Category: Piyo

Five Favorite Home Indoor Workouts

January 29, 2015May 21, 2016 · 16 Comments ·

Happy Friday!! I am linking up with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run for the Friday Five Linkup. Every Friday they have a linkup for bloggers to link up a post about five things or write on their own theme. This week’s theme is “Favorite Indoor Workouts”.

I have to say I’ve had a lot of experience working out indoors especially at home. I like the convenience of working out at home. You don’t have to drive anywhere, don’t have to wait to use equipment, or wait for a class. Working out at home is especially convenient for me because I have two kiddos. I can’t just go out for a run since there’s no one to watch them, but I can get in my workout indoors.

Here are my five favorite indoor workouts/programs right now:

1. Insanity Max:30. I’m currently doing this workout program and it’s insane but gives such a great workout. I love how they’ve incorporated Tabata style workouts into the program, which is when you do a move for 20 seconds and then rest/jog in place for 10 seconds. Here’s a video with some moves from Tabata Strength.

Also, here’s a recent instagram post of my little guy working out with me for a little bit doing Max:30 Sweat Intervals. Love it when he joins in! 🙂

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Oops I forgot Instagram only shows 15 sec of video. Here's more video clips. The other one had it playing the clips sequentially. #insanitymax30 #imaxedout #sweatpink #fitfluential #ffcheckin #girlsgonesporty #girlsrunfast #marathonpitstop #motivation #fitfam #fitmom #fitspo #workout #cardio #runner #halfmarathontraining #training #healthychoices #strong #determination #lifestyle #getfit #fitness #exercise #health #fit #instafit #instagood #stayhealthynfit4you #fitsnap

A post shared by Sherry (@happyrunningmom1) on Jan 28, 2015 at 10:48am PST

2. PiYo. PiYo is a great program that works great while running. It’s low impact but still high in intensity. It has pilates and yoga inspired moves. I think my favorite workout from PiYo is PiYo Sweat. Here’s a video with some of the moves:

3. Focus T25. Here’s another Shaun T program. I like how these workouts were only 25 minutes long. This is the program that got me more into Beachbody. I had done the original Insanity a while back but I loved how this one was much shorter in length. I love the Speed workouts. These ones are fast paced and always had me dripping sweat at the end. Here’s videos of Speed 2.0 and Speed 3.0.

4. P90X3. This was my first time doing a P90X program. I had heard about P90X but saw how long the workouts were and that put me off. But when I heard there was a 30 minute P90, I thought I’d try it out and I’d say it’s a great program. It was 90 days and I liked the variety of workouts. I could not do pull ups for the life of me or do the crow pose. By the end I was doing real unassisted pull-ups and nailed the crow pose. Here’s a video of some of the moves from P90X3 Accelerator. This ones a great total body workout with lots of leg and plank work.

5. Insanity the Asylum. This is a tough program but I liked how this was only a month long. I liked how it incorporated the Agility ladder. I think my favorite workout from this program was Speed & Agility. Here’s some moves from that workout.

As you can see, I’m showing my love for Beachbody programs. These workouts have really kept me in shape. What are your favorite indoor workouts or programs?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to check out the other great blogs!

Wrap Up – A Look Back at 2014

December 30, 2014January 4, 2015 · 8 Comments ·

I’m linking up with Tuesdays on the Run – MCM Mama Runs, My No-Guilt Life, and Run the Great Wide Somewhere. This week’s topic is a “Wrap Up – A Look Back at 2014”. 2014 has been a great year for me fitness wise. I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. I’m running faster, long distance wise, than ever before. Along with running training plans, I believe Beachbody programs played a big role in getting me to where I am today. 2014

In January, I started P90X3 and finished in April. I couldn’t do pull-ups at all and when I finished I could do six of them. I was in tip top shape.

My first race in 2014 was in March, the Hot Chocolate 5k in Seattle. I didn’t run much beforehand and I think I did well for not training for it. I haven’t ran many 5k’s but I got my best 5k time so far.

Towards the end of doing P90X3, I was also training for the Portland Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon. This is my yearly half marathon race. I’ve been running it since the inaugural one in 2012. I focused more on running after finishing P90X3 and trained using Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon training plan with Beachbody programs snuck in if I couldn’t go for a run due to the kids. I had a great race and I was so happy to PR.My next race was the Seattle Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon. This was a fun one because my sister who lives in New Jersey came and ran it too. It was a good run and I loved the scenic route. There was a nice part where you could really see Mt. Rainier. We ran by Lake Washington and on the Alaskan Viaduct passing the Great Wheel.In July, I decided to do PiYo and it was a nice change for me. The pilates and yoga inspired moves went well with running.My next race in August, was my first ever trail race, the XTERRA Trail Run Hagg Lake 5k. It was tough and I remember it being hot out. I was happy that I got 2nd place in my division and fourth overall female. It was a nice small race and my time was 26:29.In September, I had my final half marathon race of the year, the Oregon Half Marathon. This was a good course. We ran through farmland as well as through the Gallon House Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Oregon. I was so happy to PR on my half time again!
My last race was in October, the Halloweenathon 10k. This was my first actual 10k race, so it was an automatic PR. The race took place at a golf course and I managed to get third out of all the females for the 10k. It was as fun one, despite the muddy course.With no races for the rest of the year, I decided to try out Insanity the Asylum in November. This was a tough one month program, but I’m happy to have completed it.

I also started my first ever run streak on Thanksgiving, the #RWRunStreak. It’s been fun and there’s just three days left.

This year has been awesome! I finished three Beachbody programs and ran six actual races, the most races I’ve ever ran in a year. I would say I’m in the best shape ever with my last two races being PR’s, especially my half marathon time. I’m hoping 2015 will be another awesome year. Well, that’s my wrap up of the year.

How did your year go?

Last Week’s Workout Recap (9/29-10/5)

October 6, 2014November 17, 2014 · 6 Comments ·

Another week of workouts done! It was a decent week. I’m still following Hal Higdon’s 10K intermediate training plan with some tweaks here and there. My race is in 3 weeks.

On Monday, I ran three miles. It was a nice, cool day and enjoyed it! I did not do much strength training like the plan says, but did a few pull-ups and push-ups.

On Tuesday, I ran five miles.

On Wednesday, I had a great 45 minute tempo run.

On Thurday, I did not get a run in but did PiYo Sculpt. It’s a great total body workout.

Friday was Rest Day! Here’s 5 tips for your perfect rest day:

Saturday was another PiYo day. I did PiYo Drench. I got a great sweat on! This is still my least favorite PiYo Workout. It’s a tough but good workout. But I don’t like how it’s longer than all the other workouts.

Then Sunday was a beautiful day for a run. Got my six miles done!How did your week go?

Last Week’s Workout Recap (9/22-9/28)

September 28, 2014November 17, 2014 · 2 Comments ·

This week went pretty well. I decided to jump into Hal Higdon’s 10k Intermediate training plan. My 10K is on October 25th, so I’m on week 4 of the training plan. After my virtual Beat the Blerch 10k, I decided to take a rest from running and did PiYo Core on Monday.

On Tuesday, I ran 4.5 miles.

Wednesday’s workout was 9x400s. This was the first time I’ve done intervals on the treadmill. I ran a 400 and then walked about half a lap. After a while, I thought that it was probably too much walking and shortened the walking a little. I guess it wasn’t too bad running on the treadmill.

On Thursday, I ran Running with Ollie’s Blog Virtual 4 Mile Fun Run and Scavenger Hunt. Here were the items on the Scavenger Hunt:

1. Selfie 2. Ran by some beautiful flowers. 3. Something unique was the Max Train crossing. I got stopped at the crossing today. 4. The squirrel made me smile. He’s a little hard to see. 5. Record of my run.

I thought it was a fun thing to do and celebrate a blogger’s big 4 – 0 birthday. Also, she’s giving away some awesome prizes!

On Friday, I ran two miles on the treadmill.

Saturday was a Rest Day.

Sunday was a 5k race on the training plan. Since I did not sign up for a race, I ran the 5k fast around the neighborhood. I got my fastest 5k time ever! 🙂

I love how Smashrun shows me my stats and lists all my similar runs. This was my fastest 3mi ever, fastest 5k ever, fastest run in 3 months, fastest mile split in 3 months, and fastest km split in 3 months. Smashrun syncs the data from my Garmin.

How did your week go?

Last week’s workout recap (9/15-9/21)

September 21, 2014November 17, 2014 · 2 Comments ·

Now that the Oregon Half Marathon is over with, my next actual real race is not until October. I’ll be running the 10k Halloweenathon on October 25th. Time to start another training plan. Here are last week’s workouts.

On Monday, I did an easy mile.

Tuesday’s workout was PiYo Buns. This is a great legs workout. I’m almost done with the program. After PiYo I will have finished four Beachbody programs!

On Wednesday, I ran three miles.

Thursday was another PiYo day. I did PiYo Sweat. Can you see the sweat?Friday and Saturday were rest days. I wanted to rest before my virtual Beat the Blerch 10k.

Sunday was a great day for a virtual race. I Beat the Blerch and had a good run. You can read more about my virtual Beat the Blerch 10k HERE. I think I did pretty good after running the Oregon Half Marathon last week.

How did your week go? Hope your week is off to a great start!

Last Week’s Half Marathon Training recap leading up to the Oregon Half Marathon

September 16, 2014November 17, 2014 · 9 Comments ·

I was tapering last week for the Oregon Half Marathon. It was a good week. I did all the scheduled runs on the Asics App training schedule. I just added one day of PiYo.

On Monday, I did PiYo Drench. I was dripping sweat during this workout. It’s a great workout but the longest PiYo workout in the set.

On Tuesday, I ran five miles. It was a build up run where I was supposed to build up to a faster speed. I did and ran all negative splits. It was a great run!

On Wednesday, I was planning to do some PiYo but my kiddo didn’t want me to workout for some reason. I took that as a sign. I was supposed to be resting anyway, according to my half marathon training schedule.

On Thursday, I jogged three miles.

Friday was a rest day, the day before the Oregon Half Marathon. I was nervous. Who isn’t nervous before a race? I could hardly sleep and had to wake up really early because I was carpooling and the race was located about an hour away.

Saturday was race day. It was a great day for a PR! 🙂 You can read about my experience at the Oregon Half Marathon HERE.

Sunday was rest day!

How did your week go?

I’m linking up with Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up!

This one is brought to you by Diatta Harris at Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons at The Frugal Exerciser and Co-hostesses Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Jenn | Comeback Momma

Half Marathon Training Recap (9/1-9/7)

September 7, 2014November 17, 2014 · 10 Comments ·

Half marathon training is going okay, I guess. I’m in the Tapering and Race Day Phase according to the Asics App schedule that I’m following. I’ve been doing all my training runs and adding PiYo into the mix. I’m just a bit nervous because the Oregon Half marathon is only six days away.

On Monday, I did PiYo Sweat. I think this is one of my favorite PiYo workouts because it always makes me sweat. I know it’s a good workout when I sweat.

I even made a video that shows some of the moves:

On Tuesday, I ran three miles and then did PiYo Sculpt.

On Wednesday, I ran five miles fast and then did PiYo Hardcore on the Floor.

PiYo Hardcore on the Floor is a tough one that I need to work on more. It’s an awesome core workout! I made a video of this one too:

On Thursday, I did PiYo Drench. I don’t like how this one’s a long one, but I got through it.

Then on Saturday I ran 3 miles on the dreadmill, I mean treadmill. Lol. Afterwards, I did PiYo Buns. I like this one, it really works your lower body.

Then today, I ran a total of eight miles. The Asics app I’m following had me doing just five miles at race pace, but I decided to do three more easy miles. The bad thing about this run was that I got two side aches. I guess it was because I ate beforehand and didn’t wait long enough for the food to settle, and also was going too fast. I dunno, but it’s got me worried since my half marathon is just six days away. I hate getting side aches during runs. I hope it doesn’t happen next Saturday during the race.

How did your week go?

I’m linking up with Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up!

This one is brought to you by Diatta Harris at Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons at The Frugal Exerciser and Co-hostesses Amanda | Eat Hard Work Hard and Jenn | Comeback Momma

Half Marathon Training Recap (8/25-8/31)

August 31, 2014November 17, 2014 · 4 Comments ·

Half marathon training is going fine. I’m getting my runs done, so that’s good. According to the Asics app I’m following, this week was the end of the Race Simulation Phase and the next phase is Tapering & Race Day. The Oregon Half Marathon is almost here, just two weeks away.

Monday was a rest day. On Tuesday, I did both PiYo Buns and Core. PiYo Buns really works your lower body and PiYo Core is a great ab workout!

On Wednesday, I jogged three miles and then did PiYo Drench. I don’t like how Drench is a long workout but I got through it. I was dripping sweat at the end.

On Thursday, I got up around 5 am to get my 7.5 mile run done. It was still dark out when I started my run, and I was a little nervous but I did have a reflective running vest so I could be seen better by cars. Had a good run.

On Friday, I did PiYo Sculpt. It’s a good total body workout.

On Saturday, I jogged three miles on the treadmill. I’d rather run outside but my hubby was working and I didn’t get up early before he went to work. But I got my three miles done.Sunday was my long run at race pace. I ran eleven miles. I tried some ENERGYbits, which I’ll give my full review later, and used my Simple Hydration bottle to hydrate. I also used a HoneyStinger gel at the halfway point. I was having a good run until I started getting a side ache a little after mile 8. My right side started to hurt quite a bit that I had to slow down and stop. I drank some water and started back up and pushed through. Other than that, it was a good run.

How did your week go? Hope you have a great week!

Half Marathon Training Recap (8/18-8/24)

August 24, 2014November 17, 2014 · 4 Comments ·

It was an okay week. It was a running rest day on Monday, so I decided to do PiYo Sculpt and one of the workouts I missed on the schedule, PiYo Sweat. I finished with a great sweat!

I also made a short video which shows some of the moves in PiYo Sculpt.

On Tuesday, I jogged three miles. It was nice because I tried a new route and decided to go to a local park. I liked the trail I went on but the only bad thing was that it’s not a very long trail. It’s only about a mile long. I got a good three miles though.

I even saw some bunnies on the side of the trail.

Also, I did PiYo Core, which I made a video of some of the moves too. This one’s a great Core workout!

On Wednesday, I ran 7.5 miles. I had a good run! It wasn’t as hot out and loved the cool breeze that day!

I took a rest day on Thursday since I traveled out of town and didn’t feel like working out after driving almost 3.5 hours. I did PiYo Drench on Friday. It wasn’t as bad as the first time I did it but it’s still a hard one!

Saturday’s workout was a three mile jog.

Then Sunday, the plan was to run eleven miles, but I was dying on this one for some reason. I’m not sure if it was the heat, or if I did not eat enough before I ran, but I was spent. I managed to get ten miles only.

I might rethink my half training schedule. How’d things go for you this past week?

My Workouts Recap (8/11-8/17) with PiYo Workout Preview Videos

August 17, 2014November 17, 2014 · 10 Comments ·

Another week of half marathon training is done! I modified my schedule a bit to so I could get in the long run easier in the middle of the week. That way I didn’t have to wake up early on Thursday to run 7.5 miles. It worked out since I did not really get a long run in last Sunday due to the 5k trail race I ran.

So instead of resting on Monday and Tuesday, I moved the runs in on the schedule which I was supposed to do on Wednesday and Thursday. I jogged 3 miles on Monday and also did PiYo Sweat. I was truly sweaty afterwards.Then on Tuesday I ran 7.5 miles and then tried PiYo Hardcore on the floor for the first time. Oh boy! Hardcore on the floor is a toughie! The description on the DVD sleeve says, “This unique workout uses your own body weight to scorch fat and develop long, lean muscles while you sculpt abs, glutes, legs, and arms without ever having to leave the floor.” I gotta admit I was just watching some of it :P. It didn’t help that I had just run 7.5 miles.

On Wednesday, I did PiYo Buns. This one really works your lower body especially glutes and hamstrings. Who loves squats?

I also made a video of it to show you some of the moves:

Then on Thursday I did PiYo Drench for the first time. OMG this one’s no joke! I thought this one was hard. It’s about fifty minutes long, a lot longer than the other workouts and Chalene Johnson keeps you moving. The name does not disappoint…I was drenched and dripping sweat! I need to work on this one. Here’s a video with a few of the moves:

Friday was a rest day.

Then on Saturday, I jogged three miles on the treadmill and did PiYo Strength Intervals. This one’s a cardio strength workout and is about 22 minutes long.

Here’s a video preview of PiYo Strength Intervals:

Then Sunday’s workout was running 7.5 miles fast. I was in the guideline pace of 8:29-8:37, according to the Asics app, so I’m happy! My next half marathon is twenty-six days away. It’s getting closer.

I’m linking up with Workout Wednesday (WOW) Link Up! This one is brought to you by Diatta Harris at Femme Fitale Fit Club and Sheila Simmons at The Frugal Exerciser.

How’d last week go for you?