Work It Out!

Lots of my fellow bloggies have been talking about circuit workouts and short, high intensity workouts.  These intense workouts are usually full body workouts that immediately raise your heart rate and keep it elevated during the entire workout.  Basically you are sweating and breathing very hard and utilizing most muscle groups throughout the workout.

I decided to do a circuit workout today.  While, I typically do a decent amount of cardio followed by weights, I really wanted to integrate more of a circuit into my workout.  My goal was to get my heart rate up during short cardio sessions, follow that by full body strength, and repeat.
 So this is what I did:
5 min warm-up bike- Resistance 5, 70ish rpm
     5 min hard bike- Resistance 8, 85-105ish rpm
     Burpee with 5 pushups, Burpee with 4 pushups, Burpee with 3 pushups
     Repeat hard bike and burpees
            5 min elliptical- Incline 7, Resistance 6, 175 strides per minute
            3 sets of 8 pullups and dips each
            5 min elliptical- Incline 15, Resistance 8, 160 strides per minute
            King's chair abs- 3 sets of 8
                        Hamstrings pulls- 3 sets of 8
                        5 pushups
                        1 dolphin plank
                                        Stretch
This workout really got my heart rate and breathing rate up, way more than what I typically get out of a run or elliptical session!! Its great to break a sweat, push yourself, and try something new.  A few hours later and I can already feel it!  Now that is getting something out of your workout!

Following my crazy workout, I needed fuel.  I had baked sweet potato with peanut butter, sauteed spinach and onions, and baked tofu marinated in soy sauce and vinegar.  It was my first time cooking with tofu.  I am still researching the health benefits and possible problems with soy.  There is so much controversy!  More on this to come!

Turning Over a New Leaf

It is officially fall.  I welcome the beautiful trees, all things pumpkin, apple picking, and wineries!  I like the change of seasons as it feels fresh, new, and full of opportunities.  So, with this new season, I have decided to try something new....amping up my blog and actually blogging.
I have read healthy living blogs nearly everyday for the past two years!!  I get awesome recipe ideas, exercise motivation, healthy living inspiration, and many smiles!  I always have wanted to write my own blog, but did not think my recipes, work outs, etc., were interesting enough to blog about.  But, I realized everyone has something to offer, and I would like to be active in the community and tell my own story.  I believe everyone has a unique perspective and we can all learn from others.  Furthermore, I feel there is a great connection and source of support among bloggers.  I would like to be a part of this wonderful energy! So, here it goes...(by the way all the posts prior to this were more reflective journal pieces about personal life events and deep lessons learned).  I always have enjoyed WIAW posts from others, so I am doing a WAIT post to start out my daily posts of food, exercise, and fun!

Eats:
Breakfast: Sprouted Toast with peanut butter and grapes.  I cut the grapes in half and put them on the toast.  Tasted like grape jelly, without the added sugars! No pic...
Lunch:

Lunch: Oats with almond milk, banana, raw protien, cinnamon, and chia seeds.  Sprinkled with granola, walnuts, and dried goji berries, mulberries, and goldenberries.  Yum!

Snack: Sweet Potato and almond butter and coconut. No pic...

Dinner:  Fall Inspired!  It is the first day of fall after all, time to break open the fall squashes!  Inspired by NamasteGurl.

Dinner: Acorn squash topped with stir fried beans, tofu crumbles, broccoli, kale, carrots, apples, and pumpkin seedsl  So good, used coconut oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and maple syrup.  

Exercise:  One thing I have noticed from reading many blogs, is that lots of people like to run!  I have always been scared of running and felt like I was not a natural born runner.  Plus, the little bit of jogging I do occasionally bothers my knee.  I occasionally will sprint up a hill while walking outside or jog for about 5 minutes during my fast paced walks, but it always feels awkward and I never really push myself to run more.  There have been a few times I ran a bit longer, but I never really kept it up.  I have been an eliptical, bike, swimming, and fast walking kinda cardio exerciser.  Well, all the reading about people running races and training for races inspired me to give running a shot.  (See, blogs really are inspiring).  I figure if all these people can ran, then so can I!  Prior to jumping on the treadmill to run for real, I read up on proper running form.  I figured I may have been doing it incorrectly and that is why it felt awkward.  I learned to run with your feet right under you, landing more on the balls of the feet rather than the heel.  Run two inches shorter than your walking height, do this by bending at the knee and ankle.  Keep good posture at all times and don't swing the arms too much.  So, with this in mind I got on the treadmill and walked for 5 min, then ran for 5 min.  I did this cycle for an hour!  I could not believe at the end that I had ran for a half hour!  I was smiling and literally wanted to scream out "look at me, i'm running" during the last 5 min run, but I decided better.  I was very proud and thankful to my fellow bloggies for inspiring me!  I did this tues and thurs and can't wait to jump on the treadmill again.  Might I say, I'm addicted already!

Memorable Moments:  Part of my goal with this blog is to learn to embrace EVERY moment....Be completely present and cherish every second of everyday.   Each moment is an opportunity to learn something new and feel inspired.  Each moment is an opportunity to embrace whatever may come.

It's Your Choice

Though part of me wishes I could say that things have settled down and I have it all figured out by now, I am accepting where I am and embracing it. Still on a path for a career that is rewarding and enjoyable. The deli thing was a great experience, and there still may be something there, but for now I am focusing on applications. That is, the GRE, internships, and jobs. I am giving myself a month to get all that not-so-fun stuff out of the way. Then I will reassess things and hopefully get employed. As for the relationship stuff, sure enough, my intuition was right about reuniting with an ex. It was good, but I was not myself, and it ended quickly. I do desire a relationship very much, but I must be myself and love myself for it to succeed. Lesson learned.

I can not be upset, down, and hard on myself for where I am. I truly believe things, events, people, experiences all come into our lives for a reason. I have learned so much about myself from all that I have been through. I would not trade those lessons for anything. So what are those lessons. Happiness is a choice. Thinking good things has a tremendous impact on personal wellbeing. That is why yoga and meditating is so important. Success usually requires a struggle and strength to get there. No "should ofs or should nots" about past events. Acceptance of where you are and always striving to improve. Personal love and acceptance. The importance of being with others and giving to others. Listening to your body. Be yourself. Be at peace.

I've been a passive member of the blogging community for over a year. I have read so many blogs and really enjoy it. I love the connection with people who have similar thoughts about health and wellness. I have learned so much from everyone. Its an amazing community. I think I may start posting a bit, to connect even deeper.