Like a hamster on a wheel
Hi friends! How’s the day going??
We have LIFE!!
Who would have known that this Arizona girl with a black thumb would actually be keeping plants alive? I’m excited that our strawberries and tomatoes are growing! I think there’s still time to get that raised bed and plant some leafy greens for the summer, too. We do have some bugs that are going after the basil, so I’m going to research so ideas to keep them away. (Let me know if you have any ideas!)
It’s been a pretty low-key day over here. We had a couple of errands to run this morning, and then came home for lunch.
Salad beast, featuring a few BBQ leftovers from last night:
(Romaine, carrot, bell pepper, avocado, BBQ chicken, sweet potato fries and TJ’s balsamic vinaigrette)
and cupcake tops don’t tend to have a long life around here.
(The GF cupcakes from TJs are so good.)
This afternoon, I’m going to head to the gym to get in a cardio workout before heading out for a girl’s date to see Pitch Perfect 2 with Ashley.
Since I’m taking some time off from Orangetheory (and miss those sweaty endorphins already), I’ve been trying to be consistent about walking. It’s tough to go back to feeling like a hamster on a wheel when I’m used to hard speed intervals and quick rounds! I’m keeping with walking/easy running because it feels good to move -especially since I teach so many strength-based classes these days, minus the Zumba and spin- and I always feel energized after I shake my legs out a little. This is weird, but since the weather has been so cloudy/gloom, I don’t feel very motivated to take my workouts outside (it just makes me sleepy haha), so for now, indoors it is.
Some of the things that make indoor steady state more enjoyable:
Audiobooks! I have you all to thank for introducing me to Audible last year. I LOVE IT. It’s $15 a month, and you get one credit per month to use towards a book. (Audiobooks are usually $20+.) I think it’s worth the membership if you have long commutes or enjoy switching it up from music during your cardio workouts. Right now, I’m listening to Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler, and I have to stop myself from giggling creepily on the treadmill.
The POSH podcast. I’m still obsessed with this, months later. They have a new podcast each week, and it’s club remixes of beloved top 40 songs (with some rap and old-school thrown in). I get sick of my playlists so quickly, especially since I use a lot of my favorite songs to teach, so this way, there’s always something new.
Add in incline. Strategies like this hill workout get my heart rate up quickly, and incline is a simple way to add challenge/stressors without increased impact.
Change up cardio modes. I like to do 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the Stairclimber, and 10 minutes of intervals on the rower (30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy). It goes by so much more quickly that way!
What’s your favorite mode of steady state cardio? Do you prefer indoor or outdoor workouts? Any amazing podcasts or Audiobooks you’ve loved lately?
Hope you have a great night <3
xoxo
Gina
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A tablespoon of Dawn mixed with two cups of cooking oil (I use coconut/MCT) and two cups water. Shake it up in a spray bottle and you’re good to go. Or go to Home Depot. They have a good all natural spray.
What kind of bugs? If they’re aphids, lemon juice works quite well…
Thank you for introducing me to Posh Podcasts they are awesome. I listen to them when I’m doing ZGYM. My favorite steady state is kickbox, step or a good old fashioned walk.
Same here! I always really enjoy walks outside for the air and time to listen to some podcasts. SInce the weather has been lackluster lately I have been doing the same thing on the treadmill and mixing it up with intervals.
That leftover salad looks so yummy! I love summertime grilling!
That’s the way to do salads!
I’ve never heard of POSH podcasts but they look great! I get bored of my playlists quick.
I’ve been wanting to try those cupcakes!!! On my grocery list!!
I love audio books! I listen to them while walking my son in the park (he’s asleep in the stroller). I’m listening to Yes, Please! right now and I love it! I saw Chelsea Handler’s show Uganda Be Kidding Me and it was pretty hilarious.
Im going to have to check out that podcast! All the ones I think will be interesting never are. If it’s cool enough outside then I love to be out there, but more often than not I end up inside where I can control the temperature. Humidity kills me!
Love the stairmaster! And also TJ’s cupcakes 🙂
If you really miss OTF, you could always go anyway and walk the tread portion (and modify the intervals if you need to.) We have pregnant women at our location do that all the time. 🙂
I’m right there with you on Audible. I’m a complete addict! I’m listening to “Into Thin Air” by John Krakauer right now and I LOVE it. Trekking to Everest Base Camp has always been a dream of mine (just base camp though! Summiting doesn’t appeal to me) and I still want to go. I WILL go. Even though I feel wierd about it right now with the Nepalese earthquake. My heart is broken for them and I keep sending as much money as I can their way.
Planting marigolds help with pests, I’m told. As does sage, lavender, lemon balm, and I believe mint. Pests don’t like super strong smelling plants. I’m hoping to protect my cauliflower and kale from caterpillars this year. Last year, we weren’t so lucky. Also, sprinkling crushed egg shells at the base of plants helps keep slugs off.
I can vouch for the marigolds! My husband always plants them in our garden and they keep the bugs from eating our veggies. They’re also pretty so that’s a plus 🙂
I’m forever obsessed with The Lively Show- it’s super inspiring, especially for bloggers!
I do like Audible, but now I get most of my audiobooks through Overdrive, which is free with most library cards. You can download the free app, play the books during your rental time, renew, etc. online and even make a holds list and have your books automatically downloaded when they’re available.
I also use Overdrive! So many books available and FREE! We have a really good library system here. I have a significant commute and audiobooks have been a blessing.
I can never get into audio books- I find I start thinking of something else and then suddenly realise I’ve missed 15 minutes of the story!
Congrats on the strawberries and tomatoes. I had a garden a couple years ago and remember the excitement of seeing things starting to grow (and then the pain of waiting for them to be ready to eat).
Hi Gina! Guess it’s smart to take time off of OTF for now. I’m not really into steady-state cardio, but maybe swimming would be good for you? Walking is probably the best though. Enjoy your day!
I have used Dr Bronner’s soap with water in a spray bottle to keep bugs at bay in my garden as well as Dr Earth spray that you can find at garden centers 🙂
Our basil is always a favorite treat of Japanese beetles, so we just put fine mesh netting around the plant. I know some people will just pick the beetles off and drown them in water but I can’t bring myself to do that plus I don’t want to touch the bugs, ew.
Walking has been my main exercise during this pregnancy, plus a strength training workout once or twice a week. I actually really love walking on the treadmill because I can read at the same time. Otherwise I take it outside when it’s sunny and either have my dog with me or listen to music or a podcast if I’m on my own. I always feel better after a good walk!
I love audiobooks! The only problem with them is that they’re hard to listen to with young kids in the car. One unexpected bad word and my 2 year old will be chanting it the rest of the day 😛
Check out Kindle Unlimited. $10/month for unlimited Kindle books WITH Audible ‘audio companions’ (where they exist)! I just signed up for the free 30 day trial. I’m not quite sure the availability of books/audios but three I wanted were on there so I bit. I’ve always liked audio books for walking but felt like $15/book was a little too much (Audible’s subscription), so I used Phoenix Digital Library for many free Kindle and audio books.
A cool thing with Kindle w/Audible is I can listen to the audio on my phone and then read on my Kindle or pc and it all remains in sync, it knows what page I’m on in whatever app I used last. You can just buy the Kindle book and add on the audio companion for many books for $1.99, too, instead of doing the unlimited deal.