Working Out at the Gym

     Before we moved, we never really went to a gym. We had a membership to one for a few months, but because it was so far away, we rarely went. So, I had never really worked out in a gym, up until recently, when we got a membership to the rec. center near us!

What I love about the rec. center is that its very family oriented, you don't have a bunch of gym-rats, and it is a ton cheaper than a normal gym! The equipment isn't high-tech, but its easy to use and it does the job! They have a range of equipment, from treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical to weight machines, free weights and medicine balls. The only down side I have found, so far, is that you have to be 18 to use the free weights, but I am content with the weight machines right now!

Here are a few of my favorite things to do at the gym!

#1 The Treadmill
It might sound odd, but I love to run on the treadmill, but put me outside and I just don't enjoy it! I have worked myself up from a 13 minute mile to around 10 minutes to a mile. Not super fast, but that's not really my goal right now! I love to raise the incline up to really work my whole leg, put some pumping tunes on, and just GO!

#2 Leg Press
I could work my legs all day long, and using the leg press is one of my favorites! I usually start out at about 80 pounds and go up to 100-110 pounds at about 20 reps at each weight( if that makes since!).  It is a really easy machine to use, and its really effective too!

#3 Inner/Outer Thigh Machine
This is another really effective machine that I love to use! I usually do around 100-110 pounds and around 40-50 reps, switching between outer and inner thighs. This works like crazy, and you feel it too! I like to do this right after cardio on leg day, so I can sit and get my heart rate down before going on to the rest of strength training.

 

 

Usual Workout Routine

I can't stress enough the importance of changing up your workout often so that you 'keep your body guessing'. Here is what a normal week of workouts looks like for me!

 

Monday: 40 minutes of Cardio( Treadmill, Elliptical, Stair Climber, Bike...) + 20-25 minutes of Arm work with the weight machines.

 

Tuesday: 40 minutes of Cardio( I never do the same machine twice in a row) + 20-25 minutes of Leg work.

 

Wednesday: 45-50 minutes of Cardio + 15-20 minutes of mixed Leg and Arm work. I usually pick one day a week to do an extra long cardio session.

 

Thursday: 40 minutes of Cardio + 20-25 minutes of Arm work

 

Friday: 40 minutes of Cardio+ 20-25 minutes of Leg work.

 

Saturday: We usually don't go to the gym on Saturday, so I like to take a walk and/or do a few at-home workouts.

Sunday: Rest Day!

 

I try not to do the same cardio type every workout. Also, we don't always go to the gym everyday, so I will do arms one time and the next time I go do legs, whether its the next day or not. If I am sore, I take that into account and only do what I can handle. Too little is better than too much!

 

Please note that this is a schedule

 that works for me. It might not be the right thing for you. Listen to your body, know what it can and can't do, and don't do anything that will harm it!

 

 

So that's my take on working out at the gym. If you have a favorite exercise to do at the gym, or at home, please let me know! You can follow the blog via email, Google, Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett, and on Twitter @ SpinachisGOOD.

 

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New post every Monday and Friday!

 

Keep Healthy and SAFE!

H. Banana

Daily Workouts

   Getting some exercise everyday is important to maintain a healthy body. Finding time to work in physical activity can be hard though.  I know how hard it can be to work in a workout between school, chores and just being busy ( and I'm not that busy!) But I feel so much better if I do fit it in!

Morning Workouts
 The past few days I have been getting up really early (6 a.m) and working out. This was hard to do at first but it soon became almost a habit. At first all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep or have a cup of coffee (I have been getting up at 6:15 a.m for a while) but I made myself get dressed and workout. I like to do my cardio in the morning because it helps get me nice and awake and ready to go. Working out in the morning will also help to energize you for the rest of the day! Plus, you won't have to worry about fitting in a workout during your day!

'During the day' Workouts
Even though I do cardio in the morning, I try and fit in a strength training session some time during the day. The reason I don't do it all at once is because I don't have and hour- hour and a half to workout at one time. So I split it up. But, if you aren't a fan of waking up early and working out you can of course do it at once in the middle of the day. If I am going to do that I usually try and workout about a hour after lunch (You should wait at least 45 mins to a hour after eating to workout to avoid cramping) I usually do 20-30 mins of cardio and then 15-20 mins of strength training. You also can of course combine the two in to a full-body-cardio strength workout. Look around on YOUTUBE or Pinterest for inspiration!

Shaking it up a bit
When you workout every day or so your body will slowly get used to what you are putting it through. Because of this, its important to shake your workouts up and change it every week or so. A little while ago I was doing the elliptical every day on a fast, light-weight setting. This week I changed it to a slower, heavier weight setting. I also added in the weight-strength training.

Let me know what kind of workouts you do or would like to have time to do!

Keep it healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana