

I forced myself out of bed at 6a today. I think my main problem is that I stay up way too late. Lol. Gotta make an effort to get to bed earlier so I have the energy to do my workouts and deal with Life.  Started with Day20 of MadAbs March. 32 Pushups!! It’s slow going once I hit 20, but I manage to do it all on my feet :-) Did Tone It UP’s SelfMagazine Drop10 Toning workout – used 6lb. medicine ball again for Side Slimmer and Kick Outs. The Total Transformer Move was really hard on my knees this morning so after the first set, I modified it by bending my knees and doing one leg at a time.

After dropping the boys off at school and doing some grocery shopping, it was time for Turbo Fire.

Restocked my Fruit Bowl

Turbo Fire Day44 – Started with Sculpt30. I really focus on making the bands tighter for the bicep curls. I want to have some guns :-) Lol. Mini ones at least. Did some more pushups on my feet for this workout.  After doing 32, a set of 4 and a set of 8 wasn’t too bad. The tricep exercises were tough today because my arms were sore from doing the Drop10 workout.  I went all out for Fire30.  Did all the jumps and turns.  I Punched and Kicked hard. Having so much fun now that I know all the moves.

Before dinner I hit the gym to do Tone It Up’s Max Burn Pyramid X2. For the 5 minute runs, I did it an incline of 5 – to get some hill training in. I was drenched with sweat at the end. I’ve been wanting to do this workout since it was posted. I love it.

Total Miles doing Max Burn Pyramid

Counting the Side Planks from this mornings’ Mad Abs Day20 and the two planks for the MaxBurn Pyramid as part of my plankaday. I’m just way too tired to do a separate on tonight. I’ll make sure to do a long one tomorrow.

Meals – Fuel up day for my long run tomorrow so a little more carbs.

M1: Chobani Champions Chocolate Chunk w/ almond butter and chia seeds.

M2: Half a banana that Gio didn’t want to eat for breakfast, a small pear and 6 dark chocolate almonds.

Fruit, Nuts and Chocolate :-)

M3: Left over Seafood, Veggies, Quinoa, and Black Bean Collard Wrap w/ frozen grapes. Seppe ate half the grapes – looks like someone else has realized how yummy frozen grapes are :-)

Collard Wrap with Grapes

M4: Almond Coconute Kind Bar

M5: Whole Wheat past with ground turkey and spinach red sauce.

Whole Wheat pasta to carb up for tomorrow's long run.

80 oz. of water and a Zico.

BeachBody Challenge Day45

Mar19

I decided to join Tone It Up and Self Magazine’s Drop 10 Challenge. I’m not looking to lose 10 lbs – only 5 at the most.  And if I don’t lose any, I wouldn’t be disappointed either. I am always looking for new and fun ways to get toned.  Self Magazine and Tone It Up had a great workout last year so I knew this one would be a good one too. I checked out the workouts and the menu first.  The meals really got my attention. I am dying to try the Avocado Egg Salad.  I would have made it today if I had the ingredients. I will be heading to the store to stock up on ingredients tomorrow :-)

I missed my bootycall workout this morning though. I turned my alarm off and fell back asleep – before I knew it, it was an hour later O_o Lol. It was a rush to get the kids to school.  After Seppe’s speech therapy, I decided to get my TurboFire workout done. I did Day19 of Mad Abs March first – 37 sec side plank, 38 crunches, and 31 pushups. Oh man the pushups were hard today, but I am determined to do them all on my feet.

Turbo Fire Day 43 – I really focused on my intensity with Fire55EZ today.  I punched hard and kicked as high as I could.  I jumped with the high low punches and did all the tuck jumps :-) The hour just flew by and I was a little sad when it was over.  I seriously have so much fun with these workouts.

For my afternoon workout I did the Toning and Cardio HIIT workouts for the Drop10 Challenge. When I looked at the toning workout, I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be.  It looked pretty straight forward. It turned out to be tougher than I thought :-/ The Total Transformer move was killer, along with the Super Plank.  My favorite was the Kick Out and Side Slimmer. I added a 6 lb. medicine to the Side Slimmer and to the Kick Out. I used 5 lb. weights for the other exercises. I think I’ll be doing this workout for bootycalls. The HIIT workout was 15 min with 8 sec sprints and 12 second recovery.  I think I sprinted for about 10 sec at a time.  I added a 3 incline during the intervals and did a 5 incline for the 5 min cool down.  It was short but I was drenched in sweat when I was done – that’s why I love HIIT workouts.  They don’t have to be long to get your sweating :-)

Drop10 HIIT workout - 15min w/ 5min cool down at incline 5.

To makeup for missing my bootycall workout, I did two NTC workouts – Ab Burner and Shawn Johnson’s Stretch Guide.  The stretching felt great. I’m no where near as flexible as Shawn Johnson but the moves really stretched me out. Ended with a 2 min a plank on my hands.

Meals – I didn’t have everything I needed to follow the meal plan for the Drop 10 but I will definitely be picking up ingredients for the recipes that I want to try. And there are quite a few recipes on the meal plan that I want to try out :-)  I am really enjoying my Meatless Mondays. It’s really not that hard to find other sources of protein.

M1: FlaxPlus Oatmeal with 1/2 tbsp of cocoa almond butter, chia seeds and strawberries.

Just a little bit of cocoa almond butter goes a long way.

M2: Red Pear – this was really sweet and juicy.

Mini Red Pear was sweet and juicy.

M3: Black beans, brown rice and spinach sautéed together and topped with avocado and tomato.

This was filling and yummy :-)

M4: Veggie and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips with Olive Tapenade

I love these Veggie Flaxseed Tortilla Chips from TraderJoes.

M5: Teriyaki Tofu browned and served with brussel sprouts.

Tofu and Veggies.

80 oz. of water.

BeachBody Challenge Day42

Mar19

This is a few days late because I took a little break from blogging. I needed it.  I’m always on the move – always having to do something.  There is always so much to do and very little time to do it all. Life can easily pass us by without us even knowing it. So as much as I wanted to blog, edit videos, and do more workouts, I put on the breaks.  My brother came for a short visit and seeing as I haven’t seen him since before he was deployed to Afghanistan and that I have no idea when I’ll see him again because he’s moving to Texas, I decided to spend my Friday night hanging out with him :-)

The boys with their Uncle PJ :-)

I don’t see my family much. Not because I don’t want to – it’s just how we are. We’re all very independent from one another. At one time, I did wish we were different and more like families who saw one another regularly. But I’ve come to accept how my family is. It’s not that we don’t love each other.  This is just how we are.  We value the time we do spend together and know that we can count on one another when we need help. Now if only certain people could accept how my family works and stop trying to change that. Lol.

My brother didn’t arrive until dinner time Friday so I got most of workouts done before he arrived.

Bootycall was Day16 of Mad Abs Marc: 34s side plank, 32 crunches, and 27 pushups (all on my feet – and yes it was very hard for me)

ToneItUp’s SandCastle Workout – 20 reps each X3 sets with 5lb. weights.

3 Mile run – only got rained on a little bit on the way back.

After my 3 mile run heading up 4 flights of stairs.

Turbor Fire Day40 – Fire55EZ: I’m liking this one more and more every time I do it :-) Probably because I’m able to do almost every move correctly now. I’m really pushing myself – especially during the fire drills.  Doing all the tuck jumps and star jacks.

Happy Hour Challenge – 1 min plank every hour from 8a – 10p. Missed one at 7p so I did a 2min at 8p to make up for it.

8a Plank

9a Plank

10a plank - had to do it a little early.

11a Plank - running a little late.

12p Plank

1p Plank

2p Plank

3p Plank

4p Plank

5p Plank

6p Plank

2min plank for 7p and 8p

9p Plank

Last Plank for the Happy Hour Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meals – Did pretty good. I made a special dinner for my brother with Lumpia and pot stickers, but I made a lean dinner for myself.

M1: Chobani Honey with granola and almond butter.

My quick go to Breakfast - Chobani, granola and almond butter.

M2: Luna bar.

M3: I was craving some protein pancakes so I made some :-) These wound up being the best ones I’ve ever made. I wound up using a whole banana because it was a little over ripe but I think that helped it turn out so well.  Topped with a small amount of cocoa almond butter. I just put enough on so that the strawberry slices had something to stick to.

Batter turned blue after adding frozen blueberries.

Made 3 smaller pancakes instead of 1 big one.

They turned out perfect!

I only ate 2 - topped with cocoa almond butter and strawberries.

M4: Almond Nut Thins with olive hummus and olive tapenade.

Nut Thins w/ Hummus and Olive Tapenade

M5: Left over Salmon and asparagus w/ quinoa.  I did enjoy 2 pieces of lumpia with my brother. Keeping myself to 2 was hard because I Love lumpia. Luckily my brother ate a lot of it so there wasn’t much left.

Salmon, asparagus and quinoa.

80 oz. of water and 1 Zico.