Fitness Friday - Kym Gym

Anyone try those yasso bars yet? Anyone who knows me knows that I am all about the food and when it's time to eat, but I'm also all about that fitness. 💪🏻

 So I figured it's time to share my favorite at home HIIT workout for when I'm crunched on time but still want to sweat. Plus with Aruba in less than a month, I'm really trying to step up my game. 

This has been my go to especially on the days I workout before work. 35 minutes may not sound like a lot, but any bit of sweat is worthy!

Coined "Kym Gym" by Anthony - I am able to do this in the comfort of my den with Anthony's help sliding the coffee table to the side of the room. 

Equipment needed:

Jump Rope

3lb dumbells 

Yourself

The workout: 

Warmup: 1 minute of the following exercises 

- running in place

- cross jacks (jumping jacks with crossing the arms in front instead of above the head) 

- butt kicks 

- karaoke across the room 

- standing oblique crunches with knee raise (YouTube it 😬) 

Jump rope 20 seconds

Rest 30-60 seconds 

Complete each of the following exercises for 45 seconds each. 

- burpees 😄💃🏻 

- squats with over head arm press (holding dumbells)

- jack presses (jumping jacks with dumbells in hands pressing up) 

- push-ups on knees 

- lunge jumps (20 seconds right leg lead - 20 seconds left leg lead) holding dumbells

- air punches with dumbells 

- squat jumps with dumbells

Jump rope for 20 seconds. 

Rest 1 minute 

Repeat circuit for however many rounds you have time for. I usually do 2 rounds and then abs and stretch for cool down. Of course everything can be modified - no weights, shorter blocks, etc. 

Now, I really don't like working out at home. It's a lot harder to get going and even worse thinking of the alarm going off at 4:45am to do this. 😳  I just think of how good I feel after. It actually goes pretty quickly. Plus the smell of coffee brewing from the kitchen helps. ☕️ 

Put on a good playlist and I am enjoying breakfast before I know it. 

You can really make this workout as short or long as you want based on the number of rounds and how long you make the blocks. So there are no excuses😄. Cutting out the travel time to the gym can still get you a great workout. 💪🏻

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

I AM DONE WITH FINALS!!! No more of this:

And it feels SO good. I have been free since yesterday at 5pm. My first final was a breeze, the second took me the whole 2 hours. Algebra 2/Trig without a calculator. I like math, but not 50 questions at once. It felt good to be done:

I am looking forward to this vacation and taking in some deep yoga breaths until student teaching. In fact, maybe I will actually try and make it a point to get to yoga more often.

There has been lots of celebrating so I try to step it up in the gym this time of the year especially with cardio. The treadmill has been my best friend at the gym! With that said hopefully Santa will take that into consideration.

Backtracking to Sunday, I was able to get a nice little break from studying for a dinner date with my best friend aka "twin" Tanya! We exchanged Christmas gifts too. Talk about a best friend!

I think the coffee tastes better in the Elf mug.

Speaking of elves, I have been making it a point to stick to this:

Can you believe we are a week away from Christmas Eve?! I LOVE Christmastime, but I wish there was about another 5-7 days added to the month before Christmas. It just comes and goes so fast.

Christmas Movie of The Day: The Santa Clause

Christmas Song of The Day: Cold December Night - Michael Buble
I love the classic songs, but also love some of the new songs artists are coming out with. How many ways can you sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town?

Stay tuned for tomorrow to hear about the interesting "workout" I had. Trust me, it was WAY overdue. Any guesses??

Genetics? No, Just Hard Work.

In honor of Transformation Tuesday, I'd thought I'd share what happened yesterday during my UFX Burn class.

It is a small group and all of us early gym goers are friendly with one another. I am usually the youngest in the class so I guess I am the one to be teased, I don't mind I know they mean no harm and in a way it's kind of flattering.

One woman stated how in her next life she'd like to come back in my body. They continued to make comments about my physique which, again was very flattering. It wasn't until one person stated "It must be a genetic thing right?" To which I replied "No, it is just called hard work." 

Although there are days where I feel "fat" (like most people that have bad days), I would like to think I am pretty fit, and I take pride in physically and sometimes grueling activities. I didn't just "get" a fit body. I work hard for it. I wake up at 5am and work through the highs and lows to make it happen. No one forces me to do it, I do it because I want the benefits. I fit my workouts in and make them the most effective. 

I wasn't always as fit I as am now. I have gotten slimmer within the past 3 years as I really started paying attention to what I put into my body and changing up my workouts.

After saying that it was hard work, one woman said "good for you!" Which made me feel really good. Especially because the majority of people do not understand just how hard I really try especially having T1D. If I can do it, you can do it... You just have to WANT to do it. 

Other than that this was my post workout  burn:

Not bad for a Monday morning! 

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Happy Friday! One week until ....

 

So I thought it would be appropriate to do a workout related post.

 

Since Sunday's BBQ I have really been stepping it up and trying to add in some different techniques to maximize my workouts. For my birthday I received a Polar heart rate monitor watch. It has been helpful to wear to see how different exercises play with my heart rate. It is cool to see it jump when I push myself just a little bit harder.

 

Sunday started by running 4 miles then a crazy leg workout that had me SOAKED. On Monday and Wednesday of this week I went to my usual spin classes. Afterward I did an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill and abs. Also both days I did a minute of bosu ball burpees. INSANE!! I love burpees and hate them at the same time. I read that they boost your metabolism the remainder of the day so in the end they are worth it. I love this meme that my friend Ashley shared with me last summer.

 

 

:)

 

Thursday was my double class day. Angela teaches great classes! The first is a step/kickboxing/weight class.  I was loving the 70's themed music.

 

The second is a standard weight training class. I love that one because it gives me ideas on how to weight train on my own. Many people (women especially) "fear" weight training because they think they will get bulky/manly looking, but that is not true! It is so important and actually burns more calories the rest of the day than running for 30 mins straight.

 

By 12pm on Thursdays after 2 solid hours I am ready for a nap!

 

Today was spent doing treadmill intervals, abs and yoga. Also before heading to yoga I tried a new machine. The stair master...

 

It was nice to switch it up and I also got a whole other view of the gym from being up so high.

 

I look forward to really pushing it this next week. Another tip that has been motivating me is the idea of visualization. For me it has been walking the beaches of Aruba. During runs I imagine myself crossing the finish line of a race. My favorite expression is being "uncomfortably comfortable." In other words, giving myself that extra push. Getting out of my comfort zone, but not killing myself at the gym. I know I cant run 10 miles straight at this point and trying to do that straight right now would be dumb and unsafe. Instead I will tell myself to pick up the pace for the next 5 minutes, go for 3 extra reps, etc. Realistic pushes that get me out of my comfort zone.

 

I hope this motivated you to get to the gym! :) 

A snap of my healthy dinner from last night. Salmon, sweet potato and carrots. 

 

 

Making It Happen

Happy Thursday! Or "Thirsty Thursday" as people call it... Water right? ;) LOL

Time is just flying by I cannot believe it is August 1. That means Aruba is right around the corner!! So I am really trying to get ready for that and work it at the gym. 

Tuesday was a busy day as my mom and I were heading into NYC on a 10:04 am train to meet my good friend Nicole, her sister Joanna and mom Martha for lunch. Nicole and I met at 3 years old during our dance days in Staten Island. We always try and get together during our winter and summer breaks. 

In order to get a workout in it meant setting the alarm for 5:45 and getting in and out of the gym for a quick yet efficient workout. That means interval training! I resorted to treadmill intervals for 25 mins and one of my Pinterest Tabata workouts. 

I ran through this 3x and called it a morning. Quick, but just as sweaty. 

I was proud I didn't make catching the train an excuse to not workout. I knew my lunch would be a little splurge so I wanted to go the extra step. 

We all met at The Counter in Times Square. Remember the one from Naples? So good! 

It was great catching up. Nicole has a blog too so it is fun to keep tabs on each other and discuss everything from our old dance days to our love for Lauren Conrad and The Hills. :) 

We parted ways and mom and I walked down to Macy's. I was glad to get some extra walking in, every little but helps! 

 

                   I can't wait! 

After about 2 hours we called it a day and caught the 3:27. Luckily, for my sake and the rest of the train, Penn Station has a Starbucks which meant it was perfect for bar time. :) 

As you can see, it is all about making it happen. Workouts, friendships, etc... Anything that is important to you means sometimes taking the extra step. 

The Dark Side of Fitness

I got the inspiration for this post from my friend and fellow blogger Ashley, who wrote a post about the other side of body building. She has some great posts so definitely check out her page!

I guess I should put out this "disclaimer" and just mention that this is entirely my point of view and based off of my own experiences. However, I am sure many people that value fitness like I do can relate.

With that said, we can proceed...

Clearly fitness has a lot of perks. Health benefits, the reward of taking on a challenge, etc. but there is also a part of it that can lead to being overwhelming and obsessive. After experiencing both sides of fitness it is sometimes hard to maintain a balance because it is a very fine line that can be easily crossed.

I love going to the gym, going to different classes, eating healthy (the majority of the time) and being proud of the transformation I have made over the past few years. It is flattering and rewarding to have people acknowledge my hard work as well. However there are also times where being fit can play with your mind. The need to feel like you are always "going for more" or "pushing" the extra distance. I think this is in a way fearing that eventually the results will eventually go away and there will be no where to go but back. Always feeling the need to have that "perfect" physique, analyzing every picture, "seeing" things or parts that you still find unflattering or "need work." Sometimes us fitness fanatics don't give ourselves enough credit and as Ashley stated, can use fitness as a punishment. 

Skipped the gym? Better make up for it tomorrow.. Ate that cookie? An extra 10 minutes of cardio to "undo" that choice. Or that large dinner I had is going to "show" tomorrow. And the list goes on and on...

It is ok to make fitness a priority, but being careful of that line is very difficult. It is even difficult for me to put into words although it is such a strong feeling. 

Then the whole issue of weight can play with your mind even more. It is so difficult to grasp the idea that weight fluctuates and the differences of weight due to muscle. Just when I am getting to the point of being happy with what I see, learning "the number" can take it all away. Despite the fact that my clothes still fit and I feel I have developed a look with more muscle definition.. Seeing a number that you would like to be lower or one that you feel does not reflect your hard work can take those feelings of accomplishment away in a second. Why is that? Why do I and so many others let a number dampen our mood and feel like we aren't working hard enough? Its not like my clothes size has changed or I am eating junk food on a regular basis. It's just nuts! I have tried my best to not even weigh myself or see what it is at doctors appointments anymore because I know it just won't be worth it, but sometimes you are just dying to know. As they say, "curiosity killed the cat." 

 

So as you see there are so many darker issues going through the mind of a fitness fanatic. People will make a face when I freak about splurging on dessert, but they don't realize all of the above mentioned issues. Or the common "oh you can afford that piece of cake!" Yes maybe I can, but my mind can't. 

It is always going to be a struggle to find that balance and not cross too far over to "the dark side," but hopefully as I just continue to remain active and enjoy life I will learn to appreciate what is more important.  

Tabata Tuesday

Ta-ho? That's right, Tabata. I mentioned yesterday that I have been trying some crazy new workouts. This method is a form of high intensity interval training and is so effective. I looked up some workouts on Pinterest and this is what I found. 

Basically you do each exercise with all out effort for 20s then take a short 10s recovery. These have been great while traveling because I still get a great workout in and feel accomplished in a shorter amount of time. If you read this months edition of Shape Magazine, Jillian Michaels gave some great tips on how to exercise and still enjoy vacation. These shorter grueling workouts were one of them! 

I put them to the test and can say they definitely make you SWEAT and I mean like where it just doesn't stop. Not only do they switch up my usual routine, but I am still able to get outside and spend time by the pool. As we all know I do like to eat, (see yesterday's post) so these Tabata workouts help to undo some of that eating! 

These are also great because you don't need a gym, just a little but of space, a towel and water. So there are no excuses for not exercising when away from home. :) 

If you are daring enough, give them a try! 

Just Keep Spinning

Yes spinning, not SWIMMING.

 

Yesterday was a big day for me. My Spin Instructor Orientation! What a LONG day mentally and physically. The day ran from 8am-6pm and included 2 rides and classroom lectures where we went over different parts of the official Spinning manual. 

Taught by Master Trainer, MaryJo all twenty of us learned a lot of great tips for teaching a spinning class and MaryJo also had a great sense of humor to keep us all laughing throughout the day!

My main concern was of course making it through the day without any blood sugar problems. I have gotten through many spin classes without any issues, but when you are thrown into a different setting and different time of the day when a workout takes place, these things can all factor in and become a big hassle. I am happy to say I had no issues! Actually, my blood sugars were just where I wanted them to be the whole day. Not too high or too low and I made it through both rides.

The day started off on the low side with a reading of 68. Since I didn't know when exactly the rides would be taking place I had my usual eggs and toast breakfast without covering. I figured I can always take some insulin if I saw I was shooting up too high and would not be able to remove insulin once injected. This decision worked out perfectly! The first ride wasn't until 12pm and lasted until a little after 1pm. Beforehand I was 183 and knew since I had no short acting insulin in me I would make it through the ride. Thank God because OF COURSE just as we were about to begin, my sensor wasn't calibrating. :( I told myself "Just keep spinning."

By the time lunch rolled around I was STARVING!! We were given about 45mins break so I went right to the locker room, tested (165), recalibrated my sensor and had lunch. I usually like my apple with pb after a workout, but it was just not happening in a gym locker room so I stuck with my other staple... turkey and cheese on wrap. I loved opening up my lunch bag to find this note from Mom:

 

This is where I met Leah. She had noticed my sensor and asked if it was something for Diabetes. At first I am always a little hesitant because many misunderstand type 1 for type 2, but Leah knew about type 1. A coworker of her has a daughter with type 1 and also on the Dexcom sensor. We chatted for a little and it was really comforting speaking to someone who could understand my concerns of the day. She even said she added my blog to her reading list! (Hi Leah!!) :)

After lunch it was back to class from 2-5 to learn all about hear rate training, creating spin profiles and music. A lot of information!

**Note: No bar time which was extremely difficult, but I made up for it later. We will get to that**

Then it was time for the second ride, the last part of the day and definitely the hardest. Before I tested and was 183 so I decided to have an Extend Protein Bar. These are really good for maintaining blood sugars during strenuous workouts. So glad I had one because I would not have made it through without. This ride was about 35-40 mins and it was a sample of all of the different types of rides we learned about. Endurance, Strength, Interval and Race Day. MaryJo was a great instructor and so motivating! I was sweating like no other. After the first loop the class decided to go for another round (I had mixed feeling towards this lol), but I told myself this is it, I can do it, after I am done! It is really important to have mental toughness. Just keep spinning ... just keep spinning...

When we finished it was the greatest feeling. We all cheered and it was a great feeling not only as a group effort, but for me personally. Receiving my certificate of completion reminded me that I can accomplish what I put my mind to. It may take more planning and worry, but it CAN be done. A year ago I would have never pushed myself out of my comfort zone like I have been doing, but each time I get through another obstacle I am that much more motivated. 

Before driving home I made sure to test and I was 114. PERFECTTTT :) When I got in the car I literally cried because of all of the adrenaline, emotion and feeling of accomplishment. (And because I was STARVING yet again..plus no bar time). That was soon fixed after getting home and having a great BBQ dinner! Steak, ribs, salads..not the healthiest, but it was Saturday after all and my eating all day was pretty limited. I helped mom finish her steak too. :)

The day ended with a trip to Starbucks for my iced coffee and my bar for dessert. :) It was a perfect ending to a rewarding day. Bar time and also one of my favorite movies, New Year's Eve was on.

 

If you haven't seen I HIGHLY recommend, no matter what time of the year it is.

 

 

My message for all of you is to step out of your comfort zone! I am so glad I chose to do this. I have always wanted to do something fitness related so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. I hope I make a good spin instructor and can motivate people the way I have been motivated by my own spin instructors.