Full Body Interval Elliptical (or any cardio machine) Workout

My apartment complex has a mini gym. It consists of an elliptical, stair stepper, treadmill, bike, and a whole body station. This week I decided to start doing more of a real work out rather than just zoning out for 30 min on the elliptical. I've learned a lot about interval training and different moves from BodyRock so I decided to make up my own work out. 

For this you can either use equipment if you have it or you can do it all without equipment. The key is to have a plan before you start. What I did was plan to do 3 sets of 4 exercises with cardio inbetween each. 2 minutes for cardio and 1 minute for the exercise. Using the first 10 seconds of the 1 minute workout to get into position then doing a solid 50 seconds. I decided it would go like this:

• Cardio
• Arms/Upper body
• Cardio
• Core
• Cardio
• Arms/Upper body
• Cardio 
• Legs
• Repeat 2 more times

So if you want to do it without equipment you an either pick 4 exercises and just repeat them or you can choose to do different exercises each round. 

The first day I did: push ups, crunches, tricep dips, and squats x 3

Yesterday I decided to incorporate equipment for some of the moves and did:

1. Push ups, abs on the incline bench (don't know the technical name), bench press, squats
2. Shoulder press, russian twists, dips, sumo squats
3. Up-down planks, V-abs, bent over row, donkey kicks

So in terms of timing your intervals it's up to you how long of a work out you want to do. I also downloaded an interval timer app on my phone and was able to maneuver on and off the equipment with my headphones since someone else was in the work out room. Timers are nice because they will beep/ding whenever your interval is up and you know it's time to get back to the bike/elliptical/treadmill. Make sure to include a couple minutes of warm up and cool down. This my timing and warm up/cool down this is a 40 minute workout that goes really fast!

If you are doing this without equipment you can just hope off the elliptical and do the work out right behind it. You may want to use a mat or towel depending on the floor situation. You can do this at the gym but if you go to the gym where people are like hawks waiting for an elliptical machine it might be a little more stressful. I was nervous because the second day I did it I had someone else in the room. At first I thought she was going to think I was weird for getting on an off the elliptical but then I felt like a badass because she was just sitting there pedaling along on the bike reading her magazine while I was doing a real work out like a boss haha.

If you don't want to use workout stations because you're in a gym (vs your house or small apartment gym) but want to increase the intensity you can use free weights and/or resistant bands to mix up your exercises. 

If you are doing this on the elliptical use the Quick Start button and increase your resistance. I did all rounds at an 8 but you can go up/down depending on how you're feeling but don't make it too easy. If you need to catch your breath for 20 seconds here or there decrease the  resistance and take a sip of water then get back at it!

If you need new FREE workout music check out my post of Non-Sketchy Free Music Downloads

Have You Gained Weight? The Test

How The Test Came To Be...

About a month before the marathon I realized I was gaining some weight, and no it wasn't just muscle. I was consuming more carbs and probably overcompensating after runs while not being very active otherwise.. definitely a recipe for weight gain. However, I wasn't going to start cutting calories before the big day so I figured once the marathon was over I'd get back on track with food/calories/activity outside scheduled runs. Well.... I haven't :/ I've been working out moderately (and actually had an awesome interval work out yesterday that I should write about) but the eating... the eating has been not so good. If you can't tell look at that piece of pizza form the Best Way to Reheat Pizza post. Stuffed pizza! That's basically two pieces of pizza in one. But anyway, the eating has been off track and I need to get back on track and there will be more posts about that later but this post is about... 

How to be 100% honest with yourself that you've gained weight...

Now you may weigh yourself daily like I do but there are a million things that can affect that. Like yesterday morning I stepped on the scale and then just before my shower I did it again and was 2 pounds lighter. Not only had I splurged on 3-7 Snickerdoodles nor did I do anything remotely active yesterday... I have only had one cup of water. So no, I didn't lose weight in 6 hours, I was just dehydrated.

I've also posted a bunch about the importance of before and after pictures.... You can find those posts here: Motivating yourself again and again, Before and After (1st Challenge), Before and After (2nd Challenge) But I haven't been doing anything lately that warranted a before or after pic so I didn't have any recents and I already knew I wasn't doing as good as I had been in my old after pictures so I didn't feel the need to compare. 

As mentioned I had just showered so it was time to put some pants on. Even though I'm still job hunting/sitting on the couch I figured it was time for real, non-pajama pants. Lucky me all my clothes are clean since I have lots of time for laundry. Put on the first pair of jeans... a little tighter than usual and not coming up quite as high on my hips/waist as I'd like. So I give that little pull and squat maneuver and they rip. They ripped! That soft, worn patch where my legs rub (which is 100% ok by me. I'm not going for the thigh gap and have read that in some people it's physically impossible to get based on their build without being severely malnourished) had enough tension and just tore. 

So on to the next pair of washed jeans... which actually already had a rip in them already (yes that same spot where my thighs rub) but it was from camping and trying to climb into a truck that about 5 feet off the ground and these jeans were pretty old, so I don't feel bad about that. These jeans usually are loose after 30 minutes of wearing them and are my favorite so despite the tear I wanted to wear them around the house. So on they go, tighter again than usual but that tear had some lower butt/upper thigh sticking out of it, not cute at all. I wasn't going to wait for that 30 minutes for them to loosen up while my back side bulged out of the tear. 

Onto a third pair of pants that I know will fit. I got the message and my wake up call. So that is...

The Test

1. Wash all your jeans 
2. Dry them on high or medium in the dryer
3. Try putting them on. Especially the ones that you know how they typically fit you straight out of the dryer.
4. Take note. If they still fit ok and you don't have to do too many squat and pull manuevers then you're probably doing ok. Slide right on? You may have lost weight. Tear some while doing the pull and squat or are way too tight/unflattering now? Well maybe it's time for some changes.

So there you have it, an easy way to have an honest discussion with yourself about your weight without pictures, the scale, or measurements. I know a lot of people who judge their weight loss or gain based on how their clothes fit but if all your jeans loosen up after one wear and you rarely wash them (because seriously jeans rarely get washed)  you may be fooling yourself. If you go through these steps you might have that same realization I had. I had been slacking and I didn't feel good about it. 

So What Now?

I'm probably about where I was in the very first before picture, nothing outside of my normal 10 pound fluctuations but it is time to get motivated. I need to get back on track. I will get back on track. For me it's not about being skinny. I want to be fit, I want my clothes to fit (maybe a size or two down), and I want to feel healthy and good about my body inside and out. So what now? I'm taking my own advice and getting motivated. So I will start here: Motivating yourself again and again. Then I will update the blog with the next journey and process. 

For anyone new to the blog... This is not a blog of someone who has it down yet. I am still struggling with living a healthy life and I don't think I will ever be someone who loves working out or is the poster child of healthy living. But I'm doing my best and my blog was started to share that journey and to have a positive outlet for my thoughts and feelings regarding my struggles and successes. 

*Also please note that this is meant to be light hearted and judging weight by how your clothes fit isn't some new crazy test that I invited, I know that :)

1 Pumpkin, 2 Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipes

Well I have been hanging onto my pumpkin seeds for about two weeks now since carving pumpkins for Halloween and was given an ultimatum of do something with them or toss them since they are taking up space in the fridge. I needed that extra push so I decided to do some searching and found some inspiration for a pumpkin seed recipe. I had never made them before and I saw a lot of different times/temps so I decided to wing it and just see how it went. 

I made one savory/garlic recipe and one sweet recipe each are below. I was also told the best way to roast pumpkin seeds is soak them in salt water beforehand. So I soaked the seeds in a bowl of water and table salt overnight and made these just now. 

Sweet Seed Ingredients 

• About 1 to 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter
• 1 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• Salt Water (for the night before roasting)

Savory Seed Ingredients

• About 1 to 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter
• A few pinches of each: Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper
• Tiny sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper (if you want a little more spice/kick add more)
• Salt Water (for night before)

Directions

• Soak pumpkin seeds overnight in salt water (or during the day if you are going to do this in the evening)
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees 
• Drain seeds and toss onto paper towel. Don't need to be completely dry but not dripping wet.
• Place about half your seeds into a baking dish and the other half of your seeds into a separate baking dish. I used two cake pans.
• Drizzle seeds with olive oil or melted butter, add seasonings to savory seeds and sugar/cinnamon to sweet seeds, stir (use two separate spoons/spatulas so you don't mix up your flavors), and shake or pat seeds so they are in roughly a single layer

• Bake for 25-35 minutes stirring occasionally so they toast evenly. If you are like me and will forget to stir...set a timer for every 5-7 minutes, stir, and toss them back in. 
• Should be golden brown and have a nice little crunch/pop when finished. My sweet were done at 25 minutes (I think because there was less in that pan) and my savory were done at 35 minutes.
• Add an extra pinch of sugar and cinnamon to your sweet seeds, stir, and serve.
• Add more seasoning to your savory as needed to taste, stir, and serve.

I guess some people eat there pumpkin seeds whole while others shell the seeds (like when eating sunflower seeds) I just went for the whole seed. The fiber and zinc (and other great things as well) are good for you and if they are nice and golden brown they aren't too tough to eat whole.

Best Way to Reheat Pizza So it Actually Tastes Great!

So let me start by saying this may not be the healthiest post/topic but I'd say it's essential :) Who actually likes microwave reheated pizza? I don't think anyone... it's tolerable at best. And cold pizza? It's a great breakfast food for sure but never quite hits the spot the same way that pizza first does. The best way to reheat pizza may not be the fastest but I promise it is totally worth it if you want your left overs to be just as enjoyable as the night before. Also doing it this way the crust gets a little crispy/crunch that I really enjoy while the rest of the pizza is still warm and soft.

Instructions:

• Turn oven onto broil (or highest heat with a rack on the top level)
• Place pizza in oven safe pan, such as a cast iron pan/grill pan and turn stove onto Medium-Low
• Heat pizza until it feels a little warm on the top but not burnt. You may need to turn it to low to not burn the bottom crust. Time varies by thickness of pizza.
• Once it feels warm place in oven on top rack for about 1 minute so the cheese is melted again and not some cold congealed block . If you're on broil you will burn it if you do it much longer than a minute. 
• Enjoy your pizza!

Before going into the oven

I've heard of reheating it in a pan all the way through but I really think popping it in the oven for a bit makes a big difference and helps melt the cheese. You can play around with oven temp and maybe turn it down a bit and do it for an extra couple minutes if you'd like. It really depends on the type of pizza you're eating. As pictured.. this is my (boyfriend's choice) stuffed pizza from the other night. Now time to eat something a little healthier haha. Also if you don't have a cast iron pan you could reheat it on the stove and then use a baking dish or something for that minute or two in the oven.

Where to Start: Tips to Start Training for a (half or full) Marathon

So a great way to figure out how to start training for a (half or full) marathon is to run as part of a team. Team in Training  (TNT) is great because they provide you with a work out plan, tips, support, etc. Also if there is a local team in your area you have people to run with. I did the Flex training, which means all the support was via email/online but it was still very helpful.

There are also lots of local running groups. I know when I was living in Nashville there was a local team called East Nasty that has twice (maybe 3) a week runs and would also do events together. So if you're new in an area a running group is a great way to meet people. Also Fleet Feet stores will often support a local running group so if you're not sure where to start look up your local Fleet Feet store and give them a call and just ask. They also have some training guides on their website.

Another option is to find other training guides online. This is the route I took. Although I found TNT helpful I had already started a training plan before they had emailed their training schedule out so I decided to stick with the one I started. My dad's friend has helped women train for Ironman and she recommended and emailed me the training guide for Your 26.2. You can sign up for a free or upgrade to a paid membership. Either way there is a lot of helpful information on the site.

One important thing to consider with training is whether the schedule and work outs are based on some kind of science about how the body works/recovers. Most training plans should increase mileage over time and fairly slowly. With off days here and there. Also if the plan you chose does not specifically include core or strength training work outs make sure you do them on your own!! Your core especially is so important to being able to do long runs. My dad kept telling me that after mile 17-18 it was all about nutrition (fueling) and my core. The key is to find a training guide that wasn't just posted by some random person who has no idea what they are talking about.

Anyone else have helpful websites, teams they know of, or tips?? Is anyone reading the blog haha?