Weekly Wrap | Heading into Vacay & Big News

Somehow, I managed to stay on track this week even though we traveled from Hong Kong to the east coast on Thursday. Our flight didn't arrive until almost 1am Friday and by the time we got to the hotel, I was wide awake. After getting about 2.5 hours of sleep, we hit the ground running to start our annual Cape Cod family vacay.

Interval Training:
Monday's 20 minute sprint drills workout in the park was a doozy! Even though I replaced the sprints with mountain climbers, the combo of cardio and strength moves literally worked the whole body. Tuesday I did the usual 20 seconds sprint: 40 seconds rest x20 on the elliptical.

Strength Training:
Last week we were doing tempo sets. In case you don't already know, tempo sets are when you alternate between very slow reps and fast reps during the same set. For example 2 reps with a 5 count followed by 2 reps with a 1 count. This was my first time doing strength this way but it came pretty easily since it's the format used in Bodypump classes, although someone else is doing the counting for you.

Active Rest Days:
I skipped the juice day fast because we were traveling and did my normal two low calorie rest days. Friday was a full on recovery day of running errands and letting my body adjust to the 12 hour time change. Sunday I got in a couple of walks around the neighborhood and to the beach.

Obviously I'm really looking forward to our two weeks with the kids, on the Cape, at the beach. I know some people take a break from workouts and training while on vacation, but I look forward to my workouts. They make me feel good and strong. So, while I will show myself grace, I plan to continue with my workout schedule and follow the FASTer Way nutritional guide.

PS - I recently shared the big news on IG that I was accepted into the FASTer Way To Fat Loss® Coaching Certification program. Getting involved in the fitness community is something that I've dreamed about doing since leaving my teaching position and moving to China for my husband's job in 2015. I just didn't know where or how to start. The opportunity to become a FASTer Way coach has answered those questions.

As I make my way through the certification process, I wanted to share where my own journey began. You can read about my first round of the program here. If you have any questions or are interested in being added to the wait list for my first round, please message me at runningescapades@hotmail.com

Do you stick to your workouts during vacation?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Weekly Wrap | New month, new week, new workouts, new goals.

New month, new week, new workouts, new goals.

This month I am back in the FASTer Way To Fat Loss®️ VIP program. While I like that I can 100% recycle my old workouts, I also like to shake things up. The VIP program offers FWTFL veterans new workouts every week, continued online group support and monthly health and fitness topics to expand my overall wellness.

Here's a wrap up of my week:

Interval Training
Monday's workout got a late start because I had a morning appointment. So between going to the gym in the afternoon and a seriously intense HIIT workout, I got my butt kicked. I posted my sweatiest #sweatyselfie on Instagram as #proof. On Tuesday it was sprints on the elliptical. These always get my legs burning.

Strength Training:
The workouts this week followed a format similar to drop sets: 2 short sets with heavy weight and 1 longer set with 50% weight. My muscles really liked this format and I know this because every workout left some part of my body feeling like jelly. Wednesday it was my shoulders, Thursday it was my biceps and Saturday it was my quads.

Active Rest:
I kept with my usual yoga session on Friday and did Side Body Flow from Yoga with Adriene. This really helped me stretch out my whole upper body after two good strength training workouts on Wednesday and Thursday. I was hoping for the usual SUP session on Sunday, but passing typhoons brought very rainy and unstable weather. Instead I took a power-walk to try to beat the rain and did some stretching afterwards.

NSV (non-scale victory):
Muscles. I am starting to SEE my muscles, especially in my left leg which is also the bad knee. My cranky knee has not made improving strength in that leg easy, so I am thrilled to finally start seeing some changes. It has been a slow process but I'm excited to know that the work is paying off. My goal is to keep working and make even more muscles pop!

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Weekly Wrap | As Many Reps As Possible

AMRAP, as many reps as possible. I've seen this fitness term tossed around my social media for years and always felt a little intimidated by that kind of workout.

When AMRAP showed up in all of my strength training workouts last week, I figured it was finally time for me to give it a try. And, you know what? It wasn't bad at all. My body and my mind were clearly ready for a new challenge.

This got me thinking. Timing is everything.

Last week things just seemed to be falling into place. The timing was right for a lot of things in my life and it felt really good.

• I took on those timed AMRAP workouts like a champ 
• my FASTer Way To Fat Loss VIP group monthly topic is MINDSET. We're talking about the power of positive thinking and how to avoid the self-sabotage trap (I do this A LOT)
• I took a step toward learning something new (not quite ready to share what it is yet, but it is definitely something I have wanted to do for awhile and now is the right time for me)

It was a good week all around. Here's a look at my workouts for the week:

Interval Training
I loved the workout space for Monday's HIIT workout! "Up by 10" is a tough one ---> I may have cheated on the in & outs and the plank pushups, but I still got in plenty of the total 550 reps! Tuesday's sprint workout seemed tame in comparison, but I still felt a good burn.

Strength Training
Like I said, first time doing AMRAP workouts. I don't know what I thought was so intimidating in the past, but I liked this type of workout. I was surprised to see how many or how few reps I could do in the timed portions. I also tried my new weight lifting gloves...I like the fit, but I'm on the fence on how I feel about wearing them.

Active Rest Days
For my Friday yoga session, I did Yoga with Adriene's Stretch and Soothe. We had perfect weather for our Sunday SUP session. I am so grateful that I've learned to embrace my active rest days. I used to think that I needed to work out EVERY day hard. I didn't realize that I was actually hurting my body. Making progress means taking rest days and giving your body time to recover.

Have you ever felt like something was perfect timing?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

July: 82 Workouts

A friend of mine from Shenzhen came to visit today with her son. We spent the day at the beach and took the SUP boards out. It was a super fun way to wrap up the month of July.

The end of the month means that it's time to link up with the Tuesday's On The Run group (Patty, Erika, and Marcia) and give myself a grade.

After sort of coming clean and declaring myself a non-runner in June, my focus in July turned to interval training, strength training and active rest days. Basically I recommitted to taking my fitness to the next level without running.

One thing I discovered recently about my Apple sport watch is that it keeps all kinds of workout data in the phone app. According to the app, I have completed 82 workouts in July.

Here's the breakdown:

Strength Training x 12 
I learned more about supersets, pyramid sets, drop sets than I ever have before and loved every minute.

Interval Training x 13
Tabata, HIIT, elliptical sprints, treadmill hill repeats ---> I loved the variety.

Walking x 38 total 26.61 miles
I walked a marathon this month! While I didn't get out and walk every morning, I did make a point to walk more often.

Yoga x 6
I embraced my yoga mat on active rest days and it felt really, really good. Some days it was hard to move into a pose because, well, LEG DAY. Thankfully my Yoga with Adriene videos helped loosen things up.

SUP x 3
I could do this every day. There's just something about being on the water that relaxes me.

Overall, this month reminded me that fitness comes in many forms and to be honest, I haven't missed running that much. I've gotten stronger, my knee has been happier and I feel like I won this one.

What made you feel like a winner in July?

Weekly Wrap - Never Never Never Give Up

It's that time in the summer when things really start to heat up around here. It makes it hard to want to do anything, (except hang out in the water) especially workouts. I know that there are no shortcuts to results and that if I want to stay fit (and get fitter), I have to push on. Fortunately there were signs that reminded me to never give up and by the end of the week, I was feeling really good! Here's my Weekly Wrap with Holly and Wendy.

Use my affiliate link to learn more about the FWTFL program here.

Interval Training:
Monday's outdoor Tabata workout was a tough one and my body was not a happy camper afterwards. I think I was suffering from a little dehydration stomach cramping. Tuesday I used the motivation from my new Lorna Jane tank to bounce back and had an awesome treadmill hill repeat workout. PS - I shared some treadmill workouts for non-runners here.

Strength Training:
This week's workouts on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday were all pyramid sets: when you start out light and gradually increase the weight while decreasing the reps. I really liked this method. Each rep felt more effective because I wasn't trying to power through with heavier weights. I am beginning to really feel my muscles working in my upper body. I still have a lot of work to do in my legs, but two separate compliments this week reminded me that the work pays off.

Active Rest Days:
On Friday I took a sunrise walk along the beach, but Sunday! Sunday mrC was back from a trip and we took the SUP boards out for an amazing paddle. I love when we sit down and just float, talk and take in the views of where we live. It was a great way to wrap up the week!

Do you use your workout gear as motivation?