Wrapping Up FWTFL Week 3 (with Weekend Workouts)

We've literally been living under our umbrellas for the past few days, but I haven't let that stop my motivation. I did change things up a little bit, but it's my workout and I have to make it work for me.

Lorna Jane tank (similar here)

Here's a look at my workouts this week:

Monday - Took my sprints and HIIT workout outside for my last sunny day workout.

Tuesday - Active rest day

Wednesday - Learned about strength training with Supersets

Thursday - Another training day at the gym. I think I'm becoming a gym rat.

Friday - My Bodystep instructor returned from Oz, so I took my speed burst workout to The Hit Room.

Saturday - Regular Calorie Day - Leg Day - the workout 

I started the day with a trip to the beach for a pre-arranged meet up of the Discovery Bay Ladies SUP group. Four of us braved the rain to participate in an upcoming local magazine article.

I usually SUP in my bathing suit, but the rainy weather had me in a normal Chi tank and Costa shorts. One of the ladies wears full coverage rash guard, wetsuit like gear so she won't get stung by jellies if she falls in the water.

Warm up - I was over the rain, so I looked up the at-home workout for the day. My warm-up consisted of me digging out the free weights, getting out my yoga mat, and that's it.

Strength training - It was leg day: squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, calf raises. 4 sets of 12-15 reps. Plus FINISHERS - curtsey lunges, side lunge with squat, jump squats, jump lunges. 40 reps. Repeat ---> I did not repeat. This was one of those calls I have to make to keep my knee happy.

It sucks that I have to limit my workouts on one of the larger muscle groups, but I do. The old me would push through and finish the workout exactly as it's written. I would pressure myself to not quit because a leg workout burns a lot more fat calories than an arm workout. But then I would be out of commission for a couple of days with knee pain. I've learned to modify my workouts so that they work for me and be ok with that.

Sunday - low calorie day - active recovery - the workout

Warm up - For once it wasn't raining so we were able to walk to the fitness center. mrC had a strength training day and I tagged along.

Slow paced run - I chose to do the interval progression run today. It looks like this: 1 minute walk, 1 minute run, 2 minute walk, 2 minute run, 3 minute walk, 3 minute run, 4 minute walk, 4 minute run, 5 minute walk, 5 minute run. At the end, I was almost to a 5K, so I repeated the 5 minute run. 

I admit that the longer walk breaks were HARD! I've gotten used to my one minute recovery intervals, but I stayed focused on the goal of low intensity and keeping my heart rate in the fat burning zone. PS - I'm falling more in love with my Mizunos every time I run in them. Have you read my review?

Bonus - I tossed in a couple sets on the adductor machine because my inner thighs are nice and flabby. I'm hoping the use of the machine will supplement the leg day exercises.

Cool down - I did some stretching on the stretch machine. If you've never used the stretch machine at the gym, I highly recommend it. It looks like this one on Amazon. I don't have a lot of experience, but it made getting a really good stretch of my hamstrings, glutes, and quads so easy. I did not use heavy weight during my leg workout yesterday, but I was feeling the results of the high repetitions.

Regular calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at about 11 - 2 scrambled eggs with ham, gluten free pancakes, red grapes, and orange juice

Lunch - 3 turkey roll ups and microwave popcorn

Dinner - Buffalo chicken quinoa and green beans

Snack - mini YPP

Low calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at 11 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, one PB&J rice cake and red grapes

Lunch - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa and green beans

Dinner - leftover buffalo chicken quinoa ---> it's THAT good! (recipe here)

How was your week?

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!

Rest Day Fun and Strength Training with Supersets

I'm playing a little catch up on my carb cycling posts, so today you get a double. Our almost-typhoon Merbok passed by Hong Kong on Monday night and has left behind the most deplorable rainy weather. One rest day and one strength training day complete regardless.

Week 3 Low Calorie - Rest Day 

(I love that I can switch my days when necessary on this program)

My rest day was LHR (laser hair removal) instigated (no sweating for 24-36 hours) which coincides perfectly with needing to run some errands. Rain or shine, out we go. Thank goodness for rain boots and rain slickers. We went from LHR, to lunch, to the GAP, to two groceries and back. All in the (sometimes pouring) rain.

In case you are wondering what the inside of a LHR treatment room looks like, I took a pic yesterday. It's looks scarier than it is and everyone is so friendly and nice.

Week 3 Low Calorie - the meals

We happened to see a sign for Ruby Tuesday's on our way to my appointment and decided that was a great place to break fast and they opened at 11:30. Perfect timing. We don't eat out that much, but I love a salad bar.

I made several trips and also had some Cod on the side.

Dinner - BBQ meatballs and green beans

Snack - popcorn and watermelon

Regular Calorie Day - the workout

Warm up - our normal walk to the fitness center was interrupted by, you guessed it, rain. We took the bus instead and grabbed a treadmill for the warm-up. After walking for 5 minutes, I decided to run. I ran for 10 minutes without intervals and my knee was OK! Interested in my shoes ---> check out my review here.

Strength Training - Supersets. Four Supersets. Arms, legs, legs, arms.

Cool down - 10 minutes walking on the treadmill while mrC finished his workout and then we walked home because it wasn't raining.

So what is a Superset? If you are like me (not a gym rat), then you might not know the term. Directly from my workout: "A superset is performed when two exercises are performed in a row without stopping." The exercises can be opposing muscles or the same muscle groups. Even though there are two sets it is considered one set. A Superset. The purpose of the Superset is to improve performance, build muscle, and burn more fat in less time. 

Regular Calorie Day - the meals

broke fast at about 11:15 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham and two PB&J rice cakes and watermelon 

Lunch - 4 turkey roll ups and red grapes

Dinner - leftover chilaquiles and corn

Snacks - two mini peppermint patties

Here's what I do for fun, wearing a new linen tee that I picked up at GAP yesterday. I don't think it looks so see-through in real life. 

Do you like salad bars?
What do you think about Supersets?

I'm linking up with Annmarie, Nicole and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!!

Weekend Workouts: Making the Most of Pre-Typhoon Weather

What do you do in Hong Kong when there is a tropical depression, possible typhoon headed your way? You make the most of the sunny weather while you can. Even if it's hot, hot, hot! The forecast for the coming week is all about rain and lots of it, so adding in an outdoor run and some fun on the water was important this weekend

Week 2 - Regular calorie and Low Calorie day - the workouts

Saturday - It was leg day and as a warm up, I ran an easy 1.3 miles to the fitness center. It was warm and sunny, but thankfully the first half of the run is shaded by trees and a tunnel. I love these short little runs and I was extra excited for this one because it was my first run in the Mizuno Wave Sky. I love the feel of new shoes.

The leg workout was no joke! It was 50% on the machines and 50% free weights (or just body weight) and I liked that. I like using the free weights because those exercises utilize more than one muscle group even though you might be focusing on one main muscle. For example, squats are quad dominant, but also draw on hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles. On the other hand, I like the machines so that I can focus on one main muscle group and sometimes with better form. It's a balancing act for me and my testy knee, so a little bit of both works perfectly. Throw in some finishers and my legs were done.

Sunday - I chose to take my iSUP board out for about an hour of low intensity cardio since it was active recovery day. It's hard to believe there is a storm lurking in the South China Sea when you look at the bright blue sky over Discovery Bay and Tai Pak Beach.

this board is still available at a great price on Amazon

It didn't take long to get hot and sweaty, but getting in the water was not an option for me. Not that it is normally. It takes a lot to get me to go into deep water. Today there were a ton of jelly blubbers (aka blue blubber jellyfish) in the shallow waters! I'm pretty sure the sight of them helped keep my heart rate elevated in the fat burning zone. 

Week 2 - Regular calorie and Low Calorie day - the meals

Saturday - Broke fast around 11:00 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 pieces PB&J gluten free toast, orange juice

Lunch - 3 turkey & Swiss roll ups and a protein smoothie with Bob's Red Mill vanilla protein (available on Amazon)

Dinner - mrC's chilaquiles (seriously soooo good) and corn

Snack - watermelon, vanilla yogurt with chocolate sauce

Sunday - Broke fast at 11:00 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 PB&J rice cakes, watermelon

Lunch - 3 turkey & Swiss rollups and watermelon

Snack - peanuts

Dinner - leftover chilaquiles and corn

The big food winner this weekend ---> the watermelon. It was my first of the summer and it was so dang good. When we lived in China, we could hardly ever find seedless watermelon. Eating watermelon with seeds almost takes the fun out of it.

D you squeeze in certain workouts when you know bad weather is coming?
What is your watermelon preference - seeds or seedless?

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase any of these awesome products, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I recommend these products only because I have experience with them and use them in my everyday life.

Active Recovery Day - Bowling in Hong Kong

Low intensity workouts usually bring to mind yoga, biking, walking, elliptical, pilates. Believe it or not, bowling can be a great active rest day option, too.

If you've ever been bowling you know that it utilizes most of the major muscle groups. When you throw the ball down the lane, you are stretching and flexing several muscles all at once. You might have felt it the day after ---> sore glutes or even a sore arm?

Bowling is anaerobic and it's not meant for building muscle mass, but it is perfect for active recovery day.

Today I met up with some American Women's Association friends for a couple of hours of bowling. The temperature has been really heating up here in Hong Kong and bowling is an excellent way to escape the heat.

We had two lanes for two hours at Thunder Bowl, located in the basement of Whampoa Plaza (just opposite the big ship) in Whampoa. We bowled three maybe four games and had an absolute blast. We also burned about 300 calories.

Low Calorie Day - the meals

After bowling I skipped the group lunch at California Pizza and headed back to DB. Although I love pizza, it's not a great choice on low calorie day (we all know pizza is anything but low calorie) and it was not gluten free. 

Broke fast about 1:00 - I grabbed a few items from the grocery near the ferry pier including: yogurt bars - they are so yummy!

 

Lunch - 3 turkey roll ups with swiss cheese, pb&j rice cakes and red grapes.

Dinner - leftover salmon patty, green beans and salad

Snack - two PB&J rice cakes

Overall: I'm having trouble getting in the carbs. I can consume insatiable amounts of bad carbs (chips anyone??), but trying to eat my macros fills me up. Is this really a bad thing though? 

What atypical activity have you used to stay active on rest days?

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Recovery Yoga and A Little Fashion Friday

My muscles must be growing because they're sore. At least that is what I told myself all day.

Enter yoga.

I swear every pose in flow yoga stretches something good. The best yoga videos are from Yoga with Adriene. If you do yoga and don't know her or are thinking about starting yoga, Google her.

After my second day of strength training, my arms and shoulders were really tight. By the time I finished the yoga video I was already feeling better. It's a perfect active recovery workout for low calorie days, too. Win, win.

Afterwards, we grabbed our passports and crossed the border for some shopping at Luohu Commercial City in Shenzhen. A friend referred me to a tailor who is making me copies of my favorite dress. The fun part was searching for the right fabric in the fabric market.

Speaking of fashion, I thought I'd share some of my recent favorite finds. Some are fitness gear, some are affiliate links (meaning I make a few cents if you click and/or make a purchase - no obligation!), and some are on my wish list.

Picked up this dress at J.Crew (can't wait to wear it at the Cape), a couple of these super soft drapey tanks (on the hanger in the photo below) and put this tank on my wishlist (it's just so tropical).

And I think these espadrille slip-ons would be perfect with the dress or just about anything this summer.

I took mrC to Lululemon. One pair of workout shorts wasn't enough anymore. While he was shopping, I found this long sleeve top on sale for myself and picked up this new sports bra.

Low Calorie Day - the meals

Lunch - broke my fast around 11:30 at the Lee Yuen Restaurant. BBQ pork, fried rice, sweet & sour chicken and dim sum (for mrC).

Dinner - leftover quinoa and tuna

Snack - 4 turkey rollups

My macros were pretty good for the day, but I was hungry. I need to eat more fiber to feel full on low calorie days.

How often do you yoga?
Do you have a favorite clothing item you would copy?
Can you eat with chopsticks?

PS - I'm linking up with Nicole for the Fit & Fashionable Friday link-up 

Shred Day 6: 25% Fewer Calories and Two Words

It's been such a great rest day that I don't want to spoil it with a bunch of superfluous words. So today's post is inspired by low calorie day: 25 percent fewer calories and two words per picture.

Florida room

Wish list

Best dog

Fast Kate

My eats:

Breakfast ingredients

Lunch smoothie

Summer grilling

Brownie fix

Good carbs

My macros

Until tomorrow...

Morning Yoga and Parm-Crusted Flounder

I needed an energizing yoga session this morning. mrC had an oh dark thirty pick up for his trip today and that interruption in my sleep left me feeling sort of blah when I woke up later.

When I want to do yoga at home, I always go to Yoga with Adriene. She has the best at home yoga video options and the best voice. Today I did the Energizing Morning Sequence and Yoga To Get The Juices Flowing.

It's been awhile since I've done yoga because my achilles was firing up when I went into downward dog, but today it felt ok. I didn't force the pose like I would have a month ago. Instead I focused on how my legs were feeling. They were a little tight.

The whole session felt really good on my muscles that were feeling a bit sore from yesterday's full body workout. 

The weather was not as soothing as my yoga session. This rolled in very quickly mid-morning and then hung around most of the day.

What I ate on low calorie day

Breakfast: the usual

Lunch: I wasn't that hungry (and didn't even eat all of the turkey), but felt like I should eat something. I always seem to have less of an appetite on rest days...unless it's fast day. Then I want all the food because I can't have it!

Dinner: parm-crusted flounder. This is such an easy recipe (see below) and I could eat it every other day.

Parm-crusted {fill-in-the-blank with your favorite fish} Recipe:

Drizzle each fillet with coconut oil

Cover with shredded Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle some Cajun seasoning, paprika, parsley flakes

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees on a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Snacks: I snacked on some strawberries and dry Honey Nut Cheerios, too.

Macros: Low calorie day always makes me nervous, but then it turns out to be easier than I thought. I had room for more carbs and a few more calories, but I was content.

Do you use yoga for more than just a workout?

Do you eat more or less on your rest days?