Way to go Ina! And thank you so much. Thinking Ree Drummond will follow suit anytime now, she's been in and out of the basket all day.
A little peek into our nest-- watch us have fun, grow, and time fly by.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Called it!
Yup, Ina Garten the chicken was the 1st one to lay an egg. I so called it! And only 1 day after putting the nesting boxes in!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
What's next....
I've been asked by a few folks since my "One Year" post about what's next since I finished the 21 Day Fix at the end of last week. Well, I considered taking a little break-- the last week of the 21 Day Fix was pretty tough with doubles, on top of the fact that the 21 day fix had absolutely NO rest days. But I didn't feel comfortable breaking for more than a couple days... and I like for my new programs to begin on a Monday... SO, this past Monday, the day after finishing the 21 Day Fix, I rolled right into Turbo Fire! I'm on Day 5 of Week 1!
Why Turbo Fire? Well, if you've been following my posts for a while, you know that I did a portion of Turbo Fire last year, and you know that I used the Turbo Fire routines a lot while I was training for my half marathon that I completed in May. What you may not know though, is that last year when I set out to do Turbo Fire... I didn't actually complete it. I can't make excuses for why I didn't finish, other than I know that at some point around week 6, I rolled my ankle, and then we rolled into the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and I really struggled to get the work outs in.
I hate that I didn't finish! I don't like to set out to do something and then not complete it. (Although I will say that it is definitely a lesson learned for the upcoming Holiday season!)
So hopefully in about 85 days, I'll have a wonderful results post for you guys again and I'll be sending off my photos to Beach Body for a 3rd t-shirt! I've already got my P90x shirt, sent off for my 21 Day Fix shirt the other day, and soon enough I'll have a Turbo Fire tank top that I earned!
I'm excited! I love the Turbo Fire program, the routines are super fun. I'm continuing to use my 21 Day Fix containers to help me with my clean eating and healthy portion sizes, and who knows, I might run a few more races this year too!
A Chicken Update...
The girls have grown a TON since my last chicken post... you know, that post where I showed off our chicken coop that took WAY longer to build than we ever anticipated, and I bragged about how we had "plenty of time" to do the nesting boxes still. Well, although I'm sure I had the best of intentions to get the nesting boxes done right away, I actually just got them done this week and just put them in the coop today.
Let the record show though, that we have yet to receive an egg, so I am still technically early on the nesting boxes. Though, lets be real, the girls are 18 weeks old, so we could get an egg any day now!
....And judging off of recent personality and interactions with them, I've got my money on either Ina Garten or Ree Drummond to lay first. (Though at the end of the day, if I don't witness the first egg, I won't really know who laid it.)
Here's what the nesting boxes look like-- I made a platform using old fencing pieces found in our backyard and a couple of scrap 2x4 pieces left from building the run. Painted the platform blue. (The same shade of blue as the coop, Behr "Sea Rover") And then I purchased large bushel baskets from Hobby Lobby and secured them to the platform with a staple gun.
Let the record show though, that we have yet to receive an egg, so I am still technically early on the nesting boxes. Though, lets be real, the girls are 18 weeks old, so we could get an egg any day now!
....And judging off of recent personality and interactions with them, I've got my money on either Ina Garten or Ree Drummond to lay first. (Though at the end of the day, if I don't witness the first egg, I won't really know who laid it.)
Here's what the nesting boxes look like-- I made a platform using old fencing pieces found in our backyard and a couple of scrap 2x4 pieces left from building the run. Painted the platform blue. (The same shade of blue as the coop, Behr "Sea Rover") And then I purchased large bushel baskets from Hobby Lobby and secured them to the platform with a staple gun.
And speaking of Ina Garten the chicken, she's our high lady on the totem pole. Basically in the chicken world there is a hierarchy which is known as the "pecking order", sort of like how in the dog world, there's always an alpha dog. Well Ina is at the top of the pecking order in our flock. Which I find hilarious and it makes me want to share with you all of these hilarious Ina Garten memes, but I'll just share 1.
Ok 2 memes.... well, 2 images which are technically 3 memes...
I might be the only one laughing... who knows. I think it's funny! But here's Ina the chicken.
She's a pretty girl! For the longest time because she was a little bossy, I thought that she might turn out to be a rooster, but so far we haven't had any crowing from any of the birds! They were bought as sexed female chicks, but we were prepared for an error.
The rest of the ladies are growing up too-- they love to go outside and range in the yard under supervision... because, well, I'm a helicopter Mom. Even to my feathered babies. And in case you're curious who the lowest in the pecking order is, it's Carla Hall the chicken. She's my Barred Rock, and when they eat at the feeder, she eats the food dropped onto the floor under the feeder while the others have their necks in the feeder.
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| Paula Deen and Ina Garten |
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| Ree Drummond |
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| Ree and Ina... What's up chicken butt? |
We've been making it through Summer so far with shade in the run, frequent cold water changes, and frozen fruit. Frozen watermelon and frozen strawberry tops are their favorites so far. I'll probably install a small box fan in the shed before the Summer's end because they just aren't big fans of this heat. Poor girls. I'm not either. But before we know it, Fall will be here! In fact... Hobby Lobby already has Christmas decorations out!!
Hope you all are fairing in this hot weather! I think we need to find a human watering hole soon.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
One Year!
June 20th marked the 1 year anniversary since I started P90x with this no excuses post. For those who may not know my fitness background, I was very active as a youngster-- not only playing community sports (community softball and basketball), but I was also on Middle and High School teams for softball and swimming. Once I graduated and went to college, I picked up running. In 2008 I was really bit by the running bug and signed up for A LOT of local races, 5k's, a 5 miler, and my very first half marathon. Of course in January of 2009, Daniel and I were married, and shortly after we were pregnant with Leeland.
Up to my first pregnancy, all I was doing was running 3-4 times a week, not even always that consistent. When I found out I was pregnant, I never felt comfortable running while pregnant. Sure I know lots of people who work out while they're pregnant (and even run), but I just didn't know what to do, and I didn't feel like I had been consistent enough before baby to think that I could do it with baby without harming him. I was incredibly nervous! .... So I stopped. We had a dog at the time that I'd take for walks, but that's about it.
After Leeland was born, I tried to get back into running. It was TOUGH!! I don't think I could even run a 1/2 mile without getting winded and stopping when I first got going 6 weeks post partum. (I did manage to make it through the women's only 5k that year amazingly enough, but I wasn't anywhere near quick!)
Fast forward another year of very frustrating and very inconsistent running and I found myself pregnant with baby #2, our little Hayden. Again, I had been SO inconsistent that I struggled with the thought of continuing to work out while pregnant. I remember saying all the time, "I'm pregnant and have a toddler, keeping up with Leeland is my exercise." .... And I didn't just say it, I believed it! I truly believed somehow that supervising and following Leeland around was my exercise. After Hayden was born, I hated my body, was incredibly self conscious about not bouncing back as quickly as I had with Leeland and I was determined to get back into working out. The problem was, I didn't know how. I now had 2 kids to keep up with, Daniel was working a lot (and odd hours), I felt SO out of shape and was scared to begin, not to mention, Hayden was nowhere near sleeping through the night, and I was very frequently nursing him..... How do I make that work!?!
..... Well, it started with more inconsistent running, and then when I finally got to the point of "I need more, this isn't working", I picked up P90x. I had fantastic results from P90x, and jumped right into Turbo Fire after. I can't deny that I struggled through Turbo Fire-- I had injuries and the holiday season was very difficult, but once I got past that, I jumped right into half marathon training, and then completed the "21 day fix." It's been a whirlwind-- a big lifestyle change and I've seen my body change a lot both mentally and physically.
Without further ado, here are photos and stats-- These are NEVER before publicly shared photos. Wearing the exact same shorts and exact same sports bra a year later.
Up to my first pregnancy, all I was doing was running 3-4 times a week, not even always that consistent. When I found out I was pregnant, I never felt comfortable running while pregnant. Sure I know lots of people who work out while they're pregnant (and even run), but I just didn't know what to do, and I didn't feel like I had been consistent enough before baby to think that I could do it with baby without harming him. I was incredibly nervous! .... So I stopped. We had a dog at the time that I'd take for walks, but that's about it.
After Leeland was born, I tried to get back into running. It was TOUGH!! I don't think I could even run a 1/2 mile without getting winded and stopping when I first got going 6 weeks post partum. (I did manage to make it through the women's only 5k that year amazingly enough, but I wasn't anywhere near quick!)
Fast forward another year of very frustrating and very inconsistent running and I found myself pregnant with baby #2, our little Hayden. Again, I had been SO inconsistent that I struggled with the thought of continuing to work out while pregnant. I remember saying all the time, "I'm pregnant and have a toddler, keeping up with Leeland is my exercise." .... And I didn't just say it, I believed it! I truly believed somehow that supervising and following Leeland around was my exercise. After Hayden was born, I hated my body, was incredibly self conscious about not bouncing back as quickly as I had with Leeland and I was determined to get back into working out. The problem was, I didn't know how. I now had 2 kids to keep up with, Daniel was working a lot (and odd hours), I felt SO out of shape and was scared to begin, not to mention, Hayden was nowhere near sleeping through the night, and I was very frequently nursing him..... How do I make that work!?!
..... Well, it started with more inconsistent running, and then when I finally got to the point of "I need more, this isn't working", I picked up P90x. I had fantastic results from P90x, and jumped right into Turbo Fire after. I can't deny that I struggled through Turbo Fire-- I had injuries and the holiday season was very difficult, but once I got past that, I jumped right into half marathon training, and then completed the "21 day fix." It's been a whirlwind-- a big lifestyle change and I've seen my body change a lot both mentally and physically.
Without further ado, here are photos and stats-- These are NEVER before publicly shared photos. Wearing the exact same shorts and exact same sports bra a year later.
June 20, 2013
Weight: 188.6 pounds
Chest: 39 inches
Biceps: 13 inches
Thighs: 26 1/4 inches
Waist: 38 1/4 inches
Hips: 44 1/2 inches
June 20, 2014
Chest- 34 1/2 inches
Biceps- 12 1/4 inches
Waist- 29 3/4 inches
Hips- 39 inches
Thighs- 24 3/4 inches
Weight- 157 pounds
Total weight loss of 31 pounds and a loss of over 20 inches on my body!
Some things I've learned in the past year along my journey--
1. Give yourself grace! When you think about being healthy as truly a lifestyle change.... It's your life! It's not a crash diet that you need to be strict to for a month. It's life. And in real life, occasionally things come up and you miss a day or two of working out, or you eat something that you wished you hadn't. It happens. Give yourself grace! Don't dwell on it, learn from it and pick yourself up the next day.
2. Don't focus on the scale! I hear all too often from fellow Mommy's about how they aren't yet to their "pre-baby" or "goal weight." It's all about the number on the scale to SO many... and I used to be one of them. But let me tell you a secret-- 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat weigh the same thing, 5 pounds. However they look VERY different! Take photos and take measurements and take mental notes of how your clothes fit. I only lost 8.6 pounds when I did P90x, but that 8.6 pounds equated to almost 10 inches off of my body! So... please, don't focus on the scale! The number on the scale doesn't tell you how much more slim you've gotten, how you're down a pant size, or how many more miles you can run than you have before, or how you had to buy new weights twice because you were lifting so much more.
3. It takes time. Diet pills and starvation do NOT work! They call that yo-yo dieting. To get to where you want to be, it takes time! Build up that motivation and determination and start today! It took me a year to get here, and I STILL have work to do.... it does NOT happen overnight. I am at one year and counting... because this journey isn't over yet! Set smaller/short term and realisitic goals for yourself, if you say, "my goal is to have the perfect body in 30 days," or "lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks," you'll only frustrate yourself. But if your goal is simply complete a 90 day challenge, you will feel invigorated and excited when you do and can roll into the next one.
4. Have FUN! You aren't going to like every single workout, and sometimes we just have to do some things that we don't like for the end result, but incorporate some things in there that you DO like! Exercise doesn't have to be a chore, and the end results and energy, and confidence, and happiness is so worth it!
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I am NOT being compensated by Beach Body, I do not work for Beach Body and I do not coach for Beach Body. I have received absolutely NO compensation for my high praise of their programs. And all of the programs I have tried, we have paid full price for on our own accord. (Except P90x which we borrowed.) They work and I enjoy them, that is all.
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I am NOT being compensated by Beach Body, I do not work for Beach Body and I do not coach for Beach Body. I have received absolutely NO compensation for my high praise of their programs. And all of the programs I have tried, we have paid full price for on our own accord. (Except P90x which we borrowed.) They work and I enjoy them, that is all.
21 Day Fix Week 3 (AND RESULTS!)
Before you all scroll down and rush to the results, can I just say that I LOVE THIS PROGRAM!! This is my 3rd beach body program, and though I have thoroughly enjoyed the others that I have tried, the food component of 21 Day Fix CANNOT be beat! Don't get me wrong, the others come with elaborate meal plans, recipe ideas and nutrition information, but the 21 Day Fix teaches the basic fundamentals of clean eating and portion control. And at the end of the day, that's what a healthy diet (and weight loss) is all about! I have learned so much and built good healthy habits over the last 3 weeks that I definitely plan to continue!
Doubles week!! Yep, two-a-day workouts all this week, one done in the AM and one done in the PM. Week 3 includes the optional doubles week as part of the 21 Day Fix plan to give you that last little boost at the homestretch. Getting that 2nd work out in was pretty tough with this past week being a leader at our church's Vacation Bible School every single night.... but I did my best. Here's a breakdown of my days before I share my results, this 21 Days really flew by!
DAY 1: Total Body Cardio Fix and Pilates Fix
It's amazing to me how far I've come from the first week-- my body truly amazes me. The work outs get easier and easier. (Not easy, but easier.)
Food went a little something like this, steel cut oats with flax, sliced banana and flax for breakfast, lunch was leftover grilled chicken, brussel sprouts and quinoa and then I had dinner on the run, I made a mixed green salad with veggies, 2 hard boiled eggs and balsamic vinaigrette.
After:
Doubles week!! Yep, two-a-day workouts all this week, one done in the AM and one done in the PM. Week 3 includes the optional doubles week as part of the 21 Day Fix plan to give you that last little boost at the homestretch. Getting that 2nd work out in was pretty tough with this past week being a leader at our church's Vacation Bible School every single night.... but I did my best. Here's a breakdown of my days before I share my results, this 21 Days really flew by!
DAY 1: Total Body Cardio Fix and Pilates Fix
It's amazing to me how far I've come from the first week-- my body truly amazes me. The work outs get easier and easier. (Not easy, but easier.)
Food went a little something like this, steel cut oats with flax, sliced banana and flax for breakfast, lunch was leftover grilled chicken, brussel sprouts and quinoa and then I had dinner on the run, I made a mixed green salad with veggies, 2 hard boiled eggs and balsamic vinaigrette.
DAY 2: Upper Fix and Cardio Fix
It was hard getting into my work out late last night after vacation bible school, so I scrambled this morning to get my upper fix in first thing and then was able to do my cardio fix before heading to VBS. Checking the workouts off-- it's so surreal that I'm almost done and this is the last week!
Tried something NEW for breakfast this morning. ((gasp!)) Baked Peanut Butter Oats and Berries by Jean Reed and it was delicious! Of course, I'm of the school of thought that literally anything with peanut butter is amazing. Lunch was a clean out the fridge of leftovers sort of thing, I had a couple of bun-less turkey burgers, zucchini and squash stir fry and some brussel sprouts. And then for dinner I had 1 piece of homemade whole wheat cheese pizza and a side salad.
Tried something NEW for breakfast this morning. ((gasp!)) Baked Peanut Butter Oats and Berries by Jean Reed and it was delicious! Of course, I'm of the school of thought that literally anything with peanut butter is amazing. Lunch was a clean out the fridge of leftovers sort of thing, I had a couple of bun-less turkey burgers, zucchini and squash stir fry and some brussel sprouts. And then for dinner I had 1 piece of homemade whole wheat cheese pizza and a side salad.
^my morning oats baked in a coffee mug. Jean makes hers in a mason jar and they are just as scrumptious as they are cute.
DAY 3: Lower Fix and 10 Minute Fix for Abs
I knew that I had conquered my leg workout and did it right when I went to shave my leg in the shower, lifted it up and it trembled like a leaf. As much as I am determined to conquer doubles week as laid out in the plan... I will be so happy when doubles are over! Doubles are so tough! (But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?)
Breakfast was my steel cut oats with banana, Lunch was grilled chicken with a side of zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms mixed together and then for dinner I had a side salad with a stuffed pepper. The stuffed pepper had ground turkey, black beans, quinoa and cheese in it.
I knew that I had conquered my leg workout and did it right when I went to shave my leg in the shower, lifted it up and it trembled like a leaf. As much as I am determined to conquer doubles week as laid out in the plan... I will be so happy when doubles are over! Doubles are so tough! (But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?)
Breakfast was my steel cut oats with banana, Lunch was grilled chicken with a side of zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms mixed together and then for dinner I had a side salad with a stuffed pepper. The stuffed pepper had ground turkey, black beans, quinoa and cheese in it.
DAY 4: Pilates Fix and Total Body Cardio Fix
Not a whole lot to say workout wise, this is a repeat from Monday but flip-flopped. Pilates is tough, but it's growing on me!
Eating wise, banana oatmeal for breakfast, a leftover stuffed pepper for lunch, and a mixed green salad with cucumber, tomato, mushrooms and hard boiled egg for dinner.
DAY 5: Cardio Fix and Upper Fix
Got my sweat on this morning doing cardio fix! Wowsers! And then sadly we got home incredibly late and ridiculously exhausted from vacation bible school, so I had my first missed workout tonight. It does make me feel a little bit better that it was my second workout of the day and not the first. I'm going to attempt to make it up over the weekend.
Food wise was pretty much the same as yesterday. There's only so much cooking and prep work you can do when you're spending half the day out of the house with small children and you're working out twice a day. It's been exhausting! Banana oatmeal for breakfast, stuffed pepper for lunch, and a mixed green salad with veggies and grilled chicken for dinner.
DAY 6: Dirty 30 and Pilates Fix
Rearranged the work out schedule just a tiny bit in an effort to make up for last night. This morning I did Upper Fix and this evening I did Pilates Fix.
Eating goes a little something like this... this morning my breakfast was my protein shake because I had just finished my work out, along with a banana. Lunch was a cauliflower crust pizza with turkey bacon on top, and dinner went a little something like this..... Cheeseburger and sweet potato fries! Say what!? Ya'll it was date night! I don't think I need to pull out my soap box and preach about treats and moderation, but treats are totally fine once in a while and date nights are incredibly rare for us.
Rearranged the work out schedule just a tiny bit in an effort to make up for last night. This morning I did Upper Fix and this evening I did Pilates Fix.
Eating goes a little something like this... this morning my breakfast was my protein shake because I had just finished my work out, along with a banana. Lunch was a cauliflower crust pizza with turkey bacon on top, and dinner went a little something like this..... Cheeseburger and sweet potato fries! Say what!? Ya'll it was date night! I don't think I need to pull out my soap box and preach about treats and moderation, but treats are totally fine once in a while and date nights are incredibly rare for us.
DAY 7: Yoga Fix
... My schedule was a bit derailed trying to make up the miss from the other day, and then after much of the day got away from me and I had a killer headache tonight, I had to modify a little. So tonight I did "Dirty 30" and "10 Minute Abs."
Food wise, I was right back on track after our little treat last night. Woke up and made the 21 Day Fix approved pancakes from the recipe I shared in Week 2, for lunch I had 1 slice of cheese pizza and for dinner I had 2 scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and a piece of ezekial bread toasted with a smear of Earth Balance coconut peanut butter.
... My schedule was a bit derailed trying to make up the miss from the other day, and then after much of the day got away from me and I had a killer headache tonight, I had to modify a little. So tonight I did "Dirty 30" and "10 Minute Abs."
Food wise, I was right back on track after our little treat last night. Woke up and made the 21 Day Fix approved pancakes from the recipe I shared in Week 2, for lunch I had 1 slice of cheese pizza and for dinner I had 2 scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and a piece of ezekial bread toasted with a smear of Earth Balance coconut peanut butter.
And now that the 21 days are over... here's a breakdown of my weight loss with photos from JUST the past 21 days! Though you can see my one year transformation in this post here.
Before:
Chest- 34 1/2 inches
Biceps- 12 1/4 inches
Waist- 32 inches
Hips- 41 inches
Thighs- 25 3/4 inches
Weight- 165.5 pounds
Chest- 34 1/2 inches
Biceps- 12 1/4 inches
Waist- 29 3/4 inches
Hips- 39 inches
Thighs- 24 3/4 inches
Weight- 157 pounds
That's a total loss of 8.5 pounds! Down 2 inches in my hips, down 2 1/4 inches on my waist and down 1 inch on my thighs!! I'm ecstatic, I honestly can't remember the last time my weight was in the 150's!!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
21 Day Fix Week 2
Week 2 already! Week 2 pretty much goes the same as Week 1, it's doing all the same exercises again and still eating clean and portioning out my meals per my suggested calorie intake.
***again, just like last week! keep in mind that I only am including my meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) eaten here! I also have my regular snacks as well.
Day 1: Total Body Cardio Fix
Finally had a morning that I didn't wake up sore! And I completed this class without hitting pause at all, both very exciting things.
Eating went a little something like this-- steel cut oats with flax, cinnamon, and half a banana for breakfast, a mixed green salad with cucumber, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette and 2 hard boiled eggs for lunch, and baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus for dinner.
Day 2: Upper Fix
I had forgotten how much I enjoy weight training until getting back into it. Don't get me wrong, I'm so in love with a nice long relaxing run by myself, but lifting weights gives you that feeling of getting stronger and stronger each and everyday.... Leaves you feeling accomplished and sore. This program has a really nice balance of both weights and cardio in my opinion.
Eating was my usual banana oatmeal for lunch, mixed green and veggie salad with hard boiled egg for lunch and we did breakfast for dinner with turkey bacon, scrambled egg and a piece of whole wheat toast.
Day 3: Lower Fix
I really really really love lower fix. And the exercises in it are ones that I can see myself continuing to do for my leg days, but it does seem a little cruel to load up the weights at my shoulders for the majority of the exercises the day after upper fix when my arms are already on fire.
Bet you can't guess what I ate for breakfast! Banana oatmeal! Ha! Lunch was baked chicken, and asparagus and dinner was "fix approved" pancakes and turkey bacon. Ok, pancakes!? Say what!? Yes fellow fixers, pancakes!
Day 4: Pilates Fix
The day almost got away from me, so 10pm workout it was. I much prefer morning workouts, but it's better late than never, right? And afterwards, no matter what the hour, I feel accomplished. Tonight especially so because I conquered the exercises, including the full 60 second forearm plank. It definitely was not as bad as I remember last week feeling, and I feel so flexible today.
Banana oatmeal breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies, hard boiled egg and balsamic vinaigrette for dinner, and grilled chicken with sautéed yellow squash, zucchini and onions served over brown rice for dinner. And another recipe share for fixers-- a special little treat I had tonight after my pilates.
Day 5: Cardio Fix
Got my Cardio Fix in early this morning and it felt good to get the day off to the right start.
Breakfast was my banana oatmeal, lunch was leftover chicken with squash and zucchini served over some quinoa and for dinner I tried another new recipe-- a cauliflower pizza crust pizza!
Day 6: Dirty 30
Let's just say Dirty 30 isn't my favorite and leave it at that... Haha!
The eating today-- banana oatmeal for breakfast, another cauliflower and veggie pizza for lunch and then for dinner we had bun-less turkey burgers, corn on the cob and a side salad.
Day 7: Yoga
Day 1: Total Body Cardio Fix
Finally had a morning that I didn't wake up sore! And I completed this class without hitting pause at all, both very exciting things.
Eating went a little something like this-- steel cut oats with flax, cinnamon, and half a banana for breakfast, a mixed green salad with cucumber, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette and 2 hard boiled eggs for lunch, and baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus for dinner.
Day 2: Upper Fix
I had forgotten how much I enjoy weight training until getting back into it. Don't get me wrong, I'm so in love with a nice long relaxing run by myself, but lifting weights gives you that feeling of getting stronger and stronger each and everyday.... Leaves you feeling accomplished and sore. This program has a really nice balance of both weights and cardio in my opinion.
Eating was my usual banana oatmeal for lunch, mixed green and veggie salad with hard boiled egg for lunch and we did breakfast for dinner with turkey bacon, scrambled egg and a piece of whole wheat toast.
Day 3: Lower Fix
I really really really love lower fix. And the exercises in it are ones that I can see myself continuing to do for my leg days, but it does seem a little cruel to load up the weights at my shoulders for the majority of the exercises the day after upper fix when my arms are already on fire.
Bet you can't guess what I ate for breakfast! Banana oatmeal! Ha! Lunch was baked chicken, and asparagus and dinner was "fix approved" pancakes and turkey bacon. Ok, pancakes!? Say what!? Yes fellow fixers, pancakes!
Fix approved Pancakes
Mix together 1/2 red container of cottage cheese, 2 egg whites, 1 yellow container uncooked oats, 1 banana smashed, and cinnamon to taste. Cook on a griddle like you would pancakes. I served mine up with a spread of 2 teaspoons of peanut butter on top.
(Counts as 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 purple and 2 teaspoons)
Day 4: Pilates Fix
The day almost got away from me, so 10pm workout it was. I much prefer morning workouts, but it's better late than never, right? And afterwards, no matter what the hour, I feel accomplished. Tonight especially so because I conquered the exercises, including the full 60 second forearm plank. It definitely was not as bad as I remember last week feeling, and I feel so flexible today.
Banana oatmeal breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies, hard boiled egg and balsamic vinaigrette for dinner, and grilled chicken with sautéed yellow squash, zucchini and onions served over brown rice for dinner. And another recipe share for fixers-- a special little treat I had tonight after my pilates.
"Cookie Dough" Yogurt
Mix together 1 red container of greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, pinch of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of mini dark chocolate chips. Delicious!
Day 5: Cardio Fix
Got my Cardio Fix in early this morning and it felt good to get the day off to the right start.
Breakfast was my banana oatmeal, lunch was leftover chicken with squash and zucchini served over some quinoa and for dinner I tried another new recipe-- a cauliflower pizza crust pizza!
Cauliflower Personal Pizza Crust
Use a box grater to grate some cauliflower into rice shape, I filled 1 green container full of this rice size cauliflower. At this point, many people microwave it.... we don't own a microwave so I threw my rice sized cauliflower into a small pot to boil with some water and soften. Then strained with a metal mesh strainer-- strain it really really well! I pushed down with a wooden spoon to get all the water out, some people use a tea towel to squeeze it out. Beat 1 egg, and add 1/2 of the egg to the cooled cauliflower rice and pat down into a personal pizza sized crust onto a pizza stone. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes flipping half way thru. I topped my pizza with a couple spoonfuls of plain, low sodium tomato sauce, a generous sprinkle of italian seasoning, a green container of chopped green peppers and mushrooms, 2 slices of cooked turkey bacon and a blue container of cheese.
(With my toppings and all it counts as 2 greens, 1 red, 1 blue, and small portion of a purple container.)
Use a box grater to grate some cauliflower into rice shape, I filled 1 green container full of this rice size cauliflower. At this point, many people microwave it.... we don't own a microwave so I threw my rice sized cauliflower into a small pot to boil with some water and soften. Then strained with a metal mesh strainer-- strain it really really well! I pushed down with a wooden spoon to get all the water out, some people use a tea towel to squeeze it out. Beat 1 egg, and add 1/2 of the egg to the cooled cauliflower rice and pat down into a personal pizza sized crust onto a pizza stone. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes flipping half way thru. I topped my pizza with a couple spoonfuls of plain, low sodium tomato sauce, a generous sprinkle of italian seasoning, a green container of chopped green peppers and mushrooms, 2 slices of cooked turkey bacon and a blue container of cheese.
(With my toppings and all it counts as 2 greens, 1 red, 1 blue, and small portion of a purple container.)
Day 6: Dirty 30
Let's just say Dirty 30 isn't my favorite and leave it at that... Haha!
The eating today-- banana oatmeal for breakfast, another cauliflower and veggie pizza for lunch and then for dinner we had bun-less turkey burgers, corn on the cob and a side salad.
Day 7: Yoga
For anyone who has been following my journey since last year, this may come as a shocker.... I loved yoga today!
Eating, I had some fix approved pancakes (recipe above) with peanut butter for breakfast, lunch was bun-less turkey burger with a mixed green salad and for dinner we had grilled chicken, Brussels sprouts and corn on the cob.
Week 2 complete! Next week at this time I'll be sharing my results. I'm so excited!
P.S. For anyone not using the 21 Day Fix containers and wants to duplicate some of these recipes, the container measurements are as follows: Orange = 2 tablespoons, Blue = 1/4 cup, Yellow = 1/2 cup, Red = 3/4 cup, Purple = 1 1/4 cup, and Green = 1 1/4 cup. Feel free to sub in measurements as necessary in the recipes above.
Week 2 complete! Next week at this time I'll be sharing my results. I'm so excited!
P.S. For anyone not using the 21 Day Fix containers and wants to duplicate some of these recipes, the container measurements are as follows: Orange = 2 tablespoons, Blue = 1/4 cup, Yellow = 1/2 cup, Red = 3/4 cup, Purple = 1 1/4 cup, and Green = 1 1/4 cup. Feel free to sub in measurements as necessary in the recipes above.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
21 Day Fix: Week 1
So after conquering the half marathon, it was time to fix my eyes on another challenge. I took a little break after the half to allow my body to rest some, and then we enjoyed a nice family vacation, and now it's back at it! I decided on the 21 Day Fix for a couple of reasons. 1. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary since my No More Excuses Post and wanted a final little push to see what I can accomplish in the one year. 2. I love the focus on clean eating. The other programs I've done, also have meal plans and eating components, but this program really dumbs it down for you-- no counting calories, and it's an excellent PORTION CONTROL system. I've made a lot of changes to my eating habits over the last year, and I really feel like this plan just does it with ease, and is in some ways more strict and easier for me to stay focused.
*Side note- keep in mind if you choose to keep reading that when I talk about the food I'm eating, those are just breakfast, lunch and dinner. I promise I'm not starving myself! I also usually have at least 2 snacks a day, if not 3. One snack I have every single day is my post-workout protein. I no longer mix it with milk because milk is not "free" in the program, I'd have to sub out a container and I don't want to do that. So I've been mixing my protein with plain cooled in the fridge black coffee and it's like a little post-workout treat and pick me up. (For curious minds, I use Scivation Whey Protein, the chocolate makes an excellent "iced mocha" and the vanilla is a delicious "iced vanilla latte".) For my other snack for the day, it just depends on what colored containers I have left, some days it's grapes or watermelon, some days it's cottage cheese, some days a piece of whole wheat toast with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, and some days eggs, it varies based on what I've eaten the rest of the day.
DAY 1: Total Body Cardio Fix
I was surprisingly winded by this class. I honestly assumed after running a half marathon that the cardio portions would be a breeze. I will say however that though I was winded, I did feel like I still had some energy to do something more once I was finished. All of the workouts in this program are 30 minutes, so if I'm still feeling energized at the end of this week, I think I will start doing some two-a-days or adding some other components.
As far as the eating goes for day 1, it was a bit of a scramble. With just getting home from vacation, though I had a meal plan in place, I still needed the groceries and we got a late start today. Did the best with what we had on hand, and was very much stuck to the plan, and got some prep work done at night to hopefully make the rest of the week easier. Meals for today included scrambled eggs and watermelon for breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies and balsamic vinaigrette for lunch, turkey meatballs with marinara, quinoa and broccoli for dinner.
DAY 2: Upper Fix
Feels so good to be weight training again! I really missed the weights while training for the half marathon and going cardio crazy.
Eating for day 2 goes a little something like this-- oatmeal with flax and banana for breakfast. Lunch was leftover turkey meatballs, broccoli and quinoa. And for dinner we were invited to a cook-out. Unfortunately the cook out food consisted of hot dogs and potato chips.... so I opted to pack my own dinner which was a salad with veggies and grilled chicken and some balsamic dressing. And of course I just said no to the desserts and had some grapes instead.
DAY 3: Lower Fix
I'm not gonna lie, I sort of knocked the work outs before I began. I got a little cocky and thought that this set was for "beginners".... I mean after all, I had crushed P90x, Turbo Fire, and a half marathon.... I was wrong! I woke up this morning and found it hard to hit play because my entire body is SORE! But I found the courage, and I know after working these legs, it's going to be hard to get down the stairs tomorrow!
Eating wise, I've felt hungry. I assume it's a change in metabolism thing and I'm going to wait it out another couple of days to see how it goes before I decide to add more calories. Meals today included my oatmeal with flax, banana, and cinnamon for breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies and grilled chicken for lunch and bun less turkey burgers with broccoli and watermelon for dinner.
DAY 4: Pilates Fix
This was my first time ever doing pilates! (Though I've done yoga before and I know they get lumped together often, they are different.) The pilates class got started slow and I thought, "This will be really great for my sore muscles!" ... And then suddenly my already sore muscles were on FIRE! Ha! Definitely a good burn, but we'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Today's meals included my steel cut oats with half a banana, cinnamon and flax. Really loving that breakfast! It's probably weird to some to eat the same thing every morning, but it's easy to make and it's very filling to me. Lunch was another grilled chicken salad with mixed veggies and balsamic, and dinner was steak fajitas. For the fajitas, I added some broccoli to mine because the idea of a full green container of just peppers and onions sounded like a little too much. Made my own fajita seasoning that was low in salt and enjoyed them with two soft corn tortillas.
DAY 5: Cardio Fix
I'm discovering a trend that apparently Autumn Calabrese really likes planks and any exercise that involves a plank.... ((sigh)) Can I just say that I SUCK at planks!? I don't know that I've ever even done a plank before this. LOL! Give me ANY other core/ab exercise and I'll kill it, but about 20 seconds into a plank, I drop to my knees trembling. So my new goal is to conquer Autumn's planks!
Today's meals included my regular oatmeal/banana breakfast, bun less turkey burgers with a side salad for lunch, and a grilled chicken and cheese quesadilla with a side of broccoli for dinner.
ALSO, in other news, the self-proclaimed "Freebie Queen" is choosing to pass on the free donuts today for National Donut Day! Seriously though.... I love love love anything free, and as a police wife, I also love donuts... and it's really hard to not go get a free one just because they're free. Haha!!!
DAY 6: Dirty 30
Not too bad except my butt is still on fire from leg day. The only hard part I see with this program is that because it is 7 days a week working out, I have had sore muscles going into the next workout every single day. I'm sure it gets easier with time, but since it's only 3 weeks, I don't know that easier will come before it's over.
Today's meals included my usual banana and oatmeal breakfast, a salad with mixed veggies, grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette for lunch, and then bun-less turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and a medley of zucchini and yellow squash for dinner.
DAY 7: Yoga Fix
I've come a long way from the yoga hater I once was! Though it was hard to get out of bed this morning, yoga felt sooooo good!
My usual banana steel cut oats breakfast. You're probably tired of reading that, maybe I'll switch it up next week. Lunch was a mixed green and veggie salad with a mix of grilled chicken and steak and balsamic vinaigrette. And for dinner, a grilled chicken wrap on a whole wheat tortilla and a side of broccoli.
Week 1 complete! That means I'm 1/3 of the way through!! If I can do 90 days, then surely 21 days will be a breeze, right!?
*Side note- keep in mind if you choose to keep reading that when I talk about the food I'm eating, those are just breakfast, lunch and dinner. I promise I'm not starving myself! I also usually have at least 2 snacks a day, if not 3. One snack I have every single day is my post-workout protein. I no longer mix it with milk because milk is not "free" in the program, I'd have to sub out a container and I don't want to do that. So I've been mixing my protein with plain cooled in the fridge black coffee and it's like a little post-workout treat and pick me up. (For curious minds, I use Scivation Whey Protein, the chocolate makes an excellent "iced mocha" and the vanilla is a delicious "iced vanilla latte".) For my other snack for the day, it just depends on what colored containers I have left, some days it's grapes or watermelon, some days it's cottage cheese, some days a piece of whole wheat toast with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, and some days eggs, it varies based on what I've eaten the rest of the day.
DAY 1: Total Body Cardio Fix
I was surprisingly winded by this class. I honestly assumed after running a half marathon that the cardio portions would be a breeze. I will say however that though I was winded, I did feel like I still had some energy to do something more once I was finished. All of the workouts in this program are 30 minutes, so if I'm still feeling energized at the end of this week, I think I will start doing some two-a-days or adding some other components.
As far as the eating goes for day 1, it was a bit of a scramble. With just getting home from vacation, though I had a meal plan in place, I still needed the groceries and we got a late start today. Did the best with what we had on hand, and was very much stuck to the plan, and got some prep work done at night to hopefully make the rest of the week easier. Meals for today included scrambled eggs and watermelon for breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies and balsamic vinaigrette for lunch, turkey meatballs with marinara, quinoa and broccoli for dinner.
DAY 2: Upper Fix
Feels so good to be weight training again! I really missed the weights while training for the half marathon and going cardio crazy.
Eating for day 2 goes a little something like this-- oatmeal with flax and banana for breakfast. Lunch was leftover turkey meatballs, broccoli and quinoa. And for dinner we were invited to a cook-out. Unfortunately the cook out food consisted of hot dogs and potato chips.... so I opted to pack my own dinner which was a salad with veggies and grilled chicken and some balsamic dressing. And of course I just said no to the desserts and had some grapes instead.
DAY 3: Lower Fix
I'm not gonna lie, I sort of knocked the work outs before I began. I got a little cocky and thought that this set was for "beginners".... I mean after all, I had crushed P90x, Turbo Fire, and a half marathon.... I was wrong! I woke up this morning and found it hard to hit play because my entire body is SORE! But I found the courage, and I know after working these legs, it's going to be hard to get down the stairs tomorrow!
Eating wise, I've felt hungry. I assume it's a change in metabolism thing and I'm going to wait it out another couple of days to see how it goes before I decide to add more calories. Meals today included my oatmeal with flax, banana, and cinnamon for breakfast, a mixed green salad with veggies and grilled chicken for lunch and bun less turkey burgers with broccoli and watermelon for dinner.
DAY 4: Pilates Fix
This was my first time ever doing pilates! (Though I've done yoga before and I know they get lumped together often, they are different.) The pilates class got started slow and I thought, "This will be really great for my sore muscles!" ... And then suddenly my already sore muscles were on FIRE! Ha! Definitely a good burn, but we'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Today's meals included my steel cut oats with half a banana, cinnamon and flax. Really loving that breakfast! It's probably weird to some to eat the same thing every morning, but it's easy to make and it's very filling to me. Lunch was another grilled chicken salad with mixed veggies and balsamic, and dinner was steak fajitas. For the fajitas, I added some broccoli to mine because the idea of a full green container of just peppers and onions sounded like a little too much. Made my own fajita seasoning that was low in salt and enjoyed them with two soft corn tortillas.
DAY 5: Cardio Fix
I'm discovering a trend that apparently Autumn Calabrese really likes planks and any exercise that involves a plank.... ((sigh)) Can I just say that I SUCK at planks!? I don't know that I've ever even done a plank before this. LOL! Give me ANY other core/ab exercise and I'll kill it, but about 20 seconds into a plank, I drop to my knees trembling. So my new goal is to conquer Autumn's planks!
Today's meals included my regular oatmeal/banana breakfast, bun less turkey burgers with a side salad for lunch, and a grilled chicken and cheese quesadilla with a side of broccoli for dinner.
ALSO, in other news, the self-proclaimed "Freebie Queen" is choosing to pass on the free donuts today for National Donut Day! Seriously though.... I love love love anything free, and as a police wife, I also love donuts... and it's really hard to not go get a free one just because they're free. Haha!!!
DAY 6: Dirty 30
Not too bad except my butt is still on fire from leg day. The only hard part I see with this program is that because it is 7 days a week working out, I have had sore muscles going into the next workout every single day. I'm sure it gets easier with time, but since it's only 3 weeks, I don't know that easier will come before it's over.
Today's meals included my usual banana and oatmeal breakfast, a salad with mixed veggies, grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette for lunch, and then bun-less turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and a medley of zucchini and yellow squash for dinner.
DAY 7: Yoga Fix
I've come a long way from the yoga hater I once was! Though it was hard to get out of bed this morning, yoga felt sooooo good!
My usual banana steel cut oats breakfast. You're probably tired of reading that, maybe I'll switch it up next week. Lunch was a mixed green and veggie salad with a mix of grilled chicken and steak and balsamic vinaigrette. And for dinner, a grilled chicken wrap on a whole wheat tortilla and a side of broccoli.
Week 1 complete! That means I'm 1/3 of the way through!! If I can do 90 days, then surely 21 days will be a breeze, right!?
Monday, June 2, 2014
Beach Vacation
Soooo, we went to the beach this past week and had an absolute blast! I'm embarrassed to say that the last time that we went to the beach.... or even went anywhere on vacation was four years ago. Is that nuts? We just haven't been able to make it happen until now. Needless to say, that gap in time made us so much more excited and so much more grateful for this trip! And hopefully, it won't be four years before we head back.
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We went with some awesome friends of ours to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. They had a connection to a great condo that came with all sorts of amenities-- lazy river, kiddie pools, indoor and outdoor pools. There was just so much fun to be had!
Since it had been four years since being at the beach-- Leeland was a newborn, and Hayden obviously had never been so we weren't quite sure if they would like it. Leeland LOVED LOVED LOVED absolutely everything-- the sand, the ocean, the pools, the sprinklers, miniature golf, ice cream... everything we did, he loved.
Hayden on the other hand was a toss up, he was very excited each day to go to the beach and to the pools, but then acted very shy around the water and wasn't as into it. Not sure if he genuinely didn't like it, or if he was just being a two year old-- He loves bath time and always has, and he loved the pool last year, but this week he wouldn't let go of us at all in the water and even holding onto us had to be talked into going in. He loved the sand though and had fun digging and building in the sand and he adored all of the other activities.
We also stopped at the aquarium for a few hours on our last day as we headed home and both boys were really into the aquarium and all the sites it had to offer! Heck, Mommy and Daddy were even loving the aquarium and looking at all the fish and sites with awe.
I cannot describe the joy that I felt this week-- the joy that came from just being away from life for a while, from spending undistracted time together just the four of us which is often too rare, quality time with our friends, and the joy that came from simply seeing the beach through the eyes of our precious little boys as if it were my very first time going. Simple joy.
We definitely plan on making this at least a yearly adventure. We cannot go four years without a vacation ever again.
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