Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year!
Our evening didn't quite go according to plan. Oh well, it's a new year! I hope that 2011 brings you all health, happiness, and your wishes come true. And now that the fireworks have stopped, I'm off to bed!
Starting the New Year off right!
The other day I went to Lululemon(an athletic clothing store) and was browsing the sale rack. They had some cute pants but of course only a 6 and a 10(I wear an 8). So I took both to the dressing room because it was a great deal and I figured one or the other may fit. The 10, which used to be my "fat day" size was waaay too big. *shrug* I figured there's no way I went down enough for a 6 but let's try anyway. I tried and they're PERFECT! Well, minus how long the legs are but that's because I'm vertically challenged. Good thing they offer free hemming! I can't wait to pick them up this weekend! :D
The spare room has been cleaned out, cleaned and set up for guests. I'm on a mission today for new pillow cases. I don't know what I was thinking getting a white bed set. Ick. The house is clean, well, almost. I still have to vacuum and dust. But otherwise ready for guests.
I have LIGHT buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot. I used the same recipe, sort of....I doubled the original recipe and used frozen breasts since I have plenty of time for it to cook.
* 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup fat free sour cream(I swapped this for Greek Yogurt)
* 1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like)
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese(took this out, icky!)
* 1 tsp white wine vinegar
* 2 cups (2 breasts) cooked shredded chicken
Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Add the chicken and put this in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. Serve warm. Makes 5 1/2 cups.
I plan on getting some celery and pita chips to serve with the dip tonight. You'd never know it's actually pretty healthy for you! ;)
I'm going to try and make my own ranch dressing this weekend. I will post after I make it and see how it turns out! Now I just need to run to the store to get the stuff for it, go for a run, and meet up with the girls for pedicures.
So all in all; down a pant size, clean house, good healthy food prepared, going for a run and some girl time all before ringing in the New Year. Yep, I think 2011 is going to be a good one! Happy New Year y'all!
The spare room has been cleaned out, cleaned and set up for guests. I'm on a mission today for new pillow cases. I don't know what I was thinking getting a white bed set. Ick. The house is clean, well, almost. I still have to vacuum and dust. But otherwise ready for guests.
I have LIGHT buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot. I used the same recipe, sort of....I doubled the original recipe and used frozen breasts since I have plenty of time for it to cook.
* 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup fat free sour cream(I swapped this for Greek Yogurt)
* 1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like)
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese(took this out, icky!)
* 1 tsp white wine vinegar
* 2 cups (2 breasts) cooked shredded chicken
Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Add the chicken and put this in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. Serve warm. Makes 5 1/2 cups.
I plan on getting some celery and pita chips to serve with the dip tonight. You'd never know it's actually pretty healthy for you! ;)
I'm going to try and make my own ranch dressing this weekend. I will post after I make it and see how it turns out! Now I just need to run to the store to get the stuff for it, go for a run, and meet up with the girls for pedicures.
So all in all; down a pant size, clean house, good healthy food prepared, going for a run and some girl time all before ringing in the New Year. Yep, I think 2011 is going to be a good one! Happy New Year y'all!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Have you set your New Year's Resolutions?
Is one of them to get in shape or go to the gym? If so, let's talk about some things.
Those of us who are regular gym goers throughout the year are dreading January because of the HUGE influx of new people. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for people getting healthier and wanting to be more active. But the honest to God truth is that 3/4 of them will drop by the end of February and then another 1/8 or so will drop by the summer. Very few will actually stick to it. So, if you're one of those people who wants to lose 10 lbs, get in better shape, hit the gym X times a week please heed some advice.
*The biggest tip I can give is to go to the gym with a plan. Cut a workout out of a magazine, pick up New Rules of Lifting and start reading now! When you walk around aimlessly or sit on a machine while trying to figure out what to do, you cause traffic and back ups and regulars get irritated. If you're really lost, spend the money and do a few sessions with a personal trainer. Heck most gyms offer a free first time session with one. Got your plan in place? Good, moving on....
*If you're going to try classes, show up early. Most of the people in those classes have been to them for months and know the instructors fairly well. Get in early, chat up the instructor or even a few of the people in your class and ask questions before hand. Don't show up late and cause distractions.
*When using the weight lifting equipment, get on, do your sets, and get off. If you don't know how to use the machine, watch someone else, read the directions quickly, or note what it was so you can research it later and maybe use it the next day. When you sit on a machine you're impeding someone else from doing their sets.
*Work people in. If you're a regular gym goer then you know that most lifting programs will have you rest 60 seconds or so in between sets. A lot of people will let you "work in" Example: I'm using the squat rack but I just finished a set and am doing my rest period. If someone walks up and wants to use the rack they say "Are you done" I say No. They say "Oh, can I work in then?" I say "Sure, I'm on my rest set now so get ahead and get a set in." They throw their weights on, do ONE set, then we switch so they rest and I do a set. Make sense? This also is a good way to meet people since you obviously have a common interest. ;)
*Come to the gym in proper attire. My gym is pretty picky about people with street shoes and such. But if you hop on a treadmill in jeans and boots, please believe someone will say something. You don't have to go out and buy a new wardrobe, but wear at least some workout pants/shorts and a t-shirt. This leads me to another point...
*Ladies, please do not come looking cute and for a date. If you're using the weights just so you can look at yourself in the mirror and check out guys around you, you are dead wrong.
*Guys, similar. Please do not hit on me while I'm lifting weights or running. I know I wear gloves most of the time and if I don't, I don't have my wedding ring on. But honestly even if I wasn't married, being hit on while I'm sweating like a pig and concentrating on what I'm doing is disgusting and aggravating. My headphones are in for a reason.
*Don't blare your music. If you have headphones in and I can hear your music when I walk by, it's too loud. You're going to go deaf.
*I'm going to say it again, if you don't know, ASK. No one will laugh at you, well, ok we may chuckle but we will help. We only chuckle b/c we've been there too. I'd much rather someone ask me about how to do an exercise then watch them do it with terrible form and possibly hurting themselves.
*Wipe off your machine when you're done! I HATE sitting on a sweaty bench b/c the jerk before me didn't have the common decency to wipe it off. Gross.
Lastly, when in the locker room, no one cares if you walk around naked. But for the love of all things holy, put something, ANYTHING on your feet. Socks, flip flops, slippers, paper freaking towels, I don't care. Just something, especially in the shower.
Fellow H&F people if I missed something please feel free to add it! Happy New Year!
Those of us who are regular gym goers throughout the year are dreading January because of the HUGE influx of new people. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for people getting healthier and wanting to be more active. But the honest to God truth is that 3/4 of them will drop by the end of February and then another 1/8 or so will drop by the summer. Very few will actually stick to it. So, if you're one of those people who wants to lose 10 lbs, get in better shape, hit the gym X times a week please heed some advice.
*The biggest tip I can give is to go to the gym with a plan. Cut a workout out of a magazine, pick up New Rules of Lifting and start reading now! When you walk around aimlessly or sit on a machine while trying to figure out what to do, you cause traffic and back ups and regulars get irritated. If you're really lost, spend the money and do a few sessions with a personal trainer. Heck most gyms offer a free first time session with one. Got your plan in place? Good, moving on....
*If you're going to try classes, show up early. Most of the people in those classes have been to them for months and know the instructors fairly well. Get in early, chat up the instructor or even a few of the people in your class and ask questions before hand. Don't show up late and cause distractions.
*When using the weight lifting equipment, get on, do your sets, and get off. If you don't know how to use the machine, watch someone else, read the directions quickly, or note what it was so you can research it later and maybe use it the next day. When you sit on a machine you're impeding someone else from doing their sets.
*Work people in. If you're a regular gym goer then you know that most lifting programs will have you rest 60 seconds or so in between sets. A lot of people will let you "work in" Example: I'm using the squat rack but I just finished a set and am doing my rest period. If someone walks up and wants to use the rack they say "Are you done" I say No. They say "Oh, can I work in then?" I say "Sure, I'm on my rest set now so get ahead and get a set in." They throw their weights on, do ONE set, then we switch so they rest and I do a set. Make sense? This also is a good way to meet people since you obviously have a common interest. ;)
*Come to the gym in proper attire. My gym is pretty picky about people with street shoes and such. But if you hop on a treadmill in jeans and boots, please believe someone will say something. You don't have to go out and buy a new wardrobe, but wear at least some workout pants/shorts and a t-shirt. This leads me to another point...
*Ladies, please do not come looking cute and for a date. If you're using the weights just so you can look at yourself in the mirror and check out guys around you, you are dead wrong.
*Guys, similar. Please do not hit on me while I'm lifting weights or running. I know I wear gloves most of the time and if I don't, I don't have my wedding ring on. But honestly even if I wasn't married, being hit on while I'm sweating like a pig and concentrating on what I'm doing is disgusting and aggravating. My headphones are in for a reason.
*Don't blare your music. If you have headphones in and I can hear your music when I walk by, it's too loud. You're going to go deaf.
*I'm going to say it again, if you don't know, ASK. No one will laugh at you, well, ok we may chuckle but we will help. We only chuckle b/c we've been there too. I'd much rather someone ask me about how to do an exercise then watch them do it with terrible form and possibly hurting themselves.
*Wipe off your machine when you're done! I HATE sitting on a sweaty bench b/c the jerk before me didn't have the common decency to wipe it off. Gross.
Lastly, when in the locker room, no one cares if you walk around naked. But for the love of all things holy, put something, ANYTHING on your feet. Socks, flip flops, slippers, paper freaking towels, I don't care. Just something, especially in the shower.
Fellow H&F people if I missed something please feel free to add it! Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Why?
Days like today make me scratch my head and ask why. I ask God "Why?" I ask friends, family and mentors "Why?" Some things just don't make any sense to me.
To make a long story short, a dear sweet friend of mine is in a nasty custody battle over her 5 year old son. When she enlisted in the Army, she had to sign over her parental rights because she was a single mother. She thought they had agreed that when she returned from training, she'd regain custody and they would go back to the previously arranged visitation schedule. NOT. He instead got an order of protection against her so she could not see her son and went to court for full custody. And WON! He says that she abandoned her child when in reality she did something to better her life for her family because she previously was making just over minimum wage at Menards. She now works full time for the Army National Guard, makes good money, has healthcare for herself and her children and a stable home. So why is it that the mediator who met with both parents wrote in her review that her son is better suited with his father? This man hasn't held a job since 2007, he lives of welfare, has prior criminal history with drug charges and yet she thinks it's a better idea he stays with him? Are you kidding me?
His lawyer is one of those scumbags you see on TV "know your rights as a father. We'll win, guaranteed." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a father hater, sometimes it's true the child is best off with their father. But this is just not the case. For a while he wasn't even paying his attorneys and they dropped him for a few months.
I've been with her when she picks him up or drops him off(yeah, she does it b/c he can't drive) and I see the pain she and her son go through. Every time he clings to her arm saying "Mommy I don't want to go back to daddy's" or comes sprinting up to her car b/c he is so excited; it tears me apart. I'm not a mother, I can't imagine the pain she's going through but just seeing the situation from the outside makes me want to walk into the courtroom and shake the mediator really hard. And tell the judge that if he rules in favor of that boys deadbeat dad that he's setting that sweet precious little guy up for failure.
I realize there are 3 sides to every story and I mostly see one. And I could be completely wrong, but I don't think I am. A 5 year old child is not good at hiding emotions and you can often read them like a book. So as I sat there and discussed this with my friend tonight I realized this is exactly what he wants! He WANTS her to be upset so that she isn't thinking straight and is thrown off. So after calming down for a few minutes we had a calm logical discussion. Sometimes logic can be my downfall because some people think I'm just cold hearted but really I know that logic wins out in cases like this. After a long talk and coming up with some new tactics I think she feels a bit better prepared and now has some things to bring up to her attorney next week.
I just hate that I have to watch her go through this. But like I told her "Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end."
To make a long story short, a dear sweet friend of mine is in a nasty custody battle over her 5 year old son. When she enlisted in the Army, she had to sign over her parental rights because she was a single mother. She thought they had agreed that when she returned from training, she'd regain custody and they would go back to the previously arranged visitation schedule. NOT. He instead got an order of protection against her so she could not see her son and went to court for full custody. And WON! He says that she abandoned her child when in reality she did something to better her life for her family because she previously was making just over minimum wage at Menards. She now works full time for the Army National Guard, makes good money, has healthcare for herself and her children and a stable home. So why is it that the mediator who met with both parents wrote in her review that her son is better suited with his father? This man hasn't held a job since 2007, he lives of welfare, has prior criminal history with drug charges and yet she thinks it's a better idea he stays with him? Are you kidding me?
His lawyer is one of those scumbags you see on TV "know your rights as a father. We'll win, guaranteed." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a father hater, sometimes it's true the child is best off with their father. But this is just not the case. For a while he wasn't even paying his attorneys and they dropped him for a few months.
I've been with her when she picks him up or drops him off(yeah, she does it b/c he can't drive) and I see the pain she and her son go through. Every time he clings to her arm saying "Mommy I don't want to go back to daddy's" or comes sprinting up to her car b/c he is so excited; it tears me apart. I'm not a mother, I can't imagine the pain she's going through but just seeing the situation from the outside makes me want to walk into the courtroom and shake the mediator really hard. And tell the judge that if he rules in favor of that boys deadbeat dad that he's setting that sweet precious little guy up for failure.
I realize there are 3 sides to every story and I mostly see one. And I could be completely wrong, but I don't think I am. A 5 year old child is not good at hiding emotions and you can often read them like a book. So as I sat there and discussed this with my friend tonight I realized this is exactly what he wants! He WANTS her to be upset so that she isn't thinking straight and is thrown off. So after calming down for a few minutes we had a calm logical discussion. Sometimes logic can be my downfall because some people think I'm just cold hearted but really I know that logic wins out in cases like this. After a long talk and coming up with some new tactics I think she feels a bit better prepared and now has some things to bring up to her attorney next week.
I just hate that I have to watch her go through this. But like I told her "Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end."
5:00 is early!
But I made it out of bed and into pilates! I did not get to swim, I forgot how long the class is and had to get ready and head straight to work. I'm debating a run or swim later. The office is pretty slow since most of the guys are on vacation. I feel a headache coming on so I may just go home and take a nap then see how I feel. I did however, find some recipes for snacks at our NYE party. We're not big on crowds and since we're going to Colorado next weekend we didn't want to do anything crazy for NYE. So we're going to a Japenese steak house for dinner then back to our house for some food and fun. I'm going to make home made ranch dressing for dipping veggies and low fat buffalo chicken dip with pita crackers. Yummy and good for you! I might find a low fat dessert to make but haven't decided yet. I'll post recipes after I actually make them and see how they turn out! :)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Whew!
So I want to post each day about what my scheduled training was and what actually happens(ha!) So here we go, I'm a day late already!
Yesterday was supposed to be strength and stretch. I stretched at home, it was a long day at work then I had my nephew's birthday party so I just didn't quite make it to the gym. I did at least stretch though.
Today was a 3 mile run. I met up with a girlfriend at the gym and did 2 miles of hills on the TM. I figure the hills kind of make up for the lack of a mile. PLUS we went shopping afterward and I walked another hour or so. I'm beat!
Tomorrow is two mile run or cross. So I will probably(this is the plan) do pilates in in the morning with a friend then swim after. If neither happen, then I will run 2 mi in the afternoon.
So I just got home, it's almost 9 pm, and I'm just about to eat dinner. Work was a little hectic today and we worked through lunch and finally ate around 3 pm. So I wasn't hungry but now after all my fun this evening, I'm starving. I put some cayenne pepper on two boneless skinless chicken breasts and put some quinoa in my rice cooker. Easy peasy. Throw some soy sauce(low sodium, organic and gluten free) on the quinoa and you've got a tasty meal. The second chicken breast I will probably save for dinner tomorrow since the hubbs is out of town until this weekend. But in the process of waiting for my dinner to be done I've also got my breakfast and snacks packed for tomorrow and the coffee pot set and ready to go. Oh wait....the coffee pot is set for 7, if I go to the gym at 5:30...hmm.... Well now I'm off to figure out what to do about the coffee! Gnight!
Yesterday was supposed to be strength and stretch. I stretched at home, it was a long day at work then I had my nephew's birthday party so I just didn't quite make it to the gym. I did at least stretch though.
Today was a 3 mile run. I met up with a girlfriend at the gym and did 2 miles of hills on the TM. I figure the hills kind of make up for the lack of a mile. PLUS we went shopping afterward and I walked another hour or so. I'm beat!
Tomorrow is two mile run or cross. So I will probably(this is the plan) do pilates in in the morning with a friend then swim after. If neither happen, then I will run 2 mi in the afternoon.
So I just got home, it's almost 9 pm, and I'm just about to eat dinner. Work was a little hectic today and we worked through lunch and finally ate around 3 pm. So I wasn't hungry but now after all my fun this evening, I'm starving. I put some cayenne pepper on two boneless skinless chicken breasts and put some quinoa in my rice cooker. Easy peasy. Throw some soy sauce(low sodium, organic and gluten free) on the quinoa and you've got a tasty meal. The second chicken breast I will probably save for dinner tomorrow since the hubbs is out of town until this weekend. But in the process of waiting for my dinner to be done I've also got my breakfast and snacks packed for tomorrow and the coffee pot set and ready to go. Oh wait....the coffee pot is set for 7, if I go to the gym at 5:30...hmm.... Well now I'm off to figure out what to do about the coffee! Gnight!
Monday, December 27, 2010
PSA: Shopping deals!
Nike stuff here
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/44215/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter
And these I got at Target....
I'm not too familiar with the Champion DuoDry line but it appears(to me anyway) that they've revamped their stuff a bit. They added reflective stripes and the only other difference I saw was the tags. They added step by step tags telling you which layer it is. The old stuff is on sale.
Wicking jacket w/thumbholes for top or middle layer - $20
Base layer wicking tees - $10
Light fleece for top layer -$10
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/44215/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter
And these I got at Target....
I'm not too familiar with the Champion DuoDry line but it appears(to me anyway) that they've revamped their stuff a bit. They added reflective stripes and the only other difference I saw was the tags. They added step by step tags telling you which layer it is. The old stuff is on sale.
Wicking jacket w/thumbholes for top or middle layer - $20
Base layer wicking tees - $10
Light fleece for top layer -$10
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