It’s the 5th of January already! Where does the time go? I have a feeling that this year is just going to fly by as fast as 2010.
Anyways…
I woke up bright and early to hit the gym before I started work in the lab. I thought I would just go for it and do a major cardio session. In total I managed 1 hour and 20 minutes :P! I did 20 minutes on the treadmill with at a peak speed of 10.1, a 30 minute interval training session on the cross trainer and 30 minutes on the bike. It was just a case of plugging in the headphones and just listening to my music and before I knew it the time had just ticked away. I really enjoyed it, but it was a total sweat fest. It wasn’t pretty at all!
Breakfast was a small bowl of banana and peanut butter oats with some detox tea. I was unsure about eating something so heavy before my workout, but because I kept the portion smaller than usual I really didn’t feel nauseous during all that cardio.
After freshening up my belly was actually rumbling rather loudly. I was expecting this so I came prepared. I after work out snack was a Pulsin’ Bliss Bar and two clementines. This bar was really delicious and really hit those hunger pangs. It also has a great ingredient list such as, maca, dates, cashew butter, Ashwagandha Root and green tea extract to name a few.
For lunch I packed a yummy bowl of Roasted Garlic, Rosemary and Pumpkin Soup.
I topped it with some cinnamon roasted pumpkin seeds and served it with three sweet onion Ryvita crackers.
This is so easy to make and the ingredient list is really simple to:
- half of a pumpkin
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsps of dried rosemary
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
One of Alfie’s pics! 😀
Chop the pumpkin in half, clean out the cavity and place on a baking tray. Cut the cloves of garlic in half and rub around the outside edges of the cut side of the pumpkin and then place in the hollowed out cavity. Sprinkle with dried rosemary and roast in the oven until the pumpkin is cooked through. Once cooked scoop out the pumpkin flesh and place in a blender with some the stock. I found that one pumpkin half with 1 litre of stock gave the soup a nice consistency.
Eat and enjoy!
Afternoon snackage came in the form of some low fat Yeo Valley blueberry yoghurt and an apple…
When I got home I was still sore from the gym so I decided to stretch my limbs with some yoga positions from fitnessmagazine.com, including the cobra, pigeon, warrior pose and some sun salutations. There’s nothing like a spot of yoga for some serious limb stretching.
Dinner tonight was quick and easy. I had two vegetarian sausages, steamed savoy cabbage, some pumpkin and parsnip chips with some Butter Bean Dip…tasty!
…and I’m now snacking on some Wonderful Salt and Pepper Pistachios and a large bowl of lychees:
I love these weird looking things!
Now that I have joined the gym I need to formulate some kind of fitness schedule. By the end of this week I’m hoping to have everything down on paper so that I know what I am doing each day without having to think about it. Having a schedule for me is important so that I put all my energy into my exercises instead of faffing around thinking about what to do next. This way there is no need to think and I can just concentrate on working out with maximum effort. Tomorrow I think I will concentrate on some muscular structure and some toning work to give my poor legs a break from the cardio. They still feel like jelly :S!!! I’ll be back in the gym on Friday and there is a spinning class scheduled on Sunday that I am going to attend…wohoo! 😀
Do you have a workout routine that you stick to or do you just go with the flow? How important do you think it is to have a fitness schedule?
oo yummy eats! i def think its a good idea to have a schedule but to be able adjust without feeling any guilt!
I’m going to put something together this weekend that I will be abke to change around if I am busy and don’t have time for a longer workout. 😀
I love having a routine as then I dont need to think about it, I just do it. It fitd around the 2 classes I do, and having a long run at the weekend. I do some weeks swap things around, but normally my routine is the same each week. 🙂
That’s great that you have allowed yourself the flexibility to swap things around a little. I think I will have to do the same as sometimes my working routine can be a little hectic.
I don’t really schedule what I’m going to do on each day, but I do have an idea of what I want to accomplish during the week and just work towards it. Glad you had fun at the gym!
I’m loving the gym already. It’s a really nice change! 🙂
I always have a written workout schedule that I plan into my diary to make sure that I don’t miss workouts, it works really well for me. I also think its useful to have a plan so that you can track your progress, fitness plans are also best changed up every 4 – 6 weeks to ensure that your still challenging yourself – I wouldn’t have a clue if I didn’t have a plan!
Thanks for the advice. I think it’s a great idea and I will be definitely changing my routines up every 4-6 weeks for thatextra challenge and to stop the boredom!
I have a schedule that I mostly stick to, but like to shake it up fairly often! And I change it pretty regularly too to keep things fresh 🙂
I think I am going to change my schedule every 4-6 weeks to keep challenging myself! x
I have written out a fitness plan for January to keep in check. 2 weeks then repeated I think its a great idea, if you have a plan you stick to it x x
I totally agree. When everything is set in stone there is no going back! x
I know what you mean about aching from the Gym! I went back to the fitness studio this week after a 6 week break (my body is a mess right now) and started with the back to back kettlebell and power plate classes and I literally can’t raise my arms above my head or get up the stairs!! Must press on though! xx
Ouch! That sounds painful and sore. I have never used kettle bells before. Keep up the good work though! x
The Pulsin’ Bliss Bar looks good! When I go to the gym I have a loose idea of what I want to do, I have to flexible deepening on how much time I have and what equipment is available- my gum is pretty small!
The Pulsin bar was delcious!
I think schedules are deeply personal: some people like to mix it up, others prefer a rigid training plan. I think it’s better to do whatever gets you there basically! There’s no point in being overly structured if that justs leads to boredom, and mixing it up works all the different muscle groups more effectively than doggedly sticking to one regime anyway. I’d just stick with whatever you enjoy the most.
Even when racing, I don’t follow a training plan as such. But it works for some folks ~ the trick is to know thyself well and don’t force yourself to do things that bore you. I love running, spinning and Body Pump but loathe gym machines. I think you’re such a dedicated person that you’ll do well whether you set out a plan or not! And with such healthy eats, even if you did miss a workout it wouldn’t be detrimental in my opinion 🙂
I think I want to get everything down on paper so then know what I am going to do and what I have done in the past. That way I wil be able o challenge myself the next time I shake up my routine. I am looking to change my routine every 4-6 weeks or simply when I get bored.
Tried the pumpkin, garlic and rosemary soup recipe last night. It was so easy to make and really delicious! I even had some left overs for my lunch today. Yummy..