Aaaand ... paid

Today I saved myself nearly $200 by prepaying for my gym membership.  Every year around this time the gym sends out coupons to members for $99/year.  Last year I forgot to switch my membership over to this so I wasn't able to take advantage of it.  This year I did though.  I lose some of the benefits I had before (tanning, bring a friend, going to other locations) but I very rarely used them so I really don't care.  So now I'm good to go for the year and won't have to worry about paying again until next Christmas. 

Well that left me a wee bit sore

I mentioned that I received The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout (Kinect) for Christmas.  Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday I'm so messed up with my days this week!) I broke it out for a try.  Ho-ly Cow!  It hurt to walk today!  I only did 20-30 minutes (the fitness test + a quick workout), but the quick workout focused on lower body.  Yeah I am not a fan of squats and lunges so my body/muscles are so not used to those moves.  I do like the game so far.  One thing I really like is that it tells me to lift my legs higher when doing certain moves.  What I do not like is my little image down in the right hand corner.  The tv does put on 10lbs right? 

The year to come

I've been thinking about the year to come and what I would like to accomplish in 2012.  Here is what I've been thinking so far:
- the year of no longer alling in the 'obese' category.  Only approximately 10 lbs to get there.
- try out other forms of exercise - especially classes which I tend to shy from.
- set new PR's for 5k & 10k
- run a half marathon.  I'm thinking the Philadelphia Rock & Roll in September.  I'm waiting to see if my parents give me cash for Christmas as they have in previous years to use that money to register.
- I am going to be starting the year off with a 3 week challenge of clean eating.  Hopefully that challenge is the beginning of a new lifestyle change for my eating habits.

 

Year in Review

Wow.  Who can believe that 2011 is drawing to an end?  This year just flew by!

Looking back at my fitness year, I am very proud of myself.  Sure there have been a few times where I slacked off, but I had many successes. 

Weight - I need to buy a new scale battery (hence no weekly weigh-ins recently), but I'll be starting this new year off 25-30lbs lighter than last year.

Clothes - I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn in years and into current styles.

Strength - I'm getting some pretty gosh darn good leg and arm muscles.  

Running - Last year at the time I was barely able to run a few minutes on the treadmill.  Now I can run over an hour.  I completed 2 5ks and a 10k. Running is something I look forward to. 

Most of all I'm feeling vibrant.  My skin looks the best it has ever looked.  I can keep up with my 2 crazy boys.  Life is good for me.

Meet my newest shoe

Santa brought me new running shoes! 

Saucony ProGrid Ride 4!  Apparently they stopped making the other model I had (progrid ride 3) but the owner of the local running store told Santa that these shoes are just an upgrade so they should work just the same. I'm so excited to head to the gym tomorrow and give them a try.   A few other fun workout gifts are: new running socks, The Biggest Loser workout for kinect, ear buds and capris. 
I hope everyone had a great holiday, whatever it is that you celebrate.  I'm very much looking forward to the new year because I have a feeling it is going to be a good one!

It's back

This darn vicious cold of mine.   I ended up sleeping in this morning hoping it would help, and well it really didn't so I'm dosing up on some medicine since I want this to be gone!  On a brighter note - last night I signed up for a free fitness class in January sponsored by a local moms group.  One of my goals for the new year is to try out some other forms of exercise beyond running and gym machines.  I tend to be intimidated by these type of classes, but I want to stretch myself and put myself outside of my comfort zone. 

Customer Service Rave

Too often you only hear stories of poor customer service so I wanted to do one on good customer service! 

Back in March I bought a REPLAY band from S2h.com.  Basically you get points from working out using this band and cash the points in for various products.  (You can read the full review here).  During the Run the Bridge 10k in November the band stopped registering my movement.  Once I finally remembered to contact the company I found out that I had a defective band and they would be sending me out a replacement without charge.   So now I just need to take the time to get the new module set up to my account and I can start earning my points again.

Try it Tuesday

Here is another one of my Pinterest finds. This is a neat website where you click on a body part and it gives you workouts for that location in the body.

Surviving the holidays

I think I can honestly say I have been doing a pretty good job at surviving the holidays and not gaining the weight that I have gained in the past.  Of course getting a horrible head cold last week helped as I hardly had an appetite.  What else has helped is knowing my limitations.  I have ZERO will-power when it comes to my favorites.  Normally I host a cookie exchange and all the cookies (6 dozen!) are gone very quickly.  I normally also attend another cookie exchange which takes the cookie total up to 11 dozen plus whatever I make with the boys.  This year I said no to all of the above.  No cookie exchanges at all for me.  The one I couldn't attend anyways due to prior obligations anyways, but it has been nice not having that temptation in the house.  I did make these easy Peanut butter cookies last week with the boys and will make some kind of cookie on Friday in case the boys decide to leave cookies for Santa.  Right now they're opting to leave popcorn and milk.  And speaking of Santa, did you know he's going to be on the next season of Biggest Loser?

3 out of 4

of us in this house are sick.  Sadly I'm part of that statistic.  Tuesday the boys started with coughing and a runny nose.  Yesterday I started getting that feeling in your throat.  I decided today would be a no go for the gym so I could hopefully sleep it off.  It ended up being anything but a sleeping it off kind of night since I was up almost all night with a coughing and restless 2 year old.  Hopefully this is short lived and we're back to our healthy selves again quick!

The Biggest Loser Finale

So last night was another night of staying up to late and then having to wake up too early this morning for the gym.  Why?  The Biggest Loser finale.  I'm not going to post who won, because that would be mean for those who haven't watched it.  BUT I will say that I was hoping for other winners.  They all looked great and hopefully they will continue the healthy lifestyle to keep the weight off.

Try it Tuesday

Now that the weather is FINALLY starting to get on the chillier side here in NJ I am thinking soups for dinners.  When I was planning this weeks menu I decided on a delicious Broccoli Chowder recipe that I came across last year.

Broccoli Chowder

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 5 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces broccoli crowns (see Ingredient Note), cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
(I also threw in some cauliflower that we had that needed to be used up)


1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan.
3. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.


NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 205 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 21 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 4 g fiber; 508 mg sodium; 436 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (61% daily value), Vitamin A (64% dv), Calcium (34% dv).
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat

from eatingwell.com

I haven't checked with the husband about his work schedule for the week, but this is how I'm hoping it will play out.  If I can't make it to the gym one day, then it will be replaced with P90X.

Mon- bike, short run, upper body
Tues-arc trainer, lower body
Wed -bike, short run, upper body
Thurs -elliptical, lower body
Fri - circuit train
Sat- long run
Sun- rest

Saturday run

Today's run was great!  I woke up and got to the gym around 7:30.  5 min warm up walk and 55 min run.  Distance wise it ended up being just over 5 miles.  I wish I could have gone a little longer because I was really in the groove but 1) the treadmill stops at 60 minutes (you can restart it right away) and 2) We had a crazy jam packed day so I had to head home and get the troops around.  At one point I felt like walking briefly, but I reminded myself of the saying in the image.  I did watch 1 hr of My Name is Earl and felt like I was loosing brain cells along with fat cells, but at least the stupidity of the show made the time go by fast.

Funny Friday

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Metabolism 101

Half way there

Here we are at Wednesday already.  So far here is what has been going on in my fitness world and what is to come.

Sunday - rest
Monday -  bike & treadmill hill walking - abs
Tuesday - Arc trainer - lower body - abs
Wednesday - 2 mile run - upper body
Thursday -  P90x cardio (I'm pretty sure the husband said he has to go to work early if not then elliptical at the gym
Friday - bike, short run, lower body
Saturday - long run (we'll see how long/far I get done), upper body, abs
Sunday - rest

I had such a hard time falling asleep last night (why was Biggest Loser on until 11? ugh) and did not want to get up this morning.  But I did and once I was at the gym I am so glad I did.  I loved watching the Biggest Loser marathon last night.  I've been feeling a little blah the past week or 2 about working out/watching what I eat and seeing how far they've come really helped put a spark back in me.  As soon as I came home from the gym this morning and was making my breakfast I logged into MyFitnessPal so I could start logging again. 

Try it Tuesday

I found this idea somewhere in the internet world and gave it a try.  It seems to work as our bananas have not turned as quick as they have been

When you bring home your bananas from the store, separate them into individuals from the bunch.  It will keep them from ripening up too quick.

Whirlwind weekend

What a weekend!  I felt like I was on the go from the time I woke up Saturday morning and headed to the gym until late last night.  Gym, yard cleanup (yes sadly we're still working on it, the down part to having a decent amount of land), birthday parties, shopping, celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary, building tables to sell, and a family trip to ride the Polar Express.  I was very thankful the husband has today off, otherwise I'm sure I would have opted to skipping the gym to get a few extra z's. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the gym and picked up some healthy food for the week so I feel like I'm prepared.  I stocked up on some of my favorite veggies.  Now I just need to cut them so they are a quick and easy grab when I'm looking for something to munch on.

Week in Review/Funny Friday

I've had worse weeks and I've had better. 
Eating:  The beginning started off shaky with having leftovers from our Sunday night Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws.  As the week progressed, I started getting back into the groove.  I found out that I really love green peppers!  I always picked them off my food because I didn't like the taste of them from when I was younger.  I recently gave them a try again and oh I can't get enough of them.

Workouts:  gym 3x.  One day I spent almost the whole day outside cleaning up the yard.  We have no trees in our backyard, but it's surrounded by trees and all the leaves seem to land in our yard.  I used my husbands backpack blower.  I always joked around that it's really not much exercise, but good golly that thing is heavy!  Tomorrow I'm hitting the gym first thing to get my long run in as this weekend is going to be a whirlwind for us. 

and now for Funny Friday

Can I give more?

I saw this quote two times within 12 hours so I thought it was worth sharing. 
"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?' The answer is usually: 'Yes.'" - Paul Tergat

Workout therapy

How true is this for me?!?!?!  Over the weekend I was at a point where I hadn't worked out in a few days and everything was getting on my nerves.  My husband me to just go running or do some kind of workout to get me in a good mood again. The gym/running outside is really what keeps me sane most days. 

Happy Thanksgiving

What a busy week this has been!  I hope everyone out there in blogland has a fabulous Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for and will be spending my time with family and then getting ready for my favorite time of the year - Christmas! 

Case of the Mondays

Today I had a case of the Mondays.  I did not want to get up for the gym and my husband had to leave a little earlier for work than usual so my gym time would have been cut short so I stayed in bed.  I do regret it a bit, but today is a pretty uneventful day for me and the boys, so I'm sure I'll get to do some kind of workout during the day. 

This weekend was not as successful as last weekend.  I didn't do too bad  with eating considering my friends and I had our dinner club on Saturday and the theme was Mexican.  I ended up not getting my run in.  My husband and I have a little furniture building gig on the side and right now everyone is wanting tables for Thanksgiving so I wasn't able to squeeze in the time for a run.  BUT my friend who hosted the dinner club won a Wii Zumba Houseparty so we played that for a bit after we ate.  Now that was fun and I'm actually considering finding a place around here to do Zumba every now and then.  I also added the Kinect version onto my Christmas list. 

I'm not even going to attempt scheduling my workouts for this week.  My husbands work schedule is messed up due to the holiday and we'll be away for a few days, so I'll just be happy with what I can get done. 

Pep Talk Thursday

My motivation

We had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago with Master Studio Photography and I just have to brag about my family.  Don't have the most adorable men in my life?  These 3 are the reason I get myself out of bed in the morning to head to the gym or on a run.  I need to be able to keep up with those little ones and be around as long as possible to see them grow, and also grow old with my husband.

 

Try it Tuesday

I've really been on a "new recipe trying kick" thanks in great part to all the fabulous looking recipes I find on Pinterest.  Yesterday I whipped up a jar of this Homemade Ranch dressing.

I used lite Mayo and fat free sour cream, which helped reduce the calorie count to 45 calories for 2 tbsp.  I forgot to pick up garlic when I was at the store and added a little too many chives, but all in all it turned out good.  I don't think I'll ever buy another store bottle again! 

Weekly Weigh-In (and other rambles)

This morning's weigh-in: 161.2.  Down exactly 4lbs from last weeks high of 165.2, of course a majority of that was probably bloat.

For once I actually had a good weekend of both eating and working out.  I feel like I got my groove back.  Best of all - I'm feeling AMAZING right now. 

Here is how I'm expecting my week to play out:

Monday - short run + upper body (done!)
Tuesday - P90x cardio
Wednesday - short run + lower body
Thursday - P90x yoga
Friday - Arc trainer + lower body
Saturday - long run + upper body

Now that I'm done with races until the spring, I'm going to focus more on endurance in running rather than speed or distance.  I just want to be able to run longer without having to stop for a quick breather/walk.  That in itself will increase my time on my runs.

Creeping in the room

This morning my alarm went off and I got up to get ready for the gym.  I forgot to grab a long sleeve shirt for my drive there and I knew it was too chilly to just wear a tshirt since my dog was up at 3am wanting to go outside.  So after I was all ready I tried to creep in the bedroom to grab a shirt.  This was the conversation between me and my husband.

H - "Hey do you have a second?"
M- "For what?"
H- "To chat."
M - "Um ... is it really that important?"
H -  "I took today off so I don't have to go to work?"
M- "Seriously?  You couldn't have told me that last night before I went to bed and set my alarm?"

So thankfully I did forget that shirt, otherwise I never would have known I could have actually slept in.  Men sometimes I tell ya! :) Luckily I was able to fall back asleep for a little while longer before the boys woke up.

I enjoyed a nice morning at the gym.  I hopped right on the treadmill and did a 5 min warm up walk.  My goal was to run 3 miles.  I ended up doing 5.  I think I finally figured out my key to treadmill running.  Normally I just listen to whatever is on tv.  Today I covered up all the info for the treadmill (time/distance) so I wasn't obsessing over that.  And instead of listening to the tv, I just watched what was going on and listened to my favorite morning radio show.  It really made the time go by quick.  I only stopped to walk briefly while I was fooling around with my phone trying to get the station set since I figured this out about 20 minutes in.  So I'm really excited about this revelation.

I actually felt great during the run and not like I was going to die.  I contribute that to 2 reasons.
1) Hydration - For the past week I've been drinking at least 1 gallon of water every day.
2) Good foods - I started to count calories again this week using My Fitness Pal.  Along with counting calories, I've been focused on what I've been eating by eating more protein and less carbs/gluten (kind of following the Eat Right for your Blood type theory).  Chocolate Gluten Free Chex cereal has been my savior for my sweet tooth this week!

If you're looking for more great fitness/health blogs - check out the Fitness Friday Blog hop in the sidebar!

Funny Friday

I have it

Water check!

Make sure you're drinking enough water!  The past few days I've been filling up a gallon jug of water and keeping it on the counter along with a glass as a reminder to keep drinking.  I've been finding that it is helping me to feel full longer so I haven't been having the urge to snack.

I was planning on going for a run outside this morning, but I've been feeling flabby so I wanted to hit the gym and start getting back into lifting weights.  I ended up doing the elliptical and then upper body. Today is going to be a beautiful day again so I'm planning on spending it outside raking up the gazillion leaves that are in the backyard.

Try it Tuesday

This weeks try it Tuesday comes from one of my go to sites for recipes - Skinny Taste.  Last Friday I hosted a Twister Mania House Party and wanted something somewhat healthy to have for snacks.  Usually I throw together a bunch of dips, with a favorite being spinach dip.  I could probably eat a whole bowl of that just myself.  I was excited when I found this skinny version.  The bowl was pretty much licked clean by the end of the night.

Creamy Parmesan Spinach Dip
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 79.4 • Fat: 6.2 g • Carb: 3.3 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 3.2 g

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 cup scallion, chopped
• fresh pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.

10k Results

Well I survived, which is always a good thing.  I had to do some run/walk intervals towards the end, but I'm pretty darn proud of myself.  Official chip time - 1:12:46.  So now I have a goal to beat and do better next year.  

Here I am waiting for the opening ceremonies.  Carl Lewis was a speaker for the ceremony.                                                                 

It was a chilly 43 degrees when we got in the van at our house to leave.   By mile 1 the gloves came off and bondi band came off the ears.  At about mile 2.5 the long sleeve shirt came off.  I get so hot when I run.

I ran with a friend of mine for half the run, but we got separated at a water station.  Here we are at the 3 mile marker.  This was pretty much at the end of the bridge portion of the run.

And here I am coming in at the finish line.  Definitely not a flattering picture with the shirt around the waist, gloves shoved down the waist band of my pants.  At this points I was excited to see the clock time because I was thinking it was later than it actually was.

And here I am with my finishers medal.  
My first medal woohoo!

So I can now say been there, done that.  Right now I have my eyes on doing the Philadelphia Rock 'n Roll Half.  It's in September right after my birthday.

It's here!

 My first 10k!

On Sunday, I along with approximately 3,999 others, will be running the Ben Franklin Bridge and through parts of one of the most dangerous cities in the country.  I have to LOL about the past part.  I'm very excited about actually completing this run.  The first 2 miles will be somewhat rough because of the incline of the bridge, but at least there are downhill sections!  I'm running with a friend, so we'll at least be able to keep each other going.

Hibernation

I think I figured out what my issue is this week.  My body is preparing itself for hibernation.  All I want to do is sleep and eat and this is our first week of cold weather.  Man I wish I was a bear right now and I could actually hibernate!  How blissful would it be to sleep like that.

Funny Friday

Thursday!

Today I'm cleaning my house - I've had a bad week and haven't done my normal upkeep every day and have people coming over tomorrow for my Twister Mania House Party.  Does that count as exercise?  Last night my husband thought he had to go to work early so I didn't get my gym gear around.  This morning my alarm went off (apparently I have it set to repeat) and he told me he remembered he didn't have to be at the early meeting.  Yes, I could have gotten up and left, but that would have meant running around the house looking for clothes to wear.  Maybe I'll try to squeeze in something today.  Tomorrow is an early am outdoor run.  


All this Halloween goodies around the house - I need to remember this.

Ctr Alt Del

That's exactly what I wanted to do with my day yesterday.

It was not a good day around here.  The 4 year old was making me lose my mind and I did some stress eating (darn those little Halloween candies!).  I did get to end my day by watching The Biggest Loser without disruption because both kids went to bed early.  Does anyone else think Jessica resembles Tara from Season 7? 

But the good news is that today is a new day.  A day to reset my attitude.  A day to start afresh with eating right.

This morning my alarm went off at 4:15.  I wasn't ready to get up yet and my plan today was to do the Tread20 workout along with a warm up and weights so I reset my alarm to 4:45.  I still managed to get the majority of the workout in, I just had to cut short the weight segment so all is good. 

Confession:  I never got around to doing laundry and last night at 10pm when I was gathering my gym gear I realized that all of my workout pants were dirty.  I dug through the laundry and found some to wear this morning.  So yes I wore smelly pants to the gym.  Thankfully at that time of the morning it's not crowded so I doubt anyone noticed. 

Try it Tuesday

Trick or Treat

 Happy Halloween!

The scale seemed to be playing a trick and not a treat this morning for the weekly weigh-in 164.2.
 
Today I got my butt out of bed early for a workout after 2 weeks of sleeping in.  I really am only a morning workout type person I have definitely confirmed. 

I skipped yesterday's run due to the snow/ice on the ground (in OCTOBER!) and not wanting to chance injuring myself before my first 10k on Sunday so today I did a run.  The temperature in my van (yes I rock a mini-fan) this morning at 4:30am confirmed my need to hit the treadmill and not the outdoors.

I'm really not a cold weather person and thankfully by the end of the week it will be a bit warmer.  I do have to go shopping for some warmer clothes to wear on Sunday though since early in the morning it will be in the 40's most likely. 

So it took me a bit to get into the treadmill run.  I find treadmill running just about as much fun as watching paint dry.  I'll do what I have to do to get me through the cold winter and not lose my motivation for running but it's not going to be enjoyable.  Yesterday though I did find out that they play TBS on the tvs in the morning.  That meant I was able to watch Saved by the Bell and Friends.  That really made the time go by quick.  It might be my key to keeping up with running.

My goal for the night is to not devour the chocolates that the boys might get while Trick or Treating while watching Ghost Hunters Live.  

Eat Right for Your Blood Type

My mom sent me this site last night.   A co-workers wife recently started seeing a new aged type doctor who recommended this diet.  I haven't looked at it in full detail - just skimmed the 'O Type' since that is my blood type - but I do have to say that much of what is said describes me.  A few highlights from the home page:

Type O-People with type O blood fare best on intense physical exercise and animal proteins and less well on dairy products and grains (check), says Dr. D'Adamo. The leading reason for weight gain among Type O's is the gluten found in wheat products and, to a lesser extent, lentils, corn, kidney beans, and cabbage, Dr. D'Adamo explains. Ideal exercises for Type O's include aerobics, martial arts, contact sports, and running (running really is the best workout for me).

Type O's are the most likely to suffer from asthma, hay fever, and other allergies, (check, check, check.  Luckily they haven't been bad in long time though!)

So now I'm thinking of going very low on the gluten in my diet.  I have already noticed in the past that I lose the most weight when I lower my carb intake, but gosh I love my carbs.

So sore!

This week has been horrible with making it to the gym because of my husband's work schedule and I just lose all motivation to go at night, so I have been doing workouts here at home.  Mon and Tues I did Kinect Sports.  Yesterday I did a 3 mile at home walk.  It's not much compared to what I normally do, but it's something.  Oh my goodness am I sore!  I guess with playing the sports I'm using different motions that I'm not use to because my arm and back muscles are killing me!  This morning I said to my husband "I can run how many miles and weightlift and I'm ok.  Have me play a Kinect game and I'm so sore!".  I'm anxiously awaiting the Twister Mania kinect game that I won from Houseparty.com.  This morning was my son's Halloween party at school and he came home with a bag full of candy cookies and other great goodies.  I'm trying to pretend they're not here in the house. 

A few giveaways on other sites

I'm trying to avoid the chores I should be doing right now so I'm trying my luck in winning some giveaways.  Check these out!

FuelBelt Spring Palm Holder ends 11/2
$25 credit to PlanetGear.com ends 11/1

New balance sunglasses ends 10/31

The Run Home necklace ends 10/29
$40 to spend on PlanetGear.com ends 11/1

News Flash

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday is a Weight Watchers recipe that I made for dinner last week.  When I make it again I will make it so the tortilla wraps aren't overlapping as I wasn't a big fan of the thickness of wrap in some sections.  But all in all it was good.  I also think it would be tasty as a dip if you shred the chicken up more and just mix all the ingredients together sans wraps.  Then use baked chips to dip.

Layered Mexican Chicken

	2 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
	2 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast
	30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
	2 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
	8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
	2 tsp ground cumin
	1/2 tsp black pepper
	13 medium corn tortilla(s), cut in half each
	1 cup(s) salsa, mild, medium or hot

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
  
• Place chicken in a medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.
  
• Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheese, chilies, cumin and pepper; mix well and set aside.
  
• Arrange 10 tortilla halves in bottom of prepared pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with 1/3 of chicken mixture and then layer with 8 tortillas halves. Spoon 1/3 more chicken mixture over top and then top with remaining 10 tortilla halves. Spoon remaining chicken mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
  
• Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

the difference of a year

As I said in yesterday's post, it's been 1 year since I decided to take charge of my life.  I did a snapshot yesterday for a comparison.

We finally got our Xbox working again so I had fun playing the sports games on Kinect last night instead of sitting on the couch playing online and watching tv.

Hello new week

Let's just say I pretty much just wrote last week off as a bad week.  I ate alright for the most part, minus the delicious brownie/cookie cake I made for my sons birthday oh and the ice cream but I SLACKED in exercise.  As in - in the last 7 days I only worked out once.  ONCE!  And that was only a 20 minute kickboxing workout from On Demand.  I woke up yesterday cursing the world for being a woman with horrible cramps so I skipped my run.  Tonight we're having our family pictures taken so I opted to sleep in rather than wake up at an ungodly hour and look like death for the pictures.  But I'm getting back on the wagon (how many times have I said that in this blog? lol) again.  My 10k is quickly approaching on November 6th.  I know I'll finish - even if I have to walk a bit.  I just need to get my calorie counting back and making sure I'm staying hydrated enough which I have been slacking on.  So here's to a new week a new beginning.  Speaking of new beginnings.  Today marks one year from when I had my awakening of "Holy crap I'm HUGE and I need to start taking charge of my life".  So here we go again.  Time to take charge again.  Hopefully one year from today I'll be rocking it even more. 

Mid-week motivation

Try it Tuesday

I cannot tell you how excited I was when I saw this recipe for Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili posted on Gina's Skinny Recipes.  I had to make it and luckily I already had Chili on the menu for the week.  Even my oldest who has been very picky recently with foods asked for seconds!  I did add a bit more cumin and chili powder than what is called for, but it was delicious and the husband was surprised there was pumpkin in there.

Weekly Weigh-In & schedule

So I'm beginning to think that maybe I need to change my scale battery.  For the past 5 days I have been weighing in at exactly the same weight - 161.6.  I would think there should be at least some fluctuation, especially after the weekend when I wasn't all that careful with what I ate.

Yesterday I did my longest run yet - 5.83 miles.  It was a rough run - my legs felt like a stuff rubberband.  The one thought that got me through it was thinking of a friend who the day before ran a half marathon.  If should could run that many miles, surely I could do what was on my plan.  Actually what was on my plan was 5.5 so I over achieved a bit.

This week is going to be a somewhat difficult week - my baby's birthday is at the end of the week.  He's turning 2 so I'll be busy with prepping for his 2 little parties but I will try my best to get all workouts in.  

Funny Friday

And walk walk walk walk

This morning was supposed to be a sleep in morning for me.  The husband had to be at work early which meant no gym or run for me.  Unfortunately I heard the husband's alarm going off, and then him getting ready.  I never fell back asleep.  I was laying in bed using my phone to browse some sites when I decided to get up and do a workout.  I ended up choosing Leslie Sansone 3 mile indoor walking.  This afternoon I was really regretting the decision to get up as I was feeling a bit tired, but it was a great start to the day.  And now I can have an extra Black bean brownie.

Perspective

Over the weekend we went enjoyed the beautiful weather that we had by taking a family walk around the neighborhood.  We decided to take the wagon.  The oldest likes to walk a decent mount of the walk and the youngest is starting to enjoy getting a few minutes of walking rather than being pulled in the wagon.  This time the youngest wanted neither.  He wanted mommy to carry him ... 1 mile.  As we were walking and I started to comment on heavy he is getting it hit me.  He stepped on our scale the other day and weighed in approximately 25 lbs.  25lbs is how much I've lost in the past year (and I stepped on the scale this morning and the number is back down to where it should be!).  Here I was carrying the same amount of weight that I lost.  And it was getting difficult.  I can't believe how I used to carry around that extra 25lbs every day. 

Try it Tuesday

I have yet to try this workout posted by Courtney Crozier from Biggest Loser 11 on her Facebook page, but I found it to be interesting to try so I thought why not post it here so I won't lose it for when I do want to try it.
 
Brett's Treadmill Workout!:
Warm up in any way you usually do (I walk at a 12 incline at 3.0 for 5 minutes)

-5 sets of jogging intervals! 2 minutes on, 1 minute off
2 minutes on run at a fast jog/slow run (I run at a 7.5-8.0)
1 minute of walking at a very slow pace (2.0-2.5)
Do that 5 times for a total of 15 minutes
THEN
-6 sets of sprint intervals! 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off
30 seconds at a full out sprint (I do these at a 10.0-11.0 depending on the day)
30 seconds walking at a very slow pace (2.0-2.5)
Do that 5 times for a total of 12 minutes
THEN
-Jog a half mile at your own pace (I usually do it at a 6.0)
THEN
Cool down! Walk it out at your own pace.

Weekly Weigh-In

I think my scale was broken today.  I weighed myself on Saturday and today's number was significantly higher.  So high I'm not even going to post the number.  I haven't seen the scale that high in a few months.  I know I had some bloat going on this morning from a lack of water yesterday so that is what I feel was the culprit.  Oy.  Hopefully that number is way back down next week.

So this weekend was a bust for working out.  I wore shoes I haven't worn in a while, at least last winter the other day without socks and that resulted in a blister on the heel of my left foot.  I didn't want to chance running and having the blister be worse so I took a few days off from running.  Yesterday we spent the beautiful day on the boardwalk in Ocean City so I did get some walking exercise.  This morning it was back at the gym on the Arc trainer for a nice sweaty workout. 

Funny Friday

And this is how I felt most days this week. 

Proper form

I stumbled across this while on my favorite website Pinterest.

Yesterday during my 3 mile run i tried to keep some of these pointers in mind and focus on my form.  I do have to say that when I did remember to keep form in check I ran faster and felt much lighter.  There was a spring in my step.  I didn't realize how much I slouched when I ran. 

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday is courtesy of the Biggest Loser:
  
The Biggest Loser tip of the week: Trick Yourself! Sometimes the hardest part of your workout is just putting on your gym shoes. Next time you're in that situation, tell yourself you'll exercise for just 15 minutes. Chances are that once you get started and the endorphins are flowing your excuses will disappear.

Motivational Monday

Normally today is a weigh-in day, but my routine got messed up and I never weighed myself.  I ended up doing my long weekend run (5 miles) yesterday instead of Saturday, which I actually liked.  So what that means is today instead of my normal 3 mile run, it's a stretch & strength day, all of which I can do here at home anytime during the day.  So I got to SLEEP IN!  I fell asleep last night while doing my night snuggles with the little guy.  All in all I got about 10 hrs of sleep, which is amazing since I normally get about 6. 

Now this weeks workout schedule is looking like this:
Monday - stretch & strength
Tuesday - cross train 45 min
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - cross 60 min
Friday - 2 miles
Saturday -  rest
Sunday - 5.5 miles

Now for Motivational Monday

Funny Friday

I saw this commercial at the gym today and loved it! 

Check out this giveaway!

Head on over to Runner...Maybe for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Active Bands.  You have until 10/4!

On the count of 3

Ready?

1 .... 2..... 3....

Interrupted workout

Today's workout called for 2 mile run + strength training so I do that at the gym. I've been trying for weeks to run 2 miles in under 20 minutes. I've come close but haven't beat it yet.

Today I started the run at 6.0 and gradually increased to 6.3 throughout the run. At 1.73 miles I was well on my way to being under 20 minutes and the stupid treadmill just stopped working. Thankfully I have good balance so I didn't fall lol. So I moved to another treadmill to finish the run. I was at .15 miles and THAT treadmill stopped working. So then I moved a few rows back and finally got on a treadmill that I was able to finish the run. Add all the times together and I did run in under 20 minutes. But I wanted to see that time in whole on the treadmill when I was done for a sense of accomplishment! So next Wednesday I'll tray again.

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday is a recipe I came across while browsing Pinterest.  I made it last week and the boys (as well as my husband and myself devoured them).  I'm not a fan of coconut so I left that out.  What I made equaled out to about 70 calories each.

 No Bake Energy Bites - (from Smashed Peas and Carrots)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Weekly Weigh-In & schedule

161.8 - I haven't looked back to last week to see if that's a gain or a loss for the week.

I ended up running 4.5 miles on Saturday, stopping for 2 red lights and to give an old lady directions on how to get to a yard sale.  I'll be honest and say I was thankful she asked me for directions because i was starting to die on the incline around mile 4 and it gave me a few seconds to gather myself.

I actually bought skinny jeans over the weekend!  I've always been scared of them because they are SO form fitting, but I tried them on and LOVED them  Absolutely loved them and they'll go great with my new boots that I also bought.  

Here is how this week is looking:
Mon - 3 mile run (DONE!)
Tues - 40 min cross
Wed - 2 mile run + strength
Thurs - rest
Fri - 60 min cross
Sat - 5 mile run
Sun - stretch & strength

1 month

I have 1 month until my anniversary of when I kicked my butt into gear and took control of a healthier lifestyle.  By this time next month I would LOVE to be in the mid-150's.  That would be a 30lb loss for the year.  I can do it.  I should be able to do it.  It's only approx a 1-2lb weightloss/week which is totally feasible.  I just need to stay focused and avoid the darn birthday cake that is screaming to me right now from my husband's bday yesterday (at least I substituted applesauce for the oil so it is somewhat healthier).  I need to stay focused on Sunday when I go to a birthday party.  I need to stay focused EVERY day.  When I reach my goal and also finish the 10k I will be treating myself to a spa day.  CANNOT wait!

This morning I woke up and got my 60 minute cross-training in.  Tomorrow is a run - 4 or 4.5 miles.  Sunday is to be stretch/strength but I might throw in a low impact workout just because I know I will hae a hard time sticking to my allotted calories with going to the party.  I also have a gift card to TJ Maxx burning a hole in my wallet.  I'm hoping to find some cute clothes to tide me over for a few months until they hopefully won't fit again.

Funny Friday

This isn't the normal Funny Friday cartoon, but I thought it was great enough to share today.

Dare I say it?

My run this morning was actually EASY?? 

I almost didn't go.  I almost gave into the temptation of turning off the alarm and sleeping.  I thought the hubs had to leave for work early today until I asked him at almost 11pm last night.  I got my workout gear set out, set the alarm for 4:40am.  Today called for 2 miles + strength.  Normally I do that run at the gym.  I don't know what was up with everyone last night, but between the 2 boys and the dog I don't even know how many times we were woken up.   The hubs is good with getting up with the boys since they want him anyways, but I still wake up when I hear them.  So needless to say I was not really in the mood to wake up early.  But I am so glad I did!  It was a great run.  I felt great.  I ran at a good pace.  Never once did I complain to myself and I actually wished I could have run further.  Today is one of those days where I feel like I'm having success in the fitness department.  So now I just need to do some strength training sometime today here at home.

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday is one of my new favorite moves.  I first did the Plank to push up move a few weeks ago while doing the Jillian Michaels Boost Metabolism workout. 

Weekly Weigh-In

161.8.  Back in the 160's, but to tell the truth I was COMPLETELY shocked that the number wasn't higher.  I was really picturing at least 164. 

So here I am, back on the wagon after 1 week off.  This morning was hard to wake up.  The youngest is getting his 2 year molars and ended up in bed with us last night.  He was using my arm as a pillow and well I just love snuggling up with him.  The mornings are brisk these days.  During my run on Saturday I actually saw my breath.  I really just wanted to stay in my warm bed and go running this evening, but I knew that wouldn't happened.  After 20 minutes of talking to myself I got out of bed.  It's time for me to invest in some warmer running clothes.  Today was a 3 mile run.  I couldn't get the music on my phone to work for some reason and at 5:30am I really wasn't in the mood to keep trying so I headed off sans headphones.  I do have to say I rather enjoyed it.  It was nice being able to hear the sounds of nature for once.  I didn't like actually listening to myself breath though. lol.

I have to check the husband's work schedule to see how it fits with training, but I plan on following week 4 of Hal Higdon 10k training again this week to get myself back on track.   This is why I started training a few weeks earlier than needed, because I knew there would be some weeks where I would get off track.  So that's that.  I have a feeling this is going to be a good week.

Funny Friday

A little motivation

"I'm throwing my body off"

That is what my husband and I say when we have a bad week of sticking with the fitness/good nutrition regimen.  And that is exactly why I have been doing this week.  I hate having bad food in the house because I just love to eat.  If it's not in the house, I won't eat it.  But I had a beautiful birthday cake looking at me.  We had sodas from a GTG with friends over the weekend.  We had wine, coffee, high calorie foods.  All of my favorites.  I had no will power.  But the good news is that it's almost all gone.  Yesterday I woke up and went for a run.  I felt like I was carting around extra weight.  I'm avoiding the scale like the plague this week.  I'm so bloated I know that number is going to be high.  I'll hop back on the scale on Monday. 

This morning my alarm went off at 4:30.  I was laying there contemplating what to do.  I finally decided to sleep a little since it's a cross training day and just do a home workout, probably Jillian Michaels 30 Day shred, rather than go to the gym today.  I was just feeling so unmotivated.  It was nice to lay in bed until 7am.  That rarely ever happens as I'm usually up to exercise or the kids wake up early, but they gave me my late birthday gift of sleeping in today!  So I dressed in my workout gear today to remind me that I do need to workout tonight.  Normally I would do it now during naptime, but the oldest has tball practice later today and I really don't want to get another shower right now.  

I'm looking forward to getting back on track though.  I hate the sluggish feeling I get when I don't drink enough water, when I eat the wrong foods and when I'm not active enough. 

Happy Happy Birthday to me!

Yes today I turn 1 year older.  33!  I really don't feel 33, not like I know exactly what you're supposed to feel like at 33, but I still like to think of myself as in my 20's.  When I am asked how old I am, I have to do the math because I'm some how stuck on being 28 years old.  I guess that was a good year for me?  It was before children so I was probably much more rested. lol.

Today is Monday and normally you see a weekly weigh in post, but this week that will be skipped.  I've been enjoying my birthday with carbs, wine, no exercise and tonight a delicious looking chocolate fudge cake picked out by my 4 year old.  I know the scale would probably look like this

so I avoided it.  Have yourself a fabulous day and remember

Funny Friday

Monthly Measurements

It's that time again to see how the progress is going with measurements rather than what that mean old scale says.

Last month's measurements (total loss since 2/6/11)

Right arm: 11.5" (-1.5")
Left arm: 11.5" (-1.75")
Right Thigh: 24" (-3.")
Left Thigh: 23.5" (-3.5")
waist: 34" (-5.5")
chest: 39" (-4.0")
hips: 39" (-5")

As of today:
Right arm: 11.5" (-1.5")
Left arm: 11.5" (-1.75")
Right Thigh: 23.5" (-3.5")
Left Thigh: 23.5" (-3.5")
waist: 33" (-6.5")
chest: 38" (-5.0")
hips: 38.75" (-5.25") 

Nutritional discounts

Last week there was a good sale on Eggos so I picked up a few boxes for to make breakfast time more convenient on some days.  I really never paid real close attention to the Nutritional Facts until the other day. Silly me for assuming 1/2 a serving was exactly half the calories of a serving size.

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday is one of my favorite core strengthening exercises - the plank. 

Instructions

1. • 1
     Lie facedown on an exercise mat, legs extended, and place your elbows under your shoulders, resting your forearms on the ground, palms facing each other in loose fists.
   • 2
     Curl your toes under and push up through your abdominal muscles onto the toes and balls of your feet, creating a straight line from the top of your head to your feet.
   • 3
     Distribute your weight evenly between your forearms and feet. Keep your ab muscles engaged, lengthen your neck and relax your shoulders to keep your body stabilized.
   • 4
     Extend your arms, pulling up onto your hands in a full plank, as you would if you were starting a push-up. Maintain the length of the spine.
   • 5
     Hold plank for 10 to 20 seconds, working up to a minute.

Weekly Weigh-In

159.2!

I'm in the 150's again!  I haven't seen that number 5 in the middle since 2008!  Woohoo!

The week ahead

I was just looking at what is on tap for this weeks training.  I'd like to pat myself on the back because I actually completely finished last weeks as it was supposed to be, well with my rearranging of some days due to scheduling.  But I didn't skip any days!  Yesterday I was sort of dreading going for a run.  My body was tired and I was wanting to just relax in the morning.  But I talked myself into the run and am so glad I did.  I tried a new route that actually was exactly 4 miles.  I just made it up as I went along so that was pure luck.  So for this week here is what I have going for me:

Monday- 3 mile run (+walking at the zoo)
Tuesday- 40 min cross (most likely this will be at home)
Wednesday- 2 mile + strength
Thursday- Rest
Friday- 60 min cross
Saturday- 4.5 mile
Sunday- stretch & strength (I'll be honest and say I have a busy weekend ahead so I just might make this be a rest day)

And while I'm at, the hub actually took a good picture of me yesterday so I did a comparison.  From my non official weekly weigh-in this morning I'm 27 lbs lighter than last Halloween.  I guess it should say 'during' and not 'After' since I'm definitely not done yet!

Labor Day weekend

How can it possibly be Labor Day weekend already?  I feel like it was just Memorial Day!  I confess that I'm actually kind of excited.  That means school for the older boy begins in just 2 weeks.  He only goes 2 days a week for a few hours, but those few hours sometimes mean my sanity for the day.  Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year.  I love the cooler weather, pumpkins, fall festivals, EVERYTHING about fall I love! 

This weekend is going to be a real challenge for the diet.  Our plans - boardwalk (lots of yummy food), baseball game (free sundaes after the game) and the zoo.  Well the zoo I really don't have a challenge since we pack our food and everything is so overpriced I'm never tempted to buy anything.  At least I have a 4 mile run tomorrow to burn some calories as well as a run on Monday.  

Funny Friday

My Pet Fat

Have you seen this before?

I saw My Pet Fat for the first time on Jay (from the Biggest Loser 11)'s Facebook page.  It's an interesting concept.  I think in my house the boys would think it's a new toy for them. lol

Water check!

How is your water intake going so far today?  Yesterday I had the BIGGEST headache in the evening.  I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until we were out on our family walk.  I didn't drink enough water.  As soon as I got home I made sure to drink some extra water and the headache went away.  So today I'm going to make sure I keep on top of staying hydrated.