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Strength Training at Home
Personal training classes are officially done!!
All I have left are my written and practical exams. Written exam will be multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank on April 16. Practical exam will be sometime after that. I’ll have to design an hour-long program and guide someone through it while being observed by my PRO trainer. Eek! I feel like I could use a lot of practice on spotting and explaining things properly. Hopefully I’ll be able to practice on a few people I know before then.
Alarm went off at 6am today, which is mega-lame for a Sunday. I did however make that hot breakfast I promised ;)
A sweet omelette Ellie style. One cup egg whites, mixed with 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and cinnamon. Fried and filled with mixed frozen berries and almond butter.
Topped with sugar-free syrup because it just felt right. Good times y’all. This will definitely get a remake!!
No pictures of snacks today. I need a break from my boiled egg photos. For our last personal training class, we just went over some of the business aspects. I have no idea where I’ll be training. I was all gung-ho on a Goodlife Fitness gym, but the feedback I’m hearing on it isn’t that great. Of course, I’ll take whatever I can get when I’m in Toronto, but it would be neat to try something different like boot camps or work on wellness stuff in offices. Of course, writing my little heart out too! ;)
Oh, also notable, I got lost on my way home. I missed the turn-off to my city and ended up on the road to the U.S. border (to Maine). Oops! I managed to get turned around pretty quickly, but there were definitely a few panicked moments and cuss words thrown about.
Dinner was whipped up in 10 minutes, and I was sitting down to eat by 5pm!
Tofu pan-fried in sesame oil and Bragg’s, with a whack of Europe’s Best Imperial Blend. It’s got edamame, water chestnut, snap peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots and bamboo shoots.
All topped with Diana’s teriyaki sauce and black sesame seeds. The bamboo shoots almost remind me of pineapple in both texture and taste. Or, from what I remember of pineapple, since it makes me sick!
Requisite after-dinner chocolate…
President’s Choice European extra-dark. It’s alright. I think it’s 85% which is a touch too dark for me, 70-75% seems to be what my tastebuds like best.
Strength Training at Home
M. Said:
Could you do a post on this pretty please?….
if one was going to buy a few workout items for home (cheap hopefully!)
what kind of free weights do you recommend and at what weights/how many?
what else-a balance ball?
Would be awesome to know if one could use above items to cover strength training(and abs) at HOME,cause I can’t afford a gym…
Would be SUPER GRATEFUL for a post with advice/tips/what to do!
Thanks if possible.I would be happy if I knew I could get enough strength training in for all body parts at home somehow with free weights….
Merci!
Ask, and you shall receive!
You actually don’t need much to get in a decent strength training workout at home. All you really need is your body! Think about it, our bodies are 100+ lbs of weight to throw around, that sounds like a pretty hardcore workout to me ;)
I did a post on bodyweight exercises waybackwhen, but I see some of the pictures and links in it have expired. To recap, some awesome equipment-free things to do include:
Squats
Lunges
Squat jumps
Lunge jumps
Push-ups
Dips
Planks
Burpees
Mountain climbers
Jumping jacks
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There are a million variations of those moves, and the great thing is they’re not only resistance training, but will also keep your heart rate up.
Now, as for specific equipment, you will need a mat. Especially for floor exercises. Carpet can be really uncomfortable when you have to kneel on it. Not to mention the fibres get stuck on you when you’re rolling around on the floor sweaty :\
As for weights, these Bowflex adjustable dumbbells are my dream item:
But, they can also cost almost $500. Something that’s a little more affordable would be closer to this weight set.
You can usually find these for under or close to $100. They’re kind of flimsy, but you get a barbell that adjusts into two dumbbells and over 100 lbs of weight.
If that’s not up your alley, then 5, 10, 15 & 20 lb dumbbells should be a good starting point. That’s enough for most women, or newbie men (although 30 lbs + would be required for intermediate men). Most exercises that require a barbell can be adjusted for dumbbells, and that’s always an additional investment you can make further down the road if you want to.
If you’re lifting weight, a bench is also something to consider.
This could run you another $100, reeeeally nice to have, but not necessary. As mentioned, a ball can be subbed in for many of the exercises you would need a bench for.
I also can’t forget tubing/resistance bands.
You can buy tubing in a variety of widths, all at a different resistance. There are a gazillion exercises you can do with tubing. Everything from the seated row seen here, to shoulder presses, bicep curls, donkey kicks. etc. I don’t personally use bands a lot, just because I prefer adding load in the form of actual weight. But these bands work your muscles just as well, and you will be sore the next day! Google can give you better exercises than I can, a quick search led me to this page full of fun animated demonstrations. I just have to stress, that when using bands it’s all about FORM. Don’t let the bands own you, keep it a nice and controlled movement, otherwise you could pull something and do unintentional injury!
Question of the Day: Any at-home strength training items you think are a must? As mentioned, I’m a strong believer that all one needs is their body, imagination, and a sense of humour ;)
Manufactured Beauty
Thank you soooooo much for all the kind, supportive comments on my news from yesterday. Break-ups are always sensitive topics and I had no idea how to approach it. I am 100% okay. In fact, I’m in a really good spot right now :)
So last night after blogging, I decided to try out April’s Protein Cake. I started off by mixing 30g chocolate whey protein powder, 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp Splenda, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp strained bananas, 3 tbsp egg whites.
Oh, and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips for good luck ;)
And by “strained bananas” I mean “baby food.”
This stuff is just organic banana puree, organic lemon juice, ascorbic acid. It’s actually a little on the tart side because of the lemon juice. Wonder if it’s like your banana jam Ellie? Anyways, regardless, baby food is awesome.
I stuck my bowl/cup in the microwave for one minute and returned to a giant puffed-up monstrosity.
It exploded over the rim of the bowl, hence the “muffin top.” I should have put this next top Deb’s cellphone for a size comparison cause this bad boy was HUGE.
I broke it apart and put a light swipe of PB on it.
I did the calculations, and it was 180 calories, twice that of April’s. I commented on it, and then April e-mailed saying she actually meant 15g protein powder!! Oops. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sold on the spongey texture of this, but I guess I can’t really judge if I made it wrong :P Gives me an excuse to try it again!
Moving on… I’m sleeping awful lately. I keep waking up 1-2 hours before my alarm goes off. I think it’s because I’m still paranoid about being late for work. That will hopefully go away once the newness wears off! :P
Anyways, I was seriously out of it when I popped in Jillian this morning.
Brie recommended No More Trouble Zones when I asked her which Jillian Michaels DVD to get. I can see why she thought I’d like it. It’s comprised of six strength circuits, each circuit going through ~4 exercises two times. They’re legit moves, combining a lot of upper and lower body stuff to save time and keep your heart rate up.
I’m still not a fan of doing low weights/high reps, but this was a great at-home strength video. I burned 300 calories in 50 minutes (including warm-up + cool-down) which is more than a Body Pump class for me. What can I say, Jillian is good ;)
Oh! And I totally did today’s workout in my peejays ;) Breakfast after was a belated Waffle Wednesday celebration. I’m a Thursday Slacker.
Two Nature’s Path maple cinnamon waffles topped with 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 2 tsp almond butter, 1 tsp maple syrup, cinnamon. I didn’t blend it today, just mixed it up with a fork. Stayed thicker and turned out better!
No food photos from work. I’m always rushed in the mornings, so if I pack my food in the a.m. I honestly can’t spare 2 minutes to snap a photo. Sad. I was so rushed today I had didn’t have 4 minutes to brew a french press and had to make instant coffee. Double sad :(
On the bright side, I made dinner plans with some girls from work! They’ve graciously adopted me into their little “clique” and I’ve been eating lunch with them in the university’s cafeteria everyday. We decided that we need to go out once a week so tonight was the inaugural outing. Just dinner at a local “gastro pub.” I was hungry, but didn’t want to spoil dinner, so I had a snack to tie me over.
Banana + Naturally More almond butter. I’m saying it again – I love the crispiness the flax seeds add to that almond butter!!
Diner was fabbity fab. We gabbed and giggled for a solid four hours. I ate an okay chicken salad with a draft beer. It’s been a long time since I had a group girls to hang out with. The majority of my friends in university were guys!
Now yesterday I mentioned that I was riled up over an upcoming story in which Heidi Montag says she’s”beyond obsessed” with plastic surgery. Most recently undergoing 10 surgeries in one day. Remember Heidi? The cute bubby girl in the first season of MTV’s The Hills?
Of all the “young celebrity” stories out there, I think hers is one of the saddest. I remember thinking she was drop-dead gorgeous when I first started watching the show. I can understand the insecurities and drive to consider making a few changes, but I think this is an extreme example.
Her most recent surgeries include a mini brow lift, Botox in the forehead, nose job revision, fat injections in cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, ears pinned back, breast augmentation revision, liposuction on her waist and thighs and a buttocks augmentation.
Dude, she’s my age. Why on earth does a girl my age need Botox?? Actually, my real beef here is that no on needs Botox.
There are a lot of things that make a woman beautiful and attractive. Manufactured is not it. A striking woman is not one that gets to pick and choose her own looks, but works what she’s got to the fullest.
Plastic surgery is obviously expensive and dangerous. But I think it’s just another one of our culture’s “easy fixes.” Why take the time to eat well, exercise, sleep and treat our bodies well, when we can just fix the damage in an afternoon?
Plastic surgery has always irked me. More than that, it rattles me to the core. I’ve admittedly looked in the mirror and thought “I wish my body wasn’t this way.” But never would I undergo the knife as a healthy person to fix it. Even the “prettiest” girls out there still look in the mirror and see imperfections. I think that’s the problem with plastic surgery – especially at such a young age. Because no number of tweaks and injections can cure a woman’s insecurities. That’s something that has to come from the inside. And that is when she truly is beautiful :)
Okee doke folks. I’m beat! T’was a late night with the gals and I’ve got a date with my bike trainer in the a.m. Night night!!
Question of the Day: What are your thoughts on plastic surgery?
P.S. Hair appointment is set for Friday. Will be back with pics!
The Living Room Workout
So apparently I have an accent :P Haha. Thank you so much for all the comments on my blogaversary and video post! Don’t forget to head over there if you want to win some free Vega bars and read all about the exciting trip Holly and I are taking, which you’re invited to!!!
After three full days off from working out, I got back to it today. Would you believe I still had lingering glute and leg soreness from my lower-body workout on Friday? Crazy. I decided to maximize on my sleep and keep the workout to my living room this morning.
I started with 20 minutes of intervals on the bike trainer, alternating between sitting sprints and standing sprints. Then I popped in Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred for the 20-minute Level 2 workout. Then I hopped back on the bike for 10 more minutes of sprint intervals.
This was my first time trying Level 2 on the DVD, and it was much harder! I was only using 5 lb weights and I was going to failure on everything but the bicep moves. And the lunges killed me. But they always do.
Brie asked me to explain my bike trainer setup. A wonderful question, as it’s a pretty sweet setup ;)
First, meet Scottie. My beloved road bike. Hi Scottie!
You’ll notice his front wheel is being held in place…
It’s just a little plastic thingy to keep it stationary, nothing fancy.
The back wheel is where the work is done.
The wheel fits onto a stand, which is screwed in where you would normally remove the back wheel.
The stand makes sure the bike is sturdy, and holds it up off the ground the wheel can spin freely. But a free-spinning wheel does not make for a very challenging bike ride. You need resistance!
At the bottom of the stand, is a small roller. Here, you can see there’s a teeny space between the tire and roller. But when I go to use it, I turn that little knob on the left and it pushes the roller up to press against the wheel. This creates some resistance while allowing the wheel to still spin.
There’s also a little tube that runs from the roller to a knob that attaches to the handlebars. Clicking the knob forward adjusts the roller, and creates greater resistance.
I can also use my gears to change the resistance too. Today I switched between the lowest and highest gear on my largest chain ring for the sprints, and it was perfect!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, you get really sweaty on a trainer! My basement apartment does not have the fancy air system of a gym. Thus, a fan and towel are required. You can also buy specialized mats to place them on as well.
Finally, I wear all my usual bike gear on it minus the helmet and glasses ;) My butt doesn’t get quite the beating without the bumps, but my cycling shorts are still required for the seat. I still have my clipless pedals in, so my shoes are attached to them. I think it may actually help my awful dismounting technique come spring!
The best thing about it is that I get to watch whatever I want on TV. Today was my usual morning news program – CBC New Brunswick First :)
Oh, and there are tons of different kinds of bike trainers. Mine is pretty basic, but you can get ones that measure your distance and even watt output. There are also bike rollers.
But they look like a death trap :P
After my tough and sweaty living room workout, I made a wonderful breakfast!
Smoked salmon, fried egg, laughing cow cheese on an english muffin with black grapes on the side (my favourite colour grape).
Another good day at work today! I spent it mostly in meetings and didn’t get any real work done. But I did get a much better sense of what I’ll be doing over the next couple months. I think I’m really going to enjoy working on some of the projects! I’m especially excited to be involved in some video projects. It will be a lot more fun getting interviews and footage without the stress of being a reporter :)
Dinner was one of my fave ways to shake up leftovers – on a salad!
Two of my mini turkey meatloaves heated and crumbled on a big ole’ bowl containing:
- romaine
- spinach
- red onion
- green pepper
- mushrooms
- tomato
- olives
- pickles
- toasted walnuts
- sundried tomato dressing whisked with mustard
Yup. It was gooooood. I find it strangely comforting to dive into a giant salad bowl.
I don’t usually have bars for my evening snacks because I’m at home at can make something better. But I was really craving a dessert-like treat tonight, particularly this Larabar!
The Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar Chandra sent me as part of my Blogger Secret Santa gift. I cut it up into little pieces like a crazy person.
Bite sized!! This was my second time trying this flavour and I still really enjoy it. Definitely one of my favourite Larabar flavours now :)
Going to try something a little different tomorrow and go straight from the gym to the office in the morning. Usually I come back home to shower and eat. But showering at the gym and eating breakfast at work will allow me more time to sleep! Always a good thing ;) I’m just not sure what I’m going to do with my wet towel and stinky clothes :\
Question of the Day: Do you work out at home? What do you do? This is the first time I’ve had a piece of cardio equipment to use, and it’s pretty suh-weet. I went through a period when I scoffed at exercise DVDs, but I’m starting to embrace them again. Some day I’d like to get dumbbells!
