Kick-Ass Saturday Circuit

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Coco

I had planned to finish off my week of doing what I can by repeating what I did on Thursday: 30 minutes on the elliptical and a Rodney Yee program. But last night I read an article in the Washington Post about burpees and later found myself scraping the bottom of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s (I blame my daughter for leaving that behind when she went back to college), so I decided to do something a bit more intense.

(My ITB seems to be better, but I am holding off running until Monday to hedge my bets and increase my odds of a full recovery.)

Here’s what I came up with:

Cardio 1: 10 minute “E-Z Incline” program on treadmill @ 3.5 mph (gradually working up to level 8 incline)
Weights 1: Deadlifts + Rows (3 sets of 15 of each)
Cardio 2: 10 min “Random” program on elliptical @ 150 strides/min and level 6 resistance
Weights 2: Squats + Overhead Presses (3 sets of 15 of each)
Cardio 3: 15 min “Glutes” program on elliptical @ 150 strides/min and level 7 resistance
Weights 3: 20 Burpees, 20 Mountain Climbers, 20 Jump Squats 
(water break to refill my water bottle and get my heart rate down!)
Cardio 4: 15 min “X-Training” program on elliptical (forward/reverse intervals) @ 150 strides/min, with level 6 resistance for forward segments and level 7 for reverse segments
Weights 4: 20 Burpees, 20 Mountain Climbers, 20 Jump Squats, 20 Jumping Jacks
Cardio 5: 10 minute “E-Z Incline” program on treadmill (same as above)

It was a fun way to get in 60 minutes of cardio without getting bored and a reminder that I love plyometric exercises even though (or maybe because?) they kick my ass!

As Josie posted on Facebook yesterday,  I feel like I’ve “re-installed my mojo and re-booted my awesomesauce.” 8)

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Doing What I Can

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Coco

After my vacation free-for-all, I was looking forward to jumping back in to my exercise routine. Apparently, I jumped in too far on Monday, and triggered an ITB injury.  Between that and my podiatrist appointment, I had to take it easy this week. Still, I worked hard to do what I can.

Monday: Pre-injury and podiatrist, I ran 6.1 miles. If I only had run 4, maybe my ITB wouldn’t have rebelled.

Tuesday: Rest day, although that is a misnomer since I was up from 2:30 am, helping my daughter finish packing to head back to college on a 6:00 am flight.

Wednesday: I managed to do my full weight routine in bare feet, although I had to skip my usual warm-up on the elliptical. I also spent some time with the foam roller, since *everyone* swears that is the best way to speed ITB recovery.

Thursday: I put on my slip-on sneakers and hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes. Then I treated myself to the “Forward Bends” program of my Rodney Yee DVD. Then I tortured myself with the foam roller.

Friday: Weights in bare feet again, followed by more foam rolling!

Coincidentally, the topic of this week’s Fitstudio Twitter chat (Wednesdays at 8:30 eastern) was injuries. It was interesting to see that most people try to do some type of exercise when they are injured, but often have a hard time figuring out what to do or convincing themselves that it is worth it to do something “less” than their normal routine. I find that keeping up my routine by doing “something” (anything!) really helps me keep a positive mental outlook and maintain my exercise habit.

What about you–what do you do about exericse when an injury interferes with your usual routine?

Has an injury ever led you to discover a new form of exercise that you now enjoy even when you’re not injured?  (Yes, I’m thinking of you, Steena!)

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Three Things Thursday (The Vacation Edition)

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Coco

I had a wonderful vacation last week, but towards the end I was really missing some of the comforts of home:

  1. My electric toothbrush.
  2. My shower with a strong, steady stream of hot water.
  3. My pot of Starbucks® coffee.

On the other hand, there were things I didn’t really miss:

  1. The news. Even though I usually start and end my day with the local news, commute with NPR and skim through most of The Washington Post over the course of a day, I enjoyed the reduced stress level that comes from being out of the loop.
  2. My wardrobe. I didn’t mind being forced to dress from the very limited selection of clothes that I packed. I brought a few favorite items and they mixed and matched well.
  3. Work. While I did monitor emails, I mostly delegated or scheduled things for later. I did not get sucked into to any strategic decision making. (Good thing, since the time difference meant that I’d usually had at least one glass of wine before anything came up!)

What do you miss and not miss when you’re on vacation?

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(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: The Breisach Edition

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Coco

(Sign by a park entrance in Breisach, Germany)

Swimming in the pool, running on the track, camping, river cruising–there’s something for everyone!

Which do you want to do?

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Here We Go Again

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Coco

I had my podiatrist appointment yesterday. As I feared, the toenail that I killed last year was growing back incorrectly (becoming ingrown). Three shots of anesthesia and a minor procedure later I am back to the drill of epsom salt soaks, antibiotic cream and no running for a few days at least probably a week. 🙁

The good news is that by the time my toe is ready for action, my new ITB pain (on the outside of my left knee) will be all better, right?

Right?

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