I work with an adorable teacher who has been giving me tips on how to get more for my workout. Needless to say, thanks to her, I am SO sore today. Yesterday I not only did a good hour's worth of exercise in the gym, but I was motivated to walk the dogs because it was 66 degrees here in Sparks and absolutely gorgeous out. My leisurely walk turned into a 1 hour and 45 minute walk. Even my 18 year old son txtd me to make sure I hadn't fallen in a ditch or something! One of the things I have been trying at the gym with Karri's advice, is to not take so many rests. Have you ever noticed yourself taking your time between sets or between different types of exercise, or even stopping to chat with people you know? You will get a better fat burn if you keep that heart rate up ~ in other words, no rest! So, do your set of lunges, then go straight to the leg press, then to straight to leg extensions or dead lifts, THEN (and this is the challenge) go to the treadmill and push it for 5 minutes. For me, I jog at level 6 for one minute, then I bump it to level 7 for one minute, and then back down to level 6. This goes on for 5 minutes alternating levels (try to do the last 20 seconds at the faster speed). If you are not a jogger, then set it to 3.8 or 4 and increase the incline every 30 seconds. But really really push yourself! After your treadmill cardio bump, repeat your lunges, leg press, etc. Guess what then...? back to your 5 minutes on the treadmill. I would also suggest you do 5 minutes warm up on the treadmill before going to your weights. My goal is to get 3 of the treadmill cardio bumps during my weight routine. That usually means you end with one too. By the time you finish, you will be fatigued and sweaty ~ that is the goal!
Don't forget a protein smoothie after any weight routine to give your muscles some fuel to rebuild. I get the Whey protein at Walmart. It is only about $13 for a big container. My personal favorite smoothie is, 1 cup milk. I use 2% because I am lazy and don't want to buy 2 different kinds of milk, and my son needs the 2%. Non fat or 1% is a better choice. Sometimes if I think about it I will do 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 water (tastes just the same). One scoop protein powder (I ususally have the chocolate, but vanilla is good too. Haven't tried the other flavors), 1/3 or so of a frozen banana (I peel my yellow bananas and break them into thirds and freeze them in a ziplock. The frozen banana give the smoothie an ice cream texture. 1/4 cup organic frozen blueberries from Costco, and about a tbls of organic peanut butter (again Costco brand). Blend and enjoy. If you haven't used organic peanut butter before, let me know and I will give you a tip on how it is stored and easier to use. It can be a pain to open a new jar of organic peanut butter. Sounds silly, but it is true!
Hope this challenges you to work a little harder in the gym this week. I would love to hear from you if you try this!
Shannon
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