Last night I completed the following workout, which was much more challenging than it first appears. With focusing on one muscle group at a time, it tires the muscles so you really feel it by the time it’s done.
In order to complete the workout, complete each exercise for 60 seconds before moving on to the next. Once you have gone through all the exercises, repeat each exercise for 45 seconds. Continue going through the exercises for 30 seconds and finally 15 seconds.
I started my workout with a 10 minute warmup and finished with 5 minutes of stretching. It was a fun one that made the time go by fast!
Hello, hello! How was your weekend? Ours was a productive one that began Saturday morning! It was nice to clean out our closets, donate clothes/shoes/etc., revamp our entryway, and even do some food prep!
Saturday
Freshening up our entryway has been on my list of things to do for quite some time, but we had been putting it off. This all changed Saturday morning! I went out for a 5-mile run and when I came back, I saw paint out and everything moved out of the entryway.
We originally had this shoe rack from Ikea along with a rug, so it was nothing fancy in the front and it didn’t really match the rest of our house. We’ve done a lot of updates in the house [briefly mentioned here and here].
A fresh coat of paint, new rug, bench, and a couple of baskets later…it looks brand new! And I finally got rid of that ugly curtain! It’s not completely finished, but it’s pretty close. I have a gallery wall envisioned for above the bench, but haven’t gone out venturing for anything specific yet. Maybe something like this or this?
Not too shabby for a Saturday!
Sunday
As for Sunday, it was all about the food prep! We ran a few errands, took Mya for a “spa day” (aka, a bath at Petsmart), and tackled the kitchen. Here is a look at some of the prep!
Chicken fajita chili [recipe] - I didn’t end up making it last week!
The cold is moving out of Tennessee, and I am definitely glad. Give me sunny, 70 degree weather days all year round and I will be a happy camper! Today’s my day off from having to work last weekend, and I don’t really know what the day will entail just yet! What I can tell you, is that we’re going to peak into yesterday’s meals!
Breakfast
Two pieces of gluten-free cinnamon raisin toast topped with almond butter, banana slices and cinnamon
Snack
Siggi’s mixed berries & acai skyr yogurt topped with Love Grown Foods cocoa goodness granola (delicious combo!)
Lunch
Eggs with spinach and kale, tomato slices, and a mix of honeydew and pineapple
Snack
Smoothie bowl made with a frozen banana, Vega Vanilla protein powder, almond butter, and coconut milk
Dinner
Grilled chicken tacos with lettuce, sautéed peppers and onions, and roasted sweet potatoes on the side
Snack
2 rice cakes + peanut butter, banana, and dark chocolate chips (I attempted a picture, but I really need to work on my nighttime photography!) I also ended up snacking on a bowl of Love Grown Foods chocolate Power O’s.
The rest of our night included catching up on our TV shows (New Girl and Longmire) while I wrote up this post. And now, it’s time to head off to bed! Hope you have a fabulous Wednesday, friends!
Hello, friends! How was your Monday? It was a busy one around these corners.
As I shared with you yesterday, it was my first day back at the gym in quite some time. I was swamped at work and by the end of the day, my head needed a major break. After being out of the routine for awhile, I went back and forth between wanting to go home for a nap or go sweat it out. Ultimately, I decided excuses weren’t worth it and headed to the gym and it was a decision I am definitely happy I made!
I began with a 10 minute warmup on the elliptical followed by the above workout. The workout consists of doing 3 minutes of cardio (any of your choice, but what I did is listed above), followed by 2 minutes of strength. Complete the cardio then the first round of strength exercises, followed by 3 minutes of cardio and the next set of strength exercises. Continue through all rounds. I finished off with a couple ab exercises before calling it a day.
It was a fun way to incorporate cardio and strength while providing a full body workout!
Happy Monday! How was your weekend? It was a balmy single-digit weekend here in Nashville. It actually snowed on Friday, which made the city look beautiful.
There’s something so peaceful with the snow-covered ground! The rest of my weekend included working, a birthday party, relaxing and watching the football playoffs.
I didn’t have a chance to food prep, but it is definitely on my list of things to do on my day off! Instead, I thought I’d share a peak into what is on the menu in our household!
Monday: Sweet potato nachos [recipe] Tuesday: Fish tacos Wednesday: Crockpot chicken fajita chili [recipe] Thursday: Salmon cakes [recipe] with roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries Friday: Leftovers (probably chili)
I actually haven’t worked out since last Tuesday, so I’m looking forward to hitting the gym after work today! The majority of October thru December I took time off from working out for both a physical and mental break . I ran occasionally, but definitely stayed away from the gym. Now, I’m ready to get back to a routine!
Hello, friends! I’m quite pleased to see Wednesday rolling around, as that means we are inching closer to the weekend! I’m actually working both Saturday and Sunday, but it’s definitely a different type of vibe on the weekends. And a major bonus is loving what you do, of course!
As I have gotten out of the blogging routine, I have also not been taking photos of my food as regularly. With that being said, I’d still like to share a day of meals with you at least once a week with “What I Ate Wednesday”. I love seeing photos of others’ eats to get ideas for new combinations, snacks, and meals, so I figured I should share what I love, too!
Without further ado, here’s a look at what I ate on the first Monday of the new year!
Breakfast
Bowl of Love Grown Super Oats, mixed with a scoop of protein powder and topped with a diced apple and spoonful of NuttZo crunchy Powerfuel
A bowl of roasted vegetables (brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips on a bed of kale and topped off with two dippy eggs (I love to use yolk as the “dressing” to salads!)
Hello and happy Tuesday! Since taking a break from social media and blogging at the end of the year last year, I wanted to share some photos from our Christmas celebrations.
Honestly, this was one of the best Christmases Matt and I have had yet. We managed to celebrate Christmas the entire month of December, and I would not change a thing!
It all began the first weekend in December, with Matt’s work Christmas party. The following weekend, my sister-in-law, her husband and their daughter flew in from Seattle. We were incredibly lucky that they were able to stay with us Friday and Saturday night and get a little extra time with them during the weekend. We had Matt’s parents, younger sister and son over for dinner that night as well, which was a lot of fun! I made Crock-Pot black & white chili with a side salad, and it was a hit!
On Saturday we traveled up to Kentucky to partake in a Christmas gift card exchange with Matt’s cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone brought a dish to share, and we ended up spending most of our day up there.
The following weekend, we celebrated our “Thanksmas” with Matt’s family. Thanksmas is such a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner, exchanging Christmas gifts, and decorating cookies! We spent the entire weekend at Matt’s parents’ house so we could take advantage of all the niece and nephew time that we could.
Next up was our trip to Florida, where we spent Christmas with my family. My brother-in-law wasn’t able to make our annual beach trip over the summer, so it was the first time we have all been able to get together in a year and a half!
Seeing the joy of Christmas through my niece’s eyes was truly something special.
We certainly were spoiled this Christmas. As one of my favorite songs says, “The only gift I’ll ever need is the joy of family. Oh why? ‘Cause that’s Christmas to me”.
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a very joyful holiday season!
Happy New Year, my friends! Today is day 2 of our new chapter, and I have to say, I am looking forward to it.
I love starting with a fresh slate. If you know me, then you know that I am constantly setting new goals for myself. I’m a very task-oriented, goal-setting focused person. It’s just how my mind works! But, there’s just something so refreshing about January 1st!
Here are 17 of my goals for 2017 (in no particular order)!
Be in the moment
Explore & travel more
Create moments I can’t put into words
Take more chances (sorry mom!)
Serve others more
Know I’m enough - and doubt less (in all aspects of life)
Be so happy that when others look at me, they become happy
Show more gratitude
Spend more time with family (that’s spread around the country)
Try new things (including ones that scare me)
Take time for self-care
De-clutter (including those pesky emails)
Make time for things that make me happy (including fitness & blogging)
I am coming to you fresh off a weekend of work, but am ready to power through the week to get to Friday! I’m working a 7-day stretch and my reward is a 3-day weekend, so I say it’s totally worth it! :)
Since I worked the weekend, I don’t have much to share with you…just this snapshot from Matt’s Christmas work party! After I finished up work on Saturday, I quickly changed and got ready for the party. It was located in a local barn, decorated with lights and garland, Christmas music filled the air, and complete with a fun holiday photo booth! I’m a sucker for photo booths and even included one as part of our wedding reception!
How was your Monday? Did anyone take advantage of the Cyber Monday deals? I actually did not buy anything yesterday, but I did a fair share of Christmas gift purchases online on Black Friday. Black Friday shopping in the stores has never been a tradition for me, but I do love some online shopping!
Anyways, we’re on day two of a new routine over here. Matt started a new job yesterday, so our mornings have shifted about 30 minutes earlier in order for him to get on the road for a bit longer of a commute. Fortunately it’s only 30 minutes, but there is quite the difference in the morning darkness!
I’ve got my eye on all Saucony’s reflex collection, which has reflective features on clothes (like this jacket and these tights) and shoes (I love the Zealot)!
Speaking of running, did you guys know that The Weather Channel app lets you know if it’s a good day to run? Well, it’s a great day for a run this morning, and I certainly will be taking advantage!
Yesterday I had every intention of working out before work, but things didn’t quite go as planned. As I was doing bicep curls with some dumbbells at home, Mya sat in front of me and watched me. She then proceeded to try to take my dumbbells like it was one of her bones.
Once, I got on the ground to do some pushups, she decided she wanted to crawl underneath me, roll over, and have me pet her. It was quite comical! So this morning, we are going for a run and I am looking forward to it! Hope you have a great Tuesday!