300 Glutes and Thighs Workout and Advice to Start Your Resolutions in February

Slept in again today. Bad habit forming! lol. I will get my butt up early tomorrow no matter what! I have to get back on track. I have a crazy busy week next week with clients so I have to get it together. Rant over :-)

Today I was very short on time so this post will be brief, but I wanted to tell you what I did for my workout and to motivate anyone who needs it as this first month of 2013 comes to a close.

I didn't have a lot of time to spend and I wanted a bit of a change for my muscles so I did a numbered workout. Was going to aim for 500, but wanted to shorten the time.

300 Glutes and Thighs Workout: 10 exercises for 30 reps each

• Part I
• tactical lunges
• plié squats
• deadlift squat jumps
• step ups left leg
• step ups right leg
• butt blasters
• squats (weights on shoulders)
• hamstring ball crunches
• burpees (gotta end with burpees!)
• Part II
• tabatas (jumprope)
• 25 total minutes

Advice to Start/ReStart Your Resolutions:

Yes one month is down for 2013, but it isn't too late to start/restart/revamp goals. Here a few "resolutions" (for lack of a better word) that I have been working on

1. Meditating every morning. Even if I only have 5 minutes. Everyday it gets done
2. Meditation/yoga/reflection every nite even if I have only 10 minutes
3. Practicing the 4 agreements everyday
1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don't take anything personally
3. Don't make assumptions
4. Always do your best
4. Practice loving kindness
5. Not eat late at nite
6. Focus on radical self-care

If you want to set fitness goals and want to know where to start, send me an email. I'll help get you started!

Off to get this busy work day started! Kennedy has a meeting tonite so I'll be back after my 5 am upper body heavy workout!

Easy to Be Vegan, Chia Porridge Recipe, Post Workout Fuel Smoothie

65 degrees? And raining? And tomorrow it will be 24? WTF is happening? People global warming is real real real. Okay...enough of my rant.

I got up on my own at 5:15 am, but realized that I would have time this morning to work out so I went back to bed until 7. I was up really late updating my computer--major difficulty btw--

After I got Kay off to school I came straight home and did some kickboxing and a sweet ab circuit. Short, but great. I haven't been really training my abs directly, but definitely want to change that. Besides I know that...

Sexy Summer bodies are made in the Winter...

Grocery Haul: I got Costco to carry chia seeds!!! They aren't organic, but one step at a time right? They come from a reputably decent place and I can save on the shipping etc by buying them there. I have been craving chia pudding (recipe below) and so I'll be having it quite a bit for the next few days! Here is a cute article about 40 Ways to Use Chia Seeds. They are full of Omega-3s and calcium and fiber. Next time you are in the store, snatch some up. Throw em in a smoothie, oatmeal, cereal, etc!


Fruity Chia Porridge:

• 1/3 c chia seeds
• 1 c almond milk (you can use water too)
• whisk together (used a fork)
• let chill in fridge to gel together for about 15-30 minutes, but can be made the night or so before
• added cinnamon (didn't measure)
• diced apples (1 honeycrisp, 1 pink lady)
• 1 sliced banana
• stirred all together...devoured slowly

Today's Sexy Summer Abs Workout (I will repeat this later this week): 30 seconds each exercise/ go fully through the circuit and repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 rounds

• scissors laying on the floor
• weighted crunch
• halos
• torso twists
• SB pikes (ouchhhh)

It was short but effective. I believe in really blasting the abs. Quality over quantity. I really focus on pulling my navel to my spine and exhaling when I crunch. I realize I have to give my abs more love over the next month.

Seriously the green smoothie I made today is my new favorite. No pic, but the recipe will be perfect!

New Fav PostWorkout Fuel:

• Spinach (duh)
• Frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 1 scoop sunwarrior vanilla
• 1 scoop greener grasses
• Almond milk
• 1 tsp flaxseeds
• blend and drool :)

Easy Ways to be a Plant-Based Vegan:

1. Start with ONE meal a day to focus on plants. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans.
1. Breakfast?- Fruit it up. Smoothies, oatmeal with fruit and flaxseeds....
2. Lunch? Add a huge salad or soup before your normal meal. Put lots of lettuce and veggies on your sandwich or sub
3. Dinner? Same as lunch!
4. Snacks? Add green smoothies or fruit smoothies as a midday pick me up!
2. Start by shopping on the perimeter of the store. This will have your brain focused on health. After seeing all those colorful veggies and fruits you will think twice about grabbing 2 bags of oreos off of Aisle 5.
3. Think of crockpot dishes. You can try new veggies out next to ones you know well.
1. Example: veggie low sodium broth, water, veggie bouillon cube as a base: add potatoes (sweet or not), lentils, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onion and anything else you find.
2. Not rocking with cooked cuz you are a raw foodie? Put em in your juice?
4. Hard to be a healthy vegan or raw fooder without eating lots of veggies and fruits.

I identify myself as a plant-based vegan. period. I love plants. I prefer organic, but can be honest and say that I can't always afford it. If there is a choice to make, Kennedy gets the organic and I just deal with what is left. Things I do on Sundays to help me stay focused on plants are:

1. Steaming huge amounts of veggies and putting them in containers
2. Making a huge crockpot of soup (no real recipes or anything. Just veggie broth, water, veggie bouillon cubes and I add whatever veggies are in the fridge and some beans or legumes).
3. Getting 4-5 heads of romaine to eat throughout the week. By Thursday they aren't as crisp, but I can't always get to the store in the middle of the week. I eat em kinda limp or I juice em at this point.
4. Make a huge pot of quinoa, brown rice, or millet and store in fridge. I won't let it go bad. Sometimes I put it in my salad.
5. Cook some beans or legumes and have ready to make a meatloaf, quick burgers, throw on a salad etc.

I am going to do a different challenge every month of the year. I know I can do this. Even if I wind up traveling or something and I can't use the weights, I'll do em bodyweight. I am really focusing on my glutes until Summer. Vain or not, I love my butt and want to develop it more! Anyone wanna join me?

February Challenge:

1. Squats: Pick a number and weight to start with (or BW-bodyweight). Everyday add 5 more squats until you end the month.  will start with 25 squats with 15# weights. I am actually excited to do this!
2. Green Smoothie: Have one a day for the entire month.

I will be up early tomorrow to get these glutes worked on! I think I will change up my training tomorrow.  Of course I will blog about it. I am thinking of designing a 500 workout. :)

Upper Body Sweat Fest and Thoughts on Unhealthy Vegans

No super early morning again today! I got up at 7 am. Up all nite watching Biggest Loser and Deception productive television :)


And since I knew I would have an easy morning (about to go to work in a few) I knew I could get my training in with the radio blasting again after I dropped Kennedy off at school.

For some reason things kept distracting me. I ate 1/2 a banana and 1/2 an orange about 20 minutes before I set out to do this Upper Body Sweat Fest:

Set timer on 30 second intervals. The total workout took me 42 minutes.

1. Few minutes to warm up with my rope. I can't wait until it warms up and I can go into the garage and warm up on the treadmill...just to mix it up


2. Workout in order. The slash means 30 seconds of the first exercise then 30 seconds of the cardio move




1. Vertical pull burpee/just rest for 30 seconds


2. Shoulder press/squat jumps (the knee didn't like this either)


3. One arm row right/rope


4. One are row left/rope


5. Front raises/ rope


6. Bicep curls/crunches on SB


7. Tricep dips/criss cross jacks


8. Push ups/plank----My pushups sucked big time today




3. Part II




1. Tabata: Jumprope double unders


2. Set timer 10 seconds rest/20 seconds effort


3. On the 10 seconds do a basic bounce...go slowly


4. On the 20 seconds kill it.

I felt great when I was done. I realize how much I hate working out in the cold. So I set my heater to 70 AND put the space heater on for the warm up. What can I say I love my sweat!

My bad knee is acting up again. I am sure I did something to tweak it in yesterday's Cold House Killer Glute and Thigh Workout I did something to annoy it. I think on the way down for one of my single leg deadlifts I lost a bit of my balance. All this means is that single leg stuff (my fav) is off the table until I feel better and I'll wear a brace this week. Not sure if this brace is good enough, but Imma try.

Unhealthy Vegans...Unhealthy Vegan Thought Patterns.
Let me just say this title can apply to anyone. Unhealthy meat eaters (duh). Unhealthy vegetarians. Unhealthy exercisers. People can do a bunch of things that make them unhealthy. But what I want to talk about today is finding balance NO MATTER what your diet consist of.

Sometimes people think that veganism is the magic pill or that raw food is the magic pill. But I know from lived experience that this isn't the case. All of the unhealthy food habits I developed in college carried over into my transition to vegetarianism and then veganism while in college. I just stopped eating Pizza Hut pizza and instead gorged on vegan pizza. The thing I needed to change hadn't changed yet.... my thought patterns. I desperately needed a brain transplant. I couldn't understand how knowing what I knew I couldn't make the necessary changes!

***ding ding ding. light bulbs going off***

What I needed (and didn't have then) was a toolbox full of things that I could to create balance and focus on health NOT just animal welfare and not consuming animal products! Wow... the second I made that shift in thinking, things started to make more sense to me. Here are things it took me years and years to figure out. I hope it helps you.

Healthy Vegan Toolbox:

• Focus on a balanced diet. I don't mean counting macronutrients, I mean whatever feels like a well rounded "meal" for you.




• Example: GF oats, cinnamon, almond milk, chia seeds with a green smoothie is a well rounded solid meal for me. Vary the amounts of each ingredient to meet your caloric or dietary needs.




• Take a well rounded multivitamin. My head was swimming with info on what I was "missing" in my diet now that I was vegan. I was hunting down fortified soy milk (back when I drank this) and fortified cereals etc. I found a great Raw Vegan Multivitamin


• In the beginning I ate a lot of the transition mock meats. yes I did. NOT eating animal products was far more important than overly processed faux meatballs right? Well, now I know better and when I coach people into transitioning I tell them to get as much of it in the beginning as they feel they need then slowly fade it back within the coming months.


• Eat vegetables. It sounds crazy, but find whatever veggies you like and eat em eat em eat em. Kennedy only really likes broccoli. Rather than force her to eat other things, I make broccoli every single day (and she likes salad).




• Fill your plate with 1/2 veggies cooked and raw at each meal! It will be an easy habit to keep soon.




• Talk to other vegans. Email me anytime at veganmommie@gmail.com or go to vegan websites/chat rooms and get inspired by those who transitioned and are living cruelty free lifestyles right now!

There is some stuff for your toolbox to get you started. Already a vegan? Can you clean up your diet some? Get rid of some of the processed stuff in favor of easy to make homemade goodies? Tomorrow's post will be about how easy it is to be a plant-based vegan...

Don't let ANYONE tell You that You Can't Be Healthy

The only thing worse than getting up when tired at 5:30 am, is getting up to a freezing cold house and snowy/rainy/East Coast ice. lol

Kennedy wasn't at home last nite so I was able to blast my radio during this morning's leg workout. A reader mentioned that having me detail the workouts motivates her. If you'd also like the weights I use or any other info just let me know!

Cold House Killer Glute and Thighs Workout: Set timer for 30 sec rounds. Complete all as a circuit then repeat for two more rounds for a total of 3 rounds. THEN do Part II and try not to cry.

• Part I
• Reverse lunge left
• Reverse lunge right
• Squat with front kick **love em
• Goblet Squats
• Squat with side kicks *fav
• Single leg deadlift left
• Single leg deadlift right
• KB figure 8
• SB butt blasters
• Part II
• Tabatas
• Jump rope first round
• Swings next round
• Rotate until the beep or you die
• Whichever comes first
• :)

I do my best thinking when I am cooking, cleaning, or working out.
This morning was no exception. During my killer thigh workout, I got to thinking about all the things people do to derail us from our goals.

I am not talking about giving yourself a "victim mentality" thinking that everyone is out to get you or is standing in the way of your progress. Because let me tell you...

No one will give you permission to live life the way you want to. You have to sign that permission slip!

Along my journey, I have found people who have told me all kinds of things about my fitness and weight loss

• You don't need to lose another pound
• Wow, you seem obsessed with exercise
• Is this healthy????

In the very beginning, I started listening to them because I hadn't had the best relationship with food or my body for about 3-4 years.

Here's what you can do now to take the best care of yourself and get in the front seat of your life and health:

1. Drink enough water (3-4 L per day)
2. Get enough rest. Sleep as well as plain lay around and no nothing rest (read a novel, write a poem, paint)
3. Laugh from the bottom of your soul (call that funny friend, watch a movie, read jokes online whatever)
4. Lift heavy shit. Your kids, weights, gallons of milk...something
5. Get your heart pumping. Dance to the radio, jump rope, run, walk...whatever. Just do it
6. Take it ONE DAY AT A TIME. The best advice I can give you is that one day/meal of bad eating or missed exercise session doesn't a bad person make. Be gentle with yourself. You got this!

You are in control of your life. I don't care what has happened in the past. You can always turn it around. Every passing minute is a chance to make a change and turn it all around.

P.S. I promise that I am working on some fun *free* stuff for the site. I am a single mom and a very busy worker, so time gets away from me, but just know I am working behind the scenes!

What Cooked Foods Keep Me a Better Raw Fooder

Today was a great day. Still getting to 100% after being sick, but instead of missing my workouts, I am just taking it a bit easier on them. Today was legs. And although it is TOM, I got it done. Yet another thing to love about working out at home. It has been interesting moving the home gym downstairs. I am not done with the space, but can't financially invest in anything else just yet...so I am daydreaming.

Okay onto food. Let me start by saying that my post workout smoothie was the bomb. Yes I said "the bomb". It was so good.

Post leg Workout TOM Green Smoothie:

• spinach and a hella lot of it
• 3 bananas...yes 3. Use less if you'd like
• 2 c frozen pineapple
• 2 tbsp. hempseeds
• 2 c almond milk
• 1 navel orange
• blend and fall in love

It was so so so good. I had it in two sitting with an orange each time. So good. Seriously. I'm making that one again for sure.

Now I get emails asking me why I am not 100% raw anymore or do I ever think of being 100% raw again. I have been wanting to share more of my reasons behind the ways that I eat.

When I was 100% raw the first go round for years...I ate copious amounts of fats. Almond butter by the jar. Oodles of coconut oil and agave type desserts. 2-4 avocados per day WITH tahini sauce. It was a massively fat diet I was consuming. I was lean and fit, but I did lots and lots of working out. I looked amazing and felt amazing...until....well, I didn't anymore.

There was no mistaking it. My diet was making me feel like shit. I hated to admit it because I had this strong belief that 100% raw was the ultimate goal and I had achieved it for so long. The more I pondered on things, the more I realized I actually wanted to eat differently. This is key. What is appealing to you? Do you feel drawn intrinsically to a 100% raw lifestyle?

For me, I was feeling called to 100% whole foods. I would dream about sweet potatoes and quinoa and a huge salad, but would push those thoughts away because they weren't raw and I would go and have 2 pounds of brazil nuts instead. Well, at least I was raw right? NO.

Finally, I sat down with my journal and started asking myself all kinds of questions about food. Raw, cooked, processed, homemade, eating out....etc. I decided that no one else held the answer for what was best for ME and for my life. Living on the frozen East Coast helped to shape my belief that cooked whole vegan foods were better for me than a 100% raw diet. Now don't get me wrong....there are so many 100% raw fooders here on the East Coast...so don't let the cold deter you. For ME, I wanted to feel a bit more..."whole". .."balanced"... I wasn't achieving that on my fully raw diet.

Then I went 80-10-10 for a while. It was Summer of course. And I felt like a million bucks. To this day, I propose that a low fat raw vegan diet is the absolute best thing for MY body. Nevertheless, the Fall winds blew and I found myself wanting vegan slow cooked soups.

Here was a huge light bulb moment for me: I have enough things that I battle in my life. It is difficult enough. I found myself berating myself or feeling less than when I "craved" cooked foods. Guess what? cooked food is NOT poison. I  realized I wouldn't die if I ate yams...or quinoa...or any of the other extremely healthy vegan whole foods my body wanted.

I found by eating cooked food, I became a better raw fooder. What could that mean? Well, I stopped counting calories, percentages, and all that other crazy shit that had my head spinning all day. Watching a clock to eat my next meal...consuming "junk food" just because it cost $4.25 per bar and said "raw" on it. And I used my intuition to make my decisions. I am 100% proud of the whole foods vegan diet that I eat right now.

What does my raw/cooked diet consist of right now?

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Nuts (mainly roasted or raw nut butters)
4. Seeds
5. Beans/legumes* staples
6. Grains
7. The occasional processed snack type-ish food (rarely)

What does that look like?

1. Gluten Free Oatmeal with chia seeds, cinnamon, almond milk (bought not raw- easier and cheaper this way :) maybe put some walnuts in, but mainly add fruit ..banana or apple
2. Hella lotta green smoothies
3. Juice- hard to afford lots of juice ingredients to keep it real. I buy a huge bag of organic carrots and drink carrot juice or carrot romaine/ carrot/romaine/lemon juice. Until Summer and farmer's markets open my juicing will be minimal
4. Slow Cooked: soups/stews/veggie dishes
5. Meatloafs/burgers made with the ingredients above
6. Stir frys- sometimes tempeh, tofu, veggies mainly with rice or quinoa
7. Salads...with tahini dressing that I make or organic balsamic vinaigrette that I buy
8. If I go out to eat it is always to Thai, Indian or some other GF vegan friendly ethnic dining place. But this is few and far between now. I much rather cook for me and Kay, light some candles and eat in your fancy socks.

Am I bored with my diet?

1. NEVER
2. NEVER
3. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT
4. I look forward to eating. I eat rather large meals although I don't count calories or anything. I keep it low fat-ish and focused on whole foods, green smoothies and salads.
5. I am a much better, balanced raw vegan than I was years ago.

For YOU:

1. Use factors like where you live (hot, cold climate)
2. Look at your financial standing (money you have to spend on groceries)
3. Most importantly: What feels good to you? What seems like a long standing plan for YOUR life?
4. If 100% raw if your goal, I fully support that! And totally envy those who live in warm climates or even cold ones and find a way to do it that doesn't drive em crazy!

If you'd like more recipes on the site or examples of daily meals or ideas just let me know! veganmommie@gmail.com

Have an awesome vegan day!!! Eat Plants!!!

Sick Weekends and Getting Back to My Workout Flow

I had to get Kennedy from school early on Friday. She was burning up with fever. Well, 101.2 turned into 105.4 really fast and to the emergency room we went. If you have been a reader for a while you know that she had brain surgery and contracted meningitis. Her immune system has never been the same since quite honestly.

After hours in the ER we came home with a temp of 102....and had a rough few days. Unfortunately the next day I woke up with a fever, headache, chills and sweats. So my Saturday cardio was OUT of the question. I do NOT workout sick...unless it is allergy type stuff.

Sunday I rested as well and on Monday, MLK day I figured if he could walk from Selma, AL for hundreds of miles, I could do a measly workout. So I went into my new home gym/Kennedy's toy room and did a nice short effective lower body workout.

Get it Done Glutes Quickie Workout:

• Warm up 5 minutes
• DB squats with a front kick
• DB RDLs
• Lunges - forward
• Reverse lunges with a leg lift
• Squats with a side kick
• Glute squeezes
• Cool down 5 minutes
• Total 33 minutes

I did some jump rope between the sets, but my nose was running and I didn't want snot all over my tshirt. I kept thinking "this is why I love training at home".

Yesterday I found myself in the gym trying to change things up a bit and I was so pissed. People kept touching my the equipment, being in my way and the damn floor was so filthy when I tried to do mountain climbers. Even with gloves on...yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

TOM started today so instead of my gym sprints, I may kickbox here at home and do some standing abs. Lots to do today. Our illnesses threw me off a bit and I have lots of catching up to do!

Here is yesterday's Upper Body at a Filthy Gym Workout:

• DB bench pullovers/jumping jacks
• DB rows/ high knees
• Lat raises/jumping jacks
• DB rows (2 weights)/ high knees
• Skull crushers/ jumping jacks
• 2 sets of assisted pullups and assisted dips
• 16 minutes of crazy ass intervals on the treadmill ending at 8.5. Yes 8.5

Time for productivity around here. Millions of things to do. Go get stuff done! I'll check in later with a Raw/Cooked post!

Friday Off Schedule/ On Schedule Upper Body Workout

Let's get right down to it. Yesterday was a busy day all day...not to mention freezing--well, below freezing at one point. I am so grateful to be out of training for right now...seeing as my house and personal life has taken a huge back seat to it! lol

Yesterday I got up at 5 am and went into the icy living room and did a great lower body workout. Sometimes even when I am keeping it hella simple, I still feel good getting it done. Ideally, I like to work out for 45-60 minutes...closer to 45, but sometimes I only have time for 20-23 minutes and instead of waiting for the "perfect time" -because we all know that doesn't exist- I just get up and do what I can.

TOM must be near because I am like starved everyday and bloated and just "ugh", this is all classic PMS. So I am pushing through it. I didn't get enough quality sleep last nite (BFF has boyfriend troubles) AND I am off today, so I slept in and will do my workout at the gym around noon.

Last nite's late pumpkin seed fest while watching Scandal has my stomach feeling weird, but I had a great breakfast this morning.

When All Else Fails Carbs Rock Breakfast:

• 1/2 c GF rolled organic oats
• 1 tbsp. almond butter
• 1/2 c almond milk
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• Cook then add
• 1 large banana sliced
• Yummmmmm

This should be settled in my stomach by the time I go into the gym. I just want to make sure I don't feel like throwing up when I do plyos. I wanna do some assisted pull ups and dips- hence the trip to the gym and to get out of the house for a bit today.



Off Schedule/On Schedule Upper Body Workout:

• warm up: 5 minutes on elliptical (torture)
• dumbbell bench pullovers/jumping jacks
• dumbbell rows/high knees
• pushups/jumping jacks
• bent over lat raises/high knees
• superwomans on bench/bunny hop
• single arm db row/jumping jacks

Part II

• assisted pull ups/assisted dips (3 sets)
• heavy cable row (3 sets)

I'll be working out at home this weekend and blogging what meals I create....

                      
We are 18 days into 2013. Is it everything you thought it'd be? Have you been making real and lasting changes? If not, it is not too late. Just change your mind. There is a difference between "I can't" and "I won't". Make a decision to put yourself back on you to-do list and do what needs to be done to ensure you have a healthy and productive day. YOU ARE WORTH IT.

Quickest Cardio Ever Morning

Slept in today for the first time in a while. Didn't get up until 6:50 am. Ahhhh. After last nite's Parenthood episode I was truly exhausted. Wasn't asleep until 11:45 pm.

I have training all day and the freezing, snow rain didn't cause a school delay for Kennedy so I had to get up and get to it! I was awake late after all. Lol.

I was hurrying all around to get things in order so I just did

 
20 minutes of the quickest cardio ever.

• 30 second on with a few secs in between each round
• 2 minutes of jumprope to start
• 30 secs times 3 of
• jump squats
• fast feet (football shuffle)
• jump rope
• globe jumps
• cool down... DONE

I know that I have a busy day and it is rainy and dreary so I had to just get it done. What are you doing to make sure that you get your things done? Do you plan your days ahead of time? Either the night before or first thing in the morning?

Today's green smoothie:

• spinach
• almond milk 1 c
• frozen pineapples
• 2 extra large very ripe bananas
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds
• blend and enjoy

Positive Programming and Upper Body No Sweat All Muscle Chest Workout

I had a delay in getting up this morning. I made it out of bed by 5:28 am. It was cold, but I warmed up pretty quickly. I wasn't pouring sweat as usual, but it was a good chest workout.

Upper Body No Sweat All Muscle Chest Workout:

• bicep curls/jump rope
• angle bicep curls/ jumping jacks
• hammer curls/ jump rope
• wide arm pushups/ jump squats
• spiderman pushups/ burpees with a pushup
• pushups with a twists/ jump rope

I have been super hungry for the past two days. Maybe TOM is near.I had two servings of dinner. All plant based amazing food and I'll have some grapes before bed. Yum. I've been thinking about positive programming lately so I want to share some thoughts.

It is vital for me to positively program myself with meditation even if it is for 2 minutes in the morning. I have to journal everyday in order to get my thoughts in order. On good days, I spend about 15-20 minutes in the morning journaling, reading spiritual texts, doing my morning journal pages...ad sitting in silence by candlelight and incense.

When I don't take the time to do those things or I don't have the time, I find myself just a bit overwhelmed.  I work hard on:

• drinking tea or hot lemon water first thing
• reading spiritual text
• journaling

With that in mind, I am going to get off, hang with Kennedy and get my nighttime routine under way before 10 pm when I struggle to stay up so that I can see Parenthood! 

Monday 5 am Cold Workout and the Blessing of Food Prep

I love when my Sunday food prep makes my weeks get off to a great start. I had some tofu scramble and potatoes ready for breakfast with GF toast for Kennedy. She loved it by the way. Today is her 8th and a 1/2 birthday so we celebrated all day long :)

I got up at 5 am...and tired and all...went straight to my outfit that I laid out last nite. Funny thing is I still dress really cute and matchy matchy for myself here in the home gym. lol



Lower Body Killer 5 am Workout:

• Front lunge/jumprope
• Rear lunge/lunge jumps
• Squats with front kick/jump rope
• Squats with side kick/plyo plié squats
• Calf raises/ jumping jacks

Part II was awesome. Try it!:

• Set your timer for 3 minutes
• Do 5 squats (I did goblets) and 10 passing lunges
• Repeat until the buzzer goes off.

I was actually totally out of breath and sweating buckets. I will be super tired in the morning, but no matter what I am getting up on time at 5. I have an entire workout designed around pushups and cardio. First time I've ever done that so I'll be sure to let you know!

Week Ending Catch Up and A Few Workouts

I am so tired, but don't want another day to go by without blogging. The week's ending was cray cray. Lots of crazy weather and training all day. Plus Kay had a crisis. I can't talk about it here, but just say a prayer for her...and for me. One day at a time.

Thursday and Friday I got up at 5 ish to get my workouts done. I'm realizing that if I turn the space heater on in the living room while I get dressed and brush my teeth, it  is just warm enough for me to get started. It takes me about 5 minutes to warm up and really wake up, but then I'm ready to go. Plus it feels so good just knowing that it over.

Saturday when Kennedy went with her father I went to the gym. I set up to do some crazy ass intervals and I did. I thought my legs would turn to jello. As usual the playlist was hitting and I just went HAM. Awesome time :) Then I did a

Quick Ender Butt Finisher:

• Squats with dumbells 1x20sx5; 1x25sx5; 1x30sx5
• Deadlifts 50 3x10
• Kickbacks 3x10 each leg

Wanted to do more but the resolution gym goers were on every machine. I woulda worked out at home, but wanted to get out of the house.

Then I went to an indie coffee shop and had the best full fat coconut milk Indian spice tea. Omgoddess.....so good. I chatted with a friend for a few hours and then met her and her boyfriend at her new amazing townhouse! We drank fairtrade Turkish coffee and cracked jokes until it was time for me to see Django Unchained. I cried and then cried some more. Enough said.

These people skipped me in line at the theater. Ugh...

This week will be bananas. More all day everyday training so I have fitted myself with a fitness plan that is killer crazy for this week. Per usual, my rise time will be 5 am and I will go straight to it! Had some fairtrade organic coffee French pressed.

Today was Sunday so I got lot of cooking done. Meatless loafs, steamed broccoli, juiced grapefruits, Mexican tofu scramble, organic potato homefries.

Now I'm off to bed. I hope that your week is amazing. I'll do my best to blog every morning even if it is short and motivational. 

Just Get it Done Cardio and Wednesday Thoughts

The alarm went off at 5:30 and I hugged my pillow and went back to sleep. I got up at 6:20 on my own and got ready for the day...

Kay's breakfast. My breakfast. And pack both lunches and get her clothes ready.

Green Smoothie today:

• spinach
• almond milk
• bananas
• frozen pineapples
• flaxseeds
• chia seeds

In between my training for my new job and getting Kay off the bus I had 26 minutes.


Just Get it Done

• 23 minutes of sprints at 7.0 30 secs on 11 secs off the treadmill
• 2 minutes of planks
• That's all

The point is...I could have waited until later and done more but I would have missed dinner with Kay and been all thrown off this evening. I felt good to get it done.

Now that all my shows are off tonite, I will be in bed with my latest obsession. Jodi Picoult's book House Rules! I will definitely be blogging about this soon.

I'm off to make tea and hang with my daughter! I will be up at 5:30 am if anyone wants to join me!

5:30 am Upper Body Showdown and Cardio Circuit

Getting up early is becoming more natural to me even after not doing it for about a month! I set an alarm 5:25, but got up at 5:00 on my own and went back to sleep. My alarm was set on silent so it never went off! I got up on my own at 5:42!!

I got dressed (next time I will have an outfit picked out so that I don't stump my toe in the dark cold closet). And I went downstairs (my new gym) and got right too it.

Reasons I love using my living room instead of my bedroom as my gym:

• Any pictures I take won't show the web my personal bedroom all the time
• The lighting is much better! MUCH
• The tv is bigger and louder
• More space

It felt a bit weird and I was nervous to wake Kennedy up, but as it turns out, she didn't hear a thing! I did a 33 minute upper body workout and was done. My goal is that for these next few weeks of training to do the best that I can with the time that I have.

5:30 am Upper Body Showdown and Cardio Circuit

I warmed up with 5 minutes of rope and ended with 2 mins of cool down.

Set timer for 30 secs and manually begin it again after each round.

• shoulder press/jumprope
• tricep dips/jumprope
• front lat raises/jumprope
• bent over lat raises/jumprope
• tricep kickbacks/star jumps
• French press/ star jumps

My new job training started today and I was starving after I left although I brought lunch with me. Glad I didn't try to wait until after to workout!

Are you trying to start an early morning rise habit? The best way to do it is just to START. Do it tomorrow! Get up and do housework, school work, exercise...whatever. Just get up.

I can always get my meditation, journaling, exercise and breakfast out of the way before Kay even turns over if I get up at 5 or 5:30. So join me.  If you wanna see a play by play of most of my days...follow me on twitter. Facebook page coming soon! :)

Tight and Tiny Glutes Workout and My Sunday in Pictures

Last nite I tried so hard to get my Sunday in pictures posted, but it deleted the post twice and I was super tired so I fell asleep. This post will be long (sorry).

I am trying to get back into my normal sleep patterns. Starting tomorrow I have to get up at 5:30 to get my workout in because you know I don't like late nite workouts.

I am in the process of moving my home gym down in Kennedy's apartment because I am kinda sick of having pix of my bedroom online and I want to get a good position for videos without having to make my bed first.

Here are my pictures from yesterday and below is the Tight and Tiny Glutes Workout

Tight and Tiny Glutes Workout: (timer set 30 secs at a time)

• Alternating front lunges/ jump lunges
• Rear lunges/ burpees
• Squats with kicks/ jump squats
• Plie squats/ Plyo plié
• Squats with side kicks/ jump rope
• Calf Raises/ Sexy scissors

Part 2: 5 rounds of each of these

• Deadlifts with bar (you could use dumbbells) x10
• leg lifts with 10# on thigh x 15 each side
• squat band walks (ohhhhh my goddess)
• goblet squats x 10

I actually thought I was going to quit during Part 2, but didn't! It was so hard!

Green smoothie of the day:

• lots of spinach
• almond milk
• 2 tbsps. of almond butter
• frozen pineapples
• 3 frozen bananas
• chia seeds
• hemp seeds

Off to get some things done. Tomorrow starts training. So everyday busy all day. Made lots of food for the week so I just need to take care of Halo and get a paper for work.