Spinning

Life has been so crazy lately! Between finals, training for my next 5k, work and studying I've had no time to just relax!

I dream when I'm stressed out and last night was no different. My dream had me tossing and turning. I woke up with that "falling feeling." In my dream, I was thrown off a tall building. As soon as my body hit the pavement with a loud THUD I woke up.

Nothing like being jolted out of bed!

The 5k is on Sunday bright and early. I'm pretty stoked to be running in Santa Monica this time! It's not the prettiest beach town (I prefer Northern California) but it'll do. I'm hoping to give myself enough of a pep talk to run most of it. I want to limit my walking breaks to 30 seconds and only 1 walking break per mile.

I'm going to have my last run today. I'm planning on getting 3 more miles under my belt but I'm gonna go easy. (Meaning a slooooow comfortable pace of 12-14 minutes per mile. I don't need to aggravate my knee right before the race!)

I'm going to run in the evening, so I started my morning with Jillian. (No More Trouble Zones.) I was pretty pumped because I could use 8lb dumbbells for most of the moves.



Afterwards I made overnight yoats. Well, not overnight. I put 1/4 cup of dry oats in a bowl with 1/4 cup Wheaties Fuel and 1 container of plain greek yogurt for 5 minutes while I chopped up some fruit.



I mixed in some pineapple and raspberries to make it super delicious. It was! I'm starting to really enjoy plain greek yogurt. Having less sugar means I get to eat more real fruit. Can't hate that.

Time to finish my LAST take home final and prepare for an awesome weekend. I'm thrilled with life right now!

Last Chance Workout with Jillian Michaels

I bought this DVD at Target the other day and decided to try it out! The DVD has a built in six-week program and I tried Monday of Week One-Two.

It starts with a warm-up which is way different than The 30 Day Shred warm-up or the No More Trouble Zones warm-up. Then you do a 25 minute circuit training "Last Chance Workout" before doing a quick cooldown.

I felt like the DVD was fairly easy and enjoyed the modifications for those of us who cannot jump without destroying their knees. I usually don't need to modify but sometimes plyometrics really bother me. I also loved seeing old contestants from The Biggest Loser. We worked out together. Added bonus? There is a girl named Amanda. Jillian yells, "Get with the program Amanda!" and I feel like she is talking to me. Love it.



Have you tried this burrito? It's the best $3 frozen burrito ever. I have it once in a blue moon and savor it everytime. The hunks of corn masa do it for me.



I had a little less than half this container of greek yogurt left so I decided to use it as a bowl. I hate doing dishes anyway.



Inside: 2 chopped strawberries, vanilla greek yogurt, Nature's Path pumpkin seed granola and 1/2 chopped banana. I love this yogurt. It's got a whopping 18 grams of protein in it. I bought a tub of plain as well which has even more protein!

I burned almost 400 calories doing the Last Chance Workout if you're wondering. Which is insane because it didn't feel particularily difficult.

Do you have a favorite workout video? I own about 6 that I alternate on days when I need to workout inside.

Couch to 5k is back!

The other day my friend Ashley who has an awesome blog over at Knots by Ashley posted about something that interested me. Not only does she create amazing hats, gloves, scarves and way more but she is also working on running like me. I saw that she posted about a Couch to 5k podcast on her facebook and I had to ask her where she found it.

The podcast is titled "Podcasts for Running by Robert Ullrey" which you can find and download here: At Robert Ullrey's Website.

For someone like me, this podcast was a godsend. Not only does Ullrey explain the program but he also tells you when to run and when to walk. It's way easier than looking at your watch to make sure you are following the program correctly.

Today was my second day of Week One and I plan on doing it again on Thursday. My heart rate monitor says I burned 422 calories doing this which is pretty good considering how much walking is involved. I did 2.12 miles in 30 minutes if you're wondering about distance.

(Yes, I started back at Week One because obviously my knee needs some strengthening. I think it's better for me to get back down to basics at this point.)

Anyway, I had to share! Please check out Ashley's blog and Robert's podcasts. They are both great!

After my Couch to 5k workout, I did a few circuits from Jillian Michael's Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD. The core circuit KILLED me. I cannot do a plank to save my life. OUCH!

Please share some workout secrets with me! I definitely need all the help I can get!

I'll be back later to tell you how my day at work went (I played hopscotch at work!) and how my first day as a postgrad went!