The Importance of a Rest Day

Thursday continued my obsession with the classes at my gym. I did "Ultimate Circuit" which is my favorite so far. There were only 3 people in the class so we were each able to receive the instructors attention. He really pushed us, corrected out form and encouraged us each individually. I was breathing heavier than I have in a LONG time. The only issue with this class is that it did have quite a bit of running in it. We were sprinting across the gym, up and down the stairs, etc. I know that I really shouldn't go back until I talk to my ortho about the situation but I reallllllly want to. There is another class that day, "Ultimate Conditioning" that I may try out instead. I feel like the name implies running though.

That night my good friend Ryan came over for dinner. Per our usual routine, we feasted...

Baked Chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and eggplant....and the yummy vino:-)

Simple apple crisp with a scoop (or two) of Fro Yo.

Friday I repeated my Monday class, Chiseled Physique. I swear, I have done more squats in the past 2 weeks than in my entire life.

I realized that I would not be having my daughter on Saturday morning, which never happens, and had every intention of taking advantage of it. The weather was supposed to be awesome this weekend. I did, however, have to be ready to leave my house at 8 AM for an obligation. No big deal, right? I'd get up at 5:30 and have plenty of bike riding time. As Friday drug on I got continually sore....by the time I went to bed Friday, I had decided that the bike ride may not be the best idea. I'd just see what time I woke up, how I was feeling and I'd base it off that.

I woke up at 6:45ish, knowing I'd missed my opportunity. Instead, I took a brisk 25 minutes walk to shake those stiff legs out. I am really glad that I did this. I think that it is REALLY hard to allow myself to rest. Even though I KNOW my body needs rest to recover properly, I beat myself up for NOT pushing it to the limit.

After my Saturday obligation I came home to find a certain handsome boy waiting for me. He was also kid-free. (Seriously, this is our first time without kids in 6 or 7 months) So we made it a date night:-)

We started out with Ray's Hell Burger. (Known for Obama's frequent visits and the fact they serve bone marrow). It was a pretty damn awesome turkey burger. Sweet potato fries hardly got touched.

Then we walked the streets of Arlington, popping into a few different bars.....The few miles I got into walking that day made me feel a tad bit better for my over-indulgence on these.....:-)

Blue Moon. Totally healthier because it has fruit in it.

Sunday morning I woke up and it was Farmer's Market time. I told the boy I was going to meet him there. Wanted to get another walk in. I walked up to the bank, then to the market, and I really enjoyed it. Walking is kind of providing me an mental outlet these days. Then we started shopping and errands....allllll day. I had intended to get a bike ride in.... By the time we got back to the house it was 5:00 PM and I felt every ounce of motivation leaving my body. I decided to, once again, just walk it out. As I power walked  I started to get those endorphins pumping......I walked the 2 miles to my mother's house and jumped on her bike. Awesome 13 mile bike ride! I could really feel the difference by skipping the intense workout on Saturday (and you don't have to do nothing, I like to actively rest. Between my morning walk and bar hopping I probably got close to 5 miles in that day.)

Today I had Chiseled Physique again. I wanted to get a nice walk and/or bike ride in but grocery shopping and Kaitlyn's swim class took precedent. Hopefully tomorrow!

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Benefits of Group Fitness Clasess and Beets!

This week I decided to go a different route, group fitness classes, and I am hooked!! It is so great for a number of reasons:

1. Switching it up! Everybody knows by know that the best results come from doing a wide array of exercises, yet I continually find myself in a rut. Especially the "more cardio the better" rut and I know that's not always the case. This gives me a different routine practically everyday!
2. Cardio WHILE weight training. It is fabulous! Take a class that does low weights, high reps, whole body conditioning for the entire time. You will breathe heavy and you will be sore.
3. Teachers/Peers always make me want to push myself harder. Sometimes I finish a workout knowing that I could have done more. Not the case in classes. I want to look strong and confident and experienced, show everybody what I can do.
4. Set times/schedules. Committing to a class makes it harder (at least for me) to get lazy. If I don't do yoga today, I'll have to wait an entire week to do it again.

The classes I have taken this week have been:
Monday: Chiseled Physique: Low weights, high reps, all over body toning with cardio. It was awesome and I cannot wait to do this one again.
Tuesday: Yoga: I was nervous about taking a group yoga class. Although I've practiced for a while, I'm not the best. It didn't matter. The teacher loved what she did and was knowledgeable and I will definitely be taking this class again.
Wednesday: Peaks and Valleys Spin Class: As  it sounds, interval spin class. I was drenched in sweat at the end.

What will tomorrow bring!! (I don't know but I do know it's chiseled physique again on Friday)

On top of these workouts, I've decided that Kaitlyn and I need a more active lifestyle overall. So Monday, we walked it out. When I got home from work we walked up to the library to exchange her books then we walked to her swim class then we walked home. Only 1.25 miles in total but it felt totally good to do it.

Tuesday night after I got home from work I had a bike ride on the brain. She was begging to come. I'm not going to lie, as guilty as I felt, I was hesitant to bring her. I wanted to get a sweat on. I live in a hilly area and was concerned she wouldn't last very long. In the end, I told myself that I was ridiculous. Spending time with my daughter, encouraging her to be active, it was more important. So we rode......neighborhoods for a while then around a track. It was a great afternoon.

Today we only  walked to her swim class and back,......but I'm excited to keep this up!

PS - She showed me how the hills are done! No exaggeration. Up them in flip flops in 2 seconds. Biking yesterday, on a hill I was very close to wiping out on, she said "I'll show you mommy!" and came down it confident and speedy.....:-)

I have a food confession to make. I'm currently having an affair with beets. Normally, this wouldn't be too bad. They are awesome for you http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49...

Roasted with a touch of sea salt...

Roasted and shredded, mixed with nonfat, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, pepper, cilantro and garlic.

(The meat in those dinners are Turkey Polish Kielbasa. One of Kaitlyn's FAVORITES. BTW, She is also a beet lover, plus brown rice in one and quinoa in the other)

4 out of 6 meals in the last 48 hours have had beets in them. It must stop. I am quite the messy person. I have gotten beet juice on everything! Today, my lunch leaked in my gym bag and my shirt looked pink Tye dye. It wouldn't be so bad, but they don't have the best smell. and my pee is the color of them. no joke. (TMI? maybe.)

My last note....Does anybody own "The Stick". Holy crap it's my best friend. My left calf and right glute has been extremely tight these last couple days. I roll this bad boy down it. oooooohhh man. It hurts, but that kind of hurt where you just can't stop. It's like an extremely intense massage. I've never done foam rolling but I think it's the same concept. Best $20 I ever spent.

Summer BBQs and Light Workouts

Thursday brought one of my best workouts in a while! I started off with 20 minutes on the row machine. Then I did 2 sets of 30 speed squats and 15 upward rows with a 15 lb free weight. Then I jumped on the elliptical and cranked it for 20 mins, repeated the 2 sets of squats and rows, jumped back on for 20 more minutes on the elliptical and did one more set of squats, just to torture myself.....I crawled out of work that day! So amazing.

Starving from my workout, I was glad that Thursday night my family took my little brother out for his 16th birthday. (Can I mention how old this makes me feel!!). We went to his favorite restaurant, Mandarin Court. Usually, the food is amazing. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out all to well this night. So the only thing picture worthy was my vegetarian sushi. Cucumber, carrot and avocado. Drizzled in soy sauce. Delish.

Friday afternoon baby girl and I packed up and headed up to SoMD to spend some time with the boys:-) Saturday was a relaxing day. My body was SO sore from my crazy workout on Thursday that I decided to take it easy. I did 60 minutes of Jillian Michael's Power Yoga. I felt better as soon as I was done. All stretched out.

Then the BBQ started! I prepped and the boy cooked. We make a damn good team if I do say so myself. We marinated that pork tenderloin for 6 hours, seasoned the sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of brown sugar, cumin and cayenne pepper and tossed the squash in seasoning salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Everything was SO good. (Especially topped with Cholula!)

For dessert, I tried my hand at a Boston Cream Pie. Pretty tasty! (PS - Has anybody ever made one of these?? 5 egg yolks and 5 whole eggs. Holy cholesterol. I had no idea. Luckily, for my wheat-free yet-I-splurge-for sweets-self, there was only a 1/2 cup of flour.)

Making breakfast for my family is one of the things I love to do most. This baby was an oatmeal pancake (No flour, just egg whites, oatmeal, baking powder and cinnamon. Especially great if you had 1/2 a mashed banana) topped with Greek yogurt and some amazing nectarines and strawberries I picked up from the farmer's market on Sunday.

Unfortunately, my family won't eat that. lol. So I made them scrambled eggs, sausage and croissants. Baby steps. lol.

After heading back to VA and doing my normal errands, cleaning (Being an adult is the breaks sometimes...) I headed out for a bike ride. I got sprinkled on for a few miles and that really gave me a kick. (Cannot wait to start running again! Running in the rain is incredibly exhilarating. I feel like the "Rocky" theme song is playing while I am...) I knocked out 11 miles and came back to this...

I liked the sweet potatoes from Saturday night so much I did them again. I also made a cucumber and tomato salad...Chop and mix with chopped red onion, basil and black beans...tossed in red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil....so good. Especially with those slices of avocado on the side. My mom made the yummy chicken and pepper kabob in the middle.

I love summer BBQs with loved ones. I wish winter never came.

I should be stretching right now....why is it I ran spend hours running/biking but can't stretch for more than 5 minutes afterwards. Must work on this.

Back, Biceps, and Shameful Actions

Going into the gym this week, I felt like I new person. My boot is off. Yes, I can't run, but it's still opened up way more options than I had! Feeling particularly feisty I decided to try something COMPLETELY new....dun dun dun.....

The row machine! This one is a Concept 2, the same one I used. I did it for 20 minutes...and it was not easy. I was definitely breathing heavily (I should wear my HR monitor next time) and working up that coveted sweat.  My upper back and biceps are SO tight! I've been trying to get some results in those areas with free weights, so I am particularly excited about this and will be on it again towards the end of the week. My only complaint is that I thought my legs may get more of a workout.

For this reason,today I hopped on my reliable buddy when recovering from injury. The elliptical. I cranked up the resistance and went to town. I always follow some pattern on the elliptical. Today I started on resistance level 6 and moved up a level every 60 seconds until I got to level 16. Every 3 minutes I go backwards for 2 minutes...after I finished this I did 4 sets of 30 speed squats, and 3 sets of 15 shoulder presses and triceps (free weights). Let's let the soreness set in!:-)

Recently, I believe that my eating habits have strayed. Being the former fatty that I am, I LOVE sweets. Seriously. I am all indulging but this weekend I went hard. It's also been brought to my attention that I may need more "good fats", omega-3's specifically, in my diet. For this reason, I downloaded the myfitnesspal app. Let me first start by saying that I am NOT an avid calorie counter. It is tedious, hard to do when you don't buy many packaged items and I have an obsessive personality and tend to get carried away. Also, I do not advocate calorie counting for those who do not have a healthy lifestyle. (I seriously used to have one of those convenient store bags of Lays Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips for breakfast at about 10 AM each morning. I knew nothing about nutrition and thought 400 calories was 400 calories....). I do not think this form of eating is healthy and not all calories are created equal. This being said, I use it to every once and a while to gain a perspective on my eating habits.

What I've been munching on recently.....

This salad was pretty awesome. I wanted to make my own dressing, so I used 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, 2 TBSP red wine vinegar, 1 TBSP spicy brown mustard, 1 TBSP yellow mustard and some pepper. I chopped up a pear and a plum and tossed to coat.(I had enough fruit and dressing to split between two large salads) Threw them on top of my spinach, cucumbers and tomato. Pretty damn good! Will be used again.

Keeping up the tradition of trying new things, this weekend I bought eggplant for the first time!! I cut it up, along with a yellow squash, tossed them in canola oil (more omega-3s) seasoned to taste (hello Ms. Dash Garlic and Herb) and roasted. (They were SO amazing. Had enough for me and Kaitlyn and for a salad topper for my lunch today). Then pan cooked some 2 cloves of fresh, minced garlic, green pepper, red pepper and onion and allowed those black beans to simmer...delicious. After the Cholula was added of course. (PS - That is actually a dollop of my Greek nonfat plain yogurt. Taste JUST like sour cream. I also do that for my meat-and-potatoes boyfriend and he can't tell the difference!)

Blueberries and walnuts in my yogurt. Yum. I think I'm going to try toasting them though.

To end this ridiculously long blog post. Something happened yesterday. Inexplicable. I harassed a runner. It's shameful, I know. I blame it on Runner's World. Now I had no business reading this magazine while enduring runner's withdrawals, but I love to torture myself. They had an article named "Call of the Incline" that got me particularly hyped. (It spoke about the Manitou Incline in CO. SERIOUS BUSINESS! and now on my fitness bucket list). So when I was driving last night and passed a young man charging up a hill with such ferocity, I couldn't control myself! I started fist pumping and yelling "Get that fucking hill" before I knew it......tsk tsk. Let's hope he had headphones on.

Biking, Batting, Golfing, Swimming....

This weekend Kaitlyn and I did not make our usual trip to SoMD. The boy was working, so we decided to hang out in good old VA.  But what to do with ourselves...???
Friday night, I decided that I was too lazy to go on the bike ride I had been thinking about, so I some yoga instead. I started out with this DVD set I have of "Yoga for beginners". Although it is very relaxing, it's not what I was looking for. I switched to the P90X Yoga for a challenge. I was excited to conquer the intense, 90 minute DVD. Unfortunately, I am as cheap as they come and all of my P90X DVDs are burnt....30 minutes into the workout my DVD refused to play any longer....*sigh*. I turned to YouTube and found the video "Power Yoga with Bryan Jones". It was quite vigorous for somebody like me who is not spectacular with yoga. He moved very quickly! I tried my best to keep up! I think I may have to try that one again soon.
At the end of the night my foot was aching due to all the runner's poses (is that grammatically correct?) and balancing on one foot. I propped it up and turned on House. (Hugh Laurie is just fabulous!) However, Kaitlyn has just joined the summer reading program at the library and wanted to read to me. Put me right to bed:-)

Saturday morning we decided to try out a new Farmer's Market. None of them compare to the one in SoMD, but we got the basics....I think I need a bigger fruit bowl.....

Then we did a little of this.....

Followed by a little of this....

We went to my moms in the afternoon so I could get a bike ride in. I went for 11 miles. (My hamstrings are more sore than I have been in a LONG time.) My mom made me a delicious salad to have post-ride. Followed by this peach coffee cake with a scoop of fro-yo.

Kaitlyn and I ended the night with a visit to the red box. "This Means War" kind of sucks...

Sunday, I thought we'd get out a do something new. It was really hot (yet again) so we went relatively early. We went to a batting cage. First time for both of us!

and we went golfing. Guess who got a hole-in-one?

All of this made us hungry. Good thing we packed a snack.

Then baby girl wanted some soft serve....Seeing as though we were drenched in sweat at this point, I agreed. Heath bar is my absolute FAVORITE topping.

Speaking of food. These are my two favorite finds of the week. The dried mangoes were amazing, and how can you go wrong with sweet potato chips.

I think we'll take a break from the extreme heat and just stay inside tonight.

Doctor's Appointment = No running for 90 more days

I cannot stress enough how much I LOVE salsa and hot sauce. Every thing spicy is the way to go. I literally have been known to just use salsa and/or hot sauce for my salad dressing. So I was thrilled when my boyfriend's sister made me up a batch of her salsa. It was chunky and spicy and fresh....everything I wanted it to be! I even gave up my beloved oatmeal for breakfast the couple days I had it.......Below is a quarter of a green pepper, red pepper and onion scrambled with a couple of egg whites, smothered in above mentioned salsa and Cholula. A-freaking-mazing.....

Tuesday was supposed to be the day. I had my follow-up with the orthopedic specialist scheduled for 2:00 PM and I was anxious the entire day. I had good and bad thoughts running through my head. Would he tell me it was still broken? That the displacement was too much for the natural healing process to correct and they'd have to go in and re-set it? Or had I been well behaved and was running in my near future?

None of that happened. I showed up to the doctor's office. Ready for results and got turned away!! The doctor had decided to go on vacation for the 4th of July. Now don't get me wrong. This is TOTALLY understandable....but your office couldn't let me know?? (I have to say....a little bit of the DC mannerisms I've picked up along the way started to show.... As I started taking my hoops out and mean mugging the nurse.........juuuuust kidding!) I rescheduled for Thursday.

The appointment was very quick. I was in and out within 20 minutes with both good and bad news. The good news is that the x-ray showed my bone is healing properly, the bad news being that it is not completely healed....still a pretty big crack in that stupid metatarsal. So he said I could bike, and swim, but that was it. NO RUNNING FOR 90 MORE DAYS! *Dagger in my heart*
So I didn't run. It was over 100 degrees and my daughter beggggggs me to go to the pool, so swim we did.

I'm not sure why she is pushing her belly out so far......lol. We swam for 90 minutes and it was pretty fabulous. I've noticed a BIG difference in endurance and strength just the few times I've gone this summer. I cannot lie, she totally helped me out with different positions/moves:-)

Then she went off to see her cousins and swim some more and I borrowed something of my mother's again.....

I rode for 12.7 miles. I realllllly got into it this time. It was 100 degrees though, and my foot is on the mend so I did try to take it slow (only did a few all out, ass in the air sprints). I stopped took a quick break twice to refill my water bottle , too.

After the swimming and biking, I was in need of some serious energy. So I raided my mother's refrigerator while returning her bike. I needed a salad something fierce but I didn't have enough ingredients to make something awesome. Between her and I a masterpiece was created. Baby spinach topped with adzuki beans, black beans, chick peas, red onion, banana peppers, zucchini, squash, cauliflower and a bit of coleslaw (Yay! for Mayo free!). All topped with Chipotle Cholula.

Even though that was a big bowl full of awesome my body was still craving a little something more. So I grabbed a low fat banana vanilla yogurt and topped it with some fresh raspberries. Boy, that did the trick. It was seriously good!

All in all today was a pretty damn good day. I worked up a crazy sweat and feel like I am going to crash annnnnny second now because I am so exhausted. Plus, an extra bonus as if getting to workout wasn't enough, over three hours of physical activity in the sun has left me with an awesome looking tan:-) .........which you can see from the picture of me on the bike these pasty hams need.