Helllooooooooooooooo!
Let me just tell you, I heard from Sarah and she is absolutely beside herself with all of your nice comments on her photoshoot! :) She said she is glowing all day long after seeing those kind words. Awww!!!
Yesterday and today I had more fun workouts at the gym!
It is so weird going to a gym after working out at home for the past year!! I kind of liked it for a change. It was also nice to have a whole variety of equipment to use too.
I have been rocking this elliptical beast this week:
Yes it has a TV…but for some reason the TV’s at this gym don’t work! How sad.
I decided to turn my elliptical workout into a super duper cardio + strength interval workout today. Oh boy, was it awesome!
Here is what I did:
- 5 mins. incline 4%, resistance 5, FORWARD (warm-up)
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 11, FORWARD
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 9, BACKWARD
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 11, FORWARD
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 10, BACKWARD- pump arms- push + pull
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 11, FORWARD, pump arms- push + pull
- 5 mins. incline 5%, resistance 9, BACKWARD, pump arms- push + pull
- 5 mins, incline 5%, resiatnce 11, FORWARD, pump legs, no arms
- 5 mins., incline 2%, resistance 7, no arms (cool-down)
Total: one awesome 45 mins interval workout!
Distance travelled: 4.65 miles
Avg heart rate: 156 bpm
Note:
- Pump arms- push + pull means that I used the arms on the elliptical to give my own arms a great workout. I pushed HARD, then pulled the arms back HARD…repeat, repeat, repeat. My arms were BURNING!!!! When I do this, I simply let my legs glide along for the ride.
- PUMP LEGS means that I did the opposite. I pumped my legs hard and contracted the muscles and simply let my arms stay at my sides or coast along for the ride on the machine arms.
My arms and legs were burning. Oh wow I loved this workout. My heart was PUMPING!
Then I went into the aerobic studio (complete with wall to wall mirrors!) and did some self-guided yoga. It was awesome. I did about 10 minutes of the yoga and then I did a few side planks and regular planks. I ended in child’s pose for about 2-3 minutes. It was really nice to have the mirrors to check on my form! I was surprised to find that my form has already improved so much since I started.
When I was doing the yoga, I had my tunes pumping (my pop+techno mix) and I actually kind of liked doing yoga to some heavier beats. It was a really fun contrast and I felt so energized! If you typically listen to the soft music while doing yoga, I suggest trying to switch it up to some fast music…it was quite fun for a change! I felt so energized afterward.
Then I came home and did 5 more mins. of HOT yoga with my Costco space heater! It makes my muscles sooooo loose as a goose.
I am really enjoying the self-guided yoga that I have been doing. I find it so much more relaxing than following an instructor on a DVD. I guess I just like silence!!!!
It is amazing how renewed I feel after switching up my exercise routine. My muscles feel so loose, I have renewed enthusiasm, and I feel much more centered and relaxed. Never underestimate the power of changing things up a little! :) The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend so I hope to either do some hiking or get in a run outside. Should be fun. :)
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In The News:
- Good news for those of us in Canada who are self-employed!!! The Federal Government just announced its’ plans to give Employment Insurance to self-employed individuals starting in 2011. This includes maternity leave too! Up until now, self-employed people in Canada have gotten the shaft. Eric and I are quite happy about this. We hope to start a family in the next few years so this will help out a bit anyways. You can read the article here.
Have a lovely day! Off to finish my orders.
I may have to give this a try tonight! Thanks for the workout!
I found that when I used to get on an elliptical, I would get bored quickly and rarely pushed myself like I could. A friend told me about some killer elliptical workouts on iTunes. They basically have a top-notch trainer taking you through a HIIT routine for the elliptical. It’s great for weight loss and seriously kicks my butt every time, in just 20 minutes: http://bit.ly/EllipticalExpress_iTunes.
I like the elliptical machine that it does not create too much pressure on my joints that make me can exercise for longer time.