Treadmill Workouts and Apple Pie Smoothies!

After taking a week's hiatus from running I got back on the treadmill yesterday. I had been suffering from the beginning twinges of "runner's knee" from taking on too much too soon (I have a tendency to do that...it's all or nothing with me!) I had some fear that it would reoccur, but I did a full 30 minutes of HIIT, and even reached some new high speeds without any issues. Hooray! I also tried out my new motivational workout playlist, and it definitely helped my endurance. When you're pumped up from a high-energy song you tend to focus less on the burning in your lungs as you gasp for breath. When I finished up, I was dripping sweat and had that lovely blotchy red face that shows I've been working extra hard. My daughter looked at me with some concern. "Mom, how long did you exercise for? Why are you sweating so much? What's wrong with you?" I had to explain to her that sweating is a good thing, as it prevents you from passing out from heat exhaustion.

This morning I decided to take a departure from my usual workday breakfast of a green smoothie, and try out a new recipe; the "Apple Pie Smoothie" (mainly because I had to start eating one of the three tubs of greek yogurt my boyfriend brought home from Costco.) I got the recipe from my favorite resource, Pinterest.  The ingredients list is as follows:

1 banana
1 small red apple
3/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 raw almonds

Blend them all together until you get your desired consistency. This recipe did not disappoint- it was delicious and SO filling that I'm sure it will take me right through to lunch. Here's a link to the original post:
Harley Pasternak's Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

Color Me Rad 5 K, Edmonton, Alberta

Most of you have seen the ads on Facebook; "Color me Rad" is a very popular 5 K race that is held throughout the US and Canada. It involves volunteers pelting the runners with colored cornstarch throughout, and the runners themselves throwing "color bombs" at their teammates as they cross the finish line. It's basically an excuse to get out and interact with a bunch of fun people and get really, really messy in the process.

The ads must have filtered into my subconscious, because one boring afternoon at work I suddenly decided that I HAD TO do this race. Never mind that they were almost sold out (I got in for the last time slot- 8:05 am on a Sunday), or that I didn't have time to get a team together. I let my boyfriend know my plan and promptly paid my registration fee and signed the online waiver. At the time that I signed up there were still some individual spots available, so I asked around and placed an ad in Kijiji to see if anyone wanted to join my team of one: "The Smokin Scorpios". I got some interest from various people, but only one girl who actually managed to register in time. We've never met, and she's only 18, so I'm hoping I'm not going to slow her down!

I've been running on my treadmill every second day, and will take it outside as soon as we lose this wretched snow. If I can get my time down to 35 minutes or less for 5 K (3.1 miles), I will be satisfied. I'm currently sitting at just over 40 minutes, but haven't really pushed myself for fear of injury. As it is, my right knee is having major issues so I need to take a few days off. I'm still doing my Jillian Michaels workouts in the interim.

My daughter is very excited about my race, and I assigned her the task of being my coach. She immediately took her role seriously, deciding that I should run the stairs in our house while she timed me. This weekend we will be going to the river valley in Edmonton to run their infamous stairs. (Or at least I will be running them while she eggs me on.) This fun run is just the thing I needed to maintain my fitness motivation, especially with  an 18-year-old teammate...the last thing I want to do is make a fool of myself!

Fat Loss Doesn't Always Equal Weight Loss!

I officially moved on from 30 Day Shred (30DS) yesterday, starting my rotation of Killer Buns and Thighs and Ripped in 30. Last night I did level one of Killer Buns and Thighs. I had done it a few times about a year ago, and then again right before starting the 30DS. I found that I was FAR more capable of completing it with good form this time around- a sure sign that my fitness level has increased. It is longer than 30DS; about 40 minutes with the warm up and cool down, but the time does go fairly quickly since I was totally focused on the moves. My hamstrings and glutes are feeling it today, which makes me happy! Tomorrow I will be trying out level one of Ripped in 30. What about today? Well I'm going to another concert with my friend tonight (Bon Jovi! Ah- high school memories), so I did 30 minutes on the treadmill before work, and that will have to suffice. As long as I sweat daily I'm satisfied.

Something interesting to note- I read about this but wasn't expecting it to happen to me: since starting my workouts I have actually gained 4-6 pounds on the scale (it fluctuates). Interestingly, my measurements are  smaller than when I started, and I definitely have more muscle definition. My clothes fit looser too. Just thought I'd put that out there, since a lot of ladies are tied to the scale when measuring progress, and it doesn't tell the whole story. Focusing on proper nutrition and muscle gain is the way to go, not obsessing over scale fluctuations. Weight gain is common in the first few weeks of a new workout routine (with varying theories on why) but don't let it discourage you!

March Retrospective

I just realized that since March is officially over, I should do an official summary of my progress, so here goes:

I did 100% awesome with the regular exercise this past month. The goal was to give myself a good head-start into a healthier lifestyle that includes exercise as a permanent fixture. This is something I've never been able to achieve before, but I find that blogging gives me that extra bit of motivation and accountability that I was lacking. I am stronger and have improved my cardiovascular endurance by quite a bit. My muscles are definitely more toned, although it's more a difference you can feel as opposed to a difference you can see. Either way- for just a month it's great progress. I have completed 30 Day Shred (cue the fanfare!)...I will now be moving on to a combination of three different workouts:

Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30"
Jillian Michaels "Killer Buns and Thighs"
Cardio on my treadmill- I use the HIIT method with an incline of 5%

The Jillian workouts will be done alternately, 6 or 7 days/ week. Since they both move up in levels like the 30 Day Shred, I will be keeping track of the days completed on a calendar so I don't get confused. I should have all the levels completed in a little over 2 months, depending on the number of days off I end up taking. The cardio will be done in addition to the DVDs as much as possible, with a goal of every second day for 30 minutes.

I have not taken a "progress picture" for the end of March since there isn't a big difference yet, but I AM proud of the definition in my arms:

I will take a full body picture at the end of May upon completing the above mentioned programs.

Diet-wise I did quite well throughout March, although not as well as I would have liked towards the end. However, I still ate consciously and healthily the majority of the time. I do seem to have trouble focusing on both diet AND exercise for any length of time, and one or the other tends to fall by the wayside. But I am improving for sure!

I award myself an A- for the month of March...not as perfect as I'd hoped, but I'm still pretty proud of myself.

March Daily Exercise Update

As we near the end of March I wanted to update my exercise progress. At the beginning of the month I had challenged myself to daily workouts, based around Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I have never been good at maintaining any sort of consistent exercise routine, but this month I have rocked it! Monday will bring me to the end of the 30-day challenge. Level three is now getting easier, and I am ready for the next challenge. I haven't noticed much of a visual difference in my body (as I suspected!) but I am most definitely in better shape and ready to kick it up a notch.

I did take a few days off of the 30-day-shred here and there, but I always did some other form of exercise those days, such as hiking or running on the treadmill. Speaking of which- I have avoided using the treadmill for running due to the joint wear-and-tear that it can cause. Well a couple days ago I bought some new cross training shoes and wanted to test them out. I looked at the treadmill and felt frustration at being physically limited. Throwing caution to the wind I decided to go for it. I used to run, and there is nothing like that feeling you get during and after when the endorphins kick in.

I started off slowly at 2.5 miles/hr, with a 5% incline. (Using an incline helps prevent shin splints- it works like a charm and obviously adds resistance at the same time.) Maintaining the same incline throughout, I increased my speed by 1/2 mile each minute until I reached 5.5, then brought it back down to 2.5. I cycled through until I hit the 30 minute mark, drenched in sweat. This is known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and is known to be far more effective for fitness training and fat burning than keeping the same speed throughout. As an added bonus, you get a better workout in a shorter amount of time.

I was very pleased to note that I had no aches and pains the following day. I will be adding this cardio into my routine as often as possible, which means I'll be running in the mornings before work. Did I ever think I'd be saying that? No!! But here we are.

Day 5: Non-Traditional Treadmill Use

My back was quite cranky all day yesterday thanks to a slippery deck prior to snowshoeing Wednesday night. I didn't fall, but my foot slipped and I caught myself, instinctively tensing up those lower back muscles. I gave myself a pass on yoga, but I wanted to do something for exercise since I've been doing well all week. I hate to break the streak! The treadmill in the corner of the family room caught my eye. I bought it used last summer and haven't properly broken it in yet. As an osteoarthritis sufferer, regular running is a big no-no. It's notorious for causing joint wear-and-tear, and the osteoarthritis tends to form in damaged joints. I bought the treadmill thinking I could use it to walk briskly on an incline when I didn't want to go outside. Then I read an article on effective cardio/ rear-end muscle toning exercises. It suggested that rather than turning the treadmill on, you simply move the belt yourself. Hmm. I didn't even realize that a person could do that, let alone use it as a workout. Well it actually does work, and quite well. It is a HARD workout that requires leaning forward, grabbing the handles and puuuushing down as hard as you can as you stride. Once you get it going it's a little easier, but I still felt my calves burning after only a couple minutes. Ten minutes was my limit- my leg muscles were done and I was panting (okay- I started panting after the first 30 seconds). Short but effective! And my back is feeling much better today.

I slept terribly last night and I can just feel that cold virus lurking, ready to pounce when it senses weakness. My honey-cinnamon tea helped a little, but I am fatigued. Hopefully the afternoon isn't too rough. The only "obligation" I have this evening is to make banana bread as per my boyfriend's request. I'm thinking that despite it being Friday, it will be an early night. TGIF everyone!!

Just for fun- here's a picture of my little monkey using the treadmill (in the traditional way.) Jazz hands!