Better Than Nothing Workout

I hope Santa treated you well this Christmas.  I'm feeling very blessed.

After eating myself silly for the past week or so, I really wanted to get myself moving today.  So Dave and I took Puddin' for a nice afternoon walk in the park.  I was feeling inspired on our walk, but shortly after I found myself cuddling a certain pooch on the couch and not wanting to move.  Cue internet inspiration.  I signed on to pinterest and saw this:

(source)

Have you ever heard of bodyrock tv?  It has a ton of workouts, including ones you can do in your living room with no equipment.  I modified this workout to my liking.

8 Minute Interval Workout

20 sec - Mountain Climbers
10 sec - Rest
20 sec - Jump switch lunges
10 sec - Rest
Repeat for 4 times, 4 minutes total.

Rest for 1 minute. 

20 sec - Push-ups
10 sec - Rest
20 sec - Planks
10 sec - Rest
Repeat for 4 times, 4 minutes total.

8 minutes later, you will be sweaty and feeling it!  This may be my new favorite way to workout.  It's very easy to keep going when you know you'll be done so soon.  I used an online timer to keep track of my intervals.  I had trouble making it through some of the intervals, but I pushed myself and I have room for measurable improvement.

What is your favorite living room exercise?

Friends, Food, the End of Fall

Saturday started off with a holiday parade with my cheerleaders. The weather was gorgeous.

Turducken Day was perfect.  The afternoon was spent playing football in the sunshine and singing along to some guitar.  We feasted all day and everything was delicious!  My jalapeno popper dip came out great, it had just the right amount of spice.  The night ended with a group dance party, I love my friends.  I failed at taking any pictures of the event, but sometimes it's just nice to enjoy the day and not worry about documenting it.

Today was filled with family, worship, Panera, and chopping down a Christmas tree.  The weather was gorgeous and Puddin' had a great time check out all the smells.  I can't wait to decorate the tree.  I picked up some new ornaments and a bunch of random holiday craft supplies, which were all 50% off!

I got a serious workout playing football yesterday, my hamstrings and hip flexors are so sore!  Sprinting and cutting back and forth apparently use a lot of muscles that I don't utilize very often.  So my better than nothing workout of the day has been push-ups, some random aerobics moves that I've been doing to loosen up my legs and hips, and a good bit of stretching.  I didn't reach my goal of 50 push-ups in a row, but I'm still keeping the push-ups in my routine so perhaps I'll get there before the new year!  I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow night and running at least 2 miles.  I like working out in the beginning of the week, it helps me to start things off on the right foot, and even if I fall off the wagon later in the week, at least I got some fitness in at some point!  Maybe I'll run outside before the temperature drops down to the thirties like they're calling for next weekend, ew.

Time is flying!  Where did the weekend go?


How was your weekend?  What's your favorite better than nothing workout?

Whoa December!

Anbody notice anything different around here?  It's December and the blog needed a makeover!

This week started with some fitness. Sunday included yardwork and some push-ups. Monday I went to the gym and did 40 minutes on the elliptical, yay for using that membership. Tuesday I did 35 push-ups in a row! I felt like a champion. I counted down from 35 and I think it made it feel easier to finish. When I knew I only had 5 left to do, it just made me feel like I couldn't give up. Planned to workout last night and decided to skip, fail. Tonight I did a few dumbbell arm exercises and I plan to bust out some push-ups after writing this, definitely a better than nothing workout.

A little workout inspiration this week.

I know their bodies aren't realistic, but I still love the show.  I kind of think some of the girls look like giraffes, but some of them are so beautiful and I love the lingerie, the glitter, and definitely those wings.

Is it awkward that I'm posting pictures of girls in their underwear on my blog?  Strange bird.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm loving it. I'm ready for a weekend full of friends and food, some backyard football, and going to pick out our Christmas Tree. It's December and I'm getting in the mood for Christmas, but not before we celebrate Thanksgiving one more time with our friendsgiving, Turducken Day. I'm pumped.

I've been thinking about getting in touch with my crafty side and doing some DIY Christmas decor for Dave's house.  I am not usually very crafty, but perhaps some crafts coming up on the blog in the near future!

Are you ready for the holidays?  Do you like to decorate?

Please enjoy my random rambling...

Oh Monday, I hate you.

I vowed to go to the gym twice last week and I only got there once.  Fail!  On Tuesday night Dave and I were getting into the car to head to the gym (which would've been my second trip for the week) when a can of bright blue spray paint exploded as he grabbed it out of his jeep.  Worst.  Ever.  It was all over our clothes, his jeep, my purse, we looked like smurfs!  Needless to say, we didn't end up going to the gym.  I was also trying to go on Saturday, but we took the dog for an hour long hike up the mountain since it was so nice out.  Oh well, need to do better this week.

But, I have been keeping up with my push-ups!  I've been trying to do them every other day, but I took Friday as a rest day and did some on Saturday instead.  I can't remember the exact amount I did on Wednesday, but on Saturday I did 21, 12, two sets of 10 on my knees, and then finished with 15 real.  I'm getting there.  They are still feeling pretty hard though, my arms feel like jello when I finish.

My cheerleaders had their last competition this weekend.  They did great but I feel like we were kinda screwed over by some politics within the organization.  It makes me sad that that's even a part of a youth organization that is staffed by volunteers, but some people really just get drunk with power.  And that's what I get for falling in love with a sport that is subjective and based on the judges opinions.

That being said, my schedule just opened up!  Hopefully I can translate at least 2 of the 3 nights that I had cheer practice on to gym nights.  And I can write in my blog more than once a week!  And try new recipes, yay.  But, I did receive an informal job offer at a local cheer gym where I would actually get paid for coaching (I have been a volunteer coach for the past 11 years!), so I need to contemplate how much time I'd like to dedicate to that.  We'll see.

Can anyone else believe Thanksgiving is next week?  And Christmas is lurking too.  I really need to start Christmas shopping!  Holy crap.

 

Ok well, not my most exciting post, but better than nothing :)

Are you ready for the holidays?  Did you start Christmas shopping yet?

Enjoying the Weekend Sunshine

After getting over the horribly depressing Phillies loss on Friday night, I decided the best way to spend my Saturday afternoon would be at to the Quakertown Farmer's Market (aka the Q-Mart) with my friend Leah!  The weather was gorgeous so we started with the outdoor flea market portion.  We had some great finds!  I bought 2 knives ($1 each), an earthy stone ring ($5), a bright red beaded necklace ($1), and 2 brooches (2 for $5).  Can't wait to put these bad boys on my winter coats!

I love putting someone else's "trash" back into use.  Yay for going green and getting cheap stuff!  The inside portion was more focused on food!  We enjoyed some tasty gyros and samples from the pickle man and bought lots of fresh produce.  Leah bought a bucket of a dozen pears for $1.50!  She donated some to me.

I also picked up a ton of oats.  So many bloggers talk about delicious dessert-like overnight oats and I've wanted to try them for a while.  Who doesn't want a breakfast that tastes like dessert?  And they were so cheap!

Overall the trip was a great success.  And Q-Mart is also notorious for amazing people watching, and it did not disappoint.  Afterwards I headed over to Dave's and he took me on a scenic ride on his motorcycle.  I'm glad we got out to enjoy the amazing weather.  I love riding on the back of a bike through beautiful fall scenery!  The rest of the night was spent grilling up some dinner and watching a movie.  Yay for relaxing date nights.

Today I took the dog for an hour long hike through Valley Forge National Park.  I love love love that the park is right next to Dave's house.  Puddin' shares my feelings on the subject.  And you know what they say, a tired dog is a good dog!

I supplemented the hike with some better than nothing living room exercises including some squats, scissor abs, calf raises, tricep dips, and some mountain climbers.  We also did some more grilling since the weather was so inviting.  We picked these up from Trader Joe's.

Quite honestly, these are the first thing I've ever actually grilled by myself (other than on a George Forman haha).  And yes, they were fully cooked, so all I had to do was brown them... but I had never even started a grill by myself.  Sad but true!  Dave is usually the grill master, but I want to learn more about grilling.  They were delish!  I foresee a long lasting love affair with Trader Joe's.



Tonight I'll be whipping up a pasta dish.  Recipe to come!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Do you enjoy flea and farmer's markets?  Do you have a favorite one near you?

The Rundown

Quick updates from the week:

Saturday
My cheerleader's had their competition.  They did pretty well, despite the the injury we had on Thursday.  Their next competition is on October 22nd at Temple.  We have a lot of work to do before then, but overall the day was a success.

Then we had a girls dinner at Kristen's house.  Her and Heather made us a tasty feast of homemade pumpkin ravioli in a mushroom sauce, a white bean and sausage soup, and an awesome produce packed salad.  Check those links from Heather's blog to get the recipes!  Then we danced the night away at a local bar to a jammin' coverband, we had a fricken blast!

Sunday
My entire day was spent watching football and hanging with the boyfriend!  My fantasy team scored a whopping 187.4... my opponent had 88.0!  I think I got a record high for my league... gotta make the boys scared :)  I'm last year's superbowl champ, and I'm 4-0 this season!

I also ate my first papaya!  I had never tried one before, and when I saw it at Trader Joe's, I thought hey why not?!

I had no idea how to handle this bad boy so naturally, I googled it.  It looked kinda funny to me, but the internet said when it's ripe it will be turning from green to yellow.  The first step was to cut it in half and when I did, I found all these silly looking seeds!

The next step was to take a spoon and scrape them out.  Be careful, they like to escape and fly all over your kitchen floor!

Then I just ate it with a spoon, although you could cut it up into pieces.  It was tasty!  It wasn't as sweet as I thought it was going to be, it kind of reminded me of a sweeter version of cantaloupe.  I'm glad I tried it!

Monday - Wednesday
Honestly Monday through Wednesday are kind of a blur of work of work, cheer, and Phillies playoff games.

Today
I felt spoiled today. I got to go out on a site visit all day to view the project I'm working on in person. I got to enjoy the sunshine, a paid lunch, and a day away from my desk. It was wonderful. After work I squeezed in a run! I ran 2.5 miles (with no walking!) and it felt great. Well, in the beginning I was not feeling it, but I kept pumping myself up with positive thoughts and it really helped! Cheerleading went well too. And I made myself a veggie sandwich for dinner, yay for healthy choices.

TGtomorrowIF! This weekend should be a relaxing one. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I can also find some motivation to fit in some workouts though... maybe even a run! It would be nice to run more than once a week... although it's better than nothing! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

What's your favorite fruit?  Do you like any oddballs?

Better Than Nothing

I believe something is better than nothing.  A better than nothing workout.  A better than nothing dog walk.  A better than nothing house cleaning.  Sometimes things get pushed off because they seem like such large tasks, but I believe putting a few minutes into something is better than nothing!

Wednesday's Workout:

Better than nothing arms lifting sesh in my room with my 10 pounders - 15 minutes

- Bicep curls
- Shoulder press
- Lateral raises
- One arm row
- Tricep kickbacks
- Tricep extension
- Upright row
Check out this website if you ever need any idea of what to do with your dumbbells!  I love the little animations when you roll over each exercise.  I don't know how many reps of each, usually somewhere between 8 and 15.  It depends on the exercise because some are easy with that weight, some are really hard.  I usually just try to push myself until I'm tired and then I'll do 2 or 3 sets.  I also did some push ups, tricep dips, and a little step work between to get my heart pumping.  It sounds like a lot now that I typed it all out, but I just busted it out quick and was glad that I did something!

Tonight's Workout:
2.5 mi run - 25 minutes
I didn't walk at all!  There's no shame in doing a walk/run mix, and I actually prefer that on the treadmill, gotta love those intervals.  But, I haven't done a run without walk breaks in a while, and it was pretty quick.  I was flying in the beginning, slowed way down when I had to run up a hill in the middle, and then I really pushed myself at the end.  I did sorta feel like I was going to vom my Chipotle in the seconds after I finished (tmi?), but the feeling quickly passed and I was just so proud of actually pushing myself!

This weekend my cheerleaders have their first competition.  Tonight, their last practice before comp, they looked the best they have yet... and one of our flyers broke her ankle.  It was on such a routine stunt, she just rolled her ankle and bam.  I always heard about this stuff happening to other squads, and now in my 11th year of coaching, here we are.  It is what it is, the girls will perform everything as is, with her group just marking through their stunts (what else can we do?  I'm not changing their routine in the parking lot before they go on!) but it is such a major bummer.

Anyway, tomorrow is FRIDAY.  Thank goodness!  My weekend will involve a hair curling party for my girls, their competition, a ladies night with some dinner and vino, and a relaxing Sunday.  Oh and I can't forget to spend my 30 bucks of Kohl's cash that expires this weekend!  Win.

Happy Almost Friday :)

Do you do any tasks with a better than nothing mentality?