Two timin'

Meep, meep!

Holy Moses! I just had THE best HIIT workout ever! My tank top went from light gray to super-duper dark gray by the time I completed my torture session workout. Since all that steady-state cardio wasn't doing much for me in the way of dropping the l-bs, I've decided to give my body the 'ol "shock and awe" and incorporate more HIITs and plyometrics. I did a hybrid HIIT/sprint interval training workout today and must have looked a bit like my feathered-friend up above (although, now that I think of it, I wasn't smiling. It was more like gritting my teeth than anything...) All I can say, though, is that since my workout ended, I have been feeling that runner's high all afternoon. My hubby came home from lunch and said I reminded him of this fella:

I can't help it, though. My engine is revvvvvvvvvved!

source

Andi, the Cathy Savage coach here in Pittsburgh who conducted the workout and posing session the other day, gave me great advice about incorporating more high-intensity workouts and maybe keep steady-state workouts to twice a week . No complaints here! I can't stand doing cardio as it is, so staying on a machine for 45 minutes is boring snoring for me. I'll continue doing steady state cardio first thing M-W-F mornings since that is when Hubbs goes with me to the gym, but the rest of the days I'll do intense cardio later on in the day. It may not be on a completely empty stomach, but maybe 2 hours after I eat. Plus, I'll need to have eaten some carbs for energy to even get through the HIITs.

I think increasing my intensity is what my body needed because I was down a pound this morning. YAY!!!! I was at a weight loss stall and at the same weight for nearly 3 weeks and it was totally freaking me out! (Again, not in "everyday weight-loss land", but in "competition training land, that is quite unnerving!) Granted, my hips went down about an inch and my stomach feels flatter, but I know I have enough bodyfat that I should still be losing fat....a pound a week at least by my calculations. I'm taking in 500 less daily in calories and burning at least 350-800 calories a day in exercise, so you know...

Well, I'm proud of myself for checking off another Octo-goal. I made an appointment with a local physician to get an annual check-up and get my blood drawn. I'm hoping that since adopting a clean eating diet and dropping my bodyfat percentage in May I will see a HUGE improvement in my lab results, especially concerning my cholesterol. Genetically, I'm prone to higher cholesterol levels regardless of how I eat, but I've been SUPER diligent lately regarding my diet and have never exercised this much in my life, so I sure would like to see my Total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels within a normal range. At least my HDL (good) and triglycerides have always been worthy of a "gold star" on my wellness chart:)

As for my other goals, sadly I have not flossed everyday (UGHHH, I annoy myself with this one since it's SO EASY!), but I have finished a gallon of water a day and tonight I'm making Hubby a something new for dinner. Check. Check. Check.

I hope you all are having a truly magnificent day! I know I am! It sure doesn't hurt that the sun finally came out after four days of dreary, cold weather. Ick!

Time to head back to the other gym (yeah, I'm totally two-timin' my gyms) to lift. Shoulders and Tris today- my fav!

Question

1) Do you get an annual physical exam to keep things in check? I try to get my blood drawn yearly, but sometimes it is every other year. I'm going to make it a point to do it every single year (Hubbs, too!) so we can always stay on top of things. You should, too!

2) Do you enjoy HIIT or sprint-interval training or do you run more to log mileage at a steady pace? I am NOT a runner (not in the slightest), but boy can I sprint! Wanna race?! Going on a long jog would probably bore me to death, unless there was beautiful scenery. I like run sprints to keep me from falling asleep.