Why Leg Day Treats?

One of the most favorite aspects of the FASTer Way program is the “Leg Day Treat.” 

In the FASTer Way, we don’t believe in deprivation. That’s why we have a food cycle designed to allow us to enjoy our favorite treats on Leg Day, totally guilt-free. We work out a large muscle group, our legs, which results in a ramped up metabolism, turning our bodies into fat-burning machines all day long.

Leg Day strength training includes some of the more challenging movements of all the strength-based workouts, and the legs and glutes are among the largest muscle groups in the body. Challenging yourself in heavy strength training with the largest muscle groups means you’re likely burning more calories on Leg Day than on other strength days.

Most people who try a diet or “fat loss lifestyle” don’t stick with it for the long-term because it’s too restrictive and doesn’t teach them HOW to incorporate occasional treats. We learn how to still eat a treat and how honesty in that freedom is important. It's not a diet of deprivation, but a lifestyle where you eat mindfully and with purpose.

It is important to note that we participate in a treat MEAL...not a cheat DAY.  Going off course for an entire day can quickly unravel some of your hard earned work; however, a treat meal is unlikely to do so. A treat meal serves a couple of purposes. It can trick your body and turn your metabolism up a notch. Plus it gives you a mental release from feeling like you have to be "perfect" all the time.

Some people find the idea of “treats” to be particularly triggering and they have a hard time stopping at one treat or an appropriately portioned treat. Please understand that building in foods made of discretionary calories is entirely voluntary and I encourage you to make the best decision for you and your wellness journey.

How do you incorporate treats or do you avoid them?

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).

Cape Cod Summer 2017: Carb Cycling and Vacation Highlights

As much as I wanted to finish my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program on a high note, it was just too much to keep up with while on vacation. I didn't stop the program all together ---> I did as many of the workouts as I could and I continued to extend my fast until nearly noon each day. What I didn't do was track my macros or post to the online group each day.

You may have noticed that I also had trouble blogging ;)

I'm not bummed out though. I feel like I did what I could and still enjoyed every moment with the girls for two weeks. Those two weeks were the absolute best. Our days were filled with fun and I savored every moment just being there with my family.

Here are the highlights:

We had a Sparkler Party on the beach to celebrate the 4th of July. We started with a traditional summer cookout at the house, complete with cheeseburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans. Then we walked to the beach sporting our festive tees from The Daily Tay. We didn't see a big fireworks display, but our party was over-the-top fun!

We took the fast ferry over to Nantucket for a day. After grabbing breakfast sandwiches at Fog Island Cafe, we went on a bike tour around town with Nantucket Bike Tours ---> highlights of the tour include Brant Point Lighthouse, Steps Beach, Lily Pond, Old Mill and riding through quaint neighborhoods (highly recommend doing this!). We grabbed a taco lunch at Easy Street Cantina (loved it!) and took our rented a jeep for a ride out to Sankaty Lighthouse and stopped by the Oldest House. Before leaving, we walked around town enjoying some ice cream from The Juice Bar, souvenir shopping and even spotting a celebrity from Long Island!

We hopped on the Shining Sea Bikeway in North Falmouth for an afternoon ride. Our 16 miles took us through salt marshes all the way to ocean views at Quissett Beach. My knee was a little cranky, so we turned around about 2 miles from the end of the trail in Woods Hole.

One afternoon in Woods Hole we walked the trail out to The Knob, strolled around town with ice cream from Jimmy's Sandwich and Ice Cream Place and stopped to see the Nobska Lighthouse up close.

We love Old Silver Beach and spend most of our mornings there soaking up the sun and our evenings taking in the sunsets. This year we celebrated our favorite place with a fun photo party in our favorite Cape Cod gear and brand new OSB tees. The girls made sure to include their brother, who was stuck in Colorado working, in the fun.

We had one major rainy day which I spent at the Cape Cod Mall picking up a new pair of fitness shoes. I think these will work perfectly for hiking and Bodystep. One cloudy afternoon we took the Cape Cod Railroad Coastal Excursion. It was an out and back narrated trip from Hyannis to Buzzard's Bay. Along the way we saw cranberry bogs and kettle hole ponds, great salt marsh, Cape Cod Canal, Sagamore Bridge, Bourne Bridge and an osprey nesting platform.

On our last night on the Cape, we took a sunset sail aboard the La Liberté out of Falmouth. Before the two-hour cruise aboard the schooner, we had one final dinner at Simply Devine Pizza Co. where you can get gluten-free pizza.

The Workouts - During the two weeks, I was able to fit in some FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workouts such as sprints, HIIT circuits, bike rides for low intensity, and a few runs to the beach.

The Meals - Some days I followed the meal plan and some I didn't. I offer myself plenty of grace since it was our official vacation. It's hard to be back in the US and NOT indulge in some of our favorite things.

The great thing about carb cycling is that you can make it work for you, even if it's not always perfect. We didn't have access to a gym or even free weights, but we exercised every day. Instead of taking results measurements at the Cape, my plan is to repeat the final two weeks and then do a proper results post.

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?

Happy New Year Workout Recap

Hello 2017!

First let me get some blogging business out of the way...Congratulations JEN! You are the winner of the Spartan Race giveaway! Please check your inbox for information about your prize.

Ok, back to the weekly recap...

I spent most of 2016 trying to stay active and healthy all the while keeping my fingers crossed that one day my knee will let me return to some sort of running again. I hiked, I did yoga, I rode my bike, I started Bodypump.

I love making new goals and I'm a sucker for making new ones every year (see here, here, and here). One thing I've learned over the years, though is that you don't have to wait until January 1st, or Monday, or next month. Goals can be made anytime and we can start working on them whenever we want.

This year I'm not setting yearly goals, I'm setting a theme. I'm joining the FitApproach #IAmEmpowered campaign. It's about feeling strong and confident and celebrating what makes me, ME! I'll be pushing myself to continue to try new things, go beyond my comfort zone, and try to encourage others to do the same.

Here's my first week of feeling empowered:

Monday - mrC and I hiked. It's a quick hour-ish hike, but the beginning is a serious climb straight up 733 steps. Great cardio and leg workout.

Tuesday - I went to Bodypump. I'm really liking this class and the happy sore I get from it. I ❤️it.

OOTD details here

Wednesday - mrC and I went to Central to run some errands and I was on a mission to find Be-Juiced and break my fast with an acai bowl. Mission accomplished. My toppings ---> peanut butter, strawberries, and granola.

Thursday - I got to the fitness center a little late and it was packed. I wanted some cardio so I used a very techno elliptical for about 15 minutes (it stayed on too hard) and then switched to the rower. It was my first time and I had no idea how to use the settings. I picked JUST ROW and did that for 15 minutes. I burned 100 calories. I think I'm going to like it.

Friday - I was back at Bodypump but I brought a friend. mrC! Looks like I have inspired him to lift some weights.

Saturday - I got to the fitness center early to do my sprints and planks. It was a good workout before the NYE celebrations later.

**I had to share this photo from our NYE party boat on Victoria Harbour. We cruised from DB to Central, had some drinks, had some snacks, had a little dancing and then watched the amazing fireworks over the water. It was a great evening with new friends.

Sunday - After staying up until 2:30, I managed a NYDay walk. We're all allowed a lazy day and mine felt great!

Today - I started the Yoga Revolution challenge because my heel is finally feeling better and Adriene's challenges are awesome. It felt so good to ease back into it and actually do downward dog without my heel firing up.

After yoga I was back for more Bodypump. My goal (haha) is to attend two classes a week, but at least one.

Do you set New Year goals?
What makes you feel empowered?
Did you celebrate NYE?