Asylum: Day 7

I've made it through my first week of Asylum - still loving the workouts! There is no question that they are hard as all get out but they are totally different from anything that I would do at a gym or out running on the roads and trails - I think that is what draws me to them most!

It has been a very busy weekend! Yesterday I went for a 10 mile run on a very hilly course. It is a course that I haven't done in a very long time and I'm happy I got a chance to do it again. I felt sort of heavy in the legs because of all the workouts I've been doing. I'm really going to have to pay attention to how my body feels in the upcoming days because I'm really not taking any days totally off. I'm not getting any days off because I'm combining the Asylum workouts with my running so even if there is a scheduled "off" day for the Asylum, I'm probably running. That is what happened yesterday. I put the Asylum rest days on my long run day - not going to be able to do both! My goal is to keep this going until our week at the beach and then not worry about structured workouts and give my body a rest.

Anyway, the run went well. We averaged a little under 10 minutes per mile and I'm quite pleased with that considering the hills on the course. I also made time to stretch before getting back in my car to come home and it made a BIG difference in how I felt. I usually stretch when I get home but find that I really stiffen up on the drive back (I do spend a few minutes stretching immediately after the run). This time I spent a good 15-20 minutes stretching on the adjacent tennis courts and it felt wonderful! I will make sure to do this whenever we meet in a place that allows me to put down a towel and lay down (not in a parking lot).

Then last night I went to a graduation party. I admit that my eating was spot on but I wasn't trying to hold myself to that standard either. I do think it is important to relax some of the time. I did allow myself a dessert even though I wrote in a previous post that I was doing "No Cheats" this week. To be completely honest, I had kind of forgotten about that until just now. Regardless, it was a great time and I feel good about my night. It did show up on the scale this morning but I knew that would happen.

Speaking of this morning....I got up and did my Asylum Strength workout. Last time I did it, I used 5# weights just to get a feel for the session. Today, I moved that up to 10# and I liked this weight better although it was still light for some of the exercises (but good for others). I love the "different" exercises in this session. During the warm-up you do something called a Halo Deadlift. On this exercise, you squat down, stand up and then twist the dumbbell around your head without moving your head. I love to feel the twist in the core area. During the main portion of the workout you do a series of exercises called Progressive Dumbbell rotations (too long to explain). The circuit is completed 3 times (8 reps in each progression) and each time you add something to the progression and by the 3rd rotation it is REALLY hard! I can't do all 8 reps at the speed they do it on the TV (yet) so I had a decision to make. The exercise includes push-ups and if I do the push-ups on my knees I would be able to go faster and probably keep up. However, I decided to not do all 8 reps but to complete each rotation with full push-ups. My next goal will be to try to get faster and faster (with good form of course) and eventually do all 8 reps on all 3 rotations. Finally, the end of the workout consists of chest exercises with your feet in the air to work on the core. They are really hard on the abs (10# is not enough for the chest press though) and boy was I shaking at the end. I did better than the last time though - my legs are higher than the people on the DVD but I was able to hold my legs straighter this time AND on the last exercise I kept my feet up for the entire minute.

Review of the past week: Nutrition - I did really well at the beginning of the week but faltered a bit at the end. I ordered out 1 day because of a long and tiring day and then there was the party food. It made for an OK week - the scale actually shows me up a pound for the week but I know that is water weight from yesterday. I'm keeping very clean today and I will most likely get a better indication over the next couple of days on my weight.
Training - was very good all week! There was only 1 workout that I missed (a run) and that was during a thunderstorm and I did get my Asylum workout in that day so I'm not worried about that at all! I feel like I'm putting in a great effort, on the Asylum sessions and I'm hoping to see a big difference by the end of this 30 days!

Goals for the week: I'm keeping my nutrition goals the same for this week.

1. I will reduce my dairy intake to no more than 1 serving per day.
2. I will avoid ALL fast food (if I go out, I will bring my own food).
3. I will continue to drink 1 gallon of water each day.

Except for the couple of slips I mentioned earlier it was a good week so I will focus on fixing those slips. I falter with stress so that is where I will really buckle down and do what I know I should even when I'm stressed or tired.

Workout goals: I will continue with my schedule of Asylum every day with group runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and sessions (running or biking) with the kids on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm looking forward to seeing that scale moving downward!!