Yummy Deliciousness

The last two days have been a bit tough both emotionally and ultimately physically. My workout yesterday consisted of 30 minutes cardio, chest and back, and Week 4 Day 2 of the twohundredsitups challenge. Today I only did my Week 5 Day 3 of the onehundredpushup program. I was home in time to make it to my bootcamp class; however, I just couldn’t put on the class face today. I needed to rest. Seems to be the theme as of late, which thinking about, is making me quite frustrated.

This afternoon, my friend introduced me to Wegmans. OH MY GOODNESS…that grocery store is marvelous! Yes, I said grocery store. I’d rather not go into the psychology of why I find a grocery store so exciting. Let’s just say we managed to spend an hour in there and that wasn’t nearly enough time. I could have spent hours in there. So many fun things to look at!

I couldn’t believe how packed the store was around noon (went during lunch break). What were these people doing there, doesn’t anyone work? Ha! The only other “negative” feature I thought was that it felt pretty chaotic in there and that was mostly due to the people. There was no order to their shopping; people were all over the place. Everywhere I turned I felt like I was in someone’s way. I wasn’t too surprised because I felt these people shopped/pushed carts the way they drive. But anyone that knows me knows I don’t like crowds and I don’t like my bubble aka personal space being invaded by other fellow shoppers. Word to the wise, say “excuse me” if you would like to get at something that I or anyone else may be blocking at that particular time. I’d be pleased to move for you. Let’s use our manners people! Anyways, this irritation was only minor. I did really enjoy the store and can’t wait to go back when I have more time.

I left with a cantaloupe, raspberries, strawberries, red grapes, a black Honest Tea, Oikos Greek Yogurt (vanilla and strawberry), and the Cooking Light magazine and I only spent $23. GO ME! I washed and/or cut up all the fruit, except for the cantaloupe (got it a little green so it doesn’t ripen too fast). It’s all ready to eat!

My evening snack was yummy deliciousness, see for yourself:

Getting started again

Today was my first day working out since Friday; for me, this is quite some time off. After work on Monday, I decided that I would rest my foot one more day. Mostly because it was still way too hot to running outside and I didn’t feel like dragging myself to the gym. Therefore, I stayed home, finished my book, and completed Week 4 Day 1 from the twohundredsitups program.

Today my workout started with a 10 minute warm-up on the Arc Trainer. I focused on my quads. I did a three movement circuit, rested for 1-2 minutes and then repeated 2 more times. The circuit consisted of:

12 - Step-ups (per leg), 20lb dumbbells in hand
12 – Front Squats, 30lb barbell
20 – Bench Jumps, no weight

To ensure total fatigue, I completed 2 sets of single leg extensions. First set was 20lbs and I managed to complete about 8 reps per leg. The second set was at 10lbs and I was able to finish 6 reps per leg. I believe muscle fatigue was accomplished!

Hard, but great workout! Right after that I attempted to complete my Week 5 Day 1 from the onehundredpushups program. I did fine until I was suppose to max out the last set. I was supposed to complete a minimum of 45 pushups on the fifth set, however I managed only 26. I think my quad workout had more of an effect on my whole body than I thought it would. Depending on how Day 2 of Week 5 goes I might have to repeat this week. I’m not feeling very confident about completing 100 pushups in a row at the end of this program. This program should be called the 6 + weeks program! Ha!

And of course I finished off with cardio on the Arc Trainer. I did the Interval Program set at level 6 out of 10.

Sore foot, what's next?

I didn’t end up working out yesterday either. My foot was still sore even after I rocked the running shoes all day at work. I figured it wouldn’t do me any good to irritate it more. So instead I did a TON of stretches. My mom was so nice and offered to bring me dinner over. She had made roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and some veggies. She also brought me over an ice pack. Thanks Mom! For about one hour I iced my right foot.

Let me describe how my foot hurts; it’s my right foot, outside ankle area. The muscle or the ligament, I really don’t know which (probably ligament), that runs perpendicular to my ankle feels extremely tight and wound up. Imagine a rubber band pulled tight; now imagine it rubbing up and down against your skin every time you point your toe. That’s what it feels like under my skin; sort of feels that it is going to pop because it feels so tight. Or like that cramp or joint that needs to be popped but it just won’t pop. It’s very irritating and uncomfortable. It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel good either.

Its the same leg as my "sore" knee. I wonder if wearing my knee strap could be causing me to run differently on my foot? Does it have anything to do with my foot? I've never had any foot problems before. Hmmm...

Today I started out with a four minute walk on the treadmill. Then I proceeded to do 3 movements, 3 sets of each, for my chest, shoulders, and triceps. I threw in some abs in the middle of it all. I did supersets for most of the movements and did not rest very long in between. Since I hadn’t worked out in 2 days, I wanted to keep my heart rate up so that I was getting an aerobic workout as well as strength training. I felt pretty good. I ended my workout with 10 minutes on the row machine. Thought this would be a good alternative for my foot. I haven’t done the row machine in forever and WOWEE, my butt, legs, back, arms, and chest were really feeling it. I need to remember to incorporate that in more often. My foot felt a bit tight afterwards, but didn’t notice and discomfort while I was rowing.

To finish it off, I cleaned my house from top to bottom in 1.5 hours. Not too shabby!

Time to run some errands...I have to pick up some bread and salad for dinner tonight. Meeting up with some lovely ladies for a “girls night in!” Think Italian and lots of wine! Cheers!

Testing New Meal Ideas

This morning I woke up feeling pretty tired and couldn’t convince myself to go to the gym. Instead I rolled over and slept until it was time to get up for work. Last night I slept better than I have in a few weeks; uninterrupted pure sweet sleep. This is probably why I was so tired this morning.

Work started at 6am for me. Breakfast included a large mug of English Breakfast tea, bowl of Kashi Honey and Cinnamon oatmeal, and a serving of no sugar added applesauce. After breakfast and a bit more work. I did my only source of exercise today which was push-ups and sit-ups.

I started out with my progress test for the onehundredpushups program. I’ve been “stuck” on Week 4 for about two weeks, not because I felt like I needed to spend extra time on it but because for two weeks I forgot to do Day 3 of Week 4. Instead of starting Week 4 again for the third week in a row, I decided to proceed on to the progress test. I had to do as many pushups as I could at one time. This number helps me to determine which column I start in for Week 5, which I’ll begin on Sunday. I managed to pump out 44 pushups.

Next I finished Day 3 of Week 3 for the twohundredsitups program. I’ll start Week 4 on Monday. Like the pushups I managed to spend two weeks on Week 3 because I kept missing one day. I’m going to do my best to finish out these next two to three weeks correctly. Both the push-ups and sit-ups took me all of 15 minutes. That’s what I call a workout, lol, although, I’m itching to do something else. I’ll force myself to rest because my foot is still sore :(

For lunch, I had a Morningstar Farm Spicy Black Bean Burger on Ezekiel bread with medium cheddar cheese, red onion, spinach, and some ketchup. Delicious! Really enjoyed how all the flavors blended so well. My stomach felt content but still light. Not overly full! It was my first time trying Ezekiel bread as well as the black bean burger. I got the idea from ELR. She comes up with fantastic meals, making it very easy for me. Just means that I don’t have to think of new ideas on my own. I’m learning from other’s suggestions and experiences while building and creating my own! I rounded out my meal with Salsa Garden Sun Chips and a glass of skim milk.



Dinner was another new experience for me. I attempted to make Alaska Smoked Salmon Summer Pasta Salad. I first tried the salad at a wine festival at the beginning of June. They handed out a little pamphlet with several smoked salmon recipes, which included the pasta salad. I’ve wanted to recreate it for some time. I finally found most of the ingredients for the salad. Although the salmon is not from Alaska....shh, don't tell anyone. I invited my mom, sister, and the kiddos over to be my guinea pigs! It took me about 1 hour to finish the whole meal (prep and cook time). I’m a bit slow, but know I can make it quicker now that I know what I’m doing. We learned that the kids liked smoked salmon by itself! Dinner included the pasta salad and fresh cut peaches.

I thought it turned out pretty good. My mom and sister gave it two thumbs up (well that’s how I’m interpreting it, lol). I didn’t give it time to marinate, so I’m interested to see how it tastes tomorrow when I eat the leftovers for lunch.

I’d say my day of new food experiences was a success! I’m looking forward to incorporating these dishes into my meals in the future.

LARABAR

Yesterday, for the first time I tried a LARABAR. They are all natural fruit and nut bars. I tried the Chocolate Coconut Chew flavor. It had the consistency of a brownie. It’s not as sweet as I’m use too. But I must say that the flavor was light and I enjoyed the whole bar. To me they were filling and kept me satisfied for a good period of time. I ate it for my late afternoon snack, about 1-2 hours before my 5 mile fun. Not sure if there is any correlation, but I had a great run. A lot of times when I try a new energy bar I typically like the first two bites but after that I’m over it. Not this time! I’m actually excited that I like these bars. There are tons of flavors; slowly I’m going to try all the flavors and see which I like best.

I like how Lara, creator of LARABAR, describes her bars on the back of the wrappers:

“We at LARABAR believe that a healthy body, mind and spirit are derived from what you eat – and that food is healthiest and most satisfying in its simplest, most natural state. Made from 100% real food, LARABAR is energy in its purest form. A magical harmony of fruits, nuts and spices. LARABAR harvests the best natural ingredients to lift your vitality and sustain energy with every bite. Simple. Pure. Delicious. Enjoy the energy bar and start humming!”


Workout:
Warm-up: 10 minutes on Arc Trainer
Back and Biceps
Abs
20 minutes on Arc Trainer (Cardio, level 6)

My workout was pretty good today. I started out with my biceps and to warm-up I did two sets of chin-ups using my full body weight. I was able to do ten my first set and five my second set. Typically you should start with the larger muscle group and then move to the smaller muscle group. To change things up and to challenge my muscles I started out with biceps and then moved to back. My back is starting to feel a good sore, so I know it’s worked!

At some point today I noticed my right foot feeling sore. It actually feels as if I have a constant cramp in it. I’ve been stretching it off and on all day. I’m hoping that I can work it out. I might consider walking or biking tomorrow for my cardio. I’ll see how I feel in the morning.

5 Mile Run

It started raining on my way home from work yesterday. Debated whether I should wait the rain out and attempt to run outside. In the end, I decided to head to the gym to do my running on the treadmill. No point in wasting time.

I started by walking about 4 minutes for my warm-up. Stopped and stretched. My goal today was to just run at a 10 minute mile pace and run for as long as I felt like running. I turned on Maxwell and off I went. Overall, I ended up running 5 miles in just under 50 minutes. I felt good and probably could have kept running, but it was getting late and I still had to go home and shower and eat dinner. As good as my run felt, I did experience some interesting things while running…some that you would only experience at a gym and others because that’s just how my body works.

Here’s a play by play…

Mile 1 to 3: Breathing, stride, pace, knee, and overall body feels great! I’m in my zone, listening to Maxwell. Maxwell’s music is very chill, amongst other things; helped me to relax my mind and body.

Mile 3: My friend comes up and starts talking to me. Of course I can’t hear him because my music is too loud. So off come my head phones, maintaining my run, looking to my right; he’s asking me how the knee strap is working for me and how my knee felt. I told him so far so good, but he’s now walking to my left so I have to shift my head and try to maintain my balance on the treadmill. Doing my best not to trip! I realize after he leaves that I was practically yelling when I was talking to him. LOL! Sorry gym buddies, I’m sure that was an annoying distraction as well as I’m sure you really cared to hear about my knee.

Mile 3 to 4: Maxwell ended. Switched to the Black Eyed Peas, time to get pumped! Uh-oh! My lower stomach is starting to cramp a little…that can only mean one thing …the dreaded gas! All this running got my system working. I did my best to hold it in, but I can’t say that 1-2 petite farts didn’t escape! I’m pretty sure they were quiet and I’m almost certain they didn’t smell. But you never know. I just hope nobody was behind me on another piece of equipment. An occasional fart when I’m running outside is ok in my mind. For one, nobody can hear or smell it (if either is an issue). Secondly, I like to think the gas is giving me a little boost, propelling me forward. The gym is another story and I really do my best to avoid letting one loose at all costs. But sometimes, it can’t be controlled. Today was one of those times! Luckily, it quickly passed and I was back on track! <-- yes, I totally went there!

Mile 4.25 to 5: Back at mile 3, I recognized the guy running on the treadmill to my left. When he was done with his run and was cleaning off his treadmill, out of politeness, I looked over and said “hi” (still running). He said “hi” back, but didn’t stop there. He proceeded to turn the treadmill back on, walking pace, and started talking to me. Apparently, he chose to over look the fact that my headphones were on and my music was blaring. It wasn’t like I could pretend I didn’t hear him and run off in a different direction, I was on a treadmill. SOOO, to avoid being rude I took my headphones off and chatted while I finished off my 5 miles. So there I am, my headphones flopping uncomfortably around my neck, trying to pay attention the conversation, thinking to myself “how long is this guy going to stay and talk? He was done, finished, finito…what happened?!” He talked for approximately 7 minutes! Notice I said he, because I randomly answered but for the most part faced forward and tried to focus on my running. Don’t get me wrong, nice guy, but come on! I’m running, please DO NOT DISTURB!!

My treadmill buddy finally decides to head out. I cool-down by walking about 5 minutes. Finish out by stretching. As I was in the bathroom, washing my hands, I looked in the mirror and noticed deodorant balls coming out of my armpits. There’s a reason why I don’t wear solid deodorant when I do cardio…frothing armpits are a prime example. That’s hot….a hot mess! Haha!

Aside from my yelling, flatulence (as my mom would prefer I say), unwanted conversation, and armpit foam…my run was FREAKING FANTASTIC! I really felt I could run forever, ok not quite, but a little while longer.

7/17 Meals/Workout

Meal 1: Over-easy fried egg with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, applesauce, English Breakfast tea
Meal 2: Tri-color chickpea salad with Kashi whole grain crackers, hardboiled egg, glass of skim milk
Snack: Kashi chewy granola bar
Meal 3: Chicken breast, homemade sweet potato fries, broccoli, glass of skim milk
Snack: 4 Squares Lindt Dark Chocolate

Workout:
10 minute warm-up walk on treadmill
chest/shoulders/tris
3 sets of morning stretches - 20lb barbell
3 sets of leg raises (laying on bench)
20 minutes on Stairmaster (Free Climber) - level 8, 9, 10
Stretch