Monthly Archives: September 2013

Easy Treadmill Interval Workout

Daily Life!, Food for Thought, Workouts, , ,

Workout

As you know, Wednesdays are my day off of teaching Jazzercise usually. So I take advantage of my time and typically hit the gym to be a workout snob and do whatever I want! My hips have been sore from pavement running over the weekend, but by the end of yesterday, I was feeling almost 100% back to normal. So I decided to go back to the gym this morning to give the treadmill and Elliptical a try.

It felt great to wake up early before the sun and get into the gym a few minutes ahead of my normal schedule. I hopped on the treadmill with the intention of making it to the 3.1 mile mark in less than 30 minutes since my 5K is this Saturday night! My hip was feeling fine, so I stuck with it and completed an easy interval.

Easy Treadmill Interval

For this entire interval workout, I left my treadmill on an incline of 2.5 to help mimic a mostly flat outdoor run.

  • 5 minutes at speed of 5.5
  • 2 minutes at speed of 6.0
  • 2 minutes at speed of 7.0
  • 2 minutes at speed of 6.5
  • 2 minutes at speed of 7.5
  • 2 minutes at speed of 6.0
  • 2 minutes at speed of 7.0
  • 2 minutes at speed of 6.5
  • 2 minutes at speed of 7.5

Minus the 1st round of 5 minutes at 5.5, I kept cycling through these intervals until I hit around 3.17 miles. I was sweating like crazy! And my hip was beginning to feel a little sore again for sure. So I decided to stretch before doing some upper body work and finished with 15 minutes on the Elliptical before heading home.

Breakfast

I was hungry when I got to work today around 7:45! I had a banana on my way home from the gym but ready for something more substantial.

I had an extra large serving of breakroom oatmeal and some Greek yogurt on the side for extra protein and staying power!

photo(57)This yummy mixture never gets old and keeps my tummy grumbles to a minimum. Hot breakfasts are the best – even if they are quick and eaten at my desk!

Now I’m looking forward to finishing up my day and spending some time with Nick and Mac tonight on the couch. Nick has been CRAZY busy with a work project this week, and I’ve barely seen him! Oh and I got this in the mail yesterday, so I’ll be marking on every page what I want to order for the holidays…

photo(56)This little baby is chalked full of Christmasy goodness. Can’t wait!

Green Beany Evening

Food for Thought, Recipes, , , ,

It was another scorcher today in Springfield! Highs almost hitting 100 degrees led to quicker than normal walks for Mac and a sweaty mama. Jazzercise was especially tough tonight. The insane heat just makes me lethargic by the end of a workout! Luckily, I had a few more students than normal tonight, and it brought extra energy to the room!

Lunch

Lunch was veggie-filled and nutritious today! I’ve been in the salad mood lately, as you know if you’ve read any of my posts!, and today was no different. I quickly threw together a spring mix salad with carrots, snap peas, and the very last of my sweet peppers!

photo(55)I love when my lunch salad is full of colors! But bye bye peppers. So long until I can make it back to the Sam’s produce section again.

I was wanting more veggies, so I heated up the leftover sauteed broccoli slaw I made last night. I was just as good the 2nd time around!

photo(54)While I polished off the last of the slaw, I started hunting for protein options to finish off my meal. Bagelthins have been another theme lately, so I started with my last whole wheat Bagelthin and topped one side with low fat cottage cheese. I cooked up a quick egg in the microwave to go into the bagel sandwich along with a little mustard.

photo(53)I know, it looks gross. But it was completely delicious! I put 1 egg into a coffee mug with a splash of unsweetened almond milk and salt and pepper. I whipped it all together and let it cook on high for about 1 minute. It became a poofy little eggy ball, so the shape wasn’t perfect for my sandwich. But it was delicious regardless! The hot egg melted the cottage cheese a little, making for an extra savory and messy lunch.

photo(52)Mmmmm messy, gooey goodness!!

This hot sandwich hit the spot! My recent bagel sandwiches have been an awesome part of my midday meals lately. I tend to go through food trends a lot though. If I love something, expect to see it everyday for about 2 weeks before I move onto something else that I’ve discovered I like. Creature of habit….but what can I say?

Balsamic Roasted Green Beans

Dinner tonight was extra green beany! I bought a package of fresh beans this weekend, and they were already looking a little sad. So I knew they needed to be on the menu tonight!

I combined:

  • 1 package fresh green beans
  • 2 TB balsamic vinegar
  • A sprinkling of minced onions
  • Salt and pepper

I tossed the above in a large bowl until the beans were well coated. I then spread them out on an aluminum foil lined  baking sheet that had also been sprayed with Pam Olive Oil.

photo(56)I sprinkled a little more salt and pepper on the beans, and then put the pan in the oven to cook for around 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Around the 15 minute mark, I pulled out the pan and mixed them around a bit before finishing cooking. Cool and enjoy! The balsamic vinegar will make your house smell amazing!

And FYI, Nick recommends that you sprinkle the mixture with Parmesan cheese before baking. But this lactose-intolerant girl didn’t want to push it tonight 🙂 The green beans by themselves were amazing, even without the smelly cheese! Green beany evening was a win!

Have a great night!

Sore Hips

Food for Thought, Workouts, ,

I suppose this happens to any athlete at some point, but it’s always hard to come to terms with an injury and then tone down workouts for your body to heal. My hips are super sore from my weekend runs!

Saturday started out with 3.5 miles, and Sunday began with 4 miles. I was feeling awesome! But I think my endorphins were pumping so much that I forgot to listen to my body. My right hip has been pretty cranky the last 2 days now. It’s a weird pain in the front of the joint, but I’ve read up on it a bit. I believe my hip flexor is just a little strained and needs some down time from pavement running. After reading this article, I think I’ll be doing some stretches during lunch today!

With my 5K happening this Saturday night, I definitely know I need to take it easy with my outdoor running until then. So this morning I awoke a little before my alarm and decided to take Mac out for a brisk walk to get my blood pumpin.

photo(2)It was a nice little walk that we powered through in no time. Plus, he’s always game to go outside and sniff every single vertical object in site. We made it home in time for me to shower and throw some breakfast items into my purse before heading into work.

Breakfast

Breakfast was almost inhaled completely before I paused to snap a photo!

photo(51)Hot oatmeal with fresh blueberries. Yum! It hit the spot – especially being eaten out of a fancy styrofoam cup.  I also had some delicious low-carb yogurt on the side for added protein.

photo(50)This flavor tastes like a caramel frosted donut. Seriously. So it’s my go-to on mornings where I’m craving sweets. Also notice my pink mug in the background. My coffee was full of flavor this morning with extra pumpkin pie spice creamer!

Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start!