Digging Deep To Get Through

Tired, I trudged in to Pura Vida Club for my usual Wednesday Mad Abs and Dirty 30.  Sarah taught Mad Abs.  She had us do 60 second cycles today.  We started with a plank series. Yes started with 60 second in plank!  We did planks, a great pilates series that usually part of her class, and used the ball (mine was a weighed ball) for moves like hip lifts and roll-ups.  Love that she ended the class with mountain climbers and burpees as a warm-up for Dirty 30.

Chalk it up to being tired, gloomy weather, or combination of both but I found myself having to really psyche myself up for workout today.  I knew I was going to have to dig deep just to get through Dirty 30 today.  Well it was definitely one of those workouts that wasn't just going to make me sweat or exhaust me, but one of those that pushes you beyond what you thought you could do that day.

Tim had us do 8 exercises and repeat the cycle as many times as we could in a 30 minute time frame.  Here's the catch - all exercises done while hold weights.

Here's the workout:

Speed Squat - 30 reps
Push Ups - 14 reps
Burpees with press - 10 reps
Speed lunges - 10 reps each side
Bent Over Row - 20 reps
Shoulder Press - 20 reps
Run 4 flights of stairs - 2 times
Turkish Get Ups - 10 reps (both arms this time. Start on back, holding weights perpendicular to floor. Sit up pushing weights to ceiling and return to start position)

Since there were so many of us in class we broke off in small groups and started on different exercises. I started with burpees and ended with push ups as a cycle.  I got through the cycle 3 times plus a fourth round of burpees and lunges.  That was everything I had today.

This afternoon I went to Dr. Brian Wilson at the recently opened Airrosti office in Denver.  I did Airrosti in San Antonio.  It's a rapid recovery treatment for any soft tissue or joint issues.  My right shoulder has been bothering me a lot lately and I was actually going to try to get in to Dr. Jason Garrett back in San Antonio during my next visit.  A lot of pro athletes do Airrosti and I found it does wonders for my shoulder.  I also have issues with my IT band from time to time and get treatments for that too when needed.  It helps me heal quickly so I can push to the next level.  It hurts worse than heck during treatment but results are phenomenal!  Getting pain free is the goal.

Why I Love Walks in the Park

It's windy, but sunny and warm in Denver today.  So the perfect day to head to my favorite park, Wash Park.  I got in a 2.5 mile run then my friend Natalie Tysdal, who works with me at Fox 31/CW 2 joined me.  We walked for about 3 miles and just had the best time.  When you walk and talk with friends, the time just flies.

I use my runs to clear my head, brainstorm ideas, and work through projects.  Usually my run time is just me and my iPod pounding the pavement one step at a time.  It's my check-out time.

Yes I'm a runner, but I'm also a walker.  My mom has always been a big walker.  One of my favorite things to with her is a post dinner walk around the neighborhood.  So walking with friends is a shear delight for me.  Just like today, some of my best conversations have happened on walks.  Here's why - when you are walking and chatting you lose the distractions of everything else.  It's truly one-on-one time.  That is precious time to me spent with friends.

So my advice - give a gift to a friend and yourself.  Make a walk date instead of happy hour, lunch, or dinner.  It's a gift because you're doing something good for yourself and giving the precious gift of time together.

Later this afternoon, when I should have been working on taxes, I couldn't pass up taking my dog for a walk in the park.  It was windy but with temperatures in the low 70s for the first time since October 31st, I just couldn't pass up getting in another mile in the park.  

Lunges & Squats In The Sunshine

It was such a gorgeous day in Denver with highs around 68.  I was so excited when my trainer Erin at Pura Vida Club text me this morning asking if I wanted to take my Kinesis session outside. Absolutely yes!

We used the top level of a parking garage.  Starting with running up and down stairs, this was an old school workout.  Erin put me through a series of lunges, squats, medicine ball tosses, push ups, tricep dips, and other exercises.

The lunges with twist we've done before but add an incline and it's a different ball game.  With a weighted medicine ball, step forward into a lunge, twist across that front leg, then repeat on other side.  Lunge with right leg forward, twist to the right and lunge left leg forward, twist to the left.  Once I got to the top of the ramp, I went back down and started over again but this time twisting in the opposite direction.  Lunge right leg forward, twist left, then lunge left leg forward, twist right.

I really like the weighted medicine ball squat, press, throw.  Erin threw me the medicine ball.  I went into a squat, then as I stood up, threw ball up and over back to her with a goal of getting the ball to go high.  You can do this exercise by yourself but you loose the toss.  It's fun to do this with a workout partner!

Here's Erin explaining the medicine ball squat, press, throw.

After 30 minutes of go-go-go outside we headed inside for an hour of Pilates.  My hamstrings are super tight so she had me do some pretty intense hamstring stretches for the last 10 minutes of the session.

Great way to kick of the work week!

Running in the Desert

Running in the desert....sounds like a rock song, right?  As I was heading out of the JW Marriott Desert Springs for a run this morning, I asked one of the guys where I should go.  He immediately said go across the street and run to Desert Willow and back to 2 miles or around the Desert Springs for 3.8 miles.

Barely got out the door and was already snapping pictures of the pink flamingos on the property.

After crossing the street to head to Desert Willow, the terrain gets more desert looking with the golf course looking like an oasis.  It was 52 degrees as I started the run and the bunnies were hopping everywhere.  As I took a picture of three bunnies, a fourth one came hopping by.

I really enjoyed the solitude and peacefulness of running alongside the golf course before it got busy with golfers.

So up and back I went to Desert Willow then decided to keep running and started around the Desert Springs.  I was on a couple of main roads going the 3.8 miles around.  There was one spot that just stopped me in my running tracks.  

I just loved the beauty of the golf course, trees, and reflection of trees in the pond.  I cruised around and added a little more distance to make the 6 miles.  

Since I was also traveling today, I was so glad I got the run in first thing in the morning.  As I got in line at the Starbucks in the resort, I smiled remembering the many days in San Antonio I ran to Starbucks for coffee.  I'd get up, do my run and end at a Starbucks that was a quarter of a mile away from where I lived.  It was incentive to run and I got a nice cool down walk with coffee.  It's been awhile since I ran for coffee and so fitting for me today with a great run in an incredible setting of an oasis in the desert.

Walking The Course

Yesterday I flew to Palm Springs for Patrick Warburton's Golf for Kids benefitting St Jude.  Didn't have time for a workout but did get to walk the course during tournament to talk to some of the players.  It was a fun, very relaxed workout for me on the Classic Club course in Palm Springs.

Plus I got to meet some really nice celebrities, include Alice Cooper.  Could not believe how nice this heavy metal icon is and he's an excellent golfer!

Barre Friday

I was bound and determined to make it to a Pure Barre class yesterday.  I signed up for the noon class at the Cherry Creek location. Perfect time for in between work and my haircut and highlights at Posh Salon.

Needing a little energy boost I downed the Vuka workout drink and off I went into class.  I kept thinking just give it what you've got for 55 minutes and workout will be done.  Also knew I'd be much happier with myself doing the class than not doing a workout at all!  Plus, heading off to Palm Springs for a quick trip this weekend I had to do something.

Lindsey was the instructor and the class quickly became packed.  Instead of using the band with handles, we grabbed double ring bands.  I knew immediately this class would be a little different.  A lot of the moves are similar but I loved the change the double band brought to class, especially with abs.  

I did have to laugh when tying the band around the barre was a mental challenge for me.  Guess I get a pass since I'd been up since before 3am!  Using the band for the abs series made a huge difference for me.  Pulling down on the band while doing ab tucks and other moves just helped it click with my body and head of how intense the ab moves should be.  Breathing making a big difference too.  Sharp exhales with moves make the difference. 

Task Thursday

Thursday was a get task done day.  I stayed at work late because of weather and missed a yoga class I wanted to try.  So work ate my workout time but I did squeeze in a little time for stretches.