Work It Out Wednesday- Intervals

Have I ever mentioned how much I love interval training?

It's intense. It's a sweatfest. The time flys by.

Really, what's not to love?

Today's workout was an awesome triple threat: running, circuits and spinning.

On the treadmill:

2 minutes at sub 8:30/mile, 1 minute walking

Repeat for 20 minutes.

Holy moly, I was dripping! I probably could have convinced someone I hit the pool and swam laps I was so soaked. Love it!

Next up, the floor work.

Tabata circuits (20 seconds full out, 10 seconds rest) including squats with bicep curl, mountain climbers, tricep dips and seated ab twists with a weight.

Repeat for 20 minutes.

More intensity (a literally almost puked in case you were wondering)

Last round, the bike.

Spinning sprints (30 seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery) Add varying tensions and out of the saddle sprints throughout.

Repeat for 20 minutes

Sixty unbelievably tough but quick minutes I was done. I had sifficiently had my ass handed to me by this workout and I loved every second of it (well, except the almost barfing part)

I totally earned that sweat and wore it with pride. You just gotta own it, pit stains and all.

Lesson learned: I started out with an "I don't wanna work out" attitude but made myself a deal. Go to the gym and give it 30 decent minutes and you're done.

60 ridiculous minutes later and I was so glad I dragged myself to the gym in the first place.

All and all, a great Wednesday!

So tell me, do you ever make deals with yourself in order to do something you aren't overly excited about? What are your terms to get a work out in on an off day?

*Today's photos courtesy of my new iPhone and Instagram

The Day the Music Died

Remember that time that I did a brick workout?

Did one again today..

Remember that time I ran without an iPod and actually didn't hate it?

Did that too...

Something has definitely come over me and whatever it is, I like it!

As a general rule I will always workout when I feeling like breaking a sweat. In fact, I could be in the middle of a wedding and if the mood hit I would run a lap around the hall before the reception started. Don't believe me? Well you'll just have to invite me to your wedding (ahem.. Maria) and see for yourself.

That being said, today was the kind of day that I felt the urge so I hit the gym for a run, bike, run kinda of workout.

The routine:

2 speedy (for me) miles @ 9:20/mile

30 minutes spinning with varying tension and speed (seated and standing)

2 slow recovery miles @ 11:00/mile

All done without an iPod I might add. If you know me, the girl that would leave the gym if my battery died, you know this is a big deal.

Running without music is actually a lot easier then I thought it would be. I can think more without it. And thinking leads to distraction. And distraction is gooood.

Now before we get all "Samantha is selling her iPod on ebay" around here, I discovered another reason why earphones come in handy at the gym:

Drown out the "I know everything about working out and I'm going to blab on about it for an hour while I hammer out a measly eight 10lb reps" guy. Ick! I swear, this dude talked non-stop the entire time and all I could hear was him flip-flopping from knowing everything to having 63 excuses for why he couldn't actually do any legitimate working out. How obnoxious.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be all catty and judgemental, but seriously if you are going to talk the talk you better damn well walk the walk. Don't be the guy that gives unsolicited advice to the guys who are actually busting their ass, while you stand there in your barely damp t-shirt rambling about ....well everything.

Not cool dude, not cool. And if I need to I'll substitute earplugs for earphones. Because really, I'd rather listen to the belt on the treadmill then that. Just sayin'.

In sum, I give this workout 2 thumbs up for butt kicking and a half a thumb down for noise pollution. Still a big win in my books!

So tell me, what annoys you about the gym? Do you workout without music?

Up We Go!

Because I had done quite a bit of running and biking in the last few days I decided to declare today a rest day, at least as far as those two activities were concerned. Instead I suggested a hike at nearby Blue Mountain and to my delight the Boyfriend was all for it!

After a few errands in the morning and a light lunch we headed into "Blue" for our little adventure.

Lucky for us we left our toboggan loving horse at home. Phew!

For those of you that are not from this neck of the woods, Blue Mountain is known for it's skiing and snowboarding. Its become so popular, in fact, that they have designed a village at the base of the mountain that has a very "Whistler Blackcomb" vibe to it. In the summer the area is home to many outdoor activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, hiking tours, zip-lining and more. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend a stay in Collingwood ON.

I've got to say we picked a perfect say for hiking. It was warm (but not too hot) and breezy enough to keep us cool once we started moving. Of course you add in the gorgeous sunshine with a view like this and you just can't beat it!

We started our trip at the top of the mountain and decided to take a free gondola ride down to the bottom. I'm slightly afraid of heights (by slightly I mean I usually panic and cause a scene) so it was kind of a big deal that I just hopped in and took the the ride down.

At the bottom we took a little tour around the village and then started our trip up. Being that its a pretty serious ski hill the hike up was steep. My calves and quads got a serious workout from all the climbing.

Living in the city I don't get a chance to enjoy nature as much as I would like, so a hike is always on my list of things-to-do when I get a chance to visit the cottage. Finding a way to incorporate fitness and the calm of the woods is a win-win in my books!

And of course there is the added benefit that the comforts of home (including non-out house style toilet facilities) are only a hop, skip and a tumble jump away. You can take the City Girl outta the city but you can't take the city outta the girl...

This might have added to the appeal too.

If you are one of my southern neighbours I will speak on behalf of Canada when I say you need to take a trip here if for no other reason then one of these babies. A Beaver Tail is deep fried pastry goodness coated in cinnamon and sugar. It's the pride of the nation (or it should be...it really, really should) Tomorrow is Canada's birthday so come up and join us for the party and the pastries!!

Before you ask I do in fact go hiking and then eat dessert before dinner. It's a special technique that you too can attempt if you practice long enough.

To somewhat make up for that deliciousness I came back to the cottage and did some strength training:

100 squats
50 lunges
50 crunches
50 oblique crunches
50 pushups
50 tricep dips
1 minute plank

Now that all the fitness stuff is out of the way its time for another BBQ and some lounging on the porch with an iced cold beer.

Have I said it yet today? Life is good!!


So tell me, what is your favorite outdoor activity? How are you celebrating the long weekend?