So today I attempted to work out during lunch. I think it's something I may start doing every other day of the week. I got up this morning, determined that no matter what I was going to hit the gym. So I packed my bag of workout clothes, some baby wipes, all the essentials, and headed out the door. I got lucky and was able to snag a sandwich to eat before my workout and then headed out in the middle of this hot, disgusting 100 degree day at about 1:40.
I decided to wear my new Nike running shorts and a coolmax shirt since I'd be running to the gym. I believe it's about half a mile to the gym from where I work. Maybe a little less. But running in this heat was no fun at all. By the time I got on the elevator to get up to the gym, I was slimy from sweat.
Today I decided to a little bit of circuit training since I've been running so often. I did 3 sets of 15 crunches on the inflatable ball. I then did 3 sets of 15 of side obliques on the back extension, plus 3 sets of 15 back extensions. I did 3 sets of 15 bicep curls and tricep curls and 3 sets of 15 rows for my back. Then I cooled down a little by doing 3 sets of 30 side crunches with an 8 lb medicine ball. Then I high tailed it back to the office.
I honestly feel really good and am so glad that I went to the gym during lunch, especially since I knew I wouldn't be able to work out today after work because we have puppy class with Dexter.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who feels awful by about mid afternoon. Usually right about now during the day (3:30) I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. But I'm feeling pretty good. Yes, my hair has to stay up in a clip and no amount of baby wipes can make me feel as refreshed as taking a shower would, but honestly I am proud of myself for making the effort. I'm going to try this again on Thursday and Friday and see how it goes.
My work outs aren't near as long as they would be if I was going to the gym early in the morning or late at night, but just knowing I got about a 30 minute workout into my day when I could have poo-pooed it off. So go me!
As for last week, it was another hard week of trying to be motivated...though I was successful and worked out. I can't remember what I did last week but I do remember Sunday and yesterday's work out. Sunday I ran 5.25 miles and walked another .25 on the treadmill since I managed to procrastinate all day. I do want to add that I did that about 2 hours after eating Freebird's and boy howdy! Let me tell you what! That burrito and guacamole was like a brick in my stomach...I felt terrible and I kept belching up nasty avacado/garlicy stuff.
Monday before my teaching interview I went to the gym to burn off some steam. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine with a 5 minute cool down. When I'm on the elliptical 100% of the time I choose one of the "cross training" options. I put the resistance at an 8 and tried to keep my pace at about 160. I think I managed to do about 5 miles and burned about 575 calories.
Later on that night, I met up with my friend, Brandi, and we ran 3 miles. I think we ran it in 34.18 minutes with an average pace of about 11.24 minute miles. According to my RunKeeper we burned about 343 calories...but if you ask me, running in that heat I'm sure we burned more than that!
So there's that...I'm going to sign up for the Tour des Fleur 20k that's held in September. Last year I ran the 10k and by the time September comes around the 20k should be a piece of cake. It will also fall on the weekend of my 2nd anniversary with my husband! So that's exciting! Other than that, that's all I've got. I've been tempted to sign up for the 2 hot 2 handle in July as well but I may wait and see on that.
So for anyone who's keeping up with me, that's what's going on. More later!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Another Week ...
I don't know why I tend to fall off the wagon so quickly. I guess the good thing about it, is realizing I fell and getting back on track.
I've indulged too much in wine for a week and too much in sweets (lots of it ice cream). I'm sure I've gained some weight. Hopefully, a change will allow me to lose the weight (and bloat) that I've gained quickly and I'll be back to where I was pre-laziness.
Last week I was horrible about working out, so today is the day I get back on track both with my working out habits and my eating habits.
Today: 3 mile run. I'm meeting a girlfriend after work at the 24 Hour Fitness on Harwood. I've got puppy class at 7:45 and then hopefully my husband and I will make it to bed early enough to get up and go work out on Wednesday.
Wednesday: gym-45 minutes on the elliptical machine. 3 mile run in the evening...sometime around 8:00.
Thursday: gym-30 minutes elliptical with some inner/outer thighs and ab work thrown in. maybe another 3 mile run for good measure.
Friday: gym- 30 minutes elliptical
Saturday: run- 4 or 5 miles. I'd like to also go to a class at 24 hour since I haven't been able to go to one in over a week. There's a 24 Hour LIFT class that starts at 9:00 that I'd like to go to after I run. Could be an interesting way to start my day.
Sunday: Walk. I think it would be a good day to go for an early morning walk with my husband or maybe even ride bikes.
As far as food is concerned....I'll go ahead and list out that to keep me on track and accountable:
Today:
Breakfast: grapefruit, skinny vanilla latte, lite and fit yogurt with strawberries and flaxseed granola.
Lunch: Progresso chicken noodle soup, Yoplait raspberry yogurt, 4 saltine crackers
Dinner: Grilled chicken, potato salad, mixed greens salad with light raspberry vinaigrette, and asparagus.
My breakfast and lunches are generally the same every day. Minus the skinny vanilla latte. That was a surprise from a coworker :)
Wednesday dinner: tilapia, brown rice, squash, bell peppers, mini corn bread muffins
Thursday dinner: Not sure. I have a jewelry party I'm going to. So maybe I'll be eating dinner over at my in-laws.
Friday dinner: jalapeno and cheddar hot links with mac and cheese. Maybe a beer. It's Friday. We usually treat ourselves to something quick, easy, and comforting :)
So that's me. The imperfect training and schedule me.
I've indulged too much in wine for a week and too much in sweets (lots of it ice cream). I'm sure I've gained some weight. Hopefully, a change will allow me to lose the weight (and bloat) that I've gained quickly and I'll be back to where I was pre-laziness.
Last week I was horrible about working out, so today is the day I get back on track both with my working out habits and my eating habits.
Today: 3 mile run. I'm meeting a girlfriend after work at the 24 Hour Fitness on Harwood. I've got puppy class at 7:45 and then hopefully my husband and I will make it to bed early enough to get up and go work out on Wednesday.
Wednesday: gym-45 minutes on the elliptical machine. 3 mile run in the evening...sometime around 8:00.
Thursday: gym-30 minutes elliptical with some inner/outer thighs and ab work thrown in. maybe another 3 mile run for good measure.
Friday: gym- 30 minutes elliptical
Saturday: run- 4 or 5 miles. I'd like to also go to a class at 24 hour since I haven't been able to go to one in over a week. There's a 24 Hour LIFT class that starts at 9:00 that I'd like to go to after I run. Could be an interesting way to start my day.
Sunday: Walk. I think it would be a good day to go for an early morning walk with my husband or maybe even ride bikes.
As far as food is concerned....I'll go ahead and list out that to keep me on track and accountable:
Today:
Breakfast: grapefruit, skinny vanilla latte, lite and fit yogurt with strawberries and flaxseed granola.
Lunch: Progresso chicken noodle soup, Yoplait raspberry yogurt, 4 saltine crackers
Dinner: Grilled chicken, potato salad, mixed greens salad with light raspberry vinaigrette, and asparagus.
My breakfast and lunches are generally the same every day. Minus the skinny vanilla latte. That was a surprise from a coworker :)
Wednesday dinner: tilapia, brown rice, squash, bell peppers, mini corn bread muffins
Thursday dinner: Not sure. I have a jewelry party I'm going to. So maybe I'll be eating dinner over at my in-laws.
Friday dinner: jalapeno and cheddar hot links with mac and cheese. Maybe a beer. It's Friday. We usually treat ourselves to something quick, easy, and comforting :)
So that's me. The imperfect training and schedule me.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Training the first few weeks
So I guess I'll put in my stats for training so far.
I'll start with last week. Starting with Memorial Day.
Monday, May 31st: Run 3.6 miles. I don't have the time for it but it took me a while and I broke it up into 2 different runs. It also didn't help that I decided to run at the hottest part of the day 11:00 and 12:30. :/ The second I got home I went out back, turned on the water hose and doused myself with water.
Tuesday, June 1st: 24 Hour S.E.T class. Seriously an awesome class! I did put too much weight on the barbells and ended up having ridiculously sore arms for about 5 days afterwards. Not cool. Lesson learned.
Wednesday, June 2nd: 3 mile run. Don't remember how fast it was...but I know I had to stop about 2 times for a walk break. It's effing hot out there! And hills are the devil.
Thursday, June 3rd: Turbo kickboxing. By far one of the best classes I've ever taken. It's so hardcore. You don't stop moving for an hour. I'm literally pouring sweat within 20 minutes. It kicks your A$$. Benji, the instructor says at the beginning of class that it can burn anywhere from 500-1000 calories if you really put yourself into it. I always hope that I'm one of the people who's lucky enough to burn 1,000 calories! :)
Friday, June 4th: Off Day
Saturday, June 5th: 4.51 mile run. My friend Brandi and I are kind of torn on whether this was really a 4.51 mile run or not. We initially set out for just a 4 mile run but when I hit the "stop" button it said we went further. Supposedly, we ran 4.51 miles in 46.45 minutes with an average pace of 10.22 (not buying it) and I burned a total of 460 calories. Looking at the map, it looks like my Run Keeper freaked out on me and added in a half mile at the end of our run which probably contributed to the "10.22" pace. I'd say it was closer to a 11.45 minute mile. It was already burning up and we started at 6:30. I'm thinking I may need to start running at 5:30 to make up for it since we're training in the heat of summer.
Sunday, June 5th: Off Day
Monday, June 6th: I got lucky yesterday and was able to have the whole day off. Since I was at home and needing a distraction from trying to clean my whole house, I went up to the gym and did 45 on the elliptical machine. I did one of the cross training options on a resistance of 8 for 35 minutes and 7 for last 10. I think the total "distance" was 5.0 miles (that was with the cool down) and total calories burned was somewhere around the 568 mark. I flipping love the elliptical machine. I always leave feeling like I pushed myself.
After that, I came home and chilled out. Cooked dinner for my husband and then went for a 3 mile run at 8:00. I did 3.02 in 35.13 minutes. Average pace: 11.39 and I burned 357 calories. Every time I look at my run keeper I always think I have the worst pace ever. I need to work on that.
Tuesday, June 7th: Today is the S.E.T class again.
Wednesday, June 8th: Usually there is yoga but I'm not sure if the instructor is going to be at work. If that's the case, I'll probably just do another 3 mile run at 8:00. I'm even tempted to push it another 30 minutes to 8:30. It's just so hot out there...
Thursday, June 9th: Turbo kickboxing. Yes!
Friday, June 10th: Run. Probably 3 miles.
Saturday, June 11th: Run. I'm guessing either another 4 mile run or a 5 mile run.
Anyway, I guess that's it! Lots of training! Lots of working out! Gotta keep it up! I was thinking yesterday when I was running how much it sucks. I mean, seriously. It sucks training. It sucks being hot. It sucks not being able to breathe. It sucks not being able to just sit on my couch and watch my Netflix DVD of Friends all night. It sucks when sweat gets in my eye every 5 seconds. But you know what doesn't suck? The feeling I get when I finish that run. It doesn't suck when I look in the mirror and see that even though I've only been training for a few weeks I can see improvements in my legs. It doesn't suck when my husband can't keep up with me! :) It doesn't suck when a lady watering her yard asks me if I need to "cool off" and hoses me down with water (I told her "thank you" about 10 times...it seriously felt so good). It doesn't suck when I think, "I could have done nothing tonight. I could have sat on my a$$ and done nothing and felt totally awful but instead I kept my running date with myself and ran".
So as my dad would say, "And that makes me the winner!"
I'll start with last week. Starting with Memorial Day.
Monday, May 31st: Run 3.6 miles. I don't have the time for it but it took me a while and I broke it up into 2 different runs. It also didn't help that I decided to run at the hottest part of the day 11:00 and 12:30. :/ The second I got home I went out back, turned on the water hose and doused myself with water.
Tuesday, June 1st: 24 Hour S.E.T class. Seriously an awesome class! I did put too much weight on the barbells and ended up having ridiculously sore arms for about 5 days afterwards. Not cool. Lesson learned.
Wednesday, June 2nd: 3 mile run. Don't remember how fast it was...but I know I had to stop about 2 times for a walk break. It's effing hot out there! And hills are the devil.
Thursday, June 3rd: Turbo kickboxing. By far one of the best classes I've ever taken. It's so hardcore. You don't stop moving for an hour. I'm literally pouring sweat within 20 minutes. It kicks your A$$. Benji, the instructor says at the beginning of class that it can burn anywhere from 500-1000 calories if you really put yourself into it. I always hope that I'm one of the people who's lucky enough to burn 1,000 calories! :)
Friday, June 4th: Off Day
Saturday, June 5th: 4.51 mile run. My friend Brandi and I are kind of torn on whether this was really a 4.51 mile run or not. We initially set out for just a 4 mile run but when I hit the "stop" button it said we went further. Supposedly, we ran 4.51 miles in 46.45 minutes with an average pace of 10.22 (not buying it) and I burned a total of 460 calories. Looking at the map, it looks like my Run Keeper freaked out on me and added in a half mile at the end of our run which probably contributed to the "10.22" pace. I'd say it was closer to a 11.45 minute mile. It was already burning up and we started at 6:30. I'm thinking I may need to start running at 5:30 to make up for it since we're training in the heat of summer.
Sunday, June 5th: Off Day
Monday, June 6th: I got lucky yesterday and was able to have the whole day off. Since I was at home and needing a distraction from trying to clean my whole house, I went up to the gym and did 45 on the elliptical machine. I did one of the cross training options on a resistance of 8 for 35 minutes and 7 for last 10. I think the total "distance" was 5.0 miles (that was with the cool down) and total calories burned was somewhere around the 568 mark. I flipping love the elliptical machine. I always leave feeling like I pushed myself.
After that, I came home and chilled out. Cooked dinner for my husband and then went for a 3 mile run at 8:00. I did 3.02 in 35.13 minutes. Average pace: 11.39 and I burned 357 calories. Every time I look at my run keeper I always think I have the worst pace ever. I need to work on that.
Tuesday, June 7th: Today is the S.E.T class again.
Wednesday, June 8th: Usually there is yoga but I'm not sure if the instructor is going to be at work. If that's the case, I'll probably just do another 3 mile run at 8:00. I'm even tempted to push it another 30 minutes to 8:30. It's just so hot out there...
Thursday, June 9th: Turbo kickboxing. Yes!
Friday, June 10th: Run. Probably 3 miles.
Saturday, June 11th: Run. I'm guessing either another 4 mile run or a 5 mile run.
Anyway, I guess that's it! Lots of training! Lots of working out! Gotta keep it up! I was thinking yesterday when I was running how much it sucks. I mean, seriously. It sucks training. It sucks being hot. It sucks not being able to breathe. It sucks not being able to just sit on my couch and watch my Netflix DVD of Friends all night. It sucks when sweat gets in my eye every 5 seconds. But you know what doesn't suck? The feeling I get when I finish that run. It doesn't suck when I look in the mirror and see that even though I've only been training for a few weeks I can see improvements in my legs. It doesn't suck when my husband can't keep up with me! :) It doesn't suck when a lady watering her yard asks me if I need to "cool off" and hoses me down with water (I told her "thank you" about 10 times...it seriously felt so good). It doesn't suck when I think, "I could have done nothing tonight. I could have sat on my a$$ and done nothing and felt totally awful but instead I kept my running date with myself and ran".
So as my dad would say, "And that makes me the winner!"
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Officially Training
Well, it's official: I signed up to run in the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December!
Offical date: December 5, 2010.
I will be running 26.2 miles! I can't believe it and I'm honestly scared about it...but I've got six months and I've got a plan to follow and I believe in myself.
If you've followed my blog in the past you know I've had issues even getting to the half marathon...I signed up for two last year. Both of them I was unable to participate in. The first one, I had just gotten over the flu and the second one, I had severly sprained my ankle about 2 weeks before. I'm hoping and praying nothing like that happens again. On top of not wanting to waste the $$ it cost to enter a race, it's heartbreaking when the hard work, dedication, and hours of training go wasted.
Offical date: December 5, 2010.
I will be running 26.2 miles! I can't believe it and I'm honestly scared about it...but I've got six months and I've got a plan to follow and I believe in myself.
If you've followed my blog in the past you know I've had issues even getting to the half marathon...I signed up for two last year. Both of them I was unable to participate in. The first one, I had just gotten over the flu and the second one, I had severly sprained my ankle about 2 weeks before. I'm hoping and praying nothing like that happens again. On top of not wanting to waste the $$ it cost to enter a race, it's heartbreaking when the hard work, dedication, and hours of training go wasted.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Winner, winner!!
My goal to go to the gym last night and do fartleks was attained! Here's what I did:
3 minute walk (3.5)
10 minute run (5.5)
1 minute (6.5) x's 10
1 minute (5.6) x's 10
11 minute (5.6)- I even finished the last 90 seconds of the run at a 6.0
7 minute walk to cool down
I burned over 500 calories and ran over 4 miles. I'm really proud of myself. I paused the treadmill every 10 minutes or so to take a big drink of water and just calm myself down for about 20 seconds and then started back up again. I felt amazing.
Doing that run and doing it with energy to spare really encouraged me. I have felt pretty down about my running ever since I sprained my ankle and now I'm starting to feel like it's coming back to me.
I'm going to take it easy today but if I manage to squeeze in a workout tonight, I'll be really proud of myself.
Tomorrow morning I'm waking up early and going for another run. Hopefully I'll manage to go 5 miles or so. I feel really confident that I can do it.
I haven't said anything but I've been tracking my food intake and my calories burned this whole week to see where I stand and what I've been doing. It's been a really good tool for keeping me accountable. I'll probably push "Publish Post" on it on Monday, so it will be far down on the list, but I may start doing this more often so that I can look back on what I did for the week and why I did or did not see a difference in weight or my level of energy. I've noticed I may not be consuming enough calories throughout the day, especially when I do hard workouts...but I honestly don't feel like I've been depriving myself. I have a snack when I feel hungry and I listen to my body when I'm full.
My parents are in town this weekend so it will be nice to see them and spend some time together before they head back to Wyoming. And of course it's Super Bowl Sunday!! I still haven't decided who I'm rooting for. I mean, football was over for me 3 weeks ago when the Cowboys got slaughtered by the Vikings...and then I was *kind of* rooting for the Vikings to whoop the Saints since I figured this was probably Brett Favre's last hoorah (I mean, the dude got run over by the Saints defense that last game...I bet he's still recovering). So I'm just not sure who I want to win. Usually I go for the underdog. In this instance, I don't think there is one. Both the Colts and the Saints are amazing teams and have done awesome jobs this year in every game they've played. I'm leaning towards the Saints...but either way, it's not my Cowboy's playing so I'll only be half interested in the game.
Who are you rooting for on Sunday? Do you even care? :) What is a milestone or accomplishment that happened for you this week that you're really proud of?
Happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!
3 minute walk (3.5)
10 minute run (5.5)
1 minute (6.5) x's 10
1 minute (5.6) x's 10
11 minute (5.6)- I even finished the last 90 seconds of the run at a 6.0
7 minute walk to cool down
I burned over 500 calories and ran over 4 miles. I'm really proud of myself. I paused the treadmill every 10 minutes or so to take a big drink of water and just calm myself down for about 20 seconds and then started back up again. I felt amazing.
Doing that run and doing it with energy to spare really encouraged me. I have felt pretty down about my running ever since I sprained my ankle and now I'm starting to feel like it's coming back to me.
I'm going to take it easy today but if I manage to squeeze in a workout tonight, I'll be really proud of myself.
Tomorrow morning I'm waking up early and going for another run. Hopefully I'll manage to go 5 miles or so. I feel really confident that I can do it.
I haven't said anything but I've been tracking my food intake and my calories burned this whole week to see where I stand and what I've been doing. It's been a really good tool for keeping me accountable. I'll probably push "Publish Post" on it on Monday, so it will be far down on the list, but I may start doing this more often so that I can look back on what I did for the week and why I did or did not see a difference in weight or my level of energy. I've noticed I may not be consuming enough calories throughout the day, especially when I do hard workouts...but I honestly don't feel like I've been depriving myself. I have a snack when I feel hungry and I listen to my body when I'm full.
My parents are in town this weekend so it will be nice to see them and spend some time together before they head back to Wyoming. And of course it's Super Bowl Sunday!! I still haven't decided who I'm rooting for. I mean, football was over for me 3 weeks ago when the Cowboys got slaughtered by the Vikings...and then I was *kind of* rooting for the Vikings to whoop the Saints since I figured this was probably Brett Favre's last hoorah (I mean, the dude got run over by the Saints defense that last game...I bet he's still recovering). So I'm just not sure who I want to win. Usually I go for the underdog. In this instance, I don't think there is one. Both the Colts and the Saints are amazing teams and have done awesome jobs this year in every game they've played. I'm leaning towards the Saints...but either way, it's not my Cowboy's playing so I'll only be half interested in the game.
Who are you rooting for on Sunday? Do you even care? :) What is a milestone or accomplishment that happened for you this week that you're really proud of?
Happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Hard Part
The hard part of working out and staying consistent for me is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This morning I had every intention of getting up at 5:00 to work out but my body just wasn't ready-much like it normally never is at 5:00 in the morning. But I'm just so tired. In fact, I'm so tired today that I've finally decided today's the day for coffee. 2 1/2 weeks and I'm finally having a cup of Joe.
So since I didn't get my lazy a$$ out of bed this morning, I'm going to go tonight. I'm doing a fartlek session today again. Here's the goal:
10 minutes-5.6
1 minute-6.4
1 minute-5.6
(alternating 10 x's)
10 minutes-5.5
Monday was pretty decent but I'm hoping to do better this time on my speed work. It's really hard and I may have to stop for a minute but I'm determined to finish.
Also, with the give and take of working out and making sure a good meal is prepared my husband has thankfully agreed to cooking our dinner tonight (chicken cordon bleu-minus the ham because I totally forgot to buy any at the grocery store so it's just chicken and bacon with swiss cheese) while I go to the gym and get my sweat on. I love that he's being so encouraging of my goals and wants to see me succeed. He tells me every day that he's really noticing the changes in my body and that's so good to hear.
Ever since my weigh in on Monday I've been feeling a little frustrated about the scale and while I know it's muscle that I'm building I don't like to the number I see. I know it's all a head game and I've just got to get around it. I don't want to get too discouraged because then I'll let myself slip up and I don't want to do that.
I've got to keep my eye on the prize...which is to permanently change my lifestyle. I can't keep being lazy and eating whatever I want and drinking too much wine. That's counterproductive and making me unhappy with myself. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio. After doing these yoga sessions at work every Wednesday, I feel inspired and I really want to do more. I enjoy it so much and while I know yoga classes are offered at the 24 HR Fitness I go to, I would really like to go to a place with people who are trained in yoga and know what they're doing.
There's a yoga studio about 3 miles from where I live and just down the road from my gym that I'm considering trying out. They have a special for new comers 10 days for $10. I need to crunch some numbers, see where I can cut back on some spending and obviously talk to my husband but I feel really inspired to start up. I've already got a schedule written out for when I would go do yoga and when I would go to the gym.
So anyway, my point of this whole post is that right now I'm struggling. I know I feel better and have gained muscle and lost some weight, but sometimes it gets agonizing how I don't see the results as fast as I want to. And late in the week is when I get tired and don't want to wake up in the morning or come straight home from work and put on comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV.
Not tonight though! Tonight is the gym. And tomorrow morning is tae bo and 30 Day Shred. I can do this and I can find the energy!
When do you struggle? What helps you stay on track or what helps you get back on track?
So since I didn't get my lazy a$$ out of bed this morning, I'm going to go tonight. I'm doing a fartlek session today again. Here's the goal:
10 minutes-5.6
1 minute-6.4
1 minute-5.6
(alternating 10 x's)
10 minutes-5.5
Monday was pretty decent but I'm hoping to do better this time on my speed work. It's really hard and I may have to stop for a minute but I'm determined to finish.
Also, with the give and take of working out and making sure a good meal is prepared my husband has thankfully agreed to cooking our dinner tonight (chicken cordon bleu-minus the ham because I totally forgot to buy any at the grocery store so it's just chicken and bacon with swiss cheese) while I go to the gym and get my sweat on. I love that he's being so encouraging of my goals and wants to see me succeed. He tells me every day that he's really noticing the changes in my body and that's so good to hear.
Ever since my weigh in on Monday I've been feeling a little frustrated about the scale and while I know it's muscle that I'm building I don't like to the number I see. I know it's all a head game and I've just got to get around it. I don't want to get too discouraged because then I'll let myself slip up and I don't want to do that.
I've got to keep my eye on the prize...which is to permanently change my lifestyle. I can't keep being lazy and eating whatever I want and drinking too much wine. That's counterproductive and making me unhappy with myself. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio. After doing these yoga sessions at work every Wednesday, I feel inspired and I really want to do more. I enjoy it so much and while I know yoga classes are offered at the 24 HR Fitness I go to, I would really like to go to a place with people who are trained in yoga and know what they're doing.
There's a yoga studio about 3 miles from where I live and just down the road from my gym that I'm considering trying out. They have a special for new comers 10 days for $10. I need to crunch some numbers, see where I can cut back on some spending and obviously talk to my husband but I feel really inspired to start up. I've already got a schedule written out for when I would go do yoga and when I would go to the gym.
So anyway, my point of this whole post is that right now I'm struggling. I know I feel better and have gained muscle and lost some weight, but sometimes it gets agonizing how I don't see the results as fast as I want to. And late in the week is when I get tired and don't want to wake up in the morning or come straight home from work and put on comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV.
Not tonight though! Tonight is the gym. And tomorrow morning is tae bo and 30 Day Shred. I can do this and I can find the energy!
When do you struggle? What helps you stay on track or what helps you get back on track?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I Love Sprouts
I've been really getting into a lot of healthy blogs lately and I constantly find myself jealous of all the delicious and healthy foods they eat. Everyone is always talking about Chobani or KIND bars or rice milk...It just made me curious.
Steve and I live by a Sprouts store. We hadn't ever been inside but I was determined to go this past weekend. I know I wanted some grapefruit and Walmart doesn't have the greatest selection, so I went with the intention of getting some produce and being on my way.
Didn't happen.
That store is like heaven. I swear to you. I was so excited! I got most of my produce (grapefruit, zucchini, squash, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green onion, and of course-asparagus). My new obsession? Chobani yogurt.
This is just a stock photo...but I had this flavor last night. I really enjoyed it. I put flax seed granola in it and it was Oh.My.Gosh yum! It's a greek yogurt, so it's a lot thicker than the yogurts like Yoplait and Dannon. What I like about it, is that is has about 15 grams of protein in it. It filled me up last night and it was the perfect amount. Lots of times when I have yogurt, I still feel hungry afterwards. With Chobani I felt fulfilled and satisfied. I have a pineapple flavor waiting for me and I can't wait! I only got 2 because I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it...but it was delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!
I also bought some KIND healthy snack bars. They were $5 for 5 at Sprouts. I had also read about these bars on some blogs and thought it would be interesting to try them. Steve and I split the apricot and nut bar. It was delicious! It tasted so homemade and the flavor was intense. I enjoyed it so much more than all the other fitness bars I've tried. Most of those taste pretty terrible if I'm being honest and don't leave me feeling very good afterwards. I liked how natural it tasted and how I was able to enjoy every bite. I highly recommend trying them!
All in all, I spent $20 on produce this weekend! And that doesn't bother me in the least! Steve is convinced that as soon as we can we're going to start a garden and that we won't have to spend near as much on produce as we do now. A few months ago I would have scoffed at his plans for a garden...but now I'm getting excited and I am looking forward to being able to eat things I've grown myself.
I have noticed a lot of the blogs I follow are primarily vegetarians and it's got me wondering how hard it would be for me to forgo eating meat. My husband would never go for it. Every dinner he has must have some form of meat in it, whereas I could be just fine having a tomato basil soup. I just find myself enjoying vegetables more and the way I feel after I eat them. We'll see.
As far as my eating obsessions are concerned I've started to evolve.
One thing that I have changed in my diet, that I truly think has helped me is my drinking. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends and sometimes during the weekdays...now I have one and savor it. I drink it slower and enjoy it.
I've also been cooking from scratch more. Lots of homemade salads with hard boiled eggs, alfalfa and bean sprouts, cucumber, celery, and avocado with balsamic vinegar (Steve uses the more calorie packed Ranch dressing). We have salads at least 4 times a week. I also enjoy making squash and zucchini in the skillet.
My sweet tooth has also slowed down. I have started satisfying it with small portions of chocolate or ice cream when needed. I know to never avoid it because when I do, it usually comes back with avengence. So now I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate bites that I eat one of each day around 11:30 and I usually savor it as much as I can.
Other than that, working out has also helped me with my goals. It's been great these past few weeks now that I am finally starting to see the fruits of my labor. My legs are more toned, my arms, and my waist are looking smaller. It's just really encouraging. Other than the scale here at work...which says I weigh in at 148. When I weigh myself at home though, I weigh 145. I trust my scale more than I do the one we're using here at work. I know this may sound silly but I know my body and I do NOT weigh 148. I know it's only 3 pounds but I know how I feel and look at 148 and how I feel and look at 145 and I'm definitely 145. Hopefully next week the scale here at work will be more of a friend than a foe and actually weigh me correctly. It wouldn't matter to me so much if I weren't trying to win this stupid contest. And actually, I wish I had re-weighed myself the first week when it said I weighed 145 because even then I wasn't 145. Oh well...now I sound like one of those crazy people who can't accept how much they weigh... haha
Steve and I live by a Sprouts store. We hadn't ever been inside but I was determined to go this past weekend. I know I wanted some grapefruit and Walmart doesn't have the greatest selection, so I went with the intention of getting some produce and being on my way.
Didn't happen.
That store is like heaven. I swear to you. I was so excited! I got most of my produce (grapefruit, zucchini, squash, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green onion, and of course-asparagus). My new obsession? Chobani yogurt.
This is just a stock photo...but I had this flavor last night. I really enjoyed it. I put flax seed granola in it and it was Oh.My.Gosh yum! It's a greek yogurt, so it's a lot thicker than the yogurts like Yoplait and Dannon. What I like about it, is that is has about 15 grams of protein in it. It filled me up last night and it was the perfect amount. Lots of times when I have yogurt, I still feel hungry afterwards. With Chobani I felt fulfilled and satisfied. I have a pineapple flavor waiting for me and I can't wait! I only got 2 because I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it...but it was delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!
I also bought some KIND healthy snack bars. They were $5 for 5 at Sprouts. I had also read about these bars on some blogs and thought it would be interesting to try them. Steve and I split the apricot and nut bar. It was delicious! It tasted so homemade and the flavor was intense. I enjoyed it so much more than all the other fitness bars I've tried. Most of those taste pretty terrible if I'm being honest and don't leave me feeling very good afterwards. I liked how natural it tasted and how I was able to enjoy every bite. I highly recommend trying them!
All in all, I spent $20 on produce this weekend! And that doesn't bother me in the least! Steve is convinced that as soon as we can we're going to start a garden and that we won't have to spend near as much on produce as we do now. A few months ago I would have scoffed at his plans for a garden...but now I'm getting excited and I am looking forward to being able to eat things I've grown myself.
I have noticed a lot of the blogs I follow are primarily vegetarians and it's got me wondering how hard it would be for me to forgo eating meat. My husband would never go for it. Every dinner he has must have some form of meat in it, whereas I could be just fine having a tomato basil soup. I just find myself enjoying vegetables more and the way I feel after I eat them. We'll see.
As far as my eating obsessions are concerned I've started to evolve.
One thing that I have changed in my diet, that I truly think has helped me is my drinking. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends and sometimes during the weekdays...now I have one and savor it. I drink it slower and enjoy it.
I've also been cooking from scratch more. Lots of homemade salads with hard boiled eggs, alfalfa and bean sprouts, cucumber, celery, and avocado with balsamic vinegar (Steve uses the more calorie packed Ranch dressing). We have salads at least 4 times a week. I also enjoy making squash and zucchini in the skillet.
My sweet tooth has also slowed down. I have started satisfying it with small portions of chocolate or ice cream when needed. I know to never avoid it because when I do, it usually comes back with avengence. So now I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate bites that I eat one of each day around 11:30 and I usually savor it as much as I can.
Other than that, working out has also helped me with my goals. It's been great these past few weeks now that I am finally starting to see the fruits of my labor. My legs are more toned, my arms, and my waist are looking smaller. It's just really encouraging. Other than the scale here at work...which says I weigh in at 148. When I weigh myself at home though, I weigh 145. I trust my scale more than I do the one we're using here at work. I know this may sound silly but I know my body and I do NOT weigh 148. I know it's only 3 pounds but I know how I feel and look at 148 and how I feel and look at 145 and I'm definitely 145. Hopefully next week the scale here at work will be more of a friend than a foe and actually weigh me correctly. It wouldn't matter to me so much if I weren't trying to win this stupid contest. And actually, I wish I had re-weighed myself the first week when it said I weighed 145 because even then I wasn't 145. Oh well...now I sound like one of those crazy people who can't accept how much they weigh... haha
Monday, February 1, 2010
Feeling Good
I can't remember the last time I felt so good. It's pretty much every day that I feel relatively full of energy and ready to be active. I haven't had coffee in 2 weeks and I honestly don't miss it. Though I will be honest, I do love the smell of it.
This weekend was really good. Friday after work, Steve and I went to Goody Goody's in Uptown and went looking for some good wine. I've been on the hunt for this amazing Malbec that I had a year ago and had been out of luck trying to find it. But Friday was my lucky day!! I FINALLY found it! It was on the "expensive" side (meaning it was $20...when we usually only buy wine $13 and under). But I was so excited! After finding the wine, we went to Steve's old bosses design open house. When we got home from that we decided we really didn't want to cook anything so we ordered some Chinese food and then opened up the best wine ever :) It was great finally being able to show Steve what I've been raving about for a year now. He loved it. We've been slowly drinking it and enjoying it. I'll probably finish it off tonight sadly. But I think I'm *this close* to having Steve agree to buying a whole case of it soon!
Oh, in case you were wondering the wine is Lorca and we enjoy the Malbec. I'm assuming any of Lorca's brand of wine is good-but we've been stuck on Malbecs for about a year now. I used to be a BIG white wine person but now I much prefer the red over white. I also used to like the sweet wines, but now those almost turn my stomach and I prefer the dryer wines. Malbec is a South America wine (mostly Argentina). I highly recommend it! There's a brand of Malbec that usually sells for about $12-$13 (you can even get this at World Market) that has a purple and silver top. I can't think of the name. But if you see it, try it! You won't be disappointed.
Saturday was super cold! But Steve had a whole day planned out for us. First we went to Arbor Hill nature perserve in Plano for a walk. We took some hot chocolate in a thermos to drink once we got back to the car. I was cold at first, but I really think I could have walked for another few miles before being ready to go. Steve was ready to get back probably half a mile into our walk :) I was also disappointed we didn't decide to go for a run while we were there. There were all these people running and it made me feel the itch to get out there, too. After our little trip to the nature perserve, we came back home and got a few snacks together and then headed out for the DART. Steve took me downtown, where we were hoping to catch a trolley but never did see one, so we just walked. We went to an antique store and then to Potbelly's for lunch. I thought this was really thoughtful of Steve because I LOVE antiques. Though, this store was not my cup of tea. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was very "masculine". I'm not into masculine antiques. Honestly, I didn't see one thing in this store that I thought was cool. I feel bad because I know Steve put a lot of thought into our "date", but this wasn't the type of antique store I like. I like antique stores that have old perfume bottles, old women's hats from the 40s, old china, and things like that. I guess I'll have to take Steve to some antique shops up in Denison to show him what I mean.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. I've started making waffles from scratch every Sunday morning-maybe it's a new tradition? Steve and I went for a run after we did grocery shopping-which I will be discussing in a separate post. We ran 3 miles. After that I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then did some more housework (lots of cleaning). After I finished cleaning, I did 30 minutes of Tae Bo and another session of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I swear I was dieing at the end. But it was a great workout! For dinner we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. It was a good night.
I don't know if my change in diet has affected my change in attitude and energy...but I seriously feel great and I can tell my body is changing. Even my cravings are changing...which will be the topic of my next post...
This weekend was really good. Friday after work, Steve and I went to Goody Goody's in Uptown and went looking for some good wine. I've been on the hunt for this amazing Malbec that I had a year ago and had been out of luck trying to find it. But Friday was my lucky day!! I FINALLY found it! It was on the "expensive" side (meaning it was $20...when we usually only buy wine $13 and under). But I was so excited! After finding the wine, we went to Steve's old bosses design open house. When we got home from that we decided we really didn't want to cook anything so we ordered some Chinese food and then opened up the best wine ever :) It was great finally being able to show Steve what I've been raving about for a year now. He loved it. We've been slowly drinking it and enjoying it. I'll probably finish it off tonight sadly. But I think I'm *this close* to having Steve agree to buying a whole case of it soon!
Oh, in case you were wondering the wine is Lorca and we enjoy the Malbec. I'm assuming any of Lorca's brand of wine is good-but we've been stuck on Malbecs for about a year now. I used to be a BIG white wine person but now I much prefer the red over white. I also used to like the sweet wines, but now those almost turn my stomach and I prefer the dryer wines. Malbec is a South America wine (mostly Argentina). I highly recommend it! There's a brand of Malbec that usually sells for about $12-$13 (you can even get this at World Market) that has a purple and silver top. I can't think of the name. But if you see it, try it! You won't be disappointed.
Saturday was super cold! But Steve had a whole day planned out for us. First we went to Arbor Hill nature perserve in Plano for a walk. We took some hot chocolate in a thermos to drink once we got back to the car. I was cold at first, but I really think I could have walked for another few miles before being ready to go. Steve was ready to get back probably half a mile into our walk :) I was also disappointed we didn't decide to go for a run while we were there. There were all these people running and it made me feel the itch to get out there, too. After our little trip to the nature perserve, we came back home and got a few snacks together and then headed out for the DART. Steve took me downtown, where we were hoping to catch a trolley but never did see one, so we just walked. We went to an antique store and then to Potbelly's for lunch. I thought this was really thoughtful of Steve because I LOVE antiques. Though, this store was not my cup of tea. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was very "masculine". I'm not into masculine antiques. Honestly, I didn't see one thing in this store that I thought was cool. I feel bad because I know Steve put a lot of thought into our "date", but this wasn't the type of antique store I like. I like antique stores that have old perfume bottles, old women's hats from the 40s, old china, and things like that. I guess I'll have to take Steve to some antique shops up in Denison to show him what I mean.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. I've started making waffles from scratch every Sunday morning-maybe it's a new tradition? Steve and I went for a run after we did grocery shopping-which I will be discussing in a separate post. We ran 3 miles. After that I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then did some more housework (lots of cleaning). After I finished cleaning, I did 30 minutes of Tae Bo and another session of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I swear I was dieing at the end. But it was a great workout! For dinner we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. It was a good night.
I don't know if my change in diet has affected my change in attitude and energy...but I seriously feel great and I can tell my body is changing. Even my cravings are changing...which will be the topic of my next post...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
So Far...
I thought I'd check in and see where I stand as far as my eating and working out were concerned and see how it measured up to the goals I had initially put down Monday...
Monday after work I didn't go to the gym. In fact, I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I plan to remedy that tomorrow morning. I WILL GET UP AT 5:00 AND GO RUN. I WILL. (I'm trying to get myself motivated) We did have the chicken for dinner with asparagus and salad and it was really good. Probably a keeper.
Tuesday: My legs and abs were so sore from 30 Day Shred and the Tae Bo from Sunday that I took the day off. But I didn't over eat! Yay me :) I did make the chicken parmesan. No salad though...I had a Skinny Cow fudge bar for dessert (100 calories)
Wednesday: I did yoga after work for an hour and then preceded to come home and do another day of 30 Day Shred :) We had turkey soft tacos for dinner. And I had a Jello Mousse and small bowl of Kashi cereal for dessert.
Thursday: Today since I'm making the chicken enchilada casserole for dinner, I think I'm just going to do the tae bo advanced workout while the dinner is cooking and if I'm feeling up for it, the 30 Day Shred again after I eat. Currently, I'm craving something with peanut butter and chocolate. I'm going to see if I can talk my husband into taking us to a yogurt shop by our house around 8:00 so that I can satisfy my sweet tooth to some extent.
Tomorrow: I. WILL. WAKE. UP. EARLY. I want to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill for 35 minutes. Afterwards I plan on doing either some leg work or some arm or chest strength training. I know if I don't get up tomorrow morning and work out, that I won't work out at all and I don't need to be lazy. Steve's former boss and mentor opened a shop and he's having a grand opening party tomorrow night, so we're going to that.
I have really been proud of myself though when it comes to my diet. I've been steering clear of loads of sugar and I'm still not drinking coffee. I don't even crave it. I feel a lot more clear headed and energized without it. I feel like I'm losing weight but I honestly don't know and I won't know until Monday. But even if I don't lose a pound, I know I should be proud of myself for being so determined and for striving to make some changes in my life that make me feel better.
The only thing I need to conquer now is finding a better job :) And I really need to let go of all the fear that comes with that. It's time for me to move on and I just don't know where or what I should move on to. Whatever it is, I'm hoping it will be bigger and better things :)
Monday after work I didn't go to the gym. In fact, I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I plan to remedy that tomorrow morning. I WILL GET UP AT 5:00 AND GO RUN. I WILL. (I'm trying to get myself motivated) We did have the chicken for dinner with asparagus and salad and it was really good. Probably a keeper.
Tuesday: My legs and abs were so sore from 30 Day Shred and the Tae Bo from Sunday that I took the day off. But I didn't over eat! Yay me :) I did make the chicken parmesan. No salad though...I had a Skinny Cow fudge bar for dessert (100 calories)
Wednesday: I did yoga after work for an hour and then preceded to come home and do another day of 30 Day Shred :) We had turkey soft tacos for dinner. And I had a Jello Mousse and small bowl of Kashi cereal for dessert.
Thursday: Today since I'm making the chicken enchilada casserole for dinner, I think I'm just going to do the tae bo advanced workout while the dinner is cooking and if I'm feeling up for it, the 30 Day Shred again after I eat. Currently, I'm craving something with peanut butter and chocolate. I'm going to see if I can talk my husband into taking us to a yogurt shop by our house around 8:00 so that I can satisfy my sweet tooth to some extent.
Tomorrow: I. WILL. WAKE. UP. EARLY. I want to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill for 35 minutes. Afterwards I plan on doing either some leg work or some arm or chest strength training. I know if I don't get up tomorrow morning and work out, that I won't work out at all and I don't need to be lazy. Steve's former boss and mentor opened a shop and he's having a grand opening party tomorrow night, so we're going to that.
I have really been proud of myself though when it comes to my diet. I've been steering clear of loads of sugar and I'm still not drinking coffee. I don't even crave it. I feel a lot more clear headed and energized without it. I feel like I'm losing weight but I honestly don't know and I won't know until Monday. But even if I don't lose a pound, I know I should be proud of myself for being so determined and for striving to make some changes in my life that make me feel better.
The only thing I need to conquer now is finding a better job :) And I really need to let go of all the fear that comes with that. It's time for me to move on and I just don't know where or what I should move on to. Whatever it is, I'm hoping it will be bigger and better things :)
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks can be predictable. Does that make a book he's written any less touching? I don't think so.
The Last Song is a heartwarming/heartbreaking story about Ronnie and the summer she spent with her father. Ronnie is a good kid, but since her father left 3 years ago she has become rebellious and combative towards her mother and brother. She even hasn't spoken to her father or seen him in 3 years. Her father was once a teacher at Julliard and she has received mulitple offers for her to be a student there, but since Steve (her dad) left, she refuses to play the piano and refuses to go to college.
She feels like she's being punished for having to spend the summer with her father in North Carolina. As soon as they get to her father's house, she immediately walks off, not telling anyone where she is going.
She goes exploring and finds herself near a volleyball tournament, where by an unfortunate/fortunate event (whichever way you would want to look at it) meets Will. Will is a gorgeous guy, who Ronnie assumes would never have anything to do with a girl like her. But Ronnie leaves an impression on Will that he just can't shake.
If any of you know Nicholas Sparks books then you know what happens next ;) It's a great book, that leads you to a heartbreaking/heart warming ending that you can see coming but the way our author writes it is beautiful. I was reading this at work (I know, I know-shame on me) and had to fight back tears for pretty much the last 100 pages. It's a great book and if you loved The Notebook or A Walk to Remember, you'll love this book. It's impossible to put down!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Week of Workouts and food!
I have a problem sticking to a routine. I figure if I put it out there what I want to accomplish, that I'll stick it out more than if I kept it to myself.
This past weekend I managed to go for a run with Steve and Anna and I'm pretty positive I ran over 3 miles. It was a great workout and I was proud of myself for going the distance, even though I couldn't on a treadmill! I tend to like running outside more (I NEVER thought I'd say that!) because I can look around and breathe the fresh air and feel the wind in my face, as opposed to running stagnant with nothing to look forward to.
Sunday, I tried to do it again, but I felt exhausted so we just went for a walk instead and then came home where I put in Billy Blanks Tae Bo work out. I did the "advanced" session, which is an hour long. It wore me out! First you do a warm up and then you do a lot of upper body work out, then you move down to the floor and do about 10 minutes of abs, then you do 10-15 minutes of butt, then 10 minutes of leg, and then a 5 minute cool down. It's a great workout! I probably should have done "basic" but felt like I needed to do a longer workout yesterday. Today I'm a little sore. I'm sure as the day progresses, I'll feel it more.
After work today I plan on going to the gym and getting in a 35 minute run and then maybe some chest, shoulder, and ab work.
Tuesday is another workout, but I plan on getting my lazy a$$ out of bed and going early. I want to do 35 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine and then some back and arm work out. When I get home from work, I'd like to do the basic workout with Billy Blanks (seriously, I've done this stuff so much I already know pretty much every line he's going to say-so we're pretty tight).
Wednesday I'm doing yoga after work unless plans change. So that's an hour of hardcore sweating. If I can get up a little early, maybe I'll be brave enough to do some Jillian Michael's 30 day shred before work, too.
Thursday is the gym again. Running 40 minutes. Legs.
Friday is just a workout video. Probably Billy Blanks AND Jillian Michaels. I'll probably start out with Jillian because she's my soul mate (<3 her) and then end it with Billy (the Basic workout). That would equal about an hour of workout which is just right to end my week.
Saturday, depending on weather, I'd like to run around the neighborhood again. Maybe go 5 miles instead of 3. I was nervous to go run on Saturday because of my prior bad experiences with the uneven sidewalks and the d*3@ acorns, but running in the daylight was actually quite pleasant. I had no problems, so I'm eager to get back out there.
I'm feeling really good. I haven't had coffee in a week. I've been eating really well. Ok, besides that medium pizza that I inhaled in the span of less than 24 hours, but what can you do? I've been making a ton of salads lately and lots of veggies. Adding to my beloved asparagus, I've been enjoying a lot of zucchini and squash. And to replace my coffee fixation, I've been drinking tea. Green tea with lemon, lemon tea, and chamomile.
Right now I weigh in at 147. I knew that "145" from 2 weeks ago was too good to be true. But I also know that the week off I took because of sinus problems didn't help me. Either way, I've lost 3 pounds from last week and that's even with some bloating caused by our woman friend, PMS. Hey, I'll take what I can get, ok?
I'd like to lose another 3 lbs by next Monday. I think it's highly possible with the workouts I've planned and the meals I've got planned for the week.
And while I'm at it, I'll go ahead and map those out for you guys right now:
Tonight is honey mustard Chicken. Really simple. I put 3 chicken breasts in a slow cooker and topped it with Light honey mustard. I'll be serving it with asparagus and some rice. Maybe even some salad since I've been all about my salad (with fresh lettuce, celery, carrots, boiled egg, and balsamic vinegar dressing).
Tuesday is probably chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. A good carb dinner since I'll probably be needing it at some point.
Wednesday is turkey tacos. Yum is all I can say.
Thursday is Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I'm going to be making in the slow cooker with another helping of salad.
Friday is probably steaks, salad and asparagus. Maybe scalloped potatoes, too.
I've really been enjoying cooking new things. I bought a "busy people's slow cooker recipe book" on Saturday from the Christian Book Store. That's where I'm getting two of my chicken recipes this week. I'll let you know how they turn out. Hopefully, tasty.
Other than that, here's hoping it's a great week! I'm feeling positive and certainly optimistic! I'm debating on signing up for the Rock 'N Roll half marathon in March. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Ever since I got burned on BOTH of my half marathon races, I'm nervous to plunk down the money for the race. I guess it depends on how I feel in a month and whether or not the race is still open to new registers.
This past weekend I managed to go for a run with Steve and Anna and I'm pretty positive I ran over 3 miles. It was a great workout and I was proud of myself for going the distance, even though I couldn't on a treadmill! I tend to like running outside more (I NEVER thought I'd say that!) because I can look around and breathe the fresh air and feel the wind in my face, as opposed to running stagnant with nothing to look forward to.
Sunday, I tried to do it again, but I felt exhausted so we just went for a walk instead and then came home where I put in Billy Blanks Tae Bo work out. I did the "advanced" session, which is an hour long. It wore me out! First you do a warm up and then you do a lot of upper body work out, then you move down to the floor and do about 10 minutes of abs, then you do 10-15 minutes of butt, then 10 minutes of leg, and then a 5 minute cool down. It's a great workout! I probably should have done "basic" but felt like I needed to do a longer workout yesterday. Today I'm a little sore. I'm sure as the day progresses, I'll feel it more.
After work today I plan on going to the gym and getting in a 35 minute run and then maybe some chest, shoulder, and ab work.
Tuesday is another workout, but I plan on getting my lazy a$$ out of bed and going early. I want to do 35 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine and then some back and arm work out. When I get home from work, I'd like to do the basic workout with Billy Blanks (seriously, I've done this stuff so much I already know pretty much every line he's going to say-so we're pretty tight).
Wednesday I'm doing yoga after work unless plans change. So that's an hour of hardcore sweating. If I can get up a little early, maybe I'll be brave enough to do some Jillian Michael's 30 day shred before work, too.
Thursday is the gym again. Running 40 minutes. Legs.
Friday is just a workout video. Probably Billy Blanks AND Jillian Michaels. I'll probably start out with Jillian because she's my soul mate (<3 her) and then end it with Billy (the Basic workout). That would equal about an hour of workout which is just right to end my week.
Saturday, depending on weather, I'd like to run around the neighborhood again. Maybe go 5 miles instead of 3. I was nervous to go run on Saturday because of my prior bad experiences with the uneven sidewalks and the d*3@ acorns, but running in the daylight was actually quite pleasant. I had no problems, so I'm eager to get back out there.
I'm feeling really good. I haven't had coffee in a week. I've been eating really well. Ok, besides that medium pizza that I inhaled in the span of less than 24 hours, but what can you do? I've been making a ton of salads lately and lots of veggies. Adding to my beloved asparagus, I've been enjoying a lot of zucchini and squash. And to replace my coffee fixation, I've been drinking tea. Green tea with lemon, lemon tea, and chamomile.
Right now I weigh in at 147. I knew that "145" from 2 weeks ago was too good to be true. But I also know that the week off I took because of sinus problems didn't help me. Either way, I've lost 3 pounds from last week and that's even with some bloating caused by our woman friend, PMS. Hey, I'll take what I can get, ok?
I'd like to lose another 3 lbs by next Monday. I think it's highly possible with the workouts I've planned and the meals I've got planned for the week.
And while I'm at it, I'll go ahead and map those out for you guys right now:
Tonight is honey mustard Chicken. Really simple. I put 3 chicken breasts in a slow cooker and topped it with Light honey mustard. I'll be serving it with asparagus and some rice. Maybe even some salad since I've been all about my salad (with fresh lettuce, celery, carrots, boiled egg, and balsamic vinegar dressing).
Tuesday is probably chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. A good carb dinner since I'll probably be needing it at some point.
Wednesday is turkey tacos. Yum is all I can say.
Thursday is Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I'm going to be making in the slow cooker with another helping of salad.
Friday is probably steaks, salad and asparagus. Maybe scalloped potatoes, too.
I've really been enjoying cooking new things. I bought a "busy people's slow cooker recipe book" on Saturday from the Christian Book Store. That's where I'm getting two of my chicken recipes this week. I'll let you know how they turn out. Hopefully, tasty.
Other than that, here's hoping it's a great week! I'm feeling positive and certainly optimistic! I'm debating on signing up for the Rock 'N Roll half marathon in March. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Ever since I got burned on BOTH of my half marathon races, I'm nervous to plunk down the money for the race. I guess it depends on how I feel in a month and whether or not the race is still open to new registers.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Have I ever mentioned that I'm a BIG dog person? Like, if I could go and adopt every single dog in the city pet shelter, I'd so do it. I love dogs. I love their sweet kisses. I love the way their whole bottom end swings back and forth when they're so excited they're wagging their tail too hard. I love when they look up at you with those eyes that you just can't say "no" to. I love how they know when you're having a bad day and they come over and nuzzle you. I just love dogs. I especially love my dog, Anna. Before I go into the book, I'll tell you about my dog Anna.
Here's Anna the way she looked when we first adopted her:
Anna was supposed to be part black lab part "who the heck knows". Now we're thinking she's more flat coat retriever, than lab. We adopted her from a foster mom that I found on Petfinder back in June 2008. She was a little bundle of fur, only weighing in a 8 pounds when we got her. She was a breeze to potty train and the only problem we had with her, was her ability to chew on the corners of our walls (down by the molding). Now that we live in a house, the only problem we have is her ability to dig holes all in our yard. I'm sure we're around the 15 holes count mark by now. I don't know what she's digging for, but I'm sure it's in rebellion of not taking her on enough walks or just being lonely.
Here's Anna now:
We want to get her a playmate and yesterday we almost did. We found this black lab mix at Petsmart, who is probably double Anna's size and we really want to find her a companion...We decided to wait it out and not make a rash decision (which we're prone to doing-Anna was DEFINITELY a rash decision). When we came home after our trip, I looked at Anna and I got sad. I don't know why but I just did. I looked at her and I thought, "I don't know how I could ever love another dog as much as I love you". I don't know how I could bring a dog home and connect with it as much as I connect with her. I'm sure we will whenever the right time comes and we find a dog that we have to bring home...but it's just hard to fathom at this point.
Anyway, so that brings to me to this story. I seriously loved this book. It was so touching and such a well written book. The book is written from the point of view of Enzo, the dog. He's a Labrador mix and he's very smart. He loves his owner, Denny, and he loves watching TV. He loves the Weather channel, he loves racing. Denny is a race car driver and a mechanic who lives in Washington. The story tells of Enzo and how he believes that when he dies he will come back as a human. It begins with Enzo realizing that he is dieing and then he begins reflecting on his life and his life with Denny and his family. It's a touching story that goes between his story telling, to telling of race car moments and how they relate to the way humans react to life. The book had me in tears, especially at the end, but it was definitely a happy ending and I walked away with a sense of calm.
It definitely made me want to go home and give Anna a hug and tell her how much I love her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and loves a good story.
And for those dog lovers out there, I just know you'll love it!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Let Go
Yesterday, continued to be an amazing day. I don't know what changed in me, I don't know what happened..but it was just a good day.
After work, I did an hour yoga session with some co-workers. I've never really attended a "real" yoga class and usually do a few things on my Wii balance board but nothing like last night. It really relaxed me, I was able to think and focus. And oh my gosh, was it hard. My legs were shaking, my abs were shaking, it was just a great workout. At the end, we laid on our mats and we focused on relaxing every muscle. We were told to inhale "let" and exhale "go". I almost started crying...in the middle of everything, I swear to you, I almost lost it.
I hate this about me-but I tend to hold on to everything. Every little hurt or every little piece of negativity, I hold on to it. I've been holding on to so much, I didn't even realize how much it was affecting me. I wanted to cry about my job. I wanted to cry about not teaching. I wanted to cry because I honestly don't know what I want to do with my life anymore. I wanted to cry because of all the hurt my mom has caused me in the past and present. I wanted to cry because in the reality of it all, I have it so good but sometimes I feel like it's never enough. I wanted to cry because I miss my Nanny and it still hurts to think that she's gone, even though it's been over 3 years.
After the yoga session all I could tell my co-worker (who was teaching us) was that she did a great job. That's all I could get out. I didn't want to break down in the middle of everyone, so I just kept my mouth shut and pushed the tears away. I don't know when I became so afraid to cry. Maybe it's Steven. He never cries. And I don't want to look weak in front of him, so I hardly ever cry. That didn't used to be the case, but now it is. I feel guilty when I want to cry about Nanny. I feel like I should be over it by now. And I feel guilty when I want to cry about mom, because I don't want to cry about it, I just want to get over it. And the whole job thing...I know I should get out of here but I'm scared. I'm scared I'll just end up at another place like this and feel useless. I want to teach but now I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I've lost touch with my training, my old professors, people who could help me. I guess I'm just scared, is what it all comes down to. I'm tired of being scared.
This weekend I'm going to go and buy a book and I'm going to register to take a general ed test, so that I'll be certified to teach something other than music. I'm going to go to church for the first time in a while and Steve and I are going to start doing a Bible study together. I feel like it's time we did something like that. I'm ready. I'm ready to be scared, and to fight it. I'm ready to do something with myself. To feel like I'm making a difference. I'm ready to be happy. I'm tired of being in a place for 9 hours of my day, 5 days a week, where I don't feel appreciated and I don't feel like I fit in.
It's time to let go and I'm doing it. ::big sigh of relief::
After work, I did an hour yoga session with some co-workers. I've never really attended a "real" yoga class and usually do a few things on my Wii balance board but nothing like last night. It really relaxed me, I was able to think and focus. And oh my gosh, was it hard. My legs were shaking, my abs were shaking, it was just a great workout. At the end, we laid on our mats and we focused on relaxing every muscle. We were told to inhale "let" and exhale "go". I almost started crying...in the middle of everything, I swear to you, I almost lost it.
I hate this about me-but I tend to hold on to everything. Every little hurt or every little piece of negativity, I hold on to it. I've been holding on to so much, I didn't even realize how much it was affecting me. I wanted to cry about my job. I wanted to cry about not teaching. I wanted to cry because I honestly don't know what I want to do with my life anymore. I wanted to cry because of all the hurt my mom has caused me in the past and present. I wanted to cry because in the reality of it all, I have it so good but sometimes I feel like it's never enough. I wanted to cry because I miss my Nanny and it still hurts to think that she's gone, even though it's been over 3 years.
After the yoga session all I could tell my co-worker (who was teaching us) was that she did a great job. That's all I could get out. I didn't want to break down in the middle of everyone, so I just kept my mouth shut and pushed the tears away. I don't know when I became so afraid to cry. Maybe it's Steven. He never cries. And I don't want to look weak in front of him, so I hardly ever cry. That didn't used to be the case, but now it is. I feel guilty when I want to cry about Nanny. I feel like I should be over it by now. And I feel guilty when I want to cry about mom, because I don't want to cry about it, I just want to get over it. And the whole job thing...I know I should get out of here but I'm scared. I'm scared I'll just end up at another place like this and feel useless. I want to teach but now I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I've lost touch with my training, my old professors, people who could help me. I guess I'm just scared, is what it all comes down to. I'm tired of being scared.
This weekend I'm going to go and buy a book and I'm going to register to take a general ed test, so that I'll be certified to teach something other than music. I'm going to go to church for the first time in a while and Steve and I are going to start doing a Bible study together. I feel like it's time we did something like that. I'm ready. I'm ready to be scared, and to fight it. I'm ready to do something with myself. To feel like I'm making a difference. I'm ready to be happy. I'm tired of being in a place for 9 hours of my day, 5 days a week, where I don't feel appreciated and I don't feel like I fit in.
It's time to let go and I'm doing it. ::big sigh of relief::
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
New Outlook?
Today I feel amazing. And by amazing I mean, I feel like a completely different person. I feel motivated. I feel full of energy. I feel like I could take on the world.
Last week I felt terrible. I felt run down, sick, and just exhausted. I don't know what happened. From Tuesday through Friday I felt like I had been hit by a truck. It took all the energy in the world to get out of bed and it took everything I had throughout the day not to lay my head down on my desk and fall asleep.
I honestly don't know what happened. It started out Saturday when I couldn't shake a headache. At first I thought it was because maybe I had a little too much fun the night before, but it lasted all day. I even thought maybe I just needed a cup of coffee-but even that didn't do the trick.
The headache came and went all last week. And every morning I woke up to sore throat and nasty mucus. I even went to the doctor on Thursday to find out if I had a sinus infection. I had the beginnings of one, so I'm glad I caught it soon enough.
Friday I felt a little better, but not completely well. The rest of this past weekend was actually really good. Steve and I got a lot of stuff accomplished with the house. We bought plywood and put it up in the attic so that we could finally start storing our extra belongings (like Christmas decorations and extra Pyrex dishes that I have no room for). Steve is also making extra shelving for our linen closet, pantry, and kitchen cabinets. We are also debating on having or trying to get into a garage sale. We have a few things that we don't need and don't necessarily want to "give" away. Honestly, I don't think it's worth the hassle of trying to have a garage sale or trying to team up with someone because we just don't have that much stuff and probably wouldn't make $100. But at the same time, some of the items are brand new and I'd hate to think that I could have made $5 on it...But it's nice to do some spring cleaning. We are so blessed, so it would be nice to be able to help others out less fortunate that we are.
We also watched the depressing Cowboy game on Sunday...don't even get me started. My team didn't even show up to play in the game. I felt like I was watching impostors.
Hopefully this next weekend we'll be able to do some more work in our garage. I'd like to be able to finally put Steve's Jeep in the garage, too. It won't take much more work...I think it's going to come down to us agreeing on whether or not we just take our extra junk to Goodwill or not. If it were up to me, I'd be doing that tonight!
So anyway, last night we had dinner at my Aunt Debi and Uncle Darin's house with my Pappaw. That was good. It's always good to be with family. I love them so much. And then we got home around 9:00 and decided that we were going to work out that next morning.
And it never fails. I either can't sleep well or I just can't fall asleep fast enough because I know I have to get up and work out at 5:00 in the morning. Naturally, we ended up talking to each other until about 10:20..but I slept pretty well. But when my alarm woke me up at 5:00, I groaned. I didn't want to work out. At all. I mean, tonight I'm doing yoga with people at work, so why let myself miss out on some sleep? But we both laid there for 5 minutes and realized we weren't going to fall back asleep...so we got up and went to the gym.
This morning I decided to try running again. Except this time I did intervals. It made me feel weak, but I also know it's a good way to build up my stamina again. I walked for the first 3 minutes at a 3.5. Then I ran for 4 1/2 minutes at a 5.9. I walked another 2 minutes and then ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and walked again for 3 minutes at 3.6. I ran for 6 minutes at 6.0 and walked for another 3 minutes. I ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and then walked again for the remainder (which was about 3 minutes and then a 5 minute cool down). Each time I do the intervals, I'd like to decrease my walking by 30 seconds and increase my running by a minute each interval. We'll see.
After the cardio, I did some side and back exercises and while waiting on Steve to finish a set, I did some hip abductor weight training.
All in all, it was a great workout and it's got me feeling amazing this morning. I came home took a shower and then got ready for work. I packed myself an amazing lunch and pretty good looking snacks! My breakfast is the same as it has been. Oatmeal with craisens. For lunch, I made a salad: lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes cut in 4 pieces each, 1 stalk of celery chopped, a handful of alfalfa and bean sprouts. I brought an avocado and jalapeno to cut up as well to put in the salad. I'm pretty excited about it! For snacks I brought some honey nut rice cakes (less than 100 calories) and a small container of baby carrots.
Another cool thing: I haven't been drinking coffee. Instead, I've been drinking hot tea. Sometimes lemon flavored, other times just plain green tea. I think this may be one of the reasons that I'm feeling so good.
So that's it. I just feel great today. It may look dreary outside, but I'm in such a good mood. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this good-despite having a scratchy voice from coughing last week.
I hope everyone's having a good week so far! It's Wednesday, people! 2 more days until the weekend! :)
Last week I felt terrible. I felt run down, sick, and just exhausted. I don't know what happened. From Tuesday through Friday I felt like I had been hit by a truck. It took all the energy in the world to get out of bed and it took everything I had throughout the day not to lay my head down on my desk and fall asleep.
I honestly don't know what happened. It started out Saturday when I couldn't shake a headache. At first I thought it was because maybe I had a little too much fun the night before, but it lasted all day. I even thought maybe I just needed a cup of coffee-but even that didn't do the trick.
The headache came and went all last week. And every morning I woke up to sore throat and nasty mucus. I even went to the doctor on Thursday to find out if I had a sinus infection. I had the beginnings of one, so I'm glad I caught it soon enough.
Friday I felt a little better, but not completely well. The rest of this past weekend was actually really good. Steve and I got a lot of stuff accomplished with the house. We bought plywood and put it up in the attic so that we could finally start storing our extra belongings (like Christmas decorations and extra Pyrex dishes that I have no room for). Steve is also making extra shelving for our linen closet, pantry, and kitchen cabinets. We are also debating on having or trying to get into a garage sale. We have a few things that we don't need and don't necessarily want to "give" away. Honestly, I don't think it's worth the hassle of trying to have a garage sale or trying to team up with someone because we just don't have that much stuff and probably wouldn't make $100. But at the same time, some of the items are brand new and I'd hate to think that I could have made $5 on it...But it's nice to do some spring cleaning. We are so blessed, so it would be nice to be able to help others out less fortunate that we are.
We also watched the depressing Cowboy game on Sunday...don't even get me started. My team didn't even show up to play in the game. I felt like I was watching impostors.
Hopefully this next weekend we'll be able to do some more work in our garage. I'd like to be able to finally put Steve's Jeep in the garage, too. It won't take much more work...I think it's going to come down to us agreeing on whether or not we just take our extra junk to Goodwill or not. If it were up to me, I'd be doing that tonight!
So anyway, last night we had dinner at my Aunt Debi and Uncle Darin's house with my Pappaw. That was good. It's always good to be with family. I love them so much. And then we got home around 9:00 and decided that we were going to work out that next morning.
And it never fails. I either can't sleep well or I just can't fall asleep fast enough because I know I have to get up and work out at 5:00 in the morning. Naturally, we ended up talking to each other until about 10:20..but I slept pretty well. But when my alarm woke me up at 5:00, I groaned. I didn't want to work out. At all. I mean, tonight I'm doing yoga with people at work, so why let myself miss out on some sleep? But we both laid there for 5 minutes and realized we weren't going to fall back asleep...so we got up and went to the gym.
This morning I decided to try running again. Except this time I did intervals. It made me feel weak, but I also know it's a good way to build up my stamina again. I walked for the first 3 minutes at a 3.5. Then I ran for 4 1/2 minutes at a 5.9. I walked another 2 minutes and then ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and walked again for 3 minutes at 3.6. I ran for 6 minutes at 6.0 and walked for another 3 minutes. I ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and then walked again for the remainder (which was about 3 minutes and then a 5 minute cool down). Each time I do the intervals, I'd like to decrease my walking by 30 seconds and increase my running by a minute each interval. We'll see.
After the cardio, I did some side and back exercises and while waiting on Steve to finish a set, I did some hip abductor weight training.
All in all, it was a great workout and it's got me feeling amazing this morning. I came home took a shower and then got ready for work. I packed myself an amazing lunch and pretty good looking snacks! My breakfast is the same as it has been. Oatmeal with craisens. For lunch, I made a salad: lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes cut in 4 pieces each, 1 stalk of celery chopped, a handful of alfalfa and bean sprouts. I brought an avocado and jalapeno to cut up as well to put in the salad. I'm pretty excited about it! For snacks I brought some honey nut rice cakes (less than 100 calories) and a small container of baby carrots.
Another cool thing: I haven't been drinking coffee. Instead, I've been drinking hot tea. Sometimes lemon flavored, other times just plain green tea. I think this may be one of the reasons that I'm feeling so good.
So that's it. I just feel great today. It may look dreary outside, but I'm in such a good mood. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this good-despite having a scratchy voice from coughing last week.
I hope everyone's having a good week so far! It's Wednesday, people! 2 more days until the weekend! :)
Tomato-Basil Soup with Ricotta Dumplings
Like I said, I had a busy weekend full of new recipes. Here's another I tried that I truly enjoyed (but my husband did not). Why? Because it didn't have meat. Whatever.
Soup:
1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
1 garlic clove,pressed
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained (I actually didn't have crushed tomatoes-so I used diced)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
Dumplings:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Thinly sliced fresh basil
1. For soup, combine oil and garlic in a 3 qt. saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns light golden brown. Immediately add tomatoes, chicken broth and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, for dumplings, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg white, salt and black pepper in a small bowl; mix well. Add flour; stir just until combined. Using a small scoop or spoon, scoop dumbling mixture directly into simmering soup. Cook until dumplings float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.
Here's a shot of it in the pot:
And the final product:
I served this with buttery crescent rolls. It was so good. I actually liked it with the diced tomotoes, but I'd like to see what the difference would be with the crushed.
This was just a great soup and it would have been amazing on a nice and chilly day. It was very filling and yet it was so fresh. It just made me feel great. I enjoyed this recipe and it was so extremely easy.
Like I said, my husband likes meat...so he didn't really care for this soup. Maybe next time I'll add chunks of chicken or something..I don't know. I honestly feel like that would just change the whole concept of the soup so, who knows?
It was definitely fun, though, experimenting this weekend and trying new things.
Another thing I made was homemade waffles Sunday morning. I didn't have any bisquick or Aunt Jemima's mix, so I looked through a recipe book and found some easy waffles.
While the mixes in a box are so convenient there is just something so amazing about fresh waffles made from scratch! There were fluffier, tastier and more filling. I may post that recipe soon, too. It was too good not to share!
Hope you guys enjoyed some of these recipes and please let me know if you try any of them for yourselves!
Soup:
1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
1 garlic clove,pressed
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained (I actually didn't have crushed tomatoes-so I used diced)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
Dumplings:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Thinly sliced fresh basil
1. For soup, combine oil and garlic in a 3 qt. saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns light golden brown. Immediately add tomatoes, chicken broth and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, for dumplings, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg white, salt and black pepper in a small bowl; mix well. Add flour; stir just until combined. Using a small scoop or spoon, scoop dumbling mixture directly into simmering soup. Cook until dumplings float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.
Here's a shot of it in the pot:
And the final product:
I served this with buttery crescent rolls. It was so good. I actually liked it with the diced tomotoes, but I'd like to see what the difference would be with the crushed.
This was just a great soup and it would have been amazing on a nice and chilly day. It was very filling and yet it was so fresh. It just made me feel great. I enjoyed this recipe and it was so extremely easy.
Like I said, my husband likes meat...so he didn't really care for this soup. Maybe next time I'll add chunks of chicken or something..I don't know. I honestly feel like that would just change the whole concept of the soup so, who knows?
It was definitely fun, though, experimenting this weekend and trying new things.
Another thing I made was homemade waffles Sunday morning. I didn't have any bisquick or Aunt Jemima's mix, so I looked through a recipe book and found some easy waffles.
While the mixes in a box are so convenient there is just something so amazing about fresh waffles made from scratch! There were fluffier, tastier and more filling. I may post that recipe soon, too. It was too good not to share!
Hope you guys enjoyed some of these recipes and please let me know if you try any of them for yourselves!
Homemade Scalloped Potatoes and Salmon in Phyllo
This past weekend I made a ton of new things. Making new recipes is always a nerve wracking experience for me because I never know if my husband is going to like them or not. I never have a problem-I love food too much to be picky. :)
Saturday night I decided to make homemade scalloped potatoes and salmon and spinach in phyllo. Steven and I both love potatoes, especially scalloped potatoes. But I didn't want to make the ones that come in a box (even though those are absolutely delicious). So I pulled out one of my many cookbooks and looked up a recipe that looked easy enough and that didn't require a ton of ingredients that I'd have to go out and buy.
I think that's the hardest part about trying new things out. The grocery shopping. I knew our trip was going to be expensive, so the less I had to buy the better. :)
I made the potatoes first since they would require the longest amount of time to cook.
Here's a picture of some of the prep work I did:
I'll go ahead and post the recipe:
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1) In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter: stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2) In a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish, arrange half of the potatoes, onion and green pepper in layers; cover with half of the sauce. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
3) Melt remaining butter; combine with bread crumbs and sprinkle over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender (I was on the safe side and let it cook the entire 40 minutes before testing it to see how soft the potatoes were). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Here are the other pictures:
This is a picture with half the potatoes, onions and pepper
With the cheese on top!
I'll give my final review of the recipe after the rest of the post.
The other recipe I tried was out of my Pampered Chef "Cooking for two & more" cookbook.
Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo
1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves coarsely chopped
salt and coarsely ground black pepper
8 sheets thawed, frozen phyllo dough
nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread
1)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Remove spinach to paper towel-lined plate. Squeeze out excess moisture, set aside.
2)Lay one sheet of phyllo on a large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo. Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.
3) Season salmon fillets with salt and black pepper. Spread each salmon with half of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach. For each phyllo bundle, place salmon spinach side down, on a phyllo stack 2 inches from the bottom edge of short side. Fold long sides of phyllo in towards center. Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Place both bundles on a bar pan (cookie sheet-I used a stoneware from Pampered Chef) seam side down. Using a bread knife, make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle. Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 11-13 minutes or until salmon is fully cooked and phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Here are the pictures from the salmon. I only happened to take a picture when they were wrapped-so I didn't get a good shot of the salmon and spinach before I wrapped them in a bundle.
This is a shot of the phyllo
As for dessert, I made a delicious roasted peach in phyllo.
The recipe I used called for plums but I couldn't find any at Walmart-so I just grabbed something I thought would be a good substitute.
You need:
4 plums (or 2 peaches)
1/3 cup sugar
For phyllo shells:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 sheets of phyllo
nonstick cooking spray
1-1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove pits from plums and cut into 8 wedges and then cut those wedges in half. In a small bowl combine the plums (or peaches) in sugar, toss to gently coat. Arrange the plums on a cooking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Gently stir halfway through cooking. Remove from oven to cool.
Here's the only picture I got of the prep work-I didn't get a final shot.
For phyllo shells, reduce temp to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl or shaker. Place one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle lightly with sugar mixture. Repeat with second sheet of phyllo. Cut dough lengthwise into 6 strips. Gather dough strips together forming one strip. Form strip into a 4 inch ring (center will be open). Place onto a baking sheet (I used Pampered Chef's stoneware again for this). Repeat with remaining phyllo and sugar mixture for a total of 6 shells (I only made 2 shells). Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven; cool completely.
To assemble, arrange plums (or peaches) around inside edge of shells. Top with a scoop of yogurt (or in our instance-ice cream since that's all we had). Drizzle with syrup and serve immediately.
This recipe was delicious! I think I actually preferred the peaches to plums, so I think the peaches were a good substitute.
Since I didn't get a picture of the final product for the dessert, I'll at least satisfy your interest with a shot from the final product of our dinner:
Steve loved the scalloped potatoes and I'm pretty sure we'll never buy another box of the easy potatoes again. It wasn't a hard recipe to make and besides it taking a while to cook, it was worth the wait.
As far as the salmon in phyllo. Steve didn't much care for the flaky dough. I didn't mind it. It gave a little bit of something to crunch on, which is sometimes satisfying for me. I liked it. I do have to say that I didn't use fresh baby spinach, I used a pre-frozen package. I'd like to try this again with the fresh spinach and maybe less phyllo to see if maybe Steve would like that better. Also, I made the cream cheese spread myself. I bought regular cream cheese and then added a clove of garlic and probably a teaspoon of parsley. I think it was really good.
So that was our dinner Saturday night. I hope you liked the pictures and I hope you try the recipes! If you do, let me know what you thought about it and whether or not your tried something different!
Saturday night I decided to make homemade scalloped potatoes and salmon and spinach in phyllo. Steven and I both love potatoes, especially scalloped potatoes. But I didn't want to make the ones that come in a box (even though those are absolutely delicious). So I pulled out one of my many cookbooks and looked up a recipe that looked easy enough and that didn't require a ton of ingredients that I'd have to go out and buy.
I think that's the hardest part about trying new things out. The grocery shopping. I knew our trip was going to be expensive, so the less I had to buy the better. :)
I made the potatoes first since they would require the longest amount of time to cook.
Here's a picture of some of the prep work I did:
I'll go ahead and post the recipe:
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1) In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter: stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2) In a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish, arrange half of the potatoes, onion and green pepper in layers; cover with half of the sauce. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
3) Melt remaining butter; combine with bread crumbs and sprinkle over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender (I was on the safe side and let it cook the entire 40 minutes before testing it to see how soft the potatoes were). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Here are the other pictures:
This is a picture with half the potatoes, onions and pepper
With the cheese on top!
I'll give my final review of the recipe after the rest of the post.
The other recipe I tried was out of my Pampered Chef "Cooking for two & more" cookbook.
Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo
1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves coarsely chopped
salt and coarsely ground black pepper
8 sheets thawed, frozen phyllo dough
nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread
1)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Remove spinach to paper towel-lined plate. Squeeze out excess moisture, set aside.
2)Lay one sheet of phyllo on a large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo. Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.
3) Season salmon fillets with salt and black pepper. Spread each salmon with half of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach. For each phyllo bundle, place salmon spinach side down, on a phyllo stack 2 inches from the bottom edge of short side. Fold long sides of phyllo in towards center. Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Place both bundles on a bar pan (cookie sheet-I used a stoneware from Pampered Chef) seam side down. Using a bread knife, make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle. Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 11-13 minutes or until salmon is fully cooked and phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Here are the pictures from the salmon. I only happened to take a picture when they were wrapped-so I didn't get a good shot of the salmon and spinach before I wrapped them in a bundle.
This is a shot of the phyllo
As for dessert, I made a delicious roasted peach in phyllo.
The recipe I used called for plums but I couldn't find any at Walmart-so I just grabbed something I thought would be a good substitute.
You need:
4 plums (or 2 peaches)
1/3 cup sugar
For phyllo shells:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 sheets of phyllo
nonstick cooking spray
1-1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove pits from plums and cut into 8 wedges and then cut those wedges in half. In a small bowl combine the plums (or peaches) in sugar, toss to gently coat. Arrange the plums on a cooking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Gently stir halfway through cooking. Remove from oven to cool.
Here's the only picture I got of the prep work-I didn't get a final shot.
For phyllo shells, reduce temp to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl or shaker. Place one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle lightly with sugar mixture. Repeat with second sheet of phyllo. Cut dough lengthwise into 6 strips. Gather dough strips together forming one strip. Form strip into a 4 inch ring (center will be open). Place onto a baking sheet (I used Pampered Chef's stoneware again for this). Repeat with remaining phyllo and sugar mixture for a total of 6 shells (I only made 2 shells). Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven; cool completely.
To assemble, arrange plums (or peaches) around inside edge of shells. Top with a scoop of yogurt (or in our instance-ice cream since that's all we had). Drizzle with syrup and serve immediately.
This recipe was delicious! I think I actually preferred the peaches to plums, so I think the peaches were a good substitute.
Since I didn't get a picture of the final product for the dessert, I'll at least satisfy your interest with a shot from the final product of our dinner:
Steve loved the scalloped potatoes and I'm pretty sure we'll never buy another box of the easy potatoes again. It wasn't a hard recipe to make and besides it taking a while to cook, it was worth the wait.
As far as the salmon in phyllo. Steve didn't much care for the flaky dough. I didn't mind it. It gave a little bit of something to crunch on, which is sometimes satisfying for me. I liked it. I do have to say that I didn't use fresh baby spinach, I used a pre-frozen package. I'd like to try this again with the fresh spinach and maybe less phyllo to see if maybe Steve would like that better. Also, I made the cream cheese spread myself. I bought regular cream cheese and then added a clove of garlic and probably a teaspoon of parsley. I think it was really good.
So that was our dinner Saturday night. I hope you liked the pictures and I hope you try the recipes! If you do, let me know what you thought about it and whether or not your tried something different!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Blast!
I love that word. I also just watched "Little Women" Sunday morning, so I've got lots of little quotes stuck in my head. I seriously love that movie.
Anyway, I was going to take pictures last night after my workout but I was seriously dead upon arrival home. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine and supposedly (who knows how correct these calorie counters are anyway?) burned 480 calories. Afterwards, I was a sweaty mess and tried to find my scale I used last week. That one was broken, so I tried another one...which had me weighing in at 152. I was like, "No freaking way a scale is going to be 7 lbs off". There was another scale that I considered jumping on...but then I didn't want to look like one of those people obsessed with weighing themselves :) so I refrained. So now I have no idea what I weigh. I'd like to believe I weigh 145...But I just don't think I'm there yet, I certainly don't look it (at least to me). I guess I'll just wait until next week.
So after my cardio, I was planning on doing some weights but I just over worked myself and was so hungry that I decided it was time to go home. Plus, I figured I'd be back at the gym this morning, so I could do some cardio and the weights I wanted to do.
Cue this morning. I woke up at 5:00 with a really achy throat and my ears hurt. That's usually a sign that I'm getting a sinus infection-so I rolled over and told Steve he was free to go to the gym but that I just didn't want to go feeling the way I did.
Steve went, while I layed in bed. I feel somewhat better right now...but I'm intending on going straight home and getting into bed after work. I don't need this to turn into something worse.
Anyway, I was going to take pictures last night after my workout but I was seriously dead upon arrival home. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine and supposedly (who knows how correct these calorie counters are anyway?) burned 480 calories. Afterwards, I was a sweaty mess and tried to find my scale I used last week. That one was broken, so I tried another one...which had me weighing in at 152. I was like, "No freaking way a scale is going to be 7 lbs off". There was another scale that I considered jumping on...but then I didn't want to look like one of those people obsessed with weighing themselves :) so I refrained. So now I have no idea what I weigh. I'd like to believe I weigh 145...But I just don't think I'm there yet, I certainly don't look it (at least to me). I guess I'll just wait until next week.
So after my cardio, I was planning on doing some weights but I just over worked myself and was so hungry that I decided it was time to go home. Plus, I figured I'd be back at the gym this morning, so I could do some cardio and the weights I wanted to do.
Cue this morning. I woke up at 5:00 with a really achy throat and my ears hurt. That's usually a sign that I'm getting a sinus infection-so I rolled over and told Steve he was free to go to the gym but that I just didn't want to go feeling the way I did.
Steve went, while I layed in bed. I feel somewhat better right now...but I'm intending on going straight home and getting into bed after work. I don't need this to turn into something worse.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Good Day
Today marks the beginning of our office competition- a version of "The Biggest Loser". While I was nervous about the weigh in, I was also pretty sure I knew what I would see on the scale.
Last Monday, I weighed myself at the gym. I used the dreaded "dr's office" style scale. God, I hate those suckers. The height and weight I'm at, I'm usually always wondering whether or not I'll have to move the big dial from "100" to "150" or the smaller dial up to the "50" marker. It's just a big head game and it usually always leaves me feeling pissed off at myself. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've been happy with the number on doctor's scales.
Anyway, so that number sucked. A nasty egg. 153. I worked out 4 times last week. Each time was a sweaty, heart pounding success (except of course the crappy run). And I really tried to watch what I ate. I wasn't perfect, but I certainly did a better job than I had been doing.
Today was like a freaking dream. I was expecting the scale to be pretty close, if not more than what I had seen last week. Surprise, surprise when it clocked me in at 145. I looked up at my office manager (who is keeping track of the weight loss for us) in total disbelief and said, "No freaking way". Of course, the only way I can really find out how accurate that scale is compared to the scale I used last week, is to hop back on the scale at the gym tonight when I go work out. I mean, sure it's probably "off", but it certainly can't be 8 pounds off!
And this little nugget of goodness I've been given today, has me totally motivated to kick a$$ and take names at this competition. Granted, I would have rather seen this happen NEXT week when it counts, but it's still got my spirits up.
With that number (and hopefully I'll get the same number tonight on the scale at the gym or at least a few pounds close to what the scale said), I've got 15 pounds to get to my goal and 20 to get to my "you must be kidding yourself" goal.
By the way, tomorrow is also the next "picture" post. Maybe I'll see a difference? I'll take a different picture by the way-less clothing this time. My husband, Steve, looked at my pictures and said, "You should wear just your sports bra and some shorts. Then you'll really see a difference in your legs, your stomach, abs and arms". I agree! No more hiding behind the tops for pictures! If the amazing and inspiring people on The Biggest Loser can get up there and bare it all-so can I! I may not like it, but hey-if you put it all out there, you've got nothing to hide!
Along with taking pictures of myself, I'm thinking about taking pictures of the delicious meals I've been preparing. I might actually tonight. My new favorite thing to prepare as a side dish is anything asparagus. I just LOVE it. Not only is it delicious, it also fills me up. I've wrapped it in bacon and my last attempt I wrapped it in prosciutto. I've prepared it with rosemary and bay leaf and last night I made it with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 clove of garlic (pressed), and one jalepeno (seeded and chopped). Delicious!
Tonight's dinner is stuffed bell peppers. I made them with turkey, long grain rice, onion, one clove of garlic, diced tomatoes, with some shredded cheddar cheese on top. It looked amazing last night when I cooked it, so I can't wait to try it. So along with the bell peppers, I'll probably make asparagus (since I'm obsessed), and maybe some black eyed peas.
My "desserts" lately have consisted of either hot chocolate, a glass of wine, or a bowl of Kashi cereal.
Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good right now. Really proud of myself-even if the scale is a little "off". Now I just want to hit it even harder!
I just read a few really inspiring blogs about women who have run the Disney Marathon yesterday, and I have to say-it's got me even more motivated to start running again and just do it! I think I can! I think I can! :)
Can't wait to hit the gym!
Last Monday, I weighed myself at the gym. I used the dreaded "dr's office" style scale. God, I hate those suckers. The height and weight I'm at, I'm usually always wondering whether or not I'll have to move the big dial from "100" to "150" or the smaller dial up to the "50" marker. It's just a big head game and it usually always leaves me feeling pissed off at myself. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've been happy with the number on doctor's scales.
Anyway, so that number sucked. A nasty egg. 153. I worked out 4 times last week. Each time was a sweaty, heart pounding success (except of course the crappy run). And I really tried to watch what I ate. I wasn't perfect, but I certainly did a better job than I had been doing.
Today was like a freaking dream. I was expecting the scale to be pretty close, if not more than what I had seen last week. Surprise, surprise when it clocked me in at 145. I looked up at my office manager (who is keeping track of the weight loss for us) in total disbelief and said, "No freaking way". Of course, the only way I can really find out how accurate that scale is compared to the scale I used last week, is to hop back on the scale at the gym tonight when I go work out. I mean, sure it's probably "off", but it certainly can't be 8 pounds off!
And this little nugget of goodness I've been given today, has me totally motivated to kick a$$ and take names at this competition. Granted, I would have rather seen this happen NEXT week when it counts, but it's still got my spirits up.
With that number (and hopefully I'll get the same number tonight on the scale at the gym or at least a few pounds close to what the scale said), I've got 15 pounds to get to my goal and 20 to get to my "you must be kidding yourself" goal.
By the way, tomorrow is also the next "picture" post. Maybe I'll see a difference? I'll take a different picture by the way-less clothing this time. My husband, Steve, looked at my pictures and said, "You should wear just your sports bra and some shorts. Then you'll really see a difference in your legs, your stomach, abs and arms". I agree! No more hiding behind the tops for pictures! If the amazing and inspiring people on The Biggest Loser can get up there and bare it all-so can I! I may not like it, but hey-if you put it all out there, you've got nothing to hide!
Along with taking pictures of myself, I'm thinking about taking pictures of the delicious meals I've been preparing. I might actually tonight. My new favorite thing to prepare as a side dish is anything asparagus. I just LOVE it. Not only is it delicious, it also fills me up. I've wrapped it in bacon and my last attempt I wrapped it in prosciutto. I've prepared it with rosemary and bay leaf and last night I made it with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 clove of garlic (pressed), and one jalepeno (seeded and chopped). Delicious!
Tonight's dinner is stuffed bell peppers. I made them with turkey, long grain rice, onion, one clove of garlic, diced tomatoes, with some shredded cheddar cheese on top. It looked amazing last night when I cooked it, so I can't wait to try it. So along with the bell peppers, I'll probably make asparagus (since I'm obsessed), and maybe some black eyed peas.
My "desserts" lately have consisted of either hot chocolate, a glass of wine, or a bowl of Kashi cereal.
Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good right now. Really proud of myself-even if the scale is a little "off". Now I just want to hit it even harder!
I just read a few really inspiring blogs about women who have run the Disney Marathon yesterday, and I have to say-it's got me even more motivated to start running again and just do it! I think I can! I think I can! :)
Can't wait to hit the gym!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Here We Go!
I finally got some pictures and these will be my pictures of reference and hopefully each week I'll be able to notice a little bit of difference in them.
Last night I went to the gym intending on running 3 miles. Oh. My. Gosh. I've been out of the game for too long. First of all, let me begin with my frustrating experience at the gym last night. Naturally, I'm still having issues with my gym card since it takes forever for things to get fixed in the system. So right when I'm walking in and trying to head straight to machine I get stopped by the front desk attendant. I got a little pissed because she stopped me and said I only had a "one club" access. Dude, that was like 2 years ago. Now I've got an "all club" and it should be corrected by now. So that was frustrating. I just wanted to say, "Look, I'm legit. I just want to work out." but I didn't. She let me go after a minute, though. So then I headed back to the treadmills. I hopped on one and started punching in information, only to realize it was out of order. Great. Put a sign up, guys. I hopped on the one next to it...same thing. What the heck??? By this time, I'm extremely irritated. So I walk to the end. Guess what? That one was broken, too!! FINALLY, after the 4th try, I found a treadmill that wasn't out of order. I realize these guys are busy and that machines are going to go out of order, but 24 Hour should really be on top of that since it is the New Year's after all and they've got a million people trying to stick to their resolutions (at least until the end of the month).
So I hopped on the good treadmill and started my 3 mile quest. It started out good. I felt good. My ankle felt pretty good (still a little iffy), but for the most part, I had confidence that I'd make it 3 miles. At about half a mile in, I decreased the speed from a 6.0 to a 5.8 since I was already feeling winded. And after a mile, I had to slow to a walk for about a minute to regain control of my breathing. Then I barely made it another mile before realizing I didn't have 3 miles in me. So I guess I'm starting back at square one. How depressing. I mean, seriously...6 weeks ago I was running (albeit slowly and with breaks) 13 miles!!
I tried not to let it get me down though. Then I met Becca over at the ab machines and did around 300 or so crunches. Then we got some mats out and a medicine ball and passed it between us as we did sit ups. I'm not sure how many we did, but after we were done our arms were burning! Upper body strength has never been my forte. Then I took us over to a tri-cep machine and then some shoulder presses. We did 3 sets of 12 on the tri-cep machine. I'm not sure the weight we used now...but I do know that for the shoulder press we did 3 sets of 10 with 25 lbs. Not bad, not bad.
Today Steve and I are headed back to the gym before the Texas/Alabama Championship game. I plan on doing about 35-40 minutes of cardio and chest and back with some ab work rolled in there somewhere.
Soo...without further ado. Here are my pictures of my start on this journey:
Don't mind the messy rooms behind me..this was post workout last night. So if I look a little scary, that's why :)
As of Monday evening, I weigh in at 153. Not bad considering...but not good. I'm hoping to lose at least 15 pounds. Anything after that is just icing on the cake.
Last night I went to the gym intending on running 3 miles. Oh. My. Gosh. I've been out of the game for too long. First of all, let me begin with my frustrating experience at the gym last night. Naturally, I'm still having issues with my gym card since it takes forever for things to get fixed in the system. So right when I'm walking in and trying to head straight to machine I get stopped by the front desk attendant. I got a little pissed because she stopped me and said I only had a "one club" access. Dude, that was like 2 years ago. Now I've got an "all club" and it should be corrected by now. So that was frustrating. I just wanted to say, "Look, I'm legit. I just want to work out." but I didn't. She let me go after a minute, though. So then I headed back to the treadmills. I hopped on one and started punching in information, only to realize it was out of order. Great. Put a sign up, guys. I hopped on the one next to it...same thing. What the heck??? By this time, I'm extremely irritated. So I walk to the end. Guess what? That one was broken, too!! FINALLY, after the 4th try, I found a treadmill that wasn't out of order. I realize these guys are busy and that machines are going to go out of order, but 24 Hour should really be on top of that since it is the New Year's after all and they've got a million people trying to stick to their resolutions (at least until the end of the month).
So I hopped on the good treadmill and started my 3 mile quest. It started out good. I felt good. My ankle felt pretty good (still a little iffy), but for the most part, I had confidence that I'd make it 3 miles. At about half a mile in, I decreased the speed from a 6.0 to a 5.8 since I was already feeling winded. And after a mile, I had to slow to a walk for about a minute to regain control of my breathing. Then I barely made it another mile before realizing I didn't have 3 miles in me. So I guess I'm starting back at square one. How depressing. I mean, seriously...6 weeks ago I was running (albeit slowly and with breaks) 13 miles!!
I tried not to let it get me down though. Then I met Becca over at the ab machines and did around 300 or so crunches. Then we got some mats out and a medicine ball and passed it between us as we did sit ups. I'm not sure how many we did, but after we were done our arms were burning! Upper body strength has never been my forte. Then I took us over to a tri-cep machine and then some shoulder presses. We did 3 sets of 12 on the tri-cep machine. I'm not sure the weight we used now...but I do know that for the shoulder press we did 3 sets of 10 with 25 lbs. Not bad, not bad.
Today Steve and I are headed back to the gym before the Texas/Alabama Championship game. I plan on doing about 35-40 minutes of cardio and chest and back with some ab work rolled in there somewhere.
Soo...without further ado. Here are my pictures of my start on this journey:
Don't mind the messy rooms behind me..this was post workout last night. So if I look a little scary, that's why :)
As of Monday evening, I weigh in at 153. Not bad considering...but not good. I'm hoping to lose at least 15 pounds. Anything after that is just icing on the cake.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Moment of Truth
Tonight I will run. For the first time in 37 days. I'm hoping for 3 miles, but we'll see how I feel at 6:15. I'd like to do a good run and then work on my arms and abs.
I'm also pleased to announce that tomorrow will be the beginning of picture blogs. Yay! I'm really excited about it. Tonight I'm going to take a picture of myself all dressed up in my workout attire and then begin documenting weight loss and toning. I'm excited because so often we lose weight and yet we don't feel like we see a difference. With this at least I'll be able to look back in a few months and go, "Wow, I can really tell in my face" or "in my legs how much I've changed".
As far as my diet has been concerned, my only downfall has been my Uncle's Chili that he made last night :) I probably had too much of it, but it was so tasty! Except for that, I've kept to my "diet" and have been eating a lot more fruit.
Also, Monday starts off my Office's "Biggest Loser" challenge. I'm sure I won't win, but the extra competition will be nice. I'll keep track of all the weigh-ins here. And ::GASP:: I'll be sharing my weight with the whole blogging community and all those lurkers who check out my blog. Scary, right?
Also, I'm going to start reading again. I've been putting it on the back burner and have been watching way too much TV lately. I'm going to start limiting my TV usage considerably. Most shows I can record on our DVR and watch it on the weekends, but my weeknights should be devoted to cooking new recipes, spending more quality and valuable time with my husband, working out, and trying to broaden my horizons. If I'm going to try to take a test to be certified in general education, I need to turn off the TV and grab a practice booklet and test!
See you guys tomorrow---with pictures!! Yikes!
I'm also pleased to announce that tomorrow will be the beginning of picture blogs. Yay! I'm really excited about it. Tonight I'm going to take a picture of myself all dressed up in my workout attire and then begin documenting weight loss and toning. I'm excited because so often we lose weight and yet we don't feel like we see a difference. With this at least I'll be able to look back in a few months and go, "Wow, I can really tell in my face" or "in my legs how much I've changed".
As far as my diet has been concerned, my only downfall has been my Uncle's Chili that he made last night :) I probably had too much of it, but it was so tasty! Except for that, I've kept to my "diet" and have been eating a lot more fruit.
Also, Monday starts off my Office's "Biggest Loser" challenge. I'm sure I won't win, but the extra competition will be nice. I'll keep track of all the weigh-ins here. And ::GASP:: I'll be sharing my weight with the whole blogging community and all those lurkers who check out my blog. Scary, right?
Also, I'm going to start reading again. I've been putting it on the back burner and have been watching way too much TV lately. I'm going to start limiting my TV usage considerably. Most shows I can record on our DVR and watch it on the weekends, but my weeknights should be devoted to cooking new recipes, spending more quality and valuable time with my husband, working out, and trying to broaden my horizons. If I'm going to try to take a test to be certified in general education, I need to turn off the TV and grab a practice booklet and test!
See you guys tomorrow---with pictures!! Yikes!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
And So It Begins
Yesterday was my offical day to get my butt back in gear. After severly spraining my ankle over 5 weeks ago, it was time to get serious and start getting motivated again.
So I ate a whole lot better than I have been. I had Quaker Weight Loss Oatmeal with about an 1/8 of a cup of craisin's. That was DELICIOUS. I had half a grapefruit. 1/4 of a slice of a cranberry and cinnamon bagel. 1 Cup of coffee. 1 Fiber One bar for a snack. Minestrone soup and a yogurt for lunch. 1 bag of 90 calorie rice cakes with white chocolate drizzled on top.
Before I went to the gym, I had a 100 calorie Clif bar and then headed out. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I also decided that yesterday was my moment of truth. The scale. That thing has always been my friend or my mortal enemy. Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it could be off a little bit, but still. I only managed to gain about 4 pounds since the sprain and the Holiday's. Not bad, not bad. It could be worse! Then I did about 5 minutes of ab work and then that was me calling it a day. I still had to get home and cook dinner, so I decided yesterday would just be a somewhat easy day.
For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe. I made chicken cordon bleu for the first time ever. Also, since we got to go on our first trip to Sam's together (we got a membership for Christmas from Steve's parents), I decided to use some of the asparagus I bought. So I made rosemary asparagus. The night before I had made a batch of Chicken Rice-a-Roni. I know, I know...not the healthiest rice, but it went really well with the meal I planned :) Seriously, it was a delicious dinner. It was so flavorful and so yummy! I'm pretty positive I'll be making it again in the future. After dinner, was a glass and a half of red wine. It's a pretty sweet wine, so I've dubbed it my "dessert" wine.
Today is kind of a rest day. But tomorrow, I'll be back in the gym. I'm planning on running for the first time since my accident, so wish me luck. I'm a little nervous. Ever since the sprain, my ankle has been really tight and I feel like it curves inward. Like when I hop off of a curb or step, I feel like instead of the bottom of my foot hitting ground first, the side of it hits. I don't know...maybe I just have to get used to the feeling again? Or maybe I need to stretch it and strengthen it more. My worst nightmare is to injure it again.
And today is my first day back in HIGH heels. I did some 3 inch heels on Christmas Eve and was really careful on it (naturally, it was also the day it snowed...). And then yesterday I wore 2 inch heels...today is my ginormous heels. I don't know why I decided to risk it. I feel like I'm walking funny. My ankle isn't used to the height and I feel like I'm limping around a little. The natural thing to do would be to retire the heels, right? And I would retire them...it's just that I love them too much! So here's hoping that today I don't kill myself in these shoes and that tomorrow morning I have a great day back to what I've grown to love doing. 3 miles is the goal.
So I ate a whole lot better than I have been. I had Quaker Weight Loss Oatmeal with about an 1/8 of a cup of craisin's. That was DELICIOUS. I had half a grapefruit. 1/4 of a slice of a cranberry and cinnamon bagel. 1 Cup of coffee. 1 Fiber One bar for a snack. Minestrone soup and a yogurt for lunch. 1 bag of 90 calorie rice cakes with white chocolate drizzled on top.
Before I went to the gym, I had a 100 calorie Clif bar and then headed out. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I also decided that yesterday was my moment of truth. The scale. That thing has always been my friend or my mortal enemy. Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it could be off a little bit, but still. I only managed to gain about 4 pounds since the sprain and the Holiday's. Not bad, not bad. It could be worse! Then I did about 5 minutes of ab work and then that was me calling it a day. I still had to get home and cook dinner, so I decided yesterday would just be a somewhat easy day.
For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe. I made chicken cordon bleu for the first time ever. Also, since we got to go on our first trip to Sam's together (we got a membership for Christmas from Steve's parents), I decided to use some of the asparagus I bought. So I made rosemary asparagus. The night before I had made a batch of Chicken Rice-a-Roni. I know, I know...not the healthiest rice, but it went really well with the meal I planned :) Seriously, it was a delicious dinner. It was so flavorful and so yummy! I'm pretty positive I'll be making it again in the future. After dinner, was a glass and a half of red wine. It's a pretty sweet wine, so I've dubbed it my "dessert" wine.
Today is kind of a rest day. But tomorrow, I'll be back in the gym. I'm planning on running for the first time since my accident, so wish me luck. I'm a little nervous. Ever since the sprain, my ankle has been really tight and I feel like it curves inward. Like when I hop off of a curb or step, I feel like instead of the bottom of my foot hitting ground first, the side of it hits. I don't know...maybe I just have to get used to the feeling again? Or maybe I need to stretch it and strengthen it more. My worst nightmare is to injure it again.
And today is my first day back in HIGH heels. I did some 3 inch heels on Christmas Eve and was really careful on it (naturally, it was also the day it snowed...). And then yesterday I wore 2 inch heels...today is my ginormous heels. I don't know why I decided to risk it. I feel like I'm walking funny. My ankle isn't used to the height and I feel like I'm limping around a little. The natural thing to do would be to retire the heels, right? And I would retire them...it's just that I love them too much! So here's hoping that today I don't kill myself in these shoes and that tomorrow morning I have a great day back to what I've grown to love doing. 3 miles is the goal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
