Global Running Day + Strength Training

It wasn't a scheduled day for running, but I had to run because it is Global Running Day and the whole FOMO thing!

So, mrC indulged me and we ran to the fitness center. I carried the #OiselleWorldRelay virtual baton in Hong Kong while sporting my favorite running shorts and tank (similar).

The short run was literally a great warm-up for our strength training in the gym. It's already in the high 80s before 7AM here, so we were nice and sweaty going in.

While I'm on the topic of heat and running, June is also National Safety Month. One precaution runners who lace up for outdoor runs in the summer should take is staying hydrated. You probably couldn't see it in the other photos because of how nicely it tucks into my sports bra, but I run with my Simple Hydration water bottle. The bottle is so comfortable back there that when I started my strength workout I realized I had forgotten to take it out!

Week 2 Regular Calorie Day - the workout

Warm-up - 10 minutes of (your choice) - Perfect spot for my run.

Strength training - Legs. Chest. Shoulders. Finishers ---> let's talk about these. At the end of an already intense training session, these extra exercises are meant to push you to the next level and leave your energy depleted. The benefits to adding finishers at the end of workout are 1) increased fat burning time after your workout has ended, and 2) burning more calories in less time.

Side note: I finally found the in-between weighted dumbbells. Game changer.

Cool down - Any thoughts we had about running home after the workout disappeared after those finishers. Instead we walked back and spent a little time stretching in what we call the best spot in Discovery Bay ---> because there is always an amazing breeze here.

Regular calorie day - the meals

Broke fast around 11:30 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 pieces GF PB&J toast, and red grapes

Lunch - Quinoa & tuna and some green beans

Dinner - 4 crunchy tacos and corn

Snack (aka dessert) - strawberries

Hitting my macros was a struggle in my previous rounds of carb cycling, but I seem to be getting the hang of it, finally.

How are you celebrating National/Global Running Day?
Do you ever do things because of a FOMO?

Today I’m linking up with Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner and I'm linking up with Annmarie, Nicole and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!!





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Why My Legs Felt Like Jello

I saw this tank on my Instagram feed (it's from Sarah Marie Design Studio) and thought it was a perfect fit to this morning's workout. Today we were back to sprinting.

The beauty behind sprints is turning our bodies into fat burning machines so that long after our workout is over, we are still burning calories. Even while I'm sitting poolside, my body is still in fat burning mode. Who doesn't love that idea?

Week 2 Low Carb Day 2 - the workout

Warm up - walked to the promenade for the speed burst workout

Speed Bursts - Today I choose intervals. Sprint at 100% effort for 20 seconds (about 100 meters), then 40 seconds recovery. Repeat 12 times. I loved this workout! During my first rounds of carb cycling, I did all of my sprints on the elliptical because my knee was not cooperating back then. When I did the Shred program, I did some run/walk intervals and called them sprints. Now I'm loving that I can run them and the knee is responding ok with it. Each sprint got a little harder than the last until by the end, my legs were feeling like jello.

For fun, I brought along the GoPro Hero 4 and took a video of the sprint workout. Here's a collection of picture grabs. While we did our sprints, the weather changed completely. It was overcast and even sprinkled a bit at the start, but by the end the sun was shining and we were starting to melt.

AB Circuit - bicycles, crunches and leg lifts on the captain's chair ---> these are tough.

Cool down - walked home via the big hill to stay in the fat burning zone for low intensity cardio.

Remember that mention of being poolside? I really spent most of my 90 minutes in the water because it was so hot. Living easy and still burning fat ;)

Low carb day 2 - the meals

Broke fast at about noon - 3 scrambled eggs with ham, sausage links, and pb&j rice cake

Lunch - 4 turkey rollups and peanuts

Snack - chocolate protein shake (Designer Whey protein, almond butter, almond milk)

Dinner - leftover Italian chicken, steamed broccoli, and salad


If you could put your favorite motto on a tank, what would it say?

Linking-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

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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!

I Tried a Juice Cleanse and This Is What Happened

I like food. I also like carb cycling. The fasting part of the FASTer Way To Fat Loss®️ program has always been the hard part for me, but since it is a key component (it's when your body reaches into its fat stores) I always give my best effort. I've read that a juice cleanse is an effective way to extend your fasting window (because your body stays in digestive rest), so I thought this would be my ticket to a successful fast.

We ended up at Nood, a juicery right off the Mid-Levels escalator in Central. With the help of Justin, we were able to put together a one-day cleanse and purchase from the ready made stock in the shop.

This is what happened when I tried a one day juice cleanse:

6:30 - wake up and drink my usual bottle of water. No coffee on cleanse day. I have 6 bottles to drink throughout the day, so I wait to start so that the last bottle will be due at 7PM, the end of my eating window on a normal day.

8:00 - drink another bottle of water as prep for the first juice bottle. I will continue to do this every hour between bottles.

9:00 - Bottle #1. Hydrating and anti-inflammatory effects to start the day. I was terrified that it would taste disgusting, but it wasn't bad. It was a sweet lemonade flavor and easy to drink. The fun part was the slight sting left on my lips like when I eat spicy food.

11:00 - Bottle #2 - Even better than the first and I was eager to drink it because I was feeling hungry and sleepy.  According to Nood, this was a little bottle of energy. It reminded me of the lemon grass tea mrC and I had at the spa on our trip to Phuket.

1:00 - Bottle #3. EWWW! This bottle aims to balance fruits and greens, but all I could taste was cucumber and I am not a fan. This was not easy to drink, but the ingredients make it good for post workout recovery and fighting inflammation.

3:00 - Bottle #4. Ewww again, although not as bad as bottle 3. This was another balance of fruits and greens. It looked like it would taste good (the color fooled me), but between the beetroot and cucumber, it was hard to finish.

4:00 - All I could think about was solid food. My energy was super low. I was sleepy and napping off and on. I'm pretty sure I was on a carb overdose. I broke my fast with some left-over buffalo chicken quinoa and a rice cake.

I wouldn't say I failed the juice cleanse completely because I did extend my fast and that was the point.

mrC convinced me to go for a walk and stretch our sore legs from yesterday's strength training session. Even though I got bit by a mosquito in about 30 seconds and it was warm, I'm glad I put on my comfy walking sandals and got some air.

Have you ever done a cleanse?