Monday, March 31, 2014

Workout wrap up

Hello, friends! It is Monday and time to wrap up my workouts last week. I had a great week for workouts and I'm super excited to share.

Monday - 16,760 steps. 30 minute run in the morning (about 3 miles I believe ... I didn't write it down), 30 minute core strengthening class and 60 minute Zumba class. By the end of this 2 hour workout I was *dripping* with sweat and felt awesome!

Tuesday - 12,322 steps. 30 minute run in the morning (also about 3 miles). Tuesday night I met up with a friend for sushi, and I had planned to do an AM and PM workout, but that did not happen! I'm glad I gave myself a small break though.

Wednesday - 17,911 steps. Hour long 5:30 AM Body Pump class (taught by my good friend, Chandra!) and hour long Zumba class at night. Solid day for me and I'm glad I got in strength training two weeks in a row! Hopefully I keep my streak up. (yes, two weeks is a streak).

Thursday - 12,552 steps. 30 minute run after school (3 miles). Thursday night was our monthly "Foodie Night" which is hosted by my good friend Manon, and is basically about 20-30 of us that want to check out a restaurant in Des Moines, eat good friend and enjoy adult conversation over dinner! I love this monthly tradition. :) 

Friday - 11,516 steps. 30 minute walk at an 8% incline in the morning. Getting myself to the gym Friday morning was HARD. I could NOT drag myself out of bed and it was a huge battle to actually get there because I was just so tired. I knew running was not going to happen once I did finally get there, so I settled on a walk and kept increasing the incline. It was actually a decent workout and my butt was sore!

Saturday - 24,853 steps. Ohhhhh, yeah! Record step day, everyone! I don't know where my energy was coming from (perhaps the sweet potato hash and eggs I made for breakfast that was delicious??) but I made it to my normal 9:30 AM Saturday morning Zumba class annnnnnnd a two hour Zumbathon in Ankeny! I felt amazing and like I could keep going! What is also exciting is I could tell how much I have improved since the last Zumbathon. A month ago, I was really irritated at my gym's Zumbathon because there were so many instructors from other gyms and I didn't know their choreo and I just so .... lost. This time, I could follow all the routines really well, and for those that I couldn't see (there was a lot of people there) or didn't like, I just made up my own choreo. It was SO fun! I cannot be more grateful for Zumba. It has done SO much for me this year.

Sunday - 17,259 steps. After Saturday, I honestly was very worried about today's "long" run, but I knew I could do it and I had to at least try. I set out planning to do 8 miles and run an out and back on the trails near my house. I got about 3.5 miles away and decided to turn around. It was windy as hell and I could feel my legs getting heavier and heavier. I am actually quite proud of what I did end up achieving. I ran 6 miles at an 11:00 pace and walked about 1 mile to "cool down." I know I made the smart choice and I'm happy with what I accomplished.

You might be wondering what I mean by Zumba doing so much for me this year. I know my body is changing and I am loving it. Saturday morning I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirrors and I did not recognize myself. My arms looked toned, and skinny. From behind, I looked like a girl who knew what she was doing. Then, a friend of mine came up to me and also said almost the exact same thing. She saw me in the crowd and couldn't tell if it was me! Holy moly. This feels so good, and I am so excited to see where I am at when July rolls around.

What I really need to get a handle on is my eating. I literally eat whatever I want. Since giving up sweets for Lent things have gotten a tad under control, and I almost always eat salads for lunch and a healthy breakfast, but for dinner I am all over the place. Starting April 7th I am participating in Amber's Dietbet challenge, and I am determined to do well.

Basically, this challenge is a bet to see who can lose 4% of their body weight in 4 weeks. The cost is $25 and those that complete the challenge split the pot. I knew that to do this, I would need to clean up my eating drastically. So, Bill and our roommate, Cody are thinking of doing the Whole30 challenge. My friend Emily just finished the challenge (successfully! Yay Emily!) and some friends of Cody's have done it. I like the idea of a lifestyle change with my nutrition and I know I need it. Honestly, my only source of anxiety is the cost of all this food. Whole30 is A LOT of meat and that gets very expensive, but hopefully between the three of us, it won't be that bad.

How did you move last week? Have you tried any "fad" diets? What are your thoughts on them? 

6 comments:

Carolina John said...

Great job getting that much workout done! Very cool. And good luck on Amber's dietbet. I know she's really looking forward to it too.

Julie said...

When I can I've been combining an crossfit workout to my cardio and I can tell a big difference. Granted I can't always work out (and I got the long term job so life is going to be even crazier) but I do it when I can.

Can't wait to see you meet your goal for the dietbet.

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

You got in a really really great week of workouts - way to go! It's fun to see how many steps you clock each day! I am almost tempted to get my own fitbit. :)

I had a great week so workouts. I ran on Mon, Wed, and Sat and Sat's run was with a running club in Savannah. It was so fun to run with others. I also did body pump on Tues and Thur.

I am glad that zumba has been so good for you and more importantly that it's an exercise that you enjoy as that is so important. I wish my gym offered zumba classes but it only offers one the class the entire week which is odd!

P said...

These posts of yours inspire me. Once I'm back my holiday I think I may start putting my own weekly exercise on my blog - maybe that will finally make me hold myself accountable!

Amber said...

I think the Whole 30 challenge would be a great way to clean up your eating for the month! I am going to try to cut out added sugar, bread and alcohol and also really up my protein intake. So while I won't be strictly following whole 30 myself, those are some of the components of it! Can't wait for the DietBet! So glad you guys all signed up -- it's almost at $6,000!!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I am not sure I can do the 4 percent in time so I am going to silently (no money) try to be doing the same thing in the same amount of time to see if I can do it. I just don't want to waste 25 bucks when I've been really struggling with losing.