sucker spelled with a capital S

i've been enjoying a nice, quiet saturday since eric is off at some security/networking thing - been able to clean the house and do laundry without being disturbed... i've also been watching the food network nonstop and catching-up on my blogs including bitch cakes who is killing the WW program right now... go sheryl! :-)

while i was flipping thru channels, i came across the new informerical for mari winsor's slimming pilates... i'm a sucker for these stupid things because i find them (a) amusing and (b) a good way to kill time between programs... i've used her DVDs before and really liked them, but they are outdated... and since i will probably be looking at one (and possibly two) foot surgeries - i will not be able to use the treadmill or eliptical during recovery... since pilates is mat-based, i feel this would be a good way for me to stay semi-active and get back into a regular, exercise routine... i miss taking pilates and found out my gym no longer has a class during the week (just yoga), so this will be the best option... i will give you guys a review once i've had a chance to use it... :-)

eric and i went to see 'book of eli' last night - i thought it was okay and if some of the patrons in the theater hadn't been so rude and annoying, the movie might have been better... i do love seeing gary oldman playing the 'bad' guy and what's to say about denzel - he's just amazing... :-)

well, eric just got home and it's been snowing since this morning... so much for only getting a 'dusting' - i think we have at least 3-4 inches... i also just made a wonderful green monster (coconut water, light orange juice, spinach, banana, mango, and a tbsp. of flaxseed)... yum-o! :-)

happy weekend!

i'm alive

ugh, so sorry that i haven't posted since last week! between work and a very busy weekend - i just haven't had the time to sit down and write (or catch-up with everyone either)... i was finally able to take a breather today, but have to leave early for my 3-month dermatology appt. so the work day will be short... and what could be better than meeting mom later at kohl's to do some shopping... :)

so work has been extremely busy - since i'm out-of-the-office starting next tuesday - i have two big projects that have to get into review mode while i'm gone... one being an annual pub that is 300+ pages (and boring as hell)... i've gotten that pretty much in the bag and then will start working on the other project tomorrow - fun fun...

this past weekend was quite a blur - saturday we ran a bunch of errands and then one of eric's friends had a party saturday night... eric ordered a cap for the back of his truck so now we'll be able to sleep in style while at the beach (we stick a futon in the back so it's nice and comfy)... then we checked out this architectural restoration/recycle place that had all sorts of stuff dirt cheap... like sinks, doors, windows, tiles - you name it, they had it! we'll probably go back once we have a handle on what our 1st big project will be (bathroom or kitchen)... IKEA was next on the list and even though the items i wanted had been sold-out since 10:30 - we still managed to find a nice, walnut-colored tv stand and matching shelf for above it... i'm very excited since right now we sort of have a mish-mosh of stands and this way - everything can be in one unit and organized! yay! as for the party - not much to say besides it was a lot of fun and i played my first game of beer pong (not too shabby either)... i was the DD so it was fun people-watching... ;)

on sunday - my mom invited me to go w/her to the charlestown races... one of her friends was in the hospital and wasn't able to go, so i said, "what the hell" since i had never been... we had a nice lunch (buffet) where i tried to take small portions but ended-up overeating anyway... it was a beautiful day regardless though the most i won, at one time, was $2.80! i also didn't win anything on the slots but those things are fixed anyway... ;)

so that's what i've been up too... i'm still doing the green monter thing in the morning and have to say my newest combo is the best so far:

- handful of spinach
- 1/2 c. soy milk
- 1/2 c. coconut water
- 1/2 c. blueberries
- 1/2 c. pineapple
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tbsp. salba

happy hump day...

calories in, calories out

green monster (day 2) > today's smoothie consisted of the following ingredients and it was mucho-tasty... i also included the calories for each item (as listed on myfitnesspal.com) in case you're curious...

• 1/2 c. light orange juice (50)
  
• 1 1/2 c. spinach (10)
• 1/4 c. blueberries (20)
  
• 1/2 banana (53)
  
• 5 frozen strawberries (20)
  
• 1 tbsp salba (32)
  
• ice

total calories > 185

bodybugg > eric sent me this link yesterday and i have to say i'm very intrigued... if it wasn't so expensive, i really think i'd buy one just so i could see how many calories are being burned during a workout... it also keeps track of how many calories your're taking in, which could be a huge help if you're the type of person who doesn't like tracking or using an online service... so my question is - would you use a tool like this? just curious...

exercise > i didn't go to the gym today (stupid work) and am thinking about finding another workout for my non-cardio days... i've thought about going thru my current workout routines and creating new ones, but i'm feeling bored for some reason... i was on prevention's site earlier and saw a few that looked pretty interesting - guess i need to sit down and start planning...

food > has been good so far... we grilled some chicken breasts on sunday so for dinner last night - i made enchiladas... i used the whole wheat mission brand tortillas and you couldn't even tell the difference between those and the regular white flour kind (eric agreed)... we also made brown rice and these great refried pinto beans from trader joe's - talk about yummy! i could just those by themselves! and the best part - leftovers tonight! :)

happy tuesday...

not quite THAT green

today i started another 30-day challenge, but it won't be as elaborate as the one last month... i'm trying to keep things simple since i don't want to feel overwhelmed or really bummed if i can't do something on my list (is that bad?)... i'm also going on vacation at the end of the month, so that will throw a wrench into things anyway... here's what i'm going to do:

• start each day with a green monster
• do at least 45-minutes cardio 5x week
• do at least 2 belly-off workouts a week
  
• do a better job at tracking my food
• lose 5 pounds

this morning was my first attempt (see pics below) at making a green monster - i bought nonfat, vanilla soymilk but am not sure how much i liked it... tomorrow i will try low-calorie orange juice and see if that makes a difference and if not, i'll go back to using skim milk... overall, i really liked it but can't say that it kept me fuller, longer - i was hungry around 10:00 and had my usual snack which was a piece of fruit... eric even participated and agreed that it was rather tasty... i'm excited about trying different fruit combos and using peanut butter since that and bananas is my top smoothie flavor... yummy! :)





i read an interesting article in women's health about why people fall-off the workout wagon... i can definitely say that i've been there, done that more than once and thought i'd share what they had to say... what are your thoughts/comment?

1. take charge of your fitness decisions
   find an exercise that you enjoy because if you force yourself to do something you hate (running, spinning, aerobics, etc.) you probably won't last very long... the more your invested in the exercise, the more you performance will improve and the more you'll want to keep going... and don't let someone else (family/spouse) talk you into doing something you don't want to do...
   
   
2. give yourself props for progress
   the longer you stay w/an exercise because you're comfortable, the longer it will take to see improvement... mixing things up (intensity and/or type) trains the muscles differently and results will show quicker... and keep a work out log so you have a record of how far you've come and what you've achieved...
   
   
3. make it social
   a study has found that working out in a congenial atmosphere helps people stay motivated, and provides a source of encouragement... sign-up for a kickboxing class, join a running group, or start walking with a neighbor - they'll provide support and you can push each other to reach certain goals... plus if you're having a bad day, exercising w/a friend might be just the thing you need!
   

well, i'm off to finish dinner - we're having chicken enchiladas with brown rice and refried pinto beans... i can't wait - me love mexican food... :)

happy monday...

more recipes

thanks to all that shared some of their green monster ideas yesterday... if you check-out angela's website - she has posted a ton of recipes from other bloggers... i also read about salba and ordered two bottles last night so i can use that in my smoothies (amazon had the best deal)... here are just a few of the healthy benefits it offers:

• nature's highest source of omega-3s and fiber
• controls food cravings
• supports digestive health & detoxification
  
• source of natural energy & stamina

i promised to post the results of my 1st 30-day challenge - here are the results:

1. 30-min cardio (min) daily - 29/30 days
   
2. do the "belly-off" program 3x/week - check!
3. take a class at the gym 1x/week - check! most weeks i took 2 spin classes
   
4. do better at tracking points (esp. sat/sun) - didn't track anything :(
   
5. cut-back on sugar - check!
6. lose 5 pounds - lost 3.8
   
7. not feel guilty about putting myself first - work-in-progress
   

starting weight: 164
ending weight: 161.2
loss: 3.8 pounds

starting measurement (total): 160.5"
ending measurement (total): 157.5"
loss: 3"

i believe my next 30-day challenge will involve a different smoothie, every morning - there are endless possibilities as far as ingredients go, so that should be an easy one... then again - i'm going on vacation at the end of the month, so that may pose a problem, but we'll see... i also may sign-up for a kick-boxing class - i just need to look at the gym calendar (as well as my own) and see if it will work... :)

happy hump day...