Recovery Week

Last week was all about recovering from the half marathon. I took 3 full rest days on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Thursday was not an intentional rest, but I came down with a cold and just could not bring myself to go to the gym. It is OK though as a bit of extra rest can't hurt after Smuttynose.

Coincidentally, it also was the deload week in my new strength training program. I am following the 5-3-1 Wendler plan in 4 week cycles--so far, I've enjoyed the plan. It focuses on 4 lifts: military press, deadlift, bench press, and back squat. In addition, I do many sets of "accessory" movements such as banded chins, dumbell lifts, abs, etc. Finally, I still do a conditioning element but it is usually a bit shorter because my primary focus is lifting. In the first four weeks, I have seen some positive changes, but the main thing is that I am enjoying the program so I feel motivated to go to the gym.

Also, I continue to get in about 4 fasted cardio workouts a week but that volume needs to go up. I'm shooting for 5-6 days this week if possible. 2 of those workouts will be morning spin classes. Walks are harder to bring myself to do as the temps drop--I REALLY dislike the cold. I am probably the wimpiest midwesterner ever! The one thing I like about fall/winter though is TEA. I am a huge fan of all things tea (loose leaf, bags, decaf, caffeinated, chai, etc). It is such a calming ritual to sip on a cup of tea. I enjoy reading Corinne's blog (especially when she talks about tea!) as she has such a peaceful view of life in general. I love her use of words to describe settings.

Finally, I've been focusing on cooking more appealing and healthy meal options. I am well aware that my food intake continues to be the area most in need of improvement. Today, I spent much of the day preparing a variety of paleo foods for the week. By 1:30PM I made spinach quiche, roasted savory sweet potato, roasted summer squash/zucchini, apple cinnamon pork loin with gravy, fajita chicken bake, and roasted lemon pepper chicken legs. With the protein taken care of, it should be easy to whip up a few veggie sides during the evenings after the gym. I also have some carrots, nuts, and other paleo snacks to get me through the day. This week, my supply of Vega Pre-Workout energy drink will run out...I'm going to try to phase this out for awhile as I tend to rely on it as a caffeine type substitute far too frequently. It also has too much natural sugar, which I'd like to cut down on over the next few months. I did grab some tea to fill in, but that should be a better substitute.

Week of October 7th- October 13th

Monday- Rest
Tuesday- AM Spin/ PM Xfit
Wednesday- AM Walk / PM Xfit
Thursday- Rest
Friday- AM Yoga/Boot Camp / PM Xfit
Saturday- AM Walk
Sunday- Rest

*Pushups 5X 20 for 6 days
*4 Perfect Bricks