One of the benefits of working out in our hotel’s gym is that it’s basically a deserted space that we have all to ourselves. Not worrying about any machines or free weights being taken or the judgments of others when I do some totally awkward exercises is oddly freeing!
Today I did a weights workout that you could easily do at home with a few free weights, but it might actually be a little hard to do in a real gym.
I call today’s workout the “Commercial Break Workout.”
My workout included three sets of 15 repetitions of the following exercises:
- Superset One: Lunges, Overhead press
- Superset Two: Deadlifts, Tricep extensions
- Superset Three: Tricep dips, Front shoulder raises, Squats with exercise ball
And then here’s the fun part! I had the television on in the gym and during the commercial breaks of the show I was watching, I did one of these exercises… for the entire commercial break!
- Bicep curls (10 lb. dumbbells)
- Bridges (25 lb. weight)
- Various shoulder exercises – side, front, overhead press (5 lb. dumbbells)
- Ab work on exercise ball
If you think commercial breaks seem long when you’re watching television, try targeting one muscle group during the entire commercial break. I swear those commercials felt like they were five minutes long!
This workout was actually a lot of fun! It was very stimulating because I worked hard to fit in one of the supersets while the show was on before scrambling to do one of the “commercial break” exercises when the commercials came on.
I rounded out my workout with 20 minutes on the elliptical. <—I did cardio after weights today. Groundbreaking stuff here, people. And if you want your head to swim with information about whether you should do cardio before or after weights, be sure to check out all of the informative comments (from kinesiology majors and personal trainers!) on this morning’s post.
Lunch
Today’s lunch was so good.
I am starting to really, really miss my traditional meals and having a real kitchen. Thank goodness we have a fridge and microwave in our hotel room because at least that allows me to keep some fresh produce and perishable goods on hand.
Today I made myself one of my favorite bagelwiches!
I topped a wheat bagel with melted muenster cheese, strawberry jelly and an egg white.
I cooked the egg white in the microwave by placing it in a bowl covered with a paper towel, and microwaving it for 50 seconds.
I also grabbed a peach to round out my meal.
Good meal!
Back to work… and time to check Fandango for movie times. Hoping to see The Help tonight!
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Your workout today reminds me of the little workout I came up with to do at work on the days I skipped my AM sweat date! It’s fun getting creative 🙂
Love that idea of doing exercises during commercial breaks. In college my roommates and I would do squats and crunches during Greys Anatomy commericial breaks lol.
Ah, I always wondered what the best way to nuke the eggs whites was, I’ve tried a few silly methods that ended disastrously (my one co-chef/friend tried to nuke one up, fully in shell. Talk about a tough microwave cleaning job!)
Glad you could get some real food in your belly.
Looks like a quality workout, AND incorporates television! Finally, a reason not to “cheat” and speed through using DVR!
that is SUCH a good idea for the commercial breaks!
Great workout! I love working out while watching TV so I will probably do this soon.
I thought The Help doesn’t come out until Friday? I adored the book so I can’t wait to see the movie!
it’s out today! i thought it was odd that it was coming out on a wednesday too!
I like the idea of commercial break exercises. It’s even a good way to get moving in the evenings while watching TV.
ahhh! I’m so jealous. I want to go see The Help so bad! I might just have to go by myself!
&awesome workout! Never thought of doing that before. 😛
I’m going to see The Help tomorrow night with our CLT bloggers book club- I’m so excited 🙂
aw, i wish i knew someone around me who has read it to go see it with. that would be so much fun!
I love having the gym to myself!! At my apartments I get really sad whenever people are in the gym… I love the freeing feeling of doing whatever exercise you want in front of the mirrors and not feeling judged!!
One of these days I will venture outside my box and try this strange jelly egg combination you always speak of…
Also, do you like Nectarines? I love them more than peaches because they are not fuzzy. But I feel like people never hear about nectarines… they’re underrated!
yes! i actually prefer nectarines, too. yum!
yes! i actually prefer nectarines, too. 🙂
I kept seeing these bagelwiches on your site, so last week I finally tried one. I used a wheat bagel thin, one egg, a slice of swiss cheese, and strawberry jam. It was SO good!! I can’t believe I waited so long to try those!
aren’t they amazing!!? i love the jelly + cheese combo!
I bet that would be good on a blueberry bagel [thin]
That sounds like a cool workout! That would be great for a day when I don’t feel like going to the gym. I want to see The Help so bad! Can’t wait 🙂
Ahh, I can’t wait to see that movie!!
Okay, I’ve never thought about putting jelly and cheese together, but somehow you make it look delicious on your bagel. I’m going to have to give it a try. Does jarlsberg work too? Or is Muenster the best?
i’m sure it would be great! i’ve tried cheese other than muenster, and i’ve liked them a lot (though muenster is my fav).
Thanks! I’m going to have to try it. Too bad I had a crap load of jelly for breakfast. May have to wait until tomorrow. I don’t know if you have a Trader joe’s by you, but they have the BEST low fat muenster cheese. 🙂
There are so many movies I need to see – can’t wait to hear what you think of The Help!
That workout sounds like so much fun! 😀
Ohhh I totally forgot The Help was coming out today! Definitely going to have to see it this weekend!
That workout looks INTENSE.
It’s like you’re in college all over again having to eat either what they prepare you or what you can cook in a microwave haha
haha it really is… and the “mealplan” is really crappy! 🙂
I loved the The Help…I’m dying to see the movie too. ps I finally got a gym membership because your gym posts always look like fun. I’ve always been an outdoor exerciser and its 1000 degrees here right now–so Im loving it. plus, the childcare thing is so awesome.
fyi and kind of random–I wrote 6 ways to increase your veggies for my post today, thought you might be interested (not because you need to increase your veg…;)
http://www.healthgirltv.com/2011/08/6-ways-to-add-more-veg-to-your-diet.html
That sandwich looks heavenly. And I know – you’re being such a trooper without a real kitchen! When I was in VT this past week by the end I was just ready to be in my kitchen and COOK actual meals for myself!!
I love weird combos of sweet and savory…Cooper, not so much. He calls stuff like that my “concoctions”
I bet that those commercials felt like they were FOREVER! Ouch! ….Your food from your hotel even looks good! Props to you for hotel lighting even looking good! VERY impressive!
Wow does that bagelwich look good! I never tried an egg and cheese one with jelly before though…I’m may just have to since I love the combo of salty and sweet!
And what a creative workout, love it! It reminds me of how I like to do my cardio intervals – I like to call it “Musical Cardio”. I keep an easy pace during the verse, and then during the chorus I do the interval at an all out hard breathless pace. Makes the workout go by so fast!
I saw you on Pinterest today!!! Awesome picture!
I love that eggs are microwaveable! I just got back from the gym at work. Nobody was there so I switched on HGTV at the beginning of my run. The TV is supposed to be set to ESPN and 1/2 through my workout a bunch of guys game in, I could tell they were like WTF is designed to sell!?!
bahaha their loss!
Please make a post devoted to a review of The Help! I’m dying to see it!
I will do that at home while watching TV. At every commercial I will do abs or superman or yoga poses. It is fun because it helps the commercials not seem soooooo boring!
I love commercial break workouts. Whenever someone says to me that they just don’t have time to workout, I suggest that while they are watching TV to exercise during commercials, even if it’s something simple like crunches at least you are working.
Very clever method Julie! I don’t really watch TV but I know this would be helpful to many people, and I’m particularly thinking of moms who are busy while trying to get TV and workout time in 🙂
I don’t know how you’re surviving the hotel food life… I love my kitchen to pieces!!
I must try this bagel + cheese + jam combo.
I’ve never cooked an egg in the microwave. I don’t like getting a pan dirty just to make myself an egg so I’ll have to try this method. Thanks!
So excited for the Help – already have a date with my mom planned for Friday 🙂 Also, I totally feel you on the hotel gym workout – I’m an accountant and did an audit rotation all of January, so I lived in a hotel. I would get up and work out in the hotel gym every morning and while I was thankful that it was nice, it was small and really hard to break out of ruts!! I would switch it up between the elliptical and treadmill, using a lot of interval workouts. I also ended up bringing my 5 lb weights with me, along with a few Jillian Michaels dvds to do in my room (No More Trouble Zones is awesome). Hang in there!
I almost always cook my eggs for my sandwiches in the microwave- so easy and less clean-up. I just spray a bowl with cooking spray, beat my egg whites (or whole eggs) with some seasoning, and microwave for 1 1/2- 2 min. Perfect every time!
That commercial break idea is a great one! Have a wonderful day!
That bagel looks so good! I need to finish The Help asap, so I can go see the movie. Loving the book so far!
This sounds like the greatest idea! When I was younger I had my acrobats teacher tell us that we should stretch or practice our splits during commercial breaks, so now I try to remember to stretch that way! Commercial breaks can be fun! LOL!
I do commercial break workouts too! But I usually do it when I am running on the treadmill and I will up my speed for the length of the commercial.
Ahh thank you for the reminder about The Help! I totally forgot it comes out today, but I’m dying to see it!
Ooo I cant wait to see the Help. It looks soo good! Yum that peach looks amazing right now, the perfect summer fruit 🙂
YUUUM. I love peaches. I actually JUST made a peach and plum pie 🙂
I saw “The Help” this afternoon and loved it! Hope you get to go tonight!
I love the idea of going through the supersets during the show and then using the entire commercial time for specific exercises! I am going to try this the next time we can’t make it to the gym. 🙂
Can’t wait to hear your movie review. Loved the book and I adore Emma Stone so I have high hopes!
These totally awkward exercises remind me of when my friend and I were staying in a hotel and we were using the small workout gym. We were the only ones in there and my friend was doing plyometric workouts! She was working really hard (grunting and everything!!) lol She was very thankful no one else was in the room! haah
Glad your workout was successful!!
I’m so excited to see The Help, the book was so good I couldn’t put it down! Let us know how it is!
That workout looks like fun! When I exercise at home I always have the tv on, usually it makes me forget that I’m even exerting myself, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t with that workout. 🙂
I love the idea of “commercial” workouts — I like to stretch or do some yoga. Thanks for sharing!
I always do SOMEthing during commercial breaks, because they can be so boring and such time wasters. Haha. 🙂
Wow I never thought of muenster cheese and jam but that sounds really good! And an easy lunch to pack for work! Thanks for the idea! 🙂
I made homemade barbecue sauce a few weeks back, and it had to cook on the stove over low heat for like 20 minutes or something like that. You were supposed to stir it every few minutes, so I would do a set of strength exercises (lunges, ab work, and shoulder presses, to be exact) and every time I finished a set, I would stir the barbecue sauce. Seriously, greatest idea I’ve ever had (or at least pretty close to the greatest idea haha).
I can imagine it’s tough without a real kitchen – it’s my favorite room in the house! And really tough to not have control over what you’re eating all the time. Hang in there!!
Julie if you want to make your tennis shoes look brand new again just spray them with oxyclean or Shout and throw them in the wash. Everyone will think you got new sneaks. Enjoy.