A Beautiful RAWR

Houston Style, Fitness, and Mom Blogger

Day 22 – Operation Get Fit | Let’s HIIT It!

Hello loves!  Happy “snow” day from Houston! Yup. you read that right.  Schools and (some) businesses are closed today and I am sure the northerners are all laughing at me right now.  I’ll take it.  More time to lounge around and cuddle with my little one.  

Today marks Day 22 (roughly 3 weeks) of my Operation Get Fit and I’m pretty stoked to show you my progress.  How are you guys doing with your fitness goals?? Any additions or changes?  

  • SMALL GOAL UPDATE: I still haven’t reached any of my goals, but I am getting SUPER close to checking off #1 on my list.  Actually, I was able to do 10 REAL pushups yesterday, but because I didn’t go all the way down on the last 3, I didn’t count them.  My arms were shot after doing the oh-so-fun mountain climbers. Til’ next time! I haven’t even attempted a pull-up so that should be interesting.  
  • MEDIUM GOAL UPDATE: My friend and I have been running the trails on Saturday mornings to prep for the 10k run March 1st.  After we finished, we topped off the workout with a 20 minute tabata session. I absolutely LOVED it! I think she did too 🙂

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I think at this point, 2014 is in full swing and you may be getting busier and busier.  If you are starting to slack with your workouts, this is a friendly reminder to get your butt back in it!  You do NOT need to go to the gym to get a good workout.  You do NOT need to workout everyday!  It’s about quality – not quantity.  Don’t get me wrong, if you have time to spend at the gym, that’s awesome.  I used to work out 5-6 times a week…before REAL life set in (meaning a real job, a marriage, a baby, 2 dogs to care for, etc.).  Now, I only have time to work out 3-4 times a week so I make sure my workouts are effective. I don’t spend hours at the gym. In fact, my workouts average about 30 minutes or less…that’s it. And I have to admit, I have never felt better.  It’s only 3 weeks into my fitness routine, but I can’t imagine what 3 months will feel like…  
Here are a few pictures of my progress.  I haven’t measure my body fat yet, but I know it’s definitely going down because I am getting more definition in my muscles.  I’ve dropped 2 lbs, but here’s the funny thing – last week, I weighted myself and it said I was still 137lbs!  The culprit – water retention.  I noticed I wasn’t drinking enough fluids so my body was retaining all this water. Shame on me.  So, make sure to stay hydrated and continue eating clean!  (Indulge in moderation like I did this past weekend. I had not one, but TWO pieces of yummy cake. And I loved every bite of it.)  

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My tummy is flattening out and I am gaining more muscle definition in my abs, arms and legs.  All of those God awful squat thrusters, mountain climbers, and jumping lunges/squats are definitely paying off.  Woowhoo! I’ve had some of you ask what workouts I do each week. I try to keep my body guessing so I change my workouts every 2 weeks. Promise I will be posting some workouts soon.  

I love this sign and pinned it to my Pinterest Board.  I am just like you – there are some days when you try to think of every excuse to miss a workout or give up.  We’re all human and it’s completely natural.  However, we should always remember to be stronger than our excuses.  When you’re in doubt or on the brink of throwing in the towel, remember the ‘WHY.’ The ‘why’ is what motivates you and what drives you to push on. What drives you to workout?? 

I’m excited to talk about my all-time workout of choice. It’s called HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training.  Ever heard of it?  Basically, you are alternating between intense bursts of activity followed by a short low-intensity activity (or complete rest). That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 3 weeks and as you can see, the body fat is melting off.  I am not a cardio bunny and try to avoid the treadmill as much as possible.  However, when I do hop on for a run, I always do interval training.  It’s the only way I stay engaged.  I’ve been doing HIIT for a while now and there are so many wonderful benefits of it.  Here’s 5 Reasons why:

(1) SAVES TIME: Go hard and go home.  Since I can only workout 3-4 times a week, I need to be SUPER efficient and HIIT does the job.  This type of training is perfect for the busy individual.  No more spending hours at the gym.  If you’ve got at least 15 minutes to spare, you can do HIIT. Make each workout count!  See the quote below…yea…that pretty much sums how hard you should be working.

(2) BURNS FAT: When it comes to performing cardio, HIIT is definitely the best way to melt the fat and carve your physique.  Like I said, I’m not a cardio bunny and cringe at the thought of what I used to do – run on the treadmill at a moderate speed for 30-60 minutes.  I never really pushed myself and while I burned calories DURING my workout,  that’s where the fat-burning ended.  When you do HIIT, you are burning calories/fat DURING and AFTER your workouts (up to 24 hours) because you are getting your heart rate up.  Isn’t that awesome? So, when I get home to take a shower, when I’m eating dinner, or laying in bed sleeping, I’m STILL burning calories from my HIIT workout. Narly.

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(3) STRONGER and LONGER: Since you are performing activities at a high intensity for a certain amount of time, you will be pushing your muscles to fatigue.  In turn, this will release muscle-building hormones.  The result – stronger muscles.  And with stronger muscles comes better endurance and quicker recovery time.

(4) TLC FOR YOUR HEART: Studies show that exercising your heart with HIIT proves to have long-term benefits.  I know, it’s uncomfortable when you’re in the anaerobic zone, but you’re exercising your heart to be healthy and strong, just like your muscles.  If you’re comfortable, you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough.  The “uncomfortable” zone is where the magic happens – I promise.

(5) NO GYM, NO PROBLEM: I love this one.  You don’t need a gym to get fit. PERIOD.  With HIIT, the same rule applies.  Take it outside!  Work out in your home or backyard. Some exercises don’t even require any equipment at all.  Sorry – there really aren’t any excuses left for you NOT to workout. Haha.  In all seriousness, though, I usually have a couple dumbbells or a kettlebell with me if I do need some weights (like squat thrusters or kettlebell swings).

Hope this has been super helpful for you.  If you haven’t tried this type of workout, give it a try and let me know what you think.  Remember, it will be hard, but you will reap the benefits!  Just stick with it.  You got this. Have a lovely day RAWRs!

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Comments

  1. Alexis Grace says

    I LOVE HIIT! I have been doing it for about 4 weeks now and I love how much stronger I feel (not to mention the definition I am starting to see!). It is so great to be able to get in a productive workout in a short period of time, especially with the rest of life being so crazy!
    Congrats on your progress!!!!! Keep it up!!

    Reply

    • Linh says

      Alexis Grace, WOOWHOO!!! You are awesome! And thanks for totally understanding where I’m coming from. Just took a peek at your blog and Marli and your sweet baby need to be BFFs already. so cute! YOU also keep up the great work 🙂

      Reply

  3. Mackenzie says

    Awesome progress, Linh! So informative and motivating. I am guilty of slacking lately, but you’ve motivated me to get back on track. Cant’t wait to see some of your HIIT workouts.

    Reply

    • Linh says

      Hey Jessie! No wonder…I was wondering where you’ve been 🙂 Glad you’re back and hope you had a blast on your vacay. Hope to see some photos of where ever you went 🙂

      Reply

  5. Chloe says

    I love this post! I think so many people think that exercising everyday at 50% is better than exercising 3-4 times a week at 100%. They are so wrong, and you are great evidence of this!
    You’ve inspired me to work out my hardest next time I work out 🙂
    xox
    chloe
    http://popcosmo.com

    Reply

    • Linh says

      I am so excited for you Maria! Gonna message you an invite to join a mommy group on FB. It will help you sooo much if you have questions.

      Reply

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