Beginning to Run...finally.

 

image credit: google images

I have ALWAYS been intimidating by the thought of running. With my new regimen, I told myself (and all of you) I would try to run 2 miles a week (outdoors), which unfortunately did not happen. Insert sigh here. Yesterday, I was determined to conquer my fear of running! On my trip to the gym, instead of heading straight to the elliptical--I hopped on a treadmill.
Luckily the night before I found an article on fitsugar for beginner treadmill-ing and decided to give it a go! I followed this plan (pasted below via fitsugar) for the most part--however, I added 10 minutes (I just continued the same intervals) and a total workout of 50 minutes!
According to the treadmill, for a 130lb person my 50 minute workout burned 292 calories, and my total distance was 3.36 miles. It was definitely invegorating, however tough to get through. I definitely think one of the reasons I was able to tack on 10 minutes to the original workout was because Scream 2 was on tv at the time. Nonetheless, my legs are sore today which means I did get a workout! It was a bit disappointing to see that I only burned 292 calories--but I'm trying to focus less on the number the machines give me and more so on how I feel. I highly recommend any of you who are trying to get started on the treadmill to give this a whirl! Remember, cater it to your own fitness level and read the article here at fitsugar!

Time	Speed	Incline
0:00-5:00	3.0	1.0
5:00-10:00	3.5	1.0
10:00-12:00	5.5	1.0
12:00-16:00	3.5	1.0
16:00-18:00	5.5	1.0
18:00-22:00	3.5	1.0
22:00-24:00	5.8	1.0
24:00-28:00	3.5	1.0
28:00-30:00	5.8	1.0
30:00-35:00	3.5	1.0 35:00-40:00 3.0 1.0

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby...

right round like a record, baby right round round round.

My last post (which was way too long ago) was about my new fitness routine and embarking on new ways to exercise. I am pleased to say that I have kept up with my spin classes (2x a week!) and I absolutely LOVE it. My legs feel stronger than ever (and I've always had decently muscular legs) and as weird as it sounds they actually feel firmer. score!

Here are some of the pointers I've picked up thus far:
1. Take a class that matches you--you know your own boundaries better than any instructor would! One of the things I love about spin is that you control your resistance, so only push yourself as hard as you can.
2. Probably one of the more important things I've learned: make sure your bike is set up correctly! Have the instructor double check it for you if it's your first time; incorrect posture can lead to injury so beware!
3. A big part of enjoying the class is having a pepped up instructor with an awesome playlist. If you aren't enjoying your instructor, try finding another class with another instructor because it really is a huge component of the class! In essence, the instructors are like your personal trainers.
4. Stretch before and stay hydrated! You should have a warm up period in the beginning of your class as well.
5. Take a towel, trust me, you'll need it.
6. There are special shoes you can buy for spinning like these which are about $124.00. The bottoms of the shoes attach to the peddles of the bike rather than slipping your normal sneakers through the strap. Personally, I do just fine with my nikes but a good amount of people in my class have these!

Challenge yourself, have fun, and be ready to sweat!
xoxo

Cheers to 2010! Resolutions galore, hopefully this year they'll stick.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and rang in the new year in a fabulous way!

Around this time-- the gym is overly crowded, reebok easytones are sold out constantly (le sigh), and everyone is looking for some way to reinvent themselves--myself included. I go to the gym regularly (I try to go everyday) and attempt to eat sensibly--but those cupcakes get the best of me every so often. So this year, I have decided to break out of my regular pattern of jumping on the elliptical and working out mindlessly and incorporate some other activities.
Here they are:
1. Barry's Bootcamp-- I purchased 6 classes and after January 15th, I'm going to go once a week! This class is a celeb favorite for toning up quick, and I heard it quite literally kicks your butt.
2. Pilates-- Classes and/or DVD. Pilates is one of the few forms excercise that I saw amazing results with! Granted I did pilates in addition to a cardio/gym regemine, but my abs looked phenomenal. My goal is to do pilates 3x a week!
3. Spin Class-- Lo Bosworth (from The Hills) swears by spin and says it's the best way to loose weight. Maybe once a week? Not too sure yet, my first class is tomorrow!
4. Jogging/Running outdoors-- I've always been scared to run (it's intimidating!) but I'm setting a goal of 2 miles a week, hopefully I can do it!

In addition to fitness, of course, healthy eating habits should be maintained. The diet that worked best for me was a low fat diet-- I ate a lot of fruits and veggies, tons of water, fat free yogurt, etc.  Nowadays, I find it difficult to be that dedicated, hopefully my picking it up in the fitness area will help out! Tips I've picked up thus far are to not eat after 7 pm and drink a full glass of water before eating (our brains can confuse thirst for hunger) in addition, I'm trying to not eat as much processed food and go the more organic route.

Non-health related resolutions? to be happy, dedicated, determined, and mindful towards life and those around me!

How about you? Any exciting resolutions?