SweatStreak Day 2: The Workout that Wasn't

Yesterday was supposed to be my second day of my #SweatStreak. After a  HIIT workout on Day 1, I planned on a long walk at lunch and an evening lifting session with my husband.  But neither of those things happened. What did happen?  Unexpected but necessary meetings at work disrupted my planned walk. Then issues with my husband's job had him stressed out and he needed to talk things thru rather than pump iron.  In short life happened. 

In the past, I would have beat myself up about missing my workouts. But today, I can see that what I did in place of those works was more important in those moments. So I am refocusing and restarting my #SweatStreak.  Once I press publish on this blog post and tweet about it, I am heading to the track to meet my running group. We have our final run before the Saturday 5K we are competing in.  Then when I come home, my husband and I are going to try out this Heart Pumpin Workout. 

Are you working on the RW RunStreak? What about a #SweatStreak?  How do you handle missing workouts?

WIAW: The Desk Edition

 

 

Thanks to looming deadlines and a myriad of projects at work, I had my breakfast, lunch, and snack at my desk today. While it is not the best situation for mindful eating, I had to go with it.  Here are my eats:

Breakfast was a typical yogurt bowl. Strawberry greek yogurt, roasted almonds, and a banana - all of which were mixed together after the pic was snapped.

My lunch was eaten in two parts. The first was a chicken quesadillia.

The second part was a salad with mixed greens, spinach, carrots (hidden under the greens) and grape tomatoes. I topped it off with a raspberry dressing

Around 3:00 p.m., I grabbed a serving of trail mix. This mix included almonds, peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, and chocolate candy. The mixture of sweet and salty was very satisfying.

No pics of dinner yet. But homemade pizzas are on the menu.

 

I am going to link this post up at Peas and Crayons WIAW

Sweat Streak Day 1: Intervals

Many bloggers are participating in the Runner's World Summer Running Streak. Runner's World is asking everyone to run at least 1 mile everyday between Memorial Day and July 4th.  When the Summer Running Streak started popping up in the blogsphere, my first instinct was to make my pledge to do it too.  But then I paused and thought about the challenge.  I know my body - specifically my knees - and that just couldn't hole up to 38 days of consecutive running. So I encouraged the other participants but bowed out.

Admittedly, I was bummed. I wanted to participate but couldn't.  Then I read Krissie's idea of creating a Summer Sweat Streak. 38 days of moving my body for at least 30 minutes. I can handle that, and so I started my streak yesterday, with a 25 min Interval workout.  Here's what I did:

3-5 minute warm up: walking, dancing to your favorite song, etc.

Then using a stopwatch, gym boss, etc - work for 50 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, complete the following:

• Jumping Jacks
• Plyo Squats
• Jump Rope
• Plank
• Skaters
• Crunches
• Sprint
• Wall Squat
• Suicides
• Tricep dips
• Jump Squats
• Pushups
• Jump Rope
• Side Plank (right)
• Side Plank (left)
• Sprint
• Walking Lunges
• Burpees
• Mountain Climbers
• Crunches
• High Knees
• Plank
• Butt Kicks
• Plank Jacks
• Wall Squat

I was drenched in sweat with shaky muscles by the end of the workout - always a good sign!  My Summer Sweat Streak is off to a great start.

How did you get your sweat on yesterday? What will you do today?  Are you participating in the Summer Run Streak? If not, will you join me in the Summer Sweat Streak?

Gratitude List: 5/29/12

A warm cup of coffee on a cool late Spring morning.

The sleeping face of my daughter.

Four bags of clothing to be donated to charity. Our closets are still full, so this is proof we are blessed beyond measure.

My foam roller is a true necessity after a long run or a heavy lifting day. It hurts sooo good.

My feet which have taken me thru months of training runs and will lead me over the finish line of Saturday's 5K.

What are you grateful  for today?

Weekly Workout Plan: 5/28-6/3

My dad (a retired teacher and former football coach) loves to say "Failing to plan is planning to fail".  I use to roll my eyes when he would recite this phrase to me. But now, as I juggle the demands of a family, a career, and healthy living - I see just how wise my dad is.  So I am sitting down with my planner and outlining my workouts for the week. Here's what is on my schedule:

Monday: Weights with the Hubby - Legs/Back/Glutes/Shoulders
Tuesday: HIIT workout - Sprints on the treadmill or oustide if the rain is gone
Wednesday: Weights with the Hubby - Chest/Arms/Calves/Abs
Thursday:  5K run/walk with my running group
Friday:  Rest Day
Saturday:  5K Race with my running group.
Sunday: Long walk and weights with the hubby

What workouts are you planning this week? Anybody else particpating in a race or other event this weekend?

Gratitude List: Memorial Day Morning Edition

1. Waking up to the sound of rain on my rooftop. We've needed rain for several weeks. The weather man says we should get a good deal in the next few days as Tropical Storm Beryl moves thru.

2. Reading in bed - I was able to read for over 2 hours this morning. A true luxury.

3.  The sound of my daughter's laughter as she plays with her father.

4. Sore muscles - They indicate that I have worked my body hard.

5.  Time with extended family.

Getting Started

To the casual observer, I am a pretty healthy person. I workout 4 to 6 times a week alternating between long cardio sessions, aerobics classes, and the occasional weight lifting session. I enjoy eating whole foods - veggies, fruits, oatmeal, lean meats. My weight is in the normal range for my height and body frame.

But, I know that I am not the healthiest that I could be. In recent weeks, I have come to realize that health goes beyond the number on the scale or the size of my jeans. Health means feeling good - both physically and mentally. Neither of which I feel right now. I find myself stressed out, restless, fatigued and all around blah feeling.

I realized that I had been relying on my own strength to life my healthy lifestyle....and that I just didn't have enough strength. So I began to pray ask the Lord to give me guidance, and that my healthy journey would be used to bring HIM glory.  The next day, I found the blog at Fitness Perks. Reading the entries written by Annette (the blog author) had me in tears, as so much of her journey mirrored mine. I honestly felt as though the Lord had led me Annette's blog.

Acting on faith, I reached out to Annette at Fitness Perks for an e-mail consultation.  Building off that intial e-mail, Annette and I had an hour long phone consultation yesterday. As we talked, she helped me to realize that before I can be physically healthy, I have to be mentally healthy.  And I am not. There is too much negativity bouncing around in my head.  She and I discussed ways to change the scripts in my head, and how I can recenter and destress myself.

Annette gave me 2 assignments:  1) Each day I am to take 20 minutes for myself and do something that I love - which for me will either be reading a book or journal ing and 2) Each morning and evening I am to list 5 things that I am thankful for, so that my focus can shift to all the good in my life.

I have also asked Annette to create a workout plan for me to follow (with a huge focus on weight training) so that I can see more physical results. I feel as though this 2 part approach is going to help me finally achieve my optimal healthy life.  And I want to share my journey with all of you. 

I chose to title this blog Redefining Kimberly because I see my journey as the chance to redfine how I view myself - not in the negative light but as my Heavenly Father sees me - BEAUTIFUL!  As a side benefit, I hope that my workouts will "redefine" my body shape.

I hope you'll keep reading. I plan to share my gratitude lists, my workouts, the occasional receipe, and all the highs and lows that are sure to accompany this journey!