Ever heard of Chrissie Wellington? This lady is amazing! She has won 4 Ironman World Championships and holds all three world records at the Ironman distance (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run). The crazy part is, she never competed athletically until she was 27 when she did her first triathlon shortly after riding a road bike for the first time.
For some serious inspiration and woman power read her story: http://fitbie.msn.com/triathlete-chrissie-wellington-reveals-her-kryptonite Some people might think she's crazy. Even I wonder sometimes. But honestly, she is an example of the unending capabilities of the human body.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Feel the BURN!
Today was supposed to be my rest day. And it was... until I got kind of bored and started researching my favorite subject: fitness. Nothing gets me motivated more than seeing pictures of fit people and reading inspiring words like.
I had designated today as rest because Tuesday is my hard workout day and yesterday I pushed myself in my weightlifting. And I'm super excited about it too! Yesterday, I increased my weights and lifting heavier weights always feels like improvement. Celebrate the small victories. Also, recommended weight increase should be no more than 10% increase at a time and not more often than once a week.
So I was feeling a little more tired this morning and was taking it easy. But then boredom crept in and I started my research. One thing lead to the next and before I knew it I found a new great resource: Share It Fitness I spent quite some time looking over this blog and their advice is solid. Great stuff.
It's from this blog that I designed the workout that I ended up doing today. But my motivation came from something I saw the other day. Ever heard of Dana Lynn Balley? Yeah, well she's crazy. After watching one of her videos I realized that I probably could push myself harder. Here's where my direct motivation came from in case you're interested: Dana Lynn Bailey Disclaimer: She is a pro and has been training for years.
That's when I decided that I can push myself more. I didn't want to lift because I did that yesterday and will be lifting tomorrow so I thought it would be a good day for cardio. From my new blogsource Share it Fitness I was reminded about HIIT exercises. HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training is a great way to torch serious calories. Basically, you do you cardio at a steady pace and alternate periods of high intensity.
Today I incorporated HIIT into running. I ran a 9.5 minute mile for 3 minutes and then ran a 7 minute mile for 2 minutes. My non-HIIT running pace is usually about 8.5 minute miles. So 9.5 min/mile was slower for me and 7 min/mile was a big push. I alternated the two for 30 minutes. By the time the 30 minutes was up I was really tired but I wasn't finished.
To complete my rest day workout I decided to swim. I wanted to a get a full hour in today so I spent the rest of the time in the pool swimming laps. Lately, I've been tempted with the idea of doing a triathlon so in a way this was a small test to see how it would feel to do two together.
By the time I got home I was exhausted. Swimming in particular is a great whole body workout. And do I feel it in my whole body!
Despite the soreness, nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing that I pushed myself beyond my limits. It feels good. You should try it sometime!
I had designated today as rest because Tuesday is my hard workout day and yesterday I pushed myself in my weightlifting. And I'm super excited about it too! Yesterday, I increased my weights and lifting heavier weights always feels like improvement. Celebrate the small victories. Also, recommended weight increase should be no more than 10% increase at a time and not more often than once a week.
So I was feeling a little more tired this morning and was taking it easy. But then boredom crept in and I started my research. One thing lead to the next and before I knew it I found a new great resource: Share It Fitness I spent quite some time looking over this blog and their advice is solid. Great stuff.
It's from this blog that I designed the workout that I ended up doing today. But my motivation came from something I saw the other day. Ever heard of Dana Lynn Balley? Yeah, well she's crazy. After watching one of her videos I realized that I probably could push myself harder. Here's where my direct motivation came from in case you're interested: Dana Lynn Bailey Disclaimer: She is a pro and has been training for years.
That's when I decided that I can push myself more. I didn't want to lift because I did that yesterday and will be lifting tomorrow so I thought it would be a good day for cardio. From my new blogsource Share it Fitness I was reminded about HIIT exercises. HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training is a great way to torch serious calories. Basically, you do you cardio at a steady pace and alternate periods of high intensity.
Today I incorporated HIIT into running. I ran a 9.5 minute mile for 3 minutes and then ran a 7 minute mile for 2 minutes. My non-HIIT running pace is usually about 8.5 minute miles. So 9.5 min/mile was slower for me and 7 min/mile was a big push. I alternated the two for 30 minutes. By the time the 30 minutes was up I was really tired but I wasn't finished.
To complete my rest day workout I decided to swim. I wanted to a get a full hour in today so I spent the rest of the time in the pool swimming laps. Lately, I've been tempted with the idea of doing a triathlon so in a way this was a small test to see how it would feel to do two together.
By the time I got home I was exhausted. Swimming in particular is a great whole body workout. And do I feel it in my whole body!
Despite the soreness, nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing that I pushed myself beyond my limits. It feels good. You should try it sometime!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Post Workout Nutrition
To accelerate your fat loss results these post workout nutrition suggestions are a must.
Whey Protein- Whey protein is important after a workout because it prevents breakdown of muscle tissue which increases fat burning and elevates thyroid function.
Whey Protein- Whey protein is important after a workout because it prevents breakdown of muscle tissue which increases fat burning and elevates thyroid function.
Glutamine- What is this? Well, it is an amino acid that our body naturally produces. Under normal conditions our body produces enough of this amino acid but after placing your body under stress such as that of heavy exercise, our body needs help to produce enough for repair. Glutamine boosts immune system function which accelerates recovery after a workout. Glutamine also improves in digestive health.
BCAAs- Branched Chain Amino Acids are considered the essential amino acids and are not produced by the body. We get them through the food we eat- mostly high protein sources. They are essential for decreasing muscle soreness and encouraging burning of visceral (stored) body fat as an energy source.
One great source of all three of these essential post workout nutrients is in the whey protein that I drink. Since my last post about whey protein (you can read it here: Whey Protein) I've tried a few different brands. Maybe it's time for you to buy another container. I highly recommend Super Advanced Whey Protein by Body Fortress. Not only does it contain all three of the post workout nutrients that I described but it tastes great- which says a lot for supplements. It's like drinking chocolate milk made with
rich dark chocolate. I look forward to drinking it down after a heavy workout. Side note- I tried the strawberry flavor and it had a very sweet,
artificial flavor that I didn't like too much. But the chocolate flavor
is delish! Here's a pic:
Friday, June 1, 2012
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