Workout Wednesday!- #BIKINISERIES & #100bysummer

Happy Workout Wednesday!! I am so excited about this post and can not wait to tell you about the 8 week challenge I am participating in. #BIKINISERIES & #100bysummer

I have three words for you:

TONE IT UP

 

I have had a few people express interest in these little challenges that I do. So I just decided to type it out and put it up for all to see in case anyone else is interested! I have also done so on my facebook page a while back. But since there is yet another challenge I am writing about it again! (:

Right now Tone It Up is in the 2nd week of the #BIKINISERIES. I have done it for 3 years in a row, and I love it! It gives me motivation to workout each day and eat a little bit healthier! It helped me drop all my pregnancy weight in 3 months and made me feel more confident!

Alright first of all go HERE and read this post first! Tone It Up can explain everything better than I can! It has everything you need to know about the challenge!! Don't worry, it's free. (: Then come back and read my little input! It is the first week's workout schedule, which was last week, but before the Monday-Sunday workout schedule it explains the details of the challenge!


Back?!


Ok here is my 2 cents: (;


I LOVE that they post a weekly workout schedule. I don't always follow it, because sometimes the videos are a bit cheesy or I want to workout my arms instead of abs that day! Either way it still motivates me to check the weekly schedule every Sunday, and then I make my own plan in a notebook, or white board. That way I know what to expect every day, and instead of my day running me, I RUN MY DAY! I love planning. (;

 

Here is my board: Ignore the scribbles. I have an AM and PM for each day, mostly what Tone It Up has on their schedule. then I check it off when it is complete. They also do PM challenges that aren't workouts, things like making a vision board (on Pinterest or the old fashioned way (;  ) To write your blessings in your journal, things like that. In the corner of each day in the section of PM I have boxes and a cloud looking thing. This is where I record my 1: Miles for the day, 2: Check-In with TIU on instagram, and 3: how many oz of water I drank that day! Oh, I also have been putting in parenthesis how many miles I anticipate I will go that day, and total. So sorry it isn't more readable. But it works for me! (; 

You read about their Booty Call. That is just basically to get up before you usually do and fit in some cardio! Some weeks I fit it in, some weeks I don't. But I still always try to fit in the workout sometime throughout the day!


The little cardio challenges are lots of fun! #100bysummer, #100byhalloween and #100byvday. I have done them all. The cardio challenge is from day 1 to the first day of summer. June 21st! If you are just wanting to start, no Biggie! Just calculate how many miles each day till then to make it work! I don't workout on Sunday's, so I have to calculate that in, and run more in the week! Some times I give myself a cushion day because Saturday's are always crazy.  Here is a blog post that Tone It Up has put up to explain and answer questions of the #100bysummer challenge! CLICK HERE.

Remember though, It is NOT just running. You can walk, run, jog, hike, bike(biking counts for 1/3, so bike 9 miles and it counts for 3), swimming, it counts for 3X!! Elliptical, and my FAVORITE; cardio videos actually count toward your mileage!! They say 10 mins= 1 mile. Make sure they are CARDIO videos, not just toning. Like a HIIT Workout. (High Intensity Interval Training.) So you do a Jillian Video for 20 mins and you did 2 miles. (if you have ever done a Jillian Michael's workout, it works me out way more that running 2 miles!!) If you do Insanity, it counts for mileage, (it's worse than Jillian!) If you take a Zumba class, it counts! That way you don't get sick of running! I love it. For me, I have to have some variety, so I try to fit in some hiking and biking in there sometimes!
This program is FREE, however they do have a Nutrition Plan available for those that are interested. I do not have it. I do know a bit about it though. From what I have seen and heard it is amazing. Pretty strict, and it is a lifetime membership and updates. One time fee of $150. (Not bad at all) It comes with a downloadable document (a lot of people print it out into a book) and if gives you tips, and guides you how to live a healthier lifestyle. Complete with TONS of recipes. Like I said, anytime they update their Plan, you get the update for free, FOR LIFE. Pretty sweet, If I had the money, I might think about it. They have a few different plans, Vegan, Vegetarian, Regular, Gluten Free, and Pescatarian. (< who knows what that is?!)


If you go to the link I shared at the top, you can scroll down and sign up for their news letter. It is handy in case you forget to check their site, and it will send you an email when they update the blog on weekly schedules and what not.


They encourage you to check in through FB, Instagram and Twitter and all these other social media sites for prizes. Sporadically I will check in, but I am not at all hardcore about it. I just check in with my sis, and my workout partner! (accountability is KEY for me)


Lastly, they have an APP (TONE IT UP) and I believe it's like $1.99 or so. It is handy, but not necessary. I have it, and I love it. I can check their blog, and it sends me messages about weekly schedules, you can schedule your own Booty call, it gives your Daily workout(so you don't have to search the blog and scroll down to the certain day you are on). And it has a place to upload pictures for your check in on FB, Twitter or Instagram. Even weekly Motivation Success stories! (also on the blog) Check it out. (:


They do not just do 8 week challenges, I follow them all year round. They update every week, and then throw in these 8 week challenges to help get motivated. So it doesn't have to be sporadic, it can be a lifestyle if you wish!


Hope you like it! Let me know what you think, and if there are any questions. (:

Click HERE for this week's schedule!

Here are my favorite workouts from last week and this week!! A Cardio Routine, and my Favorite Toning Vid pick of the week!:

 

Monday's Cardio Routine: This is KILLER. You can do this on a treadmill, bike, or we just did it outside! 6 rounds of this was hard! We found that we are our own worst enemy, and it was harder to convince our MINDS to keep going then our bodies, but we did it! And felt amazing. Try it. (:

 

 

Then last week they had this beaut. A killer arm routine, just three moves, but it burns! Need hand weights. Enjoy! (:



3 Moves for a Sexy Upper Back

So far I am at 13 Miles for #100bysummer!

 

XOXO- Shanna

Workout Wednesday! Interval Cardio Routine

Happy Workout Wednesday!

This week my sis and I have been mixing up the cardio a bit. Trying to lengthen out our running time vs. break time. We improved a ton! On Monday we did a bit of a suicidal mission. We decided to be daring and take on this beaut.

It was HARD. The sprints about killed us, but it was so good for our lungs and to lengthen our running time. Let me just tell you, the next day we ran way LONGER than we have in a while. It did wonders! You may feel a bit odd stopping on the running path in front of people and whipping out the Tummy Tuck and Plank Jacks! HAHA. But who cares?! We are getting hot bods right?! Watch me! (;

If you aren't familiar with the Tummy Tuck, Plank Jacks or Plyo Lunges head on over to Tone It Up. Or feel free to add your own variations such as, planks, squats, push-ups. Get creative!!

Well peeps, there you have it! My favorite Interval Cardio Routine this week!! Let me know how it goes! (:

XOXO- Shanna

Opperation Hot Wife Commence! My Weekly Workout Schedule

 

 

Hello All! Happy Sunday! 

 

I have had a wonderful Sunday so far, and am ready to be my best this week! With all the changes in my blog, I have been thinking a lot about my calling as a Wife and Mother and how trying to be the best Mom and Wife I can doesn't mean I have to put myself on hold. It just means I have to work three times as hard. Because not only do I have a husband to cherish, and a little boy to chase after, I have to take care of ME. I think as a parent you put a lot of things on hold for your children. And I think that is great, being a parent has a lot to do with being selfless and taking time for your little ones. BUT I know I am a better wife and mother and friend and am better in my calling when I feel good about myself. I am not talking about how I look in the mirror. [however that can be a huge motivator in itself] What I am talking about it how you FEEL. What makes you feel great? Do you have a talent that makes you shine? Or something simple, like taking a walk, reading a chapter in the Scriptures, saying your morning prayers to start out your day. For me, the one thing I can do to make all the other little [or big] things fall into place, such as; reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, my chores, deep cleaning, Visiting Teaching, my calling in Relief Society...etc., etc....is the wonderful, sometimes dreaded word:

 

EXERCISE

 

I know. Sometimes it makes me cringe too. Sometimes I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep. And occasionally I do! But I can tell you, the days I get out of bed and get my behind moving I get SO MUCH ACCOMPLISHED. I am a better Mom that day, and a better wife, and I want to do everything: Tackle the dishes in the sink that were left from yesterday. Clean out that little drawer that has everything in it, yet I can't find anything in it. Do my Visiting Teaching, make something new for dinner and MAYBE just maybe, wash the floor....by hand.

 

The point is, exercise is my motivator. Then why would I NOT start my day off with a workout?! Some days I fail. Some weeks I fail. But not this week! This week I am setting the goal to follow my weekly schedule. Last week I did great at the beginning of the week, and plateaued toward the end. Some of you were asking for Workout's. I will tell you what usually works for us.

 

I am really lucky, I have lots of options for workout buddies. In the morning while the husbands are working hard at work, my sister and I tackle the workout with each other. We switch off days of being 'the trainer'. We just started this and so far it has been wonderful. Let me tell you why. We both grew up in a small town where a lot of our life was spent doing sports. We had amazing coaches that pushed us to our limits! We know what to do to push ourselves. We know what is required to get in a good workout session. If we don't have it planned, we get together, sit on the couch and the conversation goes something like this:  "What should we do today?" "Hmm....I guess we could go outside because it's nice." "Yeah...that's a good idea." Then we get talking about life and sit on the couch for an hour, by then it is time to move on with the day and do our homely duties.

 

With this new approach, we let down the other person if we do not have a planned workout for 'our day'. When we map out what exactly we want to target the next day, we have more time to think of things such as getting in your cardio, then muscle toning. Whereas before we were just going for a jog, no stretching, the occasional toning, or vice versa. I find myself digging through old memories of track warm-ups, and actually went to the store and bought chalk to do our famous DOTS workout. (want to know what DOTS are? Check it out HERE.) YES, I know. Bold move. I have printed off workouts I pinned on pinterest that sat in a folder untouched. They now have a folder in my desk that I refer to almost daily for planning my workouts. (to follow me on Pinterest find the "P" button a the top of the this page, click and it will take you to my profile!)

 

The same goes for when the Hubs comes home. We workout together along side one of my best friends. We alternate days being the trainer. We all have things we love, and the others hate. But we [try] to respect each others workout day, and continue on! For one of my workouts I made them do DOTS with me. Marissa hated them, and Mackay thought it was hop scotch.....So we wont be doing them again with that group! But that is the fun of Pinterest and the internet. Never ending supply of workouts! (;

 

You guys, this works! I will eventually start to see results in the mirror. But for now I am focusing on the small victories of planning workouts, and WANTING to eat better instead of doing it begrudgingly. Or tackling that horrible drawer. Or taking my kid to the park so he can have fun outside instead of sit and watch me clean all day. Those are my small victories that come from exercise. And to me they are way more valuable than what the scale says. It is defining my day, therefore defining my time as a wife and mother, and ultimately is defining me, and who I want to become.

 

 

 

With all that rambling having been said, here is my weekly schedule! And Remember:

 

 

 

[Note: I also take a gander at Tone It Up's weekly schedule and get a lot of videos, or cardio routines there each Sunday. Sometimes I change things up and add things I feel like doing, but it is a great guide to follow!]

 

Alrighty:

 

Monday:

 

1:  My Morning as Trainer:

                                -Cardio: Couch to 5K Week 1- day 2! ( We started this last Friday.)

 

Couch to 5K- Found on Pinterest:



 

 

                                 -Arms & Abs- St Tropez workout- Tone It Up

                                 -Stretch

 

2: Marissa's Evening Training

 

Tuesday:

 

1: Lindsay's Morning as Trainer

 

2: MacKay's Evening Training

 

Wednesday:

 

1: My Morning Training:

                             -Cardio- Couch to 5K Week 1, day 4

                             -Itty Bitty Bikini & MaliBOOTY workouts- Tone It Up

                             -Stretch

 

2: My Evening Training:

                            -No Excuses Workout [MacKay will not do Tone It Up workouts...(;]

 



 

Thursday:

 

1: Lindsay's Morning Training

 

2: Marissa's Evening Training

 

Friday:

 

1: My Morning Training:

                             -Cardio: Couch to 5K week 1- day 6

                             - DOTS workout with Chalk

                             - Bridal Babe Workout- Tone It Up

 

2: MacKay's Evening Training

 

Saturday:

 

1: Saturday is harder to get together with everyone. So today is My Day.

                             -2 mile run

                             -Arms Workout: Tone It Up

                                         I use 5 lbs weights

 

Sunday:

 

1: REST DAY. I made the choice to not workout on Sunday, and let my body recoup! I will post my weekly schedule this day.

 

 

I also get asked the following questions:

 

What do I do with my 1 year old while I workout?

 

             I take him with me! In the Morning workouts with my sister, we usually do cardio outside, we both have BOB Running Strollers [which we bought second hand, not as expensive as new] and our kiddlins LOVE our runs! Then we take our workouts inside our places, or out on the grass. They keep themselves entertained. Of course sometimes we have to take a break for time outs, potty breaks, "I'm hungry Mom"'s, etc... but we get right back to it! When my little one was a wee thing, we just tried to keep him entertained with his swing, bouncer, or whatever we could find! It takes longer to workout with kids then it does alone. But that's alright! Don't let it discourage you. In the evenings with the hubs, sometimes we take "baby duty" and have to switch off.

 

What if your workout partner/partners bail?

 

              It is always hard when your partner bails. You lose motivation, and change is hard. But life is life, and sometimes you, or them just CAN'T do it that day. If it was my training day, I follow my original plan. If it was their day to plan I go to my computer and go to toneitup.com. This is why I love Tone It Up so much. I just go to their weekly schedule, and scroll down to the day I am on, & they already have it planned for me. I just follow what they tell me to do. Walah! Easy Peezy.

 

 

Well there you have it! My weekly schedule! Like I said before, I am going to stick to this weekly schedule like gum on the bottom of my shoe at the mall.

 

What are your tips and tricks to stay motivated throughout the week? ESPECIALLY with eating healthy. I am my worst enemy. That, and cupcakes.

 

XOXO- Shanna

 



My Small Victory!

I accomplished my goal of getting back to my Pre-pregnancy weight!! It took a lot of hard work and effort. But I did! I have now 10 more pounds before I get back to my goal weight, where I felt the best about myself. Wish me luck!

This left picture was about 3 weeks after I had Baby Brent, and the right is 4 months post baby. Nursing and everything. Not too shabby! 

 

XOXO- Shanna

13.8

Yes, I meant to put 13.8....not 13.1

You Runners out there know what 13.1 means. Half Marathon. Well not only did we run a half marathon, but .7 of a mile past a half marathon! The difference to me is huge.

On May 26th, my good friend/ brothers girlfriend/amazing runner&anything-else-she-does, humored me by running her first, my second, Half Marathon! We 'trained together' for 2 months (8 weeks). When I say trained together, I mean running alone (most of the time) and texting/calling updates on how each run went! We were about 270 miles away from each other. It makes 'training together' a bit tough! However, we somehow made it through training. We would try to train together whenever I came home to Wyoming to visit family!

On Mother's Day, Andrew (my amazing brother) got to call on Skype to our home! I came home for that, Daesha came as well, and after our wonderful chat with our favorite missionary, we headed out on our big 9 mile run. It was amazing! We had both been used to somewhat training on our own, so running alongside my partner was heaven. The next week I was up again, we ran our 10 mile around Bear Lake, it was breathtaking! A week later brought us to the day before our race. We headed with my wonderful Mom and beautiful Sister&baby Avery to Logan for a girls day. We then went to Olive Garden to get some Carbs to load on before the big race the following morning. We.were.stuffed.

After a night of tossing and turning, waking up to a swollen throat, and worrying if we were late(at 4am)... it was FINALLY time to get up and get ready. On our hour drive to the starting line we [tried] to eat some organic peanut butter, and metabolism boosting fruit snacks. (when I say tried, I mean gaged down until we about lost it, then gave up...seriously the stuff was beyond awful!) We pulled up in our flashy outfits (just wait, they are amazing) and were oh so nervous! It was chilly, but a great morning for running.

The race started, and a few hundred strides down the road Daesha was in pain. We called her Mom and she drove by with some meds! (don't worry, we kept on running!) The pain for Daesh, was really hurting her, so we stopped real quickly and said a small prayer. A few strides later, she looks at me and says "It's gone!" Simply A.may.zing! (: Soon, not even a mile down the road we find that not only did we sign up for a Half Marathon, but they switched the trails on us, and turned it into a HILLS Half Marathon. WORST NIGHTMARE. Yes, I will say it, and complain a tiny bit! (to their defense, the original path was washed away due to higher tide.) Lets just say the Bear Lake Monster Staff were a little limited on trails. So guess what? We ran our trail FOUR TIMES. Up and back, Up and Back....also, with not one Mile marker to push you along the way. Joyful right? By the time we were heading back up the mountain I was done. Sick and tired with a bad attitude! Happy Daesha at my side, and she just kept on pushing me like you wouldn't believe. Poor girl. (; On our way down, pushing the last 2 miles, we were HAULING. Downhill is where we caught up time. As we were kicking butt downhill, the downhill decided to kick my butt. My right foot hit a rock... full on, and before I knew it was "Sparky Rolling" down the hill. (for those of you who played volleyball with me; Talisha, or Sparky, had the best volleyball roles ever. and that's what I did, shoulder first.) Daesha thought I had fainted. (not too hard to imagine at this point) I just popped up and kept on running! I.was.dirty. (see pictures) We are making a final decent to flat ground that will lead up about 1 mile to the finish line. I take a peek at my GPS tracker, and it shows we are at 12.8 miles. WHAT?! We still have a mile to go till the finish line, yet not near that far till our goal of 13.1 miles...!! I was not too happy. Then we see our families all at the bottom of the hill. I got confused(my mind can be foggy when I run) and it made sense in my mind that they were our finish line! (But in the back of my mind I knew we had to end at the starting place...) But my GPS was not wrong, and we should be almost done! I start pushing. Sprinting really, down this hill toward our family. Giving everything I possibly can give! We get there and they hug us and say: You are almost done!! I almost cried....yup the kind where you lay down in a heap and cry. I was done! So we are once again...on our way. I take a look at my GPS, and guess what? We are now hitting 13.1 miles, and I still have a little less than a mile left. I was exhausted and had never felt so drained! (Yes, little miss drama, I only ran a Half, not even a full, and I am a basket case...live with it. (: ) After what seems and eternity we round the corner and see the light house (finish line) and we start pushing again. As shown in the pictures, IT.WAS.HARD. We crossed the finish line holding hands. 2 hours and 36 minutes. Not bad! Especially for a hills half, and running almost a mile past what we were supposed to. So, I will take it.

Here are some pictures, as you can tell I look pretty miserable, while young, beautiful Daesha looks like she only just went for a jog! (;

Looking back, the whole experience is hilarious to me. Why do I do this? Ha! Looking forward to my next Half! Will I ever run a Full? No.

The above pictures: Top, left-right then Bottom, left-right

#1: Deasha and I before the big race! Note the flashy outfits. (:

#2: Almost Half-Way, so coming back from the first up&back

#3: Our last stretch to the finish line. The finish line is where the camera is

#4: Sprinting up the last hill-Daesha looking determined, Me looking horrified...(;

#5: Crossing the finish line...finally!

#6: What a run! She pushed me more than I can say! #inspiration. 

Pics above:

#1: With our medals! I wish you could see an up-close on them they have the "bear lake monster"...and are hideous! (; 

#2: Me after our run...dirty from my fall, and miserable. 

#3: Daesha after our run....blissfully happy and beautiful! (; didn't phase her a bit!

#4: Me and Aves, my favorite(and only) niece! (:

#5: Daesh and I! Recovered a little more. But need a shower...

#6: Our time, kinda hard to read! 2 H 36 M

#7: My Mommy and I

#8: Another one of Aves and I...She thinks I stink...(;

Just to clarify! MacKay was already in Alaska at this point, or he would have been there cheering us on with everyone else! (:

All in all, this makes for a great story, and looking back, I don't know why this one was so hard for me, but I can't possibly end on a horrible one right? So I guess I will just keep on runnin'! 

Shanna

(editors note: After I ran this half marathon, I found out I was pregnant with my baby boy. So, now we can blame my horrible attitude on being 5 weeks pregnant and running a half marathon, up hills, rolling down mountains and sprinting to light houses. It makes me feel a bit better.)