Music Tuesday!

Today is Tuesday, and you know what that means....new music is released in iTunes!

I always get excited when new music arrives in iTunes! I wish I could spend all day every day listening to music. As I've said before, there is never enough time in the day to listen to all the great music available!

Here are some songs I've downloaded within the past week:

1. Red - I actually downloaded their new album which was released 2/1/11. It is phenomenal! Their music is hard rock, and I don't think everyone will love it, but I sure enjoy it! It is definitely great workout music!

2. The City Harmonic - Manifesto

I really enjoy this song! My favorite part is during the bridge when they sing the Lord's Prayer. It reminds me of when I was in Junior High and High School and we would say the Lord's Prayer prior to games. Great song! Check out this one on iTunes!

3. Kutless - Remember Me

I really enjoy music by Kutless. This is their newest song out right now.

4. Seabird - Rescue

This song has a really fun beat, and I really like the lead singer's voice. It reminds me of Train. This is a really catchy song!

5. Disciple - Invisible

The more I hear songs by this band, the more I like them. My trainer recommended this song to me, and I definitely think it's worth downloading.

What songs do you have on your playlist? What music have you purchased recently?

FITastic Cooking Challenge: Day 2

One of my biggest challenges with cooking is how long it takes. I tend to go from feeling satisfied to STARVING in a matter of 5 minutes, so anything which requires time to make poses a problem. That's what happened today at lunch. Once I realized I was hungry, it was too late. I drove to Braum's and purchased some meat and milk and then stopped by Chipotle on my way home.

Here is Food Journal, Day 2:

Breakfast:

1/2 cup egg beaters (60 cal/12g/2g/0g)
1 slice Sara Lee 45 calorie 100% whole wheat bread (45 cal/3g/9g/0.5g)
crushed red pepper
pepper
8 oz. glass Trop50 apple juice (50 cal/0g/12g/0g)

Total: 155 cal/15g/23g/0.5g

Lunch:

1/2 Chipotle Burrito (372.5 cal/18.5g/39g/15g)
(burrito consists of tortilla, fajita veggies, wild rice, barbacoa, medium salsa, and sour cream)
8 oz. glass of Crystal Light Lemonade (10 cal/0g/0g/0g)
1 small/medium nectarine

Total: 382.5 cal/18.5g/39g/15g

Snack:

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (90 cal/14g/4g/2.5g)
1 tsp honey (22 cal/0g/5.5g/0g)
cinnamon
1 tsp splenda
4 oz. skim milk (65 cal/6.5g/9g/0g)

Total: 177 cal/20.5g/18.5g/2.5g

Supper:

Taco Lettuce Wraps



 

 

 

 

 

4 oz. 90/10 ground beef (200 cal/23g/0g/11g)
2 tbsp Jalapeno Dip (60 cal/1g/2g/6g)
2 tbsp Pace Medium Salsa (10 cal/0g/2g/0g)
0.75 oz. pepperjack cheese (83 cal/4.5g/<1g/6.75g)
lettuce (for wraps) (10 cal)
2 tsp diced onions
crushed red pepper
jalapeno seasoning
pepper
8 oz. tea with splenda

Total: 363 cal/28.5g/5g/23.75g

Total for Day 2: 1,077.5 cal/82.5g/85.5g/41.75g

(This is what I've eaten so far today. I will edit the post if I consume anything else.)

When on Chipotle's website, I saw just how many calories are in each ingredient I put in my burrito. If I were to order the burrito bowl (exact same burrito, but leave off the tortilla), I could have saved 290 calories. 290 CALORIES!! DANG! That's a can of Coca-Cola, 5 crackers, and 1 oz. of gouda cheese! Crazy talk! I could have left off the tortilla and ate the ENTIRE contents of the burrito for 455 calories. I need to keep that in mind for next time!

Keeping this food journal has been interesting. It takes quite a bit of work, but it's nice to see exactly how many protein/carbs/fat consumed over the course of the day. I definitely recommend doing it, if for just a few days.

I'm already scheming up a plan for what I'm going to prepare tomorrow. Isn't that crazy?!? Maybe one of these days, I will become like the Pioneer Woman, with my own food blog. Wow. That just made me laugh a little.

Have a great night!

 

FITastic Cooking Challenge: Day 1

Here is my food journal from Day 1:

The setup is calories/protein (g)/carbohydrates (g)/fat (g)

Breakfast:

1/2 cup egg beaters (60cal/12g/2g/0g)
1 slice Sara Lee 45 cal multi-grain bread (45cal/3g/9g/0.5g)
1 tsp Miracle Whip Light (7cal/0g/0.7g/0.5g)
crushed red pepper
pepper
1 8 oz. glass tea (with splenda) (0cal/0g/0g/0g)
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (93cal/20g/2.3g/0.33g)
4 oz. water

Total: 205 cal/35g/14g/1.33g

Lunch:

5.25 oz. boneless chicken tenderloin (144cal/29g/0g/2g)
1 MiCasa 100% whole wheat tortilla (120cal/4g/20g/4g)
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves (20cal/2g/3g/0g)
1 tbsp Jalapeno dip (30cal/1g/2g/3g)
1 8 oz. glass tea (with splenda) (0cal/0g/0g/0g)

Total: 314 cal/36g/25g/9g

Snack:

1 oz. smoked gouda cheese (90cal/7g/1g/7g)
4.5 oz. red grapes

Supper:

2 slices Sara Lee 45 cal. multi-grain bread (90 cal/6g/18g/1g)
1 tbsp reduced-fat Jif creamy peanut butter (95 cal/4g/7.5g/6g)

Total: 185 cal/10g/25.5g/7g

Snack:

5 clusters True North Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters (170cal/5g/9g/13g)

Total for the day: 964 cal/93g/75g/37g

(Note: This does not include calories for the grapes. I don't know how to measure calorie count on fruits and veggies. There are different websites which offer answers, but at this time I am choosing to not worry about it. When I googled the calorie count on grapes, it averaged around 100 calories. The problem with knowing that information is it makes me rationalize pop drinking. Example: I can have 100 calories for grapes, or for 40 calories more, I can have a Coca-Cola, which I'm totally craving right about now. See? This is why I'm not going to focus on calorie count for fruits/veggies at this time. I can be completely irrational when it comes to Coca-Cola or cheese!)

Uh-oh. I didn't get enough calories in for the day! That will not be the case today (I can PROMISE you that!) One issue I have is I want to eat as healthy as I can so that if I go out and eat later in the day, I can spend extra calories on that. Last night, I was wanting something to eat, but I had to go to the grocery store after work, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted and I wanted to go to bed. I can tell by what I purchased at the grocery store last night just how hungry and tired I was; I purchased 4 different types of cheeses and 2 yummy dips. Never fails! You'd think I'd learn the first 20 times this happens not to go to the grocery store hungry or tired, but alas, I did it again.


Looks like Day 1 wasn't too shabby! Let's hope this continues!

Bring It!

Howdy! (This is what it says when I log into my WordPress account. It always makes me smile. Even WordPress wants in on some Oklahoma action.)

The Packers won the Super Bowl last night! Yay! I was scared for a bit that the Steelers would come back for the win, but the Packers stayed strong! I'm hoping next year my Cowboys will be in the Super Bowl. (I'm an optimist, what can I say.)

I've been feeling pretty frustrated over the last month. I felt as though I was putting forth tons of time at the gym, but I wasn't seeing any better results (in terms of the scale) than others who have just cut out some foods in their diet and don't spend much (if any) time at the gym. As I was talking about this with my sister last night, I mentioned how I don't just want people to look at me and say I'm skinny; I want people to look at me and say, "Wow. That girl spends some time at the gym!" I have always wanted to be fit with very noticeable muscle definition.

Then, the comment that caused my epiphany: "I want to look like _______."

Once that statement left my mouth, it all made sense. I'm not just going to the gym to lose weight; I am going to the gym to build a strong, lean, very muscular body.

Wow! This changes EVERYTHING! It doesn't matter if others lose weight faster than me, nor does it matter if I spend way more time at the gym than anyone else. My goals are different than most other women's goals. Most women's goals are simply to lose weight and be skinny, and the focus isn't so much on muscle building. While my goals also include losing weight and being skinny, I don't want that to be my only result. I want to be lean and muscular. I want to be very physically fit. I want to be able to fuel my body with the right nutrition to maintain that type of physique. In order to achieve these goals, my workout has to be different. Strength training has to be different. The cardio has to be different. It ALL has to be different!

Good grief! Why did it take me so long to figure out this important piece of the puzzle?! Even though I've thought about this often, it didn't really dawn on me just how different my workouts have to be from other women's workouts to achieve the results I want.

There's no better time to have an epiphany like this than the night before starting my 30 day cooking challenge! Oh snap! This is gonna be big. HUGE!

Today is the first day of the challenge, and I must admit, I'm off to a fantastic start! I had my workout this morning with the trainer. I was told that starting today, I am to do less cardio on days I train with him. It felt pretty awesome only doing 10 minutes of cardio prior to my workout! I still had to stretch (boo!), but it wasn't too terrible. I had an hour of strength training and then 20 minutes of cardio at the end of my workout. I have eaten very well this morning, and my lunchbox for work has some nutritious foods in it.

Unfortunately, I am not going to post the results from day 1 until late tonight or tomorrow morning since I won't be off work until 10:30 p.m. and then I have to hit the grocery store. (It's hard to cook healthy meals and snacks when there's no food in the house.) I will say that the chicken I was cooking on the George Foreman grill earlier sounded like it was chirping at me. Seriously. These 30 days are going to be interesting, for sure!

I am most excited for this challenge to begin! It's time to learn how to provide the appropriate fuel for my body to achieve the results I want!

Bring it!

30 Day FITastic Cooking Challenge

It's time for a challenge.

I have been whining lately about how I need to be cooking more at home. Everyone I know seems to cook scrumptious meals at home, and I want to jump on the bandwagon. I'm tired of eating the same types of healthy foods over and over and over again. I am not bland (that's an understatement), nor do I want my diet to be.

Cooking is not something I naturally enjoy doing. Some find it to be very cathartic; I tend to find it time-consuming and a chore. I think part of the reason is because I cook for one person, me. It takes 30-45 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to clean, and 5 minutes to eat. That's quite a bit of time in preparation and cleaning to spend 5 minutes eating. Nevertheless, I am too old to not know how to fix yummy dishes. Seriously!

Something has to change. I don't want to be the woman who doesn't know how to prepare Thanksgiving Dinner. I don't want to be the woman who doesn't have any recipes to pass down because I simply didn't take the time to cook. I don't want to be the woman who doesn't have dinner parties because I can't cook anything beyond the basics. I want to be the person who loves preparing healthy meals at home. Just think of how much money (and calories!) I could save by eating at home.

I want to be the woman who knows how to cook! I want to be the woman who people can't wait to see what concoction I've created! As a woman, I need to know how to cook. (Yes, I just went back in time about 60 years with that statement.) The time has come for me to step it up and develop my cooking skills.

And what better way for me to develop my cooking skills than to have a challenge!

During this 30 day challenge, I am going to prepare healthy meals 5 days each week and post the recipes (with pictures) for you, along with calories and protein/carb/fat count. Because I'm a novice cook, I haven't mastered the art of creating my own dishes (yet!), so my recipes aren't going to be of my own creation (unless I'm feeling adventurous...or out of my mind). I am going to search for recipes that are easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and healthy (or healthier than the alternative).  I plan on throwing in one dessert recipe each week since many people are dessertaholics! (I am a cheeseaholic. Someone told me about how delicious a 24 layer chocolate cake looked. I immediately thought of a 24 layer cheese dip. Seriously...it's THAT bad.) Not only will I be posting the recipes, but I will also post my food journal. My diet can be very repetitious at times, and I am all open for suggestions. Variety is the spice of life!

The challenge will start on Monday. If you have any suggestions for recipes I should try, please let me know! Also, if there are any pointers you have in terms of cooking, preparing, or cleaning that makes things easier or better, do tell! I need all the help I can get!

I am anxious to get started! It's time for me to cook at home and branch out in terms of my diet. It's time for me to make a fool of myself in the kitchen. IT. IS. TIME!

Let the FITastic challenge commence!

Ode to the Gym

Oh, Gym! Must you be so wonderful?!

As I walk from the parking lot to your front door, I hear you calling out to me, beckoning me to cross the threshold into a new world filled with endless, health-laden possibilities.

Once inside, my senses are instantly awakened by your smell of sweat and mold (from your leaky roof). I scan my card and walk over to your stationary bike section. I sit down, adjust the seat, and begin pedaling. As I'm sitting there listening to my iPod and watching tv, a gentleman sits down next to me. The scent of Old Spice wafts over me, melding with your leaky roof smell to create a fragrance which really captures my attention. I notice something dripping. I look up, and behold the condensation from your vent. Thankfully, it doesn't land on anyone's head throughout my cardio session.

After I finish my initial cardio, I clean off the bike with alcohol and walk over to the "Trainer's Lair." This is where your prized possessions prepare to torture mentally prep to motivate your other gym-goers. I meet with my trainer and he feels the need for a good laugh, so he decides to weigh me on your scale which mimics one seen at a doctor's office. As the lever slows to a halt, I can almost hear you taunting me to work harder and spend more time at your residence, as though approximately 10 hours a week isn't enough.

My trainer and I then enter your purple room I've so rightly titled "The Dreaded Yoga Room." Thankfully, my trainer is kind enough to not make me do any yoga (although recently he started making me stretch, which is the poor man's yoga, in my opinion). After stretching, I am told to lie down on your sweat-stained yoga mat to do push-ups, planks, and crunches.  As the aroma of moldy sweat approaches my nostrils, I remind myself that being FITastic is hard work. It's all about survival of the fittest. If I want to win at this, I have to suck it up and deal with it. As they say, "No Pain, No Gain." I look at the clock a few times to gauge how much time is left in the room before I can move on to better things. I also perform other exercises in your purple room, such as squats, lunges, band work, and the like. You seriously need to get rid of the mirrors. I'm just sayin'!

Once enough pain has been inflicted upon me, my trainer decides it's time to venture out to the rest of the gym. I would like to fill up my water bottle, but your water fountain is out of order. Not good, Gym-bo!

We walk past your large rubber tires and hopscotch section towards the weight machines. I quickly glance at the clock on your wall to see how much more time of torture I have left before my hourlong training session is finished. (Perhaps you should use larger clocks, and more of them, so I can see them from any area throughout the gym. I'm sure my trainer would appreciate that very much!) I have the pleasure of seeing the guy with the orange and black shirt, purple and black shorts, and blue crocs (I need to take a picture one of these days) as I begin my weight lifting. You so cleverly ensure he is in my view at some point during my workout session. Smart one! It makes me chuckle, which then allows the "keep your core tight" speech from my trainer to ensue.

After my workout session is finished, it's time for me to head back to the Trainer's Lair for one last emotional beating pep talk from the trainer. I then head out to your treadmill/elliptical area again to finish my cardio for the day.

The last part of my cardio session generally goes unscathed, as you have decided to not foist any more unpleasantries upon me. I end with my hair being soaking wet from sweat and my face being red, and I am exhausted. I clean off the machine with alcohol one last time, and I then look at the clock as I exit your presence.

All in all, my experience at your residence is physically demanding, but I always feel satisfied when I leave. The release of endorphins for several hours following our encounter is pretty fantastic! You have a positive, lasting impact on me! I think I will keep you around in my life for many years to come.

Oh, Gym! You are too wonderful for me!

Out with the Old...

Day 2 at home from Snowmaggedon 2011 found me coming out of the closet...with tons of clothes in hand.

This morning I walked into my closet and decided it was time to clear out the clothes that did not fit any longer. I was tired of having to search through the mess to find the clothes that DID fit. It was definitely time to clear the clutter.

I started around 8:45 a.m. this morning; by 11:15 a.m. I was finished.

Check out the photos:

Before

I went through EVERY SINGLE article of clothing and tried it on before deciding whether to keep it or not. I was completely AMAZED at all the clothes that were too big. It was really exciting!

 

After

Look at the space between the hangers! It looks so much better! I was able to get rid of so many items!

Look at all the hangers leftover!

It felt so good seeing all those clothes out of my closet. It was almost like a cleansing of sort. Today was another reminder of how far I've come in terms of my FITastic adventure. Pretty remarkable, I must say!

Out with the old...in with the new!

Snowmaggedon 2011

This winter season has been particularly nice. We haven't had any major ice storms. The weather hasn't been too cold. In fact, just last Saturday, the weather got up to 76 degrees...in January!! It was such a BEAUTIFUL day! I really thought we were going to make it through an entire winter without major weather. From last year's crazy winter, it was time for a nice break from ice and snow storms!

On Christmas Eve 2009, we had a blizzard. They said the probability of a blizzard occurring in Oklahoma is one every 300 years, and I actually got to experience it! Because blizzards never happen here, no one really knew just how bad the storm was until they began driving in it. We are used to ice, not 3' snowdrifts!  There were cars stranded EVERYWHERE! Thanks to having to dodge tons of cars already stranded, my vehicle ended up getting stuck in a snowdrift. Fortunately, there were firefighters helping people get their vehicles unstuck, so they were able to help me get out of the drift and I went back to work to park in the parking garage, shielded from the weather. A coworker who drove a 4-wheel drive Chevy Tahoe offered to take Sarah, my close friend and coworker, and me to her house. Needless to say, his Tahoe got stuck in a snowdrift, and it took quite a bit of time before someone was able to help us get unstuck. I ended up having to stay the night, on Christmas Eve mind you, at work. This ended up being the first Christmas I wasn't able to spend with my family. This was the Blizzard of 2009.

This past week, the weathermen have been predicting a decent winter storm. They said there could be a possibility for moderate snow accumulation with high winds.

Yesterday, we entered into a Blizzard Warning, with thundersnow heading the storm.

Today, we received roughly 10" of snow (where I live. Other parts of Oklahoma received more, with one area getting 21" of snow!), with 3'-5' snowdrifts, temperature of 9 degrees, wind chill @ -20 degrees, and winds gusting to 50 mph. It started around midnight at my house and when I woke up this morning, it was snowing pretty hard.

I'm so thankful I was able to stay home and just enjoy the snow! Other times, I had to drive to work in it, so this made for a pleasant day!

Here are some photos I took from the storm:

This is the view looking out towards the front yard.

 

This is looking out the front door. The winds gusting to 50 mph made for some seriously blowing snow.

 

Can you see Coki's tail? It is barely sticking up from behind the snowdrift. She was running all along the edge of the fence. This was earlier in the morning.

 

I decided around 5:30pm to go outside and do some shoveling of my driveway so I could make it to work in the morning. I spent roughly 30 minutes outside trying to clear a path for my vehicle. The snow was light and fluffy, so it wasn't as difficult to shovel as the Blizzard from 2009 was, but because there was a large amount of snow, it still took some time and effort. The temperature outside was 9 degrees, with the wind chill at -12 degrees while I was shoveling. It was extremely cold! Let's just say, when I came inside, my legs were extremely red and splotchy. I immediately took a bath to warm up and I had to gradually warm the water because it was burning my legs so badly. My face right now feels like it's sunburned (more like windburned).

 

This is my foot in the snow where I was shoveling. It seriously looks like my foot fell into a black hole.

 

This is what my driveway looked like after I stopped shoveling. I was bringing it All. Day. Long. Oh snap!

 

I was feeling pretty impressed  by my snow shoveling job and how I wasn't out of breath, nor did I have to stop at any point to rest. Perhaps I'm not as in bad of shape as I imagined!

Or so I thought...turns out my legs are feeling a bit sore already and my shoulders feel like I've just lifted some serious weights. I definitely got in my workout today. My trainer would be so proud!

After I finished shoveling, and since my clothes and shoes were already wet, I went into my backyard to stand in a big snowdrift and take some pictures.

An example of the snowdrift in my backyard. It was pretty huge!

 

 

These two pictures are of me standing in some of those snowdrifts from my backyard. They don't even show when the snowdrift was up to my hip. MY HIP! Crazy! (And please ignore the baggy sweatpants. It was the thickest pair of pants I had for staying warm in such dangerously frigid weather!)

 

While I was standing in huge snowdrifts trying to take pictures, Coki was running and hopping through the snow. She would run from the back porch out to me and then back to the porch. She couldn't get very close to me before the snow would be too tall. It was so funny watching her!

 

We hit a record of 11.8" of snow in one day in the month of February. The total snowfall was 12.1". Our peak wind gust was 58 mph! What a day!

Be safe out there and stay warm!

Happy Snowmaggedon!