Let's Dance!!

 

So, I found a new cardio/strength workout!

One of the girls in my ward, Kiah, is an instructor for one of the free zumba classes, so a bunch of us go to her class to support her. Honestly, my first experience with Zumba wasn't super fun (they called it Latin Jam because the instructor wasn't certified), so I started this as a more self-sacrificing type thing. HOWEVER, I was proven wonderfully wrong.

Granted, the first time I went to Kiah's class, I about died (chalk it up to dehydration and poor cardio fitness). The next time I went, I did much better and I was reminded of how much I LOVE to dance! So, I've been doing zumba every Tuesday and Thursday night and I've been loving every second of it! That, and my core has gotten trimmer, my legs have gotten stronger, I'm able to push myself with the different moves, and I've been having a blast while doing it1 It's also been helping me drink more water. I highly recommend this to those dance lovers out there!

Finding my stride

Once again, inspiration from the Cita helped me get my workouts done this week.

Even across the world she is the best workout buddy ever.

This week:

Monday and Friday: 50 min. of Ballet Beautiful - don't let the name fool you, it hurts.

Thursday: 1 hour walk around Durham.  I was supposed to go on a run but I've had stress insomnia this week and I just didn't have the energy on Thursday.  It was ok, the walk was plenty tiring.

Tuesday and Saturday: 35 and 30 min. 5 min. run/ 1 min walk intervals.

According to my ipod nike+ app, my speed on Tuesday was a little over 10 mph and my speed on Saturday was about 8 mph.  I have been running on and off for a number of years but this week was the first time I felt "my stride".  I hit this rhythm and it felt fantastic when I could get it.  It wasn't every time but when I hit it, it was marvelous.  

I got one!

Ok, rough week but I did do one workout this week...this morning.

I went for a run!

5 minutes jog/1 minute walk for 30 minutes.
1 minute full out run/1 minute walk for 5 minute.

The end!

Still Going Strong!

OK, it is February 17th.  I'm just saying--February 17th.  I heard a news report the other day that said the average date for New Year's Resolutions to fizzle out was February 9th.  I started before the New Year, and I have survived the fizzle date.  I came, I conquered.  :)
I am just grateful that Allison helped me get started on this path and that Jen and Amy are helping me to stay on it.  I don't have the best track record in finishing things.  This feels great!

Pride Cometh Before The Fall

This confession is brought to you by someone who is older and should know better.  At my regular rec center visit the other day, I was consigned to take the only remaining bike.  Unfortunately it was beside a couple of young guys with attitude.  Since Lees never miss a competitive moment, I picked up the gauntlet and ran (or more aptly said--biked) with it.  I came, I conquered, I am now paying the price.  So much for granny pride--I feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck.  Don't get me wrong, I am still biking.  It is just that it is much slower and I have lots of new hurts.  Yep--a living testament that "pride cometh before the fall".  Hello from the ground. --Mom

Ouch.

Today I met all of my workout goals...and they hurt.

I am finding that being active is a way better stress reliever than Netflix.  Not as warm and lazy but I definitely feel better afterwards.

Today I exceeded my own personal expectations and did all of my scheduled workouts and, dare I say, magnified them!

Sound off!

- 40 min. morning walk after breakfast.  I don't really consider this a workout because it is so marvelously pleasant.  I drink hot chocolate, I walk by the River Wear, and I watch the sun rise before I get to work at 9.

- Post-work run.  I ALMOST didn't do this today but I thought about the Cita and Pond and how awesome they are at sticking to a post-work workout everyday.  So, with them as my inspiration, I did a 40 minute run.  This is where I magnified my workout.  After a quick walking warm-up I jogged for 10 min. had a 1 min. walk and repeated for 40 minutes.  I didn't quite make it 10 minutes when I hit this CRAZY hill but after the hill I finished the 10 minute interval.  Whew, the knees they hurt.

- Pre-bedtime yoga.  Because of all the desk work my back is trying to seize and I have no Pond to punch it.  Ergo, I must do yoga.  It felt nice and helped with some of the running soreness.

There you go!  Adios!

Goals and such

Hey everyone! So I have a New Year's resolution of actually writing down my workouts so that I'm more consistent. Granted, it's the end of January, but I figure that it's better late than never!

Here are my goals:

Cardio: Resting Heart rate of 60 bpm (my current resting heart rate is 76 bpm) 

Flexibility: stretch daily (I would love to get to the point where I can do the splits)

Strength: ... still thinking about a goal for this one. 

Nutrition: Drink 2.2 liters per day (3 of my 750 mL water bottles). Eat 3 meals a day. The fresher and more color variation, the better.

For the next few weeks, I'm focusing more on cardio. My absolute favorite cardio workout is biking! (I'm not much of a runner, but I'll work up to it). So, in order to set appropriate goals for biking, I had to see where I was at, physically. Honestly, this is what I recommend doing because everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is at a different level of physical fitness. So, for the whole "see where I'm at", here's my workout for the bike:

Bike for 30 minutes at a level 7 (keeping a consistent RPM), take my heart rate at 5 minute intervals, and clock how many miles I go. After 30 minutes, cool down. Stretch before AND after the workout. Like I said, this is a cardio workout, so it's pretty simple to start off with.

Note: for the varying levels on the bike, you can pick whatever level is comfortable, but still pushes you.

Yesterday was my first day and here were my results:

Min/HR
10/133
15/150
20/147
25/98
30/94
Miles: 6
For the next week, every other day, I'll be doing the exact same workout and at the end, I'll average my heart rate and THEN I can tailor my workout to get to my cardio fitness goal! I'm super excited to get back in shape!!