The Sun Came Out to Play

It was windy, but the sun was out this weekend. This year's weather has been SO unpredictable lately. When you think it will be nice, the rain starts pouring. But on Saturday when I saw blue sky, I took advantage of it and ran outside. Man, did it feel good to off that treadmill.

I ran on the 5k route I found several months ago. Took it easy and ran 1.44miles (18:59min) before taking a 5min walk break. Then I ran .97miles (12:15min) and walked the rest of the way home. A total of almost 2.5miles.
(I know, it's slow. But I did say I took it easy.)

Next Saturday's goal is to make it to 2miles before my walk break. I'll continue this until I can run the whole 5k distance without a walk break.

Did I mention how much it SUCKS to start all over again?

On the plus side, cross training has been going quite well. I'm only at 34 push-ups, but I'll get that up pretty soon. Ever since I started doing supersets, I can't see doing the exercises in any other method. It gets the heart pumping and you can easily cover a whole body workout in half the time.

Lately I focus on:

• arms and weights
• squats
• push-ups
• planks (regular and side)

- I pair up 2 exercises to create 1 superset.
- Then I pair up another 2 exercises to create another superset.
- And if I'm feeling sassy, I'll pair up another 2 exercises to create a 3rd superset.

I do each superset 3 times, and it really gets the body going. If I ever get bored with that, I pick out a Turbulence Training workout, and those never fail me.

I miss using my stability ball, so next week I plan to include that into my workouts again. I never knew it would be such a great tool.

I also like to fit in calf raises, jumping jacks and end it all with yoga stretches and poses. I definitely feel good after a workout, but I need to wake up earlier.

Today, I went for a 1mile run on the treadmill. Just a mile as it was on an incline and I still tire easily. Then I did some planks, then push-ups, and that was supposed to be it. But I wanted MORE, so I did some bicep curls. I didn't want to stop, but had to get ready for work. Grrrrr......

Between running and cross training, my goal is to perform some sort of activity at least 5 days out of the week. Some weeks I will work out every day, but I don't want to feel guilty on days that I take a rest day.

So far things are going pretty well.

Staying On Track

Last week I worked out every day, alternating between cross training and running. This week, I worked out 5 out of 7 days. This morning I slept in and boy did it feel GREAT, but it didn't leave any time for a workout. Still not too shabby.


Cross Training
Currently consists of supersets of:
- planks (regular and side)
- squats
- arm exercises with weights

I really think that doing supersets help a lot. Work the muscles a bunch and relax for a tiny bit. Work the muscles a bunch and relax for a tiny bit. It helps me build endurance.


Running
Outdoor running consists of running a mile.
I usually do this lap through my neighborhood which comes out to roughly a mile.

Indoor running is based on time.
15 minutes is the current goal.
I hop on the treadmill and run at a 2% incline, ranging between 4 to 4.5mph.
That 2% incline gets the heart pumping FAST!

So far the last couple of weks have already helped tighten my arms a bit. Small progress, but I'll take it for what it's worth. To help, I've also cut down on my carb consumption. I've been eating salads.

Ingredients:

• Chicken mango sausage from Trader Joe's
• Candied walnuts
• Dried cranberries
• (sometimes I'll add some cherry tomatoes)
• Romain lettuce
• Organic baby spinach
• Lightly topped with a raspberry vinaigrette

It's delish.

Next week, I plan to introduce pushups back into my cross training. And so I don't get bored with salads, I'll alternate between a salad and a sandwich for lunch. As always, accompanied by fruit, nuts, water and matcha tea.

Looking forward to another successful week of exercise.

I Can't Believe I Forgot

As far as I can remember, my mom would always tell me to stand up straight. I am not sure what causes bad posture.

Why am I sloucher?

Am I not confident?

I'm not really sure. But since I've been slouching for a good portion of my life, I find myself doing it involuntary. Sitting up straight is more of a task.

Well I am trying to work straightening on my posture. I want to have a strong back and I was working on it by doing planks. Well until I got into a funk. Several months ago I experienced pretty bad back pain. I even had to stay home from work one day. From then on, I told myself that I would take care of my back. This is one reason I need to get out of this funk.

I ran a mile last weekend. It was the first time I ran in almost 2 months. It was a short run, but surprisingly my time wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I started with my usual short walk and then ran. But my calves still got pretty tight. During the next 2 days I had quite a knot in my calves, especially the left one. It was tough to get out of bed and walk in the morning.

Ouch! I was walking like I had a stick up my butt.

I was constantly massaging my legs. I never thought I'd be one of those people who would keep starting over when it came to running. I am quite disappointed in myself. Another reason for me to get out of this funk.

I weighed myself the other day. What the heck ya know? The weight really didn't change, but my body is starting to lose the tone I was so beginning to enjoy. My biceps were starting to come out of hiding, I was forming visible hamstring muscles, and my midsection began to shrink so I can fit into jeans I haven't worn in a while. But ever since I got into this funk, clothes haven't fit the same and I just don't feel good about myself.

Come on Mel, get out of this funk!

And then it came to be. A good dear friend was in a car accident recently. The result definitely could have been much worse. But she left the scene ALIVE, and with 2 broken ribs. I went to visit her to see how she was doing. The pain is absolutely horrible, and they say it's going to take about 4 to 6 weeks to heal. During this time she cannot perform many functions without pain. Even laughter hurts.

But now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best idea to go visit her. We always make each other laugh.

All of these things that we take for granted; walking, sitting, reaching, running and laughing could be gone just like that. That's when I decided that I needed to get back into my routine.

I remembered they saying that getting fit is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. Although I haven't worked out much lately, I still ate pretty well. A bit more cabrs than usual, but I still ate pretty healthy. I am so glad that my body craves good nutritious food. To help aid in getting back into my rhythem, I decided to reduce my carb instake drastically these next 2 weeks.

I ran again this weekend. Just a tiny bit longer and a tiny bit faster, but I did it. And it sure as heck felt great! I actually wanted to run again during that afternoon, but I had chores to do. I strethced a lot this time and I don't feel the pain I felt last weekend. Yay! And this morning I did squeeze in a short workout.
2 supersets of:

• planks
• squats
• bicep curls

With life's distraction it's easy to forget to workout. It's easy to forget we should take care of our bodies. It's easy to take the simple things for granted. You miss one day, then another, then another. The next thing you know, 2 months have gone by. Like many others, I need a reminder. Or just a good ol' swift kick in the glutius maximus.

If you feel that I'm slacking once again, please feel free to bust me on it.

Official 5k Results and P90X

I finally got the results of the 5k I did this past weekend. Wow, really? My official time was 42:58. I wonder why it's so off from what my runmeter app stated, which was 41:37. I started it when the volunteer said 'Go' and I started running, and I even stopped it after crossing the finish line and after I walked a bit. I actually kinda forgot to stop the app. Oh well, that's what they have for the official time, so it is what it is.

I'm taking a break from activity this week. I think I did too much too soon last week and my body has just been really tired. I figured I'd give it a rest in hopes that this would prevent me from catching another cold. Gosh, I hate being sick.

I think I'll finally check out P90X. Although for me it's going to be P180X. I can't devote 6 days a week solely to cross training. Where would running fit in? I like my current 3 days of running and 3 days of cross training. I feel well balanced with this schedule. And as I mentioned before, I've done those quick fit diets and could not keep up with them at the end. So the same applies to workouts. I don't want quick results that wither away when you stop or slow down. I want results that are manageable to maintain even after the program is done.

Well it's my lunch hour. Time for a little nap. zzzzzzz

This Week Sucked

I guess we all get into funks every now and then. Apparently this week it was my turn. I started doing #365workout on November 11th last year. Other than one day, due to being sick, I performed some sort of activity. I often run 3 times a week, cross train the other 3 days a week, and have a play day doing any sort of activity I want once a week. Well this week just SUCKED.

Sunday - I did nothing. I was too busy taking care of stuff and paper work. I slept in because I was just exhausted.

Monday - Ok, let's get into the groove and workout. I started week 4 of the original Turbulence Training workout.

Tuesday - Um yeah, I didn't get a chance to workout at all. I had to start my day super early and was too tired to get up any earlier. Come night time, I'm exhausted from my commute, work, and chores to fit in a workout.

Wednesday, Thursday, and today - The pattern just continued. wth?

One night during the week my body felt stiff. I asked the hubby for a massage and he asked why since I didn't even workout that day. And maybe that's the problem. My body has gotten used to doing some sort of activity daily that maybe it just gets stiff without use. Again, my body speaks to me.

So yeah, this week totally sucked for workouts. I'm hoping to go for a run tomorrow, but I already have an appointment early in the morning. Maybe start fresh on Sunday? (Sheesh, I'm already making excuses. Man, once you fall off the wagon, it's hard to get back on.) 

If I don't, please feel free to yell at me so I can get my butt back into gear.

Toss The Scale!

Those who read my blog or view my tweets have asked me the ultimate question.

How much weight have you lost?

When it comes to getting fit, many focus WAY too much on 2 numbers; pounds and calories. Just hearing those words turns my attention off.

Pounds

Our society, if not most, are obsessed with weighing ourselves.
- We eat something, then we weigh ourselves.
- We do a workout, then we weigh ourselves.
It's a vicious cycle. If we gain a pound, or don't lose anything, we get discouraged and eventually revert to unhealthy habits. We flat out just give up. This is complete self-torture. Throw that darn scale away if you are obsessed with weighing yourself. That's exactly what I did. I've been there. I was doing the exact same thing! Constantly weighing yourself will not make the pounds go away. It's like a watched pot never boils. Tossing the scale was liberating for me.

Calories

I personally don't keep track of the calories I eat or drink. I am WAY too lazy to spend the time logging everything I eat. I think it can drive someone crazy doing so. I don't think it's a bad idea to keep a count of caloric intake at first. Initially, that's what I did on gyminee, which is now dailyburn. But it wasn't just about calories. This helped me learn more about my diet. 
- Was I low in my fiber intake, or protein? 
- Did I have too much fat today? 
After a while, I started to understand what my body was trying to tell me. I would feed my body what it was asking for whether it was more protein, or a glass of water. Now I just use a lot of common sense by eating clean. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that the apple is your friend while the chocolate cake is your enemy. I focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, and lean meats.

So to answer the ultimate question...

Since I began running in July of 2010, I have lost a total of 8 pounds. It's now January of 2011. It has been 6 months since I started running, and 3 months since I started cross training. 8 pounds really isn't a lot. And I have no idea if I lost the pounds all up front, during the middle, or just recently. Did it fluctuate? I have no idea and I actually don't really care. Like I said, I rarely weigh myself.

But what I do know is that my clothes fit better. Heck, I just started shrinking my clothes because they were getting too loose for me to wear. (I used to wash them in cold water so they wouldn't shrink.) As I look at myself in the mirror, which is something you all should be doing, I am seeing more definition. I see that I really am replacing fat with lean muscle, and I am liking what I see.

So...for all you calorie counters, muscle is what you need to BURN calories.
And for you scale lovers, muscle weighs MORE than fat. 

So the next time the scale goes up, it does not necessarily mean that you've gained more fat. Think about your activity, your diet, and how your clothes fit, because it might just be that you gained some of that awesome muscle.

And ladies, don't be afraid of gaining muscle. Lean muscle is SEXY.

Your Brain Needs To Workout Too

When I was in my early 20's my HR manager told me that she does crossword puzzles. She said that she does it to keep her brain in shape. Being my 20's I didn't think much of it. I was young. Why would I need to work out my brain when I've got so many years ahead of me? Well a year here and a year there went by and now I'm in my 30's. Where the heck did the time go?

I'm now in love with running - check!
I'm also doing cross training - check!
I do some sort of activity or workout everyday - check!
My diet has improved - check!

But what about my brain? Oh my. My old HR manager was onto something. The body is complex, but the brain is....well, the brain of it all. So how does one exercise the brain? You need to feed the brain things to make the gears turn.


crossword puzzles
word searches
scrabble
reading
solve a rubix cube
take classes
work on your budget
learn a new language
tutor
...and the list goes on and on.

What are you doing to keep your brain in shape?
Currently my favorite form of brain exercise is playing Words With Friends on my iPhone. Wanna play? What's your username?

username is melygreen

Lastly....don't forget to do your deep breathing. Your brain needs oxygen. Set aside a few minutes a day (for starters) to do some deep breathing. Your brain and the rest of your body will thank you.

Happy New Year!

This morning I performed my last workout of the year. Can you guess what I did? 

Cross train?

No, I did that the night before.

Ride on the recumbent bike?

Nope. Try again.

Run?

YES!

I ended the year with a 15 minute mile run.

And yes, it's still quite slow and not far at all, but I am working on building my endurance. I just got an email stating that Tanya P, a dailymile friend, invited me to a 100 mile challenge for January. Hmm, I just don't know. I just started running again. I'd have to run 3 miles a day, EVERYDAY. That's a 5k EVERYDAY. Yikes! That would totally work for fulfilling 365 workout. Gosh, I can't believe I am actually thinking about it. Not much time left to decide, 5 more hours. 

So everyone is talking about goals for this new year. Do you have any? 
Mine is to....

• stick to running 5k races
• increase my speed
• increase my distance
• continue to include cross training 

Basically just continue my path to a healthier me!

Well I'm staying in as usual for New Year's. Yes, I know, pretty boring. But I'm definitely looking forward to what 2011 will bring.
Wish you all a very healthy and prosperous Happy New Year! Be safe out there.