I Wanna Dance With Somebody

"I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody..." - Whitney Houston (RIP)

Dance! Get moving! One of my favorite things to do is turn on Pandora (either my Aaliyah or 90's pop station) and just dance around! I usually do this when I'm cleaning or getting ready to go out for the night. Sometimes, if it's rainy or cold out, it's fun just to do it to get a small workout that's actually fun! I create my own crazy moves, copy moves I've seen in videos, do some kicks and punches.....you get the idea. Yes, I'm so glad I live alone and there are no hidden cameras....if these walls could talk.....

Anyways, my schedule is hectic, so sometimes I just don't have the time to do a long workout/run or even to dance around and be silly. Sometimes, I just need a serious, focused, quick workout.

Enter Jillian Michaels.

Now, I don't watch biggest loser and don't really know her or care for her...but while playing around on  Amazon, I came across a suggested DVD workout that got rave reviews. So I said "why not?"

Let me just tell you - whew! It's a 27 minute WORKOUT! It's called the 30-Day Shred and I believe that if you are adamant about it, you will see and feel results. I did. I've gotten off track with it so the results are in limbo, but if you are better at sticking to things, there's no way that this won't work. After 2 weeks, I finally go to the point where I could make it all the way through Level 1 without stopping and without modifying too much.

Stay tuned....I've got posts about yoga and pilates adventures, plus tips on successful meditations and even my journey to juicing!

And for a little inspiration.....

Bikini Season is upon us ladies......(I got this photo from Pinterest, not sure where it really came from!)

Chasing Pavements

"Should I give up? Or should I just keep chasing pavements...." - Adele

Well Adele, the answer is simple....NEVER GIVE UP! Especially when it comes to chasing pavements (aka, RUNNING).

With that said, I haven't ran in 2 weeks. Lets talk about why, shall we? One word: COLD. I've vowed that if it's above 40 degrees and sunny, I will go for a walk/jog. If it's above 50, regardless of if there is sun, I will go. But see, the groundhog told us that Spring was coming fast....the groundhog lied...LIED! It's been in the 30's with snow and rain. The nice days, I've been at work. This will not do. Thankfully, this weekend is looking up!

If you are not a runner, like me, do intervals. I can't do long runs. I run for a minute or two, walk for a minute or two and keep repeating for at least 20 mins.....I'll do it for an hour if it's my day off and I have  no where to be for a while. It's the perfect therapy. And eventually you'll build more stamina and be able to run for 4 or 5 minutes before "dying" so that's good.... haha.

:::WHEN TO DO CARDIO:::

Do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach or right after your weight lifting workout. Again, I prefer jogging, but if you have a gym or your own home equipment (lucky devil!), mix it up with the elliptical or the stair climber.

The reason for doing cardio at these time is because of your glycogen storage and your body's ability to effectively burn more fat/calories. There's a whole science behind it, and while it's controversial, I've seen a lot of people who get better results this way. Here's a quick article if you want to know more....
Running on an empty stomach

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend!