Hello hello all!!! How is everyone's Monday going? Mine has been pretty great. Not for any reason in particular, but just a good day. It was a beautiful day with bright, sunny skies and mild temperatures. So, I opted to take a 30 minute walk with the Kenz baby before lunch. I usually spend some time in prayer/thought while taking our afternoon walks together and today was no different. I was just walking along with thoughts rambling through my head, when suddenly one just came to the forefront and stuck there.

What was it, you may ask? Well, it was about going ahead and getting certified to teach some group fitness classes. Now, I don't know WHY this thought came about. I have always had it in my head that the plan would be for me to work towards getting certified for personal training and possibly teaching group fitness classes in the future after we are done having kids (only having two, so not too too long from now) and after those kids are a bit older and in preschool at least. I wasn't even thinking about money, budgets, etc when this thought came around. It was suddenly - "Hey. Why don't you go ahead and contact your gym's head of group fitness or others in the area and see what is needed to become certified? Then, maybe you can go ahead and do it now, get on a schedule to teach just a few classes for the time being to get your foot in the door, make a little extra money (I know very little ;)), start building contacts for future plans, etc...

Here's what is going on in my head. I know I have a huge passion for fitness. I 100% plan to get into this field in the future. Teaching group fitness classes could be a relatively easy way to enter into this field - not saying it's super easy to do, but easier than going straight into training. It could possibly be a way to do something rewarding for myself outside of the home, help earn a bit extra money (every little bit helps, right?), and still be flexible enough to not be completely time consuming and a hindrance to my #1 focus of being a mother and wife first. If I did it, I would hopefully only be teaching a few classes a week - RPM, GroupKick, or Bodypump classes would be my picks! 😉

On the flip side, I also know that sometime this year we are hoping for me to get pregnant again. So, I don't want to take something on, that I may not be able to handle with pregnancy and a brand new baby. But, still - I think, if it's only a few classes, why couldn't I do that with a baby? Or pregnant? When pregnant with Makenzie I worked out up until the day before she was born, so that shouldn't stop me. And then I was back in the gym doing group classes or at home kickbox DVDs within 6 weeks after she was born. Exercise was my "me time" that I longed for. So, why not get paid for it and share my passion with others? I wouldn't want to leave anybody in the lurch, but if I wasn't teaching a ton to begin with maybe it would work out? And why put something off that I could go for sooner? Okay...lots of rambling. And I'm not sure where this is going to go, if anywhere for now. But I thought it was interesting how this option came to me out of the blue and felt like sharing it.

Now onto other things. Like my workout!!! Here's what it looked like today.

• 10 minute warm-up on elliptical
• BB Deadlift & Widegrip Lat Pulldown
• V Squat & Plated Bench Press
• Lying Hamstring Curl & Overhead DB Shoulder Press
• Cable Crossovers & Tricep Cable Pressdown
• 20 minute cardio - 3 min run : 2 min walk intervals @ 2.5 incline
• Stretch

It was a fantastic workout! Like I have said before, I love a good full body workout and all the benefits it gives me!

Last, but not least, I finished the book I was reading today. Which means a book review. Actually, I have two. This past Friday I started reading Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty because some of my old colleagues recommended it to me and they usually give good recommendations. Ummm, I could only read the first 30 pages before I had to put it away or else die from teenagedom torture. It was an extremely immature and whiny book and I could not stand it! So, I quickly switched over to this book instead:

Great Book

After You by Julie Buxbaum

As I'm sure you can tell from my caption, I loved this book! It was quite different from what I expected, based on the inside cover's description. I thought it was going to be a very predictable, girly, happy go lucky story. While parts of it were predictable, the story had such a depth to it that I did not expect. It was filled with emotion and had lots of strong qualities. From being able to sympathize with all the characters to wondering where things are really going to lead and if they will be okay, it was hard to put down. Here is a description from Amazon's website:

The complexities of a friendship. The unexplored doubts of a marriage. And the redemptive power of literature... Julie Buxbaum, the acclaimed author of The Opposite of Love, delivers a haunting, gloriously written novel about love, family, and the secrets we hide from each other--and ourselves.
It happened on a tree-lined street in Notting Hill to a woman who seemed to have the perfect life. Ellie Lerner’s best friend, Lucy, was murdered in front of her young daughter. And, as best friends do, Ellie dropped everything--her marriage, her job, her life in the Boston suburbs--to travel to London and pick up the pieces of Lucy’s life. While Lucy’s husband, Greg, copes with his grief by retreating into himself, eight-year-old Sophie has simply stopped speaking.

Desperate to help Sophie, Ellie turns to a book that gave her comfort as a child, The Secret Garden. As the two spend hours exploring the novel’s winding passageways, its story of hurt, magic, and healing blooms around them. But so, too, do Lucy’s secrets--some big, some small--secrets Lucy kept hidden, even from her best friend. Over a summer in London, as Ellie peels back the layers of her friend’s life, she’s forced to confront her own as well: the marriage she left behind, the loss she’d hoped to escape. And suddenly Ellie’s carefully constructed existence is spinning out of control in a chain of events that will transform her life--and those around her--forever. A novel that will resonate in the heart of anyone who’s had a best friend, a love lost, or a past full of regrets, After You proves once again the unique and compelling talent of Julie Buxbaum.

So, if you are looking for a good book that is enjoyable to read, not too serious but not cliche either, I would suggest this book.

And with that, I say Peace Out!!! Have a fabulous night. I'm off to watch The Bachelor. More drama, drama, drama!

And also a big thank you to those of you who read, commented on, or got anything out of my post yesterday. 😀

• For those of you who teach group fitness, what are your thoughts on it? Does what I talked about sound feasible? Or for those of you who have 'known' me for awhile, what do you think about it? I do plan to pray about this issue and take time to fully consider it, but would love all of your thoughts as well 🙂
• Do you have a TV show that is your guilty pleasure? I have The Bachelor, Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives that I keep up with. What can I say? I like TV. At least I only watch it for at the very most 2 hours a day.

First off, yesterday's comments were interesting. It seems like most of us like to plan. I wonder if there is something in the personalities of people who blog that leans toward the organization and planning side? Or maybe we are just all super cool and like to stay on top of things. I like option dos! 😀 And speaking of blogging - check out this awesome giveaway at Be Fit. Be Full.

Today was a day of 'full'. I'm sitting here with a happy and full tummy after some deliciousness such as this...

shredded pork on sandwich thin & peas

I cooked 1/2 a pork tenderloin in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. 2/3 c low sodium beef broth, 1/3 c cider vinegar, 3T brown sugar, 1/3c ketchup, and 1/2 of a bbq pork seasoning packet chilled with the loin in the pot. Made some flavorful yumminess. And of course, you have to top it off with some extra BBQ sauce. 1 Tablespoon is plenty of flavor when you use the good stuff (aka Jack Daniels sauce). And as if that wasn't enough goodness, Peter brought this baby home from work for us to share for dessert.

oh white chocolate macadamia how I love thee

look how big!

My mind was also "full" today. My morning Bible reading really got me thinking. I've been asked previously what I am currently reading in my daily Bible time. Well, I am signed up for two plans that get emailed to me through the BiblePlan website. Seriously, how easy to get updates through email? Keeps me on top of things since I spend too much time on enjoy the computer. Recently, my plan has me reading a few chapters each day from the books Acts and Exodus. Today I really started pondering (picture me with my hand on my chin thinking hard - ha!). In Acts, Paul is constantly traveling to surrounding areas to proclaim the love of Christ to as many people as he can. Even though he knows he will be persecuted, stoned, imprisoned, and almost killed over and over and over again. Yikes! I couldn't handle that! But he endures. Hmm? Perhaps I shouldn't complain about oh, the doctor office taking flipping FOREVER today (M had her 15 month checkup and all is well :)). Perspective. Gotta have perspective. Because I don't want to end up like the Egyptians in Exodus who refused to trust and believe in God and ended up with rivers of blood, dead animals & family members, and tons and tons of bugs surrounding me. Eww. Faith = good. Trying to do things my own way & ignore God = not gonna work for me in the long run. Got it God! You spoke loud and clear to me today. Moving on now...

Lastly, I was "full" today with another awesome full body workout! I love love love full body workouts. They have so many benefits. What is a full body training split? It's where you work all of the large muscle groups in one workout. So instead of doing biceps & triceps one day, legs one day, and chest & back one day, you are able to get almost every muscle in one workout. Here are some benefits I have found with full body training:

• Ability to work each muscle more than once per week without over-training. With a well set-up program you can work out legs, chest, back, etc 2-3 times per week. This can help you make progress quicker.
• Greater calorie burn per workout. Think about it? When do you feel more beat? After some squats  or after doing some bicep curls? Full body workouts have you working out the larger muscle groups (legs, back, chest) throughout the workout, which will keep the calorie burn high. Also, with full body workouts it is easier to set up supersets and giant sets (exercises done back to back) which keeps you moving. Which = more burn than sitting around for a couple minutes between sets.
• Never ending options for routines. When you are doing only 1-2 moves per body part in each workout, there are endless options and ways to mix and match routines. For example: You might still do the same 4 or 5 back moves throughout the week, but it can be split up differently each week with a full body plan instead of being the same moves every week on your back day.  Added bonus - when you mix things up in your routine regularly, your body doesn't adapt as much so you continue to see progress.
• Less time in the gym. Full body workouts usually focus on larger, compound movements. Like bench presses and pull-ups versus overhead extensions and curls. When you do the big moves, there isn't a need to do as many of the smaller moves because those muscles are already worked in the big stuff. Like, you will work your triceps during a bench press and your biceps during a pull-up or row. And like the supersets I mentioned above. Those help cut down on time too, because you can hop from one exercise to the next. AND you only have to do weights 2-3 times per week.

Some things I keep in mind for a full body workout - don't overload and do too many exercises. Usually one exercise per body part is sufficient. Try to vary the exercises from workout to workout. Incorporate more compound moves and large muscle group exercises (back, legs, chest) and less accessory or isolation work (bis, tris, some machines).

These are some setups I have used for fullbody with each line being a superset and subbing in different moves:

Setup One

Legs/Chest

Legs/Back

Shoulders/Bicep/Tricep

Setup Two

Legs/Back

Legs/Chest

Isolation Legs (hamstring curls or leg extensions usually) / Chest OR Back (switch off each workout)

Shoulders/Bicep OR Tricep (switch off each workout)

Disclaimer: Even though I hope to one day be one, I am not a certified trainer. These are simply ideas and things I enjoy in my workout plans. Always do what works for you and consult a trainer or doctor to see if something is right for you and your goals. I simply enjoy sharing what works for me. With that being said, here was my specific workout I did today.

• Warmup on Elliptical 10 min
• Squat 4 sets & Machine Low Row Back 4 sets
• Incline BB Bench 4 sets & DB Bicep Concentration Curl 2 sets & DB Rear Delt Raise 2 sets
• Walking Lunges 3 sets & Side Cable Shoulder Raise 3 sets
• Straightarm Pulldowns 2 sets & Back Extensions 2 sets
• Incline Walk on Treadmill 20 min
• Stretch

In this workout I incorporated a larger muscle group in each superset in order to keep my workout challenging. The exercises being grouped together helped my workout go quickly. I had an extra back move and a bicep exercise in this workout. In the next one it will be a chest and tricep to keep the balance. Once again, I am not a trainer and this is just a setup that works well for me.

So there was my full day. 🙂

• Do you lift weights? What workout splits do you enjoy? Or do you prefer to just use gym classes for your weights?