Two-Day Tin [Wo]Man

So yesterday, I woke up sooo sore! Wowza. But I had anticipated this, which is why I scheduled "stretch yoga" in my training plan. It took awhile, though, before I made the time to do the hour-long P90X stretch session. I felt much better afterward. Still a bit sore, but at least less tin-man like.

This morning, I still woke up sore! As planned, I have taken the entire day off of exercise. I definitely needed the 72-hour break between scheduled runs to recover from the first one! Let's hope it's long enough - I need to get in some endurance training tomorrow.

Packing Up and Going Home

Well, this morning, I woke up and finished cleaning and organizing the storage room! It only took 3 more hours to finish and pack up my dad's pickup with items to take to a second-hand store.

Before leaving for Saint Paul, I even made time to do the 35-minute Pilates for Dummies routine, and Power 90 Abs!

Last Deep Clean

This morning, I did Power 90 (disc 2) right away when I got up. Man, what a strength training workout! I had wanted to go for a walk later in the day, but being that it is my last day in Halstad (I go home to Saint Paul tomorrow!), I decided to take on one last project for my dad and clean out my parents' storage room. 5 hours later, I'm finally calling it a night! Hope to finish up in the morning before I take off!

Red in the Face

I felt really gross this morning when I woke up. Just super sweaty...I know you all want to know that. So, I took a shower rather than diving into exercise. I knew this would mean I would most likely put exercising off until later in the day, but I worked out rather late yesterday too, so, as long as I get all my time in, it's good.

Well, I started exercising at 8:00pm! My mom realized that she consumed more calories than she intended to and so she was going to bike them off. As I returned a friend's bike just yesterday, I wasn't able to bike with her, so I decided to run with her! That's right. I haven't run in about 8 months, but I decided to give it a go. For those of you who may not realize. I may be in good weight shape, but I'm not in good running shape. Regardless, I did pretty good! I ran just over 3 miles without stopping or walking and averaged a 10-minute mile. Excellent, if you ask me!

My mom got really concerned halfway through the run because my face was really red. My face is always red when I run; in or out of running shape. So, that didn't concern me. I did feel like puking when I finished, but I was never in danger of passing out. The picture above was taken after I finished my run, to demonstrate my red face. I know I have crazy, semi-crossed eyes...that may have been from the run too :)

When I returned from my run, I gave myself a few minutes to recover, then performed the stretching pilates DVD with Trudie Styler. This way, I didn't have to consciously stretch after my run! I hate going through the motions of stretching before and after a run, so this was a fun way to do that.

After that, I did the "Hip Hop Abs" DVD to offset my deficit of exercise on Tuesday. Now, I just have 15 more minutes to make up for that lost day...

Catching the Worm

Although I have been exercising with my mother for the majority of the last month or so, in honor of Mother's Day, she and I did 60 minutes of mat pilates together this morning. Immediately after Pilates, I was all warmed up to do Hip Hop Abs. It's only 8:30am, and I've completed my required exercises for the day!

Low Key

Today was a loooong day! I woke up early to exercise, but then didn't actually exercise. Some of you may notice that these exercise reports don't get posted right away (they say they do), but sometimes I don't get around to actually publishing them until a few days after the fact. So, I ended up spending my morning writing a few blog entries rather than exercise.

Before I knew it, I had to pack up the car and head back to Fargo, as my dad would like my help on the farm for 1 more week! Four hours later, once I arrived in Fargo, I had to run a few errands for him. I arrived in Halstad at around 7:00pm. Exhausted from a day of driving and running errands, I crashed on the couch for a few hours. At 10:00pm, I finally figured I better do something just so that I don't let the entire day go to waste, exercise-wise. So, I did "Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs." I didn't have as much pep as the instructors this time!

It is ok to have a low-key exercise day every once in awhile. Sometimes, it is what the body needs in order to continue cooperating with a weight loss plan. But it is important to still do something, so that the habit of exercising is not lost. I try to schedule in a lighter day for me and my mom once each week. That was supposed to be this past Monday with the stretching pilates routine with Trudie Styler. So, I anticipate working much harder the next few days to make up for 2 light days in one week.

Pilates

Today, I was pretty uninspired, so I woke up and did the "Crunch" pilates, "Pilates for Dummies" mat routine, and "Power 90" abs. A total of 60 minutes of exercise.

Luke and I are having our kitchen remodeled. They are coming to install our new kitchen island and raised table next week! To prepare, I decided to take one of Luke's family's heirlooms, our kitchen table and chairs, to his parents' house so that his sister can use them when she moves into her new apartment this summer. I moved the table and chairs by myself to Luke's parents' house! This was a workout in itself!

On Belay!

This evening, Luke and I decided to go wall climbing. We thought about doing this on Sunday, but concluded we didn't have the time or adequate energy for our first-time attempt to scale a wall (since at least high school, for me).

A friend of ours is a member of Vertical Endeavors, which has wall-climbing facilities scattered about the Twin Cities. We went to the one closest to us. After a 10-minute introduction in order to learn how to use the auto-belays, we climbed away.

There were so many ropes and auto-belays, that even though the St. Paul facility was fairly crowded, we didn't have to wait long (if at all) to use an auto-belay (which are pretty amazing contraptions!). There were tons of kids there! Some of them were pretty amazing...climbing advanced routes, hanging upside down on the ceiling, belaying each other... Although they were pretty incredible and fun to watch, I think I would want to go back during the day, when kids are in school. It would help free up a lot of the routes, and lessen the screaming and screeching!

Luke and I were at the facility for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course, we weren't purely climbing the entire time. Even in weight lifting, it is important to give the muscles being worked a short break between sets. I figure we were actually climbing for a third of the time we were there.

I will definitely go back!

Just Doing It

Today is a busy day. This morning, I had plans to get together with a friend of mine for coffee, then get a pedicure (I know, life is tough!), then go to church, and of course, find time to exercise.

So, this morning, I finally pulled myself out of bed at 8:30am to do my Power 90 strength training routine. I woke Luke up with all of my huffing and puffing, because I was really giving those push ups and dumb-bell presses everything I had.

After my coffee date and pedicure, Luke and I thought we might go wall/rock climbing as a fun activity that I could count as exercise. But I was really zapped of energy. Maybe the drive from Halstad on Friday finally caught up with me. Also, Luke had been concerned that we might be late for church if we tried to go this afternoon. So, we opted out of wall climbing.

I really was not excited about finding another exercise activity, and I kept putting it off until close to 10:00pm. I simply chose to do 30 minutes of elliptical.

So, yes, people out there who read my blog, there are certainly days that I really don't want to work out. Rather than make excuses or think about it too hard, I resolve to just do an exercise. More often than not, half way through the exercise I feel great about myself, having conquered my own obstacle.

Pilates Marathon

Today wasn't a heavy work day, and I still had some leftover motivation from yesterday to do try a pilates marathon.

When I woke up, I did 55 minutes of mat pilates. At about 2:00pm, I concentrated on abs with Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs, followed by standing pilates, followed by Power 90 5-minute "Ab Ripper 100."

At 8:30pm, I ended the day with some stretching yoga: Core Strength Pilates with Trudie Styler.

That's a total of 3 hours of pilates! I feel great!

"Last Chance Workout"

This morning, I took a bus to Minneapolis for a quick trip to be with Luke and his family for the weekend. The last time I saw Luke, he said I was looking more fit, and I want to keep those compliments coming! So, I woke up early in order to do the Power 90 "Sculpt" strength training routine, immediately followed by the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" routine. Wow! Now that I have the "Hip Hop Abs" dance routine down, I'm putting more effort into embellishments, etc. Boy, I am sweating up a storm! What a workout!

It was another miserable day outside; cold and damp. I was slightly uncomfortable on the bus the entire way to Minneapolis because the cold kept seeping through the large windows of the bus. And I was SUPER hungry later in the day, and all I can think of is that I my body must have been trying so hard to keep me warm for 6 hours, that I burned a ton of calories in the process! Note to self, bring winter socks and fleece blanket on future bus rides!

Curling Iron

Beginning to settle into the Power 90 "Sculpt" workout. I've built on some sets (such as the bicep curl sets) to using 10-pound weights instead of 8-pound weights. For the sets where I am still using the 8-pound weights, I am increasing repetitions to 12. Tony Horton and his crew do 15 reps of everything, so, I figure once I hit 15 reps with the 8-pound weights, it's time to either move up in weight, or on to "Part 2" of Power 90 "Sculpt."

Later this afternoon, while my mother was scrubbing floors as part of her exercise, I popped the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" routine into the DVD player. I'm starting to get this one down; making it even more fun to do!

Knees and Knees

Today, I scrubbed and cleaned floors the good ol' fashioned way: on my hands and knees! And I scrubbed for a good 90 minutes!

After a snack break, I did the Power 90 strength training routine. The 8-pound weights I've been using are starting get a little easy to lift. I've been able to increase 8 repetitions to 10. Later this week, or beginning of next, I will probably move to the 10-pound weights I have. Whoo hooo! Bring on the muscle!

Surprise!

Well, since my shoes are worn out, I decided to stay out of them and do the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" workout.

Luke called to say he's coming up for a surprise visit in a few hours. So, we'll meet in Fargo, and I'll buy some new tennis shoes!

Women Overboard!

My mom's right foot was hurting this morning from the strain of all the walking we have been doing. So, we really changed things up in our routine and went to open swim at an indoor pool to do some water aerobics! 50 minutes worth! I even did some dives off the board at the end. Shout out to Jodi for letting me borrow her swimsuit!

Later in the afternoon, we then did another exercise DVD: "Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs." You know, even though I'm not a fan of doing a number of different exercise DVDs, the nice thing about the Yoga Booty Ballet series is that the instructors are essentially teaching you a routine. They give you one part of the routine at a time and slowly build on, so by the end of the routine, you know what you are doing. And it's fun! I also liked this "Hip Hop Abs" better than the "Cabaret" from a few weeks ago; it's less "Broadway," and more "dance party."

Hello, Broadway!

So, I know I just posted recently about sticking to a select few workout DVDs in order to become comfortable with the routine. I don't think I get much of a workout when I'm essentially simply watching how to do a routine the first few times through. Of course, variety is also important in order to challenge one's muscles as well as prevent boredom.

Well, my mom has quite a few workout DVDs, so I though I'd add a little variety to my exercise and try one of them. I chose "Yoga Booty Ballet: Cardio Cabaret, Burlesque Style." Wow! This is an awkward routine to perform in my parents' living room, especially when my dad decided he had enough energy to come down out of his sick bed for a few hours.

I must say, though, it was fun! And I did break a sweat.

Stretch!

So, rather than bore myself with the all-too-familiar run this morning, I decided to do some calm stretching. I got out my exercise DVDs and reached for my 10-minute "Get Balanced: Pilates Express" workout that I found in a box of Kashi cereal a few years ago.

To my surprise, after the 10 minute mark, the DVD kept going. I apparently grabbed the full version I purchased a few months ago since I liked the 10-minute sample version so much. The full version, "Trudie Styler's Core Strength Pilates," is 55 minutes long. My subconscious must have tricked me into a longer workout! I feel great now, so I suppose I shouldn't complain :)

My mom even joined me for the first 10 or 15 minutes! Way to go, Mom!

I find that it is important to only have a select few workout DVDs because you don't really get much of a workout while you are learning the routine. It's obviously hard to do a move when you are craning your neck to see how to do it. I'm still learning this full-version routine. I anticipate needing to do it at least another 5 times before I become comfortable with hearing and following the instruction (versus relying on a video demonstration).

Pilates

I have been getting a lot of headaches in the past few weeks. And on Monday, a migraine. So, this evening, I decided to do some low-impact exercising, because I've been wanting to exercise but due to the headaches, running wasn't appealing. So I did the 40-minute Pilates for Dummies routine. Some of my back muscles were stiff and sore during the exercise, but I felt better afterwards.

I'm thinking I might do some elliptical exercising tomorrow...

Pilates

This morning, I wanted to do the standing pilates routine on the Pilates for Dummies DVD, but I went to bed last night with a pretty bad headache and it wasn't completely gone this morning. So, I decided to keep with the low impact mat work on the Pilates for Dummies DVD and Gaiam DVD.

Pilates

This morning, I wanted to get a good stretch in, so I did the mat work on my "Pilates for Dummies" DVD, and then the 10-minute express pilates workout on my Gaiam, Trudie Styler DVD. My mom joined me for the Gaiam portion. A few days ago, I finally decided to order the full version of the Gaiam Pilates with Trudie Styler. I've had that Pilates for Dummies DVD for about a decade...it's about time to change things up...