We got in a lot of quality friend and family time, it was so much fun! Unfortunately, the only camera I have is a big dSLR that is a tiny bit cumbersome to drag around when I am out and about, so I didn't take any pictures. I lost our small camera last summer (with all of our honeymoon pictures on it) and we haven't been able to replace it yet.
On Thursday I picked up a new book at the library: Tracy Anderson's 30-Day Method
The book includes a 30-day workout plan with a strength, cardio, and meal plan component. The meal plan is downright ridiculous. I was a little bit in shock to read how little food she has you eating. A typical day includes about a cup of fruit for breakfast, a cup of soup for lunch, a small afternoon snack, and a piece of fish with veggies for dinner. I'm not sure if anyone could stick to that for 30 days.
The cardio is a little silly too. The book came with a DVD that has two 20 minute dance cardio sequences. They are basically Tracy jumping and flailing around.
Despite the goody cardio and meal plan, I was interested in trying her strengthening method. Rather than lifting weights, she does bodyweight exercises with very high reps (20-60 reps). Her exercises focus on the smaller accessory muscles rather than the bigger muscles (quads, biceps, etc). She says that this can help you "achieve a long, lean physique instead of a bulky look."
Since last summer, I have been doing traditional weight lifting, and while I do like the results I got, once my strength increased to the point where I was able to lift heavier weights, I was worried I was starting to look a little bulky, especially in my arms.
I am always up for mixing up my workouts, so I'm going to give Tracy a try. The 30 plan is broken down into 3 10-day segments. For 10-days, you do a sequence of 16 exercises, working up to 60 reps each, and then switch to a new exercise sequence for the next 10 days and so on.
Tonight I did 30 reps, and it took me about 45 minutes to get through it. This is definitely a time-consuming way of working out. On the plus side, I am feeling pretty sore, especially in my butt. I have been a little lazy about weight lifting the last couple weeks and I really miss the sore feeling.
I will report back on my progress!
OK, I will exercise today after all, because of you Michelle! I just finished night shift and found myself making my usual "I am suffering trying to stay awake, so it is OK to sit here and overeat" excuses. What is your favorite (or most frequent) excuse to yourself? I was even eating Ritz low salt crackers, and they are no good. Too bad food that doesn't even taste that good still has calories. I enjoy your comments, Michelle. I find you to be quite motivating!
ReplyDeleteYay! Good job! It can really be hard to motivate yourself when you are tired :) I was actually thinking about skipping my workout last night, but then I read your comment and I knew I had to do it! My usual excuse (the one I was trying to use last night) is that I work out hard most of the time, so it's ok to skip sometimes, even when my only reason for doing so is laziness.
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