Sweat

Workouts, exercise, fitness…

Demand and Dinner

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Good evening folks, I hope none of you are still as sweaty and gross as I am.  But if you are…. I salute you.

After my lunchtime post where I showed you my advanced icing techniques, my ankle actually started to feel a little better. I spent the day in a long meeting, taking care of business, and then tidied up my desk to show off for the new employee tomorrow.

This might be the most normal it has ever looked.

If you take a closer look, you’ll notice a McCormick’s Italian Herb blend, a toy dog wearing a fruit hat, and my iPhone got a text! A rare opportunity to look at my life, behind the scenes. Cherish it, y’all.

After work, with my ankle feeling up to snuff, I hit up Zumba (considering my favorite instructor was there, I had to do it.)  I’m glad I did, as I rocked it out.

Woo, baby.

I specifically remember the track where my HR reached 180 because, in the midst of panting, I glanced over at the watch and was like WHOAH! My ankle’s feeling a little sore now, but during the class I actually felt pretty decent.  It was a packed class, lots of total newbies, but everyone handled their business and rocked it out.  The energy was awesome, the music was perfect, and we even did an all-arm track to Carry Out by Justin Timberlake.  I’m sore, but in the best way possible.

Following the gym, I received word from the beau that he was going to be late for dinner, so I made the executive decision to go shopping.

In case you didn’t get the message, my 24th Birthday is Next Wednesday, August 24. That’s right, one week and one day away.  Feel free to shower me with sexy presents like beer and sports bras and Norts (Nike shorts, for the folks who aren’t familiar) and all the like.  Or packages, or tweets, or email love.  Or just buy me a cocktail and compliment the tiara I’ll be wearing on my big day and, more than likely, the night of the HLS cocktail party.  I’m needy like that.

Now that we all are on the same page for what I was shopping for, you might understand that Nordstrom Rack was at the top of my list.  Since my feet are huge (size 12-13), any store that carries my size is somewhere I frequent.  And today, I finally got lucky.

Sam Edelman, you've done good.

I’ve been looking for a pair of sandals with this single long strap.  Though these weren’t the silver I hoped for, the gems and spikes on the back…. I felt like Lady Gaga when I put them on.  And then I found my birthday dress.  Which just so happened to have little white streaks in it. The price was a little steep, and there was a gem missing, so I asked the man at the front if there was another one, or if I could get a discount.  I couldn’t get a discount, and he almost wouldn’t sell them to me….  and then he told me they were the only size 12 Sam Edelman sandals of this style AT ANY NORDSTROM RACK IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!!!!!

I left, one pair of shoes richer (and a few more bucks than I wanted to be poorer…. but they were shaved about halfway from their original pricetag…. I’ll chalk it up as a win.)

With my birthday outfit success warming my heart, and my zumba class rumbling my tummy…. I headed home for dinner with the beau.

It was clean, it was fast, and it. was. tasty.

Grilled chicken covered in Frank's Red Hot and Laughing Cow Blue Cheese, steamed veggies, and a Diet Cherry Pepsi

Sweet Moments Caramel Delights

Now, it’s time to finish The Adjustment Bureau, shower, and sleep, sweetly and hopefully for a long time.  So. So. tired.

Do you get yourself birthday presents?  How about special birthday outfits?

I pretty much always do.  And rest assured, I’ll be rocking a tiara that day…. hard.

This Friday Night

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening (and a late one at that!)

The beau and I just got done our plans for the night and I’m pretty sure it was exactly like the Katy Perry hit, Last Friday Night (TGIF).  In case you don’t turn on the radio, it’s something like this:

Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot…

Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard…

We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a menage a trois.

Anyone ever actually think about those lyrics?  Quite a big jump from going skinny dipping and streaking to legitimately having sex with two people at once, IMHO.  But hey, she’s Katy Perry, she’s got it under control, I’m sure.

Yeah, Jordan, don’t worry about me…

But yes, our night was equally as crazy.

I started out ridin’ solo at the gym, with a fantastic Body Attack class.

Not my best, but absolutely not even close to my worst.

My ankle was still bothering me a little but I focused on the lower-impact options (one of my favorite aspects of Body Attack is that they always give you options) to take some of the pressure off, and still managed to work up one hell of a sweat.

Don’t you love when fitness classes turn into wet t-shirt contests?

Then, as Katy and her buddies danced on tabletops, we did a little dancing in downtown Durham.

He calls this one the "check me out!"

I call this one the "pose pretty with your dream purse". I'll be giving lessons at the Healthy Living Summit cocktail party if anyone's interested.

We took too many shots.  And by shots, I mean slices of pizza.

All pepperoni, half artichoke (me), half buffalo chicken (Ry)

From one of our all-time favorite pizza joints in the Triangle (and anywhere):

Mellow Mushroom’s Mellow Menu

We definitely kissed a few times.  But I didn’t forget any of them.

We didn’t have to max out our credit cards because my Uncle had given me a giftcard, but we ALMOST got kicked out of the bar…

Wait, not even a little.  I did almost kick a woman out of the outdoor seating for smoking while we were eating, but she stopped (aka finished her nasty smelly cigarette) moments before the pizza came out (at which point I would’ve complained, loudly and obnoxiously.  and then, maybe gotten kicked out of the bar.)

I enjoyed a delicious Bell’s Two Hearted with dinner.

Thanks for the bunny ears, Ry.

Then, we hit the boulevard (aka walked back to the car).

The rest of the song gets into some pretty risque stuff and I’ll be honest….. we skipped that and baked (sort of) a dessert for his company picnic.

It may not have been the stuff Katy writes songs about, but maybe she’s missing out on a gold-mine of brilliant lyrics waiting to be written.  Katy, gimme a call if you need any more inspiration.  I’ve got gobs of this stuff.

Did you do anything wild enough to warrant a Katy Perry song tonight? 

Did you watch the double play of Con Air on TNT tonight? BECAUSE I’M WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW!

Time to get back to the oh-so-classy and ever-so-well-dressed Nicolas Cage.

Put the bunny in the basket.

What a dreamboat….

 

Surprise Date Night!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hello out there in TV Land! (or internet land. All the lands.)

So I finished the day at the office, and realized that the minor pain that I had in the front of my ankle was turning into a more major pain.  My pipe dreams of doing AbSculpt followed by BodyPump turned quickly into just an AbSculpt (not too much action on the ankle there, right?)

AbSculpt was hardcore today.

For 26 minutes (only really about 22 minutes of working it), that’s NTS (Not Too Shabby – Cedar Rapids). Then, after work, the beau and I decided to pick him up a little apron for a grilling gig he has this weekend (for his company picnic, he’ll be the guy flipping burgers for families and friends!)  Lucky for me (and hopefully him, too!) it turned into an impromptu date… My favorite kind!

After we scampered in and out of Wal-Mart, one apron richer, we were inches away from a Jason’s Deli, a spot I’ve never been in my whole life. Ry was pretty surprised, I guess it’s a fairly common place known for it’s muffalettas, a New Orleans delicacy.  But tonight, I wasn’t feeling the fluffy bready treat, I was feeling a little lighter fare.  They just so happened to have a whole section of the menu dedicated to just that!

Savvy Chicken Salad, sign me up!

Chicken Salad with some corn chips

I enjoyed the Savvy Chicken Salad Wrap: Organic wheat wrap with lower sodium chicken salad made with almonds and pineapple, roma tomatoes, red onions, and leafy lettuce. 

It was a little sweeter than I normally like my chicken salad, but I threw some of those corn chips in the wrap and a little bit of the salsa, added some salt and pepper, and perked it right up.  Ry went for a different option:

Hot Corned Beef and Pastrami

I’m pretty sure his sandwich ate my sandwich earlier in the day. He enjoyed it though, and I enjoyed a nibble or two.

Seeing as we were in the neighborhood…. I couldn’t help myself.  Tutti Frutti!!

A little more crowded than yesterday.

And if you’re wondering, yes I got froyo two days in a row.

Sorry I'm not sorry. Not even sorry for my crazy face.

And now…. we’re enjoying Cedar Rapids, thanks to the people at Neflix.  And maybe… I’ll even enjoy this beer to my left.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

Good evening friends! You made it through Tuesday, congratulations!  I made it too, but barely!

See, the thing is…. this morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

This was my bed setup my Junior year of college.... Neon room? Heck yes. Half consumed bottle of Riesling on the desk? Duh.

See, I didn’t get to sleep until late last night, my own fault, I know. But when I woke up extra early this morning…. I was really off my game.  The result? A grouchy girl.

RAWR!!

Every single thing seemed to annoy me.

Forgot cheese for my salad? Anger.

My emails at work coming in slow? Fury.

This driver’s park job?

WHO DOES THAT?!

Rage blackout.

I knew it was a problem when not even my perfect salad from lunchtime was making me feel better.  So I took matters into my own hands, and spent the rest of the day trying to do all my favorite things that make me happy.

I dropped some packages off at the post office which, coincidentally, was right next to my favorite frozen yogurt spot, Tutti Frutti.  I mean, no harm in stopping by, seeing how long the line was, right?

Completely. Totally. Empty.

Well, at that point, what option did I have, really?

My little day-changer!

Yup.  A mini-cup (about $2.30 worth of froyo) did the trick.  And then, after work, my favorite zumba class and instructor!  It was killer, sweat pouring all over.

And an ab track thrown in at the end! Well-rounded, she definitely is.

And then, for dinner, my favorite method of cooking fish:

Blackened Cod, complete with Cajun Seasoning!

I used a buttload of the McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun Seasoning which I’ve been putting on everything lately. It has cayenne, thyme, garlic, salt, and paprika in it all in one dash! I paired my piece with half a bag of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and Ry and I split a few fancy beers he got in a birthday pack.  None really worth noting, though, but I’m sure I’ll find one soon to write about in a review.

Basically, after watching an episode of Alphas (my newest favorite Sy Fy show) and splitting some Haribo gummy bears for dessert, I’m feeling a lot better.  In fact, I might even hit the hay early tonight…. but I’ll make sure I get to sleep on the right side (which, for me, happens to be the left side of the bed.)

What do you do when you’re having a lousy day to get your spirits back up?

How do you sleep in bed? On your side? On your stomach? On which side of the bed?

Garmin FR60: The Perfect HRM for an Everything Exerciser

/ foodsweatandbeers / 6 Comments

Good morning y’all!!

After confessing to my Secret Snack Hoarding yesterday, I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my chest.  To combat that newfound lightness, it only made sense to talk about something else that goes on my chest! (well, at least partially).

The Garmin FR60: The Little HRM That Changed Everything

I actually was lucky enough to win this bad boy last September from a blog…. that I don’t even remember, because last September I spent most of my time on my Tumblr blog CaseInPoints, and didn’t understand these crazy “wordpress” blogs… Oh, how naive and young I was (says the word-presser of like, 66 days).

Anyway, I had been jonesing and lusting after these so-called “HRMs” for a while before I was lucky enough to win one, and thought they were only for hardcore runners.  I saw the giant 310XTs  of Triathletes and the 305‘s of racers, and thought “I don’t run… I don’t bike…. But I wanna know.”

I wanted to know:

  • The length of my exercise
  • My average heart rate during different classes like BodyPump (or Pilates…. where I think my heart actually just stopped beating and  took a nap.)
  • How many calories I truly was burning

I noticed a lot of variety when I used machines like ellipticals, and had no clue what I was burning in a group fitness room.  It was very important to me, when I was deeply engrossed in my weight loss journey, to know exact numbers, and I hated not knowing.  But that all changed.

BEHOLD! My first tracked workout!! (from September of last year, wow!)

What you see is what I normally post regarding my workout.  That is a graph track of my HR throughout the near-hour of class, featuring the average HR on the left as well as the Max HR.  You can also change what type of workout you did on the top left, but I didn’t really utilize that option.  I did all this on Garmin Connect which I set up when I first received the FR60.

The Whole Kitten Caboodle

These are the three pieces that I use to track and upload my exercise.  These are the only three pieces of my package that I received (other than the online program) that matter to me, FR60 wise.

The Wiggity Watch (and my attractive left wrist.)

This is the piece I look at the most, the watch.  I was lucky enough to win a cute purple one, which is great because purple’s my second favorite color (after green.)  I heard this HRM is water resistant, but have never tested it.  One thing to note is the FR60 is NOT GPS-enabled. If you’re looking for a HRM that is, you may have to look into spending a few more doll-hairs. On the Garmin Website, you can buy the FR60 package for about $200 and that includes a foot pod (which is an accelerometer, better suited for runners I think.)  But my package just came with the three pieces (no pod.)  Just to get what I got, though, it runs about $129.  The watch is smaller than the big’uns I’ve seen others wear and honestly, I’ve worn it as a watch before (not with anything nice, but out and about definitely.)  It’s also very comfortable to wear and doesn’t slip, even at my sweatiest.

I'm with the Band!

The band that goes around my chest has only ever bothered me a few times, once I realized that you can NOT have it set too loose on your body (or else you’ll be adjusting it more than a strapless bra at your cousin’s wedding.)  Every now and then, when I’m doing ab work on my back, I’ll have to shift so that the adjustable part doesn’t sit on my spine.  Other than that, it’s great.  You can wash it with soap and water (and even throw the removable strap into the wash) and it fits so nicely that most of the time, I forget it’s there.

Sneaky little bugger

It’s the ANT stick, though, that puts it all together. Your link to Garmin Connect, and the only way you can pull your data from your device!  Once, I lost this.  It’s very small, the size of any jump drive, and I absentmindedly didn’t put it in it’s little trunk next to my bed…. never saw it again.

I caved and bought a new one on ebay for about 15 bucks (they normally sell, separately, for $50!!), because I just couldn’t deal with not knowing.

And now…. you know!!

Also, I have a feeling that, if I wanted, I could use even more functions on this bad boy but honestly…. it gets all the jobs done that I need.  As a gym rat, but not much of a runner, this is great for me AND if I wanted to become a runner, I get a foot pod and VOILA it’s set for that!

Do you have any questions about the FR60? Thinking about getting a HRM?  I’m an open book!!

Do you have a HRM that you love?  Which one? (I always like to stay hip on the HRM knowledge)

Pilates: A Play by Play Breakdown

/ foodsweatandbeers / 16 Comments

Hey all, and happiest of Mondays!

I’m not a huge fan of Mondays, especially after an excellent weekend (Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ on Friday, so much fun and celebrations on Saturday and Sunday).  If it has to be Monday, though, at least it can be a Monday featuring a delicious Fajita Salad!

Leftovers: A delicacy

I took the leftovers of my On the Border fajita meal and made a salad with all these goodies:

  • Spinach base
  • cheese
  • salsa
  • reheated Fajita fixins (onions, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and chicken)
  • Tomato

It was fantastic. I chased it with a chocolate Vita Top with a bit of marshmallow fluff (trying to recreate a s’more flavor… decent).

But honestly…. that’s not the point of this post.  This post is about Pilates. Before, I did a Play by Play of a Body Pump class. And I continue to do Body Pump because honestly, it’s a good time and I like it lots.  I figure it’d be nice to give a play-by-play of a class that I truly and absolutely have no interest in taking again.

Pilates: A Play by Play Breakdown

I was super-pumped to try Pilates with some of my coworkers this past Saturday.  I think, even more than the class, I was pumped to wear some of the clothes that look like what I saw all the Pilates kids doing at my gym.  I did the best I could to model my outfit after all those Pi-ladies.

Long tank top, bright sports bra, form fitting leggings

I was rocking the Under Armour ‘Shatter’ Capris that I got at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and they were SO comfortable.  The picture doesn’t do them justice, I think, as it was placed on my table and self-timed…. but they rock.

Anyway, I got to the studio and it looked…. exactly like what I thought it would look like.

Soothing colors, random balls, carpet... the whole nine yards.

Before I knew it, the class was getting started.  I chose a funky little tye-dye yoga mat, and was ready for whatever the instructor was bringing to the table.

LET'S DO IT!

I knew that it was going to be tough, though, when she mentioned that the free class was because she was trying out her first time teaching an advanced class.

Uh oh.

First, she talked about breathing. And then, demonstrated it.  It truly sounds a lot like the breathing you’d hear in a Lamaze class (you know… hee hee hee, hoo hoo hoo, in and out).  I tried my hardest to focus on this all class.  You’ll see how that got me into trouble soon enough.

I’d done a few pilates-esque exercise classes in the past with AbSculpt, but this was different.

THIS was an "easy" move

I've seen swans in my life.... this is not what they look like.

We also did this one.... a bunch of times.

Lest we forget this little jewel.

Throughout it all, we were supposed to be thinking about our breathing, thinking about our abs, and considering other thoughts like where the sun was and pulling our bellybutton to our spine.

It was just too much for me to think about trying to get a workout.  And honestly, I really don’t think I even got one.

My FR60 actually stopped working due to lack of sweat and too much moving around.

A few times, I felt light-headed because I was so busy focusing on my abs, I forgot my breathing, or vice versa.

Clearly, what this class proved was:

a) Pilates is not for me and

b) Be ready to multitask when taking this class!!

I am not bashing pilates by any means, and I think that some folks are totally meant for it…. Those long, lean, flexible folks get my respect.  And maybe even a bit of my envy.

Go on with your bad self, Gwyneth!

In the meantime, though, I’ll keep my workouts fast paced with blaring music and the possibility of being kicked in the face or dropping a weight on my toe (Danger is my middle name.)

Except when it comes to these Pilates Torture Devices.... Then my middle name is "No Thank You."

NOTE: To check out the sweet source of my pilates pose images, or sexy Gwyneth, just click on the image… it’ll take you there!

Have you ever done pilates?

How about a workout that you thought you’d like and ended up not being fond of?

Everyone’s in Crisis!! Better do a Beer Review…

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and a happy Hump Day!  Normally, I love Wednesdays, mostly due to the changing of the sales. But there weren’t too many excellent sales today, and so I just putzed around.  Lunchtime was great, as I bared my soul and told you all about No Pants Wednesday (and every day, for me). I was happy to hear how many of you hate pants as well. To all you pants lovers… there’s hope for you still.  After work, I got dolled up in my workout gear, and hit the gym.

I'm workout Barbie!

Tonight, I’m on call for a crisis line. This could either mean nothing, or it could mean a lot of stressful calls. Unfortunately, tonight, it meant a lot of stressful calls. I checked in for my shift at 5pm and then hopped into an AbSculpt class. The teacher this week was that same instructor from the last week I took the class, the pilates queen, and so it was a different vibe of workout. We did some leg circle things, and some nice inner thigh workout that I loved.  I made it through the 26 minutes of the workout no sweat (well, false, some sweat, but you know what I mean.)

Then, it was time for BodyPump. I love taking the ab class before BodyPump, if only to be able to have a jump start on the “good spots” for Pump (which is always a packed house.)  In the middle of Pump, though, I received my first crisis call of the evening, right before the tricep track. I ran out of the fitness room and to a secluded section of the gym, only to return after the 12 minute call (aka right in the middle of the lunge track.)  Even though it was a choppy workout, it was a good one (nice to get some strength training in there after all my cardio).

Work it, now!

After working it, I got TWO more calls, leaving me a little worse for wear in the stress zone. Luckily, the beau took the wheel and cooked up some ground turkey, perfect for a taco salad (what else is new, right?)  I didn’t snap a shot, but it looked a LOT like this:

Deconstruct your meals into salads!

Recycled picture, just imagine that salad with less tomatoes and no avocado, and more salsa and pepper. Either way, it was fantastic.

In honor of #IPADay, we’ve been enjoying quite a few IPAs this week, and tonight, I figured “Why not?!”

Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA (with a fun elephant!!)

The Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA  is described by the brewer as:

An IPA by definition is liberally hopped and higher in alcohol. We made Rocky Mountain IPA by dry hopping for an intense floral aroma and adding a generous helping of malt to create a backbone stable enough to support the characteristic bitterness of the beer.

In my opinion, this is a quality beer (shock shock, another from Colorado) worthy of trying during IPA day (or any day). It was poured into a glass with very little head, coming out a dark orange/brown color.  When I smelled it, I initially smelled the hops (typical with an IPA) but I also thought I smelled some sort of cinnamon or dark spice.  The taste was a little malty, which is why Ryan liked it, and why he wasn’t so turned off by the floral tastes (think Bell’s Two Hearted, that’s what he’s not a fan of, but which I am a big fan!). The only part that I didn’t like was the mouthfeel (hee hee that word always makes me chuckle). My mouth felt sort of dry afterwards, almost like a bitter friction on my tongue which I am not too fond of… Still tasty, but probably wouldn’t go outta my way to get it in the future.  Unless I’m in a fun elephant mood. If that’s the case…. Maybe.

But maybe then, I’ll just watch these funny elephants.

Do you have any plans for IPA Day?

Are you excited for any beer related events? How about any other weekend fun?

I can’t wait for this weekend (which unofficially starts tomorrow!) Peak Brewing Hop Noir glass night tomorrow at Rockfish, then Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ this weekend!!

Zum-bad to the Bone!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 23 Comments

Hey hey y’all!

I’m feeling absolutely FAN-tastic after a killer workout at the gym. I was so stoked for today’s Zumba class because my favorite instructor was back from summer “break” (aka her son or daughter was on a swim team during the EXACT time of my Tuesday zumba classes.) I love her because she just jumps right into things, stays high energy the whole time, and mixes up the music.  In fact, today we did an awesome track to, of all things, a country song!

It involved a lotta belt buckle holding, and a lotta kicks but, most importantly, a lotta shaking it. I get the feeling that my instructor might be a little bit of a country girl herself… There’s a twang in her voice and she held onto that “belt buckle” a little too well to not be….

In fact, she kind of reminds me of some sort of hybrid between:

Kristin Chenoweth's looks and Southern cuteness

Erin Heatherton's shaped (yet still feminine) abs

Beyonce's Bootylicious moves!

It’s truly the perfect storm of Zumba. Her abs are so toned that it makes you wanna do any of the moves she does in hopes to get em, and her moves are so fun you forget when you even started.

Oh, did I mention it’s a killer workout?

756 sexy calories burned

She also tossed in an arms-only track to Justin Timberlake’s “Carry Out” that left my arms shakey.

After having not exercised in two days (and one of them was mostly spent feeling sorry for myself), it was so crucial to get right back into it.  I feel like a new woman. Only sweatier.

I guess it’d only make sense to shower, really complete the process of “new woman”ification.

Do you Zumba?

I Zumba on the reg, but honestly I tend to use it as a “gimme” workout… except with this instructor.  And even though I have a super cute Zumba shirt, I’m not a zumba-holic…. but I saw one girl today wearing a Zumba tank top, a Zumba skirt, and Zumba SHOES!

Ready to take it to the next level? ZUMBA SHOES!

In case you’re in the market for these bad boys, check out McCarley Fitness aka the first website I found that offers them.

Do you have special outfits you wear for particular workouts?

I’d never wear my Zumba shirt to a BodyPump.  Faux pas, I think.

 

The Death Deck

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Love decks of cards, but Egyptian Rat Screw not quite intense enough lately?  Have I got a workout for you!!

After a long day at work, the gums weren’t feeling 100% but definitely a little better than earlier, so I popped a few Advil (that claimed to be expired…  I like to live dangerously), threw back many glasses of water, and knew I was ready to hit the gym, and hit it hard.  Luckily, today I had a friend! Melissa, a new employee at my office, came off as a fit gal from first meeting, and when I mentioned how much I love my gym, O2 Fitness, and how there was a contest going on if you brought a friend in to win a year of free gas, she was totally down to come with today. We got changed at work and hit the gym hard.  After giving her a little tour of the facilities:

Here's where I spend like... 5 days of my week. It's getting pretty serious.

we steered clear of the group fitness room and went our separate ways for the first 20 minutes. I got my race on with the strangers next to me on the elliptical (and kicked everyone’s asses, duh) for 2 miles, and then hopped off to join her in something she called “The Wreck Deck.” I didn’t hear her fully when she first told me the name, so I thought it was called “The Death Deck”. Little did I know how right I was…

Death Deck Setup: Prepare for your doom...

Here’s the way it works:

  • Take a deck of cards, any deck will do. 52 and 2 jokers is all that’s required.
  • Each suit is a different exercise
  1. Clubs are legs. Squats or lunges is the exercise she had listed, with weights or not, whatever makes you comfortable.
  2. Diamonds are pushups. Chest, tricep, diamond, cat (for numbers 6 or less). On your toes, on your knees, or if you are as EXTREME as Melissa, put your toes on one medicine/bosu ball and each hand on another. Then you will impress everyone around you.
  3. Spades are abs. We did these things she modified from V-crunches where you sort of balance on one butt check (easy enough if your butt cheek is a cushiony pillow of joy like my own), then in the middle, then the other butt cheek. That’s one. (Here’s a video of a V-crunch, even though that’s not exactly what we did: V-Crunch!)
  4. Hearts, ironically enough, are Burpees. Or mountain climbers, when you are less extreme or feeling extremely tired. For every one burpee that I didn’t do, I tried to do 2 mountain climber sets. Hopefully it evened out.
  • For the numbered cards, do one rep for each number (aka a 8 of hearts means 8 burpees!)
  • For the Face cards, a jack = 11, a queen = 12, a king = 13, an ace = 15 though!
  • For the jokers, do five reps of each exercise
  • DO THE WHOLE DECK!!

Here’s Melissa drawing the last card (we were both super elated at this, and I’d only down half the deck!)

ONE.... MORE.... CARD!!

Of course, it was 5 burpees. we pushed it out, gave each other copious amounts of high fives, and felt more boss than ever!!

Death Deck: You and I will meet again.

I was proud as a peacock and, to end the day at the gym, Melissa did me a solid and signed up for a membership (translation: new workout buddy andddddd a free month!)

To sum it up, this was basically the coolest day at the gym that I’ve had since I discovered My So-Called Life streaming on Netflix. Admittedly, that wasn’t at the gym, but it felt equally as cool.

Have you tried any new workouts lately?

How do you choose to get swoll?