15 Minutes of Fire and Breaking in New Shoes

Tuesday's workout was 15 minutes of FIRE!!

Haha, not kidding. I should have known that Head Trainer Le was going to bring the fire to her Kettlebell workout. She always does. This workout had every single muscle shaking and completely dead in 15 minutes.

There were three pods

Each pod had 2 sets

Set 1 was 3 minutes of EMOM

Set 2 was 2 minutes of endurance

Here are some screen shots of some of the moves. To see videos of my workouts, you can follow my IG stories.

OMGOSH! Those were the longest 3 minutes and 2 minutes!!

It was the toughest FASTer Way workout for me so far in 2021 and I love it!

I love being part of a program that continues to challenge me. As I told my VIP clients this week, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. I might not have finished all the reps each time, but I know that in this program I will continue to get stronger and grow. I’m proud of that!

The weather was so much better (if you missed it, Monday I wore pants), so I was able to get in a walk for my LISS. Best part, I broke in my new shoes! I know they are running shoes and I don't run anymore, but after walking over 15 miles last week, I need shoes with cushion. This is my first pair of Brooks and I figure run happy, walk happy. Same, same.

I only had time to walk to the Lanikai Monument and back before getting home to eat and get cleaned up for client calls. The monument turn around used to be my long walk. I love going down the hill to the lava rock to look for honu (turtles) and enjoy the view. No honu today, but the view was spectacular.

Do wear different shoes for your workouts (HIIT, strength) from your running/walking?

Modify Your Workout: Ankle/Foot Injuries

If you have ever suffered a sprained ankle or other foot injury, you know that waiting for the healing process to complete 100% can be frustrating when the rest of your body wants a good workout.

I am here to tell you that you can still get a great workout while recovering from an ankle or other foot type injury.

First let me tell you my story. Two days before mrC and I were to fly back to Hong Kong from the US, I missed a step going down some stairs at our hotel and sprained my ankle. After nearly a week of following ICE protocol like a pro and taking anti-inflammatory medicine, I was ready to get some exercise that did not involve using the crutches.

Here are some great options that I tried for getting in your workout when you have an ankle or foot injury:

Upper Body Workout - no reason you can't do back, biceps, triceps and abs. Sit on a bench/chair when possible. Try this one:

BACK

Pull-Ups or Push Ups if N/A : 2 sets of 10 reps - warm up

Superset: 4 sets 10-12 reps each

Dumbbell Seated Row

Lateral Pulldown with Dumbbells

Face Pull with Band: 4 sets of 10-12 reps

Triceps

Bent Over Row with Tricep Kickback (combined): 4 sets of 10-12 reps (per arm)

Triceps dips: 3 sets 10-12 reps

BICEPS

Bicep Curl: “21’s” using Dumbbells

7 Bottom Half

7 Top Half

7 Full Range

ABS:

Plank: 1 minute

Bird Dogs: 1 minute

Medicine Ball/Russian Twists: 1 minute

Lower Body Workout - if you take it easy, you can still work some of those lower body muscles without aggravating your injury. Try this (but stop if you experience any pain/discomfort):

Giant Set: Complete all 4 sets before moving onto next move

4 sets 10-12 reps

Dumbbell Deadlift

Calf Raises

Goblet Squat

Giant Set: Complete all 4 sets before moving onto next move

4 sets 20-25 reps 

Banded Glute Kickbacks - do these laying on the floor

Banded side steps - do these sitting in a chair and stepping out and back

Banded Glute Bridge 

Side lying inner thigh lifts 

HIIT Workout - looking to get your heart rate up and break a sweat while exercising from a seated position? It's possible, I did it! Try this workout video.

I hope if you are dealing with a ankle/foot injury and you're feeling up to a workout, you will try one of these! Let me know!

PS ---> if you are looking for a good pair of resistance bands, I love my set from Fit Simplify. You can find them on Amazon (here) and the tubes too (here).

Walking HIIT Workout and Random Hong Kong Things

My Monday started seriously early ---> 2:30 am wake up when mrC hit something (the bed, the wall?) in his sleep. Once I was awake, I couldn't go back to sleep.

At 5:30 I decided to go for a walk. I got the bright idea to make it into a HIIT workout since we had a busy day lined up. So I walked and every few minutes stopped to plank, push-up or burpee until I finished the PPB challenge days I missed. I was a sweaty mess by the time I got home.

2.3 miles
2.5 minute plank
60 push-ups ---> did 10 at a time
60 burpees ---> did 20 at a time
3 minute forearm plank ---> one minute, then 4 @ 30 seconds

The reward for jet lag induced early mornings is watching the sky light up. I still do really love where we live here in Hong Kong.

A couple hours later I broke my fast ---> scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage and rice cakes. It feels good to be home and have my favorites all on one plate.

After waiting for a handyman hired by our landlady to fix our toilet, we went to Central to run a bunch of errands. It's almost a mandatory activity after being away for so long.

Our first stop was to the new Shake Shack that opened on the mall rooftop garden. We were in the mood for simple good food and so were A LOT of other people. We joined the ordering line that was almost out the door. While we were eating, the line was out the door and a roped off queue was being used!

Even though it was a little warm, we chose to sit outside and enjoy the view of the harbour. Luckily there was a nice breeze and some shade from the potted trees. It was a beautiful day in Hong Kong.

With full bellies we were off to the shoe repair shop, the seamstress, to pick up mrC's newly modified headphones and back to the shoe repair shop to pick up his shoes.

Then we headed to one of my favorite places, Be-Juiced. I'm trying to find a favorite go-to flavor to supplement my low veggie intake. Since we were there, we ordered acai bowls because they are perfect on warm days! Mine is topped with apple granola, peanut butter, and goji berries.

By the time we returned to our apartment, my let lag was catching up with me again. For dinner I drank the Veggie Bomb (good for anti-inflammatory, cellular repair, eye health and replenishing collagen) and had some watermelon. The juice wasn't bad, but I don't know if it will be the one.

You know who else is talking food today? Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run linkup! They're talking about their favorite meal the night before a race. When I was running more, my favorite pre-race food was anything Italian ---> pasta, pizza, CALZONES. I was a believer of the carb loading philosophy.

Do you catch-up or skip ahead when you get behind in a challenge?
Do you like dining outside?
What is your favorite meal the night before a race?

Intense Circuits and Magazine Covers!

Since I didn't pass out while doing a portion of my workout outside yesterday, I thought I would do it again today. I knew it was going to be warm. The weather has been nothing less than intense here lately. However, I was hoping to find some amount of relief from a breeze because I was going to do my workout right outside our building at the windiest spot in Discovery Bay.

Except today there was no breeze. At all. mrC joined me and as soon as we stepped outside, it was like we walked into a sauna. We decided to tough it out. Behind our building is a play area with some benches. It's next to what can best be described as a side street although it's mainly used by golf carts.

The FWTFL workout was basically three parts:

Part 1 - HIIT circuit: four exercises (burpees, jump squats, push-ups and mountain climbers with a twist) broken up by 30 seconds runs repeated 3-5 times. We used the benches to do the exercises and then ran the 30 second runs on the street. It really worked out perfectly ---> minus that whole no breeze thing. We did three rounds and called it.

Part 2 - Ab circuit on steroids: 5 sets of weighted Russian twists, 5 sets of ab bicycles, and 4 sets of leg raises. We went inside for this part because I cannot lay down outside on the dirty ground. I was literally sweating from every body part including my knees! This part was tough and I wondered if I would make it through. I said something to mrC and he replied, "two more sets." And that kept me going.

Part 3 - The cool down: low intensity cardio. We went back outside for a walk. We ended up walking a mile loop. There still wasn't a breeze to speak of, but it felt good to be outside moving slowly. We practically had the streets to ourselves except for the occasional dog walker and one guy whizzing by us on his bike.

All of my workout gear was completely soaked in sweat when we stopped including my cute tropical shorts from GAP. I was less than thrilled that the windiest spot on DB wasn't windy at all. But, just like yesterday, it felt good to finish a tough workout. Tough by design and tough because of the heat.

In other news, the magazine article about the DB Ladies SUP group came out. It's a great article, but I didn't expect to see myself displayed on the cover! It's very weird to walk past this magazine stand at the entrance to our building and see myself.

We made the crazy decision to go out in the afternoon heat to pick up mrC's dry cleaning. A short walk to the plaza had us dripping in sweat and seeking refuge in the grocery. Ironically if you stay inside too long, you'll freeze by air conditioning. We had some time to kill before an unexpected appointment for a quick checkup with the doctor and there was finally a breeze blowing, so we relaxed at the plaza tables.

Low carb day 2 - the meals

Broke fast around 11:00 - I was hungrier today than yesterday.

Lunch - I have to admit, it was hard to resist adding Swiss cheese to my roll-ups.

Dinner - a little leftovers from last night plus a big salad

Do you ever use outdoor public areas for your workouts (besides running)?
What words motivate you to keep going during a tough workout?
Ever been on or in a magazine?

Today I'm linking up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

Intervals and Body Weight Workouts I Like

Today marks the start of week 3 of carb cycling and I'm feeling great. My biggest NSV (non-scale victory) so far has been adding in runs and upping my weight.

We had one more pleasant morning for an outdoor FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout before Typhoon Merbok started moving into the Hong Kong region. Today was intervals day.

Week 3 Low Carb Day - the workout

Warm up - we walked to the promenade ---> a perfect spot for an outdoor workout

Speed Bursts - One thing I like about this program is the workout options. Today there were three choices for speed bursts. I've done 7 Up 7 Down. They were tough. Stadium Steps sounded like an awesome challenge, but I'm not sure where I could do them (must look into that). Today, since the first time went so well, it was sprint intervals again. Sprint 100% effort for 20 seconds, rest for 40 seconds. Repeat 14 times (2 more than last time). In the sun and the heat, these are sweat makers. Even with the two extra today, they went pretty fast. Using an interval app that links to my Apple sport watch makes it super easy to do them. So do my new Wave Sky. Seriously loving these shoes so far.

HIIT circuit - this body weight leg workout was tough after sprints but easy to do outside. Air squats, lunges, step ups and squat jumps. Rest and repeat. I only did one round instead of two because I was so hot and I had to pee.

I love body weight workouts. They are so versatile and there are so many online videos to help make it easier to do them when you can't get to the gym, or a fitness class, or when you are traveling. Here are some of my favorite workouts:

from Fitness Blender

from PopSugar Fitness

from Amanda Miller

Cool down - nice slow walk up the hill to the coolest spot in Discovery Bay.
Working out is definitely a team effort in this family. For both of us, having a workout partner is motivating and certainly more fun!

Low carb day - the meals
Broke fast about 11:00 - 3 scrambled eggs with ham and 3 sausage links with a tsp of maple syrup
Lunch - Almond chocolate protein shake (I use Designer Whey - available on Amazon), 1 can of tuna with tbsp of mayo, and PB&J rice cake

Dinner - beef burger (no bun) and green beans
Snack - peanuts
Then we sat back and waited for the typhoon. When we lived in China, getting information about the weather conditions seemed harder. We received alerts on our phone all day and from the management of our apartment building.

Do you like to run stairs?

Run, HIIT, Run

My morning workout was tough.

Whether it was the 85 degrees or the fact that I tried a juice cleanse for the first time yesterday, I don't know. It was hard, but I got through it.

Week 2 - Low Carb day 1 - the workout

Shoes, shorts, tank, water bottle

Run - Last week I did the 7 Up 7 Down speed bursts, but I don't think my knee liked it very much. Today I choose to modify the sprint workout to do my intervals: run/walk. Really I just ran until there was a steep downhill, then I walked. I ran about a mile to a spot to do the next part of the workout.

HIIT - This body weight circuit was the same as last week, but it felt harder. I'm guessing part of that was because I was doing it outside in the heat. It just seemed silly to go into the fitness center when I didn't need any of the machines. It was a struggle to get through just about every exercise and I only did 2 out of 3 rounds again.

Run - After a quick bathroom break, I ran a mile back to the apartment. It was hard. I didn't even run up the big hill and it was still hard. There were a lot of walk breaks in that mile, but it felt so good to finish.

Low Carb day - the meals

Broke fast at 11:00 - 3 scrambled eggs and pb&j rice cake

Lunch - 4 turkey rollups ---> could have eaten more calories here, but wasn't hungry

Dinner - Italian chicken breast, green beans, and salad

Snack - 2 pb&j rice cakes

I'm still struggling to eat all the calories on low carb days. I honestly thought I would be ravenous today after doing the juice cleanse yesterday, but I wasn't. I didn't even wake up hungry. Today I had over 700 calories leftover. My coach says I will gradually start eating more food, so I will trust the process.


Do you eat more or less when you are following a training plan?

Weekly Wrap - A Fitness Plan

FASTer Way To Fat Loss week one kicked off and kicked my butt. It was awesome!

I'm a sucker for a schedule, a routine, a plan. Maybe it's the former teacher in me, but I just like to know where I'm going and what I'm doing when I have a goal. I think that is why I like the carb cycling programs so much. The plan is designed for people like me who want to lose fat and gain strength. People who already work out, but need to shake things up a bit to move past a plateau.

I like following the plan. For me, there is a great mix between running, HIIT, strength, and recovery.

Here's what week 1 looked like:

Monday - Speed burst and HIIT

Tuesday - Speed burst and LISS

Wednesday - Strength training

Thursday - More strength training

Friday - Active recovery yoga

Saturday - Strength training - leg day!

Sunday - I tried a juice cleanse

Do you follow a training plan or prefer to be spontaneous with your workouts?

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!

Speed, HIIT, LISS and Swim

I signed up for another carb cycling intermittent fasting program and we started today.

I say "we" because mrC is doing it too. This time he is in the men's group. Previously he followed along with what I was doing and eating. We were thrilled with the results the first time we did the program a little over a year ago and we're hoping for a repeat performance.

Some rules for the program: do the daily workouts, track your macros using My Fitness Pal and post in the Facebook group, try to be gluten free and dairy free, and have a positive attitude.

Low Carb Day 1 - the workout

Warm Up - We walked about 15 minutes from our apartment to the fitness center.

Speed Bursts - We choose the 4 Cone Drill. Since we don't have cones, we found a space outside the fitness center and made an imaginary square. Sprint, shuffle, backpedal, shuffle. Repeat for 10 minutes.

Circuits: HIIT and ABS - We did these in the fitness center. We made modifications because honestly, these workouts are tough! We could only do 20 out of 40 in and out back kicks and we only did the HIIT circuit 2 times instead of three. The fitness center does not have an ab machine, so we had to modify the ab machine set to crunches. And I could only do sets of 5, not 10, on the leg lifts.

Cool Down - (low intensity cardio) walked 15 minutes back to the apartment up the big hill.

Low Carb Day 1 - the meals

The goal on low carb days is to keep our carbs below 50 net grams but consume your normal daily calories. Net grams means carbs minus fiber.  

Broke fast at 11:00 - 3 scrambled eggs and two sausage patties. This was too much food for me.

Snack - lid full of peanuts (about 30) and chocolate protein shake made with almond milk.

Lunch - 4 turkey rollups ---> should have had more to eat here

Snack - nothing ---> should have had another protein shake

Dinner - bbq chicken breast and steamed broccoli. Delicious! 

Overall, I nailed the low carb goal, but left about 500 calories on the table. 

One thing I like about this program is the flexibility. Each day there is a workout to match what day of the carb cycle you are in. You can choose the workouts that fit your lifestyle: beginner, gym, at home. The program also implements an 8 hour eating window, but you can choose your window. Most people go 12-8, but mrC and I are doing 11-7.

Today I also had a bonus little workout - swam 6 laps. It was such a pretty day that I went to the pool while mrC went to the airport. He met me there later.

At the end of the day, it's good to feel sore, right?

How do you feel about carb cycling/intermittent fasting?

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Workout Recap: Two Week Edition

I'm not sure why I skipped a weekly workout recap (traveling through 12 time zones makes my sense of time get out of whack), so this week I'm doing a doubler. Some workouts I've already shared on the blog or Instagram, so I thought I'd include other random tidbits from the past two weeks. This post is sponsored by Naked Nutrition.

Two weeks ago...

Monday - I had an awesome run in Delaware

Tuesday - I did a little multi-tasking on our last day in Delaware. It involved laundry and the elliptical.

Wednesday - We had an early flight to Denver to visit the middle child at college. One thing I miss when we are living out of suitcases is my smoothies. Meanwhile, I try to eat healthy despite being on the road. Check out my breakfast courtesy of United Airlines.

Thursday - We spent the day hiking and then had dinner at the Sink with the college boy. I loved how customers were encouraged to leave their mark on the ceiling! Fun facts ---> Robert Redford worked at the Sink when he was a University of Colorado student and it's been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Friday - Enjoyed my first run in Boulder. Even though it was cold, I would have loved a post-run smoothie. Naked Nutrition products are available at Vitamin Shoppe stores nationwide, but we did not have a blender in our hotel room.

Saturday - Campus tour. Isn't CU a beautiful campus?

Sunday - I was obsessed with hiking the Flatirons again and these cute tees from Snooze where we had breakfast. Too bad they were sold out in my size.

Last week...

Monday - It's hard to run when you have a cold, but we do it anyway, right? Had to cut mine short, but it was still awesome at this lake.

Tuesday - Another super early flight to start our journey back to Hong Kong.

Wednesday - Completely lost this day to travel, but excited that my iSUP (inflatable stand up paddleboard) made it to Hong Kong unscathed. Can't wait to inflate it and put it in the water.

Thursday - Doctor doctor. Not sure why I thought making appointments the day after getting back was a good idea, especially when I was awake at 3:30AM! Mammogram and a chiro adjustment ---> which do you think was more fun?

Friday - Another jet-lagged-early-morning did not keep me from lacing up my new Wave Horizons from Mizuno (blogger perk) for the first time in Discovery Bay. mrC joined me as I set out to repeat my interval plan: 15 x 1 minute run with 1 minute recovery, but we ended up doing more than that. After one loop around our normal route, we still had a few intervals left so we started another loop. In the end we did 23 intervals, two loops, and my longest run (4.38 miles) since 2015!

Saturday - It was kind of dreary out but we felt like doing the quick Lookout Loop hike in our neighborhood. You can see what it looked like start to finish from our GoPro here. It was really easy using the chest strap to get photos while we hiked.

Sunday - Rest. Sadly we woke to news that our beloved Booney was gone. He blessed us with 14 years of love and smiles. He loved running, so he made many appearances on the blog.

Booney's first 5K in 2011

It was a rainy and gray day in DB, kind of perfect for tending to a sad heart and for baking. I did some food prep for a big hike tomorrow and it was an effective distraction. First I made some egg bites to grab-n-go in the morning and then I baked some protein bars. You can find a lot of good protein recipes on the Naked Nutrition website.

Here's my recipe for banana protein bars:

2 cups quick cooking gluten free oats

1 cup protein powder (I like vanilla less naked whey)

1/4 cup organic buckwheat flour

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 cup sunbutter/peanut/almond butter

1/4 cup honey

 2+ mashed ripe bananas 

Mix together. I like to mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine into one bowl. Just seems easier to mix it all together if you're doing it by hand (like me).

Spread about 1/2" inch thick onto cookie sheet lined with cooking-sprayed wax paper. 

Bake 350 degrees 15 min. 

Remove from wax paper. Let cool and cut. I put them in to-go baggies and store in the refrigerator.

What's your eating like when you're traveling?

Do you SUP? Ever use an inflatable board?

I'd love a good canine fitness buddy story if you have one.