Workouts this week were really good. I’m totally exhausted though but it’s all good.  Hubby and I are going to go on as many walks as we can outside up until December and quite possibly walk the 1/2 marathon. I’m not sure though at this point if I could make it. I’m honestly still struggling even without running…maybe it’s the mind set but also I’m just not feeling strong enough to do over 4 hours of walking.  I know the 10k would be a good amount for me and would still be a struggle so a good goal to reach for.  I’ll keep you updated as we go along.  I will not make my final decision until we get to Jamaica so it will be a last minute decision.

Here are my workouts for this past week.

Monday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

Tuesday-

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

*Pilates
Time: 60 min.

Wednesday-

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 20 min.

Run/walk but only got in about 4 min. running (not in a row bummer) but did try to do more fast walking.

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

Saturday-

*Walk outside
Miles: 3.2

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

*Walk outside
Miles: 3.78

This coming week looks to be just as busy and so far I have workouts on the books for every day of the week.  Phew!

What was your best workout this past week?

Come join my friend Gretchen and I TONIGHT Friday, September 3rd at 7 PM Eastern for a quick teleseminar where Gretchen will share with us 3 ways to beat sugar cravings.

The link to find the event information is at

http://AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=14750661

We respect your time and will keep the teleseminar to a short 30 minutes.

Gretchen will also share a personal story on how she got her husband off blood pressure medicine with diet and exercise.  Looking forward to hearing that story!

You can sign up for Gretchen’s free report at Crush Sugar Cravings.

Hope to see you there!

SELF magazine online has a Reach Your Goals program that I love.  Choose from the at home or at the gym fitness guides OR both and get a lot of goodies like meal plans, food/exercise logs, awesome prizes and more. I thought their 20 Ways to Burn 200 Calories article is great too.

My favorite ways to burn calories in the article were:

• Build Your Own Bootcamp
• Be Rakish (although I prefer to mow the lawn ha ha)
• Plunge Right In (of course hubby would love for me to say yes to diving in Jamaica but snorkeling is just as good right?)
• Late Night Make-Out Challenge OH YEA

There are a lot more so be sure to take a peek and come back and tell me your favorites!

P.S. You can follow SELF magazine on Facebook and Twitter.

Do you keep a workout journal to keep track of your daily workouts? I have a ton of journals for various things and I carry around a cute little notebook with me at the gym to keep track of everything I do.  This week I also started mind mapping my workouts and LOVE it.  I’ll show you sometime what that is all about.

Do you keep a workout journal?

Sorry I missed posting last weeks workouts.  I had one personal training session and one spin class before I left on my business trip. And I didn’t workout AT ALL while I was traveling unless of course you count dragging my almost 50 lb broken suitcase (thank you American Airlines LOL) all over the airport.  Last time I went to this conference I woke up extremely early to workout in the hotel fitness center before all day sessions started but was actually worn out by lunch every day because networking goes late in the evening so I got no sleep. This time I just made it a point to walk to restaurants and only hitched a ride out to eat once with a friend.  My food choices were not that great this time around.

But this week was good.  I got in some good workouts but wait until you see the schedule for this coming week. Yikes!

Monday- Day off (traveling home)

Tuesday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal Training (core/abs)
Time: 30 min.

Wednesday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Thursday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal Training (glutes)
Time: 30 min.

Friday- Day off

Saturday- Day off

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

Today I did 14 vertical knee lifts which I’m very proud of since I did give myself a vertical knee raise challenge.  I can’t believe that I couldn’t even do this just a few short weeks ago.

This coming week is going to be crazy!  Monday-Wednesday is going to be killer. Then Sat. we are looking at going on a very long walk.

How did your workouts go this past week?

P.S Have you heard of Mood Boost?  The company sent me boxes of packets to sample.  Honestly I have not been drinking it on a regular basis to really experience the boost in energy but I like the drink itself.  It comes in powder form and I like to have it with cold water and ice.  A lot of powdered mix drinks that I have had in the past were always so sweet and Mood Boost is not.  From what I have read it is a healthy drink mix supplement that provides quality nutrients.  Love that it has no artificial sweeteners or colors.  It’s formulated for mood support and energy and some of the ingredients include Rhodiola Rosea, 5-HTP, St. John’s Wort, Selenium and Vitamin D.  I also just read that it’s good for vegetarians because of Vitamin B.  That is great to hear.  And one packet is only 20 calories!  You can read more about the product on their FAQ page.

I can’t believe I will be subjecting myself to this because a while back I took a Pilates class or two with Kevin (hubby) and I did not like it at all.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the instructor but I didn’t care for mat Pilates workouts.  I would much rather be standing more like you do in Yogalates (another class I took a long time ago).  So starting Tuesday I’ll be back at it because I really want to see a difference in my body over the next 6 months.  I know I need this class and once a week won’t hurt me right? or will it?  HA!

Some of you may not be familiar with Pilates so here is a link where you can read more about it.

What is Pilates?

And since I am still so new to mat Pilates workouts, I can’t really tell you the difference between all Pilates workouts so I would like to guide you to this article.

I have been told that it is best to begin by doing mat Pilates because you can modify it as a beginner pretty easily.  My main goal with taking the Pilates class is to strengthen my core to help me master my vertical knee raise challenge but it has many other great benefits.

Benefits of Mat Pilates workouts

• Great for balance, flexibility and strength.
• Low impact
• Great for ab/core strength
• Improves posture
• Body awareness
• Whole body fitness

and many more!

I have no idea how many calories I burned when I took Pilates class but once I send my HR monitor for repair and get it back, I’ll be sure to check to see how many calories I do burn in the class.  I think this will be a good addition to my normal routine of spinning, running, personal training, etc.  We shall see!

Do you do Pilates workouts?

My monthly check in stats are down below under Friday’s workouts.  It was a pretty good month but I sure hope to blow those numbers out of the water with my Sept. check in.  I have a long way to go but I am starting to feel really good and know that I can do it.  This weeks workouts were decent but I know I can do better.

Monday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.
Miles: .82

*Personal training (legs/core)
Time: 30 min.

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Tuesday- Day off

Wednesday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Elliptical
Time: 7 min.

*Personal training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 30 min.

I covered up the treadmill screen with all the numbers so I really don’t know how many miles were done (maybe 1.54?)  Today was the best day running yet and I tried something new.  Instead of focusing on the time (run 2 minutes/walk 3 minutes) I tried to make it through an entire song before even thinking of giving myself a chance to stop and with a total of 11 minutes speed walking I was able to run to THREE songs in 30 min. for a total of 9:11.  Of course that wasn’t all in a row but I’m going to get there!  If you haven’t read and/or commented on my Decisions, Decisions post, I would love some feedback.

I also had my monthly weigh in and measurements and hooray I lost 8.5 inches overall and lost 4 lbs.  My body fat % did not go down this month (boo) but I am going to work on that.

Saturday-

*Mow lawn
Time: 1 hour

Sunday-

*Treadmill
Time: 13 min.
Miles: .79

I ran to 1 full song and 1/2 of two other songs (again not in a row, had to stop and walk some).  I am feeling better about the running so we will see how it goes.

*Spin class
Time: 1 hour

Good week I would say!  This week I have plans to workout hard M-W and then I’m traveling and hope to get in some running or some type of workout while I’m gone.  I’ll miss only 1 spin class while I’m gone so that is good.  Then when I get back watch out.  I’m actually thinking of joining hubby again in mat Pilates because even though I don’t care for that type of Pilates, I need to work my core big time and I do like the instructor so hopefully I’ll have a change of heart once I start going on a weekly basis and seeing changes.

How did your workouts go this week?

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Here are some of my favorite links that I came across this week……

Nelson over at The Breakfast Cook has a low carb cooking challenge this week. I have never done low carb so I don’t really know anything about it so check it out.

There are two healthy living/fitness conferences that I would love for Kevin (hubby) and I to attend one day.  There are mostly women attendees from what I have seen but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Ha! You might be familiar with the conferences Fit Bloggin ’11 & Healthy Living Summit.  They are both on my future wish list.  Speaking of them Healthy Living Summit is in CHICAGO this week and I couldn’t get a ticket because they sold out in like 12 MINUTES. Bummer!  Roni, the creator of Fit Bloggin is cool!  I have had the great pleasure of meeting her in Chicago a few years ago when a group was here for a Quaker sponsored event and they planned a blogger meet up.  Check these events out and I hope to meet you at one or both of them in the future!

Shelley over at My Journey to Fit has a great post on sports bras.  Perfect timing as I really need a few new ones and have no clue where to go.

One of my favorite blogger fitness inspirations is Tina from Carrots ‘N’ Cake. She just did a few videos for Fitness magazine recently and they are so cool.  You have to watch (scroll down a bit to see the videos but also be sure to enter your best tip for staying hydrated)!  This was all about 80′s fitness fads.

Did you find any great links/blog posts this week?  Feel free to link in the comments.

Remember this post back in January, where I mentioned that my husband and I were thinking about signing up for the Reggae Marathon 1/2 marathon?  Well we did decide to go ahead and sign up that same month and I have been trying my best to run since then and to be honest I’m truly struggling.  It’s not something I really enjoy YET but I decided to still go for it until I started having breathing issues as I was running outdoors and sometimes indoors too.  I have been given instructions on how best to breath while running, I have a book on breathing and I’m still failing miserably.  I definitely don’t want to give up however I am really thinking about downgrading from the 1/2 marathon to the 10k at this point.  I still want to participate and after speaking with the race director I can choose the run/walk for either the 1/2 or the 10k but I think I would really like a medal and finisher’s certificate instead of the possibility of having to back out during the 1/2 and then get disqualified and get nothing.  Does that sound crazy?

I have up until we pick up race packets (December) to make my final decision but I’m running all options through my head right now and wonder if it would just be best for me to work hard for the next 3 1/2 months to see if I can accomplish the 10k.  I have invested quite a bit into this like race fees, running shoes plus I need a new pair, Garmin HR monitor, etc.  and still need to purchase running clothing for the actual race.

Speaking of running, I have a ton of music on my iPod but it’s in no specific order and I would love to find someone that could take a look at my list of songs and put them in to a play list for both 1/2 marathon and 10k races.  Of course I’m willing to pay someone to do this so if you can do this or know of anyone who can please let me know.

On a side note, in Jan. I started the 1 min. run/3 min. walk and for a while have been doing the 2 min. run/3 min. walk and I was not getting anywhere.  Someone mentioned to me that it might be best just to cover the treadmill screen with a towel and just run until I feel I can’t (duh).  So today I did that at the gym and it was my BEST run yet.  I was able to run to 3 entire songs although not in a row. I did a 5 min. warm up, just over 9 minutes running to 3 songs, 11 minutes fast walking and 5 minutes cool down.  I enjoyed it so much better than any other run I have done!  So, I’m going to look at my song list and see if I might be able to do 2 songs in a row next time.  I have a long way to go but I’ll get there.

Would you kindly comment and let me know what you think about the above situation and what you think I should do OR what you would do.  I think we all know what I’m leaning towards but I just want to be sure. And then of course I feel bad because hubby wanted to run the 1/2 marathon but if I don’t choose to run the 1/2, I think he’s going to instead run the 10k with me. I’m struggling with this decision…..please help!

Photo credit:

photo credit: CJ Sorg

I have tried it a few times now and just have to laugh every time because I really do look like a total fool on it HA HA!  It’s going to be a major challenge.  Please send good thoughts my way because I’ll really need them LOL

I have been in a poopy mood lately when it comes to running, weight loss, etc. and just need to get out of the funk.  I am most likely going to have to face the fact that I won’t be able to run the 1/2 marathon and it wasn’t for lack of trying.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to go in the race to run the 1/2 marathon BUT I am going to find out where the 10k runners will break off just in case I’m having issues at that point.  So a definite run/walk is in my future and I’ll mostly be walking due to the breathing issues.  No worries, I’m just bummed about it but want to try to get something out of it because we did pay over $80 EACH to participate.  We’ll see how it all plays out!  And it’s not until Dec. so I still have some time to figure it all out.

Workouts for the week went OK but I definitely SLACKED!

Monday-

*Personal Training (legs/core)
Time: 30 min.

*Mowed the lawn
Time: 2 hrs

Tuesday- Day off

Wednesday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Personal Training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

Saturday-

*Zoo walking ALL DAY LONG

Went to the zoo and had a blast but it was long and exhausting.  I got to touch the rays, it was so awesome!

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

How did your week go?

Summer in many places will be coming to an end before we know it and for most  it will be time to pack up the picnic baskets and grills until next season.  You still have some time so lets look at some options for planning a picnic cookout menu.   Hubby and I love to grill all year round even in the snow so all these ideas are perfect for us.  Please welcome this guest post/news release by Pirate Brands (one of my favorite companies!)

Healthy Barbeque Tips Hot Off the Grill

Pirate Brands Nutrition Expert Offers Healthy Tips For Your Summer Gathering

Sea cliff, N.Y. (July 26, 2010) – Summertime is synonymous with barbeques and we are in the thick of it right now!  Grilling is a great healthy way to cook and a great way to bring family and friends together.  One of the only ways people can go wrong at these outdoor occasions is to select unhealthy meats, snacks and sweets.

Luckily, Emily Whelan Anschlowar, MS, RD, the in-house nutrition expert for Pirate Brands (makers of all-natural snacks including Pirate’s Booty), has created tips for your readers to throw a healthy, but delicious barbeque this summer.

*  Go Lean, or go home. Instead of a fatty New York strip steak or pork chop, select lean meats like chicken (sans the skin), top sirloin or pork tenderloin.  Grill up burgers using lean ground turkey or bison.  Fish is also delish on the barbie!  For meatless meals try veggie burgers or Portobello mushrooms.

* Make sure to veg out. Grilling veggies is not only healthy, but the process really brings out the natural flavors and juices.  Some great grilled vegetables include corn, zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers.  Shish kabobs are always a hit as they’re fun to make and eat with the family!

* Don’t forget about the snacks. Greasy fried potato chips and neon orange cheese puffs are always barbeque staples.  A great alternative to fried potato chips is Potato Flyers – deliciously baked all-natural potato chips that have half the fat and a quarter less calories than the leading potato chip brand.  A smart swap for cheese curls is Pirate’s Booty, which is baked, all-natural puffed rice and corn that is lower in calories, but high in taste.  Both products are also trans-fat and gluten-free!

* Commit to low-calorie condiments. A barbeque is not a barbeque without macaroni and potato salad.  Just swap out fatty mayo for Greek yogurt in your favorite recipe – you won’t only lose on the fat and calorie intake, but you’ll gain in nutrition, as yogurt is packed with calcium, protein and probiotics.  Also, try using guacamole, pesto and tomato sauce in place of store bought condiments, which are usually all additives with no actual food.

* Sip your way slim and stay hydrated. Stay away from drinks high in sugar and that contain caffeine like soda.  Research shows that caffeine actually dehydrates you – that’s the last thing you want while having fun in the sun!  Your best bet is to opt for water or a low-calorie flavored water.

* Savor that sweet tooth. Fruit is nature’s candy and should not be over looked when it comes to the grill!  Banana, mango, pineapple and peaches are all delicious when grilled.  Pair the fruit with a scoop of frozen yogurt and a drizzle of honey and you’re in for a real treat!

At Pirate Brands, we have been creating healthier treasures since 1987 with the belief that you shouldn’t have to “snackrifice” taste for health…Arrr!

Potato Flyers are deliciously baked potato chips that have half the fat and a quarter less calories than the leading potato chip brand.  Unlike other baked chips, which can be cardboard-like and lacking flavor, Potato Flyers are baked with pressure, which makes them crisp and tasty, proving that you don’t have to “snackrifice” taste and fun for health when it comes to your potato chip.  Like all Pirate Brands snacks, Potato Flyers are all-natural, trans-fat and gluten free and provide a first-class crunch.  Plus, the chips are only 120 calories for a one ounce serving.  Potato Flyers come in Original, Sour Cream & Onion, Homestyle Barbeque and Sea Salt & Vinegar flavors.

Don’t just take it from us!  Potato Flyers won the “Best of Expo 2010” Gold Award in the “Best New Line” category at Natural Products Expo West.

Pirate’s Booty is a deliciously baked, all-natural snack made from puffed rice and corn.  Pirate’s Booty is also gluten and trans-fat plus, only 130 calories per serving.  Pirate’s Booty comes in great flavors like Aged White Cheddar, Sour Cream & Onion, New York Pizza, Veggie, Barbeque and Sea Salt & Vinegar.

Pirate Brands

Pirate Brands, a leader and manufacturer of all-natural snacks, is located in Sea Cliff, NY and has been creating healthy treasures since 1987.  The company was founded on the belief that you shouldn’t have to “snackrifice” taste and fun for health.  Pirate Brands produces deliciously baked, all-natural, trans fat and gluten free snacks that include Pirate’s Booty, Potato Flyers, Smart Puffs and Tings.  Potato Flyers also won the “Best of Expo 2010” Gold Award in the “Best New Line” category at Natural Products Expo West.  Pirate Brands’ snacks are free from fryers and ingredients you can’t pronounce, Arrrrrr.  Products are sold in the US.  For more information visit: www.piratebrands.com

Thank you Pirate Brands!  I’m looking forward to sampling the Potato Flyers.

If you were planning a picnic cookout menu what would you include?

P.S. I reviewed the Pirate Brands Pirates Booty a while back if you would like to read about it.