Have A Little Willpower
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, daily, strength, supersets, thoughts, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, daily, strength, supersets, thoughts, workouts 6 Comments »Mondays have become my hardest days of the week… but it is 100% my own fault. Often times, I look at the weekends as a time to go a little crazy with the desserts, and it always leaves me feeling super crappy afterwards. I know which foods are going to give me stomach aches, and yet on the weekends, I allow myself to have as much of them as I want. I tell myself that it’s a balance thing, that the weekends are a time to enjoy whatever I want, but more and more, I am realizing how it’s just not worth it.
I’ve been trying to reign it in, but I really need to work on it even more because feeling bloated and crappy come Monday isn’t a great way to start off a brand new week. I end up spending two or three days just trying to feel better, and then my efforts are thwarted again come Friday.
That said, my mission from now on is going to be to let myself indulge on the weekends – but with foods that aren’t going to leave me feeling like I’m about to give birth to a food baby afterwards. There are still plenty of ways I can do that, like with fruit and this mousse or these delicious cookies, so I just need to remember how crappy I feel when I let myself go buckwild and have a little willpower. I know it will absolutely be worth it in the end.
Yesterday morning, I was feeling sort of gross after eating bagels and chips and cupcakes and cereal and pasta and cannolis this weekend, so my workout wasn’t all that stellar, but at least I got through it. And even though I struggled with the workout part, my squats felt great, so that was a plus!
Here’s what it looked like:
- Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
- Back Squats:
- 12 @ 95 (25)
- 10 @ 135 (45)
- 8 @ 155 (45, 10)
- {5 @ 175} x5 (45, 10, 10)
- Workout – As fast as possible:
- Row 500 M
- 10 Thrusters @ 25lbs
- 20 box jumps
- Row 500 M
- 15 Thrusters @ 25lbs
- 25 box jumps
- Row 500 M
- 20 Thrusters @ 25lbs
- 30 box jumps
- {12 Barbell curls @ 25lbs + 12 Close-grip chest presses @ 25lbs} x4
- {25 Barbell squats @ 45lbs + 25 RDLs @ 45lbs} x2
- {12 weighted back extensions + 20 obliques} x2
- 12 Hanging knee lifts
- Cool-down: 5 minute walk
After a weekend of largely eating whatever I wanted, I was back on track yesterday with structured meals composed of real, whole foods.
Breakfast consisted of overnight oats made with oats, plain Chobani, almond milk, and cinnamon, topped with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
For a mid-morning snack, I brought sliced cucumbers and carrots to dip into my homemade guacamole, which I’m happy to say was a tasty success.
I planned on topping this chicken breast with the rest of the guacamole for lunch, but I had had enough by then, so I ended up just eating it plain with green and red peppers. There was a little bit of crushed red pepper on it, and that was more than enough to give it tons of flavor.
My afternoon snack was a pear with cinnamon and a few raw cashews – just different enough to keep things interesting!
For dinner, I couldn’t decide between spaghetti squash with meat sauce or steak, so I made both and then let my senses decide. The spaghetti smelled absolutely delicious, but in the end, the steak won out. Alongside it, I broiled broccoli and Brussels sprouts like this, and it ended up being a delicious dinner. And the bonus is that now I have a few helpings of spaghetti ready to go in the fridge for meals later on in the week!
Since I’m still making an effort to eat more (especially at night because I feel like I’m lacking energy for my workouts in the mornings), my last meal of the day was a bit of vanilla chocolate chunk Chobani with strawberries. I don’t think yogurt is great on my stomach, so I’m going to limit it to just a few servings per week, but this treat sure is tasty!
Sometimes I feel like it must get annoying that all I ever talk about is what I eat, what I shouldn’t eat, and the crazy stomach aches I get when I eat what I know I shouldn’t eat… but I guess that’s just what happens when you live this way. I hate feeling crappy, and even though I sometimes do it to myself, this whole what-can-I-and-can’t-I-eat thing is a journey of trial and error for me.
Sometimes I think I have it all figured out and I’m confident about what makes me feel good and what doesn’t, but then I go and blow it by eating whatever the heck I want all weekend long. After that, what ends up happening is that I feel so crappy from the past few days that I’m not sure which of the foods I thought were good for me actually are anymore.
Take yogurt, for example. Is it the yogurt that made me have stomach aches yesterday, or is it just the lingering effects of eating all that other stuff over the weekend?
The world may never know.
Actually, yes it will.
Because I’m not going to eat a bunch of crap this weekend.
And then I’m going to write about it.
So, there.
Here’s to a happy and productive Tuesday, everyone! 
Long Overdue
Posted: March 24, 2013 Filed under: cardio, circuits, crossfit, daily, recipes, sides, strength, supersets, workouts | Tags: cardio, circuits, crossfit, daily, recipes, sides, strength, supersets, workouts 3 Comments »Yesterday was a pretty great Saturday all around!
I was up and at ‘em early, starting the day off with a light breakfast. I don’t like to eat too much before working out, but I needed something in my stomach, so this small bowl of Kashi cereal with almond milk and strawberries did the trick.
After I ate, I got over to the Y right away for my workout. I really enjoy going there in the mornings during the week, but on the weekends, it can get crowded really fast. By 10am on Saturdays, there are kids running around all over the place, and it’s difficult to get on a treadmill or find a space to lift. Yesterday I got there earlier than last weekend, and when I arrived, it wasn’t crowded at all. Apparently the trick is to finish up by about 9:30 though, because by the time I was wrapping up, it was packed.
Yesterday’s workout focused mostly on legs, and it was a tough one, but I keep upping my weights, and that feels great! Here’s what it looked like:
- Warm-up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
- Back squats:
- 10 @ 95lbs
- 8 @ 135lbs
- 6 @ 155lbs
- 4 @ 175lbs
- 3 @ 195lbs
- 2 @ 215lbs
- 3 @ 195lbs
- 4 @ 175lbs
- 6 @ 155lbs
- 8 @ 135lbs
- 10 @ 95lbs
- Burnout @ 45lbs (I did 50)
- Workout (5x):
- 25 Jump ropes
- 15 Close-stance front squats @ 45lbs
- 10 Overhead squats @ 45lbs
- 5 Shoulder to overheads @ 45lbs
- Wide stance barbell squats (Plié squats):
- 15 @ 95lbs
- {12 @ 115lbs} x2
- 15 @ 95lbs
- Circuit (4x):
- 12 Cable curls @ 35lbs
- 12 Upright cable rows @ 35lbs
- 12 Cable pushdowns @ 35lbs
- 12 High cable rows @ 35lbs
- 12 hanging knee lifts
- {5 Deadlifts @ 95lbs} x5
- {10 RDLs @ 45lbs} x5
- Leg Presses + Calf Raises on machine:
- Wide: {10 each @ 160lbs} x2
- Middle: {10 each @ 185lbs} x2
- Narrow: {10 each @ 160lbs} x2
- 100 Swiss ball sit-ups
- Cool down: 5 minute walk
After I headed home and showered, I had a quick snack to hold me over for a while. I picked up this crunchy peanut butter while I was traveling last month, and it might be one of the best I’ve ever tried. I haven’t been eating much peanut butter since I introduced almond butter into my life, but it sure is delicious!
Late morning, my mom and cousin arrived at my apartment. Because I’m usually the one who heads home, it’s been quite a while since anyone in my family as been out to visit me at my apartment. (In fact, my cousin had never even see my place in the nine months I’ve lived here!) They came with all kinds of goodies to share, and the first thing I had was this new vitamin water my cousin brought for me to try.
The vitamins are stored in the cap to protect their potency, and once you release them into the water, it flavors it as well. This orange mango flavor was absolutely delicious, and his strawberry flavor was great too. Plus, there are only 20 calories and 2g of sugar per bottle… not bad!
After we chatted for a bit, we headed out to look for something to do. We drove around while I showed them the area a bit, and then spent some time walking around downtown. The plan was to try and get to a sugar shack, with it being Maple Weekend and all, but the one that we stopped at was packed, so we skipped that idea.
Once we got back to my apartment, we broke out the snacks. My mom has been absolutely hooked on guacamole ever since we got back from Mexico, and she makes a delicious homemade variety. Between the three of us, we devoured this spread in no time!
We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out, chatting, and lounging around my apartment. We did make one trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get my mom a milk frother, and I ended up leaving with a new lunchbox. They also decided to clean my apartment while I was cooking dinner, and of course I didn’t object! I am very on top of things when it comes to staying neat and organized, but dusting is one thing that always seems to fall off my list of things to do before getting done. Now, my entire apartment is looking extra shiny though, so thanks guys!
For dinner, I tried to think of something healthy that they would both like, and decided on cheeseburgers with homemade French fries. My mom and cousin both try to eat healthy, but they are still a little hesitant to eat a plate full of Brussels sprouts for dinner, so this was the perfect compromise. I got to show them that you can make healthier options at home using real ingredients, while still enjoying your favorite foods!
I had my burger sans bun, with a 1/2 slice of American cheese, lettuce, and tomato, plus fries and ketchup on the side.
Dessert is where things got a little wild yesterday.
Not only did I pick up a bunch of cannolis for us to try, but my mom also brought our favorite chocolate cake plus a huuuuge (2,000 calories, they tell me) cupcake from a new bakery in town. Crumbs Bake Shop has apparently made its way into our mall, and she and my aunt, uncle, and cousins stopped in the other night to check it out.
They got me a chocolate salted caramel cupcake, which had chocolate frosting, a gooey caramel center, and a salted edge, but they were also telling me about all the other flavors they tried while they were there. Apparently my aunt got a chocolate peanut butter cup one that was to die for! I guess I’ll have to make a trip to the mall to check it out next time I’m in town…
(It’s too bad that this picture doesn’t show the true size of this thing, because I’ll tell you: it was giant!)
Overall, it was an absolutely wonderful day spent with two of my favorite people, and I’m so glad they got to come out. Their visit was long overdue, and it was great to get to show them around, catch up, and of course eat lots of great food.
I’ve already tackled laundry, meal prep, and a bit of cleaning this morning, so I’m planning on doing some studying, relaxing a bit, and talking a walk outside later on.
A great Saturday followed by an awesome Sunday? I can’t complain!
Questions:
Have you ever been to a Crumbs Bake Shop? What’s you favorite flavor?
What did you do this weekend?
Plenty of Food
Posted: March 23, 2013 Filed under: breakfast, cardio, crossfit, daily, paleo, recipes, strength, supersets, workouts | Tags: breakfast, cardio, crossfit, daily, paleo, recipes, strength, supersets, workouts 1 Comment »Yesterday’s workout was pretty short, albeit still really effective… the perfect Friday mix!
Here’s what it looked like:
- Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
- Bench presses:
- {15 @ 45lbs} x2
- 10 @ 65lbs
- 5 @ 85lbs
- 3 @ 85lbs
- {8 @ 65lbs + 10 Upright rows @ 40lbs} x5
- Workout (5x):
- Run 2 laps
- 6 Dumbbell shoulder presses (each arm) @ 20lbs
- 12 Wall balls
- 20 Sit-ups
- {12 Barbell curls @ 25lbs + 12 Close-grip bench presses @ 25lbs} x4
- Core:
- 12 Hanging knee lifts x4
- {12 Back extensions + 20 Obliques} x4
- Cool down: 10 minute walk
The other day, I packed a banana in my lunch and put it in the fridge. When I woke up the next morning, the banana was frozen solid! I look it out and left it on the counter, and when I got home that night, here’s what I was greeted with:
I like my banana’s near-death, but that one was basically mummified. Woops.
I couldn’t waste it though, so instead I decided to whip up some quick banana muffins for breakfast yesterday. I combined the very mushy banana, one egg, a teaspoon of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and enough almond flour to get it to the right consistency (maybe about 1/2 cup?).
I put the batter in some muffin cups and added a couple dark chocolate chips for a special Friday treat.
I baked them for about 20 minutes at 325*F, and they came out wonderfully!
I had them for breakfast yesterday morning with a bunch of blueberries and blackberries, and it was the perfect special Friday morning meal.
I really took the whole “eating more” thing seriously yesterday, and I think it worked. I felt energetic all day long, and I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go this morning.
During lunchtime, I went to Target with a couple of my friends from work, so before we went, I made sure to have a little snack to hold me over. I knew that if I went there starving, I’d probably end up going buckwild in the snack aisle – and my stomach (and wallet) would’ve ended up hating me!
The fresh pineapple was absolutely delicious…
And this chocolate protein shake wasn’t so bad either.
When we got back, I heated up my leftover chicken, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli and added just a bit of BBQ sauce. It was just as yummy the second time, and I’ve already bought more Brussels sprouts for next week. It’s funny how these things get such a bad reputation because they are so yummy!
I was planning to hit the grocery store after work, and after my little jelly bean fiasco last week, I made sure to eat a good solid snack before I went. I picked up this caramel nut brownie Luna bar while we were at Target, and it was absolutely deeeeelicious.
I don’t make it a habit to eat bars like this, but I can see why people like them… it was like a candy bar!
I made it through the grocery store without buying a single item not on my list (WOO!) and put everything away when I got home. By the time everything was all settled, I really didn’t feel like making a big dinner, so I pulled some pumpkin pancakes out of the freezer, toasted them up, threw some berries and syrup on top, and cooked up a little bacon on the side. Breakfast for dinner is where it’s at sometimes!
The plan for today is to go smash legs before my mom and cousin come to visit for the day. It’s Maple Weekend here in New Hampshire, so we might go check out a sugar house or walk around town a little later. I’m really excited to see them, so I’ve got to hop to it.
Have a fantastic weekend! 
The Morning After A Storm
Posted: March 21, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, daily, dinners, paleo, recipes, strength, supersets, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, daily, dinners, recipes, strength, supersets, workouts 6 Comments »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:
- Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
- {10 One-arm tricep dumbbell rows (each arm) @ 20lbs + 12 Chest flies @ 15lbs} x4
- {12 Shrugs @ 60lbs + 12 Deadlifts @ 60lbs} x4
- Workout – AMRAP 15 minutes (I did 7 rounds)
- 10 Box jumps
- 15 Barbell rows @ 25lbs
- 20 Walking lunges
- 10 Push-ups
- {12 Lateral dumbbell raises @ 10lbs + 12 Biceps dumbbell X’s @ 10lbs} x4
- Core (4x):
- 20 Swiss ball crunches
- 15 Swiss ball back extensions
- 10 Weighted side bends (each side) @ 15lbs
- 5 Hanging knee lifts
- 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?
The First Day Of Spring?
Posted: March 20, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, daily, fitness, strength, supersets, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, daily, fitness, strength, supersets, workouts 2 Comments »All anyone can talk about this morning is the fact that it’s the first day of Spring and we just got walloped with yet another winter storm. The thing that gets me is that they say it like it’s a bad thing! (Or, like it’s a surprise…) I may definitely be in the minority here, but I love it. Sure, I’m as anxious for Spring, warm weather, and the first bloom as the next New Englander… but the snow is just so pretty, and once it goes away for good, it will be so long before we get to see it again. That said, I’m soaking it all in while I can.
We did get hit pretty hard yesterday, so rather than brave it in my itty bitty car and end up on the side of the road somewhere, I elected to play it safe and work from home. The fact that the snow day just happened to coincide with the day when I was feeling totally crappy and I got to work in my sweatpants all day was just an added bonus.
Because I didn’t have to drive into work, I had a little extra time for breakfast, so I decided to whip up some blueberry muffins. I just threw together two eggs, maybe a little less than 1/4 cup of almond flour, a tiny pat of butter, 1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder, a tablespoon or so of maple syrup, a few good shakes of cinnamon, and a whole bunch of blueberries. I poured the batter into some muffin tins, baked them for about 20-25 minutes, and I ended up with a quick, easy, and totally delicious breakfast.
I had two of the muffins with some fresh pineapple on the side, and it was definitely quite the treat.
After a busy morning of work, I had a few minutes to throw together a lunch in between conference calls, so I got to it. (Working from home and getting to make meals in my own kitchen is the bomb.) I didn’t feel much like eating an actual meal, so I just blended up the last of the plain Chobani I had in the fridge, a bunch of frozen strawberries, a huge handful of spinach, and a bit of almond milk.
It wasn’t anything too special to look at, but it certainly hit the spot!
After work, I hit the gym for a quick (yet seriously difficult, for me) workout. Not only have shoulder presses become my arch nemesis these days, but I haven’t done much running lately, so this workout was quite the reality check. (I also haven’t worked out at night in a long time, so that was different!) Luckily, I got through it without dying, and I actually felt pretty great once it was over.
- Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
- Shoulder presses:
- 12 @ 40lbs
- 8 @ 50lbs
- {8 Push presses @ 60lbs} x4
- 8 @ 50lbs
- 12 @ 40lbs
- Workout:
- Run 6 laps
- 35 Pull-ups
- Run 5 laps
- 35 Crunches
- Run 4 laps
- 35 Hand-release push-ups
- Run 3 laps
- 35 Walking lunges (each leg)
- Run 2 laps
- 35 Air squats
- Run 1 lap
- 35 Hanging knee lifts
- Upper body supersets:
- {12 Cable curls @ 40lbs + 12 Cable pushdowns @40lbs} x4
- {12 Cable upright rows @ 40lbs + 12 High cable rows @ 40lbs} x4
- {12 Back extensions + 20 Obliques} x4
- Cool down: 10 minute walk around track
After my workout, I met up with my friend and her puppy for some fun in the snow. Lima is a nine-month-old American bulldog, living, as my friend says, in the body of an elephant. She is huge and powerful (90 pounds of solid muscle), yet so playful and loving. I had an awesome time running around with them at the park; it was definitely a great way to enjoy all of the fresh snow!
Back at home, I decided to make chicken lettuce wraps for dinner. I cooked up some ground turkey on the stove, and then let it simmer with a bit of liquid aminos, ginger, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Once it was done, I wrapped it up in Iceburg lettuce, and topped it with a tiny bit of peanut sauce and some sliced raw almonds. On the side, I had boiled carrots and snow peas.
Another quick and easy, yet tasty meal.
Questions:
Do you work from home or in an office? Which would you choose if you could pick either? I would absolutely choose working from home if I could!
Did you get snow where you are this week? Are you still loving it or totally over it at this point? Clearly, I’m still loving it!
