Days 5 and 6 of S90D

Yesterday was day 5 and Shoulders/Arms workout.  Like the first workout, I need to increase the weight on some of the exercises.  I have a tendency to go too light when first doing a new exercise, not a bad thing just playing it safe.  Anyway, while I was good and tired afterwards no sore muscles today from it. So next time I'll go up a couple pounds.
Today, day 6, was Cardio Challenge.  Not as hard as Tabata Inferno, but still enough to make you sweat a lot.  It also has lots of shoulder exercises since it combines dumbbells with the cardio exercises.  My shoulders may be crying tomorrow morning, it'll be so worth it though.
Tomorrow I'll be doing the Legs dvd sometime after church.  What a great way to begin 2012.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I had a couple cups of mashed sweet potatoes leftover from Christmas dinner so I decided to put them into this recipe.  The potatoes had butter, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice already in them.  I don't remember the amounts.  So the nutrition info on these is off by a little bit.  These could easily be made healthier by substituting honey or stevia for sugar, applesauce for oil, etc.  I just thought it was okay for today the way it is.

Sweet Potato Muffins

makes 24-28 muffins

5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

2 cups sweet potatoes, mashed

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup milk(any type will work I used 2% with a teaspoon or two of vinegar added).

you may need to add another cup of liquid to make the batter wet enough

1/4 cup wheat germ

1. Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, wheat germ) in a large bowl
2. Mix wet ingredients (egg, butter, oil, milk, sweet potatoes) and add to dry ingredients.
3. Combine ingredients until just moistened, adding more liquid if necessary (I had to add a cup of water).
4. Fill muffin tins and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Nutrition info per serving:
Calories: 208.4
Calories from fat: 63.9 
Total Fat: 7.1g
Cholesterol: 24.7mg
Sodium: 245.6mg
Potassium: 88.4mg
Total Carbohydrate: 32.1g
dietary fiber: 1.2g
sugars: 9.0g
Protein: 4.1g

Day 4 S90D

Today's video was Tabata Inferno. I see why they schedule a rest day on day 3 as I was draggin' butt by the end of the video.  My form went to crap and I was barely lifted my legs for some of the exercise, but I finished.  In 7 days, the next time this video is scheduled, I'm hoping to finish stronger.  I was huffing and puffing, sweaty and red face with this, I loved it.  I did it later today then I usually work out, I finished at about 8pm.  I bet I sleep good tonight.
Tomorrows workout is Shoulders/Arms, ugh probably means more push-ups.  Tom Holland, the trainer for S90D, really seems to like push-ups.  For some trainers it's squats, some it's lunges, for him push-ups.  Have a great night dear readers.

Day 3, Rest Day

Today is a rest day according to the S90D chart. However, I didn't feel like resting so I've done a Hula Abs & Buns workout  that I bought from the Dollar Tree a few years ago.  I enjoy working out to this dvd every now and then for something different.  Your abs and thighs are burning by the time 30 minutes are past.  It's harder then it looks.  I also plan on going 30 minutes on my gazelle here as soon as I finish posting this.
Tomorrow is Tabata Inferno and I've heard some good things about this section of S90D, I plan on being good and sweaty when I finish it. Love getting sweaty and feeling strong. Have a good afternoon dear readers.

Day 2 of S90D

My chest and shoulders are good and sore from yesterday and all those push ups.  Today was a core workout, like I mentioned, with all the exercises using the ball. Hence the name Ultimate ball, duh.  Anyway tomorrow is scheduled to be a rest day. Which to me seems weird after only two days of working out, so I think I'll do some time on the gazelle or pop in on of my other dvds. Other then a few sore muscles I'm feeling great, like I can take on the world great.  I really needed to get back into working out I think.  I'm also planning out my race schedule.  Right now I'm looking at possibly a 5k in March, a mud run in April, a 5k in August and a 5k in October and maybe a turkey trot at Thanksgiving, oh and there's another 5k in December I'm considering.  I really, really want to do that mud run even though it's sometimes still a bit cool in April.  I don't think I'll mind being cold and wet as it looks like tons of fun.  That's about 18.6 miles of racing, so hey if I can successfully complete these this coming year maybe I can start training for a half-marathon soon. I'd love to run one.

Day 1 of Supreme 90 Day

Okay here's what I'm starting with

I added the date and a few measurements on the picture but here they are in case you can't read them

weight; 167lbs

chest: 37.5in

waist: 34in

hips: 41in

and yuck, back fat.  Though I have made a big improvement since I last posted pictures back in August. Also since my last stat update my weight is down a pound (actually it was down to 165 Friday morning, I've overindulged on Christmas goodies so I've got a bit of water weight going on at the moment).  My chest is up half an inch, my hips down 1 1/2 inches, my waist is down one inch.  Not bad at all since I've only done a handful of workouts in December.  I feel like I've somehow kick started my metabolism again and my body is working with me once more.  So here's to kicking it in high gear and looking super in a swimsuit this coming summer. Sigh, summer how I miss thee...can't wait to shake off winter.

Well today was/is Day 1 of Supreme 90 Day (which I will shorten to S90D to make for less typing).  Today's workout was chest/back.  It consisted of a lot of rows and push ups and I'm sure my muscles will be a tad sore tomorrow.  I used 5lb dumbbells for the workout, but I think I need to switch up next time for some of the exercises.  I feel like I just didn't push myself as hard as I could of, so I'll fix that. I also need to add some more air to my swiss/stability ball. Especially since tomorrows workout is called Ultimate ball...hmm sounds like a core workout coming up. Can't wait.

Merry Christmas and a new workout

I hope all you dear readers are having a wonderful Christmas day.  Ours has been lovely so far.  Even the weather is cooperating with being partly sunny and 55 degrees.
One of my gifts was a workout system called Supreme 90 Day.  It's similar to P90 or P90x without costing the arm and a leg that Beachbody charges.  Well I say it's similar, I'm going by online reviews since I've never actually seen the P90 series except for online and t.v. and I've not done this system as of right now.
However I've been reading reviews and they're very good for S90D and I'm looking forward to getting started in the morning.  My weight has been wonderful so far this break (I've actually lost a few pounds without trying).  I know I said earlier that I wasn't going to try to lose weight this break just try and keep busy. However, I saw this at the Dollar General and it was only 10.00 and so I nearly begged Hubby for it for Christmas.  I'm really looking forward to getting started.
Anyway my point is I know I said I wasn't going to try to lose weight, but if it comes off while I'm exercising then that's a wonderful side effect. Right? I've wanted to try P90x, but cannot afford the high cost. So here I have in my greedy little paws a perfect, affordable substitute.  It also comes with a nutrition guide written by Tosca Reno, who is wonderful.  I have two, or three, of her Eat-Clean books and am already familiar with her style.
So tomorrow I'll take a before picture and all my measurements and share with you all.  I'll also try to post daily on which workout I did and what I think of it.  So here's to a hopefully awesome 90 days.

Update on Operation Don't Gain Weight Over Winter Break

Well the good:

• I'm being careful about the treats I eat and keeping everything to a minimum.
• I'm making sure to get up and move around.  For example: I'll get off the computer and go do squats while watching Hubby play on the Xbox. I'll also do random dancing or jumping jacks, anything to get a few minutes of exercise in throughout the day.

Here's the bad, or the needs improvement:

• I've not been drinking enough water.  I've not been drinking too much soda (about one a day, which is still a lot but I don't think it too too much). I've been drinking way too much coffee (about 1/2 a pot or more a day).  The past two days have been some better, I've gotten about 40 oz of water both days.  Today I'm going to aim for double that.
• While I have been getting in random acts of exercise, I've not actually been working out.  Yesterday I spent the day cleaning my bedroom.  I cleaned out closets, moved dressers, vacuumed and cleaned carpet, and did a ton of laundry.  My thighs are sore from the exercise, and it's the most I've done since before finals week.  So I need to fit in my hour a day plus the random acts.  I'm not trying to lose weight these couple of weeks, but I do have to stay on top of the extra calories I'm consuming.
• I need to be eating more veggies.  Last night I made sure that half my plate, at dinner, was the veggie Hubby fixed. I also made sure to eat that first so that I wouldn't be too full to eat it all.  Breakfast was just eggs and we skipped lunch. Not intentionally, I was in a cleaning mood and worked through lunch.  The kiddies had sandwiches, I think.

So keeping everything in mind I'll start my day and make sure I pay more attention to what I'm doing. Keeping my goals in mind.  I probably won't post till after Christmas, so have a very merry Christmas dear readers.

Operation: Don't Gain Weight Over Winter Break

I'm still here dear readers, just a very busy time of year. With the holidays, finals, and finals and finals oh yeah and Christmas. It's just plain busy. I promise that I'll be posting more regularly soon.

Anyway I'm setting a goal and so I'll post throughout winter break, which is 12/16-1/11 for me. My goal, as the title suggests, is to not gain weight these 3 1/2 weeks. I'm not aiming to lose weight, which is great if it happens, just not gain any. I'm not going to torture myself with Christmas coming and all the goodies that comes with the season and not being able to indulge a little.

So how will I meet this goal? Well here's the plan:

1. Workout 1 hour per day aiming for 6 days a week. This should include 30-45 minutes of strength training/exercises and 15-30 minutes of cardio exercises.
2. Never sit still for longer then 30 minutes at a time. Get up, get a drink of water, do 10 squats, jumping jacks anything. Just do not sit still for long periods of time. Set a timer if I must.
3. Fill plate, at lunch and dinner, half full of veggies first then add meats and starches. Keep servings of sweets at a minimum. I can have that Christmas cookie/candy, just limit to one or two pieces. Be mindful of serving sizes.
4. Water should be main beverage, then tea (unsweetened), coffee, juice. No more then one soda a week and can have a small glass of eggnog once or twice during break (mmm I do love eggnog).

See simple right? Basic stuff I should be doing anyway, however if I write it down I'm more likely to follow it. Too easy to slip into old habits when at home. For some reason it's the hardest for me to get motivated at home. At the gym an hour flies by, at home it kind of drags. It's all mental I know, I don't worry so much what needs done at the gym. Working out at home I have kiddies asking when I'll be done, housework to do, and a million other things that is harder to tune out.

Progress Report

Okay I haven't done my measurements this week, however, since it's been so long since I've posted how I'm progressing I thought I would share this.

This is the weight chart taken from my bodyspace account at bodybuilding.com. This morning(and also a couple days ago) I weighed in at 168.4. Yep I've broken through the 170s. I'm so proud that even after overeating slightly yesterday I'm still below that dreaded number.

I'm 10lbs less then I was over a year ago and 16lbs less then at the peak over the past year.

Being healthy is tough when you're starting out unhealthy. In my past, I was slightly disordered in my eating. Basically in order to lose weight I wouldn't eat. I would count every single calorie that passed my lips and make sure that I was eating less then 100 calories a sitting. I lost weight yes. This loss isn't sustainable though. This way of eating wasn't healthy. I made myself sick, I would be so anemic I couldn't stay awake more then short times before needing a nap. I would be lightheaded. It wasn't fun.

My weight now is coming off slowly. I'm losing inches, I can see some muscle definition. I'm going to have awesome abs by the time it's all said and done. My body is already telling me to move when I go more then one day without exercising. I don't count calories, I count nutrients and ingredients. I only glance at the label and make sure I'm not putting tons of artificial crap in my body. I go by the 80/20 rule, eat right 80% of the time and don't worry so much about the 20%.

I'm getting awesome one pound, one rep, one mile, one hour at a time.

Raiding the Pantry

I'm shopping out of the Pantry for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. So far I think we're having:

• Applesauce pie
• Cranberry Sauce Meringue Pie
• Peach Cobbler
• Fruit Salad,
• Wild Rice stuffing,
• Green Bean Casserole,
• Dinner rolls,
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy,
• and of course the Turkey.

I'm going to add another vegetable side dish or two to the menu as well. My plan is to cook enough that I don't have to actually cook again till about Sunday night. I'm going to try to make everything as healthy as possible. However, I don't fret over healthy too much during holiday meals. It's not a way we eat all the time and an occasional splurge doesn't hurt anything. As long as you don't overeat. So I'm planning on trying to stopping when my belly is full and not eating again until I'm hungry. I also plan on getting everyone outside tomorrow since it's suppose to be a better day then today.

This Weeks Plans

This week I'm not making very many of them actually.

I've been sick since Wednesday afternoon last week. A nasty bit of bladder infection plus a cold has knocked me on my booty. Today I'm feeling some better, but I've still got a long ways to go before I'm 100%.

So for this week, since it is a crazy holiday week and I'm recovering from an illness I'm going to take it fairly easy. Monday and Tuesday I may be able to spend some time in the gym. Wednesday I'm home with the kiddies and will be getting some of the baking done for Thursday. Maybe some free weights or some chasing the kiddies around the house. Dough fights anyone? Okay kind of an inside joke there. Thursday I'm planning on having a small-ish Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, wild rice with cranberries, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie. I want to make a pecan pie, but the prices of pecans are so high. Maybe if I can find someone who will let me come and pick them off their trees/lawn. Thursday's weather is suppose to be okay so maybe I'll chase my bunch outdoors for a little flag football.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be just whatever happens. I've got finals coming up fast and I do have to spend some of the Thanksgiving weekend studying for them.

Well, That Was a Bust...

Last week started out well, I got in on Monday and Tuesday and worked out as planned. Then Tuesday night my van decided that it needed a rest on the way home after class. I got about 5 miles or so from campus and it quit. So had to call the Hubby and have him drive 30 minutes to come get me. We got the van home(Hubby drove it home having to stay on the gas the entire way). However that meant we are down to one vehicle right now. So Wednesday I had a dentist appointment and classes. Since I had to run Hubby home to the kiddies when he got off work I missed my last class wednesday night. Thursday I did get a work out in, Hubby had caught a ride to and from work with a coworker. Fridday I was lazy(which unfortunately is becoming a norm on Fridays for me). Saturday and Sunday was spent around the house and running errands.

So what's up for this week?
Well, for some reason I was thinking I was not going to be able to work out today so left my gym bag at home. Only to realize on the drive to class that Hey I could of worked out between my first two classes. I know why I was thinking I wasn't going to be able to...there's a chance of rain and at first they were saying 11am today and Hubby might of gotten off work early. I can't work out between my second and third classes because of having to go and pick up Hubby.
Tomorrow I should be able to get a workout in after my first class. Also tomorrow we're hoping the part to fix the van is in. Unfortunately it's suppose to rain all day, so I'm not sure Hubby will be able to put said part in van.
Wednesday, as long as the part comes in and we can can get it installed and everything put back together, I'm planning a full body last chance type of work out. Thursday is my last fitness class this semester and we are weighing in. So I've got to be good these last few days so I can hopefully have a big loss. It's also my birthday and they're giving us goodies for participating in the class and I'm considering them as birthday presents too.
So that's it for this week, I'm hoping for more workout time then last week.

Monday, check

I did do some ab work. I did: 2x25 crunches on the swiss ball, 15 berry pickers, 2x15 bridges(on swiss ball), I did 2x15/60lbs on ab twist machine, 2x20 ab crunch machine.

For arms I did: 1x15/10lbs bicep curls, 1x15/10lbs hammer curls, 1x 15/10lbs tricep extensions. 15 pushups, 2x15/40lbs tricep machine.

Also did 11 minutes on the stationary bike.

Food-wise, I could of done better, could of done worse. I'm not fretting it too much today. My foot is super tender, but I woke up with it feeling that way so it's nothing I did walking on campus or at the gym. It kinda feels like someone is constantly stomping on it. Not hurting too bad, but not too pleasant either.

Plans for the Week

My plan for this week is:

Monday; abs and arms

• I'm going to get on one of the swiss balls and do some ab exercises. There are some good ideas HERE.
• Then I plan on bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep extensions and kickbacks until I can't lift another ounce.
• Cardio is going to be super easy, just 10-15 minutes on stationary bike. I'm not trying to push my ankle at all. I do need some cardio to encourage weight loss and hopefully not lose any endurance.

Tuesday; Legs and back

• Legs will be squats, leg extensions, leg curls, abductor and adductor machines. Nothing were I have to push against anything.
• Back will be rows, pulldowns, back extension, pullup, dumbbell shrug, bentover rows.
• Cardio will also be 10-15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Wednesday; Shoulders and abs (this Wednesday my time available for the gym is limited, but I should still be able to get a minimum of 45 minutes in there)

• Shoulders will be military press, chest press, lateral raises and pushups(knees down)
• Abs will be the ab machines, crunches, captains chair
• Cardio will be 10-15 minutes on stationary bike.

Thursday; Thursdays right now I have my fitness class and so this days workout will be whatever the trainers decide. I think there are only two more classes left so after Thanksgiving I'll be planning my workouts for Thursdays again.

Meal plans;

Well, since I only cook 3 out of 5 days a week right now I'm not in control of dinners or what foods are in the house. Hubby has been doing the majority of the grocery shopping and there are a lot of convenience foods in the house. However I can choose what I eat for breakfasts and lunches and snacks so here are my ideas for those:

Breakfasts: eggs(poached or hard boiled), toast(whole grain bread), grits

Lunches: sandwiches (either peanut butter or ham), veggie soups (homemade quickies), hard boiled eggs, homemade biscuits

Snacks: coffee(black) and fruit or yogurt, both bought on campus. The bad thing about choosing the yogurt is the campus only either has yoplait or their yogurt parfait. Both which have added sugar. However, since there are worse choices that could be made I'm not going to fret over the added sugar too much.

Thanksgiving is just over two weeks away and I need to be going over my recipes and making the necessary changes to them. I also need to be planning my budget for this holiday. I think I'll do this throughout this week and cross-post between here and Jackie's Junk Drawer. I'm doing NaBloPoMo over there so if your curious about anything else going on in my simple life drop by there.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, the gym anyway. I went to my fitness class today. We did a circuit of spin bikes, push ups, plancks, mountain climbers, box jumps, then a ab pyramid. They did anyway. Me, I couldn't do the mountain climbers or box jumps due to my bum foot. I did the bikes, a modified push up (the girlie ones), a modified planck (knees on ground), and tried to do step ups but ended up doing squats and the ab pyramid.
My darn ankle kept popping when trying to do step ups, so it's obviously not ready to handle much weight yet. It did fine on the bike, and the trainer said that the stationary/spin bikes were good for bad ankles since there's little to no pressure on it. He also told me to do calf raises in a doorway, using the doorway for support, to help strengthen my ankle.
It felt so good to get a workout in, can't wait till I'm back running again. I know it will take a bit of time, and I'm trying to resist the urge to push my ankle. So I'm going to look up and plan my own recovery/rehab workouts to make sure I don't lose any muscle that I've worked so hard to gain. Also I want to encourage my ankle to heal properly.

So Sore

I'm extra super glad that my foot is sprained not broken. I hate these crutches. I'm sure I'm not doing something right so I've been reading and searching for tips to make sure I know the proper mechanics of crutch usage. The only thing I can figure is that the handgrips are not quite right. These are Hubby's crutches from like 5 years ago. His arms are a bit longer then mine. We adjusted them for height but didn't adjust arm length. So tonight I had Hubby adjust the handgrips for my arms and now hopefully I can use them without continuing to kill my biceps. I swear I have a permanent bruise on my right bicep. I dread getting up because of the pain. I cannot yet walk on my foot, I tried. That hurts too. I can put some weight on it, but when I go to take a step pain shoots up from my toes then my ankles.
I hope I get better soon, I don't do injured well.

Foot Update

Well, I went to the e.r. yesterday for xrays and found my foot wasn't broken. It is pretty badly sprained. As evidenced by the following pictures. I'm really, super, glad that it's not broken. I don't think I could do broken well. Being off my foot for 2 days is killing me and I don't think I could do 6 weeks. As it is I'm having to schedule make up days for two exams for today since I'm home nursing this foot. According to the paperwork from the hospital it can take 3-6 weeks for a sprain to heal. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons it can take 4 to 6 weeks. I like 3 to 6 better. I've been googling and most runners are back on their feet, running, in about a week. Since I have weak ankles anyway I think I'll be back walking on the treadmill in a week or so then take it slowly back up to running. I really don't want a repeat, or anything worse, happening. I'm glad I didn't sign up for the 5k on campus next saturday though.

Comparison picture from yesterday. The swelling was worse then, today it's not quite that bad.

Comparison picture from Saturday, the bad foot is the one on the right.

On a bit of a side note...I really need to redo the fingernail polish on my toenails.

Susan B Komen Race Recap

After getting a parking spot and waiting 45 minutes for the shuttle, I made it to the starting area. It was mass chaos with over 20,000 people running and walking the 3.1 miles. After I found a hole to get through I followed a few other runners making a path around the walkers. We cut through ditches across driveways and sidewalks then back to the street and in the middle of the fray.
I'm feeling good, going at a good pace at almost a mile in. I'm thinking that "Hey I think I'll be able to run this whole thing." This is where life says not so fast. I go to go around some walkers and bam pavement. They ask if I'm all right and I think I am. I have a bit of road rash on my left leg, a little twinge in my right foot/ankle, no problem. I run about another half mile and my foot is hurting more now. So I walk a bit, then do a light jog, then right back to walking. A bit further and I'm thinking my foot is really starting to hurt now. I keep trudging on, because shoot if I stop I still have to walk back to shuttle pick up. A navy squad(?) comes running up behind me. They're chanting and it's so motivational that I decide to follow them in for the last half mile or so. I cross the finish line at 43:02, ugh, 5 minutes slower then my last race.
As I'm waiting for my turn at the porta jon my foot is really throbbing and I'm starting to think I may of done some damage to it. I hobble around and grab some water, a half a banana and some freebies. The pain is getting worse. I go up to the shuttle pick up and wait there for the next bus. When we get to the parking lot I get off the bus and hobble up to m van, biting my lip and grimacing the whole way.
Driving home is painful and when I get home Hubby is waiting outside for me. He says he wants to see me walk(I've already called and told him about the fall). I go to get out and my foot will bear absolutely no weight. I'm whimpering and finally he comes over to assist me to the house. I sit on the couch, ease my shoe off and see that my foot is swollen and already bruised.
So yea I've done something to it. Consulting with dr. google comes up with a possible 5th metacarpal fracture. However since er visits and xrays are very expensive, I'm trying to hold out for a bit to see if it's not a very bad sprain.
So my foot is wrapped and elevated. I can keep weight off of it thanks to Hubby's crutches from when he broke his foot 5 years ago. Also, I'm thinking 43 minutes isn't bad since I finished injured like I was. I'm a beast.

Please pass the Halloween Candy

But only the chocolate ones. :)

Apparently the more you eat the better it is for you according to this study:

Chocolate Consumption is Inversely Related to Coronary Heart Disease

So a piece of chocolate a day keeps the doctor away.

Losing Weight Leads to Lots of Feel Good Moments

Saturday night Hubby wraps his arms around me and mentions my waist is getting smaller. Sunday afternoon I'm changing clothes after church and put on a pair of jeans that just two-three weeks ago I couldn't pull up over my hips.
Even with the small amount of weight I've lost, I'm noticing big changes. These changes make my self-confidence soar and encourage me to keep up the hard work. 4 hours a week working out? No problem, could probably do another couple hours. It's also like buying a new wardrobe without spending a dime. I have several pairs of jeans, shirts, and sweaters hanging in my closet that are just a half a size to a whole size too small. Or maybe they were just a little too snug and I wasn't comfortable with the fit. Now, I'll try them on and WOW I can wear them. A few I'm getting there but not quite.
I think I'll be flying high all week because of my gains (losses).

Pork and Wild Rice mix

A couple of weeks ago my mother came down to help out with the kiddies while they were on Fall break. While down we went to Lit restaurant supply to browse and she bought this ParExcellence Garden Harvest wild rice mix. It had some dehydrated carrots, celery, garlic and onion in it and seemed pretty clean and healthy. Well when I fixed it that night I didn't add anything to it. I had read the ingredients list and thought that it should have enough flavor of it's own. I was wrong, it was like eating plain rice. I was hoping that my mother would of taken the container back home with her (especially since it had 50 servings worth of rice mix in it). No such luck. So being stuck with this stuff I decided I was going to fix it like I would plain rice.

Here's what I came up with.

Pork and Wild Rice Mix

6 servings about 2 cups each

5 pork steaks, sliced

2 3/4 cups of water
1 cup of wild rice mix
1 can low sodium corn
1 can of italian herb diced tomatoes
1 medium jalapeno, diced
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 dashes creole seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. In 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown the sliced pork steaks.

2. Add water and rice, bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno and drained corn.

4. I had a lot of liquid in the skillet so I left it uncovered turned the heat up to medium and cooked till liquid evaporated.

Nutrition Data (approx.)

Calories 460 Calories from Fat 197

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21.9g 34%

Saturated Fat 7.2 g 36%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 108mg 36%

Sodium 503mg 21%

Total Carbohydrates 31.0g 10%

Dietary Fiber 3.4g 14%

Sugars 4.1g

Protein 34. 8g

Vitamin A 10% • Vitamin C 24% Calcium 6% • Iron 16%

Weekly Weigh-in

    Yep, I know it's been almost a month since my last weigh-in post.  I've had a very busy month and time has gotten so far away I've given up on trying to catch it again.  It's also been a pretty good month.  Here is my updated stats:
Weight: 171.8, down 3.2 pounds (down 6.2 pounds since August 17th, woohoo!)
Chest: down 0.5 inches
Neck: up 1 inch
Shoulders: down 1.2 inches
Biceps: down 0.3 inches
Forearms: no change
Waist: down 1.5 inches (loved seeing this, this morning)
Hips: up 0.5 inches
Thighs: down 0.4 inches
Calves: down 0.2 inches

    For a total loss of  2.6 inches in the past month.  If I had up all my inches lost I come up with 8.1 inches lost since August 17.  Now sometimes I gain an half an inch or my measurements may be wrong due to human error (which is what I think happens when I measure my neck...I think I'll start having Hubby do that one).  Still that's probably pretty close to correct and very awesome.  I think it's just about time for more progress pictures.  I know there's a difference now, I wasn't too sure last time.
    Today's plan of attack is around 8am to go and make two laps up and down the street.  It should equal close to 3 miles.  I have one week and one day before the next 5k.  I'm still trying to get donations so if you would like to give a little please click HERE .  I have 8 days left to try and make my goal and thank you ahead of time.  Also I plan on doing some body weight work outs and maybe a video if I have time.  I want to make sure to get my run in, everything else will be done if I get it to it.  With only 8 days left till the run I want to make each day count and plan on running at least a short distance (1 to 3 miles) each day.  Wish me luck and I will try to get on here to post more often.  Holidays are coming and I want to be trying some healthier versions of our favorite dishes.  I'll share what works with my dear readers.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Save the Tatas and Run

Race for the Cure

    On Saturday morning, October 29 2011, I will be lacing up and running 3.1 miles in support of the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure.  This raises money for breast cancer research and also supports me on my path to being healthier.

     I think I'm just about ready to run.  My only fear is that I've been training almost exclusively on the treadmill in the gym, running about 2-2.5 miles 3x a week.  According to the treadmill I'm doing about 14:30 miles...that's not good enough for me.  If you recall on my very first 5k I did 38:42, 14:30 miles does not equal 38:42.  If that's what I'm running I'll actually do worse this time around then I did on my first run...that's not good.  

    This weekend plus Monday and Tuesday is fall break for me.  My goal is to run 2 to 3 miles everyday on a surface that is not a treadmill.  I'm going to run my street, around the park that's a couple miles away, anywhere to see how well I can do.  I need some out-of-doors training to go with my indoors training.  I feel strong, but I'm not sure if that will translate to me doing better then my last race.  My goal is to run more during this race and beat my last time.  So if I come in at 37 minutes I'll have beat it (I want to do better then that though).

   Also, since this is a charity race, I need to raise some dollars for it.  So if you have 10.00 or so you could donate to the cause please do so HERE .  My goals is only 150.00 dollars. Unfortunately I'm still 150.00 away from reaching it.  So if you can spare some please do and thank you in advance.  15 days to go, woohoo.

I'm also cross-posting this at my other blog Jackie's Junk Drawer.

Weekly Weigh-in

Weight; 175lbs-down 1 lb
chest: down 0.2 inches
biceps: up 0.3 inches
hips: down 0.5 inches
waist: no change
thighs: up 0.4 inches
calves: up 0.2 inches
arms: up 0.1 inches
shoulders: down 0.4 inches
neck: down 0.4 inches

Total inches lost of: 0.5 inches.

You know I really liked these numbers till I posted them on my bodybuilding.com dashboard and realized some of them weren't so great.  I'm taking them with a grain of salt though. My pants are fitting much better, I look more tone(or at least I think so). I also see my usual trend of losing in my upper body first. Oh the joys of being a pear-shaped woman.  The fat in my lower half just refuses to give much.
Overall I feel I'm getting there.

Wednesday Weigh-in

I may have to start calling this weekly weigh-in as I'm having trouble getting it in on Wednesdays.  I'm not going to post my stats today as I didn't have time this morning to do them.  So tomorrow I'll post this weeks stats and may be moving my weigh-in day to either Tuesday, Thursday or Friday...because those are the days I have more time in the morning.  Probably either Tuesdays or Thursdays because I want to keep the days fairly close together.  Well good night sweet folks and I'll post more tomorrow.

Motivation and Staying on Track

    This is the hardest part for me when I'm trying to be healthier and live a healthy lifestyle.  I do pretty good for a month or so then something comes up.  I miss a couple days at the gym.  Then a couple more.  Before I know it, it has been a month and I've not done anything more then walking from my car to class(well that is about a mile on some days).
    I also notice that if I don't go to the gym my diet starts taking a turn for the worse as well.  One cookie won't hurt, wow did I just eat 3.  That Dr. Pepper sounds pretty good right now...probably shouldn't of drank that 4th can.  There's a big snowball affect when it comes to me and staying on track.  I give myself a little room on one thing, I end up screwing up everything.
    In order to combat this, kind of a preemptive strike against total laziness/screw up-ness. I have signed up for a program at the college called "Tigers Feel Great."  Once a week(Thursdays is the session I signed up for), a group of students meet to get educated on nutrition, exercise and being healthier.  We discuss our goals for being healthier and whether or not we've met those goals.  We also work out as a group.
     Yesterday was the first session and they took a few of our measurements.  Well my weight read higher then what it does at home.  I expected this since we were weighing in at 3pm, at home I weigh in the morning, and you have to count for the difference in scales.  My BMI was a scary 28.  I try not to pay too much attention to this because BMI is just weight and height and does not take into count muscle mass.  However 28 is a very scary number since obese for someone who is my height is 30.  I know I'm not obese, however I am very overweight.  I think my BMI is screwy anyway due to time spent running, lifting weights and building muscle.
My body fat percentage was 36.7%.  Healthy for women my age is 21 to 33%. Overweight is 33-39%. Obese is over 39%.  So yea, I am in the overweight category.  I'm working on it.  My blood pressure was normal so that's good.
      I'm going to use this class as a tool to keep the momentum going.  I'm a pretty competitive person and though there's no prize for whoever does the best after 10 weeks. I still want to be the one who does the best.  The group is pretty mixed, there are people who are younger, older, bigger, smaller.  There is 9 women and 1 man in our group.  I hope we all take something from the class (especially this young woman who I saw weighed in at 247 pounds...she's maybe 5'2").  So here's to hopefully a good tool to keep everyone motivated and on track.

Weighing in

I know it's been a couple weeks since my last weigh-in and it' s Friday not Wednesday.  My class schedule is super crazy and I'm starting to feel just a tiny bit overwhelmed at times.  I don't feel out of control with everything yet, but I do feel that if I don't try harder to stay ahead I'm going to fall behind very quickly.  I think I'm going to have to make a daily schedule out and set everything to times. At least Monday through Friday.  I really want my weekends to be for relaxing and family not school.  As much as possible anyway.
So here's this weeks measurements. I did take these on Wednesday, I'm just now getting time to post them.

Weight: 176 - down 1lb since my last weigh-in, yay. Down 4lbs since June, super yay.
Chest: - down 0.2 inches
Biceps: down 0.4 inches
Hips: no change
Waist: no change
Thighs: down 0.5 inches
Calves: up 0.1 inches
Forearms: down 0.2 inches
Shoulders: down 0.7 inches
Neck: down 0.6 inches

For a grand total of 2.5 inches lost since August 31.  Not bad since it is that t.o.m. and I've been dragging butt with my workouts.

No Weigh-in This Week

I didn't take any measurements, but the weight is still the same.  I've decided to try Pauline Nordine's Fighter Diet.  It's high on the veggies, low on grains and on the upper level of protein. Though if you don't log your meals you don't really realize how much protein you're getting.  You definitely don't get hungry. My opinion so far (it's only been 3 days) is that if you get the newbie pack, follow the first week to get the idea. Then either look at the recommended foods to mix it up a bit, or buy one of the other ebooks for more ideas.  Like any diet if you don't play with it, it gets boring.  It's mostly foods that are good for your body, but you may have to adapt to the tastes.  Surprisingly noodles, cabbage and salmon don't taste too bad together.
I'm not hungry, the only cravings I've been having is for iced coffee and feel okay.  I know when I cut back on my simple carbs I do feel better, so that may be it.  Less sugar and white flours equal a happier, more energetic Jackie.
At the gym yesterday I surprised myself.  I was on the leg press and was going to do 70lbs. Nope that was just way too easy.  Maybe 80, 90...nope still too easy.  I did 3 sets of 20 reps at 110lbs.  I could of done more but my legs were just slightly shaky and I'm looking for muscle build not injury so I figured that was good enough.  I did 90lbs on the adductor machine and 100 on the abductor. I also did 50lbs on leg curl and leg extension, 55lbs on the glute machine and 70lbs on the calf extension machine thingy.  I'm so much stronger on my lower body then I am on my upper.  I do good to do 30lbs on the shoulder press, some days 20lbs is all I can handle.
I'll get there I just got to keep pressing on. Now I'm off to make my tuna dish for lunch and finish a pre-lab report for Chemistry.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Back to school and I've been feeling great and the numbers are looking better. Here they are:

Weight: 177, down 2lb (I didn't post a weigh-in wednesday last week, but I was at 179 then)

Neck: down 0.5 inches

Shoulders: down 1.2 inches

Chest: up 0.4 inches

Biceps: down 0.1 inches

Arms: down 0.1 inches

Waist: down 0.7 inches

Hips: down 0.9 inches

Thighs: down 0.5 inches

Calves: down 0.2 inches

for a total of: 3.8 inches lost. I guess all I needed was to go back to class and hit the gym. All that walking between classes must be paying off. I've been eating better as well.

Salmon Lettuce Wrap

This was my lunch and dinner yesterday. I'm not a big fan of salmon but this wasn't too bad. I did remark to Hubby though that if I'm going to be eating fish for lunch I really need to bring some gum or mints for afterwards. I spent most of the afternoon worrying about my breath.

Salmon Lettuce Wrap

servings: 3-4, calories per serving: approx 232 (if making 4), carbs 3g, fat 12g, protein 27 g.

1 small can of salmon (drained well)

3-4 lettuce leaves

1 tsp miracle whip

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3-4 slices provolone cheese

approx 1 tbsp of nut/seed trail mix

Okay this couldn't be easier. You put the cheese on the lettuce leaf. Next put about a tablespoon or so of salmon. Mix together miracle whip, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and garlic powder. Put about a teaspoon of dressing on salmon (could probably mix it in with the salmon before putting the salmon on the lettuce). Sprinkle a teaspoon (about a pinch if not more) trail mix (mine had sunflower seeds, soy nuts, peanuts and raisins) if desired. Roll it up, or fold it, the best you can and enjoy.

I recommend draining the salmon very well, because this becomes messy if you don't. I didn't, so I had some liquid coming out of my wrap.

Day 1 of Fall Semester Went Well

I got up packed my healthy lunch and dinner of salmon lettuce wraps (I'll post the recipe next, they were pretty good), grapes and water. I got the kids on the bus. Set up the crockpot with a beef roast, potatoes, carrots and celery for the fam's dinner and took myself off to school.

Between my first and second class I have about 3 hours of spare time. I ate my lunch and talked to Hubby during his lunch and then went to the gym.

My workout consisted of the adductor machine, leg press, leg curls, glute press, and torso twist machine. I totally surprised myself with the adductor machine. Last May I was doing maybe 40lbs. Yesterday 40lbs was way too light, 50lbs still too light, 60 barely noticed. At 75lbs I finally felt some resistance. I was like WOW, I can squeeze 75lbs and I'm barely noticing it. I could probably do 80-85 easy, but wanted to take it easy and work up to heavier weights. Apparently my running over the summer has strengthened my thighs up considerably.

I also had to keep increasing weight on the leg press, stopping at 65lbs, could of gone higher easily. I stopped at 50lbs on the leg curls and did 70lbs with the glute press (which was also a big increase). The torso twist was a measly 55lbs, I'm sure I could do more here too. I just wanted to start easy since I haven't used weight machines in about 3 months. I've done dumbbells/free weights/resistance bands at home, but those aren't quite the same movements.

I also jumped on the treadmill and did a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of intervals with 3 minutes running/2 minutes walking, then a 5 minute cool-down. This all plus walking about a mile and a half to two miles around campus going class to class.

Today's workout will be upper body, like I posted yesterday. I don't have a plan to say, it's easier to just do whatever machine is available and right down what and how much I did. They have some new equipment in the gym that I plan on giving a try. I'll also do 30 minutes on the elliptical, probably intervals similar to yesterdays treadmill workout.

My lunch and dinner today will be salads with a creamy dressing (miracle whip, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and garlic), salmon, nuts and seeds. I also have some grapes and of course water with it. Breakfast wasn't too healthy but not too unhealthy either. I had a banana, coffee and two very small sausage biscuits (the kind you pull out of the freezer and throw in the microwave).

Back to Class and Trying for a Healthy Semester

My fall semester begins today. I have a crazy class schedule. Mondays I go from 8:15am to 11:15 am, then from 2:20pm to 3:45, then from 5:30p to 6:55. Tuesdays I got class from 9:40a-1105a then 5:30p-6:55p. Wednesdays is my late day where I got the same schedule as Monday plus a lab from 7p to 8:55p. Thursdays are the same as Tuesdays and no class on Fridays.

So, I've got huge stretches of time with no classes. I don't want to drive the 35-40 minute drive home only to have to return. We just don't have the extra fuel cost in our budget. So I've got time at the gym planned plus plenty of study time. I'm going to be bored out of my mind for part of the time.

So I need to think of a workout plan. I'm thinking to hit the legs and abs on Monday and Wednesday, then arms,back,shoulders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also 30-45 minutes cardio on either treadmill, stairclimber, elliptical, stationary bike, or combination of machines. I don't have any certain exercises planned out. I think with my gym it's better to have an open schedule. Some days I go in and you can get to the equipment fairly quick and easy. Some days it's super busy and you either adjust or wait.

I'm also going to be brown bagging it for class. I can't afford to eat on campus either financially or health-wise. Greasy burgers, pizza and Chinese food just isn't going to cut it this time. Okay maybe the occasional sushi dish will work in as a treat. Say if I pass a test I can have sushi, yum. Campus restaurants/food is expensive, like 3 dollars for a cup of grapes expensive. So it's much cheaper to fix my lunch and dinner at home and bring to class. I even bought this cute cooler to pack it in ( it's the same as this one but different pattern http://www.igloocoolers.com/Coolers_3/All-Coolers/Cooler-Tote-16-Black-White, mine has pink flowers on it). So today's lunch and dinner consists of salmon lettuce wraps, grapes, banana, and water to drink. Not a big lunch or dinner, I've also got a granola bar/meal bar to throw in just in case I get extra hungry. I'm throwing a beef roast with carrots and potatoes in the crockpot for the Hubby and kiddies so when I get home tonight I can also have a nibble of that if I need to.

39:40

That is my unofficial time, the little card they handed to me said 173. So, I was 173rd place, kind of in the middle of the pack. The backside of the middle but still the middle. Did I run the entire 3.1 miles? Nope, I ended up having to walk up a couple of the hills. I made a plan, I would walk up the tallest hills, run down every hill and try to run up the smaller ones. I also tried to run the straight/flattish stretches. It worked most of the time, I did end up walking part way on a smaller hill. I ran the last stretch. I wanted to stop and walk, at the same time I didn't want to end that way.

So I ran, I smiled at the cameras at the finish. I smiled when they told me it was over and I could slow down now. My hand shook as I was filling out the little card with my name, age, gender. I still smiled. I'm still smiling, I did it. I ran my first 5k in under 40 minutes. It may of been just under, but it's still under.

I keep going between being tired and just feeling like I need to do more. I've found the energy that's been missing the past couple of weeks. So glad to have it back.

The Hubby snapped this pic at the starting area.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

I'm getting myself totally nervous. I'm not sure I'm ready for the 3.1 miles. I tell myself if I can run two miles I can run three. However, lately I've been pushing to get those two miles finished. Two weeks ago I felt ready. Since then I've just felt tired. I would run a mile, mile and a half and be like "That's it, I'm done". I've not done anything but run, no weights, or aerobic exercises. I've only been running 2-3 times a week. I've not had any energy really.

I'm scared that I'll make a fool of myself tomorrow. Then I think, no one running is going to say I'm a fool. No one watching is going to say or think that. They're going to think good job, no matter how badly I do. I most likely won't be last. I probably won't finish in 30 minutes like I'm hoping. 40 minutes is okay too, 45 is fine as well. I'll probably be just ahead of the walkers. I'll most likely have to walk a little myself.

I've read mixed advise on whether or not to run a day before a 5k. Most said that if you do run make it an easy one. So I'm going to go out here in about half an hour and jog aiming for 2-3 miles. Then I'll eat breakfast and do some cleaning. I think my plan today is going to be to just try and stay busy. I don't want to sit on my butt reading all day, I want to stay up and moving keeping my muscles going. I don't want to do any heavy exercising because running with sore muscles isn't fun (I've done that several times the past couple months).

I'm also going to eat light today. No heavy meals for me. Probably either stir fry or soup for dinner. I'm also going to drink nothing but water (after this last sip of coffee). Tomorrow is suppose to be the hottest day of the week (97 for a high, at race time it's going to be around 80 with humidity near 80%). I've already been training in those conditions, my body should recognize it and not be too affected by it (I hope).

I've got pre-race jitters 24 hours before the race, but I'm also ready to sign up for my next one. I'll do this, I'll finish as strong as I can, then I'll start training for the next one. I'm just keeping in mind that there are no losers, if you cross that finish line you've won.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Well today's measurements kinda suck. I have a lot more ups then downs, but I'm confident that'll change soon. My energy levels have been dragging so bad, I'm worried about the race coming up. I've been kinda taking it easy this week. Partly due to the upcoming race and not wanting to run with sore legs and partly because I feel so sleepy most of the time. I'm thinking it's a diet thing and I really need to straighten mine out. It's like I'm trying to run a Lamborghini on regular unleaded and I need to be running on super.

So here's the damage:

Weight: 178 (woot, down a pound)

Neck: Up 0. 7"

Shoulders: up 1.7"

Chest: no change

Biceps: down 0.1"

Arms: up 0.1"

Waist: up 0.3"

Hips: up 0.1"

Thighs: up 0.2"

Calves: down 0.2"

For a total loss in inches of: -2.8.

So some how I've gained nearly 3 inches? Something's not quite right with that number. It is once again that t.o.m. and so some of that (probably most) can be bloat. Not eating as well as I could (too much white sugar, processed foods) is a lot of it too. I think it's odd that I can lose a pound but gain inches. Looking forward to what the next week brings.

Where's the workouts?

I haven't posted a workout for a few days, not because I've not done anything. I just haven't been doing much exercise-wise. I've been running 3-4 times a week and doing Jillian's 30 day shred 2-3 times a week and that's about it. My energy levels have been so low and other activities (namely schoolwork) have been high that it's affected my working out. I'm up at 4:30-5 six days a week and by 1pm I'm ready for a nap. By 7pm, I'm really dragging. I'm usually in bed around 9pm and asleep by 10 so I'm getting about 6 and a half hours of sleep a night. Sunday's I try to sleep in until about 7 or 8am. Yea, it sucks that sleeping till 7am is considered sleeping in. I guess it's a sign that I'm an adult, huh.

I've got my first 5k in many years one week from today. When I think how soon it is I start to feel the pre-race jitters already. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, but this is more of a test to see if I can do it then a race to win. If I can finish all 3.1 miles, running/jogging the whole way, I've won. If I can do it in about 30 minutes, I've really won. I'm still out-of-shape and so I'm not expecting to beat people who are more experienced runners. I'm happy with being in the middle of the pack (which is where I'm hoping I end up, I don't want to have to end up with the walkers).

So I've got a plan for working out for the next 7 days. It goes like this:

Saturday(today); Jillian's 30 day Shred, 45 minutes on the gazelle.

Sunday; 30 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes running(day 3 week 5 c25k)

Monday; day 1 week 6 c25k, Jillians 30 day Shred

Tuesday; day 2 week 6 c25k, lower body weight/resistance band workout

Wednesday; day 3 week 6 c25k, Jillians 30 day Shred

Thursday; either day 3 week 6 again or day 1 week 7, upper body weight/band workout

Friday; 30 minutes of yoga, otherwise a rest day full of drinking water in order to make sure I'm properly hydrated for the next days race.

I'm hoping this will help me be somewhat ready for next Saturday's race without making me too tired to do it. The Jillian's 30 day shred plus running combo leaves me with sore legs so doing it on Wednesday and then just running Thursday and only yoga Friday will hopefully give me time to get the soreness out and be ready to rock the race.

Also working on meal plans, once I get done inventorying my pantry. The fridge and freezers are done just got the pantry then to figuring out meals. Have 2 or 3 baseball games this week and one doctor's appointment(this dr usually runs about an hour behind, so 1:30 app't will start at around 2:30 and we'll probably get out close to 4 and home around 5). So need to plan either quick and easy or crockpot meals on those days.

6 Weeks Progress(?) pics

I don't see a lot of progress from the past 6 weeks. I think my face is slimmer and my upper body(from the waist up) seems a bit smaller. I think my hips/love handles are looking smaller. My belly seems to be doing some funky looking thing...maybe I'm bloated, or newly formed muscles are pushing the fat in odd ways. Don't know, wish I was seeing more of a reduction in body fat then I am. I know I need to tweak my eating a bit, not been doing so well past few days (fried fish is not a diet food, but Hubby cooked and I didn't have to). I just have to keep pushing on, hopefully my body will catch up soon.

Weigh-in Wednesday

I didn't do one last week because there was no change in measurements. This weeks measurements are:

Weight: 179, up 2 pounds

Chest: down 1/2 inch

Biceps: up 0.3 inches

Hips: up 0.1 inches

Waist: up 0.7 inches

Thighs: down 0.2 inches

Calves: no change

Forearms: no change

Shoulders: down 0.7 inches

Neck: up 0.3 inches

These measurements add up to a total change of 0.0 inches. No change. Given the way I've worked out and ate the past week, I'm not really surprised. I'm trying to amp it up a bit. I did no workouts on Monday. Tuesday I ran 2.3 miles and did Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred workout. Today, so far, I've ran 1.5 miles. I was going to do 2.3 or more, but when I got to the point where I stopped I was gave out. I guess the humidity (at 89%) and the heat (81 degrees) was a bit more then I could deal with this morning. The heat shouldn't of been so bad where it was, normally I find the lower 80s to be a perfect temperature.

Sustainability

~I typed this out once and was trying bloggers new editor hoping that it was working properly. However, it's not and the entire post didn't save a single word! I don't know if the editor doesn't work in Chrome, or it's stupid and just doesn't work right at all. So back to the old editor and to rewrite the post. It was kinda long, so maybe I can truncate it a bit~

Sustainability:

capable of being sustained; of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged <sustainable techniques> <sustainable agriculture>; of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods <sustainable society>

I'm looking for an eating plan that is sustainable in my household. One that is affordable(on a very tight budget), tasty, and supports great health. I also need the ability to fix convenience type foods. Stuff that's quick, easy, requires little thought or energy to put together. Also need foods/recipes that my family will eat willingly. Stuff that does not result in grumbling, weird faces, or sneaking plates under the table for the dogs to nibble on. Foods that are familiar and liked by them.

I've been reading on primal/paleo eating. Mostly primal. The plan seems easy enough. If it moves, eat it. If it can be found growing in the wild, eat it. If it was a shelf life of 3 years, don't eat it. However it says no sugar, and very few beans(legumes), grains, potatoes. Also it says to eat unprocessed organic, local meat and veggies.

Well, I'm for little to no sugar. Sugar really does no positive and a ton of negative things to the body. I can't agree on the no beans, grains and potatoes. I think I could make these as smaller servings, but I cannot cut them out of our diet at this time. I need these to kind of round out our meals calorie-wise and for satiety. My weekly food budget averages out to about 100 a week for 2 adults, a 14 year old boy, a 13 year old girl, a 11 year old boy and a 10 year old boy. We do qualify for government assistance. I cannot work at this time due to my class load. Yes I could cut the load back and get a part-time job, but that really doesn't help much. I need my degree in order to make a livable wage. As a nurse's assistant in this area you top out at around 15.00/hr. To get there you have to work in one place for several years. Starting wages average about 9.00/hr. Please thank your nurse's assistant because they bust their ass for peanuts basically.

I digress...so we make do on one income right now. It's doable, you can live fairly well on what my hubby earns if you're smart about it. It means making sacrifices though. Is an organic whole chicken better then the 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters? Most likely, but I can make 3-4 meals out of the leg quarters for about 5.00. For 5.00(if I'm lucky and can catch a sale), I could make 1-2 meals (maybe 3 if I boil the chicken and skimp on the meat in the meal) out of the whole organic chicken. I don't buy a lot steaks, they're usually out of our budget averaging 5-7 dollars a pound. I buy some pork when it's on sale. We eat ground chuck (not ground beef, we are willing pay 12-13 dollars for 5lbs to not have a skillet full of grease and little meat when cooked). We also eat the occasional deer and squirrel. We eat fish as well, but not store bought fish. We eat catfish, bluegill, bass, etc. That we catch out of the lakes and rivers around here.

Maybe I could use the meat as more of a side or flavoring rather then a main course item. My family would grumble some, but maybe I could appease them with the occasional steak dinner or something. Nothing else there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Three holidays that I fix a huge meal with whole turkeys, large hams and the works. So if they ate modestly during most of the year they would have these dinners to look forward to.

Okay the grain issue is a big one. We like baked goods and treats. Nothing better then slavering butter on fresh out of the oven, homemade bread and muffins. That warm, melt-y goodness of a fresh chocolate chip cookie. Freshly baked cobblers, pies, tarts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I know I couldn't give these up permanently and for sure my family couldn't.

Also we like pasta. Spaghetti dinners with a meat and tomato sauce, noodles cooked just right. Large salad and a breadstick on the side. Macaroni and cheese, egg noodles with butter and garlic. These are frequent meals and side dishes. They are cheap and easy to fix and taste pretty good too.

I also fix rice often, and oatmeal is a favorite breakfast food of 4 out of 6 us. So giving up grains would be a no go here. Cutting back is a possibility. However if I'm cutting back grains, I need to replace it with something. So I guess we could add more salads to the menu. More fresh greens are possible. Actually fresh greens are not something I cook often. I'm not a fan of spinach. We ate what seemed like tons of canned spinach when I was a kid. I don't think my mom added anything but maybe salt and pepper to it. I hated it, I would give my serving to my brother. We usually had the Popeye spinach and he wanted to have strong arms. I'm finding, as an adult, that I can tolerate frozen and fresh spinach. Still not my favorite vegetable, I still have flash backs of the slightly slimy, mushy stuff served to us. However, I'm finding with a few tweaks I can make it edible. My Hubby and kids loves stuff, go figure. I don't know If I've ever ate kale. I've tried collard and mustard greens and they're not too bad. I like swiss chard. So more greens is a possibility.

A big thing would be working on convenience foods. I'm guessing there's not a lot of freezer meals, or fast food items that would go along with primal eating. We have a busy lifestyle. I take 17-18 hours of college classes a semester, my kids have several activities (baseball, choir, band, civil air patrol, FFA), Hubby works anywhere from 40-60+ hours a week. On top of all that, there are nights where we just don't feel like cooking.

So in order for this type of eating to be sustainable in my household I would need to:

1. Figure out how to eat more organic and local foods on a slim budget.
2. Figure out how to make or buy convenience foods that don't stray much from the plan.
3. Figure out grain substitutes or make grains a tiny part of our eating.
4. Also, though I didn't mention it above, Figure out snacks. We eat a lot chips, popcorn and other snack items. How do I replace those.

Sounds like I got my work cut out for me in order to have a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainability

Tuesday 8/2/2011 workout (and Mondays too)

Okay I did workout yesterday, just didn't get a chance to come on here and post it. Monday's workout was upper body plus Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred plus day 3 of week 4 of couch to 5k.

For upper body I did:

Dumbbell reverse grip bench grip; 3 sets of 6

Dumbbell bench press; 3 sets of 10

Incline dumbbell flys; 3 sets of 12

Decline dumbbell flys; 3 sets of 20

also for some core work...planks; 5 sets of 10

I also got an extra 1.5 miles of walking in while the boys' were at baseball practice. Would of been more but I formed and popped a blister on my heel. Being without band-aids, I had to stop because it hurt.

For today I did lower body plus another day3 of week 4 couch to 5k(I didn't feel like I was able to move on yet...I did awesome today so thursday will begin week 5) plus 30 Day Shred. My lower body exercises were:

Band hip adductors; 4 sets of 12 (each leg)

Figure eights(or leg scissors, whichever you want to call them); 4 sets of 12

One leg Bridges; 4 sets of 12 (each leg)

Squats; 4 sets of 12

Calf raise jump; 4 sets of 12

Side planks; 4 sets of 12

Needless to say, after today's workouts my legs are good and sore. Tomorrow I have a full body workout planned plus it's weigh-in time, hopefully we'll see some signifcant loses. See ya then.

Sunday 7/31/2011

Today's work out is brought to you from bodyrock.tv. It's their 300 reps of brutality workout. It's amazing and you start to feel it just a short time into the workout. I'm not feeling the best today (got some sinus thing going on) so I'm spreading the workout through out the afternoon. If I can do 2 sets of each exercise at a time, I'm good. I plan on picking up the pace this week. I don't have a week of driving 3 hrs a day like last week and the only thing I have to do away from the house is Wednesdays school registration for the kiddies. So I'm running on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Monday and Thursday I'll do upper body workouts. Tuesday and Friday I'll work the lower body. Wednesday and Saturday I'll do total body (pilates?) workouts. Sunday I'll rest. I've got 20 days till my 5k and due to last weeks craziness I'm a week behind in training. So instead of 3 days of running, I'm doing 4. Instead of exercising 5 days a week, I'm doing 6.

So for today hop over to Bodyrock.tv and take a lookie at their 300 reps of brutality video. Give it a try. It consists of:

lunge and twist; 5 sets of 10

Dive Bomper Burpee; 5 sets of 10

Jumping lunge and swing; 5 sets of 10

Planck, jump and knee tuck; 5 sets of 10

Sumo squats; 5 sets of 20

Weigh-in Wednesday...but on Thursday

Sorry I'm a day late. The past week has been crazy with running my son to his civil air patrol activities. Between that and trying to keep up with my classwork my hopes for the week just didn't pan out. So I'm going to start planning out next week. Tired of floundering and need to get my schedule straight.

So here's this week's results.

Weight; 177, down 3lbs from last week. I knew last weeks gain was just water.

Neck; up 0.8"

Shoulders; down 0.3"

Chest; down 0.2"

Waist; down 0.3"

Hips; up 0.1"

Thighs; down 0.3"

Calves; down 0.2"

Biceps; up 0.2"

Arms; down 0.2"

all for a total of 0.4 inches lost.

Normally I would of ignored the small numbers but I was curious to see where they added up to see if I could tell where the 3lb lost came from. So for this week a 3lb weight loss equals only nearly 1/2 an inch in size. Well, a loss is a loss no matter how big or small. I'll take what I can get.

So later today I'll post today's workout. I will do one, I'm just not sure what I'll do just yet. I've been up since 4:30 and running around since 5:30. I'm about to eat a snack of eggs and cheese because my energy is dragging already and I've got a whole day ahead of me to go.

A Crappy Couple of Days

The past two or three days haven't been good exercise/eating wise. I've been eating poorly (2 much junk/sugar) and so I've not had the energy to exercise. Lack of exercising has been making my energy drag as well (I think) so I find myself reaching for a soda or a sweet snack to hopefully perk myself up so that I can make it through the day. I know it won't work and some of it's out of habit. So starting today I'm going to do a week of no-sugar (though I did have a 1/2 teaspoon of honey on my Uncle Sam's cereal this morning). I need this, I need to get out of this cycle. It's been a rough couple of days, my concentration is lagging so I'm getting behind on school work. I'm struggling to do half of the workouts I want to do, I need to do. I know better. I just don't know why I slide back into the bad habits so easily.

So, yep a week of no-sugar. I know over at Fit, Fabulous, Forever, Gale is getting ready to do a 2-month no-sugar challenge beginning August 1st I believe. "Like" her facebook page to catch the details. I don't know if I'm up for two months worth. However I can do one week. Maybe I'll try for a week a month. That does sound like a plan, I'll have to give it some serious thought.

Well, no workouts really today. I do plan on going for a run, maybe, and doing some crunches and chin ups. I may do a mini circuit...just to get my mind-set right. I hate when I go off of trying to be healthy. I feel like I'm flailing, I'll get back on track today. I refuse to wait till tomorrow, because tomorrow is too late. I've done years of "I'll do it tomorrow" thing is that there are too many tomorrows and not enough todays. So starting now I'm going to try to say I'll start today (and do it). Have a blessed Sunday dear readers and stay tuned I'll post my work out plan for tomorrow and maybe even get a meal plan together.

"If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail."

— Harvey MacKay

Breakfast Swap Challenge

Over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, they're doing a one week breakfast swap challenge. You swap your breakfast (or start eating breakfast if you're one of those who don't) with Uncle Sam cereal for one week. So I'm going to give this a try, beginning tomorrow because it's already past breakfast time today. Click on the button in this blog or on the sidebar here --->

to go to Attune foods website for a coupon for a free box. Also go to Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and join the challenge as well.