Tag Archives: Jillian Michaels

Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Lunges, Quad, Running, Squats

20 miles x 2 (2/8 – 2/14)

February 14, 2015 Kim 32 Comments

This week I got in 2 long runs!!! Next week I have more big running plans so I’m trying to be smart with all of the running!!

Sunday 2/8 – 45 standing side leg pulses.

The hardest part of this move was trying to stay balanced while I moved my leg up and down!!! And, of course, I had to do the other leg.

Rest day (besides going to the grocery store, doing laundry, sweeping piles of sand out of the garage, washing my truck….).

Monday 2/9 – 45 arm pulses – keep arms bent at 90.

This was another small move but very effective – I felt it in my shoulders, upper back and biceps!

I did Jillian Michaels Hard Body Level 2 – it was hard!!!
I also did a 5 mile run (40:12) followed by an easy half mile.

Tuesday 2/10 – 45 squat with dumbbell set-down and pick-up.

squat - leave dumbbells on ground — squat – leave dumbbells on ground

squat - pick dumbbells back up — squat – pick dumbbells back up

I liked this move – to complete 45 reps I actually did 90 squats!!!

This was the first 20 mile run of the week. It wasn’t bad at all!!! (2:33.56) I tacked on an easy cool-down mile for a total of 21.

Wednesday 2/11 – 45 back/hamstring stretches.

Not gonna lie – this was a really nice 45!!!

I did a fun workout that was fairly low impact – Turbo Jam, Cardio Party 3.

Thursday 2/12 – 45 glute bridge with march (toes up). This move I got from Nellie’s (Brooklyn Active Mama) Weekly Wednesday Workout.

See why it’s called a “march”? I tried to make sure that I was keeping my hips up the entire time – this was a challenge!!

And, I did my 2nd 20 mile run of the week. Funny thing is the time was almost the same (2:33.50) – just 6 seconds faster than Tuesday! I ended up doing 1.5 miles as a cool-down this time for 21.5 total.

Friday 2/13 – 45 side lunge skaters – staying low the entire time.

The goal on this move is to stay low and work your quads the entire time. (a right-left lunge = 1 rep) And, I stood in the sunbeam – because it was warm!!!

I did a workout I hadn’t done in awhile – Denise Austin – Get Fit Fast. One thing I really like about Denise Austin’s workouts is she features “real” looking people – people who look like me with hips and not a 6-pack!!!

Saturday 2/14 – 45 dead bugs while on wobble ball with shoulders slightly off ground.

I liked this move but actually felt it much more in my hip flexors than in my core. (right-left drop = 1 rep)

Today was my final run of the week – 5 miles in 39:21 followed by an easy cool down mile.

I’m happy that I met my running goal for the week – 50 miles hard and 4 easy miles to get over the 50 mile mark for the week. The next 2 weeks I’m hoping to get my mileage a little higher and then I will ease up some.

Happy Saturday!! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Running

Stability Balls and Running (2/1 – 2/7)

February 7, 2015 Kim 32 Comments

This was a good week of workouts! And, I’m happy that all of my morning workouts were back at 5:00am again!!!

Sunday 2/1 – 45 seated quad lifts with a dumbbell between my feet.

I got in a nice run – 8 miles in 59:21 followed by 2.5 easy miles.

Monday 2/2 – 45 reverse curls with a stability ball under my legs.

ready - just holding the ball in place is HARD!!! — ready – just holding the ball in place is HARD!!!

My workout started with Jillian Michaels Hard Body Level 1. I thought about doing Level 2 also but knew that I would end up just going through the motions. Instead I did Kathy Smiths Tummy Trimmers – Standing Abs.

Tuesday 2/3 – 45 front-back sweep with foot while staying in a semi-squat.

I counted a front-back-front as 1 full rep. And, of course, after my left quad was on fire I had to switch and work my other leg!!!

After my quads were nice and shaky, I hopped on the treadmill for the first part of my run!
11 miles in 87:33 followed by 0.5 miles easy

I had to get off to take Hunter to school. After I got back home I hopped back on the treadmill and ran some more.
6 miles in 47:39 followed by 2.5 easy miles.

A decent running day of 17 good miles and 3 easy!!!

Wednesday 2/4 – 45 stability ball plank front-back rolls. This move is one that I saw in the cool video that Gigi (GiGi Eats Celebrities) showed the other day with her interview at Drench Fitness.

I’m not sure that my form was super because this move was hard!!

You can’t really tell that the ball moved much but trust me – you can feel this move!!!

I did a workout that is sort of fun while still focusing on toning – Skinny Bitch Fitness. Jordan walked through right at the end and saw the name of the DVD – he was not impressed!!!

Thursday 2/5 – 45 hamstring curls using the stability ball. This move came from the same video interview (see Wednesday) that GiGi did.

use your hamstrings to roll the ball toward you

Since I workout at home, I’m always looking for new hamstring moves – this was a great one!!!

I did another run. 11 miles – 82:14 followed by 0.75 easy miles.

Friday 2/6 – 45 full sit-up to toe touch.

I never rested my shoulders on the floor during my reps. The toe touch part was a nice stretch. I don’t do full sit-ups often anymore but I liked this version!

I decided that even though I needed a “rest” day I still wanted to workout some so I did Core Fusion Body Sculpt. This is a great body workout that is mostly body weight (you use light weights in the upper body portion) – it is about working the muscle to exhaustion!!

Saturday 2/7 – 45 soccer kicks.

This move is quick and fun!! Just lift your leg up and touch the inside part of your foot. I counted a right-left as 1 rep.

This was another day of running!!! I tried to push just a little faster than I have been lately.
7 miles – 47:54 followed by an 1 easy mile.

Even though I didn’t take any full rest days this week, I did several workouts that are like a rest while still getting in some activity.

4 days of running with 43 hard miles and 7.25 easy miles to finish the week just over 50 miles!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

BOSU, Chest, Core, Fitness, Squats

A Little Break Is Starting to Spiral out of Control (11/9 – 11/15)

November 15, 2014 Kim 59 Comments

Since I haven’t been able to run (or jump or do anything with any impact) lately, and I took a week almost completely off, it has gotten harder to really push myself during my workouts.

Sunday 11/9 – 45 squats on a wobble disc.

Not gonna lie – this was hard and hurt my leg (squats and lunges aren’t working out well for me right now).

Monday 11/10 – 45 side bends with arms behind head.

I did 45 bends to the right and then had to switch and do 45 to the left –

I did a workout that is very low impact but still at least feels like I”m doing something – Fat Burning Pilates.

Tuesday 11/11 –45 sit-ups on bender ball –

Wednesday 11/12 – 45 alternate twisting knees on upside down wobble balls (right-left = 1 rep).

Go back to the start and then –

Knee up - twist left — Knee up – twist left

I tried to run (for about 5 steps!!) and ended up just walking (again) – 5 miles with a 10% incline.

Thursday 11/13 – 45 rear leg lifts (on stability ball with arms extending forward).

After doing 45 lifts with this leg (lift the leg and tap the toe down) in a slow controlled way, I switched legs –

I did Jillian Michaels Kick Box: Fast & Furious. Most of the workout was good – a few of the kicks hurt my leg but I think I just need to suck it up!!!

Friday 11/14 – 45 fly to head banger while in bridge.

Reverse move to complete one rep!!!

I pulled out another old workout – TaeBo Ripped Extreme. If you like TaeBo this is a great workout. The last little bit had a lot of squats to kicks which I ended up skipping out on but otherwise it was a great workout!!!

Saturday 11/15 – 45 push-up with arm reach (feet on BOSU). This move is one I got from Kristin (Stuft Mama).

Do another push-up and then –

reach forward with left arm (I think I twisted my body too much!!) — reach forward with left arm

The sequence above is 1 rep!!! I had to do 90 push-ups to get my 45 done this morning!

The good news is I completed Josie’s (YumYucky) weekend push-up challenge – the advanced version!!!

What I’ve noticed after taking some time off is that after a break it gets easier and easier to take a day off and the workouts seem harder and harder. I don’t really like this trend!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Fitness, Quad, Running

THINK

March 12, 2014 Kim 77 Comments

Today’s challenge for #happyfitmarch was to do 15 minutes of yoga. Well, I don’t do a lot of yoga but I decided to combine a few things to meet the goal.

For my 44 I used a small wobble ball and stepped into Warrior II.

By holding in the down position and then pushing off of the ball of my foot to return to the start, I got a great quad workout!!! And, of course, I had to do another set of 44 o my left leg.

After completing all of my reps here (about 5 minutes of yoga!), I did Jillian Micheals Yoga Meltdown, Level 1. This took about 35 minutes so I got 40 minutes of yoga!!!

I also ran a nice easy 5K + 0.5 miles cool down.

The first time I saw this acronym was probably 5 years ago and I actually had it on my desk at work to remind me to THINK first, then speak.

However, over the past few years I have gotten out of the habit of using this before I speak (or write for that matter).

The T part is the easiest for me because I can’t tolerate lying.

The other letters are far more challenging and something I need to start reminding myself of daily (actually multiple times a day!!!).

Because I’m going to really work on using this before I speak/write I’m not going to say anything about the event we had last night other than the fact that it was a huge lesson learned.

Here is a picture of Chris and I during the event –

Notice anything different about Chris?? It is mustache March – the entire Air Force is supporting this – Good Times!!!

Do you THINK before you speak?

I feel like I will talk a lot less if I really apply the THINK rule before I speak!!!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Kim

Core, Fitness

Bring Your Personal Best to the Table Every Day!!

March 4, 2014 Kim 75 Comments

I combined my 44 and the challenge of the day for Angela’s Happy Fit March Challenge. The goal today was a max plank hold and I decided to have some fun with it. I used 2 of my small wobble balls to set up the plank –

I let the timer run while I did my 44 which was to stay in plank and alternate lifting my legs –

The hard part was trying to keep my body still when I lifted and lowered my legs. I counted a right and left lift as 1 rep. Counting my reps made the time pass quicker than just trying to hold plank!!!

I decided to spend some time with Jillian Michaels this morning – Extreme Shed & Shred! I did both parts (Level 1 & 2) of this workout to get just over an hour of hard work!! This workout was a fun mix of kickboxing, yoga holds, plyo, HIIT, a few moves using weights – Fun Stuff!!!

During the workout today, Jillian said something that I really liked. She said, “Bring your personal best to the table every day.”

First, I love that she put the emphasis on personal best because we shouldn’t compare what we do to anyone else!!! As long as we are striving to be the best form of ourselves that we can be then that is good enough!!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a very competitive person but I think that the biggest competitions I will ever have involve beating myself!!! Sure, when I do race, I want to win but I know I’m not a world class runner and will never win every race. However, I can continually work to be the best that I can be!!!

The other thing about that quote that I like is the every day part. Some days and some tasks it is easier to just put in a half effort but the only person we are hurting is ourselves!!

Today is another day of cleaning and setting up for an event over at our venue and it would be easy to just do a half-ass job but then I would look around and know that I hadn’t done my personal best and I wouldn’t have the sense of satisfaction that comes from doing the best I can no matter the job!!!