Archive for category Upper Body

Moving Stink Bomb

Jan 23

Posted by MNG in Abdominals, Calories, Core, Diet Plan, Exercise in Pictures, Food, Get Hot and Fit, Insanity, Interval Training, P90X, Running, Strength Training, Upper Body, Workouts

Hey Hots and Fits!

Sorry for being so annoyingly MIA in these last few days, but I was taking it easy and getting back on track. Nothing too interesting happened, so here is a list of my highlights thus far!

MONDAY

Did INSANITY’s Plyometric Cardio Circuit and Tracy Anderson’s Upper Body Workout.

I also got two of her DVDs, The Tracy Anderson Method – Mat Workout and Dance Cardio Workout. I haven’t tried it yet so I cannot review. Looks very tranquil from what I’d seen thus far. Oh, and Gwyneth Paltrow appears at the end of the DVD. I can’t stand her.

1, 2

TUESDAY

Woke up for yet another INSANITY sesh, this time it was Cardio Power and Resistance. Warm up was okay, but once the actual workout started, and I got into those Power Jacks, something went wrong I believe because I was overcome by a huge pain in my lower back. I have always suffered from this pain. Used to be in immense pain when I did track and field in high school. I still managed to pull through, but canceled my Yoga sesh with Women’s Health because I did not want to push it.

WEDNESDAY

Went for Plyometric Cardio Circuit which is an awesome INSANITY workout, then headed to the grocery store and found some Pitted Prunes from San Jose, CA! Wow, all the way to the EU! it was the highlight of my day. Came home, and did The Fitnessista’s Winter Shape Up challenge.

I am doing it, guys. I did her Summer Shape Up and got amazing results, so I have faith in the woman. Go to her site to this the whole plan, you can start any time, but here is what I did:

THURSDAY

Back pain not going away anywhere, I was determined to head out for a run. However, the reason I have not been running has been the snow. Well, snow slightly disappeared, but the temperatures went down by about 10 degrees centigrade that it was about -15C at night. Which means black ice.

I was however, in a true Hot and Fit fashion, determined to TRY. And to be honest, I did not think it would be that bad. Well, I started running, with my awesome running gear I was not feeling the cold at all. But my feet were feeling the ice. I was kind of skating occasionally. It was not longer amusing after 2 KM when I hit the floor. My right arm has been hurting quite a bit since. Irresponsible and careless, but I completed 4.5 KM.

In the afternoon I did INSANITY’s Cardio Recovery. Again, my assumptions were wrong. I honestly thought this was going to be a fairly easy workout. But when is INSANITY ever easy? Shaun T mentions its not cardio, its recovery. But he works your muscles really well. I could feel my quadriceps the day after like never before.

In the evening I found myself presented with three cakes:

Semolina, poppy seeds and chocolate.

Lets just say that I had too much and it was not good. But my home dwellers will not stop putting junk every where. It is very hard to eat properly when you have an over variety of food and a lot of it is junk. The cakes are one thing. There is a whole crazier fiesta going on in the pantry.

I am very blessed, I know. But I do wish I could just keep my diet simple stupid.

FRIDAY

I have not done P90X in a while so decided I’d do that for recovery purposes. Kenpo X was on my list on preferences. Now, I do not know whether it is the effects of the Cardio Recovery or simply Kenpo X, but I felt my abs SO much during this workout, especially my obliques. I actually still feel it now.

After all the Friday afternoon errands I came home and did The Fitnessista’s circuit again. For the record, I repeated it three times cause my back is still hurting, and I am modifying the burpees and back extensions.

WEEKEND PLANS

So here I have it all. Now the plan for Saturday is to do nothing, then take my car to the service for the hundredth time, watch Avatar, and in between squeeze in a workout.

Oh and I am using

To relieve my back pain. But it stinks. SO BAD! My home dwellers are considering kicking me out. Also, I cannot put it on at work because I know I will get fired for being a moving stink bomb. Besides, I do not feel it is that effective.

In some TWITTER news – you can follow Shaun T here. I am already following him! And if you wanna follow me then you can do so here. Come on, I am just as cool!

Anyhoo, hope you all have an amazing Saturday!! I might take today off working out but I have a lot to do around the casa so I will consider it a workout.

Sig

Tags: at home exercise, beach body, beachbody insanity, beachbody's insanity, Calories, cardio, diet, europe, exercise, Exercise in Pictures, p90x, Running, running in snow, shaun t, The Fitness Gurus, the hot and fit, the running addict, tony horton, weight loss, winter running, winter running gear, women's health, yacht, yoga

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Ca – Ca – Cake

Jan 12

Posted by MNG in P90X, Strength Training, Upper Body, Workouts

Hey hey Hots and Fits!

I am just done with my favourite Yoga sessions (Weeks 3+4) – wow.

It feels SO good! Just so you know I am really not a fan of Yoga. I actually used to hate it. The whole “connect with the earth” this is not for me, and I didn’t like its slow pace. I tried numerous DVDs (though never been to a class) but until I found this I could honestly not get through a whole sesh. Try it – its awesome!

After dragging myself out of bed this morning I got myself ready and pressed play on P90X’s Interval X Plus. As I mentioned many times before, I do not follow the program strictly. I just do whatever DVD I want to do.

This is a great workout – reminds me sometimes of INSANITY’s Cardio Power & Resistance, only not as intense in terms of cardio. You do plenty of squat variations and some push ups (which I modify since I am incapable of doing them exactly like they do it on the video).

Anyhoo, keeping this short today, its my sister’s birthday. I am going to have some cake. Yes, I am not kidding. Here is what I got for her today at the store:

Black Forest Bavarian Cake

AND

Cream Cheese Cake

Ciao!

Sig

Tags: at home exercise, bavarian chocolate cake, beach body, beachbody insanity, beachbody's insanity, best form of cardio, Calories, cardio, chest, cream cheese cake, europe, exercise, fitsugar, Get Hot and Fit, interval x plus, p90x, plyometric cardio circuit, protein, The Fitness Gurus, the hot and fit, the running addict, toning, tony horton, weight loss, women's health, workout, yoga

4 Comments

Packed Protein

Jan 10

Posted by MNG in Calories, Diet Plan, Eating Plan, Food, Insanity, Interval Training, P90X, Upper Body, Workouts

Happy Sunday, dumplings!

This weekend has been fabulous-o, despite all the snow we have been getting. Just so you know, we broke the record. At the moment, my balcony is holding up 30 cm of snow . That major here.

I had a very lazy bummy Saturday which involved doing a whole lot of nothing. Well, I did procrastinate a lot, but that’s part of the nothing. After clearing up some of the snow in hopes of getting my car out of the driveway, I got ready and left to my friend’s birthday party at a vegetarian restaurant in town.

I ordered a vegetable lasagna baked with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce, while one of my home dwellers who else enjoyed the party ordered a Mexican burrito with black beans, pepper salsa, guacamole, jasmine rice sour cream and a side salad. Because we wanted a bit of both we just split the dishes. It was awesome. I never ate in a vegetarian restaurant before (they are just starting to get popular where I reside) and I was pleasanty surprised . Will definitely be back!

This morning started off with some more snow and then INSANITY ’s Fit Test. I didn’t really have to do it, especially since I do not follow the program strictly, but I wanted to see how much better I have gotten.

Here are my results:

Wow. I am very impressed. I feel so much stronger but I am glad to see I have finally got some actual proof. And I think Push up Jacks are my favourite moves!

Once done with the Fit Test I started doing P90X’s Core Synergistics . I do think this is one of my favourite workouts, too. It really works your whole body. Some of those lunges had my abs getting sore! LOVED IT!

As it seems, I doubt the heaps and heaps of snow will enable me to run much this week. This is a problem which I like to ignore. I am going to have a pretty strict INSANITY schedule with one or two P90X workouts, probably Kenpo X for recovery.

In other news, I finally tried Heather’s Protein Pancakes today. The result was…hmm…interesting.

I used:

60 grams egg whites
27 grams 100% Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
Some baking powder
A pinch of cinnamon
10 grams oats

I shaked them all fairly well and the mix still ended up being a bit lumpy. I then poured it into my skillet and after 2 minutes this is what I got:

Believe me, this was a lot tastier than what it looks like. I must admit that I did not use anything to grease the skillet (cause its non-stick, this is probably the best thing I have ever bought in IKEA). This is very filling too, and according to my calculations, this has only 185 calories. I’d double the portions if it were breakfast, and keep it the same for a snack after a nice workout.

Now tell me something fascinating you have done this weekend. There has to be something.

Sig

Tags: at home exercise, bar rafaeli, beach body, beachbody insanity, beachbody's insanity, best bikini body, best celebrity bikini body, best exercise songs, best form of cardio, Beyonce, body after baby, body building, bowl of oatmeal, bread, breakfast, Calories, cardio, cinnamon, core synergistics, egg whites, Get Hot and Fit, heart rate, p90x, power cardio and resistance, protein, push up jacks, Running, running in snow, The Fitness Gurus, the hot and fit, the running addict, toning, winter running, workout

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Get Hot and Fit: ChaLEAN Extreme

Jan 4

Posted by MNG in Abdominals, Body Weight, Calories, Core, Exercise Video, Free Weights, Get Hot and Fit, Insanity, P90X, Strength Training, Upper Body, Workouts

So, I have had this sitting around for quite some time now.

15 workouts on 6 DVDs.

ChaLEAN (the instructor’s name is Chalene) is divided into three phases (information taken from the official Beachbody website):

PHASE 1: BURN

You start lifting weights to jump-start your metabolism and break down those “extra” reserves of fat. In these moderate training workouts, you’ll work your upper body then lower body, and learn how “Lean Phasing” will help you see major results every 30 days!

PHASE 2: PUSH

Chalene shows you how to lift heavy—beyond your comfort zone—so you build the muscle you need to burn fat. Chalene makes it easier than it sounds with incredibly fast results.

PHASE 3: LEAN

Here is where you really bring it home with new routines and dynamic moves that literally melt the fat off your body. You will be blown away with jaw-dropping results and rewarded with a brand-new body!

If you owe the deluxe DVDs, you also get:

EXTREME CARDIO

During each phase, Chalene ignites your metabolism with super-intense cardio and strength-training routines, and then rejuvenates and lengthens your hard-working muscles with an invigorating flexibility workout.

POWER CORE

Shrink, tighten, and tone your tummy with two targeted ab routines for a rock-hard midsection!

I have to let you know in advance that I have just read the program manual, skimmed briefly through the DVDs and did the first workout of phase 1. As time goes by, I will do more and be able to give your better reviews.

Anyhoo….

PHASE 1 – BURN CIRCUIT 1

Was just over 35 minutes long, and included a good warm up as well as a good cool down in my opinion. Chalene has 4 other people with her in the studio, one of them using bands, another one using lighter dumbbells, so you could follow whichever suits you best.

She really explains everything. She is also very nice. But fitness wise, she really tells you what you need to know in terms of reps and weights, which I like. I notice Tony does that too, and I think its very important. This really enables you to get the maximum results without forcing an injury on your body

So, what’s The Hot? Quick, much quicker than P90X’s 50-60 minutes workouts. Chalene really explains a lot, so what you are doing actually starts to make sense. Variety is key too, you wouldn’t get bored, actually time went by very quickly. Also, you work your whole body. Every single muscle. The Spit? I am a cardio whore, and this isn’t a cardio workout. Yes, there are some DVDs that focus merely on Cardio. But most of this is mainly toning. Which is not a problem as long as that is your goal. This is why I did INSANITY in the morning and then this. So I get a bit of both. Sig

Tags: at home exercise, beach body, body building, Calories, cardio, chalean, exercise, Get Hot and Fit, p90x, The Fitness Gurus, the hot and fit, the running addict, toning, weight loss, workout

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Weekend Shenanigans

Jan 3

Posted by MNG in Body Weight, Calories, Core, Free Weights, Gear, Get Hot and Fit, Insanity, Interval Training, P90X, Running, Upper Body, Workouts

Good day Hots and Fits!

How has your weekend been?

For me, this was the last weekend before getting back work. Its been a very lazy Christmas for me; I spent two weeks doing a whole load of nothing.

Well, that’s not so true.

I did a whole lot of INSANITY, some P90X and one ChaLean, which I will tell you about soon!

I also read some Harry Potter(s) for the millionth time, went to Germany and got some amazing running gear (which I have finally tested today!!)

Here are this weekend’s shenanigans:

I was very tempted to head outside and run. I was actually wearing the appropriate gear, when I was suddenly attacked by one of my home dwellers as I headed out the door. that sounds bad. I was dragged into the house and was warned that if I step outside I am bound to end up at the hospital because I would fall and break my head.

The roads looked like this:

Not that bad in my opinion. But I gave in and headed to my room to ~~play~~ do INSANITY. I did Cardio Power and Resistance. Not a work out I’d do at 5 AM on a work week.

Too much jumping = too much noise

It was very, very good. I actually didn’t take as many breaks as I normally do. I also stopped using a heart rate monitor when I do these workouts. I think I have a pretty good indication of how many calories I burn (between 300-400), but the truth is, I am just too lazy to put it on (not that it takes that long…whatever). I would recommend using an HR monitor to anyone who is trying to lose weight and is counting calories to do so (if you are not, just don’t pick this method….)

I was then bored so I decided I’d try ChaLEAN Extreme which I have been wanting to for the past 2 weeks or so. I’m still working on the review, so it will be up here in a jiff.

Today I woke up, thought about how much I wanted to run, looked outside, and saw double the amount of snow from yesterday. But the idea was already settled in my head, I knew nobody was stopping me today (insert evil laugh).

Anyways, I also noticed I was getting a weird pain right in the middle of the bottom of my right foot, which wasn’t necessarily the same tendon pain I often get (this is my injury spot – I get it every year from running, every year it forces me to stop running for almost 2 months!!). So I thought it was cause I was jumping too much yesterday and figured I’d still head outside.

I went to conquer the snow (was scheduled for an 8 KM today)

Holy crow, it was hard. I think it was because of the snow, but my peroneus longus and calves were burning! I was also noticing that my right foot – that-hurt-this-morning was hurting a little too much, so I stopped. I ran for about 25 minutes (maybe covering 4.5 K), but I am very proud of the fact that I ran. It was slippery, but I did not break my head.

I came home, got out of my running clothes, which, by the way, were amazing, I was not cold at all, Runner’s Point – you are my new favourite store, and did P90X’s Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Chest shoulders triceps

I used both my 1 kg weights as well as the band. Argh, the band. It doesn’t work like it does in the workout videos. I think my bad is way too short…is that even possible? Anyways, this causes me to alternate between the dumbbells and the band.

So, what do I have to say about it?

The Hot – never knew so many push up variations existed. I do half on my knees, half normally, cause I am just not a pushups type of gal. Also, even when using lighter weights, your muscles are getting a very.good.workout. The Spit? Length, but that’s just P90X. Nothing I can do about it. Also, one hand pushups or clap pushups. Holy crow. I don’t know when I will be able to do those.

Be back soon with the ChaLean Review!

Sig

Tags: at home exercise, beach body, beachbody insanity, beachbody's insanity, Calories, cardio, chalean, chest, diet, exercise, Harry Potter, p90x, runner world, Running, running in snow, shoulder and back, snow, the hot and fit, the running addict, winter running, workout

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The Hot and Fit

Archive for category Upper Body

Moving Stink Bomb

Ca – Ca – Cake

Packed Protein

Get Hot and Fit: ChaLEAN Extreme

Weekend Shenanigans

What's Hot and Fit?

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