Current Favorite Workouts

My fitness rotation lately looks like the following. I am seeing results and really enjoying it.

1. Row 5K meters
2. HIIT step routine on the 12 inch box
3. Row 10K meters
4. Walk one hour
5. Row 5K and walk 30 minutes

Or some variation of these. Having fun.

A Calorie Equals

A pound of body fat - yep, fat - equals approximately 3,500 calories. It's widely accepted, and it's a good measure to use when calculating 'calories out' in order to achieve weight loss goals. To lose one pound per week, a calorie deficit of 500 is needed. Meaning, consume 500 calories less - or looked at in a more positive light - burn 500 calories more than you eat. I prefer looking at it as having to burn more as it sets up a competition with myself to achieve this. Also, it takes the focus off of food and places it on exercise. One pound per week is good. Two is the maximum to lose in any healthy way.

So how much to lose and by when?

Gym Boss

I have a gym boss. Two actually. One on my phone and one that is its own device. Gymboss. It's a repeatable timer that can be set according to your workout.

Primarily I have it set for 20 intervals of 1.5 minutes with a 30 second rest in between. Until recently, I had only used it for my box step routine but then found myself using low weight dumbbells and going for fatigue. I find it to be far more handy that having to repeatedly set a timer or to keep looking at the clock. And when I discovered that I could download it as an app, well that was even better. One less thing to pack.

I still use the device in the gym versus my phone app, and I highly recommend it.

Another great discovery: the Gymboss website. It has tips and tricks and a blog. Check it out.

A Week Off is Longer Than You Think

I was too busy last week. (I know. I know.) So busy, that I didn’t work out. All week.

I fell off the wagon on Monday. I worked out today, Sunday.

A week is longer than you think when you don’t stretch a muscle, break a sweat, or lift something heavier that your cell phone. I’ve learned over the years that if I take off for more than a few days, I need to ease back into my routine.

So today, I thought I’d steer myself back on course with a step-up HIIT program. I also lifted chest and back, and I reacquainted myself with my abs (they had been neglected for more than seven days).

HIIT is short for High Intensity Interval Training, an approach that is intended to increase expenditure while decreasing workout time. It’s the opposite of the slow and steady routine that most of us have performed for years. I like it because it’s quick and it’s a departure from running. In terms of cardio, your heart rate takes of like a rocket. The first time I did it, I thought I was going to scream but I didn’t have the lung capacity.

It got better.

My routine, on a square step box, involves 20 intervals. Each interval is one minute. That means that I step up on the box for a one-minute period and then stop for a break. I rest in between intervals for 30 seconds. Mostly, I focus on one leg per interval and alternate. So it’s 20 minutes of intervals and 10 minutes of rest in between.

It’s a killer routine.

I then moved to chest and back. Lifting 15 and 12 pound weights to slowly wake those dormant muscles. Chest press, flyes, straight up chest press, and seated rows.

It’s my desired goal to do something physical every day, but life doesn’t always afford the time. Unless I’m on vacation – which I was not last week – it pains me if I go more than two days. I feel better when I work out, both physically and mentally, and I find that my creativity is heightened.

This is a new blog, and here I’ll be charting my progress. Fitness, well being, call it what you will. It’s a lifelong journey.