I was lucky enough to have Martin Luther King Day off – meaning I had the whole day to organize the home, meal prep, and most importantly, take my time at the gym. Normally, during my weekday morning circuits, I try not to let the workout go over an hour, since I have to make it on time for work. But today felt liberating – not looking at the clock, only the calories burned!
For starters, I completed 45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. I ran a total of 3.5 miles at 5.5 mph, and walked .5 miles at 3.8 mph, for a grand total of 4 miles. Boy, was I sweating – and so glad I reached a new personal best distance-wise.
Then, I dedicated the rest of my gym session to my triceps. And yet another personal best was broken – I completed my usual tricep circuit (remember to switch up your usual routine every 6 weeks though!) with dumbbells varying in weight from 10 to 17.5 pounds. I’ve never lifted more than 12, so this was a huge accomplishment for me, and yet another sign of progress.
After coming home to a nice, hot shower, I also had a chocolate peanut butter protein shake. It was delicious, and filling enough to hold me until dinner later that night. Here’s a quick and easy recipe if you want to taste the same yummy-ness of the aforementioned chocolate peanut butter shake:
– 2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I use GNC Lean Shake)
– 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
– 1/3 of a frozen banana
– ½ cup skim milk
– 1 to 1 ½ cups of water
Blend until creamy. You can also add in some cold brewed coffee for a caffeine kick, or substitute milk for almond milk. I’ve also heard many of my Fitfluential friends using PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter in their shakes, which is more nutritious than standard peanut butter, but I just used what I had on hand.
It’s going to be a great week, thanks to the great start I got at the gym today. Happy Martin Luther King Day to you all, and I’ll check in again later this week!
My workout today: 4.0 miles on the treadmill, weight lifting using 10 – 17.5 lb dumbbells, and top it all of with a protein shake.
Rookie Running Life 