TJ Schneider just got Episode 3 of the Snowboard Realms up, and you have a chance to win a brand new Capita Stairmaster just for checking it out. Head over to the Snowboard Realms website for more details.

Mmmm…I got to enjoy every little bite of my s’muffernutter breakfast cookie this morning.

Deb and I were discussing the importance of the protein powder in the breakfast cookie today. It really does act as the “binding agent.” The thick goo it creates when mixed with your liquid is what hardens the cookie in the fridge overnight, not the nut butter. But for all you other bloggers out there who don’t use protein powder, do your cookies still work without it? Wouldn’t it be a mushy mess you have to eat with a fork?

I don’t usually bring bars as snacks when I know I’ll just be at the office, but I’m too excited to try out my new bar finds! Today’s pick was the KIND Fruit & Nut in yoghurt coating.

I didn’t know KIND had a special “nut blend,” or ”fruit blend” for that matter. I must remember to never sell a bar with the same combo

A little low on the protein, but it is just nuts and dried fruit. Usually I like to pair high-carb bars with a piece of cheese to even things out, but this is a little too high-calorie for that.

 
The yoghurt coating was actually too thick for my liking. I didn’t realize it was coated on the bottom too. Otherwise it was a verrrry yummy bar. The nuts were toasted to perfection. The brazil nuts in particular were delicious!

Oh, and as for the PB&J Larabar, Ellie and I are looking into why the Canadian and UK versions have added refined sunflower oil. But she did inform me they don’t count calories from fibre in the U.S, and that’s why the calories were listed as higher. I didn’t know that!! No wonder my “Fibre 1” cereal has twice the number of calories as the American “Fiber One” version.

Lunch was more Yves cajun chicken slices with swiss and veggies.

One thing that sucks about making lunch the night before is that my bread gets soggy. Boo. My office needs a george foreman grill.

I did little lily dawdling after work and hit up the gym almost right away. I was excited to make up for my lazy Saturday! (and Friday)

Treadmill:
0:00-3:00 – 3.5 mph
3:00-5:00 – 5.6 mph
5:00-6:00 – 5.8 mph
6:00-7:00 – 6.0 mph
7:00-8:00 – 6.2 mph
8:00-9:00 – 6.0 mph
9:00-10:00 – 6.2 mph
10:00-11:00 – 6.4 mph
11:00-12:00 – 6.2 mph
12:00-13:00 – 6.4 mph
13:00-14:00 – 6.6 mph
14:00-15:00 – 6.4 mph
15:00-16:00 – 6.6 mph
16:00-17:00 – 6.8mph
17:00-18:00 – 6.6 mph
18:00-19:00 – 6.8 mph
19:00-20:00 – 7.0 mph

A1 – Romanian deadlift to row:
3 sets @ 50 lbs x 8

B1 – Wide-grip lat pulldown:
3 sets @ 55 lbs x 8

B2 – Dumbbell chest press:
3 sets @ 20 (ea) lbs x 8

C1 – Tricep cable pulldown:
3 sets @ 25 lbs x 8

C2 – YTWL:
3 sets @ 7.5 lbs (ea) x 4 (each letter)

Stairmaster:
0:00-1:00 – level 8
1:00-2:00 – level 9
2:00-3:00 – level 10
4:00-5:00 – level 11
5:00-6:00 – level 12
6:00-7:00 – level 13
7:00-8:00 – level 12
8:00-9:00 – level 11
9:00-10:00 – level 10

Whittle My Middle:

Plank – 90 sec
Side plank – 30 sec each side
Plank with elbows on stability ball – 60 sec
Stability Ball Jackknifes – 12 reps
Stability ball roll out – 12 reps
Plank Rotations – 2 minutes, 15 sec each rotation

Elliptical:
0:00-1:00 – level 8
1:00-3:00 – recovery @ level 10
3:00-4:00 – sprint @ level 18
4:00-6:00 – recovery @ level 10
6:00-7:00 – sprint @ level 18
7:00-9:00 – recovery @ level 10
9:00-10:00 – sprint @ level 18
10:00-12:00 – recovery @ level 10
12:00-13:00 – sprint @ level 18
13:00-15:00 – recovery @ level 10

Cool-down:
Stretching Think I’ll do another stretching post with my routine soon…

Well congrats to you if you read through all of that! Abridged version is that it had medium & high intensity interval cardio with upper body and abs. This was by no means a short workout, took me almost an hour and 20 minutes. But I was having fun, it’s how I like to spend my Sunday afternoons

I was definitely running on empty by the time I came home though, so I immediately replenished with a smoothie.

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 scoop ISO Lean peach-mango whey protein powder
• 1 cup frozen strawberries

Then I got started on dinner! A roast dinner. I threw another bird in the oven. Dang, this is so easy! No pictures of the carcass, but I just rinsed off the small chicken, stuffed it with a head of garlic, lemon quarters and a small bunch of thyme. Rubbed some salt and pepper on it then cooked in a 425F oven for 90 minutes. So frickin easy.

I actually kept the chicken in for five minutes longer tonight, but I don’t think I needed to. It was crazy delicious. I can’t believe it took me this long to get the nerve to roast chickens.

On the side are sweet potato and carrots tossed in balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and roasted in a separate pan. Then some frozen brussel sprouts in a little pepper and Earth Balance.

How’s that for a Sunday dinner? One of the few times I wish didn’t live alone are occasions when I have a wonderful meal I want to share. At least I get the leftovers all to myself

November Goal Check-In

Three weeks in! Already got ideas swimming in my head for next month

Have fun workouts.
First, I only made it to one yoga class and didn’t do any at home. Fail on that front!

Monday – I got my BodyStep on and stepped my little heart out. It was spectacular.

Tuesday – Surprisingly quick 5k run outdoors because it was too beautiful to stay inside, then an evening BodyFlow class to streeetch it all out.

Wednesday – Spin class with Chris. SO much fun!

Thursday -  Missed BodyPump but came up with a lifting sesh of my own.

Friday – Impromptu lifting sesh left me waddling. Day off.

Saturday – Another day off. Needed to fully recharge.

Sunday – Amaaaazing and energetic weight and HIIT workout at the gym.

Be less complacent with food.
My experiment with temporarily tracking calories again was a success. Even though I’m no longer doing it, I find it got me in that mind set of just being aware again. As a side note, I’m also doing much better at not counting in my head. I haven’t a clue what any of my meals were today, and I don’t care!

Get more sleep.
Well almost sleeping through work yesterday helped! To be honest, going from crazy early morning shifts to evening shifts really messed with my body clock this week. I was going to bed too late, but waking up too early. Perhaps I should re-introduce the afternoon nap…

Make it through the last month of work with a positive attitude.
Not gonna lie, it’s getting worse by the day. But I do find myself appreciating my co-workers more. The job itself may not have been for me, but I worked with really good people.

Try my best to not let anything hold me back.
I’ve finally buckled down and decided to follow what I’m truly passionate about. For the first time in my life, I feel really excited and confident about my future.

Figure out a way to get into the holiday season.
I bought my first Christmas present today! You’re going to love/hate it mom

Spend more time with my grandparents.
I haven’t spoken to any of them this week

Be more honest with people.
Ohman, I was the most honest I’ve been in a long time this week. I’ve always known it’s important to be honest with the people you love, but this week just reiterated how important it is. Sometimes you hurt people more by not telling the truth than if you were just honest.

Look for a job.
Got a job interview at Starbucks tomorrow

Start playing music again.
Eff.

You know it’s coming…

Question of the Day: How are you coming along with your goals this month?

In addition to the lunch items I posted, I also had a Kashi TLC Dark Chocolate Coconut bar and a cup of heart to heart. That brought my lunch total to 640 calories, so I ended the work day at 1190. This is probably boring people so I will stop with the calorie counting soon! The point is I felt like I had tons of energy, and instead of going home to crash after work I decided to get some cardio in!

At the gym I got in 30 minutes on the stairmaster along with some (much-needed) stretching. Tomorrow I am planning to get back into my running schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday). I thought after the half-marathon I would never want to run again but I miss it! My knee feels all rested up and ready to go

Tonight for dinner we decided to go with a simple stir-fry. I was glad to get some veggies in!

We had some noodles and we threw in some portobello mushrooms, snow peas, onion, corn, and egg for a protein boost. Garlic, ginger, soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil made it extra delicious

I made sure to load up on veggies and go light on the noodles, so I stayed within my 400 calorie goal. Now comes the real challenge….the 200 calorie dessert budget! Wish me luck…

Make sure to enter my delicious vegan giveaway!

New gyms are exciting, but in an awkward, first day of high school kind of way.  Except instead of cafeteria seats, the issue is which treadmill to pick.  Do you want to run next to Sweaty Guy, or Ambling Old Woman, or Heavily Perfumed Teen?  Who should you avoid?  (At my last gym, it was Woman With Toddler Seeking Friend To Become Babysitter and Man Who Grunts.)  I was filled with anxious anticipation all day long.

Anyway, all day I couldn’t make up my mind as to what I wanted to do.  I brought general cardio clothes, so swimming was definitely out.  (Also, the fact that I am a crap swimmer.  I can do lots of backstroke laps, though.  Does that count?  I might do that later this week.)  I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to try running on the swanky treadmills with the iPod syncing and television screens, running on the indoor track, other cardio, or weights.  So many choices!

Ultimately, I decided to run because ohmygodI’mrunningan8KonSunday.  Whoops.  Haven’t done a whole lot of running for the last two weeks, so yeah, I needed to do that if for no other reason than to build up a little confidence.  It doesn’t help that this looks like a kind of hilly 8K, and it’s been too cold and dark/I’ve been working/cold makes me wheezy for me to conquer the ones in my neighborhood lately.

But first, around 4, I had a pre-workout snack.  I warmed it up and it melted, kind of.  It was good, but I’m not a big white chocolate person.

Then I went to the gym and changed!

And then I ran on the fancy pants treadmill. It is hard to take a picture while running.  FYI.

And…it kind of sucked.   I ran two miles and then I felt like I was being strangled.  I really, really need to go to a doctor and get this whole asthma thing checked out.  I’m hesitating because I’m being self-loathing and thinking that it’s my fault and I’m out of shape.  Logically, that seems incorrect, but it also seems logically incorrect that suddenly my asthma would be back for no reason.  Sigh.  I then did about 15 minutes on the stairmaster and ran a lap on the track just to see if I liked it (I did).  I do not feel great about my race on Sunday AT ALL right now.

Anyway, it’s a very nice gym and I think I’ll like it once I get my various lung issues in order.  The track was a fun way to run that was a little different than the treadmill, and the people seemed nice and there was plenty of room.  And towel service!

What do you do when you’re having health issues?  How do you deal with it mentally?

I’m finallyyy ending my day after starting it this morning at 7!  My alarm went off at six to go for that 2.5 miler, but obviously that didn’t happen since it was still dark out – ugh – and I needed just that extra hour of sleep.

I got up and made some breakfast before getting on the bus for my school’s Homecoming football game:

Arnold’s 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin with 1 egg + 1 egg white, a Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb wedge with some salsa and some sort of apple stolen from the dining hall.

We got to the game a little after 9 and started tailgating!  The fraternity we did Homecoming with and their parents cooked up a ton of burgers and hot dogs for everyone.  It was so much fun to just hang out with all of my sisters and the guys.  Thankfully we had a gorgeous day – although a little cold – since it was originally supposed to rain.  Around 11:30 I whipped out the sandwich I had packed in the morning, since I didn’t know what we’d be eating and didn’t feel like beef.

Another sandwich thin with pepper turkey, romaine, and a Laughing Cow Light Swiss wedge.

I also packed grapes and a granola bar but didn’t eat them.  We went into the game a little before halftime to see our sister, who is Homecoming Queen, greet everyone on the field.  It was REALLY windy in the stadium and the bus was scheduled to leave at 2:15 so we didn’t stay in the game that long – it was honestly just too cold and there aren’t enough seats for all of the student tickets they sell.

As soon as we got back to the house around 3, I stuck in my earplugs and fell asleep for a glorious 3-hour nap.  Not working out in a couple days was making me feel gross and it messes with my metabolism – I wasn’t hungry at all.  I went to the gym and did 2.5 miles in just under 25 minutes.  I cooled down with a 10-minute walk and a 10-minute StairMaster sesh.

It’s 8:30 now and I’m still not that hungry (weird) but I’m going to just go make a quick salad since I know I should eat something.  I also reallyyyy need to drink more water in general, but I didn’t have any today – just coffee and after my run I’m really feeling it.

Off to catch up on Grey’s, food, and my Google Reader!

"Everything huuuuurts."

Between the nightly orders of cheese fries and the daily “I’m too tired/busy/stressed/wrapped up in this Friends marathon to go to the gym” you’ve let yourself go. And based on how much work it takes to get those bootcuts over your thighs, it’s all beginning to catch up with you.  So when Sunday night rolls around you put your (chubby) foot down and decide it’s time to get back in gear.

You eat a salad for dinner (with the dressing on the side), enjoy some Smart Pop Kettle Korn for a late-night study snack and set your alarm for a pre-class workout. “You’re gonna get up this time,” you tell yourself before you crawl into bed.

You shoot out of bed when Pitbull starts “singing” in your ear at 7am. You slip into the workout clothes you laid out the night before, brush your teeth and run out of the house before your brain has a chance to realize what is going on and lures you back to your warm, cozy bed. You’re still slightly out of it when you get to the gym, but 10 minutes into your elliptical session you’re awake, alert and ready for a serious workout.

You start with 30 minutes on the elliptical, rotating incline and resistance. You work up a pretty good sweat but decide to switch to the Stairmaster for a little more gluteal attention. Twenty minutes later you move to the weight room. You don’t want those big, beefy guys to think you’re some prissy little girl so you pick up some weights and start working.  3 sets of 15 reps of triceps, biceps, chest presses and lunges later, you’re soaked in sweat and feeling great.

Those workout endorphins have kicked in and you’re walking around, Britney Spears blasting into your earbuds, wondering why you aren’t doing this more often. You’re energized and productive for the rest of the day – going to class, doing your laundry, getting ahead on that reading for Wednesday. You even pass on the leftover mac and cheese your roommate made for dinner. You’re back on track and nothing is going to stop you.

That is until you wake up in the morning to do it all again. When Cosmic Starship starts blaring from your alarm clock at 7am you attempt to jump out of bed, but an intense soreness in your belly stops you. You roll onto your side and attempt to push yourself out of bed but your arms are burning. Then you lift your legs and, sure enough, those are crying too.

Five minutes and a few groans later, you are finally out of bed. “You’ll feel better once you get moving,” you tell yourself. But as you limp to the bathroom you realize that might not be the case. You spot a roommate in the hall and start groaning about your pain.

“This is why I don’t work out,” she jokes. You laugh and it sends shooting pains through your core.

Bending over the sink to wash your face makes your back ache and lifting your arms to brush your hair is out of the question. It takes you a full minute to lower yourself onto the toilet and forget about trying to do a little #2 – it hurts too much to try.

You curse yourself for getting so out of shape, then curse those thick-necked boys in the gym for “making” you lift heavier waits. Then you cough and your eyes fill with tears as every muscle in your body screams.

With a few hours left until class, you decide to skip the gym and crawl back into bed. You’ll take the day off and get back into it tomorrow. Only the pain doesn’t subside for days and instead of working out, you order cheese fries and lay on the couch catching up on some TV marathons. Dramas, of course; the comedies hurt too much to watch.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. And like your roommate, this is why we just stopped working out.

10/12/2009

Weight at the opening bell: 218.5 (Goal 190)

Fluff and Fold drop off: 30 lbs even

Ihop: Classic Skillet, no meat.  Overhead music consisted of Neko Case and Jason Mraz. 

Starbucks: They made no suggestion so I had what I wanted which was a tall, non-fat white chocolate mocha with one pump of peppermint.

Business: Made SIMPLE IRA contributions and worked on  a Suspense Report review for the bookkeeper.

Entertainment: YouTube, “mynameismeghan” (a few of her old songs in her garage) and video of a Mother dancing joyously with her child to a Neil Diamond song.  Replaying the Mother-Daughter dance in my head makes me smile every time. 

Lunch: Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup. 

News: High School Senior Daughter was voted into the top 10 for homecoming queen this Friday.  25 girls were originally slated.  I feel so badly for the 24 that have such high young hopes that will be dashed.  Including, probably, my lovely daughter. 

Evening Workout: Stairmaster, 1 hour.  Heartrate: 140’s. Playing in the ears was:  This American Life Podcast, episode: “Fine Print”.  So many of THIS AMERICAN LIFE’S shows are DEPRESSING!  I can’t take that show in large doses. 

Evening: Watched a few episodes of the HBO series “6 Feet Under”.  I am on episode 6 of season 2.   Poor dumb Nate! 

One-A-Day photo:  (A project of mine where I snap and upload one photo a day to my flickr/facebook regardless of quality)  (An experiment)

THE END

I ran my 5K!  It was turtle-ass speed (ummm…51 minutes), but it is done.  I feel very proud and it was a very emotional day.  I spent the rest of the day sipping on champagne, sleeping, eating and vegging out.  Very nice, indeed.

But here it is…another day like any other day.  But all this excitement begs the question:  what’s next?  I am still mulling over all the details, but here is the general plan:

1. Medifast needs to be my new best friend – things are fine in terms of maintaing the weight loss, but I could’ve lost more had I followed the plan.  But since I am not looking at running anything again for a while, I now need to focus on weight loss and consuming fewer calories…again.
2. A faster 5K – yeah…I want to do C25K again, but run it faster.  Me thinks a 5.5 speed on the treadmill.  I plan on starting Week 1, Day 1 on Wednesday.
3. Variety in my cardio workouts – we are talking classes, swimming, stairmaster, and elliptical.  I got really bored toward the end of the C25K run, so I am ready to change it up a bit.  I LOVE the pool (my roots are in swimming) and I LOVE classes, so I am amped for the change up.  My muscles will love me too.
4. The dreaded strength training - I hate lifting weights, but I am determined to do at least 3 strength workouts per week.  I mean, it is a necessary evil.  Blech.

So here it begins…the new/same challenge all over again…

I have this theory that anything that’s good for the planet is good for your health as well.  You’ve heard it all before:  ditching the car, eating organic greens, and drinking tap water are all great ways to maintain your well-being.  But did you know that adding a little green to your workout routine can actually bump it its effectiveness and your subsequent sexiness?  Read on, my friend…

Treadmill vs. Trail: Treadmills use a lottt of energy – about 6 hours of lights on a Christmas tree-worth in only 30 minutes (obscure analogy, I know).  Running outside, however, requires no additional energy except for that needed to manufacture your workout clothes.  I don’t expect you to run outside just for the environment’s sake, but what if I told you that running outside can up your calorie burn and save your joints from strain and impact?  Not only are trails more likely to have inclines that torch calories like a wildfire, they also have a bumpier terrain which causes your muscles to make tiny corrective movements. All in all, this can increase your calorie burn by up to 10%!  Run on sand, and burn 1.6 times more calories!  Plus, dirt trails, wet and dry sand, and even asphalt (never run on the concrete sidewalk!) are softer than the surface of treadmills and will better protect your knees and ankles from impact and future joint pain.  Trust me, running in nature sure beats trotting alongside that 50 year old man sweating like a pig in his 1976 gym shorts.

StairMaster vs. Real Stairs: Like treadmills, StairMasters use a lot of energy to simulate the effect of…stairs.  I don’t know where you live, but where I’m from, stairs are not exactly a rare site.   Spare yourself the pricey gym membership and the unbecoming fluorescent lighting and hit your nearest sport stadium.  Depending on your weight, running stairs for 30 minutes can burn around 500 calories while 30 minutes of the StairMaster burns a measly 300 (hey, that’s an extra scoop of ice cream right there!).  You can also use the stairs as a forum for strength exercises, like this one from Women’s Health.  Plus, there’s always the added benefit of “accidentally” running the stairs at the exact same time as the football team…

Free Weights vs. Resistance Bands: Of course, both free weights and resistance bands take energy to manufacture and distribute.  However, think about the difference between buying an entire set of dumbbells and buying one or two resistance bands.  Not only is it better for the environment, but it is also a lot cheaper for us poor college students.  Unlike free weights, resistance bands challenge your muscles on both the flex and the release, increasing your muscle stability and strengthening tiny muscles that you didn’t even know existed.  You can use them in various exercises and you can control how hard the exercise is based on your form and the positioning of the band.

If you find that your band is too easy for you, just run on over to your local sporting goods store and buy one with higher resistance for about 15 bucks.  Plus, they’re super portable so that you can take them with you on that binge drink-a-thon spring break you have planned.  Don’t know how to get started?  Head to Fitness Magazine’s website and check out their plethora of resistance band workouts.

Of course there are so many other green exercises you can do!  Using your body as resistance instead of using weight machines, biking or walking to class instead of driving, and taking fitness classes instead of using the machines are all great examples.  Let me know what you do to keep the planet cool and your body hot!