Well, this morning I realized that a kick-butt workout can be achieved on the ellitpical!
After seeing Gabriela post this workout on her blog, I figured an interval workout on the ellitpical was worth a shot. I printed out her workout, but changed it up a bit and ended up completing the following 50-minute routine:
Elliptical Workout
I must say that I’ve never used the elliptical at an incline above 13. Level 18 is no joke! I actually felt like I was on the stair master. I felt so slow, but plugged away!
As you can see above, the hardest part of the workout occurs during the first 30 minutes. I used the last 20 minutes to cool down and read the latest issue of Shape magazine.
Breakfast
After my workout, I came home and took Sadie on a quick walk before digging into a delicious breakfast.
Yogurt Bowl + Chia Seeds + Sweet Potato Puffs
In the mix:
- 1 c. 2% Chobani Greek yogurt
- 3/4 c. Gerber Graduates sweet potatopuffs
- Chia seeds
- Honey
You better believe I incorporated baby cereal into the mix!
Sweet Potato Puffs
Since I clearly cannot be trusted around boxed cereal, I typically avoid buying it. These little puffs are perfect because they satisfy my craving for cereal and for some reason I am much better about exercising portion control around them. Maybe because there are only six servings in a container and I want them to last a while?
Whatever it is, I’m sold. They’re delicious! I was actually a little apprehensive about the sweet potato flavor, but the flavor is light and has the perfect amount of sweetness.
Lunch
…Fast forward through the first half of my day at work…
Lunch!
Thursday's Meal
On my plate:
- Turkey sandwich with roasted red pepper hummus and spinach
- Curried cauliflower
- Carrot stick
Curried Cauliflower
Can you believe that the above portion of cauliflower is actually an entire head of cauliflower? Crazy, huh? I swear the oven must be a shrinking machine or something.
Let’s move on to some fun stuff…
iHerb.com $50 Shopping Spree Winner
Holy giveaway entries!!! I wish I have billions of dollars so I could give you all $50 to use to get yourself some yummy food… like coconut butter since you guys apparently want to bathe in the stuff! 
Now for the winner…
And the Winner is...
Hooray!
Congratulations Erin! Please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com with your mailing address so you can stock up on some chia seeds.
Of Possible Interest
- The Fashion page was updated earlier this afternoon (PBFingers.com)
- 5 Healthy Cauliflower Recipes (FitSugar.com)
- Whole Grain Fiber Linked to Longer Life (Health.com)
wow level 18- geesh!
Jess@atasteofconfidence
I kind of use the elliptical as a cop out too, which is why I tried that workout- glad you liked it! I agree that anything above 13 or 14 is a killer. I had planned to go all the way to 20, but I felt like my movements got too jerky and uncomfortable at the end…really tough! Glad you liked it though!!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine
yeah i felt so awkward once i got to 14! i was like “how sloooow am i going!?”
peanutbutterfingers
That cauliflower looks awesome!
Amanda- The Nutritionist Reviews
Lucky Erin!
I love that you admitting to being less “intense” on the elliptical….and yes 18 is KILLER! So glad there is another lover for the elliptical out there 
Annette
I love that you included those sweet potato puffs in your bowl! I used to eat those when my son was little!!
Stefanie @TheNewHealthy
I lost 50lbs using the elliptical for 4 miles every morning, it’s a great machine!!!
Curried cauliflower looks delicious, I’m going to have to try that!!
My now 3 year old used to eat those sweet potato puffs by the fist full as a 1 year old, he loved them!
jen
wow, that’s amazing! congrats on your success!
peanutbutterfingers
I use the eliptical in the same way–thanks for sharing this great and challenging workout!
Elizabeth@The Sweet Life
916 responses???? Dang, girl!
Laura @ prettylittlewords
Yea the elliptical is definitely what you make of it. The cauliflower looks delicious. I love your blog!
eliza
I’ve never gotten into using the elliptical… but I DO love those Gerber puffs! My cousin always has them around for her son & they’re delish! I had to get some for my desk
Katy @ A Healthy Shot
Those puffs are SO good…I used to eat them along with my daughter when she was little. Then I saw you used them in your yogurt and decided I need to try…once again, you’ve sparked a new obessision for me!!
LindzGreerIndy
Those Gerber puffs look good! Love your lunch. It looks so yummy! I love roasted cauliflower. Yummy!
Hope
I’m totally taking down this elliptical routine – I need new ways to amp it up! and WOW! Who knew so many people were excited about chia seeds
Mel
Haha – my little nephew loves that sweet potato flavor.
I’ve found that broccoli shrinks the most in the oven, and I almost always forget that when I’m making it. I’ll take it out of the oven and there’s about enough for one bite!
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles
I kind of use the elliptical as a cop out too. I love just zoning out.
Kacy
HI!
Please tell me why you cant have boxed cereal? do you buy lots of baby food things?
I am very much interested!
I joined ww on jan 4th… down 6.0 in six weeks.. not as good as i hoped, I found a few blogs this week that I want to follow and help myself stay in check…
the baby food thing has me roaring to go to the store…
Jill
i can have boxed cereal, but i just choose not to buy it because i seriously cannot control myself around it. the same thing goes for ice cream. i cannot seem to stop at one…two… or even 5 servings! the last box of cereal i had was honey nut chex and i ate the entire thing in one day. baby cereal is the only baby food i buy.
it’s delicious!
peanutbutterfingers
Got cha! I read that post after I sent the comment!
Thanks!
Jill
DANG!! i hate the elliptical! i find it MUCH harder than a treadmill run ahah! same with the bike.. i suck at a stationary bike!
Carrie
I’m SO glad I am not the only one who sees the benefit in Gerber being a (small) part of an adult diet. You are not alone my friend!
Caitlin
There are no words for my love of cauliflower…so amazing!
Heather (Heather’s dish)
Sweet potato cereal?! So I take it that’s pretty good then??
Sounds interesting.
Monique
OMG i love the sweet potato puffs! I’m the same way..me plus cereal equals domination. Haha I dominated the sweet potato puffs one time too though
Britannie
Thought you might like this!
http://www.petsugar.com/Vizsla-Facts-Trivia-8730474
Lindsey
I use the elliptical as a cop-out workout too, but I kinda like it that way. I usually do harder runs, but it’s nice to have a go-to “freebie” exercise on days you just aren’t feelin it!
Clare @ Fitting It All In
I do the same thing with the elliptical! I push the resistance up to the point that I get a good sweat going, but I know I could use it to really work my leggies.
Kristen @ That Hoosier Girl
Well, shoot. What can I use as my cop out workout now???
I keep eyeing those puffs at the store since I’ve seen them here. The sweet potato flavor definitely caught my attention. Think it might be time to pull the trigger!
Melissa
I never go hard on the elliptical either, and I never trust its calorie meter (it doesn’t feel like I’m working hard enough to burn as many calories as running). I’ll have to try this plan out though, maybe I’ll work as hard as spinning!
Lauren
Holy moly 916 comments!?!?!?!?!?! My goodness girl!
I will have to try this on the elliptical. I find that I never get a good workout on them, but this may do the trick!
Katy (The Singing Runner)
GOOD JOB 916. WOW.
Erica
I buy the baby food little dried puffed fruit bits to add to my cereal!
I cannot give up my cereal. In fact, I just ate cereal for dinner as I just got home from work
Amy at TheSceneFromMe
I think the same about elliptical workouts. I use them on my “easy cardio” days..although *sometimes* they offer a pretty good sweat session.
Mary @ Bites and Bliss
I am going to have to try that baby cereal! I always thought it was weird that I eat banana baby food for snacks… I feel like people are looking at me funny when I buy it! haha
Brooke
I really need to get into Graduate Puffs, they look like a great snack!
Jason @ Shutter&Saute
The cauliflower looks delicious! It’s funny how much veggies shrink in the oven, but they taste so amazing that way.
Amber K
I never buy cereal either, for the same reason that I can go through a box in a single day. I LOVE the gerber puffs (Banana is my favorite) and have gotten used to the strange looks I get when I pull them out of the drawer at work
But, another love of mine: Kay’s Naturals Better Balance Protein Cereal! It comes in two flavors, Apple Cinnamon and French Vanilla and you can get them in single serving packages! They are only 100 cal per serving, with 9 grams of protein.
Their chili nacho cheese chips and pretzels are also really good!
http://kaysnaturals.com/products/
Lisa
I just did this elliptical workout today and it KICKED my booty!! I did not realize that I could work so hard on that machine! Thank you for this!
Katie May
More elliptical workout pleeeeeeasee!
Brittany
I just did this workout this morning at the gym – I only took 5 minutes to cool down instead of 20, since I was short on time… but holy! I did not think the elliptical could be this difficult – I’ve never sweat on the elliptical like that before! Thanks for the great workouts!
Meredith
I tried this today and LOVED it… and I was sweating buckets! I love your site and read it daily. I know you have workout playlists, and our taste in music is a little different but maybe you’d like the one-click-playlists on my website. It’s a lot of music like Wynter Gordon’s “Dirty Talk”… anything to get me moving. Hopefully you’ll like them! (they might be a little too electro for you taste…)
http://thekatsup.com/category/music/
Garard
found your blog through pinterest! I am really enjoying it!
mary
Wow! I did the elliptical workout today at the gym and that was definitely the hardest I’ve ever worked on the elliptical before! I don’t really care for the elliptical because its boring, but with your interval plan I had no time to be bored!! I also did a treadmill workout of yours the other day and it was super tough (but awesome) as well! I am looking forward to trying more and more of your workouts to help me reach my goal! Love the blog! Thanks!
Sharon
Hi Julie! I really like exercising, but I have a problem sometimes when I do exercise (usually only when I am outside). I get really light headed and dizzy. Along with all of this I feel like I am going to throw up my meal I ate before! I play tennis and that is usually when it happens the most. I eat very healthy (I do have a sweet treat every night). I also don’t eat very much sodium, to be honest I have no idea how much I eat but my mother thinks it could be a factor. Have you experienced this or know what is going on?
Maire
I did this workout last night and it rocked my world! I made a new playlist and everything!
Allie
so glad to hear it!
peanutbutterfingers