A Little Bit Fit

A Little Bit of Joy

2011-07-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

It is hard to stay positive with all the badness and sadness in the world. There is always something to be upset about at the micro and macro-levels of life: from a fight with a friend to a frustrating day at work to worrying about the debt ceiling and the economy.

To be honest, I don't always live up to my namesake of Joy, but I am trying. I have "Be Joyful" written on a note in my wallet, but some days I am still more like a little ball of hate (which I like to refer to as LBOH) instead of a little bit of joy (LBOJ).

I have found that the best way to deal with a tough times is to try and focus on the joyful bits and try and forget the rest.

Here are some of my joyful moments from the past couple days:

A perfect cup of coffee

Time left in the parking meter

A beautiful day to go to the library

A beautiful, accessible library

A great quote in my page-a-day calendar

What little bits of joy have made you happy lately?

Ode to Starbucks

2011-07-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

It was a tough morning that required coffee, so Boss and I went to the Starbucks down the street.

I love that there is free 15 minute parking outside of our Starbucks downtown.

Before, I never went anywhere without my Starbucks registered gift card (for more details read Katy's post on the little Starbucks secret. Now, I never go anywhere without my iPhone with my Starbucks Mobile Card app, which allows me to pay for my coffee with my phone.

It also keeps track of my Starbucks rewards. Only 6 stars (purchases) left to a free coffee!

Our downtown Starbucks makes the best cappuccino.

It is like a little cup of happiness.

My boss never fails to make fun of my order.
Me: "I'll have a Venti nonfat cappuccino with sugar-free caramel syrup."
Boss: "Medium coffee. Black."

He doesn't know what he is missing! The only problem is that it is hard to get the same end beverage every time. My order is so......subjective, for lack of a better word. Sometimes there isn't enough milk or syrup, sometimes there is too much. Today, it was perfect and so delicious. I could just mainline it all day, no need for other food or refreshment. I have decided that cappuccino is the perfect food. It has protein, carbohydrate and dairy (although little fat due to non-fat milk and no fiber...I am trying to work that out.)

(Please note that I am not a nutritionist or dietician nor am I serious. Please consume caffeinated beverages responsibly.)

My Starbucks order only clocks in at 110 calories, but not all Starbucks drinks are easy on the waistline.
Even with nonfat milk, a Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha has 530 calories. Yikes!

The Starbucks menu can be confusing because there are thousands of different options to choose from, some healthier than others, but thankfully they have a great Nutrition page to help you make good choices.

What is your favorite drink from Starbucks?

Breakfast of Champions

2011-07-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

I have a new favorite breakfast that gets me through the morning. I used to eat a packet of instant oatmeal every morning for breakfast (either fruit and cream reduced sugar or Oatheads Berry Blast). I decided to make my own it A Little Bit Fit-style oatmeal with fewer processed ingredients.

The basics:
1 part oatmeal
1 part frozen mixed berries
1 part unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 parts water*
Splenda to taste
Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds*
* Water and microwave time depends on how thin/thick you like your oatmeal

Ingredients:

Add water

Microwave

Let sit for a couple minutes to thicken

Stir and enjoy!

Delish! And it is so fast and easy.

Do you try and avoid processed food?

My FitBit Thinks I Am Lazy

2011-07-21T19:33:00.000-05:00

I love my FitBit. If you aren’t familiar with the FitBit, it is the world’s cutest and most advanced pedometer). Seriously, how cute is this?

I lost it for awhile and by the time I found it, I had gotten out of the habit of wear it so it has been gone unsed for a long time. I just got an activity report that told me that I had 40 steps last week. Ha! All that crazy activity is probably thanks to me moving it from one side of our bedroom to the other.

Out of spite (or motivation, depending how you look at it), I charged my abandoned FitBit and wore it all day on Monday and Wednesday this week. Here is my Monday activity summary (11,346 steps!).

Here is my Wednesday summary (11,394 steps!).

I was surprised to see that the days were only 48 steps different, but I probably shouldn't be because both days were pretty similar: work and Zumba.

I like being able to review my day and see how active (or not active) I was. It is a good reminder that it isn't just my "official" workout that matters, but also how generally active I am throughout my day.

Tom Venuto (author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) has an interesting article related to NEAT or non exercise activity thermogenesis: Why Cardio Doesn’t Work For Some People: A NEAT Explanation.

What motivates you to get moving?

Sharing is Caring

2011-07-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

It is always nice to share, so that is what my coworker and I did today for lunch! There is an artery-clogging sandwich at a local deli that is so good but so bad for you, so we always split it when we go there. It is called the Tuesday Special at a local family-run establishment called Manhattan Deli. The Tuesday Special is turkey, ham and Swiss cheese covered in Parmesan sauce.

Profile shot

When you order the Tuesday Special on Tuesday, it also comes with a brownie to share which ended up coming back to the office with me to enjoy later.

I went back to enjoy my half this afternoon.

Delicious and it totally hit the spot this afternoon. After that share-athon, I had Jack Johnson's The Sharing Song running through my head all afternoon.

Listening to Jack Johnson never fails to make me happy.

After work, I headed to the gym for Zumba. I have missed my Tuesday class a couple times and most of the songs were new, but I still had a great time. I will enjoy it ever more next time when I know what I am doing.

On my way to the gym, I noticed that I was perilously low on gas.

I got a little worried when I was stopped at this stoplight for two lights. While I waited for the light to turn green for the second time, I mentally cataloged who I would call to pick me up when my car ran out of gas.

Lucky, I made it to the Y! Whew! Pulling into the parking lot was quite a relief. I was running a little late for class, so I didn't have time to fill up beforehand, so I made sure to get gas as soon as class was over. It was a still a scorcher when I was leaving the gym. 100 degrees! Yowza!

I met Huband and a friend at Granite City (after I got gas of course! I wasn't going to tempt fate twice). I decided to balance out my heavy lunch with a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. Dressing on the side, of course! A chicken Caesar salad is one of my favorite restaurant meals. Salads taste so much better when you don't have to wash all the lettuce yourself!

The salad was HUGE and I felt like I had a never-ending plate of food. Finally, I gave up.

And asked for a To Go box, of course. There is plenty left for another meal! I love that they labeled and dated it.

All in all, a pretty good and delicious day.

How do you compensate with a heavy meal? Eat less? Workout more? Nothing?

Movie Magic

2011-07-18T18:09:00.001-05:00

Husband and I had a date night tonight and went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Source: IMDB

I know it might be pretty nerdy of me, but I love all things Harry Potter. We went to the 3D showing and they gave us the coolest (is there is such a thing) 3D glasses.

Ha! We looked just like Harry. The movie was really good, but I am sad that it is the last Harry Potter movie, which is the same I felt after I finished the book. Getting to the end of a good series is such a bittersweet feeling.

Husband didn't eat lunch so he got some popcorn and soda from the concession stand. The serving sizes of movie theater snacks never falls to amaze me! In my best estimate, we got a trough of popcorn and a gallon of soda, give or take a couple ounces.

After the movie, we stopped a Pancheros for dinner. Burrito for him, tacos for me

I like my tacos nice and boring: chicken and lettuce.

And for dessert....
They are the perfect size!

Yum!

We also did a little shopping while we were out on the town and we got a couple bargains! Husband found a nice little step stool for the kitchen at TJMaxx. Since I am only 5'2", I am always hopping up on the counter to grab things off the top shelf and he is pretty sure I am going to break my neck.

And it folds up, too!

I also got a new water bottle at Kohl's for only $6.49. They are 50% off right now!

And it comes with freezer bar to keep my water cold. Score!

All in all, we had a great time. I love date night!

What is your favorite thing to do for date night?

Holy Hotness, Batman!

2011-07-17T20:31:00.000-05:00

Long time, no blog. As we say at work, "a lot has changed." By that, I mean that very little has changed, but life definitely got in the way of the blog. So, loyal readers, I apologize and I am back. As for you non-loyal readers, welcome!

One of the biggest changes in my life has been Zumba. I went to my first class in March and got HOOKED! I go to 4-5 classes a week and love it! I always thought it sounded cheesy, but the classes are so much fun and I have found some amazing instructors.

I sweat like crazy in class. I suppose it is because I really get into it and I would sweat less if I would just calm down a bit...but where is the fun in that? One of my favorite bloggers at The Chic Life is actually at the Zumba convention this week (lucky!) and she took a picture a that contains my new favorite saying: "I am so fabulous - I sweat glitter." I need to find a t-shirt with that on it!

Speaking of sweat-tasticness...
We went away for a lovely long weekend and came back to a heat index and a broken air conditioner!

Here is the heat index map for tonight, after things have "cooled down" a bit.

Source: NOAA

Luckily, we were able to get a hold of a nice overheated, overworked repairman to fix it. All I really took away from today was "leak....something, something....fried motherboard....something, something...$500." Ouch! Being a homeowner is expensive!

It is going to be a hot week, so I am just glad that our air is back on. Thank goodness for small favors!

How are you planning on staying cool this week?

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2010-07-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

So...long time, no blog. Again! ¡Qué horror! (That exclamation is dedicated to our good friends that just moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Follow their adventure at ¿Teguci What?)

I have started doing some social media consulting for a friend, and you know what they say, "Plumbers have leaky pipes," or something like that...

To get back into the swing of things, I wanted to share some of my (most recent) favorite things! (Disclaimer: All links below are because I love these things and wanted to share. I receive no compensation of any kind.)

My Nook. I recently received the Barnes and Noble Nook as a gift. What a generous gift, huh? I am one lucky girl. I have always loved being surrounded by books. Going into a Barnes and Noble is one of my favorite things to do. Books AND Starbucks? Does it get any better? But, I digress. So far, I love my new e-reader. I had always wanted one, but didn't like the idea of paying for everything I read. I am an avid library patron (the first thing I do when I move is locate the nearest library - no joke!), so I don't usually pay for "free reading" books. No pun intended. One of my favorite things about the Nook is that Barnes and Noble offers lots of books classic books free and also offers a free book every Friday. What a great way to build my eLibrary and discover new (or just new to me) authors. Now I can finally get around to reading all those books I was "supposed" to read when I was in grade school. AND I only have to pack my Nook and my charger when I travel, instead of carrying around a bag filled with 7 books, just in case!

Source: Barnes and Noble

My Nook cover. It is a fabulous faux green leather cover that keeps my new Nook safe and sound. It is embossed with a quote from Martin Tupper, "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever." How perfect! I love books, I love friends, so it is the perfect analog for me. It even has a pocket on the inside where I keep a little shammy to keep the screen smudge free.

Source: Barnes and Noble

Reading. Thanks to my new toy, I have been doing lots and lots of reading. I had fallen out of the habit in recent years and I have really enjoyed falling in love with reading again. I used to watch TV before bed, but now I am cuddling up with my Nook instead. I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and am now reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. The only trouble I have is that it is hard to put down and go to sleep at a decent time! I figure, if that is my biggest problem, I am in pretty good shape.

Glee. Where have I been? Hiding under a rock? I finally started watching Glee. Watching it just makes me happy. I tried watching the premiere, but I didn't love it. Who knows what kind of mood I was in that night? I decided to give it another chance when Neil Patrick Harris guest starred. What a fun show! I love singing, dancing and show tunes. What is not to like? Thankfully, they have started rerunning the series, so I can catch up and make up for lots time.

Success stories. I love looking at successful fitness transformations. My gym awards a $1000 winner after every 10 week session and I am always so impressed! I find them so inspiring and motivating. I like to tell myself, "If they can do it, so can I!" Now, if I could only stay away from giant chocolate chip cookies!

Oatmeal. I used to eat Target's Market Pantry Lower Sugar Fruit and Cream oatmeal every weekday morning. All of a sudden, I couldn't find it anywhere! I couldn't find the Quaker branded one either. The regular kinds are all over the place, but the lower sugar versions are no where to be found. Thankfully, my mother-in-law had recently bought Better Oats and she shared them with me the last time we were visiting. I was happy and relieved to find a new morning stable, which came in the form of Oat Heads, Berry Blast. I also appreciate the fact that I can pronounce all the ingredients: whole grain rolled oats, sugar, milled flaxseed, salt, dehydrated strawberries, natural and artificial flavor, dehydrated wild blueberries, guar gum, citric acid. I know that "artificial flavor" is a little suspect, but I am stilling putting this one in the "Win" column.

What are your new favorite forms of entertainment or toys? Have you read any good books lately?

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2010-06-09T13:32:00.000-05:00

I was really struggling with writing my performance appraisal at work this morning. Shocking, I know, for as much as I like to talk about myself! And of course, today is the deadline. I have only known about this for months. Heaven forbid I leave myself a little buffer of time. I am the Queen of the Procrastinators. Sheesh!

It is a pretty quiet week in the office, so I decided to go for a walk at lunch. I checked my Fitness Forecast and it confirmed that it was the perfect day for a vigorous walk over the noon hour. (Relatively) low humidity? Yes, please!

Source: Weather.com

Besides, Gray's Lake is within walking distance, which makes for an idyllic backdrop for my mid-day sweat session.

Source: Gray's Lake Facebook Page

Really, how could I go wrong?

My lunch walk rocked and my trusty heart rate monitor told me that I burned 500 calories. Score! I am pretty sure Weather.com was wrong. My walk wasn't a 9. It was a 10!

It also must have jarred something loose and I was able to fly through the rest of the my review. Hurray! Let's hear it for endorphins!

Tell me...
What helps you mentally "jar something loose"?

Saving Some For Later

2010-05-20T18:36:00.001-05:00

What is the best part about eating intuitively? Getting to eat chocolate chip cookies two days in a row!

How does this work, you might ask?

Step 1: Buy a ginormous chocolate cookie from your local deli.

Note: iPhone has been used to demonstrate the ginormous-ness of this cookie. Seriously, people. It's huge.

Step 2: Enjoy cookie until you don't enjoy it anymore.

Step 3: Stop eating cookie. (I know...this is harder than it sounds! But, consider the benefits: no belly over-full of cookie and you get to enjoy the cookie on two different occasions. Score!)

Step 4: Eat remaining half of cookie the next day. Or whenever it makes you happy.

Note #2: There is no new picture of the cookie because I ate it! :)

Tea for Me
I have a new liquid love: Green Tea!

Usually, my hot drinks like coffee and tea need to be sweetened with creamers and/or Splenda before I will drink them. I recently started drinking green tea Splenda-less and I found that I don't miss the sweetener at all!

My morning coffee is now my morning green tea and I am loving it! I am trying to cut down on fake sugars and this is a great start.

Tell me...
What healthy changes have you made lately?

Have You Seen My Motivation?

2010-05-18T18:30:00.001-05:00

I have been looking for my motivation and can't seem to find it!

I have a fabulous Maui vacation booked and I haven't gotten in a good workout since we finalized our plans.

My mission is to surround myself with motivation.

Companies that sell athletic gear do a good job of creating ads that motivate in an effort to motivate you to buy their products.

One of my favorite ads is was a an old Nike billboard that was posted in NYC.

Image by the_musical

I wish I had that image in poster form hanging on my bedroom wall!

Another of my favorite motivational ads is by rykä. I couldn't find an image online, so I had to use my ghetto scanner, otherwise known as my camera. :)

I love the glimpse of the running woman outside the window with the clock below reading 6:08 am.

The print at the bottom says:

Because you could have hit the snooze button. Because you're up and out there.

The Lululemon manifesto has a great combination of wisdom, advice and motivation.

Two of my favorites:

The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.

Tell me...
How do you motivate yourself?

Hawaii Here We Come!

2010-05-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

We just booked an 8 day trip to Hawaii in September! We are travelling to paradise to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. 5 years already? I can't believe how fast time flies.

We spent a week in Hawaii 3 years ago when I had to be talked into going. I did NOT want to go to Hawaii because I don't usually enjoy tropical vacations and I had heard that Hawaii was really expensive. I had been to the Canary Islands, Bahamas, Mexico and Costa Rica. Although I had a good time, I didn't want to spend my precious vacation time on going on a tropical vacation.

Somehow, Husband was able to talk my stubborn butt into going to Maui in October of 2007. What no one told me was that Hawaii was the MOST PERFECT PLACE ON EARTH. Who knew?

The sights are gorgeous. It is amazingly lush.

And has some cool black sand beaches.

And waterfall after fabulous waterfall.

And volcanos.

And crashing waves.

More crashing waves.

And a resort with gorgeous pool with an amazing view.

Last but not least: there are NO SNAKES in Hawaii. For someone who is irrationally and completely phobic of snakes, it doesn't get any better than that!

I arrived on the island not knowing what to expect. And let's be honest, I am sure I was a tad bit irritable. When we left 7 days later, I was more relaxed than I have been in my whole uptight, high-strung life. I was one happy Joy, pun intended.

Bottom line, I am so excited for our trip. I need to get my gym-skipping, junk-food-eating butt in gear so I can rock my bikini this fall!

In closing, here is a gratuitous shot of my feet. Just because.

Tell me....
What is your favorite vacation spot?

An Experiment in Hunger

2010-05-03T18:42:00.001-05:00

I have decided to try something new. I have decided to eat what I want instead of what I should be eating.

I just finished reading When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair and am in the process of reading Intuitive Eating (Note: these are not affiliate links. I receive no money if you make a purchase.) These books have made me step back and think about the food choices I make and how I talk to myself. I have started paying attention to my true hunger.

It has been interesting to eat what I am hungry for instead of making food choices according to what I should or should not be eating. When foods are no longer forbidden or "bad," I don't have to choose foods that are "good" (if I am having a "good" day) or "bad" (if I am having a "bad" day). Food is just food. And I have given myself permission to eat whatever I want. It is a freedom that I haven't allowed myself in years.

I am trying to end an obsession with food and weight that has held me captive for a long time.

The trouble is, now that I "can" eat whatever I want, I have no idea what to eat!

It will take awhile to really get in tune with my hunger. Right now, it reminds me of an old email forward I received about the Toddler Diet:

THE TODDLER DIET
People are always on the lookout for a new diet. The trouble with most diets is that you don't get enough to eat (the starvation diet), you don't get enough variation (the liquid diet) or you go broke (the all-meat diet). Consequently, people tend to cheat on their diets, or quit after 3 days.
Well, now there's the new Toddler Miracle Diet.

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim. Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet. You may want to consult your doctor before embarking on this diet, otherwise, you may be seeing him afterwards. Good Luck!!!

DAY ONE
Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly. Eat two bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and cloth.
Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a glass of milk (three sips only, then spill the rest).
Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, four sips of flat Sprite.
Bedtime snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.

DAY TWO
Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it. Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.
Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of Purina DogChow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.
Afternoon snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside, drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again. Then bring inside and drop on rug.
Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.

DAY THREE
Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers, rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After breakfast, pick up yesterday's sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on the cushion of best chair.
Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.
Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch. Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.

FINAL DAY
Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.
Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet. Find that sucker and finish eating it.
Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into Kool-Aid and suck up with a straw.

REPEAT DAYS AS NEEDED!

Life Lessons

2010-04-29T13:40:00.000-05:00

My 9-5 has been turned upside down in the past month or so, which has left me completely overwhelmed to say the least. I have done a lot of learning and growing in the past 30+ days and wanted to share some of my realizations and revelations.

I am lucky and live a life that has been blessed. I have a wonderful husband, fabulous friends and a loving family. I have a job and I even really like my coworkers. I have a car and home to call my own and don't have to worry about grocery money.
Eating healthy and exercising makes me a happier person.
I am good enough just the way I am. (I wish that didn't sound so cheesy!)
Life isn't over at 30. Or 31.
Hangovers after the age of 30 are painful and feel like they last forever. One more beer isn't always a good idea.
Happiness is a choice.
Celebrate small successes. A big life is built on the little things.
Speaking of the little things, I love my iPhone and don't want to ever go without one again.

Most important: I am not my job. Regardless of what I do for a paycheck, it does not define who I am as a person, wife, friend, daughter or sister. It does not dictate my worth, intelligence or capability.

What is the most valuable thing you have realized in the past 30 days?

Yogurt-athon

2010-03-23T18:04:00.000-05:00

Another healthy day on the books! How do I forgot how good it feels to exercise and eat healthy foods?

I started my day with a lower body resistance class at 6:15.

Squats? Check!
Lunges? Check!
Ab work? Check!
Lots of other lower body exercises? Check! Check! Check!

I am definitely going to feel it tomorrow.

I love working out in the morning, it is nice to feel like you have already accomplished something by 7 am in the morning.

Breakfast
I had peanut butter and sliced banana on Arnold Sandwich thins as my first meal of the day.

It was a great, filling breakfast that made me feel like a kid again. It is okay to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches as an adult, right?

Yogurt-athon
Let me just say that I LOVE yogurt. I have my favorites, but as promised, I am trying to branch out a little.

Today's New Food was Chobani strawberry yogurt.

It was good and filling, but I didn't like it as much as the strawberry Fage yogurt I had last week. Chobani has a bunch of other flavors that I am excited to try. The pineapple one is very high on my wish list!

I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that that Fage is 2%...

Tonight's snack was yogurt and berries. Frozen blueberries are hiding below a mound of plain yogurt and fresh strawberries.

Wait about 30 minutes for the blueberries to thaw, mix, and devour!

I am curled up on the couch with some popcorn and New Moon. Between my choice of entertainment and my PB and banana sandwich, I just might be a 12 year old girl in a 31 year old body.

Shhhhhh! It will be our secret!

What are some of your "childish" guilty pleasures?

Runaway Wagon

2010-03-22T19:14:00.001-05:00

Confession time:

I didn't fall off the healthy wagon last week. I ran and jumped right off it.

Things have been very stressful on the work front and instead of finding a healthy outlet for this stress, I have been out eating, drinking and avoiding all forms of exercise. I had a real hangover last Thursday and a food hangover since last Friday. I have been walking around in a hazy fog and instead of doing something about it, I just ate more chocolate (or whatever was available, as long as it had ZERO nutritional value).

Yuck.

I woke up this morning, still feeling gross, but decided to finally do something about it. It was finally time to exercise the demons! I am on an anti-junk food detox diet this week and I am already starting to feel better.

We went to our local health food stores and picked up some staples from the produce department.

I am love with my organic carrots!

I couldn't stop taking pictures of them.

Who knew a bunch of carrots could make a girl so happy?

That probably makes me a giant weirdo. What can I say? I love my carrots.

Breakfast
I started my day with some slow cooked steel cut oats.

I was trying out a new recipe:
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats
4 cups of water
8 oz of frozen peaches
1 stick of cinnamon

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove cinnamon stick, sweeten as desired and serve warm. The leftover cooked oats will keep in the fridge for a up for a week.

Step one: add steel cut oats

Step two: add water, frozen peaches and cinnamon stick

Step three: Cook for 8-10 hours

Step five: portion out for weekly allotment of oats

Step six: put oats in handy-dandy travel mug, otherwise known as a coffee cup. I love eating out of coffee mugs. They are great for portion control!

I woke up a little late, so I actually let the oats cook for 11-12 hours. They were kinda mushy, so I think I left them in for a little too long. I will have to try it again and actually get up in time to rescue them from the slow cooker!

Lunch
I had an impromptu lunch outing with some coworkers, so I had a giant salad with romaine lettuce, shredded carrots and broccoli.

I ate my turkey sandwich and celery that I brought for lunch as my afternoon snack.

Dinner
Husband was kind enough to grill tonight, so I had a Boca burger and a side salad. Dessert/snack was vanilla yogurt, frozen blueberries and fresh strawberries.

All in all, a good start to my anti-junk food detox diet. I love the idea that I can only feel better than I do already!

How do you recover from a food/alcohol hangover?

Counting is Hard

2010-03-15T19:38:00.001-05:00

Have you ever repeated a word or phrase so many times that it doesn't sound right all of a sudden? That is what happened to me today when I was teaching kickboxing. I was counting backwards from 25 and 11 just didn't sound right coming after 12. 15..14..13..12..um..10..

Impressive, right?

I am still an amateur instructor and continue to learn a lot every time I teach. Who knew counting could be so hard?

It is a beautiful almost-Spring day today and I was able to take advantage of it with my First Walk of the Year! Yippie! I love going for walks outside. It was a last minute excursion, so I didn't have time to recruit a friend. Walk + Friend = Happy Joy (which sounds redundant, but TRUST...that isn't always the case!)

Food Fail
I tried to make Overnight Oats for the first time last night, since I had just polished off a jar of peanut butter. Unfortunately for my breakfast, I was skimpy with the ingredients (1/3 cup oats & 2/3 cup almond milk).

It was totally bland and uninteresting. I tried eating it during my commute (don't worry -
Husband was driving!), but gave up and tossed it when I got to work. I am not sure that I like cold oatmeal either, so I don't know if I will try it again.

I had an emergency packet of reduced sugar fruit and cream oatmeal in my desk at work. When I tried to heat it up in microwave, the microwave didn't work. Cold Oatmeal - Take Two! I found a different microwave (that worked) and finally had my warm, delicious boring oatmeal. *Happy Sigh*

It really is the little things in life...

New Food Finds
I tried THREE new foods today!

1. Fage yogurt with Strawberry

Yum! It was creamy and delicious. I was worried that the strawberry portion was going to be too sweet, but I was happy to be proved wrong. It was a great afternoon snack that kept me full through kickboxing.

2. Mini Apple Pie Larabar

Isnt' it cute? It fit in the palm of my hand and was the perfect snack to tide me over after teaching so I could go on a walk after work and take advantage of the extra hour of daylight!

3. Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad

I always, always get a small Wendy's chili, but I have been disappointed in it the past couple times, so I decided to branch out. TECHNICALLY, it wasn't a new-to-me food because I have eaten it before, but it has been YEARS. So, it counts!

How are you using your extra hour of daylight?

Rocking Out

2010-03-08T10:20:00.001-06:00

The past week was a tough one for me for many different reasons. Unfortunately, that means I withdraw from the world, including my blog. This is a nasty habit that I am trying to break, but old habits die hard!

Husband told me that I should think about what I would say to my mom, sister or a good friend after a tough week, but I was empty and had nothing to say.

As I was gearing up for another Monday, I came across a post by Seth Godin that really spoke to me and finally gave me something to say:

You Rock
This is deceptive.

You don't rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it's a self-defeating goal. You can't do it.

No, but you might rock five minutes a day.

Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).

Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.

And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.

How awesome is that? It is so true. You rock. I rock. We rock. But, we don't rock all the time.

No one does.

And that is okay.

We make it impossible to meet our own expectations and we use that as an excuse to feel like a failure and get down on ourselves. We need to remember that no matter what, you can rock for five minutes today.

Rock on!

How did you rock today?

Weekend Warriors

2010-03-01T19:54:00.001-06:00

Husband and I had a busy weekend painting our guest bedroom. We are getting ready to paint our whole house and I have never painted before, so the guest room was a good place to practice!

Husband went to the store for some supplies and come home with flowers! He is the best.

I love alstroemerias and they last forever. They are the perfect flowers!

EATS
After all my painting practice it was time to eat and I cooked! Kind of…

Now, I know that I said that that making Three Cheese Chicken Bird’s Eye Voila, but this stuff is backed with vegetables, so I don’t feel TOO bad making it!

Look at all that broccoli!

It is a great substitute for macaroni and cheese! The bag comes with 3 servings and only 210 calories per serving.

Like I said…not too bad!

Manic Monday

I did a little breakfast experiment last week and had Honey Almond Flax Kashi Go Lean, Crunch! for breakfast.

Despite the fact that it is filled with yummy goodness, I was hungry an hour later. The good news is that I had my Old Faithful, low sugar oatmeal, in my desk drawer. For some reason, it seems like warm food fills me up more than cold food. So weird!

Based on my findings from last Friday, I started the week out right with coffee cup of oatmeal goodness.

Despite my filling breakfast, I always need a mid-morning snack. Today was a Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip Vitatop. So chocolaty and filling!

Today’s lunch was a PB&J sandwich with celery and carrots. I love getting a couple servings of veggies for lunch. I am usually starving an hour after lunch if I don’t get eat enough vegetables.

My pre-kickboxing snack was one of my favorite Larabars: Peanut Butter & Jelly!

Four ingredients! Lovely!

I found this fortune in my office: You are capable, competent, creative and careful.

Why, thank you, Fortune Cookie Fortune!

It is going to be a great week!

What about you guys? Do you guys save fortune cookie fortunes?

Today Is In The Bag

2010-02-24T18:56:00.000-06:00

It is a cold day in Iowa today, but I didn't start my day with a warm bowl of oatmeal. Breakfast was a fiber-tast mix of Fiber One Honey Clusters and Fiber One with a splash of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze.

I had a very busy morning, but still found time for my mid-morning snack.

Cottage cheese and applesauce with a little bit of cinnamon.

It may look suspect, but it is a yummy and filling snack. Trust me! Don't knock it until you try it.

One day at work, my coworker was cleaning out our fridge and threw away my cottage cheese and applesauce concoction because she thought it looked like spoiled food. I found it in the garbage! Hilarious!

We had a meeting over the noon hour today, so we ordered lunch from a local place called In The Bag.

I ordered a #49: the Chicken Caesar Salad.

They even include a fortune!

After the meeting, I had roll, mint and a brownie left over.

The brownie didn't last long after I got back to my desk. It kept calling my name, so it was promptly devoured.

In The Bag describes their brownies as "luscious" and they weren't exaggerating! It was delicious.

Unfortunately, my chocolate craving wasn't 100% satisfied, so I had a Fiber One Chocolate and Peanut Butter bar later this afternoon.

It had a couple more ingredients than my Cherry Pie Larabar.

At least over 25 more ingredients to be more specific! Oye!

I also just realized that I eat a lot of Fiber One foods. I should definitely be getting my 35 grams of fiber a day!

I taught my kickboxing class at 4:30 and then came home for mini-comfort food meal, which was some ground hamburger and ketchup on a piece of bread.

This was one of my favorite meals as a child, which we called "scrambled" hamburger sandwiches. I didn't know that most people it browned hamburger instead of "scrambled" hamburger! I don't really care though, I like my scrambled hamburger sandwiches!

Husband is at a basketball game tonight, so I am curling up on the couch with The September Issue.

I think Anna Wintour is fascinating!

Question
Do you have a different/special name for something from your childhood?

I Can't Feel My Legs

2010-02-24T11:02:00.000-06:00

My legs are burning today!

I finally went back to my strength training class yesterday morning and it was a tough one. It was a lower body day, which I haven't been to in months. I didn't look at the schedule beforehand intentionally because I didn't want an excuse to miss class.

I am not a fan of lower body days, but I know that I need to do it. I working on getting back into the habit of going to my 6:15 class every morning. This is easier said than done!

Here was my workout:
Quads
Squats
Lunges
Standing Leg Extension
Seated Leg Extension

Hamstrings
Reverse Lunge
Standing Leg Curl
Lying Leg Curl

Adducts/Abducts
Inner Leg Lift
Outer Leg Lift

Gluts
Donkey Kicks
Straight Leg Hip Raises

Abs w/ Medicine Ball
Straight Leg Crunches
Toe Tappers
Sky Lifts

We do 3 sets of 16 with resistance bands for all muscle groups. Aside from abs, of course!

I am also participating in a challenge at the center where you get points for extra activity, so I did:

90 Roundhouse Kicks
150 Medicine Ball Crunches
50 Push Ups
50 Crunches

Whew! It was good to be back!

Photos
I took a lot of pictures yesterday, but wasn't able to use any of them because I left my memory card in my computer! Blurg! The good news is that I am armed and dangerous with my camera AND memory card today.

What health and fitness activities do you avoid?

Do Not Smile!

2010-02-23T09:28:00.001-06:00

This is what happens when my sister tells my nieces, "DO NOT SMILE!"

I dare you not to smile!

Oh Baby!

2010-02-22T19:05:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the cold that felt like it would never end, I had to wait a WHOLE WEEK to meet my new niece, Lea. I have never been so mad about being sick.

I finally got to see and hold her for the first time on Saturday. (Please excuse the complete lack of make-up. It was a lazy day!)

Isn't she precious? I am pretty sure she is waving at me.

Ah...babies. They are pretty fabulous.

I have been pretty unaccountable about food, so I am going to try to do a better job of taking pictures for the blog.

Breakfast was a nice warm coffee cup full of oatmeal. I love oatmeal in the winter, especially on days like today when it is below freezing! It warms you up from the inside out!

My mid-morning snack was a fabulous combination of protein and carbohydrates: cottage cheese and peaches!

Totally yummy and filling.

I had a turkey sandwich and baby carrots for lunch which looked pretty much like this one, but I forgot to take a picture!

My pre-kickboxing afternoon snack (and New Food) was a Cherry Pie Larabar.

I love that these bars are 100% natural. Three ingredients? Awesome!

I was tempted my a mini Milky Way this afternoon (enough to take a picture), but didn't end up eating it. I am saving that tasty morsel for a chocolate craving.

Kickboxing was good tonight, but I can tell that I am still only 90% back to full health because I got a little lightheaded at the end of class. I can't wait to have my endurance back!

I wasn't very hungry after class tonight, so I made myself a nice salad.

Add some grilled chicken and italian dressing and viola! A delicious dinner!

I prepared a nice snack for later tonight, too: frozen blueberries and strawberry yogurt.

I was in a good mood tonight, bumming around the kitchen and made Husband dance with me. Sorry about the blurry photo, but it was too cute to delete!

It feels great to be back. Have a great night!

I'm Back, Baby!

2010-02-22T08:59:00.001-06:00

AND I'M BACK!

I came down with a wicked chest cold and ear infection that took me out of the running for two weeks. It was rough! I don't think it helped that I waited a week to see a doctor. I am terrible at deciding when to see a doctor. I usually wait until I have been unbearably sick for days, and it then takes days to get better again. No fun!

Cold and Flu season has been especially nasty this year. I was "lucky" enough to get H1N1 in October, so this is the second time that I have been down for the count!

I tried to take it really easy on myself while I was sick, but that means I haven't been to gym in two weeks! I am going to get my butt kicked today. Actually...I will be doing the butt-kicking because I am finally healthy enough to teach my Kickboxing class today. WOOT! It is going to be great!

Size Healthy
Speaking of health, there is a great "Size Healthy" movement going on over at Oh She Glows. Go check it out!

It is a great reminder that you are not defined by the size you wear or the number on the scale. I love all the pictures of smiling faces, too. Awesome!

Sick of Being Sick

2010-02-18T09:50:00.000-06:00

I have been sick for the past two weeks and have had no energy for anything. I apologize for being MIA.

The good news is that I am on the mend and will be back very soon! AND I got a new camera! Whoo hoo!

My Eating Idols

2010-02-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

Confession 1
I am not a brave eater. I eat the same things on a very regular basis, my own version of comfort foods:

My Top 10

Berries
Braeburn apples
Yogurt
Carrots
Celery
Hormel Natural Honey Turkey
Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat with Honey bread
Pulled chicken breast
La Tortilla Factory tortillas
Lean browned hamburger

Confession 2
I don't cook. Ever.

I like to claim that preparing Stouffer's Lasagna for Husband is cooking for him.

Making Birds Eye Viola! Three Cheese Chicken is making supper.

Now, I know that isn't really cooking. And it really isn't even real food.

Reading all the amazing blogs out there has really inspired me to start stepping out of my little food box. My goal is to try one new food product and one new healthy recipe a week.

A Few of My Eating Idols
Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats
Angela at Oh She Glows
Bobbi at N Her Shoes
Diana at The Chic Life
Gina at The Fitnessista

Ladies, I will be scouring your blogs for my first healthy recipe of the week!

Simply Living

2010-02-04T18:37:00.000-06:00

I have been following WW's Simply Filling plan and this week has been full of good foods and healthy choices. I am feeling great!

It is amazing how different you feel when you eat food that is actually made of real food. Unfortunately, my camera is on the outs, so I don't have any pictures to share!

My favorite eats of the week have been:

Shredded wheat with Fiber One and unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
A big salad with romaine, carrots, broccoli and grilled chicken
Pumpkin Tops
Blueberry Protein Pancakes
Braeburn apples
Popcorn
Shredded chicken on a La Tortilla Factory tortilla

The fact that I haven't spent the week measuring food and calculating caloires has been even better. I have just been paying attention to my body and making good choices.

Larabar Revelation
I finally joined the land of Larabar lovers! They are the perfect afternoon snack on the days when I teach kickboxing. My class is at 4:30, so I need something that will give me enough energy to teach, but not make me too full or bloated.

I LOVE the fact that the bars are all natural and made with real food. The Peanut Butter & Jelly bar is made of dates, peanuts, unsweetened cherries and salt. That's it! How awesome! And they are totally delicious. They have officially been added to my food rotation.

What is your favorite healthy snack?

From Insanity to Health

2010-01-30T09:27:00.000-06:00

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Benjamin Franklin

I have been in a fight with the scale for a couple months now. I had been very successful on Weight Watchers and had lost 30 pounds as of last September. All of a sudden, Life Happened and I lost control of my weight loss efforts and ended up gaining 10 pounds back over the course of several months. Now, here I sit, almost February and the scale hasn't budged since December.

Well, I shouldn't say that it hasn't budged. It has go up two pounds one week and back down two pounds the following. Rinse and repeat.

As the scale has continued not to cooperate, my frustration has continued to rise. WHY?? I have been counting my points, working out and and trying to be more active in my everyday life. Why won't the scale cooperate with me?

I had a breakdown with Husband earlier this week. He calmly reassured me that we know what works and that I just need to be patient.

Patient?!? I have been patient!!!

But have I? I needed to take a step back and REALLY look at the choices that I have been making:

Skipping workouts (It is COLD outside! It is too EARLY!)
Eating more candy, chocolate, ice cream, etc. than before (Work has been STRESSFUL!)
Fudging my points (Ah...that is close enough....)
Skipping Weight Watchers meetings (I am above my lifetime goal weight. I don't want to PAY to go!)
Obsessing about losing 10 pounds before the end of January (I need to get in my monthly weigh in at WW!)

No matter how "good" my excuses/reasons have been, they are not getting me where I want to be.

I have been sacrificing what I really want for what I want right now and that isn't making me happy.

I need to get back to basics and consistently make healthy decisions.

I have been putting pressure on myself to lose 10 pounds before the end of January and it has just ended up backfiring. The motivation behind my decisions has not been one of health, but one of weight loss. The strictly weight loss mindset hasn't worked for me in the past and it isn't working for me now.

Not only does focusing on health instead of weight loss make me a happier person, being happier and healthier results in weight loss as a pleasant side effect.

And doesn't that sound like more fun?

So what now?

Here is my new contract to myself:

I will choose to workout because it makes me feel happy and strong, not because I will burn 400 calories in 45 minutes.
I will make good food decisions because they give me energy to sustain my healthy lifestyle.
I will follow the Simply Filling Weight Watchers plan that encourages real, whole foods and limits processed foods.
I will treat myself with occasional treats, not routine poor food choices.
I will go to a Weight Watchers meeting, regardless of what the scale says, because the supportive and encouraging environment has been so helpful in the past.
I will allow myself time to lose the weight again. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and putting strict deadlines on myself only backfires.

Here's to health....and eventually weight loss!

Are you patient with your healthy efforts?

Words Hurt

2010-01-29T11:05:00.001-06:00

It is amazing what a few careless words can do to your self confidence.

Last weekend, someone told me that I "must make my (Kickboxing 101) students feel good because I am above average weight."

These words really hurt my feeling and were a direct assault on my self esteem. I have been struggling with the fact that I am teaching kickboxing before hitting my goal weight. I admit it: I have some weight to lose. But, I felt like that comment was a little harsh. Maybe I am just too sensitive to comments about my weight.

Instead of brushing off the offhand remark, I crumbled inside and withdrew from the world. I dreaded teaching class on Monday and was happy that I was able to cancel it due to weather. I spent most of Wednesday being anxious about teaching my afternoon class, but I did it.

And you know what?

It went great! I even used the microphone! (I was afraid of the mic during my first class, so I didn't use it.)

Due to the terrible weather we have been having, it was only my second class. People that attended my first class came back and the ones that couldn't make it let me know in advance that they couldn't be there, but planned on coming next Monday. They came back!! I must be doing something right!

So I say, screw those nasty comments!

Zen Habits had a great post earlier this week, 5 Great Way to Conquer Self Doubt:

Go back in time: The first step to overcoming self doubt is to recognize that it's there in the first place. Think about the circumstances that are leading you to feel insecure, and see if you notice any patterns. Are there particular situations (for example, dealing with a new boss, speaking in public) that prompt you to feel this way? Make a note of times in the past when you doubted yourself but ended up coming through with flying colors. Knowledge and recognition of your past successes will bolster your courage regarding what you can achieve in the future.

Defeat the doubtful thoughts: In one column, write a doubtful thought, and in the opposite column, write facts that dispute that doubtful thought. For instance, suppose you are afraid to invite a new colleague to lunch because you're afraid you won't have anything to talk about and she won't like me. Statements that refute that thought might be: "We can spend at least an hour talking about the office culture here and what she did before this" and "She will like me because I've made a sincere overture to get to know her better."

Keep an event journal: If you are a person who experiences a lot of self doubt, then it's time for a test. In the course of a single day, write down all of the things – simple and complex – that you accomplished without a hitch. These can be things like "ran productive staff meeting" or "had great talk with Brandon over coffee." Then, write down the things that didn't go so well. You will inevitably notice that the list of things that went well far outweighs the list of things that didn't, and this will hopefully allow you to see your doubt in a different light.

Call on your cheerleaders: Often, our loved ones can see our lives much more objectively than we can. Being a natural introvert, I sometimes doubt my interpersonal skills, and when someone doesn't respond to me in the way that I expect, I occasionally get paranoid. It always helps to call one of my best friends so that she can assure me that I do in fact have a lot of wonderful relationships in my life.

Celebrate your successes: When a situation in which you doubted yourself turns out better than you expected, don't just nod and smile and move immediately on to the next thing. Take a moment and reward yourself for a positive outcome. Do something you enjoy like going to your favorite restaurant or eating a delectable dessert. Taking the time to cement positive emotions in your mind will hopefully make the doubt disappear more quickly next time.

Question of the day: How do you conquer self doubt?

Happy and Healthy Saturday

2010-01-23T16:02:00.000-06:00

After a tough day yesterday, I have had a healthy, happy and productive Saturday. I woke up bound and determined to have a good day and so far so good!

I brought some books to the used book store and while I was waiting for my credit, I found exactly what I was looking for! Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred!

I have heard lots of good things about this workout and am very excited to give it a try!

After the used book store, I went to the new bookstore. Or Barnes & Noble, as most people call it. Have we talked about how happy bookstores make me? I just love being surrounded by books. Being surrounded by books AND Starbucks coffee is even better! Browsing at Barnes & Noble always puts me in a good mood.

I have been looking for a cute notebook to keep in my purse and Barnes & Noble did not let me down. I found a little pink 12-month planner with lots of blank pages.

It is just the right size and, at 50% off, just the right price! I am going to be SO organized!

I also brought some donations to the Salvation Army. I have had them set aside for months now. Literally. I have been meaning to take them in since November! It was so quick and easy to do, I am not sure why I have put it off for so long.

What kinds of simple things do you put off?

All or Nothing

2010-01-22T23:18:00.001-06:00

This blog will now be interupted for a short vent/confession. Do not adjust your computer screen.

All or nothing! All or nothing! All or nothing!

I really struggle with an all or nothing/black and white personality.

I eat very healthy or not healthy at all. I exercise twice a day everyday or don't go near the gym for days.

I have really been striving for a healthy balace of eating healthy foods as well as the occassional indulgence and working out regularly and consistantly. I also need to do a better job of bouncing back from any setbacks and not let them slow me down.

My new mottos are going to be:
Failure is not the going down, but the staying down.
Don't sacrifice what you really want for what you want right now.

Right now, my crazy brain is thinking about all the "bad" foods I consumed today and trying to put together a plan of action. My inital thoughts go to "I will workout twice a day and cut out carbs for the next week."

No, no, no!

First of all, I would never follow through and would use it as another reason to get down on myself.
Second of all, it isn't representative of the healthy lifestyle balace that I have been pursuing and know in my heart that is what I really want.

Now, I just need to remember that the next time I am confronted by ice cream and chocolate after a tough week at work!

Hears to a happy, healthy and balanced weekend...I hope!

I'm a Kickboxing Instructor!

2010-01-18T19:06:00.000-06:00

Tonight was my first official kickboxing class! I have been thinking about teaching for a while now, but never got up the courage to do so. There was an opportunity to teach an intro kickboxing class and all of a sudden my name ended up on the monthly schedule!

I felt so unprepared, so I spent a lot of time planning the class and trying to decide which combos would be best when, etc., etc. Planning an exercise class is harder than it looks! I am sure it will get easier as I become more experienced. Now that I survive tonight, I have to get ready for another class on Wednesday! Oh, boy!

This also means that I have fulfilled one of my 2010 goals for the year already. Woot!
#2 Teach kickboxing - Check!

I still need to get certified, but as long as I had my CPR/AED certification, I was able to start teaching. I am still deciding on which program to choose. Right now, I am decided between the ACE Group Fitness Instructor, AFAA Group Exercise and AFAA Kickboxing certifications. I am leaning towards the AFAA Kickboxing certification, as that is the only type of class I will be teaching, so I think that it makes sense to get a focused certification.

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice on becoming certified? There are so many options to choose from!

Green Monster
After I got home from class, I got to work in the kicthen to get ready for tomorrow. Since I am always running short on time in the morning, I decided to make my breakfast tonight. I threw all the ingredients for a Green Monster in the blender and let it do its thing.

I put the blender jar in the fridge so it will be ready for me in the morning. I plan on adding some ice, popping it back on the blender for a couple seconds and will then be off to work for the day. I hope it actually works out as smoothly as it is in my head. I guess I will find out in the morning!

Nightly Snack
To celebrate my first kickboxing class, I dug into one of my favorite new finds: Acher Farms Strawberry yogurt.

It is so rich and creamy. You would never guess that it only has 90 calories! I love "better for you" food finds!

Secret "Single" Behavior
Do you remember the Sex and the City episode where they talked about "secret single behavior" or SSB? The girls talk about what they do when they are home alone. The only one I remember is Carrie's. She liked to eat saltines with grape jelly, while standing in the kitchen reading the latest issue of Vogue.

Husband out tonight, so I was able to indulge in some SBB (secret solo behavior - I am a married women!) of my own. I love, love, love bopping around the house with my iPod on and singing at the top of my lungs.

What is your SBB?

Have a great night!

Working Out is Hard to Do

2010-01-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

Recommitting to healthy lifestyle can be difficult and getting back into a regular exercising routine can be the hardest part.

It is easy to overwork yourself at the beginning and wear yourself out. A girlfriend of mine said it best with emoticons:

As the late, great comedian, Mitch Hedberg, said:
"People who smoke cigarettes, they say "Man, you don't know how hard it is to quit smoking." Yes, I do. It's as hard as it is to start flossing."

It can be as hard to start flossing as it is to start exercising. You know that it is something you "should" be doing, but that doesn't make it any easier to do.

One thing that can help make starting an exercise routine is finding something you enjoy. Or at the VERY least, something that is more fun than flossing. A couple years ago, I fell in love with kickboxing. It is a great cardio workout and I love the feel of kicking butt early in the morning. I am addicted to kickboxing classes that involve a heavy bag. They are the best!

I am spending part of the weekend preparing for my own kickboxing class. I am scheduled to teach my very first kickboxing class on Monday and I am kind of freaking out about it. Ek!!

Rules for Living

2010-01-13T18:57:00.000-06:00

Most people know that Helen Fielding wrote Bridget Jones' Diary, but what they don't know is that she wrote a little-known book called Olivia Joules and The Over Active Imagination. The book itself isn't great, but the completely neurotic main character had a list that she called her "Rules For Living" that I loved!

Never panic. Stop, breathe, think.
No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
Never change a haircut or color before an important event.
Nothing is either as bad or as good as it seems.
Do as you would be done by, e.g., thou shalt not kill.
It is better to buy one expensive thing that you really like than several cheap ones that you only quite like.
Hardly anything matters: if you get upset, ask yourself, "Does it really matter?"
The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
Be honest and kind.
Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination.
When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it's really a disaster by doing the following: (a) think, "Oh, f*ck it" (b) look on the bright side and, if that doesn't work, look on the funny side. If neither of the above works then maybe it is a disaster so turn to items 1 and 4.
Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
Don't regret anything. Remember there wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at that moment. The only thing you can change is the present, so learn from the past.
If you start regretting something and start thinking, "I should have done..." always add, "but then I might have been run over by a lorry or blown up by a Japanese-manned torpedo."

My favorites:

No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.

Not only do these rules make me smile, but there is a lot of truth to them. Also, I like to read them to myself in a slight British accent. It just seems fitting!

What rules do you live by?

Lost and Found

2010-01-11T20:18:00.001-06:00

FitBit Found
The prodigal FitBit has been found! Husband found it under the couch. I was sure that I looked there! Oh, well! Thank goodness he found it. I was so sad when I lost it.

Now that I am back to work, I will need it as motivation to stay active and keep moving. This is harder to do when I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, so any motivation is good motivation!

I haven't had it back for long, but long enough to see how much my activity level goes down during the week. I am not the best at remembering to wear it everyday, so I only have a couple full days worth of activity.

Activity During Break:
Day 1: 15,778 steps
Day 2: 10,376 steps

Activity During Work Week
Day 1: 4,884 steps
Day 2: 4,046 steps

Wow! It looks like my work week activity needs to be kicked up a notch - or two! Granted, they are both non-cardio days, but non-cardio shouldn't mean barely mobile!

Green Monster
I had my first Green Monster today! I was scared to try it at first, but it was good!

All I did was blend 2 cups raw spinach, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tablespoon of flax seed, a banana and some ice. It kept me full until around 11:30, just in time for lunch! Despite the color, I couldn't taste the spinach at all. It just tasted like banana smoothie. I will definitely be making it again.

Nerd Alert
I am happily curled up on the couch watching the season premiere of Chuck tonight. I love this show. I also love mixed berries and plain yogurt! Yum!

This week's Chuck episode featured a training montage spoof. I love a good training montage! The training scene from Rocky I is still the best and always gets me pumped up and itching to go to another bag kickboxing class!

What motivates you to stay active? What gets you pumped up for a good workout?

Start Over Sunday

2010-01-10T18:54:00.001-06:00

Oh, boy. Thanks to stress, frustration and my inability to manage these ugly feelings, I fell off the health wagon on Friday. Actually, let me clarify. I jumped off the wagon.

I didn't workout, I stopped writing down what I ate and make a series of very poor food choices. Intentionally. My mind said, "F-it. This week sucked and the scale says you failed miserably at your weight loss attempts, despite making healthy choices throughout the week." What a nice way to talk to myself, huh?

So, I ate with wild abandon on Friday night. Which led me to feeling crappy on Saturday, so I did it all again. Because it was so effective Friday night (note thick sarcasm). Yuck.

My thinking can be so erroneously black and white. "I messed up, so f-it. I will start over on Monday" The thinking side of my brain knows that such behavior never does any good and never makes me feel better, but the emotion side of my brain doesn't care.

Thank goodness the thinking side of my brain took over because I didn't wait until Monday this weekend! I "started over" today. I made healthy food choices and worked out. Hard. I put in Tae Bo Bootcamp and let Billy Blanks kick my butt and it felt SO GOOD. I was so sore (in a good way) after I was done that it hurt to raise my arms above my head to wash my hair. I am so glad that I didn't wait until Monday. Being proud of my behavior for the day is a much better way to end the weekend, rather then spending the day feeling bad.

I hope that I learned my lesson about "starting over later." I know that I will struggle sometimes, but it is so important to remember that there is no reason to put off healthy choices and "wait until Monday." There is no time like the present to make the right decisions.

I wanted to finish up the weekend by setting myself up for success this week, so I spent an hour cutting up veggies and packing my lunch. I also whipped up a batch of Vitamuffin brownies so that it will be easier to make a good decision when the inevidable afternoon chocolate craving hits.

So easy to make! Just add 2 egg whites and water...

And fill muffin top pans!

Baked and beautiful brownie "muffin tops"!

I like to wrap them individually and then freeze. They in a couple hours, so I just grab one out of the freezer on my way to work.

It doesn't get much easier than that!

Here's to a week of healthy choices and picking myself up immediately if I should stumble or fall!

How do you rebound from unhealthy decisions? Are you kind to yourself?

Thanks a Lot, DVR

2010-01-05T19:39:00.000-06:00

I came home from work today and still need to get my workout in, so I headed upstairs to get a quick strength training workout in before The Biggest Loser premiere started. I had my DVR all set up and planned to watching the show at 7:30, so I could just zip through the commercials. The perfect plan! What could go wrong?

My quick circuit training routine:
Warm up

Superset #1
3 x 12 bicep curls
3 x 12 tricep kickbacks
30 jumping jacks

Superset #2
3 x 12 chest presses
3 x 12 bent over rows
30 jumping jacks

Superset #3
3 x 12 military press
3 x 12 deadlifts
30 jumping jacks

Superset #4
3 x 12 lunges
3 x 20 crunches
30 jumping jacks

Stretch

It is so cold here this week! It is negative 2 degrees right now. I couldn't feel my toes during half my workout. Adding a cardio burst of jumping jacks between the supersets helped keep my blood circulating to keep feeling in my toes. Brrr!

I rinsed off and settled into bed with my favorite snack: vanilla yogurt, strawberries and frozen blueberries. I like to let the blueberries thaw in the yogurt and then cut fresh strawberries over the top. Delish!

Finally ready to watch my show, I went to start the program and....wait! Where is it? My fickle DVR didn't start recording! Gah! Stupid thing.

I wonder how long it will take for NBC to post the full episode online...

What Have You Done Today...?

2010-01-04T19:45:00.000-06:00

I guess I watched a little too much Biggest Loser over the past week because theme song has been running through my head all day, "What have you done today to make you feel proud?"

Not that it is a bad thing to have in the back of your mind during the day! Instead of ignoring it, I actually gave it some thought.

What have I done today to make me feel proud?

Made healthy food choices
Maintained a positive attitude
Went to kickboxing class - after work no less! (I tend to make deals with myself in the morning while still in bed: I can sleep in if I go to the gym at lunch/after work, etc. I follow through about 10% of the time, so working out after work is definitely an accomplishment!)

That kickboxing class kicked my booty, too. I actually felt light headed and nauseous by the end - not fun! At first, I got frustrated with myself because I have gotten out of out of shape, lost endurance, blah, blah, blah and then I came to a realization: I barely ate anything today!

Silly Joy, you need FOOD for intense cardio! It turns out that I didn't fall wildly out of shape in 4 days. Whew! What a relief!

Why is it so easy to assume the worst about ourselves? We need to remember what we do everyday to make ourselves proud and celebrate our successes!

Pumpkin Top of the Morning to You!

2010-01-03T14:18:00.000-06:00

I love using quiet Sunday afternoon to prepare healthy food for the week ahead. I have been on vacation for a week and a half and it is time to get ready for Monday!

One of my favorite handmade recipes is for Pumpkin Oatmeal Tops. They are great on the go and perfect for when my stomach starts to growl in the afternoon.

It is a very versatile recipe and alternatives are included in parentheses.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Tops
2 1/2 c total of whole grains (I used 1 3/4 c oatmeal, 1/4 c cornmeal and 1/2 c oatbran)
1 c pumpkin (applesauce, banana, etc.)
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c fructose or equivalent splenda
1 c milk (evaporated milk, yogurt)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
Raisins (optional)
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg

(Today I used t pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes twelve muffins or muffin tops.

First, I took the the ingredients. A girl must be prepared before the baking begins!

I used a little elbow grease to mix everything together.

Twelve unbaked muffin tops sitting in a row. H-U-N-G-R-Y!

At last!

Aren't they beautiful?

They melt in your mouth, not in your hand!

Now, I am off to make a healthy lunch for tomorrow. Hum...what to make???

2010 Game Plan

2010-01-01T16:08:00.000-06:00

I am excited for 2010 and I am sure it is going to be an awesome year. I plan on accomplishing the following, in no particular order.

Get fitness certification
Teach kickboxing
Blog, blog, blog
Communicate more with friends and family
Take photography class
Eat less processed food
Take a picture of one thing every day that makes me happy

How can 2010 NOT be fantastic?!? I am pumped to have a great year.

Fit Finds:

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T11:12:00.000-06:00

We had a great New Year's Eve and celebrated with good friends, good food and good football! Iowa State University won the Insight Bowl, which was just another excuse to celebrate last night.

Husband and I started getting ready for company by browning pot roast. Well, Husband browned the pot roast.

I cut up red potatoes and added them to baby carrots and onions in our baby crock pot.

I also put out some green grapes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower for snacking. Good and good for you!

And a pot roast meal is not complete without mashed potatoes! We ended up only eating the Bob Evans Sour Cream and Onion mashed potatoes and they were pretty tasty. Especially when compared to the amount of effort required for preparation!

Later in the night we broke out the champagne, but my camera was no where to be found, so I took morning-after pictures of the "evidence."

We used a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin for our toast. Fancy, fancy! Husband and I bought the bottle LAST December for my birthday, but never got around to drinking it.

It was great to be able to share it and the New Year with some of our favorite people. I hope everyone had as good of a time on New Year's Eve as we did!

Hello, 2010! It is going to be a great year!

Good News & Bad News

2009-12-30T17:14:00.000-06:00

The Good News

Another (mostly) great day in the land of use-it-or-lose-it vacation days.

I started today at the very early hour of 4:30 AM for no other reason than I was awake. Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen. It was the perfect day to make my favorite healthy breakfast, Power Pancakes with blueberries and sugar free syrup. Yum!

These pancakes are so good and so easy to make.

1/4 cup dry oatmeal
1/4 low fat cottage cheese
4 egg whites
Optional: add 1/4 cup of blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl (I use a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup). You can also blend a ingredients in a blender until smooth and then add the blueberries (optional). Cook on a sprayed non-stick skillet. Makes 2 pancakes.

After my delicious pancake breakfast, I went to the gym for another kickboxing class that really kicked my butt! I haven't worked out this much in a long time and my body is feelin' it. My whole body hurts in a good way and is proof that I have been working hard this week. I love it!

I came home to a simple lunch of a turkey sandwich and celery.

The celery was originally prepped to bring to work for my brown bag lunch, hence the fancy plastic baggie. I am pretty sure that Martha Stewart would be jealous of my mad presentation skills.

After lunch, I jumped on the Wii Fit for a little yoga to stretch my sore muscles and then settled into our comfy couch to watch a Biggest Loser rerun episode on NBC.com. They have full episodes of the whole Season 8 online. That show is so inspirational and never fails to make me a little (or a lot) weepy.

You could set a clock by my hunger levels, so it was time time to eat again at 3:00, so I headed to the fridge. I finally tried AE Raspberry Cheesecake yogurt that Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats recommended. Yum! I added a Braeburn apple for a fantastic afternoon snack.

We are getting ready to go over to my sister and brother-in-law's house for the Nebraska bowl game. It has been a football-tastic week. I am looking forward to watching the Iowa State bowl game tomorrow night, too. It is an unconventional way to spend New Year's Eve (at least for me), but ISU doesn't make it to a bowl game very often, so we are going to celebrate it!

My FitBit has continued to motivate me to keep moving while I am at home this week.
Yesterday's FB Stats:
2,461calories burned
15,778 steps taken
7.31 miles traveled

Awesome!

The Bad News
Somehow, I managed to lose my FitBit this afternoon. It disappeared sometime this afternoon after my kickboxing class and I have no idea where it is hiding. I have looked everywhere. Well, technically not everywhere or I would have found it by now.

Boo!

I hope it turns up soon!

Super Shopper

2009-12-29T13:22:00.000-06:00

Despite my good intentions of serving healthy snacks for the football game last night, we ended up having pizza for dinner. I was able to feel happy and satisfied with two small pieces of cheese pizza, so last night was still a healthy success!

My FitBit Stats from Yesterday:

2,119 calories burned
10,376 steps taken
4.19 miles traveled

I've had it for a couple weeks and have been wearing it on and off. Yesterday was the first time I walked over 10,000 steps! Whoo hoo! I love it!

I got out of the house to run some errands today and take care of some Christmas returns. I went to Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Kohl's and the stores were relatively empty. Everyone must be home with their kids or at work, which is just fine with me. I actually didn't mind going to Walmart today. I usually leave that store feeling pretty angry and irritated, so it was a nice change!

Of the $60 worth of merchandise I returned, I ended up spending $100. Oops! But, in retail math, that means that I only spent $40, so yay me!

I lost my mind a little at Target and ended up buying 2 swimsuits! My ultimate goal is to feel comfortable in a bikini, so I thought have a cute new suit would be a good motivator. I also picked up some workout pants and miscellaneous toiletries. I took some pictures of my loot, but my computer isn't reading my SD card, so I had to search out some examples on the internet.

Xhilaration Hibiscus Tankini

Mossimo Olive Green/Pink Halter Bikini

C9 Semi Fitted Knee Pants

I really like the Mossimo swimsuit, but the tankini doesn't fit right. Boo! It looks like I have another errand for my next trip out on the town. I love Target's C9 by Champion line of workout clothes, especially the semi fitted pants. They are very comfortable and flattering, so it is a win-win (or win-win-win for The Office lovers out there)!

My Own Person Trainer

2009-12-28T15:25:00.000-06:00

I ordered a FitBit a little over a year ago. Due to slow production, it was backordered for months and it finally came in the mail! This little guy measures numbers of steps taken, distanced traveled, calories burned and even sleep quality!

I love that it is so small and just clips to my pants and it is more inconspicuous than a pedometer.

I don't work at all this week, so I have been keeping myself busy around the house. So far, my FitBit stats are:

5,242 steps
2.12 miles
1,309 calories

So far, the FitBit has kept me motivated to keep moving and I love being able to see the results of my efforts on the little screen! I tried to get a good picture of the results screen, but it wasn't happening.

Eating healthy is usually a challenge for me on days when I am home alone, but being positive and productive has kept me on the right track today. I love feeling healthy and in control over my food choices.

I have been tracking my food at Daily Plate to help me track my food and exercise. I have been counting Weight Watchers Points since February, but I will be watching my calories and nutrients more closely because my body needs a little mild detoxing from all the holiday eating and drinking. I refuse to do anything too strict though, because that always ends up backfiring on me.

My plan for the rest of the day includes going to an excellent kickboxing class and hanging out with family to watch Monday Night Football, so I will be pulling some healthy snacks together for the game.

Go Vikings!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-27T16:47:00.000-06:00

'Tis the Season to set goals, fa la la la la....

Isn't that the way that song goes? Anyway, now that Christmas is over, it is time to look forward to the New Year.

Husband and I have been discussing our 2010 vacation wish list since my vacation day allowance starts over after the first of the year. Our first trip on the docket is to Madison, Wisconsin to see friends and family in mid-March, so I will use that trip as the first deadline for the year.

Despite the fact that these people already love me the way I am, I want to look my best.

We haven't settled on any official travel dates, so I will set my first deadline as Friday, March 20th, 2010, which is about 12 weeks away, and I would like to lose 15 pounds by that time.

I would say wish me luck, but it isn't luck that is going to help me lose 15 pounds. Wish me healthy eating and awesome regular workouts!

Deadlines

2009-12-21T19:02:00.001-06:00

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Florida has come and gone, but the pounds and inches I wanted to lose before the trip stayed firmly in place. They were even joined by a couple fatty friends as evidence of a fabulous week spent with friends as we ate and drank our way around the world at Disney's Epcot.

I was a fan of France and Germany and particularly enjoyed red sparkling wine called Rosa Regale from Italy and chocolate croissants from a French patisserie. Yum!

I was also lucky enough to miss the biggest snow storm of the past 30 years and was running around sunny Orlando as my friends dug themselves of their homes to get to work.

Now that I have been home for nearly a week, reality has set in and it is time to re-focus on living a healthier, balance life.

My workouts have lagged and my diet has been sub par at best. I need a space were I can keep myself accountable and motivate me to continue to improve.

The time has come to set a new goal and new deadlines!

Welcome to my journey!