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Workouts, Wii and L.A. Fitness

June 14, 2009 By 4 Comments

It was a definitely a feeling of defeat this week (until today that is, which you can read about at the end of this blog post).  I have been facing so many weight loss and fitness challenges this month and have been pretty miserable.  I am one who can’t stand complaining so I’m really not going to waste much energy feeling sorry for myself ha ha but I truly want my body to work again.  Still have the tingly arm/hand from when I had that pulled muscle in my neck and then I hurt my sciatica plus I have an infected tooth.  Feel like I’m falling apart.  I am praying that I will be back to normal by July so I can start the 30 Day Shred and get back to a normal routine.  Only 6 months to go until our awesome Jamaican vacation so I really want to kick some bootay.

Please just keep good thoughts for me that I will be able to get back to normal soon.  I appreciate all the support I get from my online friends.  Don’t worry, I’m not giving up…I will keep on pushing through and I will meet all the goals I have set for myself.

I’m not going to set any fitness goals for this next week but I will promise to do my best!

Workout stats for the week of June 8-14, 2009

Monday-

*Walk outside
Time: 20 min.

*Spin (my own play list)
Time: 50 min.
Calories burned: 519

Tuesday-

*Strength Training
Time: 20 min.

Resistance bands and weights
30 bicycle crunches
30 clamshell crunches

*Walk outside
Time: 20 min.

Wednesday-

*Walk outside
Time: 20 min.

*Spin & Core class
Time: 58 min.
Calories burned: 619

Thursday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Friday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Saturday-

*Walk outside
Time: 40 min.

Sunday-

*Day Off

Now for today’s news!  We left this afternoon to go shopping at Gurnee Mills mall just to pick up these awesome foaming  hand soaps from Bath and Body Works but we also did a lot more.  As we were having lunch at The Rainforest Cafe, Kev saw a sign at Game Stop that said they had Wii Fit in stock so we went over and decided to buy Wii Fit.  I was so excited!  Hubs has been setting it up and playing with it for a while and I just did my Wii Fit Mii profile.  Might try some of the exercises in a bit but I don’t want to overdo it with my back especially because of this next bit of AWESOME info but first

Do you have Wii Fit?  If so, share anything you think we should know about it. Online groups, blogs, etc.

On our way home, Kev pulled into the parking lot of an  L.A. Fitness sports club because we had talked about the possibility of maybe switching fitness centers in the next 6 months since our current one has made some changes we don’t agree with and well, the L.A. Fitness center was so beautiful and the deal was something we could not pass up so we joined on the spot.

It’s going to be a hard month because we paid an initiation fee and first and last months dues there plus we still have to pay 45 days more to our other fitness center because they have a crazy 45 day written cancellation notice.  BUT we are so darn excited about it because spinning classes (called cycling there) will be 2x a week AND we will have aqua fit classes 2x a week.  This L.A. Fitness center just opened in January so it’s immaculate and I love the variety of equipment too.  We can even play volleyball, basketball and racquetball there. It’s further away from our house but only by about 15 min. so we’ll deal with it.

I’m OVER feeling defeated and can’t wait to get back to the grind even if it’s not this week.

How were your workouts last week and what are your goals for this week?

And lastly do any of you take aqua fit classes?  Any tips would be appreciated.

Hope you have a great week!

 
Filed Under: Daily Exercise Log Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Spinning/Indoor Cycling

April 24, 2009 By 9 Comments

Happy Friday!  It’s time for your Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Tip.

Today’s Tip:  Spinning/Indoor Cycling is a great cardio workout

Spinning is an indoor cycling program where you ride on a special stationary bicycle (called spin bikes).  Most gyms/fitness centers offer spin classes to their members. In a spin class, you usually ride to up beat music and have an instructor who talks you through a simulated outdoor ride.

There are 3 hand positions used during spinning and all hand grips should be a light grasp.

Hand Position 1- warming up and cooling down while seated

Hand Position 2- more intense movements like running, jumping and seated climbs, it’s a stable position for when you are out of the saddle (off the bike seat)

Hand Position 3- out of saddle climbs

At times you’ll do sprints where you pedal quickly and times you’ll use adjustable resistance where it makes it much harder to ride the spin bike.  There are a wide variety of riding positions that you’ll do during spinning classes such as seated flat, seated climb, standing flat, standing climb and jumps.

We usually attend a spin class 3-4 times a week and love the calorie burn.  During a spinning class, you’ll need good stiff soled shoes (spinning shoes are preferred), a towel or two, a water bottle and a heart rate monitor.  A heart rate monitor is not absolutely necessary so if you don’t have one, you’ll just go by RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).

*Hubby just got a pair of new spinning shoes from everyone at his work for his birthday.  Lucky guy!  I’m telling you this because up until this past weekend we were both wearing our New Balance shoes for spinning and they work fine.  I’m still wearing them during spin class but hope to one day get a pair of spinning shoes for myself.  Don’t let not having spinning shoes deter you from attending a class.

During every spin class the instructor should help new riders adjust their bikes to get the right fit (you’ll want to arrive early if you’re new to spinning), check form, heart rate, etc.  If you ever need anything during the spin class be sure to let the instructor know.

You can read more about spinning here:

Spinning/Indoor Cycling on Wikipedia

And a while ago I wrote a blog post on the Benefits of Exercise Bikes so you might gain a better understanding on what exercise bikes can actually do for you.

Spinning class is fun and I recommend if you have the opportunity to try one out.  If you are wondering what a spin bike looks like this spin bike is similar to the ones we use at the gym but this RealRyder indoor training bike is a dream.

It’s the first non-stationary spin/training bike that mimics a true outdoor ride where you tilt, turn and twist.  Sooo cool!  The instability of the bike makes you engage your core and upper body muscles which you usually don’t use on a traditional stationary bike.  Just imagine the calories you’ll burn on this puppy.  A great cardio workout for sure!  See the bike in action.  This would be awesome to have here at home!

Do you spin?  Any recommendations for women’s spinning shoes? I would love to hear about your experience and anything else you can add.

 
Filed Under: Friday Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Tips Tagged With: ,

 

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