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Exercise and Eats: Week of 4/1

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For the sake of keeping MYSELF accountable, let me just write out a recap of last week’s workouts and what I plan on getting done this week.

Sun, 3/24: Off

Mon, 3/25: Defying Gravity Workout (from Tina Reale) and HIIT treadmill run

Tues, 3/26: Full body tabatas + 20 minute treadmill run

Wed, 3/27: Circuit Interval workout

Thurs, 3/28: 60 min hike with Layla; 2,4,6,8,10 workout from Fitnessista, 5 min row, 15 min spin

Fri, 3/29: off

Sat, 3/30: Deck of Cards workout

  • ♠: shuffle jumps
  • ♣: deadlifts
  • ♥: pushups
  • ♦: tricep dips

Not too shabby. Now let’s see what’s on the agenda for this week:

Sun, 3/31: 60 minute hike with Layla; 1.5 mile run (OUTDOORS!)

Mon, 4/1: First day of Best Body Bootcamp!!!! Strength Workout A and 5k outdoor run

Tues, 4/2: 40 minutes spin, 20 minutes of ab tabatas

Wed, 4/3: BBB Strength Workout B, 5k outdoor run

Thursday, 4/4: 40 minutes treadmill intervals, 20 minutes ab tabatas

Friday, 4/5: BBB Strength Workout C, 30 min spin, 10 minute row

Sat, 4/6: Deck of Cards workout x2, possible hike

Now, I never really do this because I end up changing mid-week and then getting upset with myself, but I actually wrote up a meal plan for the week! I have been checking off my eats as I go along. Dinners for the week include:

  • Monday: Turkey Chili Taco Soup from Skinnytaste
  • Tuesday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches
  • Wednesday: Homemade Turkey Burgers
  • Thursday: Chicken Fajitas
  • Friday: Wonton Stir fry

If you’re still reading, I will now indulge you with tons of pictures of Layla. Because she hasn’t gotten much love on the blog lately. 🙂

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Time to take the beast out for a walk!

Question: Do you meal plan? Plan your workouts?

Three Things Thursday

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1. Had an interview yesterday (nothing fancy, it was just a staffing agency. Apparently I will need some Canadian experience under my belt to be considered for more advanced positions, even though I have the education!) Since I didn’t bring any of my work clothes to Calgary when I moved last year, I had to go to the mall and find something appropriate that I would hopefully wear more than once (note: I hate work pants.) I came up with this gem of an outfit:

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2. Came up with an AWESOME workout that I did yesterday. It was challenging, it incorporated both cardio and strength training, and it was entertaining (because it alleviates any boredom you might get from staying on one exercise or one piece of equipment for too long). I made it fancy on PicMonkey, but there are tons of arrows so I hope it’s not TOO confusing..

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Let me explain.

  • First, you do the first set of treadmill intervals
  • Move on to the first round of supersets. Complete the number of reps for the first exercise, then do the number of reps for the second exercise. Complete this 3x through.
  • Second round of treadmill intervals.
  • Secound round of Supersets
  • Same for the third round
  • Finish with 5 minutes of treadmill intervals.
  • It takes under an hour to complete (including rest times and stretching)

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I sported my Lululemon Gather and Crow crops for this workout. I rarely wear them (don’t get me wrong, they’re COMFY) because they just look funny. And when I am doing my workout in front of a mirror, it just makes me feel funny. I prefer the fit of Wunder Unders (perhaps because they have a little more compression…particularly in the thigh-al region? I made up the word thigh-al in case you were wondering).

Can I just say again that I love my new gym? I don’t have to hover over machines or wait to use anything or claim my territory. Heck, no one even cares when I take dumb pictures. Like this one.

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PS: That lady in the green crops is one of the personal trainers. Not only do I want her green crops, but I think her and I will be friends one day. We have already talked about water bottles, so I think it’s going places.

3. This morning, I used some leftover quinoa we had in the fridge to make some Quinoa Pancakes. I had never made them before but have always been curious as to how different they may or may not taste from the various other variety of pancakes I’ve made.

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Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1/2 c cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 c oats
  • 1/4 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/3 large banana, mashed
  • 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 T plain nonfat greek yogurt

Here’s what you do:

  1. Mix everything with a hand mixer or blender. Pour on skillet, flip when bottom side is lightly browned.

Easy.

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I topped mine with the remainder of the banana and some PB2 (great substitute for peanut butter, I highly recommend it because the flavor and texture is pretty spot on! And it comes in powder form, so you can make it your desired consistency, add it to recipes, or eat it on its own!)

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The pancakes were OK. They were fluffy and had a pretty pancake-like texture, but I could really taste the quinoa (I am used to eating it only in more savory meals) so it wasn’t my favorite. Still, a great way to get rid of leftovers! Next time, I’ll probably incorporate berries or cocoa into the batter to see if that changes my feelings about Quinoa Pancakes at all.

Question 1: Do you have a favorite Go-To workout outfit?

Question 2: What’s your favorite way to eat quinoa?

Some Workouts

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Thanks for the feedback on my last post. It really made me feel good about my little bloggy life 🙂

I think it’s only fair that I share with you my latest workouts. Since I’m actually typing this post ahead of time (gasp!) the following workouts are from Monday, 3/25 and Tuesday, 3/26. I was actually giddy before, during and after each workout because I knew I couldn’t NOT share!

Here goes.

Monday, I took the strength portion of my workout from Tina by doing the Defying Gravity Workout she recently posted (if you click on the link, it’ll take you directly to that workout).

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I followed it up with an awesome HIIT run

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Tuesday, I adapted a full-body tabata workout (I was in the mood to continue targeting all the major muscle groups rather than focusing on upper body, lower body or core). I ended up with this gem:

Reminder: tabatas are 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest repeated 8x through for a total of 4 minutes each round. For this particular workout, you will alternate between the two moves in each round. i.e.: Move 1 for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, move 2 for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, repeat 4x.

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I immediately followed this strength circuit with 20 minutes of spin (rolling hills and resistance intervals) then this 20 minute treadmill run:

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In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been playing around with PicMonkey. Gotta make these workouts look as pretty as can be!

Now that I’ve hopefully inspired you with my strength and cardio workouts, here are some pictures of my little stink monkey (who is currently no so stinky since she came in the shower with me yesterday. AND LOVED IT.)

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Got any good workouts to share??!

I’m publishing this frustrating post now…and will most likely regret it later

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Blog—>Social Media.

Social Media—>SOCIAL.

Social: the interaction of one with others.

I started this blog last year when I first moved to Calgary as a means of connecting with the people I used to always be around, and to reach out to others who live a similar lifestyle. But lately, I have noticed that there is almost nothing social about my blog (at least from my perspective). I spend hours linking, editing, adding and creating these stupid little posts, and I have somehow only acquired about 25 regular readers. 

Call me selfish. (I refer to myself as bored and having the desire to be the ‘cool kid.’ something I have strived for since kindergarten and have never been able to achieve.)

In an attempt to promote my blog, and the work that goes behind it (even though it may not LOOK like much), I started tweeting and instagramming and even created a facebook page. What did that get me? An empty feeling on three additional social media platforms. 

(Another reason why I chose to step away from the blog the last two weeks.)

..it probably doesn’t help that I am currently in a state of limbo between

  1. living in a place where I have none of my friends around me; and
  2. the fact that I can just NOW start looking for work. (cause for additional frustration)

(For the record, Tyler has been really supportive of me through all this. But it is unexplored territory for the both of us, so we are doing our best!)

Now, I don’t blog from the States, so it is pretty impossible for me to host a ton of giveaways because mailing them would be MY cost. And it would be super expensive. Even though it would be a great way to increase readership, it is just too financially draining.

And that’s not to say that I’m LOOKING for sponsors or free stuff from companies by any means, but it is super disheartening to see other bloggers get loads and loads of ‘SWAG’ (PS: I loathe that word) and constantly pimp it through twitter, instagram, and the like. And not only to pimp it out ONCE, but to do it multiple times. Their readership: increased.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE sharing new recipes and workouts and products that I have come across, it’s just really hard when I am cooped in a house (‘cooped’ meaning I don’t have 8 hours of being at work each weekday – or something similar to that- ) and I write posts that I think will get people excited to workout or bake or LAUGH and they will comment on it.. 

and then I get almost nothing.

BUT. i DO thank those of you who take the time to write to me. You have NO idea how happy it makes me. Even if it’s just an emotion or something stupid. You took the time to write to ME. 

I am ALWAYS looking for things to write about and continuously reach out for suggestions so I can keep my ongoing readers entertained.

I’m sorry if this offends any of you who do comment here, but I just wanted to share what I am feeling. Remember: not all blog posts have to be positive! (I don’t want to be one of those who create a false world of ‘awesomeness’ that is their life only to make readers feel less than their best when they are experiencing not-so-awesome things in their own lives.)

The moral of the story: my blog has yet to be what I want it to be. Perhaps that’s my fault.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go do things so that I can write about them in my next post.

🙂