Anyone else remember the “breakfast beverage” called Five Alive? My parents never bought it, but I remember slurping down the juicy goodness at friends’ houses after a sleepover (or rather a talk-the-whole-night-over).
Cait from Beyond Bananas and Chelsey from Clean Eating Chelsey recently posted this “5 Things” survey, and I thought I’d share my 5’s with YOU!
Holly’s 5’s
Last 5 People I talked to on the phone (my personal phone, not @ work):
Hello Friends- get ready for a DOUBLE DOSE of Fitness Friday (on a Saturday… again)! Life has been a little hectic lately, and I just haven’t carved out time for blogging BUT- today is a special treat- workout recaps from the past two weeks! Hooray!
The last Fitness Friday was posted during our St. Louis trip! Sunday we traveled back home, and Monday we took the day off, relaxing and getting the house back in order!
This week’s recap starts on Tuesday, August 16th
Tuesdsay: Run 5.25 Miles (Felt REALLY good! Daniel even came and biked along with me on the Legacy Trail!)
Recycled Picture, but you get the point
Wednesday: Quick 30 minute Run during my lunch break at work
Thursday: 7 Mile bike ride with Daniel around town (I heard that Ashley K and her hubs also did a couples bike ride that night too!)
Friday: Super Sucky attempt at a workout: 1 mile run and a few weights and abs. Probably should’ve taken a rest day!
Saturday: Insanity: Cardio Recovery with the KY Fit Club! (<– FREE SATURDAY MORNING WORKOUT!)
Sunday: We took Silas for a walk on the Legacy Trail! Pup is such a wimp, we went maybe 3 miles round trip!
Another Recycled Picture!
Monday:Run/Strength Workout that I stole from Lindsay at Cotter Crunch -Run 10 Min (with Silas) (1.09 Miles)
-50 squats; 30 raised push ups (using toy box); 25 leg lifts; 25 bicycles
-Run 10 Min (1.14 Miles)
-60 Lunges; 30 Push Ups (last 10 Tri Pushups); 50 Bicycles
-Run 10 Min (1.42 Miles)
-40 squats (last 10 jump squats); 10 Push Ups; 20 Tricep Push Ups (one armed)
- 5 Min Cool Down walk with Silas
Total Mileage: 3.65
Tuesday: 1 hour walk with the adorable little boy I nanny for and ROCK CLIMBING with Daniel at the Johnson Center (yay for being able to get into the university workout center!) I did two 5.7 and one 5.8 route! (and we biked to and from the gym! Yay for functional workouts!)
Wednesday:30 Mins on Elliptical during break at work (aka magazine time!)
Thursday: 30 minute walk while nannying; Fast 30 minute run on the treadmill at the Johnson Center before my first classes of the semester!
Friday: 1 Hour walk with the Kiddo while Nannying (we walked to the bookstore to buy some fun Truck and Tractor books!)
Sheeeeeew. Thanks for sticking with me! I’m going to try to get back to posting on a semi-regular schedule. What would you like to read this week!?
Maybe I should stop pretending that Fitness Fridays won’t really happen every Friday. However, I do plan on continuing regularly posting our workout adventures for the week, with the awesome Fitness Friday logo, just because I want to
At some point, I’ll get Daniel’s activities on here- I know he went bouldering a couple of times, and the man bikes EVERYWHERE. He also stopped in at the gym that I work at once this week, and he did our Saturday workout as well! I love exercising with my husband! (No more shaggy hair!)
Sunday: Pure Barre. The gym I work at, Body Structure, is teaming up with Pure Barre to offer packages on Pure Barre Classes and Personal Fitness Training at our gym. My friend Hannah and I decided it would be a good idea to see what Pure Barre is all about so that we would be well-informed to talk about the class with our members! We went on Sunday afternoon to a regular "Pure Barre" class, dressed in Capri pants and barefooted, we got out our equipment: 3lb and 8lb weights, a resistance band, a mat and a small rubber ball. The music was turned up and the instructor started with a quick, heart-pumping warm up. We wasted no time getting to work. (insert quote from Pure Barre website about what Barre is).
Since I had just run a 5k the night before, my legs were already pretty tired. We did many reps of each exercise. I’m really not sure how to describe what we did. But I can tell you that it made my legs shake. I can see how some people would really like Pure Barre- I didn’t sweat that much, and I felt like I got in a lot of work in those short 55 minutes.
However, I don’t think that Pure Barre fit my "exercise style". I like pounding on the pavement, I like being out of breath and moving fast (BodyRock.tv workouts). I like yoga and pilates, but Pure Barre just didn’t do it for me. Now, the women in the class had amazing bodies, but I think the whole thing was just a little too "fancy" and ‘choreographed" for me. I also had a difficult time understanding the postures and placement of my limbs (hello lack of self-awareness), and I know that with time, I would probably learn everything.
So who would I recommend this class to? Someone with pretty good flexibility, someone looking for an intense yet manageable workout, and probably someone who had a dance background (as I think they would enjoy it more). I am really glad that I got to have an opportunity to experience what Pure Barre is, but I think I’ll just stick with my running and BodyRocking
Monday: HOT and sweaty 3 mile run (super easy)
Tuesday: REST!
Wednesday: 5 Mile Run on my break (7:50 pace, say what!?)
Thursday: REST! (Plus a walk with the puppers later that evening)
Friday: Horrid 2 miles in the morning. My body dislikes the morning. Have you ever had your body NOT warm up? That was this run. Stiff lead legs I did have a nice walk with Silas though later on that day!
Saturday: Workout inspired by BodyRock.tv’s 600 Rep Fat Burner Workout. Done at Lafayette Park in St. Louis, MO (<—more on the mysterious location in our next post!) with our friend Tyler- it was so fun to work out together Ty! We had fun using some of the playground equipment in our workout. It was great working out with the husband and a friend, I think we all got a pretty good workout because we were pushing one another!
Here’s the circuit (starting with a 5 minute jog to the park):
Jump Lunge & Kick Up- 30 Reps
Side Burpee Knee Tuck- 30 Reps (15 each leg)
Squats- 30 reps
Reverse Push Ups- 30 Reps (The guys did 30 Tricep Dips and Pull Ups as I completed my Reverse Push Ups)
Jack Jump Tuck- 30 Reps
3D Push Ups- 30 Reps
One Leg Jump Up- 15 Reps per leg
Ab Chopper- 30 Reps
Reverse Crunch- 30 Reps
Tricep Pushup- 20 Reps per Side (The guys banged out another set of Triceps Dips and Pull Ups!)
Planks- Side Plank Left, Side Plank Right, Center Plank- all 45 seconds each
Jog back!
WOW. Awesome workout, we were all pretty darn hungry and sweaty by the time we got home!
The race was at 8:30 pm, and since we live a mere 1.5 miles from Downtown, I decided to run down to the race as a warm-up! Daniel met me downtown on his bike and held onto my race t-shirt as he watched the race! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but Daniel’s knees don’t like running. It’s not runners knee or any other condition that I’ve ever heard of, they just give him SO much pain when he tries to run
Anyways- I am so thankful to have a supportive husband that tells me “YOU CAN DO IT!” I headed down to the race around 8pm, and got a bib and t-shirt. I waited around for Daniel in front of PNC bank and gave him my phone and t-shirt. Vine St. was absolutely overflowing with runners, walkers, strollers and even a few canines. Here’s a map of the 5k course:
Everyone started moving towards the start line around 8:10, and we were packed in like sardines at 8:20. I wanted to make sure I started on the road, I didn’t want to chance stepping off of the sidewalk into a sea of forward-moving people, so I smashed myself in between complete strangers. That’s one of the things I love about running- there’s this instant community that happens. You know that everyone else has the same excitement, and it’s just a neat bond that runners have.
Anyways- the gun went off and I don’t think my section moved for about 30 seconds. I crossed the start pads about a minute after the gun went off. The first mile was rough- there were SO many people to dodge! I wove in and out of the crowds and finally found a good spot right around mile 1. When I passed the mile 1 marker, I glanced at my watch and it said 7:25 “Oops… I went out WAY too fast. Oh well, I’ll just slow down a bit and see what happens.”
I kept trucking along, passing people and wishing I had started closer to the start line. Dodging people is fun and all, but when you’re half way through the race and you’re still trying to weave between people, it’s not as cool. I passed mile 2 at 14:50. “Nice pace, but I’m really starting to feel it. Goal for the last mile: slow down a bit and finish strong”
One of the great things about the course was that it went right by the Fifth Third Pavilion on Main Street, where live music was playing during the race! I don’t run with headphones (I guess it goes back to not being allowed to wear headphones at practice/races during high school and college), but I do like when there is music being played! Anyways- mile 2-3 was hard. It was hot, about 83 degrees, and I was tired from going out too fast. I drenched myself with a cup of water at one of the water stations and told myself to keep going.
I almost wanted to stop to walk, but I didn’t want to have to tell Daniel that I walked, so I kept my feet moving. I crossed the finish line at 23:37! Daniel managed to snap the following picture just a few seconds after finishing:
I was pretty happy with my time, considering I haven’t really been doing a whole lot of running lately (read: less than 15 miles per week, this week, this was my ONLY run!) And, I was happy to see that my overall pace was 7:36!
I was happy to be finished. I even got to see the wonderful Ashley during the race and at the finish! Hope you found your husband afterwards, Ashley and great job to you both! I also saw my old team mate and friend, Julie at the race. Hi Julie!
The racing bug has bitten, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for another race. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the ability to run. I had a moment while running down Main Street where I just thanked God for giving me legs that work, for giving me lungs that breathe, and for giving me the enjoyment I find in running.
Anyways, here are the rest of the stats:
Time: 23:37
Pace: 7:36/mile
Overall Place: 487/3738
Age Group Place: 18/262
I changed my shirt and hopped onto a garbage truck (it was super clean!) for one final picture of the night! I really wanted a picture because I looked like Christmas, and if you know me, you know how much I love Christmas!
Hello! So sorry for ANOTHER delayed Fitness Friday post! Life just gets in the way sometimes doesn’t it? Anyways- it was fun looking through all of the FUN activities this past week! I love exercise, and I love when exercise is fun! I think I’m beginning to learn that I like variety in my workouts, and this week had lots of variety:
Saturday: Brazilian Butt Lift and P90X: AbRipperX.
We met up with the lovely Ashley and the Kentucky Fit Club team this Saturday at the Arthur Murray dance studio in Lexington. Our friend Ashley invited us to come to one of the FREE Saturday workouts! The featured workouts this past week were Brazilian Butt Lift and P90X’s AbRipperX. The Brazilian Butt Lift video was full of music, and we got good and sweaty!
I am EXTREMELY uncoordinated, so I looked like a complete bozo trying to figure out how to get my top half to move along with my bottom half in some sort of synchronized rhythm <– didn’t happen. But it was still a good time, and I will not forget the sight of my husband shimmying The P90X Ab Ripper was way more “my style”- intense reps of exercises. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any mats, and the hardwood floor at the dance studio was unkind to our backs and hips. We ended up stripping off our shirts so that we could give ourselves a little bit of padding between our bodies and the floor. After the 30 minutes of dancing and after 15 minutes of P90X, we were drenched in sweat- what a perfect way to start a Saturday!
Abs: 330 (yeah!)
Sunday: NOTHING! Saturday afternoon we had some friends and family stop by, and on Saturday evening, we headed up with friends Wes and Laura to a wedding in Cincinnati! The wedding was beautiful and HOT- no AC! Anyways- we got back late on Saturday night, we even ended up skipping church on Sunday because we were so tired!
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: SUPER SWEATY 4 mile run (8:00 pace, yes!). Even though this run was at 9am, I was still dripping when I got back home! And we got to go to a baseball game Tuesday Night with our Life Group!
Wednesday: Awesome BodyRock.tv workout: “300 Reps of Brutality“. I ended up modifying a few of the exercises in the 4th and 5th rounds, My muscles are still sore!
Thursday: Nothing! Glorious nothingness!
Friday: 20 mile bike ride with the husband! Our dear friends Ashley and David let us borrow Ashley’s bike for the summer (or until Ashley needs it again, she’s 22 weeks pregnant!) I didn’t have to go into work until later, and Daniel has finished his summer classes so we decided it would be fun to do a long excursion on 2 wheels! We biked to the Legacy Trail, and went out to mile marker 9, turned around and headed home. We covered the 20 miles in an hour and 45 minutes (11 mph). It was a blast, I hope we do it again soon!
So nice to have my very own mechanic!
Saturday: super awesome exciting RACE RECAP coming up! It deserves it’s own post, so keep your eyes peeled! Midsummer’s Night Run… here I come!
That’s all for this week’s edition of Fitness Fridays with the Coopers!
Hi Friends! I hope your week went as swimmingly as mine! This week, I had a lot of free time, but I had a wonderful time taking it easy because I know next week is going to be slightly crazy!
It’s that time of the week, time for Fitness Friday!
Saturday: Pool with Matthew and Daniel!
Sunday: Another Pool Day
Monday: REST
Tuesday: 1 mile run on Treadmill, played “Personal Trainer” to my little bro at the gym!
Wednesday: 4.5 mile Interval Run on Treadmill at Body Structure
(rest was 0.13 miles- 1/2 walking, 1/2 jogging at 6.5)
Miles for this week: 10.5
Abs for this week (towards the 3,000 in 35 challenge): 90
I felt SO GOOD this week during my runs! I retired an old pair of running shoes, and pulled out another pair from the closet that weren’t as worn. Well… these “old but not too old shoes” did something:
I have a huge blister on the inside of my arch. It formed on Wednesday’s run, and on todays run, it busted open. Fortunately, I was at the gym and I had access to bandages. I put on 3 band aids before I started my run, but about half way through, my blister was pretty painful. Then, I put on a super bandage, and wrapped my foot with neoprene. The blister still hurt a lot, but at least I wasn’t getting blister goo and blood everywhere!
I also had another running “injury” this week- I lost a toenail. Gross, I know. So you may think I have all of my little piggies painted orange, but really I just painted a chunk of skin on one of my toesies.
Well folks, that’s all for this week’s edition of Fitness Fridays with the Coopers! Stay tuned for a Post about Squid-Ink Pasta!
So, not the most exercise filled week, but it still felt great to move! Plus, I am really, REALLY happy that I did a 5 mile run. I’ve been having trouble with getting in more than 4 or 4.5 miles, so heading to the air-conditioned gym was definitely a good decision to get me out of the heat and HUMIDITY. One negative from that run- my legs are still really stiff, I think that my legs just don’t care for the treadmill too much.
That’s all for this week! Hopefully I’ll figure out a way to log some more miles next week- I suppose that might mean a few visits to the treadmill…
And now, a totally unrelated picture…
See ‘yall later! Look for some fun blog posts including:
Wednesday: Bodyrock.tv “Marine Corps Wokrout” during my lunch break at work; I felt AWESOME during this whole workout! My abs were screaming during this workout, I’m gonna count 200 Abs towards my “3,000 in 35” total!
Thursday: 4.5 mile Run and 4 mile Bike on the Legacy Trail
Friday: 1 hour Walk with Silas and Daniel!
On another note, Daniel’s former room mate and our friend, Dale, is headed to the great state of Colorado! We’ll miss you Dale, but remember you can always crash on one of our too-short bunk beds whenever you’re in town!
P.S. Mowgli will miss you, a lot. He needs you to promise that you’ll come visit!
This is the first post in the series “Fitness Friday”. Each Friday, I hope to recap all of the fun activities throughout the week! Remember when I posted about the 3,000 in 35 Abs Challenge? Well, Fitness Friday posts will track my progress in that challenge, as well as my other weekly exercise activities!
Not too shabby! I had a lot of extra time this week, and it felt really good to do something active every day. Daniel asked last night if we can aim to have one or two days per week where we do something active together, so I’m excited to see what we come up with each week!
Since my schedule is going to be changing a bit, I thought it would be a good idea to write down some of my exercise routine goals!
One of my most favorite bloggers, Tina fromFaithFitnessFun, posted this AWESOME 3,000 in 35 challenge. The challenge is to complete 3,000 ab exercises in 35 days, and none of the moves are plain-old crunches or sit-ups! There is an accountability page where all of the participants will tally up their weekly totals, and I plan on sharing my thoughts on here as well! Be looking for a weekly exercise update!
In addition to almost-daily abdominal exercises, I plan on loosely following this weekly exercise plan! I’ve been averaging 2-3 Bodyrock.tv workouts per week, but since I’ll have more time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I really want to get back to running more regularly!
Friday: Run Make-up Day (in case Tues or Thurs doesn’t work) or Rest/Long Walk with Silas
Saturday: BodyRock.tv workout or Run
Sunday: Rest Day (I can never seem to muster up much energy after church on Sunday mornings!)
I don’t really mind if I don’t follow this plan to a T, but I really want to get a little more routine into my daily schedule. Exercise is important to me. Once the blood gets flowing, I feel more energized and more ready to take on the day!
Woo hoo! I’m excited to share my progress with you all!
BUT- today is a special treat- workout recaps from the past two weeks! Hooray!
I did have a nice walk with Silas though later on that day!
