Fitness is fun!

I try to keep that motto when I work out- have fun!  In general I try not to do things that I don't enjoy, particularly when it comes to exercise.  Bottom line is, I want to have fun, and suffering through a workout isn't fun.  Yes, I ALWAYS feel better afterwards, but I aim to enjoy the "during" as well.

Well, I've reestablished my fun in running with these:

Altra Intuition 1.5- zero drop

I had a great experience about 3 weeks ago with Miguel at Boston Street Running in Baltimore.  I went in to get new shoes because my wonderful and well loved Merrell Barefoot Dash Gloves were at the end of their running career.  I started out running on the treadmill for him in my Dash Gloves and we watched it back via his recording equipment that tapes all different angles.  His immediate reaction- you have good form.  I felt like I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding for weeks.  I'd been holding it ever since a day at physical therapy when Barb taped me running to test her new equipment.  I had just done my first decent run with the shoes on the road (not the treadmill), and the balls of my feet were red and painful.  In the recording, I was heel striking- and it was depressing.  I knew why, but it was still frustrating to see the tape given all the time, energy, and focus on totally changing my form. So, hearing Miguel continually praising my form every time I ran gave me the boost of confidence I needed.

I tried on a few different pairs of shoes on the treadmill, including the newest Merrell line, in a shoe with a bit more cushion.  Ultimately I went with the Altra Intuition 1.5, and I put in the 3mm strengthening sole instead of the 5mm stability insole to mimic the Dash Gloves as much as possible.  I wore them at the 5k on Sunday and a few runs before/after and have loved them so far! The only thing I wish I had a little more room on is in the toe box. I perhaps should have gone a half size up, because I am already missing the better barefoot toe spread you get in the Merrell's.  Everything else though is better, particularly the perfect amount of cushion that allows for a more comfortable feel on the pavement.

My Merrell Dash Gloves- today

I am still using the Merrell's for walking and lifting because I love the barefoot feel- but I was starting to get painful red soreness on the balls of my feet after running because they weren't giving me even minimal support anymore while running.  You can see why when you see the soles above ;)

So I've obviously been really enjoying running in the new shoes.  Well today, I brought another one of my loves back into the picture- I went to spin!!!  I haven't been since my tennis elbow surgery because of the potential arm strain.  I'm so glad I went, because it was AWESOME!  I'm also glad I waited because I was able to keep up with the class and totally kill it!  The most important part though, no pain! Of course getting a killer workout and sweating a lot was good, too. ;)

Soo....question for today is spurred on by an email I got this morning from Zensah encouraging me to try these: Zensah Ultra Compression Sleeves.  They are basically a tighter compression than the typical Zensah Compression Sleeves that I basically live in while traveling, after a hard workout, and sometimes during a workout.  Most serious athletes swear by them... but I once had a personal trainer tell me they were a waste of money, so everyone has their own opinion on them.  I can tell a difference in my recovery and comfort- especially during travel or after a long run or brutal workout.  Below is a little diagram from Zensah that helped me initially get into compression sleeves.  If you are interested in learning more, check out their blog.



Do you use compression of any kind before/during/after a workout? What do you use?

YES!!

FINALLY I had a great week on the scale this week!

I LOST 4.2 LBS!! 

I'm really proud of myself- I have worked really hard the past 2 weeks or so and it's finally showing on the scale!  After those 2 weeks of straight gains around Thanksgiving my body was NOT a fan of me.   I wasn't a fan of my choices and felt defeated.  I need to focus now on continuing to keep up with the pace I am at right now, and at the very least maintain what I have lost.  I am now at the lowest I've ever been by a whole pound- I don't want to lose any ground!

So, what have I been doing differently?  Nothing I haven't done before- aside from so much Insanity Pure Cardio workouts.  I love some hot Shaun T, and it is a killer workout each time!  I've been really trying to mix it up and along with working up my running distances up and walking more, I have been doing a TON of cross training in the form of the below:

Insanity Pure Cardio and Max Cardio Conditioning are my favorites!

P90X Plyo <3 Tony Horton!

Spin class

Step Class

Yoga, of course!

So, to all my wonderful fitness friends out there....

What are some cross training workouts/activities you like to do?

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday filled with family, fun and delicious food! :)

I started out my day with a great spin workout with the same instructor who killed me at the advanced step class.  I did spin on Wednesday as well with a different instructor and both classes I totally rocked it out, sweated hard, and loved every minute of it.  Tuesday morning was a great workout, too.  Went back to P90X Plyo with Brianne and we dominated that workout!  Good to go back to Tony Horton (my secret bf that my husband seems to be supportive of since he got me a personalized autograph) and be able to really keep up and kill it.   My hamstring pain is a thing of the past and I'm proud to say I killed that workout in my Merrell Dash Gloves.  No more cushy padded shoes for me.....except maybe during spin.  I wore my Asics because I could feel the pedal way too much in my Merrell's to the point that it hurt the ball of my foot.  Glad I brought them just in case.

Just in case you needed a reminder....

 So...onto Thanksgiving.  It was a pretty packed day and went well overall, I think.  After a great workout and quick shower, Adrian and I headed out onto the traffic filled roads for his parents.  I brought along brunch via a fruit smoothie so I wouldn't arrive hungry.   I must say, I was VERY nervous about this first part of the day because it was going to set the stage for the rest.   His parents were really thoughtful and laid out veggies, hummus, and pita chips specifically so I could eat something.  And even better (not sure if this was on purpose but they can take the credit), the food stayed in the dining room while we were in the living room watching Star Trek: the next generation episodes.  His dad kept asking me if I wanted anything but was nice about it.  Overall I had about 5 carrot sticks, 5 celery sticks and about 1/2 tsp of hummus.  For somebody that LOVES hummus and especially pita chips- this was a huge victory.  Go me!

Our next stop was my Great Aunt Ann's house on my step-dad's side.  We always go there for Thanksgiving every year and it's pretty much the only time that side of the family gets together so I look forward to it each year.  Plus Aunt Ann and Ann Marie (her daughter) do an amazing job each year on dinner and all the fixings.  The stuffing Ann Marie made was with pecans. It was heavenly.

And ultimately the stuffing was my demise.  I had control at dinner but then I made a big mistake- I took leftovers home.  Bad, bad Colleen.  I have never done this in the past and don't know what possessed me to say yes this time.  By the time we got home I was hungry and somehow ended up in the kitchen, with the stuffing open and before I knew it I had completely demolished it and had a totally out of body experience. 

And yeah...that's the affect stuffing has on me and why I only have it on special holidays.  And will never again take any leftovers home.

You evil delicious treat

Also there was a lot of desserts at Thanksgiving as always.  I had a sliver of cherry pie, blueberry pie, and banana cream pie- all adding up to about a slice.  Then I had like....5 little mint chocolate crisps.  To die for amazing.  Mint + Chocolate is almost as good and peanut butter and chocolate.   O, how I wish I could just eat desserts all day and not get sick or gain a crap ton of weight.  Darn me and my sweet tooth....


What is your favorite holiday food?

I am hardcore!

I totally rocked the spin a thon today! While some people might think I was crazy (including myself leading into it) I'm so glad I took the challenge on and approached it with an attitude that only 100% would do.

Today was the YWCA's 1st annual spin a thon- 6 hours of spinning with some awesome instructors. It was 10-5 today- yeah that's 7 hours. There was 6 one hour spin classes with 10 minute breaks in between. The breaks definitely saved us, especially "the 3 muskateers" as Lisa dubbed us during the last class since there were only 3 people that did the entire 6 hours- Rick, Mary, and myself.

Overall, the day was better than I was expecting. Jen, the organizer, did a great job having a wide selection of snacks and plenty of water of course as well as leading her class, which was the second one. Each class was also really varied which broke it up nicely. The most amusing was Eric's- #3. He was one of only 2 spin instructors that I haven't taken and I can definitely see why people like him so much and his class is always over filled. He was hilarious and very encouraging throughout, but called a few people out that weren't pushing it. He called me out several times saying my form was perfect (holy red face) and was giving the 3 muskateers major props for committing to stick through all 6 classes. He said a lot of really nice and encouraging words that helped me get through the complete agony that occurred during class 4- Tammie. I take her Wednesday morning 6am class (love it!) so I knew what to expect- no mercy.

I was feeling really good till about half way through Tammie's class. That was when I realized that I really hadn't eaten enough (a couple bananas and orange slices) and my reserves were completed depleted. Through sheer will power and complete refusal to quit, I made it through Tammie's class and could barely get off the bike fast enough to get food afterwards. I have never felt such extreme and immediate relief after gulping down power gel- it was amazing.

So end result- I KILLED class 5, Betsy's. I've taken her before- a killer class with lots of sprints and standing runs (similar to Tammie). Class flew by because even though I could feel every single muscle in my legs, back, and glutes (holy pain!) in a beautifully painful way, I had the energy to push through it. There were a few new entrants also and they were all amazed by the fact that the 3 muskateers were still going. A little bit of pressure always makes me feel even stronger.

After class 5 I was stretching and went to do a quad stretch when my left knee screamed at me. Like screamed at the top of its lungs. I immediately dropped to the ground to stretch further and massage my knee. Miraculously the pain eased and I was able to stand and walk around with no pain after about 10 minutes. Thank goodness- I really wanted to finish, but I had already decided that I would stop if the pain didn't subside.

Class 6, Lisa, was fun as she is always full of bubbly energy, which is infectious. I will admit though that I was counting down the minutes until we were done and the last 5 minutes was pure and complete muscle exhaustion.

Adrian was awesome and supportive and came to cheer me on at the end- husband brownie points! :) All in all it was a great day and I'm proud of myself! :)

Goodbye old clothes!

This weekend has been full of fun and activities and some purging of my old life as well.

We were actually in Gettysburg this weekend, and since I finally have friends to hang out with (It took long enough, huh?) Saturday was a blast! Spin class was surprisingly small because apparently the regulars were feeling lazy or had something better to do at 8:45 am on a Saturday morning (I know, what could be better than spin?!) which didn't hamper the overall awesomeness of a totally new set of music. Speaking of which, I finally came out of the closet to my husband last night after drinking a shot of delicious cake vodka (before you get on my case- yes I counted all of the alcohol I drank last night! I'm a good little weight watcher and tracked in my phone right after every drink!).

If you've already heard the rumors they are true- I love Britney Spears!! ::hides::

In reality, I love current pop and hip hop music in general. I know, shocking, right? Not really- it's the best music to workout to! Don't worry, I still enjoy classic rock in the car, but who really wants to listen to the Beatles when you are trying to get yourself pumped up for a hard core workout? If that's what floats your boat, then good for you- but I love some good Pit Bull, LMFAO or Britney Spears any day.

I can honestly say that 2 years ago I never would have admitted this. Sounds ridiculous, but my whole life I have always been so conscious about what others think of me and since most of my friends (and husband) are avid classic rock fans why would I ever tell them that while my favorite band is still 100% the red hot chili peppers- I love Britney and Justin? This exact problem actually cost me a few friendships when I was in middle school. The girls said I was too pliable and that I didn't have my own strong opinions or views (so insightful in 7th grade!). I haven't been that bad since high school- but it's the same basic idea.

So, getting back to the great day now that you know my dirty secret....After spin and a brutal, leg heavy circuit with Emily she told me all about this clothing drive that the boy scouts were doing at the outlets- bring in 10 articles of clothing and get a $10 gift card. SWEET!! So, after stuffing my face with an egg beater, veggie, and turkey sausage omelet (heavenly) and cleaning off the grime of an hour and a half in the gym (not so heavenly) I tackled my closet head on.

Before I knew it I had spent over an hour trying on almost every article of clothing in my closet including shirts, shorts, jeans, skirts, and dresses. I had already decided to donate everything that was too big....which was more than half my closet. Except for my work clothes that is, which I am very diligent about keeping up with my current size- to the dismay of my bank account. By the end of the marathon of shopping my closet, I had bagged up almost 40 articles of clothing. That's not even including several items that I have ear marked for friends or loved ones that are my old size and could use the clothes. Holy overload of big clothes! Believe it or not, I just did this less than a year ago....

The end result- I brought in all 6 grocery bags full of clothes and then immediately used my $10 gift card to buy size L (eek yay!) workout pants at the Adidas outlet. SCORE!

For me, it feels very cathartic to remove all the clothing from my sight that are too big. I've heard of many people that hold onto some of their "fat clothes" just in case they gain the weight back. I REFUSE to gain this weight back. It has been way too hard thus far- too much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this process of finding myself to just give up now when I can see my goal ahead of me! I am way too stubborn to go backwards in my progress ever again. There is no way I want to let myself tip the scales as high as I did in 2009 or even come close to it. I know that I will have more slip ups and some weekly gains and fluxuations, but I'm confident that I will never have to buy the size clothing I just donated again. I am woman- hear me ROAR!