Tag Archive | tiuteam

Bikini Series Day19

May19

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May 16, 2014

Workouts:
1.4 mile bootycall walk
10min Stairmaster warm up – 40sec speed intervals
Leg workout:
Smith Machine Squats 115lbs 10 x 3
Smith Machine Split Lunges 65lbs 10 x 3 each leg
90’s Leg Press 90lbs
DeadLifts 95lbs 10 x 3
Glute Pushdowns 94lbs 12 x 3
Leg Extensions 65lbs 8 x 4
Lying Leg Curls 60lbs 8 x 4
Hip Abduction 90lbs 10 x 3
Hip Adduction 90lbs 10 x 3
Biker Babes Cardio 9miles/3 = 3miles for 150bysummer
Love Your Body With Yoga
2min plank

Meals:
M1: egg whites, banana, honey chia toast with cocoa almd butter and half an apple Chk sausage. I only had half a slice of toast because Seppe ate the other half.
M2: larabar and zico
M3: last of my pesto quinoa/shrimp mix and some Gluten free cookies
M4: PerfectFit Bar plus a few pretzels and circus animal cookies while at the baseball park for two hours with back to back practices for the boys.
M5: Turkey meatballs and oven roasted Brussel sprouts

I was feeling a little lazy in the morning but I got up and do my walk. I went in the reverse direction and it was faster because the uphill wasn’t as long. I did jog the down hills parts because it’s easier not to resist gravity.

Got to the gym and warmed up on the stairmaster then hit the weight room. It felt good to lift heavy. I did the BikerBabes routine on the stationary bikes in the cardio room.

Did some grocery shopping for the boys’ games on Saturday and found some gluten free cookies I wanted to try. They were ok but I’d rather make my own. I was having a sweet tooth craving at the moment and the cookies didn’t do that great of a job is satisfying it. Finished the last of my pesto shrimp/quinoa mix. I was a little sad because this was soooo yummy. We had back to back practices for the boys at night. I didn’t have lots of energy to make a late dinner when we got home but I didn’t want fast food. My go to for quick dinners is Trader Joes Turkey meatballs and broccoli. No one complains about it and I don’t have to listen to whining. I was short 3 oz on my water goal so I’m happy.

Sunset Challenge: My reward will be sleeping in on Saturday :-) I need to schedule a haircut badly, but it’s been hard to find free time. Pampering myself these days means getting to take a long uninterrupted shower. I just keep telling myself that the TIU retreat will be my vacation :-) I just have to hang in there.

Bikini Series Day18

May15

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May 15, 2014
Workouts:
5k run
UndertheSea x 3
Flat, Fit, Sexy Abs x3
2min Plank

Meals:
M1: egg whites, banana and honey chia toast w/ cocoa almd butter
M2: grapefruit
M3: PerfectFit Bar
M4: skipped :-(
M5: Strawberry Poppyseed Salad from Panera
M6: Vanilla Chia pudding

I did not get up to do a bootycall today. The last few days caught up to me and I was pretty much a zombie this morning getting the boys to school. I went back to bed after I dropped them off. I felt so much better when I got up. I spent the half the day running errands with Ben.

I went for a run before dinner. Legs felt great. I’m glad I went later in the day because it cooled down and there was a nice breeze for my run. I did Under the Sea x 3, FlatFitSexyAbs x3 and my plank after putting the boys to bed. It was nice to take it easy. I didn’t feel so worn out and I did get a lot done around the house. Not that I caught up or made my To Do List any shorter, but my house is more organized :-)

I picked up my free full salad from Panera for dinner. I wanted to have some L&L BBQ, but I was able to walk away from it. I’ve been doing pretty good about controlling my cravings. I wanted to have popcorn at night and of course there is always my craving for chocolate. I need to find something for M4. That’s my toughest meal to figure out. It’s usually a bar but sometimes I want something else. I’m just so tired around M4 that I don’t have much energy to be creative.

The Sunset Challenge was to inspire and encourage those around me. The quote to “Workout Because You Love Your Body Not Because You Hate It” rings true for me. Don’t think of working out as punishment for your body. It should be because you Love your body that you are willing to put in the work to make the changes to be healthier :-) Here are a couple more quotes that really inspired me:

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Bikini Series Day17

May15

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May 14, 2014

Workouts:
1.43 mile Bootycall walk
Mini Leg workout at gym:
DeadLifts 12 x 3 80lbs
Machine Leg Press 12 x 3 175lbs
Body weight Squats 50 x 3
Making Waves Cardio on treadmill 3.54 miles
2hrs of Volleyball
2min plank

Meals:
M1: egg whites, grapes, banana
M2: larabar
M3: Shrimp/quinoa pesto mix
M4: skipped :-(
M5: Strawberry poppyseed salad from Panera.

I was tired when I got up. I didn’t want to get up but I did. I figured going for a walk would help wake me up and be better than doing nothing. It was already getting warm when I went for my walk so I knew it was going to be a hot day.

I wasn’t really in the mood to go to the gym but it was a leg day and I rarely skip working out my legs. I did a mini leg routine. I went heavy and more reps to make it worth it. I super set the leg press and squats. Really felt it in the booty. I picked out a treadmill at the end of a row so I could hop off to do the toning moves in between the running parts with the Making Waves cardio. I slowed it down to do the high knee skips and side shuffles. I think I like doing the running part all together and then the toning moves better. But going back and forth between running and toning made the running part a little easier.

Ben and I went into the city to pick up some shoes for Ben then picked up the boys from school. After homework, we went out to do more errands. I forgot to bring something for a snack. Took Gio to the library to get him books for his biography report. Picked up Panera for dinner. I ordered my usual salad but instead of getting a full salad, I only got a half. I didn’t have time to go back but I called and they gave me a free salad on my next visit.

Got to volleyball early to warm up. The coach finally picked up new balls. He gave away the old ones and I took one for the boys to play with. Not that in don’t have one – I have two – but this way I don’t have to worry about the, messing mine up :-). It was an ok night. My overhand serving is becoming more consistent. Passing was better. I set a few games which is tiring because there is a ton of running around. I want to work on my setting so I can use my hands more instead of just bump setting. I can do it but I’m not confident during a game. Had some good hits but I still need to get my timing down.

Left early so I could do Bikini Booty and my plank when I got home. Legs were pretty tired even with my lighter leg workout. I came close to my water goal. I try to at least get half my body weight but I make a higher goal because it helps me. Staying hydrated is one of my biggest challenges. It is something I work on everyday.

The Sunset Challenge for creativity is this post. Writing/blogging is something I love to do. It helps me process things and express myself. I’ve always been into writing. I think most writers hope to make a connection with their readers. I don’t do this blog to get a bunch of followers. I don’t even know if people even like what I write. I do this because I am hoping that someone can relate to it and if I can help one person not feel so alone, I consider myself a success. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my posts :-)

Bikini Series Day16

May13

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May 13, 2014

Workouts:
2mile bootycall jog
Bikini Arms
Turbo Fire Fire60 (6miles)
Bikini Arms
Best Ab Routine 9:06
2min plank

Meals:
M1: Egg whites, banana, strawberries, Honey Chia toast w/ cocoa almd butter
M2: larabar
M3: Pesto Quinoa and Shrimp mix and grapes.
M4: Seaweed and Pork Jerky.
M5: 2 slices of Mushroom pizza

Didn’t go to the gym today. Felt like staying at home to spend some time with Ben before volunteering in Seppe’s class. I’m glad I went for a run in the morning because it was way too hot to run later in the day. I did one round of the new Bikini Arms when I got home. Followed it with Fire60. This is a long one but it’s a lot of fun and goes by quickly. I always get a good sweat doing Turbo Fire.
I loved having the extra filling from yesterday’s stuffed pepper for lunch today. Gio had a game today so after homework we were at the baseball field. I didn’t have time to make the smoothie I wanted to have for m4 and I forgot to pack my bars :-( I had some pork jerky at the game and some circus animal cookies. It was a stressful game that Gio’s team should have easily won but we let up at the end and the other team came back to tie it. I was so hungry by the time the game ended I ate a couple slices of mushroom pizza one of the mom’s bought for the kids. I wanted more but I stopped at 2. I’m glad I did.
I did another round of Bikini Arms after putting the boys to bed. Followed it with my plank and The Best Ab Routine. Beat my last time by a minute :-)

Ben being home changes my schedule a bit. He’s doing well recovering but I still don’t like to leave him alone for too long. Keeping my gym workouts short this week and doing more at home :-)

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 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.

BikiniSeries Day9

May5

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May 6, 2014

I was Not in the mood to do anything today. I didn’t want to get up. I was still so tired when my alarm went off. All I wanted to do was stay in bed. But I didn’t.
Got up and did HIIT the Beach II. It was tough for me. I was tired and sore from my intense leg day on Monday. I got through it and got some energy. I dropped the boys off and went to the gym for spin. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up but I did alright. Worked up a good sweat as usual. It wore me out.
Decided to save the rest of my workouts for later and get some stuff done around the house.
Finished up grocery shopping, prepped food, and cleaned up the house a bit. Started laundry and dishes. There’s no really finishing laundry or dishes. There’s always more to do.

I crashed after picking the boys up from school. It wasn’t that great of a nap because the boys were fighting. Had to get up and play referee.
Did the new BikiniBooty workout, SexyArms from zbodyfitnessinc, Sunset Workout, and plank right after putting the boys to bed. I thought about skipping the arm workout but I figured I needed to get back to working out my arms. I love Zoey’s arm workout and she has a great boy workout too. Definitely go and check her out!
The Sunset workout felt great. I really need to stretch more.

Meals –
M1: egg whites and banana
M2: Perfect Fit Bar and Zico
M3: Pesto Pasta, Chk apple sausage, Brussel sprouts and spinach
M4: Turkey jerky
M5: TJ’s Tempura Chk and broccol
Dessert – grapes
Met my water goal today :-)
I’m pretty happy about meals today. I was really craving chocolate badly but I was able to stop myself from buying a bag of choc pretzels :-) It’s getting easier to resist the junk and sweets. I take it one day at a time.

Bikini Series Day3

May1

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April 30, 2014 –

Today was a good day :-) Even though I was’t feeling 100%, I had great workouts. I’m not sure if I’m fighting getting sick or if I am dealing with allergies. I feel tired but that can be due to getting up in the middle of the night dealing with a sick kid and not getting good sleep. I’m congested and that’s about it. My stomach isn’t hurting and I don’t feel nauseous like the boys do. I felt amazing during my workouts.

Started my day with a 5k jog. After I warmed up my legs felt great. I had some shin splints but they are not from running. They are from walking up and down the hills! They didn’t hurt at all on my run.

Gio is still sick so he stayed home with Ben. I dropped Seppe off at school and headed to the gym. I warmed up with a 10min max incline walk then hit the weight room. I did zbodyfitness Better Booty Month3 workout. I haven’t done her workouts in a while so I wanted to see if I had improved. I was able to up the weights on all the exercises. It use to take me at least an hour to complete the workouts but I can get it done in 45-50min now :-)
I followed it with extra leg work on machines:
Leg Extensions 8×4 65lbs
Lying Leg Curls 8×4 55lbs
Leg Press 8×4 180lbs – I’m working on getting to 270 :-)
Glute Pushdowns (on assisted pull-up machine) 10×4 94lbs
Ended with a 20min Interval workout on the stairmaster.

I was pretty worn out by the time I had to pick Seppe up. Had a little nap before helping Seppe with homework and making dinner. I was feeling tired but I still went to volleyball. I look forward to it every week. It’s one night I get to play the sport I love. I don’t think about Ben, the kids, or the million and one things I have to do. I just play. I had a pretty good night too :-) I actually warmed my arm up and I was able to serve overhand most of the night! This is a big deal for me because I have been working so hard to get my overhand serve back. My passing was decent too. It helped that I wore my contacts and could see the ball better :-) Hitting was ok. I just can’t get my timing back. After a tough game of 3 on 3 (that my team won) – I ended the night a little early. It was hot and I was worn out. But I still had the last day if the Spartan 30 Push-ups for 30 Days challenge, Malibooty, and a plank to do. And yes, I did them all after I got home from volleyball. Malibooty fit perfectly for my leg day.

My Meals were ok. It’s seems like there is one meal where I veer off track a bit. M2: was a Mango – it was the last one and I was glad because this last batch of mangos I got wasn’t that great. M3: was broccoli, brwn rice/quinoa mix, and turkey meatballs. It was leftover BBQ Chk but it didn’t taste good after a couple bites so I threw it out and got the meatballs. I didn’t want to take a risk of eating bad food since I was already dealing with sick kids. Lunch was also when I ate some bread from Ben’s Panera lunch and some Veggie Straws. I think I was super hungry after my morning workout.

Before I went to bed I did complete the Sunset challenge. I took a look at my Vision Board and my Create Your Summer List. I let go of my slip ups and focused on what I needed to do to get to my goals. I went to sleep thinking about how strong I was going to feel when I leg pressed 270lbs and how confident I was going to feel in a bikini at the TIU retreat with my fellow TIU sisters :-)

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!