Changes

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So yesterday was one of those "i'm-so-exhausted-i-just-want-to-sleep-all-day" kind of days.  Plain and simple, I felt like a slug!

I got through the weightroom session just fine (Squats/Bench/Auxiliary).  Feeling pretty good actually.  But I had ZERO desire to go run.  I don't know if it was the struggles I had faced the previous 2 days with my runs or the nasty humidity or whatever other excuse I could come up with, I just didnt' want to do it.  And I didn't.  I knew Wednesdays are usually my recovery day, so if I was feeling up to it I would run today.  And I did.

I got in some good core work, scap work (for posture) and stretching then headed out for my run.  The fact that is was only 62 degrees may have helped ;)  After discussing with the hubby a bit, we decided that continuing to train on the "week 1" plan for my running was probably in my best interest for now, so that's what I did.  It was still difficult, but I finished it and I wasn't so dead that I wanted to curl up in a ball on the floor.


I haven't posted a food log in a while, but here's what I've had so far today:
B- Light Multi Grain English Muffin w/ Honey Peanut Butter
PW- Vanilla protein shake made with Almond Milk
L- Mesquite Deli Turkey, Spreadable Swiss, Dill Pickles on FlatOut Sliders, Pistachios & Bing Cherries (and a Philly Swirl bar for dessert!)
Not sure what the rest of the day will bring, but I have about 1000 cals left for my afternoon meal, dinner and possible evening snack or dessert.

It's my birthday...I'll complain if I want to!

I lifted this morning...I felt slow and sluggish.
I attempted to run this morning...I couldn't move and stopped half way through and went inside to finish on the eliptical.

Such a blah day.  Hopefully I have more energy tomorrow, I need to bust my butt after tonight's birthday dinner!  I gave myself some slack for dinner tonight and just ate what I wanted to.  I was really in the mood for pasta, so we tried a new place that we'd been told was tasty.  Georgio's Italian Ristorante.  I consumed copious amounts of bread and olive oil, indulged in a caesar salad, and ate about 1/4 of my actual entree: penne with pesto cream sauce and italian sausage and of course a diet coke.  I WAS STUFFED! Oh Lordy was I stuffed!!!

But what was the one and only thing I had been wanting since my last birthday when we showed up and the shop was closed so I didn't get it?  That's right, Crumb Cake.  I was hoping for blueberry, but they only had strawberry tonight.  Either way, still delectable! I enjoyed each and every crumb.  Now back to reality tomorrow!

I did get some killer workout swag for my birthday though!  More on that later, once I take some pictures!!

Productive Morning

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Today was the beginning of week 2 of the Color Run Workout I am doing.  Last week I was running for 1 minute, walking for 90 seconds.  Today was a role reversal: Run 2 minutes, walk 1 minutes.  It kicked my butt! HA!!

I still feel much more at home in the weightroom, but I am trying to build a little bit of a base for my cardio.  I don't really ever see myself going out for a long run for the fun of it.  But I'm starting to make my training a little bit more well-balanced.  Cardio was always a BIG no-no in my training as an athlete, but since those days are over, my overall health should benefit from its addition.

Back into the weightroom on Monday! 

2 good days of training!

The last 2 days of workouts were great...and they kicked my butt at the same time! I love that feeling you get after a great workout, when you're drenched in sweat, on the floor, slouched against the wall.

I am still really motivated in the weightroom, which is great.  Some days I feel like going back in the afternoon to get in another session.  I also finished week 1 of my running workout today.  There are 2 things I have learned while running. 1) Running on concrete sucks, always find some grass to run on; and 2) Your sports bra serves as a great cell phone holder (it has my timer on it) but your phone WILL get wet, so you may want to invest in a better case!

Sunday I begin week 2 of this workout and I'm ready for things to get heavier, harder & more intense!!

Thunder Thighs!

Source: google.com via Jeni on Pinterest

I came across this image the other day on Pinterest and couldn't help but share. I love my "Thunder Thighs!"

My workouts are finally starting to get a bit more organized.  So much so that I was actually able to get a 4-week plan written out on paper with all of my reps/sets/percentages for the cycle.  If you'd like to check it out CLICK HERE (I uploaded it to Google Docs, please let me know if the link doesn't work...I'm new to this!)

Today's Plan:
Squats & Bench 6-4-2-12 (75%,80%,85%,40%)
Lat Pull Downs 3x10 @ 90lbs
Rolling Triceps 3x10 @ 10, 15, 20 lbs
Fat Bar Curls 3x10 @ 55lbs
Color Run Week 1: Run 1 min, Walk 90 sec x8

I don't even want to get into what I ate today.  I am within my calorie range, but I at SO many little "meals" today it was insane.  I just wasn't hungry for a sit down meal so I nibbled A LOT!!!


I am putting together a tutorial for making "Snow Cones" with your ninja blender, some ice & crystal light.   Perfect for sweet cravings!!

So it continues

Source: emptybench.tumblr.com via Jeni on Pinterest

Good morning everybody...all 2 or 3 of you who actually read this!

I started out the morning in the weightroom as usual & then followed it up with some grass running.

• Hang Cleans 5 @ 155; 4 @ 170; 3 @ 180; 2 @ 185 (I was doing percentages of the max 1 rep effort I did last week of 210.  This was 75%, 80%, 85% & 87.5% respectively)
• Cable Low Row 3x8 @ 75, 80, 85lbs.
• Flyes & Reverse Flyes superset 3x8 with 15lb dumbbells
• Russian Twists 3x20 with a 40lb dumbbell
• Week 1 (Day 2) of my running program.  8x 1 min run; 90 sec walk.

The running was definitely easier than yesterday!  Probably the biggest difference was running on our grass rec fields at our university versus pounding the pavement.  I'm almost to the point of looking forward to getting my runs in.  My plan is to run after my lifting workouts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and get one in on the weekend.  Wednesdays will be dedicated to recovery in both the weightroom and on my runs.

Breakfast: Thomas Multigrain Light English Muffin with half of a banana mashed with PB2 {190cals}
Post-Workout: Vanilla Protein mixed with almond milk {180cals}
Lunch:  Taco Salad (Shredded Lettuce, Deli Chicken, Black Beans, Cottage Cheese, Salsa, Corn) {300cals}

I swore I would never do it...

Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net via Jeni on Pinterest

Today I went for a run.  There, I said it, I actually went for a run.  I came across the above workout on Pinterest and thought it looked like a reasonable way to get into running.  I am not actually prepping for a 5k, nor do I really ever see one in my near future.

It felt pretty good.  My legs were definitely a different kind of tired afterwards!  I plan on incorporating 4-5 days of this into my workouts, most definitely AFTER my weight training.

Had a great dinner tonight as well!  Spinach & Feta Salmon burgers on focaccia bread with a spinach salad and sweet potatoes.  DELISH!

NO MORE ICE CREAM!

Well, the rest of our day has been jam packed.  We made the 3.5 hour trip to Charlotte, the hubby competed in his last {sad face} track meet of the season, and we make the 3.5 hour trip back home.  So it has been quite the long day, and I am glad to be at home sitting comfy on my couch.

When the hubby and I travel, we usually do a great job of packing a cooler of food & drinks to tide us over on the trip.  Not only does this allow us to make somewhat healthier choices, it also saves us some major dinero $$.  Today, however, was NOT one of those types of trips!  So let me run down my food for the day with y'all:
Breakfast: Leftover Pizza, 1 slice {295cals}
PostWorkout: McDonald's Egg McMuffin {290cals}
Lunch: Panera Bakery's BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad & an Apple {565cals}
Afternoon Snack: Luna Chocolate Dipped Coconut Bar {190cals}
Dinner: Sonic Drive-In 4pc Chicken Strips & Small Tots {526cals}
Which left me with {203cals} left in my daily allotment.

Not too bad for eating take-out ALL DAY!  But then...

I decided that if I'm going to stick to healthier eating this summer there may be a few things I need to completely swear off for a while.  Before our wedding I gave up all ice cream & fried foods.  It didn't bother me what-so-ever and helped me lose some weight.  So the ice cream is on the chopping block yet again.  And the way my brain works...if you aren't going to eat ice cream for a LONG time, you need to get one last fix!  DQ to the rescue with an Oreo Cheesequake Blizzard...all 820cals of it! HA!

So I ended the day 617cals over the limit because of a last minute snack that I probably didn't need, but I won't get to taste again for a LONG time!

This morning's workout

Nothing fancy today.

3x8 Front Squat (95, 115, 135)
3x8 Close Grip Bench (95, 95, 95)
3x10 Rolling Triceps (15lb Dumbbells)
3x8 Fat Bar Curls (45, 55, 55)
No core work today, I think I overloaded on core earlier this week and the abs and low back have been randomly spasming and cramping on me, so I'll leave them out for the day.

Breakfast was a leftover slice of pizza (300cals)
I forgot to grab my post workout snack {sad face}

I'll update later with the rest of our exciting day!

Salads are healthy...right?

Stupid salad, I should have looked it up before eating it.  The hubby and I were running late for work this morning, and we didn't get our snacks/lunches packed for the day {sad face}so we ran over to McAllister's Deli for lunch.  I was wanting a big crunchy salad, so I went for my old standby of the Southwest Cobb Salad.  It consists of mixed greens, a corn relish, chicken breast, tomatoes, guacamole & chipotle ranch dressing with tortilla chips on the side.  I don't care for their guac and I never eat the chips so I handed that over to the hubs.

I started by adding about half of the portion of dressing they give you...and I should have stopped there!  I ended up adding all of it, and found out afterwards that the dressing alone was 420cals!!!! Are you kidding me?  I just ate an 850cal salad, what if I would have eaten the guac & chips???? UGH.  My normal lunch is the same amount of calories as the dressing alone.  Thank goodness it kept me full until just now when I came home for dinner #1.

Today's food consisted of:
Breakfast - 1 whole grain waffle w/ peanut butter, honey, banana & chia seeds {318cals}
PostWorkout - 1/2 of a Svelte Cappuccino Protein shake {130cals}
Lunch - Southwest Cobb Salad minus the chips & guac from McAllister's {850cals}
Dinner #1 - slice of leftover pizza and a huge bowl of watermelon {395cals}
Dinner #2 - 1c. of peas, a serving of deli turkey chopped up, 1/2 a serving of cottage cheese, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes {225cals}
Snack - Blackberries {60cals}
Calories left for the rest of the night - {90cals}

In the weightroom I started with 3x4 Hang Cleans {165, 185, 195} Lat Pull Downs 3x10; Low Rows 3x8; Shoulder Press 3x8; Assorted Core.  Felt really good except for the tweak in my shoulder during cleans.  I saw the trainer and started treatment for a strained muscle behind my shoulder blade, but it won't hold me out of anything as long as it doesn't increase pain.

Tonight's Dinner

Tonight's dinner calorie totals :)

Core Work

Source: xe9.xanga.com via Jeni on Pinterest

I am starting to fall into a routine with my workouts.  It is very reminiscent of my college days in how it is set up.  Mondays & Thursdays my main lift is HANG CLEANS followed by an assortment of auxiliary exercises that will more than likely change up from day to day.  Tuesdays & Fridays are SQUATS & BENCH PRESS followed again with auxiliaries. That leaves us with Wednesdays.  These used to be a complete day of rest in college, but right now I don't think that is necessary.  So I am loading these days up with CORE WORK.

Today's workout:
Leg Thrusts 2x50
20lb. Russian Twists 2x30
Hip Curls 1x10 each side
25lb. Back Extensions 3x10
65lb. Low Rows 3x10
Alternate Leg Box Jumps (just for good measure!) 1x10 each leg

So compared to the intensity of the other days, this was a "down day" but we will call it "active rest."

On the meal plan today:
Breakfast - 2 Whole Grain Eggo's with egg, turkey sausage & cheese and a bit of jelly; Coffee w/ creamer (480cals)
PostWorkout - 1/2 of a Svelte Cappuccino Protein Shake (130cals)
Lunch - Shredded Chicken w/ mustard, vinegar & oil dressing and banana peppers (411cals)
Afternoon snack will be Sweet Chili Pistachios & a Banana (275cals)
Dinner will be a taco salad of Lettuce, Ground Sirloin, Black Beans, Cottage Cheese & Salsa (445cals)
And I've saved some room, 321cals worth to be exact, for a dessert/snack after dinner!

Back to tracking

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I decided yesterday I had to make a change.  So I am going back to tracking my calories on LiveStrong.com's My Plate.  I have their app on my phone and iPad and can log in on the computer, so there is no reason not to put my food in the tracker.

Not that you all care, but I will also be posting my food on here more frequently.  Even though I don't have many followers, I feel like it will hold me more accountable if I am telling others what I eat.  Like you are all silently judging me, lol.

Breakfast this morning was 480cals.
2 Eggo Whole Grain Waffles
1 egg
1 Turkey Sausage Patty
1 Slice of 2% Cheese
1 Serving of Polaner All Fruit Seedless Spread w/ Fiber
1 glass of coffee with White Chocolate Mocha creamer

I will pack a lunch box with my 2 meals and Post-Workout snack that I will eat at work and dinner will more than likely be taco salads with lean ground beef, black beans and salsa.

Here's to a better day!

Yesterday was frustrating...

So I did make it back into the weight room for another workout yesterday.  I decided to do some hang cleans (4x4 @ 155, 165, 185, 205).  It felt so good to get back into such heavy weights again...SO GOOD!  But what frustrated me was stepping on the scale.  I know I haven't been counting every calorie I eat like I used to do, but I have been working out daily.  The number was back in the 230's.  I was soooooooo close to being under 200 back in October (201 to be exact) and since then I have put so much weight back on!  I am determined to start losing again.  I really don't know what else to do except start documenting every single calorie I consume once again.  And that was a pain in my backside to do.

Either way, I got back at it this morning.  I hit up the weightroom at 6:00am and crushed some heavy squats, bench press, shoulder series, triceps, biceps & core.  A great total body workout.  I started the day with a banana pre-workout and a Cherry Pie Lara Bar, some dried apricots & almonds post-workout and some tuna & crackers for lunch #1.  I have had 4 bottles (32oz) of water so far and I took all of my vitamins.  I need to do some planning tonight so I can have better meals planned out for the week.

Crossfit Style Workout

Source: crossfitworkouts.co via Jeni on Pinterest

I've always contemplated trying a crossfit workout. But then I saw some videos online of people doing insanely stupid things at some of their gyms. Now, I know that not all crossfit gyms will take this approach, but it impacted me enough to stay away from it. But the thought of an intense workout sounded good this morning, and I had found the above workout on pinterest so I thought I'd give it a try.

Put me in a weightroom and I am comfortable, I will lift heavy weights with the best of them. But put me in any type of cardio workout and I am a slug. It's no wonder why I only made it through a round and half when I was supposed to do 3 rounds! Overall, it didn't seem that "hard" but it got to me. Fast pace anything will get to you! Actually I think it was the burpees with a belly full of water that got to me!

Since I didn't finish it, I think I will head in to the weightroom later today to get in another workout so I actually feel accomplished, lol.

Feeling like an athlete again!

It feels so good to be getting stronger again.  I haven't really been losing any weight from my workouts, but I am starting to feel athletic again.  Nowhere near where I was in college, but it's getting there!

This morning I hit the weightroom and did 3x8 Squats (155, 185, 205 lbs.); 3x8 Bench Press (115, 135, 155 lbs.) and didn't quite get the full last set;  1x20 Weighted sit-up (25lbs); 1x20 Weighted twist sit-ups (25lbs); 1x20 Pull Overs (25lbs.); 1x10 4-Way Shoulder Series (7.5lbs); Simple Six back exercises;

I haven't got in any sprint work this week, so I should probably include that tomorrow.  We'll see what happens!

Yesterday for dinner the hubby & I went to a local joint called Flaming Amy's Bowl.  It is a hibachi style restaurant, but they have other flavors besides Asian.  I made myself a bowl of chicken breast, black beans, peas, corn, red onion, green onion, red peppers and brown rice with chipotle bbq sauce.  HOLY MOLY was it fantastic!  Definitely an easy enough thing to replicate at home if I can find a similar sauce.  And fairly healthy too!

Tuesday night we had Cajun Salmon, Asparagus & Baby Potatoes cooked in foil in the oven.  Another tasty & healthy meal!

Monday was lean ground beef with sweet potatoes, peas and a bit of mozzarella that we added a little ketchup to for flavor.

It's been a pretty healthy week!

Seafood

My summer goal was to improve my eating habits, which included eating fish 1x a week.  I stopped by Whole Foods tonight (so glad they just opened here a couple weeks ago!) and picked up some cajun salmon.  We cooked it in a foil packet in the oven along with 2 other packets, one of asparagus and one of potatoes.  Dinner was delicious and incredible filling!

Cleaning Day

No, not at my house...it's still a mess!  In the weightroom.  I kept it short & sweet today with 3x4 Hang Cleans, 3x6 Seated Box Jumps & 3x20 Standing Plate Swings. 

It's been a dreary day...time to go relax at home.

I've never walked so much in my life!

I spent last week in Orlando, FL at Walt Disney World.  We had a blast with all of my hubby's family and I think we ate more in a week than I normally do in an entire month!  But, the good news is we walked it all off.  According to the scale, I actually lost 2 lbs. while we were there and I bet it was from all of the walking.  My mother in law had her FitBit on and in one day we walked over 6 miles.  Now multiply that by 4 days of walking the parks, plus the other days with a little less walking and that equals: my legs are dead!  I did get in a quick weights workout on Monday when we were there as well, then I decided that the walking would be enough for the week.

Today, however, was back to reality.  It felt so good to be back in the weightroom again.  I did a simple workout of 3x8 on Squat, Bench, Leg Curl & Shoulder Press.  I figured my legs wouldn't handle a sprint workout this morning, so I'll hold off on that for a bit.

My goal for the day is to go without eating bread or pasta, and one of my summer goals is to add fish into my diet at least once a week.  Starting now.