Getting in Shape...Again

A year ago almost exactly my fitness world was knocked completely out of the ballpark when my kneecap came out of place during a run. It was all down hill from there and I'm not getting into all of that again but needless to say I spent the last year not being very fitness minded. Granted, I did join a gym to workout, spin and swim when I wasn't in and out of physical therapy. After the surgery, I literally sat in the recliner for months. Needless to say my muscle mass is pitiful now except for my upper arms from two months of crutches. Physical therapy went until the end of June and so finally in July I could rethink my workouts and decide how I was going to get back in shape and stay in shape without running.

This is my plan, which I have to adapt weekly as to my schedule. I'm two weeks in and its going pretty well. What's nice is that I'm not going to the gym right now because its so nice outside but everything I'm doing can be moved inside when the weather gets colder.

Monday

I do my core workout on Monday. In a few weeks I will add some short cardio on as well and then later some short bursts of HIIT. For now, Monday is a day that if I need to miss a workout I can and just add it on to another day.

Tuesday

I do between 30-60 minutes of cardio and since I'm not running, I walk on Tuesdays. I've found the best calorie burn walking is to do hills. So if you are familiar with Pittsburgh and where we live, I walk Stanton from our apartment through Stanton Heights and down to Lawrenceville and back. It's only a little more than a four mile walk but it takes approximately an hour because the incline is so steep part of the way up from Lawrenceville and on the other side from Morningside/Highland Park.

Wednesday

I do an upper body workout on Wednesday focusing on my arms, shoulders and back. Eventually as with Monday, I will add light cardio and HIIT.

Thursday

Thursday is a repeat of Tuesday with cardio and the time amount. The only thing I change is that I bike (or try to) on Thursdays. Right now, I'm riding Dennis' bike since I don't have one but I'm not sure how long I can do that because it sucks. I might even go rent one of those ones that are all over the city.

Friday

I do a total body strength workout on Friday.

Saturday

Same as Tuesday and Thursday, although on Saturday I swim! My favorite cardio day! 

Sunday

Sunday is supposed to be a rest day but I think I'm going to start doing yoga again at the gym. I need to improve my flexibility again and hopefully it will help me relax.

I'm not perfect. So believe me, there is rarely a week that goes by  that I get some sort of a workout in everyday. Sometimes I do more than on on the weekends to make up for a lousy week. I'm happy with getting a workout in five days a week.

Alright, let me know if you want to work out sometime together!

My DIY Planner

Not to pat myself on the back but I have to admit that I absolutely love my new planner and you know what, I made it myself! Yes, I was so sick of buying overpriced planners that didn't fit my needs. During the last few months I pinned a number of photos and ideas for making your own planner but wasn't quite sure if I could do it. Then my intern showed me her homemade planner and I decided I definitely needed one.

I went to Target and bought a notebook. I wanted one that was medium-size (bigger for my large printing but small enough to fit in my purse). It also has a great clear envelope in the front for notes, coupons, etc. This one is spiral bound with perforated pages, which don't work very well because I'm always taping pages back in. My notebook for the planner I will have to start in May or June is bound, so it will work much better.

Then I went back and looked at all of those pins again. I designed a template for each page that fit my needs. I wanted space for my appointments, items I do every day, to-do list, preparation for the next day list, how many cups of water I drank, fitness routine, meal plan, goals/thankful for and blog post. Sometimes I don't fill everything in but it helps to have a clear view of my day and what needs done. It also helps me be better prepared for the next day. At first I made a stencil for this template but that was taking forever when I had to do about 30 pages, so I started free handing it. It's not perfect but its just for lists, so I let my perfection go for the moment.

I also made a calendar at the beginning of the month with a monthly to-do list. My Google calendar has everything listed but this one just includes everything outside of work. I highlighted events that were for Dennis, date nights and to-do items. 

I love my new planner! It helps me be more organized with my to-do list but also keep track of my fitness goals and meal plan, as well do some minor journaling with the three goals and thankful for section. So far, I've been using this method for almost two months and its been working great. I think every one should just make there own planner. It's so much more personal and cheaper!

Let me know if you want to see mine. Happy planning in 2015!

Fitness Pro? Not!

Last week, I switched gyms and me being the fitness nut that I am took advantage of the free fitness consultation offered for new members. 

 

After meeting with the trainer, I was surprised to hear that I was just barely of average fitness.  Say what?  I run three miles two or three times a week and circuit the other days.  I ran a half-marathon in May (granted I'm not a fast runner but I did it).

 

The test consisted of five sections: BMI, flexibility, cardio, strength and endurance.  As the trainer explained the steps, I thought to myself that this sounded relatively easy.  It was actually too but my results apparently weren't good enough.

 

First, I failed the BMI.  I'm overweight.  Lovely.  I actually knew that and wasn't surprised I failed that.  I hate BMI.  It doesn't take into account muscle mass, which I know I have a lot of and the trainer agreed because I had my muscle mass tested.  Strike 1.

 

Second, to my surprise I got the highest level possible on flexibility.  This was the one section I thought I would fail instantly.  The test was reminiscent of elementary school V-sit and reach, which I was terrible at.  I've improved.  I stretched 23 inches.  Props for that one I suppose.

 

Third, I completed the cardio, which was a piece of cake.  Walk at a three percent incline at 4.5 miles per hour for five minutes.  Nothing.  Luck was still on my side because I passed that section too.  It was probably all my walk and run training.

 

Fourth, I had my strength tested.  I lift weights fairly often and never really thought that I could fail this but I did.  Apparently you are supposed to be able to lift 80-85 percent of your body weight.  I probably could do that in my lower body but my upper body only managed to chest press a measily 85 pounds.  Strike two.

 

Finally, the last part was endurance.  Stupid me thought I had this one in the bag too.  I ran a half-marathon.  That takes endurance.  Wrong again.  You had to do as many sit-ups as possible in a minute. I'm a cruch girl.  I hate sit-ups...always have, always will.  I failed miserably at 24.

 

With that being said I walked out of the gym on Friday a bit speechless but motivated to improve my poor fitness level.  I'm not discouraged though.  I feel healthy and my doctor says I'm healthy, so isn't that what really matters.  I'll never be a size two.  I realize that.  Yes, I'd like to lose a few pounds but in my case I think losing a few inches may be more realistic.  It's probably the first time in my life that I can honestly say I'm happy with my body, so I'll take it and continue what I'm doing.

 

Not everyone is an athlete.  Not everyone is a model.  I'm an average girl and I'll just strive to improve my average fitness.