Week three has begun

The final week of the 21 day fix is here. I’m doing the doubles schedule. Because we leave early Friday morning, I’m actually adding a third workout in for the next two days. This allows me to finish up before we depart. My plan is to take a morning run and do a 10 minute trainer circuit in the early morning hours of our vacation. So, my thoughts thus far:

I really like the 21 day fix. It hits multiple muscle groups, uses weights and only takes 30 minutes. Plus, the nutrition plan is easy to follow. That said, I did stumble on my eating. I’d say I was 70/30 for compliance. Not ideal but considering that I’ve lost a few pounds and inches, I’m still pleased with my progress. I will likely continue the nutrition portion of 21 day fix because it is easy to follow. My goal is to hit 80/20 with my compliance. So, what’s the next program going to be now I’ve completed this one? I’m leaning towards turbo fire but we shall see. A final decision will happen by the end of the week for sure. 

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Cardio fix and travel interruptions

Travel can derail the best intentions when it comes to exercise. The more I try to deprive myself, the more I want to indulge. So, some tips from a past exercise program drop out: 

1. Do not pick your vacation to go on a bikini competition diet. Seriously. It’s a recipe for disaster. Try to eat smaller portions and have at least one meal that you keep relatively light. Breakfast works best for me for a light meal. Usually, I can eat some fruit, eggs, and a slice of toast. After that, I can keep lunch to a small item. This frees me up to enjoy a nice dinner. 

2. Depending on how long your trip is, you may find it best to leave the months supply of workout clothes at home. My personal rule of thumb is anything over 4 days and at least one or two outfits plus running shoes come with me. If you need to, burpees, squats, push ups and crunches can be done in or around your hotel. It’s a quick way to workout. Also, walk as much as you can when sightseeing. For my day trip in Vienna, I logged over 7.5 miles. 

3. Don’t feel like an interruption to your program means you need to start over from the beginning. Just take your  trip, come home, and pick up where you left off. Unless you took a 30 day cruise, it should be fine. 

4. Expect the first post vacation workout to suck. You’ve indulged and changed your routine. Your body is going to notice. Just keep going. The kinks will work out in a day or two and all will be right in the world again.

So, as I enter my last week of the 21 day fix and prepare for spring break, I’m going to be thinking about how I can remain active during our trip. I’ve made a small stride (down about a pound and a half) and I know that I can do better. I’m thinking it might be time to roll with some turbo fire. How do you stay on track when you go away?

RBF and my new title

I spent the day in Vienna yesterday. Vienna is a neat city. A day trip was like an amouse bouche. It gave you a taste but left you wanting more. Using a city guide and knowledge from some good friends, I spent weeks planning this day. Being a people person, I’m used to presenting a smiling face and being chatty. Normally, I like that because I make new friends. This day, I was concerned I would attract a companion and, out of politeness, be forced to alter my plans. So, I decided to try on RBF. Resting bitch face. A face meant to ward off unwanted encounters but not be mean either. I confess that it worked. I did ward off an unwanted encounter but she was cool to me afterward though I remained cordial. At first I felt guilty, then, I decided that was unwarranted. I hadn’t been mean or impolite, just uninviting. It is possible to friendly and kind without allowing your boundaries to be crossed. This is a new lesson for me and I’m working hard on establishing boundaries. Boundaries are a very good thing. So, let’s move on from that because I don’t want this post to get jacked by high faluting ideals. The day pretty well started at breakfast. The bus stopped at Rosenburgers in Austria. Think European Cracker Barrel. I ordered a kaisermelange coffee and ended up with an unexpected free coffee mug. I was able to choose the mug which I suspect was overstock. My choices were a pink mug with the name Adam or a yellow one with Lady Hillingdon. I chose to be Lady Hillingdon. We arrived in Austria and began a walking tour which, while interesting, was taking way too long. Lady Hillingdon doesn’t have time for that shit. So, I handed in my audio guide and oriented my map. The first stop was the kunsthistorichesmuseum. While I didn’t manage to find Holbeins’ Jane Seymour portrait, a large collection of Rubens and carved alter reliefs satisfied my need for art. The next stop was Cafe Central for Viennese coffee and lunch. I had a Maria Therese style coffee along with a kaiserpflammen pastry. So good my workouts will be doubled this week. From there I went on a review of churches and strolled the city admiring its architecture. I didn’t get to see all I wanted but I’m happy with what I did see. I would love to go back and spend a few days.  

 

Hot hair mess

I used a banana clip (hello 90’s!) to pull my hair back for my workout today. The banana clip just couldn’t hold up to the rigors of dirty 30. Back to the ponytail for me! Im in week 2 of the 21 day fix. Im down a pound and I feel better. So I’m beginning to look ahead to my next program to complete. The month of April is crazy for us. Spring break is happening. We are driving to Belgium and I’m going to Budapest. What to do? I’ve decided to definitely use the 10 minute trainer because it is very portable and can fit into any schedule. Tai cheng I’m going to do everyday I can but its not my primary focus. I’m thinking maybe turbo fire or t25. I need something that is quick and that I can stream via beachbody if necessary. Hauling DVDs around when I travel is not my idea of a good time. So, my notes thus far: I feel so much better mentally and physically when I workout. The nutrition is still hard for me. I’ll be blunt, I tried the 3 day refresh over the weekend and hated it.  Truly hated it. By the end of the day, I was so hungry I devoured a sleeve of Pringles. For me, eating regularly seems to work. When I get hungry, I binge. I’ve also noticed that my emotions tend to have more control over my consumption that I believed. Boredo m and stress are major triggers. Now, I need to find something healthy to replace food or drink with when I encounter a trigger. I’m thinking I can fall back on drawing, writing, or a needlecraft. They are activites I enjoy and don’t involve consuming needless calories.  

 

Sunset heart

That is what I’m calling my first attempt at s mandala. I took today as an active recovery day and limited my activity to a walk. Driving really takes the starch out of me these days. One of the things I’ll miss about europe is the public transport system. It’s safe, clean and incredibly efficient. Why America hasn’t embraced rail for personal travel is beyond me. Perhaps we are unwilling to invest in the infrastructure. It is nice to be able to leave the driving to someone else. Tres relaxing! Drawing this mandala was also relaxing. I love doodling as a means of meditation and even warm up for other drawing. How do you relax?  

 

Long car rides

this weekend I got goat roped  volunteered to drive my son and three other Boy Scouts to a merit badge weekend camping trip. Murphy’s law being what it is, the drive was at least an hour longer than expected. It was 11 pm by the time we got into the camp grounds. Dropping the kiddos off and pretty much abandoning them to the scout masters,I set off in search of my hotel. Luckily, it was not a repeat of the Albergo La Foresta disaster of the past where we spent hours in the dark on an Italian mountaintop trying to find our hotel. I slipped in and went promptly to bed. Sort of. My neck and shoulders were stiff from the drive and I was just wired. After a fitful nights sleep, I awoke and determined I would tackle regensburg. The drive to the city was beautiful. Reaching the city wasn’t hard at all. Parallel parking on the other hand, is something I can no longer achieve. Really. I just cannot. So I gave up my failed attempt and drove off in search of a parking lot. I found one and squeezed my Honda into place. I went off in search of adventure. The town was interesting and pretty. The Abbey ruins were pretty but I was not feeling it. I was tired still and my neck and shoulders were still stiff. I decided to accept defeat and head back to the hotel. It was the right choice. After parking my car, I trudged up to my room and fell asleep. The scoutmaster calling to inform me of our departure time woke me. I must have sounded out of it because right after I hung up, I crawled back in bed and slept two more hours. I awoke disoriented and hungry. Luckily, there is a restaurant on site so I ate dinner. Now, I’m sipping tea and though I’m disappointed Regensburg wasn’t the adventure I planned, I’m still okay with it. The drive up with the kids was really fun.  They are some neat characters. The countryside here is gorgeous and my hotel is really great. It doesn’t get better than that!

Deep blue sea and squats

Last night, I got a bright idea. After watching several episodes of Borgias, I felt the need to see a shark movie right then and there! Now, the only thing I can presume is that predatory political machinations of the Borgias reminded of the oceans’ greatest predator-the shark. So, Deep Blue Sea it was much to the chagrin of my husband. The movie is cheesy and completely unrealistic but that’s part of the fun. So, I was up later than usual and was dragging around this morning. My inner voice told me to skip my workout because today is busy and I leave for the camping trip tonight. Instead of caving, I put my big girl sports bra on and knocked out upper and lower fix just as I’d planned. Upper fix felt good and I went straight into lower fix. My legs were on fire. Those sumo squat holds were just heinous. Perhaps it was a good penance for staying up late and watching dumb movies. Now, I must clean out my vehicle so these kids will have a place to sit!

Triple threat and feet sweat



Today and tomorrow I’m actually tripling up on workouts. Now, I normally wouldn’t recommend tripling up but in this instance, one of the workouts is tai chi and frankly, is not taxing. I consider it a very light active recovery at this stage. This morning, I began with tai chi and transitioned directly into yoga fix. Flexiblity is something I’ve neglected in the past because I’ve always generally been very flexible. I recent years, I’ve noticed a distinct loss in flexibility. Totally unacceptable. My goal is to regain that ground and expand my flexiblity even further. Another goal is to increase my agility. Clumsy is my middle name so I hope to remedy that with agility training. Then again, I could end up in a full body cast. We shall see. You might be looking at the picture and wondering what the hell those shoes have to do with anything. I’ll tell you. They are my new obsession. I don’t normally go in for shoe fads but I decided to give the barefoot trend a try. Pros: I actually feel like my foot is supported more in these than regular trainers. They are so lightweight! Cons: On a slick surface, they don’t give much grip so be careful. The biggest con, IMO, is that they aren’t very breathable. Removing them is actually pretty gross. My feet are (shudder, gasp, gag) moist after taking them off! But, so far, I have overall liked these shoes. I don’t see myself wearing them for running but who knows, maybe I’ll throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. Just me, the trail, and my extremely sweaty feet. Nice. 

Dirty 30 and dreams of Budapest

I knocked out dirty 30, which is a full body workout and sat down to think about my upcoming trip to Budapest. I’m trying to cram as much in as in can during my four days. I’ve already booked a dinner and nighttime walking tour along with a private cabin and massage at the famous Gellert spa. It’s like a game of Tetris for me in some respects. Can I squeeze this in before I have to be over here? In Paris, that proved much harder than I thought because there was construction on one of the main subway lines. Totally foiled my plans! So, I’m going to be doing some research to find out more about hungary’s transit system. I’m also thinking about how to squeeze in exercise and how to best plan my food so I don’t undo all my hard work. Tony Horton’s 10 minute trainer and a resistance band might be making the trek with me. Shakeology might be going too. I can have shakeo for lunch or dinner. As long as I stick to fruits, veggies and lean proteins, I should be able to get through without doing any damage. I am paying for a breakfast buffet but I’m going to be sticking to eggs, fruit, toast and coffee. No greasy meats or buttery pastries. Maybe I’ll bring my running shoes if I have room. An early morning run never hurt anyone. It will all depend on what my suitcase shall hold! 

Death by Autumn

That is my vote for the new title for 21 day fix cardio! Burpees and mountain climbers amongst other things are involved in this dandy. Inhuman noises echoed throughout the apartment. Buckets of sweat purged from my body. I pushed myself hard. Really hard. Though I had to modify, I still got it done. I was whimpering at the end but I made it. Yay! I’m going to be tinkering with my schedule for the next two or three days. Instead of one workout, I’ll be doing doubles. This weekend, I’m headed out on a Boy Scout excursion. My plan is to get my workouts for the fix done by Friday and spend the weekend hiking and sightseeing in Regensburg. I think I’ll also do my 3 day refresh since it will simplify my food choices and remove potential temptation. Now, I must change shoes and go walk!