Monday, July 31, 2017

There's Just Something About Mondays



Sprint ladder and Tabata. I have to admit I was looking forward to my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout when I read the schedule for today. The last two weeks I had to miss my low carb speed burst workouts for one reason or another. There's just something about starting the week with a good, tough workout.

After Skyping with my dad and stepmom, I headed to the fitness center. mrC had some errands, but he walked me there. I jumped on a treadmill for the first part of the workout: sprint ladder


I was going to do this outside on the promenade, but thought it would be too hot. It wasn't so bad on the treadmill. It probably would have been harder outside, but it felt good to sprint. After the last sprint, I continued an easy run for about 10 minutes more. I was surprised at the end to only see a total of 1.56 miles, but I did walk the rest between sprints. It gives me a goal for next time to try to run the rest breaks. 


I looked around the fitness center for a place to do my Tabata workout and came up empty. It's really my only complaint about the place. I wish they had a separate room for floor exercises or yoga. I headed outside thinking I would try to find a space or go back to our tiny Hong Kong apartment and do it. I texted mrC to let him know that I was attempting to do this part outside and if it was too hot, I would go home. I found a great little area just around the corner from the fitness club front door that looked promising.


Ironically, I ended up doing the whole Tabata workout outside. The bench was a perfect spot. I could put my bag and water there while the Interval app on my phone guided me through the exercises.


At the end I was so sweaty that my hair looked like I had just stepped out of the shower and I had my typical very red face. I wish I had braved the warm weather and done my sprints outside, but now I know that I can. Other than that, I was feeling pretty awesome about today's workout.


I was going to walk back to the apartment (which means up a very big hill), but the bus came just as I was walking by the bus stop. I figured it was meant to be and took the bus. After a shower, I spent the rest of the morning working on my Hong Kong Host duties and then watched Big Brother.

PS - I re-read my workout schedule and the sprint ladder had been removed from today's workout! 

Low carb day - the meals

Broke fast about 12:30


Dinner -


Snack -



Do you look forward to your Monday workout?
Where would you workout: small indoor space or warm outdoor space?


Sunday, July 30, 2017

Weekly Wrap: My Effort

It's true what they say about effort and success...


I started the day with the goal of fasting as long as I could, which I hoped would be at least a couple hours longer than my normal extended fasting window. So if I made it to 2 or 3pm, I'd call it a success.

It would all come down to effort.

First of all, I woke up hungry (which is unusual). It's like my body knew what was about to happen. Like waking up right before the alarm goes off or getting a headache when a storm is coming. Needless to say it was kind of annoying that my stomach was rumbling and I hadn't even had my first cup of coffee. Like a good carb-cycler, I ignored the feeling and went about my morning.

It was going to be another scorcher (heat warnings were predicting temperatures at 94 with feels like above 110), so after doing some chores around the apartment mrC and I took a walk. This is always a good distraction from thinking about food. We were hoping to beat the heat, but the heat had an early start.


The first part of the walk was not bad. We cut through the trees and took the shaded steps down to the beach. There are two storms brewing out in the China Sea and they're bringing pretty nasty air quality to Hong Kong, but that hasn't stopped people from braving a day at the beach.


Despite the feels like temperature of 104, we saw runners, walkers, bikers and even full tennis courts.  People around here are way more hard core than we are. There is no shade or breeze on those courts.


We did a a one mile loop and that was enough for us. The final stretch is all uphill and mostly unshaded. We hung around outside for a few minutes because living at the top of the hill has the perk of being what we call the windiest spot in DB. In other words, it's a great place to cool off, most of the time.


After the walk, I tried to distract myself with laundry and even put on one hour express teeth whitening strips, but by 12:30 I broke.

I was hungry and I knew I had left-over buffalo chicken quinoa. (Have you tried this recipe?)


I did not give 100% effort today.  I knew my 24 hour fast would not be successful and I'm ok with that. I adjusted to what would work for me, today. Carb cycling and intermittent fasting does not mean that I must do a 24 hour fast or I fail. That's why this program works for me. I can modify it to my needs and still be successful. Maybe I didn't complete my fast for as long as I originally planned. I still fasted. My body still experienced the benefits of an extended fast and that's what matters to me.
**Want more information about carb cycling and IF? Click here for FASTer Way to Fat Loss® info.

Here's a look at the rest of my workouts from the week. I think my overall effort is excellent!

Monday - Laser hair removal day - took a walk

Tuesday - took a walk

Wednesday - strength training

Thursday - Bodypump

Friday - Bodystep

Saturday - strength training

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!


How would you rate your effort this week?
Can you think of any other examples of when our bodies seem to know something?


Saturday, July 29, 2017

My First Stride Rate Test and Leg Day

Saturday mornings mean leg day at the gym.

We like to walk to the gym. It's a good warm-up, but today I also wanted to run on the treadmill. I usually run for 10 minutes using some form of intervals, but today I went for a full mile without stopping.


While I was running, I started thinking about my stride rate. I read a Runner's World article this morning that talked about how to be a more efficient runner. 


I also read somewhere that more efficient running will help decrease injuries. I probably should have thought about this a long time ago, but figured it's never too late to make improvements! For two minutes, I counted my steps. Both times I came to 95. There is probably a difference between treadmill and outdoor running, so I will do another stride rate test the next time I run outside, but I'm happy with that number today.

My FASTer Way to Fat Loss® leg day workout was organized into three parts: 

One-Minuters: wall sit, plank, and mountain climbers for one minute each. Mountain climbers for one minute pretty much stink. I had to take two breaks mostly because my arms needed it. 

Weights: This is the part I enjoyed most. leg press, leg curls, front squats, deadlifts, lunges. No problems with any of the exercises and I felt good about my weight choices.

Finishers: Curtsey lunges, side lunge with squat, squat jumps and lunge jumps. My knee hates curtsey lunges and lunge jumps. Instead I used the adductor machine and skipped the lunge jumps.

I love that the fitness center has a pool. Cool downs are just so much better there.


We spent the rest of the afternoon indoors. We went to 6:30 Mass and it was still super warm. We took the bus to try and stay cool.  Then we had trouble finding the temporary location and ended up walking around getting hot and sweaty. Ugh. 

Regular Calorie Day - the meals

Broke fast about 12:30 - turkey breast rollups, celery, hummus, and Cheez-its


Lunch - protein fruit smoothie and PB&J apple cinnamon rice cakes


Dinner - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa. This stuff is so good!!

Snack - My first Siggi's vanilla yogurt. On the fence about this. It was strong? Not sure the right word for it. I didn't hate it, but I couldn't eat the whole container either.



Have you ever done a stride rate test?
Do you like Siggi's yogurt?




Friday, July 28, 2017

Not My Typical Low Calorie Workout

Fridays are low calorie, active recovery days. This means taking it easy, letting muscles recover and low intensity workouts. I started the day very low key. While my coffee was brewing, I foam rolled and stretched out my sore muscles from yesterday's Bodypump class. This time my legs were feeling it.


Since I already had the yoga mat out, I played this silly how-to-get-thinner-legs-even-if-you're-lazy video that I saw on Facebook. It was quite amusing and surprisingly, not all bad!


On Monday I missed the cardio party, so I made up for it by doing Bodystep class today. It didn't really fit the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout plan for the day, but I figured it was ok since I had two extra rest days at the beginning of the week. No over-use problems to worry about.

The class was AWESOME! How do I know it was awesome?

1. I burned nearly 600 calories in the hour long class (598 according to my Apple watch).
2. I was so sweaty at the end that I could barely hold onto my legs during reclined pigeon stretch
3. My hair was so wet you would think I had showered.
4. My face was bright red even after riding the bus back to the apartment.
5. It was a super fun cardio party!!!


mrC and I ran some errands after lunch and I was quickly reminded why people stay indoors in the afternoon around here. It is seriously hot!

 Low calorie day - the meals

Broke fast before class again (about 9am). One PB&J apple cinnamon rice cake.


Brunch around 12:30: two scrambled eggs with ham (topped with my favorite seasoning) two PB&J apple cinnamon rice cakes and orange juice. 

Snack - mini bag of Cheez-its


Dinner: left over buffalo chicken quinoa and corn. Followed by a bowl of watermelon.


I was about 200 calories over --- probably the Cheez-its, but my macros were almost perfect!

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!


What is your typical active recovery workout?
Ever skipped your recovery day for something awesome?




Thursday, July 27, 2017

Thinking Out Loud #1

This is my first time participating in the Thinking Out Loud linkup with Amanda at Running with Spoons. Since the theme is always something random, I figured it was a perfect fit for me! You can learn more about the linkup here.

For my strength training workout, which was back, biceps and abs heavy, I signed up for another round of Bodypump at The HIT Room. After being away from this class for a couple of months, it feels good to be back (minus that I was seriously sore after my first class last week). I'm still trying to figure out the best times to take classes to "match" my carb cycling workout schedule, but I think Bodypump is going to fit in there.


Even though we receive hot weather warnings every day here, if it is cloudy I try to walk to and from class. Without the sun, it is a nice walk and I won't want to take a walk after I get cleaned up. I hate getting sweaty after I just showered.


I never burn as many calories in Bodypump as I do Bodystep (which is one reason I love Bodystep), but I have to remember that strength training means building muscle and as muscles repair themselves throughout the day, I'm burning more calories for longer after class. This is one of the key parts of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and I want to keep moving in the right direction after my sneak peek at my results the other day. 


I spent the rest of the day inside working at my volunteer job (we have another US Naval ship coming to visit Hong Kong), reading (I'm loving this new book on my Kindle about being a fitness junkie) and eating!

Broke fast earlier than usual. The last time I went to Bodypump I felt a little lightheaded during class, so mrC recommended that I eat a little something before class. I chose PB&J apple cinnamon rice cake.


Lunch - our groceries from the American store were delivered and we splurged on Cheez-its. The go great with chicken breast and cheddar cheese sandwiches. Not pictured: Greek vanilla yogurt with some chocolate sauce.


Dinner - Buffalo chicken quinoa and corn. This is one of my favorite meals.


When I'm not working, eating or reading, I like to window shop internet style ---> browse all my favorite online stores and fill my shopping bag. Sometimes I will eventually buy something, but often times things just sit in my bag. Athleta is having a HUGE sale and I couldn't resist placing an order with these prices! I already have one high neck chi tank and I love it!


How do you schedule your weekly workouts?
Do you internet window shop like I do?


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