A Case of the Runs

If you have been reading my blog for a while, I do a lot of home video workouts, especially now that I have to work around all of our schedules with Tuesday's new school. Among my favorite home workouts are barre style, which basically incorporates small movements based on ballet that are done repetitively to really focus on them.  I've reviewed some different types of barre videos in the past, most of which are linked in this post (linked as to not spam this post mentioning other "brands"). One of my favorites is Xtend Barre - Lean and Chiseled -- I like it so much, in fact, that it's currently the video loaded in my laptop.  Well, truthfully, it has been a while since I've been doing barre videos regularly since I've been trying to hammer away at some other programs and lifting more weights.  But I did start doing it again recently knowing that the studio was opening soon, and according to my Apple Watch , I'm burning about 200-ish calories for...

This is a review of yet another video that I've been using in lieu of the gym or pounding my legs to death too often. LA Marathon is coming up this weekend.  I talked about my strange strategy in this post , so I won't go into it again.  What I will say is that rain is in the forecast, again .  In last year's race, along with the other marathons I ran last year, rain loomed -- and sometimes it came to fruition and sometimes not. Anyway, I have given myself a chance to do this workout quite a handful of times before writing a review.  The first time I popped in this " Xtend Barre: Lean and Chiseled " DVD, I thought it was extremely frenetic.  She (Andrea) goes through the warm-up at an uncomfortable (for me) pace.  This is probably more of my fault, since I am one of those people who never likes to stop and read instructions or watch fitness DVDs before doing them, like I should.  After a couple of times, I actually like the pace, and I was actu...

I think it's about time that I review the Physique 57 Volume 1 set of DVDs that I got during the holidays! The reason I was interested in this set in the first place is that I've read a lot of hype about it.   Physique 57 is a barre-type exercise program.  I've tried The Bar Method and some of its associated home videos before.  The in-person classes are fairly challenging, but I ended up reselling the DVDs because they just seemed too easy after a while. After cycling through the three discs for about a month now,  I definitely don't think these are "easy."  It definitely works up a sweat, and I definitely get to the point of failure.  Although the barre-method is a non-impact way of getting in shape, I definitely don't like for it to be a snooze.  This seems to give me the best of both worlds -- focused toning with no impact and even a bit of cardio. Here is my summary of each: Classic Workout (~57 minutes), recommended 2-3x/week  -...

"Believe in yoursellfff!"  This is the first thing you hear when you pop in one of these Physique 57 Volume 2 DVDs, the three-disc follow-up to Physique 57 - Volume 1 . By now, I've been doing Physique 57 workouts for over a year.  Granted, I was not consistent with it until closer to the end of the year, but due to my lack of gym membership, I have enjoyed them as part of a balanced fitness routine.  Lately, I've been doing barre exercises more than any other kind.  I've been popping in Physique 57 2-3 days a week, mixed in with some Xtend Barre , Focus T25 (I'm still on the Alpha phase...), Jillian Michaels , or Insanity . Once again, these DVDs offer a variety of exercises done in small movements to create lean muscle.  Now, as someone who used to gut it out in my running shoes or some kind of intense interval training for an hour a day or more, this sounds totally ineffective, but alas, I think it is.  My glutes and legs look a lot more -- ton...

I've been on the down-trend for the past year. Long story short, running has become less and less fun for me, and time before more and more sparse. As I was ramping down (down, down) my weekly mileage, I started wondering what would happen.  Would I grow a "spare tire," struggle to pick up a 15-pounder, or huff and puff at the slightest jog? I find it laughable each time I'd visit the doctor, when the nurse would do a little intake interview, asking me about my fitness habits.  It used to be, "Oh, I work out 6-ish days per week, an hour at a time."  Then, it became, "About 5-6 days a week, 45 minutes to an hour."  Most recently, it was, "Five days a week, 40 minutes."  Luckily, the system still flagged me as "active," but in my eyes, I know better. Over the past few months, most mornings would involve a 3.7-ish mile jog, though some mornings I'd do a 30-40 (tops!) minute workout video instead.  Physique 57 , Xtend Ba...

Ever since I discovered that I could work out to YouTube using my AppleTV device, I have enjoyed working out on a whim rather than hoping that the DVD that I've popped in the night before will suit my needs in the morning.  It sure beats working out in front of a laptop, too! Here are my current go-to videos.  I'm sure this will change in a few months (and I look forward to a fresh batch!).  I like that they are generally short, so I can mix and match as I have time/energy! 1) Madonna Arms (about 10 min) - This is not a prenatal video, but it's just a good all-around arm toner that can be done during pregnancy.  The last segment is done lying flat on your back, but after a point I started using a stability ball so I'd be up on an incline instead. I've been doing this one since early on in my pregnancy, and while I can't say it's a miracle worker, I do notice my general muscle tone is there.  My arms are a problem area for me (I tend to store fat in t...

I was a little hesitant to purchase pregnancy-specific workout videos, but it did not take me too long to realize that I would prefer to not have to think up "safe" variations each time I do a video.  I had seen a lot of Tracy Anderson videos online while researching barre stuff, so I thought I'd give her "Pregnancy Project" a try. The fact that it had 9 DVDs was intriguing (although later I realized you're only supposed to do one per month, so not much variety at all), and I figured it wouldn't just be one of those too-easy videos since she seems to be known for results. My initial impression of the cover was like O__o -- basically, WHY is she wearing only a lacy bra on the cover of a workout DVD?!  Well, you know what they say about books and their covers... I was doing/still do some of my normal workout DVDs , skipping anything that feels odd and the ab portions.  So these videos were just part of my rotation throughout the first few months, t...

Hope your new year is still starting off well.  A lot of people are probably still in the "let's get in shape" mode, though I have sort of been in it for a while, due to my " equilibrium " goal. In December, I was struggling to keep working out regularly, which for me, is about 5 days a week (sometimes 6).  I no longer have easy access to gyms, and my work one is pretty small and stuffy.  There was one week earlier in the month where I pretty much did not work out for nearly a week.  Even though I was active and on my feet a lot, I felt bad about my deviation but at the same time, I knew it would ultimately be good for me. Waking up early to go running just has NOT been appealing.  Now that I sleep in my very, very comfortable Sleep Number bed , I have less achiness and more reasons to stay in bed.  However, I started waking myself up earlier to at least do SOME sort of morning workout.  Cue the workout DVDs.  Sometimes, it would be Jillian Mi...

EVENT:  Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker Bike Ride (30 mi) DATE: Saturday, February 23, 2013 LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA RACE BEGAN: 09:05 am FINISH TIME: approximately 02:30:00 Last year , I ran the Los Angeles Firecracker 5K AND 10K run.  My friends and I decided to " catch 'em all ," so "The Ukrainian" decided to join us.  I was originally signed up for the 10K (I learned that doing both is not that fun, haha), but the race coincided with my sister's wedding. No fear, I switched us both to the 30-mile bike tour taking place the day before.  The longest bike tour I had ever done was around 20 miles, but the thought of another 10 miles was a bit daunting. I trained for this tour -- once -- in the gym on an upright bike, riding for 60 minutes (about 17.5 miles). On race morning, we took the train to Chinatown.  I got nervous as I saw everyone in their expensive road bikes and gear -- felt like a fraud, ha ha.  The race started with...

Although many people haven't returned to work/school or whatever constitutes their "normal" routines, I feel as though I am already back in the swing of things.  Perhaps this is because I had to work on New Year's Eve and immediately again on the 2nd. Everyone's good intentions (i.e., resolutions) have been rubbing off on me, and although I did not really commit to anything specific, I do feel like I'm on my "best behavior."  And I think some of it even started before the end of 2012. For one thing, I have been using my new Thermos for warm drinks instead of going out for something.  I live around a lot of drink establishments (side note: I don't count Starbucks in this category... I gave them up for good in October), so I did have that bad habit toward the end of last year.  I've never had a Thermos anything before, and they work really well!  Thanks goes out to my sister and the little birdie named Amazon for the tip!  I have some loos...

It's been some time since I've posted a T25 review, and there's a pretty good reason for that... probably not as exciting as for some , though. I mentioned that I'm having a few adjustment issues since moving.  First, running in the morning is now something I can only do with company, since it's so dark out, hilly and uneven, and wild animals are known to be in the area (haven't seen any yet, though!).  I know I could "woman up" and just run on my own with lights and pepper spray, but I don't enjoy running in fear.  The other day, I was running in front of "The Ukrainian," when I started yelling because I had just run thorough a FREAKING SPIDER WEB the size of my body that I obviously couldn't see in those conditions.  I'm used to running through webs, but this one was huge and not something I could easily brush off.  I had the "heebies" until I got home and showered. The second issue I'm having is the floor.  T...

I've been a little bit MIA lately, partly because I haven't been feeling particularly athletic lately and partly because my hands are pretty full right now.  A combination of exhaustion and physical pains from carrying a 21+lb baby around has sidelined me from running and other high-impact workouts for the past couple of weeks.  I feel like I got carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists and one of my ankles, plus I've had a temperamental knee so running isn't very fun right now.  Overall, I've just been feeling pretty beat-up. Instead, I've been doing more barre-type workouts, walking, and Pilates, mostly from DVDs or YouTube videos.  I even started doing occasional group exercise classes, which I have not really done before.  As the weather is (finally!!!!) cooling down a bit, though, I hope that will motivate me to try to run more... and maybe I'll feel like I have something to write about in this running blog again. As a result of not feeling up to...

Of course, it wasn't going to be long until I started reviewing prenatal stuff, right?  I don't plan on exclusively writing about baby/pregnancy things, but I did have these reviews ready and will see how it goes from there. As I've mentioned many times, I've been using Physique 57 (P57) to keep in shape, even before my pregnancy (which still feels weird to type).  It is a great workout that keeps me fit without all the jarring of other activities. I'm in the camp that believes that, well, I'm pregnant, not invalid.  My doctor keeps telling me I can pretty much do whatever, as long as I'm not at risk of falling, overheating, or lying on my stomach or long periods on my back.  However, because I hadn't been running as much in general this year, it's kind of hard to keep up now, especially since it feels like most of the terrain in my neighborhood is uphill and it's now summer. Mechanically, I can say that my mobility isn't nearly what...

"The Ukrainian" managed to convince me to go running this morning.  Yes, I actually need to be convinced these days to run, and I think I am only partially motivated by future races.  It is less of a problem on the weekends because I don't have to run in the dark, but as you know, it's tough to keep in some kind of running form being a "weekend warrior."  However, the workouts I do on other days DO help me maintain some of my running fitness, without having to put my shoes on! It's no secret that I've been relying on DVDs to keep me exercising consistently, and Physique 57 is one of my favorites.  I have been doing Volume 1 since last year and been drafting a review for Volume 2, but in the meantime, I "splurged" on this e-book, The Physique 57 Solution: The Groundbreaking 2-Week Plan for a Lean, Beautiful Body .  I generally don't buy a lot of Kindle books because I can "lend" them from the library, but I made an excepti...

The other day, I went with "The Ukrainian" to the LA Marathon Expo and recorded a little mash-up for YouTube. I had not been to that expo in a couple of years, and since neither of us are doing much running these days, expos in general haven't been something I've seen a lot of since 2014 or so.  I didn't go through all of my thoughts in the video.  Yesterday was the race, and since I spent the day with Tuesday (our son ), I had more time to think about what I was missing.  I would have normally said "dwell" rather than "think," but it really was more of a "think" than "dwell." I used to be SO bothered when I couldn't do a race, for any reason.  Standing on the sidelines felt like I was giving up, which seems so, so ridiculous to me now that I'm a month away from turning 32 and feeling like I'm 62.  I wish I didn't spend all those active racing years beating myself up for not finishing races at goal, a...

When we first moved into our house, one thing I learned pretty quickly was that plyometric/high-impact just wasn't going to fly.  As you might know, I've mostly been a home exerciser because I didn't have a gym membership for two years.  We used to live in a carpeted apartment above someone who was rarely there, so we were able to do whatever we wanted without complaint.  Suddenly, I was unable to jump without creaking the entire place, which I was certain was not a good thing.  Also, talk about a lack of shock-absorption! It took over two years for me to start a home gym outside of our living room.  The impetus for this was not just having a baby but having a commute that eats up a lot of the old workout time I used to have.  I didn't work out consistently until six months later when I finally joined a gym that is super close to work and resorted (still do) to quickie lunchtime workouts .  Still, when I was working out more on the weekend or ...