Quite a few of you out there seem to be sharing my summer slump attitude when it comes to recent work outs. There are also a bunch of you who are totally in the work out zone, which is awesome. Thank you to everyone who offered up some great workout programs and possible fitness goals in the comments section of my morning blog post!
Since quite a few of us seem to be in need of a fitness goal for a little extra exercise motivation, I figured I would highlight some of the recommendations you guys provided to me, as well as a few fitness goal ideas I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while.
- Train for a sprint triathlon
- Train for a duathlon
- Barre3 Challenge
- Create a yoga challenge (Example: Take x-number of yoga classes a week/month)
- Insanity DVD
- P90x DVD
- Train for an open-water swimming event
- Tina’s Best Body Boot Camp
- Gina’s Summer Shape Up
- Jess’ Summer Shape Up Plan (I ended up completing Day One of this plan today! More on that below!)
- Compete in a Tough Mudder <— On my MUST DO list!!
- Complete a Spartan Obstacle Race
- Train for a figure competition
- TurboFire DVD
- Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD
- Try a new group exercise class at the gym
- Train for a 2-Day or 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk
Lots of awesome suggestions!
I am most intrigued by Jess’ Summer Shape Up Plan and training for a triathlon or duathlon. My only hang up when it comes to training for a triathlon or a duathlon is the biking! Though I love spinning, I don’t own a road bike and do not want to invest any money into a bike since I’m not really into biking outdoors. Plus, it kind of freaks me out! I’m on the lookout for a race that incorporates only swimming and running but they’re really hard to find. If anyone knows of any in the Central Florida area, please let me know!
Workout
With all of your awesome work out suggestions rolling in, I felt 10 times more inspired when it came time to do my own workout today.
I ended up completing Day One of Jess’ Summer Shape Up, which included a legs and core workout. (Just FYI – Jess will be giving birth to a baby girl any day now! Very exciting!) I did a 30-minute workout on the treadmill to start before I completed Jess’ workout. The leg workout was short, so I completed an extra round before moving onto the core workout. I loved both components and am looking forward to the next workout tomorrow!
Lunch
By the time I made it home, I was more than ready for lunch.
I fixed myself a plate of egg salad with pita slices for dipping and served it with a side of fresh strawberries and almonds for some healthy fats.
It was a very satisfying lunch!
Question of the Afternoon
- What is one fitness-related goal that you have achieved that made you feel like a rock star?
When I finished the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in under two hours, I was really proud of myself. I was also really proud when I passed my NASM personal trainer exam.
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Hey Julie! What a great list of potential goals! Have you considered eventually trying to get BodyPump available at your gym/being a BodyPump instructor? I recently started attending BodyPump and now I totally understand your obsession with it! It’s AMAZING.
yes! i am trying to talk my gym into it!!
eek well good luck!!
Hi Julie, can you answer my BodyPump question? I have decided to incorporate much more strength training into my week so I have taken up BodyPump more regularly. How often do you think I should do it a week? Right now my schedule allows Monday, Wednesday (or?) Thursday, and Saturday. I ask because I know you need rest days, but it is full body, so could I run or do other things on the off days? (taking 1-2 days off a week?) Thanks!
I’m a BODYPUMP instructor and it’s not recommended that we teach the format more than three times a week. I would suggest only twice a week to start and go up to three, always leaving a day in between, as you get stronger.
It may seem like a small accomplishment, but the first time I did a chin up I felt like a rockstar! I have also been doing Insanity for some workout variety… I highly recommend it as a supplement to regular workouts but I question the safety of doing it for 60 days straight… seems a little insane (for lack of a better word!)
What you’re looking for is an aquathlon. Here’s one in Daytona http://surfguardian.org/ (it’s for 2012, but presumably the 2013 information will go up soon).
thank you! i never knew the proper term! i saw the aquabike, but never stumbled upon an aquathon. thanks, victoria!
In Oklahoma they are also advertised as a ‘Splash-n-Dash’, so that might yield more search results for you.
There are so many things that if I were blessed with crazy athletic ability and extra time to train, I’d love to do (triathalon and 50-milers, I’m looking at you!). Unfortunately, I have neither, so I’ll settle for my 10ks/halfs/possible fulls for now. 😉 (Because, you know, that’s not insane enough already!) Finishing my first half-marathon is and will always be one of the greatest moments of my life. Due to life circumstances, I didn’t do any training the last 2.5 weeks of my plan, and hit a giant wall with 4 miles to go–but nothing compares to that moment when you cross the finish line for the first time.
great ideas for fitness goals! Michelle and I have a new goal of working on better posture!
Getting my first pull-up was probably one of the best feelings ever.
Thanks for compiling this list!! I’m going to go through them all now and pick a goal or two (or three!) for the summer. this is EXACTLY what I needed today!! Thank you!!
I ran a Tough Mudder in April and absolutely loved it! Training for it was fun too because I had to incorporate strength and cardio, unlike training for a half marathon where the focus is centrally on running! Tough Mudder has workout circuits on their website that I used to build up my stamina and strength needed to get through the ten mile course.
I’ve looked into swim/run events, and I think they’re called “aquathlons”, in case that helps your search.
My fiance and I both finished our first marathon together last month, and it was definitely the hardest fitness goal I’ve achieved. Now I’m planning to PR my next 5k, this September in NYC.
I finished my 3rd half marathon a couple of weeks ago and got a major PR, which was just awesome and so rewarding. Now, however, I’ve definitely fallen into a workout slump. I’m apparently very goal-oriented when it comes to working out! I signed up for Gina’s Summer Shape-up though and so far I’m loving that, plus it’s helping with the slump.
I’m about to run my first half but after that I’m thinking about a sprint tri, I’ve been swimming a lot as cross training and I never thought I’d be able to swim very far until I realized that I was completely miscalculating my distance and actually doing about a mile at a time! (still not very far for real swimmers but a lot for me!)
Awesome fitness goal ideas!
I”m always looking for ways to improve my strength and get a little more muscles to my skinnier frame.
Once I achieved my pilates instructor course I was really proud of myself, mostly because just two years ago I suffered from such horrible panic disorder that I couldn’t even leave the house. So getting up and teaching in front of people was a huge realization over how far I’ve come in that department.
Until last summer my “swimming” skills basically consisted of doggy-paddling and staying afloat in deep water. I decided to challenge myself and took swimming lessons, which were great, but I was still really nervous about going to the gym and swimming laps on my own. After an injury kept me from running I bribed myself to go to the pool – the first time I just told myself I had to stay in the pool for 15 minutes, no matter how long I had to rest between laps. I kept going back though, and the day I swam 1650 yds was one of my biggest fitness accomplishments, up there with running my first half marathon.
I am currently doing Gina’s summer shape up! We are in week 2 and I am loving it so far. It’s a nice change of pace and just what I needed for some extra motivation. I definitely understand where you are coming from with the whole summer slump thing!
My biggest fitness accomplishment took less than a minute, but is still the thing I’m most proud of. I had to do a fitness test to get my job that included an obstacle course and a 150 lb drag. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the drag, but I did it! I do the test every year, but I’m still most pumped about the first one.
Finishing both of my marathons made me feel awesome!!
Hitting my half marathon goal time without going over or under by even 1 second was a great feeling!
I’d love to run a marathon, but trying to train when travelling is so difficult. One day I’ll do it.
I did Jess’ day one workout yesterday. My legs, butt, and shoulders are super sore today!! I’m excited to continue doing her fitness plan.
As for biking my mom really doesn’t like it either but she somehow puts herself through. I have been to a duathalon event and you don’t have to have a super nice bike. A lot of the duathalon a and triathalons you can do with a team as a relay. So if you know someone who likes to bike they could do that portion and you could do the running and swimming.
I know there are aquathons around here. I can’t remember where though. They are just another division of a triathlon so I’d start by looking at those races and see what types of divisions they have. There is a lot in Clermont, I know that! If you do the aquathon I’ll do the duathlon 🙂
When I finished my first Sprint Triathlon, I felt like a TOTAL stud!! That was a goal of mine for quite some time. As a matter of fact, because I “didn’t like” to run, I started out running to train. Well….the running took off and I didn’t look back at the tri for another several years. With many 5Ks under my belt, I felt it was time to do what I originally set out to do!! I have only done 2, but I am trying for more (2 kids and full time job KINDA get in the way…but I am working on it!!! )
Thank you for being such an inspiration!!!
PS…I found Jess from your blog…so THANKS for that,too!!! 🙂
i feel like a champ after every marathon i run. six down so far!
I love reading Jess’ blog! I found her through you. When I found out I was pregnant, I was looking for workouts and information for exercising while pregnant and I remembered her guest blog a few months back. I would love to join in her summer shape up, but she has some great video and experience on exercising while pregnant.
Definitely finishing my first half marathon in under 2 hours as well! Thanks for posting the recommendations – I’m definitely in a workout routine slump and need to spice things up a bit.
When I completed my first triathlon when I was 15, I was beyond amazed with myself! I am training for a triathlon right now that is in August! I took a long break from them and I am stoked to get back into it! If you have any “brick” training ideas, shoot them my way! 🙂
I love these suggestions! I also love finding new blogs, and hadn’t checked out Jess’s before! I am on a mission to, and to check out the summer program. I didn’t have a chacne to comment this morning, but my motivation in the summer is hit or miss. I still like to do it, but I always feel liek I’m wasting time inside when I could be outside. I try to get it done in the morning so that doesn’t happen!
i attempted insanity awhile back, but got injured after a few weeks 🙂 it’s intense, ha!
I definitely think my first marathon was huge, then getting my most recent half marathon PR. Both really required me to find out what I was made of!
I’ve been doing a quick yoga sequence nearly every morning that includes a 1minute plank. I used to struggle so much with planks, but now that one minute feels like nothing! So many great choices, it’s wonderful how many types of physical activities are there for people to find something they love and stick to it 🙂
I just finished my first ever Triathlon yesterday, and it was an olympic distance! The swim totally freaked me out and I almost grabbed onto a safety boat half way through but turned my negative thoughts into positive ones and finished! You should really consider doing one. I don’t have a road bike either and ended up borrowing a friends. I think you can rent them too!
Thanks for the inspirational tips… I have been working through a weight-training program with progressive resistance. I have hit a bit of a plateau, and need some kind of challenge to shake things up!
I’m loving all the fitness stuff today! Honestly, your blog is very inspiring! I took note of a lot of your arm and leg workouts when I wanted to start lifting at the gym. I played sports through high school and would do cardio (elliptical and treadmill) and ab exercises to work out in college. I didn’t know a thing about lifting and was often overwhelmed by all the advice out there. Utilizing many of your work outs, as well as a few others, I felt inspired to start creating some of my own. The most amazing goal I ever reached was seeing results from lifting because I stopped being afraid of trying something new :).
Definitely finishing a half marathon in under 2 hours my first time!
I just committed to train for a triathalon and it is intimidating but do not let your fear hold you back. I just bought an awesome road bike (On Saturday) from Craigs List and am committed to do this on the cheap. I never even learned how to change gears (read my latest blog entry) so if I can do it, so can you. We should form a support group and do some of this stuff together. You Rock!
I love this! Just fyi, I’m a Beachbody coach which means I provide coaching for Insanity, P90X, Turbofire, etc. I’d love it if you wanted to post on that…maybe your readers want the extra support!!
I’m off to the gym now and I’m going to do Jess’s Summer Shape Up Plan! I’ll be featuring it on my blog http://www.sneakersandsandals.com check it out!
I love your list of summer goals! Such a wide range of fitness ideas. And, thank you so much for listing my series AND trying it out. Would love your feedback: more of this…less of this, etc! I too have had figure competition on my list…wondering if it needs to resurface post-baby! I think YOU should go for it–I’ve always thought it would add another dimension to personal training too.
So many great suggestions! I want to try insanity too at some point but scared of how intense it’ll be. I can’t recommend the 30 day shred enough!
Actually starting to train for a triathlon myself!! Saving up for a bike, it’s crazy how many different things you need! But I heard once you do one you’re hooked. These are all awesome ideas to work toward though, I love having an end goal.
Colorful egg salad! Will we see a recipe soon???
I have started doing Jess’s plan too! She has great workouts that don’t require a gym so it’s so nice for everyone!
I did my first Triathlon (the Rocketman Triathlon) as a graduation present to myself. It was great! Most tris will combine your tri and open water swim goals. Good luck on your list!
The nice part of Rocketman was the cycling portion was done thru the Kennedy Space Center minimizing the creepy driver aspect. And you can rent road bikes.
The Tough Mudder is AWESOME! Totally do it whenever you get the chance. It is so rewarding and honestly, the funniest time I’ve had with my friends at ANY race! And the Breast Cancer walks sound cool and I’ll definitely let my sorority know about that! Sounds like a cool event!
I have to say that I was totally stoked when I completed the 90 day TurboFire challenge. I was skeptical when my sister first recommended the DVDs to me, but they wound up being super challenging and TONS of fun. I’m never usually patient enough to stick with an exercise routine for very long, as I get bored easily, but this one really kept my attention, and I was super proud when I finished the challenge.
Oh, I think a duathalon would be great for you! Hopefully, you’ll find one near you!
I just passed the NASM CPT certification last week! Now I’m not sure what direction to go… I want to start blogging about fitness and nutrition but it’s kind of a slow start.(I’m trying to figure out twitter 😉 ) I read your advise on reaching out to people and found the info very helpful! Thanks for all that you do. xo shree @squatsandgreens
Great ideas! My husband’s Tough Mudder got rained out this weekend so now we get to do it TOGETHER in September! I am super excited and it is def keeping me motivated in the gym.
Hey Julie,
Just wanted to let you know that the ’30 day shred’ is actually an out dated workout, that even Jillian Michaels’ herself advises against. (I am WAY too addicted to her podcast 🙂 )- instead she recommends her ‘Ripped in 30’ workout DVD, which is a little longer of a workout, and set up a bit differently. Just wanted to give you the heads up 🙂
I love how you place your almonds in a separate dish. So cute. I wanted to go to Savannah for a race…figured the scenery would be ideal. Are you from there?
just finishing a half made me really proud of myself! I’m not a great runner, it doesn’t come easily for me, so crossing the finish line made me really happy.
This is an awesome list…I’ve actually done p90x and 30 day shred – and I’m all for a yoga challenge!
I’m training for my 2nd TOUGH MUDDER coming up in August!!! You will LOVE it!! It’s so awesome b/c its not a race, it’s a challenge, and the inspiration you get by participating in it is worth the brutalness!
I printed out all of your great workouts – the fun graphic ones where you use that website and get all creative – and laminiated them to take to the gym with me! I pick a different one out of the pile to keep my workouts new and exciting! A lot of people have asked me about them at the gym! I always say, “I got it from my amazing blogger and tell them to check out pbfingers.com, of course!” 😛 THANK YOU!!!
My biggest fitness accomplishment hasn’t happened yet, but in September I start 9 months of Yoga Teacher Training and I couldn’t be more excited. 🙂 But my current accomplishment is getting into crow pose and holding it for several breaths. My upper body is naturally weak and not very open, so accomplishing this goal was just the confidence I needed to explore other upper body openers. 🙂