New CHALLENGE!!!

WARNING---

This post includes a brand new 7 day challenge. This one is sure to kick some butt and make us STRONG.

Who's with me??

Let's get started! Grab a set of dumbells and make sure you have around an hour to complete the entire workout.  If you need to break it into 2 sets, one in the morning and one at night, that's totally fine!

I found this workout online and it looks like a fantastic challenge. I can take no credit for it :)  It's called...Fitness Blender 1000 rep workout.  It promises that you will burn 500 calories per workout. Sounds awesome to me! So here's how it works...

It is broken down into 4 sets with 25 reps each set and includes 10 different exercises. Compared to our last challenge with a higher number of reps, this can appear to be less challenging, but I think once I tell you all that is involved in one set your mind will shift! ;)

10 minute warm up - get your heart rate up.  Go for a quick jog, run in place etc...

Set 1...

25 Push ups
25 Reverse flys with dumbells
25 squats with side leg raises
25 overhead press with dumbells
25 criss-cross crunches, aka bicycle crunches
25 back bows/ lay flat on tummy and simultaneously raise arms & legs off ground
25 alternating lunges
25 side hip raises - 25 each side
25 bridge & skull crushers/ lay flat on back and raise hips off ground & raise arms (with dumbells)
25 mountain climbers

Repeat for a total of 4 sets.

There is a fantastic site that has a demo video that shows you exactly how to perform each exercise. 

click here for the site

As you can see from the site above this workout targets multiple different muscle groups...

- glutes
- hamstrings
- quadriceps
- upper & lower abs
- obliques
- biceps
- triceps
- chest
- lower back
- calves
- deltoids
- rhomboids
- outside thighs

I'm excited to give this a try. Who is with me?

Final day of Challenge

Yesterday was the final day of the 7 day challenge.  As I was cleaning my house that morning I had a great idea.  Since I have dinner with my sis and parents on Thursday nights, I thought it would be fun for us girls to workout together.  It was a lot of fun and we had some serious laughs. 

Here are some pics of me finishing the FINAL set! Whoop!!!

 

It's pretty much impossible to get an action shot with an IPhone, so we had to fake the JJ pic :)

 

400 completed today - 2,800 total for challenge!

 



Squats - powering through

 

400 Completed today - 2,500 total for challenge! First 3 days I did 300 each day. Days 4,5 & 6 I did 400 each day.

Crunches - oblique twists and bicycle.  My favs are prob. the oblique twists

 

400 Completed today - 2,400 total for challenge! First 4 days I did 300 each day. Days 5 & 6 I did 400 each day.

 

 



 

Push-ups - oh how I have a love/hate relationship

 

120 Completed today - 760 total for the challenge! First 4 days I did 100 each day.  Days 5 & 6 I did 120 each day.

 

So, overall I loved this challenge.  The first few days were killer and I didn't know if I could make it 7 days.  I was beyond sore but I'm so glad I stuck with it because I feel so much stronger!  I did take 2 days off in between. One for Easter and one for a sick baby.  I hope you are challenged by this and that you are already tackeling it or hope to soon! 

 

I'm searching for the next challenge, so be on the lookout!

 

I'm going to switch gears for just a second and talk about another challenge I overcame and goal I met today. 

 

As you know, I began a brand new journey with Rodan + Fields Dermatologist at the end of January.  It has been a great experience so far and I love being able to work part time from home! Not to mention how much my skin has improved in the last 2 months.  I will never use any other face products! Seriously!

 

Well, today, I'm thrilled to say that I recieved a promotion and pay raise! Yippee!!!! Happy dance! I'm so excited about my future with R+F - the sky is the limit!

 

 

 

I'd LOVE for you to join me on this amazing journey and join my team!

 

 

Day 6 - challenge

Yesterday I had my day all planned out in my head how it was going to go and how I was going to accomplish X,Y, and Z...

Well, Brock woke up coughing and stuffy so I ended up keeping him home from school.  Enter, Plan B.  Here's what plan A would have looked like. Drop Brock off at school, come home and super clean the house.  It's way overdue and having him away at school is really the only time I can super clean.  Ya know, not just straighten up and running the vacuum thru the middle, but CLEANING.  Then, that afternoon since my mom was going to pick him up from school, I had plans to meet Candace and we were going to work out.

Instead, here's what my plan B looked like.  I stayed home all day, did not clean, did not workout.  Just keeping it real, friends!  Sometimes things just don't go as planned, but I did however snuggle with my baby who wasn't feeling the best.  I'd say in the grand scheme of things, plan B was much more important anyway :) 

So, since I didn't workout yesterday, day 6 of the 7 day challenge was today.  I was a little sluggish this morning and really didn't want to do much of anything.  However, I know that when I feel that way the absolute best thing I can do is to get moving.  Sure enough after about 50 jumping jacks, I was already starting to perk up. 

Here is the breakdown of day #6. 

400 JJ
400 Squats - 200 reg. / 200 plea
400 Crunches - 200 reg. / 100 oblique with 8 lb. weight / 100 bicycle
120 Push ups

I break the sets up this way...

100 JJ
100 Squats
100 Crunches
30 Pushups

For a total of 4 sets! I try to have very little rest time in between activities. The harder I can keep my heart pumping the better. You burn more calories that way.

So, I got a crazy little idea to have my sweet Emma video me while doing the final set. I'm a very visual person and I know that sometimes it just helps to have a visual esp. if you are joining me in this challenge, which I hope you are! So, here it is...no make up, Brock running around, Emma talking to the dog (Kassie) etc... LOL Oh well, it's life - just goes to show that even if things are hectic - you can still work out! I did catch a mistake in the video..I said I was using a 10lb. weight, I'm using an 8 lb. I use a 10 pounder at the gym and an 8 pounder at home since that's all I have.

 

As you may have noticed, the total numbers for JJ, squats, and crunches have greatly increased from the original challenge of...

400 JJ
300 Squats
200 Crunches
100 pushups

The first few days were hard, but it has gotten  much easier.  I hesitate to use the word easy because it's not easy, it's just gotten easier.  I'm still a sweaty mess when I'm done.  I just wanted to continue to challenge myself and push even harder.

There also is a challenge that my friend, Caroline posted on instagram.  I've never been a fan of Wall Sits, but I guess I'm in the "challenge" mode.  I couldn't say no.  It sounded easy enough, right.  I kinda skipped the first 2 days, so I jumped right in on day 3.  30 seconds in a wall sit.  It burned towards the end for sure, but I HAD  just completed 800 reps of leg work ;)  All I gotta say is my legs better look good in my shorts this summer ;)

 

 

That's all I have for you tonight.  God bless!

challenge - days 4 and 5

Let me just say, I'm finally LOVING this challenge!

Friday, Saturday, and today Candace and I met at the gym. At first we were a little self conscious about the scene we would cause in the corner of the gym floor.  It didn't take us long to throw all caution to the wind and just go for it. Who cares how silly we may look, we are getting stronger!

To recap Friday (day 3)...We were there around an hour and if I'm being honest, we chatted way too much in between sets.  We both were aware of our "stalling" :) We had a good time & completed the challenge in full - yay -

However, Saturday was a different story.  We came with our "let's power through" attitudes and killed it!

Here's what we did Saturday - day 4

400 JJ
400 - yes, we added 100 - Squats
300 - yes, we added 100 - crunches
100 - push ups
100 - calf raises

To show how slow we went on Friday, we completed ALL of the above in about 35 minutes! And, yes, we were dripping with sweat when we left! Progress is a wonderful thing! AND, this was the first day I wasn't super sore!!!

Today, I'd say was just as successful as Saturday.  We took Easter off :)

Today we did...day 5

400 - JJ
300 - squats
400- crunches - yes, we added 200 from the original challenge!
120 - push ups - added 20
100 - calf raises

We have 2 more days for this challenge and plan on finishing strong! I'm already looking for something new challenge us!!!!!

If you are joining us in this challenge, I'd love to hear about it!!! If you think you want to try it but are scared...just try it, start off doing less reps if needed and work up to the full challenge at your own pace! Go for it, I know you can do it!!!

God bless!

Day 3 - challenge

Day 3!

I woke up sore, again.  Candace and I decided to meet at the gym in the afternoon and I was honestly thinking about taking the easy road and doing a light workout instead of the challenge....gasp!!!! Well, she quickly said, you're not doing the challenge??? So, of course I couldn't skip it now! She called me out and I was glad!

I will say it was much more fun doing the challenge with her rather than alone.  We knocked it out in about an hour and surprisingly my legs didn't kill me while doing the work.  We stretched very well when we were done and went our separate ways.

We plan on doing the challenge together tomorrow and then resting on Easter Sunday.  We will pick it up Monday and finish strong middle of next week.

Today, I came across this list of motivational quotes online and thought it was a pretty good list so I decided to share!

I needed a little extra motivation today.  Enjoy!

1. Strive for progress, not perfection. - Unknown
2. You want me to do something...tell me I can't do it. - Maya Angelou
3. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. - Wane Gretzky
4. If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying. - Unknown
5. The longer you live you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. - Ruth E. Renkl
6. Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. - Norman R. Augustine
7. I'd rather be a failure at something  enjoy than a success at something I hate. - George Burns
8. Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin
9. Nothing ever great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
10. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. - Aesop
11. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.- Albert Einstein
12. Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz
13. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan
14.  Fear is what stops you...courage is what keeps you going. -Unknown
15. The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race. -Unknown
16. The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline. -Steve Smith
17. Just do it - Nike
18. In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself. - Anonymous
19. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -Mark Twain
20. It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.- Anonymous
21. Clear your mind of can't. - Samuel Johnson

 

If you are doing the challenge right along with me, I'd love to hear how it is going!!!

Challenge

A few days ago, a friend of mine posted a challenge on facebook. The challenge was for 7 days and it consist of these exercises every day for the 7 days.

400 Jumping Jacks
300 Squats
200 Crunches
100 Push ups

I eagerly accepted the challenge and quickly shared it with my workout buddy.  She, being a great workout buddy & a little crazy like me, accepted!

I don't think I processed just how many reps of each exercises there were involved here....however....

Yesterday, I completed day 1.  I even got the kiddos involved :) We set smaller goals, of course, for each of them and we began.  Brock flew through his set (he did 20 of everything).  Emma struggled a little but did excellent! She did 200 Jumping Jacks, 100 squats, 50 crunches, and 30 push ups. Whoop - GO EMMA!

I was multi-tasking a little bit in between sets and cooked lunch.  I made Chicken & Wild Rice Soup! YUM!!! Don't get me wrong, I welcomed the short breaks!

I'm happy to say I completed the challenge in full!!!  It took me around an hour with cooking in between the sets.  I won't lie and say it was easy.  It was hard and I definitely struggled toward the end, esp. with the Push ups. I HATE PUSH UPS!!!

I even added a little extra to the challenge and while in the shower, I did 100 calf raises. 

I woke up today SO SORE!!! I love being this kind of sore, it's a productive pain!

I did notice I looked a little pasty white in  my workout shorts. Time to break out the sunless tanner!

Fortunately, one of the products I sell with Rodan + Fields is a Sunless Tanner. So last night I used it on my legs, it was time to get rid of the pasty white! I seriously love this product! It is a foam so it goes on so smoothly and evenly. Yay!!! No more white winter legs!

So, today when I woke up I let out a silent scream when my feet hit the floor. My thighs hurt so bad!!! Luckily as the morning went on the soreness let up a bit.  The last thing I wanted to do was skip day 2. So, I dropped Brock off at school and I had a little over an hour to work out until I had to get ready to go to his Easter party. 

I was literally dreading the first few Jumping Jacks and squats.  I knew it was going to hurt, but I kept saying...no pain...no gain..and got started.  I cranked up Toby Mack on Pandora Radio and had a great workout!

I only thought I was sore before...I can barely move my legs without pain tonight. Haha! Oh well, better rest up for tomorrows sets! Bring it day 3!!!

So, will you join me in this challenge??? I dare ya ;)

Steam

So, you know those days where you just need to blow off some steam? Not even for any particular reason.  Well, that was me yesterday.  Unfortunately, we overslept and missed church, which made me sad and upset! I hate missing church! I love our church family and I love our weekly corporate worship. So when we missed, it automatically put me in a sour mood.  After doing some much needed chores around the house I decided to go to the gym for a serious calorie/stress burn. 

I jumped on the elliptical and tore it up.  I went for 30 minutes on level 7 and didn't let the speed go under 7.5.  There were moments I thought, just slow down a little, nope - that's when I made myself go faster! I did 3.5 miles.  After the elliptical I did weights and hit every major muscle group.  I usually go home after I've done cardio and weights but decided to jump on the 'mill for a mile run. Well, I ended up running 2 miles with an incline of 3 and average speed of 6 aka 10 minute miles.  The last half mile or so I gradually increased the speed and ended in a sprint.  Whew! I was beat but it felt oh so good!!!! I love a good hard workout!

Today, I organized Brock's room! When I was done we had a dance party in his neat clean room! We turned on his disco ball and cranked up the music! Little did he know I was sneaking out a cardio workout! ;)  I'm hitting the gym again tomorrow! Can't wait!



Blessings to you,

I'm back!





 

So, I realize it has been several months since I last updated my blog.  My knee issues were frustrating me so badly that I took a much needed break from running and the blog world.  I tried several times during my time off to run in hopes that the pain would magically not return.  Unfortunately, that was never the case.  I would go a max of 2 miles and have to stop.  SUPER FRUSTRATING!!!

 

Well, about 2 weeks ago, my friend introduced me to KT TAPE.  I had never tried it, but she assured me that it would help.  In fact, it was what enabled her to run a marathon without killer pain in her knee.  So, I went to her house and she taped my outer left knee.  That was 2 weeks ago Wednesday.  I went to my parents house that Thursday evening and was dying to give it a try and see if it would help me be able to run pain free, or at least close to it.  I was skeptical, I'll admit, but hopeful at the same time.  I laced up and was out the door.  It felt so amazing to run outside! The few times I'd run had been inside on the 'mill so it was so refreshing to be in the sunshine! I kept waiting and waiting for the pain to come raging back in my left knee, but it never did.  I ran 3 miles PAIN FREE! Holy cow I was excited!!!  Praying that it wasn't a fluke, I ran another 3 that Saturday and again had no pain. YES YES YES!!! It feels so good to be running again! The past week I've run 2 more times - Friday 3 miles, and Saturday 4 miles.  This morning I did the elliptical, bike, and weights.  Since I don't have any major races on the horizon, as of yet, I won't be running a ton.  I will incorporate the bike and elliptical along with weights to make sure I'm strong strong strong!

 

I got new shoes for my birthday and even though I don't buy running shoes for cuteness, it sure helps when they are cute!  I LOVE the bright colors on the Brooks Ravenna 4s and so far they feel great to run in. 

 

 

New shoes = awesomeness!

Here is a pic of my knee all taped up. If you go to this site, there are videos that walk you through how to tape whatever area is bothering you! BTW, I bought purple and black tape, to match my new shoes!! How fun!