Should I Eat Before An Early Morning Workout?

Downtown Chicago Hotel Room Workout

No excuses!

Hubby and I were away for our anniversary.

I like to eat.

I’m also in a routine.

I got up early and got some killer workouts in before he got up.

Perfect way to get my time in as well as enjoy the rest of the day with him!

Don’t make excuses for yourself. Get it on paper that you are going to do it, stick to it, and get it DONE!

My First Shakeology Share!

This was me a year ago. Liz and I are both still drinking Shakeology today, along with a whole bunch of family and friends.

It’s curbed our cravings, given us energy to LIVE life with our toddler boys, and tastes great.

Talk about an easy way to get all your veggies for the day in one serving!

There are tons of recipes and a new flavor was just introduced at our coach summit this week.

Liz looks even more amazing now then she did then.

Send me a note if you have any questions!

Happy Friday! (As I enjoy my chocolate-y all natural breakfast today…)

Exercise While Sitting! My Mom’s Dream Come True! :)

Thanks to my mom for her insights!

Thanks to Anthony for providing both entertainment and scaring the bageebees out of his mama!

Insanity, The Asylum: DONE!

Put it in the books, my friends. Insanity Asylum is over and completed.

I’ve sent it home with my Uncle who’s in the last phase of P90X down in Indianapolis. He will bump up his cardio big time with this workout!

So, let me give you the pros and the cons to this workout.

Cons:
1. It’s just not fun to me! I like to workout, but I like to have fun when possible.

2. It’s not for the average person looking to exercise. If you are just starting out, don’t even think about it.

3. There isn’t a lot of demonstrating and guidance. I guessed on what dumbbells to use in the strength workout. (I used 10 lbs.)

4. Not much modification. There is a person who does each workout with a jump rope when one is needed, but not really any modifications for knee or joint problems.

Pros:

1. Short and intense. As a stay at home mom working my business and watching our neighbor’s children, I’m in need of a workout I can do at home and within a 45 minute period. The only workout that was longer was “Game Day” which only happened 3 times in the month.

2. Pushed me beyond my limits. I was comfortable with the workouts I was doing and really needed a challenge. This was it baby!

3. It’s only 30 days! Anyone can do something for 30 days! Just push play and get it done.

4. Team Sports. I really liked that he incorporated swimming, baseball, basketball, tennis, track, wrestling, distance running, football, and soccer (maybe even more?) into these workouts. I felt like I was on my college softball team again!

Do I recommend this workout for you?

Depends…if you are an elite athlete or you have trained with intense workouts and don’t have joint issues…then YES! Go for the push and do this! Such a feeling of accomplishment seeing myself improve on the Fit Test on day 30!

If you are looking for a fun workout or something a little less intense, I’d be happy to suggest some other options that I have found fun!

Next up….another round of Chalean Extreme, but this time in a hybrid with TurboFire. I’m excited to combine them!

Positive Speaking Breeds Positive Results

Our brains understand the positive.

They block out the “negative” words such as don’t, can’t, stop.

So it’s important to speak to ourselves, and our children in positive words.

Try this:

“Don’t move your feet.”

What’s the first thing you thought of? Moving your feet, right? 🙂

Check this out…see how it relates to little man Anthony, and all of us.

Insanity Asylum, Day 19 – Game Day and Overtime

This was the second time that Game Day came up in the 30 day schedule.

I’m a former athlete. I played basketball and softball in high school and softball in college.

Drills and hard work are normal for me. I’m accustomed to that.

THIS workout takes it to a whole new level.

I’m not going to tell you it was “no big deal” or that it “wasn’t bad”.

In my opinion, it was KILLER.

The Game Day workout is 60 minutes long. It starts with a short warm up with the agility ladder (honestly, I’ve never done such intense warm ups before, lol).

Next comes a 6 minute mile run which consists of some high knees, kick backs on the butt, one arm down in a plank-like position while running “up hill”, and a sprint at the end. Don’t get tired yet!

Shaun T also includes, soccer kicking drills that build like a pyramid, tennis drills with the agility ladder, basketball lay up drills that also include a little bit of shot faking in the triple threat stance, basketball jump shot drills, swimming drills on the floor, wrestling moves, football drills with the agility ladder, long jumps with the agility ladder, speed skating drills (DANG), a few 100 meter dashes, and some pitching and hitting drills at the end with mountain climbers and vertical jumps incorporated into them.

I’m not kidding around, and Shaun T isn’t either. He tells you that from the beginning.

You know how on most workouts you can skip past the warning in the beginning? This one won’t let you!

I really enjoy this workout. It’s a great sweat, calorie burning workout.

If you are use to INTENSE workouts, give this one a try. It’s incredible. I can’t believe what it’s especially done for my core and my shoulders already.

Have you done the Asylum? What are your thoughts?

Air Circulation When Exercising

While reading my Essentials of Exercise Science book yesterday for my personal trainer certification, I came across a really interesting fact.

As a teacher, activating prior knowledge, and then making connections while reading are both really key reading strategies we use with our students in order to improve reading comprehension.

So, today, you are my students! 😉

When you exercise, what is the climate of the room?

Do you like it warm or cooler?

Do you exercise outside?

Do you have a fan running while you workout?

These are things I never thought much of.

When I workout, if I’m chilly to start, I start with a tshirt or long sleeve shirt on, and then usually strip down to a tank or sports bra as my body warms up. I usually like it warmer in the room as I feel I sweat more…(burn more calories in my head 🙂 )

When working out, air circulation is critical for your body to cool off.

Sweating is the body’s way of cooling off. The blood moves closer to the skin level so that it can cool off near the surface, which is near the air.

If there is limited air movement around you, the air around you will become saturated with the sweat molecules (think evaporation) and then the air will be more like a humid rain forest.

Not a very cool place for your body to seek refuge as you continue your workout!

Actually, could be dangerous, as you could end up suffering from heat exhaustion, etc.

This reminds me of a day back in April right before Easter. I was doing a TurboFire HIIT workout in the bedroom before taking Anthony to get his Easter pics taken. My husband was in the shower and came into the bedroom to get his cologne. He made the comment that the room was like a sauna.

I thought he was exaggerating or trying to make me feel great for working so hard.

However, as I was reading this in my book, I recalled him saying this, and realized there was truth to his comment!

So, even if you are working out indoors, be sure your gym has a fan nearby. If you are like me, and workout at home, be sure that you have a fan or an open window in the room circulating the air. Something small I never realized could affect me!

Stay tuned…summer heat is coming soon…tips for taking care of yourself during workouts in the outdoor heat.

Graduation Day

Today I had the honor of being the alumni speaker at my alma mater, Lewis University’s undergraduate commencement exercises.

As president of the Young Alumni Board, I have an opportunity to volunteer my time and work with some tremendous graduates to give back and connect so many graduates back to our great university.

I love Lewis. I did my undergraduate studies here in History and Secondary Education and my masters in Educational Leadership a few years later.

I played softball here for four years, taking care of business in centerfield. We went to the women’s college world series twice during my time here. It was amazing.

My best friend Gina is also a Lewis grad, fellow softball alum, and also serves on the board. She summed it up today so well. She said that every time she is around Lewis people or on campus she is overwhelmed by the sense of community and pride….like a family.

That’s exactly what I love about it and why I am so proud to be an alum. My husband works here and we live on campus because of that.

Many times I’m asked…”does that bother you to live on a college campus?”

Bother? Not at all! I love it!!

This is home. Always will be.

I cried 8 years ago when I walked out of the field house with my degree.

How happy of a feeling it is to call Lewis home.

I treasure the friendships made, and continue to make here.

Reminds me again that you have to believe that you are exactly where you are suppose to be right now.

I am not teaching in a classroom, but the lessons I’ve learned and the values that have been cultivated in me through my growing up here at Lewis has fashioned me into the person I am today.

A person striving to always live by the mission points of Lewis: knowledge, wisdom, justice, association, and fidelity.

I challenge you to go back to a moment in your life where your values were really instilled in you.

Be thankful. Give back. Pay it forward!

Stay at Home Mom: So Lucky to Do Nothing All Day….

Can you think of the Debbie Downer or Negative Nelly in your life? Ouch, maybe there’s even more than one.

How do you combat that?

Last summer I made a commitment to positive change, and what a difference a year makes. My life has changed for the better.

Allow me to share:

I had a few certain people in my life who were always reflecting on the negative sides of life. They could never see the good in anything.

Their lives were far worse than anyone else’s. “Woe is me” type attitude.

It was wearing on me…terribly.

I found the more I was around them and the more I was listening to that, the worse I felt.

One time back in January I was sharing with a friend some of the new things I’ve been dabbling in this year and how amazing I feel. I was just met with more negative thoughts on how it’s not going to work and…those words I can’t stand…

“You’re so lucky to be a stay at home mom. It must be so nice to sit at home all day and do nothing.”

Moms and dads that are stay at home parents, you know that they just don’t get it. No one knows what a full time job parenting is until you walk in the shoes 24/7.

Let alone trying to be a stay at home mom to a son with a ton of food allergies, teach my child, tutor on the side, take care of myself with fitness and nutrition, run my business, volunteer, and watch our friend’s child.

So, I made a decision.

I could have gone two ways. I could have agreed with her, and looked at my situation and said, “oh throw in the towel” and just sit on my butt and let Anthony run wild. Just be a bump on a log.

Often times when someone else challenges us, that seems to be the easy thing to do. Agree with them, and just give up.

Or, I could quietly move away, and choose to surround myself with positive people and continue to do everything I am enjoying doing.

I chose the second path. Boy am I happy.

A lot of the drama and negativity that was surrounding me is a cloud behind me.

I have positive friends and positive people around me!

Stress is minimal, stomach aches are a thing of the past, and tears are no longer shed over such unnecessary events.

I save those tears for when Anthony gives me a squeeze or just amazes me with another milestone.

See the good in life and take the high road!

Do you have a Negative Nelly in your life?

How do you combat that?

I’d love to hear your solutions!