I’m one of 30 bloggers participating in the 12-week Go Green, Get Fit Challenge as part of the EcoMom Alliance Sustain YourSelf™ Program presented by PlanetShoes.com. This is my week four update, you can read about week three here.

The temperature outside reached scorching last week and that impacted my workouts. I also took time off for the 4th and don’t regret a minute of it. In fact, I had so much fun I am repeating it this week. Also a factor is the fact that my local CrossFit box has fewer available classes because we have a member who qualified to compete in the 2012 CrossFit Games. Woot! Many of the coaches and members are traveling with him to LA to cheer him on and that will effect this week’s schedule and some of next week. I plan to kick back and watch the games on TV.

On Monday the warm up was 2 rounds down and back for each with 5 pushups and ten situps between each exercise… Samson lunges, bear crawl, spidey lunges, plank walks. Skill was 3×3 dips on the bar. Strength was 5 rounds tempo dips and 6 DB bent over row (40 lbs). WOD was 21-15-9 dips, air squats, and DB bent over row.

On Tuesday my hubby went golfing so no gym time for me.

On Wednesday we all drove up to my parent’s house for the holiday. I also had no desire to do any of the insane “Freedom” workouts that many boxes were hosting. I actually saw one that lasted 4 hours! I like exercise but I have no desire to fry myself.

Thursday and Friday were spent sleeping in, taking my son fishing, going out to eat, seeing movies with my folks (Spiderman, Magic Mike), and going to garage sales.

Saturday I returned home but not in time for the Olympic Lifting class so I did a workout at home using Power Body: Kettlebell Bootcamp with Angie Miller. This time I used the 15 pound Kettlebell that the DVD recommends. I sweat up a storm even though I was in the A/C.

Sunday I did a Kettlebell workout using the Body Sculpting with Kettlebells for Women book. I have mentioned before how much I love this book so I think it is time to stop borrowing it from the library and actually buy it. I did two sets of the Gold Program, Week 1, Day 1. Warmup, rack squats, Push Press, Double Arm Overhead Swings, Backward Lunges w/Pass, Bent Over Row, Pushups, and Russian Twists.

I had a question from a Facebook friend when I posted one of my workouts via Daily Mile. She asked what weight kettlebells I use when I workout. Well, it depends on the moves and reps actually. If I am doing two handed exercises with few reps I go for a 25-35 pounder. Two handed with lots of reps I go for a 20 pounder. So if the workout calls for 50 reps then I will go heavy. If I will end up doing 100 reps or more then I go lighter. For workouts where the moves are kind of complex (aka one legged poses and figure eights) and for those that focus on one arm, I will go lighter… say 15-20 pounds and I may have one in each hand.

How did your workouts go this week?

I’m one of 30 bloggers participating in the 12-week Go Green, Get Fit Challenge as part of the EcoMom Alliance Sustain YourSelf™ Program presented by PlanetShoes.com. This is my week two update, you can read about week one here.

Last week I managed to get to CrossFit class three times. I was all set to go four times but on the eve of the fourth class my husband emailed me to let me know he had a meeting at work so I had to stay home with our kids. On Friday morning I got a flat tire and missed my swimming class. Ugh, sometimes the universe throws me some curve balls.

At any rate I went over Monday’s workout in my previous post but here are the rest:

Tuesday: Warmup was 8 rounds EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) – situps, pushups, planks. Skill was 5 rounds of dumbbell push press (I used 20 lb DBs) and ring rows. Our daily test was 3×2 minute calorie rows. I got a 23-24-22. The WOD was 10-1 ring rows and dumbbell push press followed by a half mile run. 10-1 basically means that the first set you 10 and 10, then the second set you do 9 and 9 until you get down to 1. I knew the WOD in advance so I brought my iPod for the running which made it fly by.

Wednesday: Warmup was 2 rounds 100m run, squats, 100m row, spidey lunges, supermen, pushups, and ring rows. The daily test was 2 rounds timed shuttle/suicide runs. The WOD was 8 rounds Tabata for each exercise: Rowing, mountain climbers, medball slam, and jumping lunges.

Friday: The flat tire incident spurred me to do a workout at home. I bought Power Body: Kettlebell Bootcamp with Angie Miller on Amazon Instant Video and then streamed it to the Roku in my bedroom. It’s an awesome workout DVD! I used a 20lb Kettlebell that I bought this week and it was very challenging at that weight. I can see why the instructor recommended a 15 pound Kettlebell or lighter. It has many moves I had never seen before and it was nice to change it up plus I was absolutely drenched in sweat by the end of the workout!

I also plan to add a medicine ball to my at home equipment. Jackie Lee at Mom Strong recently shared a link on Facebook to this medicine ball interval workout on the Pumps & Iron blog and it has me excited to give it a whirl. So far I have only been able to find a 6 pound ball locally and I want at least a 12 pounder so I guess I need to order it.

This week might be a lazy one. I did get to CrossFit this morning but I am off to Detroit tomorrow morning for three days courtesy of Ford Motor Company. I am attending their Further with Ford event and I will get to meet up with some bloggy friends while I am there. I may or may not hit up the gym at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn. Their web site says they have free weights so I think I will print up some dumbbell workouts and take them just in case but it depends on how late the nights are because the mornings are pretty darn early as it is, without squeezing a workout in.

Anyway, I leave you with the workout song of the day. Have a fantastically fit week!

A few weeks back I finally got a pair of the herb scissors that were calling to me on Amazon. They are only $10 and I use them quite often for cutting herbs quickly and with less chance of hacking my fingers off. Since I cook at home every night, anything that shaves some time off the process while still allowing me to cook good, healthy meals is welcome in my kitchen. I think need to update my Real Foods Kitchen post and add these nifty scissors in fact.

They make it easy to cut, chop, or mince most herbs into nice small strips and then you can easily add cilantro to your tacos, green onions to your sweet and sour soup, and fresh rosemary to that baked chicken. They are made of stainless steel and can go in the dishwasher afterwards. Easy peasy!

Also pictured: Core Bamboo Over-The-Sink 2-in-1 Cutting Board

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you will know that I kinda love shoes. Back in my pre-children days I was all about Doc Martens and I had a Pepto Bismol pink pair and a white pair with lace and glitter. For many years after having kids I was all about easy flip-flops and sandals. These days I still have lots of love for flip-flops but I would also add to that just about any minimalist athletic shoe and barefoot shoes. After wearing winter boots for many months you just have to break out and wear some pretty shoes come spring and summer right?

Above is my line-up for the warm weather months. As you can see, I like color!

First pair up is Jambu’s Capetown sandals in olive. I love Jambu and usually review a pair every season. They are almost always earth friendly and/or vegan. These shoes are leather but they do have a recycled rubber sole and toe cap.

They are a flip-flop style sandal in a yummy color that is perfect for spring and summer. The leather straps crisscross with floral print satin straps so I think they are dressy enough to wear with nice summer dresses. As can be expected with all Jambu shoes they are high quality and very lovely. These will be my go-to shoes when I need dressier sandals.

Where to Buy: Amazon or OnlineShoes

Next up is another old favorite… Okabashi! These flip flops are made from recycled materials and they are completely recyclable after they are spent, if you return them to the Okabashi factory in Georgia. Their facility is virtually zero waste.. next to no scrap, and last year they used 100,000 pounds of scrap material in their shoes.

These are quite simply some of the highest quality flip-flops I have ever come across and the fact that they are eco friendly is just the icing on top of the cake. They are also very affordable. No $50 flip-flops here. The prices are right around $15-$18.

Where to Buy: Amazon

Okay, next up is a barefoot or minimalist shoe called the Vivobarefoot. This shoe is good for any outdoor activity and you can wear it in the water. I plant to wade in creeks and waterways as we hike and explore this summer. These will also be excellent shoes to wear to the waterpark.

The shoes are vegan friendly with a plastic outer shell. The inside is really just a cloth sock that can be worn or removed depending on the activity. For dry hiking you might want to wear the socks. If you plan to wade in the water you may want to remove them or you can wear them and toss in the wash later.

Where to Buy: Amazon and OnlineShoes

Last pair up is a thrift store find. I didn’t actually NEED another pair of flip-flops but Eddie Bauer flip-flops in a groovy orange color were impossible to pass up. Plus I like getting $40-$50 shoes for $2!

What will you be wearing this spring/summer?