It was a two-cup-of-coffee with Bailey’s morning for a good reason: I was plowing through my To Do list. The caffeine kept me buzzing right along. I also ended up skipping Pilates in order to capitalize on my productivity, but it was worth it since I got so much accomplished.
Lunch
Around noon, I took a break from working to make my favorite new salad for lunch. Three of the ingredients come from cans, but I swear it’s delicious!
I also ate an Apple Cinnamon & Pecan KIND bar and drank some water with lunch.
After lunch, I headed to Boston Sports Club to cash in my Groupon for a 30-day membership. Remember how I mentioned that I was bored with my workouts? Well, this is one of things I’m trying to spice up my exercise routine.
Hello, BSC!
This location is a lot nicer than my current gym. It has brand new equipment, fancy treadmills with TVs, towel service, and other nice amenities. It’s no Equinox (< — I’m obsessed), but it has a lot going for it. I’m excited to workout there for the next 29 days.
Workout
At the gym, I ran 3.3 miles on the treadmill and then hit the weight room for a workout, which was inspired by my NASM textbook. Ok, ready for another interesting exercise science term? Peripheral Heart Action.
Peripheral Heart Action is a type of strength training that alternates upper and lower body exercises throughout a circuit. This type of training forces blood flow away from the heart to the upper and lower body, which results in a more demanding cardiovascular workout. However, because you alternate upper and lower body exercises, your muscles don’t fatigue as quickly, so you can keep up a good pace moving from exercise to exercise, which leads to a greater caloric burn while building muscle at the same time.
I’ve done workouts like this before, but I never realized it was a specific type of training with a name. It sounded challenging and like a good way to shake up my workouts, so I created the following workout and did it at the gym this afternoon:
I planned to do three sets of this circuit, but it ended up taking longer than expected, so I called quits after the second set. I liked this workout a lot, so I’ll definitely do three sets next time.
If you’re wondering what the Standing Scaption is all about, here’s a video. At the NASM Live Workshop, I learned that this shoulder exercise strengthens both the front and middle part of the shoulder and the motion is a safe alternative for people with shoulder pain or who are susceptible to shoulder injuries.
Snack
Just now, I ate two three bowls of granola with soy milk. Granola is one of those foods that I shouldn’t keep in the house. I want to eat it ALL! Why is it so delicious!?!
Time to walk the pug!
67 Comments
That’s the BSC I go to. Definitely check out the muscle conditioning class on Wednesday nights – the instructor is awesome. I noticed that I can squeeze a lot more work into my workouts when I alternate upper and lower body exercises. Good stuff š
Cereal period should not be kept at home–> serving sizes are purely a formality…who actually stops at one??
Nothing wrong with getting the good stuff from cans! It looks like you had an awesome workout.
I’m the same way with granola! Yours looks delicious… š I can’t buy it or I WILL eat it all hahaha
Exactly the same with granola – I can down a whole box waaay too quickly, so it too has become one of those foods I can’t keep in the house! Love the look of your salad š
Your 3 bowl granola snack cracked me up – I’m not to be trusted around the sweet and crunchy loveliness either. mmmmm
oooh
I like that circuit too!
(print :))
Whenever I make granola, I can’t help but eat the entire batch! š
That is an awesome groupon! When I used to travel to boston during the week I was able to use my NYSC membership at the BSC in Cambridge. It was surprisingly big there!
I love days like that when you get tons of work done! I hope that is me tomorrow (finals next week!). And I agree, granola cannot be in my house either. It will last only a day or two!
~Ang
Oh my gosh granola is a trigger food for me ^^;
I can not get enough of those delicious sweet and crunchy bites! Always a must snack option.
I did this workout today — SO good! Thanks so much for posting it!