Month: September 2012

Run with a friend Saturday

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Work yesterday was SLOOOOOOW, which made my day completely drag by.  The upside? My boss let me go an hour early which was great because then I could fit in a quick little workout before dinner.  I walked home and I always find it funny how this guy sets up a bunch of chess and checkers boards for people to walk up and play…He does this every. single. (week) day.  We’ll see if he’s there in the winter!

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Before dinner, I just did a quick 40 minutes on the elliptical so that I could buy myself some of those extra calories that I was sure to consume during dinner.  

We ended up going to this BYOB Mexican place that I heard about on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives.  There was an hour long wait so we just went to the bar next door first.

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Enjoying a much needed drink after a long week.

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Let me tell you what, that restaurant was AMAZING!! Everything was so delicious.  If you are in the Chicago area, I strongly suggest stopping by.  It is called Chilam Balam.  Awesome.

This morning started off right! 

My friend Leslie came over and we had planned on doing this kick-boxing class before going on a quick 20 minute run.  However, 15 minutes into the class, we left because it was not a good workout AT ALL!  Maybe it was the teacher but it stunk.

Instead, we went with my husband for a 3.5 mile run followed by sprints up this hill.  It was tough!  My legs are killing me as I write this 🙂

Not sure what the rest of the weekend holds but I am sure glad I got such a great workout so early.  I especially enjoyed having other people do it with me.

All work and no play

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So this week has been rough!  I’ve been working late every night which makes it EVEN harder to maintain my diet and exercise program (I mean hello, we ordered dinner at work last night!!!).

But I’ve been good when it comes to lunch.  My lunch salad for the last 2 days has consisted of the following:

Chopped up romaine, chopped up basil, garbanzo beans, hard boiled eggs, broccoli, red peppers, green peppers and of course, PICKLES!!!  It was quite delicious and only about 350 calories!

I’ve had it for the last 2 days because I didn’t want all the veggies to go bad.

In terms of working out, I have not been so good.  I’ve been wanting to wake up early but instead, I’ve opted to snuggle with this little guy.

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But, I did do a quick 2 mile run yesterday on the treadmill with a 1% incline.  Better than nothing, right?  I don’t think I will make it tonight but hopefully I’ll get my butt out of bed early tomorrow morning to do a workout.

In other news, my mother bought me this green jacket from Old Navy in February of last year and the weather here in Chicago is just chilly/warm enough for me to finally wear it (please ignore the fact that my eyes are half closed).

Check me out ma!

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Let’s hope the rest of this week flies by, I need the weekend to come already!

Hang Over Saturday?

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This morning I was a little hung over from having a bit too much wine with dinner last night so I was quite proud of myself for peeling myself off the couch to go do some cardio.

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical with alternating resistances.  Man, is that thing BORING!!

What would I do without my InStyle magazine????

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Then, after my little workout, I went to Marianos to pick up some salad.  I think because I was so hungry, I went a little overboard with my toppings.  It looks like the salad bar threw up on my lettuce but you know what? It was delicious.

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Later, I am headed to State Street to do some fall shopping.  What can I say? The magazine inspiried me to spend my husband’s money look fabulous.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Weekend Goals

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With the weekend upon us plus being in the throes of football season, it can be VERY difficult to avoid over-indulging in extra calories (namely, alcohol).  SO, for this weekend, my goal is to keep up with my workouts and avoid drinking too much beer.

I’ve got an added temptation because today, the finance department (which includes yours truely) is doing a bowling/social event starting at 2:00.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE leaving the office early BUT, I really don’t want to drink that beer!  On the other hand, I don’t want my co-workers to think I’m prego.  Aaah, the joys of being a woman, right?  So, I’ll probably just have one beer, problem solved.

Yesterday I did 20 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the treadmill + glutes and core.

Today is my off day so I opted for a lighter lunch.

I basically just threw a bunch of crap (spinach, chick peas, pickles, olives, lunch meat) together that was laying around the house.  I must admit, it was pretty good and was probably right around 250 calories, not too shabby!

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Happy Friday!

What’s the definition of insanity?

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To do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

SO, I decided to switch things up for my last 2 workouts.

Yesterday, my friend Leslie sent me a couple of treadmill workouts to try.  Well, I tried this one:

http://www.pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/incline-interval-workout.png

Let me tell you, that workout was a doosy!  I couldn’t even do the whole thing, yikes!

Today’s work out consisted of me looking like a crazy person on the elliptical.  I held 5 lbs weights in each hand and just flailed my arms around (bicep curls, shoulder presses, etc.) for 30 minutes on that thing.  Awesome workout, I suggest you try it 🙂

This is me after the elliptical extravaganza this evening.

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After doing the elliptical and working on my core, I decided to take a trip to the magical Target.  I ended up finding this sports bra for only $12.99, score!

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Anyone else have some awesome workouts that I should try?

Back to the Grind

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Don’t get me wrong, having visitors is AWESOME.  However, it usually means that (at least for me) your regular routine is thrown to the wind.  Having my step-sister over for the weekend was no exception (hello PIZZA!).

But, with her back in Florida, it is time for me to get back to it.

 

I usually bring lunch to work pretty much everyday but skipping the grocery store this weekend meant that was not an option.  Luckily, my office building has a pretty sweet cafeteria on the 2nd floor so I am able to grab a healthy lunch even away from home.

Today’s lunch is a caesar salad (exciting, I know).

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And tonight, I plan on run/walking on the treadmill for about 30 minutes (depending on my knee) plus upper body strength training.

As much as I enjoyed having company, it is nice to get back into the swing of things.

Botched Plans

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Well, my workouts that I had planned for yesterday and today totally went OUT THE WINDOW.

But you know what? That’s okay because…

My step-sister (who is also one of my best friends) surprised me with a visit to the Windy City! Woot woot!!!

So last night, instead of working out, we went to dinner and had some yummy wine (great idea, no?).

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Then we headed to a bar to chat the night away.  It was awesome.ImageSo, even though my diet & workout plan was totally sabotaged, it was completely worth it.

Enjoy your weekend y’all!

Love/hate relationship with the Dreadmill

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With my sprained knee, I had to take it super easy running today (in fact, I was supposed to wait until Monday to run again but I COULDN’T!!!).

 

Anywho, I find the treadmill incredibly boring but on the upside, there is a killer view from the gym in my apartment building (I apologize for the blurriness but you get the point)…

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You see the triangle-looking building that is shining in the Chicago skyline (below)? That is the white building to the left (above).  Pretty sweet view if you ask me.

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So I ended up doing about 1.3 miles on the dreadmill (which felt awesome) and 20 minutes on the bike.

We are having a friend over for pizza (I will be eating fish instead) so I’ve gotta go.  

It’s almost Friday, WOOT!

Workout or snuggle?

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Workout or snuggle?

This is how Scooby feels about me working out rather than spending quality time with him.

I SO did not feel like working out yesterday afternoon but since I loaded up on calories throughout the day, I had to.

I did 15 minutes on the bike & 30 minutes on the elliptical. End of story.

My best bet is to do cardio in the morning before work and lift weights after work. Considering I have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn (5:15 AM) to work out early, that’s easier said than done.

Hey Scooby, pimpin’ aint easy, but somebody’s got to do it!