Fitness Friday: Week 3

Welcome to week 3 of Fitness Friday! I’ve got to tell you, this FF post has been a great way to hold myself accountable. If I did what I really wanted to do every night after work, I’d sit on my couch and watch my favorite TV shows while sipping on some of the sweet nectar.

How pathetic would I look if I went to write a FF post and had done nothing but guzzle wine and watch trash TV? Every time I try to convince myself to skip the gym or indulge in unhealthy food, I remember 1) my ultimate goal to get fit and fab and 2) that I have to report my progress on my blog.

As I mentioned in week 2, today I’m sharing my favorite easy and healthy snacks. According to a self.com article, 64 percent of snacks aren’t planned. Unplanned snaking could easily lead to bad choices like processed, high-calorie food from your office vending machine. Instead, stock your desk drawers or office fridge with some of these healthy options that are easy to grab when you hit that mid-day lull.

Simple Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad:  Mix a cup of sliced, peeled cucumber with about 10 cherry tomatoes and a tablespoon of lite vinaigrette dressing (my fave is the Ken's Steak House).  I like to season mine with some fresh ground pepper.  Very refreshing and low in cals.  I'll make it the night before and bring some to work for an afternoon snack at my desk.

cucumber / tomatoes / vinaigrette / salad

Low Cal Cheese & Crackers: Cheese scares a lot of people who are watching their calorie intake.  However, there are so many reduced fat options now that cheese is no longer the enemy.  My favorite cracker for this snack is a water cracker.  I love the crunch, but more importantly, they have little flavor, which makes it a great neutral foundation so you can savor the cheese. 

crackers / colby-jack / laughing cow / cheese & crackers

Peanut Butter and Caramel Mini Rice Cakes: I like to dip mini caramel rice cakes into about a tablespoon of Jif Natural PB.  Some natural peanut butter's annoy me because you have to mix them and keep them refrigerated.  This Jif version does not have to be stirred or refrigerated, so I keep it in my desk drawer with a bag of rice cakes for the ultimate convenience snack.  I'm not a fan of caramel, but for some reason this flavor goes along great with PB. 

rice cakes / PB / Rice Cake + PB

Hopefully one of those 3 options sounds enticing to you.  Now on to the "fun" stuff.  Below is what I did this week at the gym:

Saturday: Went to a yoga class and then took my nephew to the park.  He thinks its fun to run from me so I spent the entire time chasing him and almost having a heart attack every time he made a beeline for the nearby street.  I would tell him, "Reese, this is not funny!" to which he would giggle, run and say, "Hahaha, yes it is Aunt Lindsey." Boys will be boys. 

Don't you love his cute little outfit?  Aunt Lindsey got him that shirt and those shorts at Old Navy for $11. 

Sunday:  12 mile mountain bike ride - NEVER AGAIN.  So my friend Kathryn and I went to brunch Sunday and while we were finishing up, she asked me if I wanted to go bike riding around a local lake since it was so nice outside.  "Sure," I said thinking back to my middle school days when I loved riding my bike around the neighborhood.  Reality check: Biking 12 miles up and down hills fighting the wind on a mountain bike is nothing like riding bikes back in the day.  I've decided I'm not cut-out for bike riding.  The seat really hurt and my booty felt bruised for the next 2 days and trust me, I've got plenty of padding back there. 

Monday: Valentine's Day.  After work I met up with my friend Courtney for Happy Hour.  We we're supposed to run hills and conduct a little "boot camp" at a nearby park, but for some reason wine sounded better to us.  Do you blame us?

Tuesday:  Bicep/Triceps + 30 minutes interval cardio + 10 min suana

Wednesday: Hamstrings/Quads/Calves + 30 minutes interval cardio + 20 min sauna

Thursday: Rested, legs we're sore.

Friday: After work I'm doing chest/shoulders/back and cardio.

Saturday:   I plan on going to yoga again and it's supposed to nice so I'm sure I'll be chasing my nephew again at the park.

Sunday: NOT going on a 12 mile bike ride.

Fitness Friday: Week 2

It’s a Christmas miracle! Not really. I shouldn’t be excited about this, but what I call my “fat work pants” fit comfortably again. Yes, sadly there was a time there when they didn’t. I slip up on my fitness for a few weeks … Oh, did I say weeks? I meant months … and before I know it, I’m laying on the ground praying to the skinny gods that my pants zip up. We've all been here:

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Cue: “Fitness Fridays”, and here is what I did this week:

Nutrition:
I’m trying to stick to around 1200 calories a day. To help achieve my 1200 calorie goal, I’m making a concerted effort to not waste unnecessary calories on things like coffee creamer, boredom snacking and booze (although I really wanted that glass of wine during The Bachelor this week).

Also, I have a diet and fitness journal I bought on Amazon that I use to track calories, but I certainly don’t use it religiously. That’s no way to live. I’m just making sure I’m aware of the calorie decisions I’m making and holding myself accountable. The journal's description claims those who keep a diary and record their progress lose twice as much weight as those who don't.  We'll see about that.

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Fitness:
Typically I’m at the gym for an hour to an hour and a half. I start out by stretching then 30 to 45 minutes of weight training followed up with 30 minutes of interval cardio. Interval cardio gives you the most bang for your calorie-burning buck.

To set up your own calorie-burning interval workout, simply increase your intensity to a hard pace for 1 minute followed by 2 minutes at an easy pace; repeat for up to 30 minutes. If you don’t want to take my word for it: read this article about the benefits of interval cardio. 

[via] I need this pillow in my life!

My routine this week:
Monday: Biceps/triceps then 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals (20 mins elliptical & 10 mins treadmill because I get bored if I stay on just one machine.)

Tuesday: Quads/ hamstrings/calves + 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals + 20 minutes in sauna (Ladies … if you are looking for some eye candy, come hang with me in the sauna. Oh my!)

Wednesday: Chest/Shoulders/Back + 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals + 20 minutes sauna + Jackie Warner core video for abs via On Demand’s free Fitness TV (I just discovered Fitness TV. They have so many FREE work-out videos like Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, Jackie Warner work-outs, Body by Bethenny yoga, etc. Check out your local listings to see if you get it in your area. It’s a great way to burn some cals from your living room.)

Thursday: REST DAY! I had a few errands to run after work and my brother and nephew decided my apartment doubled as a grocery store, so I had them over for dinner.

FRIDAY (Today, obvi): I have my brand new Texas Tech gym bag (arrived on my doorstep Tuesday & I love it!) packed and ready to go under my desk. I’m going to focus on abs/back and of course get in 30 mins of interval cardio.

WEEKEND: My goal is go to a yoga class and get at least one session of cardio in. I'll have to let you know how that turns out next Friday.

In next week’s FF, I’ll track my progress again and I’ll share some of my favorite easy on-the-go healthy snacks that are perfect if you have to snack at your desk like me. If you have any easy, healthy snacks you heart, leave them in the comments and I’ll feature them in next week’s FF!