Where's the Beach?

Weights & Elliptical on Wednesday  Today I had thought about running 3-4 miles of tomorrow's planned run making tomorrow's run with intervals shorter. But, my legs were against that idea. So, I decided to hit the gym after work (despite the fact that it was way to nice out to be inside). I wanted to get back done, and had thought I might do chest as well to be done with weights for the week. In the end, I just did back and abs. I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical to warm up before hitting the weights. I really only planned on 10, but someone was using the barbell I needed. This is yet another tweaked version of my last back workout from Cathe's STS rotation. It was done at 4 sets of 8 reps at my 1RM. Pullovers Single-arm rows Underhand barbell rows (I omitted the single-arm horizontal rows) Assisted pullups - 2x6 (I tried to go as light as I could with the assist) I also did some ab work before finishing up with about 5 minutes more on the elliptic...

Heather vs The Crockpot Ok so you remember yesterday that I mentioned starting a crockpot dinner? Well, we ended up having leftover sushi instead. It's not because the crockpot dinner was inedible, it's because it was taking WAY too long. Yes, started it at 10 am and it was still not ready by 7pm. Clearly I need to learn to follow a few crockpot recipes or read up on cooking times before just coming up with recipes off the cuff. I had decided to try to make Vegan Crockpot Red Beans and Rice . I say try because I've never really made it. Jason used to make a red beans and rice dish for us eons ago, but he couldn't remember what he used to do. So, here's my version, with lots of notes on improvement at the end. Vegan Crockpot Red Beans and Rice Ingredients: 1 bag red beans soaked  overnight 1/2 white onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 3 carrots, diced 3-4 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups water** 2 cups no-sodium vegetable broth 1 not-beef bouillon cu...

So So Weights It's funny how a super cold snap bringing wind chills of 2 degrees can change your perspective on what suddenly feels warm. It was about 40 degrees at 9 am and I thought, "Wow, it's warm out there." I was definitely more excited about the training run on a gorgeous, slightly warmer day. Too bad we were only schedule for 4 miles though. I would have preferred that we did the longer run today. But, before I got the run in, I did finally do my chest workout and finished up with abs from High Reps . Today was supposed to be 85% of 1RM doing 4 sets of 7 reps. Flat bench chest press Flat bench chest flyes Incline chest press Incline chest flyes I'll admit that today was HARD. I ended up hitting failure at the 6th rep for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th sets of the presses. I ended up going back to last week's weight for the Incline Chest Press because I just couldn't hold form right and was struggling. Better safe than sorry. Awesome Run Now, the r...

Freezing Outside Well, I know almost every single state has snow, but I have to bring up our frigid temperatures. It was warmer on the days it snowed here! Walking into work at 7 am, it was 16 degrees with wind chill of 2. Yes, that's a single digit friends. I thought I lived in the south??!! I guess the only saving grace was that it was sunny. Sometimes really cold days are some of the prettiest - so crisp (literally). Tomorrow's high is only 32 and that's not the wind chill of course. It's going to make the scheduled 4-miler a bitch. Gym Day Speaking of workouts, today I did 15 minutes on the elliptical then hit the weights. I did biceps for STS Week 2 of Meso 3 (sort of). Since I was at the gym, I didn't have my weighted gloves that allow me to micro load (in 1 and 2 pound increments). So say I did 15 pounds last week and needed to increase 5% this week. I could use the gloves to do that rather than trying to jump from 15 to 20. Also, the incline curls are s...

Two on Tuesday This morning we got another 2-hour work delay because of the weather. Now, I'm not complaining one bit, but in all honesty, they should have shut down yesterday and done a normal workday today. Anyway, this did allow me plenty of time to get up and get my weights done early. Today I went with shoulders and triceps from STS Week 2 of Meso 3 . The reps dropped and weights went up by 5% of my 1RM (85%). It's the same workout as last week other than the changes in reps and weights - 4 sets of 7 reps. SS#1 Shoulder press Lying triceps extensions SS#2 Seated lateral raises 1-arm overhead triceps extensions SS#3 Seated rear delt flyes Double-arm kickbacks (in lieu of lying cross-body kickbacks, which hurt my elbow) I had a really strong workout session and was successfully able to increase all weights and complete all reps. After work, I hit the gym to get in my scheduled run. The half marathon training plan this week is the same as last week. Today ca...

Working Out on Friday So today is supposed to be my rest day, but since I took the day off Wednesday, I packed my gym bag and took it with me to work. This meant I had no excuse to skip the workout. I worked through lunch so I could leave at 3 pm. This also helped prevent any excuses. I hit the gym for a 10-minute warm up on the elliptical then back from STS Week 2 of Meso 3 . This week the weights increase and the reps drop to 4x7. Underhand rows One-arm rows Pullovers (in lieu of deadlifts) One-arm horizontal rows I added on low back extensions on the stability ball then finished off with 20 minutes on the elliptical. Fun Facts Friday - Resolutions vs Goals Tonight will be our typical Pizza and Pool Friday. It just makes meal planning so much easier on Friday evenings after a long work week. Now I know you all are asking, "So how does this fit in with Fun Facts Friday???" And it doesn't. Just chatting is all. But since you all brought up Fun Facts Friday...

Wavering on Workouts I was wavering on what to do today. I sort of wanted to take today as a rest day, but would prefer to take it on Friday. I ended up going with Shoulders and Triceps from STS Week 1 of Meso 3 during lunch. Exercises are done as supersets of 4x8 at 80% of 1RM. Warmup Set Standing front press - 12 SS#1 Standing front press Flat bench triceps extensions SS#2 Seated lateral raise Seated overhead single-arm extensions SS#3 Seated rear delt flyes Double-arm kickbacks (in lieu of lying cross-body kickbacks) I will admit that I've been having min-panic attacks thinking about the upcoming half marathon in March. Since I haven't been able to run like I was, and am on no plan at all, it has me worried. Today I found a plan at Runner's World   and started it. It's a 9 week plan that not only includes adding mileage, but intervals and speed work. That appeals to me as I know I am going to have to work on pace as well as the endurance. I think...

Still Crummy While I was exhausted at the end of the day, I will say that I am so glad I took the time to do so much in the kitchen yesterday . It made dinner tonight ( Moroccan Chickpea and Tofu Stew) a snap and that came in handy as I am still feeling rather cruddy. I think part of it is feeling cruddy and part of it the meds. This is the longest I've felt this crummy in a LONG time. It sucks that Jason is sick too. I am afraid it is more of a cold that I may have passed along to him rather than just allergies as we both originally thought. I actually ended up leaving work a little after noon to come home. My job isn't one that normally allows me to work from home as I need access to the network drives. However, I often have writing projects to do. Luckily, I had a few things I could do from home. This meant I could go home and lounge in comfy clothes and hack, cough, blow my nose in peace ;-) Honesty time - I will admit to doing biceps from STS Meso 3 though. No...

Slow Start Jason and I enjoyed a very low-key New Year's Eve. Since it was Friday, we went with our usual Pizza & Pool Friday theme. After eating, we just lazed on the couch listening to music then trying to watch the ball drop festivities. Not sure why, but this year our local stations didn't show the NY drop live. They stopped it at 10 pm CST and it didn't resume until 11:30! Somehow we managed to stay awake until 12:05 then proceeded to crash. I refused to get out of the bed before 9:00 am this morning - it was actually more like 9:30. No guilt at all. I was up a couple of times in the night with a coughing fit, Maddie woke us again at 6-ish then again at 7:30-ish. I finally decided I should get my lazy rear out of bed and enjoy breakfast at least. I also started a crockpot stew - a Lucky New Year's Stew . I usually don't make it a big point to have black-eyed peas and cabbage/greens. But this was a good excuse to use my crockpot. I had soaked my black-e...

Party Recap Last night's Christmas Eve Eve Brunch was a success. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, even the Vegan Veggie Frittata . I was sort of thinking I'd be the only one eating that one, but to my surprise, everyone wanted to try it and actually liked it. Seal of approval has been given to this one. The next time I make it, I will likely add in a bit more color with red bell peppers and maybe green onions. Vegan Veggie Frittata Ingredients: 1 package extra firm silken tofu 1-2 tbsp spicy mustard 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Splash of soy or almond milk To taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes (approximately 3 tbsp) 1/4 orange bell pepper, diced 1/4 white onion, diced 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 small yellow squash, diced To taste: salt, pepper, parsley, basil Vegan cheese (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor, puree tofu, mustard, vinegar, milk, and first set of spices until thick and creamy - almost like a ...

Working it Out This morning I thought I'd sleep in a bit as an indulgence on my first day off of my 4-day holiday weekend. Well, I was awake around 6, but stayed in bed at least until about 7:40 before giving up. Hey, it's start ;-) I got started on some of the cooking and prep for this evening's party. I made some cookies and a coffee cake before starting in on my workout. Today was Shoulders and Triceps. As I've mentioned, I missed Week 2 of STS Meso 2 , so I did that for today's workout but as a pyramid style increasing my weights as the reps dropped. Standing shoulder press - 12,10,8,TF Standing lateral raises - 12,10,8,TF Seated rear delt flyes - 12,10,8,TF Lying dumbbell triceps extensions - 12,10,8,TF Side lying single-arm extensions on ball - 12,10,8 Seated double-arm overhead dumbbell extension on ball - TF Double-arm kick backs - 12,10,8,TF After the weights, I headed out for a chilly 3.5 mile run. Tuesday I was clad in sports bra and shorts, ...

Gym Day Well, today the temps were back closer to the normal range - as in 51 not 73. Today was like my Friday as we are off Thursday and Friday for the holidays. Even better, I got to leave at 12:30 pm. Now that's a Christmas gift for sure! I had packed my gym bag this morning because I knew I wanted to work back today. I wasn't sure if I would be hitting up spin class or just the elliptical. Since I got off work early (though not early enough for the noon spin class), I just hit the elliptical for my cardio. Since I missed Week 2 of STS Meso 2 , I went with that for my Week 4 workout. I decided to start at 70% and work up to 80% of my 1RM with each set so that I was hitting the 80% as I was supposed to this week. Warm up on elliptical for 10 minutes Pullups Medium grip chinups Chinups Barbell rows - 12,10,8,TF 1-arm rows - 12,10,8,TF Pullovers - 12,10,8,TF Low back extensions on ball Again, I left out the band work and deadlifts and substituted with pullovers ...

Sad Day Today is a sad day for me. It marks 14 years since one of my dearest friends was murdered. It's something I've only mentioned briefly, but it's something that most definitely affected my entire life. Any loss does though of course. Juli had just finished up with her dance degree at OU (Norman, OK). She was only 21 years old. She had so much life ahead of her and such a zest for life as well. She was one of those people who lived to the fullest.  So while I have so much to be thankful for right now (including still being close to her parents), I can't help but remember this day and be saddened by what took place 14 years ago. As the years add up, it's those number of years that also make me sad. How can it have been 14 years since Juli was killed? The one solace? Her killer sits in prison and isn't free to harm anyone else. I did do my best not to dwell on the past though and don't want to make this post all about that tragic day. But it co...

Gym Day Today was a gym day for me, though I was really debating a rest day. While not enjoying the elliptical, I've been enjoying getting my back workouts in at the gym where I can do assisted pullups/chinups. I can already feel the strength gains from working on those. Today was STS Meso 2, Disc 21 . I did omit the band work and deadlifts and added in pullovers and low back extensions on the stability ball. I did warm up for 10 minutes on the elliptical first. Pull Ups Overhand - 12 Chinups Medium Grip - 12 Chinups - 12 Barbell rows - 12,10,8 1-arm Row - 12,10,8,12,10,8 (double dropset) Pullovers (in lieu of deadlifts) 12,10,8 Low back extension on stability ball - 2x16 After the back workout, I headed back to the elliptical for about 25 minutes. I have been less than enthusiastic about  working out lately and I contribute that to the weather and also not being able to get in the cardio I really would love to be doing. When you aren't doing what you enjoy, it mak...

Two on Tuesday I had a much better (stronger feeling) weight workout at lunch today. Maybe I was just more focused today. I did shoulders and triceps from STS Meso 2, Disc 22 . Unless noted, exercises were done as dropsets of 3x10 decreasing the weight with each set. . Seated Overhead Press (elbows forward) Incline Front Raise Seated Lateral Raise Seated Rear Delt flyes Flat Bench Triceps Extensions Close Grip Push Ups (triceps pushups) - 10, 10, TF Kickbacks Double Arm I had debated on going to the gym for some elliptical time after work. Instead, I ended up opting for a home workout. I went with MMA Boxing then abs and a nice long stretch then some foam rolling. I must say the foam rolling must be doing something good as it's not longer curse-inducingly painful to do. Taco Tuesday I had thought about doing Taco Salad Bowls tonight for Taco Tuesday. When I ran that idea by Jason, he said salads just didn't sound warm enough. He did have a point. So I asked if we...

Lifting and Spinning  It seems like just about everyone is experiencing super cold weather. Our average this time of year is supposed to be low 50's. On my walk into the office this morning, the wind chill was 12 degrees. Let's just say I dropped quite a few f-bombs while walking as quickly as humanly possible for the 3 block walk! I actually wore tights under my pants and my Under Armour compression running top under my turtleneck. I think cold temps not only zap heat, they zap motivation. It's hard to want to change into not-as-warm workout clothes for starters. I think it takes longer to warm up even. That'll be my excuse for how weak I was feeling with my biceps workout I did at lunch. I guess when I look at the number of reps done though, that should be the true indicator of why I thought I was struggling. Today was STS Meso 2, Disc 21 . Dumbbell curls - 12,10,8,12,10,8 (starting at 70% of 1RM and increasing by 5% for 10, another 5% for 8 then start over) Inc...

You Want Pictures? You guys crack me up. I think every single comment had a demand for pictures of the Christmas sweater I wore to the ugly sweater party. How could I possibly deny such a request??? But first, I must say, I was the only one who actually owned my sweater! Yep, it was mine already. In fact, it was given to me by my mom last year. I love her dearly, but will never ever understand what compelled her to buy me that sweater. At least I had a reason to wear it though right? Here are two pictures. One of the girls actually had a sweater with light!   I'll admit, I most definitely felt frumpy in the sweater. Was not feeling uber attractive at all. But at least I wasn't alone, even and my friend made her sweet Beagle Bella wear one too! Chest & Kickboxing This morning was sunny but super cold and windy beyond explanation. It sounded like rain the wind was blowing so hard. Definitely not run-inspiring weather so there was no urge whatsoever! I did a few chores li...

Finally a Leg Workout Wow, I am really blown away by your comments to yesterday's post. You guys are the best, seriously. I must agree with Lindsay that life would be so boring if we were all perfect. That's what makes us all so unique. Today was a gloomy looking day. I even felt gloomy knowing that Saturdays are typically my longer run days. My knee has been bothering me yesterday and today so I wasn't even going to pretend that I should attempt a run. Yes, this is depressing me. I seriously almost just took a second rest day because I was really down. But I decided to go for a leg workout. I haven't been able to do any of the STS Meso 2 leg workouts yet, so I went with Meso 2, Disc 20 . There are three sets of tri-sets, each done for 10 reps. It looks a bit daunting at first, but it really flies by: TS#1 Lateral step ups Side sliding lunges 1-legged sit and stands TS#2 Static lunges Alternating plie squats Rear leg slide back lunges TS#3 Narrow stance ...