Going Strong!! So I missed my workout on Wednesday, picked back up on Thursday, and skipped again on Friday. Who wants to workout on a Friday anyway? I would much rather go out with friends and have a few adult beverages. Which is exactly what I did!
Although I was hurting the next day (and I don't mean sore muscles), I pushed myself to get in a workout. I had finally gotten to the second Fit Test of the 30 Day Challenge. Knowing that I was probably dehydrated from drinking the night before, I was a bit worried I wouldn't score well compared to my original scores. However, I can proudly say that my scores absolutely improved!
Fit Test #2: Squat Jumps:30 (5 over original test) Push-ups:15 (3 over original test) Burpees:10 (3 over original test) High Knees: 112 (36 over original test) Switch Lunges:30 (16 over original test and no modifications) Tuck Jumps: 12 (4 over original) Straight Abs: 9 (no modifications)
And to celebrate my achievement, I went out and gorged myself! Ok, so it wasn't really to celebrate, but it was date night with the hubby and I did gorge myself. And to add a bit of Fashion & Beauty to this post, here was my outfit for the night.
So, I skipped a workout tonight. I got home late from work and was starving. And, I'm extremely sore from the past couple of days, so a rest day will probably be good for me. Hoping to make up the workout this weekend. :)
I did, however, try the new grilled chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-a today. Now, Chick-fil-a (or chick-a-lay as my 4 year old would say) is my all time favorite fast food restaurant... Well, it's a toss-up between McD's and CFA, but still a fave.
Anyway, my typical order is the #5 eight count with large fries and a large diet coke, ez ice. Oh how I love my CFA nuggets! Tender, juicy, and oh so tasty.Yum!! However, since I'm on a semi-sorta health kick, I decided to try the grilled chicken nuggets today.
I was't sure what to expect... Well, I guess I was expecting them to at least come in the same box as the breaded nuggets. When I reached my hand into my to go bag, I felt a plastic bowl. Huh? They must have gotten my order wrong. As I pulled the plastic container out of the bag, there they were. Eight little naked nuggets laying in the bowl. They looked so sad and so... so bland.
I decided to give them a shot because: a) I had already bought them, b) I was super hungry, and c) did I mention I am on a health kick? :)
Overall, I was not that impressed with the flavor. The seasoning was a bit overwhelming, and the chicken tasted processed. Plus, they got cold super fast. Nothing like eating cold chicken. But, I was so hungry I ate all eight nuggets plus half of my large fries (which I LOVE by the way!).
So, overall, I would give the grilled chicken nuggets a C-. They just don't compare to the regular nuggets. If you're trying to eat healthy, I would highly suggest going for one of the chicken wraps instead. :)
I still haven't been able to give up the fries yet. Fries are my downfall, and I seriously could eat them everyday if I could. As it stands now, I probably eat fries at least three times a week. Yes, I know, awful!
Have you tried the grilled chicken nuggets yet? If so, let me know your thoughts.
Feeling great!! I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger and more fit...all in just one week! Yesterday's workout "Wild Ones" was awesome. Pretty basic, but a killer nonetheless. I was amazed I was actually able to get through most of the workout without any modifications (including the 3 Tier Pushups).
Now if only I could get my tush to look like that, lol!
I warmed up with four minutes of jumping rope. My scores for the workout were:
Clean & Press: 8, 8
Squat Leaps: 25, 18
3 Tier Push-ups: 8, 9
Reverse Pull-ups: 13, 14
Squat & Press: 11, 15
Switch Lunges: 29, 25
I then did Sean's Weighted Workout. It was brutal! I could only make it through 2 rounds instead of the actual 3. I didn't have to modify any of the exercises, so GO ME!! My time was 18 minutes 22 sec (2 rounds).
I did manage to somewhat healthy yesterday, too!
Breakfast: Diet Coke
Snack: None
Lunch: 1/2 Waldorf Chicken Salad from CPK and 1 slice of Roasted Spinach CPK Pizza, iced tea
Snack: Kashi Roasted Almond Crunchy Granola Bar
Dinner: Fish Tacos with avocado. Yum!
Dessert: 1 Hershey Special Dark Chocolate Nugget :)
Dinner: Broccoli Cheese Soup with 5 saltine crackers
Dessert: Two pieces of Dark Chocolate Nuggets
And, to make things more interesting, here are progress pics after week one...
Not a huge difference, but I have noticed a bit more definition in my arms/shoulders and abs. Just today, a co-worker asked if I had lost weight, so something must be working. Since starting the 30 Day Challenge I have been sleeping better and seem to have more energy during the day. Positive results. I know that once I get my diet in check, my progress pics should show more "progress". :)
I'm a couple of days behind in the 30 Day Challenge, but trying to catch up. I completed Day 6 on Tuesday and then took a break yesterday to go play Bingo (yes, Bingo) with some of the girls. I didn't realize how serious the game of Bingo can be! It was a lot of fun though; especially while drinking adult beverages! And if you're wondering, no I didn't win. But I will be back!!
So, on to the workout. Day 6 was the Turn Me On Workout. It was brutal as usual. The tuck jumps kick my butt every time, and this workout was FULL of them. My legs are still pretty sore.
My scores were:
Press Up Burpee Tuck Jump Straight Punches: 2, 2, 2
Press Up Burpee Tuck Jump Hook Punches: 2, 2, 2
Press Up Burpee Tuck Jump Straight/Hook Punches: 2, 2, 2
Mid Abs/ Bag Touch:16, 18, 16
There was an additional workout for Day 6 as well. It was a weighted workout from BodyRock host Sean (who, by the way, has an amazing body!).
My time for the weighted workout was:
I have no idea. I forgot to time myself, lol! I did have to modify most of the exercises. Definitely beyond my capability at this point. I gave it a good try though!
Food for the Day 01/10:
Breakfast: Diet Coke
Snack: None
Lunch: Pappadeaux fried shrimp and fries (ate about a quarter of the dish), iced tea with sweet & lo, 2 slices of french bread
Dinner: Jimmy John's turkey sandwich, 1 bag of cheetos, 3 Corona beers
My diet is still not looking anywhere close to good. My goal for this weekend is to put together a meal plan for next week and go grocery shopping. Hopefully, next week will look better!!
I ended up taking two rest days over the weekend. I wanted to complete Day 5 on Sunday, but errands and eating too much got in the way.
I almost skipped today too. I got about three hours of sleep last night because my sweet, adorable, never-sleeps-through-the-night son decided to wake up at 2:30 AM. That means I got to wake up too. Unfortunately, we never went back to sleep. If anyone has any ideas to get a 4-year-old to sleep in his own bed without waking up at least once per night, please, I'm begging you, let me know!
Then, I didn't get home from work and picking up Z at my mom's until 8:30 PM. I was exhausted!! I REALLY wanted to skip today's workout, but knew if I did, I would skip the next and the next, etc. Not an option!! So, I changed into my workout gear and busted out the 400 rep "I Won't Give Up" Workout.
No playlist for today. My background noise was Phineas and Ferb. :)
Overall, this workout was a simple two exercise workout but very effective. The goal was to complete four rounds of 75 Knee Highs with Jumprope and 25 Knee Lifts with Dip Station for a total of 400 reps.
The knee highs were relatively easy during the first three rounds, but then my legs started to feel like jello. I was able to get through the knee highs with no modifications. The knee lifts with dip station was another station. Those were killer! I definitely had to take small pauses, plus there were times where I modified the exercise to allow my feet to touch the floor.
Final Time: 8 min 45 sec.
I did not attempt the second video posted for the day because I'm still not supposed to lift heavy. Plus, It was already close to 10 PM. I'll give it a try tomorrow.
And on the dietary front, I did not so hot today. Haven't had a chance to hit the grocery store.
Breakfast: Diet Coke
Snack: None
Lunch: Chic-Fil-A Chargrilled chicken and fruit salad (Healthiest thing of the day!)
Snack: None
Dinner: McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Meal (But the fries were SOOO good!)
Unfortunately, this is a typical day for me since I'm on the go so much for my job. I'm going to have to start bringing a cooler with me to work.
If you read my previous post, you know that on Friday I was going to workout AND THEN eat my pizza. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. I ended up eating my pizza first, felt guilty, and decided to workout at 10 PM (about 20 minutes after my pizza).
I highly, highly do not recommend this! I wanted to toss my cookies about halfway through the workout!! I pushed through though, and it felt great!
The workout for Day 4 was the "Wish You Would Workout". It was a much simpler routine, but still a tough one.
Unfortunately, I skipped working out today. Lots of errands to run today, plus NFL football. So, I will pick up either tomorrow or Monday.
Oh, and if anyone is interested, my diet today consisted of:
Breakfast: 2 Glazed Donuts, Diet Dr. Pepper
Snack: Donut Holes
Lunch: Leftover Pizza, Diet Dr. Pepper
Snack: Donut Holes
Dinner: Wild Boar and Creole Rice (the hubby is big into hunting. We eat a lot of game. Probably the healthiest meal of the day though!)
Horrible, Horrible, Horrible!! I know, but this is par for the course for me. Now that I've started to workout again, my diet needs to change as well. Gonna hit the grocery store for some healthy alternatives. :)
If you have any healthy snack ideas, I'd love to hear them. That is the hardest part for me. Especially since I am a snacker!
Yesterday I did Day 3 of BodyRock's challenge titled "International Love Workout". I was going to skip it since I was going out that night, BUT I decided to stay motivated so I did the workout before getting ready to go out. So glad I did!
Here is the workout hosted by Lisa Marie (She is super spunky!!). You can find the video on their website or on YouTube.
Elevated Push-ups/Knee Touch: 6 (no ball) & 6 girl push-ups
Squat & Press: 8 (no sandbag)
Clean Press/Jump Forward/3 Squats: 4 (no ball)
Reverse Pull-ups: 12
Side Burpee/Obliques/Tuck Jump: 3
Forward Lunge/Side Lunge/Knee Lift: 9 (no sandbag)
Ball Push-up/Burpee/ Sumo Knee: 5 (no ball)
Tricep Dip/V Abs: 8 (modified - half dips, knees up - no V)
Overhead Abs: 20 (no sandbag)
Shoulder Lift/Squat/Switch Shoulder Press: 12 (no sandbag)
Speed Run: Forgot to count :)
Who in their right mind is going to do this? I'm talking about posting a horrendous looking before pic. Well, I'm gonna be brave and DO IT!!
So, here it is, before I decide to change my mind!
Excuse the weird face and smudgy mirror (4 year old handprints, lol).
Did someone say "skinny fat"?! Cuz that's me!!
I'm not overweight, but I am lacking in the tone department. My goal over the next couple of months is to tone up and just get in better shape overall. I want definition, people!!
And, as I'm sitting her typing out this post... :::: Hold That Thought, Please! Interrupted by my smudgy fingered son who wants to ride his scooter. Be back in a bit. ::::
Ok, I'm back. So the dilemma right now is: Do I workout or eat the Papa John's pizza that just got delivered? Hmmm...decisions, decisions.
And here is a pic of my OOTD that I wore yesterday to Moms & Margaritas Night at our local Chuy's. (Yes, those are pillow pets in the background!).
I was a bit sore from the Fit Test yesterday, but decided to tackle Day 2 of the BodyRock.TV 30 Day Challenge anyway. And I will say, it was it a challenge!
I found a cool playlist from www.inthegym.net. If you need some new workout playlists, I highly recommend this site. I listen to the music on my computer (it's free!) while I workout.
Before starting the workout, I noticed in the video and on the blog there were several different exercise combos for the intervals. I knew it would be very difficult to remember each combo, so I set my rest period to 15 seconds instead of the normal 10. This allowed me to focus on the combos I wrote down so that I would remember the sequencing.
After a quick warm-up, I started my 12 minutes of torture (ok, it wasn't that bad, but only because I modified a lot of the exercises)! Here are my scores:
10 High Knees / 10 Mountain Climbers - 5 2 Squat Jumps/ 2 Push-ups / 1 Jump Tuck - 3 Center to Elbow Jump / 2 Leg Jumps - 3 Clean Press / Squat / Press Push-up - 7 (I did not use the sandbag) 5 Tuck Jumps / 1/2 Burpee with Squat Hold - 1 (sad to say I could only get through one. I changed the tuck jumps to regular squats) Spider Knee Push-up / Straight Leg Push-up - 2 regular, 15 modified (Girl Push-ups) Switch Lunge with Press - 15 (Did not use sandbag)
Potty Break compliments of my 4-year old 2 Side Lunge / 2 Side Punches / 2 Jump Tucks - 8 (modified) 10 Squat / 10 Squat Jumps - 1 (I was hurting at this point!) 10 Elbow to Knee Jumps - 5 (modified for low impact) 10 Wide Leg Jump Push-ups - 10 Speed Run - 150
So, there it is. Good workout! I'm looking forward to Day 3 (which I will probably do on Friday because tomorrow is Moms' and Margaritas Night. Woohoo!!).
Is one of your New Year's resolutions to get in shape or tone up? If you said yes, then we're in the same boat. :)
When I first started this blog last year, it was to help keep me accountable in the health & fitness department. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't last long, nor did the blogging!
However, about mid-year last year, I stumbled across an AWESOME fitness blog called BodyRock.TV. I was in awe of the host. Her body was strong, lean, and beautiful. And the best part of the blog...all of the videos were free, and I didn't have to step foot in a gym! Score!!
After stalking the blog for several days, I decided to give it a try. The workouts were intense and kicked my butt! But, I felt great afterwards. I stuck with BodyRock for several months working out 2-3 days per week. Then, as usual, life got in the way. Work, toddler, ectopic pregnancy.
Well, it's time again to get my rear in gear!! I got the all clear to start working out again, albeit, no heavy lifting just yet. And, perfect timing too!! BodyRock.TV is having a 30 Day Challenge! There is a new host, but the principles are the same, and the new host has a rockin' bod for inspiration...
The 30 Day Challenge starts off with a Fitness Test. 7 exercises in intervals of 50 seconds with 10 second rests in between. Check out the video below (and no, that is not my tush. I wish it was!).
Here are my scores:
SQUAT JUMPS - 25
PUSH UPS - 12
BURPEES - 7
HIGH KNEES - 76
SWITCH LUNGES - regular 7, modified 9
TUCK JUMPS - 8 (these were killer for me and my legs felt like jello)
STRAIGHT ABS - modified 20
This is a good starting point for me. I'm curious to see where I'll end up at the end of January. :)
Please check out the blog - BodyRock.TV if you are looking for an at-home, kick-ass workout. I could use some virtual work-out partners. :) It's tough, but can be modified for beginners, so don't be intimidated. I've had to modify quite a few exercises over the course of my workouts.
Oh, and if you "Like" BodyRock.TV on Facebook, you can keep up with the work-outs. Plus, I noticed they added the host's daily food logs. Great examples of healthy eating (and no, I have no affiliation with the site, lol!).
I'll continue to post my scores on the work-outs as well as my progress.
What type of fitness program do you follow or have you started following as of this year? I would love to hear what others are doing. Happy exercising!!
I have fallen so hard off the healthy train I think there may a permanent imprint of the golden arches on my forehead! I'm back to eating junk, and it has been well over a month since I've worked out. I can't believe I let myself revert to the "junk food mom". Much of it had to do with stress related to work - such is the life of a sales rep. Numbers are down, you've got to get them up. Most of my evenings and nights entailed working, working, working and eating out. No fun at all!
Well, I can happily say my numbers are back up, so I'm declaring a "Do Over"! I can't wait to get back on the healthy train. My main goal is to tone, tone, tone. I went swimsuit shopping a couple of weeks ago, and it was depressing with a capital D! I went to several department stores and to Just Add Water but all of the swimsuits looked horrible on me. I was ready to cry. I even called my husband and told him be prepared to shell out several grand for a new set of boobs! And I was not kidding. I was ready to start looking for a plastic surgeon that week.
Luckily for my husband, I made one last stop at a local outlet mall that had a Swim n' Sport. This place was awesome! They had several cute suits on the rack. I think I must have taken in 10-12 suits to try on. I prayed that one of them would work. I was ecstatic when the first suit actually looked good on me. I had boobs!! Turns out several of the suits were super cute, and I spent an hour trying to figure out which one to buy. It was a toss up between two. Since I am horrible at making decisions, I ended up buying both! It's amazing how much $$ such little fabric costs. I must admit they are well worth the money though. My husband didn't want to know the final damage, but I told him it was much much less than a boob job, lol!
Here is a pic of one:
The brand is La Blanca and is really great for the not-so-well endowed ladies. If only I looked like the model above!
I couldn't find a pic of the second suit, but the brand is Skye and looks very similar to the one above. I'm hoping that if I start working out this week, I can tone up and rock these suits! We shall see....
Here's to hoping I can stay on track!! Thanks for reading!
So, I completed my first full week of Insanity last week! Let me tell you, it felt great!! I can already feel the difference in my stamina and subtle changes in my muscle tone. My arms are becoming a bit more defined, and my abs are starting to reappear. I hope they enjoyed their three year vacation because I refuse to let them disappear again!!
I did skip a few days of working out due to life getting in the way... well, some may call it laziness! :) Saturday I actually painted my master bedroom. I'm not finished yet, but it looks great so far. I hate to admit this, but on Sunday, I pretty much sat in my big comfy chair the entire day and watched all 5 episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and played on the net. I heart Jamie! I love his message and it has really motivated me to eat healthier. But, I still have a ways to go in trying to reduce the amount of processed crap I put into my body. Baby steps, right?
Ok, so back to Insanity... After a four day hiatus, I decided it was time to get off my hiney and begin the next week of torture. Today's workout was the Cardio Resistance and Power. I did notice an improvement from the first time I did this DVD. I didn't come nearly as close to dying! I still can't get the moving push-ups, however. I just don't think my body is that coordinated! I'm looking forward to the rest of this week's workouts. I'm lovin' the burn!!
For those that are following any at home workout programs, let me know what you're doing and how things are going! One of these days, I'll get back in the gym, but for now working out at home is going awesome!
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, oh my! I recently bought my first ever Clean Eating magazine. As I began to flip through the magazine (back cover to front, of course!), the first recipe I came across was for these delicious looking cookies. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and are low in suger. I'm a sucker for chocolate, so I knew this recipe was a keeper!
The ingredients are pretty simple - almond butter, egg, baking soda, cocoa, salt, sucanat...wait, what?! Sucanat? What the heck is sucanat? I had never heard of this before which probably isn't too surprising since I rarely set foot in the kitchen or a grocery store. But even my husband had never heard of it. I sent him to the grocery store on a mission to find sucanat and he succeeded! He found it in the health food section of our local HEB. And, if you're wondering, sucanat is non-refined cane sugar.
The cookies were super easy to prepare. I think it took about 10 min prep time and another 10 minutes baking time per dozen. Here are some prep pics:
And the final product!
Overall, for the first try, I was pretty impressed with how the cookies turned out. I think I added just a little bit too much salt, so I'll have to make sure I don't add too much next time. Also, make sure to let the cookies cool completely. I would definitely recommend this recipe for a cleaner version of chocolate chip cookies! Let me know how they turn out if you bake them. :)
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Clean Eating March/April 2010
Makes 24 cookies
Hands on time: 10 min
Total time: 22 min
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater) broken into small pieces
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.
So, I completed the second DVD "Cardio Power and Resistance" on Friday; and I have to say, it wasn't AS difficult as the first workout. Don't get me wrong, it still kicked my butt, BUT a few of the exercises I could actually push through and complete. The most challenging aspect of this DVD was all of the pushups. I mean, who has the strength to do "walking" pushups?! Obviously, I don't. I had to modify my pushups so that I didn't fall flat on my face, lol!
I did break down and buy a heart rate monitor at Target, yay! My max heart rate during the workout was 186. I'm sure it would have gone higher, but I slowed down at that point. I was afraid I was going to have a heart attack. My average rate was in the high 170's. Overall, it was a great workout and Shaun T is hottie to watch!
As far as the soreness factor goes, I was at a 9 yesterday. As soon as I stepped out of bed, my calves and quads started screaming at me. They were saying, "go back to bed!". It's pretty bad when you have to waddle to the bathroom and you're not even pregnant! Today my soreness factor is about a 4, thank goodness. :)
Unfortunately, my diet still stinks. Friday night I went out for Mexican with the girls. LOVED the margaritas and had a little too much fun!! Saturday was left-overs for lunch and pizza for dinner. I have got to get to the grocery store for some fruits and veggies. I did make the almond butter chocolate chip cookies, and to my surprise, they were actually pretty good! Recipe and pics to come...
