I finally got my new heart rate monitor yesterday that I ordered from Dicks Sporting Goods. It is a Polar FT4. Very easy to use and works with the equipment at the gym and I couldn't wait to put it to use last night!
I started it while I walked on the treadmill on the Fat Burn mode and kept it going thru Body Pump and thru CX. In total, during those three workouts, I burned 1202 calories!
I am hooked on using this!
This morning I got up, ate a few cocoa almonds to get the metabolism going, filled a large glass with my sassy water and headed to the basement for P90X legs, back and abs workout with my heart monitor on and ready.
This workout was pretty good...It didn't really work my inner and outer thighs like I thought it would though. We did a lot of lunges of all different types that are good for the quads and butt which of course is something else I want to work on. It also helps with balance.
The entire workout was 1 hr, 19 minutes and during that time I burned 550 calories. What a great way to start the day!
Which leads me to my picture that I uploaded above. Tonight I head out for the gym- again. I realized I have become a gym rat. Just when I think "oh I only need to go a couple days a week", I find myself adding more classes and more days. I love finally doing something for myself. Putting myself first and making myself healthier- which I guess is a bonus for my family too. It means I will be around longer and more active with them.
Anyways- back to the gym tonight. On my schedule is walking for about 45 minutes as a warm up, zumba for an hour, CX for 30 minutes then I have my free personal training session. I saw Eric last night and told him what I had in store for myself in way of exercise and he said because I was working my legs this morning, he would stay away from them tonight. I told him fine as long as he shows me workouts for them.
All this leads me back to my monitor. I cant wait to see how many calories are burned tonight! I totally recommend getting some sort of heart rate monitor if you are looking to lose weight. It helps to keep you in the "burn zone" and beeps at you if you fall out of the zone. I wish I would have gotten one long ago! It is a great motivation to see how much I can burn in a day.
Last night I mentioned on my Facebook Page about the workouts that I did yesterday, how many calories I burned, and what I had in store today. Someone asked how many hours I work out...as I added it all up with warm ups included, it totals about 14 hours a week! Someone else then asked if that was even healthy.
SO I want to go back to my tip that I posted yesterday about putting the different types of exercise on your calendar in different colors. You can see that I dont do the same type of workout all day long or all in a row.
http://www.arthritis.org/types-exercise.php is the website I went to to get the top three types of exercises that I will use for my color categories.
1. Flexibility (Range of motion, stretching) I.e Yoga
2.Strengthening has two different types: Isometric (I think of core work when I think of this) This is things that strengthen without moving the joints (like planks) Isotonic strengthens by moving the joint ie weight lifting
3. Cardiovascular ie. aerobics
Ok here is my weekly schedule and times:
Monday:
9:30am warm up on treadmill
10am is CX30
8pm is P90X chest, back and ab ripper
Tuesday:
9am: P90X Plyometrics
5:00pm Warmup on treadmill
5:30pm CX30
6:30pm Body Flow
Wednesday:
8pm: P90X Shoulders, Arms and Abs
Thursday:
9am: P90X yoga (90 minutes)
6:00pm warm up on treadmill
6:30pm Body Pump
7:30pm CX30
Friday:
9am: P90X legs, back and abs
5:00pm warmup on treadmill
5:30pm Zumba
6:30pm CX30
7:30pm 30 minute personal training session- this is the exception for this week because I only get one free and I just cant afford to have a personal trainer right now. Usually I try not to do the same type of strength training twice in one day but I am going to take advantage of this opportunity!
Saturday:
P90X Kenpo (kick boxing) I would say this is both cardio and strength which is why I show two colors.
This is my schedule for the next three weeks. It is very intense but I am not working two body parts with isotonic strength training two days in a row.
Arthritis.org recommends 15 minutes of flexibility training a day, strength training every other day (I just switch body parts), and cardio 3-4 times a week. So really, if you look at my schedule, I am pretty much on target and not overdoing it. I debated on how to classify CX core workout. I really think it is almost a category of its own, but really it does strengthen your body which is why I classified it as I did.
Now onto the fun part.
Tip of the day:
Is dried fruit really a healthy snack?
Dried fruit is a great tasting snack. It may be tempting to indulge excessively, since it also has nutritional value.
But partakers should be aware of the calories in dried fruit. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the caloric content of fruit that has been dehydrated is approximately twice that of the fresh version.
This value is not the rule for every fruit; some fruits, such as dried blueberries, contain nearly triple the calories.
There are several reasons for the increased calories in dried fruit. A dried apricot, for example, is a fraction of the size of the original, fresh apricot.
It is deceptively inviting to eat a handful of dried apricot and believe that it is a healthy snack.
It might be surprising to learn that a handful of dried apricots is equivalent to eating three or four whole, fresh apricots.
The handful of dried apricots is also less filling due to the lack of water content.As for calories, one cup of fresh apricot halves has approximately 74 calories. A cup of dried apricot halves contains more than four times that amount, 313 calories.
However, if you compare them, the caloric totals even out. One raw apricot has 16.8 calories, and two dried halves equal the exact same amount of calories. The serving size may be different, but the number of calories remains the same.
This does not apply to some fruits, such as cranberries, which are sprayed with sugar solutions before drying. Without that added sugar, the dried cranberries would be just as tart as the fresh variety.
Unfortunately, dried fruits lose some of their nutritional value during the drying process. This is mainly due to the heat.
Dry heat is necessary for the dehydrations process, whether it is allowing the natural forces of the sun and wind to dehydrate the fruit, or using commercial grade ovens.
Vitamin C deteriorates when exposed to the drying warmth of a dehydrator or the sun. Fruits rich in vitamin C retain only a fraction, if any, of the original amount after being dried.
Other nutrients also suffer from the heat. The apricot, for example, loses calcium and potassium in the drying process. A fresh, raw apricot has 90.6 mg of potassium. That same apricot, after being dried, only has 40.7 mg of potassium.
Getting five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day is important for optimum health. The National Cancer Institute says one-fourth a cup of dried fruit is equivalent to one of the five servings.
As a snack, dried fruit is vastly superior to junk foods, such as potato chips, pretzels, candy bars, and other unhealthy indulgences people reach for when they are hungry between meals.
Dried fruit contains no fat, cholesterol, or sodium. It also helps to sweeten bland food without adding refined sugars.
Above information sourced from: http://www.lifescript.com/diet-fitness/articles/i/is_dried_fruit_really_a_healthy_snack.aspx
*I personally will eat a couple dried apricots or some dried cranberries everyday but I dont have huge portions. I feel that some dried fruit like the cranberries or dried pineapple have way to much sugar. A healthier option for a snack (I feel) would be to eat cocoa covered almonds. They are filling and provide you with good protein and monounsaturated fat. They help build muscle and fight cravings. They also help fight obesity, muscle loss, heart disease, wrinkles, cancer and high blood pressure!
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