IT'S FALL AND THAT MEANS PUMPKIN EVERYTHING: 4 INGREDIENT PUMPKIN BROWNIES

So I know it's like bittersweet being September and all, but I feel like I'm reaping all the benefits here in VA.  Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is out as well as their delicatessen treats, Dunkin Donuts' Pumpkin Swirl coffee is out, and it's 80 degrees and sunny today.  WINNING.  OMG I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION ALL THE PUMPKIN BEERS WE'VE TRIED.  I think we're up to at least 9 at this point, which is a whole nother blog subject in itself, but just for your reference Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is our #1 (sorry PA peeps, I was informed you can't get it there), and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is definitely my close second anyway.  You get more bang for your buck from Schlafly; Dogfish does their typical four pack.  STILL WORTH IT THOUGH.

Anyways, I love rambling, if someone knows of any jobs that are looking for anything along those lines, I'm obv their girl.  So, I found a pumpkin brownie recipe on pinterest--Two Ingredient Brownies
and because I always want to bake things but feel like I never have enough time and rarely do I have enough money to buy the ingredients (why would I spend money on food when I can buy a shirt or something? i have problems) I thought this would be PERFECT if they ended up coming out okay.  It can be my like go to recipe.  So, I had Steve pickup my ingredients last week, literally all you need is a 15oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie, just straight pumpkin, although the pie kind might taste good--probably end up too sweet though which may or may not be a problem) (who puts these long of sentences in a parenthesis? i may as well put them at the beginning and end of my blog) a box of brownie mix, I chose a dark chocolate double fudge kind, and that's it really, but I also had him grab some chocolate chips because I LOVE chocochips in my brownies!  The only other thing I ended up throwing in was a teaspoon of cinnamon, because I love cinnamon and it pairs well with both chocolate and pumpkin, obviously.

So, in case you don't want to read all of the in between word nonsense I love to throw in, the recipe is:

1 15 oz. can of Pumpkin
1 box of brownie mix of choice
Optional:
1/2 bag of chocolate chips (give or take)
1 tsp. of cinnamon

As the recipe above via Pinterest states:  DO NOT ADD OIL OR EGGS THAT BROWNIE MIX MAY CALL FOR.  I don't know what that would do, but they definitely don't need it.

So mix them up and basically follow the cooking instructions otherwise.  Mine called for 350 and the cooking times depended on the pan size.

I started with a muffin pan because I like how you don't have to cut them or anything and they're just ready to go, but they don't shape up as they cook, they literally cook and stay exactly as you drop them in, so I cooked the rest in a glass dish.  Here is what the two looked like:

VS.

Either way they were delicious!  Super moist and you'd never know they're missing the egg or oil.  The pumpkin isn't overwhelming at all, it's literally just right.  I ate mine with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and I was in heaven for the five seconds it took me to eat them.  I calculated them to be about 160 calories each (I got 6 muffin sized and 12 in the dish as you can see).  The muffin sized were a little bigger so they may be pushing 200, so we'll just average it at a good 180 which is nothing for a brownie, in my opinion.  If you omit the chocolate chips or don't add as many, you sinner you, then that would cut a good amount of calories as well.  Some of us were happy to be able to omit the oil and eggs though :)  I highly recommend!

ADVOCARE 24 DAY CHALLENGE--it's time to tighten the booty

HEY GUYS.  I'm still alive.  I feel like I say that way too much...aka I'm not writing enough!  That could be good and could be bad.  It's probably a little bit of both--I'm content and yet I'm busy!  I have had some comments on my weight loss, which I am quite surprised because it's only about 5 lbs on average and I'm barely down a size but I'll take 'em!  Remember that moderation thing...yeah, still slowly working!  I plan on being here for a good bit of time yet to continue to see results so I'm happy with my path.

So the food is good and the exercise is okay, but still trying to keep up.  I recently just got promoted to Assistant Manager at my Under Armour (woot woot) which has been much anticipated.  So I'll finally have a decent amount of dough flowing through my bank account.  It's a good feeling moving up with a company that you've put so much into and no offense to those, but it feels good passing people by who have been in one position for as long as I've been in two and now onto my third.  HARD WORK AND PATIENCE PAYS OFF GUYS.  I feel like people act like it's not cool to work hard and like take your job seriously; it actually really pisses me off because it's actually really lame to suck at your job and still expect to get paid for sucking when other people are doing the same job, not sucking, and getting paid the same.  Anyways, mini rant was obviously necessary, so that's going well and I started my second to last semester so I'm almost done with school.  I finally feel like I'm in a good place! YAY.

So, now that you're updated, whoever even reads this, I am trying to get people to do a 24 day challenge with me!  Steve and I have started an 8 week growth program (muscle growth that is, I shouldn't have to clarify should I?)  The program is one I attached on a previous blog post if you're interested.  Along with that, I'm going to do a 24 day challenge nutrition supplement weight loss/tighten up program through AdvoCare after we get back from wedding season/vacation.  I'm trying to recruit some people to do it with me to hold each other accountable!!  AdvoCare basically supplies nutritional products for anyone from meal replacement bars/shakes for weight loss, to energy supplements, vitamins, protein, etc.  It's all about becoming better and performing better and maintaining a healthy lifestyle!  The average weight loss for those who do the challenge is 12 pounds, 11 inches.  Which is awesome, and you still get to eat food, which is extremely necessary to my life.  That and shopping, but that's another blog in itself.

If you're interested, comment or find me socially and I'll fill you in!  Here's some links to check it out:

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge Information/Meal Plans

If you want to check out some of the products:

Advocare Products and Info

I shall be back with updates and I will be posting day to day when I start the challenge.  I know you all can't wait.  My life is so exciting!

straight forward--BE HAPPY

so i've really been working on being happy.  as much as i hate my job right now and can't do much about that, i am finally in a good place with my fitness, my eating, my love, and my life.  i wanted to post this "progress" picture from after my run today to basically say that regardless of if you are like me and continuing a life long process of beating my eating disorder into the ground or are new to fitness and want to lose weight or tone up, all you need is patience and a positive outlook.  losing weight isn't a five minute issue.  it is a life change if you want to keep it off.  it is about being consistent and allowing yourself to make mistakes.

case and point:  i have been moderating everything recently, but last night i had TWO homemade burgers and baked curly fries.  i have never eaten two burgers in my life haha and i remember thinking that on my second, but i was starving because i didn't get a chance to eat at work.  regardless i am not ashamed because i will never do that repeatedly.  that's a one time thing.  and maybe i'll pig out in like a month.  who cares.  that's life.  you cannot and will not succeed if you expect to be perfect for the rest of your life, every damn day.  if that's what you want to do, i'm not hating, go for it, but if you like beer and burgers and ice cream, let yourself slip up.  life is more fun that way.

that's all. happy summer

spaghetti squash just blew my mind. meatless monday

so i've seen a lot of posts on pinterest about using spaghetti squash as,well, spaghetti.  i have to say i was somewhat skeptical.  i mean i love all squash, but in place of pasta?!  like seriously, there's no replacement for pasta.  so we bought a spaghetti squash at the store one day, which was surprisingly steve's idea, and i finally cooked it today.  the results literally blew. my. mind!  and it was extremely easy to make, although you really gotta put some muscle into splitting it in half.  the texture is perfect for spaghetti and for those trying to incorporate vegetables into their diets, it's the perfect substitution!

all i did to cook mine was preheat the oven to 375, spray a baking sheet with some cooking spray, put the squash rind side up, and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes.  depending on the size of your squash, the cooking time may be increased or decreased. then once it's cool enough to handle, take a fork and essentially scratch at the squash and it just turns into this spaghetti-ish, strandy, vegetable.  it's great!  i tasted it with a little salt and it tastes good too.  still has that vegetable taste, but for those starting to eat healthier it's something you have to adjust to anyway.

i sauteed up some peppers and mushrooms, added meat crumbles, and some sauce and voila dinner is served!

GET YOUR BUTT INTO GEAR. IT WAS 79 DEGREES TODAY.

well it's april.  and apparently april in virginia is like july in pennsylvania.  do you know what that means?  I HAVE WASTED SO MUCH TIME!  apparently here you have to get into shape right after christmas.  i am so not ready for this weather.  i have been eating like a fat cow.  and by that i have been eating fat cow aka burgers.  way too many greasy, delicious burgers.  and what is a burger without a beer.  i am awful!  but it tastes so good!

so, seriously, it's officially time to get my ass into summer/bikini/minimal clothing at all times shape.  i really do blame my shape right now on lack of nutrition being put into my body.  i mean there's been a lot of food shoved down my pie hole but not nutrition.  and that's probably being hard on myself.  i really try not to eat like the typical american does these days.  i don't eat fast food unless it's like chipotle or subway or pot belly, which okay still fast food, but not mcfatassolds or any of those joints.  i keep my fast food classy?  there's me justifying my choices again.  but seriously i probably eat better than the average bear, but that's not how i want to eat.  i know what's right and i know what's wrong and there's no problem in indulging, but not everyday! or even every other day!  like once a week if i'm gonna try and be hot and healthy.

so since today's weather blew my mind.  i need to start blowing my body away.  i think i'm going to attempt a juice cleanse next week.  i've done it before where it's been straight juice with fruits and vegetables thrown in when i need something solid.  the time i did it i lasted about a week.  the only reason i quit was because i just wanted like a real meal.  but honestly you feel pretty good on them because of all the nutrients you get.  now when i say juice, you have to include juice with vegetables.  nowa days there's plenty of options out there.  when i did my first one i chose mostly naked juices for on the go and i would blend up frozen fruit when i had the time.  i'm not sure how many calories i was taking in, probably under 1000, but they were nutrient dense calories which does make a difference.

has anyone heard or tried the Blue Print Cleanse ?  I've heard tid bits about it and did some research and it seems pretty sound.  it is pretty expensive though so i don't think i'll be doing it for more than 3 days. but i really want to try it, just to see how an actual cleanse makes me feel.  like i said i felt pretty good on my other one and that was back in my freshman year of college when i was playing volleyball/working out pretty regularly.  i don't want to cleanse just to lose weight or really because of that at all.  i want to prepare my body for a new diet and by diet i just mean cutting out the crap.  i also want my energy back.  it's amazing how you can tell your body is responding to what you're eating.  i already know i don't sleep well when i eat close to bed time, but yesterday, let's just say i had two bad meals, and i probably had about 4 hours between eating and going to bed and i slept horribly.  that shit is not doing anything for my functioning especially when that's working 50 hours a week and doing my school work and cleaning and cooking and working out.  i need energy!!  so cleanse i shall and prepare i am.  (yoda?)

so i ran outside today, obviously.  i didn't make it very far because i'm still not super trust worthy of my area just in the sense i don't know it well enough.  but it felt good none the less and now i am making a scrumptious, summertime-esque meal--strawberry chicken salad. YUM!

MY strawberry chicken salad--

I tend to look at recipes and just kind of go off of them--i'm sure i've said that 5 times now. so today's salad had:

chicken breast--enough for two or three because steve eats for two--you can bake or sautee however you please.  i only seasoned mine with a tiny bit of blackening for some kick and salt and pepper
strawberries roughly chopped
mixed greens of your choice--i have organic 50/50 baby spinach and spring mix and the more the merrier!
chopped pecans
fresh goat cheese--you could probably substitute with others.  i was looking for gorganzola but i couldn't find any.  i'm happy with the goat though, it's so creamy!

raspberry vinaigrette would have been my go to dressing but steve is extremely strange and doesn't have a big sweet tooth so i just made a balsamic vinaigrette--1 part balsamic vinegar 3 parts oil--salt and pepper, a smidgen of sugar, and some garlic powder (fresh garlic would be better but we're out--terrible)

throw it all together and voila, easy, delicious, summertime meal.  and if you have left over chicken, it'd be an easy lunch or on the go/take to work meal. SO GOOD.

oatmeal banana raisin pancakes!

i absolutely love starchy breakfast foods--waffles pancakes muffins.  it's a guilty pleasure for sure.  nowadays, my guilty conscience doesn't really let me eat those foods though unless i know exactly what's in them or i feel like i'm going to like offend someone ha.  so today i was craving pancakes, which happens a whole hell of a lot.  i've been experimenting with recipes, more using protein powder for like a post workout snack or something to have instead of chocolate, but i wanted something a little more legit for breakfast.  i have seen the recipe for the biggest loser's oatmeal pancakes so i can't take complete credit for my recipe, but i definitely just used that to go off of.

Here's the link for that recipe:
Biggest Loser Oatmeal Pancakes

So it basically calls for oats egg whites cottage cheese and some flavoring--cinnamon, vanilla.

MY recipe, I used:

1 cup steel cut oats (just what I have here in the kitchen)
1 cup liquid egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
1 egg
1 banana (this is in place of cottage cheese since we don't have any, could try greek yogurt too)
2 tbsp PB2 (I seriously put this in everything)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup/a handful of raisins
PAM

Turn the skillet to medium heat and spray your pan with PAM or whatever you want to use.  Butter is always good, I just wanted to avoid the extra calories.

Mash up the banana in a bowl, doesn't have to be super smooth.  You can also put the ingredients in a blender; unfortunately the only one I have is small and probably wouldn't fit, so I just do it by hand. Either works.  Add the oats, egg, egg whites and PB2 and whisk until combined.  Then stir in the cinnamon and raisins.

Cook them up in the skillet and voila, you have a healthy pancake alternative.  The only thing I think would make a difference in my recipe is using actual egg whites from eggs.  Liquid egg whites caused mine to spread away from the oat mixture when I poured them in the pan.  I think using real egg whites would help keep it all together better.

Mine made 4 pancakes, I made them rather big though.  Probably should make about 6, or 3 servings, as per the Biggest Loser recipe.

If you make them big like I did, about 4 pancakes, it's about 257 calories per pancake.  If you make them the normal size, ha, it's only about 171 calories per pancake.  If you don't want the raisins, that would make them less caloric as well.  Either way, a healthy alternative to regular full fat, processed flour pancakes.

healthy changes in the kitchen

so having to buy my own groceries has been fun yet way too tempting.  i have to admit that in the first two weeks of moving out of my parents house we bought some...for lack of a more perfect word...shit.  like i actually let us buy doritos.  i'm so ashamed.  anyways, we got that kick out of the way.  i'm sure none of that helped with my whole weight thing, which i'm obviously realizing, so now we and by we it's probably more me since guys can eat whatever the hell they want and like lose weight, buying healthy foods.

today has been a good day to start.  i decided instead of dieting which literally lasted like 3 days, i'm just going back to enjoying food and just trying to lose the whole cow-grazing syndrome i tend to get into, especially when i'm bored.  i woke up extra early today--don't work till 1 so i normally sleep in till about 8--but i got up around 630 before steve left so i could get my HW done and get a sensible workout in.  i'm on this big english muffin kick.  like i don't know what it is about them, i legitimately have to have them in the mornings or i'm not a good person to be around.  it must be those nooks and crannies.  who doesn't love those. that's gross i'm sorry.

anyways, they've been having some good sales on english muffins at the g-store and normally we get the whole wheat/light whole wheat ones, but unfortunately those ones weren't included in this weeks sale, so we got the cinnamon raisin and the whole grain (if you don't know whole grain doesn't mean much--you really do want to look for WHOLE WHEAT).   so i started the day with a cinnamon raisin EM with peanut butter and a banana. very budget friendly and within my healthy but good means.

after that i hit the books and got some BS done and then headed to gym.  i do love that i can walk to the gym.  it's legit like under half a mile away.  i got a half an hour done on the bike while i read some info for my other class (exercise phys is legit ripping me a new one).  then i did a pretty tough leg workout--

started in the smith machine with some lunges--3 sets of 10, started with 20 lbs on the bar and then went to 40 and then 50.  i really want to get some sexy legs so i need to push the weights.

then i did the leg press--3 sets of 12 followed by 3 sets of 12 calf raises on the same machine.

then since i wasn't with steve i did some girly things.  i did the add and abductor machine (inner and outer thighs/hip flexor machine--or the im spreading my legs please dont look at me machine--or simply put the slut machine).  then i did some kettle bell single leg cross dead lifts (i may have made that up but i don't feel like looking up the actual name; i know exactly what i'm saying, HA) and finished with some hamstring ball curls.

overall a decent workout.  i want to get in a routine so that i'm willing to spend a little more time at the gym though.  baby steps.

as i mentioned before, i've been on a protein smoothie kick.  today's menu consisted of a mocha protein shake

i have seen recipes on pinterest for these but never really thought to try it, mainly because i like to get some fruit in there.  but i gave it a whirl because i had left over coffee from this morning.

basically it consisted of:

1 c coffee
1 healthy choice vanilla frozen greek yogurt
1 scoop chocolate protein
4 ice cubes (needed more but i had none, naturally)
splash of half and half and dash of cinnamon

under 300 calories-depending on your protein-which is what i try to stick to

as i'm sitting here writing this i am on to lunch and i must say i did a good job.  i made a tuna sandwich--nothing fancy, just a basic sandwich.  i do use mayo i just try to do equal parts mayo and mustard to lower the cals a lil bit.  add tomato, spinach, and a pickle and that was that.

i had some edamame in the fridge that needed using up (we have so many vegetables it like forces me to eat them--try it, if you're poor you'll feel guilty wasting it)

so it threw those in a saute pan with a tsp of oil, some cajun seasoning and ranch seasoning and i have to say, they are DELICIOUS.  some thing i definitely plan on making again.  you really can make vegetables fun, seriously, i'm not lying.

this is the half eaten lunch--i couldn't resist, i was hungry.

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS

oh hey blog, where have you been all my life? (you have to sing that like rihanna).  so clearly, i haven't blogged since, ohhh, 'nam.  it has been brought to my attention (cough cough ally--shoutout, i miss you!) and i suppose a lot has changed so i should probably get back to it.

so i don't live in PA anymore, yay!  check that wish off the list.  steve and i moved down here, arlington, va, end of november.  he got his first PT job in college park, MD and they gave him a potential start date of nov 19th-ish, so i freaked out and looked into transferring to a UA down here.  well that happened, i am still an associate manager and i am working at the potomac mills mall in woodbridge, va.  i pretty much started working, scratch that, I DID start working the morning after we got here.  we didn't even get to move into our apartment that night because we hit traffic and missed the realtor's hours.  so that was annoying.  steve actually didn't start working until we had lived here for about a month because it was a pain in the ass to get his PA license transferred to MD.  so we were legitimately living off of my income, which let me just tell you what i make in a month is what our rent costs--not including electric, for the first month.  that and our credit cards, so it wasn't the easiest start.

needless to say it is what it is and here we are.  we live off of columbia pike, about two miles from arlington and honestly it's great.  we can walk to pretty much anything we need--gym, groceries, bars, etc., so that's awesome.  our apartment is small but perfect really.  just a one bedroom, which due to the lack of couch that we own, is really a studio with a huge empty closet/laundry room without the washer/dryer part.  so our bed has been in the living room since we got here or else we'd be doing it hippy style and watching tv from the floor on the beautiful rug i thankfully splurged on.



this is a picture of the outside when we moved here in the fall.  pretty classy joint eh?

anyways, steve finally started working and making money.  he got a nice little sign on bonus so we have lived somewhat comfortably, but with the bills and trying to get out of credit card debt we've got a ways to go there.

as far as my fitness and eating goes, i've been okay, but the stress has been eating me alive and i've actually gained like 7 lbs since i moved.  i cannot express to you how bitter i am about that either.  WE WALK EVERYWHERE WTF IS GOING ON.  sorry rage black out.  no but really the store i transferred to has been like hanging by a thread since i got there.  i came in and basically all of the previous management staff had left, so there was the assistant manager who had only been there a week or two when i got there and another associate manager who had been there for going on 5 or 6 months. so staff wise we were okay, but the ASM had already worked her ass of to get the store in some kind of  shape and she did a great job but she was basically doing it all by herself.  i like to think i helped when i got there, giving that i have a pretty smart head on my shoulders and know how things go since i've been with the company for almost 2 years.  so things were okay, frustrating, but okay.  then the other associate manager ended up being let go so there was only two of us.  that's somewhat where the stress started for me.  knowing there were only 2 of us meant working more hours and taking on more responsibility. it was just us 2 running the store for about two weeks.  we had a store manager that we were just eagerly waiting to start, but even then, the first week he was there was just going to be training so it'd basically be another week of really just us two working.

don't get me wrong, i love UA and the products, but i do not love working in retail.  it pays well and is somewhat easy to move up into, but honestly if i were to get promoted i'm not sure i would take it.  especially moving to a store down here since corporate is right around the corner.  there are a lot more random visits and visits in general and i don't care enough to have the pressure on my shoulders all the time.  i can definitely see myself working in corporate, i just hope i can wait it out for as long as that may take.

anyways, so work has been stressful and meanwhile all this is happening, obviously i'm in school, and classes started up again, which is just one more thing i have to worry about, and then there's the cleaning and the cooking.  it has definitely been a lot to jump into and i'm not settled in enough that i've been able to get my head straight on my weight and food.

i have had a couple episodes of binging, which has led me to really want to diet, and i do want to diet, but i don't think that i'm far along enough in my journey to recovery to be able to restrict my eating.  i really need to just get into a routine and not stress so much.  i'm hoping i'll finally be able to take some PTO soon; i legitimately haven't had more than one full weekend off since i moved, and that's been rough especially since steve has weekends off.

on a positive note, i've been quite the little chef lately!  i've been on a big protein smoothie kick for post workouts and making protein pancakes/muffins for sweets instead of constantly craving chocolate and indulging in those cravings.  i've also been a good housewife and made some yummy meals that have been healthy but boyfriend approved.

hopefully i'll be able to take some time out of my days to share some of my recipes with you--i'm definitely cooking more than i used to and i don't like to follow recipes, so i just wing it, and come up with some good stuff that i'd love to share :)  stay tuned!

SMOOOTHIES

i freaking love smoothies. i seem to get on this annual kick where im like obsessed with buying fresh fruit and yogurt and coming up with delicioso meal replacement drinks.  i blame the weather...since it's FINALLY starting to be a little consistent with the sun and the temperature.  i've always been more into eating fruits and veggies and i get bored of eggs with peppers or just an apple by itself so why not make a fabulous concoction ehhh.  so not that i've come up with anything crazy, i figured i'd share my smoothie recipes on the days that i make them.  this mornings breakfast is a mango strawberry peach smoothie. yummo.  i prefer to use fresh fruits, but for consistency i usually try and use at least one frozen because it makes it a little thicker and my blender also sucks and doesnt blend ice well. i always end up with chunks because im not patient and it's annoying.

recipe:
3/4 cup frozen peaches ~50 calories
1/3 cup strawberry halves ~15 calories
1/2 cup mango ~54 calories
1 container chobani strawberry greek yogurt ~140 calories
1/4 cup simply orange juice ~28 calories
3 ice cubes

throw it all in a blender, and voila you have creamy healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  add some coconut rum and you have a nice by the pool cocktail haha. i don't ban drinking remember. thats just boring.

nutritional facts:
calories: 286
fat: 0g
carbs: 57g
protein: 16g
sodium: 67g
fiber: 5g
sugars: 48g

my first break through..eek!

AHHH i'm so going to be one of those girls right now.  so after months of struggling and feeling HARRRIBLE as thom from queer eye would say about an awful decor (i don't watch tv anymore only queer eye) today was like the first day that i was excited about myself and the work i've been putting in.  so i really haven't been doing anything unusual...i actually ran outside today for the first time in like 2 weeks--got about 3 mi in couldn't run the whole thing as per usual but no big deal.  it's also my first workout since sunday which is a long time for me. but besides the point whenever i get home from a run i have this habit of looking at my stomach.  whenever i lost weight in the past i loved my stomach and after every run i would look at it to see if it was more defined than like 30 minutes before haha so i guess i just do it as a habit now.  but i was like stunned.  for the first time my stomach is actually starting to flatten again and my wittle abs are starting to show through...ive got some work to do for sure still but im happy for once at where im at. i took a picture of myself which i really feel gay about doing but i should be able to gloat about something that could be life changing right? like when am i actually excited about myself really and i can use this pic as my before pic (one that i feel i can put on the internet without wanting to die)...anyways i'm like freaking out and this could really be a turn for the better for me.  honestly i think the less pressure i put on myself and the less i stress myself out about my weight (i havent lost any weight mind you) the harder it is for me.  ive been keeping track of what i eat, trying to mix up my workouts but other wise not dieting...at all...i mean it...i eat healthy on reg basis but ive literally had some sort of ice cream or dessert every day for the last 3 weeks. so i guess besides bragging and being excited for myself i wanted to put this out there more for the fact that it is possible to lose weight and feel better about yourself by making tiny steps and LIVING while doing so. you seriously just have to be patient...that's it.

quick quinoa and a non kettlebell kettlebell workout

well its humpday. and i'm pretty ready for this week to be over...not that it ever ends since i work everyday but i definitely have less hours towards the end of the week so thats what i can look forward to.  i havent gotten to get any running in yet this week which is putting some pressure on me to get my 10 mi goal but im hoping to get at least 2 on the treadmill tonight. we shall see.

in other news, i had a bit of a binge day yesterday--its bound to happen and i dont hold grudges unless it happens like 3 days in a row. so today has been like a "make up day" if you will and i've been doing quite wonderfully if i do say so myself.  had the morning off so i actually got a good breakfast in and had time to make my quinoa for lunch, which i shall share my easy peasy recipe here in a bit.  breakfast i had the usual egg white scramble with my onions and peppers and i threw in some turkey sausage crumbles and a little bit of cheese.  topped that off with chipotle tabasco, a slice of rudi bread, coffee and an apple and i had about 380 calories there.

i had been meaning to make up the rest of my quinoa for a while now and i decided today would be a good day for it.  it isn't anything more time consuming than cooking noodles so that 15-20 minute process was the hardest thing about the whole meal. and of course it only came to about 400 calories take a little.  quinoa is also really filling, you get a good bang for your buck and i probably couldve eaten even less and saved myself some calories but since i knew id be at the gym all night i figured id get the calories in early--thats how i prefer it anyway.

so i took the remainder of my boxed quinoa and cooked it up -- for 1 cup of quinoa add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes--usually takes me the full 15.  the water will be soaked up/evaporated and you'll see a white ring around the kernels.

in the mean time get the rest of your ingredients together:

• schwanns roasted peppers and onions--i used a handful which prob came to 1/2 cup (3/4 cups is 60 calories)
• morningstar crumbles--once again i didn't measure but a serving is 2/3 cup at 80 calories so it was close enough to that
• 1/2 cup of spinach
• 4-6 tbsp. salsa
• 1/4 of an avocado
• cheese if you want (i used half a slice of american because it's all we had, not my preferred choice)

i took the roasted peppers and onions and the crumbles combined them in a bowl and microwaved for a minute or so, then topped with the cheese, microwaved for another 25 seconds, and stirred to combine.  once the quinoa was done i put it into that mixture as well.  i used the spinach as more of a bed/liner and lined the bottom of a bowl with it and put the peppers, crumbles, cheese, quinoa mixture on top.  then topped it off with chipotle tabasco (clearly a staple of mine), salsa and avocado and wallah you have a meal.  after i took the picture i basically just stirred it all up and destroyed my presentation.  it was very tasty, quick, healthy, and satiating as well.

nutrition facts:  ~375 calories/serving, 14g fat, 3g sat. fat, 10mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 6g sugar, 19 g protein, 34% vit A, 9% calcium, 19% vit C, 24% iron

filled with good fat! nomnom (i hate when people say that and me and steve <3 tend to mock things with it, so its appropriate)

so the workout so far today was a take on a kettlebell workout my boss/trainer did at a kettleball class and wanted to bring it here with the use of dumbbells.  it was somewhat just thrown together timing wise and basically i was the lab rat for it but it was a pretty good workout for sure, lots of squatting!

what i have written down isn't the exact sequence i did, but is basically the same thing.  you would want to set your interval timer for 30 seconds on 10 seconds off 12 rounds and when you go to the next sequence, youll press start again. we didn't do it like that and it kept getting all messed up so that's the somewhat revised way of doing it.  i had 10 lb, 12 lb, and 15lb dumbbells on hand bc somethings were harder than others.  i probably used the 12 and 15 pound weights the most

single arm reverse lunge with a swing thru kick - hold the weight with your right hand just about the shoulder area and youll just keep it there through the whole process, do a reverse lunge and when you come up swing your leg through.  from there youll go straight into a reverse lunge again. 
high swings - swing the weight between your legs and bring it up over your head
repeat single arm reverse lunge with kick with other leg

youll go 2x through for each set/exercise

single arm clean - squat and put dumbbell towards the floor, pull up to your shoulder and repeat
presses - just press up from the shoulder
single arm clean - switch arms

single dumbbell squat - hold dumbbell with one arm and perform a squat
goblet squat - hold dumbbell at your chest with both hands and perform squat
single dumbbell squat - switch arms

single arm swings - using one arm, swing dumbbell between legs and up straight in front of your chest, not above your head
alternate catches - perform single arm swings, when you swing up in front of you let go with one arm and grab with other arm, swing, and repeat
single arm swings - switch arms

--take 1-2 minute break--

single arm rows - bent over row, you'll do 5 with one arm, switch to the other do 5, then 4 with one arm, 4 with the other, and so on down to 1 then go back up to 5.  this may take up to 2 minutes so you may have to either adjust your timer or just go through it and then start your timer (you only have to go through this once, but you're always welcome to do more)


single arm clean and press -  same as single arm clean but combine the press at the end
alternate single arm clean and press - alternate clean and press with both arms
single arm clean and press - switch to other arm
(you'll be doing 2x through again)

front plank in pushup position - hold plank from hands instead of elbows (no dumbbell for these)
up downs - start in pushup position, then go onto elbows and repeat
front plank in pushup position - repeat

tricep extension - hold dumbbell behind head with arms bent and push straight up
bicep curls
tricep extension

straight arm side plank - same as front plank in pushup position but to the side
russian twist - in seated position hold dumbbell with both hands and touch floor on either side of body continuously
straight arm side plank - switch sides

bench press
windsheild wipers - continue holding bar and swing your legs up straight to either side
bench press

DONE!
if you feel like running like i suppose i feel like doing then do before or after.  i got a good 3 hour break though--sorry ima cheater!

1st baby goal...check!

ahhhh my first goal complete.  it's a good feeling.  i haven't really been setting goals for myself over the years...at least not realistic baby step goals.  goals more like i'm losing 30 pounds by tomorrow!! not really...i'm not that stupid but you get my point.  so my first goal..which i actually set 2 weeks ago but never really got a good chance to start...was to run 8mi in a week.  i finished that off today and actually ended up running about 8.5 total.  most of my runs were outside because it was SO nice out, but 2 of them i had to get done on the treadmill at work.  today it's back to being gloomy and rainy so i had to do the treadmill.  todays mindset of running on the treadmill was: this is going to go awful (the usual), said i'd get at least 1 mile done without stopping, and finish up my last half to get the 8 mi in.  well today was the first day that i could run, told myself eh i'll wait about 3 songs and then look, and i ended up being about .16 over when i said i'd stop.  well that was a good feeling, so i said i'll get the last oh .34 over with so i can be done.  went a couple of songs and i was over again! i basically ended up going about 2 mi without stopping and walked about .60.  i was super pumped because usually i'll start running...it'll feel like ive been going for at least a mile and i'll only be at like .46 which is where i start getting frustrated.  so i think that today was a sign i'm finally getting into shape again.  although my knee wasn't super happy with me nothing is new there and nothing a little ice wont cure.

so despite my groggy drag myself out of bed mood i was in, i am now feeling good.  prob wont push myself into doing anything else, but hope that i can at least keep my eating on track today.

so as i stated above, counting the songs i think helped me push through today.  some of my favorite songs to run to are:

Chris Brown - Yeah 3x
LMFAO - Sexy and I know it
LMFAO - I Work Out (for obvious reasons)
Lady Gaga - Born this Way
Katy Perry - Fireworks
Chris Brown - Forever
Pitbull ft. NeYo - Give Me Everything
Lil Wayne - Knockout ft. Nicki Minaj

I think they have a good rhythm that keeps you going and they're also upbeat songs, which I find seems to also help keep me going because I can think positively about what I'm doing.

so here's to sunday funday and a new goal next week - i'm thinking i'll weigh myself at the end of the week and I'm going to go for 9-10 mi.

"just keep swimming"
                     -Dory

it's a b e a u tiful day..for a workout of course

well despite my sourpuss attitude this week...i have to say the weather has been helping me from completely losing it this week.  also despite having to work everyday, i've actually gotten to enjoy it with a few outside runs and some laying out of course.  beats paying for a tanning package that will just make me feel guilty bc of how awful it is for you.  least this tan is au natural.  anyways, so i had an early day today opening up the gym.  has been a while since i've had to due to my other schedule.  finished the last of my online classes schoolwork for the week...thank bejesus. and mr scuba steve is coming home for the weekend today. so today is turning out to be pretty good.  decided i'd clean the gym up a bit today so i'm not sure i'll get a workout while i'm here given i'm only here till 10, but i definitely planning on running outside and doing a lower body workout afterward and probably some abtastic things as well.  women's health mag has some good lower body routines to incorporate into your routine which is where i think i'll be getting my butt blaster today.

i've been eating pretty good despite my up and down schedule.  i really think right now anyway that that's the hardest part for me.  some days i have a quick breakfast, work for 7 or 8 hours without a break and come straight to the gym where i'll finally get lunch around 3. then i'm there till 8 and i end up having a snack here and going home to dinner which i'm usually ravenous.  then there are the days where i don't work till the afternoon so i eat breakfast and lunch about 4 hours apart then have to go like 6 until dinner.  which was how yesterday sort of was except i couldn't eat dinner until after 8.  those days really frustrate me because i know what that's doing to my metabolism and i also hate eating later at night because i don't sleep as well on a full stomach.  but such is life right?  hopefully when i'm a big girl (whenever the hell that's going to be) i'll have somewhat of a more consistant schedule and i'll be able to plan a little better about my eating schedule. 

anyways i figured i'd just throw in an update.  i don't plan on weighing myself. i almost took some pictures to show my progress but i'm not sure there's that much of a difference and i'm def not ready to post them.  but i'm starting to feel a little bit better anyway. so things are goint okay!  enjoy the sun :)

sorry for body rocking...continued

so we're on day 3 and i can't say i feel much of a difference yet but it's only day 3 so i should prob not put too much pressure on myself.  yesterday was a busy day...worked till 3, got a TRX workout in right after, then went home and got ready to get some sushi and drinks with a friend.  my eating was okay--followed the slim fast for breakfast and lunch--the boss at UA got us pizza so i had a slice of that with my lunch but drinking my slim fast kept me to only having one piece and you're alotted ~200 calories with it.  it may have been over but one piece of pizza is a pretty good improvement for me.  so had some sushi which was delicious.  i can't say i looked up the calories, but i had a vegetarian roll and a fancier roll and a martini with.  then we stopped at smokey bones for some more drinks.  had 2 mixed drinks, one was a "skinny" version so it was under 200 calories, the other was prob pretty bad for me but oh well.  as i said i didn't really count my calories at that point but i'm pretty sure i stayed at my goal according to my "MyNetDiary" app. so i'm not too upset.

today will end up being a pretty good day.  i won't be too under with calories and i def won't be over.  i'm working my 2nd all day work day of the week and i'm glad it's the last one.  working for 8 hours and then going straight to work for another 5 does not really motivate me to work out.  especially since i'm on my feet for the first 8 and my legs/knee just ache and ache.  anyways, i'm here and i already got some workout in so go me.

today i did a running interval workout.  "treadmill pyramid intervals" which can be found at FitSugar

that was about a half hour workout--i have to say i wasn't able to do it exactly how it is.  gotta get my running shape back. but still burnt a good ~275 calories.  did some squats and hamstring curls to keep my somewhat therapy going.  i havent been very good about doing it lately. 

the gym is empty so i'm going to try and fit a bodyrock workout in.  you can find it here Booty Lover Workout

so after that i'm going home to a salmon burger on the grill YUM and then it's BEDTIME. i cannot wait seriously. ciao!

not a great start

well day one hasnt been the best because i've been working since 7am.  i'm pooped, my knees hurt all day, my boyfriend went back to virginia, and i just want to shower and go to bed. anyways, i havent had a lot of time to eat today so my diet isn't off to a great start.  some uninformed "dietters" may think it has been awesome but from a nutritionists point of view it'd be inadequate.  i had a slim fast for breakfast, a sugar free caramel latte and a clif kids bar for a snack, another slim fast for lunch, and i just had a healthy choice microwave meal.  talk about processed.  so i've only had about 1000 calories, under if we're being precise and you're not supposed to eat under 1200 a day.  with that said i did the recumbant bike for 20 minutes, walked on the treadmill for 10, and did the stepper for 20 minutes--it was pretty moderate effort so i only burned about 250-300 calories.  i was set on doing nothing to be honest but i figured i had to do something so it counts.

so no fancy workout or any awesome recipes for me today.  i'll prob go home and try and have something a little more nutritional to get myself up to like 1300 calories, but i don't want to eat all my calories at night so that's why i'm staying low.  i only work half the day tomorrow so hopefully i have something more exciting to say.  but at least i'm honest!

sorry for body rocking...

so i've been doing a lot of different stuff when i'm working out these days.  bodyrock.tv is a website i've been using for some of my interval workouts.  they have a lot of quick intense workouts and some longer ones too.  plus the one girl is ripped and is completely motivating.  so today is the last day my boyfriend is home for a couple months.  he goes back to school in virginia (thank god he is almost done) and i am stuck here in dreary pa...although i have to say it is rather nice today.  anyways ive decided to really clean my act up.  when he's around i tend to really get off track when it comes to my eating/eating habits.  he can eat whatever he wants and i of course cannot, but i do anyway.  so although my working out is fabulous, my eating is not and therefore i have put on a little weight.  i really want to focus on my eating while he's gone since i will be extremely bored anyway and i'll have a lot of time to focus on it.  i'm hoping that i can really get into good habits so that when he comes home again they'll transition and i wont turn into a complete slob.  afterall summer is coming and so is our trip to cancun and i want to look and feel my BEST...which is hard for majority of girls to do in a bikini..am i right or am i right!

so basically, i will be blogging more (yay) and i am going to try and blog my work outs/what i eat/why i eat it to help keep myself on track.  i probably wont have time to do it everyday but i also plan on keeping some sort of journal.  but mainly i'll try and get my work outs out there...maybe some before and after pictures?  ya know if i feel worthy of those. we'll see, but it all goes down tomorrow! and hopefully i can realllllllly really legitimately start doing things the way i ideally want to do them for the rest of my life. amen.

the 99 workout...aka the i'm crazy but i want a hot bod workout

well it's been like 14 years since my last post.  which is super unfortunate since i have been doing more different workouts in the last month than i have in like my whole life and i'm not sure why i decided to keep them all to myself.  i've also been cooking more...so i apologize, to anyone who actually enjoyed my blog, for being so selfish.

anyways today i've decided to kill myself...not literally, no one call my mom please.  but as i've become obsessed with pinterest lately, who hasn't (and if you haven't you clearly live under a rock), i obviously check out the fitness stuff all the time which led me to find the 99 workout:



i've gone back to it over the past couple of days because it is so appealing to me for some strange reason, and i've decided to attempt it today.  my goal is to finish it today, but if something starts hurting (i've been having shoulder problems in addition to my bum knee) i want to try and do half today and half tomorrow.

this is basically a test workout for me, to see where i have gotten to with my fitness.  endurance is key, and i'm not sure how much of that i have, but i'm hoping my will power will overcome what i lack as far as that goes. so here's to surviving...or not!

gluten free, way to be...?

so there's a lot of hype on this gluten free diet thing.  obviously it's mainly out there for those suffering from celiac disease or for those who have some sort of sensitivity.  i decided to read a couple articles today on it, mainly bc i'm interested in gluten free products--currently my favorite bread to eat with my eggs in the morning is Rudi's gluten free whole grain bread.  it's simply delicious and with that as well as having people around me who have to eat gluten free, i am sort of on GF kick. 

so i've actually tried to be GF for a week once.  epic fail.  i may have mentioned it before i can't remember. basically, i did pretty well for a few days but i was at the point where i was working ohhh like 14 hour days and having to stop at sheetz or somewhere awful for a meal and it is extremely hard to find something filling that is gluten free and readily available in this area.  so that's basically the cause of my failure--also the fact that i was choosing to be GF by choice made it much harder to stick to it.

regardless if you're intolerant or tolerant of gluten, it's an extremely hard thing to do.  for smaller areas, there really are a minimal amount of choices and it is a bit more expensive.  but i've found that it's a bit easier (if you have the option) to eat partially gluten free.  i don't have a problem with the taste of GF products.  like i said i love the bread, and you can eat like most mexican things (corn tortillas, rice, etc) and i looove mexican food.  i've even baked with it, and the last thing i made, peanut butter blossom cookies for christmas, were actually super awesome!

so, advantages of GF diet are less bloating, possibly better digestion, and weight loss.  from what i read, a good amount of the population has some sort of sensitivity to gluten, so even trying out a couple things could actually have a lot of positive outcomes.

i made a gluten free (i think) pizza the other day...

the crust was a premade crust (Udi brand) and i just kind of used things i had in the house--tomato sauce with some spices, spinach, green pepper, roasted red pepper, chicken, and 2 kinds of cheese-brick and colby.  and it was actually super delicious. 

problem with GF is that it is harder to get your fiber, at least from the "bread" products you use.  i'm sure if you use like quinoa and items like that on a regular basis you'd be find, but the bread that i eat is pretty low which is another reason i've chosen to only be part GF.

i think the GF idea is a good one.  i think that it can promote better eating--you're staying away from a lot of crap to be honest--and maybe you'll find out that you had an intolerance along the way and stop it from causing any real serious damage.

work out like a cripple part dos

so part two of working out like a cripple. today is more of a "cardio" day. i suppose you could consider it the more fun day? depends on how much you like working out/physical therapy though.  i basically rotate between yesterdays regimen and todays; every other day--normally you only do pt 2-3 times a week but since i work here i basically just do it everyday/3-4 days a week.

anyways, today is the jumping program as well as the day i do my running intervals.  running isn't necessarily what is required, i'm not really sure how much i'm actually supposed to be running but i'm basically an unofficial pt patient since my insurance sucks and i can't schedule real appointments so i don't get feedback unless i ask for it.  so i basically play it by ear, depending on how my knee feels. so you could do some sort of intense bike/eliptical/stepper workout -- cardio of choice basically. but i "like" running the best.

so i usually start with the jumping program. i think it's the harder of the two, at least by the end.  the jumping program they have here consists of 3 weeks where the intensity increases each week.  if you're healthy, you should go through the jumps 3 times, but i kind of have to work my way up to that.  i wouldn't do it everyday, every other day, maybe only 2 times a week depending on your fitness level and amount of gym time you get per week.  i am currently on week 2, and the only difference between week 1 and 2 is the duration of time you do each move. each move i do is for a duration of 25 seconds; if you want to start at week 1 just cut back to 20 seconds.

so per training session there are 8 moves.  and as i said youll go through 3 times.  i have a fancy little training timer that you can set the time for the resting period, the exercise period, as well as the amount of repetitions so i end up setting it for 24 repetitions, 25 second (or whatever the exercise period is) exercise, and i give myself a 15-20 second rest period.  i'm usually pretty antsy to get through it and it's a better cardio workout if you don't take too long of a break.  you can also take breaks between sets, you're probably supposed to actually, but as i said i just want to get it over with most of the time.

so here are the moves:

wall jumps - i call these "block jumps" because i am a volleyball player for life.  find a wall, bend your knees, jump and reach as high as you can on the wall. i do them at a steady pace as of now for my knees sake, but i would do them a bit quicker than you want to if you're able. i'll be there someday

tuck jumps - pretty common jumping technique. jump in place and bring your knees up as high as you can.  once again i do these at a steady pace, more so to make sure i'm landing correctly, but doing them at a quicker pace is my suggestion

squat jumps - once again pretty common and self explanatory.  essentially do a squat and on your way up spring up.

barrier jumps (side to side) - basically a typical plyometric move.  i just use a line, but you can use a towel or flat object, or if you're feeling dangerous something a little more 3D. and you're just going to jump over it side to side quickly. these are easier for me to do, well easier on the knee, so i do them as quickly as i can.

barrier jumps (front to back) - same thing except jumping front to back as quickly as you can.

180 jumps - for these you're just going to jump from front to back, doing a 180 degree turn.  these you don't have to do as fast; you want to make sure you're landing evenly

broad jumps - okay so these are different for me than they are you a little bit.  you're going to start on 2 feet and essentially leap and land on one leg.  try and go as far as you can and stick it for a few seconds.  these you don't necessarily have to time.  technically, you're supposed to do 5 total during week 1 and 10 during week 2 but it's easier for me to just time it.  so you're going to do the same thing but you're going to do both legs.  i just do my bad leg because it takes me a bit longer.

bounding in place - also called skier jumps, you're just going to go from one leg to another in place, side to side, at a steady, quick pace

and that's it! after you've gone through them 3 times of course.  doesn't seem like much but i was a lot sorer the next day than i thought.  i usually do some single legged leg press and some calf raises after and that definitely heightened my soreness the first couple times. but beauty is pain right.

okay so that's that now it's time for my run/your cardio.  since i'm not allowed to go too fast yet, nor for very long i have been doing interval sessions.  depending on how much time you have or want to spend, i've been doing 5 minute walking warm up then 5 minutes of running, 4 minute walk, 4 minute run...and so on...down to 1 minute, and then maybe a few minutes of cool down.  the highest i'm allowed to go speed wise is only 6.0 mph at this point, but for those normal people out there i would start out at a nice jog and the lower your running minutes get maybe increase the speed a little each time.  i'm not always a huge fan of the walking intervals so sometimes i'll do a 3 minute warm up and do 2 minute walking intervals in between.  but you can kind of adjust that part yourself. also, i always have the treadmill at a 1% incline.  if you start doing it that way you'll never even notice and you'll increase your calorie burn.  it's win win.

so that will be my therapy for today. as well as lifting. blah. good thing i work at a gym.

work out like a cripple

okay so weird title, i know it contradicts itself, but seriously, doing physical therapy i have worked some muscles i never knew existed in my body.  every time i have to do PT for something, like oh the 3 years of my life from knees or the double dose of shoulder therapy i've had, i become probably the most tone i have been, and we're talking even when i was heavy into athletics.  i can remember my freshman year of hs when i was doing shoulder therapy and my mom commenting on how toned my arms were.  keep in mind freshman year i played softball, basketball, and volleyball so really they should have already been pretty toned. and even after, i can remember her saying i should start doing some of the things i had done in therapy because of how nice it made my arms look. 

same with my legs.  now i have never been very confident in my legs. but having done 6 months of therapy at a time on multiple occasions has shown me that the weird techniques they have me do really helps tone up my legs.  i mean, i can barely run at this point and all i've been doing are balance and strengthening techniques and i've been able to see a big difference.  and it's not like i wasn't working out before.

so coming to my point, i wanted to share a couple days worth of PT that i've been doing.  most of the things i have to do are probably going to sound pretty foreign to those who haven't been through knee therapy themselves, and i'll explain the best i can but they are ass-kicking...literally and figuratively.  so here's what i did today, and let me tell you i am not going to be able to walk tomorrow.

for starters, i always do some kind of warm up.  since i knew they were going to be adding things onto my list, i just did a moderate bike workout on like a level 8 for 10 minutes. nothing at all too taxing. thank goodness for that decision

i'm not going to explain every exercise, but for a lot of these i will. if all else fails, google it. you know you'll get some sort of answer.

okay so next i did the "bridge inchworm".  a bridge, which is basically where you're lying on your back and you do a pelvic thrust (best way i can describe it), you basically are in bridge mode the whole time and you walk your feet out in tiny steps keeping your butt off of the ground and then you walk them back in. that's 1; if you can do 2 sets of 10, which is what i did, i'd say you're good to go.

leg press (both legs--i had been doing single legs) - 3 sets of 10

Bosu ball squats - flip the bosu ball so that the black flat side is up, stand with your feet apart so that you're balanced and do a basic squat 3 sets of 10



"bosu ball torcher" - stand like you were while doing squats in squat position for 1 minute and have someone basically play catch with you. do this twice

heel downs - basically a single legged squat on a step 3 sets of 10

planks (yes i do planks for my knee therapy--strong core heals everything) - 2 min front, 1 min left side, 1 min right side, 1 min front--NO BREAKS HERE

calf raises - i do seated with weight 2 sets of 30

single legged heel raises - calf raises off of a step, no weight 3 sets of 20

single legged squats with a press - squat on one leg and at the top, holding dumbbells, do a shoulder press 3 sets of 10 (my knee could only handle 2 sets today)

hip machine - to the side and to the back 3 sets of 10

unilateral bridge - okay so here we are with the bridge again. these really suck let me just tell you. so you're going to have one leg straight and one leg bent and you're going to push up into a bridge and lift your straight leg with it.  essentially you're doing one legged bridges 3 sets of 10 each side

monster walks - side step with some sort of resistance band in a squatted position - i do 2-3 laps up and down a hallway

split squats - put one leg up on a low table and squat down with your other leg.  3 sets of 10 each side. make sure not to let your knee go over your toe!

multi-directional lunges - so for these you're just doing a basic lunge but you're going to do a front lunge, a side lunge, and a reverse lunge; if you're feeling imaginative like me i did them at the angles in between as well. it's kind of awkward but it adds some extra burn.  i only did 2 sets of 8 which was essentially 2 sets of 35 since i went 5 directions.

kickers - okay so these i stood on a balance pad with one leg and with the other had a resistance band around my other leg and attached to sturdy pole. you're going to lift out to the side, turn the other way and swing inward, turn and lift to the front and the back and do 30 at each position.

okay. i'm sick of typing all this, it's making me feel like i did it again. woof.  but that was basically it for the hard stuff. i did some stretching and icing at the end and i am gonna call it a day!

tomorrow i get to do my jumping program and run. that's all i'm gonna tell you about it today, so until tomorrow :)