Sunday, January 9, 2011

Are You There Blender? It's Me ...

One of my new year's resolutions is to overall treat my body better. Workout consistently. Eat better. Get More Sleep. All together have more energy!

I've noticed over the past few months I've been kind of...blegh. For lack of a better sound. I've had this problem before: low energy, constant sniffles, sleeping for hours thenwaking up tired. What it all comes down to is that I'm not taking care of myself.

Though there are many contributing factors, I've realized the one I can control right now is my diet. Like most Americans--I don't eat enough vegetables and fruits. I don't particularly like eating raw vegetables. Actually I do but it aggravates my TMJ-stricken jaw. And I have never been creative about cooking them in interesting, flavorful way.

So while I'm figuring that cooking part, I've decided to dust off my favorite kitchen device.

The Blender.

If I wasn't a poor recent graduate I'd have a juicer but the blender will have to do. One handful of spinach, mango, mixed berries and beets at a time, I plan to drink to my health.

So far so good. I just finished a mixed greens and mango smoothie.

The question for you dear readers is:

Well-seasoned adults and Gen Y'ers alike, how do you meet your vegetable & fruit quota each day? Any recipes you want to share?

Friday, January 7, 2011

Weekend Read 1.6.2011

The first weekend read of 2011 focuses on the future...

1. What Does Temp Hiring Say about the Drop In Unemployment? [Time]
2. Where To Get Income These Days [FreeMoneyFinance]
3. College Isn't About The Boys: Why Women's Colleges Still Matter [USA Today College]
4. Best Money Tips: Part-time Jobs With Benefits [Wisebread]
5. Ponytail Height and Intelligence: What Our Hair Says About Us [HerCampus]
6. Lady Tears are Total Boner-Killers [Jezebel]


Number Three is a blog all its own. I went to an all-girl's high school and this article is spot on. Number Six just got lots of talk with my friends on Twitter.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Bringgg! 5am Wake Up Call

Bring Bring! That is my alarm this morning telling me to get up at 5am and get my butt out of bed. Out the door and having a near encounter with a homeless man in my carport, I drove to the gym.

No one was there! Me and the front desk person for the first 30 minutes. More people arrived around 6 but I loved being in a near empty gym. No lines for equipment and plenty of space for my new work out.

I did 20 minutes on the elliptical at a moderate pace before jumping into circuits. I had to re order it a bit for convenience sake but basically it was

Circuit 1 (15 reps of each, complete 2 times)

Bicep Curls with 8 lbs hand weights
Lunges with 8 lbs hand weights
Squats with Shoulder Press with 8 lbs handweights

Kettlebell Swings with a 15 lbs bell
Front Raise with Body Bar (9 lbs)
Upright Row with Body Bar (15 lbs)

Cardio
5 minutes on the StairMaster

Circuit 2 (15 reps, 2 sets)
Resistance band walks (shuffling side to side with resistance band around ankles)
Pectoral Flys (5 lbs weights, hold bridge on stability ball)
Chest Press (5 lbs weights, hold bridge on stability ball)
Tricep Overhead Press (5 lbs weights)

Planks (two times for 45 seconds)
Crunches
Bicycles
Leg Raises
Single Leg Stretch

Stretching.

The END!

The hardest part of this workout was definitely the triceps. I have to really focus maintain good form and not let my shoulders do the work. I also didn't get to do the resistance band walks because I couldn't find it! Put equipment back where it belongs people.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. I am reevaluating my finances this week etc.



Wednesday, January 5, 2011

New Year, Fresh Start

I'm back! After a 10 day vacation, I'm back at the desk and ready to rumble in sunny (but cold) LA. I have yet to write up my New Year's resolutions post but most are pretty typical. How have I been doing thus far?

I have somehow managed to fight off jetlag thus far and return to the USA with energy. As a result, my first goal to get up early to work out has started off on the right foot.

I set my alarm for 6:30 but woke up naturally around 5:55am for a run. But I had to wait to go because it was still dark out. What?

In my spare 30 minutes I sorted through the two months of bills laying on top of my filing box. Yes I paid all of them on time, they just needed to be filed. All done in 20 minutes! Then I headed out for my run. It was little cold and I started too fast but I made it through 2 miles.

My other goal is to pack more lunches again--I prepped a salad with beets, corn and chicken the night before so I just grabbed that and was ready to go. Unfortunately, I still snuck over to the cafeteria for 99 cent curly fries. BAD me!

Halfway through the day and I'm doing okay! Tomorrow I'm hoping to make it to the gym at 5:30am and hoping to hear good news from my landlord (might be adopting a dog, still number crunching).

Nothing Better Than A Home Cooked Meal

My roomie made Turkey Bolognese after I went to sleep Tuesday night (jetlag is sneaking up). I opened the fridge and there was a ton left over so emailed her to ask if I could have some for dinner.




Roomie should win an award. It was the best day to end a Wednesday