Weekend Recap

How was your weekend?  If you live in the DFW area then Saturday night was filled with rain I'm sure. 

Friday night after work, Husband & I met my parents, brother & his girlfriend at Rusty Taco in Denton.  We've been here once before but it was in the summertime & we didn't get to enjoy the nice patio they have.  This time, we all sat outside.  It was a perfect cool night & we had a great time.  After dinner we couldn't resist walking down to Beth Marie's for some dessert.  I had a scoop of Sue's Snickers & Cupcake in a cake cone.  It was heaven.  I wouldn't have taken a picture but devoured it before I could get my phone out.

Our weekend was non stop busy so we went grocery shopping Friday after dinner to get it over with.  It wasn't that eventful.

Saturday I woke up feeling good.  I ate breakfast & took Fergie on a long walk.  Then I went for a run.  I was physically in the mood for a run but not mentally.  However I ended up having an awesome run.  My goal was 5 miles & I made it 5 1/2.   About 1 mile into it, I started to feel warm & flexible.   It felt great outside & was overcast so it was the perfect weather.

After I got done, I cleaned the house, did laundry and had a protein bar for a snack.  We had plans to take Fergie to a Halloween event in Highland Village around 3. They were having a puppy costume contest, games & safe trick or treating for kids in all the shops.   But right before we were ready to leave, it started raining so we left her at home.  We met up with our friends & their 2 girls.  There were lots of dogs in cute costumes.  It was really fun.

Princesses

This scarecrow was scary, he freaked me out

We had a Halloween party to go to so we ran some errands & then headed home to start getting ready.  This is when the rain storm began.  It was terrible!  I know we needed the rain but did it really have to happen when we're ready to leave?!  Our party was fun.  I went as a honey bee & Husband was dressed in 80's workout gear.  My costume lasted all of an hour.  It was itchy & uncomfortable & I was freezing so I ended up in a t-shirt & sweat pants, the perfect pajama costume!  We had a blast, maybe too much because we didn't leave until 3am.  I don't know how that happened.  My normal bedtime is 9 so it's a mystery how I lasted that long. 

My alarm was set for 7am Sunday morning.  It went off.  I didn't get up.  I ended up sleeping in until 8:30 & finally dragged my butt out of bed & took care of Ferg.  Then my butt made it's way back to the couch where I may have dozed off.  I wasn't feeling good, it could have been a combo of sleep deprivation & a mini hangover.  Eventually I got up & did my food prep.  We had friends coming over around 2pm so I was able to get a 45 minute cardio workout in & a brisk long walk with Fergie.

One of our friends was in town & we all try to get together when she visits.  It was a fun relaxing afternoon filled with good food & laughter.  And another friend brought her dog Luke, he is so precious.  Fergie will stay in the closet when we have friends over but Luke kept going in there to check on her & I spotted them laying together too.   Everyone left around 5 & we cleaned up then got comfy for the night.  I was grazing the food all day & wasn't super hungry.  Dinner was an apple, banana & egg whites.

Precious Luke!

Then I painted my nails.  This is one of my favorite colors.  It goes with any outfit.

Then it was bed time.  I think I lasted maybe 30 minutes watching TV in bed before I passed out.  I was exhausted.  Next weekend should be a little more relaxed!

Workin On My Fitness

When I was in Vegas, I was surrounded by lots of fitness pros & models in great shape with rock hard bodies.  I felt like a powder puff.  I mean I work out & eat healthy, but this took it to a whole other level.  So when I got back, I decided to change things up with my workouts & eating.  Talked about my new eating habits yesterday so today is all about fitness. 

I love working out in the mornings because it gets me off to a great start & keeps me feeling good throughout the day.  But my efforts to really push myself were starting to fade.  I was more exhausted each day and thought I needed a change.  I didn't want to totally skip morning exercise but wanted something that wasn't so intense after jumping out of bed.  It thought I'd give my yoga routine a try in the mornings & then workout again after I get home from work.  Yoga is hard & strenuous but in a different way.  It's calming, very zen & I definitely work up a sweat but it eases into the hard stuff.  And it's only a 40 minute workout so I get to sleep in a bit.  So far (minus my sick week) it's been working out great this way.  I feel really stretched & strong after the workout in the morning.  I got tons of energy drink samples so I've been having those after I get home from work to get pumped up for the afternoon workout.

Ok now on to some new workouts.  I'm working on toning up my shoulders so I'm working them out twice a week.  Also, I switched out Core for Plyo (P90X).  I've never been a fan of plyo since it's all about jumping & my knees always seem to get really sore after the workout.  But I wanted to try it & it's been a long time since I've done the workout.  Well I love it now.  I focus a lot on my form while doing the exercises.  It's like adding in an extra leg workout for the week, so good.  Also, last week I wanted to get a leg workout in before the run so on Thursday, I did legs.  I like getting all my strength training done during the week.  It leaves me more time on the weekends to focus on my running, yoga & walking Ferg a lot.  I'm still doing abs twice a week.  One routine is part of my power yoga I usually do on Sundays that pretty much kills me.  The other is a new routine I found on Instagram from someone I follow & it's really hard.  My abs were feeling it the next day.

Strength Training Circuit #1

Set 1

• 1-arm chest press on bosu ball
• chin ups
• shoulder shrugs

Set 2

• decline push ups (prop feet or knees up on a chair)
• supermans (5 sets holding for 10 seconds)
• deep swimmer press (bicep curl into shoulder press, reverse curl)

Set 3

• regular push ups
• chin up/pull up (switching every 2 reps)
• in & out shoulder flys

Bonus Set

• military push ups
• pull ups
• upside down shoulder press (in downward dog position)

Strength Training Circuit #2

Set 1

• standing tricep extentions
• in & out bicep curls
• shoulder shrugs

Set 2

• chair dips
• bicep curls
• deep swimmer press

Set 3

• tricep kickbacks
• hammer curls
• in & out shoulder flys

Bonus Set

• front & back extensions
• concentration curls
• upside down shoulder press

For both circuit workouts, I repeat each set 2x, one right after the next with 25 jumping jacks in between.  Then, after the bonus round, I go through one more round of each set (not repeating 2x) & then one more bonus round.  Really makes my muscles burn.

The P90X Plyometrics workout is basically 5 rounds of different moves.  Each round is 3 moves for 30 seconds then a 4th move for 1 minute.  Repeat it all 2 times.  There's just a short break in between each round for 30-45 seconds.  At the end there's a bonus round.  You're heart rate is totally racing through this whole thing.  Major fat burner & leg toner. It's really hard but in that good way! 

Here's the new ab routine.  I did 2 rounds the last time.  My goal is to get to 3.  I use this routine after my leg workouts on Thursday.

So that's what I've been doing since back from vacation.  I'm liking my new workout schedule.  It has been challenging on some days to stay motivated to workout once I get home.  But this week I started to see some change in my body & that gave me a good boost.  I've ordered another yoga DVD to add in my morning mix.  And if I get bored with plyo or just want a change for that week, I have some other options.  Kenpo is a great cardio routine & P90X2 has a plyo routine that I like.  I get bored really easily so I'm trying to change things up every 2-3 weeks to keep my muscles guessing.

All About Food

I have to apologize because I've been neglecting my readers on new fitness & food things going on in my life.  When I got back from Vegas I posted that I am sadly no longer following a vegan diet.  I know I failed but I put in great effort, I promise.  It was just too hard for someone like me to follow & practice.  If I have more time to cook & really experiment, maybe I'll give it another go in the future.  But for now, I am a carnivore (I don't like that word).  I am choosing to eat organic cage free eggs & chicken.  I fell better about that.  Since my post would be super long if I posted about food & fitness, I'm going to start today's post with my diet & what I've been munching on the past few weeks.   

Ok, so as far as my diet goes, I've been eating 6 times a day which is about every 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  That may sound like a dream & that's what I thought at first but it's hard.  The only meal I'm ever hungry for is breakfast.  The rest of the day, I just eat to fuel my body.  In a way that is a good thing.  I never over eat & don't seem to have cravings like I used to since I don't let myself get hungry.  I think the biggest tip for eating as often as this is portion size.  Take the time to measure your food.  I get the majority of my food prep done on Sundays so everything is ready for me when I need it.  And when I'm making my salads listed below, I'm very careful about measuring all my ingredients.  Salads can be unhealthy if you don't make them the right way.  And I have found that out in the past. 

I keep my portions small but filling & try to get at least 20 grams of protein for my main meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) & 10 grams for my in between meals.  This is a general day of food for me:

Meal #1 (Yogurt Parfait - 20+ grams)

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup Kashi cereal
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 cup blueberries (or other frozen fruit)

Yogurt Parfait - it might look strange but it's super yummy!

Meal #2 (20 grams)

• Cliff Builder protein bar

Meal #3 (12 grams)

• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

Cottage Cheese

Meal #4 (Salad - 20+ grams)

• 2 cups spinach & kale
• 1/2 cup chicken breast
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup low sugar craisins
• 2 tbsp dressing

Lunch Salad

Meal #5 (18+ grams)
3 hard boiled eggs whites or a protein shake made w/ mix & skim milk

Meal #6 (I have 2 options for dinner)
Option #1 (Salad - 20+ grams)

• 2 cups spinach & kale
• 1/2 cup chicken breast
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• sprinkle of seasoning salt

Option #2 (Fruit & Protein mix - 18+ grams)

• 3 hard boiled egg whites
• 1 apple with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
• 1 banana

I try to mix up my dinner so I don't get bored with salad since it's my main meal.  Eventually I might experiment with some other dinner choices.  Since cold weather season is approaching, I'm sure the crock pot will be used quite a bit.  But my lunch is mainly salad because it's filling yet doesn't leave me with that nasty bloated feeling of over eating.  Also, I'm trying to increase my protein intake to at least equal my body weight in grams.  I weigh about 130 but for now I'm taking in about 110 grams of protein.  That's pretty good for me because protein is so filling & it's hard to eat more of it.  I'm slowly increasing the amount of chicken I eat & if I feel like I need some extra fuel, I'll eat some egg whites.  Hard boiled eggs are one of staples for food prep on Sundays.  I make 2 dozen so I have extra & egg whites are super clean protein.  Doesn't get much better than that!

Well that's what I'm eating.  It's not too interesting or creative but I like simple & clean foods that are easy to prepare.  Since I take the majority of the food with me to work, it's nice to have things that are quick & easy.

Tomorrow's post will be all about fitness & my new workouts!