My life is NOT boring.

Hello my lovely bloggers!

I am so sorry I haven’t been able to post this sooner! But you should be totally excited for this post; as a brief summary, you will get: Not one, but TWO homemade fro-yo recipes, 3 work-outs, a story about an accidental run (and a non-accidental run), LOTS of pictures, and my new favorite hair color.

Enjoy!

First and most importantly, I love fro-yo so much it’s ridiculous.  The only problem?  There are ZERO fro-yo places within a 50 mile radius of where I live.  So, I did what I had to do, and I made my own fro-yo (granted, I didn’t have any fun toppings – like gummy bears and m&m’s) but I think it turned out pretty good! Side note, the second recipe is the better of the 2 – if your preference is sweeter!

Fro-Yo Recipe #1

¼ cup Greek Yogurt
1 scoop chocolate PB protein powder (I used Myofusion)
1 tablespoon natural PB
Dark-Chocolate flavored stevia
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Mix everything together and freeze for 45 minutes – take it out, stir everything & freeze for 20 minutes.  Eat, savor, take pictures, and send to Christina.

Fro-Yo Recipe #2

1 4oz container Fiber One French vanilla yogurt
1 scoop Casein protein powder (I used double chocolate – you can substitute any protein powder though)
1 T (more or less depending on consistency of protein powder) water

Same directions as the first recipe:
Mix everything together and freeze for 45 minutes – take it out, stir everything & freeze for 20 minutes.  Eat, savor, take pictures, and send to Christina.

Both were delicious!

Next are the workouts:
Friday was shoulders and a 15 minute treadmill run, Saturday was a record speed leg day & accidental run day, Sunday was rest day from the gym and non-accidental run day, and yesterday was chest/back.

Friday: Shoulders

Warm-Up; L’s & T’s (3 sets)
12lb DB’s for 16 (8 reps L’s, 8 reps T’s), 15lb DBs for 16, 15lb DB’s for 16
Arnold Press (2 sets): 15lb DBs for 15, 25lb DBs for 8
Superset; Plate Shrugs & Military Press
Shrugs (4sets): 45lb plates for 12, 45lb for 12, 45lb for 10, 35lb for 12
Press (4 sets): 30lb DBs for 7, 30lb for 6, 25lb for 10, 20lb for 15
Superset; Upright Rows & Front Raises
Rows (3 sets): 65lb for 12, 65lb for 12, 65lb for 10
Raises (3 sets): 25lb for 12 (all 3 sets)
*Note: These are done holding a DB with both hands in the center.
Rear Delt Fly (Burnouts – no rest): 12lb DB’s for 15, 12lb for 12, 10lb for 12

Treadmill: Varied incline & speed; 15 minutes for 1.56 miles

Saturday: Fastest Leg Day Ever

…Seriously, I got to the gym around 2 to find out they closed at 3 – factor in changing and clean-up, my workout lasted a total 30 minutes, and my legs haven’t burned like that in a long time.

Lunges (6 forward, 4 reverse) (4 sets):
55lb for 40 (24 forward, 16 reverse), 65lb for 30, 60lb for 30, 55lb for 40
In & Out Squats (Free bar) (3 sets):
115lb for 12, 95lb for 16, 95lb for 12
Low Back Extensions (3 sets): 110lb for 12, 90lb for 15, 90lb for 15
Superset; Quad Extensions & Hamstring Curls
Quads (4 sets): 50lb for 12, 50lb for 12, 50lb for 12, 30lb for 15
Hamstring (3 sets): 70lb for 10, 50lb for 15, 70lb for 10
Machine Leg Press (Burnouts) (4 sets – no rest): 150lb for 10, 130lb for 10, 110lb for 10, 90lb for 20

Sunday I ran/walked/hiked – all in the same trip, I live in the woods, it wasn’t really by choice!
2 miles in 20 minutes.

Monday: Chest/Back
Lasted about an hour.

Superset; WideGrip Pulldowns & Smith Machine Bench Press
Pulldowns (5 sets): 70lb for 12, 90lb for 7, 80lb for 10, 70lb for 12, 60lb for 15
Bench Press (4 sets): 85lb for 10, 105lb for 4, 95lb for 7, 85lb for 10
Superset; Weighted Dips & Low Cable Rows
Dips (5 sets): +25lb for 8, +20lb for 8, +15lb for 10, +10lb for 12, bodyweight for 15
Rows (5 sets): 90lb for 12, 100lb for 8, 90lb for 12, 90lb for 12, 80lb for 12
Superset; Incline Dumbbell Press & Close Grip Pulldowns
Incline (4 sets): 25lb DBs for 12, 25lb DBs for 10, 20lb DBs for 12, 20lb DBs for 10
Pulldowns (4 sets): 80lb for 10, 70lb for 10, 60lb for 12, 60lb for 12
Dumbbell Pullovers (3 sets): 25lb for 15, 25lb for 15, 20lb for 15

And boy do I have a story for you!
Sadie, our beautiful (and BAD) Great Pyrenees/Lab mix is an escape artist.  I kid you not, she is a pro at slipping her collar, sneaking out doors, chewing through leashes, etc… But most recently, her favorite method of escape is by jumping off the back deck.  Not to worry, its really not all that high, but it is mildly annoying!  We got her from the humane society about a year ago, she was a stray, and now I see why!

Anyway, she jumped off the deck first thing Saturday morning, and instead of taking the usual lap around the block, she decided to take a run – and I had to run the entire time behind her so I wouldn’t lose sight of her!  I don’t know how far we made it before she was ready to come home (you know when she’s ready – she gets on the ground and crawls to you) – all I know is I was legitimately running for the better part of 45 minutes, through woods and road and a football field, in this:

If you look carefully, you can see all 3 bad dogs behind me!

And these:

Let me tell you, NOT the way I prefer to dress for a run.  And on an empty stomach none-the-less (I never train/lift/run on an empty stomach), by the time we made it home, I was starving!

Oh, and, I dyed my hair Sunday!

One more, for good measure.

You will quickly find that this is a bit of a problem I have, and I change it (drastically) every4 or so weeks.

That’s all I have today!

She's back!

It’s Friday!!
Have I mentioned lately how much I love weekends?  Because I do, oh so much.

Last night I got my mojo back, for lack of a better phrase.

Yes, that’s right, I went to the gym and I lifted weights, and I felt good about it!  I did a killer Back/Chest workout that took all of about an hour (I used my Isolator, and putting that thing on takes up more time than I’d like).  And then, something amazing happened… I ran, again!  That is the third time this week, and it was glorious.  Granted, it was only 15 minutes (gimme a break, I did lift prior), and it was on a treadmill (I much prefer being outdoors), but it did the trick!  I felt wonderful after I was finished and preceded to shower off my sweat-soaked self.

Here’s my workout from last night, if you’re interested:

Superset; Close Grip Pulldowns & Dips (Bodyweight only)
Pulldowns (4 sets): 70lb for 15, 90lb for 10, 80lb for 10, 70lb for 12
Dips (3 sets): 15, 15, 12
Superset; Dumbbell Bench Press and One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
DB Press (4 sets): 30lb DB’s for 10 – all 5 reps
DB Rows (3 sets): 35lb DB’s for 12 – all 3 reps
Superset; Wide-Grip Pulldowns & Machine Cable Fly
Pulldowns (5 sets) : 70lb for 12, 70lb for 12, 60lb for 15, 60lb for 12, 60lb for 12
Fly (4 sets): 60lb for 15, 70lb for 10, 60lb for 12, 60lb for 12
Isolator Sets:
Low Rows; one set - 50lb 15 reps
Cable Crossovers (3 sets – no rest): 20lb for 16, 25lb for 12, 20lb for 12
One-Arms Lat Pulldowns (2 sets – no rest): 20lb for 15, 20lb for 12

Treadmill: 15 minutes, interval speed (Avg. 6) & inclines (0, 3 first 10 minutes; 15 last 5)
1.4 miles

*Note to Self: Use the Isolator more, seriously.  Isolate and Grow.

Go heavier on chest, and don’t skip incline presses, or pullovers.  The running needs work too, stop focusing on the incline and start focusing on distance.

Then, babe and I went out for dinner at my very favorite authentic Italian restaurant.  We are both part Italian, and red sauce is our weakness!  I tried to take a picture, but the lighting there is ridiculously dim (there are candles on the tables and I’ve actually had to use them to read the menu!).  I got Grilled Chicken Tuscany and a side salad.  I have absolutely no idea what the nutrition info is and I am OK with that.

That may not seem huge to you, but it’s a leap of faith for me – previously it was rare that we go there for dinner, even though its my favorite.  It’s a family owned place that (unlike corporate chains) doesn’t have nutrition facts available.  Before, I would  insist on going somewhere that I can come home and look up the facts on what I ate – if I’m going to treat myself, I want to know exactly what went in my body.  If you read yesterday’s post, I am trying to overcome my calorie OCD, and last night was a great accomplishment.

Anyway..

At the restaurant, I saw a girlfriend of mine who has recently started working out and she informed me that she wants to compete with me! And voila, my motivation to do these next 3 shows is immediately back, just like that!  I am going to take her to a show in a few weeks just to watch (believe it or not, I’ve never actually watched a show, I am always in it!) so this will be super exciting!  She’s going to start lifting with babe and I, when our schedules allow, and hopefully this fall she will be ready to do one of the 3 I have scheduled!  I think next season may be a more realistic goal (i.e. March 2012), but she doesn’t want to wait that long – and I don’t blame her.

OH. EM. GEE.

I am so excited!!  I can’t even stand it.  It feels good to be motivated again!

I went home and watched some videos if my hero, DLB, and that just made me even more excited.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m backkk!!

P.S.
After reading about all of you and your undying love of fro-yo, I got a massive craving.  Unfortunately, there are absolutely NO fro-yo spots within a 50 mile radius of me (I promise, I’ve searched).
After pouting quite a bit, I decided to take action.  That’s right – tonight I will be making my OWN fro-yo out of Greek Yogurt, peanut butter, and probably some protein powder.  I’ve found a couple recipes online, that I will tweak until perfect – and then, I will send Christina a picture of me eating my delicious creation, and I will share the recipe with all of you!

Be excited, I know I am!

YOU did this to me.

Hello to all 7 of my loyal followers, don't think I don't notice!

...And my sincerest apologies at missing yesterday - life gets in the way sometimes.

I have a confession to make:
I skipped the gym yesterday, thats twice this week! And honestly, I feel good about it.  I think my body is tired of the hell I put it through, and went on strike.  Instead, I played on the boat with babe, and took Molly to explore the water (she was terrified). And went for a run with Sadie.

And... This is where the title comes into play.
Thanks to all of you and your passion for running, and living a far more exciting life than I - I have begun to dabble in running!
Yes, I said it, and I want to thank all of you (even those beautiful runners that I stalk endlessly, but who don't follow me, ehem).  I am even signing up for a 5K this summer! I know, not quite as impressive as the rest of you, but hey, for a girl that NEVER runs, I think a 5K is a good place to start!

Don't get me wrong, my passion is still in weights (and probably always will be), but I'm starting to see the FUN in fitness again - before it was like a job, where a day off (none the less TWO days off) was taboo.  Where I felt awful after skipping a workout and religiously recorded calories (which, by the way, I have vowed to quit).

I want to be happy AND healthy - like all of you!

So that's the plan - stay tuned!
=)

Oh AND, if you're on FB, add me - you are helping to change my life, we should probably be friends!
http://www.facebook.com/nbly