Where's the Beach?

Weekend Recap  I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was good. Not quite as planned, but still good. I decided to pretty much log off most of the weekend, so no blog postings. I didn't really have anything super exciting to post. Not that it was a bad weekend mind you. Saturday Jason and I got in a good 8-mile run. It was insanely humid so the wind was actually a welcome thing for a change. For the most part, no pain. My piriformis started to get pretty tight towards the end of the run, but I made sure to stretch, roll, stretch and ice (foot as well). I am so happy that running is back to being enjoyable. My first few runs after my hiatus were simply awful. I honestly thought I'd never enjoy running, never want to go back out there again. Sunday I hit the gym rather than the pavement. I really wanted to run again, but Jason's feet were feeling tight. It was gusting winds too, so I think the gym was the right choice. I did biceps and triceps as supersets of 3x8 (un...

New Piriformis Exercises Today wasn't too terrible for a Monday. Of course, I did leave a little early. That always helps huh ;-) I had another round of physical therapy today. My PT has been really researching piriformis syndrome and found an interesting article that discusses the use of McKenzie Exercises - typically used for back pain. I have started adding in low back extensions (one of the exercises) but now have a whole new list of exercises to add into my workout rotations. But, if it helps, I'll do it. I also asked her about dry needling (thanks Sarena ), which is sort of similar to acupuncture, but is more about trigger point and intramuscular stimulation. And I'm glad I asked because the timing is uncanny. One of the doctor's in the clinic happens to be going to get certified this weekend. They both believe that I am a prime candidate for the procedure. So we'll see how that goes. Kind of scared because I hate hate hate needles. Have any of you tr...

Spin Day Today was a fairly typical Monday. I hit up spin at noon. It seemed like everyone in the class was having a major case of the Mondays though. Normally it's a fairly lively class. Today...not so much. But it was still a great class, and I felt so much more energetic after class. I had thought I was going to get in biceps before the class. But I just didn't have it in me today. So, I'll get to those tomorrow. Some days just aren't meant for lifting. Workouts for Work Health? Today was a fairly hectic day for me at work. When I get to enjoy a workout mid-day, it really helps me refocus. I feel so incredibly lucky that I am fortunate enough to be able to get in a workout during the day. I kind of think all work places should promote that to be honest. I know how much better I feel, more energized, re-focused, just happier. It would seem to make sense that the company as a whole would benefit from all employees coming back feeling like they were ready to tak...

To Enjoy List Follow Up I am loving your comments about the To Enjoy List ! I am going to try to remember to do a follow up next week to see where you guys are at on your lists. I did knock off one thing from my list already - enjoy gardening. After dinner, I got outside and let the rose bushes attack me...I mean, I tried to trim them up ;-) Scratches or not, it was nice to be out there doing that sort of thing. It was hot, but it was better than sitting and watching TV or being glued to the computer. Tonight I am adding "enjoy grilling out" to my list.  Were you able to knock anything off your To Enjoy List ? Teaching Spin Today I had planned to knock off another to-enjoy item - workout with my friend. We were going to meet for spin after work, but she's getting ready to go out of town and wasn't able to meet after all. So, I decided to go during lunch and just stay later at work. I was in for a surprise. I walked in and the first thing I was asked was, ...

Sunday Salad Night Last night we ended up going the grilling route for dinner. I had lots of fresh veggies on hand since I just went to the grocery store. So I grilled veggies (squash, zucchini, sweet potato, red and green bell peppers) and tempeh for a tasty Grilled Tempeh & Veggies Salad .   I love these grilled salads because you can use whatever veggie you like and protein source as well. It would have been just as good with grilled tofu or even your favorite bean. Monday oh Monday Today started off swimmingly. Definitely a Monday. I got to work and realized I didn't have my badge to get into my office. As a reminder, I get to work at 7am. Not many people are around that early. I had to sit and wait until another co-worker showed up. Happy Monday! Needless to say, it was just one of "those" days. I had no energy or desire to get in a workout either. I had my bag packed to either hit the gym or go for a run. In the end, I went home after work, declaring it...

Summer Salad Dinner last night ended up being a Grilled Tempeh & Veggie Salad . I grilled sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and tempeh (which was marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette). We piled everything on top of a mix of red leaf lettuce and baby spinach. This has become one of my favorite summer meals I do believe. Missing My Mojo So this morning I slept in rather than get up for my workouts. I was planning on either biceps or shoulders at lunch and knew I could get in cardio after work. I decided to change up my splits this week. I've been doing biceps and triceps together for too many weeks now. Change is good. So I went with biceps and abs at lunch: Dumbbell bicep curls 3x8 Hammer curls 3x7 (just couldn't manage 8 reps with the weight I used) Concentration curls 3x8 Dumbbell biceps curls - 21's I did abs from Cathe Friedrich's Cardio & Weights DVD. After work I did a cardio only premix from Low Impact Circuit . I must admit that to...

Procrastination I'm glad most of you all seemed to appreciate the post about why it's important to take a rest day. I know that my rest day certainly helped me get through today's super high rep weight day. The thought of the reps alone made me want to take another rest day to be quite honest. I happily procrastinated this morning. I started off making steel cut oats with cinnamon apples and peanut butter. Then we hit Target, Home Depot, and the new local food market I mentioned a few weeks ago. We just needed a few produce restocks like more spinach (locally grown), bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and blueberries. Also snagged some giant portobellos. Can't wait to eat those. Out of Control Reps I finally couldn't procrastinate any longer (well, I could have of course), so I got to it. Today was 3 sets of 18 reps of the following: Chest - Incline dumbbell press Back - Pullovers Quads - Squats Calves - Calf raises Biceps - Dumbbell curls Triceps - ...

Saturday Dinner Recap Dinner was indeed a grilled affair. We made a Grilled Tempeh and Veggie Salad . We marinated the tempeh in balsamic and port wine vinegars. Grilled up asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, portobellos, red onions, red and green bell peppers, and new potatoes. Piled it all on top of lettuce and spinach and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Weights and Longest Run Today's workout was supposed to be upper body weights followed by plyo legs. However, Jason and I were planning on a run, so I thought it was probably wise to skip the plyo legs today. The workout was 3 sets of 8 reps as straight sets: Shoulders - Upright rows Biceps - Alternating curls Chest - Incline DB chest press Back - Pullovers Biceps - Preacher curls Triceps - Overhead extension The weather was supposed to have been sunny today, but it ended up starting off very overcast. While I would have preferred another bright, sunny day, I suppose that the clouds kept the temps down for the run. Now, ...