Did my first workout today from my new program Visual Impact for Women. I loved it! Great music makes working out so fun and it just feels awesome to get moving and take care of yourself! I did high intensity intervals where I would walk for the verse of a song (and sometimes dance a bit and lipsynch or sing quietly on the treadmill, haha) and then run for the chorus or about 30 seconds and repeat. I also jogged 1 mile straight. Then a little bit of walking at the end. I did not push myself 100% until I burnout like usual, I just ran at a challenging steady pace at 90% or so. This way I could go longer and it is better for my body and the results I want. I still worked up a sweat and felt flushed and like I got a great workout, such a high (I was smiling and laughing and walking on air cuz im a dork)! Next I did the ab routine which is leg lifts where you lay flat and lift your legs up and down and also planks where you just hold for a few minutes or whatever you can handle in standard plank and then each side plank. You can also hang from a pull up bar and do leg lifts too, but it is harder. These all work the abs well without curving the spine. I learned for good back health to never curve your back for exercises or stretches or in your daily life. Instead bend at the waist keeping your spine neutral or avoid the exercise or stretch or activity for an alternate one. Also started doing back bridges which are amazing for the spine and feel good! I am not doing any lower body strength training, because the running intervals should make my lower body lean and toned without adding any bulk that weights can add especially if you are prone to weight gain in your lower body. I did do machines at the gym for arms, back, shoulders and chest though. The trick is to do a few sets with light weights for 5 reps or less and DO NOT go till failure. This will tone the muscle making you stronger without adding bulk, so you stay lean. You can choose a weight that is challenging, but just not one that will bring you to failure within 5 reps. For now I am really motivated and want to train hard for a month or so to get to my goals FAST, so I am going to do my cardio and abs 6 days a week and my upper body weights and flexibility stretching video twice a week. Then once I reach my goals I will drop down to 2-4 days a week for cardio and abs and 1-2 times a week for upper body weights and my flexibility stretching video.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 09:41:18 +0000