30:00 Bike + 10:00 Run + Butt/Abs [TIU]

Well, like a bum I decided to take the day off yesterday. That's three days in a row I didn't work out -- that doesn't happen too often, but when it does I always manage to feel slightly guilty. Unless I'm on vacation or something and there's good reason. But just... because I didn't feel like it? Not good enough. I regret not doing anything every.single.time. You'd think I'd learn. But sometimes there's just too much bleh to overcome...

I'm still feeling bleh. Boredom with my cardio options, I think, is the biggest problem. Typically I bounce between running, biking, and rowing, and I do well enough, but it's just not cutting it recently. Doesn't help that I think I've messed up my knee -- all those options make it hurt, so I'm scared to do anything truly intense for fear of seriously injuring myself. But at the same time, biking is the tamest thing I can think of and I've done that twice already in the past week. TWICE! BORED!

I'm considering sucking it up and running outside -- I haven't been out in ages since it's been cold, and every time it's been like 60 I've had other plans. Generally speaking I really hate running outside in the winter. It's cold, it's dark, and it's cold. And dark. Reasons! I really should just buy some damn gloves and get over it. 45 isn't too bad... right? Right? Guess we'll see...

To make up for yesterday's ennui I'm throwing in some ToneItUp butt and ab routines after my run, which will likely be a bit shorter than the usual 6 miles to accommodate the extra time I'll need. Probably won't make it through all 3 sets of everything, but there's a chance.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4 - lots of energy today, nothing inspiring to waste it on

Sore Areas: None

Yesterday: Laziness

Environment: Winter. 45 degrees. Freezing to death.

Workout

Equipment: Stationary Bike
Level: 16
Program: Random
Work time: 30:00

Minutes	Intensity: RPM	Total Distance (mi)
0:00 - 5:00	75-80	1.35
5:01 - 10:00	95+ [:20] 0 [:10]	+ 1.70 = 3.05
10:01 - 30:00	Repeat 0:00 - 10:00 x2	+ 1.40 = 4.45 [@15:00] + 1.61 = 6.06 [@20:00] +1.36 = 7.40 [@25:00] + 1.65 = 9.05 [@30:00]
Total: 30:00	3:19 min/mi	9.05 mi.

Equipment: Treadmill
Work Time: 10:00

Minutes	Intensity: MPH	Incline: ° [time]
0:00 - 2:00	4.0 side shuffle R [1:00] side shuffle L [1:00]	3.0
2:01 - 5:00	4.5 backwards [1:00] side shuffle R [1:00] side shuffle L [1:00]	3.0
5:01 - 8:00	5.0 backwards [1:00] side shuffle R [1:00] side shuffle L [1:00]	3.0
8:01 - 9:00	5.3 backwards [1:00]	3.0
9:01 - 10:00	5.3	3.0

Booty Tone
Equipment: Dumbbells [10 lbs]

Exercise Name	Reps
Reverse Lunges	20
1-Leg Deadlifts	15/side
Table Kick + Step Up	10/side
Table Leg Lifts	15/side
Table Hamstring Curls	15/side
Table Curled Pulses	20/side
Table Circles	15/side
Superman + Hamstring Curl	15
Bridges	15
Walking Bridges	20
1-Leg Bridge	15/side
Bridge Hip Swing	20
Toe Bridges	15
Time	15:00

Abs Tone

Exercise Name	Reps - Weight
Standing Side Slump	30 - 10lbs
Lunge + Twist Kick	10/side - 10lb
Plank + Cat Tuck	15/side
Elbow Plank Hip Drops	20
Elbow Plank Side Kick	3 [slow]
Beetle Crunches	10 - 10lb
Crunches	20
45 Degree Bicycles	30
Time	11:00

Post
Energy Level [1-5]:
Stretch Time: 
Total Time: 75:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 
Sore Areas: 

Comments
Ended up being waaay too cold to run. A pox on the dark! But I still got in a decent workout, even if it took 482 lines to explain...

39:00 Row + Abs

New month, new blogging dedication. Why do I feel like I do this every month? I'm really good about writing my workouts down in my journal, but throwing them up here never seems to happen. Hmm... maybe I need a new tracking method. But it is convenient to go through on days when I'm like 'I need a full body routine that will kick my ass... what shall I do? oh, this was painful. go to!'. But that only works if I actually write down how I feel afterwards. Bleh. Time to think about this some more... maybe it'd help if I wrote down how I feel in the journal? But that's not searchable. And runkeeper doesn't do anything about weightlifting, although it's nice to know how many miles I run a month. Sigh. Trying to track healthiness is hard!

I modelled this cardio routine from ToneItUp's Rise and Run workout, but did it on the rowing machine instead of the treadmill. Then I did a couple of the video's from today's Blogilates workout (ab day!) for a complete 60 minute sweat-fest.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: Hamstrings

Yesterday: Punkin Chunkin weekend! More about that later when I'm not stressing out...

Environment: indoors

Workout
Equipment: Rowing Machine
Work Time: 39:00

Row
Level: 8

Minutes	Intensity: min/500m	Total Distance (m)
0:00 - 3:00	2:20
3:01 - 4:00	1:50-	930
4:01 - 6:00	2:25
6:01 - 11:00	2:05	+ 1500 = 2530
<BREAK>	20 Jumping Jacks 10 Side Lunges [each side] 15 Pile Squat Jumps	✔
11:01 - 26:00	Repeat 6:00 - 11:00 + <BREAK> x3	+ 1175 = 3705 ✔ + 1175 = 4880 ✔ + 1180 = 6060 ✔
26:01 - 26:30	2:30
26:31 - 27:00	1:50
27:01 - 31:00	Repeat 26:01 - 27:01 x4	+ 1165 = 7225
31:01 - 31:30	2:30
31:31 - 32:30	1:50
32:31 - 37:00	Repeat 31:01 - 32:30 x3	+ 1375 = 8600
37:01 - 39:00	2:30	+ 400 = 9000
Total: 39:00	2:16 min/500m [avg]	9000

Bonus Abs:
Blogilates - POP Pilates: Intense Ab Workout
Blogilates - Victoria Secret Model Ab Workout

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 10:00
Total Time: 75:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 1
Sore Areas: 

Comments
My grip-y muscles were DYING after this -- I think it's because I used one of the new rowing machines that showed up in my gym two weeks ago. They were definitely way more tightly wound that the old ones I'm used to. I'm a little annoyed that everything came out to 39 minutes (like, seriously?) but no biggie. I would have probably just added another minute of cool-down time anyway.

Not super sore anywhere the day after this workout -- I'm trying to change things around and work a little harder, but it doesn't seem to be happening. Guess I need to push even harder!

Also I'm fairly certain the people in my gym thought I was totally nuts for following pilates videos on my phone and doing them in a corner. I just have to keep telling myself they're not really paying attention. Except for that one guy. He totally thinks I'm a weirdo. But he's not wearing shoes, so his opinion doesn't count.

Aside: who doesn't wear shoes in a gym? And wanders around?? PUT YOUR NASTY FEET AWAY. I hope you get athletes foot and ringworm and whatever that really bad one that's almost strep is. [Edit: staph. staph infections. not strep infections]. And I hope someone drops a weight on your foot. Serves you right.

Blogilates - Abs/Cardio

Yesterday was a rainy, disgusting fail. Didn't get up early to do my abs like I promised myself, didn't work out after work since I was full of sore and crabbiness. But, some days you just need a rest, right? Right.

But today was infinitely better - I worked from home! I love working from home - it lets me get so much more done over the course of my day. Since a lot of my job involves solving other people's immediate problems, if there's a period where there aren't any problems I don't have much to do. When this happens in the office, I stare out the window or try to stealthily check Facebook (or update this blog...). When it happens while I'm at home, I Get Shit Done. Laundry, dishes, dog-walking, post-office-ing, and working out! Today I decided that whenever I got bored, I would do one Blogilates video. By the end of the day, I had managed to do like 6 of them. Saved me the time/effort of actually going to the gym and meant I made it to the bar before the Bears game started. Horray!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Upper back.

Yesterday: Does flipcup count? It's kind of like wall-sitting...

Environment: Indoors. Dog gets really excited every time I get up because he thinks we're going outside. Sorry dog! It's monsooning!

Workout
Warmup: none
Equipment: none
Work Time: ~45:00

Blogilates - Spring Fling 2: Fat Loss! [10:00]
Blogilates - Abs All Night [5:00]
Blogilates - Corset Workout [10:00]
Blogilates - Intense Ab Workout [10:00]

Blogilates - 100 Burpee Burnout [10:00]

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total in-Gym Time: 0:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]:4
Sore Areas: Traps/neck, lower back

Comments
Ok, so 5, not 6, but still a good workout! Although I meant to do more - I was aiming for one an hour. Stupid work got in the way. Those burpees were especially hard - I have a blister on my hand from  my hardwood floors! And today I'm super sore, maybe the intense cardio death workout I had planned for today will have to change...

CXWORX + BodyPump

Going to do some 'real' lifting today - squats and deadlifts here I come!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: None

Yesterday: Cardio + Light Toning

Environment: Indoors.

Workout
Warmup: 5:00 Stationary Bike
Equipment: resistance band [orange], small barbell, plates: 5kg x4, 2.5kg x2, 1kg x2
Work Time: 90:00

CXWORX: 30:00, various core exercises
BodyPump: 60:00, full-body workout

Muscle Group	Weight [plates = total]	Increase/Decrease?
Warmup - All	2 x 5kg = 10 kg
Legs/Gluts	4 x 5kg + 2 x 2.5kg= 20kg
Chest	2 x ( 5kg + 2.5kg + 1kg) = 15 kg
Back/Hamstrings	4 x 5kg = 20 kg
Biceps	2 x (2.5 kg +1kg) = 7 kg
Shoulders	2 x 5kg = 10 kg

Post
Energy Level [1-5]:
Stretch Time: 
Total in-Gym Time:

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]:
Sore Areas:


Comments

15:00 Run + 15:00 Abs [P&I]

BF and I are on our way to Nashville to visit his parents, so this morning's workout was a quickie in the hotel gym. We have about 7 hours of driving still ahead of us and we slept in a little later than we would have liked, but didn't want to sit so long without getting SOME sort of sweat session in. Especially considering we're going to have a huge steak dinner later tonight. There will probably be mashed potatoes involved. And deep fried things, since, you know, the south.

Ab workout is from Pumps&Iron, although I modified it from a 9 x :30 work period + :30 rest to a 12 x :20 work/:10 rest format. It's a little less 'work' time, but it takes me almost that long to re-arrange myself from one exercise to another so I don't think I'm losing much. EDIT: I just realized this also makes it longer, since apparently I'm no good at the maths. Whoops. Oh well, no one ever complained about exercising more, right? Probably?

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Lower back

Yesterday: Row/Tone

Environment: Freezing hotel gym (yay!)

Workout
Equipment: Treadmill
Work Time: 15:00

Minutes	Intensity: MPH	Incline: ° [time]	Total Distance (mi.)*
0:00 - 3:00	6.0	3.0	~.3
3:01 - 5:00	7.0	3.0	~.53
5:01 - 6:00	8.0	3.0	~.66
6:01 - 6:30	9.0	3.0	.73
6:31 - 9:30	6.5	3.0	~1.06
9:31 - 11:30	7.5	3.0	~1.31
11:31 - 12:30	8.5	3.0	~1.45
12:31 - 13:00	9.5	3.0	1.53
13:01 - 15:00	6.0	3.0	1.75
Total: 15:00	8:34 pace 7.0 mph	? [vert]	1.75

Abs

Minutes	Exercise 1	Exercise 2	Exercise 3
0:00 - 1:30 [:20 work/:10 rest]	Windshield Wipers	Bicycle Crunch	V-Ups
1:30 - 6:00	Repeat 0:00 - 1:30 x3
6:00 - 7:30 [:20 work/:10 rest]	Side Plank Dips - L	Side Plank Dips - R	Elbow Plank
7:30 - 12:00	Repeat 4:30 - 6:00 x3
12:00 - 13:30 [:20 work/:10 rest]	Reptile Planks	Crunch Pulses	Leg Raises
13:30 - 18:00	Repeat 9:00 - 10:30 x3

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time: 3:00
Total Time: 35:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 
Sore Areas:


Comments

Blogilates - Upper Body/Abs

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: LEGS! Lower back. Weird direction changing muscles. 

Yesterday: Tabatta/Indoor soccer.

Environment: Indoors. Barefoot! Need to vacuum...

Workout
Warmup: 
Equipment: Dumbbells [10 lb]
Work Time: ~45:00

Blogilates -Plank Workout for Arms & Abs
Blogilates - Bikini Blaster 7: Back & Shoulders
Blogilates - Playa Del Plank
Blogilates - Muffin Top Meltdown

Post
Energy Level [1-5]:3
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total in-Gym Time: 0:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 2
Sore Areas: Legs, lower back

Comments
Sadly, nothing upper-back or ab-like hurt from this workout, so I'll have to change it up again next time. Legs are still killing me from that game though!

Also I really need to invest in multiple dumbbells - even some of the simpliest moves, when done for 3 minutes nonstop, are impossible with as little as 10 pounds. I'd really like some 7.5 and some 12.5, with 15s for 'heavy' stuff. Any heavier and I should be at the gym.

2 mi. Run + Plyo + Arm/Back/Ab Tone [TIU]

Still a little disappointed that I has to miss my beach weekend, but I'm getting over it. Being super productive is helping - knocked out a bunch of things that had been lingering on my to-do list (sorry pup, but you were overdue for those shots!) and made substantial progress in the ongoing War on Dirt. And I even made it to the gym today! Wanted to hit it hard to make up for some of the slacking I've been doing recently, so I brought up this combo workout I adapted from ToneItUp's Stars and Stripes workout, throwing in their String Bikini workout for good measure, along with some ab work I made up on the fly.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: None!

Yesterday: None :/

Environment: Indoors, muggy

Workout
Equipment: Treadmill, Jump Rope, Resistance Band
Work Time: 60:00

Treadmill

Minutes	Speed: MPH	Incline: %	Total Distance (mi)
0:00 - 3:00	6.5	3.0	~ .3
3:01 - 5:00	7.5	3.0	~ .55
5:01 - 8:03	8.5	3.0	1.0
Plyometrics + Toning Routine
0:00 - 3:00	6.5	3.0	~ .3
3:01 - 5:03	7.5	3.0	~ .55
5:03 - 8:05	8.5	3.0	1.0
Plyometrics + Toning Routine
Total: 16:08	7.46 [avg]	3.0 [avg]	2.0

Plyometrics + Toning
1) 3:00 Jump Rope

Minutes	Jump Type
0:00 - 0:30	Double-Foot
0:31 - 1:00	Butt Kicks
1:01 - 1:30	High Knees
1:31 - 2:00	One-Leg [:15/side]
2:01 - 2:30	Butt Kicks
2:31 - 3:00	High Knees

2) String Bikini resistance band workout

Exercise	Reps
Side Lifts	20/side
Bicep Curls	7 full, 7 bottom half, 7 upper half
Reverse Flys	20
Triceps Flys	20
Lat Flys	20

3) 25 Burpees - 10 Pushup + 10 Half + 5 Reptile

4) Ab Toning

Exercise	Reps
45° Bicycle Kicks	20
Bicycle Crunches	20
'Tornado' Leg Lifts	2
Plank + Leg Lift	1:00 [20 lifts]
Side Plank + Dip + Top Leg Crunch	10/side
Plank Up-Downs	10
Side Plank + Twist + Lower Leg Crunch	10/side
Plank Tucks	30

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time: 10:00
Total Time: 10:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 2
Sore Areas: Upper Back/Neck [probably unrelated]

Comments
At work early today so I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked, but I'm not feeling too many adverse effects of this workout. Was definitely shaking throughout yesterday evening though. Next time I'm going to try to move a little quicker and fit in one more mile in the hour.

16:00 HITT

I have plans to go see a comedy show after work today (Second City - whoo Chicago!), so any exercise I got would be whatever I could wake myself up for and get done in the morning. However, I am the.worst. at getting up in the morning for workouts. I just can't seem to drag myself out of bed when I know there's sweating looming in my so very immediate future. The irony is that once I'm actually out of bed, it takes me about 8 seconds to be fully on top of my game. You think that would motivate me to get out of bed -- "just stand, you know you'll be ready to tackle anything if you just PUT YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR" -- but it doesn't.

Boyfriend, however, is expect get-out-of-bed-er, and when I heard him getting *home* from his workout at 7AM, after waking up at 5:30 and only getting like 4 hours of sleep, and having worked out hard the day before, I was sufficiently guilted into standing. Unfortunately at that point I only had about 20 minutes to do something before I had to get ready for work, so I opted for a HITT-style workout. I say 'HITT-style' because this wasn't exactly "high intensity". While it did involve moving, and the timing was the same, I didn't have sufficient time to warm up so I wasn't exactly going all-out. But as I always say, something is better than nothing!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 2

Sore Areas: Legs

Yesterday: BodyPUMP

Environment: Inside, early morning, barefoot

Workout
Equipment: none!
Work Time: 16:00

Minutes	Exercise
0:00 - 0:20	Lunges
0:30 - 0:50	Plank Tucks
1:00 - 4:00	Repeat 0:00 - 1:00 x3
4:30 - 4:50	Side Lunges
4:00 - 5:20	Side Plank + Toe Touches
5:30 - 8:30	Repeat 4:30 - 5:30 x3
9:00 - 9:20	Lying Upper Leg Lifts
9:30 - 9:50	Side Plank + Leg Lifts
10:00 - 13:00	Repeat 9:00 - 10:00 x3
13:30 - 13:50	Lying Lower Leg Lifts
14:00 - 14:20	Side Plank + Dips
14:30 - 17:30	Repeat 13:30 - 14:30 x3

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total Time: 20:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 4
Sore Areas: All leg muscles!

Comments
I was just making this workout up as I went, but in retrospect I could have balanced the obliques vs. frontal abs situation better. Next time I'll try to remember to throw in more regular planks (+ variations) and less side planks. This is what happens when I attempt to formulate a workout first thing in the morning...

Blogilates - Arms/Abs/Inner Thighs

I was going to do this at the gym, but then boyfriend fell asleep on the couch and I didn't want to wake him. Since I had Places To Be later, I just did this at home.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]:

Sore Areas:

Yesterday:

Environment: Indoors. Barefoot.

Workout
Warmup: 
Equipment: None!
Work Time: ~45:00

Blogilates - Spring Fling 1: Toning
Blogilates - Tricep Toner
Blogilates - Abs on Fire
Blogilates - Inner Thigh Insanity

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total in-Gym Time: 0:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 
Sore Areas: 

Comments

Total Body Lift [TIU] + 2 mi. Walk

Lifting day today! I'll be doing a total body plus an ab workout from ToneItUp. The exercises look legit, my biggest concern is that I don't know whether I'm supposed to go through the workout once, twice, or a million times. My plan is to see how long it takes me and judge from there. Another minor concern is that they pair deadlifts with shoulder lifts, and my hamstrings can take on waaaay more weight than my poor shoulders. Maybe I'll just do so many that the weight doesn't matter. Plan!

It's also recommended that I do 20 minutes of cardio, so if I have time/energy I'm thinking about doing a ZCUT. We'll see...

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: none

Yesterday: cardio ride

Environment: indoors - raining outside :(

Workout
Equipment: dumbbells - 10lb
Work Time: 25:00

Total Body Lift:

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps - Weight [type]	Set 1: Reps - Weight [type]
Pile Squats + Arm Circles	12/side	12/side
Warrior Lunge + Bicep Curl	15/side - 10 lbs	15/side
Dead Lift + Shoulder Raise	15 - 10 lbs	15
Bridge Chest Press + Situp + Punch	8/side - 10 lbs	8/side
Plank Jack + Opposite Knee Touch	15/side	15/side
Side Plank + Reach-Through	20/side	20/side
Total time	15:00?	15:00

*Color key: green = accomplished goal, blue = exceeded goal, yellow = did not meet goal

Ab Bonus!

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps - Weight [type]	Set 1: Reps - Weight [type]
Back Lunge + Knee Lift + Twist	20/side	20/side
Tricep Dip + Kick	15/side	20 [on chair]
Side Plank + Dip (R)	10	10
Plank + Opposite Knee Touch	20/side	20/side
Side Plank + Dip (L)	10	10
V-Sit	20	20
Russian Twist	20	20
Crunch	20	20
Bicycle Crunch	20	20
'Tornado' Leg Lifts	2	2
Reverse Crunch	20	20
Superman Lifts	20	20
Total time	10:00?	8:00

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3? Not really energized. Time for burgers!
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total Time: 30:00-ish

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 0
Sore Areas: None. This is worrisome.

Comments
Oh balls. You know how I was curious about how this seemed really short? I finally found the (FINE PRINT RANDOMLY IN THE MIDDLE) bit that says 'repeat 1-3 times'. I guess I did it once, but I'm def not going to get anywhere doing that. Damnit. I hate wasting workouts... I'm just going to assume everything should be done 3x through from now on.

I didn't fit in any additional cardio because I got distracted by dinner, but I did walk the dog about 2 miles, which took forever - that counts right?

Core Workout [ToneItUp] + 2 mi. Jog

Such a gorgeous day today! Since I typically feel bad for romping around outdoors and leaving the pup to stew inside, but also I'm not up for a run today, I'm going to try something a little different: I'm going to take my (equipment-free!) workout outside, give the dog a squeeky ball, and hope he entertains himself long enough to get some reps in. We'll see how it works out, but I'm hoping this becomes a regular warm-weather thing. Everyone deserves some time in the sun!

Today's workout is day two of this week's Tone It Up schedule. I'm not going to lie, it doesn't look like much. There's an ab workout plus a short full-body workout. As far as I can tell I'm only supposed to go through each series once, and there don't seem to be TOO many reps involved. I might have to tack on something else as the end, but we'll see!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Biceps, Quads, Hamstrings

Yesterday: Workout! Biking!

Environment: Outside! WARM!

Workout
Equipment: None!
Work Time: 30:00?

Core workout:

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps	Set 1: Reps
Lunge + Knee Lift + Twist	15/side
Table Tricep Dip + Kick	15/side
Side Plank + Pulse (R)	15
Plank + Opposite Knee Touch	15/side
Side Plank + Pulse (L)	15
V-Sit	30
Russian Twist	30
Slow Crunch	15
Bicycle Crunch	15/side
Tornado	2
Reverse Crunch	15
Superman Swims	10
Total time	15:00?

*Color key: green = accomplished goal, blue = exceeded goal, yellow = did not meet goal

Full body workout:

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps	Set 1: Reps
Walking Plank Pushup + Cobra + Down Dog	10
Hip-Drop Plank Twists	15/side
Hands/Knees Leg Lifts	15/side
Table -> Lunge -> Leg Lift	10/side
Surfer Burpees	10/side
Total time	10:00?

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 
Stretch Time: 
Total Time: 

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 
Sore Areas: 

Comments

20:00 Jump Rope + 20:00 Row

Last day to kill it before the wedding! Still trying to focus on my upper body/upper back, since everything else will be under the dress (abs? unnecessary!). I'm working out way earlier than usual today since I took the day off and I have a nail appointment at 11, so hopefully it won't have too much of an adverse effect. I never know what to eat when I work out first thing since I know I need something, but if I eat too much I feel weighed down. Think I'm gonna go with toast (I love toast!).

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: None

Yesterday: Kind of a failed total body lift

Environment: indoors

Workout
Equipment: Jump Rope, Rowing Machine
Work Time: 40:00

Jump Rope

Minutes	Jump Type	Speed
0:00 - 5:00	two-foot jump	Moderate
5:01 - 6:00	high knees	Moderate
6:01 - 7:00	butt kicks	Moderate
7:01 - 8:00	in-out 'jacks'	Moderate
8:01 - 9:00	side/side jumps	Moderate
9:01 - 10:00	two-foot jump	Fast
10:01 - 20:00	repeat 5:01 - 10:00 x2	Increased Every Round

Row
Level: 8

Minutes	Intensity: min/500m	Total Distance (m)
0:00 - 3:00	2:25
3:01 - 5:00	2:13
5:01 - 6:00	2:00
6:01 - 6:30	1:50	1435
6:31 - 19:30	Repeat 0:00 - 6:30 x2	2875 4325
19:30 - 21:00	3:00	4500
Total: 26:00		4500

Ab bonus!

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:50	Plank + Leg Lifts
1:00 - 1:50	Side Plank + Toe Touches (R)
2:00 - 2:50	Plank + Leg Lifts
3:00 - 3:50	Side Plank + Toe Touches (L)
4:00 - 4:50	Plank + Knee-to-Elbows

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time: 15:00
Total Time: 70:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 2
Sore Areas: Calves

Comments

ZCUT #10 + Blogilates - Abs

As expected, a ridiculously over-the-top weekend with the pops. Happy hour (on a boat!), pizza, boozy brunch, ginormous pasta platters, slightly less boozy but infinitely more buttery buffet brunch, and then Easter ham and biscuits to top everything off. My body is literally pissed at me -- sleeping last night was a chore due to the intense stomachache. I think it was the pounds of butter I likely secretly consumed. Or salt poisoning. Probably both.

Funny story: dog is right there with me on the stomachache train. This weekend he managed to both steal and consume most of a costco-sized bag of turkey jerky AND the half-ham that was sitting on the counter waiting to be turned into leftovers. After the jerky he drank about 3 gallons of water because his tiny doggie brain was overwhelmed with salt. And then demanded to go outside at inconvenient hours. Naturally. And the ham? Neatly removed from the 2-inch deep roasting pan sitting on the counter WITHOUT KNOCKING OVER THE PAN. I swear that dog is part ninja. Or mountain goat. Probably both.

Regardless, it's all veggies and whole grains and workouts for me. Especially in these last two weeks before the wedding (first-time bridesmaid... I have no idea what's going on ever. But I WILL look good in this dress damnit. After I remember to pick it up. Which I WILL NOT FORGET to do!).

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Stomach. Uggggggh butter death.

Yesterday: Easter. Family weekend. Death by salt and buffet.

Environment: Indoors. It's cold outside! Still...

Workout
Warmup: dynamic 5:00 [squats, lunges, pushups, etc]
Equipment: None!
Work Time: ~45:00

ZCUT #10 : Time challenge: 180 Burpees, Low Jacks, Bicycles, Forward Lunge + Back Lunge + Jump Lunge, Side-to-Side Plank hops, Jump Lunges + Squat Jump [2 rounds] -- 12:34

Blogilates - Uh Oh Obliques
Blogilates - Good Time Abs Challenge

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 2
Stretch Time: 10:00
Total in-Gym Time: 45:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 3
Sore Areas: Obliques

Comments
Well. That was lame. My original plan was to do this entire Blogilates workout after my jumping around, but I failed. After jumping around I just didn't have the heart to keep going. ZCUT is getting progressively more difficult (I'm on to you, Zuzanna...) and it's taking more and more time and more and more effort to get through it. When I then tried to immediately go into the spring fling workout there was rampant failure. So I said fine, I'll move that to the end, I'll do the rest of the videos and come back to it! I did get through the obliques vid, then the ab challenge mostly killed my already aching quads (I have a real bad tendency to over-use my hip flexors and under-use my lower abs. I'm trying to work on it) and I mostly ended up flopping around. The final straw was the the total-body video didn't load to my phone properly (wrong video format or something). To add insult to injury, the inner thigh challenge involved panty flashing the gym for a solid 5 minutes. So I told myself I'd finish those two, plus the spring fling vid, at home with the computer. Clearly that didn't happen -- after stopping at the grocery store and remembering/tackling a literal mountain of Easter cooking dishes (our dishwasher is broken, kill me now) I just didn't have the energy. Yes, I'm full of excuses. Yes, I hate myself for it. But... tomorrow is another day!

ZCUT #5 + Blogilates - Abs

Considering it was St. Patrick's day weekend, I didn't feel as terrible as I thought I would this morning! Shamrockfest was a monster of a drinking day, as per usual. We started at our friends' house with 'Star Wars Brunch' - basically a normal brunch except the pancakes look like Yoda. And X wings. And TIE fighters. And the Millennium Falcon. And this weekend they were green! I contributed Black and Tan Brownies and Scotch Eggs to the festivities (yes I realize Scotland and Ireland aren't the same place, but I was also using Italian sausage so cut me some slack, yah? Plus I found them on a website named 'Edible Ireland', so I can't take all the blame). After we stuffed ourselves we headed to the drinking festival and proceeded to consume many giant cups of beer. And it even managed to say mostly dry! A win of a day. Boyfriend and I ended up leaving a bit early to see to the dog, and we were so tired by the time we got home that we immediately fell asleep upon returning to our house (after walking and feeding the dog, obviously). No dinner, no nothing. Dead to the world by 8:30. Does this make us old? Probably.

But on the bright side it means we were ready and rarin' to go Sunday morning. More brunch! Green mimosas! Which, by the by, were a fail because I only had gel cake coloring and not liquid food coloring, so it just kind of ended up looking like a curl of green... goo... at the bottom of an otherwise normal drink. It was really unappetizing. But at least we tried...

But due to the weekend-long debauchery, my house is a disaster, I have no clean clothes and nothing normal in the house to eat. So I'm going to take my workout home with me and fit it between loads of laundry and simmering a Beef and Guinness Stew that I lazed out of making Sunday night...

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Upper back?

Yesterday:St. Patrick's Day weekend. Nuff' said.

Environment: Indoors, at home!

Workout
Warmup: dynamic 7:00 [squats, lunges, pushups, etc]
Equipment: None!
Work Time: ~45:00

ZCUT #5 : Time challenge: Long Jump Burpees, High High-Knees, Tricep Dips [4 rounds] -- 9:30

Blogilates - MarchMakeover 3/20 - Core [42:47]

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 0:00 [whoops]
Total in-Gym Time: 0:00!

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 3
Sore Areas: Abs -- mostly obliques, but kind of everything

Comments
I'm worried that I'm doing these ZCUT workouts incorrectly because I keep beating Zuzana's times. This one I completely destroyed by more than a minute -- mostly because my 'high high-knees' were a '1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2' pace and she was more a '1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2' pace. I doubt I'm as fit as she is, so I must be doing something wrong. It's probably my burpees. I suck at burpees.

CXWORX + Body Pump

STILL not feeling the workout love this week. What gives? All I want to do is go home and curl up with a book. Unfortunately, that's not going to make my abs any prettier, no matter how many veggies I eat. Sigh. I can't wait to get out of this slump. Thankfully my gym offers other people that are completely willing to kick my ass for me; off to BodyPump...

Apparently I had plans to keep track of my weights and 'go regularly', but that hasn't happened. But I'll still post them here, since I believe I changed them a bit as compared to last time. 

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 2

Sore Areas: Enh.

Yesterday: No exercise. Beer drinking.

Environment: Indoors.

Workout
Warmup: 5:00 Stationary Bike
Equipment: resistance band [orange], small barbell, plates: 5kg x4, 2.5kg x2, 1kg x2
Work Time: 90:00

CXWORX: 30:00, various core exercises
BodyPump: 60:00, full-body workout

Muscle Group	Weight [plates = total]	Increase/Decrease?
Warmup - All	2 x 5kg = 10 kg	no
Legs/Gluts	4 x 5kg = 20kg	Increase
Chest	2 x ( 5kg + 2.5kg) = 15 kg	no
Back/Hamstrings	2 x (5kg + 2.5 kg +1kg) = 17 kg	Increase
Biceps	2 x (2.5 kg +1kg) = 7 kg	Increase
Shoulders	2 x 5kg = 10 kg	no

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time: 5:00
Total in-Gym Time: 2:00:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 1
Sore Areas: Upper back


Comments
Actually felt better after my workout - yay! Funny how that sometimes happens. Sometimes being the operative word. I know everyone's always like 'exercise is so good for your mood all the time yay!' but honestly, if it isn't a good workout, it isn't going to make me feel better. See: Monday's failure.

I also had a mini epiphany today. See, I always berate myself because I put weights on the bar that I can do no problem outside class, but then during class I'm lifting them and DYING. It's most noticeable during the bicep track -- I usually toss on the 5kg plates and try to power though, with running commentary in my brain along the lines of "5 kg per side, that's like 11 pounds per arm.  YOU CAN LIFT 11 POUNDS YOU WIMP. WHY ARE YOU DYING ALREADY? WE JUST STARTED! 11 POUNDS!!". And then today the instructor made an offhand comment about how excited he was about the brand-new weight set the gym just got in for the class and how the new bars might be a bit heavier than the old bars, and it hit me: THE BARS HAVE WEIGHT TOO. I don't know exactly how much, but they are solid metal so I wouldn't be surprised to learn its in the realm of 10 pounds or so. Which means my 11 pounds? Not 11 pounds! Probably more like 15 pounds! Which I have less trouble admitting will kick my ass after a minute of solid curling. Horray! As a result of my epiphany I downgraded the weight on the bar, and lo and behold I made it all the way through the bicep track. Who'da thunk it. So now my goal is to work back up to using the 5kg plates (and beyond)!

Blogilates - Abs + 20:00 Bike

Catching up on posts, so not a lot to say today!

Today I was feeling a little 'meh' and overwhelmed by the task of having to come up with workouts for the week. So I had a mini ephiphany -- why not actually follow one of these calendars all these fabulous fitness-minded people put out? Crazy, right? The only effort I'd have to put in was the effort to do the workouts. Genius!

But which calendar to follow? Well, considering I gave myself a massive bruise at kickball yesterday which hurts every time the skin of my thigh moves, something low-impact. Blogilates it is. According to the calendar for 2/25, it's ab day.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Bruised thigh.

Yesterday: Sunday funday!

Environment: Indoors

Workout
Equipment: none!
Work Time: 50:00?

Blogilates - FeelFabFeb 2/25
** Didn't get through everything - gave up after the 'Love Handles Exterminator'

Stationary Bike
Level: 15

Minutes	Intensity: RPM	Total Distance (mi)
0:00 - 5:00	~75	1.3
5:01 - 10:00	100+ [:20] 40- [:10] x10	[+ 1.55 =] 2.85
10:01 - 15:00	~75	[+ 1.32 = ] 4.18
15:01 - 20:00	100+ [:20] 40- [:10] x10	[+ 1.57 =] 5.75
Total: 20:00		5.75

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 2
Stretch Time: 5:00
Total Time: Way too long.

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 0
Sore Areas: n/a

Comments
Straight-up, this workout sucked. I was unmotivated, didn't want to be there, everything was just 'meh'. I gave up on the blogilates workout halfway through because I just didn't want to do it any more. It was especially frustrating because the reception at the gym sucks so each video took like 10 minutes to load and would randomly freeze in the middle. There was no 'flow' to the workout, just a lot of lying around. Wasted time. I *hate* wasting time. But since I hadn't really done anything in the nearly 60 minutes it took me to watch 30 minutes of video, I got on the bike. Had to do SOMETHING to salvage the day. But I had nothing to read. Ugh. At least I kept up a good pace? Hopefully my next workout will be better.

15:00 Abs

I had Plans to go to the gym today, I really did. Game show night didn't start until 8:30, giving me at least an hour to work with. But, as it does, life got a bit in the way. The fact there was nothing cooked in the house to eat and I'd already eaten Chopt for two meals, combined with the fact my quads are KILLING me aaaaaand I kind of lost all motivation. I cooked vegibles instead of working out, so sue me. My other option was to work out and eat a quesadilla at the bar. So it was probably a draw either way, but now I have food for tomorrow too!

I did manage to slip in a 15:00 ab workout courtesy of Pumps and Iron. Goes like this: there are 3 sections, each section has 3 exercises. Do each exercise in a section for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times, then rest 30 seconds before moving on to the next section. Again, each exercise, 30 seconds, 3 times through, rest 30 seconds. Finish the last section in the same manner, collapse. Cook dinner.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: QUADS. Dying slowly.

Yesterday: Intense lifting + biking HIIT

Environment: indoors, at home - there's a rug!

Workout
Equipment: None!
Work Time: 14:30

Time	Exercise 1 [:30 sec]	Exercise 2 [:30 sec]	Exercise 3 [:30 sec]
0:00 - 1:30	Windshield Wipers	Bicycle Crunches	Boat Pose
1:31 - 4:30	Repeat 0:00 - 1:30 x2
4:31 - 5:00	Rest
5:01 - 6:30	Side Plank Lifts R	Side Plank Lifts L	Elbow Plank
6:31 - 9:30	Repeat 5:01 - 6:30 x2
9:31 - 10:00	Rest
10:01 - 11:30	Reptile Plank	Crunch Pulses	Leg Hover
11:31 - 14:30	Repeat 10:01 - 14:30 x2

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 0:00
Total Time: 15:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 3
Sore Areas: Quads

Comments
While I was completely feeling the burn while I was going through this workout, I was disappointed in the lack of soreness the following day. Must not have been trying hard enough. Good thing there's PLENTY of room for improvement in my boat pose, because that shit is hard. Mostly it wears out my hip flexors, which probably means I'm doing it wrong. Must investigate.

Quads still hurting Thursday from lifting Tuesday. Must remember to reuse that workout at a future date, because it's clearly a killer!

8:00 Abs + 15:00 Jump Rope + 26:00 Bike

Running behind with my posting, so I'm just going to throw this up here. This was another day of mixing lifting and cardio, with the focus on my abs! This was also my only day during the week when I didn't have anything else planned, so I wanted to pile on the cardio. Since I was kinda hungover wanted to read, I had originally planned to then work the stair stepper for 25 minutes then do 15 minutes of jump rope, but when I was done with my ab work both the steppers were taken! So I did my jump roping instead, and while the steppers were momentarily free while I was bouncing about, they were occupado again when I was finished (So Annoyed -- more on that later). Since I didn't feel like waiting I switched out the stepper for some bike intervals.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: Just kind of hungover everywhere...

Yesterday: No exercise, bottomless tequila and tacos!

Environment: indoors - kinda warm!

Workout
Equipment: Jump Rope, Stair Stepper Stationary Bike
Work Time: 21:00

Ab bonus!

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:30	Plank
0:30 - 1:00	Forward/Backward 'Saw'
1:00 - 2:00	Side Plank + Tuck (R)
2:00 - 2:30	Side-to-Side Hip Drops
2:30 - 3:00	Up-Downs
3:00 - 4:00	Side Plank + Tuck (L)
4:00 - 5:00	Rest!
5:00 - 9:00	Repeat 0:00 - 4:00

Jump Rope

Minutes	Jump Type	Speed
0:00 - 1:00	two-foot jump	Moderate
1:01 - 2:00	single-foot jump [:30 R / :30 L]	Moderate
2:01 - 3:00	two-foot jump	Fast
3:01 - 3:30	butt kicks	Moderately Fast
3:31 - 4:00	high knees	Moderately Fast
4:01 - 4:30	forward/backward jumps	Moderate
4:31 - 5:00	side/side jumps	Moderate
5:00 - 15:00	repeat 0:00 - 5:00

Stationary Bike
Level: 14

Minutes	Intensity: RPM	Total Distance (mi)
0:00 - 3:00	75
3:01 - 5:00	85
5:01 - 6:00	95
6:01 - 6:30	110+	1.96
6:31 - 26:00	Repeat 0:00 - 6:30 x3	3.9 5.8 7.75
Total: 26:00	~85 [avg]	7.75

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time: 10:00
Total Time: 80:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 2
Sore Areas: Upper back

Comments
I was surprised at how well I took on the bike, considering my bottomless tequila brunch the day before. It wasn't quite as fast as a non-hungover workout, but I'll take it! Upper back ended up pretty sore, probably because of the jump rope. Still angry at all gym goers.

26:00 Bike

 
Superbowl Snackadium 2013: CRUSHED IT! It turned out so well! It took almost 2 straight days of prepping, cooking, and building and a lot of help from my 'sous-chef' but it got done, and it was glorious. The only thing that fell off the menu were the sweet potato bites, which is disappointing to me but I don't think anyone else noticed.

As always, now that I've had my fun it's time to get back to work. Even more so since the Superbowl is just kicking off (hah) 2 weeks of debauchery for me -- two reservations at fancy restaurants, beer-lympics, boyfriend's birthday tequila brunch, Valentine's dinner AND a long weekend bachlorette party in New Orleans, in addition to the regular occurrence of Wednesday night trivia. Going to have to get creative to fit in workouts in the near future, because not working out is definitely not an option. I might have to *gasp* get up early... gross...

Tonight marks the beginning of Restaurant Week around these parts, which is a 2-week time span where a lot of the nicer restaurants offer a $35 fixed-price menu. I've always managed to miss it in the past, so I'm excited that I'm actually going to get to experience it this time around. Twice, no less! But 8:30 reservations mean I only have a bit of time to devote to the gym, so tonight I'm just going to hit the stationary bike for awhile. I'll be better tomorrow, promise!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 3

Sore Areas: None

Yesterday: Superbowl Sunday!

Environment: indoors

Workout
Equipment: Stationary Bike
Work Time: 26:00

Stationary Bike
Level: 14

Minutes	Intensity: RPM	Total Distance (mi)
0:00 - 3:00	75
3:01 - 5:00	85
5:01 - 6:00	95
6:01 - 6:30	110+
6:31 - 26:00	Repeat 0:00 - 6:30 x3
Total: 26:00	~85 [avg]	7.8

Ab bonus!

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:50	Plank + Leg Lift
1:00 - 1:50	T-Plank - R
2:00 - 2:50	Plank + Leg Lift
3:00 - 3:50	T-Plank - L
4:00 - 4:50	Plank

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 2:00
Total Time: 50:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 1
Sore Areas: Quads

Comments
For some reason, I didn't feel like I got in that "good" of a workout with this. I've done it before and felt accomplished, and my legs were definitely burning, but I didn't get my usual satisfaction from it. Maybe because I know it's kind of a wimpy effort in the face of the decadance looming? Like, oh, great, you did 20 minutes on a bike, congrats! Now you're going to eat three pounds of butter because Jose Andres tells you to. ALL YOUR EFFORT WAS FOR NAUGHT. MUHAHAHAHAHA! Sigh. Disappointing. Well, tomorrow I'll kill it. Hopefully...

Blogilates - Full Body Focus

I've stated on several occasions that Pilates isn't my thing. For one, I get the general impression that you need about 4 trillion accessories to even get started. Medicine balls and squishy balls and resistance rings and weighted bars and what the hell is that slidy-table thing? I can't even begin to figure out how that thing works. Too many cables. Pilates studios = terrifying.

However, another constant struggle in my life is to come up with new workouts that don't bore me to death. Personally, I can't come up with anything more imaginative that 'do some squats and maybe a bicep curl or something?' so I tend to look to others for workout inspiration. As a result, when one of the blogs I follow, The Skinny Confidential, gave a ringing endorsement of Cassy Ho and her Blogilates program, I decided to check it out. She's a certified Pilates instructor and Fitness magazine seems to think she's legit (like, Jillian-Michaels-level legit), so that was a good a reason as any to poke around.

Cassey designs short, modular, 4-7 minute mini-workouts that are meant to be combined into a longer sweat session. You can put them together yourself, but Cassey also designs a monthly workout calendar with suggestions for any given day. The workouts are free on YouTube, which isn't even the best part -- that would be the fact they're largely equipment free! No torture table for me, thankyouverymuch. They're also designed to be done in approximate the space a yoga mat takes up. No cost, no accessories, and virtually no gym (or living room) space needed -- sign me up!

I signed up for her newsletter and got access to her 'JaNEWary' calendar. I needed a strengthening workout, and 1/15 happened to be a 'Full Body Focus' day, so I rolled with it.

As I said, the modules are all free on YouTube, so I made a playlist with the videos for the day, carved out a little bit of floor space at the gym, and got to work!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: Back still hurts.

Yesterday: Zumba! No alcohol.

Environment: Indoors.

Workout
Warmup: Overrated.
Equipment: None!
Work Time: ???

JaNEWary Full Body Focus - 1/15

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 3
Stretch Time: 10:00
Total in-Gym Time: ??

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 4
Sore Areas: Obliques, Quads, Hamstrings

Comments
I'm not going to lie -- I wasn't expecting much from this workout. I consider myself to be a fairly fit human being, so how hard could a couple of lunges and a plank be? Well, apparently, really fucking hard. I think it's the duration of the sets that's the killer -- it's not 'do 10 lunges', it's 'We're going to do lunges until whenever. Like 2 minutes? Maybe? Whatever. Keep going!!'

Truthfully Cassey is a little more chipper than I typically like in a trainer, but her workouts are no joke. I'm definitely going to try and fit in more of her workouts, especially on days when I have no motivation to think of anything myself. I like the idea of variety and hitting more neglected muscles -- squats are great, but they don't exactly tone my inner thighs.