WIAW #11

Jul 112012

Hellllooooo everyone! I am glad to see you were all as excited about my Rome announcement as I was Wheee!! I can’t wait

But anyway, today is Wednesday and you know what that means…

What I Ate Wednesday! Yay! For the month of July, Jenn over at Peas and Crayons is asking us to incorporate some fitness information into our WIAW posts. That is a-okay with me since I do that pretty regularly anyway. In fact, I thought instead of just giving you guys an update about what I’ve been doing for my workouts, I might share a little bit about why I like doing those particular workouts. So anyway, if you’re interested in the fitness portion of today’s What I Ate Wednesday post, you can read about it after I recap my eats from yesterday.

1. For breakfast I had my apple cinnamon overnight oats. They were packed with nutrients and kept me really full all morning. I didn’t wind up eating my lunch until around 1:15 which is really late for me. Plus, the oats were delicious. This is definitely a meal that is going to be seen around here a lot more often, now that I finally bought the required chia seeds. Woohoo!

2. When I finally did get hungry for lunch, I had a PB&J on a sandwich thin along with some raw almonds, pretzel twists, and yogurt-covered pretzels. Yeah I know, this lunch is incredibly lame, but I am still in the process of restocking my fridge after the power outage last week. Even though I went to Trader Joe’s over the weekend, I only picked up a few things and still need to do a full-on restocking shopping trip. Looks like lunch meat is number one on my shopping list (along with lettuce for salads. Argh!)

3. For a snack I had some fresh Rainer cherries from Trader Joe’s. They are so delicious right now and I have been snacking on them all week. Yum!

4. For dinner I had two broiled chicken breast tenders seasoned with cumin, paprika, and Mexican chili powder, topped with half an avocado. On the side I had quinoa cooked in half a packet of taco seasoning (yum!) and some fresh salsa mixed in (similar to my Mexican quinoa). I also had some roasted asparagus. This was a great dinner!

Not a bad day of eating! I am pretty embarrassed about my lunch though; how sad is that picture? I definitely need to make a trip to the food store soon so that I can get some more greens in my diet. Where are my veggies??

Workout

Instead of just posting the usual workout recap (i.e. I ran a mile with Jack today and then did half of an Insanity DVD- which is true), I wanted to talk to you guys about why I do Insanity. Why I choose to do the same workouts over and over instead of joining a gym.

[Image Source]

Insanity is a 60-day program with a set of DVDs for month 1 and month 2. The DVDs all have a similar layout; they start with a warmup circuit, then stretch, then do two more circuits, then stretch again. Each DVD is slightly different and has different moves. The month 2 DVDs have an extra circuit and are therefore longer and more intense. Here’s an example of what some of the circuits look like:

Warm-up (repeat 3 times)

Jog in place
Jumping Jacks
Heisman (jump from right to left in a crouched position)
1-2-3 (same as Heisman but with three quick steps in between)
Butt kicks
High knees
Mummy kicks (arms out straight, alternate kicking your legs)

Circuit 2 (repeat 3 times)

Suicide drills
Power squats
Mountain climbers
Ski down (jump side to side and move as if you’re skiing down a mountain)

Circuit 3 (repeat 3 times)

Basketball jumps (jump from down low and “shoot” a basketball)
Level 1 drills (get down on the floor, do 4 push ups, do 4 mountain climbers on the ground, come back up, repeat)
Side-to-side abs (stay in a plank and jump with your legs from side to side)
In-and-out abs (stay in a plank and jump with your legs forward and back)

These things are no joke! I will be hot and sweaty at the end of every single Insanity workout I do. It doesn’t matter if I’ve done it every day that week or I haven’t touched the videos in a month. They always give me a fantastic workout. Plus they are short and sweet and nothing gets my heart rate so high after a mere 45 minutes. They are also quick and intense and don’t allow me to get bored.

I have, however, been thinking about joining a gym (just because I miss being in classes) but it’s been hard to rationalize paying $30 a month (at best) for a gym membership when I already have a workout that I enjoy that is a great mix of cardio and strength workouts. I am signed up to complete Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp at the end of the month, which may be enough to push that gym membership. We will see!

Anyway, what have you guys been eating this week? Any interesting workout regimes you’d like to share? I’m all ears (er- eyes?)

Guest Post From Stephanie @ My Freckled Life

Guest Post 2 Responses »

May 272012

Hey everyone, while I am frolicking in the sand and the sun, I asked my friend Stephanie over at My Freckled Life to write a guest post for you all. Today she’s going to give you some motivational tips for working out, which will be super helpful as we all get ready for bikini season! Her blog is amazing and very similar to mine, so go check it out and leave her some love And behave while I’m away! Haha.

Hey guys! This is Stephanie, and I blog over at My Freckled Life. I am so excited to be guest posting for Chelsea today, not only because this is my first ever guest post (newb alert!), but because I adore Chelsea! I started reading her blog a few weeks ago, and it immediately became one of my daily reads. Plus she’s a newbie blogger like me!

Anyway, at My Freckled Life I tend to write about my workouts, recipes, healthy living ideas, random
craft projects, my upcoming wedding (eek, 5 months!) and of course, ridiculous pictures of my rabbit-
wannabe dog, Laney!

Since the summer is practically upon us, I thought I’d talk today about how to keep your workout
motivation once the weather gets nice!

I don’t know about you, but as soon as the temperature gets above 80 degrees, my motivation to
workout takes a nosedive. Of course, there is part of me that remembers that summer = bathing suit
season (ew) and that I SHOULD be in the gym, but the other half wants to lay out in the sunshine with a
good book and eat my weight in froyo. Don’t pretend that doesn’t sound amazing to you too!

So here are some tips to help you get motivated to keep with your workout routine now that the
sunshine is out and the beach is calling your name. Whether you need a real kick in the tush to get
going, or are just having one blah day, hopefully one of these tips will get you out of your rut!

1. Find a way to enjoy your workout outdoors!

Now that the weather is nice, there is a whole new world of possibilities for getting your sweat on
outdoors! There are all sorts of strength training and cardio workouts specifically designed to be
completed at a park or on a playground. You can take your kids, your friends, your dog, or even just
yourself and take in some sunshine while you sweat (just make sure you bring some sunscreen – no
lobsters please!)

If plain old workouts don’t strike your fancy – no problem! Find something outside that does. Find
a new trail to hike, or take your bike out for a joy ride around your community. I live in a small
town and summers are FULL of street festivals, farmers markets, and concerts which allow for lots
of walking around and exploring. Get involved in your community and see what kind of fitness
opportunities you can come up with. Summer is also the perfect time to train for races, triathlons, or
other fun events! Find something that appeals to you and get in your Vitamin D!

2. Put some spunk in your old gym routine and change things up!

If your gym routine is feeling old and just is not inspiring you to get into the gym when the
sunshine is calling your name, it’s now a perfect time to change things up. Take a new class at

your gym (or local YMCA/community center/etc.) that you’ve always wanted to try. My favorites
are BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyFlow, and spinning! Gyms seem to be a little emptier now that New Year’s
resolutions have worn off, so it’s the perfect time to rustle up some courage and try something
you’ve never done before.

3. Two heads are better than one – get yourself a workout buddy!

If you’re not already working out with a friend or significant other, now is the time to start. Workout
buddies are a great way to hold yourself accountable when you’re feeling lackluster, and they can
also push you to work harder. Besides, working out with a friend is just way more fun! You can
gossip while you run, make faces at each other during cardioboxing class, and go out for froyo
afterwards (Hey, it IS summer after all!)

Summer can also be a good time to get your significant other involved in your workouts, if they are
not already. Summer schedules seem to be easier for everyone, and the sun is out for most of the
evening, so sometimes people are more willing to join you in working out than they would be in the
winter. Besides, getting your significant other involved is like bonding in a whole new way. My fiancé
and I love to workout together (even if we’re just at the gym at the same time), because it’s kind of
like a casual date, and you burn calories in the process!

4. Turn to the old world wide web for inspiration!

In today’s day of social media, it is so easy to find inspiration on the internet. If you’re a social
person, turn to places like facebook or twitter. Follow your favorite athletes or trainers, tweet
questions to them, check out their facebook pages for workouts or ideas; there are so many
resources out there! If you’re more of a visual person like me, Pinterest is like
heaven. I love looking through the fitness page when I’m feeling totally unmotivated. I get tons of
ideas for workouts, I love the inspirational quotes, and usually after about 5 minutes I’m revved up
and ready to lace up my shoes!

5. Take a few minutes to remember WHY you are working out.

If you’re really struggling, take a few minutes to reflect on why you started working out in the first
place. Was is to lose weight or feel more comfortable with your body? To feel strong and powerful?
To look better in your summer bikini? To get your health under control? To rehab an injury?
Take whatever it is and hold on to that. Make it your mantra whenever you’re feeling less than
enthusiastic. Remember that fitness is a marathon, not a sprint – so you can’t give up. No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch!

Well thank you for letting me fill in for Chelsea today! I had a great time writing this post, and I hope
that you enjoyed it too!

Running with the Roosters

Workouts 2 Responses »

May 072012

This week I’m experimenting with a new workout schedule and so far I’m loving it! I’ve decided to start waking up an hour earlier so that not only can I go on my mile-long jog with Jack in the mornings, but now I can also cram in an Insanity workout before I hop in the shower! This way I can get my workout out of the way early and spend the rest of my evening doing things like cooking, blogging, watching TV, etc. Smile So far I am really enjoying it, but I’ll keep you posted if my mood changes.

One of the reasons that I’m trying this new workout schedule is because Fabio’s friend Max just moved here from NYC and he likes to work out early in the day. I always thought this was a good approach and often tried to wake up early to work out, but sometimes it’s difficult to get up by yourself to go run when your boyfriend is snoozing away for another hour. Anyway, now that Max is here Fabio has been getting up at 6:00 a.m. to go to the gym. This was great for me this morning because I was able to hop out of bed and jump right into an intense workout. It was all going smoothly until my Insanity DVD started skipping after the warm-up and I had to pause the DVD. After this I couldn’t get it to go back on (it was skipping entire repetitions of the circuits and I was getting annoyed) so I switched to my Pilates DVD instead. The moves were really intense and my core was feeling the burn!

After work Fabio and I decided to jog with Jack up to the dog park. Because I had already done Insanity in the morning, I didn’t feel guilty at all about taking my time during the jog. Jack definitely missed our jogs to the park (we have been driving recently) and he was overjoyed when I put on my running shoes for the second time today and grabbed his leash.

We had a great time jogging to the park and chose a route that runs through a pretty residential area near us. It looked so beautiful with everyone’s manicured lawns showing off their immaculate floral displays. On the way back we walked for a few minutes and Fabio and I stopped to enjoy some beautiful roses.

After our jog we headed home and I whipped up a yummy dinner. Unfortunately after dinner we had to drop off my car at the mechanic so I won’t have time to post the recipe tonight, but here’s a sneak peak of the treat you’re in for tomorrow:

Doesn’t that look yummy?! Any ideas as to what it is?? I’ll give you a hint…it has similar flavors to some of the food I ate this past weekend Winking smile Happy guessing!

Ten Minute Trainer DVD Review

Workouts 3 Responses »

Apr 262012

Hello blog world! I hope everyone had a fantastic day! My day was super busy and I didn’t leave work until late again. Leaving work late really throws a wrench in my routine. Oh well, nothing to be done about it; it just teaches me to rework my priorities to fit everything in. I’m sure as annoying as it seems now, I’m probably learning valuable life lessons about being flexible…or something like that.

Tonight I decided to save time by not cooking dinner and getting a quick sandwich from Corner Bakery. I chose a chicken panini on whole wheat bread with basil, spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. It was a nice treat!

So, while I didn’t make dinner tonight and don’t have a recipe for you right now, I did make myself a little dessert involving peanut butter and nutella, so stay tuned for that recipe tomorrow Winking smile

Workout

Despite having a limited amount of time today to workout, I made sure to fit it in. Summer is rapidly approaching my friends! I want to make sure I keep up my workouts as much as possible so I can be in good shape for the beach (I’m wondering how that peanut butter and nutella dessert fits into this picture…hmmm).

The day started out with my typical one-mile jog with Jack. It was quite dreary this morning and I bundled up in my rain coat. Jack didn’t mind; he bounded out the door as fast as usual. Some mornings he is my only motivation for running in the morning. If you ever want to be forced into working out the solution is to get a dog! Seriously! Those sad faces will kill you…

Anyway, after work I was stressing about how I was going to fit in the second half of my workout since it was already late, when I saw this little baby had arrived:

Remember last weekend when I said I ordered a new workout routine? Well it came! I ordered the Ten Minute Trainer DVDs from Beach Body, the same company that makes my favorite Insanity DVDs. I figured these would be perfect for those days when I run to the dog park and just want a little extra cardio. Ten minutes of a quick workout on top of my afternoon runs? It sounded perfect!

Here’s what was in the box:

The set came with a container of free vitamins and shakeology protein powder. I haven’t decided if I’m going to try either of those out yet or not. They are “free” for now but I need to return the container (even if it’s empty) back to Beach Body if I don’t want to get charged. Kind of annoying.

The program also came with a calendar that shows which DVDs to use each day:

From this calendar I learned that the program recommends combining three 10-minute DVDs each day for a complete workout. This made sense to me because I was wondering how they could claim such amazing weight loss results with just a 10-minute video. In my experience if it sounds too easy, it probably is.

So the program is really more of a 30-minute program divided into three 10-minute segments. That’s ok with me, but I bet that made a lot of other people mad who really did just want a 10-minute workout. The first day, for example, you are supposed to do the upper-body workout, the cardio workout, and the core cardio workout. I really like that you can mix and match the DVDs based on the muscle group you want to work out.

I didn’t really take the time to review the instructions or anything, I just popped in the first DVD for the upper body routine. I encountered my first problem when I realized you needed to scroll down on the DVD menu to select the right workout. Upper body was all the way down at the bottom, and I lost my DVD remote months ago. This means my only options for the DVD are currently play, pause, and stop.

Luckily the DVD had a “Play All” button so I chose that! Total Body Workout II? Why not?? (Another note to self: buy DVD remote)

Mistake number 2 occurred when the workout started up and I realized the instructor was using a resistance band attached to the door. I had the resistance band but it was not attached to any doors, nor are there any doors near my TV to attach it to. Grrr. After a few minutes of struggling to do the routine by holding the resistance band myself and attempting to attach it to chairs that (obviously) fell over the second I started pulling on them, Fabio was a trooper and came out and held it for me. Now that’s my kind of guy!

After Fabio stepped in to help the workout was pretty good and worked out my muscles in ways that aren’t normal for me so I was feeling the burn! Despite the door issue, I really liked Total Body Workout II! When it came to the Core Cardio workout though, I was kind of bummed. I know I’m used to Insanity which is so intense, but this “cardio” barely had me sweating. I didn’t even reach for my water once. Hmm. Looks like maybe I’ll be using these DVDs for strength training and stick with Insanity for cardio. That’s fine with me though! I just have to figure out that door situation…

What workout routines do you guys follow? It seems like every time I try a new workout DVD I am disappointed that I don’t get as good of a workout as I do with Insanity. Does anyone else feel that way? Let’s chat.