Belated Birthday Weekend

Tweet this!

The weekend started with a road trip.

Proof that Oil Swishing is whitening my teeth...

We met up with my parents and headed to Dania to look at some furniture. My husband and I are in search of a couch that will mesh well with our Mid Century Furniture...

No, this was not the winner.

We ended up liking this charcoal couch with a lot of tufting.

Post-Dania, we were ready for a belated birthday dinner. We tried to get into Prairie Grass Cafe and Ruth's Chris, but ended up at Morton's Steak House, and let's just say that was an extremely fortunate thing because dinner was amazing. And so was the wine...

The next morning, my mom and I got ready to head down to U.S. Cellular Field for the NOCC Annual Walk/Run. 

We had a 7am leave time, so we woke up around 6:15 and started with coffee. I have not been much of a coffee drinker lately, so I only had one cup, and made sure to have a banana with it to make sure my stomach wasn't wonky during the run.

We arrived a bit early and walked around to get a sense of the area, then did a warm up run and stretched. It was a pretty good day for a run, in the high 50s/low 60s with some wind. Perfect for a long sleeved run.

Once the run started, everything became a blur of excitement, as usual. We were able to run into and through U.S. Cellular Field as part of the course, which was awesome.

As soon as we entered the field, the excitement level peaked. I am not even a baseball fan, but I got a lot of energy and drive from being here.

The run then led us through the streets and back to its starting point. I had a good run overall, but my phone didn't tell me how close I was to the finish and I couldn't see it coming because it includes a turn around a corner, so I had a lot of steam left at the end because I didn't start sprinting until later. My final time was somewhere in the 25 range, but I haven't been able to confirm it on their web site yet.

After the run, we headed into the bar on site at U.S. Cellular and everyone had a beer. I changed my mind at the last minute for a bloody mary, and was not disappointed.

We left and headed back to my parents' house, where I got ready as fast as I could because my cousin and her boyfriend were coming down from Madison.

They are avid disc golfers (frolfers? discers?), and I am awful at it but always game for an outdoor adventure, so we headed to a nearby course to play. On our way home afterward, we stopped at a grocery store for some steaks and dinner supplies.

When we got home, Mint Juleps were the first order of business. It was Derby Day, after all, so we managed to celebrate it. My cousin is a master cocktail craftswoman, so we put her in charge of the drink making.

As we waited a bit before dinner, we sipped our Mint Juleps and played cards.

We were finally ready for dinner, and my husband hit the grill. We ended up with steaks, carrots, and corn. 

We lit the fire pit in my parents' yard and hung out there for a while before hitting the hay.

Sunday consisted of a lazy morning, egg and smoked salmon breakfast sandwiches, and the drive back to Michigan. 

When we arrived around 3pm, we were starving, so we headed over to a neighborhood bar for some food and...

of course...

another bloody mary.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How was your weekend?
• Bloody Mary or Mimosa? Pick your poison...

Why I Run

Tweet this!
I'm running the Run For Boston 5k this weekend with the ladies in my family. In anticipation for this awesome event (which is giving 100% of entry fees to the Who Says I Can’t Foundation and directly to support the rehabilitation of those who lost limbs as a result of the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon), I'm over on the Run For Boston 5K website. Check out my guest post on the Run For Boston 5k blog today!

Movie Watching on the Treadmill and other WOTDs

Tweet this!

Last week was a lazy week, so this week I made up for it. Mostly. 

I also ate a lot of cheese and bought some delicious ice cream sandwiches. So we should probably just call it a wash :)

Wednesday

30 Minutes Weights (Arms, Shoulders), 45 Minutes Pilates
I think I've almost perfected my arms and shoulders routine. It's basically a circuit of exercises that build on each other, so that there is no break in between and you don't put down your weights for about 7 minutes of arm exercises. I end up having some serious burning going on afterward.

Also, why do I love Pilates so much? Lawd, it makes me happy.



Thursday
60 Minutes BodyPump
I am so not a morning person, so any time I make it to the gym for 6am Bodypump, I feel like a freaking rock star all day. This time, I totally overloaded my weights for almost every exercise, so I not only felt like a rock star, but also felt like a tightly wound rubber band all day.
Ready. To. Snap. Is it bad that I loved it?


Friday
45 Minutes Weights 

Saturday
9.3 Mile Run
I woke up on Saturday morning knowing I had a full day that would start around 11. Still, I was determined to get in a long run. My arbitrary number was 9 miles, so I set out to make it happen.

I watched most of the movie "This Means War" on a treadmill. I warmed up, did mile 1 at 6.0, mile 2 at 6.5, mile 3 at 7.0, mile 4 at 7.5, mile 5 at sprint intervals between 8.5 and 6


...followed by this delicious beast:



Sunday
Rest
For some reason, it's hard for me to take skip days. I have to sit there and rationalize it with myself. After the insane (for me!) run the day before, I decided I owed it to myself.

Monday
4.8 Mile Run, Body By Science
I used to take a weights class before Body By Science, but lately, I've just been running. HBO wasn't working on my iPad, so I watched a bit of The Mindy Project and I don't know what else, and ended up ringing in at just shy of 5m by the time my fiance arrived.

Then, Body By Science. I upped my weight on almost every exercise. I'm still really excited about the leg press. I upped my weight to 210, but still feel like I could have done more. It's crazy what your legs will let you do!

Tuesday
30 Minute Tempo Run, Arms/Shoulders/Abs Weights
I was so tired yesterday afternoon. I walked slowly to the gym and spent a solid ten minutes just changing my shoes and putting on my heart rate monitor (I had already changed into my running clothes before leaving work). I was just feeling really slow and sluggish, for some reason (read: I ate too many pecans. Can this make you cranky and slow? I'm going with yes).

I got on the treadmill and watched the last 15 minutes of "This Means War," with Reese Witherspoon, which I watched most of during my long run on Saturday. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but I guess it was cute. Still think she chose the wrong guy! After that, I tried to start the movie Wanderlust, with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, but just wasn't feeling it. Wop wop. Cranky.

For some reason, this workout just didn't go well. I was in a bad mood and couldn't shake it. Then, after a pretty short 30m run, I hopped off and tried to do some weights. Still cranky. Not sure what it was, but hopefully today will be better...

Wednesday
9 Mile Run

I'll Race You There!

Tweet this!

Guess what? I ran a race! Want to do it too? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!


Last weekend, my mother and I got up at 5:30 to scoot our butts downtown and run the Chicago Women's 5k in Grant Park. Yeah, it was extremely early. But it felt like, by the time I was fully awake, I had already run a 5k for the day. Wonderful.

Here we are, post-race. Please note the bananas in my shirt (because sometimes you just don't have enough arms for all the stuff they hurl at you after you cross the finish line) and my mother's goofy towel-on-forehead picture. We're related. Yes. 

Did you know that you burn more calories in a race than you would running the same distance on your own? It's true. Why?

• First, instead of simply running in a straight line, a race causes you to weave in between people (especially at the beginning). This changes things up on your body and causes you to use a few smaller muscles than you usually would on a typical run. 
• Second, you tend to run slightly faster than normal in a race, with the excitement of the race and the pace of the group around you (just be sure to sign up in a group that is about your pace or slightly faster, so you don't get stuck with a bunch of slow pokes!).
• Third, the adrenaline your body produces for a race elevates your heart rate, meaning you will be burning more calories. (Want to read about how your heart rate zones affect your caloric expenditure? Read this!)

So, all in all, it was an awesome morning. A wonderful run that took us from Grant Park to the Aquarium and down along the lake front, where we had a beautiful morning view of the Chicago skyline.




Looking to get the same experience? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!

The photo above is the obligatory pre-race shot. Don't forget to take one if you have your smart phone with you! Being able to see the other contestants in the background is awesome, and it's fun to look back and see how excited you were.

...It's also awesome to look back and see someone cross the finish line. Here's a shot I took of my mom finishing, who was only a minute or two behind me. Check out the couple of girls behind her - they're so proud! 

At the end of the day, my friends, not much feels better than completing a race.  Looking to get the same experience? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!

6 Workouts You Could Do Today: Fitness Inspiration

Tweet this!

Have you been perusing Pinterest all week for some fitness motivation... but are still finding your butt sitting on the couch? Quit it with the excuses, already! Here are 6 workouts you should do today...

P.S. Don't have much time? Pick your workouts based on how much time you have, here!

Go On A Run

"That's not sweat. It's your fat cells crying!" 

The trail by my parents' house really does have a sign that says that. I'm pretty sure it's an old one from some high school cross country meet... but it's a darn good sign to see mid-run! 

To make things more fun, try making your run into a game using intervals. Either download or stream these workout playlists, which will time out Tabata-style intervals for you (sprint for 20 seconds, walk or stand for 10) or use the scenery to make it happen. The above picture is taken on a trail that has both shady and sunny spots - I make it a point to always sprint through any parts of the trail that are shaded. You can also incorporate high knees and butt kicks, using the same methods!

Get Insane With Insanity

Did I mention I'm an Insanity fan? Shaun T of Beachbody's Insanity series is a goofy, hilarious guy who somehow gets away with bossing me around for an hour at a time!

Check out the Insanity Series for more information.

Not ready to shell out the dough for Insanity? Try this HIIT workout, which works off of a very similar method.

Watch TV... On The Elliptical

Yes, that is Courtney from The Bachelor. After all, what's better to get you fired up than a crazy bimbo who's trying to steal Ben's sanity? Whether you're a Courtney fan or not, scheduling an entire hour (or more!) on the elliptical will help you get the cardio you need!
Try out Megan Fox's interval workout, amended for the elliptical, here!

Hang Out With Jillian

I have periodic dates with Jillian Michaels. See the candles glowing in the above picture? Yeah, that happens. I set up some candles, place a fan to blow perfectly in my face, lay out a mat and do her workout. It's like a date with fitness. What could be better?

Check out Jillian's videos:
No More Trouble Zones (pictured above), which incorporates light weights and tones and lifts what most people consider their "trouble zones," like triceps, inner and outer thighs, glutes, and abs.
Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, which incorporates cardio exercises to ramp up your heart rate, burn fat, and speed up your metabolism.
Don't Want to Wait For Jillian to Come in the Mail?
Try this workout while you're watching TV! Set yourself up the same way... candles, fans, luxury... and your very favorite TV show!

Rip Your Abs

Whether you're using a video like P90X's Ab Ripper X or a good old self-guided ab workout, you really can't go wrong when you get some good ab ripping in. No, I don't mean ripping your muscles--- I mean getting ripped. Don't have a video? Perform sets five and six of this workout for 10 minutes of ab insanity! 

Go On a Bike Ride

If you've got a bike, head out on an adventure. You can bike to work, bike to a friend's house, bike to the beach, bike through the woods... You can head toward a destination or simply ride in a loop, taking in the scenery as you go. Either way, if you can make it about 2 hours, you've burned between 500 and 1,000 calories! Consider downloading an interval app or downloading this music to force yourself to alternate between hard-as-you-can pedaling and coasting! :)

P.S. Don't have much time? Pick your workouts based on how much time you have, here!