Today, I dont have review...HOWEVER, I do have the winner of the Mussleman's Apple Sauce Give-A-Way....Bobbie Webber! You are the winner. Random number 114 was chosen.
Please e-mail me your address and the awesome apple sauce will be coming your way! Thanks to everyone that participated and I am sorry it took me a extra day to announce the winner. Let's get to what this post is all about today.
This post is about friends/family and how they effect your moods and your foods.
I am feeling MUCH better as yesterday I was stressed, tired and ready for the weekend. There is something about Fridays that just give you a boost. Something that makes me VERY happy is my roomie Karen is back at home. Yes, I have roommates at the ripe age of 28. I wish that I didn't, but I do. Hey, you gotta do whatcha gotta do! I have two (one of which I will not talk about, you get the idea) and the other is my best friend. Without Karen in the house it is just terrible. Now that she's back in my life I feel great this morning. I am relief, happy and ready to take on the holidays. She is a life saver. I think that she feels the same way about me, at least I hope so. In March, I will be moving out either into my own place or with her. I have yet to decide (finding a place will be the deciding factor) so I am just warning you now that over the next couple of months, you may be hearing me going through the ups and downs of finding a place and moving. We wont get into that right now though. Let's talk a little bit about nutrition and exercise. I haven't touched on my routine here of late so I thought that today would be a good day to talk about my work-outs and my meals.
Fridays mean so many things to me. It means that my work week is over! I usually go out to dinner once a week and usually pick Fridays, it is a low key day in the gym and I let myself have a few favorites on this day. During the weekend I am a snack face! I rarely sit down and eat a meal except for dinner. Usually it is trail mix, celery and PB2, fruit and Greek yogurt. Weekends are when I spend the most time in the gym. I love being there and not having to run around to get it done in 45 minutes. I take my time and really focus. The other thing about the weekends that I love are my long walks with Karen. She is my walking Buddie and with her back, you better believe there will be way more walking. I love it. It is a great way to either warm up or cool down. Talking with Karen though is the best. I figure that if we are just going to sit around and gab, we might as well walk and do it! Sometimes we can go on three 40 minute walks a day! I know that sounds like a lot but it doesn't feel like it when you are with someone that makes it fun. We have a rout that we usually do and it goes by quick. Do you have a work out buddy? Well I do and here she is:
My best friend and I don't know what I would do without this lady!
This is Karen and I on her birthday with a meal that I prepared. That is my kitchen as well! Notice the blender and magic bullet...
Karen and I look like complete opposites and in fact we almost are! We are very different from each other but some how some way it works. She is the one that introduced me to Sex and the City, french soaps and pedicures. This girl makes me more girly. We have our "girls night" at least once a week. Salads are had with wine and enough gossip (just between the two of us) to fill a book. We do no harm when together, just laugh, dance, work out and eat awesome food. Could you ask for more? I could....I wish she were a guy and then I would marry her!!!
I wanted to recap for you all my workouts this week without the lovely Karen and compare it to next weeks (I will start to recap for you all what I have done Saturday-Friday each week instead of telling you every day). I bet you there will be a huge difference. When she is around, we move!
Here you have the workouts that have been completed thus far!
Saturday-Active rest day. I cleaned the house like a mad women for three hours and went on a 2 mile walk.
Sunday-Ran 2.5 miles and walked 2 miles, lifted weights for upper body for 45 minutes
Monday- 20 minutes stair climber, 20 minutes running (2 miles)
Tuesday-full body lifting and a 45 minute walk
Wed-walked 3.5 miles (55 mins), 45 minutes of yoga and a 40 minute walk
Thurs-Full body weight workout, 40 minute walk
Friday-Running for 30 minutes, 40 minute walk
That is less than what I usually do. I usually do something like this:
Saturday-Full body weights (about a hour and a half), 20 minutes of stair climber, 40 minute walk
Sunday-5 mile run, 40 minutes of walking
Monday-Full body weights, 40 minute walk (sometimes yoga)
Tuesday-40 minute run, 40 minute walk
Wed-Full body weights, 40 minute walk
Thurs-40 min run, 40 min walk
Friday-walking for a hour
Usually, I get three days of cardio and three days of weights with walking (very low key) and some yoga. That is what works for me. Not what is going to work for you. That also may explain why I EAT so much! If I feel the need to rest, I rest. If I feel really good and I want to run or walk longer, I go for it. I say when you FEEL it then agknowlege it and test yourself. I worked myself up to this and it took me years to get this active. This did not happen over night. I prefer to work out alone so Karen and I go on our walks but that is it really. We do go to the gym together but go our separate ways once inside. It is better that way for me because I have been injured before and need to focus on form and posture. If I were talking that would all go out the window and I would get hurt for sure. The proper fuel is necessary to go along with it. A normal day of eats Monday-Friday consist of
In picture form the foods that I eat usually, in order of course. 
insert working out here.
Off work from here on out.
Insert walking, yoga and meditating here.
.
Then bed.
Then bed. This is a typical day of eats (all made by me!) Monday-Friday. The weekend are way different I don't plan what I eat, I just go for what my body craves. Even I am not perfect! I have days where I don't eat everything or add things to mix it up. I don't have alcohol every night (try my best to limit it to two nights a week). The dark chocolate makes a few appearances, I usually have a piece after lunch and dinner. I also eat fruit like persimmons, mango, apples, banana and grapefruit. I am trying not to count my cals right now and just pay attention to my body but I would say that all this come out to about 1500 cals and a good balance of healthy fats and protein. The carbs that I eat come from oats, Ezekiel bread, quinoa, fruit and veggies. All in all I would say that my friends/family dont really change the way that I eat. It use to but I as long as I am listening to what I want I always find that I go for a simple salad, grilled or baked fish or chicken and enough veggies to fill a plate! This is how I roll. If anything Karen and I keep each other in check. There are so many times that we help each other out when a craving for something not so healthy comes into play. Again, there are times when we indulge. Balance and moderation is the key and as long as you hold yourself accountable or even better have someone help you, you will be fine. Being social and having friends and family around doesnt have to be hard. Next time you are around a friend or a family member and the thought of stuffing your face with something bad, be a friend, stear them and yourself clear away from it. You will be doing yourself and them a favor!
With this being said, have a wonderful weekend and try my food challenge PLEASE. Try something that you have never had before. I did this week and boy and I glad that I did! I will be doing a post all about it Monday!
See you soon and have a great weekend.
-Heather
