Polar Vortex

 

Greetings from Central Illinois and the Polar Vortex!

 

 

One of my Small steps for weight loss...

 

committing to working out

1 day a week then eventually 5

Here is the week we finally made it to the gym all five days!

We've been lifting more and running but switched to a routine of

Run-lift-run-lift-run  3-6 miles 5x a week

 

The MAN has been off ice climbing!

Here he is at the Michigan Ice Climbing Festival

 

Sending me his love...

I've been finding lots of time for my couch...

sometimes with a sick kid or on a weekly snow/cold day

 

 

 

 

Newest yummy! Spring Rolls with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

I made these last week twice!

I want to purchase some brown rice wraps but we aren't exactly in a metropolis so it was just the regular rice paper wraps until I order brown rice wraps online.

 

I had leftover chicken and added some Asian seasoning with ginger in it

cut up carrots and an English cucumber

another time I used bagged broccoli/Kale slaw

wet the rice paper and lay it on a cutting board

Roll up the chicken (measured 1 oz) and veggies

1 point each

 

The Spicy Thai Peanut sauce

PB2-2 T

1T water

1T soy sauce

Ginger-fresh or dried

1T rice vinegar

1t-sesame oil

1/2 clove of garlic

sirracha to taste for spice

pulse that all in my magic bullet

 

(this recipe is about 3 points but my husband and I could share it)

 

 

Not much to report on the fitness end!

It is so so cold here in Illinois that long workouts are hard to come by.

I am missing my longer running and my weekly running partner, Pam.

I ran a winter trail race on Saturday.

 

This is my husband running "Superman Hill"  This is only half the hill!

 



This race was probably harder for me than the 30 mile race I did in October. 

It's only 4.25 so that says LOADS!

The snow was high and after getting packed and run on just totally killed my calves and ankles.

 

We added screws to our trails shoes!

 

 

This is me toward the end.

 



And it's been one year since I was in the midst of my vocal chord paralysis.

Praise God there are no other issues!

 

 

Deck of cards

I love to workout with my husband.  It's hard at times because we run different paces and are at different levels when it comes to strength training but we have managed to find ways to work out together over the years.  He keeps me so motivated and I have tried many things I would never have tried on my own...and I am healthier for that!

Recently, I have been learning about the benefits of strength training for weight loss. I used to think if I just ran and ran and ran I would off set the calories I ate.  But I am learning that becoming lean and burning calories is most effective when you add in strength training or even plyometric work outs.  So now We usually have one rest day and then alternate running and strength.  

A typical week looks like this: 

Sun-alternate strength training such as this Deck of cards work out

Mon-recovery run-middle distance

Tue-Body pump at the gym

Wed-Speed work and shorter run

Thur-Body pump at the gym

Fri-Rest

Sat-Long run

Here's a great little article from RUNNER'S WORLD about it all.  It touts the following

1.  Muscle burns more calories: 

"Your body typically uses about 4.5 to seven calories per pound of muscle every day. If a 160-pound runner with 20 percent body fat increases his muscle mass and lowers his body fat to 15 percent, he'll burn an extra 36 to 56 calories a day at rest—simply by adding muscle."

2.  You'll be more efficient:

A study published last year in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that runners who add three days of resistance training exercises to their weekly program increase their leg strength and enhance their endurance. 

3.  You'll be less injury prone:

  If you increase your strength, you'll also increase your joint stability, reducing your risk of repetitive stress injuries," says McCall, citing a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, which showed that incorporating moves such as squats, single-leg hops, and ab work into a workout can not only prevent lower-body injuries, but improve performance as well.

Between my chiropractor and what I have learned about workouts I know this to be absolutely true!

So this brings me to the title of this blog... a fun little workout for my husband and I that really mixes it up and makes for a great work out!

The Deck of Cards

We choose 4 activities.  We try to choose things that will allow us a total body work out.  You might want to do  it multiple times a week arms one day, legs one day, core another.  We run for a mile or about 5-10 minutes to warm up.  We like to set the timer on our phone and try to move quickly from one to the next.  It keeps the cardio up and we try to beat our previous time if we can.   

Our 4 go to activities are.

goblet squats

Weighted ball sit up with partner

Burpee

and the pull-up

I use the machine at the gym and the hubs starts with pull ups then he adds a box for one leg or switches to the machine if he needs too.

BAM!  You're welcome!

The thoughts in my head

While running on the dreadmill this morning I did battle again with the thoughts in my head. First it starts out that I think I am racing the people around me.

Can I pace with them?

Am I faster?

Can I out last them?

I wonder how long he has been here?

That actually works for me.  It challenges me and keeps me going.  That is why I like to run with the hubs.

We rarely talk while we run but I know he is there and that we committed to a distance or time.  That makes all the difference.  Today he was out of town.

Then my running partners (aka complete strangers) leave.

Now I am left to my thoughts.

At first it's good and I would say that God tries to help me out.  He DJ's some good tunes and I continue.  But then I am soon bored with that too.

Time to battle and here are some of the thoughts that can derail me.
You have to go to the bathroom. 

You need to stretch.

You aren't going to have enough time to finish.

You worked out enough this week.

It's good that you just got here today.

This is a fine distance to stop.  Good job.

Do more tomorrow than you planned.

SHUT IT!

Today my answer was to run faster.

I don't know if I thought I would out run those thoughts but it worked.

Might have been that I was running so hard for my usual pace that I couldn't think about anything else except for not falling off the back of the dreadmill.

And bam.

Done.

5 miles in 46 minutes

I think you could have done 6.

SHUT IT!