Get Your Sweat On!

I'm finally going to document some of what I do workout-wise. There are a lot of machines I use and different things I do that I don't know the names of so I'll keep it kind of general on the lifting part. I feel like I have a good routine though and thought I would share. :)

My goal is to work out 5 days a week. It happens some weeks and not others. 3 is my minimum though. And I find this super important. I don't "skip" workouts. If I have plans or something comes up I find another time to "make it up". Obviously this doesn't work 100% of the time but it holds me accountable so I never fall below my 3 workout/week minimum.

Along with eating right I've found I can maintain pretty easily this way. However, it is getting harder to do the older I get and that is NO lie!

Cardio: the secret for me has been interval training in my running. It keeps your body guessing while decreasing your mile times. I try to do other forms of cardio (and it's something I'm really working on) since cross-training is important. But running is really what I enjoy.

Lifting: I lift after I run, it's just what works for me. I always start with legs. Testosterone is stored here and it's released when we work those muscles giving us the maximum benefit throughout the workout. I do 3 leg (quad/hamstring) exercises first followed by 4 arm/chest exercises. I end with 3 ab exercises and 1 lower back machine. Here we go!

Monday evenings: 3 miles of sprint intervals and lifting
Tuesday evenings: either 60 minutes of yoga or an all cardio night
Wednesday mornings: 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike
Thursday evenings: 3 miles of incline intervals and lifting
Friday: usually off, I'll make up a workout on this day if I miss one
Saturday mornings: 3 mile 15 second sprint interval run and lifting
Sunday: OFF! I almost never work out on Sundays

I'm not a distance runner and don't enjoy running longer than about 4 miles. I can do it, I just don't like to! Here are the interval runs:
   1. sprint interval: run/jog 1 minute, sprint 1 minute, run/jog 1 minute, sprint 1 minute, walk for recovery 1 minute. Repeat for at least 30 minutes
   2.  incline interval run: run/jog 1 minute at 0 incline, increase to incline 1 for 1 minute, back to 0 for 1 minute, increase to incline 2 for 1 minutes, back down to 0 for 1 minute. Repeat this going up to an incline of 5 and then come back down. Make sense?
   3. 15 second sprint intervals: run/jog for 15 seconds, sprint for 15 seconds, run/jog for 30 seconds, sprint for 30 seconds. Increase each ruh/jog and spring up to 1:30 and then come back down. This one is KILLER!

I don't love lifting, I'll be the first to admit it. But I know I need it more than anything to work on toning. Here are a few examples of what I'll do for each muscle group on any given day. You will want to do something slightly different each time you lift. Our bodies get used to things very quickly so it's best to mix it up!
   1. sumo squats with a free weight
   2. lunges with an upper body twist
   3. hamstring extension with an exercise ball
  
   4. push ups on Bosu ball (flipped over)
   5. chest press
   6. lat pull downs
   7. free motion tri's

   8. bicycle "crunches"
   9. v sit bouncing a ball on each twist
   10. ab machine

So that's a typical week for me. Granted, I don't have children and have time to spend at the gym. I'm usually there about an hour or so and I always go right after work. Our gym is between work and home so it's convenient to go before or after work. I keep everything I need in my gym bag and  pack fresh clothes before bed each night. That way I don't run out of time in the morning. I'm organized, remember? ;) I do the same with my lunches and breakfasts - make sure they are ready to go the night before.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I'm so sore today from riding yesterday - we were able to go thankfully. I took 1 pretty big digger so I'll relax at home tonight since it's off to the gym to work out these kinks bright and early!