♥ SMART Quest ♥ Sat. April 9. 2011

Week 4, Day 6
My SMART Quest for today is:  Well, so far so good!  Since my Reward day I only gained 1 pound!  That is good as I usually rack up 3 lbs before it goes away just from eating a reward meal, lol.  So today I will continue to try and stay on track.  My eating was sparse though out the day yesterday and ended with me eating a few fried shrimp (all that was available). It could have been worse.
For more about my Mindset & Meal Plan please scroll to the bottom of this entry. 

SLEEP:   6 1/2 hours - I went to bed again at 12:00 am , awoke at 7:30 am
AWOKE: 7:30 am
WARM UP: 8:00 am - since I am do9ing the HIIT workkout I needed to do 5 minutes of warming up so I incresed my reps in my normal workout and added an extra round.

Push Ups x 12

Squats x 12
Spiderman Climbs x 12 total

Jumping Jacks x 20

Performed 2 rounds of this circuit

Today I am doing a series of  5 Tabata Intervals based on Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Program!  I am still adding extra time to the intervals and I continue to try and do more advanced moves.    Instead of doing 20 seconds on - 10 seconds rest, I am doing 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest.



Metabolic Ignition Phase - Week  4


5 Tabata Intervals
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 30 seconds & 10 seconds and 8 rounds.  Each round is 5:20 minutes/seconds. 



Side to Side Ski  Jumps - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 96, 97, 96, 96, 97, 98, 100, 99 reps per round.  I was cranking this out going as fast a I could!
Overhead One Legged Step ups -  30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 4 round per leg - Left leg - 13, 13, 11, 13, Right leg - 12, 12, 13, 12 reps per round! 
Bowling Lunges  - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 67, 65, 66, 66, 66, 64, 66, 66 reps per round!  I was able to add a few more reps!
8 Count BOSU Body Builders 
Knee Hugs (from Zuzana's BodyRock.tv, see photo below) - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 13, 10, 8, 10, 9, 9, 9, 10 reps per round! I don't know what I was thinking trying to do these again as a Tabata!  It was hard last time and this time was no better!  My abs were on Fire!  I was crying through this!  8 rounds could not come quick enough!
- 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.5, 5.5  reps per round! .  It was a good challenge to add the BOSU to this move!  Something new to try!

 Knee Hugs (From Zuzana's Bodyrock.tv)

They look so Innocent!

I sure was glad when this was over!  I had that feeling of not wanting to work out agian, but once I got into it, I plowed along!
MEALS:

Meal #1:  10:30 am -  coffee & sugar free creamer
Meal #2:  11:30 am - 1 small banana, 2 slces of uncured bacon
Meal #3: 3:30 pm -  low cal,  low sugar , low carb chicken & couscous salad from Trader Joes, I added a few big handfuls of spinach to the salad as there werent' many greens in it.  It was very good.  1 slice of flatbread, 1 oz cheese
Meal #4: 0:00 pm -
Meal #5: 0:00 pm -
WATER: 4 glasses (so far)

MINDSET:  Having another good day!  My weight is still up that 1 lb from reward day, but I am sure by tis week it will go away and take more weight with it!  I am a bit worried about the coming dumbbell workouts.  I was actually enjoying the bodyweight exercises.  I remember last time being impatient to start the dumbbell weight workouts!  Then I realized how they got hader each week, and now I don't want to start, lol.  Oh well, I will just do it, I rememeber how defined my arms started looking after these workouts!

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Tues. April 5, 2011

Week 4, Day 2
My SMART Quest for today is:  Remain positive, see the bigger picture!  The results are slower, but what I am doing for my body, my life is so good!
Sleep:   5 1/2 hours - Went to bed about 11:30 pm  - I know I should have gone to sleep earlier, I had such a busy day yesterday, but I stayed up.  I am sleepy today and have another busy day ahead of me.
Awoke:  5:00 am

Warm Up: 5:25 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  5:30 am

Today I am doing a series of  5 Tabata Intervals based on Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Program!  I am still adding extra time to the intervals and I continue to try and do more advanced moves.    Instead of doing 20 seconds on - 10 seconds rest, I am doing 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest.


Metabolic Ignition Phase - Weeks 3 and 4

5 Tabata Intervals
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 30 seconds & 10 seconds and 8 rounds.  Each round is 5:20 minutes/seconds. 


Get Ups with Tuck Jumps - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 5, 5, 5 reps per round.  These are so tough to do.  I don't enjoy them, lol.
Suicide Drills - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 24, 23, 23, 24, 23, 23, 22, 23  reps per round! .
Overhead One Legged Step ups with Squat Thrust Push Ups (from Zuzana's Bodyrock.tv See photo below) - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 4 round per leg - Left leg - 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3.5, Right leg - 3.5, 3.5, 3.5, 3 reps per round!  These are sort of a crazy move.  Do the 1 legged overhead step up and then jump down into a squat thrust with a push up and then jump back up, repeat.  UGH!
Bowling Lunges  - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 65, 64, 63, 65, 65, 65, 65, 65 reps per round!
Side Kicks with Jump Squats with Ankle Weights - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds  - 4 rounds per leg - Rt leg - 17, 16, 16, 17 reps per round! Lt leg - 19, 19, 19, 18 reps per round! I decided to up the burn by adding ankle weights.  I could definitely feel it!

Burpee Step Up aka Overhead One Legged Step Ups with Squat Thrust Push Ups
 - from Zuzana's 400 Rep Burpee Workout

The one thing I did differently was to raise my arms up
straight over my head as I stepped up

Finish with a squat thrust with a push up
also know as a "Burpee"

MEALS: 

Meal #1: 7:00 am - 1 banana, coffee with sugar free creamer

Meal #2: 10:30 pm - egg white omlette with spinach & tomatoes

Meal #3: 1:30 pm -  3.5 ozs chicken breast, 6 raw walnut halves, 4 dried apricots

Meal #4: 5:30 pm - 2 slices Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread with 1 tbs of natural peanut butter.

Meal #5: 6:30 pm -  8 raw almonds 4 dried apricot halves.

WATER:  8 glasses

MINDSET: I have felt fairly good today.  I have been keeping myself really busy so I won't think about food or want to eat bad things.  I find that if I don't get started on the bad stuff I am okay, but once it crosses my lips, I am doomed, lol.

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Thurs. March 24, 2011

Week 2, Day 4
My SMART Quest for today is:  Well, had my reward meal yesterday and I feel good about it!  I was still able to eat healthy and enjoy some of the things I was missing!  So, today I want to stay on track and see if I can shed some of this blub for my next photo session.
Sleep:   6 hours - Went to bed about 11:00 pm  - I had an odd night, kept waking up, was restless.
Awoke:  5:10 am

Warm Up: 5:40 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  5:45 am

Today I am doing a series of  6 Tabata Intervals based on Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Program!  I am going to add extra time to the intervals like I did on Saturday and do more advanced moves.  I am adding 2 extra intervals from last week.  Instead of doing 20 seconds on - 10 seconds rest, I am doing 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest.

Metabolic Ignition Phase - Weeks 1 and 2

6 Tabata Intervals
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 30 seconds & 10 seconds and 8 rounds.  Each round is 5:20 minutes/seconds.  32:00 minutes total!

Bowling Lunges - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 62, 63, 63, 63, 63, 63, 64, 62 reps per round.  These felt good on my lower back and obliques, sort of stretched them out.
Switch Kicks - (see photo Below) - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 60, 60, 57, 56, 55, 54, 57, 52  reps per round!  These really whipped me.  You could see how my reps went down each round.  Exhausting!
Jumping Jack Squats - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 30, 31, 31, 31, 30, 30, 30, 30  reps per round!
Side to Side Squat Thrusts with Push Up x 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest  x 8 rounds - 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 reps per round!  I had to add the push ups.  I just realized my day isn't complete with out some sort of push ups. ☺Side to Side Ski Jump Ropes - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds  - 84, 90, 91, 92, 92, 92, 92, 92 reps per round!
Side Crunches - (see photo below) - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 4 rounds each side (ouch) 13, 10, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7 1/2, 8 reps per round.  I could barely get through this.  I should know better than to use some of Zuzana's Bodyrock.tv workouts as Tabatas, lol..  This one also looked so innocent , but I knew right away this was going to be tough and it was!  My obliques and lower/mid back were really feeling it!   Glad to be done!

Beachbody's Insanity Switch Kicks

Zuzana's Side Crunch

MEALS: 

Meal #1: 7:00 am - Chocolate Whey protein Powder with 8 ozs Fat free Milk, ice (190 calories)

Meal #2: 11:00 am - 1 egg, 1 slice toasted Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, 2 slices of Applegate frams turkey bacon, 1/2 banana (250 calories)

Meal #3: 2:00 pm - 4 oz chicken breast, steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup wild rice

Meal #4: 4:40 pm - dried apricots, 2 dried figs, 12 raw almonds, cup of coffee (I felt I need a lift, I was dragging)

Meal#5: 8:00 pm - 2 ozs of lean top sirloin steak, butternut squash

WATER:  8 glasses

MINDSET: Today I woke up feeling like I didn't want to work out, but I dragged myself out of bed and once I got warmed up there was no turning back.  I just need to take each day one day at a time.  Try not to get overwhelmed.  My concentration is still shot, but I am able to focus on my workouts and clean eating and right now that is super important to me!  I would like to try to go to bed earlier, but for some reason I just can't seem to do it.  I think I am afraid that if I go to bed early I won't be able to sleep?  I will have to give it a try!

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Sat. March 19, 2011

Week/ 1, Day 6
My SMART Quest for today is:  Try to have a Reward day, I was supposed to have it yesterday, but I have a book club meeting tonight and I wanted to save it.  Also I haven't really been craving anything, but I know I have to eat that bigger higher calorie meal for my metabolism.  I guess I am afraid to eat it, lol.
GREAT NEWS! My BOSU Ball came in yesterday so I got it ready last night for today's workouts!
I plan to keep adding as many advanced workouts to my routine as possible to kep my body fired up and working hard!
Sleep:   8 1/2 hours - Went to bed about 11:00 pm  -
Awoke:  7:30 am

Warm Up: 8:55 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  9:00 am

Today I am doing a series of 4 Tabata Intervals based on Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Program!  My Abs areno longer sore so I am going to mix it up today and try and work all areas with the Tabata's.
I am planing on adding extra time to the intervals and doing more advanced moves so I am only going to do 4 Intervals.  Instead of doing 20 seconds on - 10 seconds rest, I am doing 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest.

Metabolic Ignition Phase - Weeks 1 and 2

4 Tabata Intervals
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 30 seconds & 10 seconds and 8 rounds.  Each round is 5:20 minutes/seconds. 

Side to Side Ski Jumps - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 92, 92, 91, 91, 91, 90, 91, 90 reps per round!  I was going as fast as I can to get my heart rate up! 
BOSU Mountain Jumpers - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 23, 22, 23, 23, 23, 25, 24, 24  reps per round!
Overhead One Legged Step Ups - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds -  4 rounds per leg - Left Leg: 13, 13, 11, 12 reps per round! Right leg: 12,13,12,12 reps per round.  I was groaning through this feeling like I just couldn't go on.  My Quads and glutes were on fire!
Squat Thrusts with Push Ups (Burpees) - 30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5  reps per round!  I was dying by the time this was coming to an end.  I couldn't wait!

Finisher Abs:  Star Crunch x 20 Killer Reps - laying on ground, hands over head, lift torso up as you lift your legs up and open and reach through your legs, OUCH!

 Zuzana doing a Star Cruch

I have to say this was a tough workout.  I was amazed that just adding and extra 10 seconds to each round could really make such a difference.  Also adding the Bosu Ball to the Mountain Jumpers and the push up to the Squat Thrusts made it much more challenging. I felt the need to work mu abs more so I added the Star Crunch from Zuzana'a BodyRock.tv workouts.

MEALS:  P & C & R Day (Since I missed it)
Meal #1: 9:30 am - 8 ozs Fat free Milk with 1 scoop chocolate Whey Protein powder
Meal #2: 11:30 am - 1 egg, 2 slices uncured Applegate Farms turkey  bacon, 1 slice sprouted Ezekiel toast
Meal #3: 0:00 pm -
Meal #4: 0:00 pm -
Meal #5: 0:00 pm -
WATER: 4 glasses (so far)

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Thurs. March 17, 2011

Week 1, Day 4
My SMART Quest for today is:  Try and really keep track of the sugar in my foods.  After counting up everything yesterday it is shocking to see how it hides in just about everything even healthy foods and it sure adds up quickly!
Today I am working on tweaking my HIIT workouts a bit more to give myself a better workout!
Sleep:   5 3/4 hours - Went to bed about 11:30 pm  -
Awoke:  5:15 am

Warm Up: 5:30 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  5:35 am

My abs are still sore! Once again I will do moves that  work my legs or lower body and get my heart rate up!


Metabolic Ignition Phase - Weeks 1 and 2

5 High Intensity Interval Workouts
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 1:00 minute & 2:00 minutes and 5 rounds.  Each round is 3 minutes. 

In my case I am going to go until I have to stop.  I found that I was able to go about 80 - 90 seconds and then active recovery for the remainder of 90+ seconds.  This really worked for me much better.
Running (as fast as I can) - 0:90 on -  0:90 active recovery  of  Squats
Jumping Jack Squats - 0:90 on -  0:90 active recovery of boxing shuffles with punches
Jumping Rope (without rope as fast & powerful  as I can)  0:90 on -  0:90 active recovery of boxing shuffles with punches 
Switch Kicks -  0:90 on -  0:90 active recovery  of boxing shuffles with punches 
Running  - (as fast as I can) - 0:90 on -  0:90 active recovery of boxing shuffles with punches
Level 3 Recovery - 5 minutes (3 minutes squats, 1 minute slow jumping jacks, 1 minute moving my legs"out - out - in - in"

All in all this was a decent workout.  It is great to figuring out what I need to do to get my heart rate up!

MEALS:  P Day
Meal #1: 7:15 am - Green Smoothie! (yea me, I hate these).  1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder, Sincah, Strawberries, Blueberries, & water, coffee (sugar free creamer) (165 calories, 7.6 gms sugar)
Meal #2: 11:00 am - 1 egg, 2 small slices uncured organic bacon, 1/2 banana, 2 teaspoons peanut butter (256 calories, 7.1 gms. sugar)
Meal #3: 2:20 pm -  1 serving chinese chicken salad, ice tea (unsweetened), coffee, (dash of milk, stevia) (354 calories, 9 gms. sugar)
Meal #4: 4:00 pm - 1/2 serving light Tiramisu (don't know why I tasted this, but I did, it was good and I was low on calories, but it was a waste of sugars, lol)  (250 calories, 9 gms. sugar)
Meal #5: 7:30 pm - 3.5 ozs lean ground sirloin patty with 1 slice cheddar, 1/2 avocado, 1 serving steamed asparagus (411 calories, 3.0 gms. sugar)

1436 calories total, 28.6 grams sugar
If I had put the banana in my smoothie this morning then 6.6 gms of sugar would not have counted, sigh!  If I hadn't tasted the Tiramisu, then that would have saved me 9 gms of sugar which would have put me at 13 gms for the whole day!  I am giving myself a tiny kick, lol.

WATER: 9 glasses
MINDSET: I have been in a fairly good mindset today!  Had lunch with a friend and managed to behave until we had coffee and she ordered Tiramisu!  One of my favorites.  Thankfully this restaurant makes it on the lighter side without a lot of ladyfinger cake and no alcohol and a light whipped cream.  It was worth it, I can still taste it, yum

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Wed. March 16, 2011

Week, 1 Day 3
My SMART Goal for today is:  Think about my salt & fat intake.  I have been very good about eating cleanly and we are monitoring our sugar intake these next few weeks trying to stay at 15 grams (not including our morning green smoothie if we choose to have that).  5 grams is nothing!  There is sugar hiding in everything.  If you want ot know how much sugar just go to : http://www.calorieking.com/ , click on "food search" and type in the food you want to look up.  Not only will it give you calories, it will give you fat, carbs and sugars in that food.  You don't need to sign up, the search tool is free. I find this to be a great tool,  I use it every day!


Sleep:   less than 6 hours - Went to bed about 11:15 pm  - Why do I stay up so late?
Awoke:  5:05 am

Warm Up: 5:20 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  5:25 am

Today I am doing Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Weight Based Interval training #2.

Equipment:

Jungle Gym or Ultimate Body Press Dip Bar
Gymboss Interval Timer
Exercise Mat
Chair

Set your Gymboss Interval Timer to count down 1 Interval of 20:00 minutes

Weight Based Interval Training #2  
Bodyweight Row Wide Grip x 20  - I used an Ultimate Body Press Dip Bar! OMG it was hard.  Much more difficult to pull myself up on than the Jungle Gym
Overhead One Legged Step Ups x 20 each leg
Grasshoppers with Push Ups  x 20
Mountain Climbers  x 20 each leg

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.  Rest only as needed
I was able to complete 4 rounds in 24 minutes (3.3 rounds in 20 minutes)
Rd#1 - 5:22, Rd#2 - 5:36, Rd#3 - 6:35, Rd#4 - 2:27 (1/3 of a round) + 3:51 to finish  

Today I did 20 reps instead of 15.
I added Push Ups to the Grasshoppers and did 20 rounds total instead of each leg. 
Using the UBP Dip Bar for the Body Weight Rows was super challenging. 
After round 1 I found that I had to rest at 10 reps for the Bodyweight Row and in the 3rd & 4th rounds I had to rest at 10 reps, 5 reps & 5 reps, ouch!  My arms and abs were feeling like rubber!

I really feel successful in this workout today!  I feel I really worked myself hard.  I was worried about working out my abs again when they have been so sore from Monday's workout but once I got into it, by the second round I could actually feel my abs loosening up! 

Had my recovery protein shake within 50 minutes of my workout!

MEALS:  P & C Day
Meal#1: - 6:50 am - 8 ozs fat free milk with 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder. (200 calories, 2 gms sugar)
Meal #2: - 10:30 am - 2 small slices uncured organic bacon, Egg white omlette with spinach , mushroms, tomatoes ( 150 calories, 0.7 gms sugar)
Meal #3: - 2:00 pm - 8 grilled shrimp, 1/2 cup brown wild rice medley (with lentils & radish seeds) shredded carrot on a bed of napa cabbage (280 calories, 9.7 gms sugar)
Meal #4: -  5:00 pm - Sliced Jicama & hummus, 1 Tbls Natural Peanut Butter. 1/2 banana (316 calories, 12.2 gms sugar)
Meal #5: - 8:00 pm - 3 ozs grilled chicken breast, 1 serving steamed broccoli (197 calories, 2.2 gms sugar)

1143 calores total, 26.8 sugars for the whole day.  Did not have much sugar in my early meals and did not have a green smoothie so not bad as my smoothie would usually have about 12.8 grams of sugar that we don't count as part of the 15 grams total!

WATER: 9 glasses

MINDSET: It was a great day!  I am managing to stay on track all the way around.  If I start to feel hungry I really think about what it is that I am needing.  I keep myself busy, tell myself I can eat in a little while and drink some water.  It really works.  Every now and then I am craving sweets (I am a die hard chocoholic) but I tell myself that if I really want it I cn have it on Friday!  My first Reward Meal Day of this program! 

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Tues. March 15, 2011

Week 1, Day 2
My SMART Quest for today is:  Keep on track.  Things are going nicely.  Remember to eat EVERY 3 hours - no exceptions if possible!

Adding the advanced workouts has been good.  I can really feel it today!  Doing those Push Ups yesterday with my feet elevated on a chair was amazing!  Since I did 7 rounds of the push ups, that was 105 push ups and my Abs sure do feel it today! Ouch, but good stuff!

Sleep:   6 hours - Went to bed about 11:30 pm  -
Awoke:  4:55 am

Warm Up: 5:25 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  5:30 am

Today I am doing a series of 3 Tabata Intervals & 3 HIIT Intervals based on Scott Colby's Ageless Abs 2 Program!  I am still figuring out how to do things more advanced and ramp it up to get a better workout!  I also need to add new moves to keep things fresh and keep my body guessing!  Scott has been great helping me figure out how to go about this.  Since my abs are sore I decided to do moves that would work my legs instead and get my heart rate up!


Metabolic Ignition Phase - Weeks 1 and 2

3 Tabata Intervals
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 20 seconds & 10 seconds and 8 rounds.  Each round is 4 minutes. 

Get Ups with Tuck Jump - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4 reps per round!
Bowling Lunges - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds - 44, 45, 44, 45, 45, 44, 44, 43  reps per round!
Overhead One Legged Step Ups - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds -  4 rounds per leg - Left Leg: 10, 9, 9, 9 reps per round! Right leg: 9,9,9,9 reps per round.

4 High Intensity Interval Workouts
These are timed Intervals:  Set your Gymboss Timer to 2 intervals of 1:00 minute & 2:00 minutes and 4 rounds.  Each round is 3 minutes.
Squat Thrusts with Push Ups - 1:00 on - 12 reps, 2:00 active recovery  of Squats 
Reverse Lunge into Front Kick Up Left Leg - 1:00 on - 28 reps, 2:00 active recovery of boxing shuffle with punches
Reverse Lunge into Front Kick Up Right Leg -  1:00 on - 25 reps, 2:00 active recovery of boxing shuffle with punches 
Touchdown Lunge to Side Kick -  1:00 on - 18 reps left side, 18 reps right side, 2:00 active recovery  of Squats 

I am still figuring out what to do, but I am getting the idea!  Next time I will do as Scott suggested and go until I can't do anymore and then rest the remainder of the time left.  I think that will work better for me.
Pretty good workout.  Looking forward to a good and healthy day of eating.  Yesterday was a P & C day for me and I didn't eat any carbs, oh well!

My daughter is home sick today, hope she feels better soon.  Poor thing is miserable.

MEALS:  P & C Day
Meal #1: 7:00 am - 8 ozs Fat free Milk with 1 scoop chocolate Whey Protein powder
Meal #2: 10:00 am - 1 small banana, 2 slices uncured organic bacon, 1 serving oatmeal
Meal #3: 1:30 pm - 8 grilled shrimp, 1/2 cup brown wild rice medley (with lentils,& radish seeds) shredded carrot on a bed of napa cabbage  
Meal #4: 4:30 pm - sliced Jicama with hummus, 1 small serving of raw trek trail mix
Meal #5: 8:00 pm - 4 oz extra lean ground sirloin patty, 1/2 avocado, 1 slice cheddar cheese, tomatoes, 1 serving steamed green beans with balsamic vinegar & ground pepper.
WATER: 8 glasses (so far)

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Mon. March 14, 2011

Day 1, Week 1 - A New Quest for a new me!

My SMART quest for today is:  I am excited and feel renewed as I once again start out on this 12 week journey with a new group of Ageless Abs 2 members!  It will be a wonderful quest for all of us to be the best we can be!

SLEEP:   5 hours (not so good). Well I was hoping to go to bed earlier with the time change and all, but it didn't happen.  Then at about 3:00 am my daughter woke me up.  She was in the bathroom dry heaving , nauseous from the pain of a severe sore throat!  Poor baby (she is 17).  Not the best way to start a new program, but I got her situated and back to bed by 3:30 am.
AWOKE: 5:00 am

WARM UP: 5:25 am

Push Ups x 8

Squats x 12

Spiderman Climbs x 10 total

Jumping Jacks x 20

Performed 2 rounds of this circuit

WORKOUT: 5:30 am - Weight Based Interval Training # 1 
 Squat Jumps x 15
Push Ups with Feet Elevated x 15

Suicide Planks x 15

Mountain Jumpers x 15

  

I was able to complete 6 1/2 rounds in 20 minutes!  R1 - 2:44, R2 - 2:55, R3 - 3:01, R4 - 3:12, R5 - 3:05, R6 - 3:31, R7 - 1/2 round - 1:26

I thought I was going to pass out!

I did Squat Jumps to make it more advanced and add extra cardio to the workout. 

I did the Push Ups with my feet elevated on a high step (used enough risers to make it as high as a chair).  The push ups were the most difficult exercise for me to do since I was doing them with my legs elevated!  Great suggestion Scott! 

By the time I got to the 5th round my arms felt like rubber!  I could barely breath.  I also think I rubbed a bit of skin off of my right elbow doing the suicide planks.  I was so sweaty and the mat was wet and since I am left handed I tended to push off first with the left arm leaving the right arm to slip a bit.  Next time I will use a towel and also try alternating which arm I push off with.

I rested only briefly between exercises or when I was failing and needed to stop.  This was a great workout!  I was wiped out and super sweaty!

I checked to see what my rounds were when I did week 1, day 1 of the Ageless Abs 1 program the first time and I had originally completed 4 rounds on a normal (not advanced) level with push ups on my toes.  I felt great knowing that because of this program I have been able to grow stronger and complete 6 1/2 rounds this time on an advanced level. 

I am going to see if I can figure out more advanced moves to make it even more challenging for me.  I am still waiting for my Bosu Ball to come in and then I will do some of those moves!

I was hoping to drink my recovery shake within an hour of working out but unfortunately with my daughter having been up during the night I had to take care of her this morning so I got behind, but better a little late than skipping it, but I know how important it is to have that shake within 30 - 60 mins!

MEALS:

Meal #1:  7:30 am - Green Smoothie with Spinach, Strawberries, Blueberries, 1 Scoop of Chocolate Whey Protein Powder, water & ice. (I made myself drink this as I am not a fan of the green smoothies, lol)
Meal #2:  10:30 am - Egg white omlette with spinach, tomatoes & mushrooms.  2 slices of organic uncured bacon.
Meal #3: 1:30 pm - 1 small banana, sliced jicama & hummus
Meal #4: 3:00 pm - Seafood cocktail containing, shrimp, abalone, octopus, tiny bit of avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lemon, & hot sauce.  So good!  Super high protein!
Meal #5: Extra lean ground sirloin patty, 1/2 avocado, 4 grape tomatoes & a nice serving of steamed broccoli with hot sauce!

WATER: 8 glasses 
 

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Fri. Feb. 25, 2011

My SMART Quest for today is: Try and behave during the weekend with my eating!  It is always a challenge!

Sleep:  - 7 hours - Went to bed at 11:00 pm  - It was nice to be able to sleep in an extra hour!
Awoke:  6:00 am

Warm Up: 6:25 am 

8 push ups

12 squats

10 spiderman climbs

20 jumping jacks

Completed 2 rounds!

Workout:  6:30 am

Today I am doing Zuzana's BodyRock.Tv On The Floor Abs Challenge.  Click on the link below to go to her website!

On the Floor – Abs Challenge

Workout Breakdown

Time: 10min.

Workout Type: exercise challenge

Exercises: 2

• Mountain Climber X20 reps
• Toe Touch X 20 reps

Instructions:

Set your Interval timer to count down 10 minutes.
Do as many sets of Mountain Climbers and Toe Touches as possible during the 10 minutes, alternating between the 2 exercises.

I was able to do:
5 sets of 20 reps for the Mountain Climbers
4 sets of 20 reps plus 12 reps of the Toe Touches (ouch!)

I had been planning to do a 45 minute 10 dumbbell exercise challenge of  5 Upper/ Lower - 5/5 - 50/50 - 

I made up my own workout by choosing 10 Dumbbell Weight Exercises - 5 Upper Body &  5 Lower Body alternating between upper and lower body exercises.  I also did 30 reps of either Squat Jumps or Jumping Lunges, alternating between the 2 exercises after each Dumbbell Exercise.  This was based on Belinda Benn's recommendation from her Get Lean Program.  But:  I got sidetracked and ran out of time so I felt like this was not a very productive workout day for me, but there is always another day, so I won't beat myself up.  At least I DID something , right?

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Wed. Feb. 23. 2011

MY SMART Quest for today: Keep up with the workouts!  Good things will come of it!
Went to bed by 10:30 pm.  Managed to sleep fairly well but was still tired in the morning.  I was tying to talk myself out of working out, but ....I did NOT!  I was going to do Zuzana's No Fear Exercise Challenge, but my knee was bothering me, and when I did a practice run of the moves I realized that it was going to be too strenuous on my knees as well as my shoulders so I opted to do one of Scott Colby's Weight Based Interval Workouts!
Awoke: 5:00 am - 6 1/2  hours sleep!
Warm up: 5:20 am
Push ups x 8
Squats x 12
Spiderman Climbs x 10 total
Jumping Jacks x 20
Completed 2 rounds

Weight Based Interval Training Workout "B"

By: Scott Colby
Workout Breakdown

Time: 20min.

Workout Type: Weight Based Interval Training
Exercises: 6

• Body Weight Row - Wide Grip X 20 reps
• Jumping Lunges X 20 reps
• Lizard Crawl Push UPs X 20 reps
• Step Ups X 20 reps per leg
• T-Stabilizations X 20 reps total
• Mountain Jumpers X 20 reps

Do 4 rounds or as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes whichever comes first!

I was able to complete 3 rounds of the 6 exercises without much rest at all in 21 minutes & 25 seconds

I was sweating and my heart was racing!  Today my biceps are really feeling it, lol.

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Tues. Feb. 22, 2011

MY SMART Quest for today: Keep up with the workouts! My nee is bothering me, so I will use caution, but listen to my body!
I measured my knee this morning and it is 1/2" bigger, so I guess it is swollen a bit!  Some of Zuzana's exercises can be very challenging and I have to remember that I am much older and not as physically fit as she is!  But I won't give up!

Awoke: 4:50 am - 5 hours, 50 minutes sleep!
Warm up: 5:10 am
Push ups x 8
Squats x 12
Spiderman Climbs x 10 total
Jumping Jacks x 20
Completed 2 rounds

Quantum of Sweat Workout

Workout Breakdown

Time: 16min
Workout Type: Interval training
Exercises: 4

• One Leg Skipping - max.reps during 50 second interval
• Roll Over Commando Push Ups - Max.reps during 50 second interval
• Low Jump Rope Jack - max.reps during 50 second interval
• Reverse Push Up & Kick Up - max. reps during 50 second interval

Instructions:
Workout takes 16 minutes =  Four, 4 minute sequences.
Set Interval Timer for 4 rounds and two intervals of 10 seconds and 50 seconds.
Complete as many reps of each exercise during the 50 second intervals.
First Sequence:
1. Skipping on your left leg
2. Roll Over Commando Push Ups
3. Skipping on your right leg
4. Roll Over Commando Push Ups
*Two push ups with the two knee tucks count as 1 rep for the Roll Over Commando Push Ups exercise.

Second sequence:
1. Low Jump Rope Jacks
2. Reverse Push Up & Kick Up
3. Low Jump Rope Jacks
4. Reverse Push Up & Kick Up

Repeat both sequences one more time to complete 16 minutes in total.
I added an extra 4 minutes of intervals for a total of 20 minutes

 MEALS:
Meal#1:  7:00 am - 8 ozs fat free milk with 1 scoop Met Rx Protein powder (210 calories)
Meal #2: 10:00 pm -  2 slices uncured bacon, 1 egg, 1/2 small banana, coffee & sugar free creamer. (210 calories)
Meal #3: 1:30 pm - 1 1/2 servings of veggie wedgies, 2 Tbs lt sour cream, 1 Tbs BBQ sauce, 4 ozs grilled salmon (375 calories)
Meal #4: 7:00 pm - 12 med shrimp, grilled zucchini, serving chocolate chips & lt popcorn (ugh, why!) (515 calories)
1310 calories total
WATER: 6 glasses

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Mon. Feb. 21, 2011

MY SMART Quest for today: Keep a positive attitude even on the days where I feel I am not being productive!

Things were pretty good this past weekend. I have been working hard to stay on track, catch up with my orders, eat healthy. I can never get to sleep on time, but I was able to sleep in a bit today!  I am trying Zuzana's Bodyrock.tv  "I'm Crazy But You Like It" workout.  It is a very short intense workout so I will do jump rope intervals as well.

Awoke: 7:00 am - 8  hours sleep!
Warm up: 7:15 am
Push ups x 8
Squats x 12
Spiderman Climbs x 10 total
Jumping Jacks x 20
Completed 2 rounds

I’m Crazy But You Like It! Exercise Challenge

Workout Breakdown

Time: 10min.
Workout Type: exercise challenge
Exercises: 1

• Jump Up-Knee Hug-Power Up -  X  as many reps as possible

Instructions:Set Interval Timer to count down 10 minutes. 
Complete as many reps of the Exercise Combo as possible.

My score was 51 Reps.
Zuzana's Score: 61 and 1/2 reps.
Freddy's Score :68 reps

I followed this workout with:
12 minutes of Jump Rope Intervals. 

 I did different foot patterns and variations including jumping jacks, hiesmans, etc.  I di not actually use a jump rope but jumped in place and moved my arms in the same motions.

MEALS:
Meal#1:  10:00 am - 2 slices uncured bacon, 1 egg, 1/2 small banana, coffee & sugar free creamer. (210 calories)
Meal #2: 1:00 pm - 3 ozs pork tenderloin, with mushroms shallots, sherry & dab of lt sour cream, 1/2 banana  (220 calories)
Meal #3: 3:00 pm - 1 1/2 servings of veggie wedgies, 2 Tbs lt sour cream, 1 Tbs BBQ sauce (175 calories)
Meal #4: 5:00 pm - 1 slice Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, 1 Tbs natural peanut butter, 1/2 small banana (220 calories)
Meal #5: 7:00 pm - 3 ozs pork tenderloin, with mushroms shallots, sherry & dab of lt sour cream, 4 ozs steamed broccoli, (215 calories)
1040 calories total
WATER: 6 glasses

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Sat. Feb. 19, 2011

My SMART Quest for today:  Continue to have a good mindset!  All of this working out and eating well must be doing my mind body and soul good even if I don't see it "on the scale" as I would like!

Today is the start of another great day!  It has been raining all night! But today the sun is shining and so are my spirits.  My measurements went down a tiny bit.  I am still a bit bigger (fractions on an inch) on some of my body parts , and my weight is still up by about 4 lbs. from the 2 weeks I took off during the holidays, but my body feels strong and tighter when I walk and I think this is a good thing.  I feel more powerful in many aspects of my life!

Give Me a Reason Workout - By ZUZANA - BodyRock.Tv

Workout Breakdown

Time: 12min.

Workout Type: Circuit Training

Exercises: 7

• Jump Lunge - max. reps
• Leg Raises - max. reps
• Santana Push Up & Leg Lift - max. reps
• Chin Ups - max. reps
• Seated Bicycle - max. reps
• One Leg Dead Lift (left leg) - max. reps
• One Leg Dead Lift (right leg) - max. reps

Instructions:
12 minute long circuit.
Push yourself to the limit to get the most out of today’s training.
Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 12 rounds of 10 and 50 second intervals.
10 seconds is for rest.
Do as many reps for each exercise as possible during each 50 second interval.


10 sec. rest
1. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 32, Zuzana 34 reps)
10 sec. rest
2. Leg Raises – 50 sec. effort (my score – 16, Zuzana 20 reps)
10 sec. rest
3. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 30, Zuzana 26 reps)
10 sec. rest
4. Santana Push Up & Leg Lift – 50 sec. effort (my score – 8, Zuzana 8 reps)
10 sec. rest
5. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 25, Zuzana, 22 reps)
10 sec. rest
6. Chin Ups – 50 sec. effort (my score – 15, Zuzana 6 reps) * Note:  I did Bodyweight Rows on Jungle Gym so it was not as difficult as doing Chin Ups.
10 sec. rest
7. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 24, Zuzana 26 reps)
10 sec. rest
8. Seated Bicycle - 50 sec. effort (my score – 40, Zuzana 40 reps)
10 sec. rest
9. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 24, Zuzana 21 reps)
10 sec. rest
10. One Leg Dead Lift (left leg) – 50 sec. effort (my score – 8, Zuzana 12 reps)
10 sec. rest
11. Jump Lunge – 50 sec. effort (my score – 22, Zuzana, 21 reps)
10 sec. rest
12. One Leg Dead Lift (right leg) – 50 sec. effort (my score – 10, Zuzana 11 reps)

This was a pretty darn good little workout!  Short but intense.
I had planned to do 20 minutes of skipping rope, but I have found that I am not very good at actual rope jumping.  Usually I just jump in place for 20 minutes , sometimes with different intervals of time, etc.  But I got a jump rope and started to use it, but found that I was "missing a lot" and had to keep starting over.  I wonder if I made it too short?  I will have to look into this, Geez!

MEALS:
Meal#1:  10:00 am - 2 slices uncured bacon, 1 egg, 1/2 small banana, coffee & sugar free creamer. (210 calories)
Meal #2: 1:00 pm - 2 slices ezekiel bread, tuna with olive oil, spices, 1/2 small avocado (440 calories)
Meal #3: 4:00 pm - 4 ozs roasted beets, 1 serving low fat ricotta cheese, dash of olive oil (145 calories)
Meal #4: 7:00 pm - 2 servings popcorn, (220 calories)
Meal #5: 9:00 pm - 2 serving chocolate chips, 2 glasses wine (360 calories)
1375 calories total
WATER: 8 glasses

♥ SMART Quest ♥ Fri. Feb. 18, 2011

My SMART Quest for today:  Ready myself in my mindset to be good this weekend with my clean eating habits.  Keep my eye on the bigger picture!  I can do this!

This is the end of a pretty good week.  I am feeling pretty good overall.  Today I am challenging myself with Zuzana's Bodyrock.tv workout Sumo Squat Step Up Challenge!  I know this is gonna hurt!
I slept amazingly well last night.  Went ot bed at 10:30 and slpet until 6:30 am.  I did awake a few times and was having odd dreams, but it felt so good to sleep!

Awoke: 6:30 am - 8  hours sleep!
Warm up: 6:45 am
Push ups x 8
Squats x 12
Spiderman Climbs x 10 total
Jumping Jacks x 20
Completed 2 rounds

Sumo Squat Step Up Exercise Challenge

Workout Breakdown

Time: ?min.

Workout Type: exercise challenge

Exercises: 1

Sumo Squat & Step Up100 reps on each leg

Ab Wheel - 20 reps (full extension)

Okay, this was a tough one but not impossible or as bad as I thought it would be! 

Completion Time:  22:53  to complete the entire 200 reps (100 reps per leg). 

                                I followed the Sumo Challenge with 20 reps on the Ab Wheel. 

I was not trying to speed through this, just be sure to have good form and squat low, step up properly on the chair and lower myself gently so I would not put excess strain on my joints.  I could really feel this by rep # 50 on each leg, but I just kept at it.

Note:  I thought I had done well with this until I read other Bodyrockers posts.  Zuzana did this in about 18 minutes, Freddy did it in about 15+ minutes and some bodyrockers did it in 14 mins or less.  I will say that I did NOT compromise form in any way.  My Sumo Squats were very low and I really pressed myself to push out of the squats and feel the burn.  I could have gone faster, but then I wouldn't have squatted as low.  Just wondering if the other Bodyrockers compromised some form to beat Zuzana's numbers?

MEALS:
Meal #1: 8:15 am -  2 scoops of chocolate MetRX Plus  protein powder, coffee &  sugar free creamer (210 calories)
Meal #2: 11:30 am -  2 slices uncured turkey bacon, 1 egg, 1/2 sm banana  (180 calories)
Meal #3: 2:00 pm -  Seafood Cocktail & corn tortillas (585 calories)
Meal #4: 5:30 pm -  1 1/2 servings veggie wedgies, 1 Tbs Hummus, 5 dried apricots, 10 raw almonds(304 calories)
Meal #5: 8:30 pm -  1 serving light popcorn (not sure why I have been wanting this, I think so I have something to chew slowly) 1 chocolate dipped strawberry (160 calories)
1439 calories total

WATER: 8 glasses