polarf4

let’s get down to business.

Aside ~ ~ loveandlunge ~ Leave a comment

A new month has started and I’m ready to kick it in to high gear.  August was particularly stressful with a lot of long nights of work and moving and too many other things that I couldn’t be more thankful for the arrival of September.  August was not a good month for me in terms of healthy eating, so I really want to kick it in to high gear come September.  I need to get back to tracking my macros and really eating to fuel my workouts, so here is my pledge to do so.  Healthy eating can be easy if you really take the time to sit down and plan it out before hand.  Being a person who loves organization and lists, I am all for this.  Unfortunately, it’s always sticking to that plan that causes me to occasionally falter.  This month, I’m going to try and be a little more diligent about what is going into my body in an effort to produce maximum results in my workouts.  I have been letting my speed on my runs dip a bit and I would like to push it back into sub-7 pace.  That being said, this week was a good one in terms of workouts:

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Sunday-BBG Week 17 legs & 30 min cardio

Monday- 4 mile run, 10 min HIIT, 20 min cardio

Tuesday-BBG Week 17 arms & 30 min cardio

Wednesday- 4 mile run, 10 min HIIT, 20 min cardio

Thursday-1.5 mile run, BBG Week 17 abs, 20 min cardio

Friday-2 mile run, 1000 rep challenge, 15 min cardio

I took a couple of my workouts outside this week and I am loving the feeling of breathing in the cool, crisp air while sweating it out outdoors.  It’s very refreshing and revitalizes my workouts which I can’t complain about at all.  It is easy to get sucked into a rut of doing the same thing every day and that can eventually be very demotivating.  Shaking it off and getting outside to do something different has made me excited for my workouts again.

Here’s a quick body weight HIIT (high-intensity interval training) circuit you can take outside to really feel some burn.  Complete each exercise for 30 sec. and then rest for 30 sec. before moving on to the next one, repeat 3 times for a total of 15 minutes of HIIT.  All you need is these short 15 minutes and you will get an extra burn all day long:

  • Jumping Jacks
  • Jump Squats
  • Walking lunges
  • Broad Jumps
  • High Knees

Have a lovely long weekend, fit fam.

-sj

alright, alright, alright.

Aside ~ ~ loveandlunge ~ Leave a comment

Another week down with some stellar workouts.  I am slowly but surely getting accustomed to my new house and taking  some workouts outside.  This week’s workouts looked like this:

-Sunday: BBG Week 15 Legs & 30 minutes of Elliptical

-Monday: 4 mile run, 10 minute HIIT on bike

-Tuesday: BBG Week 15 Arms & 30 minutes of Elliptical

-Wednesday: 4 mile run, 10 min HIIT run, 20 minutes of Elliptical

-Thursday: BBG Week 15 Abs & 30 minutes on Elliptical

-Friday: BBG Countdown Challenge (7.38 time), 3 mile run

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I am starting to take my runs outside more on the trails and it’s eye opening.  I have been focusing less on speed and more on just getting it done.  On Wednesday, I decided to change things up a little bit.  I did a mile and a half loop around the trail and then I hit our drive way to do HIIT sprints.  30 second sprint, 30 second walk.

As you can see from my beautiful MapMyRun log, I ran up and down the driveway for a little over a mile.  It felt really freeing to just run with nothing holding me back.  Changing up your routine can really revitalize you and I highly recommend it.  Keeping your body guessing what it’s going to do next helps you to see more results more quickly.  I have already noticed changes in my running now that I have added in hills and rougher terrain.  Sure, it’s not the easiest when I’m out there running, but the reward is definitely worth it.  People have asked me many times how I run so fast or how I get the motivation to keep running.  One of the best answers I can provide is switch it up.  Make it interesting or you’ll never want to do it.  I don’t run every day anymore because I burnt out of it.  Sometimes taking a break is all you need.  Or maybe adding new music to a running playlist.  Or finding a good podcast or audiobook to listen to.  Or going to a new location like a beach or a trail or just a different part of your neighborhood to take it all in.  Get it done however you want and make it as fun as possible.

-sj