Showing posts with label elliptical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elliptical. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

2 Workouts You Can Do While Doing A Load of Laundry

We've been living in a hotel for a week now and I'm running out of fitness gear to wear. I was forced to wear my favorite capris to the fitness room. I love them because they are buttery soft, but it's just so warm in there.


Tomorrow we are flying to Colorado to see the my stepson, so I really needed to do a load of laundry. Fortunately the fitness room and laundry room are right next to each other making it easy to work out and be close to my clothes at the same time.


During the wash cycle I did a 20 minute HIIT workout on the elliptical using a pyramid --->

5 minute WU (Set & keep the resistance at moderate)
30:30 seconds work:rest at 90% effort
60:60 at 80% effort
90:90 at 70% effort
60:60 at 80% effort
30:30 at 90% effort
60:60 at 90% effort ---> finish strong!!!
4 minute CD

Pyramid workouts are when the intervals get longer each set then work their way back down by the end of the round. The purpose is to challenge your threshold without breaking you. I love feeling like I cannot work another second, like I'm going to have to stop and then the break comes.


While waiting for the machine to finish, I filled the few minutes with planks and wall sits.


During the dry cycle I did a 30 minute LISS (low intensity sustained state) workout on the elliptical ---> I set my resistance to easy and aimed to keep my heart rate in the fat burn zone. It's hard to go slow after going fast. PS - add 45 calories to the total below because I forgot to start my watch.


I finished up with a round of planks and wall sits, then hauled the clothes back to the room. Instead of drying my fit gear in the dryer, I used Running on the Fly's great idea to hang dry it in the closet. It's still important to take care of your gear when you're traveling.


Hanging up my workout gear made me realize that I really need another pair of shorts. After my shower, I browsed online and found these, these, these, and these as possibilities.


Black is always my go to color choice, but these also caught me eye.


When we get to Boulder, I'm hoping to try them on and pick a pair.


Do you do laundry when you're traveling?
Dryer or line dry your fitness wear?
Do you prefer black or colored shorts?







Monday, March 6, 2017

Workout Recap - Travel Edition

Last week started off a little slow because I had the worst case of jet lag ever! I guess 20+ hours of travel and then hitting the ground running in Springfield caught up to me. Things settled down once we got to Delaware for mrC's recurrent training ---> I worked out every day!

Monday - We woke up feeling pretty good so we ran a bunch of errands (have to pick up our favorite USA supplies and raid the storage unit), drove to see our favorite dog and then stopped to see my in-laws.


Tuesday - I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by a truck, made it through breakfast and then literally slept off and on for the next 20+ hours. I have never felt like that before.

Wednesday - I felt much better! We drove four hours to Wilmington in a tiny rental car with mrC's coworker and somehow I did not get carsick. Win!

Thursday - RUN! I took my interval run inside because I didn't get a chance to scope out the area around the hotel. I did a 8 minute walking WU and then ran/walked 1 minute intervals for 30 minutes. I was also pretty excited to launch the new Wave Horizons I received from Mizuno.


Friday - I choose an elliptical workout on the Motion Traxx app called Need for Speed. It was a Tabata HIIT workout that got me sweaty fast! I finished off with a plank workout.


Saturday - I did another elliptical workout. This time I chose Elliptical Session - Level 2 and burned over 400 calories in 40 minutes.


Sunday - I wanted to run, but since the temperature was barely 30 degrees and I do not have winter weather gear, I did elliptical workout #3. Pyramid Pusher was a combo of two shorter workouts: Pyramid Power and Elliptical Pusher. Both are HIIT workouts designed to help burn calories fast.


I'm so glad that I found the Motion Traxx app since I'm missing my Bodystep classes while we are in the US. When I have enough space, I'll try the cardio HIIT workouts and maybe one day I'll try one of the treadmill workouts.

Ever have a bad case of jet lag?
What shoes are you currently wearing?
Have you tried Motion Traxx yet? (51% discount if you sign up with Groupon here)



Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Weekly Workout Recap 2/20/17

Well, this post is a little behind schedule because we traveled to the US on Sunday!! As usual, we arrived feeling upside down and dove right into running errands and visiting family. Now I'm using all my super powers to fight jet lag and write this post.

Monday - Not yesterday. Last Monday. :) Bodystep is fun but it's better with friends. I'm so happy that I met a couple of ladies who are fitness junkies like me!


Tuesday - Since it was already a FASTING day, I scheduled a physical for myself. Not long after returning home, I got a VERY SPECIAL delivery from my BFF! She sends me the best birthday boxes.


Wednesday - I decided to do an interval run for a couple of reasons. 1) I wasn't hiking this week and 2) I wanted to see how my knee would feel if I did two runs this week. I did the same interval run that I've been doing except I ran the promenade two times. We spent the evening at the AWA Charity Pub Quiz Night in Central. Our team did not come in first or last, but we did have a lot of fun!

Not from my run. I was practicing using our Go Pro for my next run.

Team Fabulous Roosters (it's the year of the Rooster!) 

Thursday - We went to the dermatologist for a skin check (all good!) and then laid low the rest of the day. There was a hike, but I couldn't go because of my evening plans to see James Taylor! It was a great show.


Friday - After two late nights I was not moving super fast on Friday morning. I did make it to Bodystep and BAM! I love seeing that calorie burn.


Saturday - I had big plans to do a second interval run, but woke up to rainy and cold weather. I don't mind running in the rain, but I do not want to slip and fall and hurt my knee. Instead I went to the fitness center. I used the Motiontraxx app and tried a new elliptical workout that was AWESOME! Motion Traxx is like having a private coach whenever you want! (Check out the Groupon deal for 51% off a year membership here)

Saturday night went to a friend's Mardis Gras party ---> beads, masks, hurricanes, Gumbo, King Cake, fun!



Sunday - USA or Bust!! Hong Kong to Chicago to Hartford. Red eye flight. 18 hours 42 minutes. 8577 miles. One rental car. Two orders of Mexican to-go. One king-sized bed.


Since we are only in the Hartford/Springfield area for a couple of days before heading to Delaware for mrC's work week, I'm taking the time to enjoy family and try to acclimate to EST. My workout routine will resume once we're in Wilmington.



PS - My Utah Valley Marathon giveaway is still open. Get all the details here!








Monday, August 22, 2016

Shred day 8: 5 Reasons to Embrace Your Elliptical

I'm happy to report that my knee felt fine after yesterday's run. Nowadays, you just never know so I took my cautious-self to the fitness center for my low carb day low impact sprints.

The fitness center is less than a mile away from my dad and stepmom's house, so I walked there and counted it as my warm up. I enjoyed every step.


I was thinking that being out of China for such a long time would mean having to reacclimatize to the tropical weather. A few days in Florida and it's not such a big deal anymore. The humidity here will keep me ready for the humidity there.


At the fitness center (which is kind of small), I quickly jumped on an elliptical. The workout ---> 25 sprints using 20:20 sprint/recovery interval. I worried about my Gymboss timer beeping and annoying all the retirees there working out the whole time. I couldn't wait to be finished and not because my legs were burning.


I read a comment recently that said (paraphrased), I had to do my run on the elliptical today and I never feel like I get a good workout. This made me sad mostly because I used to feel the same way. The elliptical is a great piece of equipment, so today I'm sharing why I have embraced it.

1. Low impact workout. Obviously this is a must for me and anyone else dealing with an injury, but even healthy athletes need to give their joints a break once in a while. The elliptical is a great cross-training option.

2. Great for indoor sprints. Ever try to do timed sprints on a treadmill? It's challenging and hard to get the full interval. Sprinting on an elliptical is nearly the same as sprinting outside: you decide the start and stop. (Reasons to sprint ---> click here)

3. Have a killer workout. If you want to glide aimlessly you can, but if you are hoping to feel the burn, all you have to do is increase the resistance and increase your speed. Trust me, your legs will feel it.

4. Twofer workout. Get two workouts simultaneously. I don't use the handles, but grab them for a great upper body workout while working your lower body at the same time.

5. Excellent aerobic workout. Ellipticals offer the same cardio workout as the treadmill. You can burn roughly the same amount of calories, but with considerably less perceived effort.

I followed up my sprint workout with a 30 minute cool down walk. I walked the trail again before walking back to the house. For fun I made a hyper-lapse video of part of the trail because it is really pretty.



We ran some errands today. I stocked up on some of my favorites at Ulta and even came away with some free stuff and then grabbed some goodies at the grocery.



What I Ate today:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, pb&j rice cake, coffee


Lunch: salad, veggie burger, celery, hummus, diet dew



Snack: turkey breast


Dinner: leftover grilled chicken breast, broccoli, diet dew


Dessert: This ice cream (if I had some, haha). Low calorie, low carb, low sugar, and high protein, 





Elliptical fan or foe?
Have you tried Halo Top Ice Cream yet? What did you think?


Friday, May 20, 2016

Intense Sprints, Locker Room Lowdown, and Low Carb Eats

Off to Hong Kong to take care of passport renewals and squeezed in a bit of shopping. I'm so excited about some awesomely good gluten free products I found. More on that tomorrow.


I made it to gym for an afternoon workout session: sprints with a new twist. 20 seconds on and 20 seconds rest. 15 times! I finally remembered to take my handy Gymboss with me so I didn't have to stare at the time.


The sprints were intense. I ended up on the bike for my cool down.


So many unbelievable things happen in the fitness center locker room that today I am starting a new trend called:

Locker Room Lowdown 

It is not unusual to see tiny Asian women walking around naked or blow drying their feet, but today was a new one. There is only one small bench in the beautiful locker room. Today another woman (who was actually showering and dressing her swim lesson child) and I were sharing the bench. She had one end, I had the other end. There wasn't much space in between. It was kind of nice since sharing is uncommon. 

Here's the low down: a third woman dressed only in a hotel robe squeezed herself onto the bench landing on our things to drink a cup of water. She must have been exhausted holding that cup. 

Unbelievable.

What I ate on low carb day

Breakfast: 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham


Lunch: Cajun chicken Caesar salad and shared crabmeat nuggets with mrC



Snack: Flourless chocolate cake 
mrC picked this up at the grocery for us to eat on the ferry back to Shekou and it was seriously so good. Made only with eggs and chocolate! We are already planning to get it again the next time we are in Hong Kong.


Dinner: Crockpot Italian chicken, green beans, and a salad (with a little cheese & Ranch)
Not dairy free. Sorry. Not sorry. I'm doing my best.


Macros: I'm getting good at these low carb days. 23 net carbs for the day.


PS - I had to share this non-scale victory with you. The black pants I'm wearing in the first photo...I couldn't wear a month ago. I bought them in the US and a week later mrC accidentally shrunk them in the dryer. Today, they were baggy! I'm thrilled and can't wait to see my numbers in two weeks.

Have you ever tried flourless cake?









Friday, May 13, 2016

5 Reasons to Sprint and Low Carbs

Today's workout was to do 15 sprints: 20 seconds 100% effort and 40 seconds recovery. 

My first thoughts were, What?!? 10 were already hard and now I have to do 5 more? Eek!

It's hard to love sprints unless you are literally a sprinter, which I am not. But even the average girl can find reasons to embrace sprints.

Weight loss - During high intensity exercise like sprinting, our bodies use up all the energy stored in our bodies. When that runs out, our bodies go to out fat stores looking for energy. After a session of sprinting, our bodies continue to work to recover from the lack of oxygen. Therefore our bodies  burn more calories long after our speed workout is done.

Break plateaus - just like us, our bodies get comfortable with routine. To break through that feeling of being stuck, try sprinting. If you already sprint, swap your 100s for 200s once a week.

Short and sweet - Sprints don't take long. On the track, sprints range from 80m, 100m, to 200m. Personally I've been doing timed sprints usually for 20 seconds, but you can change that up too.

Sprints are hard - Love a good challenge? Then sprints could be your next big conquest. Good sprints will leave you breathless, burning, and maybe barfing (haha, but seriously...it happens!). Go for the 3 Bs!

Power to the She - During sprints I usually feel like I'm going to pass out, but afterwards? I feel strong and bad-ass. Reaching those 3Bs makes me feel empowered and ready to take on the next challenge.

Even though I thought I might fall off the elliptical during my sprint session, I felt really good after my 30 minute cool down. It felt good to wrap up my workout with the daily plank exercise: full plank rows.


After a good workout, I always have a little pep in my step. Literally. My walk home from the gym is 1000 times better having gutted out a tough workout. 


A sight I love when I get home is mrC whipping up his delicious scrambled eggs. 


What I ate for low carb day

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with ham, pb&j rice cake, coffee


Lunch: turkey slices, salad, water
(not dairy free, but I did majorly reduce the amount of cheese on my salad)


Dinner: meatballs, green beans, sweet potato fries


In hindsight, meatballs and sweet potato fries probably weren't the best choice on low carb day, but I still came in under 50 net carbs for the day. 


How do you sprint?






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