Changing It Up

My first week of running, last week, was much harder than I expected. I kept the pace about the same, one mile under 8:30, but by the end of the week I was still struggling to finish that mile. Also, both my knees started to hurt a bit, so I took last Friday off from running, and picked up OT at work.

This week I've been stuck in the house watching the kids. So to get my exercise in, I started running the stairs in our apartment. There are 18 steps, which is about 14 feet in height. To keep it fun, I will run up and down the stairs for the first song, and then do pushups, sit ups and biceps on the second song. So far, I can do about 5 songs (3:30 each). I figured my total jogging distance is about half a mile with 140 feet of elevation gain. This is a great way to kick your butt into shape.

I've added a new breakfast to my diet called Rips Big Breakfast Bowl. Its from a diet book I got called The Engine Two Diet. It isn't too bad. Try It.

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup Grape-Nuts or Ezekiel brand equivalent
1/4 cup bite-size shredded wheat
1/4 cup Uncle Sam Cereal
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 handful of walnuts
1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced
1 grapefruit
3/4 cup milk substitute of choice

Mile Run Today

Had a great run this morning!! They are getting easier to run each day. I shaved 35 seconds off my mile run from last Friday. I can't wait to see how fast I'll be this Saturday.

Had a great workout at the gym last night after work. One of the things I'm working on is Pull Ups. When I first started a few weeks ago, all I could do at one time is 4. I'm up to 7 now. My goal by the end of the month is 10.

I FEEL GREAT!!

This last week I ran a half mile each day, except on Friday I ran 1 mile. My fastest half mile was 3:34 and the mile run was 8:27, which was much faster than I thought I could run with my hurt knee. Speaking of... both knees are holding up pretty good. After my runs I'm not short of breath, like I was the first 3 days. It feels so good to be outside getting in shape.

My diet is going good too. 4 weeks without soda and fast food was hard, but so worth it. This is the longest I've gone without junk food in my whole life. You're probably wondering how much weight I've lost, and the answer is none, but I feel so much healthier. I think the pounds will come off at the end of the month when I start my 4 mile runs. My goal is to loose 10 pounds and weigh around 175.

This next week I plan on running 1 mile each day. I'm still lifting weights after work each night, and doing sit ups and push ups at home in the morning.

I can't wait to feel even better!!

HOW TO GET A STRONG CORE

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/ab-exercise-9?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-Fitness-_-SEALabs

Here's a link to an article I read on Mens Health Mag. I guess I have to start doing this stuff if I want my abs looking good.

Swiss-Ball Obliques
Swiss-Ball ObliquesSit on a Swiss ball with your hands behind your head and elbows out. Recline as far back as possible and pause for a beat. Slowly return to an upright position. As you come up, twist your torso to bring your left elbow to your right hip. Pause for a moment, and then slowly lower while exhaling. Repeat, bringing your right elbow to your left hip. Do 20 reps for one set and rest a minute. Do a second set. Increase to 50 reps per set with practice. This works your obliques and upper abs.



Russian Sit-Ups
Russian Sit-UpsLie on your back. Put your hands behind your head. Lift your left leg six inches off the ground and hold it there. Rest your right foot atop your left knee so that your right knee points straight up. Do 10 sit-ups, keeping the left leg elevated. Then switch to the other side for one set. Do four sets. Increase to 25 reps per set after a few weeks. This will build your upper and lower abs.



V-Ups
V-UpsLie on your back. Fully extend your arms. Bring your arms and torso forward while simultaneously raising your legs off the ground to form a V shape. Bring your fingers to meet your toes directly above your waist. Pause for a moment, and then lower your arms and legs. Stop just short of the floor. Continue at the pace you would use for sit-ups. Do 10 reps for one set. Rest for a minute. Do three more sets. With practice, increase to 30 reps per set. This will work your lower abs.



Broomstick Obliques
Broomstick ObliquesLean back on a decline bench so that your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Hold a broomstick behind your neck with both hands, as shown. Twist to your right. Pause when the broomstick is perpendicular to the floor. Return to the center, and then twist to your left for one rep. Do 10 reps for a set. Rest for a minute. Do two more sets. This will isolate your obliques. Use a 20-pound bar for a greater challenge.

ITS TIME TO START RUNNING

http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//runs/detail/f43abfdb-211d-47f8-9036-1a528dbfcde9/1707305903/all/week/

So, today I started to run again. About 2 1/2 months ago, I hurt my knee running and have been resting ever since. The doctor said I could start running again in January. Since I'm out of shape and scared to re-hurt my knee, I plan to start out slow. So this week I will be running a half mile everyday, and next week I will run 1 mile each day. Wish Me Luck!!