It is March! I am super happy that spring is just around the corner. I went to my favorite running store in Elmhurst, the Runner’s Soul. I have the number to the store in my contacts on my phone. This is my favorite store because Jayne, the owner is super nice. Can you tell that I LOVE running?!? She really cares about the people that come in and she adores my children. What more could you ask for? On top of that the staff is knowledgeable about my FAVORITE shoe, “Newton’s!” You just have to check out their website, because I would not do it justice by writing a short bit.

http://www.newtonrunning.com/

All I have to say is that with my feet issues and my LOVE for running, Newton’s make it possible for me to do my “Soul Mate Workout,” as quoted from Chalene Johnson’s newly published book. The book is called “PUSH,” we have the I-Book version and the hard copy. I highly recommend reading it. It has helped us with our professional life and personal fitness. I placed a link to her website,too. So there you have it my favorite workout, favorite shoe, and my favorite book of the new year.

http://www.chalenejohnson.com/pushjumpstart/

Another favorite I have are the “apps” for my i-phone. I am an i-phone user, but some of my girlfriends who have other smart phones can use these apps,too. If someone ever looked at my phone without meeting me they would probably define me as obsessed with fitness and education. All my 30 plus apps pertain to...you probably guessed it fitness or education. Here is my list of top 5 and why....

IWorkout Muse: Customize any interval workout with your own music

Metronome: You can set the cadence to any beat that you like. I started using this because of natural running and what they say about the foot strike her minute.

Lose It! : A daily nutrition log that breaks down what you eat by nutrients and calories. It has a nice bar scanner to make logging quick and easy. It also has tons of restaurant choices so you can still log a meal out to eat and be accurate. It does take exercise into account for so you can log your workouts, too.

Tabata Timer: A simple 4 minute, 20 second on, 10 second off timer.

Heart Fitness: A heart monitor using the lens from your phone.

If you check these out let me know! I use at least 2 of these apps on a daily basis. I highly recommend logging food!

My First Week of Turbo Fire

My shoulders are so sore, but that good sore that means they have been worked. As of now I have completed 4 dvd’s in the Turbo Fire schedule and Push Circuit 1 from ChaLean Extreme. This has really helped me stay on track with my training and to feel amazing. I know that running makes me feel that “high” that I am always longing for when I train, so I was afraid to try something new. It seemed like the right time because I am desiring a change in my workout routine. Well, I got it alright.

To start off with I just watched the Fire 30 to see what I was in for. I figured I can run thirty minutes so this should be good. The combinations were broken down. I won’t lie even if you can follow 8 counts you might find it challenging at first. I was able to keep up, but watching it first was a BIG help. My three year old daughter loved the dvd and she even tried to join on by actively watching it. Take a look at her smile during this.

Tuesday morning I almost jumped up out of bed with so much excitement to try Fire 30. I have been watching the informercials for the past year, just waiting to try it. I put on my heart rate monitor and pressed play. I was in my fat burning zone and enjoying the crosses and uppers. Smiling thinking to myself that this is going to be great for something new. Until I heard the “fire drill.” You find yourself in this high intensity stage for 1 minute. Then you come back to your lower range of the fat burning zone. Chalene finds the way to motivate you and takes you through ANOTHER drill! At this time I am really smiling because my heart monitor is reading in the high 160’s and I am sweating! This is what I long for everyday!!!

The HIIT 20 and Fire EZ 55 are new moves with new music that really do get you fired up. I will say that I did need to do the 10 minute stretch and my off day was much needed. I am continuing on with the schedule and I feel a sense of accomplishment each time the dvd ends and I circle the workout as completed. Along with the Team Beach Body videos you can log into the “WOWY” gym and keep track of your workouts. I am getting used to this and taking more time to research all the tools on the website. I have the free membership and I have found it useful so far. You can learn more about heart rate zones and rate of perceived exertion at their website.

On my light day I did a 20 minute Zumba express, which I will post in the next few days.

"Exercise A.D.D."

“Exercise A.D.D.”

Last week my workouts were at a very moderate level, just enough to de-stress myself. Now, I am back in the groove and when I wake up I am not as achy. I really listened to my body post- marathon to help reduce over-training or injury. I have found myself back into what I call “exercise a.d.d.” One day I want to do Zumba, next is yoga, then I am lifting heavy back, and swimming. I need to focus and have a goal for fitness. This is how I operate the best in all aspects of my life. My goal now is to see how many different ways can I get into my target heart rate zone and sweat! I still get to have my “exercise a.d.d.’,” but now it is focused. Isn’t that an oxymoron???

I will blog the next month about all the different ways I am training my heart. Truth be known I am as analytical as they come about numbers pertaining to working out. I need my pace, my heart rate, minutes, distance and measuring cups for food! I wish I could be more like my husband who is what I call a “Zen” exerciser. As I would define as one who does not need numbers for motivation. That is one of the reasons why we make the perfect couple. We balance each other out.

Why am I so focused on my heart rate? Well, I am preparing for the winter and my miles per week decrease immensely. When I run I calculate every mile and my pace. It makes me feel like I am accomplishing my goal. Now, I will change that focus into the beats per minute (bpm). Also, condition wise (a.k.a. weight -wise) the colder weather usually brings some additional weight gain. There is a vast amount of information that the beats per minutes provides. I can theoretically calculate if I am in my “fat - burning zone,” (133 bpm) or if I am nearing my true high intensity range (160 bpm). Hence, I know what my body is using for energy. This allows me to remain cardiovascularly fit in the colder weather. Once, again this all just helps me to come back to my passion of running.

There is no other heart rate monitor like Polar. I am a huge advocate for Polar heart rate monitors. I say that because I have tried others and none compare to the user friendliness and reliability of their products. Polar is always at the Physical Education conventions and they are very honest about their products. Check out their link to for more information. NO, I am not endorsed by Polar, but that would be AWESOME! It really is just how I feel.

I am beginning my quest to find how many different ways I can make cardio fun and stay in my zones, like running does for me. What makes it fun for me is if:

1. It makes me sweat.
2. At some point in time I get that “ultra- happy” feeling. The “ultra-happy: feeling is described as the “I can take on anything today!” One knows being a mom, a career woman, and in your thirties can bring on some interesting daily obstacles.
3. It has rockin’ music involved!

On the horizon I have Turbo Fire, Zumba, P.O.W.E.R. Punch Gloves and Spin. I have access to these forms because the equipment or dvd’s are at my house. I REALLY desire to have Turbofire and in order to get it I need to cancel my gym membership. Note in all caps “REALLY,’ so if my husband reads this he can inform the North Pole. It is all about budgeting to stay healthy without going broke. Which that will be a future topic,also.