Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, February 25 - Twin 1 did JM Video 6

Thursday, February 26 -Twin 2 did 30 min on bike,  Twin 1 took the dogs to Ashburn for an hour and a half and saved her video for rest day tomorrow so her rest day was today.

Friday, February 27 - Twin 1 did not do her makeup video from Thursday but did an hour walk at Ashburn with the doggies.

Saturday, February 28 - Twin 2 got her arm workout in by spending 45 minutes clearing the driveway of ice ... well, enough to get up and down it easily.  Twin 1 did an hour walk at Point Pleasant with the doggies. 

Sunday, March 1 - Sunday morning started off with a 5k OUTSIDE run at 8:00 a.m. for both twins.  Such a beautiful morning.  The roads are clear and dry by Twin 2's house so we ran around her new neighbourhood.  We're hoping we can get outside more this month.  We did 5k in 41 min which was great (we thought) as we haven't ran in forever.  Twin 1 also walked the dogs for an hour at Ashburn and did JM video 5 & 6 from Sat and today.

Monday, March 2 - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 2 video, Twin 2 did 40 min on the bike while doing arm weights.

Tuesday, March 3 - Twin 1 got up early AM and got JM video 5 done.  It is just a distant memory now at 8:30 a.m.  Not even sure how she made it through as while the video was getting set she was putting on her workout clothes and was ready to go but something felt different....oh yeah! my pants!  That's what getting dressed when your still asleep does...but she put her pants on and got the video done.  It seems the only time the heat is on in the house is when she is cooped up in the room working out. 

Twin 1 & 2 went for another 5k run outside on Tuesday evening.  The snow on Monday made the roads a mess again and Twin 2's road was 95% clear and it was 0.5 k from her driveway to the end of the street so we ran that 10 times.  It wasn't as boring as we thought and we did it in just over 41 min.  By the end of it our legs were so cold and stiff that our legs matched the red wall in Twin 2's bathroom. 

 Now maybe once we started running again we'll have more random blog posts for you all :)

Tip Tuesday

Cross-training prevents injury by correcting muscular imbalances.  And the variety prevents boredom and burnout.  Combine cross-training with running to maximize running fitness with lower actual mileage.  You can substitute 25 to 30 percent of your weekly 'mileage' with cross-training.

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

Its Never Too Late To Start

Looking at ads for running gear or perusing fitness magazines can sometimes have a demotivating effect. Everyone is so young and model-perfect. You may flip through the pages and think, "this isn't for people like me."

But, recent research indicates that it is never too late to start running and getting healthy, even if you've been largely sedentary in the past. Researchers at the French Institute of Health compared two groups: one containing people who ran on a daily basis and one who was just getting started. Participants were between the ages of 55 and 70. During the study, both groups started running on a regular basis. While the regular exercisers had lower resting heart rates and better oxygen flow, both groups showed better heart health after taking on regular exercise.

The moral is, it's never too late. Whether you are a former runner who got overwhelmed by job and family obligations, or if you've never gone for a jog in your life, you can start any time you want. No matter where you are starting from, every step you take is one toward better health.

Don't let what you didn't do yesterday keep you from doing what you aspire to do today. Get started, get running and enjoy the strongest and healthiest version of who you can be.

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, February 18th - Twin 1 did JM Video 4

Thursday, February 19th - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1

Friday, February 20th - REST DAY!

Saturday, February 21st - New round of JM videos for Twin 1, JM Video 5, 30min walk on treadmill and 60 in walk at Point Pleasant with the dogs.

Sunday, February 22nd - Twin 1 did JM Video 6

Monday, February 23rd - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 2 and a 60 min walk at Ashburn with the dogs.  Twin 2 did 5k on treadmill.

Tuesday, February 24th - Twin 2 did 66 min on bike, Twin 1 did JM video 5

Twin 2 shoveled a lot. It seems like every day or if not, every 2nd day.  AND another snowfall warning today so that means more shoveling!

Tip Tuesday

Run at lunch.  Daniel Sheil, a marathon coach in Portland, Oregon, recommends lunchtime runs for two reasons:

(1) you get your workout in before the day gets away from you

(2) you get a midday break from work stress.

Motivational Monday

Sample of Menu

Further to our post on what we are eating the below is an example of a weekly meal plan for us:

Day 1 -

Breakfast - Whole wheat bagel, banana, peanut butter

Snack - 6 Egg whites, 1 oz cheese, 2 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - Veggie Burger, 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup tomatoes

Snack - half a protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz pork chop, 4 oz non fat frozen yogurt

Day 2 -

Breakfast - 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of blueberries

Snack - 6 Egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 1 oz cheese, 3 oz tuna

Snack - half protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz steak, frozen fruit bar

Day 3 -

Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Snack - 8 oz low fat plain yogurt, banana

Lunch - 1 Whole wheat pita wrap, 3 oz tuna

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 2 cups of veggies, 3 oz chicken, 4 oz non fat frozen yogurt

Day 4 -

Breakfast - 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of blackberries

Snack - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 3 oz tuna, 1 oz cheese

Snack - half protein bar, 8 oz low fat plain yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz pork chops, frozen fruit bar

Day 5 -

Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 4 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Snack - 8 oz yogurt, banana

Lunch - 1 whole wheat wrap, 1 cup tomatoes

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 1 cup of asparagus, veggie burger, 4 oz of frozen yogurt

Day 6 -

Breakfast - Whole wheat bagel, banana, peanut butter

Snack - 6 egg whites, 1 oz cheese, 2 slices of turkey bacon,

Lunch - Veggie burger, 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup tomato
Snack - half protein bar, yogurt

Supper - 1 cup veggies, 3 oz steak, frozen fruit bar

 Day 7 -

Breakfast - whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, banana

Snack - 6 egg whites, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 oz cheese

Lunch - 2 cups of lettuce, 3 oz tuna, 1 oz cheese

Snack - half protein bar

Supper - 1 cup of veggies, 3 oz chicken, 4 oz frozen yogurt

Friday Funny

What We're Eating

Around the end of January when we started exercising again we decided to follow the P90X meal plan and edit it to fit the exercises we are doing burning calories wise.

We figured out how many calories we require and we fell into the Level 1 Meal plan.  P90X has 3 Levels depending on your weight and how many calories you need etc. There is a whole math equation to it.  There are also 3 phases and the first one we are in is the Fat Shredder phase. 

In Level 1 there are 2 types of plans you can do.  You can follow the full meal plan to a tee as they give you what to eat and all the recipes etc.  We’ve tried this with the JM meal plan and it takes up SO MUCH TIME making everything.  If we didn’t have jobs then we could do it but working all day and then cooking all night was not working for us.  We even tried preparing in advance on the weekends but we spent at least one whole day just cooking and didn’t get to fully enjoy the weekend.

So instead of that option we went with our own where they give you a list of foods to choose from each category and the amounts per day.   For the Phase 1 (Fat shredder) we can have the following servings per day: Protein = 5, Fat = 1, Carbs = 1, Dairy = 2, Fruit = 1, Vegetables = 2, Condiments = 1, Snacks = 1.  Below are some examples we get to choose from.

Protein - a serving includes – 3 oz skinless turkey or chicken breast, 6 egg whites, 3 oz fish, 3 oz fat free ham slices, 3 oz pork tenderloin, 3 oz red meat, 1 soy burger, 1 veggie burger, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 veggie dog, and a few tofu things we don’t eat.

Fats - a serving includes – 3 oz avocado, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp, flaxseed oil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 oz olives

Carbohydrates – a serving includes – 1 medium whole wheat bagel, 1 bran muffin, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 cup whole grain cereal, 12 crackers, 2 english muffin halves, whole wheat, 1 cup oatmeal, 3 pancakes, 1 cup pasta or noodls, 1 large whole wheat pita, 1 medium potato or sweet potato, 1 cup brown or wild rice, 1 large whole wheat tortilla, 3 whole wheat waffles, and some other items we don’t eat

Dairy  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 oz feta cheese, 1 oz parmesan cheese, 8 oz skim milk, 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt

Fruit – a serving includes – 1 medium apple, 1 medium banana, 1 medium grapefruit, 1 cup kiwi, 1 cup grapes, 1 large orange, 1 medium peach or pear, 1 cup raspberries/blueberries/blackberries, 2 cups sliced strawberries, 1 cup watermelon

Vegetables  – a serving includes – 1 cup each of asparagus/broccoli/Brussel sprouts/carrots/cauliflower/celery/cucumber/peas/peppers/tomatoes/vegetable soup, 2 cups of lettuce/kale/spinach

Condiments  – a serving includes – 2 tbsp bbq and other low fat sauces and marinades, fat free dressings, mustard, honey, pure fruit jams

Snacks  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 8 oz cottage cheese, 12 mini rice cakes, 1 tbsp of peanut butter with celery sticks, frozen fruit bar, 4 oz fat free frozen yogurt

And we are also allowed half of a protein bar.  We are using the Cliff builder bars which are about equal to the P90X protein bars.  You can get them in the organic section of some Superstores, at MEC and also on amazon.ca

Each week we take turns doing up a meal plan for the coming week.  In another post we will give you an example of a meal plan. So far this plan is working if we keep up the exercising and stick to the servings etc.

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, February 11 - Twin 1 did JM Video 3 and a supposed to be 30 min C25K on treadmill but after it took 17 min to get her treadmill going without it stopping she basically only ran total of 4min but walked/hill climbed the rest.  She says "hill climb" as she was on tip toe trying to get the treadmill belt moving for most of it.

Twin 2 did treadmill for 30 minutes (walk 1 min / run 3) and instead of doing a video just did her own arm/core exercises.

Thursday, February 12 - Twin 2 did bike for 1 hour, Twin 1 did JM Video 4

Friday, February 13 - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1

Saturday, February 14 - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Sunday, February 15 - Twin 1 did JM Video 3 & 4 to make up for Saturday and then today's.

Monday, February 16 - HAPPY 1ST FEBRUARY HOLIDAY! - Twin 1 did JM Cardio , Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike

Tuesday, February 17 - Twin 1 did JM Video

Tip Tuesday

Visualize your run.  Skiers, bobsledders, and luge athletes have this one down.  They do the course in their minds before heading downhill.  It helps them relax and allows them to rehearse where they're going.  Visualization also works in running - both in races and workouts.

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

Happy Friday the 13th and more snow!!

We are linking up to Runhaven for this Friday Funny (hope it works):

http://runhaven.com/2015/02/06/6-reasons-never-start-running/


If the link doesn't work here is your other Friday Funny

Have a great Weekend!!

Work out Wednesday

Wednesday, Feb 4 -  Twin 1 did JM Video 2.

Thursday, Feb 5 - Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1.

Friday, Feb 6 -Nil

Saturday, Feb 7 - Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike,  Twin 1 did JM Video 3 and took the dogs to Ashburn for 45 min

Sunday, Feb 8 - Twin 1 took the dogs to Point Pleasant for an hour, Twin 2 did 1 hr on bike

Monday, Feb 9 -  Twin 1 did JM Video 4 and C25K Week 3/Day 3 (25 min 1.4m).  The treadmill is temperamental if left for a few days unused and is hard to get it going again...may have to use it more frequently.  Twin 2 did treadmill for 35 min (must find iPod as it was a long 35 min) and JM Cardio 1.

Tuesday, Feb 10 - HAIRCUT DAY!!!  Twin 1 did JM Cardio 1

Tip Tuesday

 

 

After a layoff, avoid comparing your results with those from before.  Instead, say to yourself: "That's the fastest I've run since I made my comeback!"

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday, January 28 - JM Video 2 - check

Thursday, January 29 - JM Cardio 1 - Twin 1 check,  Twin 2 did an hour on bike

Friday, January 30 - Day off! Preparation for the BSB Viewing was taking place.

Saturday, January 31 - Supposed to be JM Video but Twin 2 was getting ready for her BSB Viewing and Twin 1 was just lazy.  As the movie was not showing at a theatre around us Twin 2 bought it from iTunes and invited people over to watch. Twin 1 and a fellow BSB fan showed up and all  enjoyed the movie and could watch it over and over again.

Saturday evening was a relaxing one.  Twin 1 tried to hook the tablet up to her TV so her and hubby could watch a movie.  It didn't work but she did discover all the extra wires that were plugged into the plug but not hooked to anything from when we switched from Eastlink to Bell. 

Sunday, February 1 - SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!  Twin 1 did the scheduled JM video 1 that she was to do on Saturday and also did a Couch to 5k on her treadmill.  We don't usually run with music but she decided to and she forgot how fun it was.  There was more dance walking than running.  At one point she got her hand caught in the earphone cord and ripped those out of the ear and the iPod went flying, had to pause for a minute to pick everything back up and kept on going.  She did Week 1, Day 1.  Twin 2 was getting ready for her Superbowl party.

There was tonnes of food at the party for the amount of people that were there.  Twin 1 took advantage.  As everyone knows by now New England took the trophy home. :-(

There was also some "new" seating for the guests and one was claimed.

Monday, February 2 - Twin 2 had an EDO was scheduled to make up some workouts.  Instead we got hit with a snow storm for the 2nd time in as many weeks and had to go shovel which in itself is a workout.  Twin 1 could not get up in the morning after the late night on Sunday so was scheduled to make up vidoes too but she arrived home later then usual because of the snow and the tiredness that comes from standing out in the cold waiting for buses that never come and when she got home she didn't do anything.  This is her walk from the bus stop to her house at 6pm.

Tuesday, January 3 - this was a delayed start to the work day because of the snow and lots of shoveling again.Twin 2 did 40 minutes on the bike and Twin 1 did her video AND ran on the treadmill. 

Tip Tuesday

Caffeine is not nearly as dehydrating as once thought, and, in fact, research shows it can help improve running performance.  But if you aren't used to drinking it before a run, then it's still best to avoid it the night before and the day of an event.

Motivational Monday

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps

Friday Funny

Workout Wednesday

We are back on Track!!  We both have decided to start the Jillian Michaels 90 day Body Revolution and a protein packed eating plan.   

Saturday, January 24, 2015 – JM Video 1 – check

Sunday, January 25, 2015 – JM Video 2 – check

Monday, January 26, 2015 - JM Cardio 1 - check

Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - SNOW DAY!!! - JM Video 1 - check.  Also, Twin 1 tried out her new treadmill and Twin 2 tried out her new recumbent bike.  

We should have snow days more often.

Tip Tuesday

Starting Running Again?

Keep your running routine simple as you gear back up.  Don't launch into a new, complex training scheme.  For example, try running every other day for your first month.

Motivational Monday

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

Friday Funny & New House

Twin 2 found the panorama view on her phone camera so took a few photos of her favourite rooms in her new house.

The main living area: 

The master bedroom (excuse the messiness):

She's loving it so far.

Also, CF gave her a house warming gift to help in her resolution of domesticity:

Can't wait to try them!  Reviews of recipes will be forthcoming.

Have a great weekend!

Workout Wednesday

Nothing to report on this week’s Workout Wednesday unless you count moving….Twin 2 moved and cleaned all weekend and now settled a bit in their new place.  They still have to go back and clean and move some odds and ends before their old house closes. 

The Twins each set up their home gyms.  The treadmill that Twin 1 bought finally got set up and come to find out it’s on a permanent incline so she will have to Google the make and model to find the instructions cause who wants to run uphill all the time?

Twin 2 has a nice big room for her gym.  She has found all her videos that have been packed away for months. 

The workouts may start next week or Feb 1.  Twin 1 went to the DR (doctor not Dominican Republic) and found out that she has a bit of pneumonia so she is now on antibiotics for 10 days and hopefully the beginning of next week she will be good to go.  She hasn’t even took her dogs out as her hubby has been doing that for her so she can rest.  She is starting to feel good after 3 days of the drugs.

This week/weekend will consist of finishing up with the old house and decorating the new.  Very Exciting!

Twin 2's Gym:

Twin 1's Gym

 

Tip Tuesday

Perform interval training.  High intensity interval training will not only promote the natural release of growth hormones, but it helps to mobilize fat out if cells, burn a boatload of calories,  burn through excessive sugar, and give you a big bang of a workout in a shorter time frame.

Motivational Monday

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

Friday Funny

Workout Wednesday

I believe this title should be changed to Whateva' Wednesday as we only did 1 workout since our last Workout Wednesday post and that was Wednesday, Jan 7, Twin 1 did her Legs & Back video.  She has been fighting a cough since Dec 18th and it will not go away.  We don't think the running in the blizzard or the -20 wind chill helped it any so she decided to finally take some time off to try and get better.  Twin 2 is still packing everyday.

So this post will be kinda random.

I don't think we ever wrote anything about Christmas which was traveling and spending time with family.  Down home we went out back and cut a tree down for Mom and Dad and this is it.

It was busy down home over the holidays and we had two tired doggies at the end of each day who took up the whole bed.

Pearl is so tired she is sleeping with her eyes open.

.

Also as Twin 2 is moving she is taking Twin 1's bed out of the spare room so she can make it her "workout" room and has put these up for motivation.

Yes, a half is 21.1 km but 21 is close enough lol (and we had to get them to match hang wise).

The other day at work Twin 1's tip of her baby finger went numb and she looked at it and it looked like this:

The feeling eventually came back after a few hours.  No idea what happened but its all fixed now.

Even though Twin 2 is moving it does not stop her husband from going out shopping at "his stores" and always brings Twin 1 anything Bull related as that is what she collects and this is the most recent treasure.

Her husband hates it and did not hang it where she wanted but at least its hung and she can see it whenever she come outs of her workout room.  She will show you pictures of that once its all set up.  A treadmill was purchased but it's not set up yet.

Only one more day and Twin 2 will be getting access to the new house.  This week is doing all last minute meeting with Lawyers etc.  The movers are booked for the weekend and we are just hoping the weather cooperates.  Everyone is very excited and also Twin 2 is very TIRED OF PACKING!!.

Soon enough that will be TIRED OF UNPACKING.  Once everything is all settled we will both be started back up on the workout/running schedule.

Tip Tuesday

Mix in some faster running to keep things interesting and enhance your fitness.  Try the "negative-split run" to start speed work.  Pick an out-and-back route.  Run for, say, 20 minutes, then turn around and try to cut one or two minutes from that time coming back

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny

If a jogger runs at the speed of sound, can he still hear his Walkman?

Workout Wednesday

Thursday, Jan 1 – started running again.  5k (walk 2 run 1).  This was our first snowfall and a blizzard the whole time but we got it done.  (Summary of run in "Happy New Year" post.)

Friday, Jan 2 – off

Saturday, Jan 3 – it was -20 wind-chill but we still braved the cold and bundled up and got out.  We even talked one of our protégés into running with us.  Great time to introduce her to cold weather running.  Twin 1 picked her up at 1030 and headed to Twin 2’s.  We weren’t sure how it would go as it was so cold but it actually wasn’t that bad.  We were definitely dressed for the colder weather.  The trail was all clear so we did a few km’s in the subdivision and a few on the trail.  We did 6k and again did the walk 2 run 1.

Twin 1 was also supposed to start P90X but the football playoffs and Kardashian marathon were on and she couldn’t tear herself away from the TV.

Sunday, Jan 4 – Twin 1 did the Plyometrics video.  She could not walk afterwards and still cannot.

Monday, Jan 5 – Twin 1 did the Shoulders & Arms and also the Ab Ripper video right after work as her hubby was kind enough to take the dogs out so she could.  There was also a run scheduled but we failed on that. The temps indicated it was -2 but with windchill it was about -20.  It felt way colder than on Saturday.  Twin 1 couldn’t stop coughing after her workout and is still fighting something so bailed on Twin 2.  Twin 2 was supposed to do her treadmill but didn’t.  Twin 1 has found a treadmill on BLT Facebook site and may buy it if it’s still available as all week it’s supposed to feel like -20 to -30.

Tuesday, Jan 6 -  Twin 2 ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes (coach to 5k program - walk/run = 3km).
Twin 1 was scheduled to do the Yoga X video but by the time she took the dogs out (1hr at Ashburn in -19), got stuck in traffic, ate supper it was 8pm.  The video is and hour and  half and she hates yoga so settled for Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown which is only 30 min.  (but felt like forever).  A workouts a workout.

Tip Tuesday

In general, it takes about six to eight weeks for the body to adapt to training under the very best of circumstances.  Then, factor in your own particular set of circumstances, like age, work, sleep, diet, family responsibilities, and other stresses and it adds to that time frame.  Think slow and steady, much like the tortoise and the hare.  Be as consistent with your training as you can and it will pay off in the long run.

Motivational Monday

Friday Funny?

Found this funny and a little offensive but true for some of us

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We trust you rang in the New Year a little more celebratory than us and hope the first day of 2015 is treating you well.  We thought we would post our goals for 2015 so here goes.

FITNESS:

Twin 1:                                 
Complete P90x workout      
Get dogs out running      

Twin 2:
Complete JM 90 day Body Revolution
Run 5k in under 39 minutes

Both:
Run a 10k in 1:10 - 1:15 (current PB is 1:20).  We have some work to do
Run at least 1000 km this year
Run all year long (we have a tendency to sign up for a race, train, run race then stop running altogether)
Think about running another 1/2 marathon
 
FINANCE:

Both:
Pay off all outstanding debts
Use credit card only in extreme emergencies


PERSONAL:

Twin 1:                                       
Stay positive and don't let negative people affect my day    

Twin 2:
Find a family doctor (mine closed up shop)
Go to dentist (been awhile)
Become more domesticated

Both:
Become more social
Get new glasses (we've each had current pair since 2010)                                                                                               
These goals don't seem too hard to achieve but will take some work to accomplish them.

1st Run Recap of the Year

As it's January 1 we thought we may as well start the new year off right with a run.  We haven't ran since October.  Our break was long enough.  Last night we had planned to head out for a run at 8:00 a.m. this morning but when morning rolled around we pushed it to 11:00 a.m.  There was a chance of snow today but the weather network indicated the snow wouldn't start until this afternoon.  Guess what time it decided to start.  11:00 a.m. just as we pulled up and parked at the trail.  It had been quite sometime since we ran in the snow but it was only suppose to flurry, no worries.  We decided to run 5k today with a walk/run combo of 2 minutes/1 minute.  Our pace was a lot slower than what we ran in the fall but it was nice to get out and run again.  It took us 45 minutes to finish our 5k and it snowed the entire time.  Guess when it stopped.  Right as the Garmin hit 5k and we were getting back into the car.

What you can't see in this pic is the blizzard that was occurring

Another goal for 2015 will be "Work on our selfies"