Looking for the positive

It’s been an absolutely gorgeous day today! If I didn’t know better I would swear it was still summertime. Too bad I know better, right?

Jillian kicked my ass this morning. And all because of these guys:

When J and I went shopping yesterday I picked up a new set of heavier hand weights to use with 30 Day Shred. I’ve been using a pair of 1 kilo weights that were handed down to me. While I appreciated not having to pay for my old weights, they weren’t challenging me enough to build muscle.

My new 2 kilo (think about 5 pounds) weights made my workout just as tough as I remembered it being when I did The Shred the first time.

After Shedding I hit the road for a few miles. But not using my feet! I jumped on my bike and started pedaling as hard and fast as I could to get in a good workout. With my right foot out of commission, again, for the time being I am not running, but that doesn’t mean I can’t continue to do cardio and elevate my heart rate.

 

 

It does mean I have to start working out smarter, though.

Today I cycled for approximately 50 minutes (I’m terrible about not timing my workouts) and burned 339 calories. Not as great as running, which I much prefer, but instead of dwelling on how much I’d rather be running I’m choosing to work to enjoy cycling more.

This morning’s workout was powered by cookie and nuts.

A breakfast cookie with coffee and a pre-workout snack of almonds, to be specific.

Loved the breakfast cookie, but next time I will use a little less liquid. It was so delicious and fun to eat a cookie for breakfast. Felt like I was being naughty and tossing healthy eating aside while biting into a huge no-bake cookie. The best part was knowing I was actually fueling my body well and it tasted so good!

Once I returned home from my long bike ride it was time for a shower and lunch, because I was seriously starving.

With the past few days’ lack of veggies, a salad sounded so good. I added a ham sandwich on the side.

Do you ever eat fruit in your salads? I started adding oranges and dried cranberries in mine when we have them. They add a fun surprise to a typical salad and the sweetness makes me want to keep chowing down when I might typically give up on plain salads. Give it a shot, you really should.

I used to think it was weird to eat oranges in a salad—I remember when I worked at Wendy’s and the store sold Mandarin Chicken Salads, all I could think was “Disgusting. Fruit and greens?”—but now I’ve seen the light.

Another visit from the mailman today. This should be our last rendezvous for a while. The last of our Flying Pig shipment arrived!

A huge box of Rice Krispies, for J, two boxes of Kashi Go Lean Crunch, some Bisquik, and a 9-cup bag of raw almonds. We’re definitely set on food for a while.

I put my blender’s grinding tool to use to make another batch of homemade almond butter. It takes so much work to create only about 3-4 tablespoons worth of the stuff, so I don’t bother trying most of the time. I had a few extra minutes today, so I made a small batch.

And, of course, I had to try the raw almonds from Costco. They were really good. A different taste from the roasted ones I’ve been snacking on, but still very good.

Mid-afternoon snack was the last non-frozen half of an Einstein Bros. bagel toasted with a shmear (about 1 tbsp) of almond butter.

This has become one of my new favorite snacks because it doesn’t take but a second to toast the bagel and it keeps me full until dinner. Score!

Dinner was the usual scene at Monday Night Ramen—no photos because you know what my ramen looks like every week. Trust me, it doesn’t change… and it’s always tasty.

I’m settling in for some quality time with the husband before passing out. I’m really tired after a full day of housework (finally caught up!), pushing myself hard during my workout, lesson planning, and going out for dinner.

Check out a few of these tunes to add to your workout playlist. I listened to them today.

• “Fireflies” by Owl City
• “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo
• “Best I Ever Had” by Drake
• “Back In Your Head” by Tegan and Sara
• “First Train Home” by Imogen Heap
• “No Sleep Tonight” by The Faders
• “Use Somebody” by Paramore (cover)

New workout music always gets me moving. How about you?