Skips.

Apologies for just NOW getting this blog written today. I have been SWAMPED at work and when I'm not at work, I'm at home getting wedding things crossed off my ever-growing list. Y'all, she made me do skips AGAIN. This time, it was 80, 60, 40, 20, 40, 60, 80, with ab exercises in between. I was SOAKING wet with sweat after the workout!

The good news is that at the weigh in yesterday, I've lost another pound! And 1% of body fat. Bam.

Not really anything else to report today. Wedding tasks are clogging my thoughts.

Things you should know about me and other Monday issues.

This weekend was probably the most productive weekend I've had in a long time. I think I've just been so overwhelmed with the things that need to be done in the next 30 days, that I've been in full-on lazy mode. Does that make sense? I've spent the last 2 weeks kind of skating through my workouts (although they've been challenging for the most part) and sleeping. I have been super tired due to the aforementioned overwhelmed laziness.



My closet, pre-weeding.

The weather is finally nice (for the most part, because let's face it; this is Iowa) and I can open the windows and air out the cabin fever that has been happening here since November. I worked outside a lot this weekend, potted some plants for the patio at the new apartment and mowed the yard.

Yesterday, I spent some time packing up my house and weeding out my closet. I realized, I have a TON of clothes that I don't wear anymore, won't ever wear again, or don't fit and probably never will again. I realize how pessimistic that is, but I'm just being realistic. So, I have begun the process of getting rid of clothes. I started with my t-shirts last night. In the photo, all of my t-shirts are in the cubbies on the right side of the photo. Do you realize how many size small shirts I own? A lot. I can't believe I was ever that tiny and it wasn't that long ago.
Something you should know about me: I'm the most emotional person I have ever known. I am not even trying to be funny here... I cry at the drop of a hat. I'm a work in progress, but it's a total flaw at times. Last night, while getting rid of my small shirts, I teared up. I felt like I was admitting to myself that I'll never be where I want to be. That I'll never wear that size again. I mean, I'm still in a medium; it's not like I'm a 4x, but it was still sad.

To be fair, this whole process of packing to move in with a boy (ahem... my husband) is pretty hard on me. I'm closing a chapter of the book of my life that I'll never have back. I won't even have the same name and that's strange for me.

Ok, ok. I will stop being such a stick in the mud! I woke up ready for P90x this morning and did chest, triceps and back. Those exercises are certainly lunch-lady arm busting, but I was exhausted after. I had my healthy breakfast, took my vitamins and I'm perfectly on track for the week. Take THAT, Monday.

Tonight is my workout with the trainer. Last week, I did those stupid "skips" exercises and I'm praying she doesn't do that to me again this week. That screwed up my back and legs like you wouldn't believe. Wish me luck!

The light at the end of the tunnel

Happy Friday!

My counting system.

Workouts for the week, check. Healthy eats, check. Water guzzlin' like a boss, check. I even started a system on my water bottles at work so I don't lose track.

BUT- For today's blog entry, I'm focusing on what's on the top of my brain....that's what a blog is about, right? Well here it is: THE WEDDING IS 29 DAYS AWAY. I'll let that little nugget of information sink in before I continue.

Sunk in? Yeah... me either. We have been engaged since May 2012 and it hardly seems real that the wedding is just around the corner. I'm excited with a side of panic. Panic only because I have a lot to get together before the Big Day! Here's what my current to do list looks like. This may not make sense to all of you but it'll give you an idea of what I have to get done before June 15.

dye the rope for the knot.
learn to tie the knot.
gifts for musician and speak
picture of grandparents
bakery and coffee for opening gifts
water bottles
day of- lunch
decorating reception hall logisitics
trolley
gift/guest table
photog list to Gretchen
boys' outfits
kids' bags
personal attendant folder
email to bridal party
chalkboard signs

This doesn't look like a lot, but keep in mind, my groom and I don't live together, so I have a little packing/purging/moving to do before the wedding. I also have family coming in from out of town so I have some cleaning to get done at the house! AH! It's to the point where I wish I didn't have to work and I could focus my time on prepping for the fesitivities!

Anyway, I better get crackin' on this list! Any encouragement is welcome!

Elevator eyes of intimidation

Ok, so yesterday was good ol' cardio day and you'll be pleased to know I left that gym completely sweaty and barely able to walk.

I started off with the 80 burpees, just to get that nonsense out of the way. I did eight sets of ten and it actually wasn't awful. I mean, I was tired and I definitely broke a sweat, but I made it! Not that long ago, I was hacking and gasping for air trying to do those things. Then I did mountain climbers (3/10) and jumping jacks (3/50).

Then I hopped on the eliptical machine. After about 10 minutes (when my face starts turning a lovely shade of crimson) this girl walked in. She was early 20s, cute, thin and in shape. She was wearing a tye dyed neon tank top and itty bitty little booty shorts. Her hair was perfectly coifed in a fishtail braid or something. She got on the treadmill behind me and spent a whole 5 minutes on it. Then she got on the bike next to me. In front of us is a mirrored wall. I could FEEL her looking at me. When I glanced up, sure enough she was giving me the stink eye. When she noticed that I had seen her, she didn't look away with embarassment like I would have, she gave me elevator eyes. This is when a person looks you up and down.

I'm one of those people that always thinks of what I would do and say after the fact, not at the moment, so of course, I didn't do anything. But you know, that's just plain rude. You don't just stare at someone, especially in a place like the gym. It's supposed to be a safe place where you can be completely disgusting and not judged. I oughta track that girl down and give her a piece of my mind. Come to think of it, last week an older lady was giving me a stink eye too. Keep judgements to yourself in the gym, ok ladies? And be friendly. It ain't that hard!

Last night, I stopped to get chicken breasts at the store on my way home. I made gouda and spinach-stuffed chicken. I topped with tomato. The stuff around it is creamed corn, which was a SMALL amount, but that crap spreads like cancer on your plate!

This morning I was even more sore than yesterday, even though it did feel good to work out. But, I slept in this morning. No p90x for me...

I think I was beat up

Hey friends, it's Wednesday! That means cardio day in my world. And, true to my word, I'll be adding SIXTY minutes to today's (second) workout...and 80 burpees. EIGHTY. *sigh* Me and my big mouth.

Yesterday I didn't work out in the afternoon. I was so sore and I figured if I rested last night, I would be good to go today. No sir. I feel as if someone hit my shins and calves multiple times with a baseball bat and then put on some brass knuckles and went to town on my lower back. Basically, like someone dragged me into an alley and beat me up. My sweet fiance tried to rub some knots out of my back last night and everytime he touched a knot, it would make my leg spasm and then crack me up because it kind of tickled. Imagine being a fly on the wall for that scene. Ridiculous.

So I went home and fell asleep...a Sleeping Beauty-type deep sleep. I was jolted awake at 4:30 by my alarm, still clutching my phone, which is my alarm clock. Apparently I didn't even move last night. Again, I did p90x, back and biceps. But I was in so much pain with my brass knuckle back, I don't feel like I got a lot out of it. Stupid mornings. I wish I didn't have to be at work until 10 because then I could really take my time in the morning and still feel refreshed and not like a beat up zombie.

Here is my current life, by the numbers:
I get married in 31 days....30 days by the calendar. The Big Day is June 15!
Since September, I have lost 8 pounds and 9 and 3/4 inches from my body.
Since I began Shakeology, I have lost and additional 4 pounds and an undetermined amount of inches, since I haven't been measured yet.
I drink 8 bottles of water per day, although I need to increase it.

Death by hopping

Hi all! Happy Tuesday. Yesterday, I had my weekly workout with my trainer.

Let me first say a few works about my trainer. We get along well and she's super fun. Our sessions are this crazy mix of laughter and pure hatred because I'm pretty sure she lays awake at night dreaming up these crazy exercises for her clients me to do. I tell her I hate her and she laughs. She actually said last night that she wishes she could tape our sessions because they are so funny. What can I say, extreme fear of my heart exploding during vigorous exercise brings out my comedian side, I guess.

So yesterday, as always, I went to her office for the weigh-in. After some chatting about life and my nutrition, I stepped onto the scale. My goal was a 1 pound weight loss and I did it! Woop! My body fat percentage also went down 0.3%. I could have done better, but I didn't gain! Heyyyyy!

Then came the workout. She cheerfully described this as a fast-paced, body weight cardio circuit. For those of you that don't have regular workout routines, a circuit is the devil. You basically do one set of each exercise and then go back and do it all again. Here's how yesterday happened.

She called my first exericse "skips." Sounds friendly, right? Wrong-a-roo. She set a stool in front of me. It was the height of your run-of-the-mill step stool. Then I had to hop from foot to foot putting the foot that was up on the stool. One left, one right = one rep.

She had me start my workout with 100 of those bad boys.
Then 12 burpees.
Then 80 skips.
Then one legged push-ups.
Then 60 skips.
Then abs.
40 skips.
Another ab exercise
20 skips.
Oh... think we're done? Get some water and in the words of my trainer, 'you're really going to hate me. hahahah.'
From this point, I can't really remember the alternate exercises we did, so bear with me.

exercise.
40 skips.
something else.
60 skips.
another exercise
80 skips.
this one, I remember... she strapped me to a bungee cord and had me sprint low and hard towards a dumbbell, touch the dumbbell and then, in low squat position, run backwards. She explained to me that staying low was of utmost importance because she had another client break her wrist. Grand. I just get married in 32 days. Thanks, lady.
Then 100 skips.

If you were counting, you know I did 580 of these ridiculous skips. But, since both legs equalled one, I really did 1,160. Plus all that other stuff.

This morning, I was an achey mess. I did get up to do my p90x this morning, which was Plyometrics. But it wasn't at 100% because I was SORE. I still am. But, I did feel pretty good after I did it.

So let's back up to yesterday's pre-workout chat with my trainer. She was prepping me for the 100, 80, 60, etc. and she mentioned burpees. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, I challenged myself to do 80 burpees in one workout. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? Why can't I just keep my mouth shut!? She wrote it in her notes, so I'll be doing that as part of my cardio day on Wednesday.

Additionally, I promised that for each comment, I would add 10 minutes to my workout. There were 6 comments on yesterday's entry. That means, I will be adding *cringe* 60 minutes to my workouts this week. Thanks, guys. I really didn't think that many people read what I have been writing!

To end, I will share a video that my friend, Erica shared with me. The perfect motivation for the day. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

Needed: motivation!

Marriage license!
 

Hi friends! I haven't blogged since Thursday of last week. Usually I take the weekend off, but Friday, I didn't really have anything to say. I only worked a half a day because Randy and I took the morning to get our marriage license! It's so exciting to be this much closer to our Big Day! (33 days!)

This weekend was Mother's Day weekend, so I took the opportunity to help my mom around the house, getting a few "big" projects done, as well as take a few trips with her to one of my favorite places, the garden center. God Bless springtime.

I even got a few things packed up and ready to move to the new place. However, it doesn't look like it. I cleaned out drawers, got rid of some clothes, etc. Although I feel like it was productive, the naked eye still sees somewhat of a mess in my house. But my dressers are cleaner, darn it!
In other news, I haven't been quite as motivated in the workout department. I cannot get going! It's ridiculous. Last week, my goal was to leave the gym every night as a sweaty mess, and I totally rocked that challenge. But, I also feel like I totally slacked last week and I need to change that. This week, I will find motivation in you and I need your help.

For every comment I get on this week's blogs, I will add ten minutes to my workout. I need something to keep me going and I'm enlisting the help of you, dear readers.

Formerly thin.

Cardio day was awesome yesterday, friends. I did a full hour of various cardio exercises. I was, yet again, a sweaty mess when I left. I even did 40 minutes on a machine next to a woman in her 50s-60s that gave me the stink eye the whole time. The. Whole. Time.

In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How rude."

On a positive note, I outlasted everyone in my section of the gym last night. I get to the gym and start exercising and my goal is to work out longer than the person that comes in after me. Some days are bigger challenges than others. Yesterday it was this woman who clearly had a death wish for me. She did cardio, abs, arms, legs, back, yada, yada, yada. This lady never quit.

But I eventually wore her down and she left. That's how I roll, yo.



This is me with my family, summer 2007. LOOK AT ME!
 

Then I went home and began packing a few things for my move. I stumbled across some photos from college. You guys, I ate like crap and drank a lot... HOW was I so thin?! Dang you, metabolism! Now I'm pretty sure I eat really well and exercise constantly and it's all I can do to take off 10 pounds. This is ridiculous. Is this my fate? To just get slowly larger and larger until I can't move? I envision something like Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka... the one that has to be juiced when she meets her demise. That's me.

I know that the number on the scale isn't everything, but I don't feel like I'm losing anything at all and no clothes I own fit me. I don't want my future children to look back on me and say, "wow, Mom you used to be so pretty/skinny." I don't want to push my struggles on them, even though genetics do play a part. I know after I have kids, my body will totally change and I'll struggle even more and I'm terrifed I'm always going to be that girl that could stand to lose a few pounds. A old friend used to describe it as, "five pounds from fat."



Me, second from the right 2006/2007ish. Flat tummy!

I think a lot of my negativity this week sprouts from my tiredness. I can't seem to get it together this week... I haven't really slept and when I work out in the mornings, I don't give it even close to my all. I'm stressed because of the wedding and all there is to do before the Big Day (37 days), although it doesn't seem like stress, because it's not like job stress or something. It's like a headache; it can come hard and fast and be really painful or it can stick around for awhile and be a dull ache for what seems like forever. Weddin planning stress a month out from the wedding is a dull headache of stress. I have SO much to do and and I'm totally overwhelmed.

Sweating through my shirt and busting my pants.

Good morning! I have committed myself to being positive but this week clearly accepted that challenge and is trying everything it can to put kinks in my plan. Yesterday, I rocked the gym. I consider it a successful day at the gym when I sweat through my shirt. It's like I'm super hardcore or a real athlete or something. I guess it not only proves to me, but to the whole world, that I worked hard at the gym.

I was already sore from my workout with the trainer on Monday. She killed me everywhere, but my legs were especially sore from the squats and lunges, so I was walking with a little waddle. Those of you that have been sore after a workout know this specific gait. I was trying to be cool and walk normally, but if I did that, I ended up looking like I had a limp and misplaced my cane. It couldn't be helped.

So, I waddle/limped into the gym for day 2 of my week. I started with my high-incline treadmill warm up (warm-up? I'm not sure..hyphens get me every time). I then did dumbbell presses on the incline bench and push-ups. Next on my list was the flies machine. I had to increase the weight from my last workout on that machine! Woop de woop! But then, something happened...

... my left shoulder went numb. At first it felt like I was just working really hard, but when I stopped the exercise, it didn't go away. So, after about 10 minutes of stretching, I left the gym. I was scared to work it further! I spent the night stretching it in various ways, like rotating it around like a softball pitcher. I guess I am a real athlete. Whatever, it was a successful workout; I sweat through my shirt! Like a boss.

This morning, I got up and did an ab workout. Six ab exercises, 3 sets of 12. You know when you exercise, your mind can get very clear and you have these "aha moments" that make complete sense? This morning, I realized something about myself. I suck at mornings. I have such a hard time getting going and I have so much to do in the morning! Workout, shower, scramble to find something to wear, make breakfast, eat breakfast, pack my bag for the gym, and try to remember to grab something to take with me to work to work on for the wedding. (T minus 38 days)

While getting dressed this morning, I slipped on a pair of black cropped pants that I love. They are cute and super handy when rain is expected (which it is today). In my morning scramble to get everything together, the clasp on the pants popped. You guys, this is the most disheartening feeling, especially when I've been working as hard as I have. Sorry to say, this isn't the first time it's happened, but it doesn't get easier. To be fair, the pants are kind of old and were inexpensive to begin with, but still. This is why elastic is the invention of a genius. I wonder if the person who invented it won a Nobel Peace Prize. If not, he should... elastic is a universal peace creater.
Today is Wednesday and you know what that means in my gym world-- cardio! Get ready, machines... I will own you.

Big fat failure

Yesterday was my weekly session with the trainer and she. kicked. my. butt. In a good way. I arrived at the gym a smidge later than normal so I felt rushed and not fully mentally prepared to handle the challenges in front of me. As usual, I went to my trainer's office and discussed nutrition, my water intake, etc. I've been chugging water, watching portions, eating healthy snacks, being mindful of sodium and bumping up the ol' cardio routine.

After some nutrition chit chat, the fateful weigh-in was upon me. My goal was 2 pounds down from last week and I made it! AND my BMI was down one percent from last week. I'm SO happy I'm finally getting some consistent loss coming before the wedding. I felt like I was in a rut for the longest time and I'm finally on my way!

The workout was hard. It was a combo of cardio, abs, legs and arms. So basically, everything. I'm feeling it today!

In my non-workout world, I had lunch with my fiance yesterday. This is off my routine as I usually have my Shakeology shake for lunch. But I can go with the flow, so I decided to have lunch with the fella and have my shake for dinner instead. I came away from lunch with a page-long list of things to do for the wedding. It is stressful, this wedding planning. The rest of the day was spent trying to cross a few of the items off the list.

After my workout, I went to watch Randy's softball game. He's on our church's team. It was gorgeous weather and I got to chat with my new buddy, Jaycie. However when the second game was over, it was 9:30! I went home, tired, but couldn't sleep. Of course. So I caught up on some hulu-ing before bed.

When my alarm went off at 4:30am, my whole body was relaxed. I couldn't get up. In the moment, I just needed to sleep more. So, I didn't get in my p90x this morning. But you guys, now I feel like a big fat failure. Why can't I get up in the morning?! I'm always SO tired. Meanwhile, I get home and I'm so tired that I don't have energy to get anything done at home, so it looks like a bomb went off in my house.

While I feel great about my weight loss and my gym success, all other aspects of life are worn a little thin right now.

Weekend challenge conquered!

After Saturday's workout

Hello, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It finally stopped snowing here, the sun is out and it many finally be spring here in good ol' Ioway.*fingers crossed!*

I had an absolutely exhausting weekend, but it was a good kind of exhausting. If you read Friday's entry, you know that I got to hang out with my nine year old nephew for some one-on-one time before I get married. Here's a run down of what we did:

Friday night- played a few board games. I lost every time. He was a good sport about it though... shook my heand and said, "good game" after I lost. haha.

Saturday- Took Levi to the gym (yep!) with me. He played in the kid's gym while I got a solid cardio/arms/abs workout in. We then had lunch (I drank my Shakeology shake) at a local pizza place. Next we went to the Science Center where we explored for about 3 hours. It was so fun! Then, Levi wanted ice cream, so I took him to Coldstone Creamery where he got what every nine year old would get, cotton candy ice cream with Snickers and gummy bears. I didn't get anything! To be clear, I didn't even want anything. I love ice cream, but the consequence wasn't worth the indulgence. Then we went home where we had dinner (lasagna) and had a game night. Pretty solid, guilt-free weekend!

Positive potty post-it

 

Sunday was a rest day. We went to church and my mom and I road-tripped to take Levi back home. I did a little laundry, but mostly I recuperated after being totally worn out by a child. I still ate well and had my Shakeology. While at church, I went into the bathroom to stock up on toilet paper for the service (for some reason I sneeze constantly in church and I always forget actual tissues). In the stall, I noticed this post-it stuck on the wall. What a great way to start my week! This is a great reminder of a couple things.

1. Positivity will always makes people smile, especially when it's unexpected.

2. You can find motivation where you least expect it. In my case, it was the church bathroom!

Today I woke up to p90x yoga (the start of week 4!) and I have my session with my trainer tonight. If you'll remember from last week, my goal is to leave the gym every night this week a sweaty mess. I can't slack off!

Today is also the start of my Beach Body challenge group. I am on Team Bombshell, which is fitting because, who doesn't want to be a total bombshell? This is just adding a new challenge to my already challenging diet and exercise routine, but it also adds more accountability. Forty days until the wedding and I will be the best version of myself I can be when I walk down the aisle. <3

Here's what I need motivation for this week, if you feel so inclined to comment and leave a litlte positivity!

1. Knocking out 2 workouts a day, finishing each day feeling exhausted, but stronger.
2. Crossing a few small things off my wedding to-do list.
3. Packing up my things to move into the new apartment. So often when I go home, I just want to veg. I need to pack some boxes this week!

Snow = sleeping in > working out

Dead as a door nail.
 

Happy Friday, everyone. I am finishing my week feeling like a slug. Yesterday, it began snowing and it hasn't stopped since. I blame the weather. Remember the picture I posted  of the tulip I posted in yesterday's post? Here's that same tulip today..

The intention this morning was to finish off my week as strong as it began, but no dice. I didn't sleep well because I have yet another cold due to this weather. So, I sorta abused the snooze button this morning. I didn't get out of bed until 6:30 am which is stupid late since I'm usually up at 4:30 or so.

Another way I'm in a funk is with my clothes. I'm currently wearing skinny jeans, a gray sweatshirt and brown boots. Gray and brown. That's happening. Nothing really fits in my closet. It's either too big or a smidge small. It's frustrating in the way growing out bangs is frustrating. I know you can sympathize. This is why I've spent free time for the last 2 years in something with a stretchy waistband. I'm that girl.

This weekend, I plan to get on track. However, this weekend will produce a new challenge for me.

For those of you that don't know, I have 5 nephews and 2 nieces. Life as an aunt is totally awesome and I've been one for almost 10 years! Three of my nephews live a couple of hours from me (the other 4 kiddos live in California and North Carolina) and I would like to spend time with each of them before I get hitched. This weekend, I get to hang out with Levi, the oldest, who is nine. Before I get married and one day start my own family, I want to spend time with some of the coolest kids I know, one on one.

This presents a challenge in my workout and eating world. I'll want to sleep in, eat junk food and pretend I'm nine years old. After all, this IS perfect indoor fort-building weather. Stay tuned for Monday's update...

Until then, I could use some motivation. I am 43 days out from the wedding and I've got a lot on my to do list and I'm losing steam and energy, truth be told, for this working out twice a day business. Help!!


The awesome kiddos in my life!

 

 

 

Winter with spring veggies and other laments

Tulip outside my back door this morning.

Hi friends! It's Thursday, May 2 and it's snowing here. Welcome to the great state of Iowa.

<<I am only annoyed with the weather... earlier this week it was 76 degrees. I really do love being an Iowa girl.>>

<<Also do not tell me smugly how fantastic the weather is where you are. So help me, I will hunt you down. Just enjoy your good fortune and shut up about it.>>

Last night was cardio day at the gym, which I rocked. One hour of cardio, y'all! 3 months ago that would have never happened. It's like I should have some with a side effects warning: "May cause vomiting or even death."

So anyway, I spent a lot of the time on the eliptical last night because of these two women that took the whole hour going the slowest pace on the treadmills. I mean, it was frustrating, but I complained about it last night to my fiance, so I'm not going to get into my annoyance now. (Thanks for listening, Randy!) I like the eliptical for lots of reasons, even though my trainer calls it "lazy cardio."

1. I move my arms and legs. buh-bye lunch lady arms!
2. Larger calorie burn at a quicker pace.
3. Easier on my joints, and my knees have given me some trouble in past years (thanks a lot, high school track.)

So, I booked it on the eliptical! To compensate for the absence of my high incline treadmill warm-up, I kept increasing my resistance, beginning at level 5. I think I got up to 10, which is an amzing butt and upper thigh workout.

The Food Network wasn't on, so I brought my kindle with me. I'm currently trying to get through a book list of "Books every woman should read in her mid-20s." I'm 27, so "mid-20s" is a loose term, but so far, I'm enjoying the books I've read. Check out the list. I've read Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson and I'm currently reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. This book is absolutely hilarious and I'm pretty sure Mindy Kaling and I would be best friends in another life. I actually laughed out loud, more like a guffaw, in the gym. Take that, treadmill hogger girls. Read this book; it's awesome.

My wonderful fiance accompanied me to the gym last night. We consider that time together, which it kind of is, because we're both exercising at the same time, but I'm not one of those people that spots her boyfriend on the weights or runs on the treadmill next to his. Absolutely not. We go, tell each other to have a good workout and reconvene in 60 minutes. When I met up with Randy, he was drenched in sweat. He told me he ran 12 laps on the track (which is a mile on our gym's track) and every 2 laps, he stopped and did 30 push ups. He also did ab exercises and weights. When I saw him, he was killing himself on the stair master.

You guys, I felt like I had a great workout, and I have also instructed you not to compare yourself to others, especially men because they are way different than females. But after Randy told me everything he did, I felt bad. Like, I could have done more. So, the goal next week is to leave the gym completely exhausted every night. It WILL happen, and that will make for some excellent writing I'm sure. Stay tuned.

Last night, Randy and I decided to make something from yesterday's second blog entry. We both are asparagus fans, so we did our own version of the Asparagus Goat Cheese Galette. The difference was, we didn't make the galette crust. We found this pre-packaged artisan flatbread (probably Pepperidge Farms. Those people have a handle on deliciousness). We each made our own. On mine, I put chicken that Randy grilled with garlic and cayenne pepper, asparagus that I steamed a little before baking it, tomatoes, the goat cheese mixture, basil and garlic. Randy topped his with the goat cheese mixture, green olives, chicken and asparagus. We popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The artisan bread was the perfect amount of crispy! Everything was delicious! I highly recommend.

As I said it's snowing here, which always trips a little switch in my head that says, "just put on sweatpants and watch movies on the couch!" With the wedding being 44 days away, I can't do that. I am plugging away on my two-a-day workouts, and suffering from a little soreness each day. It will be worth it though!

How to be a veggie lover

I have no problem eating veggies. I love them and I always have. However, when my trainer told me I need more and to have them in every meal, I started to wonder if I would get sick of them and how I could incorporate them into every meal.

It should be said that if you conver your veggies in cheese or butter or boil them to the point where they are soggy, you are losing most of the nutrients in vegetables. Vegetables should maintain a little crunchiness.

So friends, I bring you an array of ways I add veggies to meals. You'll get ideas from what I write, form your own meal ideas and pretty soon, you'll be helping others fill their lives with veggies. Don't worry, you can thank me later.

Breakfast.
    Almost every morning, I eat this 3 egg whites, 1 egg with yolk, chopped spinach, tomato, baby bella mushrooms and green pepper. I sautee the veggies and 'shrooms first with pepper (NO SALT) and garlic powder. Then I add the eggs and scramble it up! On the weekends, sometimes I'll eat it on whole grain toast or add cheese to it. What can I say, I live on the edge.

If you hate some of the veggies I listed above, that's ok..put in your own! Remember, color is key! The more your food resembles a rainbow, the better. Put jalapenos, other peppers, onion, even broccoli in your eggs! I promise you'll look forward to it.

Lunch.
   As of late, I've been enjoying Shakeology shakes as my lunch. I love these and they really fill me up. However, let's go back to the days before that and remember my choices.

I love sandwiches. They are delicious and represent all things wonderful about food. Carb, cheese, meat, vegetables. Delish. However, stay away from red meat (I mostly do turkey. Chicken's a good choice too.), subtract the cheese and add more vegetables. Tomato, avocado, spinach, and cucumber are all solid choices. Don't be shy...keep adding veggies! Put it all on a whole grain bread (or even  just one piece to reduce carbs). Add some celery or carrots on the side instead of chips (they fulfill the crunch factor) with some Greek yogurt veggie dip and co crazy. SO good... I promise you'll be full.

Dinner.


Asparagus Goat Cheese Galette

   There are so many things I love about eating any meal, but dinner is probably my favorite. You have so many options! Some of these I've tried, others are "wait til I get married and use my husband as a guinea pig" recipes, but all have high veg factors.

1. Asparagus Goat Cheese Galette. To replace pizza. Excuse me, but there's nothing about the TITLE I don't love, so I'm sure I'll love this when I try it. I mean, just LOOK at it. And, if you've never given goat cheese a try, this may be ambitious for your first experience. Sample it at a farmer's market or something.. it's amazing. Tomatoes on this would rock



SW Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Zucchini Noodles

2. Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash. (say THAT three times fast!) To replace tacos. Click on the title or the caption for all of these to get the recipe, but this just looks incredible. I love me some black beans. I woul even go as far as to add avocado and tomato to this recipe. Bam.

3. Zucchini Noodles. To replace pasta. I love zucchini. To make noodles out of them blows my mind. Then you can add regular spaghetti stuff to the top (the meat I'd use would be ground turkey). And voila!

Enjoy friends... spend some time in your grocer's produce aisle and get creative!

"Show me a man with both feet on the ground and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants on." -Joe Lewis

Happy Wednesday! I don't know about you, but this week is flying by for me. We are 46 days out from the wedding and I think I'm at the point where time will start flying by. I have a thousand things to do! Do you ever feel like work gets in the way of what you actually need to do? But you need work to pay for the things you need to get done? Ahh, the catch 22 of being an adult.

Anyway, Wednesday is often referred to as "hump day." We are getting over the middle hump of the week! I generally think it's kind of a stupid phrase, as most people just use it to be crass, but today, I am totally celebrating this term.

Last week, in this blog entry, I told you about a pair of pants that aren't my favorite but that I took a potential confidence-busting risk to try on and they fit. Well friends, the pants fairy has struck my closet again because it happened again! If you haven't caught it yet, I'm happy the pants fit over the "hump" of my hips on hump day! See what I did there?

Like the blue-gray pair last week, these pants aren't my favorite. They are brown I've had them forever... since back when brown was trendy <<cough, 2008, cough>>. But again, I don't have a lot of diversity in my pants and I *really* don't want to invest money on new clothes if I'm not at my weight goal yet. So, I'll settle for the nostalgia of 5 years ago when I had a disposable income to buy tons of clothes.

I kind of dig the quote I used for the title. I mean, I get the actual meaning of it, but I like my version of it a little better... if you don't move, you won't be able to fit into your pants! My cousin's wife posted a great meme on facebook the other day....I've posted it here today. It's so true! You have to watch what you eat in order to lose weight, but to get fit you have to get to the gym and MOVE. There's really no way around this. There is no get thin quick scheme that will actually work. On Pinterest, I've seen this hot photo of a girl's stomach that is totally ripped and "her" morning workout that got her there. It's a circuit combo of burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc. Friends... no. That won't work! I mean, certainly do that, but don't expect a stomach you can eat off of. It's a combination of what you eat and what you do. Doing ten minutes of work every morning won't get you there.

Today is cardio day at the gym... as you all know it's my favorite (not). But last week, I totally rocked cardio day and I plan to do the same this week, if not better. And, if I can't watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on The Food Network, I will be listening to music. What music, you ask? My Humps, of course!

Make it a great day!