30-Day Beach Body Challenge

So, I finally got roped into a 30-Day Beach Body Challenge. I've been using Beach Body programs for years and often get told "You should be a Coach"; "You need to be a Coach"...blah blah blah. Not that I don't appreciate the compliments, I'm just too crazy-busy to put any other sort of "business" on my plate. I do the programs for my personal results, not the Tier-level performance.

Anyway, this challenge came at the right time because it's pretty much been the direction I've wanted to head with my workouts before summer. I wanted to still do 5-6 days a week strength-training at the gym and then I also wanted to do a Beach Body DVD, like Insanity or T25 at night after the kids go to bed. This, my friends, is what I call "taking it up a notch". So now I have a little group to hold me accountable. It starts today.

THE PLAN

Here's a snippet of my workout plans for this week {it worked so well to write it out like this last week that I had to do it again}:

You can see at the top I already had Insanity planned in there!

Today I'll be doing the gym sesh as described above and then tonight I'll do Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit.

Monday

Legs/Glutes

Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Tuesday

Back/Shoulders/Abs

Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance

Wednesday

Legs/Glutes

Insanity: Pure Cardio

Thursday

Chest/Tri's/Abs

Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Friday

REST

Saturday

Legs/Glutes

Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance or a Run

Sunday

Back/Shoulders/Abs

Insanity: Pure Cardio or a Run

Wish me luck, and if you are a Beach Body program owner, I encourage you to take on the challenge as well!

My Morning Workout Schedule

I am so glad to be back on a regular morning workout schedule. It has definitely been a challenge working in fitness this summer between newborn, 4yo and 8yo...I managed to do very well, but some days I had to throw in the towel.

Right now, I get my oldest dropped off to school at 7-7:10am. My gym is right across the street, so it makes it very convenient to go afterward. However, the gym childcare does not open until 8am...which left me about an hour to kill. The first couple days this week, I would just take Breckin and Farrah to the recreation department playground next to the schools, which was fine. But then I had an epiphany the other day and realized I could totally be using that time to get some of my workout in - if I brought the double jogging stroller with us in the mornings! Where Tanner goes to school is a very nice subdivision with walking trails, so it was perfect. I could just park at the gym, start walking/jogging from there and kill the hour, then hit the gym for my strength training. Perfect.

I get out of the gym by 9am and we head home. It has been going swimmingly...and I feel like I'm getting a lot more cardio in this way too!

 

I'm hoping this is the start of some major postpartum weightloss! I've still got about 20 lbs to go and it's killing me! Ha!

Pregnancy Weekly Workout Plan

Happy Monday!

I am happy to report that I did as I said I would and I rejoined my gym on Saturday. In fact, quite possibly as you are reading this, I am at the gym doing Monday's workout listed below. I have to get out the door at 6:30am to get to the gym next to my work by 7:00am, so I am having to wake up an hour earlier now - at 5:30am - but I know it's well worth it.

I've gone ahead and made a template of my weekly workout plan for anyone that may be interested. I plan to stick to this for the rest of the pregnancy. As opposed to non-pregnant workouts, this workout routine is going to be generally the same week-to-week, since as a prego, I'm basically just working to maintain what I can, and not lose weight. Regardless, this is still a good workout plan to follow when not pregnant, the only thing I would suggest is changing it up every couple of weeks, either by incorporating new exercises or adding weight and reps.

It feels so good to be back in the gym...it really helps with the pregnancy fatigue and moodiness and I really hope it makes getting my pre-baby body back a lot easier and a lot quicker.

Happy Workout!

Gym Session: June 25

I haven't done one of these posts since before my Florida vacation!

Today I'm working my Back, Shoulders and Abs - feel free to use this workout for yourself and/or tweak it to fit your needs. I also think I'll be jammin' to a Michael Jackson playlist in remembrance of his passing on this day four years ago.

Gym Session ::: Tuesday, June 25th ::: Back/Shoulders/Abs Day

Cardio :: Elliptical :: 30 min
SUPER SET
Front Shoulder Raise ::  3 sets / 15 reps / 8 lb DBs
Dumbbell Lateral Raise :: 3 sets / 15 reps / 8 lb DBs
Bent-Over Barbell Row :: 3 sets / 15 reps / 30 lb BB
Shoulder Press :: 3 sets / 15 reps / 12 lb DBs
Lat Pull Down :; 3 sets / 15 reps / 50 lbs
Back Extensions :: 3 sets / 15 reps / holding 5-10 lb plate
Planks :: 3 sets holding for 1 min ea set
Stability Ball Crunches {Obliques and Center} :: 3 sets / 15 rep ea side
Medicine Ball Russian Twists :: 3 sets / 20 reps ea side w/15 lb ball

Hope you have a great workout today!

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Making The Most Of Your Routine

I strive to find a little time each day to dedicate to fitness. And knowing how hard it is to carve out that time, I want to make sure I am making the most of it. My workout needs to be effective and worth the effort I put into it. I make a point of not "phoning" it in.

Here are some tips I have for making the most of your exercise routine:

1. Change it up and often. I would say that the biggest game-changer for your fitness routine is making sure to keep from plateauing. You need to switch it up. I see so many of the same people at the gym doing the same things over and over. It's like their body is coasting...5 miles on the treadmill {check}, abs {check}...and so on and so forth. A great rule of thumb is to change things up every two weeks. Especially with strength-training. This may simply be adding in more weight/reps, or trying a completely new exercise for the muscle group you work. I found a book a few years back that changed my fitness routine forever and highly recommend it - The Body Sculpting Bible For Women. It taught me what my routine needs to entail in order to be effective. Keep those muscles guessing...and you will see better results.

2. HIIT. Another effective way to keep from plateauing is high-intensity interval training {HIIT}. This is a form of workout that keeps your heart rate high while switching off and on from different forms of cardio/strength moves that for the most part use your entire body {think Insanity}. It's also a great form of workout when you are short on time...these quick bursts of intensity keep that metabolism high and burning calories long after your workout is done.

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3. Focus on one or two muscle groups per workout {strength-training}. I don't like to be all over the place when strength-training. I find it best to focus on one big or two smaller groups of muscles per workout. If I jump from arms to legs all the time, I'm not sufficiently tearing down those muscles enough to rebuild and tone them. When you focus on a single {or two smaller} group{s}, you are able to tear down the muscles...and afterward provide sufficient recovery via rest {wait 48 hrs to work the muscle group again} and nutrients to rebuild them...which brings me to my next tip:

4. Simple Carb + Protein after each workout. You have to refuel your body with the right nutrients post-workout to rebuild what you just tore down. This is the best method I have learned. Great examples of this type of post-workout snack would be - chocolate milk, fruit protein smoothie, string cheese + fruit, nuts + fruit, etc. Your simple carbs are sugars - try to get those from something like fruit, not candy...and then any protein source - nuts, eggs, cheese, lean meat, whey protein, etc.

5. Aim to workout 5-6 days per week. An ideal workout includes a focused strength-training workout {one large or two smaller groups as described above} and at least 30 minutes of cardio. Here's an example of the workout schedule I try to follow and rotate week to week:

Day 1: Legs/Glutes, Cardio - Elliptical 30 min
Day 2: Chest/Triceps/Biceps, Cardio - Treadmill 30 min
Day 3: Back/Shoulders, Cardio - Elliptical 30 min
Day 4: Legs/Glutes {I work these twice a week}, Cardio - Treadmill 30 min or a Spin Class
Day 5: Chest/Triceps, Cardio - Elliptical 30 min
I work Abs every day - they are muscles that do not require 48 hrs rest.

And I just keep on rotating those, while maybe adding in a barre class, outdoor running, etc. in place of something else to keep mixing it up. One rest day a week is important...and always listen to your body.

Do you have any tips of your own for making the most of your workout routine? I would love to hear them!