Weekend Workout Rundown
I have to say I had an amazing weekend. We didn’t even do that much but I had the best time just relaxing.
I did get in two pretty great workouts.
Saturday – we got up and I decided it was a great day for biking with the husband. We went down to a local park for the run/ride and were expecting warm, sunny, and sweaty. Instead I ended up getting cool, windy, and freezing. I toughed it out and ended up doing a 15 mile bike ride along side Wes as he ran.
This was me pre-workout waiting on Wes to head out.
Ready to run!
Even though it was cold and rainy it sure was pretty and peaceful by the water!
We then headed over to the gym where I did some weights and ran about a mile cool down. It actually wasn’t much of a cool down – I ended up starting at a 10:00 pace and then slowly speeding it up for a total of 10 minutes.
Sunday – I broke my workout up into several parts.
1. I started with a run to the gym. I finally got my warm, sunny, and sweaty day so I decided it was time to get outside. I ended up running a total of 6.03 miles to the gym. I got to the gym and my new app on my iPhone RunTracker said I had run 5.7 miles so I kept running to round it out to 6.
I was HOT HOT HOT by the time I finished the run so I went inside and walked around the track.
2. After I had cooled down I did Carrie’s weight workout for me today with the Slim, Strong, and Sexy Plan. I can’t believe I am just a few short weeks from completing it!
3. My husband was going to be picking me up from the gym after he finished his run so while I was waiting I just started running back towards my house. I ended up doing another 1.4 miles before he found me.
My total running ended up at 7.4 miles. Pretty good!
After last weekend being a little weak on the workouts I was proud of getting two good workouts in. I focused on getting them done early and staying motivated. I have noticed the longer that I wait to get going the harder it is to motivate myself. This morning I woke up, took the pup out, put a few things in the wash and stepped out the door to start my run. I didn’t think about it or even talk about I just did it.
We mentally defeat ourselves all the time. I know I for one am very guilty of it. Don’t think about it – just do it!
Change It Up
Hello! Remember me?
I am still here but between work and trying to rest some I have just been MIA for a few days.
Today I wanted to talk about something that has really proven to be so important in my workout routine – variety. The trusty is I used to run only run and I loved it. Then I got bored after a couple years and started adding weights in and loved it. Then I got bored again. I kept noticing that every time I got bored I would see my motivation levels get so low.
I have gone through ups and downs when it comes to working out and I have finally found the trick. Change it up.
I have for so long been stuck under the impression that I have to do one thing or follow one plan so hard that I forget about the fun that working out used to be.
There are multiple things I do for cardio now:
1. Running
2. Biking (outside and I typically bike while my husband runs long runs or intervals)
3. HIIT
4. Elliptical
5. Stair Stepper
I still do weights, but I always add some form of cardio into the mix. I no longer do the same thing every time I go to the gym. Sometimes I have a plan and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I follow a certain plan I have set sometimes I switch it up once I get to the gym. The important thing is to be flexible and don’t be too hard on yourself.
For years I have struggled with getting so down on myself when I didn’t get a workout in or I didn’t do what I had planned. I HAD to do it or else I would walk around looking like I lost my best friend. I still struggle to this day with doing it sometimes, but I have to realize that life isn’t always easy and you can’t keep punishing yourself.
I saw this quote last night and loved it. It really reminds me that I need to focus on the things I can and to just do the best I can at the others. Last week I hit some amazing weight loss and workout goals and I am determined to continue my successes into this week!
I found this on my phone this morning and it made me smile, so what a great thing to leave out with!
Tricks for Treadmill Running
As soon as I got out of work today I hopped right on the treadmill and started running. I knew that if I waited any longer that I would never do my workout and my energy was already waining.
I knew that there wasn’t at weight workout today but I needed to get something in.
I ended up doing 3.1 miles on the treadmill in just over 31 minutes.
I had to go to a training for half the day and was on the complete opposite side of the city from the gym so ended up just heading home to run on the treadmill we have there.
After several years of marathon running and now running here and there I have learned a trick or two to running on the treadmill. There were times when I was marathon training that I would actually run 18 miles on the treadmill.
Here are some tricks to get you through a treadmill run:
1. Music. I always use music when running because it can get your mind off the monotony.
2. TV. If possible put on the TV (I do this at the gym). Most of the time I am not even listening to it but it gives me something to watch and not look at the time passing by.
3. Cover up time and distance. If you don’t have a TV take a towel and cover up the time and distance #’s. This will help it go quicker and you won’t be stuck staring at the minutes as they go by.
4. Set small goals. I break up all my treadmill runs into 6 minutes. I tell myself “get to 6 minutes” then when I reach it “get to 12″ and so on until I reach my goal for the day. This may sound crazy but it really helps!
5. Break up your run. If I am having a tough day and I have a run on the schedule sometimes I will break it up to get through it and do something else in between. I typically on do this on my “off” days.
6. Run next to a friend. I rarely get to do this but sometimes I’ll get lucky and run next to my husband at the gym. Even though we don’t talk often, just having someone else there can make it go my quicker.
There are days when running on the treadmill is just plain hard – but there are tricks that will help you get through it!
I love the feeling of being really sweaty when I am done with a workout, and as a plus the treadmill always seems to do it for me!
Just a little sweaty aren’t I?!
Off to hang out with the hubby. Happy to finally be through hump day!
An Exercise Filled Day Off
I had today off from work and boy did I take advantage of it.
I started my day off with a 5.5 mile bike ride to the gym. I forgot how hard biking can be at times. My legs were burning by the time I finally pulled into the gym.
After I locked the bike up I went right into a 30 minute run. I didn’t track distance or have any idea how far I went I simple ran out 15 minutes and ran back. It was very relaxing when you are not worried about distance or pace.
My legs took a bit to warm up since I had just biked, but after about 5-6 minutes they finally decided to get into the run.
I have to say adding running back in some to my workouts has not been easy. I honestly don’t know how I ever trained for a marathon some days.
After I finished the run I headed into the gym to start Carrie’s Slim Strong and Sexy Week 9 weights workout.
Look at those guns! 
haha jk. I am seeing improvement and I highly highly suggest if anyone is looking to lean out and gain muscle to take a look at the plans that Carrie has to offer. I am loving mine thus far!
I rode back to my house after my workout and felt exhausted. I think between the sun and the extra cardio my body was done. Wes however had different plans and said he was heading out to meet some friends to run at a local track. There is a beautiful trail through there so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some exercise for the pup.
We “walked” for about an hour. When I say walked I mean Zoe drug my very tired self along. It was a tough walk but I am glad I did it and enjoyed some one on one time with her.
I am off to spend the last remaining hours of my day off with my hubby. Goodnight!
Fighting the Weekend Binge
It is time for an honest post.
As you all know my greatest struggle has always been food. I love food. I always have and I always will.
The hardest part of food for me has always been the weekend. I work really hard during the week so when the weekend comes I am ready to relax, let loose, and not always worry about what I am eating.
I normally have always worked my food around the weekends – I limit myself so I can go all out on the weekends. I have been doing this wrong.
This past weekend I let myself go a little bit too much. I went to sleep on Sunday night feeling awful and crazy bloated because I didn’t control myself. I have to get it under control, but I have to still let myself cheat a little bit.
This is the plan that I have come up with to battle the weekend:
1. We usually go out to eat Friday and Saturday. These are always going to be healthy and lean choices no matter what. There will be times when I will cheat this a little but rare.
2. I am allowed one small treat on both Friday and Saturday night.
3. I need to keep up with my food tracking even on the weekends.
4. If I have alcohol on the weekend I will limit it to ONE drink ONE meal.
I have to get a control over my food binging and it can’t control me. I do so well during the week that I can’t let my hard work go to waste on the weekend. It is about balance, eating healthy, and keeping active.
Tonight I did a small workout before heading home – 4 miles on the treadmill.
I followed it by some fun time playing with the hubby and puppy.
It has been so beautiful here lately I have really taken advantage of it. Tomorrow I have off since I work this Saturday (AGAIN) so I plan to be outside as much as possible.
We Finally Bought a Bike
My husband and I have been throwing around the idea of purchasing a bike for the past couple months. As most of you should know by now, Wes is an extremely fast runner. He is so fast that there is no way in hell (excuse my language) that I will ever be able to run WITH him because I just can’t move that fast.
Many times he has expressed to me how lonely it gets out on the training runs and boring. I remember this very well from my marathon days of how long and boring running 20 miles alone can get.
Saturday night as we were out looking around we finally took the leap and bought a bike.
We ended up picking up a Nishiki men’s bike. We knew nothing about purchasing a bike going into this, so we had to rely on the help of the nice man at Dick’s Sporting Goods for most everything. I went in looking to purchase a women’s bike but they didn’t have the right one in my size and he told me several times it didn’t really matter.
I know there are many bikes out there that cost a lot of money. We knew the main purpose of buying a bike was to be able to keep Wes company on his long runs and help him out sometimes when he is doing pace work. It is also going to be an easy and relaxing way for me to add a bit more cardio into my weekly routine. Since these were the main reasons we were looking to purchase the bike we went in knowing we didn’t want to spend more than $300.
Just from our small amount of time looking here are the main things I learned when looking to purchase a bike:
1. Know what your use for the bike will be. (Road bike, trails, or some of both).
2. Know what you are looking to spend. This helped us so we could tell the guy helping us so he didn’t show us bikes we knew we couldn’t afford.
3. Ask for help.
4. Test out the bikes. I had 2 in mind but after testing them out it was an easy decision.
The Importance of Switching Things Up
I think one of the most important thing in ANY exercise routine is switching things up. Keeping things the same for a while is fine, but after some time most people begin to get bored. Boredom usually leads to a lack of motivation and giving in to not doing a workout.
This morning I woke up and knew that I needed to do something to switch up my workout. It was beautiful outside for the first time in a while. I began thinking and realized from my marathon running days that our gym was only about 5-6 miles away from the house.
The husband was planning on heading down to a local park to run, so I asked him after he finished his run if he could pick me up at the gym.
I decided to use this beautiful day for a nice run outside instead of doing any running on the treadmill.
See? Wasn’t it beautiful? I ended up clocking the distance on the way back and found it to be 5.5 miles away. What a GREAT start to my workout.
I got into the gym after my run and stretched for about 10 minutes. My poor knees aren’t used to running outside since it has been quite a while.
I then did Carrie’s Slim, Strong, and Sexy Plan for the day, added some ab work, and ended with a cool down mile on the treadmill.
I am really starting to notice changes in my body. I have figure out what works for me food wise and I think this has made all the difference in causing the changes I want to see.
Workout plans are great, but in my opinion sometimes they are made to be altered. It is always important to do what makes you feel motivated and happy. I already had the plan of doing weights today, but I knew with this beautiful day and my first weekend off in quite a while it was important to add SOMETHING outside.
Hope everyone has a great Saturday!
What is your favorite workout?
The Return of Running
I hate to say it, and I honestly never though I’d say it again but running has come back into the picture.
Before you think I am out running marathon’s again let me rephrase that. I am still following Carrie’s Slim Strong and Sexy Plan and once I am through with that I plan on continuing to learn and improve on my weight training. I love being able to mix my workouts up every day in the gym. I simply have started adding some running back in.
I have done it slowly, but on Monday and tonight I added 3 slow (10:00/mile pace) miles in before I started my weight training. I am not doing this every day because as I have talked about before I don’t want to tire myself out too much.
There is something about running that always brings me back in. I don’t know if its the awesome sweat and high you get from running. I don’t really know but every so often I just want to run again. I have no desire to go long distance, but 3-6 miles is a perfect distance to still get a good sweat going and get a small “runners high.”
I am determined to find a way to incorporate into my weight workouts as well.
As you can tell even after my weights workout was over I was a sweaty mess.
I am crazy proud of myself for really sticky to my food this week. I am already slowly starting to see myself getting a bit leaner just from 3 strong days of lean and clean eating.
Wednesday evening I always have a “treat.” My husband and I decided that waiting all week for Saturday is setting both of us up to fail, so we have decided that on Wednesday nights we will allow ourselves a healthier treat.
My selection this week was a spinach wrap from Wegmans with turkey, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and sweet peppers. It was delicious and total is about 385 calories. It is still a healthy treat but is a nice break from the food we have at home.
On a completely random side note – Wegmans in Erie just added a wine by the glass bar! This is so exciting mostly because in PA you cannot buy wine (my favorite thing ever) in grocery stores you must go to a liquor store. I noticed also they have one of my FAVORITE local wines in there as well – I guess we know where we may be going back to this weekend.
Rest Days – Yes or No?
Rest days. I feel like they get such a bad wrap in the workout and fitness world, but sometimes they are exactly what the doctor ordered.
The most important thing is that you tell the difference between: “I am lazy and don’t want to work out today” and “my body is really burnt out and I need time to repair and recover.”
Sometimes your body needs to rest. It doesn’t mean you have to sit back and do nothing and eat all the worst food in the world for you – it means you still need to feed your body well and maybe even participate in some “active rest.”
Some examples of good active rest are:
1. Stretching
2. Yoga
3. Walking
Any kind of low impact form of exercise that doesn’t overly exert your body will still allow your body to recover and get the rest it needs on your days “off.” I like to take a long walk with this pretty girl on my active rest days.
I know there are some people out there that go with the motto of “no days off”, and for some that is great but I know for me and my body I need at a minimum of one rest day per week. Most of the time I take Friday off because it is a late day at work for me and I enjoy getting off and enjoying a nice dinner with my husband.
I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I know there are people that over work themselves and this can in turn hurt their progress. It is important to alternate your workouts and make sure you are letting yourself rest and not doing the same thing everyday.
I used to run EVERY SINGLE day except for Friday. I got burnt out some days, slacked on my form, and often ended up hurting myself. With weight lifting and running you have to make sure you are focusing that you are doing the workouts properly and not just going through the motions. Form is key no matter what type of workout you are doing.
I took today as an active rest day, but still went on a short easy run and walking a bit.
Please ignore the cat littler boxes, I was taking the picture on my way out the door!
Have a great evening everyone! Back in the gym tomorrow!
A Couple New Additions
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Today started my “cutting” phase. Ok, I am not cutting for a competition but I have put on weight that is not needed and it is time to get the last few lbs off. I have a wedding at the end of next month (my brother is getting married!) and I need to get the dress fitted. I want to get down to at least my “happy” weight so my goal is to drop the last couple pounds during the next couple weeks.
I am giving myself 2 cheat meals a week and then rest is pretty strict for the time being. I know I can maintain once I get down it is just a matter of getting the last couple pounds off and keeping them off.
Today as soon as I left work I headed straight to the gym to get my workout in.
I completed 3 slow miles on the treadmill along with Carrie’s weights workout for the day.
Do I look a little TOO happy for just finishing a work out?
I’d say you can see a difference in my arms! Now my legs, they are another story….still working hard!
I love the focus I have on Monday, but I am really hoping I can keep it up for the rest of the week.
A couple new things I am adding into this week:
1. Low low low impact cardio. In order to add a bit more cardio in and I am going to add two days where on top of my normal workout I come home and just walk on the treadmill for the length of one of “my shows.” I have them on hulu so I can connect my headphones up and walk on the treadmill. Yes, we have a treadmill in our apartment.
2. We are looking to possibly purchase a bike for me. This will allow me to add another form of cardio in sometimes and bike along with Wes when he goes for his really long training runs. This also helps him to have some company during his workouts at times. This will mostly occur during the weekends.
Off to do some laundry and start night one of my walking. I will leave you with this great quote I posted on my instagram earlier.
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