The abs streak continues

Last week I carried out my plan five days in a row, then like God, I rested on the Sabbath. Not surprisingly, this got me to forget about my plan and so I skipped Monday. However, I was determined to correct for this and get back to the program. I completed my 100 on Tuesday night. Then I was back at the gym before work this morning where I completed another 100. I don't really have the $8 to spare for Body Pump this week so I figured I'd make it to the gym and give my best effort on my own. I pushed myself and sweated like a buffalo. I did squats on the Smith machine; one-legged standing squats; lunges on the balancing foam; the abductor/adductor machines; sumo squats holding weights; single, double and double-to-single leg reps on the leg press machine. I'm happy that I accomplished so much in one hour before the day had even begun. Huzzah!

Weekend fitness

Anyone who even occasionally reads my blog knows that I am a huge fan of Tamilee Webb's I Want That Body dvd series. In fact, I wrote a review that waxed enthusiastic about it for Her Active Life. Check it out here. Basically, I love it for its simplicity. It's broken down into three segments: abs, arms and buns---that pretty much covers the entire body. Each body part comes with a choice of Chapter 1 of 2, depending on how advanced you feel. Each chapter is only 15 minutes long. Seems short but it packs a strong punch!

I feel that I have mastered the abs and arms segments but always the buns portion was the most challenging for me. I have never had 15 minutes feel like such an eternity's length of time. And her sumo squats---yow! This weekend I threw the dvd in and I, once again, felt the powerful results of Body Pump. I actually made it through the entire 15 minutes without stopping to breath, stretch or just rub my legs in agony. And two days later my thighs are still burning. That is what I call a proud success.

After that 15 minutes segment, I pushed myself through my own version of upper body weights and abs. I'm still on a roll with the 100 a day until Reggae Fest. I did them for five days in a row last week and only skipped Sunday. I figure my gut needs a day off if the muscle fibers hope to heal and grow stronger.

Keep on keepin' on!

On the horizon

Our upcoming 2008 Reggae Fest takes place in about two weeks. The spectacular festival hosts a great combination of music, camping and swimming. Does it get any better? No, not for me. Having this on the calendar ups my desire to get in some fresh workouts before the big par-tay. My new goal is to do 100 sit-ups every day leading up to that weekend. I don't think doing them is as hard as remembering that I have the goal. I also want to stay steady in my balance of overtime, sleep and exercise. I've been doing great this whole week. Well, actually looking back to last weekend in Chicago, I biked and walked plenty. Monday I took a necessary day off for sleep. On Tuesday I managed my commute so that I park and walk for 30 minutes to work and then back to my car afterwards. On Wednesday I went to Body Pump. Thursday I did the same driving/walking commute. This morning I was up at 6 to get to the gym before a long day of sitting on my butt (ie, work). Hopefully I can keep up the streak while being realistic and listening to my body. Happy Friday!