Busy Bee

Things at work and home seem to have picked up the pace quite a bit. I'm feeling best about starting jogging again. This weekend will mark the fourth in a row that I'm out there hitting the asphalt at a nice even pace. I found a cool running album to listen to produced by "AudioFuel". There's a short phrase of coaching at the start of each track along with time checks once in awhile. It has been helpful to increase my perseverance in sticking with my jogging stride when normally I might slow down to a walk.

You can find it on iTunes as Run Free: The First Hour

I'm also finding ways to stay busy in the kitchen. Since we financed our first car the family budget has gotten pretty tight, so I am trying to cook instead of eating out or buying packaged foods. That's a good move anyway, considering my eating goals including whole foods little to no additives/preservatives or sugar.

Today's kitchen interlude included chocolate-chocolate-chip-almond cookies (did you know Whole Foods sells bulk sprouted almonds?) I used organic panela. These are for my son who is lamenting the fact that he is losing muscle mass. He is 6'4", with <11% body fat and hits the gym a lot, but does not eat enough calories every day. Hopefully these will help him keep his BMR fueled up.

I also made my own version of Kimchi, which will sit for a few days and become a tangy, spicy probiotic side dish/condiment.

Finally my sourdough adventures continue on. These loaves did not rise too much as I had them in the fridge overnight and into the oven early. I think they needed to come up to room temperature in order to have a decent oven spring. I purchased spelt and hard red wheat in bulk at Whole Foods Market and ground it up in my coffee grinder to make my own flour. I told the boys if these taste like hockey pucks we are not going to waste them...it's not everyday I make my own flour, you know! It's never my intention to make anything taste bad, obviously, but my sourdough bread making is often hit-or-miss. These loaves smell amazing and I can tell the consistency is soft.

There's a great beauty product I've also been using for about two months now (and it is so concentrated the bottle feels like it is still brand new.) I use a tiny dot on my ring finger, which is then spread onto my other ring finger tip and gently applied to the skin under and around my eyes. This wonderful cream is from Shiseido and called Bio Performance Super Corrective Eye Cream. I am not one to be a slave to anti-aging products, or even high-end skin care. The spas do not see me for facials nor do I have a beauty regimen that takes hours to complete. Yet this is one product that has me convinced that some skin care creams are worth my attention, and investment. Fine lines around my eyes have all but vanished! I never had dark circles, but it is supposed to improve those as well. I find my skin feels supple, soft and smooth.  I realize the clock can not be reversed and getting older is natural, I am just trying to look my best and this product is a gem. Try it for yourself:

At the office I am involved in a new project that keeps me on my toes. I've moved from a Brooklyn location back to Manhattan and that in and of itself is a welcome change. I get to walk from the train that brings me in from NJ about 10 blocks up to  my office near Grand Central. This adds 30 minutes a day of power walking to my fitness routine. As far as the work itself is concerned, the beginning project stage is often the busiest for my role so the days are passing quickly. I find myself exhausted and the weekends bring a welcome respite from meetings, paperwork and phone calls. 

Coming up: Our family hopes to get away for at least a day trip next weekend to the Jersey Shore. Memorial Day 2013 is sure to be a blast!

Push For Results - Low Impact HIIT Workout

Here was yesterday's workout. I had a lot of energy when I got home from work and was really pumped to get my workout in. Once I made dinner for my family I started in on this. Surprisingly, I found my strength was simply not there. Now, I'm not super strong to begin with, that's not what I mean, what happened was I am so sore that my muscles were not doing what I was commanding them to do. It was kind of weird. I stuck it out and felt terrific afterwards, if a little spent.

The workout is my usual breakdown: 7 exercises done for 50 seconds work/10 seconds rest for three rounds, a total of 21 minutes.

The touchdown lunge reps are done both right and left side to count as one rep.

Here are some examples of these exercises from around the web:

1. Burpees The classic.
2. Jack Knife Crunch I did these with a concentrated range of motion, essentially opening only about a foot, maintaining an active core and crunching up, reaching my hands toward my feet.
3. Pilates Back Bow (superman stance) Aim to hold the position for the full 50 seconds. When my upper body muscles were fatigued I alternated reaching one hand forward and pulling the other back to my ear (bending the elbow), or reaching out wider instead of straight ahead. Really squeeze your glutes and hold your thighs together, pointing your toes if possible, when performing this exercise.
4. Touch Down Lunge The video here illustrates one way to perform this exercise. I prefer to lunge down low, alternate legs back and return to a low start position ready to repeat the next rep, coming up to fully standing only when the 50 seconds are up. Click here to see the two positions I'm referring to.
5. Squat with Tricep Press (I used a 12 lb. medicine ball, held overhead, at the top I lowered and raised the ball. On the first set I lowered the ball when I squatted down and raised it as I came back up. I had to modify to keep my form the second two rounds by squatting, then doing the triceps press).
6. Inverted Row (Dip Stand)
7. Knee Ups (Dip Stand)

My results...have to admit I did not re-start my Gymboss when I could not get my iPod music going right..so the first round, exercise five, is a little lame...

Do you have a Gymboss? I use this nearly every workout, it was a great investment! Now that the weather is getting warmer, I'll take it with me to the track for interval training there. Much better for me than using my iPod or phone for a downloaded app, although that was what I did before getting the Gymboss.

       

Dumbbell Difference - Low Impact HIIT Workout

This workout requires intense focus on form. Slinging weights around in order to achieve maximum reps is the perfect recipe for injury. Remember to slow down and count on intensity through contraction and continuity, not necessarily speed.

These low impact workouts become "high intensity" by continually driving for another rep with no rest in between for the full 50 seconds. The better shape you are in the heavier weights you can use &/or you can increase the amount of time you work in between rest seconds. I find 10 seconds is barely enough time to take a breath and get into position for the next move. If I drink water it eats into my next 50 second slot.

Push to really contract on the exertion and allow a full resistant-focused stretch of the working muscle/muscle group when returning to your start position.

The first and sixth exercises use both left and right to count for one rep, e.g. lunge forward right, return to start, lunge forward left, return to start equals one rep


I use the Cap Hex Barbell pictured above. They have a textured grip that helps when my hands get sticky/sweaty. Click the photo to check them out on Amazon!


The workout consists of 7 exercises performed for 50 seconds straight, then 10 seconds rest, for a total of 3 rounds:

1. Dumbbell Lunge
2. Overhead Tricep Press
3. Biceps Curl
4. Dumb Bell Squat
5. Plank Rows
6. Dumbbell Side Bend
7. Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift

Interestingly, I found the plank rows the most challenging, both to stay in that hollow body position and not rotate my spine on the exertion.