I realize that it's been forever since I've talked about my workout routines. I've done lots of recapping and will post a recipe here and there, but I can't even remember the last time I discussed exercising. Maybe it was when I talked about push ups for my wedding? Anyhow, strength training, with an emphasis on weight lifting, was my go-to exercise for years. I tried to become a serious runner, but that hasn't happened yet due to my leg injury and lack of motivation. Instead, I focused on building muscle and getting in and out of the gym in 30-40 minutes. When I wasn't following a program like P90X, my week looked usually looked like this:
After my brother's wedding in September, I took 2 weeks off from working out. I was sick of my routine after doing the same thing for years. I also didn't feel well, and I wanted my body to rest. I realized that I didn't feel like going back to my old routine. After my break, I decided to try other forms of strength training that used my body weight, such as push ups and planks. For the first time in years, I did Pilates.
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Upper body weights, abs
- Tuesday/Thursday: 20 minutes of cardio, 20-30 minutes lower body
- Saturday: 20-40 minutes cardio
- Sunday: rest
After my brother's wedding in September, I took 2 weeks off from working out. I was sick of my routine after doing the same thing for years. I also didn't feel well, and I wanted my body to rest. I realized that I didn't feel like going back to my old routine. After my break, I decided to try other forms of strength training that used my body weight, such as push ups and planks. For the first time in years, I did Pilates.
Pilates
I first got into Pilates after I graduated from college, and I immediately fell in love with it. I liked that it only required a mat and that I didn't have to wear shoes or socks. I couldn't do one roll-up when I first began taking classes, but I kept going and got my core stronger than ever. Since Pilates is a full-body workout, I toned up all over (with the best results in my core, thighs, and butt). When I lived in both the suburbs of Chicago and Adelaide, I went to Pilates classes up to 6 days a week before I started working full-time. I wish I never stopped, but there were not many classes that I could go to after work at my Adelaide gym. As a result, my workouts changed to shorter cardio sessions, lifting dumbbells, and occasional fitness classes.
I still did Pilates every once in a while on Xfinity On Demand, but the videos are not very good. I found Blogilates while doing a Google search for free online videos, and I did those every once in a while too when I moved to the city last year. I found some of the workouts to be so hard that I got frustrated and stopped. When I realized back in September that I needed a new challenge, though, I jumped head-first into Blogilates.
I still did Pilates every once in a while on Xfinity On Demand, but the videos are not very good. I found Blogilates while doing a Google search for free online videos, and I did those every once in a while too when I moved to the city last year. I found some of the workouts to be so hard that I got frustrated and stopped. When I realized back in September that I needed a new challenge, though, I jumped head-first into Blogilates.
Source: Blogilates.com
Cassie, the founded of Blogilates, is a Pilates instructor that uploads new videos to her site at least once a week. They are short videos (anywhere from 5-20ish minutes), and you can search videos based on the areas that you want to work.
She provides a workout calendar that tells you exactly which workouts to do each day and has nutrition plans too, but I just like to stick to whichever workouts I feel like doing. Her site is very user-friendly, and it's easy to find what you want.
I love being able to work out in the privacy of my own apartment and on my own schedule.
I love being able to work out in the privacy of my own apartment and on my own schedule.
The only "equipment" I ever use is my yoga mat, 2 big water bottles, and a chair when the workout calls for it. Most workouts require nothing except for a mat. I got this Gaiam travel yoga mat when I visited Australia two years ago, and it's perfect for doing Pilates on a carpeted floor (if you have hard floors, you want a mat with more padding). I fill the two large water bottles with water and use them as hand weights for specific workouts. They can be light for me unless I'm fatigued already, so I'm planning to get my own real weights in the future.
I know that doing home workouts isn't for everybody, but Blogilates is perfect for me. I find that it constantly challenges me, and I'm always excited to do it. I feel that I've toned up all over, and my flexibility and core strength is better than it used to be.
If you're thinking about trying Blogilates and have never done Pilates before, try taking a few classes with an instructor first or do Cassey's beginner classes. Most Blogilates videos are what I like to call "fitness Pilates" classes, meaning that you're constantly moving the entire time and do difficult moves to exhaustion. You need to know the basics to avoid injury. There are also lunges, push ups, squats, burpees, and other moves that are not necessarily specific to Pilates. If you want a challenge, though, I can't recommend this highly enough!
If you're thinking about trying Blogilates and have never done Pilates before, try taking a few classes with an instructor first or do Cassey's beginner classes. Most Blogilates videos are what I like to call "fitness Pilates" classes, meaning that you're constantly moving the entire time and do difficult moves to exhaustion. You need to know the basics to avoid injury. There are also lunges, push ups, squats, burpees, and other moves that are not necessarily specific to Pilates. If you want a challenge, though, I can't recommend this highly enough!
Long Cardio Workouts
Although I named my blog "The Little Jogger", it's evident that I don't do much jogging. I got injured soon after I started blogging, and the rest is history. I still want to run a half marathon one of these days, so I'm not giving up yet.
Anyway, I don't think I ever mentioned that I was a cardio queen when I was in college. I used to go on the elliptical for an hour every day, 6-7 days a week (plus 30 minutes of weight machines). Although I was in awesome shape and could go out and run 6 miles like it was nothing, my need to exercise consumed me. I was addicted. If I had to skip a day, I panicked. I thought I would pack on weight unless I stuck exactly to my regimen. It wasn't healthy.
I fell away from long cardio workouts towards the end of college. I went through many phases where I just didn't want to do it at all. I think I was mentally scarred from my cardio addiction, and I just didn't enjoy it anymore. Since I started grad school, most of my elliptical and treadmill sessions have been 20 minutes at a time. Then, a few weeks, ago, something happened. I was on my parents' elliptical machine for 30 minutes, and I didn't want to get off. Before I knew it, I had worked out for an hour. I did it a few separate times after that, and I enjoyed it just as much. I realized that I'm starting to love long workouts again. This is great for my long-distance running goals, and I know now that I don't have to do it every single day in order to maintain my weight. I also don't have the time for that, but that's another story.
Here's what my workout schedule looks like right now:
Monday/Friday: BLOGILATES upper body or weights/abs for 45 minutes
Tuesday/Thursday: 30 min elliptical/20-30 minutes lower body BLOGILATES
Wednesday: 45 min full-body BLOGILATES
Saturday: 1 hour elliptical
Sunday: REST
My new school schedule comes into full swing the week of February 11 with rotations two times a week and classes the other days, so I'm going to have to cut back when it gets crazy. I'm VERY okay with that. That's the difference between the Crazy Cardio Jenny and the Jenny I am now. I feel a billion times better when I exercise, but getting enough sleep and having time to do everything else is also important.
Although I named my blog "The Little Jogger", it's evident that I don't do much jogging. I got injured soon after I started blogging, and the rest is history. I still want to run a half marathon one of these days, so I'm not giving up yet.
Anyway, I don't think I ever mentioned that I was a cardio queen when I was in college. I used to go on the elliptical for an hour every day, 6-7 days a week (plus 30 minutes of weight machines). Although I was in awesome shape and could go out and run 6 miles like it was nothing, my need to exercise consumed me. I was addicted. If I had to skip a day, I panicked. I thought I would pack on weight unless I stuck exactly to my regimen. It wasn't healthy.
I fell away from long cardio workouts towards the end of college. I went through many phases where I just didn't want to do it at all. I think I was mentally scarred from my cardio addiction, and I just didn't enjoy it anymore. Since I started grad school, most of my elliptical and treadmill sessions have been 20 minutes at a time. Then, a few weeks, ago, something happened. I was on my parents' elliptical machine for 30 minutes, and I didn't want to get off. Before I knew it, I had worked out for an hour. I did it a few separate times after that, and I enjoyed it just as much. I realized that I'm starting to love long workouts again. This is great for my long-distance running goals, and I know now that I don't have to do it every single day in order to maintain my weight. I also don't have the time for that, but that's another story.
Here's what my workout schedule looks like right now:
Monday/Friday: BLOGILATES upper body or weights/abs for 45 minutes
Tuesday/Thursday: 30 min elliptical/20-30 minutes lower body BLOGILATES
Wednesday: 45 min full-body BLOGILATES
Saturday: 1 hour elliptical
Sunday: REST
My new school schedule comes into full swing the week of February 11 with rotations two times a week and classes the other days, so I'm going to have to cut back when it gets crazy. I'm VERY okay with that. That's the difference between the Crazy Cardio Jenny and the Jenny I am now. I feel a billion times better when I exercise, but getting enough sleep and having time to do everything else is also important.
Calorie Counting
I finally got around to setting up my own My Fitness Pal account and logging my food and exercise on it every day. I do it for two reasons. First, I want to see how many calories I'm eating a day in addition to my ratios of carbs/protein/fat and then how well I'm doing with my vitamins and minerals. My Fitness Pal does an excellent job of showing all of this to me on the iPhone app. It's also excellent motivation to eat healthier. Second, I need to get better at estimating calorie amounts in foods. It's the nature of my career, right? This is a great way for me to practice. I'm not sure how long I'm going to do this, but I'm enjoying learning for now.
If you want a super-easy and free way to track your food intake, set up an account! It just takes a few minutes, and you can log in on either your computer or smart phone. The food database seems to have everything, which makes searching for food very easy. You can type "Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt" into it, and it will find it and give you all of the nutrient info. You can also enter your own recipes into your account and store it. One of the best parts of using your smart phone is that you can instantly scan the bar code of any food that you buy, and it will bring up the nutritional information. It's pretty awesome.
I keep all of my info private, but you can join groups and forums to keep you motivated if that's something that you want.
That's all for now! Here's to a happy, healthy year!
I finally got around to setting up my own My Fitness Pal account and logging my food and exercise on it every day. I do it for two reasons. First, I want to see how many calories I'm eating a day in addition to my ratios of carbs/protein/fat and then how well I'm doing with my vitamins and minerals. My Fitness Pal does an excellent job of showing all of this to me on the iPhone app. It's also excellent motivation to eat healthier. Second, I need to get better at estimating calorie amounts in foods. It's the nature of my career, right? This is a great way for me to practice. I'm not sure how long I'm going to do this, but I'm enjoying learning for now.
If you want a super-easy and free way to track your food intake, set up an account! It just takes a few minutes, and you can log in on either your computer or smart phone. The food database seems to have everything, which makes searching for food very easy. You can type "Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt" into it, and it will find it and give you all of the nutrient info. You can also enter your own recipes into your account and store it. One of the best parts of using your smart phone is that you can instantly scan the bar code of any food that you buy, and it will bring up the nutritional information. It's pretty awesome.
I keep all of my info private, but you can join groups and forums to keep you motivated if that's something that you want.
That's all for now! Here's to a happy, healthy year!
RSS Feed
