Sunday Sprints and Low Carb Meals

Low carb day = sprints day.

Over the last six weeks I've kind of started to love these workouts. They're tough. They make me seriously sweat. My heart rate kicks up to the 160s. My legs feel like jello. 

What's not to love?

I rode my bike to the fitness center because I was hoping to finish my workout and get home before it rained again. 

Today's sprint workout was the toughest, but we've been building up to it, too. Mentally these might have been harder because it was the first time I did a sprint workout solo. mrC has joined me for all the others (he uses the bike). And like running, just knowing that I was going to go longer may have messed with my head before I even started, too. 

10 minute WU on elliptical 

15 minutes of 20:20 sprints (which is 23 sprints) on elliptical 

30 minute CD on treadmill 

It wasn't that bad. The last three, the extra three, were the hardest. I was so ready to be done when I got to the last three. One thing that makes it easier is using my Gymboss interval timer. Not having to watch the clock helps.

It poured the whole time I was working out which also helped a little by giving me something to focus on besides my legs. At the same time I kept thinking I was going to have to ride my bike home in it.

My planks today were a little random. I tried to remember some of the harder ones from my 31 day challenge, but between the tough sprints and having to plank in the main room because the yoga room was occupied (by a Chinese lady who seemed to just be roaming the center today), I couldn't think.

I stuck with basic forearm plank, plank with reach, and plank with side twist. I did all for 40 seconds each. 

It stopped raining by the time I headed home. An interesting thing happens after it rains here: snails. They are everywhere and they're HUGE. I almost ran over this guy.

This afternoon, I rode my bike to the other side of town to say farewell to a friend who is moving to Hong Kong. It's not far away at all, but she will not be a part of the regular activities anymore. One day that will be me.

What I ate on low carb day

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with ham, pb&j rice cakes, coffee

Lunch: salad, tuna fish, Coke Zero

Snack: pb&j rice cakes

Dinner: crockpot bbq chicken, green beans, Coke Zero 

Macros: hit my goal to be below 50g net carbs, but short on calories. I wasn't hungry though.

Did you workout today?

Any strange creatures come out to play when it rains in your neighborhood?

Perfect Match: Sprints and Low Carbs

Somethings just go together perfectly. Monica and Chandler, cheese and crackers, manis and pedis, me and mrC (😍), sprints and low carbs.

All the years I was running, I never really embraced speed work. Oh, occasionally I would join running friends for Track Party Tuesday, but not often enough to have any impact on my running or my body. Now that I am learning a new fitness lifestyle, I am becoming a believer is sprint workouts on low carb days.

Pairing sprints with low carb days sets the body up to tap into the fat storage for energy. Sprinting depletes glycogen stores quickly. By eating a diet low in carbs the rest of day, the body must find energy somewhere else. Fat.

Based on how my clothes are fitting right now, it works.

Todays sprint workout was KILLER: 20 seconds on, 20 seconds recover, 20 TIMES! I bring my Gymboss to my sprints so I can close my eyes until I hear the magic BEEP.

I never ran a 5K faster than 26+ minutes, but sprints on the elliptical make me feel seriously speedy! This includes the 5 minute warm-up too.

Everyday planking and now mrC wants in on the fun. I did my daily challenge (did you see it on Instagram?) and then 3 sets of 20 second holds in basic forearm plank for him.

It was supposed to be a rainy afternoon, so we spent some time pool side before heading home for brunch. 

What I ate on low carb day

Brunch: 3 scrambled eggs with ham, pb&j rice cake, and one sausage patty.

Snacks: celery and hummus, a little popcorn

Dinner: baked flounder (seasoned with coconut oil, garlic, paprika, and cajun seasoning), green beans and salad

Macros: Under 50 net carbs for the day, so my body should have been tapping into the fat stores (preferably right around my hips). 

What do you like to pair together?

Tabata Randomness

I'm an early riser. mrC is not. It's always worked out perfectly that while he sleeps, I get in some at-home workouts. For some reason, all the workouts I chose to do this morning were Tabata style.

I started with an oldie, but a goodie from Run to the Finish: 4 Minute Ninja Abs. This is one of my go-tos when I need a good ab session. (side note: the tag on my tank drove me crazy!)

I saw this one posted by Amanda Miller on Facebook: Goodbye Inner Thigh. This was my first time trying this one and I really liked it. If you don't already follow Amanda, you should because she shares great stuff.

All of my Tabata workouts are made easy with the use of my Gymboss Timer.  I love this thing. 

mrC and I made a pledge to take a walk every morning. After my indoor workouts, the cool air felt good as we strolled through our little garden courtyard. You can totally tell I'm a westerner by the to-go coffee I'm carrying. 

We investigated the deserted play/exercise area (which by-the-way is never empty) and found this awesome leg press.  Next time we walk I'm bringing a towel to wipe off the seat, so I can use it.

When we got back, mrC went to work and I dove into Yoga Camp. Somehow nearly two weeks have gone by since my last video class :( It felt good to follow Adriene through some flow today. 

I always take video of my yoga workout. First for the pics (this is a blog after all!) and second for the chance to assess my progress (I don't have a mirror). Like today, I can see that my "flat back" is not actually flat. This gives me something to think about and work on the next time. 

My brunch was inspired by this photo posted on Instagram. It's been weeks since I made a smoothie (the cold weather might have swayed that), but my new trend is healthy eating, so...

The rest of the day turned rainy, so it was a perfect time to hit up a local driver to take us to Metro (the European box store). They don't carry a huge amount of western products, but they usually have big bags of pre-washed salad and Tyson chicken breasts. Not today. 

I did find this great set of storage containers. Anyone who has ever lived in a high rise apartment in the city understands how easy it is to get bugs. We do whatever we can to prevent that.

TGIF fitness friends!

My Weekend Wrap - It Was Hot & Quiet

My weekend was full of strawberries and a little fitness. My knee has been a little cranky and it's hot, hot, hot, so I laid low.

After watching the US win the World Cup quarterfinal game on Saturday morning and putting mrC in the car to go on his first multi-day trip, I did what any fitness junkie would do. I rode my bike to the gym. I did a short run to test out my knee (it was ok), did some strength, and then swam some laps.

For lunch, I had turkey rolls ups and some strawberries.

I took a couple of walks after lunch and after dinner. Every time I go out, I find something new that makes me love our little apartment neighborhood even more.

My knee was feeling cranky again (I honestly think it's the swimming) so I spent the evening with Jack Bauer on Amazon Prime.

My knee felt a little better this morning, so I took my morning walk and then tried this HIIT workout from POP SUGAR. I have no idea what "push-up rotations" are and I only did one circuit, but I liked it.

If you don't have an interval timer yet, I highly recommend Gym Boss. I have been using it during my #MeanAbsJune daily workout to help me get through and I can clip it on my shorts to do intervals on my runs. The beeps are LOUD.

After walking to the store to get more yogurt for smoothies, I spent the hottest part of the day inside reading this thriller. I can't wait to see what happens.

A final walk after dinner to end my quiet weekend.

What do you do when the weather gets unbearably hot?

Read any good books lately?

Training Truths: My Knee is Crunchy??

After reading through all the very helpful comments last week (thank you!), I learned that I am probably suffering from a form of runner's knee or I'm just getting old! So, it was a week of resting and icing the creaky old knee, but I didn't skip working out altogether. My workouts were focused on strength or light cardio that didn't require a lot of knee bending. By the end of the week things were looking up.

Monday - I used my Gymboss interval timer to do my favorite ab workout and then some burpee intervals  430/1000

Tuesday - Another round of the ab workout and burpee intervals 484/1000

Wednesday - More burpee intervals although my knee started to not like these either  538/1000

Thursday - Spent the snow day icing my knee off and on. I did some (awkward) burpees and a short resistance band workout designed to build glute strength. All I heard was crunch, crunch! 580/1000

Friday - Every time I straightened my knee, it would crunch - painfully. So after school I spoke to the athletic trainer to get some advice: can I work my way through this or do I need to see a doctor? She thinks I'm possibly suffering from chondromalacia or arthritis: I have had two knee surgeries. She recommended icing, wearing a knee brace/getting taped, and continuing to train if it didn't hurt. At home I found this sport's medicine video online that describes the causes of chondromalacia and some treatment exercises.

Saturday - After deciding that one more day of TLC for my knee wouldn't hurt, I switched my workout gear from running shoes to a shovel and helped mrC shovel snow leftover from the plow guy.

Sunday - My only run of the week and my first run in the hand-me-down knee brace from mrC was a pain free 30 minutes. I haven't worn a knee brace since my last knee surgery over 20 years ago, but if it helps I'll do it.

This week, I will stick to the TLC approach as I get ready to run half marathon #11 on Sunday with my oldest step daughter.

Which do you prefer, wearing a brace or getting taped?

Fitness Friday: Gymboss Timer Review

Even though I have been on the NO RUNNING plan for the past few weeks, I have still been working out. Thanks to super nice Jake at Gymboss Timers, I have been able to do my timed sets easier.

I've always relied on the clock app on my phone or a stop watch for timed sets, but an interval timer like this one from Gymboss is so much easier to use. It can set on the floor or clip onto your waistband.

I have used it both ways and although I am not doing running intervals, it has remained clipped to my shorts during transition moves.

It was simple to set up and the screen is easy to read if you choose to take a peek at it during your workout. Otherwise you just wait for the beep to alert you that your set is over.

I have used the Gymboss during a variety of workouts:

It is also a great tool when you are working out with a partner because the alert beep can be easily heard by both of you.

I'm really looking forward to trying the Gymboss during my interval runs when I am cleared to lace up my running shoes again.

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary Gymboss for review purposes. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

TrainingTruths: ZOOMA Week 9

It's killing me to not be able to run. Am I still a runner if I'm not running?

So, once again, I focused on the exercises that I could do and found a new challenging routine. I also joined a couple of September challenges to help keep me motivated. Remember the #AugustCoreFocus challenge? All my hard work for the month was rewarded with a prize from Brooks Running.

Monday: 50 squats to start the day and then some challenge work - twisted chair taps and Bulgarian split squats followed by my one minute plank routine.

Tuesday: 50 squats first thing in the morning. After my first day back to work I did my challenge work - triceps dip and flips. I really have no upper body strength.

Wednesday: 50 squats. Two mile trail walk after school with mr. C, then some walking planks and my one minute plank routine. I'd never done walking planks before and felt completely awkward at first, but then finally got the hang of it.

Thursday: 50 squats. My first attempt at downward air jacks (not easy or pretty), along with some jumping jacks and crunches. I also found and tried the 4 minute ninja ab workout from Amanda for the first time. This is an awesome dynamic ab workout. Be sure to watch her video!

Friday: 50 squats. Too tired after school and a soccer game to workout. Took a rest day!

Saturday: 50 squats. Cross-body mountain climbers, 15 minute very slow jog on the treadmill (speed set at 3) with the incline on 10 for some "hill" work, and the 4 minute ninja ab workout again. I also did my plank routine with some supermans and butt kicks.

Sunday: 50 squats, hip flexor strength workout from Women's Running and a new knee strengthening workout from Christine. She has a great demo video too.

It's three weeks until ZOOMA Cape Cod. I already know that I won't be running the half marathon again this year. Now I'm wondering if I'll be able to even do the 10K. We've decided that we will go for the weekend no matter what and if I can't run, then I will volunteer at a water stop!

Until then, all my faith is in Trainer Brian and St. Sebastian.