Work That Booty

Saturday morning I met up with Ela at the gym and this time she was the one who couldn't run. So she stretched while I did a quick mile warm up before meeting her on the mats. After that we were all ready for leg day!

 As always, you can always alter the difficulty on any exercise to meet your personal fitness level. We used weights for everything except the calf raises and split squats, right now it's too hard for us to keep our balance while doing those! We had a great time at the gym despite the New Years crowd beginning to take over what was once open space on the floor. It's great to see people who want to better themselves through healthy living and I sincerely hope they can keep it up in the coming year!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and the final days of 2013, everyone!

Christmas Belles

Sunday was a bit of a day off. The calm before the storm, you might say. I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and trying to finish up the little last minute things I needed done. We went out to see American Hustle for girls night and loved it. It was done by the same people who did The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. The deeply flawed characters were perfectly played and a joy to watch.

We were all thankful for our rest day when Monday rolled around. Everyone in my house seemed to get sick all at once. My brother picked up my sore throat and my mom came down with the flu. We also still had a dinner party to put on for all my brothers friends who are home for the holidays. All twenty-something of them. I love them, they're like family to me, but that is a lot of people to feed all by yourself. Luckily, I had help. Two of my best friends, who are absolute saints, came over to help out.

Ela, me, and Chara

After a haphazard costco trip my brother sent out a note to all the guys and told them it was now a potluck. Turned out to be the best idea since we went from not knowing how to make enough food for all those people to not knowing how we were going to eat all the food everyone had brought! Later that night I actually had to finish off most of a gallon of milk just so there would be room for everything in the fridge! The guys really impressed me with their cooking skills, and they were dressed to kill. The whole night was a success.

The next day was Christmas Eve but since everyone was feeling icky they stayed in bed and I enjoyed leftovers with my dad. We watched some action flicks and hung out around the house since everything else in town was closed. The guys from the dinner party the night before all ended up joining me for the midnight candlelight church service that night after Dad had gone to bed.

The next day my mother was finally able to get out of bed for the first time all week! We watched our favorite Christmas movie, Miracle, and enjoyed more leftovers (seriously, there was so much food!). It was a pretty low key Christmas compared to years past but it was nice to have some days off and get to spend time with my family.

The biggest highlight of Christmas day for me was when I was finally well enough to go for a run! It had been 16 days since I had last run and I had only managed to get in about eight miles the entire month! My friends thought it was great because they finally had the chance to beat me for most miles run on our Nike+ Running apps but the urge to run was too much. After taking it easy and not doing any cardio for the entire time I had been sick I was desperate for a run.

I told myself I was just going to go see what I could do comfortably. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but I didn't care, I just needed to lace up and get outside. I expected to run about 5 miles but when I hit what would have been the turn around at 2.5 miles I was feeling strong enough to keep going and turned it into a 6 mile run. Not bad for taking a few weeks off.

I should have stretched out after, though, because I was feeling pretty tight the next day! All the lifting I had been doing had kept my quads, and hamstrings in fairly decent shape but I hadn't done nearly enough for my calves. Whoops! Since I was a gymnast for years and years before I began running I have a tendency to run entirely on my toes, regardless of how far I'm going. Which means when I'm in top shape I have wonder calves that are so disproportionate to the rest of my body I actually have to go a size up in boots. But when I'm not running they shrink back up to a more normal size that isn't strong enough to support endless mileage.

I am, however, determined to reverse those effects since I spent my Christmas day signing up for races after I got back from my run. I've got my latest training schedule all worked out and am looking forward to building up my base so I can hit about a hundred miles a month and not just twenty or so. I didn't do nearly enough training for my last half and looked a bit like a ghost when I crossed the finish line. I don't want to feel that drained again. Especially since I signed up for my very first marathon that I will be running this summer!

After four years of being a sometimes serious, sometimes not-so-serious, runner I'm ready to take the plunge and finally conquer 26.2 miles! The farthest I've ever run is a little over a half so I'm nervous-excited but also totally pumped to cross this off my list of things I've always wanted to do. Especially since my "Racing Bucket List" is pages long and most of them are a length I've never before attempted. Time to get started on making some dreams come true!

As you can see from the photo above I did sneak in one more run this week, too. Before my training program begins for real on the 30th. I dashed outside after work and managed to get in the three miles before the sun set. I then went back into the gym and did Fran before going home for the day.

When I got home I had some of my favorite broccoli and cheddar soup and watched an old favorite, You've Got Mail; with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (1998). I then passed out on the sofa and missed almost the entire Fight Hunger Bowl game in which my precious Huskies were playing. I ended up sleeping for so long I was hungry again when I woke up, but it was too late for any actual sort of meal so I grabbed a handful of the mini bell peppers I bought in bulk a couple weeks back and snacked on them, instead.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas week!!

Christmas is Coming!

Saturday started with a late morning and meeting Ela at the gym a little before noon. She hoped on a treadmill and busted out 2.5 miles while I stretched out. So far there is only a tiny bit of progress in terms of my flexibility but I haven't gotten stuck again so I'm looking at the little victories. It was legs and core day for us so I wrote up a workout we'll probably change if we're going to use it again; it was a bit harder to remember than I meant it to be!

 Next time I would make all the abs exercises the same number of reps so we can remember it easier but otherwise it was a great workout!

After our morning workout we dashed home to get ready for our friend's annual cookie decorating party! We had a blast demonstrating our sometimes horrific, sometimes not completely awful, decorating skills. No matter how many we make we never seem to get any better! Oh well, at least we had a good time!

I'm wearing 4 inch heels and everyone else is in flats!

You all know I'm a big supporter of clean eating and cookies don't exactly fall into that particular category but there are ways to make it work. I made sure to eat a big meal before I got to the party so I wasn't hungry for anything. Most times you think you're hungry your body is actually trying to signal to you that it needs to be re-hydrated so try drinking some water or tea before heading straight to the snacks! I should have kept my water bottle with me so I could reach for that instead of a cookie if I felt a craving. Great sweet treats I've found to curb cravings are fruits. For example: apples are low in calories but high in fiber so they fill you up without weighing you down. They're also great for your skin and digestive system.

All in all, Saturday was a splendid start to the weekend and Christmas Week!


Sweater: Ralph Lauren
Jeans: Joe's

Abs Are Made In the Kitchen!

Friday brought snow to Seattle! Not that it lasted long, slightly warmer temps and a little rain washed all the snow away by mid-afternoon but it was still a beautiful sight to see in the early morning!

Sadly I still can't go out running but that hasn't been stopping me from getting my sweat on in the gym! My legs were still sore from Thursday's stretching after work when I met up with my best friend to give our cores a little TLC.

We broke this workout into three sections because of how our gym is laid out, if it works to do all of them as one group then go for it!

For this one you'll want a mat, a bar to do pull ups, inverted crunches, and leg lifts on, as well as the ability to do lat pull downs somewhere. The wall sit doesn't have to be weighted if you don't want it to be and you can do whatever time on the plank you're comfortable with; just remember you're doing it 4 times!

After we parted ways I went home and tried to pump myself full of all the germ-fighting vitamins I could get my hands on in the fridge. I'm ready to be over this sinus infection and strep already! I found a giant bag of mini bell peppers and knew exactly what to do.

I grabbed six and a cutting board as well as extra virgin olive oil, a box of quinoa, and some spinach. In the time it took for the quinoa to cook I had diced all the peppers and was ready to mix it all together. I was pretty excited about this dinner because none of the other people I live with enjoy eating either peppers nor quinoa but since I had the place to myself for the evening it was chef's choice. The food ended up big enough for multiple meals so I pulled out some tupperware to store the extras for the rest of the weekend and mixed together what I needed for a single serving.

The warm quiona with the fresh veggies ended up being exactly what the doctor called for and I gobbled the whole thing up. Looking forward to seeing what other variations I can make from the leftovers this weekend!

Arm Burners

After Wednesday's leg workout we were each a little sore but we agreed not to let it stop us from showing up again on Thursday! My best friend, Ela, needed a break from the arc trainer and opted for a 5k on the treadmill instead.

While she was working up a sweat I was camped out on a mat working on my flexibility. After stretching for 25 minutes I got into a deep straddle to stretch a bit more while I waited for my friend to finish her warm up. I kept inching my legs further and further back until IT happened. I got stuck! I was completely unable to move and too proud to ask a random gym member for help. So I waited for Ela to join me. And waited. And waited. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only ten minutes (I stretch with a stopwatch) she finally found me trapped on the floor. Lucky for me she had no trouble picking up my feet and bringing them back together so I could get up.

Only trouble was, my legs were to wibbly-wobbly to support me! I looked like a total goof as I tried to stand up and gather my stuff. Even hours later my family commented on how funny I was walking. Whoops! Guess I had a little too much stretching after all!

Fortunately for me it wasn't legs day and I was still able to make it through our arms workout!

This was a tough one and the final round really kicked our butts but we agreed we wanted to keep doing it until it was easy! Glad I made another keeper for us to rotate though!

We used 5lb dumbbells for the arm raises and a 10lb ball for the wallballs. A 15lb kettlebell and 25lbs on the rope pull downs rounded out the circuit.

Let me know what you think of this one if you give it a try yourself!

Sick and Still Lifting

So after being told I was simply suffering from a sinus infection and was not contagious and would get better with time and rest I went about life as usual. I went out with friends nearly every night; it's remarkable how much more free time I have now that I'm not allowed to run until I'm all better. I went to see The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug (it was, hands down, the best one yet), I spent time with the grandparents, I went Christmas shopping,  attended dinner parties. And slowly but surely began to feel better. Then, it happened. Monday morning I received a call from the doctor saying they had made a mistake and I did have strep throat after all. Not only that but I was incredibly contagious. I had been running around like Typhoid Mary for weeks. When my boss heard she ordered me to stay home for a couple days despite my claims to feeling better than I had the week before.

After a couple days of antibiotics I was finally allowed back to work but not before being reminded how much I hate being lazy. Don't get me wrong, there are days when I want nothing more than to crash on the sofa and binge watch tv but on most days I'd rather be out getting fresh air and bouncing around at the gym, park, with my dogs, family or friends. When "relaxation" is forced on me it's not so relaxing after all. I was restless the whole time and did not even manage to enjoy my time off.

Lucky for me, I'm still allowed to work out, at least a little. And my workout buddy was happy to hear it, too!

Today we started off the same as last time, 30 minutes of her on the arc trainer and me stretching.

You might notice I've been throwing calf raises in more often but I've found that without running all the time I've been losing the definition in my legs - so not ok! I may not be able to run yet but that doesn't mean I can let the muscles atrophy!

Winter Weekends And Stretchy Goals

After my last workout I had a rough recovery day. Not in terms of my muscles, they seemed quite fine, but the rest of my body had quite the time reminding me that I am still sick! I was exhausted all of Saturday and had practically no appetite whatsoever. I must have watched White Christmas at least twice and felt terrible about how lazy I was being. Rest days have always been a struggle for me because I have always felt the need to be doing something. A day without work, exercise, or any other sort of activity feels like a complete waste. And I can hardly believe any of you would be interested in photos of me in my pajamas catching up on tv if any such things even existed.

My same friend who worked out with me on Friday wanted to know when we could hit the gym again and after a day of pure boredom I was thrilled to know I would have a regular gym buddy for the winter. We agreed to meet up Sunday morning and got started right away. While she did her cardio warm up I hit the mats for a bit of stretching and yoga since cardio is still off limits until I'm no longer sick.

Stretching has always been my least favorite element of a healthy lifestyle since I was little. Even as a kindergartner who cartwheeled her way through life I hated having to sit down and work on my flexibility. Stretching always felt like more of that dreaded rest I mentioned earlier and never seemed nearly as fun as all the other workouts.

 But as I've grown up I've come to understand its importance, not that I've gone ahead and done anything about it; my splits - the ones I used to have as a high school cheerleader - are far above the floor these days.

A back handspring from way back in the day

They are also my latest goal. I'd like to have them back. And not just "someday". I know better than to set a goal for myself without a deadline. So I'm telling you now, I intend to have my splits by the first day of March, 2014. I'll keep you updated on my progress but here is where I'm at now.

My "good side" left leg forward splits

My right leg forward splits - this side has always been tighter

After an agonizing half hour of bending and twisting in ways I haven't in months my friend finished her run and we were ready to hit the weights!

It was a short and sweet session today but I was still pretty winded by the end. I know I've got a long time before I'll be back to where I was before I got sick but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to not only get back there but to surpass it and rise even higher.


Shirt: Nike
Shorts: Nike
Shoes: Adidas

"Rest Day"

After much debate and several sleepless nights I finally went in to see a doctor to figure out what was up with this whole not getting better thing. I had typed my symptoms into webmd and they told me it could pretty much be anything from allergies to cancer so when the doc said sinus infection my first question was, "So, can I still run?" Turns out, intensive cardiovascular activity makes sinus infections worse. Ooopsie! The doctor actually told me to take the rest of the week (and most of next week) off. Total bummer. On the other hand, pushing it too hard too quickly could turn this into pneumonia, making what I've got now seem like a minor annoyance so I'll take her advice and get a little rest. But the second I'm good to go I'll be back with a vengeance. After all, seven days of rest make one weak! And there is a massive difference between looking fit and being fit. I'd prefer the latter so I'm giving myself some rest, for now.

Or so I thought...when I got a text from one of my very best friends saying she was in need of a sweat session I couldn't help but join in. She had mentioned only ever joining me for arms days so I tried to mix it up a bit and work a little of everything for her. I had her begin with 30 minutes on the arc trainer at level 10 (that puts her resistance at 45) and I joined her after the cardio was done.

I was inspired to throw some of these in thanks to scrolling through the instagram account of the fabulous Shauna Harrison. She's one of the inspiring women sponsored by Under Armour and has a PhD in Public Health. She also posts great exercises to her instagram in both photo and video form.

Just a heads up, this is killer on your wrists so if you've been having any problems with them, you might want to ease up or save it for another day!

Bone Chilling Cold

This week has had temperatures below freezing but the sliver lining was a couple days of beautiful sunshine! I planned ahead to run on what would be the sunniest and "warmest" days. Unfortunately the weather man wasn't quite as accurate as I'd hoped. My run was sunny but so cold I couldn't feel my face! I cut my run short because despite my many (warmest) layers I was expelling heat too quickly and not able to warm up. It actually took another hour beside the fire before I fully regained feeling in my extremities.

I was reminded why I used to do hot yoga in the winters! 90 degrees is definitely preferable to 20! I only saw three other people on the trail at a time that is usually incredibly popular...hmm can't imagine why that might have been...

When it took me so long to warm up I imagined it was only because I hadn't dressed warm enough, not because I was starting to get sick. That is, until I worked out with my grandma the next day.

As I've mentioned before, my grandmother come in to work out with me on Thursdays. On this particular day we did similar, though not identical routines.  

We warmed up with 5 minutes on the arc trainer. She was at level 5 and I was at level 15.

Then, since it was leg day, we each set up a circuit. I had my squat rack and a box. She had a 20lb bar and, because the boxes were all a little too high for her, I had stacked up a few plates for her to step up on to. She's not at box jumps yet, but she'll get there! I was also extremely proud of her for moving up from doing squats with a 10lb dumbbell to the 20lb bar this week!

For best results, do the calf raises on the box and make sure to drop your heels (as controlled as possible) below parallel to where your toes are standing on the box.

My grandmother couldn't get down on a mat for the medicine ball V-ups (for obvious reasons) so she did alternating reps of 10 on the oblique twister machine instead (technical sounding, I know). 

For our cool down we spent the last five minutes on a treadmill at a fast walk.

When we'd finished I was completely winded, it was as if I hadn't worked out in months! I even had to knock off 10lbs from what I normally squat in order to not feel crushed by the weight. A workout like this would normally completely wipe out my grandma and be written off as an active rest day for me but it was the complete opposite. She felt stronger than ever and I needed a break!

This was when I decided to take the rest of the weekend off to rest and get my strength back. I went out to the movies with friends - side note, everyone should go see Frozen - then stayed in to catch up on some reading, I got my latest issue of Runner's World Magazine. And taking some time off seemed to work!

 I was back to feeling much more like myself by Monday and bundled up for a quick four miles outside before the sun set. 14 degrees doesn't feel so bad when you keep moving - at least that's what I kept telling myself, it was still pretty chilly out.

I might be sensing a pattern developing but I didn't feel so great again on Tuesday and took the night off with a promise to myself to resume working out by the end of the week. We'll see how that goes....

HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training

Yesterday's work out was short and sweet since I was trying to get home for Monday Night Football. (Go Seahawks!!) I grabbed a box and a kettlebell (though you could also use a dumbbell) and got right to work with my eye on the clock.

My goal was to work up a sweat in as little time as possible so I took a page out of the HIIT work book. High Intensity Interval Training is designed to get you moving and that it did! My workout is below for all of you and I highly suggest you try it out! I didn't specify any number of rounds this time because that's completely up to you, your fitness levels, and how much time you've got to spare.

I was able to finish three rounds in 15 minutes but would have liked to do maybe five or six rounds if I hadn't been in such a time crunch. It got my heart rate up and I could feel it working, but, like I said, maybe a few more rounds would be even better for next time. Over all this was a great workout and I would absolutely do it again.

Hills, Love 'em and Hate 'em

Runners have a unique relationship with hills. Everyone knows they need to practice running on them but only a mad few actually enjoy it. I'm just as guilty of skipping hill work as anyone. And I have no excuse, I live at the top of one! It has gotten so bad that I legitimately drive one mile down hill to the gym, leave my stuff there, run on the trail next to the gym and then go back to the gym to work out before driving one mile home. I have gotten stuck in traffic on my way to the gym. Something that is honestly embarrassing. This weekend we've been riddled with storm warnings and I was saying how lucky I was that I could walk to the gym if my car got snowed into the garage. Then I heard what I had said....pretty sad, isn't it?

So guess who ran to the gym today? This girl! Getting there is fine, absolutely no problem. Getting back home, on the other hand, is a battle of the wills. One mile that is completely up hill after an already grueling workout did not my shining moment make. I just kept reminding myself "You don't get better at running hills by walking them."

I used to run this hill no problem, used to do it all the time. But that was a couple years ago. I know all I need to do is keep practicing but it's still gonna take a while before I feel any sort of speedy on my way home.

In between my mile runs today I did manage to stick it out at the gym for a great workout. All I needed was a 40lb bar, a medicine ball, a 10lb plate, and a mat.

I used the 40lb bar for the Thrusters, Lunges, Deadlifts, and Squats. The 10lb plate for the Inverted Sit ups and Russian Twists, the medicine ball for the Vups and the mat for all the ab work that required me to be on the floor.

This workout combined with my hilly two miles ended up being a great workout I have no doubt I'll be doing again in the near future.