Be sure to scroll below for the 8 Minute Tabata Workout. It’s quick and it’s intense!
Happy New Years Eve!! I’m sorry, but I still can’t get over the fact that the year is almost over. I had thought that 2010 was a year of a lot of big changes for me, which it was; but 2011 was pretty big too. We’ll talk about all of that another time though…I still need to sit down and do a little more reflecting!
Last Night
Such a great, low-key evening in. Jay and I started the evening by making another homemade pizza.
While the pizza was in the oven, we spent a bit of time playing with this little guy.
I just cannot get enough of that fur ball.
After a quick 15 minutes, dinner was ready…and ooo baby was it delicious!
We topped our basic pizza with diced, grilled chicken, and some sautéed green peppers and onions. The sautéed veggies made SUCH a difference and this pizza was full of flavor.
We cut our pizza into six slices and I ended up having two, since they were a pretty decent size.
As always for a Friday, dinner was enjoyed at the coffee table, while watching our Redbox movie of choice. So what did we decide on…?
There were SO many of you that suggested ‘The Help’ so I actually plan on renting that tomorrow; but for last night, we decided to go the comedy route. This movie was raunchy but super funny. And, umm, you can never go wrong when Ryan Reynolds is involved.
Hubba hubba.
*****
Workout
I didn’t have anything in particular in mind for today’s workout, but after doing a little searching on Pinterest, I ended up coming across a workout I had pinned from Lindsay for Tabata Intervals. I’d never tried tabata before, so I figured why not end 2011 with something new!
In case you’ve never heard of it, Tabata intervals are set time periods of work and rest: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, repeat 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. (If you want some more details, Gina recently did a great Focus On post about Tabata Intervals that was very helpful.)
I used Lindsay’s workout as a guide but made my own changes to incorporate some moves of my own.
In order to make sure I was getting the 20/10 second intervals correct, I used this awesome Online Tabata Clock; it was much easier than using a stopwatch.
The Tabata intervals totally got my heart pumping – wow! Tabata is a great workout option for anyone who may be short on time, or just looking to squeeze in a little extra somethin’ to their usual workout. I’ll definitely be bringing these with me into 2012.
I followed up the Tabata intervals with a treadmill routine. After searching through my “library” of options, I ended up deciding on my Sweaty Mess Walking Intervals.
I wasn’t in the mood to run today, so that routine totally did the trick.
Breakfast
Nothin’ like some OIAJ after a great workout!
I used my usual oatmeal base, with some Coach’s Oats of course, and topped it with some Love Grown Foods granola.
So creamy and delicious…with lots of extra peanut butter in every bite. YUM!
Time to work on taking down some Christmas decorations and then…it’s time to get ready for the evening!
Questions for the Morning:
As 2011 comes to a close, what would you say were some of your favorite memories of this past year? Any major changes you’ve had? Any big accomplishments? Anything you learned?
chelcie @ chelcie's food files says
looks like an awesome work out! I plan on trying your high intensity work out in a little while!
Laura @ LauraLikesDesign says
That workout sounds great–I can’t wait to try it in attempt to switch things up a bit!
Getting married was my big thing for the year–looking forward to a much less stressful year in 2012 since I won’t be planning it! haha
Jackie @ That Deep Breath says
My favorite memory was definitely my road trip to Arizona, Huntington Beach and San Diego with my best friend. So much fun!
Shannon says
My favorite memories of 2011 include…making new friends and starting to blog. I have more but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
A big accomplishment is getting good grades on my History tests. Her tests are extremely hard and sometimes, even studying doesn’t help! All of us think she’s on crack when she makes them up on the computer.
I learned that you should not do something without parents’ permission when you are young or else severe consequences will be put on you.
Olivia @unleashingmymind says
Tabata workouts are awesome! And that pizza looks so good (:
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
After a lifetime of neeeeeding to be in control –and doing a pretty good job of staying in control of my life and the path it was on– I learned that I can’t always be in control. There are certain things that no matter how hard I try, I cannot obtain control over.
What a quick/simple workout. I love quick ones like that, especially if they can help you get your sweat on!
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
My favorite memory from this year was, without a doubt, my wedding!
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile says
All of the food looks great, and I really want to try that workout!!! Sounds great!
2011 was actually pretty significant for me. I started the blog too, so definitely a great accomplishment of the year :)
Brandi @ Faith Fitness and Laughter says
Ooooh! I love this workout! :)
One of the things that I wanted to accomplish this past year was to like myself. I think that we can get so caught up in comparing ourselves to each other, especially other women. It’s ok to want to be better, but I wanted to do this without wanting to be someone else. I wanted to live my life, not just exist in it. :)
Yaara says
Quick question for you about Tabata–when you run through the circuit–do you each exercise within each interval for minutes–like high-knees 4 min; burpees 4 min; plank-jacks 4min, etc.. Or do you just run through each exercise once on the 20/10 interval and then repeat? Just wondering. Cause I did a tabata class yesterday at the gym–which was hard!–and we did each exercise for 4 min each. This looks great too!
erica says
2011 was the year i got engaged and married. :) best memories ever!
Kerry says
Oh that tabata looks great!! i haven’t had oiaj for agggges!! my best memory of 2011 is us getting our first flat together! :) happy new year!! xx
Zinedine says
OMG ! Pizza , kitty, dessert, 2012 – to many cool things in one place…that’s……that’s…..COOLCEPTION !