High Intensity FRIDAY

Do you think Fridays are for relaxing?

THINK AGAIN!

Here’s an AWESOME HIIT workout. The first round you’ll think it’s easy, but the second round you’ll be gasping for breath. I promise.

Make sure you have AS LITTLE rest as possible to get the full effect of this circuit! Perform it 3-5 times a week (3 if you only workout 5 times a week, 5 if you workout 7) for full results.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water, and try to keep your heart rate up!

Is anyone like me and struggles to get your heart rate above 150? No matter what I do I never ever ever am over 175! Does anyone know why that is??

So it appears as if my mobile posts aren’t posting….

I was wondering why I’ve been having such little activity, but I haven’t been able to get on a computer for a few days and I’ve been posting solely from mobile- and NOTHING HAS POSTED. So this is how I’m feeling about that right about now…:

I’ve been posting some AWESOME recipes the past few days, so my posts haven’t been long. DON’T WORRY. I’ll be re-posting those recipes!!!

Remember how I told you all how I’ve been doing a fitness transformation? Well, I just started my third week… So the end of this week will mark my halfway point! I’ve got an update picture for you guys…. And I apologize in advance for how horrible of quality it is. I go to Planet Fitness instead of my work gym now, so I feel weird about taking pictures in a busy gym. Also, my apartment doesn’t have a single big mirror, and so I had to settle for the only big mirror in my parent’s house (I visited them yesterday).

The top picture is of my stomach ~3 weeks ago, which I didn’t want to post because I was embarrassed. Still kind of am, but my progress is making me feel better because I can see, and most importantly feel, a difference!

 

Then:

Now (Yes, my shirt says God Has a Man Bun. I bought it as a joke and now it’s my sleep shirt):

Clearly my BodyBuilding.com workout plan is working out for me! I’ve made quite a few modifications, so it’s unlike the program you’ll see on their site. Anyone interested in my plan? I’ll post it here!

Funny story- I weighed myself two days ago and it told me I weighed 145 lbs… Which would be a 17 pound increase in 3 weeks. I immediately laughed and got off the scale. If that doesn’t prove to all of you that scales CAN be wrong, then nothing will!

 

Have I mentioned that I have a Twitter? Follow me at @SierraGratale! I mainly tweet and retweet stuff related to feminism and tech, but occasionally I’ll include some fitness stuff… The problem is, I don’t know any fitness influencers on Twitter. Any suggestions???

Running Trivia Quiz Game!

Hello everyone!

First, I want to let you all know that I truly appreciate how many of you interact with me daily. I initially made this website just for a class assignment, but I really love it and won’t be stopping anytime soon. 🙂

Anyway, as all you college students know, it is now midterm time. For  my midterm in a class called Strategic Presentation (You can find more about the class HERE if you’re interested!), our assignment was to create some form of digital media (a gif, a movie, a podcast, a game…. anything!) and showcase it on our website.  Awesome, right? SO much better than taking an exam.

So I made a Jeopardy- style game. It focuses on running, fitness, and health. Try it out, and see how much you know!

And in case I haven’t convinced you to try it out yet, here’s a sneak peak:

Running Trivia!

 

Let me know how you do!

At least it isn’t Monday, right? Also, Planet Fitness rocks.

Hey everyone, hope your weekends were great!

Is anyone here a Planet Fitness enthusiast? For many years I was tentative about joining it because I was under the impression that, to be blunt, this isn’t a gym for people interested in fitness- it was for people interested in casually working out/maintaining their weight. So I never checked it out and completely dismissed the idea of paying only $10-20/month.

Fast forward to now. My boyfriend and I are looking for a gym that we can go together, considering that we want to motivate each other (super sappy, I know. I cringed writing that). So he suggested Planet Fitness and I was like ehhhh, why not. $10 bucks a month for cardio and some machines? Not a huge loss of money. So then we do some research and I begin to find out that for only $20 a month I can get FREE MASSAGING, HYDROTHERAPY, TANNING, AND PERSONAL TRAINING. ALL. FOR. FREE. (well, not “free”- the package is $10 more. But for anyone that’s ever paid for one [or all] of the things I just listed, you know that this is literally a gift. For years I paid for tanning packages once a year, right before a beach vacation to avoid burning, costing me at least $50 for the month!!). And shockingly, I saw some of the fittest people I’ve ever seen in my life there. Not to mention the atmosphere is AWESOME- PF created a really great culture, and everyone is super polite and encouraging.

Yes, they did take out their squat racks. Bummer, but Smith Machines are just as great for me, and I saw men that were probably as big as The Rock who were using these machines as well so I’m pretty sure everyone is capable of adjusting to a Smith Machine (especially if it saves so much money!). The machines are SO nice, and there are sooo many. They also have all these awesome circuit plans around the gym (which is 2  stories!!!) such as a 30 minute workout, and a 12 minute ab circuit. I don’t really take advantage of these because I do my own workouts, but I’m bringing my dad there for the first time today and he’s super stoked about using the 30 minute workout to start out with. I read a few articles about why people hate PF, and one person actually said that the fact that PF is purple and gold makes it not a real gym. How?? I don’t know. But it is. Go join it. Now.

Anyway, I finished up week one of my workout plan and I’m back into running!!!! No more injury pain for me! ALSO, I bought my first road bike this weekend! I’ll post some awesome pictures this upcoming weekend when I finally get to use it for an actual workout rather than just biking up and down my driveway with my dog following me. Here is how I’m looking:

I see no difference, and the angle of this picture actually makes me seem bigger in my opinion, but I couldn’t take another because someone walked in and I was too embarrassed to risk the chance of getting caught taking a mirror gym selfie. (This isn’t a weight-loss transformation, for anyone who’s just tuning it now. This is a runner trying to stop being “skinny-fat” and start being fit!)

Later on today I’ll be posting something cool that I created for my midterm project for a class. Stayed tuned 🙂

Also, HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY! Ladies, use this day to remember how strong, smart, and beautiful you are. Men, use this day to make sure that women feel great everyday. 🙂

FINALLY FRIDAY

Wow, cannot believe this is my third (or is it fourth?) post of the day.

First, some awesome news: my boyfriend, who had surgery in October, is FINALLY cleared to get back to working out! And by a stroke of luck, I started my “transformation” only a week before him, so we’re in this together! Stay tuned for a joint blog and/or Instagram. He’s super knowledgeable when it comes to fitness, so he’s going to be a great addition to the fitness community! Unfortunately guys, he doesn’t run. I know, it was almost a deal breaker for me….. But he’s a really incredible biker, so I settled. 😉

A lot of friends of mine from college, work, high school, etc. are getting into fitness now, which is GREAT! I hate people who discourage and/or mock people who are trying to make a change with their lives. Of course, some stuff should stay off social media (personally, all of my social media accounts aren’t fitness-based at all), but if someone wishes to share their journey then I 100% support them.

This being said, I’ve noticed SO MANY of these girls are not eating to fuel their bodies at all. They think eating a handful of spinach with a hardboiled egg is considered a nutritious and fueling lunch (am I the only one who cringed while reading that?). Now, I grew up with parents who were always very into healthy eating- my father is a chef who specializes in nutritional meals, and my mother is a nutritional baker (and the only person who can replace oils and sugars and butter with applesauce and greek yogurt and somehow make it taste BETTER), so luckily I’ve always been exposed to awesome meals that are extremely healthy. I cringe when I watch people eat plain brown rice with plain chicken breast. WHERE IS THE SEASONING?

So before I show you what I had for lunch, I want to be clear on my eating habits. I used to eat “american style”- big breakfast, small lunch, big dinner (and of course snacks in between), but I work for a German company and was exposed to the European culture, which is a big breakfast, big lunch, and a small dinner. Changing to this lifestyle did WONDERS for my weight, my health, and my energy. So here’s what I had for lunch today. (Lucky for me, I work at a healthcare company, so a huge focus in the cafe is “FIT” foods):

This beautiful creation you see above is Beef and Lentil Bolognese with Roasted Potatoes and LOTS of spices (garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper… the list goes on and on), and of course, parm cheese. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t put parm cheese on their food for a fear of adding extra calories, then you are crazy and need to stop that right now. PARM CHEESE IS AMAZING.

Do you think this tastes as good as I think it tastes? WELL I HAVE GREAT NEWS. I asked the chef for the recipe, and within 20 minutes he emailed it to me and now I am the lucky owner of one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. And lucky for you, I’m willing to share!

1/4 cup Oil, Olive 3/4 pound Onions, Yellow, Fresh, Diced 1/2 pound Carrots, Fresh, Diced 1 pound Beef, Ground, 80/20, Raw 1/4 cup Garlic Cloves, Peeled, Fresh, Minced 1/4 cup Seasoning, Italian 1/2 cup Tomato Paste, Canned 3 quart Tomato Puree, Canned 1 tsp Salt, Kosher 1/2 tsp Spice, Pepper, Black, Ground 12 ounce Ingredient: Cooked Lentils 2 tbsp Vinegar, Balsamic

Preparation

Method In a large pan, heat olive oil and saute the onions and carrots until soft and onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until fully cooked. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring until the paste is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree or crushed tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, cook the lentils until very tender. Drain and crush slightly by pulsing in a food processor. Add to sauce and season with balsamic vinegar.Portion size: 1 cup

 

I cannot wait to make this this weekend. Anyone else try an awesome recipe today? I’m always looking for new recipes!

 

Looking for a way to track your workouts?

If you’re anything like me, you HATE touching your smartphone 500 times/workout because you can’t remember details.

Well, I have your solution.

Check this one out! Workout Chart

The best part? You can customize it all you want to fit your workout!

Here’s my customized workout sheet for the next two days:

 

Need help making a chart? Need advice on a workout? Wondering what some of these workouts look like? Want to give me advice? Contact me!

Anyone in need of a fun LSD playlist?

I am the type of person that loves to do EVERYTHING alone- except running. And as luck would have it, I don’t have a single runner friend in my area, so nothing beats a solid LSD playlist.

I’ve mentioned in my last posts that I’ve been super injured lately, and tomorrow I’m hoping to get back into it. I’ve been cross training so hopefully I’ll be able to pick up where I left off on my training plan, which means that tomorrow is a 10 mile run…. and due to the freezing cold and snowy weather here in NJ, it’s looking like my run is going to be on a treadmill…. And this is how I feel about that:

Need some treadmill LSD run tips? Check out this awesome blogger who is a treadmill long run PRO: How to Survive Long Runs on the Treadmill.

Now, for my playlist. Yes, I’m fully aware that I’ve got some embarrassing songs on here, but I love singing along in my head as I go.

Black Magic- Little Mix

War Paint- Fletcher (also GREAT for tempo runs that are above race pace!)

Sugar- Maroon 5 (usually my warm-up song)

Made in Gold- Nova Rockafeller

Ugly Heart- G.R.L

Brokenhearted- Karmin

Pon de Replay- Rihanna

All Star- Smash Mouth

My House- Flo Rida

Stand by You- Rachel Platten

Stay- Kyto

Reflections- MisterWives

Bad Man- Pitbull, Robin Thicke, Joe Perry, Travis Barker

All Night Longer- Sammy Adams

Talking Body- Tove Lo

Hypnotize Me- Taylor Berrett

 

CLICK HERE to listen to this playlist on Spotify!

 

I love this playlist, but I’m always looking for new songs. Have any suggestions? I listen to EVERYTHING, from Disney to Screamo, so don’t be shy!

 

 

Pretending it is Wednesday (and Thursday!) for the sake of this post…

I was lazy Wednesday and didn’t do my workout until late at night, and Thursday I was SUPER busy with homework. I’d explain to you all about WHY homework is currently consuming me, but I’d rather not… I’ll let my tweet give you a rough idea:

Also, for a running blog, I’ve been slacking on the “running” aspect. I’ve been in some pain (shins and muscle) and I’ve learned the hard way that training that way does nothing but hurt you further. Hoping to get back into it by tomorrow, though!

I am pretty sure my body has turned to jello through my Bodybuilding.com plan. Did anyone else try to develop a customized plan with their super easy tool?

 

 

DAY 2!

Interested in my WOD today? Here it is!:

But first… I am in SO much pain from yesterday! I went from a solid 0 straight to 100 in terms of lifting. Struggling to walk. So a run is not happening… I did some light biking and might go on another bike later, but definitely need to work on mending these SORE muscles first! But not running on a treadmill today made me feel like this…:

I am going crazy waiting for it to be warm enough to run outside again!!!

Barbell Bench Press- Medium Grip

• Muscle Targeted: Chest
• Exercise Type: Strength
• Equipment Type: Smith Machine (The instructions said to use a barbell, but my gym only has a Smith Machine).
• 5 sets of 12 reps, total of 60 reps

Triceps Pushdown

• Muscle Targeted: Triceps
• Exercise Type: Strength
• Equipment Type: Cable
• 4 sets of 12, total of 48 reps

Cable Crossover

• Muscle Targeted: Chest
• Exercise Type: Strength
• Equipment Type: Cable
• 4 sets of 12, total of 48 reps

Lying Triceps Press (in high school we called these Skull Crushers..)

• Muscle Targeted: Triceps
• Exercise Type: Strength
• Equipment Type: E-Z Curl Bar
• 4 sets of 12, total of 48 reps

Bosu Ball Push-Ups

• Til failure
• ****The plan called for medicine ball push-ups, but I am WAY too weak for that atm 😦

Is anyone interested in following some of these workouts? If so, I can post pictures / videos!

Bodybuilding.com is lifechanging! (I swear they didn’t pay me to say that)

Hey guys! How’s everybody doing? Today is my boyfriend’s 21st birthday (he is exactly 5 months younger than me!) and I’m looking forward to our first bar trip. However, he’s a fitness junkie like me so if we even make it to the bar we’ll probably order a beer and share it, hahaha (not because we are boring- I swear! We both just hate the taste!).

I’m a total research junkie (probably somehow related to the fact that I’m an avid researcher at school), and I decided I wanted to try out some supplements. Previously all I’ve ever taken is protein and I was SO nervous about expanding beyond protein because I really didn’t know how. Now, I can’t even imagine taking protein because I get so much protein in my meals. I feel like there’s a lot of people who take protein supplements but really have no need for it.Check this out if you’re unsure if protein powder is needed for you or not.

I started my supplement search on Bodybuilding.com. They have an AWESOME feature that helps you find a supplement plan that is tailored to your goals. I did some more research beyond the results I got here,  but 2/3 of my purchases were suggestions from here! I did research primarily on Amazon, but also by conducting some Google searches on the best products for women for specific types of products that fit my goals/interests.

Interested in what I purchased? Check out my list:

RSP Nutrition Quadralean

This was a suggestion from Bodybuilding.com!”Formulated to increase endurance, build muscle, burn fat & recover faster.” I am extremely weak and I have ‘runner muscles’, so I struggle lifting and get sore SO EASILY. Also, as a runner, I’m at a pretty intense plateau for fat loss.

FitMiss BCAA

Are you a female looking to build some lean muscle? This might work for you! This will help raise your lifting potential while avoiding the “bulking” phase. I’m one of those people that bulk significantly easier than tone, no matter what I do, so this seems like a potential help for me! This also was a suggestion from Bodybuilding.com.

“There are nine essential amino acids that the body cannot manufacture itself and must be consumed. Of those nine, L-Leucine, L-IsoLeucine, and L-Valine play a critical role in muscle development because they are metabolized in the muscle rather than the liver.”

 

And finally,

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen

Please tell me I’m not the only one extremely intimidated by this. Finding a fat burner that I felt would work for me took A LOT of research and A LOT of patience, but I came across this one. It actually was voted to be the best fat burner for women, and doesn’t have those scary side effects like being jittery, increased heart rate at rest, etc. It has AMAZING reviews, and isn’t too expensive at all (and trust me, I’m the ultimate bargain hunter!). At $25 it’s a little more than I’d want to spend, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.

Just PLEASE remember, these are tailored toward my goals and my body. I gain weight SUPER easily and when I lift I put on muscle in a way that I don’t like. I’ve always struggled with toning and so many people suggested I try supps but I refused for so long, and now I figured I have nothing to lose by giving it a try. Worst case scenario? It doesn’t work and I find another workout that’ll help me tone up and increase my running abilities.

Anyway, I’m off to go for a run and begin Day 2. Feeling SUPER sore, so right now I wish I was living the lifestyle of Phyllis…:

Wish me luck!

Have any workout/ supplement suggestions? I’d love to hear!!