Princess cup of coffee in hand I headed in to work this morning. I had super great intentions of getting up early and fixing some eggs this morning. I have REALLY been craving sunny-side-up eggs (I see some of you cringing right now). But, you know what they say about good intentions. Instead I had a Cranbran Vita-top, turkey sausage, and a super-fruit “honest ade”.
Have you ever wondered exactly what is a super fruit? I have. According to www.wisegeek.com “the definition of a super fruit is somewhat arbitrary and has never been set. In most cases, it refers to fruits that have exceptional nutritional quality and taste. In some cases, many fruits may fit under this label.” My super fruit drink even had a cool little message for me inside-
“If you aren’t going to go all the way, why go at all?” I think that is pretty right on in terms of my fitness and weight loss journey. I liked that my beverage was giving me a pep-talk. It made me smile.
I had last night’s leftovers for lunch and an insanely busy day at the office. It was nice though to have a busy day that felt productive rather than a busy day that just felt busy. I have a love/hate relationship with the 9-5 type lifestyle. Today was a love day.
I was really hungry in the afternoon. I heard once in a weight watchers meeting that a great way to assess hunger is to say, “If you are hungry and looking to snack always have an apple on hand (or other veggie/fruit of some kind). If the apple (or other veggie/fruit) is appealing then eat it; most likely you are hungry. If no veggies or fruits appeal to you but rather you want crackers, cheese, nuts etc you should probably hold off to make sure you are hungry and not just wanting to snack.” This is not fool proof of course but it is a helpful little rule. Turns out I was really hungry and had some deliciously tart apple slices. Mmmm.
I finished work then grabbed more water and a Luna bar before my workout. If you ignore the protein-ish taste (which really is not terrible in Luna Bars) this flavor tastes almost like a “thin mint” cookie or at least to me it does.
I wanted to go running but it was raining (still) and while Ireally love that running in the rain business I did not want to show up to my first Body Pump class soaked to the core. I decided to run 3 miles on the elliptical instead. I love that I can do 3 miles in under 30 minutes on there. If only I could do that on the trail. I then biked 4 miles and headed in to body pump. For anyone who might be new to the workout scene body pump ” is the original barbell class that strengthens your entire body. This 60-minute workout challenges all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. Great music, awesome instructors and your choice of weight inspire you to get the results you came for – and fast! Like all the LES MILLS™ programs, a new BODYPUMP™ class is released every three months with new music and choreography.”
If you are anything like me starting a new class like this can feel intimidating. I still feel insecure about my weight, I don’t love to workout in front of other people since I am sometimes scared I cant “hang” with the more fit girls, and I am terribly weak in the arms (hence the need for a class like this!). I lucked out and happened to pick the same class time as my boss from work. She is also an aerobics instructor, former trainer, and all around fitness guru of sorts so I knew she would help me out if I got intimidated. She helped me get all of my equipment for class in order and we got started. Thankfully the class was pretty empty which I hear is rare. I always promised honesty so here it goes. This was hard. There were a couple of moves I just couldnt do. Like push ups. The instructor was nice and I guess she could see the look of sheer panic on my face so she gave me some alternatives to do. My boss was also helping me with that since she used to teach it back in the day as well. Most of the routines I was able to do with very low weights. It worked me out like I probably have not worked out since college and as intimidated as I felt-I loved it. For now, I won’t go without my workout buddy but I am really looking forward to doing it again Tuesday. It’s fast paced, works everything, and is not hard on the joints. Im pretty excited about it.
I for sure earned my dinner and decided to make made a Spinach and Ham Hash. This is actually the first Rachael Ray meal I made successfully way back when. We won’t discuss the tuna putenesca fiasco I had prior to this. Of course I modify this recipe and leave off the cheese. You could also add spices or veggies but essentially you heat a skillet to medium/high heat, add a healthy drizzle of olive oil, dump in sliced organic potatoes adding salt, pepper, and thyme and allow them to start browning up. Then add 1 large sliced onion and allow that to cook up as well. Fold in 1 bag of organic baby spinach and allow it to wilt. Finally, add in some diced or cubed ham (a lean cut). You can also fry an egg and smoosh on top of your serving which is really good. It also took care of my egg craving (or did it make it worse. Im
not sure). The fabulous Rachel Ray would have approved for sure because it was really good. She always says that cooking is a method and you can make any dish a number of ways. I like that.
Tonight I am watching The Office (my favorite) and getting my bag packed for the weekend. I am heading up to Richmond, VA to celebrate my best friend’s 30th Birthday. I have a most fabulous girl’s day planned for her and can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Have a Happy and Healthy Thursday!
Be Thankful Each Day in The Month of May: Today I am thankful for creativity. I love art, music, fashion, and movies. I also love having this blog as my creative outlet. The art of creating (weather though cooking, gardening, decorating etc) can work wonders for a person. We should strive to be creative in our own lives and encourage those
around us to do the same.
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