Wrap It Up

I think one of my favorite random little jobs that I do at work has to be wrapping gifts. I work for a religious non-for-profit organization and we give away a lot of gifts. No one else in the office likes to wrap so it usually winds up in my to-do pile. It brightens my day every time!

I switched yesterday's #elf4health challenge with today's challenge. I was supposed to try a new workout today and write a note to someone yesterday. Since today is my rest day I decided to switch them.

I feel like I do new workouts all the time but they do all seem very similar. Since I have just now started working out in a gym, I thought I would take advantage of some of the cardio equipment. I usually focus on strength training so even though an eliptical is far from 'something new', I still say it counts!

It was a great workout but I learned the hard way that 0.25 miles is not equal on every elliptical. My workout buddy was finishing her sprint half as fast as I was! I was a little embarrassed until the last round when we decided to switch. It was most definitely the fault of the elliptical!

So today I will be writing someone a lovely note and I will share it with you all tomorrow.

The Food

I grabbed an apple on my way out the door and threw some greek yogurt in my lunch bag to have for a mid morning snack. Apple for breakfast = hungry Amanda by 9am.

Lunch was a beautiful repeat of last night's Spinach and Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken! Yum.

Before I left I put some beef stew pieces and teriyaki sauce in the crock pot. I meant to call Nathan after 5 hours and have him turn it off but I forgot. So by the time I got home it was way over cooked. I threw in some fresh pineapple, stir fried some veggies and made a side of brown rice. We ate it, but the beef was very tough. I'm sure if we had turned it off in time it would have been wonderful! So now we know better for next time.

Still looks pretty good though don't it?

Your Turn!!

Do you enjoy wrapping presents? Have you messed up a meal lately?

The Right To Bare Arms

The Workout

I just have to say that the title of my newest arm circuit really cracked me up! You, me, and every woman who has ever worn a long sleeved T-shirt in July, needs to stand up and defend our right to bare arms!! Woo! Somebody grab me a picket sign!

Okay, so I may have gotten a bit carried away just now. But in all seriousness, if you want those tank top arms this summer, this is a good place to start this winter.

 

This was a great workout! I feel like a beast just reading it! Be sure you are using a challenging weight! This workout is all about strength. You may not loose your breath or get your heart rate up very high, but you will tear your muscles up! Which, as we all know forces them to rebuild themselves even stronger! And that is what we want.

The Dinner

Can I just take a moment to say, I am terrified of having to cook for Nathan, myself, and..... our kids! When that day comes, I don't even know how I will do it! I have heard the horror stories of how much Nathan and his brothers ate when they were young. And even now I can safely say we spend more on groceries than the average young married couple. All of this was just for the two of us....

 Okay, so it was for two meals. But still that's a lot of food!! But that will make another night this week an easy one. Just pop it in the microwave and viola, dinner for two.

Dinner last night was an old favorite: Chicken Terriyaki! We love it! We use this stuff to get that awesome terriyaki flavor quickly and easily.

 

I brought a big bowl of it to Nathan at the Library and ate a bowl on the couch while watching my newest addiction: Once Upon A Time. 

 

It is such a great show! I waited to watch it until it came out on Netflix and I have already made it through the first season.... now to wait for the second one.

This also somehow found it's way into my hands last night. I have no idea how that happened. Weird right?

Overall it was a wonderful, relaxing, night in. Hope yours was great too!

Lovely Legs Workout

The Workout

One of the benefits to working out at home is watching TV! Sure, some gyms have TV's on and some even have a TV right at the machine you are using! But watching TV at home is so much better! Especially if you are lucky enough to have NetFlix! Watch what you want, when you want, with no commercials! Although I am still a bit upset with them for taking off The Biggest Loser, there are still several TV series on there that I love!

Since I was flying solo last night, and working out at home, I watched a bit of TV to make the time go faster. Ever seen Til Death?

As a newly wed, I find this show hysterical!!

Plus it distracted me from the torture I was enduring thanks to my new leg workout!!

It was a fun one but I am glad I was alone. My Ski Jumps and Heismans are still a bit pathetic. But I'm getting there!!

The Dinner

Nathan's work provided him dinner last night so I was on my own for that too! (pity me!)

So I though this would be a good time to finish off the last of the pork steaks. There is no way that just one would feed both of us, so I jumped at the chance to use it while I could!

Mmmm..... Pork and apples. 

The Breakfast

As the weather gets colder I usually wake up wanting something warm in my belly. Today's oatmeal hit the spot. I added a scoop of peanut butter and a few chocolate chips.

I mixed it up and added some milk for a creamier consistency. Sticks to the ribs!


Do you watch TV during workouts? What is your favorite warm and comforting breakfast on a cold day?

Too Tough For Skinny Jeans

The Workout

Oh man! Tonight's workout was too good! I couldn't wait to share it with you all!!

If you follow me on twitter (@morerabbitfood) you saw my earlier tweet...

So with that as my inspiration, I wrote the workout "Too Tough For Skinny Jeans!!"

Oh yea!

Oh man it was great! Make sure you are using a challenging weight. It goes quickly so push yourself!!
I used 10 lbs in each hand for Alternating Lunges
10lbs total for squats
10lbs in each hand for Step Ups

I used a 7.5lb plate resting on my lower stomach for Bridges
Body weight for Elevated Leg Lifts
2.5lb plate resting on my foot for Inner Thigh Lifts (you could also use a heavy book!)

I used 20lbs for One Leg Dead Lifts
10lbs for Gorilla Squats (dropped them for the second round)
Body weight for One Leg Wall Sit (more than enough!)

It's only 20/30/60 seconds so be sure you are using the most weight that you can safely lift. The more you push yourself the faster you see results!!



Have a great night all!!!

Grocery Bingo and An Egg Experiment

The Workout

Well let me just say that I can't believe I haven't posted this yet. This weekend kicked off my "7 Days of Nathan's Birthday" celebrations so I was running around like a crazy person!! So it's a little late but it's still a great workout!

I named this workout 'Double Duty' because every move (except the cardio moves) works more than one muscle group. My workout buddy had been out of town for a week and unable to workout so I wanted to make sure she was getting a great total body workout while sticking with my schedule of a leg intensive workout. I think this was a great combination of the two!!

The Grocery Bingo

Nathan and I are on the student council for Cord, the married student community at his school. We had our annual Grocery Bingo event this weekend!! It was a blast!

Everyone got to fill out a blank BINGO card and if you won you got to pick out one grocery item.

What a great idea! Who couldn't use a few free groceries??

I had my eye on the watermelon but it was the very first thing to go!

Then I though, laundry soap! That stuff is expensive! And we are almost out!!

They were the very next two things to go!! Great minds... or something like that....

Three guys did all the shopping. So you know the majority of the items were on what I like to call, "The Sin Table."

Just walk away Amanda! It doesn't exist!! Hear no evil, see no evil, EAT no evil!!!


Hahah! In the end I won more than a few times, but all the good stuff was gone so I only picked up a bag of trail mix and passed on my other wins.

So fun!!

The Egg Experiment 

Last Friday, as I was rushing around getting ready for work, I noticed that my planned lunch had already been eaten. I wonder who could have done that?? Well, time to improvise! I had heard that you could make eggs in the microwave, and although that sounded pretty gross to me, I though it was worth a shot.

So I took a bowl and covered it with butter.

Then packed two eggs in a paper towel.

 

And threw all of my normal toppings in a ziplock bag.

Mmmm..... Crushed red pepper.....

So when I got to work, I pulled it all out of the fridge, cracked my eggs into the buttered bowl, covered with a paper towel and stuck it in the microwave.

Since I had never done this before, I checked it all the time. But I think it was about a minute to a minute and a half before they were done.

They were pretty good too! I like my yolk runny which they weren't but they weren't really dry like I thought they would be.

 

I added my cheese and a bit of salsa and I was a happy camper.

I of course prefer them made on the stove, but this is good to know for those times when I have nothing to take for lunch! Easy, fast, cheap, and healthy! All I ever want in a lunch!! 

What is your favorite on-the-go healthy meal? 

Also, I'm still gathering tips for a frugal fitness post! If you have an idea you would like to share I will link to your blog. Comment below or email!! 

A Ponytail Kinda day

The Workout

Yesterday's workout was great! It was a HIIT Leg Workout from blondeponytail.com. Just what I was looking for! I do normally write my own workouts, but ever so often I like to do something different and look to other blogs for inspiration. I was not disappointed!!

Source

I completed it with 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 5 rounds. I was toast by the fifth round but I maintained good form and completed as many reps as possible. It was a quick workout that I finished in about 20 minutes but I was sweating and my muscles were burning!! I highly recommend this workout and I have even put it back on my schedule for next Friday!!


I completed this workout at home while Nathan was gone. When he got home I was still rather worn out. But I had dinner ready to go and we sat down and ate together. When we were done he looked at me with all the seriousness in the world, gave me a hug and said, "I really, really love you. But I do not like your hair in a ponytail."

UHH!! What?!?! Excuse me?? Who just kicked her own tail trying to stay fit? Who just washed up and made you an amazing dinner?? Who is gunna clean the kitchen now that we're done?? Yea that's right! The girl in the ponytail!! Deal with it! He laughed and said it was okay to put it up to work out.... Well thanks for the permission...... ;)

I'm just saying if you look cute during or after a work out, you are not doing it right. I look like a mess! And I'm proud of it! It shows my hard work! Sweat like a pig, look like a fox!! =)

Oh well he is a guy.... he doesn't understand the hair schedule.....

This is my day-ish......

The Dinner

Last night I made my 'healthy' Buffalo Chicken. I put healthy in quotation marks because it really depends on what your definition of healthy is.

I pitch my tent in the camp that says butter is healthier than margarine. The camp that says cream is healthier than whole wheat. The camp that says that eggs (yes even the yolk) are healthier than grains.

My camp would love this recipe!!

2 Chicken Breasts
1 T Butter
Frank's Hot Sauce or Buffalo Sauce to taste
Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper


I cook the chicken breasts in water on med high heat until almost done, by then there is usually only a small amount of water in the pan. I melt the butter add the hot sauce, pepper, and crushed red pepper and continue cooking until the chicken is done.

The End!! So simple

I put a little bit of ranch on top and serve it on a bed of lettuce and cucumber. I had a side of steamed veggies and two hard boiled eggs. Yummy. This is probably my favorite way to eat chicken!! Plus I only ever eat half of one chicken breast so I have the other have for lunch the next day! Which is today! Well..... this day just got a whole lot better!!

The Breakfast

My hubby has to put up with a lot from me. First the ponytail, and then the blender at 7am..... Poor guy.

But I can't help it! I love smoothies! And today, at 64*, is the warmest day we are going to have for the rest of the year!! Starting tomorrow, it gets chilly and stays chilly. So I thought I would hang onto the cold morning smoothie as long as I could.

It looks a little strange in my green cup, but I promise it is my favorite: Peanut Butter Cup!! With a scoop of protein powder to keep me full till lunch!

Today is my rest day so I won't be working out. Although, since, as stated above, this is the last warm day for a while, I may go for a walk. Just for fun=)


Do you still run/walk/jog outside when it gets cold?

A Date And A Workout

The Date

Well since I won't be seeing Nathan for practically the entire weekend, we figured we should go ahead and have a date night.

We went to a local steakhouse and even though I had just done a great workout, I surprisingly was not hungry at all. When I said that I didn't want an appetizer, Nathan jumped at the rare opportunity to order the one appetizer I will NOT eat......

FRIED MUSHROOMS!!!

ugh... Gag me with a spork.....

"Hey guys! Lets pluck this fungus off of this tree, bread it and deep fry it!! It'll be great!!"

I feel like there should be some creepy Halloween music playing. They look like deep fried troll brains!!

That didn't stop my Nathan though. Yup, that's right. He ate the whole basket....... I'm strangely proud.

Anywho.....

My dinner was much more appetizing. I ordered the Anything and Everything Salad. With no tomatoes. So I guess it was an Anything and Almost Everything salad!!

Oh, Yum.

If heaven has salads, I bet this is on the list.

I only ate half and so I will be eating the other half tonight for dinner. Nathan is gone and I hate cooking for one. I had planned to try my hand at a pizza with a crust made from cauliflower, but maybe some other time.

The Workout

So tonight's workout should be pretty great. I have not done this one myself yet so I'm a little nervous about sharing it before I take it for a test drive. But I'm sure it will be fine. If I make any modifications to it I will be sure and update it. If you try it out be sure to let me know what you think!!

What is one thing that you refuse to eat? Does your spouse/significant other love it?

Superwoman's Leg Workout

The Workout

Yesterday's workout was a good one. It was a bit time consuming but it targeted all the major problem areas for my legs. I will be keeping this one for future rotation.

Superwoman's Leg Workout

Complete the two exercises in each superset back to back without rest. Each completion counts as one rep. For instance, One squat immediately followed by one Chair Step Up is one rep of Superset 1, which will be completed 20 times before moving on the the next superset. For Superset 3, 5 ballet kicks and 1 one leg squat count as one rep. And in superset 4 20 inner thigh lifts followed by 20 side leg lifts counts as one rep for one leg.

It can be a bit confusing, but once you start it should make more sense. And it is worth it! My sports tracker said I burned about 700 calories with this one!!

The Dinner

Last night after my workout I also went on a 2 mile walk. So by the time I got back home, Nathan had given up on me cooking dinner for him. He had eaten some leftovers instead of waiting. Any time I don't have to cook for two, I just don't cook. So since I had just worked out, I thought what better time for a protein and potassium smoothie??

Sadly we are out of peanut butter so this was simply a chocolate banana smoothie. But it still hit the spot and did it's job. The combination of protein and potassium attacked my torn muscles and this morning I already feel stronger with little to no soreness. Score!

In the blender went:

2 Bananas
Vanilla Greek yougurt
Milk
Cocoa
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

The Breakfast

This morning I wanted some bananas and peanut butter so bad! But alas, we had none. So I went with some peaches and vanilla Greek yogurt. Still super yummy!

Today is a rest day. So I plan to eat lots of protein, relax and maybe even get in a nap! (doubtful) Incorporating two rest days a week instead of just one has really improved the quality of my workouts. I have more energy and my muscles are repairing themselves more fully.


What are your plans for today?

11 to 7

Tonight's workout seemed to last forever! It was a challenging circuit workout that kept my heart pumping and my muscles working.

I started out doing each strength training move for 11 reps, and each cardio move for 30 seconds. The second round was only 10 reps, but still 30 second intervals for the cardio moves. Each round was one less rep until I made it through a round with only 7 reps per strength training move, and still 30 seconds for cardio moves.

 Well that's all for tonight! Ta!!

10X10X5 Workout

Hello all!!

Well these past three days have been way too crazy! Ever wonder what 2000+ lbs of mail looks like? Ever wonder how tired you would feel after stuffing, sorting, bundling, bagging and moving said mail?

I don't.

Not anymore!

Whew!! It was an additional 8 hour workout for three days. But I still got in my regular workouts when I got home and let me tell you, they were killer!!


 Tuesday I focused on arms. I wrote a new HIIT arm workout. By the time I was done I literally could not hold myself up in the push up position (even on my knees!!). So I would say I successfully KILLED IT!! Woo Hoo!!

Wednesday I took a day off. But really it wasn't a day off... like I said, 2000+ lbs of mail for 8 hours in heals..... *sigh*


Yesterday's workout was so great! I thought after the first round that I would only make it three rounds tops! But what do ya know, I made it all five (my original goal).

Five rounds for time. 



Whew... was I tired! After I got done I ran around like crazy to get ready to go to Nathan's School. They were having FREE Pizza and Movie night!! Let me tell you a well kept secret, pizza is not healthy, but free pizza is. That's just the way it is.

And the movie was The Princess Bride!! One of my all time favorites! I even mentioned it in a post recently....



Breakfast this morning was half of a bowl of watermelon. Sadly, I was enjoying a very full bowl when I looked up and realized it was indeed time to leave. That second half is patiently waiting for me to return and partake. 


What is your all time favorite movie? I have a few but The Princess Bride definitely makes the top five cut. The Avengers is up there too.....

Two Ingredient Pancakes

Breakfast

So several of the blogs that I have been reading have mentioned the two ingredient pancake. I have been trying to mostly cut out flour from my diet so I was very excited to try it.

So, one banana...two eggs...

Mash up the banana, mix in the eggs, and pour into a preheated pan with a little olive oil.

It looked unsuccessful initially, but it came together very well.

Add some peaches and a dollop of vanilla greek yogurt and I was very impressed!

It did have just a bit of a banana taste, but the flavor of the peaches totally overpowered it. This is not something that I would serve to my family (my husband would not go for them) but I will be adding this to my breakfast for one rotation.

The Workout

Today I did a simple circuit workout that kept me moving and sweating.

R.O.U.S.'s or Something Like That

Last nights leg workout was CRAZY!!

I am loving supersets lately. But then Nathan got to looking at my workouts and wasn't impressed that I still had a set number of reps to hit and then I could stop. He is a big believer in RUFs, Repeat Until Failure or Reps Until Failure (it still always makes me thing of R.O.U.S's from The Princess Bride. But, I don't think they exist ;) )

Any who..... I decided to mix them with my supersets for an amazing leg workout. Trust me, I am feeling it today!!

So here is the idea, there are a certain number of reps for each exercise, but not for each superset. Repeat the superset until you cannot do anymore. If this is taking more than three rounds, make it more challenging. For instance, if you are doing squats, add weight, or do jump squats. It is generally pretty easy to make an exercise more challenging. Be creative, but be safe.

So here is what I did last night.

Wooo!! Follow that up with a two mile walk and I was done-zo.....

Yesterday was the perfect weather for a walk. It was hot enough to make me sweat but cool enough that I could actually get oxygen into my lungs, which is always a plus!!

After I cooled down and showered, I made me some eggs with cheese. I desperately need to drag my but to the store. It's good to get protein in after such an intense workout, but I would have loved a salad to go with it. Or at least a side of veggies.... Oh well, it's on the list for today.

Super Abs Super Sets!!

Okay, so yesterday's workout was a pretty good one!!

Ab day is always strange for me. I want to feel like I get a really good workout, but it is so much different with my abs than any other muscle group.

For most of my workouts I continue my reps until failure, until I literally cannot do another one. My core is not very strong so I fell like I get to this point very quickly. But I also have a quick recovery time with my abs and so just a little while later I feel like I could do so much more. So here is my solution.

Four Superset Circuits, Repeat each individually until failure (except #2 and #4 - repeat twice before moving on), do cardio for the day, then come back and do it again.

I actually feel sore in my abs today! I workout my abs twice a week. I work until I can't do anymore but I have never felt sore before. This is definitely a keeper!!

Abs workout

I originally got this workout from a site called bodyrock.tv. I used to do their workouts all the time. They were so challenging and didn't take up much time. I loved the variety and they were designed to be done at home with little or no equipment.


But for the last few months, everything has been different. They are using all kinds of equipment and I can no longer do their routines. They are starting to delete the old ones and this is one I really want to keep. So I want to give credit but I am not even sure this is on their site anymore.

I have changed it a bit to what works for my current skill level. Always challenge yourself but it is important to have good form. Don't sacrifice the quality for the quantity.

Circuit One 3 minutes: Set interval timer for 9 rounds of 10/10 seconds.

Kick ups
Mountain Climbers

10 Seconds of each with no break. 3 minutes. You can do it!

Circuit Two 6 minutes: Set interval timer for 9 rounds of 10/30 seconds. 

Bicycle Crunches
Prisoner Get Ups

Work for 30 Seconds, rest for 10. MAX REPS!

Circuit Three 3 minutes: Set interval timer for 9 rounds of 10/10 seconds.

Russian Twists
Knee Hugs

Work these two exercises back to back for 3 minutes with no rest.


A twelve minute workout will do no good if you take rests. If you need to, rest in between circuits. But just long enough to reset your timer, get a drink and breath. It will be an intense 12 minutes but it is a lot of results in a short time. And it's worth it!


Explanation of each exercise:

Kick ups:
Get in the 'crab walk' position. Support your weight on your hands and make sure they stay directly under your shoulders. Kick one leg straight up in the air. Keep abs tight. Jump and kick the other leg in the air, landing on the leg that was originally in the air. For beginners, bring leg down to the floor before kicking up your other leg.

Mountain Climbers:
Place both hands on the ground in front of you a little wider than shoulder width apart. Placing your weight on your hands, 'climb' the floor by jumping, while alternating one foot under your chest and one foot behind you. (It is not as complicated as it sounds.)

Bicycle Crunches:
Laying on your back with your feet up, knees at a 90* angle, and your hands behind your head, bring your right elbow to your left knee while extending your right leg slightly. The motion of your legs should look like you are pedaling a bike.   

Prisoner Get ups:
Lay flat on the floor with your hands behind your head. Stand up without the assistance of your hands (keeping them behind your head). Return to the floor without the assistance of your hands.

Russian Twists:
Sitting o the floor with your knees slightly bent out in front of you, lean back putting all of your weight on your rear. Extend your arms straight out, with or without weights, and rotate your torso and arms from right to left, engaging your core the entire time.

Knee Hugs:
Sitting on the floor with your knees slightly bent out in front of you, lean back putting all of your weight on your rear, holding your legs in the air with your arms extended to each side. Bring your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around them. Return to position with arms extended and legs elevated. Try to do as many as you can without letting your legs or hands support any weight.



Let me know if you have any questions!! I will post a video/pics explaining anything further.

Crazy Legs

Okay so I did this workout last weekend and all I can say is ouch.....

It was rough.

I did 15 reps of each exercise (15 on each side when applicable) and did each pair of exercises twice before moving on.



I think next time I will do 15 reps of each exercise and then do the whole workout for two rounds.


So anyway, if you don't want to be able to walk for a few days, give this a try

Be sure to warm up with active stretches (anything that gets blood pumping and your muscles warm).
Then do stationary stretching to cool down.