Silver Bullet scared the crap outta me when I was four.

First, let me just say that I'm quite bummed to hear about Corey Haim. Doug told me this morning, right as I was diving into my awesome breakfast and it totally killed my mood. Sigh...

But, on with the show, eh?

Breakfast:



I'm not really into flowers, but my mom got me some daffodils for my birthday and I must admit, they're puuurty.



Baked Instant Oatmeal in my new "oats bowl" that I snagged from Goodwill the other day. Also, cold coffee with almond milk on the side.

Not sure why I don't make baked instant oatmeal more often... I still get my oats fix, plus some extra protein and fiber from the egg whites and pumpkin. And did I mention the taste and fluffy texture are amazing? Because they are. Mmm.

Morning snack:



Half a cup of fat-free cottage cheese with cinnamon and ground flax.

Lunch:



Leftover concoction that Doug made last night. He threw together some diced chicken with onions, mushrooms, butter and white wine and served it over polenta. In my continuing attempt to clear out our freezer, I mixed together some remaining green beans, broccoli and brussel sprouts and seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, butter and grated parmesan. Throw it all together and them's good eats! I think Doug was disappointed that I didn't take pictures of it last night when it was fresh and served on actual dinnerware. Sorry! I was lazy and in a crap mood at the time. Ah well.

Afternoon snack:



The last of the Pumped-up Pumpkin Cookies.

And? I tried the last of my new fitness DVDs this morning:



Another keeper. Even more so because it has the hottie from her Slim & Lean video. He totally winked at the camera at one point. And I let him get away with it because he's that hot. My goodness.

Aside from Craig's hotness, this was another good strength/cardio workout. The pace is different though because Jari makes you cooldown and do stretches at the end of every single interval, including the cardio intervals.

The cardio intervals are much shorter too (barely a minute or so?), but that's because they're super-intense, assuming you're using the aerobic step. I didn't think it was possible to do jumping jacks with that thing, but it is and it kinda sucks. But, I always feel I'm getting my money's worth when there's a good challenge, so thank you, Jari. I was worried that I would already be familiar with most of the cardio moves since it was an older release, but there was quite a bit of stuff I hadn't tried before. Jari really does try to keep people on their toes with each DVD and I love her for that.

As for the strength and resistance moves, pretty standard mix, but I would definitely recommend that you have a good variety of weights. She frequently switches between deadlifts (heavier), bicep curls (medium to heavy) and tricep extensions (light), so weight variety is pretty much required (the same can be said for all of her other DVDs, more or less).

My only complaint came when she mixed chest presses with chest flies. Other trainers on other DVDs do the same thing and it pisses me off every time. Why? Because I can use much heavier weights for chest presses, but hardly any weight for chest flies. So when you mix the two, I don't feel like I'm getting the full benefit because there's not enough time to swap out my weights. Ah well. That's probably just something me and my wussy arms will have to deal with.

There's also what Jari calls a "push-up party." Ugh. Seventy reps. She breaks them down into intervals of course, but that didn't make them any easier. I'm notorious for my history with push-ups (or lack thereof), so it's probably a good thing that she incorporates them into this workout. Yes, I've heard of the 100 push-up program. I've started, quit and re-started it a few times. I just hate push-ups, yo.

She closes with an ab routine before leading you into a good cooldown. And y'know what? The ENTIRE workout (including the warm-up and cooldown) comes in right at an hour. Usually her workouts stretch into 75 or even 80 minutes, so I was definitely glad to see that it did indeed stop at 60. On the weekends it's not a big deal, but on weekdays, I really do try to keep my morning workouts between 40 and 60 minutes, tops.

I'm done buying DVDs for the moment, haha. I'm really pleased with the new variety. Plenty of options to keep me motivated, especially in the strength/resistance department. Hooray for trying (and enjoying) new things!

If you didn't come to party, then why did you come here?

Alrighty. Well, today is my [27th] birthday. I scheduled today off from work and all weekend, toyed with the idea of running 10k at the gym to celebrate. I kept going back and forth, debating on whether or not I should try (or if I should even workout on my birthday at all), but then I realized that if I didn't at least try, the day would a be a bit of a waste, as I really don't have anything else planned.

So, this morning, I slowly got out of bed and sloooowly got ready for the gym. Got to the gym. And then? I ran 10k.

Pretty sure my main source of fuel was the laughable amount of peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies Doug and I made (and ate) yesterday. But forget that, check out my times!

• 5 mile mark: 47:31
• 6 mile mark: 57:20
• 10k (6.25 mile) mark: 60:06

Someone was hauling ass! Not only did I set a new distance record, but I totally beat my previous 5 mile time by quite a bit! And I'm sure my speed during the first 2 miles was pretty fast, but I don't recall the exact times. Ah well.

I'm happy, but also kind of exhausted. I was worried my sides would start cramping up something fierce, but it was actually my glutes that started giving me trouble at about 4.5 miles. But I just ran through the pain. Luckily there were some cute little rabbits playing on the gym's front lawn to distract me most of the time.

Part of what helped my time was skipping my first walking break and just running straight through the first 2 miles. And during those breaks, I didn't walk for very long; in less than a minute, I went from 3.5 mph back up to 6 mph. Then my speed increments went like this:

• at .25 miles in, sped up to 6.2 mph
• at .5 miles, sped up to 6.5 mph
• at .75 miles, sped up to 7 mph
• at 1 mile, slowed down to recovery

Sometimes I ran at 7 mph for as long as I could, especially in the beginning, so that definitely helped my overall time. Towards the last 2.5 miles though, I really had to push hard.

Kind of a sadistic birthday gift to myself, but I'm glad I did it. I'm officially in the best shape of my life.

More sopapillas, please!

Quick post today...

Went to the gym this morning a little after 7 am and busted out 60 minutes. Forty minutes of running and incline intervals, 10 minutes of the stair-master (or step mill? I dunno- the one that looks like a mini-escalator) and 10 minutes on the elliptical.

Had tons of energy today, seeing as I loaded up on a bunch of carb-heavy snacks all yesterday afternoon/evening. I should've planned a good dinner, but Fridays make me lazy and laziness breeds bad eating habits. On the upside, I eventually got restless and did some deadlifts, squats, lunges, chest & shoulder presses and then turned on the digital music station on Comcast and danced for a while to the classic R&B station. Sometimes I just gotta shake my booty!

After the gym and a shower, I came home and made breakfast:

Coffee with unsweetened vanilla almond breeze and a bowl of fruity oat madness!

 

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 diced apple, warmed with cinnamon
• 1 small mashed banana
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• 1 scoop Biggest Loser vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened reduced-fat coconut
• splenda
• splash of vanilla extract

Sooooo good! MUCH better than the plain ol' cinnamon apple oats I made last week. And because the ratio of mix-ins to oats was a bit off, it was kinda mushy, but the flavors could not be beat. Definitely making this again. And probably tomorrow!

Tonight my mom and her boyfriend are taking me, Doug and my sister out for my pre-birthday dinner (my b-day is on Monday) and we're going to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Estela's. Can't wait. Definitely planning on having a margarita (or two), chips & salsa, a stuffed sopapilla with chicken and green chile and probably more sopapillas with honey, if I haven't exploded by that point.

That said, I'm gonna try to keep my snacks light between now and then. But after that ridiculously filling bowl of oats, I have a feeling I'm gonna be good to go for several hours.

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday!

Busy, yet satisfying evening.

First off, my lunch was awesome. Spaghetti squash apparently makes an excellent salad topper. Who knew? Man, I love that stuff.

I came home from work as soon as I could, with visions of wine and lemon cake in my head. I bought the cake slices yesterday from the discount bakery rack at the grocery store. Well, I came home and they were no where to be found. Then I remembered that I told Doug that I wasn't sure why I bought them and that he could help himself. And he totally did. To both slices.

So, discouraged and still in the mood for some sweet baked goods, I remembered the Pumped-up Pumpkin Cookies recipe that I printed off earlier this week from Carrots 'N' Cake. The recipe was easy enough, so I gave it a shot:



I had two:



Changes I made: ground flax instead of chia seeds; dried cranberries instead of raisins; unsweetened vanilla almond breeze instead of hemp milk.

Yuuuum! And, I must admit... I'm kinda glad the cake was gone. I'm sure it had plenty of fat and sugar that I didn't need and eating your own homemade treats is, for the most part, more satisfying (and usually healthier, too). And unlike me, Doug doesn't gain 2 pounds overnight by eating cake, so it's all good.

For dinner, I stuck to my plan of trying KERF's Fiesta Flapjacks:



(Yes, it was a lot of food, so I ended up eating only half of everything.)

Close-up, with salsa and light sour cream:



As for what I mixed with the batter: black beans & sauteéd veggies (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes). I seasoned the beans & veggies with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro and a dash of cayenne.

On the side, I took more leftover spaghetti squash, mixed in the remaining beans & veggies, stirred in a 1/4 cup of fat-free shredded cheddar and topped with salsa.

Such a unique, awesome meal! So many different textures and flavors. The sweetness from the squash really complemented the slight sweetness of the pancake batter too. I was quite pleased.

And now with the leftovers, tomorrow's breakfast is ready to go! Easy-peasy. The pancakes will probably get a lottle soggy overnight, but oh well.

Still nursing my wine:



Excellent dinner and treats to end the day. Time to plop my booty on the couch and tune into NBC for some laughs. G'night!

No, I didn't melt. But that's a good thing.

Good morning! I'm just gonna dive right in. First off, more new DVD feedback. Today's weapon of choice?



Yoga, JM style. Now, I'm probably the last person that should be reviewing a yoga DVD because I'm still a novice and, despite my best intentions, am quite sporadic in my practice. HOWEVER, I think it's safe to say that this isn't your typical yoga workout.

My previous experience with yoga rests on the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD (only made it through levels 1 and 2; still haven't tried level 3) and Baron Baptiste: Journey into Power Level 1 (which I actually grew to love last time I did it; need to make time for it again soon!).

So, after having done those yoga workouts, Jillian's was different, but not in a bad way. There are two 30 minute workouts and today I just stuck with level one. To be honest, I was pretty terrified because I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was going to be this hardcore burn session, set to industrial music or something. But it wasn't that bad at all.

Basically, Jillian sets you up with standard yoga moves (sun saltuations, downward dog, crescent, warrior 2 &3, etc.), but adds movement so you can perform reps of the move and then hold the move in place for 15 seconds. For example, when she takes you into warrior 2, she has you repeatedly bend and straighten your front leg so you get a little burn going and then you hold for 15 seconds with the front leg bent. She also has you do this with push-ups and side planks.

As typical with JM workouts, she has 2 helpers; one to show beginner moves and the other busting out advanced moves.

The thing I loved most about this DVD? The pace! That 30 minutes just flies by. She purposely moves through each interval quickly so you can benefit from a higher heart rate.

So how did I do? Well, not that great, haha. Since it's easily been a month (or more) since my last yoga session, my form and balance were pretty crap. I've never performed warrior 3 before, so I was getting really frustrated that I couldn't hold myself up and was grasping for the top of the TV to keep from falling. Pretty pathetic, but it only made me want to do the DVD more so I could increase my balance and benefit from body weight training.

Although I appreciated the fast pace of the workout itself, I do wish the cooldown stretch was longer and more relaxing, like the one on the Biggest Loser yoga DVD. Her stretches were definitely effective (I didn't realize how stiff and tense I had gotten over the past few days from my other workouts), but it would've been nice to hold them longer and focus on deep breathing. Yes, I can do that on my own after the DVD is over, but I like it when longer cooldown stretches are included. Ah well.

During the cooldown, Jillian starts to talk about how it's not about being perfect, it's just about practice. That really resonated with me. Obviously, such a statement can be applied to my life in various ways, but when applying it specifically to yoga, I really need to repeat it in my head. If I'm more patient with myself and don't get so frustrated when my form isn't perfect, my yoga sessions won't be so sporadic.

Overall? Another favorite, yet unique addition to my JM collection. She has motivated me, once again, to pursue this workout with more regularity. I'm also motivated to start doing my other yoga DVDs more often too. I think my goal between now and the end of the year is to be able to conquer level 2 of Jillian's DVD and level 3 of the Biggest Loser DVD. It's totally do-able!

Ok, on to food pics. Once again, I took all of my breakfast, lunch and snack pics this morning to save time. I'll try and do that from now on.

Breakfast:



A 3-minute oatmeal cookie & a hard-boiled egg. Thanks to Christie at Honoring Health and her Zucchini Bread Oatmeal, I decided to use up the last of our zucchini in an oatmeal cookie. Yuuuum! Totally loved it. It was like eating a pice of zucchini bread for breakfast. I tried to squeeze out as much excess liquid as I could from the zucchini, but it still made things pretty moist. Before adding the zucchini to the mix, I sprinkled it with splenda and cinnamon. I added about an extra tablespoon of oats, but perhaps more flour would've been better. The taste was awesome though. And I'm still kicking myself for not adding dried cranberries because I think that would've brought it all together. Oh well. Next time. And there will be a next time because I love zucchini and am all for adding it to my breakfast now!

Morning snack:



Good ol' banana and strawberries.

Lunch:



Leftover slice of spinach mushroom pizza (ended up having once slice last night and gave the rest to Doug; I'm officially over pizza this week!) with a spaghetti squash salad. Last night I hacked open a spaghetti squash that I bought a while back and stuck it in the microwave. I was hungry all day yesterday, so to keep from filling up on crap, I went for the squash because it never fails to fill me up.

There's still a ton leftover, so today I took some romaine salad mix and slapped some squash on top (when I cooked it last night, I added: olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder) and sprinkled it with fat-free feta for extra protein. Soooo looking forward to this meal!

Afternoon snack:



Pear and some string cheese.

For dinner, I'm planning on trying some Fiesta Flapjacks from Kath at KERF. I've actually been wanting to try the Kodiak Cakes mix for a couple of months now, so I was super-stoked when a) I saw that King Sooper's sold it and b) I saw this recipe a couple of days ago! Some things are just meant to be. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Nothing says "tough" like a sweat band.

So what was more exciting than trying a new workout DVD this morning? Getting to wear my new sweat band!

 

Chuckle if you must, but I've needed one of these for so long now, it's ridiculous. I wear glasses and can't tell you how many times I've blurted out expletives when big drops of sweat all of the sudden appear on my lenses. It's especially bad when doing things in plank position and during push-ups, so I finally took action. And y'know what? It's awesome. Super-absorbent, leaving my glasses and eyes sweat-free!

Ok, enough of that. Time for some fitness DVD feedback! Today's option was:

Not bad! It's broken up into three 20 minute workouts (upper body, lower body and core), so I decided to be ballsy and do all three.

It definitely moves muuuuch slower than her Power Circuit Training DVD, but I kinda appreciated that this time around.

All of the workouts have you do 2-3 strength/resistance moves for about 1 minute each and then you do 1-2 cardio moves in between. For example, after doing a minute of bicep curls and a minute of shoulder presses, you break out into some basic jab punches.

Although cardio moves are added, I can't say my heart rate got very high for very long, nor did I sweat very much over 60 minutes. BUT, I of course worked my muscles over pretty damn good. The lower body segment of course included tons of different squats and lunges that I have done before, but Jackie combined them in ways that were new to me. Probably one of my favorite moves was called a Box Squat (or maybe it was called a Box Lunge??... can't remember exactly) where you squat to the side and then do a forward lunge, alternating both sides. As much as I hate lunges, I really liked this move because it incorporated squats, which I don't mind as much.

A couple of things I noticed (and appreciated) were my breathing and my form. Since the pace of the workout is a tad slower, I found myself really focusing on my form and therefore getting more out of each move. And since my muscles were working harder, my breathing was more focused. It's not like I usually hold my breath every time I work out, I just noticed that making a conscious effort to breathe steadily really helped me move along through the moves and made me feel stronger.

The core segment was, as expected, BRUTAL. Again, maybe I just have wussy abs, but I found myself taking more breaks during this segment because the burn just got to be too much at times. Luckily though, there was one girl doing alternate moves which made a lot of them easier on my back and neck. And be prepared; the cardio moves in the ab section definitely sneak up on you! She throws in mountain climbers, half-burpees (same thing as Jillian Michaels' squat thrusts) and walking planks, all of which I hadn't done in a while and really had to push through.

So, despite the slower pace an decreased sweat output (perhaps the new sweat band is to blame?), I still enjoyed this DVD. It kind of reminded me of a slower, stretched out version of 30 Day Shred, but still moves fast enough that it doesn't feel like a full hour. And I already know I'll be feeling that post-burn soreness soon. In fact, I already am. My quads were already a bit sore from my run yesterday, and now they're all nice and burn-y from all of those lunges and squats. Woo!

Alright, time for pics. I took my breakfast, lunch and snack photos all at once this morning to save time and prevent multiple posts.

Breakfast:





Quick egg scramble in a bowl. Used 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1/4 cup fat-free shredded cheese and a couple spoonfuls of fresh salsa. Stirred and microwaved for about 2:30.



Half a cup of sweet lil' blueberries.



Cold coffee with about 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze.

Morning snack:



A slice of Honey Whole Wheat with a packet of Barney Butter.

Lunch:



Two slices of leftover spinach & mushroom pizza with a pear on the side.

Afternoon snack:



Baby carrots and light string cheese.

Skipping dinner pics tonight since it will more than likely be more leftover pizza. Later!

Normal eating is pretty awesome.

After much debate, D and I decided on Domino's Pizza for dinner. They're having a special on medium pizzas (two mediums, two toppings, 5.99 each) and we've been wanting to try the "new" recipe.

 

I ordered one with spinach & mushrooms. And no, I didn't eat the whole thing! In fact, that's what I'm excited about. I ate 2 slices and stopped. Not by forcing myself, not by debating whether or not I should, etc. I simply did a quick check-in with my stomach and found that it was satisfied. I also reminded myself that the rest pizza wasn't going to magically disappear overnight if I didn't finish it all at once right now. In fact, I could break it up into multiple servings and enjoy it even loooonger! What a concept, eh? (And I can't take all the credit; still reading Eat What You Love and it's been a great resource so far.)

I know it probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but I can't remember the last time I stopped at 2 slices of pizza. Not even joking. My thought process around pizza always went something like this: 1) Cool, have two slices! 2)... Eh, a third slice will be okay. 3)......I'll go ahead and have a fourth slice, but I'll just work out harder tomorrow and restrict my calories the rest of the week [and feel miserable and guilty].

But tonight? It was so much easier to just be satisfied and move on. No thoughts running back and forth in my head, no stress, no compromises, no regret.

Anywho. Just had to share. Between that and my run earlier this morning, I'm just a happy gal right now. A productive and satisfying day. Woo!

Not pictured is a glass of red wine and one of the Buffalo Chicken Kickers that Doug ordered. Eh, basically a spicy chicken nugget. As for the pizza and the new recipe, it was alright. The crust was really good, but I think I got stiffed on the sauce. I don't like tons of sauce on pizza, but this pie seemed to have less than usual. Ah well. I forgot about it once I sprinkled on some crushed red pepper and parmesan.

So that was dinner. And it will be lunch tomorrow. And probably dinner again, heh. I got a bunch of new fitness DVDs today, so I plan to do a follow-up post tomorrow morning (so stoked- I think I got some good ones!)

Gotta go; weigh-in time on Biggest Loser!

My relationship with running.

 

Crappy quality on the picture, but I'm using it anyway because it combines something I love (The Critic) with something that, well, some days I love and some days I just kinda don't like (running).

Notice I didn't use the word "hate." Now, had you asked me my thoughts on running 3, 5, or even 15 years ago, I would've said, without flinching, that I hated running. I came to hate something simply because I couldn't do it (or, at least convinced myself that I couldn't). How silly is that? It got me thinking about a lot of other things that I can't do (yeah, yeah, "You can do ANYTHING if you just put your mind to it, Tam!"- let's just ignore that thought for the sake of me making a point, yeah?), but that I don't necessarily hate. I can't fly an airplane, but that doesn't make me hate the mechanics involved or become deathly jealous of pilots.

I hated running because it was hard for me to do. It made me wheeze and my lungs burn. I was jealous of everyone else that could run. And little did I know at the time that it was really my extra weight and lack of overall fitness that I hated. Running was just something more specific that I could point to. A scapegoat, if you will.

As I got older (teen years and early 20s), I started to jokingly say "I couldn't run to save my life." Well, I've not only saved my life by learning to run, I've added years to it. It's times like these I wish I could time travel to the past and point and laugh in the face of my 16 year old self. I like to be a hater like that.

So how did I manage to pull a 180? Why do I now regularly participate in an activity that I used to loathe and mock? Well, I can't answer that specifically... I think lots of things happened over time. I matured. I finally realized how important it was for me to lose weight and get healthy. Running just became part of the process, naturally. And before I knew it, I was constantly beating my own personal records. I remember how shocked and proud I was that day I first jogged 10 minutes non-stop. I think that was a breakthrough for me. I used to have flashbacks of middle-school gym class (still do) where everybody had to run a mile on the track. I was dead last. I think I jogged for less than 30 seconds and walked the rest of the way. So the 10 minute jog? Yeah, that was kind of a big deal. Which got me thinking: I'm kind of a big deal.

After my success in jogging, I knew (or felt, rather) that running was the next step. Sure, I could have stuck to jogging, but it became noticeably easier each time and I just got bored. I had wanted to run. I knew it was gonna be a while and that there would be plenty of cramps and soreness along the way, but I decided I was still up for the challenge. I just did it. There are few things in life I can say that about. And I'm still shocked that running is now one of them.

I pushed through a 5 mile run this morning. At first, I was disappointed because I just wasn't feeling it and my time was slower than last Saturday (longest 50:25 of my life, it seemed), but as the morning went on, I thought about the run more and more and couldn't help but smile. "Tamara, you crazy broad, you got out of bed at 4:45 this morning and freakin' ran 5 miles! And you're boo-hooing over 50:25?! Fuh-get about it!"

I'm notorious for not cutting myself enough slack. But that's old news. What I started thinking about even more was my general relationship with running and whether or not I can really call myself a true runner. Is such a thing defined? Or is it all relative?

At the end of the day, I run because: it keeps my anxiety/depression at bay, clears my head, makes me sweat buckets, doesn't require thinking and gives me something to do while I listen to music. Oh, and it like, gives me purpose and a sense of accomplishment er something...

But I'm not as dedicated as others. You won't find me running outside if it's below 50 degrees, nor will you see me signing up for any races or marathons. And I certainly don't run every day. In fact, in my history of being able to run, I'm sure you'll find times where I made excuses not to run (though I'm proud to say that such excuses are rare these days). I don't always achieve the Runner's High. Some days I'm distracted during my runs (like this morning). Some runs hurt and make me want to stop. So does that make me an amateur? Less genuine?

I dunno. I suppose I don't really care. All I know is that, regardless of my mileage, speed and days per week, I still haven't stopped. And that's gotta count for something, right?

Breakfast, bands and Bourdain.

Quick dinner recap:

 

Breakfast Polenta Pizza, courtesy of Carrots 'N' Cake. Good eats! Some changes I made to the recipe: decreased olive oil to 2 tsp, added a can of Rotel, added 1/2 cup fat-free shredded cheddar, used 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of egg substitute, used Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links, seasoned the polenta with garlic & onion powder.

Doug liked it, but he suggested baking the polenta on its own first for a while (before pouring on the egg mixture) so it forms a crispier crust. Totally agree. Next time we'll experiment with other mix-ins, like spinach, broccoli, etc.

 

One [huge] slice. We cut it up into 4 servings.

It was my first time making/eating polenta, so I must say, I'm a fan. Super-easy to mix and versatile. I look forward to grilling it sometime too.

Pretty much changed out about 90% of the songs on my workout shuffle. Trying to keep myself pumped for a run at the gym tomorrow! Totally forgot how awesome Grand National is.

Ok. That's all from me tonight. I'm finishing up some Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

"Crabs. So many crabs, you'll think you woke up on the Jersey Shore."

Love that man. Probably no breakfast/lunch post tomorrow. Breakfast is a repeat and lunch will just be polenta pizza leftovers. G'night!

Out of the races and onto the tracks.

The title of this Rapture song is surprisingly appropriate for this Monday morning. Sigh. Such a great band. Finally added pretty much all of their songs onto my workout shuffle. Anywho.

I cannot tell a lie- I'm feeling pretty damn awesome this morning! My weekend do-over went well yesterday. Got all sorts of deals on the stuff I bought (2 tops on clearance at Burlington Coat Factory, 2 bras for $40 + a $10 coupon at Victoria's Secret and 2 tops, 2 tanks & a pair of jeans, all marked down, at Old Navy!), came home and watched 2001: A Space Odyssey with Doug and made an awesome dinner, featuring one of my favorite recipes from Epicurious, Turkey Zucchini Meatloaf (Thanks again Tina for sharing it all those months ago!):





Sooo good! The meatloaf turned out great. I roasted some asparagus in the oven and Doug whipped up his awesome mashed potatoes. Pretty stoked about the leftovers for lunch today! Also, not pictured are the lemon squares I made. I'm not much of a baker (probably a good thing), but every once in a while I branch out and buy a mix that requires no more than 2-3 additional ingredients, heh.

Woke up early this morning and decided to try yet another new Jari Love DVD:



And, once again, I'm a fan. It's definitely similar to her other strength training DVD I tried last week, but I still enjoyed it. It's all about high-reps and muscle fatigue. Killer.

Lots of lower body work (squats, lunges) and of course, tons of upper body work (shoulder/chest presses, tricep dips and extensions, bicep/hammer curls, push-ups). And, as typical with her workouts, she closes with an abs circuit, which I actually did this time and didn't skip!

Part of what makes this DVD so tough is the crapload of pulsing reps that you do with every move. I broke into a pretty big sweat in the beginning (courtesy of the lower body exercises) and continued to feel the burn (especially in my shoulders!) throughout the upper body workout. Each circuit is about 5 minutes and I think there were about 15 (!!!) circuits total.

One thing I liked about this DVD that I haven't seen in any of the others is the break in between circuits where there are detailed explanations about the upcoming moves. There's a [hot] dude showing you proper form from different angles, as well as alternative moves for beginners. Plus, the breaks gave me enough time to change out my dumbbells and/or set up my aerobic step. I'm really glad I got that thing. Jari uses it in pretty much every DVD, so it's really paying for itself. Anywho, although the breaks add extra time to the workout (was about 65+ minutes), I was really glad they were incorporated. Since this wasn't a cardio-based workout, I wasn't too concerned with keeping my heart rate up super-high, every single second.

I'm glad I got up earlier and gave myself enough time to do the abs circuit and the full cooldown. I usually end up rushing through those parts or skipping them completely, but no rushing today. The cooldown was really relaxing and just left me feeling calm, strong and happy. I love you, Jari!

After a good workout, I refueled with a quick but filling breakfast:



3 Minute Oatmeal [Cranberry] Cookie and a hard-boiled egg. I forgot how much I love hard-boiled eggs. This breakfast left me feeling so good that I think I might repeat it tomorrow.

That's all for now- I've got a busy morning ahead of me. No lunch pics today since they're just leftovers from last night's dinner. Dinner post possibly later tonight, once I figure out what we're having!