Wednesday may be the hardest time to do so. 

It’s the middle of the week and all we can think about is getting to the end of it. 

But just for a moment, stop and bring yourself back to the present.

Wednesday is, after all, a fantastic day too.

<3

On my way to Storybook Farms for the evening.  The past few sessions have been training, but we’re finally going to start working with the children today! I can’t wait to meet them all!

Make today wonderful.  See you tomorrow!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Do you celebrate Mardi Gras?  Beads, King’s Cakes, red beans and rice, partying…?

While Mardi Gras isn’t a huge deal in Alabama for us country folk, we do partake in some celebrations. After all, New Orleans’s is just a hop away!  One of my favorite traditions being the King Cake.  Trying to find that little baby Jesus (or whatever else people may hide in the dough) is always fun.  Not to mention the fact it’s, well..a cake.  And who doesn’t love that?

Mardi Gras marks the day before Ash Wednesday.  Which translates to: the last day to indulge in rich, luscious food before the traditional fast during the Lenten season.  Whether you’re celebrating Lent or not, we’ll all happily partake in a day of rich food.  So, let’s grab out beads, put on our fancy masks, and dig in.  Let the feast begin!

Cream Cheese Filled King Cake

New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Rice-free Jambalaya

Passion Fruit Hurricanes

Beignets

Mardi Gras Mask Cookies

Red Beans and Rice Salad

Tops-Curvy Cupcakes

It was a mistake writing this on an empty stomach.

Who’s hungry??

Have a wonderful day everyone!  May it be filled with bright colors, good food, and fun times.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Hello!

How’s your day coming along?

Mine started bright and early with the Love Your Heart Run/Crank Your Heart Ride, a 10K topped off with a winding 22 mile bike ride through our local state park.

The participants were given the choice of running (1 mi or 6 mi), riding (11 mi or 22 mi), or doing both.  I was feeling a little ambitious at the time of registration and put myself down for the 10K and 22 miles.

Crazy? Probably.  I’ve only run the distance once since October and haven’t ridden more than few miles in…who knows when.  But hey, might as well challenge myself!

I tried running the Love Your Heart 10K last year and couldn’t due to a hip injury.  Fortunately, my body was totally good this time around.  I was ready to go!

A fellow fitness instructor and a few friends from the gym were running the 10K as well.  It was nice having them nearby as motivation.

Thank goodness for their presence, too.  Otherwise I would have never made it up the mountain!

And yes, they sent us up the mountain; once for the 10K and twice for the bike ride.  The course planners made it a challenge!

Very surprisingly, the mountain didn’t kill me.  In fact, it somehow made me run faster!

Average mile/min-  8:58

• Mile 1-  8:48
• Mile 2-  9:14
• Mile 3-  9:10
• Mile 4-  8:52
• Mile 5- 9:20
• Mile 6.2-  8:37

Next up: the bike ride!! 

I went into the ride looking forward to a chance to “wash out my legs” after the run.

Wrong.

22 miles is exhausting on a bike with tired legs and half-flat tires!  I was ready to stop a mere 3 miles into it.

11 miles later, I was absolutely wiped and almost quit.  However, my mind was set on finishing the 22 miles…so slowly but surely, I did.

Just in time, too.  It started raining around mile 18!

Yayyy!

It’s very possible I was the last one to finish, but that doesn’t matter.  I did it!

Put the two together, and it was a busy morning.

Whew!

I came home and refueled with a big protein shake. 

Annnd an ice bath in hopes of being able to walk tomorrow.   My legs weren’t hurting, but ice baths always help.

A couple sweet potatoes were steaming in the microwave while I chilled in the tub.  They were basically shoved into my mouth- no chewing required.

Much more eating is in store for today, but before heading back to the kitchen, I have to share this photo with you all.  Michael slept in this morning rather than coming with me as I’d be gone for nearly 5 hours…totally understandable.

But, how is it that he’s the one now taking a nap?? 

Staying home must have been exhausting.

I can already see him getting onto me for posting this. I’d wake him to ask for permission, but he’s just so darn cute when sleeping.

Anybody else have boyfriends/husbands/friends that do this too?  HAHA!

Have a wonderful day everyone!!

**Do you race?  What’s your favorite distance?

This is much overdo, but being as I’m almost clear through New Rules of Lifting Stage 3 already, I wanted to give my thoughts on Stage 1.

First of all, the beginning chapters leading up to the actual workouts were captivating to say the least.

The authors, Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe M.S., and Alwyn Cosgrove, write a no-nonsense, unbiased workout and diet plan tone for women looking to drop the light weights and begin lifting heavy. The main author, Lou, writes for Men’s Magazine but he does not discriminate against the fact the book is geared for women.  In fact, he embraces it and encourages us to really challenge ourselves in the gym.

There are a few chapters before the workouts lining out everything from nutrition to proper rest.  Any and all questions you have about working out and proper nutrition is right there- including a variety of healthy, high protein recipes worth trying and even step-by-step instructions (with pictures) for each exercise.

The basis of the book: women should stop lifting Barbie weights if they want to get toned.

Yes, toned.  Not bulky.  We’re physically not made to get huge, bulky muscles.  Sure, some women have more muscular frames than others, but we won’t get “man muscles” without the use of serious supplements (read: ‘roids.)

Basically, the way to get toned and turn ourselves into a fat burning machine is to build muscle, which can’t be done without stressing our muscles with heavy weights.  Not light weights and loads of reps like many of us have been told.

Anyway, you get the gist: lift like guys and look amazing.  Now onto Stage 1!

Stage 1 consisted of 2 workouts: A & B.  Both workouts were complete 8 times for a total of 16 workouts.  The reps and sets change as you get deeper into the stage.

The goal of Stage 1: gain strength.  Which, believe me…you will.

Pros:

• The workouts were quick, each one lasting 30-45 minutes
• They were intense!  My heart rate was up the entire time.
• You’ll gain strength. Mega strength.
• Having a set out plan going into the gym is really nice.
• It’s not boring despite doing the same exercises over and over.  It’s challenging!
• They allow for cardio and don’t push a meal plan (although they do offer really great recipes to try!)

Cons:

• It takes a while to get through this stage – around 6 weeks when working out 3x a week like suggested.

I would like to put my beginning weight and measurement stats, but I can’t find them.  So rather, here’s a breakdown of the weight advances made during the stage.

Exercise	Beginning Weight	Ending weight
Squat	50 lbs	105 lbs
Push-up	inclined	inclined
Seated Row	55 lbs	75 lbs
Step up	50 lbs / 5 risers	60 lbs / 6 risers
Prone Jackknife	BW	BW
Deadlift	55 lbs	95 lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder press	30 lbs (15 each)	40 lbs
Wide-grip lat pulldown	55 lbs	75 lbs
Lunge	40 lbs	80 lbs
Swiss ball Crunch	BW	BW + 15 lbs

See, not exaggerating on the gains in strength!

At the end of the stage, there’s an extra “AMRAP” workout in which you do the exercises again, only this time doing as many reps as possible using your starting weight until muscle failure.  It’s a really cool way to assess how far you’ve come during the stage.

I went into Stage 1 thinking it would be easy.  No stranger to the weight room, I would spend an hour+ lifting or doing Body Pump; a measly 5 exercises per workout didn’t seem like it would be challenging at all. 

Let’s just say, New Rules proved me wrong from the very first session.

True story.

If you’re looking for a challenge, to mix up your weight routine, or to gain some strength…I highly recommend looking into this book!