Anyway, it is sunny and 70 degrees here so when you finally do walk outside it sure IS a breath of fresh air. Love it. I kicked butt- got up this morning and did a full on insanity workout!! 500 calories burned. I am committed to doing a 500 calorie burn every day I am here. That's all there is to it. 

Have a great Friday you crazy kids. Pray for me. 

I picked this picture because my "theme" today is about working out while on the road. I've been in a sales role for years and have more often than not had to travel on a regular basis. Getting fit and staying fit is hard enough but being away from home and on the road presents additional challenges. The actual days that you travel (fly, etc.) you deal with airport food and sometimes unpredictable hours where you can not eat for a long time (if you don't pack something- and - it is now limited what you can pack and take on a flight!) and airport food is notorious for being, well, fat & carb heaven. 

That doesn't mean it is impossible. It does require effort and creativity- but hello, so does working in an office job where you don't travel. What I do now is make sure I pack all my workout clothes. I usually pack 2 whole outfits and then I also pack detergent so on a longer trip I can wash one set and let it dry in the room while I use the other set the next day. (believe me people, you gotta watch the weight in your suitcase, it adds up fast! Sucks.) I pack my Val-Slides and Val-Bands which can give you a KILLER cardio/circuit blast. I pack my Cathe workout bands and the tube band with handles on each end. I pack about 3-4 DVDs - insanity, Cathe HIIT, Cathe Travel Fit etc. This way- I am all set to do a killer workout IN MY ROOM. Yes, Hotels have gyms and most are open 24 hours but I've found I'm often disappointed- faulty equipment or next to no equipment, etc. Or cheezy men that are there to just watch chicks workout and drool. #FAIL

Today was travel day down to Austin- we are here for SXSWi Festival.....I am very excited, but I'm tired already. Is that allowed? I'm going to bed early to stock up on sleep. I did get to my room- unpack and what did I do?? I worked out!!! WOOT!! Normally on a travel day, that's my off day but I told you, I have to make up for last week and I'm ready to have a trip and kick butt!! It really bites- as much as I'm happy to attend this festival, this is the 2nd weekend in a row I'm working!! Lots of you were writing to me like, "oh wow that's so cool you are in Austin!" - just remember it is a lot less cool when it is work related. The Arnold is something I am looking forward to doing next year when I can be in jeans and hang out with my friends. Getting dressed for business and walking around in heels all day and running from meeting to dinner to more meetings to more cocktail hours- believe me, it is tiring. Draining actually. I'm not complaining, but this is why I really love my down time. I really appreciate it. 

So, working out when you are on the road is totally doable- it might not be the same killer gym workout you can do at home, but no worries I will be seeing a 500 calorie burn each day in my own room. 

And eating- that too is doable. What I love are hotels like this one that have a refrigerator and a microwave in the room. In those cases, I prefer to run to a local grocery store for fruit, healthy food etc. Then you know what you are eating. Yes, I'll order room service- usually only for breakfast, and if I do that I get an egg white omelette and coffee. I just love how you order a $12 thing on the menu and then you sign the bill and it becomes $75. How they add all these fees blows my mind. I am also bringing my own green tea to drink in my room. Easy to make with the hotel coffee-maker. 

If your hotel doesn't have the fridge/microwave, eating out is DOABLE!! Remember most fast food places have nutritional info on their websites, and any restaurant will likely serve seafood or fish or steak or soup (broths) or even a small pasta dish. Order what you want but have a SMALL PORTION.

Wow. That is a lot of babble for tonight. I'm happy as a clam with my eating today and so proud that I squeezed in a workout when I am really tired. On that note - going to bed early so I can face the first day of the expo READY!! ;-)

Question of the Day: What are your workout trips for staying fit on the road??

Hey Everyone! I hope you are having a great week so far. I don't have much time- getting ready for a trip- SXSW is this weekend - actually the festival is like 3 weeks long I think but I am only attending the Interactive portion. I fear how little sleep I will be getting. I digress. You all know I talked about that earlier this week- there are like a billion networking parties at this event and I am excited to attend as many as I can but no way in heck I can drink every day! I hear all these people talking about how they do that and have a hangover every day.....I can't do it. #1- I want to attend every single amazing session possible and I don't want to be in pain, #2 - calories. Hello. #3- need to be full of energy to fit in workouts while I am there- I cannot fail again like I did in Columbus. No excuses. #4- to drink more than like one night would just so dehydrate me and make me tired, I would end up catching a cold. I know my metabolism. I'm old. I need rest. So, perhaps I'll be the only one drinking a lot of water but I'm not heading down there to miss sessions, be hungover, tired, angry and gain 5 lbs. I'm up for the challenge. PRAY FOR ME.

Also- please pray for my brother in law. His mom died yesterday evening, she was only 64 years old. She was such a great mom, and we just loved her. My heart breaks for my sister and my brother in law.....they just lost the grandma like 2 months ago. Sigh. 

I must run - have to pack today, pick up dry cleaning, make sure I have everything I need for the trip, coordinate with my house-sitter blah blah blah. I did have a great workout this morning. It proved my point again that I simply can't eat in the morning before cardio. I tried to do Insanity and got 2/3 of the way through the warmup and was way too crampy to continue. Bollocks!! So....I made up my own Lower Body Circuit (I'm so in the circuit mode right now):

• Circuit One: Run up/down stairs 2x, 15 swings with 20lb kettlebell, lunge kicks on the bosu ball followed by one legged squats on the bosu ball, high step ups, val-band side kicks then back kicks, then val-slide reverse lunges, then no-weight squats. I did this circuit 2x through. First time with some weights, second time with none.
• Circuit Two: Run up/down stairs 2x, 15 swings with 20lb kettlebell, 15 front kicks each leg, 15 high step ups, val-slide side lunges, dead lifts on the bosu. I only did this circuit once because I was fatigued totally.
• BURNED 500 CALORIES total in about 50 minutes. 

Not sure if I am more tired/cramping up/fatigued this week because of the time "off" last week (4 days) or because it is Aunt Flo's visit.....but it is noticeable. When I feel like I don't have the strength to continue, I don't push myself. I'm happy with a 500 calorie sweatfest.

What do you GALS think- when it is TTOM, are you more fatigued, are your workouts more difficult? Do you go easier during that week?? I know Michelle Berger talks a lot about hormonal timing in her book. I need to re-read that. 

Every time I see this picture I'm like DAYUM!!! I don't see myself ever coming within 2 feet of having abs like that (also because I know how you have to eat like 500 calories a day forever to maintain it) but- the overall lean body fat look and killer delts inspire me. Speaking of delts, I blasted my shoulders today after a Cathe HIIT 30/30 workout. I needed an isolation type weight training, so I made up my own circuits and just TORE IT UP:

1. First Circuit: Shoulder Press/Side Delt Raises/Front Delt Raises/Bent Over Rear Delt Raise: 12 reps each then the last one I did 15 reps. 30 second break in between.
2. Second Circuit: Seated Fly/Upright Row/Arnold Press: same practice as above.
3. Finished with Leaning Side Lateral Raises with 20lb dumbell- 15 reps each arm X 2
4. SWEET MOTHER OF GOD THAT'S ALL THIS BODY COULD HANDLE!

I am on FIYUH!! The diet is going GREAT!!! And- I mentioned this in my vlogs. I'm going to be interviewing some other fabulous fit peeps - from trainers to competitors to other bloggers- so- for my fist guest, I am interviewing Mr. Jay, my former badass trainer, now living in Ft. Lauderdale. See his picture below and one of his videos, he trains at Lifetime Fitness down there. Jay has won myriad competitions and KNOWS HIS STUFF. He trains himself for comps and also women for comps but also men/women wanting buff-ness. 

SO- TELL ME WHAT QUESTIONS YOU'D ASK JAY ABOUT TRAINING, NUTRITION, ANYTHING. If you can put your questions in the comments area and I'll incorporate that into the video/interview!! MKAY??

Um. Yea. ALL OF HIS TRAINING IS LIKE THAT. I MISS HIM SOOOO MUCH. 

Here is my babbling for today:

YOU KNEW THAT WAS COMING!! I think right here he was whispering, "Kelly, Maria means nothing to me now that you are here...". Oh wait, that was me fantasizing. Sorry. I was also thinking about THIS SCENE at this moment, which is why security had to pry my hand away from Arnold. 

I say it in my LONG vlog(s) below but really, Arnold in person is truly a very real, genuine, humble and unassuming man. Very dedicated, not arrogant, great sense of humor. I can't say enough good things about him. And yes, I would marry him in 2 seconds. WHAT?

**You'll see in my vlog below that I have felt like P0OOOOOOPPPOORAMA since driving home from Columbus yesterday. I'm sneezing and sniffling and hoarse- thinking it is allergies, which is annoying. Anyway, I so didn't want to workout today but I PRESSED MYSELF and did it. I did about 55 minutes of Lalo Fit - which I consider more of a cardio workout. Frankly I didn't have the energy to do weights seriously. I feel that crappy. Then I put on my Earth Footwear shoes to get some extra mileage in my workout. These shoes - as I mentioned before, I am impressed with them. For walking, I really feel it working my calves the most, followed by my glutes/hamstrings/quads- more so than in regular trainers.

Now- honestly, I am taking the evening OFF to not work and to sit down on my couch and pout about not feeling well, read my mail and watch some mindless television. 

That's Ronnie Coleman. I'm not lying to you people - I think his shoulder span is as wide as I am tall. No joke. That said, very nice man. ;-)

I am so sorry for not vlogging/blogging while I am in Columbus, it has been non-stop. I arrived on Wednesday in the afternoon. I had dinner then a meeting later on that evening. Thursday I had a meeting around 1pm and that morning was so crazed with phone calls and such, I didn't even eat lunch until around 3pm! Naughty.  Then we had a casual dinner event and I crashed. Got up early yesterday to head over to the convention center- OMG, in my whole life I have never ever EVER seen a convention as packed as this one. EVER! 180,000 people are here in Columbus. The amount of businesses represented here at the show- unreal. And it IS weird to walk around- you see all these bodybuilders and figure competitors and fighters and uber-fit people, but they are all here because this is their business. It just seems to funny- you don't see people in suits or the khakis/golf shirt like other conventions but there is an outrageous amount of product represented here. I was walking around with my jaw dropping the whole time, for myriad reasons. And- note to self,  walking that convention floor for hours in my 4 inch heels = pain.

So then after the convention floor time, we came back to the hotel to get ready for a private reception with Arnold to benefit his after-school program for kids. Wow. He really is an amazing speaker and so very passionate about this program and helping kids. I realized how much bigger this whole sports festival is, how brilliant Arnold is for tying that into this after-school program for kids, and how all of that is tied into the first lady's initiative on obesity in our country. 

After that reception, we headed to a late dinner. I was pretty good- had a small filet and some broccoli but I did have some fried calamari. I was soooo full. We finished there around 9pm and I came back to the hotel for BED! I'm lame. I don't like going out late and partying like everyone else does. I need sleep. So, this morning I have to head down to this chiropractic seminar, where Arnold is doing a private speaking/teaching thing. Then, very cool,  I get to have my picture taken with him. I'm not much for trying to have my picture taken with celebrities but whatevah!!! I'll post it here if I don't think I look too fat. 

I learned a ton about chiropractic too while I am here. The gentleman I'm meeting with about helping to promote The Arnold Sports Classic heads up the international group for chiropractic- what a bunch of very passionate about health guys. And Arnold apparently is a very big fan of chiropractic. I had my first adjustment while I was here. Whoa. Intense. 

All that said, it has been non-stop running around this trip. I am angry that I haven't squeezed in my workouts either. I have a lot to make up for next week.

Also at the reception last night- was very cool to meet two gals that were on American Gladiators. Of course we ended up talking about working out and diet and such. Amazing. 

I'm late.  Gotta run, just wanted to do a quick post and let you know I am here!! I'll be BACK!!!

CLICK HERE to read my guest post on Simple Truths blog!

I don't EVEN WANNA HEAR any country music haters out there. Heavens to Betsy. At this moment, I am hating a little bit on Faith Hill. I'm just sayin. I'll take two please. 

Kids, I am TOTALLY SWAMPED TODAY. Mondays are always crazy and today is no exception. Mondays I also usually end up doing my workouts in the evenings and I HATE THAT. I'm dressed for it, but working out at 6pm BITES! I'm throwing it out there. 

I'll report about my workout later. Thinking of Butts N Guts. ;-) Heavens, why would I be thinking about BUTTS?>

HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT. 

Do you have alternative nominations for Monday Manjoyment?? 

Updated: I did Cathe HIIT 30/30 to start, followed by Cathe Buts N. Guts. And I thought of Tim McGraw the whole time. WHAT? Ok, so I did a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes and burned 600 calories. For Cathe's HIIT workout I was mostly in the 145-155ish range. Funny, how it's a kick butt workout right, but still, Insanity is THE ABSOLUTE HARDEST SWEATIEST MEANEST CARDIO AROUND. I love having the variety of workout lengths and intensity and style. Kickboxing for me is fun, but intensity-wise it is about a 3.5 out of 5. Insanity is a 5.5 out of 5. These HIIT workouts are a 4 out of 5. That's the KO scale too, I'm just sayin.

I also made sure to drop my weights and equipment on the floor really hard to let my #%&@)^@&^ neighbors below me know what THEY sound like every other day. Bless their hearts. Amen. 

I'm proud of myself. I kicked butt. It was like 6pm and I soooo didn't feel like working out. My hamstrings are TOAST from this weekend's workouts, my core is still on fire, I'm tired, I have been busting tail since 7am today- BUT I MADE IT!!! And it feels AWESOME!! 

ROBYN; your vlog will be tomorrow ok? 

SWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! 

Great Balls of Fire! It's a Blog post AND not one but TWO vlogs!! Holy Cow! I shot a vlog right when I got home from Church/Eyebrows/Nails- then I got changed to do some kick butt cardio, and based on that situation, I shot vlog #2. I'm all about giving as much of myself to you as I can people. 

And I hope you do the same when it's my birthday ON APRIL 2ND **cough cough** I'm just sayin.

WHAT?

So, I will post vlog #2 post workout style shortly. In the mean time, I am in my kitchen cooking all kinds of seafood; salmon burgers and tilapia and then some chicken too. I'm silly that way. 

Also- I found a crapload of new fabulous blogs this weekend. I added them to my LINK LOVE page, both under Healthy Eating and Getting Buff. Check them out!! ;-) 

I am so excited for THE ARNOLD this week! Gonna meet the man himself! WOOT! ;-)

And here is my post workout sweat analysis:

Question of the Day: shock me, all you lurkers that never comment. Introduce yourself. Don't be scared. ;-)