Good morning and Happy Labor Day!
I’m currently in Chicago enjoying the long holiday weekend with a fabulous group of ladies. I’ve truly embraced the much needed girl time and have had a wonderful time celebrating our bride-to-be with them. I’ll be back tomorrow with some of the highlights!
In case you missed it, I introduced Weekly Workouts to the blog just a few weeks ago. My hopes are to inspire you to try something new at the gym, in your workout planning, or even on your dinner table.
Check out my Cardio and Circuit Workouts pages for more ideas!
Weekly Workouts
(August 31 – September 6, 2015)
• Monday – 4 mile run with friends
I started my week off on the right foot with a 4 mile loop through the trails with Scott, Roadie, and our friend Ryan.
He’s one that Scott often goes rock climbing with, and was visiting us in the afternoon before the two headed out to climb. Four miles and then hours of climbing? Haha, yeah right…. I would die.
• Tuesday – Rockit Class Workout
I wrote the workout of the day on the whiteboard and thought it looked like a good one to try! Scott joined me on my hour break at the gym, and the two of us whipped through it. And by whipped through it, I mean sweat. A lot.
This workout is CrossFit inspired and requires a variety of equipment you would find in a CrossFit box.
In reps of 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3
sit-ups (I decided to do abmat sit-ups)
Supersets
TRX body row (or dumbbell bent over rows)
medicine ball jams (from the chest, not overhead)
3 rounds of 30 seconds per exercise
3 rounds of 30 seconds per exercise
3 rounds of 30 seconds per exercise
I was certainly breathing heavy by the end of that one. I left feeling accomplished, but I was extremely sore (especially in my lats <- I’m guessing thanks to the wall balls?) for the next couple of days. It was a great, challenging workout!
• Wednesday – 5 mile run
After feeling good about my 4 mile run on Monday, I wanted to (literally) go the extra mile (hehe) and aim for 5. Buttt, I made a few mistakes before I left the house.
- All I ate for breakfast was a banana.
- I waited until the late morning to set out for my run.
- I didn’t have my supportive running shoes on.
These factors left me feeling lethargic. So, I ran my five, but I stopped a handful of times.
I found shade when I needed to (it was ridiculously hot out) under the trees, drank water, stretched, and sat. No shame.
While I’m not planning on training for a race any time soon, I am trying to build my endurance back up to be able to run five or six miles comfortably. I’ll get there.
• Thursday – (NEW) 12 Minutes or Less Core Strength Workout
I barely had time to fit in a workout between classes Thursday night, so I quickly put together a core strength circuit that took me right around ten minutes to complete.
You can do a lot in ten minutes! I challenge you to give it a try and complete it in 12…
This one requires a stability ball, an ab wheel, and a small resistance band.
Ahhh the ab wheel. I’ve introduced it to almost all of my current clients, and most of them love to hate it. Personally, I hate to love it, but I do. I think it’s a great tool!
Exercise Demos
side-lying hip abductions or side plank with leg lifts
stability ball bridges (oh hey, Eric! <- my boss before our gym existed)
It’s amazing what just ten or twelve minutes of continuous exercise can do. And, just to throw this out there, your “core” includes more than just the abdominals. This workout hits the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, too. Enjoy!
• Friday – 4 mile run with Scott and Roadie
I was going to rest on Friday, but I could tell that Roadie was itching to get outdoors when I got home from work. Twist my arm. I originally wanted to shoot for 2 miles, but I talked Scott into going with me and he talked me into 4 shortly after we left.
We stopped halfway through our loop on the trails and spent some time near the water on the overlook. I really wish I brought my phone to capture Roadie diving in. (The photo above is recycled.) That’s the second time I’ve ever seen him voluntarily jump in a body of water.
He loved it!
• Saturday – REST
• Sunday – REST (well, besides walking all over the city!)
Generally, I try to complete some kind of class, circuit, or strength training workout 3 days a week and get in at least a few (3+ mile) runs for cardio. There was point in time where I went the gym to exercise 4-5 days a week and completed a long training run (8+ miles) on the weekends, but that hasn’t been what I’ve been up to in quite some time.
In short, it is important for me to stay healthy and fit, but I am not planning on running races or pushing my body towards intense training right now. If you would like to know the longer version – read on.
Healthy Meal Ideas
Now onto a few easy eats that didn’t make the blog last week…
THIS chopped salad! Absolutely.
Romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, kalamata olives, radishes, corn, green peppers, mushrooms, jalapeno mix, Parmesan cheese tossed in oil and vinegar
Breakfast I need more of…
Scrambled eggbeaters mixed with salsa and a side of light vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit and hemp hearts
And one of my favorite snacks!
sliced apples mixed into cottage cheese
***
I guess that does it for this edition of Weekly Workouts & Healthy Meal Ideas. I’m off to enjoy our final morning in Chicago before driving back home. Thanks so much for popping in!
Previous Weekly Workouts recaps:
• Weekly Workouts & Un-Pictured Meals
• Weekly Workouts & Healthy Meal Ideas #2
I hope you’ve gotten the itch to try something new next time you visit the gym.
Enjoy the holiday!
Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian. Although I am a certified personal trainer, I am not necessarily your personal trainer. The workouts I post are what work best for me and might not be the right type of exercises for you. If you decide to give these workouts a try, please listen to your body and rest or modify as you see fit. I always recommend consulting a doctor or health professional before making changes to your diet or fitness routine.

I am going to incorporate some of those exercises into my workout!!! Your dog is so cute, I would love to have a dog, but I have a cat and she is my best friend. Yesterday I made a rainbow slaw, it kinda was like a chopped salad. Safe travels
Bakingrunner.blogspot.com
It’s been so hot! I hope you’re really enjoying your time in Chicago and finding ways to not melt! ha
Ooh, this ab workout sounds killer! One thing that I learned at BlogFest: I am terrible at using the Ab Wheel. I’ll have to try this out so I get better at it! Thanks for the great core strengthening ideas!
Beth @ Running with the Sunrise recently posted…Monday Motivation: Overcoming Fear
It looks like a good week of work outs! I love that crossfit inspired workout; I am pinning that for later!
hmtroupe recently posted…Weekly Workouts and Meal Plan
Looks like you had a great week of workouts. I am still so intimidated by the idea of CrossFit…
renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Disneyland Take Two
I always tend to underestimate the power of short workouts- they really do make a big difference! I am also loving the eggs and yogurt combo, scrambled eggs are amazing!
lifewithniki recently posted…Birthday Recap | Japantown and San Fransisco
I’m also with you on the love-hate relationship with the ab wheel ha!
Robb recently posted…The 6 Best Supplements For Skinny Guys To Bulk Up