Workout for the week

Sorry for the long absence! Now that my kids are on the school track, I can breathe again.

I'm going to change things up a bit and take a break from the food/exercise journal. I think you get the idea. If it was particularly helpful for you, let me know and I will bring it back in the future.

For now, I'm going to focus on a weekly workout and add in workout and diet tips on the other days.

Here is the workout for the week. You can do this one at home!

1. Find a sturdy chair, or use a bottom step or a bench. Whatever you use, it should be no more than knee height. Step up and down on the bench, starting with the same leg each time, for 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

2. Do 20 push-ups (they can be on your knees or full military style). Then, facing away from the same bench/step you used in #1, place your hands on the bench/step, (hands should be behind your buns, fingers facing your buns), do 20 tricep dips. Remember, the more your bend your knees, the easier it is, so adjust as needed. Also, elbows should point back as much as possible, and your buns should be as close to the bench/step as is possible without sitting on it.

3. Do a 1-minute wall sit (back on a wall, knees at 90 degrees, weight on your heels). Shake it out and repeat for a second minute).

4. Repeat #2

5. Do 50 crunches with feet flat on the floor. Then, twist your knees as far to the right as you can do comfortably, shoulder blades still on the floor. Crunch up to the center 50 times. Repeat with knees to the left.

6. Repeat #2

This is an all-over body workout that should take 30-45 minutes depending on how many breaks you take. Do this every other day until Monday, when I'll send another workout your way.

Between now and then, if you get chance to go to Big 5, Dick's, Target, TJ Maxx, Fred Meyer, or any other store that carries exercise bands, pick up a medium intensity band. Also, a jump rope will come in handy soon, so grab one of those as well. When you stand on the jump rope with both feet, you should be able to bring the handles to your chest (elbows will be at 90 degrees).

Have fun! I'd love to know how the workout goes, so keep me posted!!!

9/1/10

If you could see my kitchen right now, you would know why I took the day off yesterday! I fell into bed at 9pm and didn't stir until morning.

Speaking of fixing up the house...I looked up calorie counts (which is a measure of how much energy you use) for painting the house (which I've been doing non-stop for days) 202 per hour, and other household chores (which I've been doing in addition to the painting) about 70-100 calories per hour, for light housework, depending on the chore.

What I find most interesting, is that in a day of housework and painting, you would burn (and I know I have both by how tired and how hungry I've been) up to an additional 1,100 calories doing 5 hours of painting and 3 hours of normal household chores. (What I did yesterday)

Contrast that with sitting at a desk for 8 hours: at 46 calories per hour for 8 hours, you burn just 368 calories. That's a difference of 732 calories.

Keep in mind how your activity level affects your calorie needs. If your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, you will likely require hundreds of calories less per day, than someone who is moving around all day!

Here's today's log:

8:30am: 1 liter of water mixed with 1 package of Zip Fizz (10 calories)

9:30am: 3 cups greens tossed with the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 avocado, 6 ounces
turkey breast: (320 calories)

Noon: 4.5 servings broccoli (I steam this in the microwave for 6 minutes) then add 5 egg
whites (cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until egg whites are cooked), top with
1/4 avocado and season with more sea salt (300 calories) and a diet Coke.

2:30pm: Cup of watermelon (50 calories)

3:00pm: 1/2 tbsp homemade peanut butter, 1 (homemade) strawberry protein shake
(5 strawberries, 1/2 cup water, 2 packets no sugar sweetener, handful or two
or ice, sprinkle of salt, dash of vanilla, mix in the blender)....90 calories for the
shake and 50 for the peanut butter (140 calories total)

5pm: 2 medium red potatoes with 1 tsp butter melted on top and sea salt to taste. I then diced
1/4 avocado on top of the potatoes. I ate 1/2 cup baby peas topped with 1/2 tsp butter
as well. Yummy!!!! The potatoes are salty and buttery and the avocado is creamy and
full of fantastic flavor. I don't even need to say how good sweet peas are...do I?
(390 calories)

5:30pm: 1 cup Chex cereal topped with 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1/2 tbsp peanut butter, and
1/2 cup milk (235 calories)

8:00pm: 1 cup watermelon, 1 serving tortilla chips topped with 1/4 diced avocado, 3 pear halves
(no sugar added, canned pears), topped with 1/2 cup of granola (I also sprinkled
the pears with nutmeg and cinnamon...wow!!!) (560 calories)


(1,955)

Here's what I did for exercise
1 hour on my elliptical at home (My machine says I burned 1,000 calories but I say it's closer to
700!)
6 miles of road biking (about 25 calories per mile) = 150 calories