turn up the tunes..

work it to the rhythm...

Wow! This 14 degree, cold as fuhhh weather does not make it any easier to get out of my warm, cozy bed and pajamas in the morning to hit the gym. One thing that makes it worth it (besides increasing endorphins, of course): my gym provides free babysitting. I love my little girl dearly, but over the past 2 weeks, she's warped into a monkey! Do you other mommy's remember this stage? She climbs on EVERYTHING, including me if I try to sit down for a second! It's been a non-stop, have your eyes on the baby, constantly grabbing her down from places, (her crib, the dining room table, the kitchen stool) rip my hair out kind of weekend. So, when the oh so dreaded Monday morning rolled around, I found myself let out a sigh of relief, and I made that free hour worth it with a killer cardio session. 

So, let's talk cardio. After my vacation away from the treadmill for some time now and getting back into it, I can see my cardio endurance has decreased. I used to be able to run about 4-6 miles during a 45-60 minute cardio session. Well, forget that now! It's very frustrating to know I am not working at my highest potential, but I know how to reach that level again. One word: HIIT, or interval training, which I had mentioned in one of my last posts. Not only is it highly effective, but it's also time efficient.

HIIT(or high-intensity interval training)involves repeated bouts of high and low intensity exercise. In general, if you are training to increase your endurance, you should set your 'working' intervals to be about 1 minute (or more depending your fitness level) and your 'recovery' period should be enough time to allow your heart rate to come down before bringing it back up again. If you are a beginner to interval training, I would suggest you start at a 'working' interval for 1 minute and a 'recovery' interval at 3 minutes. As you increase your cardiovascular fitness, that 'recovery' interval will come down (by 1 minute, and then 2...) *note: If you think you cant do this because you are NOT a runner, know you don't have to run to do interval training; it can be done on any piece of cardio equipment. 

If your gym offers classes, try some! Most classes (such as cycling, step, kickboxing, and bootcamp) are based on an interval training workout. Most classes are adaptable to any workout level, so don't be nervous that you aren't "fit" enough to try one. The group of people taking class with you, the instructor, the music... It's all much more exciting! 

I like to mix my cardio up amongst all the different machines so I don't get bored: elliptical, treadmill, stepper, cycle bike, stairmaster.. But, if you are training for one particular event (such as a 5k) don't waste your time on a stepper when you should be working on your running. 

Today's workout:

I don't know if you are doing this already, But I suggest you start a food and workout journal. You need to be able to see if you need to increase your weight when you lift, how much harder you can push yourself on the treadmill next week, and if you can afford to drink another Starbucks latte today. (another vice of mine) You cannot keep track of your workouts and calories if you are not writing them down. 

*note: when lifting weights, your last 2-3 repetitions should be increasing hard. If you are not feeling the 'I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this last set' feeling by those last 3, you need to increase your weight! Start by increasing by 5 lbs. to see where you are and so you don't hurt yourself by trying to lift too heavy.

Today I did my HIIT on the treadmill. I warmed up for 5 minutes, walking at a brisk pace (3.5-4) then, I got ready to sweat and got right into my intervals. I ran at a 7 speed for 1 minute, then reduced that down to a level 4 and put the incline up to 10 and brought my heart rate down for 3 minutes. I repeated that sequence 8 times, then reduced my speed down to a 3.5 and walked for another 5 minutes for my cool down. It was pretty intense (for me) but felt great! You can use this sequence as a guideline for your next cardio session. 

Like I said when I mentioned taking classes earlier, the music is simply exciting! I don't think I would be able to finish a cardio session without my music. If I ever lost my iPod, I would be so distraught!  I'm going to share a few playlists I have on my iPod with you that keep me going and pushing harder. Sometimes, I find myself saying (in my head), "keep going until the song ends" or "whatever you hit first, 500 calories or the end of this song." See, it's a motivator! Plus, I've been told I make a decent workout playlist ;) Most of my interval playlists start off semi-slow for a warm-up, increase rhythm, then a few slower songs for cool down. When I cycle, I go to the beat of the music (hillclimbs, sprints, etc.). If I am not doing intervals and going for a longer run, I like all my music to flow nicely. Here are a few lists to steal from and hopefully get YOU going too:

 

The Good Run: (1 hour cardio session)

warmup

Paparazzi (Lady GaGa)- listen
Wild Ones (Flo Rida)-listen

Too Close (Alex Clare)-listen

Lights (Ellie Goulding)-listen

Colors (April Smith)-listen
Alive (Dirty South & Thomas Gold)-listen
Feel So Close (Calvin Harris)-listen
Mayheim (Imelda May)-listen
Blackout (Beathe Carolina)-listen
Days Go By (Dirty Vegas)-listen
Toxic (Britney Spears)-listen
Take Over Control (Afrojack)-listen
Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5)-listen
Valery (Amy Winehouse)-listen
cool it down
King of Anything (Sara Bareilles)-listen
Powerful Stuff (Sean Hayes)-listen
Far Behind (Candlebox)-listen

The Masta Mix: (Good 45 min. Run)
LaLaLa(Auburn)-listen

Pretty Girl Rock (Keri Hilson)-listen
Dynamite (Taio Cruz)-listen
Bodyrock (Moby)-listen
Kayne's Workout Plan (Kayne West)-listen
Bass Down Low (Dev- listen
Like a G6 (Far East Movement)-listen
Tonight's Gunna Be A Good Night (Black Eyed Peas)-listen
Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada)-listen
Bulletproof (La Roux)-listen
Eenie Meenie (Sean Kingston feat. Justin Beiber)-listen
Price Tag (Jessie J)-listen

30 minute Cycle: (Go with the beat)

American Boy (Estelle)-listen

On the Floor (JLo & Pitbull)-listen

Pretender (Foo Fighters)-listen

Show Me Your Teeth (Lady GaGa)-listen

1983 (Neon Trees)-listen

Stronger (Kayne West)-listen

Stereo Hearts (Gym Class Heros)-listen

Mr. Brightside (The Killers)-listen

32 Minute Run:

warmup

Stereolove (Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina)-listen

Mika (Grace Kelly)-listen

Give You Everything (Pitbull)-listen

Check it Out (Nicki Minaj- listen

If I Had You (Adam Lambert)-listen

What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)-listen

Milkshake (Kelis)-listen

I Wanna Go (Britney Spears)-listen

cooldown

Hook (Blues Traveler)-listen

One (Joy Zipper)- listen

..Dont be shy.. and thanks for stopping by..

*follow me on instagram: everyonedeservesflowers*