Climbing and Running

I have been busy of late, and not been able to post. I have not been working out in the conventional sense, but have remained active none-the-less. Below I have outlined what I have been up to since my last post.

31 June	1 June	2 June	3 June	4 June	5 June	6 June
1/4 mile walking, 1/4 mile jogging, repeat six (6) times	30 minutes speed walking	30 minutes speed walking	30 minutes speed walking	30 minutes speed walking	30 minutes speed walking	Rest Day
		4 hours rock climbing	3 hours rock climbing	3 hours rock climbing

7 June	8 June	9 June	10 June	11 June	12 June
Rest Day	90 seconds walking, 90 seconds jogging, repeat six (6) times	25 minutes speed walking	90 seconds walking, 90 seconds jogging, repeat six (6) times	25 minutes speed walking	90 seconds walking, 90 seconds jogging, repeat six (6) times
	3 hours rock climbing	3 hours rock climbing	3 hours rock climbing

In the future I will attempt to be more vigilant in my efforts to report my workouts. Remember to properly warmup and cool down, before and after exercise.

Time for a reassessment…

It’s been just over a month since I hit the reset button and decided to refocus on achieving my fitness/health/lifestyle goals. So it’s time to reassess my progress thus far, the following is what my assessment looked like when I decided to refocus on my goals:

Exercise	Current Total/Time	Percent of Goal	Goal
Push-ups	42	42%	100
Pull-ups	10	33.3%	30
Squats	70	50%	140
Crunches	137	68.5%	200
Body weight Dips	12	40%	30
Minutes/mile	9:06	87.9%	8:00
Weight (lbs.)	175.5	91.1%	160

As previously posted,  I used the following markers for measuring my fitness level:

1. Number of continuous proper form push-ups
2. Number of continuous proper form pull-ups
3. Number of continuous proper form squats in two (2) minutes
4. Number of continuous proper form crunches (NOT full sit-ups) in two (2) minutes
5. Number of continuous proper form body weight dips
6. Run pace in minutes per mile
7. Body weight

The following chart is my results and new goals:

Exercise	Current Total/Time	Percent of Goal	Goal
Push-ups	46	46%	100
Pull-ups	12	40%	30
Squats	78	78%	100
Crunches	138	92%	150
Body weight Dips	14	46.6%	30
Minutes/mile	9:06	87.9%	8:00
Weight (lbs.)	172	93%	160

Remarkably, my run time was exactly the same, but I ran 1.46 miles, instead of the 1.02 miles I ran for the previous assessment, which means I’m able to sustain that pace for a longer period of time, so I’ll take that as a win 🙂  My average heart rate during my run was 147 beats per minute (BPM), and I burnt 211 calories. Tomorrow is a weigh-in day, so I used my weight from my last weigh-in a week ago in the above chart. From my previous and recent assessments, I’ve realized it would be extremely difficult to perform 140 body weight squats and 200 crunches in a two (2) minute time frame, so I reduced the target to 100 squats and 150 crunches. If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask/share them. I wish everyone out there the best of luck on their journeys, and remember to properly warmup and cool down before and after exercise.

It’s a Monday…but don’t let that get you down!

It’s Monday 27 April 2015 and it has been almost a month since I decided to hit the reset button and refocus on achieving my fitness/health/lifestyle goals. I feel that I am slowly getting there, I am working out more regularly and trying to be more cognizant of what I’m putting into my body. Yesterday was a weigh-in day and I’m down a little more than four (4) pounds since hitting that reset button, so I’m losing about a pound a week. I know that might not sound like a lot, but I know I’m stronger, more energetic, and generally feel better. Also, I haven’t been restricting myself with what I’m eating, just how much I’m eating. An important note is that I’m not being overly critical of myself when I have a slip-up, I know it happens and I accept that, but I don’t let it control me!

With all that being said, I’ll tell you about my workout. I’ve been tinkering with my workouts a bit each time I’ve exercised. My goal is to both challenge myself physically and mentally, while trying to keep my heart rate up for a bonus cardio boost. As I said previously, I’ve been using my heart rate monitor to track my average heart rate and the number of calories burned during workouts. Today was a workout that focused on my core, and looked like this (similar to my other workouts, with slight variations):

• 36 Crisscross Jacks
• 12 Crunches
• 60 Flutter Kicks
• 24 Bicycle Crunches
• 25 Second Boat Pose
• 66 Boxer Shuffles
• 12 Leg Lifts
• 12 Reverse Crunches
• 40 Second Plank
• 60 Seconds Rest
• Repeat 3 additional times (total of four “4” sets)

This workout took 23 minutes and 11 seconds (23:11) and burned 198 calories. After my workout I went for a 1.14 mile run, which took 11 minutes 16 seconds (11:16) and burnt 183 calories. I also took the pups for a 30 minute walk and wore my heart rate monitor, just to see how many calories I’d burn. My average heart rate was 99 beats per minute (BPM) and I burned 200 calories, so walking for 30 minutes really can be beneficial to your heart and health! I hope my journey can help inspire others to work for their goals and understand it takes time and effort to get what you want. Remember to properly warmup and cool down before and after exercise.

A little bit of everything

It’s been a few days since my last post, so I have a few things to write about in this post. First, Friday was Core Day, which consisted of my normal core workout with a couple changes:

• 36 Crisscross Jacks
• 12 Crunches
• 44 Flutter Kicks
• 24 Bicycle Crunches
• 20 Second Boat Pose
• 66 Boxer Shuffles
• 12 Leg Lifts
• 12 Reverse Crunches
• 30 Second Plank
• 60 Seconds Rest
• Repeat 3 additional times (total of four “4” sets)

Second, yesterday was lower body workout day, before I started the workout I did yoga for 30 minutes to warmup and enhance my flexibility. The lower body workout lasted 30 minutes and 40 seconds (30:40), burnt 368 calories, and utilized the following format:

• 66 Boxer Shuffles
• 12 Squats
• 24 Alternating Single Leg Lunges with High Knees
• 36 Crisscross Jacks
• 12 Left-leg Lunges
• 12 Right-leg Lunges
• 44 Butt Kickers
• 12 Left-leg Lateral Raises
• 12 Right-leg Lateral Raises
• 22 Glute Bridges
• 24 Alternating Leg Glute Kickbacks
• 60 Seconds Rest
• Repeat 3 additional times (total of four “4” sets)

After the leg workout I decided a little cross-training was in order, so I went to the gym and got on the elliptical for 13 minutes and 33 seconds (13:33), which included a two (2) minute warmup and 1 minute cool down, and burnt a total of 215 calories. Next I decided to go for a mile run, so I picked up my pup and went for a run, which took 9 minutes and 45 seconds (9:45) and burnt 215 calories. Later in the day I decided to go shot some hoops, because I was getting a little bit restless and needed something to do.

As you may have noticed, I’m now utilizing my heart rate monitor to measure the length of my workouts and the calories I’m burning. My hope is that using this tool and being more aware of my nutritional choices, I can focus on my goals. I’ll post later about my workout today.

Just an update…

Yesterday was a core workout, I didn’t use the workout I normally do however. I used a workout video, which proved to be effective, I could definitely feel it in my lower abdominal muscles. I also went to a spa/hot tub and boat show yesterday, so I did a fair bit of walking while viewing all of the exhibits. Today I took the pups for a hike through the woods, which they really seemed to enjoy, the weather now is windy and raining, so I probably won’t be going out to run or ride my bike. It’s weigh-in day and I’m down to 174.5 lbs, so I’m averaging about 1 pound a week thus far. I will say I haven’t really been regulating my food intake, I did go out for all-you-can-eat sushi last night, so that probably didn’t help with weight loss, but it was delicious. Anyways, stay tuned for an actually workout and other fun stuff!

Update…I did a Hip-hop abs video workout called Cardio Groove, because it sounded interesting, and i was curious to see how many calories I might burn. I strapped on my heart rate monitor, and was pleasantly surprised, as I burned 343 calories in 40 minutes and 13 seconds. The instructor, Shaun T. makes the workout enjoyable with his remarks. I would definitely recommend these videos to my friends and anyone looking to burn calories and not feel like you are working out.

Upping the Abs!

Today was a core workout, I performed my previously posted core workout with a few additional reps for each exercise, so it looked like this:

• 32 Crisscross Jacks
• 12 Crunches
• 44 Flutter Kicks
• 24 Bicycle Crunches
• 20 Second Boat Pose
• 60 Boxer Shuffles
• 12 Leg Lifts
• 12 Reverse Crunches
• 30 Second Plank
• 60 Seconds Rest
• Repeat 3 additional times (total of four “4” sets)

The workout took about 21 minutes. For dinner I had two black bean burgers with Swiss cheese on a sandwich round, and about 1.5 cups of salad (a spring leaf mix, grape tomatoes, red onion, carrots, a few croutons,and one tablespoon of Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing). Remember to properly warmup and cool down before and after exercise.

Core Crunch and Run

Today was core workout day and a 1.2 mile run. I performed my previously posted core workout, which I’ll include again here for everyone’s enjoyment.

• 30 Crisscross Jacks
• 10 Crunches
• 40 Flutter Kicks
• 20 Bicycle Crunches
• 20 Second Boat Pose
• 60 Boxer Shuffles
• 10 Leg Lifts
• 10 Reverse Crunches
• 30 Second Plank
• 60 Seconds Rest
• Repeat 3 additional times (total of four “4” sets)

Except for the Crisscross Jacks, 20 Second Boat Pose, Boxer Shuffles, and 30 Second Plank, I performed each exercise slowly being sure to execute proper form, so the workout took a little bit longer than I originally planned (about 25 minutes), and I could definitely feel it in my abs! Anyways, I completed my 1.2 mile run at a 9:26 minute/mile, so I’m getting a little more consistent, I’d like to stay under a 10 minute mile. That’s all for today, remember to properly warmup and cool down before and after exercise.