Trying something new

Yesterday I came home from the lake completely EXHAUSTED! It's amazing how much the sun and heat can drain out of you. I was tempted to blow off the gym last night, but I made a commitment to try something new this week, so I was determined to go. And...

I LOVED IT!!

It has been a while since I have taken a yoga class and I've never taken the BodyFlow class offered at my gym (Gold's). A description of this class can be found here. It felt so good to stretch out those tight running muscles and I left the class feeling rejuvinated and ready to take on the world (or at least to tackle dinner and the bedtime routine last night!!) I think I will try to make this class a part of my weekly routine. I'm so glad that I decided to give it a whirl!

Before class last night, I had this very bland-colored meal...1 whole egg + 1 egg white, some organic unsalted peanuts and shredded wheat (did you know that regular shredded wheat only has ONE ingredient? SWEET!!) I usually try to make my meals a bit more colorful, but the supplies were a bit limited as its grocery-shopping day. Still, it was a good source of whole grains, protein and healthy fats.


This morning I did a 4-mile run. I was hoping to get it done closer to 32 minutes, but considering the humidity that had me sweating within a 1/4 of a mile (even at 6:30 a.m.), I'll take my 8:13 average pace today.
After my run I came home and did this routine. You will need to set your interval timer up to do two intervals; one for 10 seconds (your rest period) and the other one for 50 seconds (your work period). You will do 15 rounds and a different exercise for each round. I only did this once through and was wasted by the end, but if you are more hardcore, you could try doing it twice. Kudos to you if you can survive it!! Here's what your interval timer would look like...

Here are the exercises I did (alternating between cardio, upper body and lower body moves.) The number beside each exercise is how many I was able to complete during the 50 seconds of work...

1. Jumping jacks (57)

2. T Push-ups (12)

3. Sumo squat - 30 lbs (26)

4. Squat thrusts (16)

5. Bicep curl to shoulder press - 20 lbs (13)

6. Alternating reverse lunge - 30 lbs (24)

7. Mountain climbers (59)

8. Tricep dips (40)

9. Straight-leg deadlift - 30 lbs (21)

10. Snowboarders (33)

11. Dumbbell row - 30 lbs (25)

12. Kettlebell swings - 15 lbs (25)

13. High knees (70)

14. Lateral/front shoulder raises - 20 lbs (22)

15. Stability ball hip raise w/ curl (13)

Afterwards I did the following core workout, setting up my interval timer to look like this...

Six rounds of two intervals, one at 10 seconds (rest) one at 40 seconds (work). I did the following six core exercises...

1. Standard plank

2. Right-side plank

3. Standard plank

4. Left-side plank

5. Swiss ball rollout

6. Swiss ball jackknife

I did this routine two times through. It was a bit tough to finish considering the amount of sweat I had pouring off of me from the cardio workout beforehand, but I did it.

I refueled with my normal protein-flax-oatmeal and lots of water. My morning snack will be one egg + one egg white and a larabar before heading to the grocery store. Remember, if you want a chance at winning five LARABARS of your choice, just make a comment sometime before Monday morning. The more comments you make, the more chances to win!!

Talking Point: Have you tried yoga before? Do you use it as your primary exercise routine or do you supplement your other activites with a few sessions of yoga each week?