Checkpoint…. an Embarassing One

*Sheila jogs up to the check point arms raised above her head to the theme of Rocky!  Woo Hoo!!!  Woo Hoo!*

Ok… scratch that.  Not true. 

Last week … ugh.  where do I began?

Tuesday evening I went and worked out with Amanda and Christie at the gym.  We did Zumba followed by Group Power.  I had a plan and it was a great one.  I knew Wednesday would be busy so I only had a 30 – 45 minute run planned, but the rest of the week I had classes and elliptical, and people lined up to do this with….

and then….

Wednesday was too busy to do anything but work, run errands and then back to work.  No gym.

And then Thursday I got sick which wiped me out from Friday, Saturday and Sunday activity. 

Then yesterday, after work I was physically at the gym!  Cue the Rocky music again!

and then had to go back to work to take care of a pressing situation and never even stepped foot into the work out room.  Basically I was there… I made a couple phone calls I was dealing with…. I apologized to Amanda, and left.  After I left work for the second time at 5:10, I had a commitment at 5:30 pm which took up the rest of my evening.

Frustrating?  You bet!  But Mari put a comment on my Monday post that got me smiling and thinking last night after I came home ans was able to read such things….. she said “I am taking my life back”, and I thought….. Yes.  That is exactly what I need to do.  Instead of letting everything eat away at my time, I need to make working out a priority.  For me, for my training, for my body, for my health. 

I have big plans this year and it does not include the couch or nacho’s….. (ok… occasionally nacho’s…. ; ) )

Hopefully you had a better week then me.  I would love to hear your successes and struggles and be sure to add your thoughts to Mari’s post too. 

Later this week I will update on the 52 small changes book and challenge…. I am currently on week 3 – STAY OFF THE COUCH! 

Check Point – How Did This Last Week Go?

Hi everyone!!!  Checking in for Mari’s Check Point today.  I did ok this past week.  Time was tight, but managed a few classes – enough to get my heart going and enough to crave more. 

On Tuesday of last week I went to the evening Group Power class.  Wednesday was insane and I worked 11 hours and volunteered fr 2 more so no work out then… Thursday I recovered….. Friday Group Power, Saturday Zumba, and Sunday another Group Power Class.

I skipped out yesterday as I went to full-time at work this week and I helped with the homeless last night in our community, got home around 7:30…. TIRED. 

Tonight though it is back on… back to Group Power and I have a work out plan for the rest of the week… a little something .  With a little luck and determination I will do just that. 

The key for me now is friends.  I have several I work out with and I try to keep them up on all my work out plans so they can join me when they can.  There are 5 of us now and I can usually find someone to do a workout with.  That helps so much.

 

How did you do this past week?  Be sure to check in at Mari’s check point and add your thoughts to her weekly post. 

Oh My Gosh Becky! Look At Her SHOES!

 

Hi Team Kickin It People!  How are you all doing?  It was late last night that I realized I have been neglecting to post here, totally forgot to do the Wednesday Healthy Eating (and I have some good recipes to share!). 

I had a crazy two weeks but I think it should mellow out now and so here I am Saturday morning ready to talk shoes with you.

Above, those are my actual gym shoes.  I love them, they have taken me through many a work out… but I do for a new pair this coming season.  My friend Amanda just picked up a nice pair and I seem to be leaning towards the color black… but I am flexible…

What shoes do you wear for working out and do you have any advice to a tread mill user, zumba participant, Group Power junky, and Elliptical person? 

Weekly Check In

It’s Tuesday and it is time for Mari at Bookworm With A View’s Check Point! 

I am not about to report am impressive week.  I worked all week and Monday (small group), Tuesday (book club) , Wednesday (working with students), Thursday (Navy son home for family dinner), Friday(Charity Concert), and Saturday night(dinner out with College son, Navy Son and Hubby) I had plans.

This left little time for workouts…. in fact I am reporting  a Monday workout of tread mill and elliptical (640 calories) a Friday work out of Group Power and a little elliptical (500 calories) and then yesterday… Floor Hickey started… about 30 minutes on the floor, 400 calories.  1,540 recorded calories for the week.  Hopefully this week will be better.

I also started the 52 Small Changes challenge this week and my focus for week one is water.  I do drink a lot of water (especially when I work out) but I don’t always reach my recommended water goals and I am working on it.  I bought a nice bottle to take to work with me and keep near to hopefully help in my “water ways”. 

Today I plan to get in a work out, Wednesday is nuts, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday should all be work out days.  Sunday, again will be floor hockey. 

Be sure to check in with Mari’s Checkpoint to add your work out successes for the past week. 

ShAkInG Up The Workout Routine

If you were to poll people on the street and ask them to name 5 ways to exercise, what do you think the top answers would be?

I would guess among the most common answers would be:

• walking/running
• tread mill
• weight lifting
• aerobics class
• bicycling
• DVD work out

And all of these are good answers, great even!  However, if you are like me… I need variety.  The same routine (Group Power Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Tread Mill and Elliptical on Tuesday and Thursday) while shows great dedication…. can become boring.  Boring = more of a chance that I will skip a work out session AND not only that, but your body becomes used to you working the same muscles – the same way. 

This is where the SHAKING UP the routine comes in.  This time of year is a great time to try something new…. stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and….

1. Try a new class at your local gym
2. Sign up for Zumba
3. Wii sports games
4. kick boxing
5. palates
6. self-defense class
7. karate
8. snow shoeing
9. a dance class
10. Ice skating
11. skiing
12. ping-pong
13. swimming
14. trampoline
15. boot camp
16. step class
17. shoveling snow

and I am sure you can add more to this list. 

Yesterday started my 5th season of Floor Hockey.  Yes, a little out of the box – but it is fun, competitive, and I LOVE it.  We play hockey in a gym every Sunday evening now through mid March.  It is fun and a great work out.  The games are about 50 minutes long, and we switch out who is on the floor so you are not running constantly.  I probably play about 30 minutes of a game – but my Polar heart monitor tells me that in my 30 minutes of playing I burned over 400 calories…. and my heart rate was up around 186.  Yes…. definitely a work out… fun, shakes it up, and today… I am a little sore. 

What do you do to break the routine?  How do you SHAKE UP your workout and keep it fun?

52 Small Changes by Brett Blumenthal – The Book… The Challenge

What is it about the new year that makes us want to change our ways?  LOL… it could be just me but I have a habit of asking myself – is this who I want to be the rest of my life?  Meaning – is this the way I want to look and feel?  For me – I know when I have put on the extra pounds or replaced good healthy habits (ie.  taking my lunch to work) to bad…. (ie. ordering lunch in… subs, soups, fast food…)

When I was offered to review this book it did not take me long to respond with a “heck yeah!” as this looked to be right up my alley.  And… it is.  I reviewed this book today at Book Journey but had an addition to bring here to you…. a team challenge so to speak.  Thank you to Martha at Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf who thought it would be fun if a group of us wanted to jump on board with this book and encourage one another….

and hey, I am all about encouraging one another. 

So what do you need to do?

Get a hold of this book if you do not already have it.  I see it is priced pretty decent ay Amazon, and on Kindle it is only $5.99. 

Then… start going through it week by week.  I know we are a couple of weeks in to the year already but I am starting tomorrow with week one which is all about drinking water.  I like that the book not only gives you the change to make, but great details on how to do it… how to substitute, etc…. its hard to explain but after reading chapter one… I was super excited to drink water   If you decide to join in – start when you have the book.

I have a message out to Martha to see if she is going to do a check in page for this as it is totally her awesome idea, or if she would like me to put one on here on the sidebar…. leave a comment below if you want in on this and I will be sure to keep you updated on how we will move forward.

When It Is Hard To Find The Time To Work Out

What a week. 

Last week I was on vacation and it was BLISS.  I was able to get up in the morning, lounge in my PJ’s, write my posts, get in a good work out and even read…. ahhhh…… READ.

Then…

I went back to work.

I am in charge of special events at my job as well as my regular Family Life Administrator duties.  I had a concert to prep for this week (it is tonight), 176 packets to prepare and mail for a big meeting next Wednesday, and a special meeting planned for tomorrow morning.  On top of being gone a week, prepping for a class that started this past Wednesday, and my regular duties, as well as Navy Son is home for two weeks, I had a meeting Monday night, Book Club at my house Tuesday night, Volunteer with Teens Wednesday night, Dinner with Navy Son and friends Thursday night, concert tonight…

working out was not in the cards.

SO….. thanks to a question Joy presented, how do you squeeze in a work out when there just does not seem to be enough hours in the day?

I wish I had the answer to this.  When I am  in “game on” mode, I seem to make it work better.  I find the time.  I MAKE the time.  And that is where I need to get again.  In my dream version of me…. I do make that time.  I am up (in my mind) at 5:30 every morning, clean and shiny and off to the gym.  I work out diligently 6 days a week for at least an hour (again in my mind…) and then off to work where I do not have the “you need to work out!” cloud hanging over my head…. and life… if fabulously balanced.

Ok…. back to reality. 

My to do’s out way many times, the I wants and I needs…. 

Here however is the upside.  We all have one of these scales and yes, from time to time one side is going to dominate and things we enjoy or should be doing turns out to not make the priority list… yes, even when it should.

For me… the biggest push is over.  The packets have been mailed, the concert is set and the invites are out, the meeting for tomorrow is ready to go, the class is in progress…

this afternoon I am meeting two friends to do Group Power and then the tread mill.  Tomorrow and Sunday I will have time to work out again…Monday too. 

Next week I go to full-time at my job while my co-worker goes on maternity leave.  I will just need to balance it more… but I believe it is doable. 

How about you – what do you do to keep on the work out track when life explodes in every direction but the gym? 

Weekly Check In

Hi everyone!  Happy Tuesday!

How did you do last week?  I did ok.  I had the week off from work and I spent a few times at the gym – I even returned to Group Power (weight lifting) which felt good to move again!

I went to the gym Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday last week and between elliptical, tread mill and weights I did good.  I left town on Thursday for a girls weekend and came home Saturday evening and no work out on Sunday.

Yesterday (Monday) I made it to the gym for about 45 minutes with a friend.  My day was crazy and the gym time was after work, after I took the dog to the vet, and before I had a meeting to go too…. it was busy but I squeezed in a little time.

Total for the week:  3,600 calories. 

This week is insane too – I literally have something every evening until Saturday.  Tonight is book club at my house to I will not make it to the gym today but hope to get in some time the rest of the week between life stuff. 

 

Check in with Mari (Bookworm with a View) for the weekly check point to share how you did this last week

 

How To Keep Up The Momentum During the COLDER Months

Hi all! 

I just returned from a three days girl weekend which of course in my book means food and fun and well… more food.  Its time to get back on track. 

I am a Spring through Fall girl.  I LOVE being outside and enjoy taking my workout that was as well.  So…. what does that mean?  I am a roller blader, and a biker.  I love using our state bike trail for both.  I even enjoy biking to work which is 3 miles from my home.  This coming spring, I hope to plant a garden.  It’s pretty easy to get me outdoors that time of year.

However…

come winter when the bike and the roller blades are put away for the season… I kind of lose that motivation.  Never a fan of the cold, I would rather just stay inside and curl up with a book or good movie.  While both lovely things to do… obviously our bodies need more. 

For myself – I try to get to our local YMCA several times a week.  There, with ear buds in my ears… I jam out to my motivational work out music while lifting weights, tread mill, and elliptical.  I really enjoy it, and feel so much better after I do it… but tend to get bored easily and want to leave.  In that case – it helps to have friends who go as well.  I find when I can connect with a friend…I stay longer.  One day this past week I was just finishing my workout when my friend walked into the gym.  To catch up, I stayed another hour and went through her workout with her as well.  1,500 calories later I walked out of the gym. 

I am curious what you do for indoor style work outs when the weather does not meet our requirements.  Gym membership?  Work out videos?  Home gym?  Classes?

Tracking Those Pesky Calories Burned

 

My dear friend Reagan from Miss Remmer’s Reviews posted a question yesterday that brought on this post.  She asked how to keep track of calories burned. 

I know some of us use an online program, My Fitness Pal is one I have come to enjoy for tracking food intake and calories, as well as exercise and calories burned.  It is free and easy to use, you can even use it as an app on your phone. 

What I use the most though and LOVE LOVE LOVE is my Polar Sports watch.  You set it to your height, weight, age… and it will track your calories burned.  It is wonderful for biking and rollerblading, but I also use it in the gym during work outs. 

I find this brand at Target stores.  They do run right around $100 dollars, but I have had mine for three years and use it all the time. 

 

What do you use to track burning calories?