This week is exciting because it’s the start of the ToneItUp Bikini Series! As you guys know, I love being a member of the TIU community, and use their workout plan as my weekly inspiration. I recently purchased their Beach Babe 4 Workouts, and I’m really looking forward to trying out some new moves. Besides the support I get online from the other TIU girls, I also have a standing workout date with my friend Amy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We don’t always make it to all the workouts, but it’s nice to have a set plan in place that we try to reach. And when RDC3 and I see each other on the weekends, we always try to workout together. This week my main goal is to use my time as wisely as I can so that I can fit in the workouts and all my other responsibilities. That seems to be the hardest part for me at this time of the year – fitting in after school grading, keeping up with the house (cleaning, laundry, etc), and making time for working out. But where I just have to stay organized and MAKE the time. Here’s this week’s plan:
~ Monday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Total Body (x3) + TIU Rock Your Body (Beach Babe 4 workouts)+ walk Sofi Tuesday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Booty +TIU Bikini Bod + 30 min gym cardio (treadmill + stair stepper)👯. Wednesday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Arms +HIITY Bitty Bikini + K&K Slay and Toned Arms (Beach Babe 4 workouts) + walk Sofi 👯 Thursday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: + 40 min gym cardio (treadmill + elliptical) + Cardio Yoga (Beach Babe 4 workouts – I’m going to see how I feel after doing the other workouts and then decide on the yoga) Friday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Total Body + Total Body Tone Up (Beach Babe 4 workouts) + 30 min walk with Sofi Saturday: AM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: + 30 min gym cardio (stair stepper + bike) + Cardio Abs (Beach Babe 4 workouts)+ walk Sofi 👸🏻🤓 Sunday: AM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: + 30 min gym cardio (elliptical + row) + TIU Bikini Buns & Thighs + Legs for Days (Beach Babe 4 workouts) + walk Sofi👸🏻🤓
AM = early morning workout before work
PM = afternoon/evening workout after work
👯 = friend workout
👸🏻🤓 = couple workout with RDC3
Keep me accountable!! I post my daily workouts on Instagram, so follow me (or look at the sidebar of this blog) to see what I’m doing!
I’m really excited about the workout week ahead just to show myself that I’m not just talking the talk, but that I can *literally* walk the walk, too. Way back when I was really on my game, I was waking up at 5am to workout before school. This school year that hasn’t happened, so instead of setting myself up for major disappointment when I fail to stop hitting snooze, I’ve decided to be more realistic in this week’s plan. Most days of this week, I’m going to workout after work. Friday will be my only pre-work workout, because I have fun plans with RDC3 on Friday night, and I know I won’t be able to workout after school is over. I haven’t done my ToneItUp workouts in a really long time, so I’m very excited to get back to those. Here’s this week’s plan:
~ Monday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Booty + TIU Thailand Tush + walk Sofi + 30 min gym cardio (treadmill + rowing) Tuesday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Abs + TIU Bikini Abs (x2) + TIU 5 Min Ab Workout + walk Sofi + 30 min gym cardio (treadmill + stair stepper)👯. Update: I ended up taking a rest day because I had too much grading I needed to get through. Wednesday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Balance Ball + TIU Band Workout + 45 min gym cardio (rowing + elliptical) 👯 Thursday: PM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Foam Roller + 30 min gym cardio (treadmill + elliptical) Update: I ended up taking a rest day. Friday: AM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Booty + Tone HIIT Up video (x2) Saturday: AM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Arms + TIU Beach Arms DVD + 30 min gym cardio (spin bike) + walk Sofi 👸🏻🤓 Sunday: AM: TIU 5 Daily Moves: Total Body Toning + 30 min gym cardio (stair stepper + treadmill) + walk Sofi👸🏻🤓
AM = early morning workout before work
PM = afternoon/evening workout after work
👯 = friend workout
👸🏻🤓 = couple workout with RDC3
Keep me accountable!! I post my daily workouts on Instagram, so follow me (or look at the sidebar of this blog) to see what I’m doing!
On Sunday, June 14th my sister, 3 friends, and I got up super early and drove up to San Francisco’s Presidio area to participate in the inaugural Mermaid Series Tour de San Francisco bike ride. I was so excited to take part in this ride because I’ve participated in Mermaid Series events a few times in the past, and appreciated how organized and fun they are. Plus, I love riding my bike, and who better to do it with than my sister and my 3 BFFs? Not to mention, I’ve never ridden my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, so that would be exciting, too.
We’d signed up for the 7-mile ride, choosing the more conservative mileage since this was our first attempt. I kept thinking we should’ve signed up for the 13-miler, but once I saw the hills involved in that leg of the ride, I’m so glad we stuck with the shorter distance.
Since it was 6:30am when we left my house, the ride up to the City was smooth and easy. Hardly any other crazies on the road at that time of the morning on a Sunday. We even found a primo parking area, which made the start of the race really nice.
Of course we had to stop and take some pre-race photos to capture the moment.
Geared up and ready to ride!
It was a foggy morning, which is usual at Crissy Field in the morning, but it was the perfect temperature for the bike ride. As we made our approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, we all took photos to capture the beauty all around us.
As we turned that corner, we realized what they meant by a “medium-sized hill.” I guess the Mermaid Series is all about the art of understatement, because the hill was quite steep. I rode it almost all the way to the top, but eventually had to get off my bike and walk. One of my goals for next year’s ride (because my friends and I all plan on doing this ride again next year) is to make it up the hill all the way without getting off to walk.
Once we hit a really scenic area right before we’d get on the Bridge, we all stopped to take photos again.
I love this pic of my sister and me and our “dueling” bikes.
Now it was time to get on the Bridge and ride. The wind was blowing, the fog was rolling, the cars were speeding by, and other bikers kept saying, “on your left,” but despite these obstacles, I was truly awed at the fact that I was riding my bike on this magnificent bridge. There really is nothing else like it anywhere.
The journey toward Sausalito was tough – my legs were pumping and we were fighting the elements, including that brutal wind, which offered a ton of resistance. There was also a very steady incline the entire time. All of this didn’t phase me, though, because if I have one thing going for me with these big thighs it’s that they’re strong and powerful.
We made it to the Sausalito side and found another opportunity to take a water break and snap a few more photos.
My sis and I
When one of your friends is 6 feet tall and you’re only 5’3″, taking a selfie is tough business.
Luckily, we found two nice sisters who were willing to take a proper group photo for us. I love this photo so much, and have made it my cover photo on FB.
Inspired that we’d made it halfway across the Bridge, we knew heading back to the end would be much easier. Not only was the wind on our side this way, but we also had a steady decline on the way back, too. I had my bike on the highest gear and my had on the break almost the entire way back. The only harrowing part was the cross traffic of bikers, and the “expert” riders who were also trying to pass in a very narrow space. Since this wasn’t a race, but just a ride, I’m not sure what the need was to pass with so little room. Not to mention that most of these people weren’t even taking part in the ride. I guess people like speed. I’m not one to talk – I’m highly competitive and prefer going as fast as possible, most of the time.
I got away from most of the “traffic” so that I could take a few more action shots and a quick video.
The entire time I was riding to the finish line, I just kept thinking about how happy I was to share this experience with these awesome ladies. And about how far I’d come – at my heaviest weight I might have been able to make the 7-miles, but I know I would’ve been so much slower and very sore for days afterward. And I would have been ultra concerned with how my big butt looked on that cruiser. I can honestly say this thought didn’t even cross my mind once during the ride. I know I still have a big booty, but I’m proud of it, and all of my curves. Doing these kinds of events always solidifies for me how much I’ve accomplished in my weight loss and fitness goals.
Once we hit the finish line, which we crossed as a 5-pack, we triumphed over our achievement. You can’t miss those huge smiles on our faces at a job well done.
I cannot say enough about what a great time we had on this ride. It was scenic, challenging, and so much fun. If you have the chance to do a Mermaid Series race, ride, or swim, I highly recommend it. My sister, friends, and I all said we’re looking forward to making this an annual adventure. Can’t wait!
These past couple of weeks my workouts have been a bit hit and miss. Last week I got in cardio workouts 5 days, but the toning kind of fell off as the week progressed. This week I’m going to focus on getting all my workouts in – toning and cardio – no matter how busy or tired I get. I just feel better about every aspect of my life when I’m completing both parts of my workouts. Here’s this week’s plan:
I’m really excited about the workout week ahead for two reasons. First and foremost, tomorrow the Tone It Up girls are beginning their #FriskyFall challenge. Eight weeks of motivation and inspiration! I’m also excited that this week I’m going to resume my 5K training so that I’m prepared to run the entire 5K for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Here’s this week’s plan:
AM = early morning workout before work
PM = afternoon/evening workout after work
I’ve been doing pretty well with my PM workouts, and with the added excitement of the #FriskyFall challenge, I’m really motivated to make sure I get each one in.
Keep me accountable!! I post my daily workouts on Instagram, so follow me (or look at the sidebar of this blog) to see what I’m doing!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had a chance to post my weekly workout schedule. I did really well my first week of working at the new job, but last week wasn’t as great. I got a few workouts in, but I took a couple of weekday rest days, too. This week I’m determined to get in 5 solid weekday workouts, plus active rest days on the weekend. Here’s this week’s plan:
AM = early morning workout before work
PM = afternoon/evening workout after work
The PM workouts are the hardest for me to get to, because I’m usually so tired/thinking of all the other things I have to do. This week, I’m not letting any excuses slip in, no matter what time it is when I go and workout.
Keep me accountable!! I post my daily workouts on Instagram, so follow me (or look at the sidebar of this blog) to see what I’m doing!
How many miles have you logged towards Bella’s Summer Challenge this week?
Happy Monday, everyone! I hope the past week was a good one for you, and you were able to get in lots of fun & fitness. I left for a teaching conference last Monday – Thursday, but I’m really proud to say that I logged in lots of miles even though I was traveling. In fact, because we walked around Sacramento so much, I think I got in more miles than I might’ve if I stayed home. Either way, it was a great week. Here are my totals as of this morning, including this morning’s workout:
That’s a total of 46 miles in this week! It was a lot of walking, but also included elliptical, swimming, and a lot of biking this weekend. As a reminder, the TIU girls say that biking miles should be divided in 3. So if you biked 12 miles, you’ll count that as 4 miles. I myself just count the time spent doing the activity to keep the math simple. So, since I biked for 70 minutes on Saturday, I counted it as 7 miles.
This week I’m going to fit in some fitness classes, something I love but haven’t been doing yet this summer. In addition, I want to make sure to get in some swimming and biking, along with lots of walking.
What’s your goal this week? What workouts do you have planned to get those miles in? Feel free to check in below, or message me on Twitter or Instagram. And don’t forget to use the hashtags: #150bybacktoschool and #BellasSummerChallenge
So far it looks like I’m the only one using any of these hashtags, at least from my search on Instagram this morning:
Be sure to grab this chart if you’d like a visual way to track your miles.
How many miles have you logged towards Bella’s Summer Challenge this week?
So my idea of posting the weekly check in on Sunday kind of went by the wayside this weekend. LOL. I guess I was having too much fun on Sunday Funday. In order to keep things consistent from here on out, I think I’m going to move the check in post to Mondays instead.
This week I clocked lots of miles toward the #150bybacktoschool –
I’m really proud of how many miles I got in this week! 41 miles in one week is awesome (if I do say so myself!), especially considering it was my birthday week. But I did make a habit of going to workout first thing in the morning most of the days, and on the days I didn’t hit the gym, I did a ton of walking and biking.
This coming week I’m going to be in Sacramento for a teaching conference – I leave later this afternoon and will return on Thursday afternoon. One thing we do a lot of while we’re there is walk, so I’m pretty confident that I can log plenty of miles. The hotel we’re staying at also has a pool and a fitness center, so I really have no excuse not to get in some activity.
What’s your goal this week? What workouts do you have planned to get those miles in? Feel free to check in below, or message me on Twitter or Instagram. And don’t forget to use the hashtags: #150bybacktoschool and #BellasSummerChallenge Be sure to grab this chart if you’d like a visual way to track your miles.
This week is bananas for me at school – busy days, and a few events in the evening, too. Which means several more days waking up at 4:00am to make sure I can fit these workouts in. It hasn’t been easy waking up that early, but I’ve been doing a decent job of it these past two weeks.
Here’s my workout plan for this week: Sunday: 20-mile bike ride with a friend Monday: stair workout (6 rounds up & down of 225 stairs) + 2.41-mile walk in 37:19 w/ mom + swimming/playing in the pool with nieces & sis. Tuesday: Rest Day
**Wednesday: TIU: Making Waves Routine (elliptical) + TIU: Sunrise Routine (Beach Babe DVD) / PM workout: Sunset Routine
**Thursday: C25K: Week 4, Day 2 + TIU: Ab Workout Playlist + Bikini Booty Friday: TIU: Biker Babes + TIU: Take Me to the Sea Saturday: TIU: Pura Vida + long walk with Sofi
**4:15am workouts
I’m going to try to walk Sofi on Wednesday – Friday in addition to these workouts, but it will just depend how the days go.
I’m excited about this workout plan because it’s challenging, yet also doable. I like the variety in my cardio because I think it’s really important, and the TIU toning is really showing up. In fact, my friend Di said that I look really toned when she saw me on Sunday. Which means that even though my weight has remained the same, I think I’m losing inches and firming up. Plus, I have a lot of fun creating the photo collages and checking in on Instagram with the TIU community.
This week’s C25K comes with 5 minutes of straight jogging, which is daunting, but I’m going to remember to s-l-o-w it down and just push through. My legs are never the issue; it’s my breathing that become difficult, so I know that slowing down will really help. As I mentioned in a previous post, my goal in beginning C25K again is to be able to wog/jog/run the MOOnlight 5K on July 12. Not run/walk, but to run it (however slowly) all the way through.
As you guys know, I’ve been loving the ToneItUp‘s workouts since mid-January. I’ve done them 5 days a week, every week since I began, only missing while I was on vacation in Hawaii. (If you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend you do. It’s completely free, and they have a fun community, full of supportive, motivating people who cheer on every workout you post about).
They’re about to launch their new #bikiniseries this coming Monday, which will run for 8 weeks, until the official start of summer. Karena and Katrina put so much into the daily workouts they design, and the best part is, the whole thing is free. All you need to do is sign up for the #bikiniseries and you’ll get reminder emails, weekly workouts, fun giveaways, yummy recipes, contests, etc.
I like the approach that Tone It Up takes toward living a healthy lifestyle. Not only do they include workouts and nutrition, but they also concentrate on mindset. Take yesterday’s challenge, for example:
The challenge asked participants to create their own summer must-do list. Beyond workouts and eating right, what were things that we wanted to make sure to fit in this summer? I loved this! Any time I can make a list and get creative with my summer plans, I’m all for it! As a teacher, lots of people ask me, what do you do all summer long? My answer is always the same – anything I want to! 🙂 This summer, I really want to concentrate on enjoying each and every day. I didn’t include all of my plans on my list, but I did include most of the things I’m hoping to do:
The photo I used is one that was taken for me by a Danish tourist while I was riding my bike at Kailua Beach on Oahu. She worried that I would be upset that so much of it was in the shadows, but I assured her that I actually liked the way it turned out. It was the perfect photo to use for this assignment because it has an artsy feel right off the bat. I like the way I’m in silhouette with the bike, but the ocean and the beach are in the bright sun in the background.
I thought I’d elaborate a bit on each of these summer plans…
Mid-morning swims: One of my favorite parts of summer is being able to swim at the pool at my parents’ townhouse complex. More often than not, if I get there by 10:30 or 11, I have the entire place to myself, and I’m free to swim laps to my heart’s content. Sometimes my dad and I meet there and swim together, and it’s a nice way for us to connect with each other as we update each other on the latest family happenings while we’re drying off in the sun. It’s also a great time for me to be alone with my thoughts and just let go of all worries and stress. Swimming really soothes me, and I can’t wait to start my almost-daily swims.
Daily doses of laughter: Whether it’s retelling a funny story, joking with my nieces, or watching Sofi do something goofy, I want to appreciate all the little moments of laughter that are part of my daily life this summer. Laughter is good for the soul and the spirit, and I want to make sure I’m enjoying it all the time.
Hawaii-themed party: Since I had such a fun time in Hawaii, I figured it would be fun to have a party with a Hawaiian theme. I’m still deciding if I’ll combine it with a Silpada party that I’m planning to have, or if it will be more of a traditional party. Either way, I have plenty of fun outfits to choose from.
Coffee chats: I live really close to Starbucks (doesn’t everyone?!), so close in fact, that I can walk there with ease. It’s become a habit with three or four of my friends that we meet up there and catch up about all that’s going on in our lives. It’s the perfect place to get together because I can get a calorie-free passion iced tea, or a caffeine kick with an iced cinnamon dolce misto. As far as I’m concerned, coffee is the perfect drink any time of day, so it fits well with a more carefree summer schedule.
SF (and SJ) Giants games: I love supporting my Giants, and plan to go to as many games as I can afford to this summer. One that I know I’ll go to is the Italian Night at the Giants, where a really large group of family and friends all get together. It’s so much fun! The tickets at AT&T Park are expensive, so lately my friends and I have been opting to go to the SJ Giants games. Not only are they ridiculously inexpensive (less than $10 per game), but they’re a lot of fun. Very family-friendly, with lots of activities for the kids to participate in between innings. My friend Di and I are even signing up to do the Giant 5K, which gets us into the game the evening of the race. I’m actually going to an SJ Giants game this Friday with my sister and nieces, which will be tons of fun. Bring on the baseball!!
Going on dates!: I’m actually really looking forward to this one. Assuming of course there are men to go on dates with. I was only on Match.com for about 2 months back in November/December, and I have to say, I was pretty underwhelmed. I got lots of winks, emails, and nudges, but when it came time for the guys to just make the move and ask for my number so we could move it to the next level of texting/talking on the phone and then hopefully soon afterward meeting up, they never pulled the trigger. Even when I directly said, “here’s my number, I’d love to figure out a time for us to meet up for coffee or something.” They disappeared quick. I’m not one to go into a long and drawn out relationship online via email, or text, for that matter. If you’re interested, you think I’m cute, you want to get to know me better, then let’s do that – let’s meet up and see if we hit it off. Because we can have all the chemistry in the world online, we won’t know if we’re really going to be attracted to each other until we meet up. I’m hoping that this time of year will be easier to connect than it was around the holidays. One of the major takeaways I had from my trip to Hawaii was that I’m really ready to be in a relationship, even a more casual one. Hopefully I have a bit of romance in store this summer.
Leash-free beach trips: Last summer I had a blast taking Sofi to a lesser-known beach where she could run off leash. We have the best time when we go – she loves running along the shore, but is afraid to get too close to the water, so I don’t have to worry much about the waves taking her. We both get in a great walk, we get some sunshine, and I get to read and relax. What could be better? Besides just that particular dog-friendly beach, I also hope to hit the other local beaches often this summer.
Long walks w/ Sofi: I take Sofi on walks almost every single day, but in the summer it’s so nice to be able to wake up and take a nice, long walk before the temperature heats up too much. I love exploring all the different streets around my neighborhood with Sofi. She loves when I find new places for our walks, so that’s definitely on my to-do summer list.
Reading: I’m not off to the best start so far this year in terms of my reading goal on Goodreads, but I did get quite a bit of reading time in when I was on vacation in Hawaii. My goal for the summer is to fit in at least an hour a day of reading time. I enjoy reading so much, and I want to make it a priority during the time of year when I have so few responsibilities pulling my focus from the things I enjoy.
Riding roller coasters: This is a huge one for me! It will definitely be its own blog post when it happens because it will be a major NSV. I love going on roller coasters – the wilder and faster the better. I haven’t been on one in I can’t even remember how long because of the time that I got on one and almost had to get off because the safety bar wasn’t going to close. I pleaded with the kid running the ride to let me stay on it, and he did. After that I only got bigger and knew that roller coaster were way out of reach. I didn’t ever want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to get off before I was able to ride the ride. So, this summer I plan on going to Great America and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk to ride as many roller coasters as I can. Can’t wait!!
Family BBQs: I love grilling any day of the week, but getting together with my family and friends and sharing a meal as easy as BBQing is something really look forward to. Sometimes it’s as simple as bringing my meat over to their house for an impromptu BBQ; other times it’s a more planned affair, like for Father’s Day or 4th of July. Either way, I can’t wait to fire up the grill and get cooking!
Cocktails: Summertime is a great time to relax and let go a bit. While I usually only drink on special occasions because the alcohol has empty calories, there is something to be said for enjoying a nice glass of white wine or a Swirl (local peeps will know what time talking about) with friends. Any afternoon or evening becomes more of a celebration when you add a cocktail.
Bike rides: I love riding my cruiser around, and now that more of my friends have bikes, too, I hope to get out and go on rides all summer long. Half Moon Bay, Morgan Hill, and everywhere in between. I love the freedom I feel when I’m riding my bike, the sun shining on my face, the wind in my hair. There’s nothing in the world like it.
Backyard lounging: I have this great Adirondack chair that I bought a few years ago that’s nicely weathered now. I adore sitting in it and enjoying the peace and serenity of my backyard. Looking at the garden and seeing the flowers and trees. Watching Sofi cavorting in the grass. Reading, listening to music, or just trying to keep cool on a warm night. Sounds perfect to me.
There are a lot more things I could add to my list, but I’ll save those up until I have enough to create an entirely new one. This was such a fun exercise, and I’m really glad the Tone It Up girls gave this assignment. It put me in a great mood and gave me some inspiration to get through these last weeks of my school year.
Now that you’ve read my list of how I’m going to create my summer, I’d like to challenge you to write your own list. Either in the comments or by joining the TIU challenge. Post a pic on Instagram with your list. Tweet about it. Write your own blog post. It was a fun activity that really put me in the mindset to enjoy myself this summer, and I can’t wait to read about your plans.
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This week is exciting because it’s the start of the ToneItUp Bikini Series! As you guys know, I love being a member of the TIU community, and use their workout plan as my weekly inspiration. I recently purchased their Beach Babe 4 Workouts, and I’m really looking forward to trying out some new moves. Besides the support I get online from the other TIU girls, I also have a standing workout date with my friend Amy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We don’t always make it to all the workouts, but it’s nice to have a set plan in place that we try to reach. And when RDC3 and I see each other on the weekends, we always try to workout together. This week my main goal is to use my time as wisely as I can so that I can fit in the workouts and all my other responsibilities. That seems to be the hardest part for me at this time of the year – fitting in after school grading, keeping up with the house (cleaning, laundry, etc), and making time for working out. But where I just have to stay organized and MAKE the time. Here’s this week’s plan:
Bella on the Beach 