Achievements :)

So happy today! 

I am almost 15lbs down, so almost to the half-way point of my weight loss journey (I would like to lose 30 lbs total.) 

I also ran another 10 miles this week (so that's 20 so far) ! Only 480 more miles to go !

20 minutes treadmill workout

Need a quick incline treadmill workout? 
Here is what I did today. I do the intervals every 1/4 of a mile, and ran a total of 2 miles in 
20-22 minutes. 

0-0.1 miles: warm up, put the incline on 3 and the speed on 3.5-4
0.1-0.25 ; speed on 5.5, incline on 3
0.25-0.75; speed on 5.7, incline on 4
0.75-1.0; speed on 5.7, incline on 3
1.0-1.25; speed on 5.7, incline on 4
1.25-1.5; speed on 5.7, incline on 3
1.5-1.75; speed on 5.8/6.0, incline on 4
1.75-2.00 speed on 5.8/6.0, incline on 5

This is a great workout if you don't have much time or want to keep energy to do strength training.

3 miles...

just a small post to tell you I ran 3 miles today....
but not any 3 miles! I took the same path I used last time I ran outside and I felt great!
(last time I ran 3 miles outside I felt miserable. I had to stop like 3 times.)
I didn't time myself, but it was fair to say it took me about 30 minutes. 

Im also officially down 10 lbs today!... still 15 lbs away from being in the 'normal weight zone' of my BMI
(which is 131lbs) but I'll get there... I'm in no rush this time. :)

Spinning class

Today I did a spinning class, which I haven't done in a while.
If you need a killer cardio workout without the strain on your knees and ankles that running can create, try a spinning class.

You are basically on a stationary bike, which is adjusted to your height. Then follows a 45 minute high pace, interval workout.
You will do some sprinting, some riding above the bike seat (hills) and some other position to work different muscle groups while sweating a lot. LOTS. There is a bottom looking thing that you get to adjust for the resistance, but usually there are no numbers so you adjust according to your own level of effort. So like when the instructor says: put the resistance to 7, you adjust it to your 'own' 7, which might be totally different from your neighbor's 7.

My advice? Breathe. Seems obvious but it is such a high pace cardio workout that you can't afford to be panting. If you have asthma, take your inhaler with you.
Also make to bring a water bottle and towel to set on the bike ( not next to it, ON it) or the 45 next minutes will be painful. 

 

It is such a great cardio training and high calorie burner. I have not been challenged like this in a fitness class for a while. I would definitely encourage anyone to try one class.

Treadmill workout

I reached my 10 miles/week goal today! Only 490 miles to go :)

I finished it on a treadmill today, then did the ab workout app.
Here is a challenging but enjoyable treadmill workout to do:
0-0.5 miles: warm up then go from speed 4.5 to a slow running pace (5.5 for me).
0.5-1.0: every 0.1 mile, increase your speed from 0.1 until you reach a faster running pace (6.0 for me). Then go down every 0.1 miles from there until you reach 5.5 speed again
1.0-2.0 continue until you reach 2 miles.
2.0-2.1 go back to a 4.5 speed (fast walking pace)
2.1-3.0 increase your speed from 0.1 every .5 until you reach 6.0 again. Then cool down.

Of course if the speed is too slow/fast feel free to adjust it.

Workout idea #1

If you don't have time to go to a gym class, here is a workout I did today with a friend that was definitely challenging to me!  (of course if it is too easy or too difficult feel free to modify!) 

Cardio (20-25 minutes) > I ran 2 miles.

Strength : 

- 5 minutes of the ab workout ( see my earlier post about the above workout app)

- Kettle bells:  1)12 reps of this movement: (the position of the back is crucial when using kettle bell by the way, don't feel bad asking for help if you are doing it by yourself at the gym.) I used a 15 lbs one for this first two exercises, 10lbs for the last one I think.

-  2) Then 12 reps of this exercise (works the tights!!!!): 

-  3) And finally 12 reps of this exercise: 

Repeat the kettle bell circuit three times. 
I used this website to find the kettlebell exercises, it is very helpful. 
http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/ss/kettlebellexercises2_2.htm

 - A few more planks a then I was exhausted lol. 
On the better side I ran 5 miles so far this week so I have 495 more to go to complete the 500 miles challenge! And I had a taco salad for lunch it was good (unrelated topic haha.) 

500 miles challenge

Joined something fun at the y today as I renewed my membership.
It is called the 500 miles running club. 

Basically, you get to log in the miles you run every day/week, and try to reach 500 miles by June 30th.

If you are a ymca member or just want to try the challenge by yourself, you should definitely do it! 

Ran 3 miles on the treadmill right after signing up! So 497 more miles to go! My goal is to run 10 miles this week.