Category Archives: crosstraining

May 16, 2013

My New Exercise Routine & Reebok Spartan Race

Sooo I took a brief test jog today, just down one block to see what would happen with my hip. It didn’t go too well. So my next steps are: 1) see a doctor and figure out whats going on, 2) keep strength training, and 3) figure out cardio I can do without hurting myself while my hip heals. Oh and I’ve also been sick all week so I havent’ done any exercise since Monday (not a great week for me, eh? I may be cursed).

get-over-it

Okay I’ll cut the pity party and think positively because being a Debbie Downer doesn’t help anyone! While I’m waiting on numbers 1 and 3, I’ll return to number 2 as soon as I’m better. One main reason is that I am in the process of prepping for the Reebok Spartan Race I’m going to be running with Karl in June, courtesy of Fitfluential and Reebok.

spartan

My plan for the race if I can’t run is to walk briskly between obstacles and just focus on doing them as safely as possible for this hip. I am going to be smart about this one though and do as much as my body can handle, although I’m pretty determined to rock most of the obstacles.

The Reebok Spartan Race is a huge obstacle race with courses all over the country and even internationally, and they range in how many miles they are (up to 13 miles.. whattt?!). I’m signed up for the 4 mile race, which is much more reasonable, with tons of crazy obstacles mixed.

Obstacles from the Spartan Times Square race in the fall

Obstacles from the Spartan Times Square race in the fall

So I’m really really hoping most of the obstacles at this race involve upper body strength/core because thats all I’ve been doing lately. Oh and I sort of really want to roll through mud and water and I’m sure they’ll have tons of that :) I’m just praying for no fire because I may punk out with that.

Most of my training for this, as I said has involved upper body. I’ve been lifting a bunch lately in my cool Reebok gear (which just makes me feel stronger) with various machines, but especially the Olympic bar. I love using the bar because I’m sure some guys don’t think I can curl it and I love proving them wrong.

Lifting the bar. Heck yes.

Lifting the bar. Heck yes.

And then Karl goes and lifts all this..

And then Karl goes and lifts all this..

I also am loving the way lifting makes my body look and feel, even if I do still have work to do. If you do it right, you can also get your heart rate up a little bit while you are toning up your body. One thing is for sure, once my hip heals I am keeping lifting a huge part of my routine. I just love feeling strong and powerful!

Love working out the back. Ignore the hyperextended elbow on my left arm.. I'm working on that :)

Love working out the back. Ignore the hyperextended elbow on my left arm.. I’m working on that :)

What I’m wearing in my photos from Reebok/Fitfluential:

PWR Wide Strap Long Bra Top: This racerback top is long and I think flatters most body shapes (slim-fit). Plus its moisture-wicking and super comfortable.

PWR Fitted Capri: I am OBSESSED with these (check my instagram, you’ll see). They are a great length and super comfortable moisture wicking capris you can wear anywhere. Love.

Sublite Duo Run: I’ve mentioned these before but they are so comfy and lightweight. I love them for walking and lifting in (haven’t run in them for obvious hip issue reasons). These are winners.

Reebok!

Reebok!

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Don’t forget to enter my ZeeBee Threads Giveaway!

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Have you/would you ever do an obstacle race?
What is your favorite upper body strength exercise?
-Bicep curls and any back exercise

6 Comments

Filed under clothing, crosstraining, FitFluential, product review, races, Reebok Spartan Race

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March 27, 2013

Abs By April & Fit Four Gloves Review & Giveaway

For those of you participating in the Abs By April Challenge, you know that its almost over! I cannot believe how fast the time went and can’t believe its spring already. Next week will be the last chance workout and then I will be posting results for those who wish to share! I can’t wait :) Here was this week’s workout, all participants should have already received the email with this info.

Abs by April- Week10 PNG

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In the spirit of Abs By April and my goal of building muscle before the summertime, I have recently started seriously lifting. In the past I didn’t really push myself with strength training, but lately have been taking it up a notch. I LOVE the feeling after a good strength session, the moment where you can increase your weight, and lifting the same or more than the guys at the gym :) Girl power!

The only downside though is that I’ve been lifting to the point where I started developing calluses on my hands. Yuck! I won’t share the visuals with you because I doubt anyone wants to see that. That’s why I was SO excited when I was contacted recently by the wonderful people at Fit Four Gloves to try out a pair of their gloves, it was just perfect timing!

My Fit Four Gloves at the gym

My Fit Four Gloves at the gym

Fit Four Gloves are fitness gloves designed with a minimalist approach. Ever see the guys at the gym with the full-length gloves? Yeah, these aren’t like that and I think it works way better. The gloves have a four finger design that covers your hands where you actually need it without all the excess traditional gloves have. At first glance, they look pretty different but, trust me, when you try them on you’ll love them!

Some other things I like about these gloves: durable synthetic leather with “extra skin” for tough workouts, ventilated palms, and stretch lycra material on the back of the hand. Having my hands comfortable when I work out has helped in making me excited to go do strength training. Before when I lifted without these, I wasn’t thrilled because of all the damage weights were doing to my hands. But not anymore!

FitFour1

The back of the box.

I’ve been using these in the gym for a few weeks now so I’ve had the chance to really put them to good use for this review.

What I like about them:

  • Forms nicely to  the contours of your hand (i.e. good materials)
  • Only covers the part of your hands you need covered; no excess
  • Stretchable, but strong
  • Air holes for ventilation. As someone who gets sweaty palms when they are warm, this is perfect!
  • Stay put and don’t move during tough workout sessions or exercises
  • Cost: Priced well at $25.95. This seems to be a very competitive price for fitness gloves, so this is in the pro category.
  • Comes in four sizes (small->extra large)
  • Machine washable

Some cons:

  • Takes me a little adjusting at first to find my “sweet spot”. Ordering the right size is REALLY important!
What they look like on my hand

What they look like on my hand

The verdict: In my opinion these are worth it and, as a newbie at strength training, I have fallen in love with them fast. I have also fallen in love with not having calluses on my hands anymore! So in summary, go get yourself a pair :)

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Luckily, I am able to offer the chance for one of you to WIN YOUR OWN PAIR of Fit Four Gloves! Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter, its super easy.

*** Fit Four Gloves Rafflecopter Link ***

The giveaway will end April 3 at 11:59PM EST and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!

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Disclosure: Fit Four Gloves sent me a free pair of gloves to review. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

26 Comments

Filed under Abs by April, crosstraining, product review, shopping

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March 24, 2013

Aqua Running & NEW Vega One Bars

So my foot has been acting up the past few days with Plantar Fascitis pain, so sadly there was no long run for me this weekend :( But I made the best of it anyway!

First off, I made my lifting session intense and tried out new minimalist Fit Four Gloves during the workout too. They were a lifesaver, especially since I started to get some small calluses on my hands. I love lifting for so many reasons: the looks on peoples faces when I pick up heavier weights than them (you know you love that too!), the feeling of my muscles working hard, and the post-lifting pump.

Trying out my Fit Four gloves while lifting.

Trying out my Fit Four gloves while lifting.

I also tried out aqua running this weekend since I can’t run normally on my foot yet. I haven’t done this in a while but it was actually really nice. I did some laps as a warm up/cool down with running in between. Since the pool is shallow I didn’t use a floaty belt and it worked out fine. I’ll be doing more of it this week so I’ll update you about my workouts!

Running in the pool!

The pool I run in!

Now for some food finds. Firstly, I found this deliciousness which is an awesome way to get chocolate milk taste without all the sweetener, especially since I don’t drink regular milk anymore. Its so good!

IMG_4264

Yum!

Second, this week I also have another super amazing food find to share with you.. NEW Vega One Bars! As you know, I’ve been singing the praises of the Vega Thrive Forward program all year and have learned so much about how to eat more plant-based. Yes, I now bake with beans , use nutritional yeast for everything, and am addicted to bok choy. Who am I?!

Since I have all this free time right now I also have been making many of the delicious Thrive Forward recipes. But pretty soon its back to work for me :( which means time will be more limited. Cue on-the-go Brendan Braizer-forumulated Vega One Bars to save the day…

My Vega goodies

My Vega goodies

Dum dum dum dummmmmm!! There they are in all their beauty. Vega has been hinting about them for some time and officially released them in three equally tasty flavors:

Double Chocolate
Chocolate Almond
Chocolate Cherry

Basically, this is a Vega One Nutritional Shake in a bar form with a ton of antioxidants and probiotics to keep your body from going crazy. I mentioned the other day about my annoying running stomach issues (ugh) but these bars have caused no problems in the stomach department. I had one before a medium-length run the other day and the tummy was happy as a clam (PS. How can you tell a clam is happy?)

The three tasty flavors.

As the self-proclaimed number one fan of anything chocolate, these three flavors are perfect for me. Just perfect. It was hard for me to pick my favorite, but the Double Chocolate may have a slight edge because I’m convinced its a little bar sent from heaven right to my door. Thanks Vega angel, fairy, whatever you want to call it! Seriously though, the chocolate is delicious and tastes natural (because it is!) unlike so many products these days.

Double Chocolate. Enough said.

Double Chocolate. Enough said.

When I first bit into it, the texture was different from what I expected. The ingredients include rice crisps and white chia seeds (you can see the seeds in the below photo) that I think give it the cool texture that is so hard to describe. Now, I really am anti-bland food so after the initial surprise I fell in love with the way it made each bite unique and exciting.

While the texture varies from the average bar, this really works and the flavors in general are perfect. This is not your average bar.. its wayyy better! They must have done a ton of work on them before sharing, and it really shows. Hard to believe its all plant-based too! Just so you can see the inside of the bar, I’m sharing with you my partially eaten, teeth mark showin’ bar.

Teeth marks and everything.

Teeth marks and everything.

For the nitty gritty details, each bar is slightly different but has about 250 calories, 10g of fat, 15g of protein, 6g of fiber, and tons of healthy vitamins, Omega-3s, probiotics (1 billion!!), and minerals that would take me forever to list. Oh yeah, and there is NO gluten and contains no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. Since I avoid artificial colors/sweeteners (yuck!) at all costs, this is a major SCORE!

Especially if you are a fan of the Thrive Forward program, clean eating, or just delicious food in general, I suggest you find and devour these bars. There are also going to be some more super exciting things offered by Vega pretty soon.. stay tuned for more!

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What workouts did you do this weekend?
Have you ever tried aqua running?
What flavor of these bars do you think you’d want to try?

17 Comments

Filed under aqua running, crosstraining, food, health, product review, Thrive Forward

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