My workout schedule/routine

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about my fitness routine. Right now I'm working on becoming certified as a Les Mills Bodycombat Instructor! Ever since I took the class, I wanted to be in the front encouraging others. Today I got to team-teach a little bit, and it was exhilarating. (I talked a bit about the module training here.) Having the mic on, and just launching myself into the routine was a ton of fun. I am preparing to team-teach on Tuesday, and I will be instructing tracks 1 - 5!

1. Warmup - Back In Time / Call Me Maybe
2. Capoiera - Bad Girls
3. Boxing - It's Time To Go
4. MMA - Firestarter
5. Boxing - We No Speak Americano

Woo! I have 1, 2, and 5 pretty much down but 3 and 4 are a bit intimidating. For 3, I still have post it notes up for my reps in on the wall behind the TV! (I know what I'm listening to in the car for the next few days...)

Since starting this mini-project I have noticed a total change in my body. I do work out a ton, so it's to be expected, but still surprising. I generally practice BC 5x a week for an hour, and do zumba or bodypump on the other day so I don't get burnt out. I spend my rest day scripting out and practicing my verbal cues in tracks. I've found it best if I do everything after work. I get home, put on my workout gear and gloves, and turn the living room of our one bedroom into my own little cardio center!

I hope that by June, I'm able to settle into a workout routine that looks like this:
S - Teach BC
M - Rest
T - BC? Weights?
W - Bodypump
T - Zumba
F - Bodypump
S - Teach BC

I want to get my Bodypump certification at some point as well. I think after BC, I can learn anything! Except maybe step. Step is killer.

❤stephanie

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hello blog!

I haven't been here in a while!

Thankfully, it looks like snow is over in NH. We may get a flurry tomorrow or Friday, but as long as it does not affect my commute or wearing ballets, I am happy. I have begun to take a personal stand against the weather by wearing flats as much as possible, and rolling my pants up. My ankles may be cold, but my heart is not!!

Last weekend, I passed my Bodycombat training module. :)

I appear to have a crazy sparkle in my eye! Also, the room was FREEZING anytime we were not working out. And sometimes, even then!

It was an extremely gratifying weekend - I was kind of skeptical about the mentally and physically challenging descriptions I would find, but it really was. Every lecture was immediately relevant, and the workouts were always intense. The Warriors challenge, a tabata workout, had me crying by the end. I would fall onto my mat, and get right back up.

Our instructor, Angel Santiago, was amazing. I have had classes with a few different instructors, but he will always be near the ultimate of what I think a Les Mills instructor should be.

I walked away with a pass, which means I can submit my video after co-teaching 4 times. My current plan is to learn the rest of BC 55, practice practice practice practice, begin co-teaching after the release at my club, and submit in the third week of May for assessment. :)

I am excited for where this will take me in my own personal journey - I want this to be more than something I signed up for that one time. I want to feel that magic which comes from having my back to the mirror more and more. Maybe I will try Bodypump training someday?? Or Zumba!

General body/workout things though... I gained about 2" all over since I moved. I realized this one day, when I put on a shirt I thought should fit, but didn't. It was somewhat of a hard thing for me to look at, because I viewed my weight-loss from last year as more of a 'lifestyle' change, and lately I have been sinking into old habits. I am trying to combat this by getting back into a gym routine. Signing up for Bodycombat instructor training has helped with this a ton! My current schedule is kind of.... Sleep -> House items -> Work -> Gym -> Zonk out. (Today is a rest day, because it is Jack's birthday!!) I am taking Bodycombat, Bodypump, and doing Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer. I will modify the Jamie Eason program at times depending on time and how I am feeling.

This is a bit of a rambling post, but we'll see what my next one is like. Hopefully more direction!

New adventures!

Kind of, not really. I'm not really going anywhere, or doing something I haven't done before - but still! There are new things on the horizon!

My gym, http://theworkoutclub.com, sent out an email about 2 weeks ago saying they were sponsoring instructor training for one of my favorite classes, Les Mills BodyCombat in March and I signed up! Ever since I started going to the gym consistently last year, I wanted to become a fitness instructor. Dana, who taught a ton of classes at my old gym was a huge inspiration. Seeing her teach TKB, and Body Pump right after (yelling 'SINGLES!!!' at us with the most energy I've ever seen a person have) kept me motivated.

My goal with this is to get early morning BodyCombat classes going at one of the gyms in the chain - preferably 530 - 630 AM, 3 days a week. Their 630 PM time slots are already super full, so I think that's out, and I will have to work around my current work schedule.

Another goal I see myself focusing on, starting in April or so, is getting certified for TKB. There are no TKB classes in my current gym chain, and because there are no licensing fees for the facility, I would be able to do shorter sessions at our work gym.

The past few weeks I have been getting back in the gym, and stepping up my workouts. I was focusing on lots of cardio classes, but I will be trying to incorporate more BodyPump so I can build up my strength (especially chest and core oh my god)

I have also changed my calorie counting from being weight loss oriented, to focusing on maintenance. As I am getting ready to go through training in the next month, I need to get my body ready to be in what will most likely be the best physical shape I have been in my entire life, and I can't do that eating at a deficit.  I am having a few problems adjusting to this newfound ~*~*caloric freedom*~*~ (there was also a Friends and Family sale at Lindt hahaha) and I think I gained a few pounds, but realistically, I may have gained a pound at most, I have terrible control over my sodium intake right now, and my body is also retaining water because I haven't done a lot of resistance work for about 3 months. All my excuses, let me keep them!

Here is my workout/dinner plan for this week:

This usually gets changed up throughout the week, and I hope to start eating more fresh food. For breakfast, I normally have a bagel thin or yogurt. Lunch is a wrap, or if the cafeteria at work has something AMAZING I will splurge a bit. Last week I was spoiled with chicken marsala, beef risotto, and shrimp scampi. (We are so spoiled)

I will be posting about my instructor training/how my BodyCombat classes go over the next few weeks - I know some of my strengths and weaknesses in the class already, and hope to conquer the weaknesses as fast as possible.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

❤stephanie

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Oh weather channel, your social media ploy is so cute

So, that's happening!

I have the day off work tomorrow- the thought of driving in during a somewhat clear morning, then having to hope when I leave I'm not caught in a ton of snow at some point wasn't too appealing. It was a good week at work though. :) I was super productive.

I think I had an episode of SAD over the past few weeks - I gained some weight. I had no motivation to do anything and ate nothing but carbs. There is more too it than that, which led me to purchasing a phototherapy lamp. I've been using it consistently for about a week now and I feel it has been effective. I have also started working out more- this week I made it to Zumba and Caribbean Rhythm. As I'll possibly be snowed in the next few days, I plan on doing a few at home workouts and living on my yoga mat. :)

So here is the start of my list for the weekend!:

1. Complete printing and placing of Project Life photos
2. Finish Star Trek: Voyager (if you follow me on twitter, you have heard lots about the adventures of the USS Voyager crew)
3. Do Kickboxing DVD!  13:27, 2/8
4. Do Zumba DVD!
5. Do Yoga Meltdown DVD!
6. Do Yoga in general!
7. Drink two pots of detox tea
8. Eat my recommended calorie allowance
9. Complete my week-at-a-glance housekeeping items, including those I have missed
10. Organize my finances
11. Take a luxurious bath with one of my bath bombs (and try out a bubble bar!)

I have 72 hours for these items! I will be a bit disappointed if I do not complete them. :)

❤stephanie

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the past few weeks favorite things! 11/25/12 - 12/29/12

I haven't done a collected links post in a while- I've been adjusting to my new work job, experiencing away-from-home-for-the-holidays-sadness, and got way too backed up. I was going through a lot of my liked posts and felt like sharing them, so here we are again! Some of these posts aren't recent at all, I just happened to find them the past few weeks.

diy x this faux polaroid frame is wonderful! Since getting my Instax I have fallen in LOVE with the look of instant photos- I think this will be an easy way to get it without spending $14 on 20 film pieces and allow me to easily decorate my fridge in the process!

e-course x fitocracy founders are hosting a free e-course on developing and keeping fitness habits! It goes from 1/15/13 to 1/24/13. I love using Fitocracy when I go to the gym to log my workouts, so I'm going to set a reminder for myself to check this out!

diy x this bokeh camera hood/filter is great! I love the look of adding hearts and other designs to my photos. I don't have any black card stock but will probably pick some up this weekend to do this. I've also been wanting some pretty paper punches so this works out well! (Have to remember to hold to my one day of superfluous shopping rule!)

food x i always need a reminder for the eat right rule. :)

recipe x in love with this cinnamon roll coffee cake with cream cheese glaze recipe from Averie Cooks! I used her Overnight Pumpkin Cinnamon French Toast with Vanilla Maple Butter for Christmas morning and it came out great, so I am excited to try out some of her other recipes. May try this out tomorrow morning if I make it to the grocery store today. 

fashion x i am starting to change my closet direction a bit, and posts like this one on closet staples is always a good starting place!

funny x this post on being super blogger brings a smile to my face!

diy x since I got a new sewing machine for Christmas I have been looking for some sewing projects, and I really like this lace scarf tutorial. I need to make it over to a fabric store so I can pick up supplies!

art x love this feature from Pony Chops on Art and Ghosts. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.

photos x in love with these pictures of frosty plants! Now that I live somewhere where it gets cold enough for frost to build up, and for there to be snow I find it all even more beautiful.

photos x this is a great feature on Cari Wayman, a photographer who takes the most gorgeous photos in lots of different abandoned places. A really great find.

diy x love this project from Free People, a Dream Jar! I think it will look great on my nightstand. I also posted about this in my New Years Resolution post from yesterday.

diy x how great is this paper umbrella painting tutorial? I don't think there is really room in my life for paper umbrellas, but I may adapt this to lanterns or doilies or something.

Up to date Sunday #4

My new Subaru! I couldn't get a good picture of the car because of the time of day. :( It is a 2010 Subaru Legacy~

current song: Marina & the Diamonds - Primadonna

current thoughts: One of the things I've written down this week was about how if I wanted to become the best version of myself possible, it would take a ton of effort. No one gets anywhere without putting in effort- and I can't laze around looking for better things without working towards them. I make my own environment, and I'm the only person who can give myself the results I want. When I lost weight, it took a lot of effort, months of planning out every meal and counting every calorie. Last year, starting in June I think the only unplanned meals I ate were Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was effort and I got results I am proud of.

One of the things I've talked about on here before is how I get lethargic without a routine, and how I want to be more productive and I have been! But I think to be who I want to be in terms of personal happiness, social contentment, etc, I need to do more. Be proactive. Involve myself in projects that support me, and who I feel I am and involve myself with people who make my life better.

In my upcoming job, I hope to carry this with me. I remember at my last job, the best days were when I threw myself into my work completely, and was able to help others. This will always be true for me, and I just needed a bit of a reminder.

current plan: Go get my nails done, clean the apartment- with me starting work on Wednesday I will have less time at home to pick up everything! Better to get it in order now. I'm going to be doing some yoga at home later with the app I talked about last week. I did do a session of Jillian Michael's yoga meltdown which I really enjoyed a few days ago as well, but I don't think I've been able to focus on my own body as well. Plus, the svasana doesn't exist in yoga meltdown and it is my favorite part!

current quote:

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice, It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

- William Jennings Bryan 

this week's favorite things, 11/18/12 - 11/24/12

1) new pen from Mochi things 2) Marauder's Map crafty project thing 

3) sweet printable I found on GIS 4) Our snow from a while ago- I'm getting excited early!

We have two days of snow in the forecast! This will most likely change, but I am still excited. Putting this post together right now before I go to the gym for a 930 class- it's my first time going to this gym on the weekend so I am kind of nervous!

My favorite things this week:

diy x this handwritten poster project

fitness x these post thanksgiving workouts. I also couldn't stop myself from getting 2 of the blogilates tanks, the style is so cute!

fashion x this post on office party wear. I've seen a lot of crazy inappropriate things at holiday parties, and with all the casual fashion posts I like seeing the professional posts as well.

recipe x this protein baked apple oatmeal looks amaaaaaaazing.

phone x currently loving these phone background/lockscreen finds- I'm using the yellow bunnies and quality is not quantity print right now. :)

recipe x this vegan cranberry oatmeal bake also looks amaaaaaazing. I may have a thing for oatmeal!

I hope everyone had a good Black Friday, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

this weeks favorite things, 11/11 - 11/17/12

Played Battle of the Sexes with some friends last weekend, it was fun!

But not one of my favorite things this week! Those are linked below. :)

recipe x mashed sweet potatoes with sauted apples from Eat Yourself Skinny! I'm in love with this recipe! I love apples, and I love me some sweet potato. Perfect combination!

recipe x whoever thought of putting fruit in scrambled eggs? Skinny Confidential did, and I want some! Hopefully this will help to get me eating eggs more.

soul x this post about crappy thoughts on My Shine Project. It's wonderful to empathize on feelings and have the comforting feeling of if someone knows what I am feeling, and has gotten out of it, so can I.

recipe x what is up with food and me this week? anyways, this recipe for a high-protein pumpkin bread from The Iron You looks fantastic and I want to try it soon! Baking with protein powder seems like an adventure.

diy x a DIY project for cats? Cocorrina posted this earlier in the week. I am constantly looking to give my cat amusement after amusement, so I will be making one of these soon to try and entice him.

diy x love this eye mask tutorial from The Wonder Forest. Super chic and the examples she posted use my current favorite (adorable flowers). I can't wait to have a sewing machine again!

fitness x love workouts geared towards small spaces!

links x this link post on The Wonder Forest is also filled with a bunch of awesome things. I love Dana's finds! I will be making the felt trees this weekend hopefully.

yoga x Last night I tried out a yoga app for the first time, Pocket Yoga! I did the Desert practice, on beginner for 30 minutes and I really enjoyed it. It was easy enough that I could do all the poses, but I did have to push myself through the vinyasas. I love the set up as well; there are 3 different practices, and 2 Sun Salutations. Both have beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, and the practices have 30, 45 and 60 minute sections. The sun salutations go up to 30 repetitions. Even using my iPhone it was easy to follow and glance at if I needed to see exactly what was going on. I think I'll try it on my iPad next, the bigger pictures may help. Glad to know I'll be able to use this when I travel.

I hope everyone had a great week and is starting off their weekend on the right foot. :)

Finding my space at home

Photo from SheKnows.Com

One of the challenges I've had moving into a small apartment is the lack of space for fitness. Well, this really isn't super accurate as my room back home was super tiny. One of my big, slow-going, personal projects has been making myself a peaceful space where I can focus on my favorite at home workout, yoga.

I use the living room as my practice space- we have a TV where I can watch youtube videos, or download programs to our media center. I am also able to play pandora through the TV, so I can throw on their Yoga station to help me get in the mood. I also have different surfaces around me- I don't have blocks, so it's nice to have a low table right next to me if I need to steady myself.

This room has probably been my biggest project. Keeping it clean and free of distractions is a constant effort. Before I practice I always go through with a plastic bag and pick up anything I can, and use the 30-second rule: If I can do something in less than 30 seconds, I need to get it done! I'll also break out the dust buster in areas around where I put my yoga mat. I light a few lightly-scented candles as well, to calm my thoughts. (I think it works? I really like smelling like a softer version of the Yankee Candle store at least.) I just need to push the coffee table against the couch in order to have enough space to practice.

Currently I use the YogaAccessories Super Thick Yoga Mat which may have been a bit overzealous of me in thickness, because I have carpet. I imagine I'll be loving it when I eventually take the mat with me to a class at the gym. I love how long it is- because we do have carpet and I practice in a high traffic area I don't want to be touching the carpet with my hands, or have my hair flop around. Because the mat is 74" long I am super comfortable stretching out wall-to-wall on it. A problem I've had with previous mats was also solved here - no slippage! A bit TMI, but I get really sweaty hands and feet while I do yoga. With my last GAIAM mat I couldn't even stay in down dog comfortably, but with this mat I feel a lot more comfortable with myself. I also purchased the Aurorae Yoga Slip Free Rosin Bag, but I'm not sure if this has actually helped or just made me a little messy.

My Checklist for creating my ideal yoga space:

1. Pick up all trash, dishes, clean up any dust in the area.
2. Put on music, like the pandora yoga station.
3. Push that coffee table over
4. Light some candles!
5. Dodge the cat
6. Get flexible and focused!
7. After my practice, I will wipe down my yoga mat. I really need to look into a more serious cleaning solution though. I've seen wipes, and make-at-home-sprays, which I think I will go in the direction of. 

Does anyone have tips for yoga in a small space? I love finding new ways to change things up and improve!

up to date sunday #2

current picture:

Trees behind our apartment. 

current song: Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble. Still don't like Red as much as Speak Now, but love this song.

current workout: I am obsessed with Les Mills Body Combat. At my friday class, some high school girls showed up and stayed in the back half doing the moves. My brain apparently decided there was a competition happening? I worked harder in that class than ever before, it was super satisfying. Still keeping up with my yoga/gen exercise so I'm pretty happy.

current feelings: This was the first week I was really hit by homesickness. I miss my mom a lot- she is my best friend, and we would always do things together. Jack is always motivating me to be and do as much as I can, but having my mom with me for the past few months is probably going to be something I cherish and remember forever. Even if I get all teary remembering us in my room with the dog and the last day I was home, or my parents dropping me off at the airport (this gets me a bit more than teary, tbh.) I found a quote from Jodi Picoult earlier which did not help my emotional roller coaster-

“Maybe you had to leave in order to really miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was.” 

current plan: I have 2 interviews for next week! I am also going to work on getting the apartment more ordered and structured, and try to work on my photography.  And journaling, I did a bit of journaling this week and really enjoyed it. Hopefully I keep it up, I found it very therapeutic.

❤stephanie

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up to date sunday #1

current picture:

Start of our fire last night

current song: Iggy Azalea - My World

current workout: Totally obsessed with Back on Pointe's Dancer Leg's routine

current feeling: Icky! I didn't workout yesterday, so I doubled up just now and oh lawd. So sweaty. Heading to the shower right after I hit publish. I'm doing Back on Pointe's November challenge, and today I did Dancer's Leg Workout, One Room HIIT, FitFabCities Total Core Toner (hate the word tone!!), and the Fat Blaster. Really glad we have thick walls in our apartment building, I was blasting Pandora's Pop/Hip Hop Fitness station the whole time. Going to do Les Mills BodyStep for the first time tomorrow. I've been getting more interested in step classes, and I generally love everything Les Mills so I'm really excited. 

current plan: hit up the grocery store, do some clean-up, do my schedules for the week.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

❤stephanie

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BackOnPointe November Workout Calendar!

About a year ago I grew unhappy with my body, and self-medicated with ice cream. It took me a few weeks to stop that behavior and realize that I couldn't lose weight just by deciding to- I had to put a lot more effort in. Over the course of about... a year, I lost around 30 pounds total (from my high weight to my low weight), and about 6 months ago I joined a gym. The gym is my faaaaavorite.

 I was always the kid in PE who was miserable, walked every mile, hated sports, disliked sweating so it was a real shocker for me that I love the gym so much. I had to leave my gym and all my favorite instructors and gym buddies (love you mom!) when I moved, and it took me a few weeks to join up again. I am able to afford a gym pass due to savings and deciding that it was an investment that I would need to make for my own happiness, because group excercise classes are probably the #1 thing in my fitness regimine. So, I was going to the gym, doing my bodypump, and body combat- then Hurricane Sandy came!

While I never lost power, the roads are blocked every which way and I had to miss a few classes because I didn't want to drive 30 miles and get lost to get to my gym which is 5 miles away.

I was looking at the fitness section on Pinterest (follow me here!) when I kept seeing a bunch of workout routines from the tumblr BackOnPointe! I'm glad I found this at the end of the month when her workout calendar was right at the top of her page, because this has reenergized me!

This is the calendar that I will be using- there are also calendar's for students, beginners, and standard.

On the BoP: November post, she also links to the workouts that she's created which you can select from. For Saturday, I'll probably be doing Dancer's Legs Workout and One Room HIIT. Hopefully today and Friday I'll be able to make it to BodyCombat and BodyPump. I will also be doing some yoga everyday- last night I did the poses in this Yoga For the Splits post on FitnessLoveAffair Tumblr, which I'll probably be sticking to for a while.

I plan on using this calendar as a supplement to my gym going- I have gained weight, and let my diet go a bit out of control so I hope by giving myself a better schedule things will get easier.

How do you stay on track every week? What keeps you motivated?