The Morning After A Storm

It’s funny how sometimes my workouts can look really long and complicated all typed out even though they were fairly easy… and then sometimes they look short and simple, when really they weren’t at all. 

Yesterday’s workout was part of that second group:

1. Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
2. {10 One-arm tricep dumbbell rows (each arm) @ 20lbs + 12 Chest flies @ 15lbs} x4
3. {12 Shrugs @ 60lbs + 12 Deadlifts @ 60lbs} x4
4. Workout – AMRAP 15 minutes (I did 7 rounds)
   1. 10 Box jumps
   2. 15 Barbell rows @ 25lbs
   3. 20 Walking lunges
   4. 10 Push-ups
5. {12 Lateral dumbbell raises @ 10lbs + 12 Biceps dumbbell X’s @ 10lbs} x4
6. Core (4x):
   1. 20 Swiss ball crunches
   2. 15 Swiss ball back extensions
   3. 10 Weighted side bends (each side) @ 15lbs
   4. 5 Hanging knee lifts
7. Cool down: 5 minute walk around track

Looks simple enough, right?  Don’t let it fool you; it was tough!  I almost face-planted during the box jumps at least three times. Wouldn’t that have been just wonderful?

I headed to the gym in the dark yesterday morning, with the fresh snow twinkling under the lights, and I came to the realization that the morning after a snow storm might officially be my favorite thing in the entire world.   

I love mornings in general, but there’s something particularly awesome about a morning with fresh snow on the ground.  Everything seems quieter, more peaceful… not to mention, absolutely beautiful.  I love being the first person to walk through it, and there’s not much that can compare to seeing the sun rise over snow covered trees.  Sometimes it’s tough to get out of bed early in the morning, but sights like that make it worth it!

I had to stop at the grocery store before work yesterday, and because I didn’t have much that looked appealing at home, I decided to see what I could pick up at the store for breakfast.  I stumbled across these oats, and the ingredients looked pretty decent, so I went for it. 

I haven’t been eating a lot of oatmeal lately, so these sticky oats were a nice change.  Although I wasn’t sure about the apples, I loved the raisins, and overall it wasn’t too bad for a pre-packaged breakfast. 

Later in the morning, I was still hungry, so I had another snack that I picked up at the grocery store: a Kashi strawberry cereal bar.  I generally try to stay away from all things made in any type of factory (well, except for desserts…), so I don’t usually buy cereal/granola bars, but I couldn’t help myself yesterday.  I’ve been wondering if perhaps the reasons I’ve not felt like myself lately is because I’m not taking in enough calories, so here’s to making a solid effort to eat more! 

There was no shortage of food at lunch time yesterday, that’s for sure.  I brought a few turkey meatballs I pulled out of the freezer, plus two sliced roma tomatoes, and a bunch of sliced green peppers and snow peas.  I wasn’t totally sure how this meal would be beforehand because the veggies were raw, but I heated it up in a tupperware in the microwave and then let it steam for a few minutes with the cover on, and it turned out great.

Cantaloupe and raw cashews made up my afternoon snack…

And for dinner: not one, but two new-to-me veggies!  (Okay, semi new anyway. I’ve eaten broccoli before, but I’ve never cooked it myself.)  I had no idea what I was doing, but I decided to just go for it, cutting the Brussels sprouts in half, chopping up the broccoli, and throwing it all on a cookie sheet.  I drizzled the greenery with a bit of olive oil and some Italian seasonings and popped them in the oven at 400*F for a while, tossing them every so often. 

The end result wasn’t much to look at, but I’m happy to say that I enjoyed the taste.  I may have liked the broccoli just a bit more than the Brussels, but that makes two new veggies to add to the rotation!  (Add to that the cauliflower and snow peas, and I’m really turning over a new leaf here.)  I cooked the chicken in broth, but it came out kind of boring, so I dipped it in a bit of BBQ sauce to give it a little extra flavor. 

My friend brought over some treats for dessert, and I had a little sliver of a whoopie pie and a cannoli, along with some almond milk.  Both were delicious and made for a great end to the day! 

Can you believe it’s already Thursday?  This week is flying by!

Questions:

What new veggies have you tried lately? Any suggestions for what I can try next?

What’s your favorite time of day or year?