I've made my way through half of phase 2. I'm enjoying this one much more than phase 1. Love that it's more challenging and it incorporates a lot of work I need to do to improve my running. It's nice to have something force me to do lunges and squats... much needed! It also has a lot of ab and lower back work in it like planks, crunches, and supermans.
I signed up for a 10 mile race on May 1, so I'm going to have to start training for that soon. One of the phase 2 workouts includes 15 minutes of interval training at the end, so I've been doing that on the treadmill. I still do another 2-3 runs during the week but they're typically only 3-5 miles. Will have to pick it up pretty soon!
My latest food obsession (given the cold) has been soup. Here are is one of my favorites (it's so easy!).
Broccoli Soup with Leeks and Thyme (from Bon Appetit February 2011)
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Saute 3 cups of chopped leeks (white and light green parts only) and 4 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme in the oil. Make sure leeks are soft but still slightly crisp. Remove half of leek mixture and set aside. Add 1.25 pounds broccoli crowns and 3 cups of vegetable broth. Boil covered for 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly and puree in batches in a blender, returning pureed mixture to the pot each time. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in large bowls, sprinkling reserved leeks and thyme on top.
So yummy, so light, and so easy! I'm making this today because I've decided I'm going to "detox" this weekend. I traveled last week for work, so I ate a lot of restaurant food. This weekend, I'm going to eat mostly vegetarian and completely healthy. I had 2 cups of green tea and steel cut oats for breakfast. The broccoli soup and a salad will be lunch, plus I have some veggie chili I made as well.
Off to the gym for me now! Have a healthy weekend!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Phase 2 begins...
First, sorry I have been so MIA. Not that you hold your breath waiting to hear what I'm doing... but still! I've been neglecting my blog. I finished up Phase 1 of my lifting book workouts and I'm on to phase 2. I really like it! It's much more challenging than phase 1, so I'm loving that aspect. It also has a lot more leg and core work to it, and I think that's really important for my running. Still on a solid 8 minute mile with no weight loss. I'm going to see if I can push the pace after all the snow melts here. We've been SLAMMED! Makes for challenging outdoor runs, treadmill runs, and CROSS TRAINING! I've started doing Zumba here and there. Super fun! I was a dancer as a kid, so it's perfect for me!
So here's the scoop on phase 2. There are only two workouts in it, and you do them 4 times each. Each exercise is perform 2 x 10 reps. I've decided to keep the highest weights I used in phase 1 to start if it is an exercise I have done before. I've had basically no trouble keeping my weights high.
I did the first workout earlier in the week, and it had step ups, stationary lunges with an elevated rear foot, pushups, front lunges, planks... it added a new exercise to me: the horizontal wood chop with the cable machine. I loved it! In case you aren't familiar, you set the cable to approximately waist high, grab the handle with both hands and your feet shoulder width apart. You then rotate your hips keeping the handle at the center of your body so you twist. I could really feel it in my obliques. I did workout 2 today, and it had some more lunges, lat pulldown (which I managed to maintain at 95 pounds!!!), a row with a rotator cuff exercise tacked on the end... all in all a good workout. It also had me finish with 15 minutes of intervals, which I did on the treadmill. I can feel it in my legs! We'll see how I feel tomorrow...
As for diet, I've made some changes recently. I'm going through what I'm calling my "diet detox." I've basically eliminated processed foods and dairy. Dairy is because of an allergy (skin reactions) and the rest is for overall health. I'm really noticing differences! It is a little challenging to eliminate dairy but it's been worth it. I have soy milk if I need it. I cut out Splenda too which was a big one and I'm drinking more tea. I'll be intrigued to see how this progresses in a few months and if I notice more positive changes.
In health!
So here's the scoop on phase 2. There are only two workouts in it, and you do them 4 times each. Each exercise is perform 2 x 10 reps. I've decided to keep the highest weights I used in phase 1 to start if it is an exercise I have done before. I've had basically no trouble keeping my weights high.
I did the first workout earlier in the week, and it had step ups, stationary lunges with an elevated rear foot, pushups, front lunges, planks... it added a new exercise to me: the horizontal wood chop with the cable machine. I loved it! In case you aren't familiar, you set the cable to approximately waist high, grab the handle with both hands and your feet shoulder width apart. You then rotate your hips keeping the handle at the center of your body so you twist. I could really feel it in my obliques. I did workout 2 today, and it had some more lunges, lat pulldown (which I managed to maintain at 95 pounds!!!), a row with a rotator cuff exercise tacked on the end... all in all a good workout. It also had me finish with 15 minutes of intervals, which I did on the treadmill. I can feel it in my legs! We'll see how I feel tomorrow...
As for diet, I've made some changes recently. I'm going through what I'm calling my "diet detox." I've basically eliminated processed foods and dairy. Dairy is because of an allergy (skin reactions) and the rest is for overall health. I'm really noticing differences! It is a little challenging to eliminate dairy but it's been worth it. I have soy milk if I need it. I cut out Splenda too which was a big one and I'm drinking more tea. I'll be intrigued to see how this progresses in a few months and if I notice more positive changes.
In health!
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