500 Mountain Climbers & Planks

Here's another quick workout - 10 minutes, set your gymboss for 1:00

Each minute on the minute do 50 mountain climbers, then hold a center plank or side plank (alternate sides) for the rest of the time until the gymboss beeps, then do 50 mountain climbers again, repeat for 10 minutes or 500 mountain climbers.  Here's a good video showing how to do Mountain Climbers properly:

180 Jump Squats

I was sick Monday thru this morning, but I'm feeling better now so did a quick 400 lunges workout without weights:

Set gymboss to 1:00 and start your timer - Each minute on the minute do 3 burpees - or - 10 "Run Squat 180 Jump Switch" (that's a P90X move)

Then keep track of your lunges in between and keep going till you've done 400 lunges. 

I finished 400 lunges at 18:03, but then did 10 more Burpees just to top it off.

Good workout, hoping to feel back on the wagon cause I've been feeling lethargic and hammered, no fun to feel lousy.

Be Content With Your Body

I loved the last paragraph of this post over at Angry Trainer Fitness -

"I know how hard we can be on ourselves, but really, will you be any better as a person if your stomach is tighter? Do you think people will like or love you more? I know what you feel, really I do. I just wish we would all learn how to love what we have rather than focus on what we don’t."

Love it!  That's something I've learned but am still trying to master, and an idea I hope to share with this blog - your body is great, love it!  Go ahead and strive to make it even more awesome, but love it everyday along the way.

I had my breakthrough with this idea last year when my friend Shannon passed away.  She had been active for years hiking, biking, running marathons, you name it.  She was strong and in great health (especially considering she was a breast cancer survivor) but didn't have an amazing body or killer abs like I was coveting on others.  Still, she was still my hero in every way.  Then her cancer came back and she was so sick, she lost all her energy and also lost a lot of weight.  She now had that "thin" body on the outside, but her vibrant active life was over. She passed away a few months later.

When she died, I was working off the baby weight of my 4 month old.  Even though I was carrying an extra 30 pounds, I could do everything and anything I wanted, except fit into my small tight fitting clothes.  And was that really that big of a deal?  My friend was skinny now, but I was sure she'd trade me places to have her active and healthy functioning body back.  Was I happy to be where I was?  It made me think - what do I need to be happy?  Would I rather be carrying around an extra 15 pounds but be able to go running and hiking?  Or would I rather be thin and skinny and fit into size 4 jeans, but be sick and frail?

It was a wake up call for me and I finally really got it - I understood a little bit more how to be content with my body.  Enjoy where you are!  Enjoy what you can do! Choose to be happy now.  It's good to strive and work, it's also good to be content and focus on what you have over what you lack. 

ZWOW #31 - Circuit Sweat

Did this one today and ugh, I was feeling super sluggish and didn't have a lot of gusto to do it, but I just kept moving and pushed, and slowly but surely finished it - yippie!

Loved the style of the workout - with 10, 20, 30 etc increased reps. 

3 rounds for time - 1 round =

• 10 Push Ups
• 20 Burpees
• 30 Jump Squats
• 40 Mountain Climbers
• 50 Sit Ups

Zuzana got about 16 minutes, I got 27.  Pretty slow.  But we've had visitors in town and have been making cookies and eating chocolate chips.  I know, excuses excuses. 

Video here.

ZWOW #1 with Pistols!

I did it, I did ZWOW #1 and I did it with the pistol squats this time, pretty proud of myself.  My time was 24:02

They were modified pistol squats, mind you - I sat down on the couch after pulling off a cushion, so it was really low.  I know I'll have to work up to doing it without being able to sit at the bottom of each rep.  Still, like I said, proud of myself for doing it!  Definitely harder than a 1 minute wall squat.

and I got that image above from a blog I just stumbled upon "God In Fitness" which I am going to explore around but I think I'm gonna love it!  I've got a spiritual blog and a fitness blog, I love that they combined them in one, God and Health are two of the things I am most passionate about.  Like!

20 Exercise

For my workout today I did a 20 minute workout by doing each of the following exercises for 1 minute (with a quick break to write down my reps after each minute) - I tried to do an "on the floor" exercise followed by a standing or cardio exercise:

1. Dive Bombers
2. Jump Lunges
3. Mountain Climbers
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Plank Jacks
6. Deadlifts (two 30 lbs)
7. Wall Touch
8. 180 Jump Touch
9. Plank Rows (30 lbs)
10. High Knees
11. Left Side Plank Lift
12. Skaters
13. Right Side Plank Lift
14. Burpees
15. Dragon Lunges
16. Mule Kick w/Jump Squats
17. Squat Jumps
18. Center Plank hold
19. Walking Lunges
20. Plank Row/Knee Tuck

It was a good workout and I'm feeling happy and fit.  Going to do some Boat Pose Yoga tonight too, hoping to improve my posture ~

20 Minute Lunge & Deadlift Challenge

Even though I was sore for 5 days, I did enjoy my 400 lunges challenge last week that I gave myself.  Going to do a repeat of it today but alternating in Deadlifts with two 30 lbs dumbbells.  Looks like this:

Set Timer for 20 minutes

Set Gymboss to 1:00

Every minute, on the minute, do 5 Half Burpees (or 3 standard burpees (that means with the push-up))
Then after your burpees, do walking Lunges. then ~
Beep - do burpees again, followed by Deadlifts
Beep - do burpees again, followed by walking lunges again
Beep - do burpees again, followed by Deadlifts again

Get the picture? 

I'll be listening to this song during my workout, on repeat for 20 minutes -


Then I'll go take a shower and get dressed and get to the million things I should do today (since it's almost 1pm, yikes!) ~ have a great day!

Update - my arms are sooo sweaty.  I had a telephone call after 10 minutes, paused my timer, thought I started it again after I was off the phone but I didn't so I think I added 4 minutes in there without being timed - 24 minutes baby!  Ooh I'm drippin', woo, gonna go stretch.

Nicole, I'm training you when you get here, so watch out!!!

Angry Trainer Workout

This is a workout from the Angry Trainer that I modified just a little bit (I am going to do both sides of an exercise (like gladiator) rather than do one side each round cause if I tried it that way I know I'd forget if I'm on the left or right side.)

Set your gymboss for 10/20 and do each
1 round (7 minutes) -

• Little People (stay in low squat, low left lung forward
• Hip Drive (dumbbell swing)
• Gladiator
• - other side Gladiator
• Bottom Burpee
• One Legged Jumps (back lunge with knee up jump)
• - other leg One legged jumps
• Swiss Ball Twist Roll Ins
• Dumbbell Snap (pull with the elbow in a row, then press up)
• - other side Dumbell Snap
• Rocking Abs
• Bird Dogs (knee to elbow under and extend)
• - other side Bird Dogs
• Burpee Jump Squats

Rest 10 seconds and repeat 2, 3 or even 4 sets if you can handle it!

ZWOW #30

My legs are still sore from my 400 lunges on Monday.  Guess I haven't been keeping up with keeping them worked as much as I thought.  But I was able to do Zuzka's workout of the week (Zwow) today - Zwow 30 today which is a "beat your time" of Zwow 1.

Complete as 3 rounds for time
1 round =

• Dive bombers (10x)
• 5 Burpees
• Squat with Side Leg Lift (20/20)
• 5 Burpees
• Side Plank Lift (10/10)
• 5 Burpees
• Pistol Squat (10x)
• 5 Burpees

I didn't do pistol squats, I did a 1 minute wall squat each round instead.  But I think my hips have issues that could be helped if I did do pistol squats, so I'm gonna start doing them modified and try to work my way up.  I'll just do them on the stairs.

As for my time... my timer got stopped by the baby at the end of round 2, then I got pulled away so there was a 10 minute interruption in the middle of it.  Annoying, but sometimes I annoy Sophia too, as you can tell by the look she's giving me here.

haha - So we just grin and bear it.  :)  Still, love short and intense workouts that just use your bodyweight, you can even do a lot of them barefoot like this guy did ~ His pistol squats are awesome, great job!

MusclePants

Here's my hubby in 2002 when we were both Body-for-LIFE-ing together. He was pretty proud of his abs. I was too. I've told him I'd like them this year for my Christmas present (giving him a few months to get on it)
He's always been a slender fellow, still is lean looking, but his shoulders are a little slumped these days from years of crouching over a lap top and having a heavy yoke to bear. I keep trying to get him to workout with me - "It's just 20 minute of torture, sweetie, that's all!" He'd rather go to the gym though, where he can zone out his brain watching tv as he runs on the treadmill. His poor little brain is already so overworked. Still, we'll see if I get my Christmas wish!

Blueberry Protein Shake

These are my new favorites -

1/2 c. water
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 c. blueberries
5 drops vanilla stevia
6 ice cubes (or 12 half filled for easier blending)
2 tsp Konsyl

Mmmm!

protein powder 90 cal
2 cups blueberries 140 calories
Konsyl 6 calories
Total - 236 calories

(side note - I read blueberries might help me overcome my thorn in the flesh. I drink tons of water and exercise, doesn't make a difference. Hoping these blueberry shakes work, plus adding some Konsyl psyllium.)

Walking Lunge and Burpee Challenge

Time yourself for 400 Lunges with 3 burpees each minute on the minute - GO!

My time 16:44, so that means I did 400 walking lunges (no weights) and 48 burpees total. And I'm sweatin'! Finally I can go shower for today before hubby comes home from work

Do It!

"Welcome the task that makes you go beyond yourself and you will grow."

-Sister Julie B. Beck's mother's Motto - reference here.

Pyramid Workout

5 minute bodyweight only workout

3 minute buy in of Burpees
1 minute each of ~

• Crab
• bicycle
• T-up alternate
• Plank wall touch
• Mountain climber
• Wall Squat

Then repeat it all 1 minute each in reverse order

• Wall Squat
• Mtn Climber
• Plank Wall Touch
• T-up alt
• Bicycle
• Crab

4 Week Workout Program

Ok Hermana, this one is for you ~ Get your gymboss ready



4 WEEK WORKOUT PROGRAM

WEEK 1

Monday - Repeat this circuit 3x

• Mountain Climbers (20 sec)
• Burpees (20 sec)
• Prison Squats (20 sec)
• Regular Push Ups (20 sec)
• Rest 30 seconds

Tuesday - High Intensity Cardio
Run on Treadmill our outside - repeat this circuit 3x

• 1 minute at max speed (8 mph) or High intensity
• 2 minutes at moderate speed (5 mph)
• 5 minutes at slow pace/walk (2 mph)
• rest 30 seconds

If doing this in your home, you can do this circuit 3x:

• 1 minute jump knee tucks
• 2 minutes high knees
• 5 minutes jog in place
  

Wednesday - repeat Monday
Thursday - repeat Tuesday
Friday - repeat Monday
Saturday - active rest

WEEK 2

Monday - Repeat this circuit 3x

• Plank (20 sec)
• Squat Hold (20 sec)
• Explosive Push Ups (20 sec)
• Ball Pass Crunches (20 sec)
• Rest 30 seconds

Tuesday - High Intensity Cardio - repeat 4x

• Hook - Upper Cut - Front Kick (20 sec)
• High Power Jumps (20 sec)
• rest 30 seconds

Wednesday - repeat Monday
Thursday - repeat Tuesday
Friday - repeat Monday
Saturday - active rest

WEEK 3

Monday - Repeat this circuit 3x

• Dreya Roll (20 sec)
• Side Plank Left (20 sec)
• Side Plank Right (20 sec)
• Crunches on Ball (20 sec)
• Diamond Push Ups (20 sec)
  
• Rest 30 seconds

Tuesday - High Intensity Cardio - repeat 4x

• Power Jacks (20 sec)
• High Knees (20 sec)
• rest 30 seconds

Wednesday - repeat Monday
Thursday - repeat Tuesday
Friday - repeat Monday
Saturday - active rest

WEEK 4

Monday - Repeat this circuit 3x

• Jack Knife on Ball (20 sec)
• Plank on Ball (20 sec)
• Spiderman Push Up (20 sec)
• Crunchy Frog(20 sec)
• Rest 30 seconds

Tuesday - High Intensity Cardio - repeat 4x

• Squat Jumps (20 sec)
• Jump Rope (20 sec)
• rest 30 seconds

Wednesday - repeat Monday
Thursday - repeat Tuesday
Friday - repeat Monday
Saturday - active rest

Before and After

In 2002 we took a vacation to Disney World.  After we got home, we watched a video of our adventure, at which time I experienced my first smack in the face of "Oh my gosh, is that what I LOOK LIKE!?! oh no..."
"Please tell me that is not what I look like, cause that person in that video is not who I see in the mirror... is that what everyone else sees? That is NOT me..."
Having babies has definitely been the main factor in me realizing I didn't know how to be healthy. And I needed to figure it out pronto, cause I did not want to look like that person in the vacation video.

I seriously didn't know how to be healthy. After my 3rd child was born, my lack of knowledge was becoming very evident in my face and body.
With the first 3 babies I had just continued my high school and newlywed way of diet and exercise which basically was eat fat-free food as much as I wanted (like fat free fig newtons, pretzels, and redvine licorice, yeah - I was clueless) and go jogging now and then if I ate fattening chocolate. I was a size 12 all through high school and was happy when I got back to size 12 after the first 2 babies.

After baby 3, I read Marilu Henner's book Total Health Makeover that taught me how to eat, and it was a way that really worked for me. I exercised the Body for Life way, and experienced a total paradigm shift and was amazed with myself when I reached a size 6. As a teenager I had labeled myself "I am a big boned soccer player, I am size 12, that's who I am." I was totally on the ball after that and with babies 4 and 5 (top weight pregnant with 4 was 164, with #5 was 167

After my 8th, I got to size 4/6 again - no full body shot but think my face here shows that I'm figuring it out and working at it.

In summer 2015 I had my 10th. We spent about 4 months of that pregnancy in Brazil. I got up to 190 this last pregnancy. Baby was 8.1. He's almost 3 months old and I weigh 157 now and am slowly getting it off - slow and steady. I've been eating super healthy the past month but baby doesn't like my skim milk much so he's not nursing much.

As the cute kids kept coming, I tried out different things - gym membership, Pilates, Spinning class, a half marathon, P90X, Kristi Approved/Live the Live, Insanity ~ I was always in search of a workout program that would work as a lifestyle for me as busy mom.
I enjoy Zuzka workouts that I can do at home and usually do some modified version of those now. Keeping my workouts to about 20 minutes and eating healthy to clear my clog.

Update July 2019 - My little Peter, baby 12, is almost 6 months old. He is so lovely. I am 146 right now, which is the new low I hit this past week. I'm just off a month of no sugar, had some birthday cake and vegan ice cream last week though. I'm aiming for a mostly non-sugar and non-processed food lifestyle.

Update April 2020 - I'm still in the 140s. I actually got to 140.0 in October, but I have not been able to get below that into the 130s. I was 142-146 this week. Last week I was 143-149. Peter is still nursing. Is my body holding onto the weight cause of the stress of not sleeping through the night and still nursing? Maybe. We are getting family pictures taken next Thursday. Hope to work off some of it this week, I've increased to 3 miles 3x a week instead of 2 miles.

Tiff's 250 & Planks

Instead of doing 12 minutes of planks Mon/Wed/Fri, I'm doing 6 minutes each day. Did center and reverse planks yesterday, each 1x for 3 minutes. Today I did left and right side planks 1x for 3 minutes each, (those are killer.)

Then I did this workout creation by yours truly:

• 50 Half Burpees
• 50 Deadlifts w/two 30 lb dumbbells
• 50 Divebombers
• 50 Plank wall Touch (1 rep = touch wall 2x, once with each hand)
• 50 Jump Lunges

My time was 18:48 and I'm beat!

This is how my reps went (if this makes sense ~ I just did as much as I could of an exercise then did whichever different one until I completed 50 of each)

1) 25 Half burpees
2) 10 Divebombers
3) 25 Jump Lunges
4) 10 Divebombers
5) 25 Deadlifts
6) 25 Plank Wall Touch
7) 25 Jump Lunges (done)
8) 10 Divebombers
9) 25 Deadlifts (all done)
10) 10 Divebombers
11) 25 Plank Wall Touch (done!)
12) 25 Half Burpees (done!)
13) 10 Divebombers (ALL done!!!)

130 LB Hurdle

I am pleased to announce that I broke through the 130 lb barrier yesterday, I weighed in at 129.6! This is a great place to be. Also impressed with myself that I got here after a week of vacation. Of course I was sick with some nasty bug that cleansed out my digestive system very well, so that probably contributed. ...plus yesterday I participated in my church's monthly 1st Sunday of the month fast, so I'm sure not eating for 24 hours helped too, but still... Woohoo!!

I'm committed to being fit, I love it.

ZWOW #28 - Bodyweight Bombshell

Love love love these workouts - intense, quick, and effective!

I was just here at my computer watching this video and writing it down so I could go do it, then Zuzka started and even though I was here barefoot and in my pj pants, I tried out each one and could do them okay, so I did it too with her. I just followed along with whatever she was doing - I could do the dragon kicks faster but was slower on the reptile push ups, so I'd get ahead and keep going, or keep going to try and catch up. I did 3 rounds. :)



10 minute AMRAP
(As many Rounds as Possible in 10 minutes)

1 round =

• 20 Dragon Lunge Kicks - 10 reps each leg
• 20 Alternate Jump Lunges
• 15 Pike Jumps (like a Mule Kick with a Jump Squat)
• 10 Reptile Push Ups (right knee, left knee, & push up)

Go do it RIGHT NOW!

Diet Tips

I'd say the #1 key to keeping diet on track is ENVIRONMENT! You've got to create the right environment in your home/office if you want to lose weight (which is why I took a small sample of the delicious chocolate brownies at Costco today but did not buy the container dozens of them, or I would have eaten them all). In my own words, here's great advice from Dr. Phil's book The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution

It's not about motivation or will power - you've got to create the right environment for yourself or you will not succeed. Make a Plan! Dr. Phil gives this example in his book: Imagine if you were traveling on a plane and the pilot suddenly passed out and YOU were the one who had to land the plane safely or you and everyone would die. You would be HIGHLY motivated and have a lot of will to want to land that plane, right? Yes. But without the proper skills and knowledge, that "will power" isn't going to get you there and you are going to crash and burn.

Same thing with diet.

You've got to have the skills and knowledge to succeed. One of those keys is ENVIRONMENT. You've got to have the right environment at home. Buy vegetables and buy fruit, buy healthy food and DON'T BUY THE JUNK food or things that you know you crave or are a weakness for you. I can resist the foods on the grocery shelf when I'm shopping much more than I can if it's in my pantry, so don't put it in your pantry!
Which brings us to tip #2 - Earlier this year while watching Biggest Loser (the kids and I kinda like that show) the nutritionist took them to the grocery store and told them all this:

When you go shopping, pretend your cart is your stomach. You want to fill it up first with fresh produce, your veggies and fruit, so put those in your cart first, then your proteins and healthy oils, and last the carbs.

...or pretend your basket is your stomach - if you're not feeding a big family like me :)

That tip has totally helped me to stay on target when I go grocery shopping so I don't make things harder for myself here at home. Fill it with the produce first! Before I'd wait till the end to do that cause I don't want to squish the tomatoes or grapes, but that let me to overloading on unnecessary stuff - better to get the essential veggies and fruit first and really load up on them.


Let's get that fat off. And remember, it's possible to get there with Z's intense 10-15 minute workouts, because Abs are 70% diet, 30% Exercise (or gym or whatever you do to keep your heart healthy):

I'm back to my pre-baby body (baby #8 thank you! No excuses for you mothers!) but I still need to get down to my all time most fit ever, still have 5-8 lbs to go to reach that goal and I'm going to go get it, this is my year!