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Shaking it up with Cardio

So as much as I like Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred, I like variety in my workouts…otherwise, I get bored and stop doing them. The way the 30-day Shred is supposed to work, you’re supposed to do Level 1 for 10 days, Level 2 for 10 days, and Level 3 for 10 days. Now, I’ve only done Level 1 for two days (remember, the Body-for-LIFE Challenge asks for alternating strength & cardio days – and then I fell off the wagon for Labor Day weekend), but even after two times, I thought, “There must be other programs I can do for my cardio days.”

And so I leafed through the Exercise TV menu on Comcast On Demand and decided to try some different workouts.

On Thursday, I went holistic with a Gaiam video (they’re known mostly for their yoga and pilates DVDs) called Total Body Cardio with Tanja Djelevic. Granted, I started on Day 4 of the workout, but I wasn’t really impressed. Yes, I sweated, yes, I felt tired, but a lot of the movements didn’t feel like I was working the muscle groups I could have been working. Plus, she did the crunches pilates-style, which I simply don’t understand, so I couldn’t really get any kind of abs workout. I think I’ll be skipping that one next time.

Today, I worked out with the 6 Pack Abs in 6 Weeks package, Level 1. Boy, am I glad I started on level 1. It starts with 30 minutes of a cardio dance routine led by an INCREDIBLY upbeat guy named Kendell. Not obnoxious Richard Simmons upbeat, but in the way that makes you want to laugh and smile all the way through the workout. Which I did. Even though I was sweating buckets by the end.

After the cardio, the video switches to a 10-minute abs workout which is INTENSE, led by Cindy Whitmarsh. Finally, I think I found an abs workout that is effective. So many of the crunches people suggest I either execute poorly (i.e., I have no idea how to do them so that I feel any kind of burn) or they’re way too hard. This definitely had me yelling at the TV, “What?! You want me to do MORE?” by the 3-minute mark and panting, “Oh, God!” by the 1-minute mark, but luckily they have the countdown on the left-hand side of the screen so you know there is an end in sight.

Now I’m sweaty and totally happy. Gotta love that adrenaline. I think should probably go take a shower, for everyone’s sake.

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Body for Life update (post-Labor Day)

Well, my Labor Day weekend really got me off track, and just as I was starting to build momentum!

I spent the three-day weekend at the PA Renaissance Faire and completely fell off the wagon. My husband and I sleep on the grounds (he has a leather shop there, and we sleep in a bedroom above the shop), so my routine was broken. I had hoped to download some workouts onto my laptop, but ended up not bringing it because of practicality (there’s no room to work out in our teeny bedroom, and every space large enough to work out at Faire is outside and dirty…and there are VERY limited showers. Plus, I didn’t want to bother the other merchants camping on grounds).

I then thought, “Hey, I’ll just go out jogging in the morning,” which is what I did on Saturday morning…but by the time I went out, all the actors were gathering for fight call, and I felt super self-conscious jogging by while they were practicing their sword fights. I’m sure they didn’t care one way or another, but it totally wrecked my motivation.

As for eating, I had brought protein bars and protein shakes to keep me healthy and satisfied throughout the day, but my planning was thwarted by the daily appearance of Pretentious Cheese.

You see, every Faire day, lunch at the shop where I spend most of my time (As You Like It/Up Your Kilt) is an affair. After the Trial and Dunke show, the shop owners put out a spread of Pretentious Cheese (all sorts of varieties of gourmet cheeses) and veggies and fruits and breads. It’s delicious, but cheese is practically nothing but fat. And though I tried to curb my grazing at the cheese table, I know I ate more than I should have.

Then every evening, because everyone is exhausted and starving, everyone goes out to a VERY LATE dinner, and it’s always lots of food, and mostly greasy food. Definitely not on my list of things that I should be eating. But I ate them anyway, because I was hungry. Bad Maren.

Sunday and Monday I ditched the jogging idea. The only exercise I really got all weekend was in my ankles, because I was spinning like mad on my spinning wheel (it’s a double-treadle wheel, so my feet got a lot of exercise moving the wheel all day long). Someone remarked that it was the Medieval Treadmill, which of course it isn’t…I wasn’t exactly burning a whole lot of calories; I wasn’t even breaking a sweat! But my ankles sure felt sore every evening.

When I got home on Monday evening, I was determined to start up again, just as intensely as before. So here is my workout for the week:

Tuesday: cardio (Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred)

Wednesday: upper body strength #1 (Bowflex)

Thursday: cardio (this time I thought I’d go with something a little different, so I watched Tanja Djelevic’s Total Body Cardio Day 4 on Comcast On Demand)

Friday: lower body strength (Bowflex)

Saturday: cardio (probably back to Jillian Michaels; I don’t think I’m a fan of Tanja Djelevic’s style)

Sunday: upper body strength #2 (Bowflex)

Monday: REST!

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B4L Challenge: Days 1 + 2

Yesterday, I started off my Body-for-LIFE challenge with an upper body workout on the Bowflex. The folks at EAS (the company sponsoring the B4L challenge) recommend 2 strength training exercise per muscle group worked (I had been doing only one), and 5 sets of varying reps & weights for each exercise.

For example, if the exercise is Chest Fly, you would do 12 reps of at one weight; add weight, do 10 reps; add more weight, do 8 reps; add more weight, do 6 reps; then immediately do 12 reps of the starting weight.

I actually like this idea because you’re not really getting your body used to one particular kind of resistance, and you’re constantly upping the ante. However, in practice — on the Bowflex, at least — it kind of didn’t work. The way the Bowflex is designed, you add weights (a.k.a. resistance rods) to each side because each arm moves independently of the other. I don’t have a bar, which would probably fix this problem (maybe it would be worth it to get one?), so there is no way I can add just 5 lbs. without making one arm work harder than the other.

As a result, every time I notched up the weight, I was increasing by 10 lbs., not 3 or 5, which are the increments more likely suited to the design of the BFL guide. The lower resistance was way too easy, and the higher resistance was nearly impossible. I went through the entire workout this way, and I realized by the end of it that I would need to change this workout next time, otherwise there would be no way for me to get a consistent workout.

I obviously did something to my muscles, though, because my arms felt like jelly for a good hour afterward. Later that night, I really started feeling sore and tight, which I know is a good thing, but reminded me that I need to do a lot more stretching before and after my workouts.

This morning, I got up and turned on Jillian Michaels’ 30-day Shred on Comcast On Demand. I figured I’d start with Level 1, and it’s a good thing, because it kicked my butt! Things I need to have next time I work out with her video:

  • a yoga mat (she switches back and forth from on-the-floor exercises–abs & push-ups–to standing/running/jumping exercises)
  • hand weights (I used soup cans from the pantry this time, but I know I have some hand weights somewhere, and I’ll have to dig them out)

I’m still not entirely sure how I’m going to do her workout while I’m at the Renaissance Faire this weekend (we basically camp out on grounds, so it’s dirty and the floor isn’t exactly even…and then there’s the whole shower situation to contend with — don’t get me started). I might have to modify this exercises program again and turn my three days in Lancaster into jogging days or something.

I figure as long as I’m doing SOMETHING, I’m working towards my goal.

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And the winner is…

…all of the above!

I decided that I can combine the 30-day Shred with the Bowflex 6-week challenge to help me with the 12-week Body-for-LIFE Challenge. Today* was SUPPOSED to be the first day of the challenge, but already I’m off to a rocky start. I had hoped to get some cardio done in the morning, but I didn’t plan ahead very well, and by the time I was ready to get started, it was time to leave the house.

Sigh.

It’s okay, though. I filled out all the paperwork for the Body-for-LIFE challenge, and then I made Ray take “before” pictures of me tonight (I promise, there is no way I’m posting those pictures until I have something to compare it to!), so tomorrow will be the official start of the challenge for me.

The packet for the challenge comes with some questions I have to answer about my inner transformation, too (yes, I have to write an essay at the end of all this, which is why chronicling my experience on the blog will help). Here’s question #1:

What was the turning point you experienced that made you decide to compete in the Body-for-LIFE Challenge?

It’s not like I had an epiphany or hit rock bottom; as I’ve mentioned before, my husband bought a Bowflex for us to get in shape, and knowing the way I work, I realized the way for me to really achieve my fitness goal is to have structure. Hence the challenge.

Here is my exercise plan for Week 1:

DAY 1 (Wed., Sep. 2)

Upper Body Weight Training

  • Warm Up – 10-min (Exercise TV On Demand)
  • Upper Body Weight Training
    • Chest Fly
    • Bench Press
    • Pulldown – seated
    • Row – seated
    • Front Deltoid Raise – seated
    • Rear Deltoid Row – seated
    • Biceps curl – standing
    • Biceps curl – lying
    • Triceps extension – seated
    • Triceps Kickback
  • Cool Down: stretches

DAY 2 (Thurs., Sep. 3)

  • Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred (Exercise TV On Demand)

DAY 3 (Fri., Sep. 4)

  • Warm Up – 10-min (Exercise TV On Demand)
  • Lower Body Weight Training
    • Hip Abduction – seated
    • Hip Adduction – seated
    • Leg Extension – seated
    • Calf Raise – seated
    • Reverse Crunch
    • Crunch – resisted
  • Cool Down: stretches

DAY 4 (Sat., Sep. 5)

Isn’t it just like me to pick a holiday weekend when I’ll be out of town to try to get into the swing of things?

  • 30-Day Shred Day 2 (downloaded onto laptop)

DAY 5 (Sun., Sep. 6)

  • 30-Day Shred Day 3 (downloaded onto laptop)

DAY 6 (Mon., Sep. 7)

  • 30-Day Shred Day 4 (downloaded onto laptop)

DAY 7: Free Day

So that’s the plan. Let’s hope it works!

—

*I meant for this post to go out earlier in the day on Sep. 1, but it looks like the time of posting will be almost midnight. So much for doing ANY of this today.

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The Contenders

As promised, I have narrowed my fitness regimen choices down from the thousands out in cyberspace to just a few. Let me know which one you think I should take!

#1: 30-day Shred

The Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred exercise regimen first got on my radar through one of my college roommates, Christine, who lives and blogs in Boston. Her “after” pictures in a bikini radiate so much confidence that I couldn’t help but check out the program she used. Turns out she followed along with the Shredheads as they worked out with Jillian for 30 days back in March.

Imagine my surprise when my friend Amy recommended the same program in her comments to my last post!

PRICE: free but limited (on Comcast On Demand) to about $8 for the DVD on Amazon.

PROS: recommended by friends

CONS: This DVD boasts that you can lose 20 pounds in 30 days. Is that healthy? Or is that just hyperbole?

#2: Bowflex 6-week Challenge

I’m kind of already doing this challenge, except for the cardio part. I mean, heck, we’ve got a Bowflex, so there’s no doubt I’ll be using it. The question is, will I be able to figure out how to do all these exercises correctly? As I mentioned in my last post, the pictures and explanations in the little booklet Bowflex provided has been little to no help, and I feel like I’m flying blind.

There are some solutions to my information problems, but those solutions cost money. FitnessBliss has a fitness software solution to track and suggest different routines specific to the Bowflex ($15). There is also a “must have” book about the Bowflex called The Bowflex Body Plan by Dr. Ellington Darden ($13 used on Amazon).

PROS: I don’t have to change much of what I’m already doing, except add cardio.

CONS: It’s still a pretty DIY solution, and I’m a busy person. I’d prefer to have someone tell me exactly what to do and when.

COST: $15 FitnessBliss software + $13 book = $28.

#3: 12-week Body-for-LIFE Challenge

The Body-for-LIFE Challenge runs on the principles of eating right & exercising properly, and if you join the challenge (which starts Sep. 1 — the same time I was thinking of starting!), they provide you with exercises to do and meal planning suggestions.

PROS: Cash prizes! $25,000 for Grand Master Champion & $10,000 for Category Champions.

CONS: Still a little DIY, but not as much as the Bowflex Plan. And, let’s face it, anything I do will have to be customized to my own personal workout style.

COST: Free (unless I want to purchase any of the numerous EAS products they have on their website — for which I would be reimbursed, naturally, if I win. Hey, they’ve gotta make money somehow).

I’ve got a pretty good idea what I’m going to do now, but I’d love to hear what you think, either in the poll below or in the comments section.

Let me know what you think!

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Getting Fit

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that Ray got us a Bowflex this summer, and ever since it arrived, I’ve been struggling with the idea that although I do want to get fit, I’m inherently lazy. So far, we’ve been good at keeping each other on track, but it’s only been a few weeks, and I’m worried about what might happen in another couple weeks when I start getting busy again.

I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to lose weight and tone up a little; it’s just that I really dislike exercise, and there’s honestly not a single sport (other than horseback riding, which is an expensive prospect, to say the least) that I enjoy enough to do every day or so. I’ve joined gyms before, but, like many people, have ended up canceling my membership because I simply didn’t go often enough and was wasting money.

Anyway, now we have this Bowflex, and I’ve been exercising on it every other day, but I feel like I might not be working out all the right muscles (the Bowflex Classic doesn’t have a whole lot of leg exercises) and the instruction manual that came with this contraption has pictures of some of the exercises, but not all of them. How am I supposed to do the right exercises if I don’t know how to set up the machine or how to do it “right?”

I figured there would be plenty of videos on YouTube about different Bowflex exercises — and there are some, just not a whole lot — but again, most of them are for the arms, and most of them are beefy guys trying to show off how much weight they can press.

I’m also concerned about the fact that I have no cardio training in my exercise regimen at the moment, and while strength training is good, I’m likely to burn calories more quickly through cardio. I don’t really walk anywhere (remember I live in NJ, where the car is king), and I’m not a very good biker (I get freaked out in traffic), so most likely what I would need is something I could do in the house in conjunction with the Bowflex training.

I think I need a plan for myself, and some sort of goal to motivate me. There are thousands of online fitness challenges out there, from the President’s Challenge (seems a little vague to me) to the Couch to 5K plan (I’m not really that interested in running unless chased, honestly), so I did some research and narrowed it down to several contenders. I’ll need your help to decide which one to try, though…more details to come in the next post.

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Bird on a Wire

I was at the bank yesterday because I had to make an international wire transfer. I had ordered several music scores from a Danish publisher, and the invoice they had sent me was in DKK, so it was now up to me to figure out how to pay them. Since the invoice contained wire transfer instructions right there on the page, I figured it must not be such a hard thing to send money to Denmark via wire transfer.

First I went online to the (really crappy) website and clicked on the tab that said “wire transfers.” Apparently I wasn’t signed up for their wire transfer service, and when I tried to submit an application, I got a message saying that a customer service representative would be in touch. That was five days ago…no contact from the bank whatsoever.

So I called the 800 number, and the person on the other end of the line told me I would have to go to the bank in person to initiate a wire transfer. I asked what I would need when I went to the bank, and she didn’t really have an answer for me. I figured I had all the info I’d need on this invoice, so I drove to the bank, invoice in hand, ready to learn how to wire money overseas.

The last time I had gone to this bank and tried to pay a bill in foreign currency, they had looked at me blankly and told me to go to Western Union…so I was prepared for a little bit of resistance. But I guess I didn’t count on downright incompetence. This is how the conversation went:

ME: Hello, I’d like to make an international wire transfer.

JOAN*: Sure, have a seat. Can I have your account number?

ME: Here you go.

JOAN: How much is the transfer going to be for?

ME: I’m not sure. The invoice I have is in Danish krone, so…

JOAN: Oh, we can’t do anything that’s not in dollars.

ME: Are you sure? I mean, I’m pretty sure your bank does international business.

JOAN: (clicking through some screens on her computer) Oh, I guess we do. What’s the exchange rate?

ME: I don’t know.

JOAN: Well, I can’t do the transfer without the exchange rate. You’ll have to go find that out and come back.

ME: Um…aren’t you a bank? Aren’t you supposed to know that kind of thing?

JOAN: (blank stare)

ME: Exchange rates fluctuate throughout the day. I would imagine banks would know what the current exchange rate is more than a regular person like me.

JOAN: (getting defensive) I’ve never done this before.

ME: Okay…um…

JOAN: (waving over another rep) Hey, Linda! How do I do this? I’ve never done this before.

LINDA: (coming over and pointing at the computer screen) Just hit “wire transfer.” Okay, now hit “international.” What’s the currency she’s trying to use?

JOAN: (growing increasingly more nervous) I’ve never done this before!

ME: Danish krone.

JOAN: (picks up the phone and dials what must be the help desk line) Hello? I’m trying to get help finding an exchange rate. You what? My store number? (to Linda) What’s our store number?

LINDA: (gives store number)

JOAN: (repeats number) I just…that’s not the number? But that’s the only number I have. RS Code? What’s an RS Code?

LINDA: (turning to me as Joan continues to fuss on the phone) you want to pay in the foreign currency, right?

ME: Yes.

LINDA: That’ll be an extra $35 for international wires.

ME: Fine.

LINDA: (hitting a few keys on the computer) The exchange rate is 5.114.

ME: Okay.

LINDA: So here’s what the entire amount will be that we’ll deduct from your account.

ME: Sounds good.

JOAN: Oh, that’s what an RS code is? Okay, thanks. Well, we found out what the exchange rate is without your help, but thanks anyway. (hangs up the phone)

*All the names have been changed to protect the stupid.

The rest of the meeting was fairly normal; she asked for all the information that was on the invoice, and I had to keep pointing out where the information was on the invoice that was right in front of her. She was incredibly nervous about the whole thing, which amused me more than anything (I think if I hadn’t been amused, I would have been angry, which wouldn’t have helped anyone). And I think I calmed her down by telling her I had never done this before either, so we would both be learning as we go.

I told Ray this story last night, and he said that this bank is infamous for not paying enough, so nobody who is at all good at banking will ever work for this company.

And the sad thing is, I almost went through this whole post without revealing which bank it was, but I think I owe it to you all to reveal which bank has that kind of level of consistent incompetence: TD Bank (formerly known as Commerce).

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A Little Podcast for Ya

I’m sure you have all heard me talk about The Crossing. I don’t think I’ve written about it as much as I’ve talked about it, but suffice to say that singing with this group of people is exactly the kind of musical experience I wish I could do every single day of my life.

Below is an interview that our director, Donald Nally, gave with WMFT’s Andrew Patner about The Crossing. Yours truly sang in all the recordings that are played on the podcast, including a movement from Kile Smith’s Epiphany Vespers, which will be released on CD in March.

Included in the podcast:

  • “der Frühling” from Tag des Jaars by Kaija Saariaho
  • “Herr Christ” from Epiphany Vespers by Kile Smith
  • “i lie” by David Lang
  • “Was heut’ noch grün” from Vier kleine Finalsätze zu ‘Es ist ein Schnitter, heisst der Tod’ by Erhard Karkoschka (excerpt)
  • “Creator of the Stars of Night” by Gabriel Jackson
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Obama Swirl

I was lucky enough to be in the comfort of my own home, watching the inauguration in HD clarity during lunch, but I finished my sandwich about halfway through the musical stylings of Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, and it was really hard to keep still. So I pulled out my spinning wheel and went to work.

Although I know I had these combinations of colors in mind many months ago, as I spun, I thought about how appropriate a blend of brown and white alpaca would be as I watched this half-black, half-white man take the highest office in the country. My spinning wheel was whirring as Obama urged us all to be a part of making this country great.

And so I give you: Obama Swirl, a blend of very soft alpaca spun into a warm twist of hope, change, and determination. Oh, and it looks pretty too.

From SpinningAny suggestions for what I should knit it into? Should I go with a standard matching scarf/hat combo? Feel free to put suggestions in the comments below.