Where's the Beach?

Oops. She did it again! Would you believe me if I said I had 5 or 6 draft blog posts just sitting there waiting for me to finish and publish? True story. But am I publishing one of those? Of course not. But, I think this is one you might like. I recently shared a Full-Body Blast workout (with video) and talked about some tips for getting in a weight workout when you are crunched for time. Because I know time is something precious to us all, I thought I would share some more circuit workouts you can do quickly, but that are also effective. It's not always about how long you work out, it's about your efficiency and the quality. I like to split out my muscle groups so that I can really focus on a couple of muscle groups at one time, plus it makes for a shorter workout, perfect for me to get done during a lunch break. That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with full-body workouts either. It'a all about what works for you and sometimes just switching things u...

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new workout ideas, especially when it comes to weight lifting. I tend to get bored pretty quickly with the same routine week in and week out - and so do my muscles. At the same time, I don't always have a lot of time to spend lifting weights, and am pretty sure most of us don't. But, that doesn't mean you can't get in an effective workout. I love supersets as a quick workout, but decided to change my strategy last week and go with trisets for the same muscle group - in this case it was back and biceps. Originally, I had thought it would be more of an endurance type of workout. Not so much major muscle building because I knew I would have to go a little lighter with my weights. But I ended up reading a pretty good article explaining trisets in more detail and discussing why they are actually good for building lean body mass. With a triset workout, you're keeping your muscles under tension, working for the e...

I haven't talked much about my weight workouts lately. Since I have been running and biking more, I've been keeping my weight workouts split up and on the shorter side. This allows me to fit them in during lunch or right after work fairly easily. This loose plan goes along nicely with my 7 tips for fitting in workouts . I know I am going to do them, but not always exactly when. But having them thought out and ready to go makes it easier to fit into my schedule. Last night I went with biceps and triceps. Because I was trying to fit in the workout in a specified timeframe, I went with supersets. Supersets are when you perform two exercises in a row without rest. They can make for a quick, efficient workout. And if you want to take it one step further, add in a bonus burn at the end, which is what I did last night for a Biceps Triceps Supersets plus Bonus Burn (ouchie). *21’s explained – 7 reps starting at bottom and curling halfway up. 7 reps starting at to...

Relaxing Monday Evening Last night Jason made some burritos for us for dinner. Nothing fancy, but they were quite tasty. I don't know exactly what all he added, but I know they had yellow bell peppers, onions, black beans, some leftover enchilada sauce. He toasted them up just the way I prefer too. I made sure to top with lots of jalapeno, but opted not to take photos. We sat back and relaxed and watched Horrible Bosses . I know pretty much everyone gave it a thumbs up. And, for the most part, I thought it was pretty good. But sometimes movies when every single thing goes wrong and keeps piling up get to me a bit. So, by the end I was ready for it to be over. I'm really a terrible movie watcher is what it comes down to. But it was still a nice, relaxing evening. Spin & Biceps Today I hit up spin class again today. I started with biceps before the class: SS - 3 x Hammer curls - 10, 10, 8 Incline curls - 8, 8, 8 Dropset: Dumbbell curls - 6, 8, 10 Jason surprised...

Biceps & Spin Today was wet, gray, flat out dreary. I joked that I was going to have to swim across the street to the gym to hit up spin. Thank goodness for rainboots. Though, Jason didn't seem to think that rainboots paired well with running shorts and my long-sleeved t-shirt that I wore out of the gym. Men.... ;-) Before class, I was able to get in biceps. I did a giant set of 3 x (6, 8, 8) Dumbbell curls Hammer curls Incline curls Spin class was a goody today. Definitely put me in a better mood despite the gray skies I was staring out at. I have a feeling that tomorrow my legs will be feeling today. I am hoping to maybe get out for a run tomorrow depending on what happens with the weather. Otherwise, maybe leg day. I am seriously missing running though. Chili & Nail Polish I really wasn't sure what I wanted to make or even felt like eating for dinner. It was just so nasty out. Soup sort of sounded good. Jason was wanting the Spicy White Chili . I really...

Biceps for Friday Well, let's just say I ended up going to be last night just after 8. While my tummy feels better today, my head is absolutely killing me. Not really sure what the deal is. At least it wasn't a stomach bug. I woke up most definitely ready to eat this morning. I decided to hit the gym for a short, very low-intensity workout today. I did about 20 minutes on the elliptical then worked biceps. I had planned on shoulders originally, but remembered how it felt to run 13 miles the day after a shoulder workout last week. Um, not good. Even though I remind myself repeatedly to relax my shoulders and upper body, after running for so long, your shoulders and arms eventually do start to feel like you've been lifting weights. So running after actually having lifted only makes it worse. So biceps: giant set of 3x8 Hammer curls Cross-body curls Incline curls I also did some ab work after biceps. So it was a fairly short, sweet workout for a Friday. Nothing compl...

Feeling Alive As I was trying to drift off to sleep last night, my mind started wandering. Sometimes this is a bad thing as I end up wide awake thinking, thinking, thinking. But this time it more reflective. I was thinking about why I run. When people hear that I ran 12 miles or 6 miles, or any miles, they often say, "you're nuts," "that's awesome," or "I hate running." I used to hate running too actually. And not that long ago actually. I used to run just for the cardio factor. I tried to rush through it, hurry up and get it over with. I was focused on how much is sucked, how many other things I could be doing instead. I would use the time not to enjoy, but to plan out lists, to set out a plan of attack for chores (do x, then y, then z). This did not thing but make me anxious actually. I felt even more rushed to get the run over with so I could get going on a list or chore. Move along to the next thing. And before I ever ran outside, it was...

Remodeling Snafus Well, the bathroom painting project has definitely gotten more complicated. There was a small amount of patchwork that needed to be done before we could start paining, while Jason had all of that stuff out, he decided to patch a few other spots around the house. We have a very old house (circa 1890) so settling creates cracks here and there. There was one spot that was getting really bad in the entry. When Jason started to poke around, he realized that the person who installed the sheetrock for the ceiling did not attach it to the floor joists properly so there was about an inch space between the sheetrock and the original lathe. There had been a small leak many moons ago that had softened the sheetrock joints, and gravity started taking hold so the whole area was starting to sag as it wasn't attached to anything. Nice right? So now we have a nice whole in the ceiling where Jason had to pull down all of the sheetrock so that he can properly attach new sheetr...

Recipe Recap Last night I made a dish based off a recipe that we used to make quite often. The original recipe was from Better Homes & Gardens - Cheese Tortellini with Cannellini Bean Sauce . I decided to try to recreate the sauce from memory because I was too lazy to pull out that cookbook, and I also had to figure out a different way to cook it as I didn't have any soy or almond milk on hand, no parmesan or tortellini. So, here's what I came up with instead: Rotini with Sundried Tomato, Peppers & Basil Cannellini Sauce . Rotini with Sundried Tomato, Peppers & Basil Cannellini Sauce Ingredients: 4-5 oz whole-wheat rotini (penne would work as well), cooked per package directions 1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 6-7 sundried tomatoes reconstituted and chopped 1 tbsp minced garlic 1/2 cup no-salt vegetable broth (you may need more so keep on hand) 1/2 package silken tofu (firm)...

Muggy Morning Run & Weights This morning Jason and I managed to get up and out the door for an early morning run. I have decided that I no longer need lungs to run. I need gills. The heat index was already 86 and humidity 90%. It was super foggy out and damp from last night's storms. I made it 6 miles, but they were rough. I added in a few sprints along the way. Probably not the smartest move since I was already struggling. I never felt like I hit a smooth rhythm. Even taking a drink of my water threw my breathing and everything else off. And the gnats...very annoying when you're soaking wet (sweating from your toes even) and the damn gnats keep buzzing you and sticking to you. Grrrrr. But you know what? I got it done. Plain and simple. Mind over matter. At lunch I decided to get in my biceps and abs. I knew I wouldn't have the steam left to get it done after work. I went with a giant set of 3x8 then finished off the workout with a set of 21's (just for fun)....

More Spinning I had every intention of waking up early and going for a run. I had my clothes set out. I had the alarm set. Then I slept very poorly (up at least every 2 hours). At 3:45 I made the executive decision to reset the alarm for my normal time. If I just happened to wake up early enough, then I'd go. If not, it'd be spin or a rest day. I packed my gym bag in case I decided to hit spin. I wasn't really sure what I'd do or not do to be honest. I noticed a nagging pain on the inside of my right ankle area that started this morning. Apparently a good thing I didn't run after all. I did hit up spin. I desperately needed the break mid-day. My co-workers that went to the training classes with me and I were taking our certification test today. So, after 2 hours testing, spin was a welcome break. I decided to get in biceps before class. I went with a giant set of 3x8: Alternating curls Hammer curls Incline curls Then it was off to spin - aka Sweatfest. It...

Good Workout - Biceps & Spin So I'm a big fat liar. Just putting that out there. Today I decided to do biceps before spin. Yes, there's the lie. Yesterday I said no spin for today. Of course, I was being slightly irrational because my legs felt like lead weights. Never listen to someone when they make declarations in moments of weakness - just sayin'. I knew that I would have time to get there before class and hit at least one muscle group. I've been wanting to add drop sets back into my workouts for a week or so. It makes for a quick workout, but an effective one. I warmed up on the elliptical for 5 minutes just to get the blood pumping, then hit the weights. Hammer curls - 3x10 Dumbbell curls - 6,8,10 (decreasing weight with each increase in rep and with no rest between) Cross-body curls - 2x8 It was great working only one muscle group to be honest. Totally focused on just the biceps and felt fairly strong even through the drop sets (which are always de...

Sunday Weights Sunday morning we got up early and headed to my sister's to pick up the pups. Maddie was a crazy loon, but both of them seemed happy to see us. When we got back home, I headed to the gym to meet up with a friend to do weights. I had really wanted to run, but the heat index was already in the 80's by 7:30 am. Not fun. We started with about 15 minutes on the elliptical then hit the weights for back, chest, and triceps, followed up with some ab work. We did trisets as 3x8. TS#1 Underhand barbell rows Chest flye to press Double-arm overhead triceps extension TS#2 Pullovers Staggered chest press Lying triceps extensions TS#3 Single-arm row Pushups with feet on bench Double-arm kickbacks After some ab work, I hopped back on the elliptical for 10 minutes. My friend had to leave and get home and cleaned up. I know part of it was how the workout was set up, but man did I feel fatigued with the weights. Definitely not a strong day for me. Pool Time ...

Double Weight Day It's a misty/foggy, chilly, gray day here today. It certainly made it that much harder getting up for work. Even harder knowing so many have the day off. Sigh. I was really feeling super lazy and contemplated making today a rest day. But I know that I'll want the rest day (need it) more later in the week. So I mustered up the energy and got in biceps and abs during lunch. Biceps was supposed to be 4 sets of 6 reps at 90% of 1RM. Dumbbell curls Hammer curls Concentration curls I had a pretty strong feeling workout and wish I could have adjusted the weights for hammer curls by 1 lb. I am finding it nearly impossible to get in a leg workout now with this new half marathon training . There just seems to be no ideal day. I have been doing legs on Monday the past couple of weeks though, so I decided to go with legs after work rather than doing any cardio. My legs were starting to feel a bit of fatigue after the weekend runs. Rather than going super heavy ...

Freezing Outside Well, I know almost every single state has snow, but I have to bring up our frigid temperatures. It was warmer on the days it snowed here! Walking into work at 7 am, it was 16 degrees with wind chill of 2. Yes, that's a single digit friends. I thought I lived in the south??!! I guess the only saving grace was that it was sunny. Sometimes really cold days are some of the prettiest - so crisp (literally). Tomorrow's high is only 32 and that's not the wind chill of course. It's going to make the scheduled 4-miler a bitch. Gym Day Speaking of workouts, today I did 15 minutes on the elliptical then hit the weights. I did biceps for STS Week 2 of Meso 3 (sort of). Since I was at the gym, I didn't have my weighted gloves that allow me to micro load (in 1 and 2 pound increments). So say I did 15 pounds last week and needed to increase 5% this week. I could use the gloves to do that rather than trying to jump from 15 to 20. Also, the incline curls are s...

Still Crummy While I was exhausted at the end of the day, I will say that I am so glad I took the time to do so much in the kitchen yesterday . It made dinner tonight ( Moroccan Chickpea and Tofu Stew) a snap and that came in handy as I am still feeling rather cruddy. I think part of it is feeling cruddy and part of it the meds. This is the longest I've felt this crummy in a LONG time. It sucks that Jason is sick too. I am afraid it is more of a cold that I may have passed along to him rather than just allergies as we both originally thought. I actually ended up leaving work a little after noon to come home. My job isn't one that normally allows me to work from home as I need access to the network drives. However, I often have writing projects to do. Luckily, I had a few things I could do from home. This meant I could go home and lounge in comfy clothes and hack, cough, blow my nose in peace ;-) Honesty time - I will admit to doing biceps from STS Meso 3 though. No...

Sad Day Today is a sad day for me. It marks 14 years since one of my dearest friends was murdered. It's something I've only mentioned briefly, but it's something that most definitely affected my entire life. Any loss does though of course. Juli had just finished up with her dance degree at OU (Norman, OK). She was only 21 years old. She had so much life ahead of her and such a zest for life as well. She was one of those people who lived to the fullest.  So while I have so much to be thankful for right now (including still being close to her parents), I can't help but remember this day and be saddened by what took place 14 years ago. As the years add up, it's those number of years that also make me sad. How can it have been 14 years since Juli was killed? The one solace? Her killer sits in prison and isn't free to harm anyone else. I did do my best not to dwell on the past though and don't want to make this post all about that tragic day. But it co...

Lifting and Spinning  It seems like just about everyone is experiencing super cold weather. Our average this time of year is supposed to be low 50's. On my walk into the office this morning, the wind chill was 12 degrees. Let's just say I dropped quite a few f-bombs while walking as quickly as humanly possible for the 3 block walk! I actually wore tights under my pants and my Under Armour compression running top under my turtleneck. I think cold temps not only zap heat, they zap motivation. It's hard to want to change into not-as-warm workout clothes for starters. I think it takes longer to warm up even. That'll be my excuse for how weak I was feeling with my biceps workout I did at lunch. I guess when I look at the number of reps done though, that should be the true indicator of why I thought I was struggling. Today was STS Meso 2, Disc 21 . Dumbbell curls - 12,10,8,12,10,8 (starting at 70% of 1RM and increasing by 5% for 10, another 5% for 8 then start over) Inc...

Drug Testing Wow, it was another sub-30 degree morning here. I live in the south, what is up with this???? At least it was sunny, and the heat in my car is now fixed. Two bonuses for the morning. The negative? Got to work, opened email, and had a notice that I had been selected for random drug testing. Good times, good times. When that happens, we MUST go to the testing facility by 4:30 pm that same day. I guess in the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a deal, just very annoying an inconvenient. Weights and More Elliptical At lunch I did a quick biceps workout from STS Meso 2, Disc 18 increasing to 75% of my 1RM. Curls - 12,10,8,TF Seated alternating curls - 12,10,8,TF Concentration curls - 12,10,8,TF I did abs from Cathe's High Reps workout and wore 1# weighted gloves, which added the perfect amount of additional resistance. After work I ended up heading back to the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical. I had thought I might do the MMA Boxing workout (a...