Just 15 Minutes...

Sometimes all you need is 15 minutes...

I was so tired this morning, I literally had to use every ounce of motivation I had to get out of bed and get to the gym today. I told myself I had to work hard for 15 minutes, and if I still couldn't keep my eyes open then I could go back to bed. However, all it took was 15 minutes to wake me up. I'm so glad I made myself get out of bed because I had an awesome HIIT session!


The same thing happened tonight. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and since our nice days are numbered I really wanted to go for a walk or run, but I was so tired. So I once again told myself to walk for 15 minutes to get some fresh air and wouldn't you know...I ended up running about 1.5 miles at a killer speed (did I mention it was mostly down hill!! HA!) then I walked for about 25 minutes. It was AWESOME...I absolutely love, love, love being outside this time of year. The air is so crisp and clean.


So it was a great day. Had two enjoyable workouts and was 100% on target with my meal plan. It's now time for me to get some zzz's so I am ready to take on whatever life throws my way tomorrow.


Train Hard
-H

Alrighty, so I tried the pumpkin protein shake last night, and it was not so good. I put waaaaay to much pumpkin spice and sugar free carmel syrup in it. I also added cinnamon and nutmeg which were good. I may try it again and not even add the carmel. We'll see if that tastes any better.

So now that it's getting pretty cold outside and dark super early, I decided to take my HIIT training to the basement. I pulled out some old fitness articles I had torn out of my Oxygen magazines and got to work. My HIIT consisted of 15 seconds going 100% and then 45 seconds at 50-60% intensity for 15 minutes. Then I did another 15 minutes of exercise at 70-80%. I did everything from burpees to mountain climbers to high knees and even did some good'ol jumping jacks for my 45 seconds. I originally wanted to run sprints outside, but since it was so cold and dark I opted for the basement so I was worried I wouldn't get as good of workout as doing sprints. Contrary to my initial thoughts...I got my butt kicked! And I actually had a lot of fun with it. It was fun to try new exercises including a killer ab workout. It was a much needed change of pace. Thank goodness for the change in seasons; otherwise, I probably wouldn't be motivated to mix up my workouts.

Well, I'm getting hungry so I'm going to go experiment, once again, with my pumpkin protein shake. Hopefully, I'll have better luck this time!

-H

"Protein Funk"

When it comes to building muscle and losing body fat, protein is an absolute MUST have! Protein is critical in reparing, building and maintaining muscle mass. You feel more satisfied when you eat protein especially when you eat it in the morning because it helps decrease hunger and satisfy cravings. On top of that, protein is more difficult to digest then carbohydrates and fats so your body burns more energy digesting it. AND...like I said, protein helps build and maintain muscle and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn each day. So as you can see there are a ton of good reasons to eat your protein.


So even after knowing all the benefits of eating protein, I can hardly make myself do it. I'm in a "protein funk" lately. The thought of every type of protein makes me cringe...all I want to eat are carbohydrates. It was my birthday this weekend, and I made myself some special treats...cream cheese pumpkin pie (I did add some protein powder to it!) and whole wheat pumpkin bread. Although I made both of those treats as healthy as possible, they are still high in carbs and low in protein. Hmmm...since I'm on a pumpkin kick, maybe I'll try to make myself a pumpkin protein shake. That should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes, and whether or not I have to choke it down!

Monday

Good day today. I lifted lower body this morning. High weight, low reps to build strength. I followed the weights with a 45 minute spin class.

Tonight, after work, I did 15 minutes of sprinting outside. I finished with a one mile run and a good stretch.

Fall is definitely here, but there are still nice days left, so I had to get out and take advantage before the snow comes!

-H

A reintroduction

My big intentions with this blog have been reignited. Expect to see more regular posting here again. In the past year and a half I've had to deal with getting laid off at my real job and I had to focus on my career and on getting married. Things have settled down in both of those pieces of my life and I am refocusing my efforts on building my health and wellness career.

In the coming days, I'll be writing more about my diet and workouts, amongst other health related topics.

-H