That Blog In My Head

It’s funny how now that I’ve been blogging for a while, my mind automatically starts brainstorming posts as I move through the day.  I’ve kind of always been this way; my mind is always racing thinking about something, making lists, or worse – worrying.  Maybe it’s because I like to talk so much?  So I just start brainstorming the stories I’m going to tell people later on?  I’m not sure, but in that regard, it’s kind of nice that I have a way to channel my thoughts into something productive.  Instead of worrying or stressing myself out creating arbitrary to-do lists in my head, I’m brainstorming blog posts. A much more effective use of head space, if you ask me!

This morning, my brain was already on overload as soon as my alarm went off.  I was laying in my bed, eyes, closed, thinking how can my brain be this awake when my body is still this asleep?

It didn’t get all that much better after I got into the other room, but luckily I only had a 15-minute HIIT workout plus a 30 minute toning workout on the books for today.  The toning workout (although still difficult) is a lot less intense than the longer HIIT classes, so it was a welcome break for my sleepy body. 

But of course my mind was doing backflips in my head the whole time thinking about how I wanted to tell you all about today’s workout!  We used the bands again, and it was just as tough as the last time.  My biceps are definitely going to be sore tomorrow!

For breakfast, all I wanted was cereal.  Maybe my body can sense that it’s supposed to be 90* over the next few days, or maybe I just haven’t had cereal in a while; I can’t be sure. 

But I do know that it was good!

On the side, I had a small glass of this raspberry apple juice I bought on Sunday.

For the main course, I mixed these two cereals:

and topped my bowl with plenty of fresh blueberries and raspberries.

Cool, fresh, and delicious!

The temperature’s already starting to rise, but I know it’s going to feel great after sitting at my desk in our freezing cold office all day.  Can’t say I’ll feel the same way come the weekend though…

Have a great Thursday!!

Creative Band Work

Sorry to be super boring here, but last night’s dinner was the same as Sunday’s.  My new staple is catching on quick, what can I say?!

It was a little different this time though, and even, dare I say… better?  At least for what I was craving at the moment anyway! 

I tossed the spaghetti in with the chicken + veggies and cooked it for longer this time, getting the noodles extra crunchy.  And instead of mixing the Parmesan cheese into the pan, I sprinkled it on top after I plated it, so you could really taste it.  But seriously, the crunchy noodles are where. it’s. at.  I’m telling you: go try it.  It’s like a whole different dish than when the noodles are just soft and regular (which is also good, if that’s what you’re in the mood for). 

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This morning started out like most do these days: Drumroll please… TurboFire! 

Today was supposed to be an off day, but I moved one of the weekend classes up so I could take one of those days off instead.  Today’s class was another new-to-me toning class and another tough one at that!  My arms and legs were shaking and I know my glutes are definitely going to be sore.

The only equipment the program uses are resistance bands (included in the box), which is another new-to-me practice.  I’ve done a lot of workouts with weights and other equipment, but I don’t have a whole lot of experience using only bands.  She pretty much blows my mind with how many different exercises she can do and how many muscle groups she can hit using only one simple piece of equipment!  Right now, I don’t think I’d be knowledgeable/creative enough to come up with the workouts that she does on my own, but I’m always learning!!

Today’s breakfast was another repeat, but mostly because I was being too lazy to think of anything else, and these leftover pancakes from yesterday were just sitting there in the fridge staring back at me.  It was the logical thing to do, my friends. 

But it is quite possible that I might like leftover pancakes in the toaster even more than I like regular, hot off the griddle pancakes.  They get all crunchy around the edges like waffles when you toast them, and it just gives them that little something extra. Yum!

There’s a possibility that my new couch could be getting delivered tonight… cross your fingers!!

One Powerful Chick

Have you all been hearing about those crazy storms down south this week?  We had some pretty stormy weather this past weekend here in the northeast, but it was nothing compared to what’s going on down there. 

Case in point: the Threshers ballpark in Clearwater, FL. 

Remember what it looked like when I was there last month for Billy’s tournament?

Well check out this picture I saw on Twitter yesterday:

Crazy, right?!

For any of you that are having to deal with flooding and/or storms, be safe, and I hope it’ll be over soon!  Mother nature sure is one powerful chick. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Now onto today’s activities…

I find that it’s sometimes tough to get out of bed in the morning knowing that the first thing I have to tackle is often the hardest part of my day.  I lay in bed thinking about skipping my workout just about every morning before I finally drag myself up and into the other room. 

But the payoff is that knowing I’m done with my workout before 7am feels so good and makes it so worth it.  Getting it out of the way early makes me feel so accomplished, and not having it hang over my head all day gives me such peace of mind.  It might be tough to get up so early, but it’s so much better than having to get exercise in after a long day of work!

Today started just that way: me laying in bed for a few extra minutes thinking of ways to get around it and then inevitably getting my butt out of bed, into the other room, and in front of the TurboFire DVD.  Today’s class was one I’d done before, but it was a shorter HIIT class, which was just what I needed today. 

Since I had a little extra time when I was done, I decided it was definitely a pancake day.  I made Kodiak cakes with chia seeds, cinnamon, and blueberries, topped with raspberries, strawberries, and light maple syrup. 

The addition of the cinnamon gave these cakes a whole new flavor, and I can’t forget to add it in the future!  On the side I had a cup of hot green tea because it’s still pretty cool out this morning.

I love the sunshine streaming in though!

Have a great day!!