Great workout tonight!

Wow, what a workout! I am just now getting home! I really needed a good workout and I can honestly say I gave it 100%. After eating Chinese food today, it could not have came at a better time!

When we first got there, we did the stepper first. I told Betty if I am going to do it, I have to do it while I still have energy. I really can not remember how long we were on the stepper, but I sure do remember that I burned 50 calories and climbed 14 stories. I think it was only 5 minutes, and she was there cheering me on!

Next we did the treadmill. I told her that I wanted to do it for 30 minutes, which believe me I was kind of worried about lasting 30 minutes after just getting off the stepper. She encouraged me to bump up the speed every five minutes for twenty seconds. Since I am training to hike in the mountains and Bob from the Biggest Loser says you burn more calories by doing it at an incline, I set the treadmill at an incline of 2. I plan on bumping it up a level on the incline each time I go to the gym. Well, once my legs got moving I kept the treadmill on 3.0 and after five minutes, I bumped it up to 3.5. Instead of doing the 20 seconds as Betty suggested, I was feeling GREAT, so I did it for a whole minute! After that, I took it back down to 3.0 for four minutes. Next I bumped it up to 3.6 for one minute. Down for four, then up to 3.7 for one minute. This one about KILLED me! Down for four, then up to 3.6 for one minute Down for four, then up to 3.5 for one minute. I was extremely proud of myself! I did it! I walked 1.5 miles and burn 150 calories. The highest my heart rate got up to was 161.

Since my legs felt like jell-o, I suggested we do weights next. I need to better about timing how long we did the weights. I know it was at least 20 minutes. I did a great crunch machine, 4 sets of 10 of those resting a minute after each 10. I did chest pumps, biceps, and who knows what all else. But mainly weights that worked my abs and arms.

Next Betty continued with the weights, but I wanted to do the bike. Before jumping on that, I did the machine next to it which basically is rotations for your arms. Kind of like a bike, but you pedal with your arms. I stayed on there for 5 minutes, burning 30 calories.

Jumped on my favorite machine -- the bike with a back support and a FAN! Last time we went to the gym I rode it for 20 minutes and did 4 miles. Well this time I challenged myself to do on the bike what I did on the treadmill. I selected the setting "Random Hill" and started at level 1. I rode it for 4 minutes keeping my RPMs in the 80's, then for 1 minute I pedaled fast and kept the RPM's over 100. The fastest I got was 110. After that minute was over, I went back down to staying in the 80's RPM range and upped the level to 2. After 4 minutes, I went as fast as I could keeping it above 100. I tell you what -- I DID buy me a sports bra and I DID have it on, but my girls were all over the place. I don't think sports bras are meant to battle the bulge bouncing from below. LOL. There was a point where I thought, "OMG, I hope nobody is watching me". Then the next moment, my "positive voice" which I am growing to love answered and said "WHO CARES! BURN THEM CALORIES". After I had done this for 10 minutes, I looked at the calories and noticed I was not going to hit the 70 calories burned on this machine if I don't step it up! So I started resting one minute, and going hard for one minute with me bumping up the level after each hard minute. I ended the 20 minutes on the bike at level 6 with 71 calories burned and 7 miles traveled! Can you believe that? That is 3 more miles in that 20 minutes than I did last week! Yay me!!! I ROCK!!!

So if your doing the math, I burned 300 calories on the machines that TOLD me how many I burned. I am not sure how many calories I burned on the weights and the stretches we did with the ball before we left. Oh yeah, that little exercise with the ball Betty had me try to do last week that I could not even pick up my feet; I DID it! Last night after I blogged I mentioned that I was going to do some exercises with the ball before I went to bed. Well, I was actually able to do 5 of them last night and I did another 5 at the gym tonight! I want to challenge everyone of you to try this. (Erin - I will be watching your blog to see if you did) Lay down on the floor and hold the ball above your head. When I say above, it will almost be touching the floor atop your head. Next pull up your legs up keeping them straight and have your arms and legs meet in the middle. Spread your legs to take ahold of the ball. Now lower your legs WITHOUT letting the ball touch the ground. Lift them back up and take the ball from your legs. Lower your legs again but DON'T touch the ground. Get them like 2 inches from the ground before lifting them up once again to do it all over. This is alot HARDER than it sounds. I did 5 and next time, which will probably be tomorrow, I am going to do 6. I am going to challenge myself to be able to do 10 the next time we go to the gym.

I did not eat dinner tonight and although I am not hungry, I am going to eat me a salad, take a shower, and go to bed! Tomorrow is Friday!!! I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and try my challenge!!