Monday, November 29, 2010

Giveaway!

COme on over to mom.wife.fitness. LIFE

Endorphin Warrior Bracelet giveaway!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Keep it moving people....

Come on over ot my NEW BLOG!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Spinning and running. 8 miles to go!

Wednesday~ Is it Friday yet??
I am tired. Not the too much exercise kind of tired either- for real! I can't sleep kind of tired. It stinks.

I ran today! 3 whole miles on the treadmill before spin class. It was a 9:45 pace. 8 more miles to go for the week!

Spin was an oldie but a goodie. It was a repeating interval, only it got longer every time we started it. The first one was 3 minutes long, then 6, 9 and 13 for the last interval. The moves were:
flat road with resistance
climb
jumps
recover (always 1 minute long today)
I think the class went by fairly quickly and I got a few claps and "thank you's" today- I usually take that as a good sign.

I have a personal training client tonight and that's it.

On tap for tomorrow:
Spin class at 5:30 am (subbing)
Extreme HIT spin class at 7:15 PM -- 90 minutes of fun is what I like to call it.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Busy Tuesday.....

Today I met with my "trainer" from the YMCA. We talked a lot about my metabolic testing on the bike and about on the treadmill ( future test). I got a lot of questions answered and am very excited for what's to come. I hope to retest the bike on Sunday afternoon-I only have to fast 3 hours for this one. YES! After I do the treadmill test ( hopefully next week), Ryan will come up with lots of useful info for me to use for training. I will have new HR parameters for the bike ( most likely--he thinks I was nervous/anxious during the first test/TOM/ allergies) lots of factors might have swayed my results and he expects ( knock on wood), that my new results will be improved. We talked a lot longer than I expected so I was unable to get any running miles in. Booo! I have 0 miles for the week thus far. With that being said ( or written) I cannot believe it's only Tuesday! I have plenty of time to get in 11 miles. I better.

Today was also the last meeting for my new moms group! They were a fun group ( they grew on me!) and they will be missed!

I taught Cardio Sculpt at 4:15 today. It was good.
Dumbbell swings
plank + knee in's
squat thrusts
jumping jacks with body bar
abs on the ball
and a whole bunch of other stuff!

90 minute spin endurance was the last stop of the day.
I lent out my HR monitor to a fear friend so I felt lost during class! haha...I still survived and I would bet that I actually stayed in my Zone........

Now it's 11:45 PM and I am wide awake. The Spin class is over at 8:45 PM. I am wired.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sunday- active recovery and pain (yoga), Monday Spin...

Sunday!
was able to get in about 40 minutes of cardio in my recovery zone on the elliptical. I did this while watching Kendra. Don't judge! The show cracks me up-she is CRAZY. After the elliptical I headed on over to Sun Salutations Yoga class....ugh. It was harder than last week ( which was hard, by the way). It was good though. I only took one break this week. I assume it's helping me-right?!?! This makes 3 weeks in a row that I have made this class. I am still hoping to keep it up.
My goal for running this week is 11 miles.

Monday- Spin at 10. I did a strength interval class today. Lots of flat roads with resistance, a few big hills (1) eight minute hill and 5 mins worth of sprinting today. Woah. It was good though. The class only had one empty bike today too! It's that time of year! The weather is turning colder -again.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Saturday- I met my goal. Woohoo!

Saturday- Woohooo I ran. I actually ran over 2 miles and I did it outside. I made my goal of 10 miles this week- I actually ran 10.2 but who's counting? ( me, that's who). I tried to stay within my Zone 2 HR zone. The only this is this is my cycling heart rate zone, so I am guessing that will be different from my running zones. I was running very slowly, but honestly it felt comfortable and doable. I think if I ran much faster I would have gotten discouraged and might have not met my goal. Sad, but true. I know how my mind works!

It was a brisk day for sure. The weather was in the 40's which I usually enjoy, but I also am usually accustomed to running in it by now. Not so much these days. IT was my first time outdoors for a run (read: without my daughter ) in months. I wore long Nike dri-fit loose pants and a long sleeve technical top with my cotton gloves. I felt very comfortable with this ensemble. My hands, of course were freezing, but I knew that would happen.
I ran a 10:27 pace. I really hope I can keep it up and get my pace up, all the while sticking with this Heart Rate training stuff. It's very fascinating to me for some reason!

I hope to do a nice recovery workout for at least 45 minutes...I am shooting for 60 minutes, but not sure that will happen. I also plan on my yoga at 4 pm. If I make it, this will be the 3rd week in a row. It's a great way for me to (kind of) de-stress and get ready for an active week ahead!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Thursday and Friday spins of course...and hydration!

Thursday- My plan was to run 2-4 miles in my recovery zone in the morning and teach my 90 minute spin at night.
What actually went down was just teaching, which was fine by me! My daughter had a half day on Thursday and was actually dismissed a full hour sooner that I thought. That did not leave me enough time to get to the gym ( booo hooo).
My 90 minute high intensity spin was a lot of fun. Last week I guess I was just getting my feet wet. I actually stopped sweating last week whilst teaching...not good.
I learned my lesson this time. I was a sweating fool- sweatin' like a dude for the entire class. Whew and gross. It was a good session though so that is all that really matters.
After class ( it ends at 8:45 PM) I am too wired and hungry and awake to sleep. But I have to, since I have to get right back up at 4:15 AM to teach my 5:30 AM spin. Well, being hydrated helped me out again. Last Friday upon waking up I felt DRY and tired(exhausted is more like it). Today I just felt tired. Success!
Friday- Spin at 5:30 AM-strength intervals. Nice and deceptively difficult ( so I was told). I planned on hopping on the elliptical for 15 minutes, but that quickly turned into 35 after my buddy spotted me and we gabbed for a little too long. Ooops!
I went back to the gym with intentions of running 4 miles since my goal is to do 10 miles before Sunday! Well....I ran 2 and then walked about 15 minutes on the treadmill. My previous workouts caught up to me. But, I was still hydrated. Take that!
I have an idea in my head at this moment ( 11:10 PM) that I might run 6 miles tomorrow--outside! Stay tuned.....

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tuesday and Wednesday Recap--runnin' and spinnin'

Tuesday- I ran 2.2 miles on the treadmill today and it still felt good. I only had 20 minutes to get some cardio on. I need to make a small goal of mileage per week. This week I will be smart and set it at 10 miles total. I hope to make it outdoors at least once as well.

I participated in the 90 minute spin class later. It was great. It's the endurance class so it taps into your fat stores as fuel. Good to know. My stomach was actually rumbling towards the end of class. I was starving by the time I was done. I hope to be able to do this class every Tuesday night!! According to the instructors bike computer we went almost 37 miles! Woah!!

Gotta go--off to teach Spin!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Monday! Back to the grind....

Monday~ Spin at 10 am! I repeated the same class I taught last Thursday. The one called Calorie Burner. It was a hit so I thought it would be again. It was. Whew. It felt good to get back at it today. My week was very hectic last week, but I won't complain-I love that organized chaos stuff.

Later at home I did 6 rounds of this weightless circuit:
15 lunges per leg
10 jumping lunges per leg
5 push ups to squat

it was hard! It took me 9:08 seconds to do this. I am going to try to do this again this week, but will shoot for 10 rounds. Ugh. It was tough.

I might try to run a few miles tomorrow on the treadmill before my new moms class.
It was a good day.

Sunday- active recovery and pain (yoga)

Sunday~ Light cardio for 20 minutes and then 45 minutes of torture. Yoga I mean. I totally stink at it. It was even harder than last week! One thing I am happy about: it's 45 minutes now and not 60! Whew! These Sun Salutations are no joke either. I am not the worst in the class, but my goal is to be as flexy as the chicks in the front row (I stay in the back!)
I was still pretty sore and tired on Sunday. I felt busy ( cuz I was), all weekend long and did not have much of a weekend. Oh well- Bring on the week !

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Friday and Saturday ( Spin class #8 and #9 for the week) DONE!

Friday~ Spin in the AM-what else?!??! I had an almost full class. According to the bike computer we rode almost 13.5 miles To be honest, I have no idea what style of class I taught--being that it was class #8 for the week--they all seemed to get lumped together. I do remember feeling extremely dry and exhausted when I woke up. I was so dehydrated from the night before. I drank lots before bed too, but apparently it was not enough. My legs were pretty much shot too.
Totally Toned at noon. I had 2 new people and I usually join in when this happens- not today though. I was too tired and sore for that! They both did perfectly well too. I was able to demonstrate the moves and help them when necessary. I was too pooped for much else.

Saturday~ Power Spin at 7:45am.....or make that 7:30am! Great. I had a FULL class and the instructor I was subbing for ALWAYS ( so I was told) starts class at 7:30--even though the schedule clearly states 7:45. So I waltz in at 7:28am....they are already on the bikes ( my friend opened the door as she was getting nervous that I was not going to show up). I started the music and they were off. I excused myself of my tardiness and they were fine with it ( to my face anyways). Class was pretty darn awesome. I "borrowed" the workout from an online site to get the idea. I changed it slightly but not much. The borrowed profile was a tad more difficult than what I was looking for ( maybe if this was class #2 of the week and not #9 I would have done the tougher version). On a good note- I taught off the bike for a moment...it was breif, but I did it! It will get easier the more I do it I am sure. It was a nice little break. I was able to coach the class and walk around and look at form from a different angle. Did I mention that it was a nice little break?? We road about 25 miles in class today. So glad to be done with my craaaazy week!
I know my butt should take a full day of rest tomorrow, but so far I plan to do very light cardio ( my only excuse is that I have not been able to do my own thing at all this week, so tomorrow is my chance!) I got a new library book and I can read that or a magazine or watch TV while keeping my HR in Zone 1 ( recovery baby!!). There is the yoga that I NEED to do weekly as well. Hopefully I get to do something though.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Spinning and more spinning.....(sounds like a repeat post, but it's NOT)

Thursday part II-


Is it Saturday ( 8:46 am to be exact) yet??? That will be the last class i have to teach this week, and then I will be able to collapse from exhaustion.
90 minute class last night. I had all intentions of teaching off the bike again, BUT---- the bike has a new computer that shows mileage ( we rode 30.4 by the way), so if I got off my bike, the class would have no idea how far they rode!! That would be very unfair now wouldn't it?!?! Yes.
I had a guy i class that appears to be very fit, and he said he had never been so tired or hungry right after a class before. My work here is done. Ha.
Gotta go---off to teach! ( for reals!)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Spinning and more spinning.....

Wednesday~ All I did today was teach 1 spin class! Ha....it seems like a low-key day since I only did one thing. I needed it though-busy, active days ahead of me. It was a tough interval class that I planned on taking it easy in. I just can't hold back sometimes.
On my training schedule I had 2 hours of cardio. No tanks! I actually have plans to meet with my "trainer" next week to possibly modify my training schedule. I think I might have to cut it down to 3 or 4 training days---6 days on top of what I do for a living is kinda killing me. Even though this week is not the norm for me. So, until I meet with him I will not be adhering to my training. I don't feel like a quitter of failure either-- it was just not working for me.

Thursday- So far I have taught one Spin class today. Later this evening I will teach my 90 minute ride! It was fun on Tuesday, so I hope it's fun today as well.
This mornings class was packed-every bike (24) was occupied. I am so glad I planned a killer strength ride too. The class was very vocal during the climbs--lots of whopping and hollering this morning!
I am thinking about doing some yoga here at home......but I am so tired. I might just close my eyes for 30 minutes while Miles sits next to me watching " My favorite show", which is basically any kid show on TV!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Is it Friday yet??

NOPE!! I wish! Although my Friday and Saturday is still busy with teaching!
I am subbing A LOT this week. First up was today- 9- minute Extreme Intensity Spin. Woah! It was kind of fun. The best part was that I was able to train within my specific heart rate parameters. I felt as if I had a real goal in class. The bad part was that only people showed up! One did not have a HR monitor and the other one forgot his!! There was 1 extra and the guy that did not have one? I think he could have cared less! Oh well..... They seemed to have enjoyed the class. It was Loooong!

I also had my new mom's class today....I took it easy on myself and let the ladies loose in the gym. Well, they had some specifics and I supervised. We then moved it into the studio for core and ball work. No weights today, but you would have thought I was killing those gals! They are funny, but most of them worked really hard today and had lots of questions. I love questions-especially when I know the answer!

Cardio Sculpt was later. I was beat by the time this class started. Green tea does nothing for me in terms of a caffeine kick. Nope. I pulled it together and did a nice circuit style mash-up. It went something like this:

Cardio:
squat jumps R (8)
jabbing sequence
squat jumps L (8)
upper cuts
3 times total

Sculpt:
Shoulder Press
Hammer curls
(lots of each!)

Cardio:
high low punches (r)
repeat (l)
kicks
3 times total

Scuplt:
15Wood chop (ball)/side
Crunches on ball-15 slow

Cardio:
ski hops (r) 4
repeat (l)
1 Burpee ( set 3 = 6 burpees)
fast alt ski hops
3 times total

Sculpt:
plank hold + alt punches (8)
Plank toe taps (8)
2 sets

Cardio:
hooks (r) 8
repeat l
jump rope sequence/ and jump jacks
3 times total

Sculpt:
triceps kickbacks
side lunge + knee lift (lots)
Lots!

I added more cardio, hamstring curls on the ball and roll ups... and then repeated all the abs again. Whew. Squat jumps always make me hurt immediately.

After class i had to go grocery shopping-- I am so glad I remembered to pack clean clothes to change into because I was a sweaty beast.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Sun Salutations and I ran again.

My PC has a virus and I should not even be on it..but I am.

Sunday~ Yoga class for 45 while minutes!! YAY! Finally........ It was a Sun Salutations class....it basically went like this:
down dog
plank
forward fold
monkey
mountain pose
swan dive
plank
crocodile
plank
repeat for 45 minutes!

She threw in a few shoulder stretches for good measure
this was freakin; hard! I am sure I have mentioned once or twice ( or a million times), how much I need to take yoga regularly?? Well, I do. I really, really hope to be able to add this in on Sunday (my "off" day from exercise).

Monday~ 5 am here I am. Ugh. I could not sleep, so why not head to the gym ( sounds like a problem to me). I am glad I got up though. I had 61 minutes to do for my HR training and I did it all on the treadmill. Almost 6 miles worth of intervals. My avg. HR was 157. It went well. I miss running. Officially.

After that I did a short and sweet weight circuit:
3x8
plank to shoulder press
bent over rows
front squats
biceps curls
( I almost puked after set 2, but could not stop..too many witnesses)

Core for 15 minutes straight
3x15
crunches
toe dips
plank hold( 30 seconds)
My abs were on fire. I know I was engaging all the right things and taking my time this morning...I hate working abs directly. That's probably why it burns so much cuz I don't do it enough. Lesson learned? Probably not.

Spin class was at 10 am-- intervals today. I think they went well. I need to start trying to teach off the bike. I do a lot of activity and find myself kind of fatigued all week. The only time I taught off the bike was when I was 8 months preggo and my belly touched the handle bars ( true story). I know I am still an effective instructor off the bike-I just need to get used to doing that again.
That's it.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The rest of the week!

Thursday~ Active Recovery and weight training. I needed the recovery. I was pooped!!! I tried to lift weights before the cardio session. It did not go so well. I got though this circuit:

3 x10
Lat pull down
Biceps Curls

(3) 30 second planks with 15 second rest between.

3x10

Shoulder press
Squats

planks again.

So as you can see, this was not much of a full body routine, but I am glad I just did something. My legs were so fatigued!

I did my cardio on the elliptical (duh) and walked on an incline for about 15 minutes to finish it off. Whew. That's all for Thursday!

Friday~
Zone 3 Heart Rate for 1 hour. My Zone is 154-167. I averaged 158 for the duration. I started on the treadmill and ran 2 miles! It's been awhile. I then hopped on the elliptical and then finished off on the treadmill again and ran 1.5 miles. It was hard in the beginning and then the feeling past and I was in my groove. It felt pretty awesome--especially when I was done!

Late that night I had to teach Spin- I kept my HR in Zone 3 ( 142-154) with a 149 average knowing I had a nice long recovery on tap for Saturday.

Saturday- Active Recovery for 80 minutes! Mission Accomplished! 80 minutes on the spin bike with an average Heart Rate of 138. Aaaaah! I am sure my body needed this. I am not good at taking a whole day off without doing anything so active recovery is right up my alley!

Sunday is to by my day off from activity..and it might be. Or I will try to go to a yoga class to help this aching body.
All in all this has been a great week. I can't wait to see how next week goes.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Epic FAIL. Lessons Learned ( I think).


Today's plan for my "new" training. Epic FAIL! I had very good intentions of doing my 120 minutes of straight cardio. Yup, 2 hours. The plan was to have a heart rate of 148-154 for 2 minutes and 1 minute of 167-168 for 2 hours! I am not sure if I am not used to the 5 am workouts anymore (horrible excuse), or that I could not work hard enough on the elliptical to get my HR up in time. I think I figured this out on Monday, but I just had to be sure.
First up: elliptical. I lasted 15 minutes.
Next up: Step Mill. I lasted 6 minutes.
3rd round: Treadmill. I lasted 8 minutes.
4th try: Elliptical (different model than the first) 15 -20 minutes ish.
5th try: Spin Bike! FINALLY. The last 45 ish mintues I kind of did the right workout.

So frustrating. I now know that:
#1 if the Spin room is occupied- I have to push myself on a different machine--no matter what.
#2 2 hours of this workout on the spin bike is going to suck.
#3 I will do it next week. Whatever it takes. That's how I roll.
I figured that this week and this new training will be me figuring stuff out and that next week will be the real deal. I like to make my own rules as you can see. I also plan on getting my eats in gear next week as well. If I want this HR thing to work I also have to fuel appropriately. I am burning a minimum of 500 cals ( that's my low estimation) a day through exercise. Today for example it was about 900 give or take a few. That's a lot and not normal for me. So I need to fuel the right way ( cookies = not the right way--dangit). I have not felt too hungry, but I can already see some changes in my body and it's only been since Monday. It's mostly water I know that, but still. I don't want to be a skinny chick with no energy. Not good.
Sooooo, after that lesson on HR and pushing myself I had to venture back to the gym to teach my Spin class. It went well, and I was not as pooped out as I thought I would be. Probably mental. I am pooped now. I am also very sore from my first personal training session. I hope to do it again on Monday. I am on my own for weights tomorrow though.....hope I am not as sore and tired. Off to FUEL ( homemade pizza night). Yum.
* picture of Miles--he must be pooped too......or he just likes to sleep in the hallway at night.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Monday-Spin, Weights, elliptical. Tuesday-Active recovery and yoga-yup, yoga!


Monday- Race Day Spin today...... I used a repeat class and revamped it a bit. New music and a few new moves and viola. New class. I used my new HR parameters as well. I like having something that makes sense finally!

Totally Toned was next on the list. I usually sit it out after race day and today was no exception! It was a fun class to instruct, I was able to incorporate the exercise stability balls in today's class for some variety. I hope to do this more often this session. Lots of laughs were had!

So that was my classes for the day. With my new training I am not to count my class instruction as a true workout. Awesome.

I headed back to the gym after getting the girl from school to weight train with Ryan. It was a lot of fun. Not overly difficult, but I am not complaining. I have not lifted in months (regularly).

He had me throwing an 8 lb. medicine ball overhead--let it bounce no more than 1 time and then do it again for about 8 passes. Walking lunges with medicine ball rotation, 1 leg squats, 1 leg hamstring curls with the stability ball, push ups, pull-ups, jumping lunges, BOSU push ups + burpee, TRX rows and, and, and. Whew. Oh, we ended with core. I loathe working my core, but I know it will only make running as well as cycling and just about every physical activity easier!

After that torture, it was time to torture myself with my first prescribed workout- It was called Threshold 3. I had 5 minutes of intervals for 60 minutes total. I thought for sure I would stop at 15 minutes in. By minute 25 I found my groove and there was no stopping me now until that darn elliptical said 60:00complete! Ugh. It was pretty hard. Thankfully, I only have to have my heart rate up super high ( 167-168) for 1 minute. It took me about 35 seconds to get it up that high ( I was at 154 at the time). So I need to work on that next time- I was not working hard enough apparently. Gah!

That brings me to today (Tuesday!). My active recovery day! Yay! I got up at dark thirty to hit the elliptical again. My goal was to keep my heart rate between 132-142 for 60 minutes. Mission complete! I averaged 137 beats per minute for the duration. I don't get bored surprisingly. I think it's because I am constantly looking at my Heart Rate monitor --time pretty much flies by that way.
Once at home I actually did some yoga/stretching for a whole 45 minutes! Let's see if I can continue this. Twice a week would be ideal, but I will shoot for once a week for now.

I will be instructing my New Mom's class in a few hours, but I think it will be mostly a cardio day for them on the machines and track and core work and stretching is the plan so far. Well, that depends on if we have a tornado!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Sunday----Metabolic Test.

Sunday~ Kind of a rest day for me...maybe closer to an active rest day.
I took a test today. 2 metabolic tests to be exact. In a nutshell I found out my true resting heart rate as well as my active metabolic performance training zones as it relates to my cycling.
I got all my correct heart rate zones and stuff. I can't wait to use my Zone 3 ( 154-167 bpm) during my race day spin tomorrow! ( I was on the bike for about 10 minutes with a horrible face mask on-- huffing and puffing away....)
I found out that when I am active that 80% of my calorie expenditure is through FAT! Woohoo!! And 20% is through carbs. Apparently this is really good news according to my tester. The test showed that I am very well conditioned and have a pretty decent aerobic base. I just need to maintain it. I received a boatload of information too. Even a training schedule of when to be in what Zone, for how long etc. Lots to learn!
I asked my tester (Ryan) if it was realistic for me to want to fit i weights on my own. He basically said that when I teach it does not count as my own workout! I actually knew this already, but it was nice ( or not!???! depends...) to hear it from a true expert!
Sooooo, my program calls for2 days of strength training. Tomorrow might be my first crack at this, with Ryan! He's pretty tough and I have never had a trainer before, so this might be fun. Oh, it will be. I hope it all works out and I am able make the appointment.
So, it was kind of an easy day exercise wise for me even though I worked hard for a short period of time.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Saturday-taking it easy!

Saturday- It was a very easy day. 45 minutes or so on the elliptical-not letting my HR get past 150. I read a lot. It was nice! I had to take it easy because I am taking a metabolic test on Sunday (today) and was not to push myself the day before the test. I am kind of nervous and excited. The test will be hard! I have to go all out on the bike so I can get my true HR biking parameters! Yahoo..finally. I hope I don't suck! I have not eaten anything since 11 pm last night and can't eat until after my test (noon today) T-minus 2.5 hours. Please hurry up. I love to eat. I miss food.....
I will be teaching a 90 minute High Intensity Spin class that starts in a few weeks and it will be all HR based--very interested to see my results.

I also have a Race Day planned for tomorrow's spin class where I can do my first "test" using my heart rate numbers.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday!!!!

Friday!
Early Spin. My class numbers are still good-whew!
I taught the same giant hill/strength class as I taught on Wednesday. I rearranged the music and all went well. After that, my friend and I headed to the Human Performance Lab to fiddle with the TRX contraptions again. I was pretty much tired and sore from Cardio Sculpt last night, but I was able to bang out a few (4) pull ups for 4 sets. I also did 3 sets of TRX rows. I did a few planks and stretched a bit and that was enough for me.

Totally Toned looked fun ( from where I sat). They used the exercise ball for ball lunges, abs, back and wall sits today. TGIF!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thursday- no spinning today....

Thursday-
Well I got my hair did today! That consisted of 3 hours in a chair. That always makes me sleepy. I was not able to take the noon spin today ( Booo!). I taught my Cardio Sculpt at 4:15 though. It was a combo of kickboxing/weights/core/more cardio....lots of stuff that did not make sense, but I guess it really did! My 1 participant enjoyed herself....so did I!
That's all for Thursday.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Tuesday and Wednesday Recap-- Elliptical sessions and Spinning....

Tuesday- The elliptical and me are attached at the hip lately. Nothing else in the gym seems appealing at this time. SO that's what I did...about 30 minutes on the elliptical before I met with my new mom's group. I put their butts on the elliptical this time for 20 minutes and then 2 laps around the track. We moved it to the studio after that for some weights and core work.
I try to do something different each session- we use the Body Bars this time. I made them ( OK, suggested) use heavier bars and dumbbells this time. A few of them mentioned that they want arms like me...I assured them 1-2 lbs weights is not how to accomplish that......
We went through 2 sets of 12 reps:
Squat/lunge sequence
1 arm rows
----------------------
front squat
lat pull downs
---------------------
triceps exts.
and about 5 minutes of straight abs/core
--------------------------------------------
I can see a lot of improvements each week (attitudes and effort)-whew!

Wednesday- 30 minutes on the elliptical with a HR between 150-159.
Spin class after that. Strength workout today--long hill intervals and new music = successful and happy class. One girl mentioned that she thought she was gonna hurl--not my mission, but she was either working at her max HR for a while or is coming down with something!
That's it for today-I have a PT client this evening.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Monday, Monday......

Monday~ I think I am done with my pity party- until race day! Just keepin' it real up in here! The Boston Marathon made history when it sold out in 7 hours! That is amazing!!!! I knew I was not going, but it made me feel a little bit better knowing there was no chance now! Ha..whatever it takes. UNTIL my friend texted me saying a woman in our running group can't use her confirmed entry to Boston for some reason and I might want to see if I can get hers. I didn't ask any questions, but I am doubtful she would just donate it to me cuz that's the only way I would get to race in Boston- if someone else paid for me! My lovely friends that are going there let me in on all the ways to save $$-drive and stay with strangers for free! I would be fine with that! No need to dwell on the shoulda/coulda/woulda-it just gives me a headache.

So on to Monday's Spin class. I did a repeating interval class. I have not taught one in a very long time. I always get frustrated trying to come up with the timing that works....well I figured it out and I think the class went very well! It was 6 minutes of fast intervals ( runs, jumps etc) followed by a 5 minute progressive hill. I let the class decide what type of hill they wanted to do, as long as it was different every time. Some people like that they get to choose, and some freak out and just do what I do! I am fine with that. Sometimes you just don't feel like thinking too much and rely on the instructor (me) to tell you what to do- that's what it's all about!
Totally Toned- I had every intention of participating, but I guess I changed my mind. There were 3 ladies that showed up today. We had a great time scaring the non-mother in class with our birth stories! Ahhhh! We let her in on things we wished our so called friends had told us! I hope we did not scare her too much...it was all in good fun though.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Recaps.........

Saturday- Elliptical for about 15 minutes and then off to Power Spin. I pretty much kept it low key in Spin. I am liking using it for a long non-Power Spin day. I still get the exercise that I NEED and can do it at a lower intensity if I choose. I think I averaged a 150 heart rate.
Saturday was also Amara's Kid's Marathon! She ran the whole thing which was her goal! YAY! She was so proud of herself...I was proud of her too. She appeared to have a lot of fun and even said, " That was a lot easier than I thought!" She had a nervous tummy before the race and even hit the bathroom (#1) at least 3 times in 3o minutes before the race! She is an athlete folks! Ha ha! After the race we stayed at the YMCA for the Harvest Fest they were putting on. While there she ( done by yours truly) got her nails painted, face painted and played a few games. It was a nice afternoon.

Sunday~ Sunday was the Grand Rapids Marathon! Lots of people from my running group were there and did a great job. My husband's fishing buddies sister ( does that make sense???) won the over all female marathon (2:45 and some change) She is set to go to the Olympic Trials now. It was so awesome to see her running to the finish-I can't fathom running that fast--ever!
The weather was perfect and I had fun taking pics and watching friends qualify for The Boston Marathon. A friend of mine squeaked by with 40 seconds to spare! Talk about a nail biter!
With that being said, today is the first day of signs ups for the race....I have gotten multiple emails/texts/ and Face Book messages asking/telling/ exclaiming about this. Ugh! I am happy for my friends ( really, I am.) This is harder than I thought though!! I think it's because it's such a fun group going that has me down. Not so much the race itself ( who am I kidding??), but the company and the fact that they think this will be there last marathon ever too ( we all say that though....).
My brother knows of my wallowing in self pity today and brought over a wine cooler! Ha ha. My cycling buddy gave me homemade baked goods--pumpkin cookies and some pumpkin bread!! The baked goods are easing the sadness a bit I must admit! It's too early for the wine cooler! I still have to pick Amara up from school!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Spin and hanging from the ceiling.....


Friday~
Early Spin. I am liking how packed my Friday class has been for the past 3 weeks! It's very motivating, especially when I am as tired as I was (Miles strikes again). I did a repeat of Monday's tough strength interval. I just changed the music and it seemed like a brand new ride. I was able to push myself more today-- most likely because I did not ride 60 miles the day before.

After class I was able to try out the TRX System we have at our gym. You can do so much cool stuff with these..the bands hang from the ceiling and you are more or less using your body weight and balance at the same time. It is tricky, but I am sure very effective once you get the hang of it. I did abs, rows, biceps, triceps, chest and deltoids on this contraption! Hopefully I will be able to incorporate this system in my workout--which I plan on revamping next month! Story of my life.....

Thursday

Thursday~
Some elliptical, some weights and a spin class was on the agenda today. 20 minutes on the elliptical and about 6 upper body exercises to be exact ( chest press, shoulder press, bicep curls, triceps ext. and up right wows) I guess that's only 5--close enough!
Spin class was good. I decided to keep my heart rate in the 150 beats per minute range, because my body was kind of tired. I think it's more because I have gotten broken sleep all.week.long. (thanks Miles). I really need a nap or a massage or a nap after my massage! (I like to dream big-what can I say?)
Feeling a little less sorry for myself after my vent/rant post yesterday. It's healthy to do those posts sometimes. I swear. It's proven! I hope I don't do that too much though..I am sure it's proven that that is not helpful!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Wednesday spin..I forgot something important today.

Wednesday- Spin day today. But first I was able to get to the gym by 9 AM. I normally leave my house at 9:15 ish......so I hopped on the elliptical for a bit to get some intervals in while leaving my heart rate under 160 for the duration. I must have been in la la land when I left my house today. I cleaned out my bag-- that just means I took out a few CD's and 2 notebook since I did not need them at 10 am spin. Or did I? Yep, My spin profile and music were at home. Not in my bag. Ooooops! It was 9 :40 when I noticed so I panicked. Long ( not really) story short; I was able to borrow a fellow spin instructor's iPod--luckily we pretty much have the same taste in music so it worked! The spare CD's in the spin room are 70's rock and the Glee soundtrack--umm, not so much thanks! I learned my lesson!
Today's ride was an endurance one...it went over well I think/hope!

**On a personal note-kind of a pity party rant thing--or however you want to look at it.
The Grand Rapids Marathon and half are this weekend! I won't be running, but plan to spectate and snap some pics of my teammates. The day after the race is the first day to sign up for The Boston Marathon. I won't be doing this race either ( boo sniff--no really. It SUCKS!). I am tired of people asking me why I am not running it; and that I had a whole year to plan/save/prepare etc. Duh. Tell me something I don't know people!!! I had plans of taking a month or so off from running and then really training hard for this marathon ( u know the Boston one?!?). I have a lot of fast(er) friends and I hoped that their speediness would rub off on me this winter! Boston would have been my 3rd and most likely final marathon ever. It's not my favorite distance to train for or run, but wanted to go out with a bang. I was contemplating running really well there OR running with a camera and snapping pictures along the way--guess that does not matter much now ( boo sniff again.) Ok, I think I got most of it out of my system. Happy , happy, happy!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Tuesday- nice and easy!

Wednesday- I took it fairly easy today. I am sure the 1300 cals I burned on Sunday have something to do with it! I did a nice easy 35 minutes on the elliptical.
I had my new moms class after that. They did a treadmill hill climb for 15 minutes and then we headed to the studio for some weights. I did not let anyone use less than 5 lbs today. Those 1 and 2 lbs were not doing anything! I was not so easy on them today being that it is week 5 and they noticed! They pushed themselves today and they noticed! I was pretty much non-stop with the weights, planks, mountain climbers, squats...you name it we did it. I told them to expect to be challenged even more next Tuesday!
Amara is well on her way to getting in her 25 miles before the 1.2 mile "marathon" race this Saturday. She hit mile 20 today-- the map is hilarious to me. Its her running up and down the streets over and over. I was on the corner so I could watch her and Miles at the same time. Miles was not feeling going all the way around the block today! She is a trooper.

Monday

Monday~ I was pretty sore from the ride, but I think I did not feel as sore as normal. If that makes any sense. Half way through the ride I took a break and stretched and had some whey protein. They say that the protein will help with recovery. I'm not saying I felt super today, but I felt better then I felt after riding 40 miles. I did not do the protein then. So who knows. I might have to ride 60 miles next week and experiment again!
Spin was good. The first 10 minutes was not so fun. My legs were pretty stiff, but after the blood got flowing I was able to put in a good effort. Lots of steep hills today (what was I thinking!?!?!) It was actually an old workout. I made a few modifications and added more recoveries as well as a new play list and voila! A brand new class. Nobody knew--until I told them.

Totally Toned. I went in with few expectations from myself. Good thing too. After I performed 4-5 squats I knew it was best I not join in!
I know I keep saying it over and over, but I really need to find a yoga class. One that holds my attention and is also beneficial! I need that.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Sunday-big miles on the bike and big miles for the kid!


Big ride! ( for me!)

Big miles ( for Amara!)


50+ big ones today on the road bike. Clear skies, a bit of sun and lots of fun. Nice getaway and stress reliever too! The first 23 ish miles were mostly flat and we held a pretty good/steady pace. The last 25 ish had some nice rolling hills, a few giant hills and a scary dog that I thought was going to bite my leg. I don't think he (it had to be a boy dog!) had the invisible fence either. That made me ride faster; that's for sure! We started to fizzle around mile 32, but somewhere around 41 we started to pick it up again. The trails were busy today with people--it got harder to keep a good pace from slowing down to move out of the way, but I am still pleased with our pace overall. I am already sore...spin class and totally toned should be eventful tomorrow.


Amara's miles! She was a trooper. Click on the link above to see The Route! Pretty funny...it's her running up and down the sidewalk in front of our house! We did make it around the block once and then she continued in front of the house until she accomplished 1.5 miles! She was awesome. A few times I saw a certain look on her face-- she wanted to stop. She would not look at me either (I was on the driveway watching her). I asked her about it; if she was hurt. She said she wanted to stop running, because it kind of hurt, but she kept telling herself to GO, GO, GO! She said she would say it over and over and then it did not hurt as bad. I think I created a monster here! She (we) has 8.5 more miles to get in before Saturday! She is determined enough, I think she will do it!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Saturday!

Saturday~
Kind of a hurried workout today.......

Elliptical for 35 minutes..I tried to keep my HR steady ad not to drop below 150 bpm.......I pretty much did that.
I then hopped on the treadmill and did a 30:30 interval...The mile ended up being in 8:30 which is not too bad for interval style- I guess. I then walked for about 8 minutes or so on an incline still trying to keep my HR at 150. My Garmin says my avg. HR for my whole workout was 147....close enough!
I have a big road bike ride planned for tomorrow...the weather should be AWESOME...high of 77*!!! We hope to get in 50 miles..probably tack on a few more for good measure--maybe!

Tomorrow is the Chicago Marathon. Good luck to everyone and I am looking forward to reading all of your race recaps!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Thursday and Friday spins of course...and other stuff.

Thursday~ Spin again! I went early to warm up for a good 12 minutes before class started. I wish I could do this before I taught...it really seems to help me have a more productive ride!
Today was a Race Day too. It was a 6 mile loop around Central Park. Really fun!

Friday- Spin! I used the same class I taught on Wednesday, but changed the 12 minute flat road. I added some standing climb power climbs to the mix to change it up. I think it was a hit. I had about 20 peeps in class today again. I am loving the bigger classes now that the weather is cooler ( never mind that the high is 74 today!)
After spin I did a weird workout..don't even know if I can remember it all.

3 pull ups ( doing some everyday all week!)
plank to shoulder press (8)
lunges off step (8)
punches w. exertubes ( 8)
2x

pull- ups (3)
TRX bands squats (8)
box jumps (8)
plank hold ( 20 sec)
2x

I am trying to get back up to doing 5 pull ups...they are hard!
I went on the elliptical and did a 15 minute quick interval workout.
Easy walk on treadmill for 10 mins.

I was killing time. Heaven forbid I get home too early and mess up Amara's plan to pour her own cereal and milk! Such a big girl!!!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tuesday -intervals and NO Spinning ( I ran) ( what?!?!)

Tuesday~ Well on Monday night I did do the isometrics workout. It's no joke folks. It was a killer and it only took me 15 minutes (not including my 3 minute mini warm up). I did this while watching my recording of Desperate Housewives ( love this stupid show). SO I do recommend this workout especially if you are always crunched for time or need something different to challenge your body.

Ok so I made it to the gym on Tuesday. I did some pretty intense intervals on the elliptical. 2:1 ratio with a 4 minute warm up. 2 minutes hard and 1 minute to recover for 25 minutes.
I then moved to the treadmill with no plan in mind. I walked for about .25 miles and then I ran for a full mile. Woohoo. I think you know you officially miss running when it felt good to run on the treadmill ( in beautiful weather). I need to figure out how to get my butt in the great outdoors again and RUN. There are a few smaller 5ks and 10K's this fall that I am looking into doing--well 1 or 2 hopefully if they are close to home.

After cardio on Tuesday I had my New Moms class. They ( most) came ready to work. I had them complete 1 mile on the track and was happy to see that most of the group Incorporated bouts of running/jogging. We then hit the weights --walking lunges anyone?? ( 1 participant asked me if I hated them as we started set #2---ha. )
No spin for me today- I missed it a little, but it's good to change it up-right?!?! Yes, it is!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Sunday- huge bike miles and Monday-tired girl.


Sunday~ Big miles on the road bike today-- 40 to be exact! My furthest ride eva! It was fun. It was not fast by any means--well, it had moments of fastness, but not consistent. My friend Andi and I called it A Day to Explore! Oh, she also named the ride Trust Me--because we had no idea when to turn left or right or go straight! It was fun though. The weather was beautiful ( thank goodness). There were moments of too much wind, but nothing I could not handle I suppose. There were not many big hills. just one ginormous one that we happened to HAVE to go up, because we were on the shoulder of a kind of busy road. Not my kind of ride, but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The more practice I have in traffic, the better. I will always like the paved paths better though.

The map of the ride actually looks planned! But, I guess you can't see how many double-backs we actually did! http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51629512

Monday~ My back and shoulders and legs were kind of mad at me (started last night actually), I felt really fatigued. Kind of like a truck hit me....or something.
Spin class today was just ok in my opinion. I am not sure if it was because of my fatigue. It took me forever to warm up and get the kinks out! I was still able to get with it and push myself and my class (I hope) to have a successful ride. I had new music and everything! The new Maroon 5 CD is the best. I "heart"Adam Levine. He is the only male I enjoy seeing in skinny jeans- he can pull them off (figuratively, not literally--well, unless he wants to) for some reason! Anyway, what was I talking about again!??!?!
Spin...intervals, heavy hills, fast runs, and a few sprints.
Totally Toned-- I sat this one out, but I am about to do the workout in a few minutes in my living room!
Today's theme was 60 second isometric holds!
plank + glute squeeze
lateral raise hold
side plank (r)
side plank (l)
ball wall sit
all for 1 minute.....


I then had the class then do 20 reps of the following(bonus):

squats

bicep curls

step touches with exertubes


*the isometric holds were done for a total of 3 times and the bonus was done for 2 sets. My 3 participants loved to hate this one....mostly hate I think, but they did rather well!

I will give it a try minus the "bonus". It was a beneficial time filler for class! The isometrics workout should take me about 15 minutes, maybe more with kid duties!



Saturday, October 2, 2010

Saturday- Recovery Spin

Shhhh! Don't tell the instructor! The name of the class was Power Spin. That means POWER for 90 minutes! My average heart rate was 140 bpm. Power? Not so much. I am totally fine with that too. I needed to move today, but I also needed to be smart about it. It has been a long week for me and this morning was really just what I needed. I still knocked out 600 calories- not too bad for a recovery day. The class itself was a very good endurance profile. Those are tough classes and to make it 90 minutes is torture! The kind I usually embrace. Not today though. That is what makes Spinning such a great class. You can make each and every class your own and get out of if what you want. No pressure!
After Spin class I actually stretched in the warm pool area for at least 10 straight minutes! It felt really good. I think a massage and a nap would fit in nicely today too. It's not going to happen, but it would be nice nonetheless!
Happy Saturday!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Friday - crazy for cardio

Friday~ I am glad that last Friday's spin class was not a fluke (still knocking on wood though). I had about 15 peeps show up this morning for a great workout. I did a version of my Monday class race day profile, but gave a few variations and choices....I think it went over really well.

After spin I went to the gym and did a variation of a workout from Men's Health Magazine.
It was tough!! I was supposed to do 4 sets, but I did 2 instead. I know I could have given more if I did not teach a hard spin class before!
I changed it a bit, but this is what I did:

Squat Jumps (10)
Mtn climber to push up (10)
Jump rope 90 seconds ( I did this instead of the 10 sets of shuttle sprints)
Dumbbell swings + squat ( I added this)
rest 90 seconds
Repeat for a total of 2 sets

Next Round:
Alternating lunges ( 10/per)
Squat Thrust (10)
Jump rope 90 secs
Dumbbell swings
rest 90 secs

About 5 mins. of abs

5 walking laps around the track
Whew. Done. It was good. My butt and legs hurt already. Me likey.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thursday stuff!

Well, I actually did not spin today. Can you believe it?!?! I decided to go do my own thing on the gym equipment instead.

20 minutes elliptical
5 minutes step- mill
1 lap around the track
20 minutes on the PreCore cross trainer
20 ish minutes on the treadmill fast walking on an incline.

I ran today. A whole lap (never mind that 7 laps = a mile). I ran today!
I really did not plan on doing as much cardio as I did. Honest. I got into this show on MTV called Buried Life--long story short these guys had this plan to streak at a baseball game. Hilarious. I didn't even care that I was laughing out loud and they were showing blurred out private areas, and that I work at the YMCA. Who cares? It was funny!

I taught my Cardio Sculpt later. I participated minimally again but they needed my eyes to watch their form today. Really. They did a good job! I actually got the workout from Fitness Magazine. I will post it as soon as the site is back up.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Spinning and more spinning.....

Tuesday~
I did some high intensity cardio on the elliptical for 20 minutes before I met with my New Mom's class-- Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies. I took them on the treadmills and had then do some tough intervals. After that we went to the group exercise studio and lifted some weights. They are a fun group--one lady got so hot that she took her wig off to cool down! I had to do a double take of the pile of hair laying on the counter.... ha ha!
Since I don't run anymore (arrgh!) I took the 6PM spin class; I am pretty much a regular here now since I have gone for the past 3 weeks in a row. It was a great class though. Marnie is a seasoned instructor that really knows how to motivate and puts on a great class every time. I am picking up some great tips from her too.

Wednesday~ I taught spin today. The class was OK. I was not too excited about how it went, but it's OK to have those days every so often--just not too much!
I might lift something heavy later on... not counting on it, but maybe!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The 2 hour ride that wasn't and Spin Race Day....


Sunday~ Ready to ride!! Oops, the little valve on my tire/tube thing( picture) has broken off so I need to change the whole tube. Awesome. It only takes us about an hour becuase we have no idea what we are doing! We planned on riding a long distance today. 13.5 miles does not equal long mileage today. Oh well, I am just glad that my buddy Andi had a spare- Lord knows I didn't! It ended up being a nice ride despite the hour beforehand! We did the miles in about 55 minutes.

Monday~ Race Day Spin Day! I tried something new today in class. About half way into the race I had the class "do their own thing" for 5 minutes. By that I mean I told them what to do(ha) only at their own intensity. It was basically explained as 5 minutes of attacks or breakaways...I had them envision their age group rival hot on their butts....every time they got too close they were to sprint away from them. It was a tough 5 minutes if I do say so myself. My heart rate topped off at 178! Crap, that is HIGH!!!!!

The rest of the class consisted of (2) 8 minute progressive climbs and some killer flat roads. I received a few kudos at the end of class today. I am glad I tried something new!

Totally Toned was at noon. I participated in 95% of class...I think I did not do lower back and a few planks. My back hurt! I think I need to stretch...story of my life!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Recaps.........

Thursday~ No running! I am ok with it. I think. Maybe not now that I thought of it a bit harder!
I took a Spin class. I decided to go a little bit earlier to warm up. This did the trick-- I was ready when class started and it did not take me the usual 10+ minutes to feel warmed up. I was able to keep my heart rate up higher too. It was a great class.

Friday - Spin instruction. It was a weird morning. I teach spin at 5:30 am on Friday and I average 8 or so people. Today there were 21! I am not sure if it was due to the crappy weather ( super windy although it was 81* at 5 am). For some reason it made me nervous too! I had only 3-4 of my "regulars" and the rest were strangers!! I think the class went well though. I had a good mix of music and the workout was a toughie. It was a 3:1 work rest ratio--that 60 second rest went by fast too!
After class I met my friend to workout a bit more. This is what we did:
20 reps for 2 rounds and 15 reps for the last round...

*jumping jacks with a body bar
*chest press with body bar
*bicep curls
* front raise
* up and downs on the step bench for speed ( 40 reps total)
* squats off the side of bench ( 40 total)
*push ups
*hip circles
*crunches
*bicycle
*plank variations

It was a good one!
I hope to do something like this every Friday for a while until I get back into running and lifting again!
I am sore today of course!

Saturday- Power Spin. 1 hour class. Good stuff!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Recaps.........

My carpal tunnel seems to be dormant for the time being.......good. It sucks!

Friday- Spin instruction
Sat- OFF
Sunday-Off ( 1 mile walk run with Amara)

Monday- Spin class...it was a good one. 12 minute hill, 10 minutes of fast intervals and another 12 minute hill climb.
Totally Toned

Tuesday- Spin class. This was nuts! I was a participant today and the class was really hard. 5 sets of sprints followed by a 5 minutes hill climb--repeated 3 times.

Wednesday- I am home writing this blog and NOT teaching ( Boo sniff). Miles woke up sounding like a seal barking...so it's best not to take him around more kids. He of course barked once this morning and now seems just fine! Better safe than sorry!

I sure hope to do SOMETHING active today. Maybe yoga when he naps?? I need to move!


As you can see, I have not been doing any running. It's been over a week. The half marathon is in less than a month. As it seems, I won't be running with my group this coming Saturday either. Awesome.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Recaps galore!

I will try and recap my days of last week and this week:

Last week:

Thursday- I taught a class and then rode the road bike for 22 ish miles. It was fun!

Friday- taught Spin and did a little extra cardio after that.....

Saturday- I ran 14. 7 miles with the group. I love just jumping right into my long runs...ha. After that I met my crazy friend and we rode about 12 miles in the pouring rain. It was cold and not so smart.

Sunday- 2 mile walk/run with Amara. She rocks!

THIS WEEK:

Monday- Spin and Totally Toned.

Tuesday-40 minutes of cardio at the gym in the early AM and later that afternoon a 25+ mile bike ride in the awesome weather! This was my furthest ride to date! I would like to do one 40- 50 mile ride before I have to give up the wheels.

Wednesday- Spin class and 15 minutes of extra cardio. That's it. My legs were not as bad as I thought they would be from the evening bike ride on Tuesday. Good!

So there ya have it.....the condensed version.
Carpal tunnel stinks. I usually only get it when pregnant. I am not pregnant. I have been on the computer more so that is my best guess for the annoying flare up.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Still here....

I am taking a little break--my carpal tunnel is flaring up something major and I am sure it has to due with typing more on the computer.
Workouts are going well this week...even though I have not run 1 mile yet. Oooops!
I will be back soon!

:-)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wednesday

Spin day Wednesday.
Interval class that included: 2 minute climb/ 8 minute progressive flat road. repeat 3 times with a 3 minute switchback hill at the end and then you are done! It was hard, but went by quickly. No running this week...I guess I am saving myself for Saturday's 16 mile jaunt. I guess.....