Workout schedule for January and February

Hi peeps,

I want to share my workout schedule with you guys. This is a schedule I'll keep up for two months, starting this week.

If you missed yesterday's post about my new year's resolutions, read it here. I've modified my usual workout schedule quite a lot, trying to keep it as simple as possible without putting too much stress on my body.

I reached my goal before Christmas, by the way. I deadlifted a 5 reps set with 100 kgs and benchpressed a set of 6 reps with 50 kgs. Soooo happy.

Monday
Leg workout - supertough crosstraining strength & plyo workout. This is a set I would love to do with a friend, since lifting heavy and jumping high is really tough, and a little competition never hurts.. If I'm the winner, of course ;) No, just kidding. Four rounds of 15 burpees superset with 6-8 heavy deadlifts is so much more fun to do with someone else cheering me on.

If you don't puke, faint or die KEEP GOING!

Tuesday
Upper body crosstraining workout.

I still love my handstand push-ups and chin-ups, and I won't stop doing them. I've added a few basic dumbbell exercises to this workout - you'll see it with pictures as soon as I recruit a friend with me to the gym.

Wednesday
Low-impact leg & core workout at the gym, focusing on my glutes and deep abs (i.e. M. Transversus Abdominis). I've modified a few Tracy Anderson's leg series to match my goals, so I do them with a pulley or elastic bands. This workout includes a lot of bodyweight training, too. Workout coming up...

Thursday
Pole dancing at my local gym. Love. Pole dancing really works my upper body, I'm sore in places I didn't know existed. Gripping the pole, climbing it, spinning on it makes me work my muscles in a way I haven't done before. I love it.

Friday
Yoga.
I love the feeling after a great yoga workout. Energized, but not drained. Remember my motivational yoga video? Check it out here.

Saturday
Endurance training of my choice - dancing, jogging, skiing.. Anything that I find fun at the moment. This is the part of my workouts that I do for me and me alone.

Sunday
Rest day.

This workout schedule is missing my daily walks with my dear little puglet (it's a dog, in case you don't know) and my evening stretches. One of my goals for January is to increase the range of motion in my hips.

Hope you're feeling inspired!

Love,
Ulrika

Picture source: Fitness girls on facebook

New year's resolution: goals for 2013

Hello beautiful people,

I hope you had a splendid Christmas and NYE - now that you're (hopefully) back to your normal routines regarding eating and working out, I'd like to share my top 5 goals (i.e. New year's resolution) for the year 2013.

1. I will stop competing with others and do more stuff for ME.
This one is really tough for me. I've already written a few texts about motivation, and to be quite honest, I have no problems with it - quite the opposite. I'm strongly externally motivated, i.e. competitive. Last year I would have written phrases like Squat deeper than the guys at the gym, finish first on a 10K run, lift heavier than any girl I know. This year I'll compete with myself, and no one else. I will do more stuff I actually love, i.e. dance like nobody's watching. I'll start this tomorrow with poledancing ;)

2. I will make sure that I rest enough.
I've learned to accept the fact that I have a sleeping disorder. I wake up at 5:15 every morning and go to bed after 11 p.m. I have chronic black circles under my eyes, and I'm ready to get rid of them. I'm launching a huge battle against my sleep deprivation and stress levels, starting today. My means are clear, too. Less running, more yoga. Less coffee, more sleep. 1-2 rest days per week (now that's a tough one!).

3. I will be in the best shape of my life on August 10th, 2013.
Do I really need to explain this further? I have a few motivational pictures I'd like to share with you guys, here goes:

Picture source
That's Nicole Wilkins, by the way. She's an IFBB Figure competitor, and I absolutely adore her. I don't need to be as ripped as she is on stage, but her off-season body is smashing. I'd love to look like that.

Now, I'm reeeeeally far from my goal #3, but you know what - I don't care. I'll beat the odds, you'll see. I have a metabolic disease which affects my hormonal balance (and therefore my body composition), and I hate it - but I will give 110% and work with what I've got.

4. I will spend less money on excessive junk.
By this I mean that I'll think twice before buying any clothes or any other unnecessary sh*t. I'll bring my lunch and snacks to work to avoid spending excess money on groceries, I won't go shopping unless I actually need something and I'll sell my clothes online or at a thrift store before August.

5. I will start enjoying my meals more.
I'll keep eating healthy and clean, but I will enjoy my meals a lot more. Ever get the feeling that you eat the same stuff week after week, lacking variation and taste? That's my November and December for you, ha-ha. I promise myself that I'll eat more stuff that I actually enjoy, and not choose foods solely based on their nutritional value. Food is fuel, but it's a big part of my life and I should teach myself to enjoy every meal more.

Here are my top 5 goals for the year 2013. I wish you a healthy, happy new year and hope to hear your goals and resolutions ;)

Love,
Ulrika

Thursday motivation (part 2)

Picture source

Happy Thursday, fit people!

Just wanted to share my motivational pics of the week with you guys. As I've said before, I keep a motivational diary with pictures, quotes, exercise routines, recipes, nutritional diaries and so on.. This week I've been focusing on motivational quotes to keep me going. Here are few of the pictures from my diary.

I'm still really far from my main goal, but I've reached one of my goals for this summer (-5kg/-11 lbs in fat mass). The weirdest thing about this is that I feel absolutely amazing, I love pushing myself outside my comfort zone! I'm more motivated than ever right now. I just can't wait to sweat again!


Workouts this week:

Monday Gym, gym, gym! Lower body strength (60 mins). Feeling the burn in my buns & thighs, almost impossible to walk down a set of stairs. Had to wear baggy sweatpants after the workout, since my muscles were so pumped that I couldn't fit in my jeans.

Tuesday Pilates (60 mins). Jogging with my baby pug (60 mins) + NTC Core Crunch + NTC Ab Burner. How can something hurt and feel so good at the same time?

Jogging with miss Nuppu, the best Personal trainer ever. She never takes no for an answer, always believes in me and is actually fit for a pug ! Love.

Wednesday Powerwalking (30 mins) in the morning. Did this with an empty stomach, though I believe it had absolutely no effect on my body burning fat - I felt nauseous afterwards and had to force down my breakfast. Strength training in the afternoon (60 mins). Supersetting lower body workouts with plyo = almost passed out after 45 mins. :D I had to do some light cardio on a stationary bike for 10 mins to steady my pulse and allround feeling in my body before returning to my burpees. 60 mins of Zumba in the park in the evening. Had some real trouble moving my legs, they felt like concrete !

Thursday Deep stretching for 60 mins. Thursday means rest&recovery this week!

Friday Gym time! Upper body & core strength for 60 mins. My main goal is to do loads of chin-ups, dips and push-ups.

Saturday Swim, baby, swim. Trying to hit HIIT in the pool. Can't remember the last time I've been to the pool by myself (and not with clients). It's nice to do something different for a change :)

Sunday Deep stretching for 60 mins (i.e. rest). I'm doing two deep stretching sets this week, since my hamstrings and quads are sore from all the gym workouts I've been doing. Normally I'd do a second set of upper body strength on Sundays, but this week I'm keeping it light. Besides, it's good to have a recovery day after a HIIT workout.


What are you guys up to this week?

Have a strong weekend!
/Ulrika

Thursday motivation

Hi you.

Hope you're having the best Thursday.

I've just spent a lovely morning at the gym, breaking my own records, just as yesterday. I feel a lot stronger when I'm working out with men, why do you think that is? :D

Anyway, I just wanted to share my favourite motivational pics of the week. Hope you like them. :)


/Ulrika