Scheduling Success: Planning workouts

http://www.builtlean.com/2010/06/04/high-intensity-interval-training-hiit-best-cardio-to-burn-fat/

I used to be a chronic over-exerciser. I'd go for a long run, maybe do a body weight circuit, maybe stop by the gym for another 20 minutes. I'd end up ravenously hungry and never any leaner. Now I try to always keep my workout under 60 minutes and spend the rest of my day walking through town to finish my errands, always taking the stairs etc. 

My weekly workout plan looks like this:


PLANNING EXERCISE:

•  Hour or two of "play" (2-3 times a week or so)
• This could be hiking, running, biking, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding etc. The idea here is to maintain a level of 60--80% of your maximum heart rate. It's an ideal level for decreasing body fat, lowering blood pressure, reducing heart disease, etc. It also is fun and requires less stress on the body and therefore doesn't affect cortisol levels

• 30 minutes of weight lifting: (2- 3 times a week)

                CLICK HERE for how to perform these exercises

• chest/shoulders/triceps (usually 5 sets of 15 reps and things like push ups, military presses, bench and overhead press, rows, dips etc.)

•  back/biceps/legs (5x15 squats, deadlifts, pull ups, lunges, curls, etc)

• 5x5 of squats, deadlifts, a push and a pull exercise, snatches, clean and jerks, power cleans. HEAVY weight.  

• 25 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)- includes 5 minutes warm up and cool down. (2 times a week)

• I mix up my sprints but if I'm running I might do 20 second sprint 40 second rest. Or 40 second sprint one minute rest. I can do this running outside, on a treadmill, on a stationary bike, running uphills or stairs, etc.
• Another option is 20 seconds hard, 10 seconds recovery repeated 8 times at the end of a lifting day

• 1 day of whatever I want: maybe it's nothing, maybe it's swimming, maybe it's just a long walk in the city

I'm a big fan of writing to do lists, writing schedules and just writing down goals in general.

Some clients have asked me for my daily diet and exercise routines.
I am not great at scheduling my diet but am a big believer in logging it. In fact, after a consultation with a client, having them use something like fitday.com is usually one of the most eye opening exercises they'll do.  And I'll discuss my diet in a later post- Today I'm off to jog to a hill by my apartment and do sprints up it for 30 minutes or so. 

Wish me luck!

Rules for Overtraining

Mondays are excellent days to start new and fresh. Maybe you've been overindulging or under-training or forgetting the right ways to treat your body. Here is some good information to get you back on track:

I have been overtraining. It is hard for me to notice or resist exercise when I know I'm overdoing it. this is because I reward myself for long training efforts by having french fries or dessert (or both). In other words, I'm depleting myself to a point where I MUST have sugar and I usually have to remind myself that I am altering my endocrine and immune functions and elevating my anxiety and not eating properly as a result. My focus this week will be on LESS steady state cardio and evaluating my diet.

WEEKLY GOALS:

I will not train for more than 60 minutes per day

I will eat 100 grams of quality protein a day (grass fed beef, organic eggs and poultry, wild fish)

I will sleep at least 7 and a half hours per night

I will keep my carbohydrate intake to under 100 grams per day

That's it. 7 days of relaxing with my workouts so that I am not ravenously hungry all the time should do the trick. How do YOU deal with overtraining?

Fit for Travel

I spent 2 weeks in Europe and I managed to indulge, have fun and come home thinner.
Here's how:

Tip 1: The Flight:
Damage control- the flight can start your trip off in a binge-worthy fashion or can set you up for vacation success. The flight itself can be very dehydrating and can zap your energy. I try to pack water, tea (ginger, cranberry or green tea), greek yogurt, avocado, grapefruit, chicken in a gluten free wrap and some dark chocolate and popcorn or pistachios in a ziploc bag. The key is to have foods high in potassium and drinks to debloat, as well as good sources of protein and some mindless munching options like baby carrots or grapes.

It was an overnight flight and I wanted to wake up refreshed in Europe so I went on my usual run that morning and settled into my seat nice and tuckered out. I took 500mg of magnesium with a cup of tea, a little bit of stevia sweetened yogurt and a glass of champagne. I try to balance my indulgences- I wanted champagne and strawberries so I nixed chocolate or the bagged potato chips. I woke up in Europe and immediately drank a liter of water and a cup of coffee.

San Sebastian was gorgeous- I hit the ground running- literally.

While my chef napped, I took advantage of the gorgeous walkways that hug the coastline. I went on a 6 mile run without missing a beat. 

Tip #2: Do something active every day that incorporates the city you're visiting: 

San Sebastian had running trails everywhere and beaches where we could rent surfboards. I ran every morning- it was a great way to see the city, spend some time alone and soak up the ocean air. My chef taught me how to surf one day and we spent most of the evenings walking to and from dinner or to and from gelato :)

Tip #3: Indulge wisely:

I knew it'd be easier to eat healthfully in a beach town like San Sebastian and that I'd want to indulge in desserts and champagne in Paris, and that Ireland would be a little heartier fare and lots of pubs. I planned accordingly. We were super active in San Sebastian and snacked on healthy foods during the day and ate small tapas plates for dinner and I stuck to 2 drinks per night. I made up for this in Paris- the land of champagne and macaroons:

In short- it's all about balance- pick your battles and prioritize. I can honestly say I had everything and did everything I wanted to do on my trip- there is nothing I missed out on. I relaxed, I indulged, I exercised and I felt great. Being on vacation is no reason to go off the rails- if anything it lets you be your most ideal self. Vacations should be a remedy for all that ails us- including a lack of time for exercise and health.