Last Week in Workouts: The Longest Run

Last week, at 2:00 in the afternoon with a cloudless sky and 82 degree heat, I ran my longest run yet. It was hot, It was sunny, but it was also incredible. I keep doing the math and checking on my run keeper apps and Google maps to see that I actually ran that far, because my ody just does not feel like it usually does after a 3+ mile run. 

Maybe it was the heat that helped lubricate my joints and loosen my muscles. Maybe it was the incredible views of running next to the bay and by the beach. Maybe it was the run-walk-run time that I was using, but something was definitely different from the prior week's 5-miler from hell, and I am so happy for that!! 

Other than running this week, I did a wee bit of yoga and walked. That was it. I know, should have done more. But, with Easter, work, and just not wanting to, I just did not want to. So here is my workout sum-up and a hope that next week your will see a bit more yoga on my list! 

Oh, and the picture above, that was taken while on the six-mile run. With that view, running really cannot be too bad! 

Monday: 5-mile long run. This was definitely the hardest run yet. My pace slowed to an 11:33 average and my knees and ankles hurt like nothing else. There were also plenty of side stitches and lots of exhaustion when done. Yuck. 

Tuesday: Rest day. Still in pain from Monday. But, have been using this, and it makes everything better! 

Wednesday: 30-minute run using the 3/1 Run-Walk ration. Ended up doing a bit over 3 miles! 

Thursday: This new yoga sequence from Candace! 

Friday: 6-mile long run. This week I only fit in one 30-minute run since I was still catching up from last week. But, this run was incredible and my pace ended up being 11:16. Getting better!!

Saturday: Some nice walking :)

Sunday: I cooked a lot, but as far as a workout goes, that's about it. 

Happy Monday! Do you have any fun workouts planned for this week? 

A Common Sense Way to Loose Weight

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Believe it or not, but I have been searching for a common sense way to loose some pounds and keep them off. You see, over the summer a packed on over ten pounds and it has taken me to March to get it all off. Where is came from, what I did to get it, and why it took soooo long to get off is an honest mystery to me. Before summer I was already five pounds heavier than my "comfort zone" weight, so adding another ten pounds to that was not something normal. It was also the heaviest I have ever been.

That being said, the idea of just loosing it all (plus a few of the 5 lb's extra, thank you ;)) to simply bulk back up while race training sounded AWFUL. But then, I was listening to the Mickey Miles podcast with listener questions with Fitz Koelher and she said something so simple it was like a punch in the face. Her insanely easy method for not bulking and helping people loose weight without yo-yo dieting is to take your ideal weight and tack a zero on the end. That number, my friends, is your total calorie count for the day.

Whaattt?!?! I know.

Fitz says that the average calorie expenditure for usual activities is 10 calories. With that in mind, it makes sense that we would only need our target body weight, times ten. With this simple number, Fitz has found people to be able to slowly and safely bring their body's down to only needing that much energy... I like to think of it as a goldfish- they will only grow as big as their space will allow them. Likewise, our bodies will only grow as far as we feed/energize them.

But then, I had a few questions...

1. What should these calories be?
2. What about workouts? I cannot guarantee anyone's safety when I am hangry and working out+ low cal could make for a very hangry Jenni. 
3. Is using your name in the third person acceptable? Is it a sign of oncoming hanger?
4. What if I have a fast or slow metabolism?

Thankfully, Fitz went over most of these questions, in detail, on her website. You can read the full explanation here. My shortened version is below :)

1. Any diet should be well rounded and consist of lean meats, fruits, veggies, and healthy carbs and fat. This is not exactly the super fun town of eating, but who said being healthy means we get to eat fried chicken for breakfast daily? You know who, no one. ever. And, of course, we are in control of our diets, so we can decide when to cheat and when not. Hello adulthood, I will have that small fry. JK! Kind of.
2. Workouts should not increase your calorie count unless you are running 10-20 miles or doing the equivalent with some other workout. We do not need those extra calories and, if anything, will find those lb's come off faster if we do not supplement the calories lost during a workout. Keep in mind that a) you should not have an unhealthy number that your body cannot live on anyway and b) most workouts will burn between 200-500 calories an hour. Not quite bracket breaking. Also, eating lean proteins and a mix of proteins and healthy carbs after a workout will help you be satiated for longer. So maybe we won't actually break walls in a hangry rage!
3. Every body is different. Fitz recommends playing with the system a bit. If you are finding that weight is just falling off at an unhealthy rate or your are lethargic during the day, you probably have a fast metabolic rate and need to add on a few calories. If nothing seems to be changing, you may have a slower metabolic rate and need to reduce those calories a bit  more. Simple enough, now for the doing!

Please let me know if you are trying this and if it seems to be working for you. I have been trying this method for about a week now and, so far, are liking the results a bunch!

Sliding Workouts

Have you ever tried a towel or skateboard workout? Boy, are they intense! If you have done these before, you know that it is a massive ab and glute workout. If you have not, I would highly recommend trying it! Skateboard workouts are my personal favorite, but if you do not have a skateboard available, towel workouts are fantastic as well! For either of these workouts, the goal is to use your leg, abdominal, and arm strength while any other portion of you is sliding around on the floor. This takes lots of balance, coordination, and strength- and because of that, is a great whole body workout!

Although skateboard workouts are not as big of a hit yet, there are still a few YouTube videos out there with them. I may just need to do a workout with the skateboard on the blog soon, because there are simply not enough good resources for a full workout.

As for towel workouts, there are PLENTY! These are a few of my favorite towel and skateboard workouts. I have also heard of using paper plates and added a Cassey Ho workout where she does just that! Let me know which is your favorite!

A Full [and Intense] Skateboard Workout

Pumps and Iron Towel Workout

This workout is very quick and VERY effective. My favorite part is that Nicole goes over proper posture. Towel workouts can be much more intense than a regular workout, and for that reason, can be a lot easier to get something wrong and get hurt from. Back strain is a big part of that. The goal is to have other parts of your body making up for the lack of resistance and support the towel gives. If you are feeling lower back pain, take a minute to readjust, something is not right.

Cassey Ho Plate Workout for Abs

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! Do you have any plans for the weekend? For me, this weekend is a lot about getting things done! Tomorrow is the last day in January (can you believe it?!) And there is so much to get done before then! The hubs will also be taking me on a date night and I am doing another quick video for all those in the Slim Down Challenge!!

But, before all this will come a great workout. My cardio and bum workouts have been lacking recently, so this workout looks wonderful! I am also wanting to do some running today and maybe even some Cross Fit this weekend!! We will see.

Here are a few other things I am excited about making, doing, and seeing!

Monday this will be launching and I just cannot wait!

Have you ever made this? It looks so yummy and just might have to be on my foodie list next week!

Did you know the Super Bowl was this weekend?! Who are you cheering for? I am going for commercials ;)

If you have not made these yet, I suggest dropping everything you are doing and making them now.