Hello again world!

I have had this blog for a long time!  I haven’t deleted it because I have always kind of intended to return to this project in some shape or form 🙂

A lot has happened since I last posted here.  One thing that has not changed is that Zuzana Light is still my fitness hero 🙂 That is pretty much the only thing that has not changed (haha).  Here is a list of things that have changed over the past few years that are directly related to my blog or reasons why I have been absent.

1. Zuzana Light left Bodyrock and now has her own site, Zuzkalight.com.  It is wonderful and her content is better than ever, but there is now a monthly subscription fee to access her content (I am a paying subscriber and feel it is definitely worth the money).  I am over the moon happy for her–unfortunately this means I can no longer re-post her workouts on my site because that would be theft. 😦
2. I have been working my tail off in school and will be graduating with honors from the University of North Texas with my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology!  Where I am limited in my ability to share Zuzka Light’s content, I can make up for with a dramatic increase in my own health and fitness knowledge thanks to my education.
3. Anthony and I are getting married in October! YAY! The date is fast approaching 🙂 We have actually been engaged for almost two years now and have had the luxury of time when it came to wedding planning, but now the you-know-what is hitting the fan!
4. I am still working close to full time hours and now that school is coming to a close, I will be pursuing my career–potentially as a personal trainer, but definitely something in the health and fitness field!

I think it is safe to say I have been extremely busy!  I miss my blog so much and am happy to be returning to it after so long.  That being said, I will have to reconstruct it to some degree.  Its original purpose was to chronicle my fitness journey and progress through each one of Zuzana Light’s bodyrock workouts.  Now that she is no longer with them and her content is paid, I will have to change the theme of the blog a bit.  It will still be related to health and fitness (with a little nutrition mixed in perhaps), and I will still post my scores for her workouts and link to the content–I simply will not be able to repost the workout itself.

It is actually convenient that this blog is forced to take a bit of a turn.  You see–my intentions have changed as well.  I have changed dramatically as a person after so much time has passed!  I am still so passionate about fitness, but I would say I have adopted more of a mind-body-spirit approach and have really become interested in yoga.  I have also not been nearly as active as I used to be because I have been so busy and have failed to make time for my fitness.  Sadly I have put on quite a bit of weight (about 20 lbs heavier than I would like to be) and have been neglecting my nutrition a bit.  I have been struggling a bit with self control and binge eating as a result of stress, I suppose.  So although I still have some of my strength and endurance from walking all over campus and taking a physical education class here and there, I will be starting from the beginning again.  There is no better time to jump aboard a blog about a fitness journey than the very beginning!  It will not be easy, and that is why I need this web of support.  I suppose there are others out there that are a lot like me that need support too 🙂  Hopefully we can lift each other up and celebrate our success together!

❤ Lauren

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Project: Feel the Heat update

Update: I have been diagnosed with Peroneal Tendonitis in my ankle and have to take some time off from working out 😦  I am not a happy camper!  BUT I’m not gone! 🙂  Still here and in the process of making some big changes to my blog!

❤ Lauren

6-25-2012 ZWOW #1…Beast Mode!

Hello again everyone!

Boy does it feel good to be back and blogging again.  I’ve got to keep working out my writing muscles too 🙂

I had a fantastic workout this morning–it was REALLY tough.  I totally underestimated the difficulty and intensity of the first ZWOW partly due to the fact that Zuzana had taken quite a bit of time off of her strict regimen for personal reasons, had put on some weight, and lost some of her strength.  I thought “well I’ve been at this for a while…I should be able to KILL her time!”  Boy was I ever wrong.  I seemed to have forgotten how driven and beastly Zuzana is.  She powered through it like a machine–even with reduced strength she completed this tough workout faster than I could.

Workout: ZWOW 1 <——–That’s the link to the workout 🙂

Mood: Determined

Workout Breakdown

Divebombers (10)

Burpees (5)

Side to Side squat leg lifts (40)

Burpees (5)

Side Plank Lifts (10 each side)

Burpees (5)

One Leg Pistol Squats (10 each leg)

Burpees (5)

This is one round.  Do a total of three to complete the workout!

My time: 31 min and 39 sec!  That beats my time for my last attempt at this workout by 6 min.

I know I could probably still push harder because there were gaps of time where I stopped to breathe that I know I could have been moving, but I was huffing and puffing so I’ll enjoy the improvement as it comes (lol).  Watch Zuzana’s video for instructions and demonstration.  If you have any questions about any of the exercises, feel free to leave a comment and I will answer you quickly 🙂

I’m looking forward to tomorrows run and the first day of week 2 of my C210K program!  It will be hot as Hades so hopefully I won’t pass out on my trail 😦  You know it’s too hot when you consider waking up at 6 on your day off just so you can run during the coolest hour of the day.  Ugh.  I will also be doing the second ZWOW, so look for that as well!  I hope you enjoy this workout and I would love to know everybody’s scores/time.  It’s fun sharing workouts with friends so that everyone is doing the same thing at the same time and let’s face it: the competition is addictive!  Good luck!

Sweat HARD!

❤ Lauren

Blog Overhaul!

I am still alive!

Work and school, and now a second job as a vegan chef have kept me insanely busy!  I underestimated the size of the bite I took when I committed to posting my workouts every day… it was a lot of work!  I am still committed to my blog (although I have been invisable for quite a while now) and I still want to share my fitness experience and progress here–all this to say: I’m BACK!  I’ve changed my routine and strategy which will therefore require an overhaul and reconstruction of my blog as I am no longer following Zuzana’s bodyrock workouts in order.

A brief summary: I realized that although my strength was greatly improving through my bodyrock journey, my endurance was still pathetic.  I realized it would be necessary to incorporate some endurance training in addition to my strength workouts so I have incorperated running.  I am currently following a C210K (Couch to 10k) running program and just completed my first week, so it will be fun to give you updates on that as well!  Rather than follow Zuzana’s old bodyrock workouts, I decided it would be more fun and rewarding to follow her current project: ZWOWs.  Her new workouts are fresh, exciting, more balanced, and in my opinion, more fitness oriented. 

I recognize that this change sort of thwarts the entire purpose of this blog which was sort of a Julie and Julia project model, but I hope you’ll stick with me because I feel like I still have so much to share 🙂  Instead it will be more of a fitness diary.  I will still post about what I do, but may not be able to sit down at my computer, write a summary, post links, and edit pictures every day.  Such a project is a serious undertaking 😛

So this is me… at day 1 again 🙂  Hoping a rejuvinating overhaul is just what we all need. 

I HAVE made progress however 🙂  I have lost about 10 lbs (after I first weighed in at 132 I actually gained 4 lbs and hit 136), and am now roughly 126lbs.  I have lost inches and toned up–the results have been so very rewarding.  Now I just need to become as fit as I look (haha).  I will post progress pictures within the next couple of days and we can all check in with each other.  Until then… KEEP SWEATING!

It’s good to be back 🙂

❤ Lauren

“Eight Exercises Drill” Day 18

Hey Everyone!

I am in a great mood today! 🙂  I made great time on my workout today because I took fewer breaks and really pushed through, even when I was out of breath.  I beat my old time (last year’s) by 5 minutes!  Just like I said I would 🙂  Plus I’m having a pamper weekend.  Today I got my hair done (finally), and I am now blonde, and tomorrow I’m getting my nails done–plus I get a date night!  If I didn’t have to write an 8 page draft of my research paper by Monday it would be even better.  Today’s workout is fun!  It’s not the toughest workout of Zuzana’s, but it’s really brutal if you push for a fast time.  I was drenched in sweat and breathless at the end!

Day: 18

Mood: Happy

Energy: Moderate

Workout: Eight Exercises Drill  <———That’s the link to the video demo

Equipment: 5lb dumbells (or substitute), step bench (or chair for a greater challenge), and timer

The Workout

Walking Lunges (30)

Squats (15)

Side Lunges (30)

Mountain Climbers (50)

Push Ups (15)

Step Ups (30)

Backward Lunges (30)

Plank and Rows (15)

This is one round.  Do a total of 2 to complete the workout.

My Time: 26 min and 30 sec

I am so proud of my time today! 😀  I pushed really hard and made an extra effort to keep going even when I got tired–it really paid off!  I can’t wait to see how much I can improve my times by making that little adjustment!  Sadly, I missed my workout on Thursday because I had a serious paper to write and a test to study for, so I won’t get my full 5 days in this week 😦  But I’ll give a 6 day week my best try this coming week to see if I can catch up.  If not, it won’t be the end of the world…we’ll see!  I hope you guys enjoy this workout–it was a great one for me because I was able to break past my little barrier.  Let me know how you did and stay away from those sodas!

Thanks for the workout Zuzana!

-Lauren ❤

“15 Minute Cardio Workout” Day 17

Good Evening everyone!

I hope you have had a great week so far!  I have been reading books and writing papers for school 😛 I can’t wait for spring break!  Today’s workout is simple, and unique in the sense that it’s completely customizable depending on the level of intensity you desire, and the equipment you have.  I’ll show you the workout exactly as Zuzana did it, and I’ll also show you how I did it differently to keep the intensity up without a jump-rope.  Have fun!

Day: 17

Mood: Anxious (major paper due tomorrow)

Energy: Moderate

Workout: 15 Minute Cardio Workout  <——-That is the link to the demonstration video

Equipment: Timer and Jump rope (optional) 

Zuzana’s Workout (with jump rope):

Double Jump (25)

Single Jump (25)

Jog (25)

High Knees (25)

This is one round.  Repeat as many rounds as you can in a 15 minute countdown.

Lauren’s Workout (without jump rope)

Single jump/Bunny Hop (25)

High Knees (25)

Jumping Jacks (25)

Scissors (25)

This is one round.  Repeat as many rounds as you can during a 15 minute countdown.

My Score: 12 Rounds

I modified parts of the workout to make sure that it stayed intense enough for me without the help of a jump rope.  Feel free to modify as you wish if you would like to make it more or less intense, just make sure you are doing a total of 100 skips/jacks/whatever per round to keep your heart rate up!

This workout was nice as fast 🙂  It was nice to have it done early so that I had most of the day ahead of me!  Good luck with this workout!  Make sure you record your results so you can compete with your friends and yourself!

Thanks for the workout Zuzka!

-Lauren ❤

” Workout–550 Killer Reps” Day 16

Hey everyone!

This was Tuesday’s workout, but once again I got behind because of the massive amount of homework I have!  Thank goodness spring break is just around the corner.  Fortunately I have managed to stay on track with my workouts, so that means you will get two posts today: one for Tuesday and one for today.  I decided not to work out on Monday because the “Drag Me to Hell” workout left my poor little arms so sore that I couldn’t even un-bend them 😦  I was calling it t-rex syndrome.  Haha 😀  Get ready for a tough workout today though!

Day: 16

Mood: Upbeat

Energy: Moderate

Workout: 550 Killer Reps  <——-that’s the link to the instructional video of the workout!

Equipment: Timer

The Workout:

Backward Lunge Kick-up (25 each leg)

Walkover Push ups (50)

Mountain Climber (50)

Sumo Squat Knee up (50)

One Leg Bridge Leg Lift (25 each leg)

Side to Side Leg Lift (50)

One Armed Side Push Up (25 each side)

Star Crunch (50)

Diagonal Touch Down (25 each side)

Side Plank Lifts (25 each side)

One Leg Wall Sit (25 each side)

Repeat this workout once through as quickly as you can with proper form.

My Time: 37 min and 16 sec

Hmmmm.  I seem to be having a problem with sluggish times lately.  I broke this workout down into two halves just like I did with the 500 rep workout.  I think I could have done better if I had just done all of the reps in one round (50 reps each exercise).  After reflecting on why my times have been slow, I figured it out: I take a short 30-90 sec break before each exercise to recover before the next one.  If there are 11 different exercises in this workout, and I took (on average) a minute long break in between each to gear up for the next one, that’s about 9 minutes I added to my time!  That’s a LOT of time!  Even if I just took just a little less time, I could shave 5 minutes off of that easily!  So my goal for myself is to push myself to keep going throughout the workout and not allow myself to rest so long in between exercises.  My times would be so much more competitive, and more importantly I would be getting more out of my workouts.  It took me 3 weeks to recognize this habit, but better late than never! 

It’s crunch time everybody!  This is the beginning of week 4, or the home stretch before the end of our first month!  That means that at the end of the week we will be taking pictures and measurements to mark our progress 🙂  As the start of a new week, it is also the beginning of Diet Challenge #3: Eliminate Soft Drinks From Your Diet.  They are poisonous to your body because of all of the sugar (40 grams in one can of Coca Cola) and additives they contain.  Random reports have shown that people have had very successful weight loss (up to 10 lbs) JUST from cutting sodas out of their diets.  If you have a sweet tooth and need a substitute, add fresh citrus juice to your water, or drink low sugar, low sodium flavored water. 

Good luck with your new workout and diet challenge!  Keep up your pace and I will do the same! 🙂

Thanks for the workout Zuzka!

-Lauren ❤

“Light Workout–Stretch and Tone” Day 15

Ok everybody

This is the last day of week 3!  Make it count 🙂  Fortunately today’s workout is a light one because this week was full of really brutal workouts.  Think about all the progress you made this week.  It’s a good feeling isn’t it?  Enjoy your workout today, and focus on stretching those sore muscles with each movement.  Don’t worry about your time–today’s workout is not a time challenge. 

Day: 15

Mood: Good

Energy: So tired 😦  and woke up with a headache

Workout: Stretch and Tone Workout  <—— that’s the link to the demonstration video

Equipment: none

The Workout

Side Bends (20)

Prayer Jump Squats (30)

Toe Touches (20)

Cross Crunches (30)

Cobra to Downward Dog (20)

Time: This workout will take you about 30 mins.  Again, don’t worry about timing yourself today.  You can if you want to, to prevent getting lazy 😉 but it’s purely optional.  I just watched the clock and noticed that it took me right around half an hour.

This workout is very refreshing.  It’s just what I needed to wake up for the day 🙂  I definitely could not have handled a really brutal one because my muscles are really sore and my body is exhausted.  Those are both signs that your body will give you when it’s ready for an active rest day.  Listen to it!

Congratulations on finishing our third week of training!  It feels so good to be on a regular fitness routine and know that I am doing something healthy for myself.  This is the first time I have every successfully worked out 5 days a week for this many weeks in a row!  The end of next week marks our first big milestone: an entire month of consistent training!  Next Saturday, I will take all my measurements again as well as take pictures so that you can see the progress I have made.  I encourage you to do the same for yourself!

Today also marks the last day of our 2nd diet challenge: Eat 2 servings of a fruit or vegetable (or both) with each meal.  Just because it’s the end of the week doesn’t mean it’s time to stop doing this!  Remember each of these weekly diet challenges are meant to be added to your routine gradually so as not to shock you, but to help you incorprate healthy habits into your lifestyle in a non-intimidating way.  I will have a new one for you on Monday, so get ready!

The workouts next week are really brutal, so rest up and get ready to sweat!

Thanks for the workout Zuzka!

-Lauren ❤

“Drag Me to Hell Workout” Day 14

Hello again everybody!

Is everyone else sore from the last 2 brutal workouts?  I definitely am.  I have already stressed the importance of taking at least 1 active rest day a week, but I haven’t mentioned what to do when your muscles are sore from a workout.  It is normal to be sore after an intense workout or even a moderate one, especially within the first month of a new fitness regimen.  Barring injury, you really shouldn’t avoid being active because your muscles are sore unless you’ve lifted heavy weights.  Continuing to stay active when you have muscle soreness is actually good for you because it keeps the blood flowing through those parts of the body, and prevents them from getting overly tight and cramped.  Stretch those puppies out!  However: be careful to moniter the condition of your body, and learn the difference between what an injury feels like and what a little bit of post-workout soreness feels like.  If your movement is significantly inhibited or you feel sharp pain in your joints, you likely have an injury.  Listen to your body, and never push through abnormal pain because if it’s not already an injury, it will likely become one.  When in doubt, ask a doctor 🙂 

Today’s workout is simple but brutal (again)!  I was totally dead when I finished this one, and aparently so was Zuzana because tomorrow’s workout fortunately only consists of light stretching and toning exercises–that will feel good on those poor sore muscles–and then it will be time for an active rest day!  Good luck with this monster!

Day: 14

Mood: Light-hearted

Energy: Moderate

Workout: Drag Me to Hell  <——–That is the link to the demonstration video and detailed explanations of the exercises.

Equipment: Pull Up Bar

The Workout

Prisoner Squats with Knee Up (20)

Pull-ups (5)

This is one round.  Do as many rounds as you can in a 15 minute countdown.

My Score: 9 rounds exactly

My arms and legs totally felt like jell-o after this workout.  It was funny, but I couldn’t really lift anything until after my cool-down and I had to wait to start blogging because I was shaking all over the keyboard.  Pull-ups help sculpt a beautiful back and create a nice shape to your torso, making your waist appear smaller.  Contrary to popular belief, they are not a “male only” exercise, and they will not make you bulky unless you’re taking special supplements or steroids.

Modifications and Alternative Exercises

• If you do not yet have the strength to lift your dead weight using just your arms during the pull-ups, give yourself a boost by keeping one foot on a chair.  Try to rely on your upper body to pull you up as much as you can, and only use your leg as a last resort.  Zuzana demonstrates this modification in the video, so be sure to follow the link and watch it!
• If you do not have a pull-up bar, you can exercise the same muscle group using the pike press: We did these in the Rock your Body Juice Workout.  “Stand with your feet wide apart and simply place your hands on the ground in front of you.  Your legs, back, and arms should be straight.  Bend your elbows and bring your head towards the ground.  Push back to the starting position.  This counts as one rep” (Bodyrock.tv).

Well I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to a nice, light workout tomorrow…at least that’s what Zuzana promised, but let’s face it–she’s a beast.  I hope you enjoyed this workout 🙂

It’s nice to be caught up with my blogging again!  If I get behind again in the future–and I probably will because school is only going to get more difficult–it’s not because I’ve forgotten about you, or that I’m skipping my workouts.  I will always catch up, and you are free to continue and work ahead of me by following this list <——That is the site I use to follow Zuzana’s workouts in order.  The oldest is at the bottom of the page and the most recent is at the top.  If you want to stay in sync with my posts, you can also repeat workouts you have already completed to beat your old scores!

Don’t forgot you’re supposed to be eating fruit and vegetable servings with every meal!  🙂  That is diet challenge #2.  There will be a new one on Monday.

Thanks for the workout Zuzana!

-Lauren ❤

“500 rep Workout” Day 13

Okay everyone…

This one is a doozy.  My calves were tight and sore after yesterday’s workout, and I prepared myself for a terrible time with this one… BUT I nailed it!  I pushed myself really hard and was proud of my time, and I know you will do the same!  This one totally wore me out and I was a bit tired for the rest of the day, but I know that my heart, lungs, and muscles were all happy afterwards.  After finishing a tougher, longer workout like this one, you feel so relieved and accomplished.  Nothing beats that feeling 🙂  Well I am running short on time before I have to go to work, so I will cut to the chase.

Day: 13

Mood: Happy

Energy: Low, but I was determined to kill this one

Workout: Brutal 500 rep workout <——that’s the link to the demonstration video

Equipment: Timer and 5lb dumbbell (optional)

The Workout

This workout is just one round of 10 different exercises, 50 reps each.  Complete just one round for time.  If you want to, you can split this workout into two rounds and do 2 x 250 reps.

Prisoner Squats (50)

Sit ups (50)

Backward/Forward Lunge (25 on each leg)

Push ups (50)

Reptile (50)

Turkish Get-ups (50)

Side V-crunch (25 on each side)

Split Push ups (50)

Jump Forward and two jumps back (50)

Reversed plank knee tucks (50)

This totally killed.  lol I was a sweaty mess on the floor when I was done, but it felt so good to have accomplished something so difficult.  On top of that–I’m making myself stronger!

As far as modifications go, you can do all of the push ups (or some), as well as the reptiles from your knees if you need to.  You can also take the 5 lb dumbbell out of the turkish get-ups (those were intense)!

My Time: 43 min and 9 sec

Be careful with your form during this workout.  Because it is long and has a lot of reps, you are likely to fatigue throughout some of the exercises, and during that time it is easy to sacrifice your form and injure yourself.  For that reason, I split the workout into two separate rounds of 250 reps by cutting everything in half.  That way I had more variety and fewer reps between each exercise.

Enjoy this workout!  Let me know how you did, and how much it killed you too! 🙂  There is one more post on the way, and then we will be caught up for today.  Obviously you will not be completing all three of these workouts in one day, so prepare for the next one by purchasing an inexpensive pull up bar.  You can find one at Dick’s Sporting Goods for under $20.00.  The pull up bar is obviously not a requirement, but I got one and I’m so glad I did because I know that I achieved maximum intensity in the next workout with it.  For those of you that do not have the equipment, I will provide alternative exercises.  I will be back with you shortly 🙂  Have a great day!

Thanks for the workout Zuzka!

-Lauren ❤