Lean & Sexy

My friend sent me this workout.  The article is really interesting (but super long).  It talks about how women try to use light weight with a lot of reps when lifting weights. It states that actually we should be lifting between 6 and 12 reps with a substantial amount of weight.  I did Monday's workout.  I am going to keep going.  Weights are sooo much easier to do on lunch than cardio.

The Female Training Bible: Everything You Need To Get The Sexy Body You Desire!

1 Mile Running Pledge

My friend Christina turned me onto this running pledge over the holiday season.  Run 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I am definitely going to try to do this.  I am going to start (well, start counting my miles) on Thursday.  Below is the article that she sent me that totally got me pumped.

1 Mile Running Pledge

20 Minute HIIT Workout

Goal for today:

20 MINUTE HIIT WORKOUT

Minutes        Speed     Incline
0-2                      6              1

2-6                     10             2  
(30s on: 30s off)

6-8                       6              1

8-12                    10            3
(30s on: 30s off)

12-14                   6              1  

14-18                  10             2  
(30s on: 30s off)

18-20                   6             1  

Mindless Snacking

It is only 11:40am.  I have been really watching what I have been snacking on throughout the day.  I have the Honey Wheat Pretzels from Aldi.  There are 7 Pretzels in 1 Serving.  That means there are 15.7 calories per pretzel.... I don't really think it is worth it.  

Here is what I have found out this morning....

1.  I have no self control.
2.  I have eaten 24 Pretzels already.
3.  If I wasn't focused on not snacking, I would have eaten 50 pretzels.
4. 24 Pretzels = 377 Calories (EMPTY).
5.  50 Pretzels = 785.7 Calories.

Yikes!!!!

Deep Dish Pizza

Even though I made deep dish pizza last night. It is so much healthier than if I were to order delivery. Here are some pics:













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Owen's 1st Smash Cake

I made a 5" Round Double Layer Cake with buttercream frosting for my friend'a son's 1st birthday. My house was so hot that I had to pipe in the fridge. I also used ziplock bags because I ran out of piping bags.













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Doughnuts

My first attempts at making doughnuts!



























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Breads 101

Below are some of the breads I have been making the last couple of weeks. It is comforting to know what my food is made out of!

Challah
















Soft Rye Bread










Bagels



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Heavy Medal!

Today I got my Heavy Medal for completing 2 Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathons in one year. I have the itch to do a 3rd.




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Baking up a storm!

Tonight we made a ton of different desserts!













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Almost a Year!

Tomorrow will be a year since I started this blog.  It started out as a blog to motivate me to lose weight, but it turned out to be motivating in my life overall.  After reading through some of the initial posts, I am taken back at home unhappy I was.  Not only with my weight, but with my life in general.  I am proud of what I have accomplished in the past year.  Here is a top 10 list in no particular order of last year.

1.   I lost over 11 lbs (keeping it off).  

2.  I have strengthened my relationships with my family, friends, and boyfriend.  

3.  I learned how to swim!  

4.  I actually stuck to my goal of blogging for 6 months.

5.  I finally found my career path.

6.  I am taking classes for it :)

7.  I bought a new car (by myself).

8.  I am less stressed.

9.  I look healthier.

10. I am happy.

Swimming Techniques....

To Swim Properly!

Food for Though!

Scones

One of my first products made in my baking class!
Chocolate Chip Scones





















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Backyard BBQs

Wowza - Wish I would have had these fun facts for last weekend.

Source: Women's Health

Making Time for the Gym Even with a Busy Schedule

Time management is the most important aspect for busy schedules.  I was listening to this Jillian Michaels Podcast recently about setting goals.  She suggested that I put my goal up in many different places.  My long term goal is to lose 28 lbs by 2014.  I have a sheet of paper taped up in my refrigerator and on my calendar at work.  She also suggested that I create a calendar.  I have to physically write down my goals.  It helps me more.  

I have been separating my calendar out into weeks.  Taking small steps is a lot easier than trying for the end goal.  You have to learn how to walk before you can run.  Below you can see my calendar.  I have notations on it so that my coworkers don't know what I am doing or judge me (they are very judgey!).  

The little circle with a upside down T is my version of a martini glass.  That means that I drank on those days. I write down my workouts and my rest days.  LWO is short for Lunchtime WorkOut.  This helps me visualize my progress and to see how much I have done each day.  It is a great snapshot of my accomplishments.  

This also helps me to manage my time more efficiently.  My appointments, trips, class schedule and to-do's are up there.  I know that I have to prepare my workout bags ahead of time and prepare my lunches ahead of time. So far since I have been using this method, I have lost 3 lbs!  I think that is more than I lost in an entire month last year!  My new goal now is 25 lbs!!!

Avocado and Tomato Salad

I found this recipe on Set Your Fat On Fire. It sounds delicious!

Avocado and Tomato Salad

4 cups avocados, diced medium
2 cups grape tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups cucumbers, peeled and diced medium
1 cup red onion, diced small
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
fresh black pepper
Lettuce (if you want)
Toss all ingredients in a bowl and top on a bed of lettuce (if desired)
Makes 8 servings
Calories 201.9 Total Fat 17.9 g Sodium 10.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 11.6 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 1.8 g

Swimming

Yes, I know this may shock you, but I have not learned how to swim in the 30 years that I have been alive.  Ok... I will reword this - I have not learned how to properly swim in my 30 years.  This past weekend, I went to my parent's lake house for a mini vacation with my boyfriend.  It was an amazing weekend, but my favorite part was that he taught me the techniques of free style swimming!  

Since Sunday, I have been hooked.  I have actually gotten up early to go swim at the gym before work.  I will keep you posted on my progress, but so far so good.  I hope that this will really whip me into shape in the next 45 days.  I have exactly 45 days before my brother's wedding. 

Diet Or Exercise?

I read this article this morning about what is more important - Diet or Exercise.   My immediate reaction was Exercise.  Read it for yourself, but I guess I am going to have to rethink my diet.

Diet or Exercise?

Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon

Today was my last race of the season, the Chicago Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon. The day started out at 4:30 am. I regret not eating a full banana before I left this morning. My boyfriend and I got downtown via our train system at 6 am. The race was not as strict as the other races I have done in the past. I liked that! There were no ropes for the corrals or people telling you you couldn't stand there or walk here. It was refreshing.




I started in corral 18. Immediately I ran into a friend, Colleen. The running community is such a small world. I decided to run with her and her friend Josh. They had about a 10 minute pace. We ran to each mile marker and then walked for 1 minute.


The beginning of the race was challenging. Chicago had a heat wave last week and the heat was still in the air.




I found myself trying to keep up with Colleen and Josh most of the first 1/2. At mile 8, I told them to go ahead of me. I walked for about 10 minutes dehydrated with my hands swelling.




I finally got the energy (thanks shot blocks) to start running again. I ended up catching back up to my friends. It was great. We were all motivating (kudos to Colleen) to keep each other going.


I finished with no injuries and in a decent time considering my lack of training and the heat. For now I am going to limit myself to running the 1/2 in Nashville every year and not running in Chicago in the middle of July!



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30 minute lunchtime workout

30 minute lunchtime workout



3 Sets of 12 Reps
Seated Row - 40 lbs
Lat / High Row - 40 lbs
Chest Press - 30 lbs
Shoulder Press - 15 lbs
Bench Press - 15 lbs

10 minutes of Abs!!!!



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