Les Mills Week 8

I can't believe we're nearing the end...

This week is my last week... & its not even a full week.  It's just till Thursday. 

WHAT WILL I DO???

Actually, I think I'm going to order 21-Day Fix for my next battle. 

I've been reading up on it & looking at videos, seeing if it will work for a vegetarian & interested in trying this idea of amazing workouts (so I hear) & a food plan. 

I'm scared of the food plan.  I don't like food plans.  BUT I need help in the food area.  I'm struggling & that's my weakest area.  I can work out all day long but the weight is still there & always creeping in the wrong direction .... so I can do this for 21 days - right?

It's worth a try.  Try everything in life.

Well, not everything... running off a cliff is not a good thing to try... you get the point.

But yeah - this was a full week of Les Mills.  There usually is a rest day in there but not this week.  It worked out well for me with this 10,000 step challenge I'm doing for May. 

& this is just a good way to keep punching & kicking till the end.

I felt good & strong with my kicks & punches this week.  The past 2 weeks hasn't been that good. Maybe the humidity gets to me?

I can kick butt... but only on a pretty day :)  #diva

So only one more post for the week... & then I'll be submitting for the first time my measurements & pictures to Beachbody... I want my shirt.  I've never done that before with any of the programs I've had before.  I WANT my Les Mills Combat shirt.  I have just loved every minute of this program.

 

Have you ever completed a whole Beachbody program?

 

Have you done the 21 Day Fix?

 

Any races or workouts this weekend?

Friday Five: Organizing Running Goodies

 

5 ways to organize Running Goodies

Joining with the ladies & the topic going around is how to organize your running stuff.

Well, I'm NOT the queen of anything organizing... Martha Stewart weeps for me... but this is what works for me.

1. Easy Medal Hanger

I know there are tons of ADORABLE medal hangers with designs & running quotes, logos, people on them... I'm cheap.  Those are expensive.  So what do I?  Go redneck & get something to stick on the wall.  The hubs has a life quest of trying to minimize nail holes in the wall so these things work out perfectly.  & they make really nice fancy ones too - silver plated or black ones.  I currently have 3 in a row & they are all full but the nice thing about this?  I can add more to the side - even design it where its sort of zig-zagged on the wall... & in the end, I can change it & not have any nail holes. My hubs is proud.


2.  Shoe Boxes

I know I'm not alone when I say I need at least 5 pairs of running shoes at one time... I'm not alone - right?  For me, I hate shoes laying around everywhere so I actually keep the shoe box.  & I heard of this trick on Oprah like in the 80's... not even joking... but to take pictures of the shoe & tape on the outside so you know what shoes are which... because if you're like me, you have like 5 shoe boxes of the same brand.  That is an easy way to stack them & see which shoes are which... & I typically put the ones I wear the most on top.  & if you want to get REALLY redneck (me, raising hand) & not want to take a picture, you can always take a sharpie & describe which shoe it is on the outside of the box, even writing "Running shoe #1" or "Kickboxing shoes"... Bam - easy enough. No picture needed.  You're welcome Oprah.


3.  Keep it separated

I feel like I have so many shirts... all kinds - tanks, cotton race shirts, tech shirts, long sleeve, short sleeve - tons of them.  & I like to keep them separated.  I have all my cotton shirts in a pile that is easy to grab & put on to sleep in or if I'm staying in the house in AC ... & a drawer with nothing but shirts with tech shirts for races or on the road runs... & in that drawer, different piles for short sleeve, one for long sleeves.  It makes it so much easier to know exactly where to go pull out a shirt for a run/workout when I know exactly where the pile is at.  It's also why I can wake up on race day & grab & go...


4. Plastic storage bins

These things are my best friend.
I have one full of head/ear wraps - one full of wires for all the gadgets that need to be charge - one full of gloves that you can buy for $1.00 at the end of the winter that you can toss when you tire of them - one full of KT Tape.  I would be lost without plastic storage bins.

 5. COLORS!!!

I've learned through the years to stop buying only black.  Black shorts, black leggings.  Trying to figure out which is which in a drawer is the worst.  When you add color to your wardrobe, its easier to see what you want to wear & the ones you know fits & feels better & grab it out of the stack of other shorts.  You can still stick with black shorts or leggings too as long as there is some sort of color running down the side.  Just something that makes them a little different.

5b - or all of the same

Or if you are committed to your favorite black shorts or leggings - stick to the same brand so you know how they will fit & you can just stick all the things together & know they will always feel just right no matter what.  I can attest to this. I'm a sucker for Old Navy leggings.  I have my own black capri pile that is always a go to place.

 

What is your favorite trick for staying organized with your running goodies?

The Hunchback doesn't live in Notre Dame

I love that we have security cameras around our house.

Its always fun to look in during the day & check where our dogs are at.  Nice to make sure our house isn't burning down.  Good to see which dog peed on the carpet in the middle of the night so the others don't get the blame.

You can look back at footage for awhile & its been fun to look back when Harvey got the hubs cell phone & he started chasing him around the back yard with intentions to strangle him & Harvey thought it was a fun game.. I watched that one a few times.

& I like looking back to see my hubby walk around the house in the morning & hear him talk to the dogs before I get up. 

Those are some of the cutest conversations.

But I ran across some footage of me getting ready for work one morning.

& I had to stop & replay it because I thought, "Who is that Hunchback walking through our living room?"

No Hunchback... just me...

Even had red hair... basically me in the morning...

I see women all the time when they are older with that slump in their shoulders & I always have a fear that will be me when I'm old & grey. I'm awful at taking calcium anyways & my bones are already proven to break at the snap of a finger... literally...

If you read about posture, its even scarier to see how it affects your internal organ - how it all gets crunched up & makes things not work to their best ability.

I'm on a mission now... get that back up straight...

Sitting at the computer pretty much 90% of my day doesn't help, but I'm trying to find some good exercises at the office...

& I think just being aware - pulling those shoulders back - makes a difference...

Makes you thinner too...

I'm ALL for that!!!

Do you work on your posture?

 

Do you notice yourself slumping?

 

What's your best fix for it?

Pedometer Trackers: My comparison of Garmin VivoFit & Fitbit One

These little trackers are EVERY WHERE!!!

I knew these were cool before the world did.  I used to wear a pedometer that was the size of a pager - for those of you that are old enough to remember pagers when they were all the rage... before cell phones even existed.

But seriously - I have always loved the drive of knowing how many steps I've taken in a day....

& when these little gadgets came out, I was on board to upgrade my heavy hip-bearing pedometer to a little electronic wonder.

Enter into my life my FitBit One.

I have loved everything about it.  Seriously. I have recommended it to everyone. I panic when I loose it on my clothes. I can't live without it.

& then I kept seeing all these wrists trackers popping up & wondered how they worked. 

I was never planning on getting another one until my FitBit One conked out.. but then that dang Amazon had to go do a Deal of the Day on the Garmin Vivofit for $59.00 ... heck, I spend $59.00 at Starbucks in a week... not really... kinda.... so went ahead & ordered it.

So I've been using BOTH of my pedometers for 2 weeks now.  & here's my pro/con list of the two

FitBit One

Pros:

 

* It seems pretty dang accurate.  It was actually listed in the top 3 of the most accurate pedometers because it is on the waist, along with the FitBit Zip.

* Love the ease of finding people & friending them on the app.

* Love the challenges that people extend every day or week/weekend

* Syncs automatically when turning on app or Bluetooth is on

* Counts steps in incline/stairs
 

 

 

Cons:

 

* Have to remember to charge about every 7-8 days

* Easy to forget that its on clothes when you take them off & throw into the laundry

* Bulky to wear under clothes when you have to wear on undergarments

* which leads to - not always convenient to wear (dresses)

* If sitting a certain way or cramped up, will turn on sleeping mode by hitting button

 

 

Garmin VivoFit

 

Pros:

 

* No battery that needs to be charged - lasts for a year

* Waterproof. Love I don't have to ever take it off.

* Comfortable.

* Use as a watch since its on my wrist

* Red Line shows when haven't moved in awhile - a great motivator to get moving.
* Like you can change the color of your bands

 

Cons:

 

* Does not count steps when pushing basket/stroller, cutting grass or holding a purse & arm is not swinging, or walking while holding something.

* Counts too many steps if arms swing a lot (like in kick boxing doing punches)

*Counted LESS while running!!!!

* Does not count going up stairs

* Finding connections on app is not easy

 

 

So as you can see - they both are handy... they both have advantages & disadvantages

 

I really hate that the Garmin Vivo Fit is weird on how it counts & doesn't count steps.

I will go in the grocery & push the cart & it doesn't count me but going a few steps the whole time.  Can you imagine if you were in Disney World pushing a stroller all day & it took you for doing like 2000 steps for the day?  nooooo!!!!!

I even cut the grass with it on & walked for 35 minutes & it only counted me doing 100 steps the entire time.  That's really not cool.

 

But I will say, when it wouldn't count those steps where the arms aren't moving & my FitBit would continue to count my steps, it actually sort of even-ed out the playing field making them almost even.

 

& I'm not even sure how this worked, but when I went for my run for my 10k, the Garmin counted LESS steps then my FitBit... probably because with my shoulder injury, I try to minimize my arms from swinging.

 

That's messed up.

 

But I kept count of 2 weeks worth of difference

 

FitBit / Garmin 2 week Difference

 

Day 1 - 10,553 / 12,677 / 2124

Day 2 - 11,266 / 23,399 / 2133

Day 3 - 8,391 / 10,242 / 1851

Day 4 - 10,772 / 11,783 / 1011

Day 5 - 16,542 / 14,094 / <2448> ... this was my 10K???

Day 6 - 10,196 / 11,483 / 1287

Day 7 - 6,449 / 6,960 / 511

Day 8 - 10,257 / 12,263 / 2006

Day 9- 10,151 / 12,542 / 2391

Day 10 - 8,687 / 10,547 / 1850

Day 11 - 10,027 / 11,016 / 989

Day 12 - 10,322 / 10,166 / <156>

Day 13 - 11,159 / 13,348 / 2189

Day 14- 10,576 / 10,810 / 234

 

 

As you can see - there is no rhyme or reason to the difference!!!!

Some days were really close... but the majority is around 2,000 steps difference.

Go figure.

 

I guess the key is to know that neither is 100% accurate...

& they both have great things about them... both have flaws.

 

I'm not even sure I could pick a favorite if I had to because I like them both for different reasons.

I would say I would pick my FitBit for Accuracy.
I would pick my Garmin for Convenience.

 

I just know they keep me moving... & that's not a bad thing.
 

For the record, I'll probably always wear both until one of them bombs or I make the jump to the ones that have the heart rate monitors built into them... I obviously am a number person so I will enjoy the comparison thing for awhile.

 

  

Do you have a Fitness Tracker?

 

Which brand/kind do you prefer?

 

Les Mills Combat ... week 7

Only 2 more weeks to go....

Week 7 had me sort of blah... & that's weird because I really like Les Mills but I was just so busy with so much going on.

Wedding pictures, errands to run, getting emotionally run down ...

But I started off Monday - Wednesday doing the usual routines.  I've now gone through all the videos so its just on repeat... that's OK ... I love these videos.

But Thursday, I was on for a 60 minute work out but I wanted to cut the grass for my husband who walked 18 miles at work ... 18 MILES... the day before, he did 15 miles... the day before that, he did 16 miles...

he'd laugh at a marathon....

But his legs were shot, so I just did a 30 minute video instead & then cut grass for 35 minutes... balances... right?

& then this was the first weekend in all 7 weeks I missed my weekend workout.

Dang it.

It's not like I did it out of sheer lazy.

I had an early morning photo session & then I had an eye appointment at 2:30 & then I had to run out & get Mother's Day gifts for my momma. 

Nothing like waiting till the last minute.

But it was evening by the time I got home & I was just ready to relax & work on pictures ...

So this is probably my most failed week so far...

Maybe not... this next weekend, I already have all day plans so I may finish the program like a fizzled out firework... this is actually the last weekend of the plan. It finishes on a Thursday (technically Friday, but I change my rest days so it will be my Thursday)...

Oh well... its not like I'm eating bon bons & not moving...

But another week marked off on my calendar.

I'm ready to do some punches & kicks tonight - that's for sure!

 

How was your weekend?

 

How did you get your sweat on?

Confessions

 

I haven't confess anything lately

... time to clear the air...

 

I CONFESS:

 

... we haven't turned on our A/C yet in the house.  Working out in the house when its 89 degrees outside?  I feel like maybe I could do Hot Yoga.  Talk about a sweat-fest.

 

always gotta love Mama June's wisdom

 

... I kicked Harvey Dent in the face doing Les Mills this week - he walked right in when I did a back kick & BAM!  Right to the nose.  He just sat & shook his head & looked at me like, "What did I do wrong?"... poor baby.

 

... good to know my back kick is effective.

 

... All my Cadbury Eggs are officially now gone.  I don't know how I feel about that.  Glad I don't have the temptation anymore... sad that I don't get the creamy goodness until next year.

 

Farewell my friends

 

... I cut the back yard for the Hubs yesterday... AFTER I did a workout.  Let's just say I think I almost died.  I so wish I was joking on this.  I got to dizzy & nauseated about half way through the yard but refused to stop.  It would be awful to have on my obituary, "Death by Lawn Cutting"

 

... I tried to find a Les Mills Combat class anywhere around me.  Apparently its not a big thing because ... crickets... nothing. I WANT A CLASS!  I need people to love kicking & punching as much as I do!!!

 

... why can't I get out of the grocery without spending at LEAST $100.00? ... for 2 people... & that's usually with me or Ricky having to stop at the grocery during the week to still pick up a few items. 

 

Me in the grocery

 

... Speaking of which, I don't get why healthier food is so expensive.  It's no wonder our country is in an obesity high.

 

... I've got an eye doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon.  My eyes are getting worse with every passing year.  I always heard that your eyes get bad between 40 - 50 year old & then they stop changing until you're in your REAL later years... At the rate my eyes are changing, by the time I'm 50, I'm going to be basically blind.

 

... I have a love / hate relationship with Mother's Day.  Love to celebrate my momma & all the awesome moms out there... hate it for the women who feel "less then" during the day.  Society is messed up.  You're a man & don't have kids - no problem - no questions asked.   You're a woman with no kids & everyone gives you either the "sad pity face" - the "What's wrong with you?" face or the "what kind of woman are you?" face... good times.

 

 

... I am trying to do very little today... just counting down till the weekend!!!!

What's on your mind today?

Some of my latest products I've tried

I'm always on the hunt for looking for health products & items.

& if I can help someone decide on whether to try it, all the better.

The first thing I've tried lately...

Vega Protein 7 Greens - Chocolate

First, let me say, I'm not a fan of chocolate protein powders.   Something about them tastes weird to me.  But I have a load of vanilla & found a recipe for a drink to mix chocolate protein powder with coffee... yes please... so I decided to try this one that had the added bonus of 'greens' in it. 

I will say, I'm STILL not a great fan of chocolate protein powders after this... BUT it's tolerable.  & when you see you get all the added goodness like 2 servings of greens & a plant based protein, I can really stomach it.

I actually just ordered it in Vanilla to give that a try as well.

It Works Greens - Orange Flavor

On the hunt for more greens, someone actually reached out to me about trying this product.  It's supposed to 'alkalize' which I guess is the new big word to use lately & 'detoxify' which is also a hot topic word.  I thought, what the hey....

I have one word for this ... NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... just NO!!!!!!

UGH... I've never tasted anything so disgusting in my life... & I can tolerate A LOT.  I do know that this one - the orange flavor - has no sweetener in it.  I don't care. I can't imagine sweetener making this any better in the least.

I did buy the berry flavored - only because you have to do a 3 month commitment with It Works... which is stupid... & I haven't even opened it.  I'll probably turn around & sell it on Ebay for $10.00 ... I'd rather get something out of it then just throwing it away.

Not impressed with this stuff one bit.

The Kyoto Burrito

If I had one word for the product above, I definitely have one word for this product as well

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... & yes again... & again.

It's a burrito full of everything yummy.  Spinach, Edamame, shitake mushrooms. 
This is honestly the best burrito I think I have ever eaten.

& its something yon can pop in the microwave for 2 minutes & viola, healthy dinner.

The hubs actually found these at Target!!!!  They aren't cheap for a frozen burrito but so worth it. We're going to get more this weekend!

So what's the latest product you've tried lately?

 

Ever tried any of these?

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Week 6 Les Mills Combat

I can't believe I'm working into week 7...

That means there is 2 weeks left.  This program goes up to 9 weeks.

I haven't even given a second thought on what I'm going to do afterwards.

I just want more workouts in Les Mills Combat.

Beachbody - can you get on that please?

I will say, week 6 sort of kicked my butt. 

There was the final addition of the last video in my set.  The 60 minute LIVE version.

It was cool to see how many people were doing the workout along with you & it was weird to hear some of the other people that are familiar faces in other videos, to hear their actual voices. 

There's a blond girl on there whose voice I did NOT expect to sound like that.

& a guy that pretty much sounded like an Arnold with an even MORE German accent.

I was excited for another 60 minute work out video but I actually really didn't even like this one.  Not sure why.  I just didn't care for new moves like a "push" move... seemed like a waste...

& there's another series that has you doing a bunch of leg work. I just hated that one because it just plan hurt. My legs were like jello by the end of it.  I guess that's a good thing & shows me my quads need a LOT of work....

So that's it for new videos...

the next 2 finals weeks will just be switching them up.

I guess I need to start figuring out what my next game plan is going to be....

until then... I'm STAYING WITH THE FIGHT!

How the month went: April 2015

24 days worked out

17 days over 10,000 steps

9.45 miles done

I felt like I kicked April in the butt with my workouts!

Nothing marked out as "injured" or "Sick"... that's been on the last few months calendar so this one makes me happy.

My step count became a priority too.  & I'm so proud that I made it for a 8 day stretch over 10,000.  That inspires me because I'm taking the challenge of getting in 10,000 EVERY DAY for May ... so far so good on that too....

& see those little red stars?  Those are morning where I did a 5am work out as well.  They were usually a 5, 7 or 10 minute work out - depending when I got out of bed.

I have enjoyed doing those morning "Bootycall" workouts... BUT...

I'm not sure I'm going to continue them.

Why?  Because my weight has gone UP this month.. .like 4 lbs UP...

WHAT THE FREAKING BOLOGNA IS THAT?!?!?!?

I know, I know... I'm going to hear the thing about muscle is more & measuring & blah blah blah....

but nope. 

I'm not buying it.

My weight is the highest EVER... & my clothes don't feel like 'muscle' is a factor.

I was so proud of my work outs for the month... & leaving April feeling depressed & defeated.

DANG IT!

Just dang it....

But I'm not giving up.

Thought I'm still in the air about the 5am workouts, I will continue the evening workouts & I will get my steps in....

I am focusing on my water intake
I know I need to focus more closely on my nutrition.
Something has to give with those things plus my exercising.

It just has to give....

Friday Five: 5 things I wish I knew before my first race

Five Things:  Race Day

Sort of a broad topic... so I'm going to go with 5 things I wish I knew about a Race Day for those of you that are going to have your first.

1. Lay everything out the night before

Most races, no matter how well you know you are prepared, nerves are going to be a factor the morning of the race.  If you are anything like me, when nerves kick in, that means brain cells check out.  So it's best to really get everything out the night before & double check.  That's a great time to make sure everything is ready to go, everything is charged up & even better?  If you oversleep, all you gotta do is go to this one area where everything is at &pile it on & jet out the door.


2. Starting drinking water as soon as your eyes open.

I never realized the importance of hydration until I went into my first race, a half marathon, & conked out about mile 9 because I was completely drained.  & then genius me drinks a Diet Coke.  What was I thinking?  I wasn't. I was dumb.  I never realized how much water means to a body that is being pushed.  I now can feel when my body is dehydrated & in need of water... that's even too late.  You should have get that feeling.  So drink up.  ... & pee a lot.

3. Plan ahead for parking.

Don't be like Stitch

Most times, you're not familiar with an area.  And even if you are familiar with it, streets are usually blocked off & areas are crowded & parking is already taken up.  Look at the map of the race ahead of time & look for a good place to park.  Somewhere close enough to the start/finish line but far enough away that you aren't stuck not able to get out.

4.  Look around.

Be a Meerkat

There's so much going on around you in a race & we get so caught up in ourselves.  Which we should.  We put a lot of time in training to get to that point.  But take the time to look around.  See where you are running.  It's not every day you get to run in the middle of a busy road in places you'd never run.  It's not every day that people are standing on the side of the road with signs for you to read.  It's not every day you get to run next to people you would never run with.  I know the most experienced runners who are the front of the pack don't have time to talk to others, but I always say that's an advantage of being a back of the pack crew.  We get the chance to check on each other, we get to say hi, we get to help each other through.  Be bold & ask someone how they are feeling.  Ask someone who looks like they are struggling if they are OK.  Look around... take it in.

5.  The Finish Line.

You only cross your first finish line once.  There is something about any finish line that is special, but your first time?  It's magical.  If you can, have your first race be a good finish line.  Where people are cheering & the finish line is BIG... & especially if someone is there to capture you crossing it in pictures!  & be prepared for the emotion of it.  You may be smiling, you may be crying, you may be DYING... but you will feel amazing about crossing it.

What is one thing about your first race that

you wish you knew?