My home workout space, equipment & routine

I often get asked what do I do for workouts, where I work out and what equipment do I use. I thought I would clear the air.:)

There is a common misconception that I lost weight running and I run a lot. I didn’t and I don’t. I have a dedicated workout space at home, own basic equipment & follow a secret routine.:) Joking, not secret here…

I run occasionally on nice sunny days when I feel like a breath of fresh air. I usually do a 5-7 K in my neighbourhood, which is pretty nice – creeks, rivers, parks, wildlife and playgrounds. At the end of each run I go up this hill.

It looks quite innocent but it’s not! It also curves which is hard to see in the photo. By the end of it, I have burnt around 800 calories and it lasted 40 minutes.

I own a pretty nice jogging stroller Infinity, which I got for $60 from Craigslist. Love good deals!

Adam does pretty well in a stroller with water and snacks. In the middle of that hill we stop at the cutest little playground ever.

He gets a break and me too before I push him in a stroller up the hill.

Why I don’t run all the time?

1. My varicose veins get worse with running. It runs in our family.

2. I simply don’t love running that much. Alex (the husband) does though.

3. I personally believe weight training and high intensity interval training (HIIT) are more effective for weight loss. And it’s total IMHO. With weights I build muscle that burns fat, and with HIIT my heart doesn’t run at the same pace, so the body burns more fat.

So, here is my workout routine. This is what I love to do!

It is Chalean Extreme and Turbofire programs. I do these 3 times a week on average and that’s how I lost majority of the weight. I still have some to lose, you will see below. I do not follow the schedule, I do my own thing based on time and physical abilities that day.

This is my workout space in the basement.

I love it because it is secluded from the chaos of the house, I do not have to get the workout space ready and it’s cool and has sturdy floors. And of course I love the 50″ LCD screen.:)

The weights: 5, 10, 15 & 20 lbs. They are not cheap, about $1 per lb. I prefer the covered ones but they are even more money. It took me some time to collect these and I still wish I had 8lbs.

I always lift 5 lbs lighter than Chalene.

Heart rate monitor. I bought it at Sportchek for $70. Tells how many calories you burn and your heart rate. Pretty cool.

Wrist/ankle weights and band. The weights are great for making your regular workout a bit more challenging (they are 2.5 lbs each) & the band is great for lower body workout routine.

Yoga mat or 2, for push ups. I used to hate push ups but now I’m getting better at them. They are super effective for your core and abs. Get thick good quality yoga mat! Mine are cheap, that’s why I have 2. My butt and back bones were killing me touching the laminate floors. So extra cushion is definitely nice!

My runners. I just keep them in my gym along with socks. My feet stay pretty clean and are aired well, so no need to change the socks every time. I do not change runners every 3-4 months as I don’t run in these. I’m OK this way.

This is a heart rate monitor reading from a Chalean Extreme weight training workout.

After the workout I always have a protein shake.

It is either this simple Magic Bullet shake – unflavoured whey protein, water and coconut water (sometimes) and a drop of vanilla extract.

Or a glass of Greena Colada with some brown rice protein powder.

I usually make a full blender of it for the day and keep in the fridge.

Now as for the myth that my body is perfect. It’s not! My biggest problem area is my stomach. As skinny as I am – only 125 lbs at 5’4″ height, my stomach is not as flat as it could or should be. The main reason for that is that I carried 2 big babies (9 & 10 lbs birth weight) and it has been stretched out too much!

I gained 60 lbs with each child and wasn’t eating junk food, trust me. It’s just the way my body is. And for a smaller body frame like mine it was too much. I was huge. And it’s more likely genetics when it comes to skin elasticity. And it got worse after 2nd child.

Here is me 8 months pregnant in 2010:

In the middle is a shot of me 3 days after giving birth (no baby in there but looks like there is):

So here is me, now, may 2013. With clothes on:

A side shot of bikini stomach:

And this is what I hate about my body the most and trust me, it took me a lot of thinking and courage to post this shot:

I just hate this part of my body! A combination of loose skin and fat, kills me! I guess it’s the price to pay for having 2 beautiful healthy children.

I still haven’t given up on it. I’m working hard on it but the reality of life is different.

A plastic surgeon told me I won’t be able to get rid of this in the gym as it’s all extra skin. The skin is super thin, maybe only 1-2 mm, so what’s the rest?! I can think only of fat. So, I didn’t really trust him and his tummy tuck quote for 11K.

I’m OK with my body except when summer comes. I would love to wear a bikini this summer…

What is your favourite and least favourite part of your body?

Do you have a workout space at home or you go to the gym?

What equipment do you own and routine you follow?