The Living Room Workout

So apparently I have an accent :P Haha. Thank you so much for all the comments on my blogaversary and video post! Don?t forget to head over there if you want to win some free Vega bars and read all about the exciting trip Holly and I are taking, which you?re invited to!!!

After three full days off from working out, I got back to it today. Would you believe I still had lingering glute and leg soreness from my lower-body workout on Friday? Crazy. I decided to maximize on my sleep and keep the workout to my living room this morning.

I started with 20 minutes of intervals on the bike trainer, alternating between sitting sprints and standing sprints. Then I popped in Jillian Michael?s 30 Day Shred for the 20-minute Level 2 workout. Then I hopped back on the bike for 10 more minutes of sprint intervals.

This was my first time trying Level 2 on the DVD, and it was much harder! I was only using 5 lb weights and I was going to failure on everything but the bicep moves. And the lunges killed me. But they always do.

Brie asked me to explain my bike trainer setup. A wonderful question, as it?s a pretty sweet setup ;)

First, meet Scottie. My beloved road bike. Hi Scottie!

You?ll notice his front wheel is being held in place?

It?s just a little plastic thingy to keep it stationary, nothing fancy.

The back wheel is where the work is done.

The wheel fits onto a stand, which is screwed in where you would normally remove the back wheel.

The stand makes sure the bike is sturdy, and holds it up off the ground the wheel can spin freely. But a free-spinning wheel does not make for a very challenging bike ride. You need resistance!

At the bottom of the stand, is a small roller. Here, you can see there?s a teeny space between the tire and roller. But when I go to use it, I turn that little knob on the left and it pushes the roller up to press against the wheel. This creates some resistance while allowing the wheel to still spin.

There?s also a little tube that runs from the roller to a knob that attaches to the handlebars. Clicking the knob forward adjusts the roller, and creates greater resistance.

I can also use my gears to change the resistance too. Today I switched between the lowest and highest gear on my largest chain ring for the sprints, and it was perfect!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you get really sweaty on a trainer! My basement apartment does not have the fancy air system of a gym. Thus, a fan and towel are required. You can also buy specialized mats to place them on as well.

 
Finally, I wear all my usual bike gear on it minus the helmet and glasses ;) My butt doesn?t get quite the beating without the bumps, but my cycling shorts are still required for the seat. I still have my clipless pedals in, so my shoes are attached to them. I think it may actually help my awful dismounting technique come spring!

 
The best thing about it is that I get to watch whatever I want on TV. Today was my usual morning news program ? CBC New Brunswick First :)

Oh, and there are tons of different kinds of bike trainers. Mine is pretty basic, but you can get ones that measure your distance and even watt output. There are also bike rollers.

But they look like a death trap :P

After my tough and sweaty living room workout, I made a wonderful breakfast!

Smoked salmon, fried egg, laughing cow cheese on an english muffin with black grapes on the side (my favourite colour grape).

Another good day at work today! I spent it mostly in meetings and didn?t get any real work done. But I did get a much better sense of what I?ll be doing over the next couple months. I think I?m really going to enjoy working on some of the projects! I?m especially excited to be involved in some video projects. It will be a lot more fun getting interviews and footage without the stress of being a reporter :)

Dinner was one of my fave ways to shake up leftovers ? on a salad!

 
Two of my mini turkey meatloaves heated and crumbled on a big ole? bowl containing:

Yup. It was gooooood. I find it strangely comforting to dive into a giant salad bowl.

I don?t usually have bars for my evening snacks because I?m at home at can make something better. But I was really craving a dessert-like treat tonight, particularly this Larabar!

The Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar Chandra sent me as part of my Blogger Secret Santa gift. I cut it up into little pieces like a crazy person.

Bite sized!! This was my second time trying this flavour and I still really enjoy it. Definitely one of my favourite Larabar flavours now :)

Going to try something a little different tomorrow and go straight from the gym to the office in the morning. Usually I come back home to shower and eat. But showering at the gym and eating breakfast at work will allow me more time to sleep! Always a good thing ;) I?m just not sure what I?m going to do with my wet towel and stinky clothes :\

Question of the Day: Do you work out at home? What do you do? This is the first time I?ve had a piece of cardio equipment to use, and it?s pretty suh-weet. I went through a period when I scoffed at exercise DVDs, but I?m starting to embrace them again. Some day I?d like to get dumbbells!