Gym vs. Home Workout

This past week I had the opportunity to try a 7 day trial membership to a very prestigious athletic club in the Lansing area. I have to admit I was very impressed with the establishment and all that it offers it members. I took advantage of the trial membership and tried many of the options that they have to offer. But, it only took me a couple of days to realize that the membership to a gym is not for me. A 40 minute workout quickly turned into a hour an a half commitment. How could I resist taking advantage of the hot tub and sauna's before taking a shower? I would get done with work at 5:00 but not get home until after 7:00 or 7:30 PM after working out. That is craziness! I have been using Beachbody home workout programs for the past two years. It is so easy to pop in a 40 minute workout DVD, complete the workout, jump in the shower and be done in less than an hour. When you are working 40 hours a week, it is hard enough to find an hour each day to fit a good workout in. So finding time to workout at a gym and take advantage of the amenities that they offer to justify the monthly price of membership is out of the question for me. I have paid $15 - $120 for the varies Beachbody programs that I have purchased. But, it is a one time purchase price and I own them. I can use and reuse the programs over and over for the rest of my life. Most of the DVD workout programs are a 30, 60 or 90 day programs. Once I complete one I try another. What I like about them is not every day is the same workout. Most of the programs come with several DVD's because there are so many workouts. I use my free WOWY membership to log the programs. Each day before I get ready to workout I go into WOWY and find out what workout I am scheduled to do today. And all from the convenience of my own home. I know some people say they can't do home workout programs because they are not motivated enough to keep doing it every day. My suggestion for that is to find a workout buddy. That buddy doesn't have to be committed to the same program as you, they just need to commit to working out like you. Then keep each other accountable. My workout buddy lives half way around the world. We continue to keep each other accountable simply by asking each other each day about our workouts. If you need a workout buddy I would be glad to help you. Find me on Facebook or leave a comment here.

Cheeseburger in Caseville

This past weekend my husband and I took a scenic drive to the thumb of Michigan, where every city is at least 20 miles from the next. We drove to Caseville in Huron County. Every year Caseville hosts a week long event called Cheeseburger in Caseville. The festival is a tribute to tropical paradise, cheeseburgers, and Jimmy Buffet with over 100,000 visitors during the 10 day long festival that takes place in August. Activities at the festival include sandcastle making contests, nightly concerts at the county park, beach volleyball, cheeseburger eating contests, Cheeseburger Walk/Run 5K and much, much more.


This year I decided to participate in the Cheeseburger 5K race. It was the first time that a race course has taken me through a scenic county park that borders Lake Huron and out on to the Caseville break wall. The wind was so strong on the break wall that I could hardly breath, but at the same time it was an awesome experience. I didn't run my fastest race, but it one of the more memorable, because of the scenic beauty that surrounded me as I ran.

One of the down sides to the Cheeseburger festival if you are trying to watch your waistline is all of the cheeseburgers. We ate cheeseburgers for lunch and dinner for three days! Restaurants around town compete each year for having the best cheeseburger. You can't eat a cheeseburger at the same establishment more than once, you need to try cheeseburgers at different restaurants and stands and decide for yourself who has the best cheeseburgers. We decided that the best cheeseburgers came from the places that had the best condiments. My favorite was the stand that had green olives on their condiment table....yum.

Last week I blogged about setting goals and my commitment to regular workouts and eating healthier. Well guess what? I'm human and I fell off the weight loss bandwagon for the weekend. Unfortunately, real life often intrudes into the best intentions. I could do one of two things at this point. I could use this past weekend as an excuse, and before you know it, one skipped workout turns into two, and three...and I decide that it just isn't worth it and give up. OR I can admit that there are going to be times and situations that prevent me from staying on the path that I have set for reaching my goals. This past weekend I ran into a rock in the road. I have to find my way around the rock and get back on the path to reaching my goal. It is so easy to abandon our goals. You decide, are you going to make excuses and abandon the path or work hard to find your way around the rocks in the road as you journey toward a healthier life style? I found my way around the rock, come join me!

My Bucket List includes participating in a Triathlon

A year ago I said I wanted to participate in the Playmakers Classic Triathlon this year. Well guess what, I didn't train for it. I have participated in other types of races like the Filthy 5K and Warrior Dash but still have a triathlon on my bucket list.

Two weekends ago my friend Rachel and I participated in our first Warrior Dash at Mt. Morris, MI. We had so much fun that we are already registered for next year. We are encouraging others to sign up as well. I've posted pictures to my Facebook account. I had read on another blog to buy a disposable camera and put it inside a Ziploc bag so that it didn't get wet. I carried it in a fanny pack throughout the race so we could get pictures. I'm so glad that I did because now we have the pictures to remind us of the fun we experienced that day.

Rachel and I participated in the Grand Rapids Urban Adventure Race last fall. It's a Run, Bike and Search race hosted in downtown Grand Rapids. It involved figuring out clues so that you could go to your next check-in station. Each check-in station was different. One of my favorites was near a lake and we had to work as a team to fill a tube with water from the lake, but the tube had small holes in it. We took turns plugging the holes while the other retrieved water from the lake. Challenging but fun!

I'm always looking for something new to try, so if you hear of any races in the Mid Michigan area please let me know. I'm always up for a challenge and always looking for people to join me.

Setting New Fitness Goals

I've been doing a lot of thinking the past few days and I finally decided to get serious and set some new fitness goals. Several years ago I taught a first term class to students, and one of the topics we covered was goal setting. We talked about S.M.A.R.T goals.

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-Targeted

Those that know me, know that I have been working out using various Beachbody workout programs for over two years now. I lost 30 pounds and have been successful at keeping it off. However, I am not where I ultimately would like to be. I have decided that it is time to get serious and commit to taking my fitness to a new level. To do this I am committing to working out 5 days a week. I plan to start the Chalene Extreme workout program to help with strength training in addition to running for an additional cardio workout. I will track my weight, measurements and activity in my free WOWY online account. I will know that I am achieving my goal as the weight continues to drop and inches fall off, especially in my waist area. My ultimate goal is to have a flat stomach. I would love to be able to wear a cute sports bra and workout shorts. I will set the timeline for the cute outfit for next spring. One of my first short term goals will be to lose an additional 10 pounds by Christmas 2013. That gives me 4 1/2 months to reach my first goal. In addition to working out I plan to post regular blogs, to share my ups and downs. I hope that others will join me on my journey for better overall health and fitness.

Free Books for your Kindle

Do you enjoy reading? This past year I have read more books than I have read in years. I received a Kindle Fire for Christmas this past year and have found several web sites that offer free books each day.

http://www.pixelofink.com/

http://www.facebook.com/InspiredReads

http://www.facebook.com/EreaderNewsToday

http://www.facebook.com/PowerReads
http://www.facebook.com/DiningDownloads

http://www.facebook.com/kindlefireapps

A couple of these web sites have a daily email that you can subscribe to, and they will send you a list of the books that are available for free. If you see a book that you think you might like to read, you need to download it that day because often the books are only free for a day or a few hours. I have made the mistake of going back the next day to find the book has returned to the original selling price.These web sites offer books in all different genres. I personally like to read fictional books about the Amish or romance novels.

Did you know that you do not have to have to own a Kindle to read these free books? Amazon offers several free options for reading the Kindle edition of books.

Kindle for Android Phones
Kindle for PC

Kindle Cloud Reader

Some of the books that I have read lately for free and enjoyed include, 

A Time to Love by Barbara Cameron
The Keeper by Suzanne Wood
The Quiet Daughter Speaks by Evelyn Rich
Seasons: A Real Story about a Amish Girl by Elizabeth Yount
Finding Emma by Steena Holmes
Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandara Bricker
Wild for You by Sophia Knightly
The Rent-A-Groom by Jennifer Blake
Something About Joe by Kandy Shepherd

If you have read a good book, I would love to hear your recommendation. I'm always looking for a new good read.

Couch to 5K

I need to work on being more consistent with my blogging. Last night when I was out running I had time to think and blogging is one of the thoughts that went through my head. I was thinking that I need to share with others the experience that I am having with the Couch to 5K running program. Four weeks ago my daughter, Alicia asked me if I wanted to try the Couch to 5K running program. I had heard of it before but really had no idea what it involved. She shared the Cool Running web site with me and I thought, why not. I remember saying to her in the past, while watching a 5K race, that I needed to start running because there were no fat runners.

So four weeks ago I put on my Nike cross trainers, downloaded a C25K app on my Android phone and started the program. The first week wasn't bad at all. Heck, anyone can jog for 60 seconds followed by 90 seconds of walking. Together, Alicia and I completed the first week of the program. We started to involve others and created a private group on Facebook for friends that expressed an interest in the Couch to 5K program. We have been using the group to encourage and motivate each other. Most of us agree that the first two weeks were not bad, but when we reached week three it got a little more difficult. Some people opted to repeat week two because they didn't feel they were ready to tackle week three. I however was determined to keep going. Week three involves three minutes straight of jogging. At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to go three minutes straight without walking but I was determined and made it happen. I felt so proud of myself, after all I am 52 years old and have never been a runner. I am proud to say that I survived week three and I'm almost done with week four which involves three minutes AND five minutes of straight jogging.

Each time I complete a workout I feel stronger. I am determined to complete the 9 week program. My friend Rachel and I have signed up for the Grand Rapids Urban Adventure Race on October 6th. I am training for this race by running and riding my bike. I haven't decided what 5K Race I will run in the fall, but plan to complete the Couch to 5K program and run in at least one 5K Race.

INSANITY: THE ASYLUM™

This week I started a new 30 day workout program called INSANITY: THE ASYLUM. This program is recommended for people that have completed THE INSANITY program. I completed INSANITY several months ago and have since been doing ChaLEAN Extreme. So when my daughter, Alicia purchased INSANITY: THE ASYLUM and asked if I wanted to start it with her after we returned for the Beachbody Summit I said sure. We both started on Sunday by doing the Fit Test. The Fit Test is about 25 minutes of Agility Heisman's, In and Outs, Pull ups/Push ups, Mountain Climbers, Agility should taps, X jumps, moving pushups, agility lateral shuffle and agility bear crawl. The program comes with a plastic/strapped ladder that you lay on the floor and use to jump and crawl between the rungs of the ladder. We completed the fit test and I thought if this is a preview of what's to come, I'm in trouble.

DAY 1 - Speed and Agility. I thought I was going to die! I have not worked up a sweat like that in a very long time. I have this love/hate relationship with Shaun T. He pushes you to dig deeper and not give up. I gave the workout 100% although I was not able to keep up. But being 52 years old, I felt very proud of myself when the workout was over.

DAY 2 - Strength. I liked this workout because it involved weights and strength training. I was able to keep up with most of the workout until the end where the pushups started to get the best of me. I ended up doing pushups on my knees but again stuck with it and did my very best.

DAY 3 - Back to Core. I was so sore in the morning that I could hardly move. I put the workout off until later in the day when my body had time to loosen up some. My shoulders were so sore from all of the pushups in Day 2. This workout works your back and would not be bad if my shoulders weren't already so sore.

DAY 4 - Vertical Plyo. OMG! Another hard workout. I'm going to be honest, I could not keep up with this workout. There is a lot of jumping moves and my heart was beating hard. I again worked up a sweat like never before.

So far I would have to say this is the hardest workout I have ever done.The program is advertised as, "With INSANITY you focused on improving your cardiovascular endurance and on total body conditioning. So, what's left? How about improving your balance, agility, power, strength, and coordination? Jump higher. Run faster. If you want to become an elite athlete or just improve your game, THE ASYLUM is your winning strategy." It definitely stands up to its advertisements. I haven't given up yet, it's only a 30 day program so I will stick with it and give it my best.