Upper body Workout

    I went to bed last night at 8:30. Yup I’m officially ready for the early bird special! It was was probably best for me to get that extra rest because I was back to babysitting this morning. 5AM came all too quickly- but I was ready! Once Aydan was safely on the school bus I hit the gym for an upper body blowout:
 15 minutes warm up on the Elliptical
Super Set 1
Assisted pull ups (40 lbs assist) 3x12
Assisted tricp dips (2 sets with 70 lbs, 1 set with 55 lbs assist)
Super Set 2
DB one arm row with tricep kickback 3x 12 each side
Push ups 3x10
Super Set 3
Military press 3x12 30lbs
Upright row 3x12 30 lbs
Super set 4
30 second Chaturanga 30 second side plank (repeated twice)
20 minute cool down on treadmill

I rushed home from the gym to my protein shake- 1 scoop EAS chocolate whey protein, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 cup 1% milk.. For some reason I really like the taste of different types of milk together. Normally when we have milk it’s whole- and it adds lots of creaminess to the shake.. Of course it doesn’t last all that long to actually savor it- but hey I ate breakfast at 5am and I was starved!

I didn’t feel like going to the gym..

    So instead I kicked my own butt at home! I was planning on just doing a nice long yoga practice- with some pandora music playing in the background. But then a song came on that I really like to dance to:

And then my yoga practice turned into a dance with some yoga postures thrown in- which lasted about 25 minutes- Bingo! There was some cardio :) Then there was some lower body stuff as well:

25 leg lifts- 25 inner leg lifts (each side)
100 squats
3 x12 Lunge pulses (each leg)
20 Jump squats
2x10 lunge- kick (each leg)
20 Low jacks (start with feet together, jump legs out a bit wider than hips distance, jump feet back together, and jump up!)
100 squats
3x1 minute wall sits

Yeah pretty safe to say my legs were burning and I was sweaty! I love when a plan falls together. I really love to dance- and I’m seriously considering getting certified to teach Zumba- but I’m really going to need to practice for that one!
   Today I’m going to paint the window molding in the kitchen and the wooden brackets under the bar top- but first I have to go buy some paint! What are your Monday plans?

The Thanksgiving post.

   Does everyone have the post holiday hang over? I’m not just talking about the alcohol induced version- I’m talking lots of fat, lots of sugar, “I ate too much” hang over.. Thankfully I didn’t over eat at all- thanks to my new approach to eating slowly and taking modest portions. I feel like I ate just enough- enjoyed my meal and company and rested up!
   Backing up to Wednesday- I went to see Stacy (my counselor) and then headed to work. The day FLEW by which was completely amazing and something that doesn’t happen too often. My dad drove down from VT and was at the house when I got home- so I decided that I should make the dish that we were bringing to dinner- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese.. the recipe as promised:

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
~1 LB slightly under cooked whole wheat pasta (I chose spiral shaped because you want all that cheezy goodness to get stuck in there..
~ 1 stick of butter
~ 3 TBSP flour
~ 3 cups milk (I used whole)
~ 1 LB Velveta cheese Cubed
~ 1 cup pumpkin puree
~ 2 eggs
~ Salt to taste
~ one dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375. In medium sauce pan, melt butter and add the flour cooking for about a minute. Add milk 1 cup at a time stirring constantly, allowing to thicken before adding the next cup of milk. Add the cubes of cheese- allowing to melt and then adding the pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is incorporated, scramble eggs in a separate bowl- adding a few spoonfuls of the cheese mixture to temper the eggs. Add the egg cheese mixture and the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce- mixing until combined. Add salt, cinnamon and nutmeg- and stir again. (It is important to just push a little dash of the cinnamon and nutmeg as they can become overpowering. you should barely be able to taste it) Put the pasta into a 9x13 pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (until the top pieces are golden brown in color and crispy)

I hung out with my dad until James got home- and then hit up the gym for a pre thanksgiving work out.  I warmed up on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then got to work on the lower half.
…. Jump squats 3x12 SS with leg extensions 3x12
…. Jump Lunges 3x12 each side SS with leg press 3x12
…. 1 minute squats/ 1 minute wall sit 2x
(I think I did some other stuff too but I don’t really remember- I do know that when I got on the treadmill after this stuff my legs were shaking so much that I had to stop and walk at a slow pace!)

When I got home I had a protein shake and showered- and the boys and I headed out for some chinese food for dinner. We met some friends back at our house for some drinks and then headed out to see Melinda’s BF play at a club downtown. It was a lot of fun- we stayed until 1 am and came home to crash.

 Work Thanksgiving morning was a complete waste of time.. We basically had social time while we waiting on the sparse customers.. All day 8-1 I had 9 tables.. I have more than that in an hour sometimes! It was crappy- but chatting was fun! I met James at home, showered and hit up Starbucks (I tried the skinny peppermint mocha latte.. omg.. so yummy!) and we headed over to our friends house for dinner. Everything was great, especially the cheese cake.. I wish that was all I ate.. so yummy!
   Unfortunately we didn’t see any of our family- but James had work the next day and I was beat! Overall it was a great day :)

Surprises..

    It was so great catching up with Meghan- she’s a friend from my yoga teacher training was back in 2008. We don’t get to hang out too much because she lives near Boston- but when we get together we just get lost in the conversation and before I knew it was 2:30! James was on the way home at the same time- but offered to run to the grocery store to grab some greens for a soup.
    I got home, checked the mail and couldn’t believe that the Ipod that I ordered on Amazon for James for Christmas was a day early! I felt so lucky to have made it to the mailbox first. I got a great deal on it- it’s the brand new 160G Ipod, I found it for $30 cheaper than apple is selling it with free shipping! I’m excited to surprise him :) Too bad I have to wait a whole month!
    Just one more day until Thanksgiving…

Dinner parties

  I headed out to Melinda’s house last night for a last minute dinner party with Kristen:

It was a bit more low key than my birthday- some wine and homemade noodle bowls and lots of girly conversation :) I always love spending time with these ladies it’s guaranteed fun!  I headed home around 8:30 because I wasn’t feeling well and Melinda had to get up early for work today.. I took some meds and headed straight to bed for lots and lots of sleep.. I woke up around 2 am for a bit but went right back to sleep- didn’t wake up until 6:30- ah 10 hours of sleep! The rest didn’t do much for the sickness- but I’m hoping that it will jump start the healing process. 

    I’m skipping the gym this morning in favor of some catch up time with my friend Meghan. 

Getting things in order

   This morning after babysitting the kid- I headed to the apartment to pick up my stuff and bring it to the house. I got almost everything (with the exception of the cabinet that I remembered after I got home and was putting kitchen stuff away- I’m pretty sure it’s just the rice cooker and the food processor.. ) I left behind the things that will require a truck- The bed, the couch, coffee table and bookcase. I even took the initiative and cleaned everything down so that I don’t have to do it when I pick up the last of the stuff.
  The intention was that I was pack up as much as I could and then head to the gym straight from there, and leave the unpacking and putting away until after I got my sweat on. That didn’t happen- instead I just went right home and started to put stuff away. I’m doing my best to get everything situated right away instead of leaving everything lying around. I forgot how much time it takes to pack and unpack things.. Lets hope I don’t have to do this again for a long time.
    I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to give people for gifts this year for Christmas. I always make biscotti and I will do so this year as well- but I’m thinking for those people who I want to give a little something extra to, I will make my granola from a recipe that I refuse to part with..
   I finally got to the gym- but my stomach has been really wonky today for some reason and the workout didn’t really go as planned.. But I’m glad that I went anyway..

15 minutes @3.5 mph treadmill
SS1: Lat Pull down 3x12
        Cable Row 3x12
SS2: Military Press 3x12
        Bicep curl 3x12
SS3: DB Fly 2x12
        Push ups 2 x12
DB row 3x12 each side
--> Here’s where the plan failed.. I was planning on a 3 mile run- but my stomach was screaming at me at this point and even though I was trying to ignore it, I somehow managed to pull the emergency stop button off so I just took it as a sign and packed up for home.. I ended up running for 6 minutes. haha

A few minutes ago I got some bad news.. The class that I have been teaching for a few months on Tuesdays (where I make an awesome $55 for one hour of work) is being taken away from me. See the woman who was teaching it to begin with is the owner of the studio I teach at- she was having a baby and had another one of the teachers lined up to teach the class- but I had covered the class a few times and the students requested that I teach it. When she brought it to my attention- of course I was thrilled.. and happily accepted. But she said that the class would be mine permanently which again was awesome.. Who wouldn’t be. Today out of the blue I get told that she  is taking the class back- and not only that, it will be starting next week. This is weird because she isn’t even coming back to the studio until January. I’m feeling upset about it, and I think it’s for good reason. Unfortunately there isn’t much that I can do about it… It’s my word against hers and maybe she doesn’t remember that she “gave” it to me. Hmph.. there goes $220 a month.. Bummer.

All to quickly

 I spent the weekend at the big toaster-

    Word on the street is that you can come out to breakfast and leave less than 10% tips because that’s awesome of you.. All of your waitresses appreciate it..  But hey I’m thankful I have a job- and some people that come out to eat are actually nice to us :) After work on Saturday James and I headed out to a Friendsgiving party- and I made some pumpkin mac and cheese which was completely experimental (modeled after a vegan version James and I make and love BTW) It was all James idea- and it was the favorite thing of the party (I’m not just saying that- it was a voted kind of thing) I’m planning on making it for the real Thanksgiving and I will have some photos and a recipe of some kind.. Truth is that it’s not exactly healthy- since there is Velveta “cheese” in it- but I figure the pumpkin evens it out. Friendsgiving was lots of fun- though I wasn’t planning on eating outside and didn’t really dress warm enough, but I survived around the fire and snuggled with James. I love the idea of having some celebration time with friends.
    Unfortunately working all weekend made me super tired and after getting out of work today I watched multiple episodes of One Tree Hill on Netflix- I should probably go to the gym- but running around the restaurant all day was plenty for me… Regular workouts to resume tomorrow after babysitting.
   How did you spend your weekend?

Saturday Protein cakes.. semi fail :/

    You may remember the bananacot pancakes that I made a while back- well I wanted to make them with some protein powder included to see if they would still be as good. I doubled the recipe so that James could also try some:


I didn’t have any bananas but I did have two kinds of protein- so I added a scoop of Cookies and Cream and a scoop of Chocolate into the mix with 2 tablespoon of ground flax seed (I’m trying to up my fiber intake these days) because it was really thick I also added half a cup of whole milk to give it more of a pancake batter consistency.. Verdict? They had a good taste but the texture was off due to the powders. I have to do more experiments with 1 scoop of powder instead. I still ate 3 of them by the way :) The stats were pretty good too: 107 calories per cake with 11 grams of protein!
   I have a little while longer to enjoy the morning and lots of coffee before I head off to work.. I’m totally bummed about the lack of weekend- and the fact that I’m going to have to work on Thanksgiving- possibly black friday too.. But I keep thinking about paying off my credit card (which I am totally doing this month, woohoo!!) and doing the finishing touches on the kitchen finally.. James finished framing the window and we bought the hardware for the cabinets..
   I’m going to squeeze in some yoga before work- have a good Saturday!

And now that the weekend is here..

   Ah.. no more 4:30 AM wake up calls for the next two days! I fulfilled my babysitting duties for the week with a not so smooth morning. For the first time since I started watching Aydan- I actually had to wake him up, because usually he is bright and bouncy in the morning… Not so much today. I could barely get him to talk to me- but we got some breakfast together and dressed on time… until I made him put the hat his mom told me to make sure he wore.. Yeah he wasn’t too happy about it- but I’m pretty sure  all kids hate hats.. I’m talking he started crying!!! I felt really bad- but it’s my job to make sure he’s off to school and ready for the day- and I have to listen to what his mom tells me obviously. Well tell that to a 6 year old.. He sulked the whole time while we waited for the bus to come and then started to cry again as the bus pulled up.. Eh well sometimes you have to be the bad guy :-(
    Man was it cold this morning, as well it should be considering its the middle of November. I headed straight for the gym after seeing Aydan off for some lower body work:

15 minutes warm up on the treadmill
Squats (70lbs) 3x 15;12;10
Leg press 3x15 (110,115,125lbs)
Jump squats 3x12 Superset with hip abduction 3x13 (110, 120, 130lbs)
Jump lunge 12 each side
Split lunge 3x12 each side with 30lbs
Squats 3x 15;12;10 (80 lbs)
Wall sits 3x 1min Superset with hollow body holds 2x 1 min
20 Sit ups
30 second Bridge
10 min cool down on the treadmill

    It felt like a good workout and my legs were really burning- especially towards the end with the wall sits AFTER the 80 lb squats.. As I mentioned a week or so ago, there was a creepy old dude that was staring at me and I told the manager about it instead of talking to him myself. I thought that was the more adult thing to do but unfortunately the same thing happened today (and a few other days before as well, but today I was doing the hip abduction when I finally had enough) After he walked by 3 times as I was hip abducting… lol (It’s already weird to be opening your legs man!) I finally gave it to him. He acted like he didn’t know what I was talking about- but once he walked away I didn’t see him for the remainder of my workout. Hopefully that puts a stop to it, because I’m going to become increasingly more upset/mad and it won’t be good!
    I got home- and I was starved but needed to fuel my muscles after the burn up. Yesterday I bought this stuff in bulk at BJ’s- without ever trying it (James has had it before and said it was good so I went with that since he is going to be drinking it as well)
    
5 lbs of whey protein is a lot- but I must admit that for $34 it was worth it. The stuff is actually really good- but I also like that taste of protein powders anyway, kind of how I like to eat TUMS because of the chalky taste.. haha I know I’m weird. Anyway- I mixed one scoop with 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk + 1/2 a cup of Organic whole milk and a few ice cubes.. mmm.. chocolately milk.. Perfect :)
 
Have you ever had to tell someone off at the gym for being a creep? Or how else did you handle it?

What kind of Protein do you supplement with? What are your favorite flavors?

Change of plans.

   As it turned out- Zumba was canceled last minute.. I was bummed out but I have to admit that nap I took in its place was much needed!
   I headed off to teach class which I was pretty excited about because I prepared a doozy- and only 3 students showed up! 4 of my regulars weren’t there which was a bummer because they would have totally loved the ass kicking I handed out tonight. I really considered going for a run after class but I was way too tired to even think about it. Instead I came home and was a good wife- cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and making James breakfast and lunch for work tomorrow.. The poor guy has to get up at 2:45 tomorrow morning so he’s the one passing out early.. and I thought it would be nice to get him all set up so he can zombie his way through the morning.
    What are plans looking like for the weekend?

Workouts.. So far this week

  I’ve forgotten to post my workouts the last few days, oops.
Monday-
     Today I just felt like doing Cardio- so I walk/run on the treadmill for 35 minutes, and then hit the Arc machine for another 20.
Tuesday- 
    18 minute warm up on the elliptical
    Upper body: 2x15 pull ups with 40lbs assistance, 30 push ups, 3x15 bicep curls, 3x 15-12-10 incline DB bench press superset with 3x15-12-10 fly, 2x15 leg raises, 3x30 second handstands- there might have been one or two more things in there.. I just went off the cuff and did what I felt like.
     35 minutes on treadmill- 2.5 miles.. I alternated walk/run for this guy.
 Wednesday-
     My legs were definitely feeling like they needed a good stretch. In general I’ve been having super tight IT bands and I’m really bad a stretching things out. After Tuesday afternoon when I did a bit of yoga, I realized that I really need to get back into my practice..  So this morning I did about 25 minutes of yoga- which felt oh so good :) I went to work, moved some stuff from the apartment to the house, had some dinner and ran off to Pilates. Class was ok- I didn’t really feel much of anything except in my hips.. Afterwards when I was hanging out before bed on the couch, my legs were extremely restless- I kept needing to shift around and move my feet and rotate my ankles. Not sure what that is about.. but I’m thinking that walking all day today at work is going to be fun.
Thursday-
      Today I baby sit from 5:40 am to 8:30, work from whenever I get there which will probably be around 9 until 3. Depending on how much my legs hurt I might go for a run or do some yoga or a body rock.. After dinner tonight I’ll be taking Zumba and then teaching my yoga class.

What are your workouts looking like this week?
     
   

Today is another day :)

   Yesterday after I posted I went to my counselor (which was perfect timing- since she had asked me to switch my normal appointment this week) We talked about how I was feeling about my body that particular moment- and together we figured out some triggers of my eating and body issues. I have never had any control over my surroundings- being born, what parents I had, the way I was raised, etc.. (not saying that things were bad… just that I dealt with a lot of my parents depression and relationship stuff that I shouldn’t have had to- I was ALWAYS taken care of; given the things that I needed or wanted; and was loved…)  The one thing that I could always control was my food.. and what I did to myself- so it’s interesting to learn these things.. and realize that moving back home has triggered this feeling of not being in control.. Let’s be real, we never have control over some things. I’m working to be in control of my space but not be controlling. Time and practice!
       We also got out the yoga mats and did a bit of movement, focusing on bringing my attention into my body- doing what my body needs and not what my brain or muscle memory always does out of habit. It was really hard for me to tune in and hear what my body NEEDED.. Especially because I tend to have a yoga practice that is very energetic- and includes a lot of movement… Not really much time is spent in Childs pose- or focusing on my breath. Again this stuff will take a whole lot of time to change but I feel like this is the right direction.
   Over the last weeks, I have grown to really appreciate that I have found my counselor Stacy. She is a Holistic counselor with a background in yoga. I never feel like she is judging me or that I can’t tell her something and that’s pretty amazing :) The truth is mental health has always been this gray area- if you tell people that you are going to a counselor or that you have had depression, there is a lot of judgement there. I have gone through a whole lot in my life, and I know that so many other people have as well- if there is someone or some way that I can work through this stuff and lead a happier life, understanding who I am.. then I want to do that! I never want to go back to some of the things I used to do- I want to continue to move forward and better myself. Not for anyone else, for me :)

Body days

    Today is one of those “I feel badly about my body” days.. I guess it’s more frustration induced. I know that change takes time and whatnot- but I’m not getting any results.. It’s really depressing me. I have been working out consistently for a good amount of time now- and I am pretty sure that I’m actually getting bigger.. the scale has stayed between 133 and 134- basically what it was when I started trying to lose weight in a healthy way well over a year ago now- it will not budge and I’m trying to stay positive, I’m trying to continue on..

Moving.. again..

    The last few days have been a blur. Weekends always seem to fly by anyway- but getting up at 4:30 is tough, bottom line. Good news is that I’m moving back home! I’m super excited about it- and I’m looking forward to having all of my stuff back here at the house- but I’m not looking forward to moving it. I’ve only had the apartment since the middle of September; 2 1/2 months.. so I don’t have a ton of stuff there anyway- but it’s just a matter of throwing it all in the car.. times 10! I don’t even plan to get boxes, I’m just going to shove it in the Yaris and hope for the best.
    So yesterday after I put Aydan on the bus- I headed to the apartment to pack a couple bags and take the groceries that I had left over there, some clothes and my mini blender- and went to the gym. My plan was to just do some steady cardio since it had been a while. I went with 35 minutes on the treadmill (I ran about half of that- one because I am desperate for some new running/gym shoes, and two becauseI’m not really a runner!) and then I did 20 minutes on the arc machine..  I skipped any sort of weight training- but I did think about it, so I guess that counts for something.  I really need to work on a training plan that is working towards something. I’m going to search for a half marathon or something- somewhere.. that way I have an actual goal… I guess normal people would start with a 5k or 10k.. So maybe I should start there.. Though I’ve never been much for normal..
    Anyway- I’m baby sitting every morning this week, except for Wednesday.. I’m getting used to waking up early again- and James made today the best day yet..
   Last night we went to bed at 8:00pm.. no joke (James gets up at 3:45am so he was beat too) We did some yard work, made some dinner, watched and episode of Breaking Bad and passed out.. This morning  I woke to the alarm, but thought that I could use some more time- so I snoozed. A few minutes later I heard James and his boots clunking up the stairs.. He gave me a snuggle and a kiss and told me that I had a hot cup of coffee waiting on the counter.. Talk about the best husband :)
   If only it looked like that.. Off to babysit- have a great day!

Yes.

 First- Happy Veteran’s day (A day late is better than nothing) A huge thank you too all of the men and woman who have fought for our freedom.
    On Veteran’s day I woke up at 5:30 and realized that James was in bed next to me.. First thing I did was look up at the clock- and then freak out that James slept late (He normally wakes up at 3:45 each morning) And then I got a little surprise- James had the day off! We got to spend some extra time in bed snuggling before getting up and making some breakfast- Scrambled eggs and pancakes. He went off to go mountain biking and I hit the gym. I took on the Sore leg workout again, and this time I could tell that I’m gaining strength!
15 minutes warm up on the elliptical
100 Squats @ 60lbs*
3x15 each leg- one leg press @50 lbs
3x15 deadlifts @60 lbs
3x15 each leg lunges @ 30 lbs
3x15 Jump squats
* also thrown in were some chin ups between squats- I did 25 and then 1-2 chin ups before moving on to the next 25..
10 minutes cool down on treadmill

I left sweaty and satisfied and went home to shower and hang out with Paula for a bit.. James and I met back up and headed to Starbucks for a coffee break before running to the grocery store to grab some food for the week and stuff for dinner. (I’m still not “technically” living back at the house but I have stayed over almost every night and I’m just running back and forth to the apartment to get clothes and stuff.) We went home, made dinner and watched an episode of Breaking Bad before our friends came to the house for a drink.. We all hung out and wasted some time on Youtube before heading out for some drinks at a local veterans club- where I proceeded to dance around with some random dude at the bar to whatever was playing on the Juke box.. Good times :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The day started a bit later today- but lots of coffee was consumed while watching some cartoons. It was amazingly beautiful outside- so we decided to go for a hike around Carr’s pond.. It was an awesome 2 1/2 hour hike through the woods- and a perfect way to get some blood moving to my sore butt and legs :)

Today was a long day.

   Today was the first day that I had to do all three jobs.. I woke up at 4:30 AM so that I could watch Aydan- got him on the bus for 8:30AM. From there I went home quick to grab a snack, get changed and head to Denny’s for a full day of work.. Thankfully I was able to leave an hour early because it was super slow- and I was exhausted….
   I headed to Paula’s house for a couple hours- before heading back to the house for dinner… Salad and pizza (Broccoli and black olive with Alfredo sauce ) Then it was off to Zumba for a 45 minute sweaty session. I really love Zumba- so much fun! I’m totally looking into getting certified to teach this… I taught my class tonight to a small group- just 3 of the girls were able to make it… and they asked for lots of stretching- so we toned down the intensity a bit and gave them what they wanted.
   After class I headed to the house where James and Brandon were playing some video games- and we put on the roast of Charlie Sheen.. too funny.. Seriously it was brutal- check it out!! Time to crash!

Since last we saw...

   I got my hairs cut- and I LOVE it! Steph my hair stylist does an amazing job with my long hair (and with me because I’m a freak about cutting it… ) It has been 6 months since the last time I got it cut.. and it was too grown out for the layers to look any good.. She took about an inch off the bottom and two inches off the layers to get some movement into this hairy beast. As much as I’m wanting to grow my hair back down to my bottom I like it this length- and especially with the layers and shorter pieces that frame my face..
    My workout was an abbreviated one consisting of BodyRock Sexy and I know it and 
   Not too bad- by the time I completed them both I was definitely ready for a shower. After I showered we made some dinner and unfortunately had a wake to attend- I must say that these things freak me out a lot but I made it through in one piece..
    We left there and headed out for a drink- Wednesday wine and cigar night was canceled due to hunting season so we just decided to head out, to hang out.. We hit up a local bar and I had a caramel apple martini.. We didn’t stay out late because 4:30 comes super early for my baby sitting gig.. and Thursday in general is a tough day for me.. (It’s just super long)

Brought to you by.. Slackers everywhere..

    It’s been decided that I am a slacker when it comes to getting things done sometimes… however I did manage to get my workout schedule done- I’ll post it at some point.. but for now todays workout consisted of 30 minutes on the treadmill (HIIT) 3x15 hanging leg raised, 2x12 assisted pull ups (with 40lbs of assistance)  and Bodyrock Good feeling workout- My scores:

Squat jumps (low- w/o the punch- I don’t have an ugi) 54/42

Frog Burpees 19/20

Side Forward lunge left 12/17 (For whatever reason I could not figure out how to do this at first… total mind melt down for a few seconds.)

Side Forward Lunge right 13/15

Sumo push up 11/12

Side knee raises (I did knees into alternating shoulders from my back) 22/21

 This workout was a quick and sweaty mess brought to you by my Yogaslacker shorts :) It’s a good thing that today’s workout was quick-ish because I started a new job this morning.. at 4:30 AM I was trying to wake up so that I could get to the house where I will be baby sitting anywhere from 2-4 mornings a week- from 5:40 until the school bus gets him at 8:30.. I didn’t really know what to expect since I just met the little boy Aydan last night.. and 6 year olds can be crazy- but he is such a little sweetie.. He didn’t even wake up until 7:15- and got dressed and ate breakfast without any resistance..

Anyway lately I’ve been feeling crafty- and I have a couple things in the works.. which I’ll show you all when I actually make some progress, but for now my eyeball:

I really like the Macro setting on my camera :)

    This afternoon I’m getting my hair cut- and then I have to go teach…

Monday means back at the gym

… After this weekend of birthday indulging I am getting back to the gym for sure.. Last week I only made it once but I did so home workouts instead- figuring that I need to switch it up as much as possible to confuse the muscles and to keep my brain satisfied. In combination with slowing my eating down I think I will start to get everything in balance.. So far eating slowly is still on track. I notice that I eat less and somehow manage to feel more satisfied than when I eat mindlessly and quickly. I think that it will continue to get easier the more time I focus on it just like anything else. But back to the working out..
    I started the morning with some Uddiyana Bandha which is great for abdominal toning and digestion- and helps release toxins (also known as the birthday bottle of tequila, hah) I snuggled up on the couch with my morning coffee and some blogs while I waited for my hunger to strike:

A bit more blog reading and Pintrest and was ready to tackle some Bodyrock action. I set fire to my abs- Here are my scores:
Sumo squat knee up- 26/25/26
Dive Bombers- 10/9/10
Step up left leg- 16/16/14
Step up right leg- 17/16/16
Knee raises- 17/19/17

Afterwards I headed to the gym to work on some cardio- 30 minutes on the Arc trainer on the “strength” program and I was a sweaty beast- so I headed home to hose myself off and get some errands done. Now that most of that stuff if accomplished- I’m going to get to work on one of the things that I never do… Create a workout schedule- it’s really time for me to get serious about getting in shape.. I feel as though I’ve been going around in a circle for a while and not getting the results that I want. Part of that is because I will do really well with working out- but I kind of tend to stick to the same sort of stuff- I have included weight training which I think will be key to my success but I want to get everything in order and make sure that I’m getting everything in..

Do you make workout schedules?

It’s my Birthday!!! Epic weekend post. pt1

  Or Yesterday, November 5th :) While I didn’t have anything specific planned from the beginning I knew that I wanted to go out and have some drinks. I just wanted to have fun and blow off some steam.. The birthday weekend extravaganza started Friday afternoon with a girly action- I got my nails done! My mom and I went as my birthday present… It’s a crappy pic-but they are super cute and I feel really girly about it :)

 

Afterwards James and I went to a local bar and had a bit of a happy hour- a couple drinks (1 captain and diet coke, and 1 cake vodka and club soda (OMG my new favorite!) along with an order of onion rings.. so good- and bad.. but hey, it’s my birthday.. it’s ok to treat myself! Our friend Brandon met up with us for a bit and we all decided to get some dinner- we headed to Pho Evergreen to have some good eats. No pictures because I didn’t have my camera at this point.. but everything was yummy! From there we went to visit a friend whom I haven’t seen in forever- well over a year to be exact. They had a baby- who I saw when she was 3 weeks old. She is now 16 months old and completely adorable..We hung out and played with the kid- had another cocktail and headed home pretty early (James had been up since 3:45am) and hit the sack to prepare for my actual birthday!

     We got up and had some breakfast and headed out to Boston for the day.. We parked the car and took the subway the rest of the way into the city- to walk around and see a bunch of buildings that James has worked in. Along the way we snapped some photos..

 This is the biggest jug of milk ever.. Had to get a photo!

 As we continued our walk, we came across occupy Boston.. I give all of these people tons of credit- there is no way that I would be able to sleep in a tent in this weather- but I support what they stand for! “We are the 99%!"

 As we came to Boston Commons I remembered a Food Network spot- From Sugar High:

 This is the Boston cream dough boy- and let me tell you… Duff did not let me down with this recommendation! I couldn’t believe that I actually remembered this place (Because I’m pretty sure i have the worst memory ever) but I did.. and it was epic..

 James and I HOUSED this bad boy in about 5 minutes.. and it was worth ever single oil dripping, artery clogging bite.. Plus I didn’t have any birthday cake or anything like that.. so this totally took it’s place.. No regrets!

 This dude and his friends were part of some acrobatic team- which we all know I totally want to be in.. 

 Mmm.. Coffee.. Thank you to Clover coffee from Starbucks. We went with the Honduras blend- which again was amazing!

 Sunshine, coffee, cuddle and a tree in the park.. Perfect.

 This was just a funny sign.. 

 LUNCH! I had the greek style salad that had a weird name. but it hit the spot.. Hidden under all of that was also some chick peas and feta cheese.. 

 James had something with Chicken- which he also thought was yummy..

 When we got back to the car James was exhausted.. he’s still getting better from his sickness so I let him nap as I drove us home.

    

Pt. 2

  We had dinner plans with my friend Melinda and Kristen but met up to pre-game it with some amazing (very strong) homemade strawberry margaritas.. 

 As you can see I’m a light weight.. Though it probably has something to do with the fact that we made 8 servings for 3 drinks.. I was feeling pretty awesome by the time I got to the restaurant. So were these lovely ladies..

 We had some sushi to start.. Best roll I’ve ever had.. avocado and honey roasted peanut.. EPIC

 This continued to get a bit silly..

 And then thankfully more food came to soak up some alcohol.. Like my blue hawaii in the background :)

 We headed back to Melinda’s house for more drinks (we had planned to go out dancing but never made it because we got a bit drunk)

 So we whipped out a game.. which is all too funny when your feeling good..

 And one of my favorite quotes of the evening… (after 3 FULL blenders of margaritas..) “But look how much juice we used” hahaha to compare the tequila was practically empty and so was the bottle of triple sec

 By the time we left I was definitely not ready to do anything else but eat (the rest of my noodles from dinner which I proceeded to eat in the car, cold, with my fingers.. I know I’m a classy girl) I had a glass of water and headed to bed.. 

   This morning I woke up feeling awesome- and didn’t have any hangover.. at all! I had a GREAT birthday and wanted to continue to celebrate.. so off to breakfast!

 We ordered a plate of pumpkin pancakes to share- which came with cinnamon butter.. so good.. 

 And since I figured I should eat something healthy some egg whites and fruit- home fries came on another plate but were fried so I just at a couple of bites- not amazing enough to waste the calories.. bring on those pancakes! 

   Overall it was a great weekend- and a wonderful birthday! I had so many laughs and good times- and actually was good about taking pictures which I was super excited about! Lets kick 26 off with a bang!