Getting (re)Started

I finally broke out of my no-working-out funk yesterday (Saturday) by going to a Pump class.  I had taken 10 days off - unintentionally at first, then the more days that went by, the less I wanted to make myself get moving.  The plus side was that I really did get more sleep: I was in bed early and slept in until the last possible minute.  The other plus, it turns out, is that it made some of my perpetual aches and pains subside a bit.  

Yesterday, I forced myself to go to Pump class, though I was doubting I'd even have the stamina to make it through the squat track!  Of course, once I was there, it felt great; I was so thankful I'd made myself get up and go to the gym.  Today, I went running for the first time in about a month; I was able to make it much farther than usual before my knee pain flared up (lately, it's been about half a mile at most).

Honestly, what really motivated me to get back into my routine was when I'd read on Facebook that former Featured Member Christine  had fallen during HIIT class and shattered her wrist.  She is such an inspiration to me; she works so hard, she has come so far, she is everyone's biggest supporter, she is modest about her many accomplishments, and, most importantly, she remains super positive all the time.  Her recovery will be long and slow and will involve surgery, yet I am certain she will keep that positive attitude through all of this.  Thinking about her made me realize I am not dealing with anything like a shattered wrist holding me back; I have no reason to be sitting here engaging in negative self talk, creating problems that don't exist!  Time to get my butt in gear and work out!!  And Christine, we're all thinking about you and will miss seeing you at SWAT!!

Time Flies...

Woah.  I thought I'd posted a week and a half or two weeks ago, but it turns out it's been almost 4 weeks since I've posted anything in the blog!

Blame a busy home/work/social life, blame back-to-school, blame fatigue, blame whatever...I've been neglectful of this blog!  I think deep down, though, in the subconscious level, I've been avoiding it.  I had been in a great routine, eating to fuel my body, working out hard, living a healthy lifestyle overall...and now, I'm just not.  I saw some pictures my sister posted of me today, and I don't look good.  I can definitely tell I've gained weight (and NOT muscle weight).

So, how to get back on track?  The easy answer is to just do it.  Keep the change (the healthy change), as the blog name implies.  But it's not that easy, at least in the moment-to-moment sense.  I feel like I've set a ton of different goals for myself, both privately and publicly (i.e., here).  I'm not sure what it is that I am lacking (willpower? A specific vision?) that keeps me from just changing the way I eat and live.  Maybe another public challenge for myself?  Maybe just one step at a time?  

I think the first step is to get back to blogging...

Today's HIIT workout

One of the items on my weekly exercise checklist is a HIIT workout.  I've taken a break from the Monday/Thursday morning HIIT classes at SWAT.  I miss them a ton, but we needed a financial break from them.  So, to replace HIIT, I do sprint intervals on the treadmill or design another workout.

This morning, I did my HIIT at home.  First, I made a list of ten exercises I was going to do:

*Mountain climbers
*High knees
*Pushups
*Tuck jumps
*Skater jumps side to side, touching the ground with each one
*Leg jacks in plank position 
*Squat jumps
*Box jumps
*Burpees
*Ab exercise where you sit on the floor, lift up feet, and pivot side to side, touching the ground on each side

I set the timer on my phone for twenty minutes.  Last night, I had asked Braeden to help me with my workout by picking any number between 10 and 20; he picked 14, so that was the number of each exercise I had to do before moving on to the next (for mountain climbers and high knees, one full rep = one on each side).  

I made it through this four times in the twenty minutes, pausing the timer for a minute or two of rest each time I got through all ten exercises.  I won't say that it was fun, but I think it was definitely effective - I was huffing and puffing!

By the way, does anyone else hate box jumps?  I feel like I'm going to trip and fall, so I'm terrified with each jump (and I definitely have fallen in the past!).  My step at home is about equal to a step at SWAT with two or three bricks underneath it, which is not as bad as jumping onto the huge tires behind SWAT, which Marta has made us do more than once.  I force myself to do them because I hate them so much, but I never seem to gain confidence!!!

Exercise Checklist

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm trying to focus more on strength training than on cardio.  As I also mentioned, I'm trying to figure out how to fit in my workouts while dealing with an ever-busier schedule (since I last posted, we agreed to let Braeden join his friend's flag football team, which means one more practice and one more game per week).  I am having a hard time organizing my workout schedule, often because I'm too tired in the morning to get up and exercise (I promise, it's not usually because I've stayed up too late watching TV or something; most nights, we put ourselves to bed right after we turn out the kids' lights!).  

I decided to develop a checklist (see below), which I can print off each week to help me keep track of what I want to do.  I am going to adjust it after a few weeks if I feel it's too little or too much.  This is easier for me to handle mentally than a set workout schedule; this way, there is more flexibility if I miss a planned workout (whether because I slept in or because I have another commitment or because I just decided I wanted to play with the kids instead of going to the gym).  

*****************************************************************************************************

WEEK OF:________________________________

_____ arms/shoulders workout

_____back/chest workout

_____legs workout

_____CXWORX

_____Pump class

_____HIIT workout

_____circuit workout

_____30 minutes walking – first time

_____30 minutes walking – second time

_____30 minutes walking – third time

_____free choice (Attack, Step, running, etc.)

Gathering Strength

Woah.  That back-to-school stuff hit us hard!  I've been super exhausted and stressed (a lot of it is positive stress - I really do enjoy my job! - but still, stress), my own kids are still adjusting to the new schedule (somebody has a meltdown every night - it's nice that they seem to be taking turns), and balancing homework / social life / exercise / lessons / meetings / cooking is, as for you, I'm sure, a balancing act.  

These past few weeks, I've been focusing less on cardio and really working on strength training.  I try to do at least one Pump and two CXWORX classes a week, along with three intense strenghth workouts per week, each focusing on a different area (legs, back/chest, and arms/shoulders).  Why?  Well, basically, my injuries.  I've had to give up running pretty much completely; my hip / knee / and back flare up within a few tenths of a mile.

I'm not as comfortable out on the weight floor as I am on the cardio machines or in the classes, but I'm getting more and more used to it.  Basically, I stick to the same exercises week after week, increasing the amount of weight I lift when I feel I can.  I move quickly from one exercise to the next, trying to keep my heart rate up while I'm lifting.  When I do cardio, it's short, intense workouts of about twenty minutes (kind of like HIIT classes, but not as intense simply because I don't push myself as hard as the instructors push me...I'm working on that!).  

I do notice a difference when I'm in Pump.  I'm able to lift 40 lbs on each side during the squat track, and I've increased my weight in other tracks too.  It feels good!!  Now, if I could just be consistent with the healthy eating and portion control, I bet I could take some inches off, not just increase strength!

FEATURED MEMBER: Tim

This week's Featured Member is Tim.  I'm sure you've seen him around - he's so tall, he's hard to miss.  He's been a member for a long time, but until recently, I'd never seen him in the Les Mills classes.  I was really interested in what would lead a guy who's usually out on the weight floor to start trying Step and Attack and RPM - read below for the answer!

Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I tried to get Julie to fill in this section for me with some exciting story, but she declined my offer.  So here is my exciting story. I have been a member of SWAT for about 8 years.  Normally you only see me on the weight floor, but recently I have been seen taking the classes at SWAT as well.  Multiple sports injuries have altered my workouts over the years causing a decrease in cardio activity.  About a month ago, I decided to use the Les Mills classes as a jump start to get over some of these bumps in the road. After about two weeks, I noticed a major difference in the conditioning of my entire body.  Can’t wait to see what is to come after taking the classes for an extended period of time.    

What is your usual weekly workout routine?
Daily workouts usually include taking one of the classes offered at SWAT along with some strength training on the gym floor.  Between the weight lifting and classes you can catch me at the gym almost every day.

What are your go-to snacks and meals?
One of my favorite snacks is sliced avocado and mango.  There is more to the recipe but I never make it past slicing them up before eating them all.  As for meals, I love to cook so there are too many good meals to pick from.  The normal basics in all the meals are quinoa, aduki beans, and kale.

How do you balance being active with the demands of your daily life?
These past couple years I have been working extremely longs days during the week and putting in extra time on the weekends.  The only time I could find to work out was the late evenings.  However, I have been fortunate this summer to have more of a normal schedule which has allowed me to work out at earlier times in the day.  Hopefully my schedule stays more like this in the future so I can continue to participate in classes at SWAT.

What is a fitness or healthy living goal you have for yourself?
I would have to say running another marathon would be one of my top fitness goals.  I enjoy the mental as well as the physical challenge involved with the training and the race itself.    

What do you like about being a member at SWAT?
SWAT has something for everyone no matter what your fitness level is.  Between the weights, classes, cardio equipment, and CrossFit type equipment, SWAT offers more than the average gym. 

What is your favorite class at SWAT? Why?
This question could get me in trouble with the instructors or member in my next class… ha ha.  So basically all the classes are my favorite!  One of the first classes I ever took was Body Combat and I loved it.  When that was the only class I took, it was my favorite.  However, now that I have tried all the classes, picking one favorite would be impossible.  Each class offers something different that I enjoy, and all the classes push your body to new heights.  I have had a blast participating in each class and will continue taking them all in the future.   Special shout out to all the instructors – their hard work is very much appreciated.

Do you have a person who is your healthy living/fitness inspiration? Who and why?
My fitness inspiration comes from my sister, Deanna Huff.  Her rollercoaster life story has changed my own life forever. There are no more excuses to not being active after seeing what she has gone through.  Through multiple kidney transplants, years on dialysis, endless trips to Mayo Clinic (MN) while living in Alaska, nothing ever slowed her down.  She continued spending endless hours and days enjoying her love for the outdoors and being active.  If she wasn’t in the hospital you would find her outside mountain biking, hiking, skiing and running. It didn’t matter if there were tubes sticking out of her body, she just always found a way to be doing what she loves.  Although still having to monitor her body carefully, she continues to push her body to its limits.  These past few years, she has competed in multiple races, from 5ks to half marathons run and most recently finished her first 50K.  Maybe if I’m lucky, my next marathon would be with her running beside me. 

Anything else you'd like to say?
I enjoy reading inspiring and motivational stories and wanted to share one of my favorite quotes right now:

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
 -Vivian Greene

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Sigh. Back to work. I love my job, but this has been a fantastic summer of fun, relaxation, family time, friend time, reading, and playing. We planted our first garden, went to various beaches, went canoeing, got a dog, rode bikes, and had a nice little family getaway.  Braeden and I made it most of the way through "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the longest book in the series (and thank you, Emma, for providing me an example of a Scottish accent for when I do Professor McGonagall's voice).

One thing I will really miss about summer vacation is the time it grants me to exercise on a different schedule. During the school year, I try to get workouts in at 5:30 am so my evenings are free to spend with my family (don't picture us having many quiet evenings at home; we are often running around to sports practices, rehearsals, lessons, and play dates).  I love taking the 9:15classes; my body is awake and ready to work hard. I took 5:30 am Attack Tuesday, and I felt sluggish and sore. HIIT class this morning was a little better; since it started at 5:45, I had time to warm up.

Once the students return, I will appreciate the routine of each day; that structure really helps me stay better on track with when, what, and how much I eat. My "witching hour" when it comes to food is around 4 pm. I'm so hungry right around then that I just derail by overeating (and usually, I'm not overeating cucumbers and carrot sticks!). My plan is to have veggies and fruit cut up and ready for me to grab when I come home, or, if possible, to eat an early dinner.

For this week and next week, however, we are sitting through eight days of seven-hour professional development sessions.  Thus far, the information has been extremely valuable and interesting, but even so, sitting through lectures for that long each day can be mind numbing! We are teachers; we are used to being up and around all day!  The district has graciously provided us with food to keep us happy: coffee, baked goods, and fruit in the morning (and more at our mid-morning break); a buffet for lunch (lasagna/salad/chicken/desserts the first day, wings/macaroni and cheese/pork sliders/potato salad/dessert the second day), cookies and potato chips for an afternoon snack, and cans of pop available all day long.

Talk about diet derailment!  I have come prepared each day, my bag packed with fruit, veggies, and grilled chicken. Just so I don't feel completely deprived, I have coffee with one of those yummy flavored creamers in the morning and fruit from the lunch buffet.  I get my workout in before work, and in the evenings, the boys and I ride bikes or walk the dog.

Wish me luck as I return to the real world, and I wish the same to all my teacher friends.