Sunday, December 30, 2012

PiYo Playlist!

Hi, friends! Just wanted to share with you the PiYo playlist I just put together for Lesson 24.

I haven't tested this yet (launching it on Wednesday!), so I'll let you know if I do any tweaking! Here's what I have:

Warmup:
I Need Your Love-- Calvin Harris, feat. Ellie Goulding

Heat Building:
Right Lead: Locked Out of Heaven-- Bruno Mars
Left Lead: Rehab (Remix)-- Amy Winehouse, feat. Jay-Z

Lower Body:
Right Lead: Don't Stop the Party-- Pitbull, feat. TJR
Left Lead: Pound the Alarm-- Nicki Minaj

Full Body Fusion:
Beauty and a Beat Remix-- Justin Bieber, feat. Nicki Minaj

Flow:
Right Lead: She's Gold-- Josh Baze
Left Lead: Thrift Shop-- Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, feat. Wanz

Plank Series:
Calabria 2007 (Club Mix)-- Enur, feat. Natasja

Strength:
Scream and Shout-- will.i.am, feat. Britney Spears

Power:
Bom Bom (Wookie Remix)-- Sam and the Womp

Cooldown:
The A-Team-- Ed Sheeran

So excited for this! Stay tuned for updates! :)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope you are all relaxing, eating too much, and spending time with people you love! I also hope you pushed your workouts last week to prepare! :)

Here's my recap!

Monday was my last class at Evolve Fitness, TURBO! It was a bit sad, but I'm picking up a Monday Turbo class at Refinery, so it's all good in the end. :)  We did Round 53, plus the Modulator Finale, everyone's favorite! Lots of Turbos, lots of sweating, and LOTS of calories burned! It was an awesome workout.

I wore my Pow Pink No Limits Tank, and my new striped Run: Speed Shorts. I LOVE these shorts!

Tuesday I did not get up to run because my legs were so sore from Turbo! I did teach PiYo Tuesday evening at Refinery. It was our last time doing Lesson 23, so we really pushed hard! I had a guest instructor, Melanie, and she rocked it! She taught Power and Core. It was great!
Wednesday I got up early to run. I went 2 miles instead of the 3 I had planned, but hey, better than none! It was a really good run. Cleared my head and I had hot coffee waiting for me when I got home. :)

I wore my black Groove pants, and my Pig Pink Long Sleeve Swiftly. Perfect. :)

Wednesday night was PiYo! Last day of Lesson 23 for the Y. Class was pretty small compared to usual, but lots of people were out shopping and finishing holiday plans. :)  Still a fun, challenging class, and I actually was sore the next day!!

Thursday we had a blizzard, so I took advantage of being snowed in, and hung around in pj's with Rowan. It was a lovely, cozy night in. 

Friday I rested again, and wore yoga pants to work. ;)

Saturday was my last day of PiYo x2!

I wore my charcoal Groove Pants, and my black No Limits Tank. LOVE. THIS. OUTFIT.


Sunday I did TurboFire HIIT 30. This workout is SO. FREAKING. HARD. I still have to take a couple breaks! It's fun, though, so I don't mind the challenge. In fact, I kinda love it. ha! My bum was SOOOOO sore the next day!

I wore my Paris Pink/camo Speed Shorts and my black Scoop Neck tank. :)

Yesterday I went for a run to test out my new Brisk Run gloves and headband that I got for Christmas. They are awesome! I stayed warm and toasty, but didn't get clammy from sweating. Yay!  I ran 3 miles

I wore my black Groove Pants, Flash Power Y and Flash Long Sleeve Swiftly with my new head and hand gear. Awesome!

My plan for today is to take a walk with my mom, sis, and the pups. I am spending most of the week down at my mom's, so I brought TurboFire with me, so I can always throw that in as well. The gym options down here are super limited, so I'm not sure if I'll find any classes to attend. Workout plan is TBA!

I'm also not making an eating plan, since we are just kind of playing it by ear. Hoping to just keep myself under control. ;)

I'll post an update later in the week with more workout plans! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends!!

xoxo,
Julie



Sunday, December 16, 2012

Home Stretch to Christmas!

Hello! Happy Sunday once again! This upcoming week cannot go by fast enough! I simply cannot wait for the holiday week! So much excitement coming up!

Last week was long, but my workouts were awesome! Here's my weekly recap!

Tuesday I got up at 5:15 and went for a run. It was cold, but sooo amazing. I love the quiet peace of a dark early morning run, and it's even quieter when it's cold. A few houses had their Christmas lights lit up, so that was fun, too! I went 2.5 miles, just under 30 minutes-- perfect!

 Tuesday night I had PiYo! I mixed up the sections in the Lesson, to keep our bodies from the dreaded plateau. OMG so effective! We did the Lunge track at the end, and WOW! tough. :) Loved it!

Wednesday I got up early (again! YAY!) and did TurboFire HIIT 25. The only downside to doing HIITs first thing in the morning, is that it takes a bit for my back to feel warm, so I can't push quite as hard as I could otherwise until I get warm. But, I like getting it done, and I like that my metabolism is revving for the whole day!

Wednesday night, was PiYo again! I was feeling sassy on Wednesday, and my class was super packed, so the energy was HIGH! I felt really "on," and I really really had fun with this class! Upped the advanced layers in the Core track, so that was UBER challenging too! :)
I wore my new black white and shell pink Speed Shorts (LOVE!), and my Pow Pink No Limits tank!
Another shot of the outfit. I really liked it, hee hee. :)

Thursday I went to BodyCombat again! I didn't think I liked BodyCombat but it's soooo different from what I am used to, and it challenges my body in new ways, so I gave it another try! I wasn't so uncoordinated this time, so I enjoyed it a little more, and will definitely be going back. :)

Friday I rested.  I had a Christmas party Saturday night, so I took a pic of that outfit, too.

I wore a bordeaux sweaterdress from Victoria's Secret, and my heathered black Wunder Unders. Flats from Express!
 
Saturday I just had one PiYo. I had a sub for my 8am class, simply because I knew I'd be out late on Friday. Our class was small, but we still had fun! 
I wore my new Speed Shorts (yes, again) and my black No Limits tank! :)
 
When I got home I did TurboFire HIIT 20! Perfect workout day. :)
Today I intended to run, but it was chilly, and I had a lot of errands to run (I know, excuses, excuses!) so I just rested instead. I promise I'll jump a lil higher in Turbo tomorrow to make up for it. :) 
To run errands I wore my new Don't Hurry Be Happy Pullover and black Wunder Unders with Uggs. So cozy!
 
I stayed on track with my nutrition and calorie budget most of the week! May have eaten too much at the party Friday night, and also may or may not have had way too much wine. :)
Here's the dinner menu for the coming week!

Monday: Pot pies and salad with homemade ranch
Tuesday: TACO TUESDAY! I use Quorn meatless grounds, only 90 cals per serving!
Wednesday: Roasted red pepper tomato soup (I like Pacific brand) and grilled cheese
Thursday: Spaghetti and garlic bread (I like Barilla plus whole-grain spaghetti!)
Friday: OUT!
Saturday/Sunday: TBA!
 
For lunches, I got some mix and match items: 
 
Turkey burgers
Amy's Enchiladas
Evol chicken and lime burrito
Tuna for a tuna salad sandwich
 
And, last but not least, here's my workout plan for next week!
 
Monday: TURBO! Our last class at Evolve. This will be bittersweet!
Tuesday: Early morning run and PiYo!
Wednesday: TurboFire HIIT 20 and PiYo!
Thursday: Cycling/BodyCombat/4-mile run/whatever I feel like!
Friday: rest
Saturday: PiYo x2! This will be my very last class at Evolve. Sad to see this chapter end, but excited for what's to come.
Sunday: RIPPED/4-mile run/TurboFire/whatever I feel like!
 
I can't wait for Christmas and family time!!!  Push hard this week, my dears, so you can eat those sugar cookies, guilt-free! 

Cheers!
xoxo
Julie


Monday, December 10, 2012

Weekly Recap and Plan!

Hellooooo, and happy Monday, friends! Did you survive? My weekend FLEW BY, and then it was SO cold this morning, I could hardly bear to leave the house! The wind was killer!

So how did you all do on your workouts last week? Did you get them in?! Here's my recap:

Monday was Turbo! I felt like I was coming down with a GERM, so I took it a little "easy" compared to the usual. It was hard to do b/c I get so excited during Turbo and I just want to PUSH!

I wore my Indigo Stripe Speed Shorts, and my Pow Pink No Limits Tank

Tuesday I still felt a germ trying to take me down, so I didn't do any cardio, but I did teach PiYo at Refinery, and my class was awesome! I love PiYo sooo much b/c it doesn't get easy, even when we have had the same Lesson for awhile!

Wednesday I felt better and thought I'd do some TurboFire before PiYo, but as the day wore on, I felt kinda iffy, so I just stuck with PiYo again! Ditto the awesome class thing again!

I wore my Clam Diggers and my Blush Quartz No Limits Tank
 
Thursday is MY workout day, so I had a long internal debate over what to do! My options were Cycling, TurboFire, or BodyCombat, and I ended up going with Combat. This workout is way out of my comfort zone, and WAY different from Turbo. It's super athletic, and super SERIOUS kickboxing! My coordination was a little... off (say what?! That never happens to me! But yeah. It did). I was flailing and off-beat a few times. Crazy! But it was a great workout, and I was glad I went!

Friday... I woke up sick. A whole week of taking echinacea like a maniac, and chugging water every hour, and it didn't hit me til Friday?! Seriously? I came home early from work and took a long nap. I was STARVING for carbs all day. I read an article that says, if you're craving something when you're sick, eat it, b/c your body is needing something! So, I ate a bunch of toast. :)

Saturday I woke up feeling a lot better. I guess all that echinacea did pay off! I taught my two PiYo classes, and tried to conserve a little energy for my PiYo practical exam at 4pm! I went for Gold, which just means "exceptional form" basically. I think it went well, but I don't have my results yet. :)
I wore my Groove pants, and my Flash Power Y!
 
Sunday, I was just lazy. I shop shop shop shopped, and it was exhausting. So I laid around the rest of the evening, and ate pizza. Woops. 
 
I did get a new makeup pallet by Too Faced and went back to my tried and true DiorShow Waterproof Blackout Mascara. I will not stray again! Love that stuff!!
 
Back on track today! It was Turbo day and a brand new Round! So. Much. Fun. I am sure going to miss my Evolve Turbo girls! (more about this later)
This is my Blush Quartz Swiftly and my black and pink mist Speed Shorts.
For class I ditched the Swiftly and wore my silver gray Power Y. 
 
All in all, I did pretty well on the nutrition front over the past week, other than a serious pig out at Ruby Tuesday on Saturday night, and of course the pizza last night. (But hey! It was veggie pizza! That counts for something! hehe!)
 
Here's the meal plan for this week's dinners:
 
Tonight: Pot Pies and steamed broccoli. Yummo. Had enough cals leftover for a glass of wine. 
Tuesday: Baked Quorn "chicken" nuggets, mashed potatoes, salad with homemade ranch. 
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner.
Thursday: Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup and grilled cheese. 
Friday: DATE NIGHT!
Saturday/Sunday: TBA!

And FINALLY, the workout plan for this week!

Monday: Turbo (DONE!)
Tuesday: Run 2.5, PiYo
Wednesday: TurboFire HIIT, PiYo
Thursday: Run/BodyCombat/Cycling/Whatever I feel like! Some kind of cardio
Friday: Rest
Saturday: PiYo x2!
Sunday: Cardio TBA-- whatever I feel like again!

How about you, my fitness friends? Do you have a plan? Have you written it down? It's the only way to stay on track this holiday season, for me at least! Noooo weight gain for us!! Share your plan with me! Comment here, or post it on Facebook! 

Talk to you soon! 
xoxo
Julie

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Homemade Ranch Recipe!

Hi, friends! Wanted to write a quick note to share with you my recipe for homemade ranch dressing! This stuff tastes AH-MAZING-- move over, Hidden Valley! And, it only has 20-25 calories per Tbs. YES PLEASE!



here you go:



Homemade Ranch Dressing
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serving Size: 16 2-Tbsp servings
  • 3/4 cup light mayo
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 Tbs. dried chives
  • 1-2 Tbs. dried parsley
  • 1 clove garlic
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
Dump all ingredients into the blender using 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Mix for 10 seconds. Blend in more buttermilk to achieve desired consistency. Measurements don’t have to be exact. Just mix and add til it tastes how you like it! Store in an airtight container.

ENJOY!

xoxo,
Julie

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Enjoy Your Workouts + Weekly Recap

Happy Sunday, friends! Did you have a good week? Mine felt SUPER long, but otherwise was good! I think with Christmas vacation approaching, I'm just counting down the days! I got my workouts in, and did well on my calorie intake, too! Here's my recap!

Monday: see previous post. :)

Tuesday I did PiYo at the Refinery! We had a big class, and worked really hard! I mixed up the sections to keep our muscles guessing. I put a Power track in the middle of the Lesson, to really pump up the calorie burn. (Power track works the 'power' muscles, legs, butt, chest, etc. It also gets the heart rate up!) Lots of burpees, yes please! :)

I wore my black No Limits Tank and my heathered black Wunder Unders!
 
Wednesday morning I was planning to get up and do a TurboFire HIIT, but I didn't sleep well Tuesday night, so I didn't get up. I did get the HIIT workout in before PiYo at the Y, though! I did HIIT 20 and it felt great! Sipped some Results and Recovery Formula, which I finished after PiYo to help my poor sore muscles recover! Great workout day!
 
Thursday I ran with Jana during our lunch break at work. We ran 2.5 miles, and she pushed me a little faster than I normally would run. It felt great! 
 
Thursday evening we had a spontaneous extra date night. 
 
 I wore one of my fave cool-weather outfits! Sweaterdress, leggings (Wunder Unders!) and Ugg boots.

Friday I rested. :)

Saturday was double PiYo day! I did the same thing as Tuesday for both classes, and put a Power track in the middle of the Lesson. Power followed by Flow is cuh-razy hard! My legs were shaking, and my arms felt like noodles! 

I wore my new Pow Pink No Limits Tank, and my black Zella capris. :)
 
Saturday night Rowan and I had date night, since he was sick and didn't feel like going out on Friday. We went out for sushi and cupcakes. :)
We love sushi!
 
Today I am going to run 4 miles with my friend Katie! It's 62 degrees in December! Perfect for running! 
I'm wearing my indigo stripe run: speed shorts, my silver gray Power Y, and my blush quartz Swiftly Long Sleeve. This is my fave running outfit-- shorts and long sleeves. :)
 
I stuck to the meal plan I posted last week, except for Thursday. Thursday night we ended up going out, and I had planned to get a salad, but ended up eating a tuna melt and fries instead. Oops. Other than that, stayed under calorie budget, and had my Shakeology for added nutrition! 
 
Workout plan for next week:

Monday: Turbo
Tuesday: Run 2-3 miles (maybe), PiYo at Refinery
Wednesday: TurboFire HIIT 30, PiYo at the Y
Thursday: Run 3 miles or spin
Friday: rest
Saturday: PiYo x2!
Sunday: Run, RIPPED, or TurboFire!
Meal Plan:

  • Pot Pies with Salad and Homemade Ranch (only 20 cals per Tbs!!!)
  • Quorn "chicken" nuggets with mashed potatoes and broccoli
  • Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, baked hashbrowns, toast)
  • Chili with cornbread (I make amazing meatless chili!)

For lunches I have some lunch meat, salad with salmon, and an evol burrito. I'll mix and match these for whatever I feel like each day. :)

All in all, I've been good about sticking to my calorie budget, and workout plans. I think the past couple weeks have proved my theory that you need to enjoy your workouts! We all have days where we "don't wanna," but you shouldn't be dreading every workout. I think last week, I looked forward to and enjoyed every single workout. If you're having fun, you don't mind working  hard! :)

 If you're still dreading, keep trying new things til you fall in love with your workout! If you need help finding your soulmate, let me know! I'm chock full of good ideas! :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends, and have a wonderful Monday!

Cheers!
xoxo
Julie

Monday, November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving Recap!

Happy Monday, friends! You survived the post-holiday Monday blues! I had them REALLY bad this morning, but felt much better as the day went by. How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great, but I definitely ate too much. I did, however, workout HARD in preparation for this, so I am SO happy to say, I did not gain a single pound! WOO!

Here's my weekly recap!

Monday was Turbo, HIIT style, per usual. We had extra fun last week, and hopefully got a new girl hooked on Turbo! :)

Tuesday was just PiYo at Refinery. That extra cardio workout just didn't happen. PiYo was great, though! Since we have been doing the Lesson for several weeks now, I encouraged my regulars (and myself) to really start to push harder-- squat lower, do an extra pushup on our toes, lunge deeper, etc.-- and WOW! What a difference this made! I felt like it was the first time I had done it!

Wednesday morning I got up and did TurboFire HIIT 30 at 5:30. This is hard on my back that early in the morning, so I did the warmup twice through, and took it a little lower impact on the first drill. After that, I pushed!!! I sipped some R&R to help prevent soreness, and to help me get through, since I cannot eat breakfast before a morning workout that early! That stuff is a life saver!

Wednesday night was PiYo again, at the Y. Same thing as Tuesday-- encouraged those of us who have been doing it to really start to focus and push. Two nights in a row... I thought I might die. :)

I wore my Pretty Pink No Limits Tank, and my Zella Live In Capris. :)

Thursday-- THANKSGIVING! In preparation for pie and stuffing, I team taught a special Turbo Kick class at Refinery at 8am. We did a combination of Rounds, and the energy was off the CHAIN! I taught Recovery and Finale (MODULATOR!) and I am pretty sure we burned 234857203948572034 calories. HA! But seriously, crazy good workout, and so much fun! I loved it!

I wore my Indigo Quiet Stripe Speed Shorts, and my black Scoop tank. I was already sweaty in this pic, hehe.

Thursday afternoon, I headed to my mom's for some family time. We cooked, and ate, and ate, and ate some more. :) We had wine, and just chatted and relaxed. It was wonderful!

Friday I rested. More family time, and my BFF joined us for some girl time, some Mexican food, and more relaxing. I stayed up WAY too late (3am!) which hasn't happened for well, maybe years!

Meg and me at El Rancherito. <3 

Saturday morning, we all went to get manis/pedis! I was super sleepy from my ridiculous late night, but it was worth it! I got my nails done with shellac, which HOPEFULLY will cure me of this lifelong nail biting habit I have! 

Rew and me at the Green Door Spa. :)

My adorable nails! Love it!

Saturday afternoon, I had intended to go for a run. However, I napped for 2 hours instead, so I rested another day. 

Sunday I headed back home, feeling SO excited to have a full week off at Christmas, but also super glad to get back to my normal eating habits. I got back in time to head to the gym for R.I.P.P.E.D., which was tough, but not as bad as I had imagined. However, we did do 923485729034875 pushups, so I am SUPER sore today! (You KNOW I love it, though!)

Today was back at it, and my fave workout--TURBO! It was a rough workout tonight, though. I had trouble with my asthma, so I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to, but we still did 4 Turbo's, plus Finale, so I think I still did ok. :)

I wore my Blush Quartz sparkly Speed Shorts, and my black No Limits Tank (new!)

SO, like I said, feeling so glad to be back to normal eating habits! I stayed well below my calorie budget today, drank my Shakeology, and plan to stick with it all week! Here's what I got for this week's dinner plan:

Monday: Pot pies (found some with only 340 cals!), and side salads with homemade ranch.
Tuesday: Tacos with Quorn (TONS of protein, and low cal!)
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner.
Thursday: Baked chicken with baked potatoes and broccoli.
Friday: date night-- OUT!
Saturday/Sunday: TBA!

WORKOUT PLAN:
Monday (done!): Turbo!
Tuesday: PiYo
Wednesday: TurboFire HIIT 25 in the morning, PiYo in the evening
Thursday:  either run 3 miles in the morning, or possibly spin class after work
Friday: rest
Saturday: PiYox2 (MISSED you guys last week!)
Sunday: Run, or R.I.P.P.E.D., or TurboFire, whatever I feel like!

How about you?? What's your get-back-on-track plan? Do you have one? You need to WRITE IT DOWN and stick with it! No holiday weight gain for us. :)

Cheers to a great week, friends!
xoxo,
Julie



Sunday, November 18, 2012

Homemade Lasagna + Workout Schedule

What a beautiful weekend we had this week! I love these cool temps at night and warm during the day! It was 57 today-- perfect running temp! I felt super motivated to run today, considering all the comfort food I ate the last few days! The nutrition and diet plan went well until Friday. Friday we had an office potluck, and while I did fill up on plenty of veggies, I also couldn't resist potato chips, taco dip, and a piece of pumpkin pie! (Can you say, "food coma"?! ha!) Despite SWEARING I would never eat again... I had Mexican food Friday night. I do pretty well with that-- tilapia tacos with no cheese, and not TOO many chips, but I did splurge on cheese dip and had a margarita. YIPES!

Saturday was better, though I did make homemade lasagna for dinner. It's not a horrible nightmare, but it is def not low-cal. UPDATE! This is not as bad as I thought! Only 600 calories for 1/10 of the dish. That's a HUGE serving. To control the calories, eat with a salad, and have a smaller portion! 1/8 of the dish has 483 calories. Not bad at all! It was a lot of work but absolutely DELISH! I even made the sauce from scratch! :) Here are some shots of the yumminess.

Fresh from the oven!

A huge slice! 

Yeah... maybe should have halfed the recipe... :)

ANYWAY, workouts for the week went great! Here's what I did:

Monday was Turbo, per usual! Once again did it HIIT-style with Turbo's after each section. LOVE it! 

Tuesday I got up at 5:15 to go for a run! I ran just under 3 miles, and it was amazing! It was cold-- about 27 degrees, but I warmed up after about 3/4 mile. I had forgotten how much I prefer cool-weather running as opposed to summer running! 
I wore my Lululemon Groove pants, my Flash long-sleeve Swiftly with a Flash Power Y underneath, and ear warmers.

Tuesday night was PiYo at Refinery. They are such hard-workers, I love it! Great class, kicked my booty! 

Wednesday I taught PiYo at the Y! I love this class because I have such a wide range of people, from beginners, to advanced. Lots of options and super fun! :)

I wore some pinstripe Clam Diggers, and my white Scoop Me Up tank. :)

Thursday I rested.

Friday morning (in preparation for the office potluck), I got up and did TurboFire HIIT 30. This workout is AMAZING! It was my first time doing it, and it kicked my booty! I love that it's SO intense, but short! 

Saturday was double PiYo day! I felt really exhausted during these classes, for some reason. It was probably because I forgot to eat breakfast (OOPS!) until after my first class. But I made it through and finished with some R&R b/c I knew I'd be super sore if I didn't. 

I wore my black Clam Diggers and Pow Pink Scoop Me Up tank. :)

Sundays are my "whatever I want" days, so I took advantage of the weather, and went for a long, slow run. I did four miles at an easy pace, and allowed myself a couple of short walking breaks. It felt good. :) 

I wore my Lululemon run skirt (dunno what it's called), and my Flash Swiftly again. Perfect for this temp!

Next week is Thanksgiving, so I expect the diet plan will not be the best, but here is the workout plan!

Monday: TurboKick at Evolve
Tuesday: Run 3 miles, PiYo at Refinery
Wednesday: TurboFire HIIT 20 (maybe), PiYo at Refinery (added an extra cardio workout here, depends on how my legs feel)
Thursday: Special TurboKick class at Refinery at 8am. Team teaching with Colleen, Secily, and Danielle-- can't wait!! :)
Friday: Rest
Saturday and Sunday: TBA. Probably TurboFire, and possibly a run since I'll be at my mom's out in the country.

What are you plans for Thanksgiving? Are you working out Thursday? Do you try to "be good" for Thanksgiving dinner or just go all out? Share!! 

Happy Thanksgiving to you, friends! :)
xoxo

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Listening to My Body

Happy Sunday again, friends! Wow, this week flew by, and the weekend even faster! An interesting week for me, as I had to cut down my workouts (more on that later), but I did pretty darn good on the calorie/nutrition front! I had Shakeology Mon-Fri, for breakfast, even though it's soooo hard for me to drink it when it's cold outside! I just turned on my seat heaters and sucked it down. :)

Last week I posted a pretty ambitious workout schedule for the week, but things started to change after Monday... I have been having some trouble sleeping, and the past week or two, it got much worse. I was waking up in the night and not able to fall back to sleep. My legs and arms were constantly aching, and I was feeling pretty irritable. I started doing a little research and am wondering now if I haven't been overtraining. I decided to back off, take a step back, and stop beating up my poor body. :)  Here's what I did:

Monday was Turbo Kick, per usual. We still pushed to the max, with Turbo's after every section, making for one heck of a HIIT workout! It was really hard today, so we really had to push!We are a small class (usually 3-6 of us), but we sure do have fun working out together! :)

Tuesday is when I decided I have to stop doing so much. I had planned to do INSANITY Pure Cardio in the morning, but I was up for hours in the night, so I did not get up, and also decided to eliminate INSANITY from my routine for now. So, I did PiYo only at Refinery on Tuesday evening. It felt good!

 I wore my charcoal gray Groove pants from Lululemon, and my Pretty Pink No Limits Tank. This is one of my fave outfits. So cute, and so functional! 

Wednesday I just did PiYo again. I didn't sleep well on Tuesday night (again), so I didn't do any cardio. I found I was able to push myself even harder since I gave my body a break Tuesday!

Thursday morning I felt soooo much better. I slept on Wednesday night, so I got up at 5:15 on Thursday and did TurboFire HIIT 20. I loooove these workouts, and always look forward to them. I am going to incorporate more of TurboFire into my routine. I also love having it done early, as I then had my Thursday night free to spend with Rowan! :)

Friday was a rest day. :)

Saturday I taught PiYo 2 times. My core was SUPER sore today b/c of this, as well as my hamstrings and booty! LOVE IT! Both classes were well-attended and both classes worked their butts off! I can't tell you how much I love sharing this amazing workout with others. It makes me feel so strong and lean, and I love for my members to have that feeling. :)

I also got my hair done Saturday!
I always get the same thing-- highlights and trim, but she got it extra-blonde this time. LOVE!


Today I was feeling LAZY, and had lots of errands to run this afternoon, but I decided last minute to MAKE myself workout. I dragged myself kicking and screaming to the gym and did a R.I.P.P.E.D. class. So glad i did! It is a treat for me to take a class once in awhile and focus just on ME and my workout! Loved it!
 I wore my Blush Quartz Run:Speed Shorts, and my black and white striped racerback from Gap. (I know, I totally cheated on Lululemon! Don't tell!)

My new workout plan is to be more flexible. I am not going to do INSANITY for awhile, but instead will teach my classes, adding in some TurboFire, and some running when I can. I love INSANITY, but my body is trying to tell me I need a break from the intensity. Part of my issue, was that I was considering PiYo to be a "recovery" workout, and while it is low impact, it is not low intensity, so I'm going to "count" it as a workout.

Here's my plan for next week!

Monday: TurboKick at Evolve. Lots of Turbo's, lots of jumping. (Will need to leave room in my calorie budget for some Results and Recovery Formula after this.)
Tuesday: PiYo at Refinery.
Wednesday: Run 3 miles, and PiYo at the Y. Again, gonna need R&R.
Thursday: TurboFire HIIT 30.
Friday: Rest.
Saturday: PiYo x2! (My fave workout day) :)
Sunday: TBD. I will either run, go to R.I.P.P.E.D., go to BodyPump, do some TurboFire, or some combination of these things. :)

I know I made the right decision to mix up my routine because I am actually looking FORWARD to next week's workouts! I didn't realize it, but I had started to dread my INSANITY workouts! In my book, that means time to mix it up! I need to feel good about my workouts to really work hard and feel my best as the holidays approach!

Here are our dinner plans for this week:

~ Baked herb free-range chicken with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli
~ Chinese-style stir-fry with Quorn "chik'n," cabbage, broccoli and plain Ramen noodles
~ Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs with chives and reduced-fat Monterrey cheese, baked hashbrowns, and toast)
~ Either Mexican or Thai delivery
~ Fridays we always go out, and weekends are always TBD. :)

 On that note, my advice to you for the coming week is to look at your routine, listen to your body, and make adjustments if need be! Do you look forward to your workouts, or do you dread them? We all have "I don't wanna" days, but it shouldn't be every day, every workout. If you're doing a workout you enjoy, you'll work harder, you'll work safer, and you'll see better results. Period.

Thanks again for reading! Have a wonderful week, friends!

Cheers!
Julie

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Holidays Are Coming!

Helloooo! Happy End of Daylight Savings Time! I love love love this time. Although I don't particularly like how early it gets dark, I DO love having more light in the mornings. SO much easier to get up! Plus, now it really feels like the holidays are coming!

Speaking of approaching holidays, I have found myself more tempted by chocolate the last couple of weeks than I normally am. I think that staying on track this holiday season is going to be tougher than I expected. I'm in the midst of a second round of INSANITY, so I'm going to try to remember that I do NOT want to undo all my hard work whenever I feel tempted by sweets and snacks! I'm setting my calorie budget, and sticking to it with some extra planning this week!

Here's my weekly workout recap!

Monday was Glow in the Dark TurboKick! This was SO.MUCH.FUN.!! I cannot believe I didn't get any pics, but we wore glow bracelets and necklaces, and did Turbo's after each section, for a total of 4, plus Modulator Finale (my fave Finale EVER!) I was a hot mess after!! I am sure that our calorie burn was through the roof!

I wore my Pretty Pink No Limits Tank, and my black and Pig Pink Turbo shorts. Comfy and cute. :)

Tuesday morning I dragged my booty up at 5:15 and did Cardio Power and Resistance. This is my least favorite INSANITY workout, but I took some Energy and Endurance Formula first, and that helped me power through! Also, I sipped some Results and Recovery Formula during my workout, since I cannot eat in the morning before I do INSANITY. It wasn't horrible. :)

Tuesday evening was glow-in-the-dark PiYo at Refinery! This was also a blast! We had a large class (15, I think?) and everyone was glowing and having fun! We spent a few minutes getting the glow sticks on, so that took up part of our workout, but we pushed hard, and powered through and still got our booties kicked!

For PiYo, I wore my new Polar Cream/Glen Check Wunder Unders and my black Scoop tank. I'm still undecided on these pants on me, but they are so comfy, I think I love them. I'll give them a couple more tries to be sure. What do you think?!

Wednesday I just did glow-in-the-dark PiYo again, this time at the Y! The room wasn't * quite * dark enough, but it was still fun. Not many people, since it was Halloween, and trick-or-treat night but we had a room full of energy, just the same. :)

Wednesday was my favorite outfit. :) I wore my black Zella capris from Nordstrom, and my Flash Power Y. I have never loved a color as much as Flash. :)  Also, I love how toned my arms look in this pic! :)

Thursday I got up at 5 (again!!) and did INSANITY Pure Cardio. This workout is hard b/c there are no breaks, but it was NOT as hard as I had remembered. Love seeing improvement! Thursday night is my "off" night so we went out to dinner, and I *may* have had too much wine. :)

Friday is normally my rest day, but since I was heading to my mom's for the weekend on Saturday, I knew I wouldn't want to workout on Sunday. I did Plyometric Cardio Circuit after work. Not going to lie, I did NOT want to do it. I had to FORCE myself, and even once I pushed play, it was tough to push like I normally do. However, I did it, I sweated, I got through it. And I was glad I did. :)

Saturday was double PiYo day! My favorite! Big classes at both the Y and at Evolve! I had a warm fuzzy moment or two on Saturday, as I realized how much I truly love being able to share this amazing workout with others. It's such an empowering and strengthening class.

Saturday I wore my other new Wunder Unders in heathered black and my white and gray Scoop Me Up Tank. These pants are amazing. So comfortable, and so flattering! Love them! I plan to also wear them with tunic sweaters and Ugg boots. :)

Today I rested.  And bought this:
I'll let you know how it is! I am super excited to have it with my coffee in the morning. :)

Here's my workout plan for next week. I am trying to follow the INSANITY calendar, but I want to finish it in 60 days this time, so I am substituting PiYo for Cardio Recovery, skipping whatever workouts are on the calendar for Saturday, and subbing in TurboKick for Monday's workout. * whew*

Monday: TurboKick Round 32
Tuesday: Pure Cardio in the morning, PiYo after work
Wednesday: PiYo (in place of Cardio Recovery)
Thursday: Cardio Power and Resistance
Friday: Rest, or Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs (depends how I feel)

Saturday: PiYo x2
Sunday: Rest, or Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs (depends on Friday)

We have lots of healthy food stocked in the cabinets, so staying on track with my calorie plan should be a little easier too. :) For dinners, I have planned:

~ Tacos with Quorn meatless grounds (only 90 calories for a HUGE serving!)
~ Breakfast for dinner (delish, and easy to control cals!)
~ Chinese-style stir-fry with Quorn meatless chicken substitute (also only 90 cals for a huge serving!)
~ Turkey wraps and homemade broccoli cheddar soup

Lunches are simple, turkey sandwiches, and a couple frozen organic burritos, plus taco leftovers one day!

I'm still struggling with reevaluating what my goals are for my fitness at this point. I am loving just getting more fit, and seeing improvement with INSANITY, and while I'd like to spot-reduce some fat on my tummy and arms, considering that isn't possible, I don't really want to lose a ton of weight. I like my size for the most part... Still pondering on this, as I have never NOT had a weight-loss goal before-- hopefully will have some definable goals by next week! :)

Looking forward to a bright morning tomorrow!! Do you prefer Daylight Savings Time, or normal time change?

Cheers to a new week, my friends! <3
~Julie xoxo