Weekly Workouts 8/22-8/28

Monday: Elizabeth and I christened my "gym" with a nice pilates workout. After our 8-miler the night before, deep stretching and strengthening was just what we needed.

Tuesday: We did a bridge workout that felt particularly hard, maybe because the heat index was 102. I don't have much to say on this one except that it was tough and I was glad when it was over!

Even the sunset and sky look hot!

Wednesday: We tried a new workout video that I ended up really liking! This cardio boxing video kept our heart rates up and really felt like good work. We were both surprised by how much we liked this video, and I was totally satisfied at the end!

Thursday: The weather gave us a little break for our first easy run of the week. We tried a couple new paths on the golf course and kept a nice, steady pace in the mid-9s. It was overcast and very windy - there's a hurricane of some kind brewing out in the ocean and we're starting to see some effects of it already - so I think that helped.

Average pace: 9:37.

I'm always secretly worried we'll get in trouble for running on the course, but Thursday we finally seemed to get the "okay" from one of the groundskeepers. We had paused briefly for water at the driving range when he drove by and offered us cups (every evening they take away the paper cups at the drinking stations). He was super friendly and didn't tell us not to use the course or its amenities, so I feel like now we have tacit approval.

Friday: Unplanned rest due to storms.

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: I had a headache all afternoon, so I wasn't feeling up for a run or anything really bouncy. I did some easy, low-impact exercises - squats, pushups, tricep dips, lunges - and called it a day.

I'm unhappy with how this week ended. My runs were good but I only got two in. But I'm trying to remember that it's all about consistency over time, and one mediocre week isn't going to kill me!

ABK

Pilates for Dummies

In the summer of 2007, I returned from studying in Scotland having gained a once-in-a-lifetime experience and fifteen pounds. I immediately started going to my parents' gym to lose the weight, but I wasn't yet a runner, so on days when the drive to the gym seemed too onerous, I needed an at-home workout to turn to.

Enter Pilates for Dummies, a borderline corny DVD I got from the sale rack at Barnes & Noble. I think it cost me a whopping $8. 

I always suspected Tracey Thompson is also a body-builder...check out those guns!

I did this DVD about five days a week, along with lifting weights and doing the elliptical at the gym, until school started again in August, and I was in the best shape of my life. This summer, I was trying to branch out with my cross-training and active rest days, and thought...why not try it again?

Luckily, Elizabeth was willing to join me for some laughs. She rode her bike over, we pushed aside some furniture, and we got to work!

"Body rockers" before the song was annoying/cool/existed.

Preparing to do some releves - I swear, Pilates is yoga + ballet, and T25 is Pilates + agility training.

The first half of the DVD is warmup and standing pilates, and then it moves into floor positions. The best part about this video is that it's just corny enough to make you feel silly, but it's not all-out 80s corny.

"Dead bugs".

 Matt took some video of us "rolling like a ball", but unfortunately it's not long enough to actually post. We were cracking up at the tips to avoid getting stuck in that particular position.

 

The next day, I had some minimal soreness in my quads from all the squat-type exercises in the video; then I ran four miles over the bridge, to make sure the soreness really set in.

I had forgotten how much I love this video, and how easy it is to fit into my schedule. I'm thinking I'm going to explore B&N for some more sales this summer!

Don't forget, if you want to enter to win a Bondi Band (like the one I'm wearing in these pictures), the giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

Do you use workout videos at home?

What is your favorite corny workout video?   

ABK