Hello and happy Saturday to you!!
I'm having a completely lazy day so far...how about you? I had all kinds of things on my agenda and after getting off to a great start, I somehow fell apart! I was up early to take the bunny to the vet for a routine nail trim. It is usually best to get there right when they open because other animals freak her out and its usually pretty quiet first thing on a Saturday. There was another girl there who came in with a baby bunny! It was a chocolate brown and could fit in your palm, just like Boo Boo was when I got her! It was so freakin' cute!!! Believe me, I thought about grabbing it and making a run for it ;)
Once we got home from the vet, I kind of just crashed!
After sitting here and being annoyed at my laziness, I made a decision. The whole basis of this blog is supposed to be about me trying to get away from diet and exercise extremes and find a happy medium that will keep me healthy. Somehow, I feel like I'm not really having much success.
The route I took on it was no limitations. Learn to make healthy choices, without having a set of rules to freak me out. Unfortunately, I don't think that freedom has been working for me. So, despite the fact that I hate dieting and obsessing about food, I think I need to lay down the law for myself!
I'm going to take a new route. I'm going to go from strict to middle of the road, instead of complete freedom to middle of the road. Does that make sense? I hope so!
So, now that I have my TurboFire (which isn't going to do me any good if I pig out everyday!) I am going to really plan my meals for the next few weeks. I'm hoping that will jump start some progress and then I can start to ease up the restrictions from there.
My fingers are crossed!
On a different note, did anyone see the article this morning about how Angelina Jolie blames being vegan for "nearly killing her"? I was so upset at reading that!! Being vegan did not almost kill her, her lack of knowledge on how to be vegan in a healthy manner almost did. There is no excuse for someone of her wealth to not be able to educate herself in how to follow a vegan diet properly or at the very least, hire someone to do it for her! :) I really hope there is a backlash against what she said because it completely delivers the wrong message!
And now, I will step off my soapbox!
I hope the weather is beautiful where ever you are and enjoy the weekend!
Food for Thought: Do you have to plan your meals or are you pretty good at making healthy choices on the fly?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
On FI-YAH!
Oh yeah, that's right!! It came!!
My TurboFire!! I was kind of in a rut with Power 90 and needed a boost so I gave in and ordered TurboFire a couple of months early. I'm so glad that I did! It is a lot more cardio than I've been doing and unfortunately for me, that is the only thing that is going to blast this bod back into shape!
I decided to buy the standard version. There was no price savings to get the Deluxe box that includes all the Advanced discs rather than ordering those separately later. As you can see, it comes with a DVD set of 12 workouts, a band for resistance training, a measuring tape, the program schedule (you can do 12 weeks or the extended 20 week version), a nutrition guide, program guide & the 5-day Inferno plan.
My first instinct was to do the 5-day Inferno, but now that I'm 2 days in and SO SORE, I don't know! I might need a rest day! Seriously, my shoulders and lats are crazy sore! And it's not like I haven't been working out for the past couple months...that should show you what a serious butt kicking Chalene Johnson delivers your hiney! I am loving it!
If I don't end up doing the 5-Day Inferno, I will probably start the program schedule on Monday with a couple of modifications. First, I think I'm only going to workout 5 days a week, rather than the 6 days in the program. I know my weaknesses and burnout is one. Best to cut back a little and avoid it. I plan to still follow the order of the classes, just with an added rest day. So, it will take me an extra couple of weeks to complete the "12 week" program. I think I'm also going to try to squeeze some of the Power 90 Sculpt 3-4 video in there. There is a lot less resistance training in this program, but I really like how strong I was feeling and don't want to lose that. Maybe on the HIIP (High Intensity Interval Training) days I can add it in since those workouts are only 15 - 25 minutes. We'll see!
I will do a short review of each workout as I get through them so you can see what they are all about!
After my workout (and a much needed shower!) I headed over to Whole Foods to grab some dandelion greens for the bunny...of course I walked out with plenty of other stuff too!
I finally broke down and bought some of this...I hope it's as good as everyone makes it sound!!
I couldn't figure out if I'm supposed to put it in the fridge or not. It said to keep it in a cool dry place...hmmmm.
And I got some of these after The Diva made them look soooo good!
Once I got home, I dove into the cereal. I hadn't eaten since before my workout and I think my body needed some serious carbs!
I did a cereal mix, and idea also stolen from The Diva, that included the Cinnamon Puffins and WF High Fiber Cereal and some sliced banana.
After that, it was off to sleep to let my tired body recover!
I started today off with a little Greenberry Shakeology blended up with a banana. I'm still getting used to this flavor, but it's getting better.
I've got to try the EAS sports drink and let you guys know if it works! Augh! So much to do, so little time.
Food For Thought:
When you are sore from a workout, do you power through another one or let your body rest?
What items can you just not pass up at the grocery store? Mine are bananas!
My TurboFire!! I was kind of in a rut with Power 90 and needed a boost so I gave in and ordered TurboFire a couple of months early. I'm so glad that I did! It is a lot more cardio than I've been doing and unfortunately for me, that is the only thing that is going to blast this bod back into shape!
I decided to buy the standard version. There was no price savings to get the Deluxe box that includes all the Advanced discs rather than ordering those separately later. As you can see, it comes with a DVD set of 12 workouts, a band for resistance training, a measuring tape, the program schedule (you can do 12 weeks or the extended 20 week version), a nutrition guide, program guide & the 5-day Inferno plan.
My first instinct was to do the 5-day Inferno, but now that I'm 2 days in and SO SORE, I don't know! I might need a rest day! Seriously, my shoulders and lats are crazy sore! And it's not like I haven't been working out for the past couple months...that should show you what a serious butt kicking Chalene Johnson delivers your hiney! I am loving it!
If I don't end up doing the 5-Day Inferno, I will probably start the program schedule on Monday with a couple of modifications. First, I think I'm only going to workout 5 days a week, rather than the 6 days in the program. I know my weaknesses and burnout is one. Best to cut back a little and avoid it. I plan to still follow the order of the classes, just with an added rest day. So, it will take me an extra couple of weeks to complete the "12 week" program. I think I'm also going to try to squeeze some of the Power 90 Sculpt 3-4 video in there. There is a lot less resistance training in this program, but I really like how strong I was feeling and don't want to lose that. Maybe on the HIIP (High Intensity Interval Training) days I can add it in since those workouts are only 15 - 25 minutes. We'll see!
I will do a short review of each workout as I get through them so you can see what they are all about!
After my workout (and a much needed shower!) I headed over to Whole Foods to grab some dandelion greens for the bunny...of course I walked out with plenty of other stuff too!
I finally broke down and bought some of this...I hope it's as good as everyone makes it sound!!
I couldn't figure out if I'm supposed to put it in the fridge or not. It said to keep it in a cool dry place...hmmmm.
And I got some of these after The Diva made them look soooo good!
Once I got home, I dove into the cereal. I hadn't eaten since before my workout and I think my body needed some serious carbs!
I did a cereal mix, and idea also stolen from The Diva, that included the Cinnamon Puffins and WF High Fiber Cereal and some sliced banana.
After that, it was off to sleep to let my tired body recover!
I started today off with a little Greenberry Shakeology blended up with a banana. I'm still getting used to this flavor, but it's getting better.
I've got to try the EAS sports drink and let you guys know if it works! Augh! So much to do, so little time.
Food For Thought:
When you are sore from a workout, do you power through another one or let your body rest?
What items can you just not pass up at the grocery store? Mine are bananas!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
So Much to Say!
Augh!!! Remind me never to neglect the bloggie for more than a day! As I was looking though my pictures to post, I realized that I have a whole lot of things to tell you guys! Where to start?!
I guess I'll start with the package I had sitting on my desk when I got to work this morning. I was racking my brain trying to think of what the heck I had ordered from "Abott Nutrition" and couldn't figure it out! I started to think I'd gotten wrapped up in some mail order scam with all the internet shopping I do :) I opened the box and was deighted to find this:
EAS Peak sports drink! I had totally forgotten that I signed up to test this drink for EAS! The box included 2 of each flavor and I will be sure to do a review on here of what I think! If you would like to be a part of the field study, just click here and sign up!
Next, I wanted to tell you guys about a great event that PAWS, a local animal shelter, put on here over the weekend. For a 3/4 of a mile stretch on a main street in my neighborhood, they set up tables and had a zillion (okay, at least 150) cats and dogs up for adoption. What a great idea! This is a key spot for foot traffic on the weekends and a great way to get pets adopted. Every table we stopped at was telling us that they had already adopted most of the animals they had! It was so much fun to get to see all the different breeds too. As a matter of fact, I got so caught up in the petting and licking (I was NOT the one doing the licking, thank you very much!) that I only got a couple of pics! But, it was so much fun!
This guy had everything shaved except his head! He looked like a little lion!
I'm not really a little dog kind of girl, but somehow this is the only dog picture I took...who woulda thought?! He was a cutie though! There was everything from Chihuahuas to St. Bernards. And a number of ridiculously adorable puppies too!
Fast forward to yesterday!
I had an appointment at 9am with the Travel Medicine clinic to get my immunizations for my trip to Egypt. They said to make sure I ate beforehand, so I started the day off with a little of this:
Yeah, that's right...I cut my bananas with a butter knife! So sue me!! :)
Then, I headed on down to see the doc. She was absolutely hilarious! I guess for someone who gives shots for a living, you have to learn to put people at ease! She went over all the lovely things that could happen to me while abroad...no goodo. I had to get so many shots that we have to spread it out over two visits! Plus, I have to get a PRESCRIPTION strength Anti-diarrheal medicine in case the Pharoah's Curse strikes! So, I got three shots in three places, leaving both arms a bit sore. However, I will now not have to worry about contracting Hepatitis A or B, Polio or Typhoid! Hallelujah! Next on the agenda will be round 2 of Hepatitis A/B and Tetnis. Yay!
If that didn't get me excited for what is to come in Egypt, I made my way over to the Egyptian Consulate to turn in my visa application. Upon opening the door, I was hit with a blast of horrifying body odor! Great! I didn't even think of that issue while I was there. This is going to be a joy. Good thing we will be outdoors a lot!
I tried to survive the rest of the day at work, but my arms started to hurt (especially the Typhoid spot!) and I could barely keep my eyes open. After all, I was essentially injected with 4 diseases and my poor immune system was working overtime! I called it a day around 3:30pm and headed home. What did I do when I got there? Well, baked some goodies, of course!
Blueberry Crumb Bars
In a bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, baking powder, flour, salt & cinnamon.
Then using a fork or pastry cutter, blend in egg & butter until crumbly
Pat 3/4 of the dough into prepared pan. In another bowl, combine blueberries, cornstarch and remaining sugar. Spread blueberries evenly over dough. Then, sprinkle remaining dough over blueberry layer.
Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden. Wait for it to cool before cutting into squares.
Besides the fact that blueberries are great for you, this dish is not something I could consider healthy...but I will say it is delicious!!!
And on that note, I'm signing off!! Have a lovely day!
P.S. Where is my TurboFire?!! I haven't even gotten my email that is shipped yet :( Maybe I'll get lucky and have another surprise on my desk tomorrow morning.
I guess I'll start with the package I had sitting on my desk when I got to work this morning. I was racking my brain trying to think of what the heck I had ordered from "Abott Nutrition" and couldn't figure it out! I started to think I'd gotten wrapped up in some mail order scam with all the internet shopping I do :) I opened the box and was deighted to find this:
EAS Peak sports drink! I had totally forgotten that I signed up to test this drink for EAS! The box included 2 of each flavor and I will be sure to do a review on here of what I think! If you would like to be a part of the field study, just click here and sign up!
Next, I wanted to tell you guys about a great event that PAWS, a local animal shelter, put on here over the weekend. For a 3/4 of a mile stretch on a main street in my neighborhood, they set up tables and had a zillion (okay, at least 150) cats and dogs up for adoption. What a great idea! This is a key spot for foot traffic on the weekends and a great way to get pets adopted. Every table we stopped at was telling us that they had already adopted most of the animals they had! It was so much fun to get to see all the different breeds too. As a matter of fact, I got so caught up in the petting and licking (I was NOT the one doing the licking, thank you very much!) that I only got a couple of pics! But, it was so much fun!
This guy had everything shaved except his head! He looked like a little lion!
I'm not really a little dog kind of girl, but somehow this is the only dog picture I took...who woulda thought?! He was a cutie though! There was everything from Chihuahuas to St. Bernards. And a number of ridiculously adorable puppies too!
Fast forward to yesterday!
I had an appointment at 9am with the Travel Medicine clinic to get my immunizations for my trip to Egypt. They said to make sure I ate beforehand, so I started the day off with a little of this:
Yeah, that's right...I cut my bananas with a butter knife! So sue me!! :)
Then, I headed on down to see the doc. She was absolutely hilarious! I guess for someone who gives shots for a living, you have to learn to put people at ease! She went over all the lovely things that could happen to me while abroad...no goodo. I had to get so many shots that we have to spread it out over two visits! Plus, I have to get a PRESCRIPTION strength Anti-diarrheal medicine in case the Pharoah's Curse strikes! So, I got three shots in three places, leaving both arms a bit sore. However, I will now not have to worry about contracting Hepatitis A or B, Polio or Typhoid! Hallelujah! Next on the agenda will be round 2 of Hepatitis A/B and Tetnis. Yay!
If that didn't get me excited for what is to come in Egypt, I made my way over to the Egyptian Consulate to turn in my visa application. Upon opening the door, I was hit with a blast of horrifying body odor! Great! I didn't even think of that issue while I was there. This is going to be a joy. Good thing we will be outdoors a lot!
I tried to survive the rest of the day at work, but my arms started to hurt (especially the Typhoid spot!) and I could barely keep my eyes open. After all, I was essentially injected with 4 diseases and my poor immune system was working overtime! I called it a day around 3:30pm and headed home. What did I do when I got there? Well, baked some goodies, of course!
Blueberry Crumb Bars
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
- 4 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
In a bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, baking powder, flour, salt & cinnamon.
Then using a fork or pastry cutter, blend in egg & butter until crumbly
Pat 3/4 of the dough into prepared pan. In another bowl, combine blueberries, cornstarch and remaining sugar. Spread blueberries evenly over dough. Then, sprinkle remaining dough over blueberry layer.
Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden. Wait for it to cool before cutting into squares.
Besides the fact that blueberries are great for you, this dish is not something I could consider healthy...but I will say it is delicious!!!
And on that note, I'm signing off!! Have a lovely day!
P.S. Where is my TurboFire?!! I haven't even gotten my email that is shipped yet :( Maybe I'll get lucky and have another surprise on my desk tomorrow morning.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Rough Start
Hello, Hello!
On Friday night a friend and I went to see Inception. Really good movie. I won't give anything away, but I just wanted to say that before going to see it, a bunch of my coworkers were talking about how confusing it was and they didn't really get it. I was prepared to be taking notes just to make sure I "got it"...well, no notes needed! I didn't think it was confusing at all! Go see it!
Afterward, we went and had a couple drinks. Seriously, I had TWO vodka and cranberries over the course of THREE hours. Yet, somehow when I woke up yesterday morning, I felt like I'd been hit by the Blue Line "L"! Here is my hangover solution: Step 1 - upon waking and feeling like crap, get up and chug a glass of water; Step 2 - go back to sleep. Repeat steps as necessary! This meant that I didn't officially roll out of bed until 11:15!
Once I did finally decide I was ready to face the world, I headed over to my friend's house to TRY to finish up designing my business cards. Who thought this would take so dang long?! And guess what? After 2 hours at the computer...still no business cards ordered! I'm about to be happy with a pad of Post-Its that have my website & email on them and call it a day!
Around 4pm we decided to get some lunch...yeah, when you get up as late as I did, 4 is considered the lunch hour :) I ordered a veggie panini & some red potato salad. Too many mushrooms on the panini...mushrooms kind of scare me...so I only ate maybe half. I killed that potato salad though! It wasn't too heavily dressed and was delicious! I also got a glorious mocha! Sooooooo delicious! Maybe I need to start a tab on here where I just review mochas where ever I go!
By 8:30 last night, I was still kind of full, but knew I'd get hungry if I didn't eat something. Do you ever have those moments where you don't really feel like eating anything, but then kinda feel like eating everything, at the same time? It was one of those. So, I made a sampler plate!
Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs, Trader Joe's Cucumber Wontons, Gardein Chicken Nuggets & Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. Oh yeah, this all hit the spot!
Threw on a little of these and I was set! Well, almost...one last sample to be had:
Whole Foods Organic Dark Chocolate Chunks. Oh. Yeah.
I went to bed a happy girl. Unfortunately, that didn't last because a friend of mine called me at 1am and we talked for 2 hours. It was a good talk though...sometimes those middle of the night ones are!
I started off this morning with a little banana boat that I've seen everyone making for a snack. I don't know if my nanner was too ripe or if the almond butter was too drippy, but this was a hot mess! You can even see in the picture that it is starting to fall apart!
I ate this in about 1 minute flat since it was oozing AB everywhere and setting it down would surely mean not being about to pick it up again in one piece! It was yummy, but I'll have to be a little more strategic if I make another one!
I have about 500 things on my to-do list today, none of which are fun :(
Lots of errands, lots of cleaning, working out and making some food. Good times!
On Friday night a friend and I went to see Inception. Really good movie. I won't give anything away, but I just wanted to say that before going to see it, a bunch of my coworkers were talking about how confusing it was and they didn't really get it. I was prepared to be taking notes just to make sure I "got it"...well, no notes needed! I didn't think it was confusing at all! Go see it!
Afterward, we went and had a couple drinks. Seriously, I had TWO vodka and cranberries over the course of THREE hours. Yet, somehow when I woke up yesterday morning, I felt like I'd been hit by the Blue Line "L"! Here is my hangover solution: Step 1 - upon waking and feeling like crap, get up and chug a glass of water; Step 2 - go back to sleep. Repeat steps as necessary! This meant that I didn't officially roll out of bed until 11:15!
Once I did finally decide I was ready to face the world, I headed over to my friend's house to TRY to finish up designing my business cards. Who thought this would take so dang long?! And guess what? After 2 hours at the computer...still no business cards ordered! I'm about to be happy with a pad of Post-Its that have my website & email on them and call it a day!
Around 4pm we decided to get some lunch...yeah, when you get up as late as I did, 4 is considered the lunch hour :) I ordered a veggie panini & some red potato salad. Too many mushrooms on the panini...mushrooms kind of scare me...so I only ate maybe half. I killed that potato salad though! It wasn't too heavily dressed and was delicious! I also got a glorious mocha! Sooooooo delicious! Maybe I need to start a tab on here where I just review mochas where ever I go!
By 8:30 last night, I was still kind of full, but knew I'd get hungry if I didn't eat something. Do you ever have those moments where you don't really feel like eating anything, but then kinda feel like eating everything, at the same time? It was one of those. So, I made a sampler plate!
Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs, Trader Joe's Cucumber Wontons, Gardein Chicken Nuggets & Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. Oh yeah, this all hit the spot!
Threw on a little of these and I was set! Well, almost...one last sample to be had:
Whole Foods Organic Dark Chocolate Chunks. Oh. Yeah.
I went to bed a happy girl. Unfortunately, that didn't last because a friend of mine called me at 1am and we talked for 2 hours. It was a good talk though...sometimes those middle of the night ones are!
I started off this morning with a little banana boat that I've seen everyone making for a snack. I don't know if my nanner was too ripe or if the almond butter was too drippy, but this was a hot mess! You can even see in the picture that it is starting to fall apart!
I ate this in about 1 minute flat since it was oozing AB everywhere and setting it down would surely mean not being about to pick it up again in one piece! It was yummy, but I'll have to be a little more strategic if I make another one!
I have about 500 things on my to-do list today, none of which are fun :(
Lots of errands, lots of cleaning, working out and making some food. Good times!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Hitting Bottom...
Okay, okay...that post title is a wee bit dramatic! But seriously, I had a bad couple of days!
As you all already know, I've been burning out a little with my workout routine. It has been part boredom and part frustration with results. For some reason, I've had no progress for the past 2 weeks! My diet has NOT been perfect, but I don't think that is was bad enough to counter working out hard 6 days a week...ya know?!
So, what did I do? I took a couple of days off. And maybe ordered some take-out Thai food...maybe...
And I thought long and hard about what I want and what I'm willing to do to get there. Am I tired of ending every day in a sweaty mess and having to wash my hair, dry it & straighten it a million times more often than I would if I didn't workout? Yes!!! Am I tired of trying to eat balanced meals when I could be happy living off cereal and chocolate? Yes!!! But will I get what I'm looking for if I don't do those things? NO!!
There you have it.
My solution: I am going to give in and order TurboFire earlier than I had planned. I wasn't going to start TurboFire until I got back from Egypt, but with the burnout I'm feeling, I think I need to shake things up! I will probably do a hybrid with Power 90 because I really love the Sculpt workout Tony does. And at least I will have both programs to work with so I won't get bored so fast.
I'm actually really looking forward to my new plan and hopefully it will be just what I need to get back in the game!
Do you get bored with your workouts? What do you do when you start to fall off the wagon?
As you all already know, I've been burning out a little with my workout routine. It has been part boredom and part frustration with results. For some reason, I've had no progress for the past 2 weeks! My diet has NOT been perfect, but I don't think that is was bad enough to counter working out hard 6 days a week...ya know?!
So, what did I do? I took a couple of days off. And maybe ordered some take-out Thai food...maybe...
And I thought long and hard about what I want and what I'm willing to do to get there. Am I tired of ending every day in a sweaty mess and having to wash my hair, dry it & straighten it a million times more often than I would if I didn't workout? Yes!!! Am I tired of trying to eat balanced meals when I could be happy living off cereal and chocolate? Yes!!! But will I get what I'm looking for if I don't do those things? NO!!
There you have it.
My solution: I am going to give in and order TurboFire earlier than I had planned. I wasn't going to start TurboFire until I got back from Egypt, but with the burnout I'm feeling, I think I need to shake things up! I will probably do a hybrid with Power 90 because I really love the Sculpt workout Tony does. And at least I will have both programs to work with so I won't get bored so fast.
I'm actually really looking forward to my new plan and hopefully it will be just what I need to get back in the game!
Do you get bored with your workouts? What do you do when you start to fall off the wagon?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
WordPress & P90X...Video Style!
Hey there! I'm really exhausted tonight and this was a much faster way to blog than to type it out :) Sorry for the laziness! Enjoy the show!
Head over to Couch Potato Athlete to enter her giveaway for Raw Crunch Bars...they look great!
Also - for the Buy From a Coach P90X deal, just go to my site at www.determined2stayfit.com!
See ya'll tomorrow!
Head over to Couch Potato Athlete to enter her giveaway for Raw Crunch Bars...they look great!
Also - for the Buy From a Coach P90X deal, just go to my site at www.determined2stayfit.com!
See ya'll tomorrow!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Heart Rate Monitors & Pizza!
It is way too late for me to even be trying to type something coherent, so please, be patient with me!
Hello there!
It is probably not very apparent on here, but I used to be a runner. Yes, I've run half marathons, trained for the full deal (though never finished) and run countless shorter races. Running was always the perfect way for me to keep my weight in check. Then, after my attempt at the 2007 Chicago Marathon, I was seriously mentally scarred from the ordeal and have not been able to pick up running again. I know, it sounds crazy, but I swear it is true!
I do however own all the goodies that most serious runners do! I started with my good old Polar F11 heart rate monitor. I wore that thing like it was gold!
Yeah, not exactly gold, but I loved that bad boy! That is until my runs got long enough that the dang monitor started rubbing me raw! I had a scar on my chest for like 6 months!
So, I moved onto the Garmin Forerunner...can't recall the model right now and I'm too lazy to get up and look! That was pretty much the Lamborghini of sports watches...too bad its been sitting on my kitchen table for the past year just gathering dust. Oh well.
Anywho, I dug out the Polar, made a quick run to Radio Shack to get some replacement batteries, and I was ready! Finally, I was going to see the massive calorie burn that I was getting from all this hard working out. People on my Power 90 message boards were claiming 700, even 800 calories burned...I was psyched!
Strapped it on and went to town! Jumped, kicked, punched, sweated until the end. Hit the stop button, went to the summary...and saw 440. Really?! Just 440?! The truth is, I knew it was right. It is dang hard to burn more than 100 calories for every 10 minutes you workout. I knew I shouldn't buy the claims of 800 calories for the Sweat 1-2 video (I'm on Sweat 3-4 even!). Oh, I was taken in. And then disappointed when reality came crashing down. What a crock! I will keep wearing it though because I need to get a better handle on what I'm eating and knowing what I'm burning is a start!
On to dinner!
This weekend, I bought all the fixin's for a pizza since I've seen everyone all over the blog-o-sphere making them. And, I had all those veggies from the Farmer's Market to use up!
I forgot to throw the tomatoes into the picture...lots of veggies, pesto & soy cheese.
I really, REALLY wanted fresh pizza dough. For some reason, the Whole Foods I went to did not have any :( This was all I could find so I gave in and bought it. Not a whole lot of nutritional value in these...so sad.
And the final product...
Very refreshing! The crust was like a big thick cracker...eh. But the veggies cooked up so good! I made two of these little guys and only ate half so I will be eating this for a few days! Love cooking for one!!
On a sweeter note, I was wandering through another department at work today on the way to a meeting and saw a little gift box on the counter. Made my way over and it was filled with these little gourmet chocolates. The only catch was that the labels were in another language. Most of them had pictures of fruit on them so I knew what they were...and I'm not a huge fruit & chocolate fan...but there was one (and seriously, only one left) that did not have a picture on it. Complete crap shoot as to what it was...I took it!
Unwrapped it...
Dark chocolate with a rum filling! Success!!! Oh, it was sooo good! Perfect little mid-afternoon treat!
On that note, I'm going to try to have some sweet dreams! Have a lovely night!
Hello there!
It is probably not very apparent on here, but I used to be a runner. Yes, I've run half marathons, trained for the full deal (though never finished) and run countless shorter races. Running was always the perfect way for me to keep my weight in check. Then, after my attempt at the 2007 Chicago Marathon, I was seriously mentally scarred from the ordeal and have not been able to pick up running again. I know, it sounds crazy, but I swear it is true!
I do however own all the goodies that most serious runners do! I started with my good old Polar F11 heart rate monitor. I wore that thing like it was gold!
Yeah, not exactly gold, but I loved that bad boy! That is until my runs got long enough that the dang monitor started rubbing me raw! I had a scar on my chest for like 6 months!
So, I moved onto the Garmin Forerunner...can't recall the model right now and I'm too lazy to get up and look! That was pretty much the Lamborghini of sports watches...too bad its been sitting on my kitchen table for the past year just gathering dust. Oh well.
Anywho, I dug out the Polar, made a quick run to Radio Shack to get some replacement batteries, and I was ready! Finally, I was going to see the massive calorie burn that I was getting from all this hard working out. People on my Power 90 message boards were claiming 700, even 800 calories burned...I was psyched!
Strapped it on and went to town! Jumped, kicked, punched, sweated until the end. Hit the stop button, went to the summary...and saw 440. Really?! Just 440?! The truth is, I knew it was right. It is dang hard to burn more than 100 calories for every 10 minutes you workout. I knew I shouldn't buy the claims of 800 calories for the Sweat 1-2 video (I'm on Sweat 3-4 even!). Oh, I was taken in. And then disappointed when reality came crashing down. What a crock! I will keep wearing it though because I need to get a better handle on what I'm eating and knowing what I'm burning is a start!
On to dinner!
This weekend, I bought all the fixin's for a pizza since I've seen everyone all over the blog-o-sphere making them. And, I had all those veggies from the Farmer's Market to use up!
I forgot to throw the tomatoes into the picture...lots of veggies, pesto & soy cheese.
I really, REALLY wanted fresh pizza dough. For some reason, the Whole Foods I went to did not have any :( This was all I could find so I gave in and bought it. Not a whole lot of nutritional value in these...so sad.
And the final product...
Very refreshing! The crust was like a big thick cracker...eh. But the veggies cooked up so good! I made two of these little guys and only ate half so I will be eating this for a few days! Love cooking for one!!
On a sweeter note, I was wandering through another department at work today on the way to a meeting and saw a little gift box on the counter. Made my way over and it was filled with these little gourmet chocolates. The only catch was that the labels were in another language. Most of them had pictures of fruit on them so I knew what they were...and I'm not a huge fruit & chocolate fan...but there was one (and seriously, only one left) that did not have a picture on it. Complete crap shoot as to what it was...I took it!
Unwrapped it...
Dark chocolate with a rum filling! Success!!! Oh, it was sooo good! Perfect little mid-afternoon treat!
On that note, I'm going to try to have some sweet dreams! Have a lovely night!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Bakin' & Eggs
This morning I took advantage of a recent Groupon offer and headed over to Bakin' & Eggs for breakfast! Love me some breakfast!!!
A friend and I decided to walk over so I didn't have feel so guilty for indulging this morning. It was about a mile and a half round trip...I know that isn't far, but it's something!
Look at that beautiful blue Chicago sky this morning! I'm pretty sure that is was already close to 80 and it felt much warmer in the direct sunlight.
When we walked in, it was pretty packed. There were only a few open tables and we were about 3rd in line with more people already coming in behind us. It moved pretty quickly and we ended up wedged into a small table for two. We literally had to pull the table out so I could get in between the other tables to sit down. It was also VERY noisy in there, like, I couldn't even hear the waitress talking to me and had to pretty much read her lips and go on instinct!
Ambiance: B-
The waitress, while not having a loud speaking voice, was very nice and helpful. Always had a smile on her face and did not have even a hint of an attitude, which somehow has become the cool persona to have in Chicago restaurants.
Service: A
First, we ordered drinks. A regular coffee for him, a mocha for me! What? Did you really expect anything else?
This was quite possibly the best mocha I've ever had! Not too sweet, but not too bold! Of course, I forgot to shoot a picture until it was almost gone! I believe they serve Intelligentsia. Even my friend raved that his coffee was great! They also brought us 2 glasses of water and a carafe for refills...gotta love that!
Drinks: A+
Now, the food! I ordered their Banana Bread French Toast. Let me go ahead and repeat that. Banana. Bread. French. Toast. There is no way to go wrong there, folks! It was served with a side of butter, a banana rum sauce and a hazelnut spread. Oh goodness was the banana rum sauce amazing! I would buy that stuff by the jar!
The banana bread was so incredibly moist! And since there was no syrup smothering the flavor, you could really taste the banana coming through. I only ate one piece since I drank that whole mocha and about 3 glasses of water before it came. Had another slice for lunch and I'm sure the final piece will be consumed before the day is done!
My friend is much more traditional and went with the Two Eggs Your Way breakfast. It came with 2 eggs (duh!) that he had scrambled, toast, your choice of meat (he chose chicken apple sausage) and cheesy grits. I didn't photograph his whole meal since he already thought I was crazy for taking pictures of mine, but I did snap the grits since he said they were the best part!
I did manage to snag a bite and I'd have to agree that they were delicious!
Food: A
I would have to say that I would definitely make a return trip to Bakin' & Eggs. They have a sister bakery that I've been meaning to try, so now I have even more incentive! Yes, it was loud and crowded, but if you've ever been a part of the Chicago weekend brunch scene, that is pretty much the norm. The food was delish and definitely worth checking out!
A friend and I decided to walk over so I didn't have feel so guilty for indulging this morning. It was about a mile and a half round trip...I know that isn't far, but it's something!
Look at that beautiful blue Chicago sky this morning! I'm pretty sure that is was already close to 80 and it felt much warmer in the direct sunlight.
When we walked in, it was pretty packed. There were only a few open tables and we were about 3rd in line with more people already coming in behind us. It moved pretty quickly and we ended up wedged into a small table for two. We literally had to pull the table out so I could get in between the other tables to sit down. It was also VERY noisy in there, like, I couldn't even hear the waitress talking to me and had to pretty much read her lips and go on instinct!
Ambiance: B-
The waitress, while not having a loud speaking voice, was very nice and helpful. Always had a smile on her face and did not have even a hint of an attitude, which somehow has become the cool persona to have in Chicago restaurants.
Service: A
First, we ordered drinks. A regular coffee for him, a mocha for me! What? Did you really expect anything else?
This was quite possibly the best mocha I've ever had! Not too sweet, but not too bold! Of course, I forgot to shoot a picture until it was almost gone! I believe they serve Intelligentsia. Even my friend raved that his coffee was great! They also brought us 2 glasses of water and a carafe for refills...gotta love that!
Drinks: A+
Now, the food! I ordered their Banana Bread French Toast. Let me go ahead and repeat that. Banana. Bread. French. Toast. There is no way to go wrong there, folks! It was served with a side of butter, a banana rum sauce and a hazelnut spread. Oh goodness was the banana rum sauce amazing! I would buy that stuff by the jar!
The banana bread was so incredibly moist! And since there was no syrup smothering the flavor, you could really taste the banana coming through. I only ate one piece since I drank that whole mocha and about 3 glasses of water before it came. Had another slice for lunch and I'm sure the final piece will be consumed before the day is done!
My friend is much more traditional and went with the Two Eggs Your Way breakfast. It came with 2 eggs (duh!) that he had scrambled, toast, your choice of meat (he chose chicken apple sausage) and cheesy grits. I didn't photograph his whole meal since he already thought I was crazy for taking pictures of mine, but I did snap the grits since he said they were the best part!
I did manage to snag a bite and I'd have to agree that they were delicious!
Food: A
I would have to say that I would definitely make a return trip to Bakin' & Eggs. They have a sister bakery that I've been meaning to try, so now I have even more incentive! Yes, it was loud and crowded, but if you've ever been a part of the Chicago weekend brunch scene, that is pretty much the norm. The food was delish and definitely worth checking out!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Yoga Help!
I apologize for my absence the past couple of days...I have been really tired and not feeling the greatest! I'm not 100% convinced this is the reason, but I had ice cream on Wednesday (co-worker's birthday) and Thursday (ice cream social in our building...heat index of 103, I'll take it!) and it really made me feel sick both times afterward! I've never had a lactose intolerance, but maybe now that I've cut it out so much, it's starting to happen.
Both days when I came home from work I had zero energy and felt a little sick to my stomach! No good-o! I managed to still squeeze in a workout on Wednesday night because it was the Sculpt, but last night was cardio and the thought of jumping all around with a sick belly was not high on my priority list...I then konked out at 9pm!
Let's talk Sculpt 3-4 for a minute here...holy crappers. So much more lower body work compared to Sculpt 1-2! There are 10 sets of lunge w/ right leg, 5 squats, lunge w/ left leg that nearly killed me by the end. Then, you finish up the workout my maxing out squats...oh man! It felt really great though! And...drum roll, please...I knocked out 5 more pushups than ever before! One of these days I'm going to be able to complete all the sets, I swear!!
Now, on the yoga front...I think I'm the only person in this world that has not fallen in love with yoga! Several months ago I took a beginners set of classes to learn all the basic moves. I didn't hate it, but I didn't fall in love with it enough to pay to go back. I tried to do one of the videos on Exercise TV, but I found it even less enticing to do in my own living room. What is wrong with me, people?!
I've decided that after having some time away from it, I'm ready to give it another try! Does anyone have any suggestions for a good yoga DVD, webcast or Exercise TV video? Something that a beginner can do? I would love some suggestions because I really would love to find a liking for this!
A friend and I stopped by the Farmer's Market yesterday and one vendor had the most awesome looking veggies! All sorts of weird hybrid looking ones and things I had never seen before! I picked up some baby zucchinis, a red & green pepper, some plums & some bagels...I know, bagels? Yes, bagels!
No idea what kind of beans those were, but they were white with pink/purple speckles...I wanted to buy them just to have them!
My diet has been not so good lately...as I mentioned feeling very tired and sick to my stomach...I can only blame myself! Besides the ice cream, here are the other bad things that went into this belly lately:
Whoa is me!
I have some fun ideas for cooking this weekend so that will help me keep healthier things around! I hope you all have had a good week and stay away from ice cream :)
Here is an awesome article you should check out about vegetarians & fitness...thanks to Fitnessista for posting it!
Also, for anyone who is looking for a new phone or is an Android fan, a good friend of mine just started a blog on all things Android...check it out! VECDROID
Talk you all soon!!
Both days when I came home from work I had zero energy and felt a little sick to my stomach! No good-o! I managed to still squeeze in a workout on Wednesday night because it was the Sculpt, but last night was cardio and the thought of jumping all around with a sick belly was not high on my priority list...I then konked out at 9pm!
Let's talk Sculpt 3-4 for a minute here...holy crappers. So much more lower body work compared to Sculpt 1-2! There are 10 sets of lunge w/ right leg, 5 squats, lunge w/ left leg that nearly killed me by the end. Then, you finish up the workout my maxing out squats...oh man! It felt really great though! And...drum roll, please...I knocked out 5 more pushups than ever before! One of these days I'm going to be able to complete all the sets, I swear!!
Now, on the yoga front...I think I'm the only person in this world that has not fallen in love with yoga! Several months ago I took a beginners set of classes to learn all the basic moves. I didn't hate it, but I didn't fall in love with it enough to pay to go back. I tried to do one of the videos on Exercise TV, but I found it even less enticing to do in my own living room. What is wrong with me, people?!
I've decided that after having some time away from it, I'm ready to give it another try! Does anyone have any suggestions for a good yoga DVD, webcast or Exercise TV video? Something that a beginner can do? I would love some suggestions because I really would love to find a liking for this!
A friend and I stopped by the Farmer's Market yesterday and one vendor had the most awesome looking veggies! All sorts of weird hybrid looking ones and things I had never seen before! I picked up some baby zucchinis, a red & green pepper, some plums & some bagels...I know, bagels? Yes, bagels!
No idea what kind of beans those were, but they were white with pink/purple speckles...I wanted to buy them just to have them!
My diet has been not so good lately...as I mentioned feeling very tired and sick to my stomach...I can only blame myself! Besides the ice cream, here are the other bad things that went into this belly lately:
Whoa is me!
I have some fun ideas for cooking this weekend so that will help me keep healthier things around! I hope you all have had a good week and stay away from ice cream :)
Here is an awesome article you should check out about vegetarians & fitness...thanks to Fitnessista for posting it!
Also, for anyone who is looking for a new phone or is an Android fan, a good friend of mine just started a blog on all things Android...check it out! VECDROID
Talk you all soon!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Dehydration
Is it really only 9pm? Seriously, I feel like I could have fallen asleep an hour ago! It is my rest day and by golly, I'm resting!
Today started off filled with all kinds of household inspirations: I was going to do all my laundry; wash all the dishes; clean out the bunny's cage...yeah, well, so far it looks like writing this post may be the most constructive thing I will do all evening!
I started off the day with a nice little bowl of granola, blueberries & soy milk.
I did not intend to get a mocha at the coffee shop, but somehow my feet led me there anyway. Not only did I walk out with my coffee, but I somehow managed to have them whip me up a sandwich for lunch later! Can someone please chaperone me to work from now on?! Geez! I cannot be trusted!
The evil sandwich:
I generally toss out the top piece of bread so at least that relieves some of the guilt. Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil & lite mayo. The one time I will eat cheese without a second thought!
The first thing I do when I get to work everyday is fill up this bad boy:
That is 32oz of water at my disposal. Obviously, my intent is to kill 2 of those and then any water I drink at home is just bonus. The reality of the situation is that I usually kill the first one and never make it back to fill it up again. Bad!
Today, however, I finished off two full bottles! I used to be really good about getting a lot of water, but the past few months have just not been working for me. The strange thing is, the more water I drink, the thirstier I get! Does that make any sense whatsoever? I'm weird...
On the way home from work, it being my rest day and all, I decided to call my friend and see what he was up to. I dial the phone as I'm walking down the major street in my neighborhood...it rings once...I look up and what is that? Is that my friend sitting at a table outside a coffee shop just 20 feet from me?! It was some crazy timing!
I stopped to chat and then we started walking back to my place. I ducked into a little local grocer to grab a banana and saw this in a bin next to the register:
I huge Peanut Butter & Chocolate granola bar that looks pretty darn fresh...who cares that it was $3?! Okay, truthfully, this all happened very quickly and I didn't even think to look at the price before throwing it up next to my banana...I would have thrown it right back in that bin if had seen the price tag! But, it was rung up and I now had the most expensive organic granola bar known to man :)
It was made by a company called Eat Green Foods. They are based here out of Chicago and use local farmers for all that goes into their products. That is something I like to hear and now I feel a little better knowing my $3 went to a good cause! Check out the ingredients:
Nothing but the basics! Hey, just like me!
Oh yeah...
Seriously, not what I would call a well balanced dinner. So, shoot me.
Tomorrow is a new day and I will be better. I have lots of leftovers in my fridge that need to be eaten so I will try to stop spending my money on food! Grrr!
My goal is to be in bed by 10pm and I only have 23 minutes to go! See you tomorrow!
Today started off filled with all kinds of household inspirations: I was going to do all my laundry; wash all the dishes; clean out the bunny's cage...yeah, well, so far it looks like writing this post may be the most constructive thing I will do all evening!
I started off the day with a nice little bowl of granola, blueberries & soy milk.
I did not intend to get a mocha at the coffee shop, but somehow my feet led me there anyway. Not only did I walk out with my coffee, but I somehow managed to have them whip me up a sandwich for lunch later! Can someone please chaperone me to work from now on?! Geez! I cannot be trusted!
The evil sandwich:
I generally toss out the top piece of bread so at least that relieves some of the guilt. Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil & lite mayo. The one time I will eat cheese without a second thought!
The first thing I do when I get to work everyday is fill up this bad boy:
That is 32oz of water at my disposal. Obviously, my intent is to kill 2 of those and then any water I drink at home is just bonus. The reality of the situation is that I usually kill the first one and never make it back to fill it up again. Bad!
Today, however, I finished off two full bottles! I used to be really good about getting a lot of water, but the past few months have just not been working for me. The strange thing is, the more water I drink, the thirstier I get! Does that make any sense whatsoever? I'm weird...
On the way home from work, it being my rest day and all, I decided to call my friend and see what he was up to. I dial the phone as I'm walking down the major street in my neighborhood...it rings once...I look up and what is that? Is that my friend sitting at a table outside a coffee shop just 20 feet from me?! It was some crazy timing!
I stopped to chat and then we started walking back to my place. I ducked into a little local grocer to grab a banana and saw this in a bin next to the register:
I huge Peanut Butter & Chocolate granola bar that looks pretty darn fresh...who cares that it was $3?! Okay, truthfully, this all happened very quickly and I didn't even think to look at the price before throwing it up next to my banana...I would have thrown it right back in that bin if had seen the price tag! But, it was rung up and I now had the most expensive organic granola bar known to man :)
It was made by a company called Eat Green Foods. They are based here out of Chicago and use local farmers for all that goes into their products. That is something I like to hear and now I feel a little better knowing my $3 went to a good cause! Check out the ingredients:
Nothing but the basics! Hey, just like me!
Oh yeah...
Seriously, not what I would call a well balanced dinner. So, shoot me.
Tomorrow is a new day and I will be better. I have lots of leftovers in my fridge that need to be eaten so I will try to stop spending my money on food! Grrr!
My goal is to be in bed by 10pm and I only have 23 minutes to go! See you tomorrow!
What Are We Eating?
I saw this today and was surprised by a few things. Mainly the fact that we still eat more red meat than poultry! For some reason, that blew me away...but I guess hamburgers are still probably the most popular fast food item. Being a vegetarian, I was happy to see the amount of veggies and fruits consumed. That's the good stuff!! What do you think about this? Does anything surprise you?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Manic Monday!
5:45am - Wake up call from a friend so I can attempt a morning workout
6:05am - Friend insists I meet him at the coffee shop to ensure I'm actually up...sit outside and drink coffee until 6:40am.
6:45am - Go back to my house and promptly fall back to sleep :)
7:30am - Get up and get ready for work
9:30am - Breakfast: my last biscotti :(
10:15am - First Meeting of the day
11:30am - Second Meeting
12:30pm - Lunch: a HUGE cookie. I am not proud.
1:00pm - Third Meeting
2:00pm - Fourth Meeting
3:00pm - read blogs & play on facebook
4:00pm - Snacks
5:30pm - Finally heading home
7:00pm - Rocked the double workout: Power 90 Sculpt 1-2 & Sweat 3-4
8:15pm - Dinner: TJs throw down!
8:30pm - shower!!
9:00pm - Beach Body Team Call
10:00pm - BLOG!
Good night!
6:05am - Friend insists I meet him at the coffee shop to ensure I'm actually up...sit outside and drink coffee until 6:40am.
6:45am - Go back to my house and promptly fall back to sleep :)
7:30am - Get up and get ready for work
9:30am - Breakfast: my last biscotti :(
10:15am - First Meeting of the day
11:30am - Second Meeting
12:30pm - Lunch: a HUGE cookie. I am not proud.
1:00pm - Third Meeting
2:00pm - Fourth Meeting
3:00pm - read blogs & play on facebook
4:00pm - Snacks
5:30pm - Finally heading home
7:00pm - Rocked the double workout: Power 90 Sculpt 1-2 & Sweat 3-4
8:15pm - Dinner: TJs throw down!
8:30pm - shower!!
9:00pm - Beach Body Team Call
10:00pm - BLOG!
Good night!
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