I was going to post my new quinoa, spinach, and egg breakfast recipe, but that can wait until another day. I figure that those of us in the health and fitness blogosphere don’t need to be posting about silly things like that when so many people in Boston have had a terrible day.
Thoughts and love to those who were there and who have been affected.
I have been sitting on this exercise stability ball for over a month.
No one has really noticed. Except my coworkers no longer come into my office as much except to do a few crunches. I don’t think they like sitting on the ball as much as I do. I think they find it slightly annoying which it can be at times.
Week 1: My back hurt after the first full day of sitting on the ball. After that, my back felt fine. It seemed like it just took an initial adjustment to be able to sit on the ball all day.
After that, I had no back issues. Please keep in mind that I do not sit on the ball for 8 hours straight. I get up, go sit at another desk area, or just move to a different location in the office for a little bit. But, the majority of the time I am at my desk.
I noticed my posture was starting to get worse the longer I had a “desk” job. I have been sitting for most of the day for 2.5 years now, and it has definitely taken a toll of my posture. I also wanted to be able to move a little more in my day. Anything I can do to try not to be sedentary is a bonus.
I have also started to do yoga more frequently, and this has helped tremendously with my posture.
Please do not follow my suggestions (do this at your own risk) because I know many exercise physiologists and chiropractors might say the exercise ball is a terrible idea for a desk chair, and say that you need more support. I do agree, that the ball leaves you craving a real chair with a nice back to lean against. But, overall the ball has strengthened my back, helped me move more, and kept me a little entertained!
Guess what else I got this week?
A new glass water bottle! LOVE it. From Lifefactory, but purchased at Whole Paycheck.
I use glass because I swear you can taste the plastic of plastic water bottles even if they are BPA free.
Ready for some new music to get you motivated for your next workout?
Here is what I was listening to today for my run:
Enjoy!
Do you have any suggestions of your own?
When I came back from my run, the kitties were checking out the weather:
Oh you know, just being a cat 
I was super busy this past week with work, and writing some extra blog articles for various people. I made it a point to get in exercise even though I would be working a little more. After all, exercise helps me to unwind and get rid of stress.
One thing I found very helpful was to pack one essential gym bag that contains everything I would need for the day: workout gear, work clothes, things to shower with, lunch, snacks, and the usual purse.
Then, the hard part is just to get up and go workout in the morning. I realized I save SO MUCH TIME by doing this. And, I have much more energy during the day. And the best part is that I only have to get up 45 minutes earlier than I normally would.
Inside the big bag, I have a smaller bag for shoes, bag for clothes, and one for accessories, etc. I had something similar to these packing cubes that I used for my clothes. They are breathable so you won’t have your sweaty gym clothes staying gross all day.
If you can’t make it to the gym in the morning, you can always do a workout at home. Bodyrock TV has a bunch of free at-home exercise videos that don’t take much time to do.
And then you’ll need an excellent playlist!
Nero – Promises – Skrillex & Nero Remix
Rihanna – Where Have You Been
Justin Bieber – All Around The World
Kat Graham – Put Your Graffiti On Me
Rita Ora – How We Do (Party) – Explicit Version
Liz Primo – Wind Me Up – Dark Intensity Mix
Jennifer Lopez – Dance Again Feat. Pitbull
Madonna – Girl Gone Wild – Justin Cognito Remix
Afrojack & Shermanology – Can’t Stop Me (Radio Edit)
Taio Cruz – Troublemaker
Rihanna – You Da One
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe – Manhattan Clique Remix
Wild Flo – Wild Ones (Flo Rida feat. Sia Deluxe Remake)
David Guetta – Titanium – feat. Sia
I made it through week 1 of the training plan that Mr. Cyclist gave me. Phew! I did everything as he told me. This week got a little crazier with work so, I couldn’t do the yoga that I was supposed to do.
Well… re-phrase that: I made an excuse to get out of the yoga that I was supposed to do. But, hey, I worked a 9+ hour day. I empathize with those who work multiple jobs, and are running around with even less time than I had.
Even when you think you are too busy to exercise or do something, there is always someone out there with less time than you that is fitting in their exercise. No excuses.
Anyway, I feel like I am sleeping better and have less anxiety when I have more structured and more intense exercise. Or maybe that is just like a placebo effect. An added bonus is that it is toning me up more.
As far as nutrition goes…
My goal is to try to eat less junk carbohydrates like processed sugar, chips, crackers, and more high quality carbohydrates like cooked grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc.).
Example A: Mr. Cyclist made a baked whole wheat pasta with some chicken, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts on top. Delicious!
On to this next week!
Mr. Cyclist wants to see what I am capable of if I actually trained for something. I never been big into races or competitions. Mainly because I don’t feel that I am that good at a specific sport.
I used to be good at skiing… but, can’t really do that here in the South. I was decent at tennis, could run OK, and danced for a while. But, aside from that I have always just been “fit” and not really athletic at anything in particular.
So, I decided I could follow Mr. Cyclist’s 2 week plan for me, and see if I really do see any improvements. Maybe it will motivate me more to see what I am capable of. Who knows.
If anything, maybe I will be able to keep up more with the more serious cyclists. Hahaha.
Day 1: Rode my bike with Mr. Cyclist and friend for 1 hr 45 min–almost 2 hrs. Always pretty hard trying to keep up with him.
Day 2: Run 50% more than I normally would at average pace. So, instead of a 3 mile loop, I did about 5 miles. Was very tired from yesterday.
Day 3 (today): Will do a strength class for 1 hr at my gym. And maybe some extra strength exercises of my own (extra abs and legs).
Not sure what else. I basically ask Mr. Cyclist what to do everyday, and go do it. The nice thing about it is that I can tell him at the end of the day if I completed it or how it went.
Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Found via Pinterest from Marzipan
Now, a message from my sponsor:
When putting a training plan together its important to include stretches beforehand as injuries can occur. Here is an infographic for advice on managing sport injuries. If you want to find out more about other physiotherapy related services, visit or contact one of your local private hospitals in Liverpool.
I typically do not like the heat, so I have always stayed away from hot yoga. I just always thought of it as a bad idea. But, the gym I go to offers hot yoga, and there seems to be a lot of people who do it. So, I thought, I am active, and know how to do yoga, I can do it.
My Steps to Getting Through Hot Yoga:
So many steps! The class went really well even though I thought I was going to die at about the 20-30 minute mark. Sweat was dripping everywhere. I expected the class to be smelly, but it wasn’t. I left feeling calm, like I got an excellent workout, and proud to display my sweaty face since I made it through.
One other negative: My face still broke out the next day. I asked the aesthetician I work with and she said to make sure I cleanse my face better before and after, and that the air is filled with moist bacteria. Great.
The instructor was excellent and treated the class like a true yoga class and not a gym aerobics class. I truly appreciated this. She also came around with cold scented towels for everyone at the end in final relaxation.
Most people say you burn almost double the amount of calories in hot yoga as you would in a regular hatha yoga class. Who knows. I don’t quite understand how that works. But, I think I was hungrier after.
What I liked best about it was that it got me back into doing yoga again, helped my posture, was calming, and helped me push my limits. I will be back again!
I am always trying to work on my posture because I spend a big chunk of my day sitting or at a desk. I have thought about a bosu ball chair, but I have also read some negative reviews on what it does to the back. I may use the balance ball just for sitting on around the house.
Good posture does wonders for the body, makes you seem more confident, and flattens the abs. Plus, if you strengthen the abs in the process, that can help prevent back injury and keep you standing tall throughout your life.
I found this video on YouTube that has been pretty effective so far. All you have to do is lay on your back! Easy. *Note: These are posture exercises and use your back which may be a sensitive area for some, so make sure to ask your doctor before you begin a new exercise program.
I used 1 or 2 towels first, and then I tried the foam roller. The towels work best. I may get a noodle and cut that in half and see if that is more effective.
And these 2 videos have been helpful as well:
Yoga, pilates, and general strength training can benefit posture greatly as well!
This rainy weather continues as it has been for the last few days…
Oh, and there is a watch for tornadoes. Great. I did manage to go for a long walk with Mr. Cyclist yesterday when it was cold and drizzling.
But, what else can you do to get workouts in when it is cold and rainy? Get on the dread-mill. Anyway, here are my treadmill workout tips to make it less of a dread:
Happy Monday! Do you have any other workout tips to beat boredom?
I discovered the most amazing healthy snack yesterday:
Low sugar/high fiber cereal (you can add fruit if you like as well), topped with plain fat free Greek yogurt, and then a dollop of pumpkin butter!
OK, this is not a chef extraordinaire dish, but it was tasty. I ate it before I left to ride my bike, and it was a perfect pre-workout snack.
We also bought some pumpkin ice cream.
I don’t usually buy big tubs of ice cream because I am not the best at portion controlling ice cream But, since it is seasonal, and you can only get it one time a year–why not?
But, you have to wonder, how much pumpkin is really in these pumpkin treats? In most cases items are just loaded up with sugar.
