Where's the Beach?

Running & Yoga (Again?) Yesterday morning I got to sleep in just a tad (like 5:40) before getting up to meet up with my running buddy. She was going to meet me just after 6, so that meant I had more time to stay in bed. And it's amazing how an extra 30 minutes can feel I must say. My plan was for 5 miles. She was going for 6-7, so it worked out that she "picked me up" this time around. We took a route that lead us down near the river. It's always really calm and quiet at that hour down there. However, we did notice that just starting 20 minutes later meant a higher volume on the main roads. I ran past a bakery and was so confused as to why I was having to dodge so many cars pulling in and out. It turned out to be a really good run for me. Perhaps it was the yoga and epsom salt bath from the previous evening? Maybe everything just clicked right? Not sure, but I'll take it. And I'll take the time too. My overall average was an 8:52. Not too far off fro...

Heath Man First I suppose I need to update you on Heath. He's doing so much better. He actually got to come home Friday evening and was one happy boy to be back home. He does have a follow-up this week to recheck his toxicity levels (my technical version for lack of better explanation). For now, they are treating it as if he got into something poisonous and it was affecting his liver function. They gave him lots of fluids and he's on meds and a new special food for his liver. Hopefully everything will check out when we take him back and we can move forward. If his levels are still off, however, then it could be something more. We just don't know yet. But, he's home and acting super peppy again. Heath Maddie avoiding the camera Running Saturday morning I woke up to a light rain. It wasn't storming and it wasn't just a downpour so I decided to go on out for a run. I knew I'd be soaking wet one way or the other, and rain is certainly more refr...

Kicking & Lifting This morning I ended up waking up early enough to get in a workout. So I went with my new Susan Chung Kickboxing DVD. I am really loving this one. At first I was slow to get moving. My legs were feeling yesterday's workout big time. But, once I got going, I really got into the workout. Now, let me preface the next part with the fact that my DVD player in my gym room died on me and we've yet to replace it. So, I've been having to drag the laptop into the room and use that to play DVDs for the time being. So, I'm punching and kicking right along, sweat flying...you get the idea. Then the DVD stops. And then the computer starts a 10-minute long freaking update/reboot process. WTH? Ok I really said something a lot worse than that. Nothing worse than being in the middle of a good workout and it be halted so abruptly. While the forever-long reboot was happening, I did get in some ab work at least. Finally the computer was up and running but of cou...

Failure? Nope. This morning I got up at 5:22 to get my workout done. It was at least a bearable 74 degrees upstairs that early as opposed to 85 in the afternoon. I did drop sets again for back and chest doing 4 sets of 8 reps. I did increase the weights from last week as well. Back Pullovers Single-arm rows (all right side then all left side) Single-arm horizontal rows (all right side then all left side) Chest Incline chest flyes Incline dumbbell chest press Flat bench dumbbell chest press (failed at 7 on the 2nd set, failed at 6 on the 3rd set) Sometimes I experience major weakness in my left elbow. It doesn't hurt, it just wants to buckle and give out. Thankfully, Jason got out of bed to spot me this morning (bleary-eyed of course). I wanted to talk briefly about hitting failure. It's probably not the best term to use. I used to get so angry at myself when I couldn't complete the number of reps intended. I thought of myself literally as a failure, I sucked,...

Party Recap So the morning started off cloudy with a heavy rain shower that promptly created a sauna effect. But, the sun came out and the covers came off the lounge chairs. I must say, that everything turned out very nicely. The pool wasn't bath-water warm since we had the cool down over the past week. Our friends' daughter thoroughly enjoyed commanding Jason to spin her around and around and...around. Water was flying everywhere. Here are just a few pictures. I sort of fell down on the job and didn't get pictures of everyone. Our friends' daughter is blowing bubbles for Heath to chase. This is his favorite game ever. I think the food spread was pretty darn tasty if I must brag on myself. Everyone enjoyed the Lentil & Qunioa Sliders . The Apple Pie Cookies are all gone, most of the fruits and veggies disappeared. There were no complaints of a lack of meat. In fact, most everything I served was vegan minus the cheese dip. I ended up throwing together a last-m...

2 on Thursday This morning I got up and did Cathe's MMA Kickboxing before work. I had a lot of fun and felt totally energized. After work I decided to do a similar compound exercise circuit to the one I did last Thursday. I had fun with it, so why not try it out again... I did each exercise for 16 reps with the exception of 24 for push ups and did the circuit twice through. Side drop squats off 12" step with overhead triceps extension Side drop squats off 12" step with overhead with outer thigh raise (still hold weight used for triceps) Rear lunge off 12" step with lateral raises Push ups (wide stance) Alternating rear lunge with low-end pulse and scapular retraction with green band Alternating front lunge with low-end pulse and biceps curl Squats with overhead press Plie squats with low-end pulse and hammer curls Lat pull down with blue (heaviest) band Donkey kicks with weight After the 2nd round, I finished off with firewalkers with green band - tota...

Morning Kickboxing Jason got up at 5 am to go swim this morning, so I peeled myself out of bed to get in my workout. I did Cathe's Kick, Punch and Crunch with the stability ball abs. It was a great workout and gave me the energy boost I needed to get the day started. In all honesty, even if Jason hadn't gotten up, I was planning on getting up early to get in another morning workout. I have plans this evening so I knew I did need to get it done. Kickboxing, in my opinion, is a great morning workout. Not too complicated, no chance of falling over or off the step... I'm still in the market for more kickboxing workouts as I'm really enjoying them. Oddly, I used to not. I may end up having to track down a gym that offers classes. No Amy Bento - but has anyone tried Kelly Coffey-Meyer's latest kickboxing workout? Any other instructors?? Out on a Week Night After work I am going over to a friend's house for a girly party: jeans and purses. I've never been to...

I wanted to thank you all for sharing past jobs. Some of you guys have had some really interesting gigs! Weights & Kickboxing This morning I got up and made my typical Saturday breakfast: PB&J&B Oatmeal before hitting the weights. Today was push muscles for upper body: Chest: Flat bench dumbbell press Flat bench flyes Decline dumbbell press Shoulders: Shoulder press Lateral raise Lying shoulder press (thanks for the idea Alyson @ Nourished Fitness ) Triceps: Overhead extension Weighted dips Double-arm kickbacks I followed up the workout with Cathe's Shock Cardio MMA Kickboxing and abs. I'm really digging kickboxing after upper body work. To me it is sort of like burning out the legs with plyo. I know...a little crazy huh? Day Outside I had a ton that I should have done today. However, I did nothing more than lounge on the patio and in the pool. I pretty much took the day off. It was almost like vacation. The only things I wore were workout clothes, my bikini, ...

Tuesday's Comments Wow, thank you all for your comments from yesterday's post regarding work/career. I suppose it's so often to just assume others are happy as larks each and every day. I was rather shocked at how many seem to feel the same way. I do know people who LOVE getting up and going to their jobs though. I want to have that same feeling. I think we all deserve that. Life is too short don't you agree? Kickboxing Fail First off - Holy Mother of DOMS. I am still sore in my chest and triceps from Sunday's workout. Inner and outer thighs are screaming at me when I walk and sit from Monday's workout, and biceps...are they supposed to straighten all the way out??? It's all good though. I know I worked myself to the max and can't wait to repeat it starting with upper body push muscles on Saturday.  Now, onto today's workout.... This morning I was very rudely awakened by one of our alarm sensors going out. Not sure how long it was making the st...

Upper Body & Kickboxing Well, my time off has ended. It was back to work today. I was actually up early, wide awake. But I just couldn't fathom getting up and exerting any energy at 5:15 am. So, I didn't. I did get my weights done at lunch. Today was pull muscles: biceps and back. I did 3 sets of 8 reps using the slow 6:2 rep count. Back Pullovers Single-arm row Underhand dumbbell row Biceps Dumbbell curls Hammer curls Cross-body curls My arms were jello after I was done. After work, I really didn't want a super intense cardio. I did Cathe's Kick, Punch and Crunch with the stability ball abs. I also stretched for a bit. The workouts definitely helped my mood today. Trying Tuesday Today was a difficult one for me in all honesty. I was in a major funk - the cry-at-the-drop-of-a-hat kind of funk. The weights at lunch helped a little (gotta love those workout endorphins). I know part of it was getting back into the swing of reality after a terrific vacation. Howeve...

Another Run on the Beach Hello all! Thank you again for your sweet comments. Seems I need to wear more orange! There was a time when I actually never wore yellow because I thought it clashed with my red hair. Silly me huh?! Oh, and the top came from The Limited last summer. I bet you can find it on eBay! ;-) This morning was much of the same. Breakfast on the balcony watching the waves crash. We decided to run for 20 minutes on the beach. My tootsies have apparently toughened up over the past few days. It was a great run. I also tried out a new kickboxing workout: Amy Bento Kickbox Xtreme. I brought it by accident actually. I had put it in my Netflix queue, but thought I had changed it to a movie before we left. Anyway, Jason called me a Cathe Traitor right away LOL! I only did 3 of the combos/intervals. It's definitely different than Cathe's workouts, but it's fun and I look forward to trying it again. More Beach Bum Time After working out, I rewarded myself with mor...

Wednesday Workout I want to first thank you all for your kind, generous comments about the pictures I posted yesterday. You know how to make a girl blush! This morning started out much the same, with the exception of Jason heading out at 7:30 to watch the Blue Angels practice. I got up and ate on the balcony before heading down to the gym for a 30-minute run. I added in 6 HIIT intervals to help pass the time. I also did a couple of the combos from Kick, Punch and Crunch . Then I headed down to the beach. Jason was so sweet and took down the chairs and umbrellas on his way out so I could head down there before he got back. Here are some pictures Jason took at the Blue Angels' practice. Beach Time & Shopping Time The oil was less prevalent today. But the beaches are very empty. It has a very ominous quality. There are reporters scattered about and men in orange "Oil Patrol" shirts riding around on 4-wheelers or walking in groups with large trash sacks. We sat...

Running & Kicking on Vacation This morning I decided to take my run to the gym at the condo. It's not a fancy gym by any means, just 2 treadmills, an elliptical, and a recumbant bike. But, it's in the A/C. It was already 82 degrees at 8am. I ran 30 minutes then did Cathe's MMA Kickboxing and some abs. Of course, this was all done after eating breakfast on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Do you try to keep up with your workouts while on vacation or do you relax a bit? Day on the Beach After the workout (and some stretching), we packed up a cooler with wraps and other snacks and headed to the beach. The wraps were made with smashed navy beans that I seasoned with garlic, black pepper, salt and a bit of spicy mustard and lemon juice (getting creative), diced red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, and spinach. Gourmet beach food baby! ;-) We spent the majority of the day with our toes in the sand. We were there from just before 11 am until 5 pm. ...

Kick(boxing) Start to the Day This morning I set my alarm for 5:21 am. When it went off, however, I rolled over to reset it. of course, I was awake already; I very rarely am able to go back to sleep after the alarm wakes me up. I went ahead and got out of bed and did part of Cathe's Kick, Punch and Crunch (warm up, drills, and 3 combos) and the stability ball abs on the same DVD. Once I got moving, I was really happy that I decided to get up and get the workout done for the day. I will say that I wish I had remembered that it was National Running Day though and run this morning instead. Did you run today? Pre-Vacation Stress? Jason and I ran a few errands at lunch, which meant I had the afternoon free. Well, not really free of course. I have a ton on my pre-vacation to-do list. I often feel like I need a few vacation days before the vacation just to get ready. Anyone else feel this way? I've become a very proficient packer when it comes to heading out for a beach vacation. I...

Riverfest Recap Last night really seemed like a grilling type of night - a must for Memorial Weekend. I grilled up some sweet and baking potato "fries" along with green bell pepper and onions and Tofurky Kielbasa . I didn't have any hot dog buns, so I ended up having to cut them in half and putting them on sandwich thins. I topped with spicy mustard, sauerkraut and the grilled bell peppers and onions. It hit the spot. We had a sudden rain storm and were a bit worried about that as we were supposed to be heading down to Riverfest to see the Black Crows. Thankfully, it didn't mess up the grilling and it blew over very quickly. Even better, it cooled things down a bit. Around here, afternoon showers either make it steamy and unbearable or cool it down. Thankfully we got the cool down. We got down to Riverfest around 7-ish and headed directly over to the stage where the Black Crows would be playing. Gotta get your spot saved. We got to see a local band called Lucero . ...

Early Morning Kickboxing  This morning Jason got up to go swim at 5 am. I was too much awake to fall back asleep for an hour, so I went ahead and got up to exercise. I did Cathe's Kick, Punch and Crunch plus the stability ball abs (awesome ab work). It was a nice workout that gave me the needed boost of energy to start my day. What a Wednesday Oh and I definitely needed the energy. It was a very hectic and stressful kind of morning. I have some work projects that are a bit problematic; I've also been having major email issues at work too so that complicates it all even more. Oh gotta love technology right? To top it off, we paid the remaining balance on our condo rental yesterday. I got confirmation this morning, but the contract was for the wrong dates! We had both asked off from work   already, made doggy sitting arrangements, etc. to be gone June 5-12. The contract said June 12-19. So, I had a mild (ok more than mild) panic attack and near meltdown. Thankfully, the ...