Workouts

I know this blog is all about food but I want it to be more about healthy living than just food. Though food plays a major role in a healthy lifestyle  exercise is also an important key. I must admit I am kind of an exercise junkie. I really enjoy working out and hit the gym most days of the week (on average 6-7 days a week). It didn't use to be that way, I have learned to love the gym. I know in order to lead a healthy lifestyle I have to exercise. I want to keep up with H too, 3 year olds keep ya busy. :)

I thought I would share my typical workouts with you to give you an idea of how I push my body since I already share how I fuel my body. I typically strength train 3 to 4 days a week. I believe in heavy weight, low rep workouts. I also focus on a major muscle group each day, for example Monday arms, Wednesday legs, and Friday abs. I know others focus on even more detailed groups but this is what works for me. While lifting I typically do a circuit doing some sort of cardio move (burpees, mountain climbers, lunge jumps, etc.) in between sets. This keeps my heart rate up and gets my strength training in.

Everyday I do some sort of cardio work. Typically that includes spending sometime with my friend, the stairmaster, running intervals or distance, and on some days the elliptical and bike. I try to get at least 1 hour of cardio in every day. In the evenings I typically do a few 5 minute circuits of things like: jump ups (jump up onto my ottoman and back down), skaters, mountain climbers, squats with punches, squat jumps, plank jacks and so on.

I feel better when I exercise. I have also made exercise my me time and I think it is very important to take some time out for ourselves everyday. How can we provide the best to our family and loved ones if we don't take care of ourselves. Our bodies need fuel and exercise so get out there and find the exercise that is right for you. :)

Meal Plan 3/19-3/25

Monday
Breakfast: Southwest Scramble
Lunch: Turkey Burgers with vegetables
Dinner: Chicken Apple with vegetables
Tuesday
Breakfast: Southwest Scramble
Lunch: Chicken Fajitas
Dinner: Grilled Steak with vegetables
Wednesday
Breakfast: Omelet Muffins
Lunch: Fast Shrimp/Hot Dog (H doesn't like shrimp)
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas
Thursday
Breakfast: Omelet Muffins
Lunch: Fast Shrimp/Peanut Butter and Jelly
Dinner: Taco Salad (this is one of my favorite Paleo recipes)
Friday
Breakfast: Frittata
Lunch: Taco Salad
Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops with vegetables
Saturday
Breakfast: Frittata
Lunch: Grilled Pork Chops with vegetables
Dinner: Turkey Burgers with vegetables
Sunday
Breakfast: Leftovers or bacon and eggs
Lunch: Turkey Burgers
Dinner: Pork Roast

Weekly Check-in

As I mentioned the week before last was not a pretty week for me. I gained a lot of what I had lost back but this week I was back on track. :) 

Here are my weekly measurements:
Weight:145 (.4lbs down from my last check in, 5.8lbs since starting Paleo)

Arms: 10.75" (right) and 11.25" (left)

Chest: 32.75"

Waist: 30.75"

Hips: 38.5"

Thighs: 22.25" (right) and 22" (left)

That is 5" since my last check in! 

Recipe Organization

Since starting Paleo I have found that I need a way to better organize my recipes. I don't like to follow recipes from my computer and I actually prefer to use handwritten recipes. I know I am weird huh? When I find a recipe I sit down and write onto an index card. I use the large index cards so that I can fit the ingredients and directions onto one side. A couple weeks ago I found these neat little half size clipboards for my business but picked up an extra one to hold recipes.

When I do my weekly meal plan I put all of the recipes I plan to use (in order of use) on the clipboard and hang it in my kitchen. This method has worked great but until today I was kind of lost as to what to do with the recipes I wasn't using in a week. I am particular about things and want everything to look nice and neat. S teases me because if my grocery list doesn't look nice I will rewrite it!

Today I was determined to find a solution to my recipe problem once and for all. I had been using a sheet protector to hold the recipes but that was filling up. So while at Target today (sidenote: I spend way too much time and money at Target) I found a small three drawer file that I thought would be perfect for what I needed. I divided the recipes into breakfast, lunch/dinner, and sides/snacks/desserts. I think it is going to work perfectly, at least until I get an excessive amount of recipes as I am sure I will.

This is my recipe file. 

This is my clipboard with my recipes for the week. 

Meal Plan 2/27 through 3/4

Oh boy it is seriously exciting to see that I am posting a menu that includes part of March! That means we are slowly getting closer to having S home with us again. YIPPEE!! We still have a while to go but have to enjoy the little things right?
Monday
B: Breakfast Smoothie
L: Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
D: Taco Salad
Tuesday
B: Eggs and Bacon
L: Taco Salad
D: Omega Meatballs with Broccoli and Asparagus
Wednesday
B: Breakfast Smoothie
L: Omega Meatballs
D: Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
Thursday
B: Frittata
L: Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
D: Steak Stir Fry
Friday
B: Breakfast Smoothie
L: Steak Stir Fry
D: Turkey Burgers
Saturday
B: Frittata
L: Turkey Burgers
D: Pork Roast
Sunday
B: Omelet
L&D: Pork Roast

Weekly Check in....

is not going to happen this week! To say I fell off the bandwagon is the understatement of the century. I am so disappointed in myself. I just kept making bad decisions as far as food and even realized it but continued to make the same decisions. I have decided to start over rather than beat myself up further.

I have my meal plan for the week ready to go and already got my groceries for the week. I am going to do prep work for as many of the meals as possible today so that hopefully I can stay on track this week. I am finding when I have things going on that keep us away from home for a good part of the day it seems to ruin the entire day.

This week I am remembering that and trying to plan ahead rather than let my eating lifestyle just go out the window. I think having things ready ahead of time will help and I am going to keep snacks with me at all times so that if and when we get hungry away from home we don't have to hit a drive thru. I know I am way off track for my goals but I know I can get back on track with some hard work and determination.

I am trying not to put too much pressure on myself because I feel like I don't handle my own pressure well. I need to just refocus on my goals and why I am eating Paleo and I know I will find success.

This week I am also going to mix up my workout a bit because I am finding myself in a bit of a rut in that area too. My workout plan includes a Daily Cross Fit Workout of the day, 3 days a week strength training (low reps, high weight), and cardio with some jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers, skaters, etc. thrown in. I also plan to start including some swimming into my routine. I feel like I really just need to mix it all up.

I am having a hard time holding myself accountable but I have to get past that because I am really close to my goal and am not ready to give up. I can and will do this. I just need to do what I know I should be doing rather than eating junk because I am too lazy or something to make the right decisions. Here is to a new tomorrow! This isn't a sprint but a marathon and I am in the last leg, now I just need to finish strong!

GAH! Paleo Fail

Let's just say this week has involved some emotional eating that hasn't been Paleo. Lifestyle changes involve bumps in the road though so rather than beating myself up I am learning from these mistakes and moving on. It seems like when I am running short on time or in different situations then usual I break away from Paleo and eat junk! I think it is important to think about your actions,even if you aren't happy or proud of them to figure out why you did what you did.

I now know that I need to really think about my day and plan my food specifically for busy days otherwise I will hit a drive thru, order pizza,or just eat junk. Understanding why I chose to do what I do really helps me learn from my experiences and improve. Completely changing your diet lifestyle isn't an easy task and I am learning that now. It takes time to adjust. The key for me is making it a daily habit to make the right food choices and rather than just eat junk. Taking the time to make an effort is half the battle.

Meal plans help me a lot but there are still times when I just am not feeling what I had planned. I am finding that too many days of the same leftovers gets old. I need to adjust my meal plans to include fewer meal repeats so that I will be more willing to stick to my plan.

So whatever you are doing to improve your lifestyle just keep pushing even if you have a bad meal, day,or week. Get back at it and soon enough you will have more good meals,days,weeks then bad.