Hot Bodz: Have you seen this yet?

So, I snuggled up on the couch last night with a cup of tea in my pjs and decided to rent a movie --- something I hardly EVER do. But, John's been gone and I'm caught up on all of my tv shows (the usual suspects: Glee, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl) I started perusing Amazon on my Roku and came across Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  The only thing I knew about this movie is that it's about juicing, and my friend Victoria promptly went out and bought a Jack LaLanne juicer and started coming to work with Mean Green's after watching it. I love a good documentary so I invested the $3.

It's got my wheels turning...I may do something drastic. Who wants to go shopping with me tonight? :)

Hot Bodz: 5am is WAY too early.

 I set the alarm for 5am today with good intentions - you see my friend Michelle just started an early morning boot camp at Green Lake and for the sake of solidarity I decided to get up with her and work out on my own. But I had trouble sleeping last night and by the time my alarm went off I was NOT in the mood to sweat it out. I drifted in and out of sleep for about 10 minutes...until John came to say good bye. I picked up my phone to look at the time and opened facebook. If a high school friend hadn't already posted that she was at the gym and ready for more punishment I would have promptly rolled over for another 45 minutes of blissful sleep.

I had already positioned my spin bike in front of my laptop, slept in my workout clothes and had shoes and socks waiting for me - so I really had no excuse. Just laziness. But thank God for social media - it helps keep me accountable. 

If you're looking for a free resource for indoor biking classes, I want to suggest SweatBloodDirt.com. I found it a few weeks ago and love it! Without Craig I would be riding a flat for 45 minutes. He motivates me to sprint and climb monstrous hills! Check it out!

Wish me luck for a successful work out tomorrow morning!

Hot Bodz: Hippie Bowls

I've just discovered a new-healthy-easy-fast lunch recipe. You might call them something else, but to me they are hippie bowls. I was first introduced to the concept by K.M. with her brown rice, black beans, and frozen vegetable medley bowls. A few weeks ago I found Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe just a few blocks from my office - there I've had brown rice, spinach & peanut sauce bowls and quinoa, carrots & tahini bowls.

Today - I decided to make my own version.

Val's Hippie Bowl
1/4 c Brown Rice
1/4 c Lentils
1/3 c Steamers Vegetable Medley
1tb Peanut satay sauce

216 calories = not too shabby

Once I had the brown rice and lentils cooked, it took all of 3 minutes to make lunch. And since I cooked brown rice and lentils in bulk, I'm stocked for the rest of the week.

Hot Bodz: New Strategy

I might give up the scale for a few weeks.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1625

Hot Bodz: Week 2

As I feared I was not as motivated as I was during week 1. The newness wore off so fast, which is disappointing. Even with immense moral support from MM throughout the week I made some major slip ups over the weekend. I'm learning that things don't go well when I'm on my own for long periods of time. I'm also struggling to find a balance in life between marriage, work, fitness, friends, family, faith...the list goes on. And this week I drew the line too soon. My goal was to work out 4 times - and I made it to 3. I was going strong and then I pushed myself too hard Thursday at the gym. I spent all weekend in a lot of pain and just exhausted. This kept me from working out for a 4th time, to keep from injuring myself. I don't want to burn out before I've made any real progress, so I'm going to keep at the same pace - slow and steady for a few weeks as I rebuild my strength and endurance.

The other thing? I'm not drinking enough water! Next time you see me, tell me to grab a glass of water. :)

Any positives? Yes. I'm sleeping much better! My running endurance is coming back, slowly. And I have a lot more energy in the mornings to meet my day.

Results: After a run around Green Lake this morning MM and I stopped at Ballard Health Club for our official weigh in. I've gained back what I lost last week. But, I'm not feeling discouraged. Now I know that I need to refocus. Use it or lose it, baby!

Breakfast of Champions

Why didn't I think of this before? Healthy and delicious! As an ode to Team Jag on this, Memorial Day, I give you Egg in a basket. I'm off to run Green Lake now with MM! See ya! PS - Thanks to Christine and Nate for letting me join them at Matador and MHC last night! Good times were had by all! And really, I needed the social interaction! :)