Zuzana's pep talk

Today I watched Zuzana's latest pep talk and it was exactly what I needed. I fell off the wagon with my food choices and working out (because of illness) and now that I feel fine I'm regaining my strength and determination to make better choices in life.

When Zuzana mentioned effort and hard work we have to put into whichever area of our lives we choose, this was it. Besides that, she said that every day is a new start and we have to allow ourselves fresh starts. I totally agree with her.

Working hard means paying attention and it often coincides with fresh starts. When we decide to allow ourselves to stop what isn't working for us and look for something different, better and fulfilling, we are often faced with something unknown. New circumstances often require learning, being alert, more brain activity and openness to receiving much more than usual. It's also connected with what we want, with our desires, not so much with our decisions. We have to be determined not to let go, determined to pick ourselves up when we fall, but what drives us comes from within, from our hearts, if you wish, not from knowing what is right and what should be done. The core of our transformation is settled in our most basic needs, our brain is just a tool to help us find ways to achieve what we desire.

I believe that every human being wants to be happy in life. What differs are ways we pick to achieve happiness and satisfaction. It brings peace to our minds and souls. I'll end my post here and wish you all a fresh start - may it be day or night. ;)

ZWOW #9

I came back to exercising after nearly three weeks of rest. I got really sick during that time so I needed time to recover. Now I feel fine and am ready to get back on track with exercising and eating right (I really fell off the wagon during this time and I think this contributed to worsening of my conditioin).

Today I did ZWOW #9 and I must tell you three weeks of stationary lifestyle SHOWS! I nearly died doing it. ;) Anyway, here's the workout breakdown:
AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 10 min
1. Santana push up - 10 reps
2. 3 pike plyo tuck - 10 reps
3. crab toe touches - 30 reps
4. low jacks - 20 reps
Did 2 full rounds and 10 Santana push ups. I decided that I'm going to finish third round and did it in 12:15 min. I had most problems with plyo tucks - legs are my weakest part of the body, I guess. Will work on that.

I also decided that I'm going to start running after a long time. My first goal is to run one hour without taking breaks in between, and it would be great if I ran 10 km during that time. I guess running three times a week should be enough to achieve my goal.

Paleo update #2 and me being sick :P

My paleo journey is WONDERFUL, I'v never felt better, lighter and satisfied! :))) I feel free to enjoy many lovely and tasty foods and treats like dark chocolate, cacao (of which I spoke in one of my posts), I also treated myself with couple glasses of red wine and I "supply" myself with almonds. But I feel like I tend to have some of that too often and too much of it.

As I mentioned before, I tend to be lazy and thus I reach for cottage cheese, almonds, cacao and yoghurt when I feel hungry. I rarely make myself eggs or meat with vegetables. I cook when I do it for two of us, me and my boyfriend. Otherwise I reach for something that is easy to prepare or doesn't need preparation whatsoever. Usually these foods are ones mentioned above plus fruit (apples and oranges). It's not the first time I'm experiencing something like that, I used to reach for roasted and salted peanuts or pastries with cheese and ham (thankfully not anymore:). I feel all these extra fats (in nuts) and dairy products are making me phlegmy.

I also got sick during the weekend. I now have inflammation of the bladder. I drink bearberry tea and water and it seems to help, I'm feeling better. Luckily I started drinking this tea early enough and I won't need medication to cure the disease (again!). :) Even if eating too much of the above is not the reason for my current condition, it got me thinking. What if I'm exaggerating with dairy and fat intake and if I'm not helping myself this way? What if it was better for me to go back to eating grains and stop this overdozing with what's supposed to be healthy and good for me?

Well, if I'm completely honest, I didn't think of quitting even once. I love this way of eating, it's just it requests some effort of me and even though I don't like to admit it, it's something "new" for me, something I'm not used to. I obviously want something better for myself, it's just a question of my will and willingness to make effort in this direction. And this was always a struggle for me. :P

Today I ate my last piece of chocolate that was waiting for me in the drawer :) and stuffed my face with cottage cheese. I have to decide, where I want to go from here. Do I want to continue my day drinking cocoa and munching on almonds or start my next meal with veggies? Do I want to start my next day with a package of cottage cheese or make myself some eggs with carrots on the side? These are just a few examples of what I'm going to focus on this week. I want to make more effort in making good choices for myself and thus gain more satisfaction and self-confidence. If I'm doing something I know I put some effort in it, I can give myself some credit for it and be proud of myself. This is what I want.

This week's theme and new decisions

During the last few days I noticed that doing only Zuzana's and bodyrock workouts isn't enough for me. I lack physical condition and I can't achieve endurance level I want to by jump rope jumping at home. It's good for fat loss, but not for overall conditioning. This is why I intend to incorporate running to my weekly routine.

I was running for a couple months a few years ago, but I was way skinnier back then and since then I randomly ran when I decided on taking a walk. But that's not enough for me.

On Wednesday I got invited to join a group of recreative runners on Tuesday to come. That's why I went for a run with my boyfriend. I was huffing and puffing and was very unpleased with myself. But then I decided that I'm going to finish what I started and managed to complete the course we decided on. It's really nice to accomplish something, but I know and feel I can do more. What is more, I want to be able to have more endurance. I think it's a part of common physical fitness.

I aim to be able to run for an hour or 10 km at least. This is my goal. I don't want to run marathons and this kind of physical and mental exhaustion doesn't make much sense to me. Besides having nice muscle tone I want to be in good physical condition, that's all. Health is my priority.

This decision does not exclude workouts, far from it. I just decided that this week I'm adding an extra 20 min of jump rope skipping after workouts. And since I realised that the weakest are my legs, I will focus on building "leg strength" this week. I will pick shorter workouts that focus on legs and butt and add skipping afterwards. I will definately do ZWOW #8 and maybe pick some workouts from bodyrock archive.

That's it for now, wish me luck on Tuesday! :)

Glory to the booty

Today's was leg-aching, ab torture cardio murder. :P I did it once before, I knew it would be tough, but I gave it a go and now I feel like I've accomplished something. :) Besides that, I managed to beat my old score by approx. 3 min!

Workout breakdown:

1. high knees - 100 reps
2. ricebag backward lunge kick up - 50 reps each leg (ouch!)
3. high knees - 100 reps
4. ricebag squat - 100 reps (ouch!)
5. high knees - 100 reps
6. sit ups - 25 reps
7. side crunch - 25 reps each side
8. bicycle - 25 reps (OUCH!)

My time was 19:28 min using 7 kg in my bag. I feel I still have some reserve, I could do it at least 2 min faster. That is my challenge for next time I'm doing it.

Pumped up kicks

Today I revisited workout that I did approx. two months ago. It was renamed into Booty lover, but since I didn't have time to finish all the bonuses that came with it, I just did the older version. :)

Breakdown (I added an extra set of jump rope skipping in the beginning to finish total 16 min):
24 rounds 10/30 intervals
1. high knees - 82, 80
2. frog jump & 2 push ups - 5, 5
3. high knees - 58, 66
4. clean & press, squat & press - 5, 6
5. high knees - 71, 70
6. around the world (love this name :) & squat - 8, 8
7. high knees - 69, 70
8. jump lunge & twist - 8, 8
9. high knees - 39 (tangling, tripping :P), 61
10. elevated push ups - 12, 11
11. high knees - 65, 67
12. side & center leg lifts - 6, 6

Ab bonus (3 rounds 10/50 intervals)
1. side plank bottom leg tuck (I named it :) (L) - 25
2. knee raises - 22
3. side plank bottom leg tuck (R) - 26

I was using 7 kg weight in my bag (for jump lunges and squats), two chairs for my dip station. I had major muslce soreness in my shoulders, so I could not manage more leg lifts, planks and push ups. I am proud of myself in terms of jump rope skipping, because this is the first time I managed to do 80 and more skips during 30 second interval. Yaaaaay! :))) Usually I would do about 65, 70 in the beginning of a workout. I'm definately making some progress! :)))

Paleo update #1

On Monday I was one week into paleo way of eating, moving and so on. I must say that I feel incredible good, no cravings whatsoever, energy levels normal and I never overeat, with what I had problems with for a long time.

Even though I would like to loose some of my body fat, because I have some extra that I can do without, I don't calculate grams of carbs, proteins and fat I consume during the day. Honestly, I don't feel like paying attention to it. I read that 50-100 grams of carbs per day is enough for your body to start using stored fat as its fuel, but wondering, if I can consume an extra orange or not simply does not make any sense to me. I eat what I feel like at the moment and how much I feel like eating. Because I know I can't reach the carb intake I used to when I was eating bread, sweets and pasta. Even if I make some excess considering grams of carbs, I usually balance it the next day. I don't even feel like eating a lot of sugary items (fruit and dark chocolate) after a day of my sweet tooth raging. ;)

You are probably wondering, why I mention dark chocolate with paleo way of eating. Shouldn't it be just meat, vegetables and healthy fats? Mostly yes, but dark chocolate is allowed. It helps me gain some energy, if I lack it, and I consider it helpful in terms of avoiding stuffing my face with sweets like I could before. You can read more about benefits of eating dark chocolate, when you're going paleo here. To me, the best one is that with 85% of cocoa, because I can't eat a lot of it at once (because I would feel sick), it gives me some pleasure and I have no cravings for more or for something sweet (that I can't say for milk chocolate, it insanely calls for more!:P). I also make myself cocoa from time to time. I use full fat fresh milk and raw cocoa powder. No sugar, no sweetener and in my opinion it tastes wonderful, it's warm and perfect for late evening treat. ;)

What I have to focus on more is eating more vegetables and proteins. I confess, I'm prone to laziness, so I usually go with almonds, yoghurt and cottage cheese or take an apple when I'm hungry. I noticed that I started to loose some of my strength doing my workouts and because I want to progress in terms of my strength and overall performance and health (plus get rid of excess fat), I need to beat my laziness and start preparing my food. Like I do with cocoa. ;)

What is more, I go outside more frequently, meet with friends and catch some sunlight. We have lovely winter here in Slovenia, it's really warm this year and there was practically no snow - my kind of winter! :) I needed fresh air and to feel warmth of rays on my face really bad. I guess my skin is to improve some time soon, but I don't want to make assumptions too quickly and jump to conclusions. Let's see what the future brings, shall we? ;)

So far, so good. I'm pleased with how I feel, eat and live at the moment. Finally I own the feeling that I have myself under control. No more emotional eating and no more cravings. Decision has been made and the will to stick with it is strong. Where there's a will, there's a way. :)

Super hot booty

JESUS! I'm DYING here!!! :) I did this one on an empty stomach and it felt good, but I literally drained myself, every last bit of energy I had left after my morning coffee ... XP :)
Anyway, here's the workout breakdown:

#1 (12x10/10)
plie jump squats/mountain climbers
#2 high knees with jump rope - 200 reps
#3 (12x10/10)
jump lunges/mountain climbers
#4 (6x10/40)
1. forward/side lunge with ricebag - 8, 8, 8
2. sumo squat & V lift - 9, 9, 10
Used 7 kg weight for lunges.

Ab bonus (3x10/50)
1. scissor switch legs & reverse crunch - 10, 8
2. single toe touch - 30

Chest & back bonus - 10 reps each
1. push up
2. close grip pull up (substituted for reverse push up)
3. tricep push up
4. wide grip pull up (same as before)
5. diamond push up
6. elevated push up
7. bent over flys
8. reverse push up
Completed in 6:33 min using 2x 4,5 kg for flys. I also added another 200 jump rope skips, just because I decided that I'm going to add skipping to this week's routine. :)

Leg, shoulder and ab death, totally brutal and highly satisfying when accomplished. ;) Good wrkout from bodyrock team!

Glad you came intermediate

This is the first workout of the week that incorporates jump rope skipping. As I mentioned before, I am bringing jump rope into working out this week in order to increase my physical condition. I feel I need it. :)

Here is the workout breakdown:

12 rounds 10/50 intervals
1. high knees with jump rope - 130, 113
2. backward & side lunge with ricebag - 7, 6
3. high knees - 117, 86
4. monkey push up & jump - 12, 12
5. high knees - 108, 96
6. side to side jump & push up - 6, 6

Ab bonus:
4 rounds 10/50 intervals
1. half burpee (plank jumps) - 30, 27
2. crunches - 20, 20

Used 7 kg in my bag. I modified the last exercise, since I have carpet at home and cannot slide my feet accross the floor. I used my pull up bar and put it on the floor - push ups off it were HARD!ž
I'm kind of proud of myself doing this many high knees - couldn't do 130 and keep others above 100 before! :) Working out pays off! :)))

Workout schedule #3

It's time for me to put together another workout schedule. Or at least this week's workout theme. I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I lack physical condition. This is why I intend to incorporate jump rope in my workouts this week. Meaning, I'll pick exercises that involve jump rope skipping.

Anyway, I decided not to put together an accurate workout schedule, but to pick exercises I'll feel like doing at the time.

Today I decided on doing one of recent Bodyrock workouts, Glad you came intermediate version. I'll post my scores later today.

ZWOW #7

Workout breakdown:

1. jump lunge side kick - 10 reps
2. super girl push ups - 10 reps
3. jump rope - 2 min
4. love bends with ricebag - 10 reps
Repeat circuit 3 times. I did it in 16:17 min using 7 kg in my bag.

The hardest for me was jump rope skipping. I really suffered during those two minutes. :) I need to do something about my physical condition. More jump rope skipping! :) That's why I added an extra 8 minutes of skipping, 10/20 intervals. Second half of skipping I did 10 seconds jumping with feet together and for 20 seconds high knees - it was better than taking 10 sec as rest interval! From now on I'm doing my skipping like that. Yaaaay! :)

Hot girls sweat

Today I did newest Bodyrock workout. I liked it. :) It was a good sweat and it went realy fast. Nearly too fast. :) Here's workout breakdown:


18 rounds 10/30 intervals
1. push up & twist - 11 reps
2. ricebag swing - 17 reps
3. jump lunge - 22 reps
4. ricebag row - 17 reps
5. side lunge with ricebag (L) - 11 reps
6. side lunge with ricebag (R) - 11 reps
7. tapping push up - 13 reps
8. lunge & twist with ricebag - 8 reps
9. squat & press with ricebag - 10 reps
10. elevated push ups - 11 reps
11. mountain climbers - 51 reps
12. reverse push up - 11 reps
13. plank
14. side plank (L)
15. side plank (R)
16. tricep dips - 14 reps
17. sumo squat with ricebag - 13 reps
18. high knees with jump rope - 67 reps
Used 7 kg in my bag and added an extra exercise to complete total 12 minutes. I did full squats (all the way down) and extended my legs for side lunges and tricep dips. For jump lunges I touched ground with my knee (slightly). And now for my well earned and desired shower. ;)