MP45 Program review: 45 day workout program and nutrition guide.
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MP45 Program review: 45 day workout program and nutrition guide.
This post has been sponsored by MP45 Program.Continue Reading
Hey guys! I’m back!!! With a Polar A300 Giveaway, but let’s start from the beginning. We’ll get to the fun part shortly here.
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Hey guys! The Hump Day is here!
Are you having a good week so far? I’m pretty excited to be back here with my Week 2 of the 30 Days Active challenge report.
This challenge to myself started with this post where I wrote a Tough Love Letter to myself following a session at FitBloggin’ 14.
And I’m happy to report that the challenge is going very well and I am staying active every day. Here’s how:
{WEDNESDAY} last week was a yoga night! My legs were SORE from biking and running the week before, so yoga just felt super nice and relaxing.
{THURSDAY} was HOT! Didn’t really feel like spending any time indoors though, so hubby and I went on a nice long walk together.
Check out what we saw in one of the yards while walking:
{FRIDAY} was another run day – this time my husband decided to join me and train for a 5K too!
And that run marked the end of my Week 1 of 8 with Coach to 5K.
{SATURDAY} I did not feel the energy AT ALL.
All I could push myself to was a yoga class and a few laps in the pool. But I did it! And that was it 🙂
{SUNDAY} was another C25K Day
Hubby and I agreed to leave the house early in the morning (before the major heat kicked in) and go for a run. It was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, that’s why we wanted to get that run in early so we don’t have to suffer through it.
Well, Mr. H slept in and I waited for him patiently (because I am a good wife, you know). And then we suffered through it.
Not only was it miserably hot, but it was also the day in C25K when you switch to longer running sets.
That run was the worst of my life so far! I was drenched in sweat, breathless and a little dizzy when we got home. It took me a while to recover from that one…
The numbers above probably look funny to someone who runs regularly – nearly 14 minute miles… But I’m not sweating it. I’m getting there and working on it.
And I’m still lapping everybody on the couch 🙂 🙂 🙂
{MONDAY} was a work day – I taught my regular Indoor Cycling Class at the Y.
It was raining outside, so I had 7 (!!!) people in my class – a record number for summer time 🙂 It also so happened that the class mostly consisted of my regular riders and good friends (Mr. H attended, too!).
We had a BLAST! I felt such wonderful energy exchange and inspiration! Don’t forget to check out the latest playlist right here to get the feel of what it was like 😉
{TUESDAY} was a weird day…
Mr. H and I were originally planning to go for another run with C25K, but he had to get up really early and leave, so we decided to re-schedule that run for Wednesday.
I had to do SOMETHING! I felt like peace and quiet. So I went upstairs, lit up some candles and did yoga.
And that was it, my friends!
Missed the Week 1 Report? No problem, check it out here.
Do share: what was your most favorite workout of the past week or so?
Stay fit, friends!
This post was shared on the Workout Wednesdays linkup.
Hey guys! Happy Hump Day!
As you may remember, last week I posted a Tough Love Letter to myself where I promised to go back to basics and workout every day for 30 days, and post weekly progress reports here.
So here is Part 1 of the 30 Days Active challenge recap, as promised.
{WEDNESDAY}
Last Wednesday, after I published the tough love letter, I was all jazzed up to get started on my new challenge!
So I grabbed my husband and we hit the weight room together (followed by a yoga class for me).
It felt awesome to be back in the weight room! I ran into a couple of my cycling students, which is always a pleasure. Love my people!
{THURSDAY}
Oh, was I sore on Thursday! I think I pulled a muscle in my arm as it still hurts today – been working too hard 🙂
Since I couldn’t really use my arms to workout, hubby and I went on a long walk on Thursday evening.
{FRIDAY}
On Friday I woke up with an itch only a run could “scratch”. 🙂
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I got injured running about a year ago (on my first run in forever), went through a long and expensive PT, got a pair of expensive running shoes and never got back to running – story of my life…
Until the 4th of July 2014.
So at about 7 AM on the 4th of July, I dusted those Brooks off, laced ’em up, left a note for my husband (who was still asleep like most of sane people out there), and went for a run with the C25K® – 5K Trainer.
No, my bad knees didn’t give out and I ran/walked for about 1.7 miles. I know people who eat marathons for breakfast, and I’m awful proud of them and proud to be friends with them. But you know what? There’s no feeling like being proud of yourself for making those first 1.7 miles after a long period of being a lazy ass injury!
I felt horrible every step of the 1.7 miles, and felt awful proud of myself afterwards!
No knee pain so far (and it’s been almost a week), so I decided to stick with the C25K for now.
{SATURDAY}
It was my turn to teach Saturday Cycle at the Y at 8:00 am last week. The Y has dropped the 9:00 am class for the summer and made the 8:00 am class an hour long instead of the usual 45 minutes.
I have to admit, I dislike an hour long cycling classes. I think 45 minute format is ideal for getting a good workout and not overdoing it.
But hey, the boss is the boss, so I put together a hilly, one hour long nightmare plan on Friday night 🙂
It is VERY schematic though – the height and steepness of the hills in the drawing above had nothing to do with the actual intensity of the class profile elements. I just did that so I could better visualize the terrain I planned out for the class.
So on Saturday morning I grabbed my husband again (gotta love that guy for everything he takes from me!), and we headed out the door for the morning cycling madness 🙂
We killed it! It was a wonderful class – great energy from my students, lots of compliments from the class on my playlist. By the way, you can check out the playlists I use in my indoor cycling classes here.
After getting home, taking a quick shower and grabbing breakfast, I went back to the Y for a yoga class. Oh did that feel good to my sore legs and arms and shoulders!
{SUNDAY}
Regular workout was just not playing out for me on Sunday. The evening was approaching fast so I had to come up with something to stay active.
When the family decided to drive to our local swim club, I decided to bike there.
It’s not far – just about 1.73 miles one way, but that was better than nothing.
It felt great to do some laps at the pool afterwards, too!
{MONDAY}
On Monday I taught my regular indoor cycling class to my regular 3 summer students 🙂 You know, you might see a lot of instructors complaining about attendance numbers dropping in the summer time. I LOVE this time – I use this opportunity to try new things in the class that I wouldn’t be able to try with a bigger group, use it to bond with my students and give them more attention during and after class.
Love-love-love small classes. They might not be blasting the bigger class energy, but they sure feel rewarding and challenging!
{TUESDAY}
It was HOT here on Tuesday. I kind of gave up on the idea of going for a run since early morning – it was sticky! Options were: home yoga DVD or weight room at the Y.
Since my arm is still not 100%, I decided to wait with the weight room.
Home yoga DVD seemed a little boring….It cooled down after the rain…So I ended up going for a run 🙂
I love that feeling of freedom running gives you…All you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation to lift yourself off the couch and get out of the door – and you won’t regret it.
I felt so much energy after the run last night!
So, friends. Here are the results of Week 1 of the 30 Days Active Challenge:
That’s it for now, guys.
Remember to check back next Wednesday for the Week 2 recap of my 30 Days Active challenge I brought onto myself 🙂
Stay strong!
This post has been shared on the Work Out Wednesdays Linkup. I am also a featured blogger there this week! Check it out – it is a great weekly linkup with wonderful people.
Hello friends! Happy hump day! I hope you’re having a great week so far! And while you are, I thought I’d share my last week’s exercise recap with you with some food highlights here and there to (maybe, just maybe) inspire you 🙂
Here we go!Continue Reading
Hey guys! Happy Monday!
As always, I am sharing my last week’s exercise recap with you today! I can finally do that as I am back in the game – no more skipping, slacking, etc. etc. Last week was as close to my normal exercise routine as possible – that was my goal and I have accomplished what I’d planned! Here’s how it was:
{MONDAY} Cycling class with Jim.
I am still working on my resistance loading – it is amazing how hard it is psychologically to put more resistance on the wheel and push yourself, as opposed to pushing yourself to go faster with a lighter wheel. I only went for 9.2 miles this time, but oh did I sweat for those nine point damn two miles!
Totally rocked my Spinning® bandana! Those things are great for blocking sweat. I have no idea why I’ve never worn one before!
I am also doing a 100 mile March challenge by FitFluential! So I walked 2.80 miles on Monday, too to get my #ffmarchmiles in 🙂
I am loving this challenge! It is amazing how it makes you realize that despite all the workouts you do during the week, you don’t spend all that much time walking at all…
Note the good use I am putting my Reebok pedometer to 🙂
{TUESDAY} Rest Day
Had a rest day from exercise, but did some walking for the March miles!
{WEDNESDAY} Yoga and more
Wednesday night is yoga night! Oh it felt soooo good to stretch!
I also hit the gym for a quick walk/run on a treadmill and some weights before yoga.
And of course I had to log some FF March miles, too!
{THURSDAY} Treadmill + Weights
I initially planned a rest day on Thursday, but that didn’t happen 🙂 I did go to the gym – walked/ran on a treadmill and did some weights after work!
I am feeling very good about my latest treadmill “adventures”. It is hard to get back into running when you have never actually been a runner in the first place, and when you decided to start being one – you got injured. I am smarter this time. I take it slow. I am being careful. I take it one minute at a time. And it feels great 🙂
Here’s what Thursday #ffmarchmiles looked like:
{FRIDAY} Yoga
Friday night is yoga night too, you know. I kind of figured it counts as a rest day 🙂
Friday FitFluential March Miles:
{SATURDAY} Cycling + Yoga
I did my double – indoor cycling and yoga:
{SUNDAY} Rest Day
Well, so called “Rest Day”…My husband is working on our kitchen, so there were a lot of miles done around the house – cleaning, cleaning and cleaning some more:
And that’s all she wrote 🙂
Do share: what fun workouts did you do last week? Which one was your favorite?
Stay fit, my friends!
Hey guys!
Happy Friday!
As you probably noticed from the social media, I am participating in the Move, Nourish, Believe Challenge hosted by Fit Approach and Lorna Jane Activewear.
In this post I am going to tell you what the 5 days of the challenge were all about this past week in the format of Five on Friday! (hey, I’ve been on fire with this lately, haven’t I?) 🙂
{MONDAY} Sweat-it-Out!
On Monday the challenge participants had to show their favorite way to sweat. Well, that was a no brainer for me – Spinning of course!
and, of course, I had to sweat in my favorite way that night:
{TUESDAY} Change it up!
On Tuesday, we were supposed to try a new way to sweat – select a workout from the challenge website and show the post-sweat selfie. I chose two workouts from the website: the 10 minute core challenge and Work it out with this Wednesday workout – with dumbbells.
It was fun! I normally don’t workout at home (too many distractions), but the weather was crappy so it was nice for a change. I really liked it! I should do it more often, and now I have just the resource for great quick workouts at home. A lot of them don’t require any equipment at all!
And here comes the selfie 🙂
{WEDNESDAY} Let’s get planking!
The goal was to plank for at least five minutes – either in one setting or splitting up.
On Wednesday we were snowed in and I worked from home – so I had time to get into my planking! Got it done in two sets – 2.50 minutes each. Whew!
{THURSDAY} Buddy up!
Thursday was a “workout with a Friend” day! I buddied up with my husband for an awesome lifting session!
{FRIDAY} Fave Friday!
This day is about sharing our Five Fitness Favorites. So here we go!
You all know of course, that mine are – spinning, yoga, lifting, planking (Oh look at that 5 min plank! It is my Personal Record so far of continuous planking on straight arms) and Polar FT40!
This challenge has been so much fun! I am meeting a lot of new and interesting people and sharing a ton of fun with them!
Next week is the “Nourish” part of the challenge – all about good food! Stay tuned, guys 🙂
Now, your turn! What are your Five on Friday or just things you’re loving lately? Link it up below or just tell me in comments to this post.
Have a great weekend!
Hey guys! It’s Monday again! I know, I know…But hey – it is a new beginning, isn’t it? Say, if you didn’t exercise as much last week (like this girl) or made not so good of food choices (like this girl, too), you should be happy for this chance to start over, right?
Yeah, me too 🙂
So, let me tell you what I did to exercise last week and a little about my fit family members. 🙂
{MONDAY}
Was supposed to spin, but got held up at work until late and then I had a Skype call with mom scheduled for that night, so I didn’t work out. Rest day #1.
{TUESDAY}
I don’t remember what the excuse was, but that was a Rest day #2! Keep reading 🙂 I am going to get to the exercise part eventually.
{WEDNESDAY}
I finally sucked it up and decided to try something new. The Wednesday Y schedule had Zumba on it, so I decided to go for it.
I had very little clue of what I was doing, but I had a blast!!! I really liked the atmosphere of the class – it felt more like a party than a workout. Thank you so much, Terre, for a great class!
Totally killed my knees though. I did my research in advance and chose the shoes that had little tread, but it still wasn’t enough for my knees.
So I am a recovering zumbanaut 🙂 Still.
Check out what a great burn it was, though! More than in some of the spinning classes I take.
{THURSDAY}
Guess what? Aha, that was the rest day #3. Right after work we headed to Simon’s swim meet. Oh, that was so much fun! I am so proud of him! Scored a smile, too (can’t take that for granted when it comes to TA boys:) )
He swam like he had a motor!
They also had a small party for seniors there that night. So sweet!
Simon got a bag of candy and a balloon with his name on it.
Of course the kitty had to have the balloon when we got home 🙂
{FRIDAY}
Had to suck it up again and go lift – I am a fitness blogger after all, right? Not gonna keep my readers interested if I post about kitties all the time 🙂
Anyway, on Friday I decided to go for an evening workout!
I walked on a treadmill for a bit to warm up:
And then lifted some heavy stuff!
I mostly worked on my arms, shoulders and abs as my legs were still sore from Zumba and I was saving them for Saturday morning 🙂
The gym was almost empty. So were the locker rooms, so I had some fun after the workout 🙂
{SATURDAY}
On Saturday I took an early spinning class with Tara so I could later go to Carmen’s basketball game. The class was a blast! I could feel my heart in my throat the whole time – that’s a sign of a good workout 🙂 A cold refreshing smoothie after that workout never tasted better 🙂
Shortly after I got home and showered, we headed out to Carmen’s basketball season play offs. Her team won both games they played that day and are officially the #1 team in their league as of last Saturday. The last two games will be held next Saturday and I am sure these girls will be the Champions!
{SUNDAY}
Was a busy day – all the prep. work for the Super Bowl (grocery shopping, cooking, setting the table, etc.) and….such a disappointment… Don’t even want to talk about the SB…
Let’s just end this with Sunday being Rest Day #4!
So. Let’s see… I didn’t exercise as much as I usually do last week, but I had a fun, busy week full of fun events and pride for my step-children.
I’ll count that as an AWESOME week!
Now, tell me: did you have a good week?
Stay fit and awesome, my friends!
Hey guys! Happy Friday!
I hope you had a wonderful week and are ready for an even better weekend!
While you’re still waiting for it to come, here’s my “Five on Friday” – a weekly post about 5 things that I have been loving, liking, enjoying, etc.. lately.
{{ONE}} EOS – Lip Balm
Love those things! Carmen got me hooked on those – she started collecting them a while ago. I got her a set of lip balm and hand lotion by EOS for Christmas. She already had the lip balm flavor that was in the package, so I kept it for myself 😉
I am not a lip balm/chopstick kind of person at all…But I LOVE this series! It is sweet, too!
{{TWO}} Nike Air Total Core Cross-Trainers
$70 at Kohl’s.
I have shoes for running and walking, so I was looking for something light and easy to slip on for my cross training. Found it!
I love these shoes! They are extremely lightweight, comfortable and stylish!
{{THREE}} CND Creative Scentsations Hand & Body Lotion – Pear & Dandelion
It looks like this post is going to be about girly stuff 🙂 Oh well, let it be. Next on the list is this magic hand and body lotion.
What’s interesting – I don’t like any other kind from this CND series – just pear and dandelion. I absolutely cannot survive the winter without it! I use it mainly as hand lotion, but it is good as body lotion as well. I buy it in 31 OZ bottles. Seriously!
{{FOUR}} Naval Oranges
I made my husband go to Walmart at 9:00 PM and get me those the other day. It says it all!
I crave them, I eat at least one a day and I don’t see the end of it in the near future.
{{FIVE}} Ceramic Candle Warmers (Electric)
LOVE those things! After searching everywhere – Target, Kohl’s, Walmart, etc., I got mine from Amazon.
You put in a candle in a glass jar into this thing, plug it in, it heats up and melts the candle. I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it makes my house smell! I got a candle with the holiday season scent and we enjoyed it so much! It also lasts a lot longer that if you would light up that candle.
Your turn! Share links to your “Five on Friday” posts with me or just comment here! I would love to hear what you’ve been loving lately.
Hey-hey, my fitness gang! How are you this wonderful Monday? Ready to face the week?
I feel ready and excited! Why? Because it is a new start. New beginning of everything – it is your chance to start the week off right by eating healthier, exercising more and being happier 🙂
So, let’s look at my last week from the exercise standpoint. Here’s what I did:
Monday: Spin Class – 12.5 sweaty miles!
It was freezing cold outside that night and I left the sensor for my heart rate monitor in the car. I realized that after I got changed for my class and decided to ride “naked” rather than go back to the car in my capris and cycling shoes. So, “naked” ride it was! I have to say, it felt a little weird not to be able to see your heart rate, but it was definitely liberating not seeing the calories burnt. I think subconsciously as I approach my goal number of calories burnt during the class I stop working as hard as I should. So, I definitely enjoyed my “low-tech” ride on Monday!
Tuesday: Weight Lifting and Strength Training with Jim at the Gym
I feel like I am still burning calories from that one. It even hurts to type, leave alone steer…
I have noticed that I got a little too comfortable with my routine with the weights… Those personal trainers, they can read minds, you know? Just as I thought that I wouldn’t mind increasing the weight/number of reps, he did just that!
Oh. My. God.
That step forward is always killing me the first time I take it. I just hope that next time will be better and I will enjoy it a little more, and maybe suffer a little less afterwards… 🙂
Wednesday: Always Yoga Day, I mean ALWAYS.
After my killer workout on Tuesday it was a very much welcome practice. Looooove that stretching.
Thursday: a day of relaxation and not knowing what to do with myself
Is it just me or is there anyone else who feels like he/she is getting fatter by the minute on a rest day? 🙂
I do!
Anyway, it was nice to spend the evening “couch-potating” with hubby and catch up on the new Big Bang Theory.
Friday: Rest Day
Was originally supposed to be a yoga day, but I just wasn’t feeling it. So I listened to my lazy mind body and made it a rest day. 🙂
Saturday: Spinning+Yoga
Totally paid for my two rest days by making it a “Saturday Double”:
Sunday: Yoga
Was initially supposed to be a “pump day”, but I got caught up in the 49-ers game and only made it to yoga. Hey, it was totally worth it!
And that is what I did last week!
Tell me: what was your best workout of the past week?
Hey you, guys! And Happy New Year!
I hope you had a great time off with your loved ones, enjoyed the holidays and all back in the groove now.
New year is the time for resolutions, decisions, new goals and re-evaluation. It is to the point where it is borderline pure pressure and stress, isn’t it? Everyone is asking about your resolutions, sharing theirs, and looking for “resolution buddies”. Uuuurgh! Pressure. I hate pressure. Pressure has the reverse effect on me – the more I am pressured, the less I want to do it. For me, what does the trick is ME actually WANTING to do something. So. Let’s get the pressure off of you and have you relax for a couple minutes while you read this. This post is about me and my goals for 2014 as well as looking back at 2013. No pressure on you, navigate away if you like 🙂 Or…Keep reading 🙂Continue Reading
Hey, guys! Happy Monday to you!
Hope you had a great weekend.
I haven’t done a Motivation Monday post with weekly exercise recap in a while – simply because I haven’t been exercising nearly as much lately due to my bad cold and later – bronchitis.
All better now and pretty much back in the game! So here’s what has been happening on the fitness front in the past week.
Monday and Tuesday – rest days (good start to the week, right? 🙂 ) as I was still recovering from my cold/bronchitis.
Wednesday – had a wonderful yoga class with Jim at the Y. One of my co-workers joined me for the class and we had a great time!
Thursday and Friday – rest days (told you I was taking it easy).
Saturday – did my usual double. Oh did that feel good!
Followed by a great yoga class!
Sunday – in addition to running errands (lots of walking), cleaning the house (lots of walking), and meal prepping (lots of walking), hubby and I went to the gym to lift weights! I love working out with him!
I think it was a pretty good week for the condition I was in, and that I managed to stick to the rules:
It was a little hard to get back in the game after the 2 week break, though. The first week I didn’t know what to do with the free time I suddenly got on my hands due to not working out! But the second week (when I got a taste of doing nothing and having extra time), I felt like I am slipping back into my natural laziness! Couldn’t let that happen.
Because once you take that exit, you realize there is no turning back!
What did you do for your exercise this past week?
Hey guys!
I finally got to my blog – second time in this busy week, which sucked for the most part 🙂
Let’s see….It’s Friday (YAY!), I am back to PT for an uncertain period of time (boooo), and heading to NYC this weekend to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary!!!
The past week healthy eating was challenged by:
Photo source – Catherine’s Cupcakery
Junk/Processed/Not-so-good-for-you food – 2, Lena – 1.
There were some good/not-so-bad food choices and decisions this week, as well.
All in all, it wasn’t the best week food-wise.
On top of that, I pulled my left calf on Wednesday night, went to my scheduled physical therapy session on Thursday and was immediately treated for the new disaster. And that’s right when I was going to start making my way out of PT some time after next week. No such luck. The pulled calf hurt like hell last night, but seems to be a little better today.
What I am most upset about is the rest days I have to take that I was not planning on. This injury once again messes up my entire exercise routine and I can’t ignore it because it hurts to move.
Erm…remind me – isn’t exercise supposed to make you fell better? 🙂
Anywho, before my fitness life was interrupted by the pulled muscle, I managed to fit some fine exercise in last week:
Blogging news:
Did you guys noticed the new banner? What do you think?
Also, the former “Healthy Recipe” page of the blog is now called “Recipes” (the sole reason for the name change is that what’s healthy for me can be unhealthy for somebody else, so let’s go with the neutral name) and is powered by ReciPage!
I am still in the process of transferring the recipes from one to the other, but very happy with the way the new page looks! I think it is a lot easier to brows recipes now. You can also search by key ingredients, cooking methods and alphabetically.
I hope you like it and I would appreciate any feedback!
I will see you guys next week with the NYC trip recap!
Have a great weekend and stay fit!
Hey hey, my fitness friends 🙂
Happy (?) Monday to you! Are you ready for another week of work and fun? I feel pretty good today – I think it is going to be a very-very fun week…and – this weekend is our second wedding anniversary. It’s been very happy two years – with ups and downs like in any family in general and a step-family in particular.
But not for once did I ever regret that “I do” I said to the most wonderful guy in this world!
So we are keeping the tradition of going to NYC for our anniversary! I am so excited about another opportunity to discover more of this great city!!!
Anywho, back to our Monday. I am back here with my exercise recap of the past week.Continue Reading
Hey my dears! Happy Motivation Monday to you!
Let’s see what I did in the past week exercise-wise, shall we? 🙂
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