First of all, a big thanks to everyone who has commented here in the last 12 weeks and yesterday (I love the image of a whole field of orchids, Katy!) - your encouragement and support has meant a lot to me!
It feels a bit weird today, not having to go to the gym. But I got up and my first item of business was weighing and measuring! I did not end up like one of those before and after pictures in the BFL book; I had a rough time, especially at the beginning, figuring out how to fit the food guidelines into a mainly vegan diet. So my weight loss is not what you could call spectacular: just under 6 pounds.
But I am really happy with my other indicators! My BMI went down one full point, as did my Waist to Hip Ratio (you can figure all these measurements out for yourself at http://www.bmi-calculator.net/ ). I only took body measurements starting the sixth week of the program, but in the last six weeks, I lost 4 cm in my waist and and 4 on my hips, 1 cm on my thigh, one on my upper arm, and my back/chest measurement got 2 cm bigger (ahem - I was noticing my bras were fitting completely differently!). Not only that, but all of my clothes fit better and things that were too tight to wear comfortably are now fitting great. And I will need to chuck some things that are too big and don't look nice anymore.
Physically, I feel amazing - a lot stronger, especially in my upper body, in which I had lost a lot of strength the last ten years. Pulling the window shutters up in the morning, hauling heavy things like suitcases and baskets of laundry up and down the stairs - it has all become a lot easier. I feel firm and toned, and can't help admiring the little hills and valleys that have appeared on my arms and legs!
On a personal level, I am reminded of Marianne Willamson's advice: "If you want to become a more disciplined person, practice being a disciplined person." For me this is just one more step up from doing those half marathon training programs: with those I had the fear factor of not being able to hack it on race day to propel me forward; with BFL all I had was my own desire to finish and of course, not wanting to have to say on this blog that I didn't finish! Being disciplined and keeping promises to yourself is definitely something that gets better with lots of practice!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
BFL Day 84: DONE!
Just 84 days ago I started a program that I had always considered way out of my league. Just like I never thought of myself as someone who could run (before completing two half marathons!), I also never thought of myself as someone who could follow a serious weight lifting program. And so now I have proven the contrary to myself.It was a nippy 13° as I headed to the gym for my final workout this morning - lower body weights. It was a beautiful morning and I decided to bike a bit further along the canal to give my legs a good warm up. By the time I arrived back at the gym I had been cycling for a good 20 minutes. I really wanted to push this last workout and my plan was to increase the weight on every exercise. This is the highest weight I did for each:
- Leg press: 110 kg
- Squat: 11 kg
- Leg curl: 30 kg
- Lunges: 6 kg
- Angled calf raises: 9 kg
- One leg calf raises: 7 kg
Then it was those last ab exercises and before I knew it, I was DONE! Wow. What a great feeling to have set out to accomplish something and then really follow through and complete it.
I headed home. When I got there a surprise was waiting for me: a beautiful orchid (see pic!) and a card of congratulations from Stefaan and the boys. I just love orchids and this one is a beauty - what a treat!
Today I am going to bask in the feelings of accomplishment, tomorrow I will take my final measurements, take stock of what I accomplished and lay out my new plan for the next two months... full report to follow soon!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
BFL: one more day to go!
It was just 15°C when I passed the Stella brewery on my bike this morning...brrr! I can really feel the season is starting to turn and fall is in the air. Thankfully it is still beautiful and sunny with a gorgeous blue sky.
I decided to do the HIIT run today and the lower body weights tomorrow, because I wanted to be able to really push hard for both workouts and if I did the weights first, the HIIT run would be really tough the next day. So tomorrow is my last day of BFL!
It felt like a long time since I had been on the treadmill and as always, that makes me feel doubtful about if I can do it or not. I know it's silly! But it's like I have to re-convince myself that I am capable each time I get back on. So I got started and I was determined to finish the workout with a bang - it was going pretty well and I felt good, so on the last interval I pushed the intensity up a notch for each minute. I kept telling myself this was the last HIIT run! I finished in 26 minutes, doing 4.3 km total. Phew!
I was thinking to myself as I headed home, how I used to be so intimidated about going to the gym on weekends, because I always had this idea that it would be so busy, and how I have finally gotten over that, and don't even worry about it much anymore. It reminds me of so many small hurdles I have gotten over in this fitness journey. When I think back to the person who was so scared of running, sure I was going to fly off and hit the wall behind me if I dared to put the treadmill up too fast... Truly, if I could come this far, who know where I will end up?
I decided to do the HIIT run today and the lower body weights tomorrow, because I wanted to be able to really push hard for both workouts and if I did the weights first, the HIIT run would be really tough the next day. So tomorrow is my last day of BFL!
It felt like a long time since I had been on the treadmill and as always, that makes me feel doubtful about if I can do it or not. I know it's silly! But it's like I have to re-convince myself that I am capable each time I get back on. So I got started and I was determined to finish the workout with a bang - it was going pretty well and I felt good, so on the last interval I pushed the intensity up a notch for each minute. I kept telling myself this was the last HIIT run! I finished in 26 minutes, doing 4.3 km total. Phew!
I was thinking to myself as I headed home, how I used to be so intimidated about going to the gym on weekends, because I always had this idea that it would be so busy, and how I have finally gotten over that, and don't even worry about it much anymore. It reminds me of so many small hurdles I have gotten over in this fitness journey. When I think back to the person who was so scared of running, sure I was going to fly off and hit the wall behind me if I dared to put the treadmill up too fast... Truly, if I could come this far, who know where I will end up?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Running with Bears
It was just too nice of a morning to go to the gym and run indoors.
So Stefaan decided to join me so we left and did a big loop that took us to the lake where we normally run on Sundays. When we got there, we soon noticed about eight very tall and muscular guys from the Leuven Bears basketball team had also decided to run outdoors - they were doing loops around the lake as well! Go Bears!
So Stefaan decided to join me so we left and did a big loop that took us to the lake where we normally run on Sundays. When we got there, we soon noticed about eight very tall and muscular guys from the Leuven Bears basketball team had also decided to run outdoors - they were doing loops around the lake as well! Go Bears!
We made a pit stop in the bathroom and then headed back home, passing through the park where they have the Finnish running track. This was a great way to end the run, because let me tell you, that track gives you a good workout! With about a kilometer to get back home we took it easy the last bit for our cool down. We ended up running 7.7 kilometers total and it took us just about an hour.
Now I just have two more workouts left to complete my Body for Life Challenge: a lower body weight session and a HIIT run. I can't believe I will be done with this by Sunday morning! Wow!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Life is full of suprises
Today was my very last upper body workout for Body for Life! So I decided to increase the weights on all the exercises and really push it for this one last time. Here is what I accomplished today, which would have been way beyond my reach 12 weeks ago:
- Incline chest press: 12x 15 kg, 10x 17.5 kg, 8x 20 kg, 6x 22.5,kg and 12x 20 kg
- Chest press: 12x 22.5 kg
- Shoulder press: 12x 7.5 kg, 10x 10 kg, 8x 12.5 kg, 6x 15 kg, 10x 12.5 kg (could not do the final two reps!)
- Side shoulder raises: 12x 4 kg
- Pull over machine: 12x 30 kg, 10x 32.5 kg, 8x 35 kg, 6x 37.5 kg, 12x 35 kg
- One arm row: 12x 9 kg
- French press: 12x 3 kg, 10x 4 kg, 8x 5 kg, 6x 6 kg, 12x 4 kg (I knew I was going to drop the dumbbells on my head if I tried this with the 5 kg, so I bumped it back down to 4!)
- Standing tricep extension: 12x 8 kg
- Biceps incline curl: 12x 3 kg, 10x 4 kg, 8x 5 kg - and by this time my arms were really shot from all the hard work and I knew the 6 reps at 6 kg was going to be out of my reach so I finished with 12x 4 kg
- Hammer curl: 12x 3 kg + total exhaustion and jello arms!
Phew!
Then, and here's the surprise, I biked over to my travel agent to book a trip to.... San Diego! I am so excited - it turns out that our family's schedules, ticket prices and the stars have all aligned to make it possible for me to attend a family wedding there this fall - woo hoo! I can't wait - I have never been to the Pacific coast, and my only foray into California was a day trip to Death Valley when we were in Vegas two years ago. So I am really looking forward to seeing sunny southern California, spending time with my parents on our road trip from Dallas to San Diego, and seeing all the extended family at the wedding whom I haven't seen in years and years. The only down side is that Stefaan and the boys won't be joining me this time...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Two Rainbows, BFL + Push Your Limits
Last night a storm blew in and cooled us down a lot - we were amazed to see a beautiful double rainbow (just like Jenny the other day!) on the other side of our street. I was also amazed at how I could really feel the Nordic Walking workout in my abs and back last night, and my legs were more sore than usual from the weights.Normally I do an interval run on the treadmill on Tuesdays to fulfill the Body for Life HIIT workout requirement. But I was looking at the "Push Your Limits" options and one of them was to bike 10 km, so I figured that would probably take me about 20-30 minutes and if I included intervals in it, it could substitute for the HIIT run. And then I could also get a stamp on my card!
So I got to the gym and told one of the trainers I wanted to do the 10 km biking for Push Your Limits, so we picked out a bike and he programmed 10 km in and I got started. I decided to do the same thing as with my HIIT runs: increase the level of intensity every minute, five times, and then go back down to the first level and start over, and just keep doing that until the 10 km program was done. I couldn't believe how much I was sweating! I hardly ever use the exercise bikes at the gym because I figure I bike enough just to get around town, and I prefer running for the higher calorie burn, and the elliptical because it uses your whole body. But I still got a really good workout today, if sweat is any indication!
Then I got my card signed - two activites down! - and headed home. Now it's off to buy the boys some new clothes for school.
And last but not least I'm hoping to maybe win a pair of Crocs - Denise at RunDMT is having a giveaway at her blog - check it out!
Monday, August 24, 2009
BFL Day 78 & Surprise at the gym
So...I biked over to the gym, another hot day today, it was already warm enough at 10 that I could bike in my sleeveless workout top. I got started on lower body weights. As I was doing my leg curls, my Zumba class teacher came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the Nordic Walking class she was going to hold at 11. You see, my gym is doing a special program called "Push Your Limits" where they are offering special classes and activites the next two weeks and you can get a card stamped each time you participate in one. If you get five stamps, you win a prize! And I think there will be a drawing with people who do all ten activities for a grand prize.
First I was like, no, thanks, I don't have enough time, I have to finish my workout and head home... So she moved on to ask some other people and as I moved on to my calf exercises, I thought, why not? Stefaan was home today with the kids, so there really wasn't any reason not to do it. So I found An and asked her if she still had a spot, and she did! I had just enough time to finish my Body for Life workout (I was a bit concerned about my legs being super tired, but I thought, whatever!) and then An showed us how to hold the Nordic Walking poles correctly, we did a short warm up in the group lesson room and then we headed outside! We walked all the way along the Leuven canal to the big railroad bridge and back - it was so fun to be out in the sun and fresh air for a change, even though it was pretty hot. I had never done Nordic Walking before so it takes a while to get the hang of the right technique, and it is quite a workout for arms and shoulders. We were out for a good 45 minutes, and then headed back into the gym. I got my little card stamped and took a look at the schedule for the other activities - now that I've got one stamp I might as well try to get a few more, right?
Then I came home and when I saw my horoscope on my email, I thought, how true! And I was even more glad I tried something new today.
Here is what my horoscope from Daily OM says today:
Your confidence level may be high, which may encourage you to challenge yourself today. Feeling like you are able to achieve anything you set your mind to can motivate you to try things you hadn’t thought of before. Perhaps taking calculated risks could move you in a direction where you will grow, learn, and develop your talents. If faced with the decision to go beyond your usual comfort zone today, you may want to think about what you can gain from trying something new. Picture how your life may change for the better as you move forward and get away from your usual routine. Drawing strength from your abilities and your assurance in yourself could fill you with the courage you need to take on new challenges.To develop positively we must conscientiously face things that will test us in new ways. Doing the same thing each day keeps us in a routine that will not expand our knowledge or expose us to things that may introduce us to different ways of doing and being. Releasing ourselves from the confines of what feels safe, however, provides us with new opportunities to try out different things, learn from our mistakes, and grow more deeply. This allows us to gain greater insights into ourselves and the world. By taking risks and pushing your limits today, you will discover new parts of yourself and your environment that will not only stimulate you but also help you grow as a person.
First I was like, no, thanks, I don't have enough time, I have to finish my workout and head home... So she moved on to ask some other people and as I moved on to my calf exercises, I thought, why not? Stefaan was home today with the kids, so there really wasn't any reason not to do it. So I found An and asked her if she still had a spot, and she did! I had just enough time to finish my Body for Life workout (I was a bit concerned about my legs being super tired, but I thought, whatever!) and then An showed us how to hold the Nordic Walking poles correctly, we did a short warm up in the group lesson room and then we headed outside! We walked all the way along the Leuven canal to the big railroad bridge and back - it was so fun to be out in the sun and fresh air for a change, even though it was pretty hot. I had never done Nordic Walking before so it takes a while to get the hang of the right technique, and it is quite a workout for arms and shoulders. We were out for a good 45 minutes, and then headed back into the gym. I got my little card stamped and took a look at the schedule for the other activities - now that I've got one stamp I might as well try to get a few more, right?
Then I came home and when I saw my horoscope on my email, I thought, how true! And I was even more glad I tried something new today.
Here is what my horoscope from Daily OM says today:
Your confidence level may be high, which may encourage you to challenge yourself today. Feeling like you are able to achieve anything you set your mind to can motivate you to try things you hadn’t thought of before. Perhaps taking calculated risks could move you in a direction where you will grow, learn, and develop your talents. If faced with the decision to go beyond your usual comfort zone today, you may want to think about what you can gain from trying something new. Picture how your life may change for the better as you move forward and get away from your usual routine. Drawing strength from your abilities and your assurance in yourself could fill you with the courage you need to take on new challenges.To develop positively we must conscientiously face things that will test us in new ways. Doing the same thing each day keeps us in a routine that will not expand our knowledge or expose us to things that may introduce us to different ways of doing and being. Releasing ourselves from the confines of what feels safe, however, provides us with new opportunities to try out different things, learn from our mistakes, and grow more deeply. This allows us to gain greater insights into ourselves and the world. By taking risks and pushing your limits today, you will discover new parts of yourself and your environment that will not only stimulate you but also help you grow as a person.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Heatwave in Belgium
As I type this it is 34° here (93°F) and we are on lockdown in the house, trying to keep the heat out and some semblance of cool in. This means opening all the windows early in the morning and strategically closing them as well as the shutters as the sun moves around the house. Then we will open things up again as the sun goes down this evening.
No running for me today, too hot! Even my gym would not be an option, no air conditioning there either. Hopefully it will be cooler tomorrow for my first Zumba class, I don't intend to miss that!
Just said goodbye to my friend from Slovenia who was visiting us this afternoon, we just stayed inside and talked, and then tomorrow family from the US will be coming in for the weekend. They have never been to Leuven, so it will be the big tour of our town on Saturday. Luckily the heat wave will be done by then. Phew!
No running for me today, too hot! Even my gym would not be an option, no air conditioning there either. Hopefully it will be cooler tomorrow for my first Zumba class, I don't intend to miss that!
Just said goodbye to my friend from Slovenia who was visiting us this afternoon, we just stayed inside and talked, and then tomorrow family from the US will be coming in for the weekend. They have never been to Leuven, so it will be the big tour of our town on Saturday. Luckily the heat wave will be done by then. Phew!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
BFL Day 73: Killer Legs
It's going to be a hot day today, they are predicting 33°C, so I was glad I didn't have to run, only weights. I got off to the gym bright and early and realized I had forgotten my little cheat sheet listing all my exercises and weights. But actually by now, having done ten weeks, I pretty much know what I have to do, so I got started. The leg press at 100 kg was a killer today - after I finished everything my legs felt so wobbly I could barely get down the stairs to my bike. I do think the biking home is a good cool-down after lower body weights, but it's not easy!
At home, I made my new post-workout smoothie I have been enjoying since our trip to Blueberry Fields:
At home, I made my new post-workout smoothie I have been enjoying since our trip to Blueberry Fields:
- 1 cup blueberries
- small handfull fresh spinach
- two scoops protein powder
- half cup or so of soy milk
- 1 T ground flax seed
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1 packet of Truvia
It looks nasty, but tastes quite good!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BFL Day 72
I convinced Felix to join me at the gym this morning but I had to wait until his favorite morning show was done before he would come, so we got started kind of late, but I didn't mind too much as I was in one of those good cleaning up moods and kept very busy until we could leave. Plus the HIIT run takes such a short amount of time, which is a real bonus sometimes.
So we got to the gym, I got Felix settled on a bike right in front of my treadmill, and got started. One of my friends was there and she got on the treadmill next to me, luckily towards the end of my run, otherwise I would have felt kind of rude just ignoring her to finish out my intervals! I can't believe I am in my last two weeks of this challenge. Last week I was getting kind of sick of it, but now that I only have a few more days left, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
After my workout, Felix picked out a movie to take home (you can borrow DVD's for free at our gym) and then I noticed a sign: starting on Friday there will be a new Zumba class in the morning!! I am really excited because I had been wanting to try this class, but I never go to the gym in the evenings. Also it will be taught by the teacher I really like. Just the ticket to give me a much needed boost of enthusiasm. And since I have upper body weights on Friday I can easily combine it with the class. Anyone ever tried Zumba? I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
So we got to the gym, I got Felix settled on a bike right in front of my treadmill, and got started. One of my friends was there and she got on the treadmill next to me, luckily towards the end of my run, otherwise I would have felt kind of rude just ignoring her to finish out my intervals! I can't believe I am in my last two weeks of this challenge. Last week I was getting kind of sick of it, but now that I only have a few more days left, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
After my workout, Felix picked out a movie to take home (you can borrow DVD's for free at our gym) and then I noticed a sign: starting on Friday there will be a new Zumba class in the morning!! I am really excited because I had been wanting to try this class, but I never go to the gym in the evenings. Also it will be taught by the teacher I really like. Just the ticket to give me a much needed boost of enthusiasm. And since I have upper body weights on Friday I can easily combine it with the class. Anyone ever tried Zumba? I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Barefoot Park
In lieu of a run, we opted for an unusual workout yesterday - a hike in Barefoot Park! This is a special trail intended for people to walk, you guessed it, barefoot! We had done one several years ago in Germany and I still vividly remember how sore my legs were after that experience. So I knew it was a great lower body workout, using muscles you normally never use when wearing shoes.
We really enjoyed our morning (especially the coffee and cake at incredibly inexpensive prices - 1.50 for a coffee, 1.20 for a slice of any pie/cake - at the little snack bar afterwards) and after cleaning off our feet we decided to go to Maasmechelen Village, an outdoor outlet mall, which was not far off. We did some shopping, mostly for the boys plus a new suit for Stefaan - I did break down and got a pretty top (it was only 7.5 euros) for fall. Then it was our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner and then the long drive home (long in Belgium = 1 hour).
This morning it was Day 71 in Body for Life for me, and upper body weights. I was glad it was only upper body weights, for some reason that seems the least daunting. I got up later than I intended and headed off later than I like, but got it done and now this afternoon have to get some cleaning done as we are expecting guests at the end of the week.
We really enjoyed our morning (especially the coffee and cake at incredibly inexpensive prices - 1.50 for a coffee, 1.20 for a slice of any pie/cake - at the little snack bar afterwards) and after cleaning off our feet we decided to go to Maasmechelen Village, an outdoor outlet mall, which was not far off. We did some shopping, mostly for the boys plus a new suit for Stefaan - I did break down and got a pretty top (it was only 7.5 euros) for fall. Then it was our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner and then the long drive home (long in Belgium = 1 hour).
This morning it was Day 71 in Body for Life for me, and upper body weights. I was glad it was only upper body weights, for some reason that seems the least daunting. I got up later than I intended and headed off later than I like, but got it done and now this afternoon have to get some cleaning done as we are expecting guests at the end of the week.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
BFL Day 66
Wow 66 days already. Today was an upper body workout, got to the gym and did 20 minutes on the elliptical first and then got started. I noticed a young woman who also looked very serious about lifting weights today, she even had those weight lifting gloves on.
I have been experimenting with some new recipes. For my post-workout recovery shake I made a blueberry-spinach protein smoothie with tahini, I was inspired by a recipe I saw on one of the Operation Fat Blaster blogs, but I can't remember whose it was (sorry!) - it was actually quite good, in spite of the icky color.
For lunch, to use up some of the zucchini I got from my neighbor, I made the Zucchini Hummus recipe from "Raw Food Revolution" by Cherie Soria, which I have been wanting to try for a long time. It was delicious! I used it as a dressing on a chopped veggie salad for lunch, along with some homemade green veggie soup (my own recipe) which included spinach, broccoli, and yes, some zucchini.
I have been experimenting with some new recipes. For my post-workout recovery shake I made a blueberry-spinach protein smoothie with tahini, I was inspired by a recipe I saw on one of the Operation Fat Blaster blogs, but I can't remember whose it was (sorry!) - it was actually quite good, in spite of the icky color.
For lunch, to use up some of the zucchini I got from my neighbor, I made the Zucchini Hummus recipe from "Raw Food Revolution" by Cherie Soria, which I have been wanting to try for a long time. It was delicious! I used it as a dressing on a chopped veggie salad for lunch, along with some homemade green veggie soup (my own recipe) which included spinach, broccoli, and yes, some zucchini.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
BFL Recap Days 62-65
We have been very busy and this will be another busy week so hopefully I can keep on top of blogging my workouts, at the very least! Of course, more important than blogging about them is to actually DO them...
On Sunday we got up and went to the lake to run - we were time constrained as we had to be at my dear in-laws' house at noon, so we ended up doing 7 km in 45 minutes at a nice easy pace. I do notice that my "nice easy" pace has picked up since doing HIIT workouts for the past two months! A few months back, 7 km would take more like 50 minutes. And it definitely wasn't 'cause I was so excited to get to my in-laws, either!
On Monday, I had to get my lower body weights done at home, as we had plans to go to Blueberry Fields to pick blueberries with two friends of mine, and we had to take two bikes in to the bike shop before leaving as well. But I did the same at home version (with killer lunges) I did a few weeks ago, so I felt confident it would be a decent substitute. It was!
Today, I had two buddies come to the gym with me - my two younger sons! They became very intrigued by my gym when they heard you could get free soft drinks there and watch TV while on an exercise machine! So I promised them they could come for my next HIIT workout, since that doesn't take so much time. They were great! I got them set up on exercise bikes right in front of my treadmill, they found a cartoon channel right away and started pedalling! It wasn't long before they needed to take a pit stop at the drink machine, though...three times!
Then when I was done with my run, and hot and sweaty, they wanted me to show them the machine that Grandma had been going on and on about me doing 100 kg on! So I took them over to the leg press machine and warmed up with 10 reps at 70 kg, 10 reps at 80 kg, 8 reps at 90 kg, and then ... (drumroll please) ... 100 kg!! I did 8 reps and then stopped, and asked them if we should go for 110 kg. They said yes, so I upped the weight and did 5 reps at 110 kg! I asked them if we should try 120, but they decided that was enough for today, we could try that next time. Actually, I think they were getting bored and wanted to try it themselves so I let them both take a turn at 10 kg. Gillis said it's harder than it looks.
At least they weren't like Bruce Willis' kid in the movie "Unbreakable" - does anyone remember the scene where Bruce is bench pressing in his basement and his son keeps adding more weight without telling him? We just saw this movie this weekend and the other thing I thought was hilarious is the scene when the boy is threatening to shoot his dad (because he thinks he is a super hero, and wants to prove his dad is invincible, NOT because he wants to hurt him) and Bruce Willis uses the famous parenting trick of the slow and threatening count to three: "Put that down! 1..... 2..... " and then just before he gets to three, the kid puts it down - it always amazes me how that always works, in our house too! Like, what is supposed to happen if you actually get to three??? Somehow, mysteriously, you never do...
On Sunday we got up and went to the lake to run - we were time constrained as we had to be at my dear in-laws' house at noon, so we ended up doing 7 km in 45 minutes at a nice easy pace. I do notice that my "nice easy" pace has picked up since doing HIIT workouts for the past two months! A few months back, 7 km would take more like 50 minutes. And it definitely wasn't 'cause I was so excited to get to my in-laws, either!
On Monday, I had to get my lower body weights done at home, as we had plans to go to Blueberry Fields to pick blueberries with two friends of mine, and we had to take two bikes in to the bike shop before leaving as well. But I did the same at home version (with killer lunges) I did a few weeks ago, so I felt confident it would be a decent substitute. It was!
Today, I had two buddies come to the gym with me - my two younger sons! They became very intrigued by my gym when they heard you could get free soft drinks there and watch TV while on an exercise machine! So I promised them they could come for my next HIIT workout, since that doesn't take so much time. They were great! I got them set up on exercise bikes right in front of my treadmill, they found a cartoon channel right away and started pedalling! It wasn't long before they needed to take a pit stop at the drink machine, though...three times!
Then when I was done with my run, and hot and sweaty, they wanted me to show them the machine that Grandma had been going on and on about me doing 100 kg on! So I took them over to the leg press machine and warmed up with 10 reps at 70 kg, 10 reps at 80 kg, 8 reps at 90 kg, and then ... (drumroll please) ... 100 kg!! I did 8 reps and then stopped, and asked them if we should go for 110 kg. They said yes, so I upped the weight and did 5 reps at 110 kg! I asked them if we should try 120, but they decided that was enough for today, we could try that next time. Actually, I think they were getting bored and wanted to try it themselves so I let them both take a turn at 10 kg. Gillis said it's harder than it looks.
At least they weren't like Bruce Willis' kid in the movie "Unbreakable" - does anyone remember the scene where Bruce is bench pressing in his basement and his son keeps adding more weight without telling him? We just saw this movie this weekend and the other thing I thought was hilarious is the scene when the boy is threatening to shoot his dad (because he thinks he is a super hero, and wants to prove his dad is invincible, NOT because he wants to hurt him) and Bruce Willis uses the famous parenting trick of the slow and threatening count to three: "Put that down! 1..... 2..... " and then just before he gets to three, the kid puts it down - it always amazes me how that always works, in our house too! Like, what is supposed to happen if you actually get to three??? Somehow, mysteriously, you never do...
Friday, August 7, 2009
BFL Day 61: Make That a Double
Today I had to do both a HIIT run and upper body weights, because yesterday I was stuck at home waiting for my new washing machine to be delivered (did I mention that it also pooped out on us?) and then we had to go collect the carpet and supplies for the installer who was to arrive early this morning to install it. And then since it was the hottest day of the year in Belgium, anyway, the boys and I met a friend and her son at the outdoor swimming pool to cool off.
But all this running around and working in the house has been worth it. May I introduce the "Tiffany Room" (the color Felix picked out is exactly the color of Tiffany jewelry bags and boxes - I don't know if you can tell in the picture but I checked it out with a real Tiffany bag I have and it is exactly the right shade):
And then, just installed this morning, our new carpeted stairs:
It looks and sounds fabulous - it was so loud with my boys running up and down the wooden staircase, I am so glad we have carpet again!
So after I got all the carpet bits vacuumed up and helped Felix move into his new room (and I was good and hot and sweaty), I finally left for the gym at 2:45 - which is very late for me. But I was determined to get both workouts done, because I don't want to miss anymore workouts the rest of the 12 weeks, and because I really didn't want to have to go to the gym on a Saturday morning.
So I perservered, did my HIIT run - it went well, although it was tough with the heat and humidity. And then I did my upper body weights, looking really gross and sweaty, I have to admit, so I was glad when I was finished and could head home again on my bike. My arms are wobbly and my neck and upper back is killing me, but I am a happy girl. Have a nice weekend everyone!
But all this running around and working in the house has been worth it. May I introduce the "Tiffany Room" (the color Felix picked out is exactly the color of Tiffany jewelry bags and boxes - I don't know if you can tell in the picture but I checked it out with a real Tiffany bag I have and it is exactly the right shade):
And then, just installed this morning, our new carpeted stairs:
It looks and sounds fabulous - it was so loud with my boys running up and down the wooden staircase, I am so glad we have carpet again!
So after I got all the carpet bits vacuumed up and helped Felix move into his new room (and I was good and hot and sweaty), I finally left for the gym at 2:45 - which is very late for me. But I was determined to get both workouts done, because I don't want to miss anymore workouts the rest of the 12 weeks, and because I really didn't want to have to go to the gym on a Saturday morning.
So I perservered, did my HIIT run - it went well, although it was tough with the heat and humidity. And then I did my upper body weights, looking really gross and sweaty, I have to admit, so I was glad when I was finished and could head home again on my bike. My arms are wobbly and my neck and upper back is killing me, but I am a happy girl. Have a nice weekend everyone!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
BFL Day 59: 100 KG!
Stefaan helped me get my bike into the car this morning so I could drop the car off at the garage and then continue onto the gym with by bike. At the garage I was glad I had built up a lot more upper body strength in the last 8 weeks because I was able to wrestle it back out again all by myself.
After handing over the keys to our friendly garage people, I headed off to the gym, stopping at my favorite natural foods store which was right on my way. I recently found a kamut bulghur there which is high in protein (17g per 100g) for a grain and really yummy.
Today was lower body. I was already warmed up from all the biking! So I got started on the leg press machine and for the first time today, I hit the 100 KG mark! It was tough but felt good to be able to do it.
I finished off the rest of the workout and headed home under the blazing sun. We are bracing ourselves for another Belgian "heatwave" the next couple days, but it does feel good to have some warm sunny weather.
The laminate floor was all installed and looked beautiful - all I had to do was vacuum up all the dust so we can move the furniture later today. And oh, yes, call the garage to hear what was up with the car... Turns out it was the air conditioner's compressor and it's going to be at least 500 euros for the part to fix it - AAAARG! This has been one heck of an expensive month.
After handing over the keys to our friendly garage people, I headed off to the gym, stopping at my favorite natural foods store which was right on my way. I recently found a kamut bulghur there which is high in protein (17g per 100g) for a grain and really yummy.
Today was lower body. I was already warmed up from all the biking! So I got started on the leg press machine and for the first time today, I hit the 100 KG mark! It was tough but felt good to be able to do it.
I finished off the rest of the workout and headed home under the blazing sun. We are bracing ourselves for another Belgian "heatwave" the next couple days, but it does feel good to have some warm sunny weather.
The laminate floor was all installed and looked beautiful - all I had to do was vacuum up all the dust so we can move the furniture later today. And oh, yes, call the garage to hear what was up with the car... Turns out it was the air conditioner's compressor and it's going to be at least 500 euros for the part to fix it - AAAARG! This has been one heck of an expensive month.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
BFL Day 58 - HIIT and miss
Beautiful sunny morning, off on my bike to the gym bright and early, but first to the post office to mail a birthday present to a friend - and the lines weren't too bad, cool! Then at the gym, I had my choice of all the treadmills, I picked the one in the most shade, and got going. As I turned my Ipod on, I noticed the little red light indicating the battery was low - oh no! I hoped it would hold out at least for half of my HIIT run, because how would I be able to hold onto those fast speeds without my music to keep my going? I was lucky, it lasted the first ten minutes before it died on me.
It was hard to keep going when all I could hear was the slapping of my feet and the purring of the treadmill, but I kept thinking, better on a short fast interval run than on a long, slow one. At least switching up the speed every minute keeps my brain busy. I did manage to finish, all hot and sweaty. Had a nice chat with one of the ladies from Bodyvive and then headed home.
Painter husband was painting, boys were busy with computer. Then it was my turn on the compter, I typed this whole blog and got ready to post, but nothing would happen, the internet service was blocked. Aargh! After trying to fix the problem I decided it wasn't worth getting all stressed about. So I got two of the boys to go to the Brico with me (the Belgian Home Depot) to get supplies to finish a job fixing my kitchen cabinet which had to be sawed open to fix a leaky pipe a few months ago. As we left, the car made a horrible noise and the air conditioning blew blow-dryer hot air and a bad smell. So we turned back to call the garage. Fortunately, they could squeeze us in tomorrow to have a look, and they thought it was probably not a big deal (keeping our fingers crossed tight on this one). Since they assured us it was okay to drive, just not without air conditioner running, we headed out again to get our supplies. We found everything we needed and more and I am happy to say I managed to fix up my under sink cupboard nice and neat, hiding the pit, and installing a brand new garbage can installation to boot!
We just pulled off all the tape from the freshly painted hall and stairs (looks gorgeous, nice and fresh) and I thought I would quickly attempt to blog again before emptying out the bedroom which will be re-floored early tomorrow morning! Hope it works! (It did, phew! I better go to bed while I'm ahead!)
It was hard to keep going when all I could hear was the slapping of my feet and the purring of the treadmill, but I kept thinking, better on a short fast interval run than on a long, slow one. At least switching up the speed every minute keeps my brain busy. I did manage to finish, all hot and sweaty. Had a nice chat with one of the ladies from Bodyvive and then headed home.
Painter husband was painting, boys were busy with computer. Then it was my turn on the compter, I typed this whole blog and got ready to post, but nothing would happen, the internet service was blocked. Aargh! After trying to fix the problem I decided it wasn't worth getting all stressed about. So I got two of the boys to go to the Brico with me (the Belgian Home Depot) to get supplies to finish a job fixing my kitchen cabinet which had to be sawed open to fix a leaky pipe a few months ago. As we left, the car made a horrible noise and the air conditioning blew blow-dryer hot air and a bad smell. So we turned back to call the garage. Fortunately, they could squeeze us in tomorrow to have a look, and they thought it was probably not a big deal (keeping our fingers crossed tight on this one). Since they assured us it was okay to drive, just not without air conditioner running, we headed out again to get our supplies. We found everything we needed and more and I am happy to say I managed to fix up my under sink cupboard nice and neat, hiding the pit, and installing a brand new garbage can installation to boot!
We just pulled off all the tape from the freshly painted hall and stairs (looks gorgeous, nice and fresh) and I thought I would quickly attempt to blog again before emptying out the bedroom which will be re-floored early tomorrow morning! Hope it works! (It did, phew! I better go to bed while I'm ahead!)
Monday, August 3, 2009
BFL Day 57: four weeks to go!
Day 57 and the first day of my last four weeks. I really want to step it up and get the most out of these next four weeks after all the effort I have put in. Last week was tough, my husband was home and we were doing renovation work in the house and trying to squeeze in fun activities for the boys, which meant the two biggest and worst obstacles for me were fully present all week: being out of my routine and being disorganized!
As long as I can get into a groove and have the mental space and energy to keep myself organized, everything seems to go really well for me. It's the times that I can't, that really trip me up. I try my best to do damage control but it is hard when I feel like I am running around trying to do all these additional projects and activities when the usual household jobs still need to be done, as well. So the consequence of last week's disorganization and lack of routine was that I missed two BFL workouts (one HIIT run and one lower body weights) and you guessed it...I am up on the scale this morning. AAARGH! I do know that part of my scale weight has to do with us being invited to my husband's cousin's house for an all day Belgian lunch extravaganza yesterday, and all the salty and fatty "treats" she served not to mention the wine I drank. I felt so bloated when we got home last night, it was awful! Today I have been drinking a lot of water to flush everything out, and been hitting the bathroom like crazy - I had to go three times just while I was at the gym this morning which is not normal for me at all. I am reserving judgement til I hit the scale tomorrow after a day of clean eating!
And, instead of letting it get myself down, I have decided to put my best effort into the coming four weeks. It won't be easy, we have several invitations to more typically Belgian food blow-outs, we will be having company at the end of the month and my husband will be home for another two weeks during this time, but I just have to stop letting things get in the way of my goal.
So this morning I headed for the gym to do an upper body weight workout. It went really well, I pushed myself and upped the weights on several of the exercises. I didn't let anyone freak me out! Even though there was this girl doing vigorous punching exercises with dumbbells in her hands and she just had to stand right behind the bench I was lying on to do French presses - I just kept thinking, girl, please don't drop those weights! She was very vocal too - scary! But at the same time, I was impressed with the way she dared to be different. Which brings me to a great quote I got recently from Marianne Williamson's podcast:
As long as I can get into a groove and have the mental space and energy to keep myself organized, everything seems to go really well for me. It's the times that I can't, that really trip me up. I try my best to do damage control but it is hard when I feel like I am running around trying to do all these additional projects and activities when the usual household jobs still need to be done, as well. So the consequence of last week's disorganization and lack of routine was that I missed two BFL workouts (one HIIT run and one lower body weights) and you guessed it...I am up on the scale this morning. AAARGH! I do know that part of my scale weight has to do with us being invited to my husband's cousin's house for an all day Belgian lunch extravaganza yesterday, and all the salty and fatty "treats" she served not to mention the wine I drank. I felt so bloated when we got home last night, it was awful! Today I have been drinking a lot of water to flush everything out, and been hitting the bathroom like crazy - I had to go three times just while I was at the gym this morning which is not normal for me at all. I am reserving judgement til I hit the scale tomorrow after a day of clean eating!
And, instead of letting it get myself down, I have decided to put my best effort into the coming four weeks. It won't be easy, we have several invitations to more typically Belgian food blow-outs, we will be having company at the end of the month and my husband will be home for another two weeks during this time, but I just have to stop letting things get in the way of my goal.
So this morning I headed for the gym to do an upper body weight workout. It went really well, I pushed myself and upped the weights on several of the exercises. I didn't let anyone freak me out! Even though there was this girl doing vigorous punching exercises with dumbbells in her hands and she just had to stand right behind the bench I was lying on to do French presses - I just kept thinking, girl, please don't drop those weights! She was very vocal too - scary! But at the same time, I was impressed with the way she dared to be different. Which brings me to a great quote I got recently from Marianne Williamson's podcast:
What someone else thinks of me is none of my business.
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