Gym and tasty treat!

Good evening readers!

Today's gym workout consisted of a mix of things. Since I haven't done any weights or anything since last week, I wanted to get in a nice full body workout.

I started out by doing 30 minutes on the elliptical (on my off running days, I like to do a lot of cardio to get my heart really pumping) then did the following circuit (*which has been mentioned before on here) for 1 round:

 

After that, I did some abs then a few machines for arms before Ben and I called it a day at the gym.  It did feel nice to work a bunch of muscles! Always nice to feel like your whole body got a work out in.

 

After dinner tonight, Ben and I were both in the mood for dessert but weren't sure what. I suggested this yummy treat that I've made before and it was a hit: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Rolls.

 

Peanut Butter Run

Happy Saturday readers! Today is the first day of my 2 week August Break and I hope to make the most of it!

Today is the 7 mile run for my training. I was happy to see when I checked the temperature for this morning that it was going to be in the low 70s. I went onto MapMyRun last night to come up with a route near Ben's house. The route was coming out of his house, turning right out of his neighborhood and continuing on for 3.5 miles then turning around. I LOVE this website and app because it is so helpful for running long distances.

Before running this morning, I made my usual 2 toasts with peanut butter. I always eat this with time to digest before running. Wellllll around mile 2, I started having really bad cramps and thought maybe it had to do with the peanut butter...?! I just kept drinking water and taking deep breathes till the cramps went away. I had read in some fitness magazine on what to do when you get cramps while running and one advice that I really like and use is whatever side your cramp is on, when the opposite leg hits the ground, deep breath out.

The rest of the run was much more enjoyable, and I definitely finished on that Runner's High! Now to enjoy the rest of the day with Benjamin and resting my legs!

After a few days off from not posting, this post will be filled with both a new workout and a yummy dinner recipe!

 

Half marathon training update

51 days to go! Since I was out of town this past weekend for a friend's bachelorette party, I chose not to run the 6 miles scheduled and moved it to this past Monday. I was a little worried that the heat would get to me, and it was definitely warm the first few miles. Around mile 5, it either cooled off or my body had gotten used to it (probably a mix of both) because I felt wonderful the last 2 miles! This Saturday will be the 7 mile run!

 

Today's workout

Today was a 3 mile run which I had hoped to just run across the street from my gym to my high school (WAHS '08! woop woop!) and run around the cross-country course. Well I ended up doing a quarter of the course because it wasn't mowed and had changed since I had run it last. It ended up being an obstacle course of tall grass, spiderwebs and turn arounds. I did plan my run right because right when I got in the doors of the gym, the heavens opened up!

 

After wiping off the spider webs and doing a tick check, I did the following Arm and Abs workout:

 

Here's a clip of what Mac raises are if you aren't sure --> Mac Raises

 

Dinner: Brown rice, shrimp, avocado

After finding this recipe online, I wanted to make it for my family! It was a really easy recipe: make the amount of rice you need, shrimp and a whole avocado cut up. Mix them all together and you're done! It was so yummy! I am all for easy, yummy and healthy meals ;)

 

 

Happy Hump Day!

 

 

Gearing up for the weekend!

Since I will be going out of town this weekend and won't get a workout in until Monday, I wanted to make the most of today!

So call me crazy but I decided to venture out into this heat and go for a run...in the proper attire of course! I ran in shorts and sports bra, sprayed my whole body down in sunblock, threw on a hat (first time I've done that), sunglasses, filled my water bottle to the top with nice, cold water, and hit the pavement for a 2 mile run. It actually went by pretty quick, but the AC sure did feel wonderful afterwards!

 

Once I cooled myself down, I got started on some abs, arms, and butts.

 

30 Russian Twists with medicine ball

10 sit ups

:30 second plank

20 vertical leg crunches

:20 second plank

10 jackknife sit ups

40 oblique crunches

:30 side plank each side

30 crunches

:40 second plank

 

 

20 bicep curls x3

20 triceps extensions x 3

10 shoulder presses x 3

10 arm extensions x3

*all with barbells*

 

25 squats

10 single leg dead lifts each leg

25 pile squats

20 side lunges

20 calf raises

50 fire hydrants each side

 

 

Now back to packing and hopefully going to bed much earlier than I have been, a good workout always makes me get a goods night sleep! Happy Almost Friday! :) 



 

 

 

Sweating for 50!

I hope everyone is surviving this heat wave....and staying hydrated!!

Today's workout started out with a nice 30 minute cardio on the elliptical then did the following workout, I was really feeling it in my legs at the end!

 

Healthy Eating

 

Today's lunch consisted of green, green, green! I have really started getting into lettuce-turkey wraps, especially since they are easy to make! I highly recommend! I also had green peppers and cucumbers with hummus. Yum!

 



Hot Hot Hot circuit workout!

Since the temperature this week is suppose to be ridiculously hot, I thought this workout would be most appropriate to get ready for all the sweating I'll probably be doing this week (especially when my car doesn't have AC).

Hot Hot Hot Circuit!

I started out by doing 10 minutes on the elliptical before doing  5 rounds of this.

I then took a quick break by doing 10 minutes on the stair master (all the elliptical were in use) before finishing the remaining 5 rounds. Thanks +PeanutButterFingers 

Running Advice:

I saw a woman when I was leaving the gym who was running in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, I wanted to scream!! Please be safe if you do plan on going running during the summer...go early EARLY in the morning, wear appropriate clothing or just stay inside! I am not a treadmill fan at all but I plan on staying inside and doing treadmill runs this week because of the heat. 

Eating and Running

Sorry, this post isn't going to provide any workouts but more of providing some healthful tips :)

While talking with a co-worker over lunch earlier this week about running & training for a half marathon (she is also doing the same Diva Half I'm doing in 2 months), she asked me "Did you change your diet while training?"

I tend to already think of myself as a healthy eater, so I had to really think about if I did do anything different, and I can honestly say I didn't. I just made sure I didn't eat anything too heavy the night before running. I know most runners have little pre-racing rituals and one of mine is before every long run, I eat peanut butter and toast. I even packed my own bread and peanut butter to my trip to Disney!

I 've attached some articles that talks about eating healthy for running, but honestly, it's really about just eating smart and knowing your body. Some people can't eat anything before running while others can eat a normal breakfast. It's all just finding what works for you!

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/running/nutrition/smart-eating-habits-for-runners/

http://running.about.com/od/nutritionandhydration/tp/eatingrules.htm

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/5-rules-run-smart-eating-habits-runner-154300712.html

Happy almost Friday!

Abs n' Sweat Circuit!

After a quick paced 2 mile run, I came inside and did the following circuit 2 times through!

*I just did jack knife abs on a mat instead of a ball

*Instead of barbell front squat to overhead press, I just did overhead shoulder press with weights

I know a lot of you (well, whoever my readers are!) have been asking for ab workouts so I hope this works for you!

9 minute plank workout

Doing this after a run was definitely a killer but I sure could feel my abs working! This can be done at home or at a gym :)

Burn off those 4th of July cookout calories!

Happy belated 4th of July everyone!

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday celebrating America's Birthday!

 

 

Ben and I enjoyed a fun cookout with my family last night consisting of margaritas, hot dogs, salad, and a bunch of other yummy fixings as well as a few rounds of Catchphrase!

 

After all the yummy goodness I had last night, a good whole body workout was going to feel great today!

 

I started out by doing 30 minutes on the ellipitical to get the whole body awake (even though I slept in, I was still feeling really sluggish) before moving onto this workout! It was a nice mixture and it introduced workouts I haven't done before, such as the  Spiderman Push Up!

 

 

 

 

 

Diva half training begins today!

                                                              
I am running in the Diva Half-marathon (http://www.runlikeadiva.com) in "Wine County" Leesburg, Virginia on September 14th and today marks my first day of training for it! I am running it with Ben's sister, Cary!

I am following the same training program I did for Disney which consisted of 2 simple runs during the week (2-3 miles), long distance runs Saturday that increased every week, and 2-3 mile easy runs Sundays.

Stay tuned for training updates! I can already tell that training in the summer time is going to be much different than winter!!

 Shocker, I'm running a race that has a pretty pink medal ;)