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Did You Lighten Up? And of Course Weights, Run, Grill

Wednesday Follow Up
I wanted to thank everyone for their comments and insights regarding yesterday's posts. I don't think you have to be a Type A personality to feel the pressure to always be perfect, to always do better than you did before, etc. I hope that you took my lighten up challenge and would love to hear what you did and how it worked for you.

I will say that posting early sans dinner photos and choosing to do a simple, easy dinner made for a very relaxed evening. I did get a little crazy and cut the sweet potatoes into rounds rather than fry-shaped. LOL. A simple dinner was made much more special by dining outside without any distractions. It made for pleasant conversation and somehow dinner seemed much more than just veggie burgers and sweet potatoes.

Now, I hope you all don't get the wrong impression about posting and including recipes, photos, and recaps. I LOVE writing my blog posts, taking photos, choosing the ones to include, etc. Anyone who blogs knows, however, that it is a labor of love and takes time. I've read many many posts from bloggers discussing how to fit it all in without getting overwhelmed. I think the key is to remember why we are blogging in the first place. If it becomes laborious and no longer enjoyable, then what's the point?

So, sometimes taking a night off from recipe mania and photo shoot central, can be beneficial on so many levels. I don't think we should ever feel guilty for being a tad bit selfish from time-to-time whether it's in regards to blogging, to opting out of a workout to enjoy a drink with a friend, indulging in a mani/pedi, or just crawling into bed early with a good book and saying good night to the world.

Oh, funny thing, I got so caught up in lightening up that I forgot to make my overnight steel cut oatmeal for today and tomorrow. Oops. Thankfully I had some packets of low-sugar instant oatmeal in my desk drawer. I brought a banana and some peanut butter to add to it and make it tasty. It actually hit the spot and was a nice change from my M-F cinnamon and blueberries oatmeal.

Now, back to regular programming...

2 on Thursday
Today I had the alarm set for 6 am so that Jason and I could get in a longer, morning run. I assumed we'd get started running around 6:15 just as it was starting to get light, so no running in the dark and fearing a trip and fall situation. Jason, however, was apparently snug in the bed. So, I went ahead and tackled my weight workout instead. Today was 3 sets of 15 reps (ick).

Chest - Incline DB press
Back - Underhand rows
Quads - Squats
Hamstrings - Deadlifts
Triceps - Kickbacks
Biceps - DB biceps curls
Legs - Static lunges/Split lunges
Calves - Calf raises
Shoulders - Upright rows
(will need another exercise here as next week supersets)

I always feel like I'm starting off too light when I do high rep lifting, until I get about halfway through the second set that is. Funny how they can sneak up on you.

Since we didn't run in the morning, we had to do a shorter (3.1 mile) run at lunch. Honestly, I was a little worried it would end up being a bad run thinking my legs would feel like lead after weights. However, I think the run actually helped loosen my legs up. It turned out to be a pretty good run. I will admit to a bit more gabbing than necessary so by the end I was starting to get a bit of side stitch. I really am not normally one to chat it up while exercising either. I guess I just got caught up in trying relay my day, thoughts, ideas to Jason. Note to self: More running, less gabbing.

Thursday Grilling
I really was close to taking another night off from cooking to be honest. I couldn't think of anything that sounded appetizing at all. We're getting low on groceries as "grocery day" is coming up this weekend. I ended up making the Apple Cranberry Wheat Berry Salad I made a week or so ago. It sounded light enough for a warm evening. I paired it with grilled broccoli and cauliflower that I seasoned with a lemon pepper season blend and grilled tofu that was simply marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette.
It was a nice evening again and storms are on the way tomorrow into Saturday, so we took advantage of the weather and ate outside again. 

Do you enjoy dining outside?

Comments

  1. That wheatberry salad looks amazing!! I love to eat outside and we have an amazing back patio!! It is completely covered with 3 ceiling fans so even on the hot days we can still enjoy time out there! We are even thinking of adding misters this summer! :) Enjoy the rest of you night missy!

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  2. I forgot to lighten up! I will - by this weekend, how about that ;-) And I agree - sometimes I stress about getting a post in if I have a busy day/night, but we do it because we love it, but it is a labor of love!

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  3. Kelly @ Healthy Living with Kelly I love wheat berries - just wish they didn't take so long to cook! Nice on the ceiling fans!! We don't have a covered area in the back, but we do have an umbrella we can open up and use a box fan. Love the mister idea.

    Tsk tsk Jolene @ To Be Determined ;-) Hope you do something to lighten up this weekend if you need it. Take care!!!

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  4. yup! i lightened up! instead of stressing over my term paper i decided to enjoy a girls night.. im so glad i did :) xox

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  5. Yum, look delish!

    Glad you enjoyed your relaxing evening.
    When I first started I blogged everyday, and responded to each and every comment I received. Then it became too overwhelmingly hard to keep up and I had to take a step back. Now I post when the mood stikes (every couple of days) and just do my best with the rest. Blogging should be enjoyable :)

    Hope you have a great weekend hun!

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  6. Sounds like a great day to me. That was cute that you were so busy relaxing that you forgot your overnight oats. Sounds like something I would do. ;-)

    Alicia

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  7. love that you took some time off from the regular scheduled programming and gave yourself a a break. i need to do the same! and somehow just decrease the amt of time blogging takes...you know what i mean! have a super nite, heather!

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  8. Good for you Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel !!! Now just don't forget entirely about that paper ;-)

    Tricia @ Endurance Isn't Only Physical Funny, I started off only blogging maybe twice a week then ended up every day. Not sure how it happened LOL. Hope you have a great weekend too!

    Alicia @ Vegan Epicurean It's all or nothing for me LOL full speed ahead of forgetting to make my breakfast ;-) Luckily I had a back up (not as healthy instant) plan that worked in a pinch.

    Averie @ Loves Veggies and Yoga I think we all need a break from time-to-time whether it's blogging, exercise, work, etc. Take care!

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  9. nice job tackling that weight workout while Jason was in bed still! that would be so tempting for me to just stay in bed!!

    that wheatberry salad looks PERFECT!

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  10. i love your workout schedule. two a days is so awesome. i wish my work schedule allowed for it at lunch.....how energizing in the middle of the day. do you have weights in your house?
    your dinner looks so good. love to grill :)

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  11. I very clearly did NOT lighten up yesterday as you saw from my post. But today is a new day and I'm bound and determined to. :-) I LOVE to eat outside too, it totally puts a new spin on a regular dinner during the week with the hubby. It just feels special or something, especially with the iTunes playing the background!

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  12. I would love to lighten up! I guess no matter how busy we are, there is still a way to do it right? School has been keeping me busy lately, so that in addition to my workouts and the rest of it leaves little time. BUT! I'm going to get a mani during lunch today. :) Score!

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  13. dining al fresco is one of the reasons i love living in l.a. so much. but now i've gotten spoiled and i can't be outdoors in anything less than 65!

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  14. I agree that no one should ever feel bad for taking some time away from the blog or not doing posts with their usual tenacity. It definitely should be something mostly enjoyable and not very stressful. Glad you enjoyed your night. :)

    And I find cardio helps loosen my legs after a tough workout too. Weird how that happens, huh?

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  15. I love when the weather is nice enough that you can eat outside. We are getting more cold weather lately. I don't know what the deal is.
    I definitely feel like I need to "unplug" sometimes and I don't even blog everyday. You are right, it is something we are meant to enjoy.

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  16. Naomi @ One Fit Foodie Once I'm up, I'm up. I sooo wish I could be the person able to fall back asleep b/c I certainly would have!

    Kalli @ Fit and Forty Something There was a time when I would have hated 2-a-days. But I'm really liking breaking it up. So much less daunting and I also love the mid-day energy boost. Yep, I have a mini-gym. I did a post recently to show what I had actually.

    Jessica @ EatDrinkBreatheSweat I'm glad to hear that you're going to lighten up today at least. Ah yes, we usually have the tunes on too. We have some portable speakers that turned out to be a great investment. I think even a PB&J is tastier outside!

    Eunice @ rainbwsnkittns I think getting a mani counts as lightening up don't you???!!!

    Lynn @ The Actors Diet I am sooo with you on the below 65 thing. I think 70 is a wee bit chilly LOL.

    Tina @ Tina Bit of Faith Fitness and Fun Working out when you're sore does sound counter-intuitive doesn't it? But it usually works. Hope you're having a good one!!

    Kristen @ The Swanky Dietitian Our temps went down too randomly. I'm just ready for warm weather period. No ups and downs.

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