Where's the Beach?

Holy Hill Repeats Ah, another sunny, warm day here. I think I could get used to this! It certainly makes for better moods. This morning I woke up to Jason's alarm repeatedly going off for swim (which he skipped). I was too much awake to try to fall back asleep for an hour, so I got up and did an easier step from Cathe's Low Impact Circuit DVD. There is a cardio only premix that includes 4 step combos. I just did the first 3 then abs from the same disc and stretched. I wanted to keep the intensity on the lower side as Jason and I were planning on hill repeats at lunch. Also, It was nice to do something to get myself moving this morning rather than roll out of bed and rush straight to work. I seriously roll out of bed and am able to be at work within 30 minutes. I eat my breakfast when I get to my desk. Do you allow yourself time to wake up in the morning before getting ready and rushing of to work? Like enjoy reading the paper over breakfast? While the weather was sunny and i...

Tuesday Run Last night I woke up several times. While I fell back to sleep easily, I sure didn't feel like I had a good night's rest, so I opted to stay in bed rather than get up to do cardio. That and I really had no desire at all to do another step workout. I had thought about taking today as a rest day. I have some major DOMS going on from my weight workouts. However, the sunshine was calling my name. Jason and I managed another lunchtime run. It's definitely what the doctor ordered. We did go just a tad slower than yesterday, but not much. It was a good, comfortable pace. Tofu on Tuesday Jason was riding his bike with a group after work, so I had the house to myself (well, besides the pups). I wanted an easy dinner. No frills or fuss. I opted for Chipotle Raspberry BBQ Tofu with sweet potato topped with steamed broccoli. Basically, I mixed together a BBQ sauce with a raspberry chipotle sauce and marinated extra-firm tofu with the sauce for about 1 hour. I baked at 3...

Magnificent Monday (seriously) This morning I opted to sleep an extra hour rather than get up to do biceps and triceps. I don't know if it was the extra hour or I just woke up on the right side of the bed, but I was in a really good mood this morning. Jason and I had a lunchtime run planned that I was really looking forward to. The weather is supposed to be fantastic all week too. Oh, and it's a short week for me at work because we're off for Good Friday. Jason and I are tentatively planning to hike Pinnacle Mountain Friday taking along a picnic lunch to eat at the summit. I have a Girls' Night planned for Thursday night as well. So I have a lot to look forward to this week. So, this week is starting off on the right track for me apparently. Maybe it's all the happy blog vibes and inspiring posts I've been reading lately. It has definitely been a "live in the moment" kind of day. Hopefully I can keep up this positive attitude all week! Monday Workout...

Sunday Repeat So today started much similar to last Sunday. It was a bit chilly so I wanted a warm breakfast. So I opted for PB&J&B Oatmeal . Just like last Sunday, I have some serious DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) happening from yesterday's workout. Today was leg day. I really dread leg workouts to be honest. Once I get going, it's not so bad, it's just getting started. I did 4 sets of each exercise (except calves) starting with 12 reps and dropping 2 reps each set. Alternating front lunges Squats Alternating rear lunges Alternating plie squats Deadlifts Step ups Calf raises - 3 sets of 25 turned out, parallel, turned out After my workout, I did just half of Shock Cardio HIIT Pyramid and stretched. Slow Sunday I spent most of the day trying to get laundry done. I'm always amazed at how much laundry just two people can produce. Of course, half of it is workout clothes. Jason bathed the dogs, long overdue chore there. Basically, we just got ...

Friday Recap Surprise surprise, Friday ended up being Pizza night at the Iacobacci-Miller household. No complaints from this gal though. It was yummy. We played a few rounds of pool while the pizza cooked, then ate and watched Julie and Julia , well, most of it. We sort of pooped out and have 30 minutes left to finish. Superwoman Workout Today I did chest, back, shoulders this morning using a drop set method. I did each exercise using the same weight, but dropping the number of reps with each set: 12, 10, 8, 6. This is the same set up as last week, but I did increase my weights for all exercises. Chest Flat bench flyes Flat bench DB presss Incline flyes Incline DB press Back Double-arm row (flat back) Pullovers Underhand DB rows Shoulders Standing DB press Side lateral raises  Rear delt press After weights, I did Shock Cardio HIIT 40/20 then the weights only portion of Weights & Plates abs from Abs Circuit. I felt really good today, most likely because I behaved a...

Mandatory Rest Day Today was my rest day. I'll admit, however, that if the temps had been just a wee bit warmer, I would have snuck in a run at lunch just for the fresh air and sunshine factor. I know, I'm ill-behaved at times. Curb the Craving So, I have mentioned that I crave carby snacks after dinner, like graham crackers. I keep whole-grain caramel rice cakes ( Mother's is the brand) on hand because they offer just a hint of sweetness, crunch, and are low in calories (these are actually low in sugar and carbs as well so I'm trying to trick myself). However, I could eat the whole bag. I started trying to re-assess my diet, thinking that perhaps I just wasn't eating enough carbs earlier in the day. However, I read an article last week (I am digging around trying to find where on earth I read this, online, blog, or magazine) that mentioned that carb cravings can stem from a diet too low in healthy fats. It all boils down to insulin levels being stabilized (and...

Thankful for Friends First off, I really want to thank everyone for being so kind yesterday when I posted about my blue day. I debated about the post because I certainly don't want anyone to think that I am fishing for sympathy. I did, however, think that it was important to be honest with what sort of day I was having and to share some great, inspirational posts by fellow bloggers. I hope those words can help you out at some point. That brings me to another point. Friendships. I have blogged about this before, but yesterday it was even more so apparent that friends come from so many, often unexpected places. I received an email from a fellow blogger asking me how I was doing and letting me know that they were there for me. For me?? It was truly heartwarming to get that sort of support from someone I have never met and from someone who is going through so much more in their life right now. And they were seriously concerned about me. Wow. Not one of my long-time friends or even fam...

Kicking and Running This morning I got up when Jason did at 5 am. He left for swim and I opted for a kickboxing workout rather than step. I chose Cathe's Kick Punch and Crunch DVD because it also include a good stability ball abs workout. I didn't want to do a very long cardio session because Jason and I were planning to run at lunch. The great thing about this DVD is that it has tons of premix options. I also used 1 lb weighted gloves. Do you ever use weighted gloves for kickboxing? I was really in sort of a funk today. It was definitely a "Blue Day" for me. That's what my great-grandmother used to call down days. The sun was out early on, but then it started to cloud up around lunchtime. It's supposed to rain tonight and into tomorrow, hence part of the reason for running at lunch, get it in while it's nice. It did end up being mostly sunny by the afternoon. I was also hoping that I could run off some of the funk I was feeling. It was really nice to g...

Tough Start Last night I wasn't sure I was ever going to fall asleep. The last I looked at the clock it was 11:15. The next time it read 4:15 am. So I did at least get 5 straight hours. I had set my alarm for 5:15 to get in my workout so there I was tossing ideas around. Try to pretend to sleep for 1 more hour or reset alarm and forgo workout for possibly an hour and a half. It took about 40 mins before I gave up and got out of bed. I'm not really sure how I managed it, but I did Cathe's Cardio Fusion . That's a toughie, especially when low on sleep. It did energize me though by the end. I'll admit to a very rough start. In the end, I was glad to have gotten it done. The weather has totally turned around from the rain and 40 degree temps on Sunday. It was sunny and low 70's. So nice. Really made me wish that I had been able to run at lunch and enjoy outdoor exercise. However, I knew I wouldn't be able to run with Jason at lunch. The workday was a short on...

Step and Biceps/Triceps  This morning I opted for the extra hour of sleep rather than the morning workout. I did go home and get the workouts done at lunch though. It was the perfect energy boost that I needed. I had started the day feeling rather down for no particular reason. The workout seemed to get me back on track. I did one of the premixes from Cathe's Step Blast then did biceps and triceps using the drop set method: 12, 10, 8, 6. Dumbbell curls Hammer curls Incline curls Lying dumbbell extensions Kickbacks Overhead extension I was a little frustrated with the weights I ended up using today. They seemed lighter than I would have liked. However, I must keep in mind that I did quite a few reps with this method. It's not like they don't feel sufficiently fried either. Do you ever beat yourself up over a particular weight? I'm trying really hard not to, there's no reason for it. Fajita Monday Tonight just seemed like a fajita kind of night to me. It would hav...

Leg Day Sunday So today started with another bowl of PB&J&B Oatmeal . I have some serious DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) happening from yesterday's workout. Wow. Good thing today was legs. I used the drop set method again for everything except calves: 12, 10, 8, 6. Alternating front lunges Squats Alternating rear lunges Plie squats Deadlifts Step ups Calf raises - 3 sets of 25 turned out, parallel, turned outs After my workout, I did just half of Shock Cardio HIIT Pyramid and Yoga-style abs from Abs Circuit then stretched. Veggie Cakes on Sunday It's rainy, cold, and dreary here today. I had wanted to bake some bread and do some other cooking today. However, the oven is broken so that didn't happen. I did manage to get lots of laundry done, Jason vacuumed the area rugs, and I swiffered up the doggy dust bunnies. I also tried straightening up and organizing the room that I am now using as my weight room. This house had once been a duplex and that particular...

Friday Follow-Up First off, I want to thank everyone for their great comments! Sounds like everyone is on the same page. I love the open-minded attitudes and notions of living life to the fullest. You guys are awesome! Dinner did end up being pizza...on the grill. Grilled pizza wasn't the intention mind you, it was dark out and not part of the plan. I had turned on the oven to pre-heat and to heat up the pizza stone. When I was done with the toppings and had the dough rolled out, I asked Jason to pull out the stone. It was, well, stone cold. No heat folks. The burners were working just fine, so we have no idea what's up with the oven. Thankfully we have a gas grill that we were able to use. The crust was definitely crispier, but not in a bad way. My half of the pizza was my very predictable Greek style of spinach, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, banana pepper rings, roasted red bell peppers, and feta. Jason had been wanting to try a muffuletta style pizza. One of our favorite ...

Let There Be Rest Today was officially a rest day for me. It was hard not to go run at lunch I'll admit. It was even warmer today and the co-worker lunch thing was canceled. It's also supposed to be raining tomorrow then 45 degrees on Sunday. But, I really did need to take the rest day as hard as it was. Pizza or Taco Salad? I'm really not sure what dinner will be. I think a taco salad sounds really good, but it is Pizza Friday. Decisions Decisions. I don't mind eating a little later on Fridays because I just try to relax and stop thinking about schedules and when I must get to bed and all of that. So, as has become typical, I'll post my Friday dinner tomorrow. To Err is to be Heather (Human) But, you won't get off so easy with a 2-paragraph post! I recently read a post that really spoke to me on many levels. Pure Food Life posted " Let's be Honest Here " and talks about hiding behind words and how easy it is, especially as blogge...

New Shoes Means Lunchtime Run This morning when the alarm went off at 5:15, I was snoozing hard. I had already told myself that if I was tired enough to fall back asleep after the alarm, I'd allow that luxury. So, off went the alarm and I was out immediately startled again at 6:15. This is the time I would normally wake up if not working out. So, I thought today was going to be my rest day. However, I just couldn't pass up a lunchtime run with Jason. I seriously needed to try out my new running shoes right?! The fact that it was sunny and 60 degrees also helped get me energized. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to get a run in tomorrow because we have a co-workers lunch celebration. So if I skipped working out today, that meant my workout tomorrow would have to be before work and it'd likely be step. Inside vs outside, morning vs noon...the decision was practically made for me. The run was so much better today than the other day. I had pep in my step, maybe it was t...

Full-Body Workout  I'll readily admit that getting up this morning was quite painful and almost didn't happen. I forced myself out of bed though not exactly excited about tackling a full-body Pyramid workout. Sort of daunting at 5 am really. I did the warm up from Shock Cardio Cardio Core Circuit (cardio only premix) then hit the weights. It was a pyramid up only so I increased my starting weight. I topped it all off with the first 2 1/2 drills from the cardio workout. I ran short on time and was basically spent. Squats into Plie Squats Step Ups (seriously hate these especially at 5:30 am) Incline Chest Flyes into Chest Press Pullovers into DB Underhand Rows Step Ups (freaking again) Static Lunges Overhead DB Press into Lateral Raises Deadlifts Kickbacks into Overhead Extensions Hammer Curls into Alternating Curls Calf Raises I am so excited to report that my new cross-trainers and running shoes arrived today. Can't wait to test both of them out. I waited way way way too...

2 on Tuesday This morning was painful, but I managed to get up and get in my workout. I didn't sleep well at all. I'm blaming everything on the time change. Anyway, I chose to do an easier step workout as Jason and I were planning a lunchtime run to take advantage of the nicer weather. I chose Low Impact Circuit - Cardio Only Premix. Again, one of the best things about the majority of Cathe's DVDs are the many premix options offered. This one is pretty low-intensity (though I do use 2 risers) and lasts just over 40 minutes. It was the ideal workout when a 5:30 am workout wasn't something I was overly excited about. The weather, I thought, was supposed to be 64 and sunny. However, it was more like 56 and cloudy when we went for our lunch run. Let's just say that the weather sets the stage for how my run went. I was really looking forward to it. The last few runs have been great. Today, however, was not one of those fun runs for me. I felt like I was just all out of...