I spent the weekend in Wisconsin with Drew's mom and sister making Christmas Cookies. It really was a two-day baking marathon and we made all sorts of goodies. I'd try to explain it to you, but the best way to do so is probably just to show some pictures:
Pfefferneusse, Chocolate-Covered Oreos, Bird's Nests, Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Melting Moments (in the foreground), Snowballs (in the background) plus a 20 pound bag of powdered sugar!
Cutout cookies (waiting to be frosted), Candy Canes, Raisin-Filled Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread (there were many more not pictured!)
Cutout Cookies Decorated & FrostedAnd, we made even more cookies than are pictured here. I think that there were about 10 different kinds of cookies, plus the candy and chocolate-covered things that we made and Chex Mix! It was a really fun weekend of mostly girl time. And then I got to bring lots of goodies home with me!
The only bad thing that I can really say about the weekend is that I checked before I left for the airport and saw that my plane was on time. However, when I got there, I discovered that my plane was delayed for 4 hours, so since I was there an hour early for my original flight, I had 5 hours to wait around the airport. That meant that I didn't get home until after 3 AM on Monday morning.
Needless to say, my plans of working out on Monday morning went right out the window and I actually slept in on Monday and got to work late as a result of my late plane Sunday night. I briefly considered going to the gym Monday night, but I was so tired in the afternoon and pretty much went home, had dinner and fell asleep, that it probably really was better for me in the long run just to get the rest.
That meant that this morning I had to get back on track! And I actually did get up and go to the gymnasium. I'm starting Week 11 of my weight lifting book. This week is about doing three sets in a row (with 30 seconds rest between sets) and then three minutes rest between each exercise. It was a total body workout, so it didn't focus on one specific muscle group. I think that those are my favorite. I feel a little sore all over when I do these workouts, but am not having trouble lifting my arms (for instance!). The goal reps today was 10 in each set, but the book said that you may have trouble reaching 10 in the third set because your muscles will be fatigued. This was today's workout:
Barbell Squats: 2 sets of 10 reps @ 95 lbs / 1 set of 8 reps @ 95 lbs
Lunges (Right Leg): 1 set of 10 reps @ 10 lbs (per arm) / 1 set of 10 reps @ 15 lbs (per arm) / 1 set of 8 reps @ 20 lbs (per arm)
Lunges (Left Leg): 1 set of 10 reps @ 10 lbs (per arm) / 1 set of 10 reps @ 15 lbs (per arm) / 1 set of 10 reps @ 20 lbs (per arm)
Lat Pulldown (Wide Grip): 3 sets of 10 reps @ 70 lbs
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 10 reps @ 20 lbs (per arm) / 1 set of 6 reps @ 20 lbs (per arm)
During the right leg lunges, I noticed that my knee was feeling a little sore, so I decided to cut the third set short. I think I could have struggled to finish the set (as I had to do on the left leg), but it seemed wisest not to push it if I could notice the soreness. The dumbbell bench presses went a lot better than the last time I did them and could only do a couple (although that was at 25 pounds, not 20).
After the weight lifting, I went over and just stood and stared at the cardio equipment for a few minutes. This was similar to when I open the closet door and just stand there and stare until I figure out what I'm going to wear that day. Finally, I decided to settle for the elliptical. Last time I used it, I wasn't that into it, but I decided that I would try harder this time.
I did the interval setting on the elliptical machine for about 30 minutes. Whatever the 'factory' setting was for the intervals, I bumped both of them up pretty high, so it was definitely a tough workout and I was sweating by the end, which I was happy about.
After the weight lifting and the cardio, I headed over to the stretching area. I stretched for a while and then tortured myself and did 100 crunches. My weight lifting didn't incorporate any ab work today and I figured if I'm going to be indulging in all of these cookies that I helped to bake, I should try to keep my tummy looking good! I did the crunches in five sets of 20 to make it more manageable and gave myself about 30-45 seconds rest between each set.
Drew and I are flying to Wisconsin tomorrow night to stay with his family for the Christmas holiday. We're both hoping to workout while we're there, but I'm not sure I'll have time to blog, so there might just be one big update after the fact.
Weight Lifting
Time: 29:11
Calories: 204
Maximum HR: 167
Average HR: 126
Elliptical
Time: 30:45
Distance: 2.50 miles
Pace: 12:18/mile
Calories: 317
Maximum HR: 163
Average HR: 155
WOW! That is a ton of cookies! And I thought I was baking a lot...
ReplyDeleteI've been absolutely terrible at posting and working out lately. I'm going to try and get back into the habit after the holidays also. It's nice that the days are going to start getting longer again.
Saw on beginnertriathlete.com that you are doing Timberman as your first half ironman. Its a great race and was my first HIM as well. I am coming back to do it again next year. Good luck with your training and happy holidays!
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