up for insanity at 6am

finally got my butt out of bed for insanity for the first time in weeks. i have been really good with everything else, kettlebell and running that is. yesterday i ran 3 miles and last week ran 2 miles two days before going to kettlebell. today i am super tired but thinking about this cute bikini that i want this summer, so maybe it will help motivate me! i think the bottoms are good for me, everything else is so stringy and my bum just doesn't go with stringy very well, let's be honest! the top works because my shoulders are broad so anything else makes me look like a linebacker. i like this color, but maybe i need a fun stripe or something else!

getting stronger

This week I went to kettlebell 4 times. It felt really good to be consistent. The problem is next week I can only go twice! I need to be able to go at least 3 times to keep my strength up, so that is kind of frustrating. Here's a bad picture of me at kettlebell last week. Ignore the gross look on my face, I thought you might like to see what one of the moves looks like. This one is called a windmill. I am using a pretty light bell because I was still so weak last week, but I think I am getting a little stronger!

weak!

so today i returned to kettlebell after 2 weeks. all the snow and other after school activities hindered me from going. today i felt like i hadn't lifted a weight in years! i was so weak and also very tired. i love going because the workouts are always really tough, even though they don't last very long. it feels like bootcamp everytime i go! so now my legs are so sore and i am really looking forward to getting back into it on a regular basis. let's hope we don't get another blizzard!

it's been hard to focus on working out at home because when i am here, i feel obligated to do my grad school work. there is ALWAYS something i could be doing. there is so much reading and writing papers and commenting on the discussion board, the list goes on. i am pretty psyched though because i got a 100 on my first paper. not sure how that happened, but i'll take it!

on saturday i got to hang out with michelle and picca and we cooked a delicious and healthy dinner! it was another recipe from www.eatbetteramerica.com, the turkey and spinach manicotti. we modified it a little and added a lot of garlic and other spices for flavor. the 99% fat free ground turkey is really good for you but super bland. the spices and garlic definitely helped with the taste. it was really good!

clearly i love this website. i will keep trying the recipes and report back on this blog. i am excited to try the healthified spinach and artichoke dip to bring to the next family or friend get together. maybe for the super bowl!

More snow, more A.D.D.

school was closed today. staff had to report to work even though the snow was coming down like crazy at 7:30 a.m. luckily we were sent home at noon, thank god!

all of this snow and school and snow and more school has totally hindered my workout schedule. let's be honest, i am plain LAZY. the stars need to be lined up perfectly to ensure i workout and eat right everyday. if one thing is out of whack (3 page paper due, snow day, database project to do, etc...) my commitment tends to weaken. the last week and a half has been terrible. my sisters came up for the weekend, which was so much fun! however, we ate lots of fattening junky food for 3 days straight and i got absolutely no exercise.

i am starting to think i really need an elyptical machine. although insanity is easy to do, no props necessary, i still have to clear out the living room and set everything up in order to do it. i feel like hopping on the elyptical in front of the tv in the basement or in the office would be much easier...i am sure the grass is always greener though. once i have the elyptical i am sure i will think the act of turning it on is too much work. ha!

has anyone tried the recipes from eatbetteramerica.com? the chicken parm was SO good! i need to get to the grocery store so i can try another one. what do you think of this one? i know chris will love it!

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/featured-brands/healthified-chicken-pot-pie.aspx

Snow day and A.D.D.

Yay, we had a snow day today. There is nothing better than chilling at home as the snow comes down, I LOVE it! One of the many perks of moving my life from Boston to Maine. ahhh, I never have to worry about a 3-hour commute home due to snow. So anyway, I have been pretty productive today, although have avoided working out. I have so much work to do for grad school and BA that I spent the morning doing work and am now trying to suffer through reading an article for my IT class. I am also working on a speech that I will be giving this Friday at BA's Martin Luther King day assembly. Go figure, my head of school asked me to speak to a bunch of kids who have no idea who I am!

Anyway, during all of this BA work and school work and laundry (new washer and dryer, PSYCHED!), I also managed to make my first pot of soup! I am very proud of myself because I always take the easy way out when it comes to cooking (ie; frozen meals, pasta, cereal, etc.) Today I made a vegetable barley soup that is really good! AND it's low in fat and calories which is always a plus.



The other day I also made a delicious low fat stuffed chicken parm. I found the recipe on EatBetterAmerica.com and it was really good!

Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try it: Stuffed chicken parm

I really like this website, I think I might try their low fat chocolate cheesecake cups next!

OK, until next time, thanks for reading!

school, kettlebell, school, school

so i started grad school last week. yikes, it's a lot of work! i mean i knew it would be, but jeez! i think next term i need to cut back to one course instead of 2. anyway, even though i started school i am staying committed to working out. it's been a while since my last post. since then, i started kettlebell and crossfit training. its a military style workout that i am still struggling everyday with. it's HARD. but i love it, and i think it's going to help transform my body.

here's the workout we did today (you won't know what any of it means, i hardly do either until the instructor explains.)

Plank Cocktail
4 Rounds for Time:
Snatches x 12/12
Burpees x 12
Push Press x 12/12
Ring Rows x 24
Swings x 24

for those who don't know what a kettlebell is, here you go. (and also what my body will look like in 4 months, HA! just kidding, she's a little too muscular for me!)



i also did some insanity this weekend, so i am hoping to balance kettlebell and insanity with some running on the treadmill until i am finally in shape. i have also started eating better, finally. it's not perfect yet, but it's better than it was. i am loosely following weightwatchers, but really just trying to make better choices and not think about food constantly. when you're trying to lose weight, not thinking about food is almost impossible!

ok, back to my schoolwork. fun times!

truckin' along

so it's my third week doing insanity and i am pretty proud of myself. i have stuck with it pretty religiously every week. tomorrow will be day 5 of this week, which is pretty unbelievable for anyone who knows me! i haven't exactly started seeing results, but i feel good at least!

so the downside right now is that i haven't lost any weight!!! i know i can attribute my non-weightloss to my delish mcdonald's dinner last night, along with many other bad choices in the last few weeks...not sure how to get myself into a good diet that i can stick with. i know everything i need to do, but i am having the hardest time!