day 18 & 19

i'm behind.  the children in this house have had some not-cool illnesses as of late and they needed caring for.  since i'm the mom, i'm the care-taker.  so i'm behind.

wednesday was a rest day, remember?  i enjoyed a quick run with my running buddy/neighbor/friend early in the morning and then the rest of the "rest" day was busy. busy.  it's that time of year, "end of _______ ."  we went to the boys team baseball party at the pizza place for dinner then sissy and i went to see her little friend preform in the ballet "cinderella."  school is out next week so there will be more of "the end of" type stuff.

day 18 & 19 workouts were a repeat of 15 & 16.  easy peasy.  honestly, i'd say the prescribed workout for days 16 & 19 has been the easiest so far.  "easiest" meaning, i didn't feel like i was going to puke.

days 15 & 18 were serious calorie burners and took a lot longer to complete than the other two days.  i worry about what people think while i'm running around in the workout area trying to quickly get from exercise to exercise.  i must look crazy.  breathing hard, sweating hard, checking my card constantly, moving different pieces of equipment from one end of the gym to the other.  the body balls are on the opposite end from the dumbbells so when i'm told to execute 10 reps of a military press prone on a body ball.  like so ... i have to move the ball to the dumbbells or visa versa.  it's annoying.

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this is great shoulder workout.  using light weights, place feet against a wall for stability and then lay pelvis on top of body ball, face down.  military press the dumbbells straight out and back (shoulder height).  10 reps.

i threw in some extra ab exercises because i get tired of the hanging twists from "making the cut."  i'm rebellious and not afraid of jillian michaels.  both of these ab workouts are super effective.  the first is a plank roll out which works the entire core but especially the upper portion of the abdominal.

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in plank position with forearms on the body ball just under your shoulders, roll the ball out away from your body (using your forearms) and then back in for one rep.  hold plank position tight.  go for 15-20 reps.

the second abdominal workout focuses on the lower abs (complimentary to the first).  hanging abs with a  medicine ball between the knees.  in 1992, it probably looked like this.

squeeze a medicine ball (i use a 10 lb ball) in between your knees/thighs and pull knees into chest while hanging and keeping abs tight.  preform 20 reps with a 30 second rest in between the first and last 10.

give some (or all) of these little exercises a try next time you're at the gym.  or, come with me to the gym and we'll give them a try together.  i'll be trying a new workout next week too ... my friend candice linked her workout on tuesday and it included kettlebell swings.  something i've never tried.  she's prescribed 100 swings 25/35 which i assume means 25/35 lbs.  right or wrong candice?

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food wise, there's not a whole lot of excitement to report.  honestly, eating well has been effortless lately.  i'm trying to really focus on how i feel emotionally/mentally when i'm eating the way i truly want to be eating (balanced and healthy).  my moods are more stable.  i feel in control and i have more confidence in my abilities.  weird how this works, no?  it feels good to feel good.  

the challenge is holding onto these feelings and this focus.  i know how it easy it is to fall out of the "good" cycle and that can be a very slippery slope that i want to avoid.  

one not-new trick (but one i forget about) is brushing my teeth right after dinner so that i'm less tempted to snack later in the evening.  it works.  when i want it to :) ... 

"thursday :: lunch" is actually dinner.  i was dumb and labeled it wrong.  teriyaki chicken with sticky coconut rice and broccoli.  probably one of my favorite dinners.  the rice is white basmati.  not whole grain so, i get a minus point for that but, it's SOOOO good (unless you're my mom.  then it's not good.  she doesn't not like coconut rice).  this time i used coconut oil instead of olive oil and it was a perfect swap.  

my real thursday lunch was actually a salad from whole foods and a cup of their white bean and kale soup (not very tasty).  sissy and i had hair appointments.  i hadn't had my hair cut/colored since november.  it was super unhealthy and in need of some attention.  check out the before and after.

exactly what i needed.  it feels so good and i'm in love with the length.

back to food:  leftover teriyaki chicken helped me to create another favorite salad for lunch yesterday and then dinner was just a random use of leftover ingredients.  whole wheat orzo with grilled chicken topped with asparagus and spinach sautéed in a balsamic reduction of sorts.  i tossed in little mozzarella cheese and gobbled it up.

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husband had to work today (boo) so i didn't get to go out for a run this morning.  i was just reading muncher cruncher's recap from her vacation.  she talked about how she didn't workout for 5 days and asked if this sort of thing gives anyone else anxiety.  my answer, a big fat "YES!"  just one day off of routine makes me uncomfortable.  i'm terrified of falling back into old habits so i fight and i fight hard.  part of the battle is keeping my routine.  it's very important to me though i realize i shouldn't feel guilty for missing one workout.  i shouldn't but, i do.  i'll get my long run in tomorrow before the husband has to go work at another job (my poor man is tired) and then maybe one day, i'll trust myself enough to take some time off, guilt-free.

later today i'm going to a meet up with some girls i've never met.  totally out of my comfort zone but, i'm going.  and i'm excited!  it's a luncheon that janae organized.  i'm excited to meet some of the girls who write the blogs i love to read.  

surrounding ourselves with like minded people is important.  these girls motivate me and make me feel less psychotic when it comes to my interests in health and wellness.  i like feeling less psychotic.

last of all, i was reminded of this yesterday while reading happenstance.  it's worth sharing. i think.

do you have any fun weekend plans?  like muncher cruncher, i want to know if you get anxious if you miss a workout?  

happy saturday!