Back to life. Back to reality.

Ahhh, do you all remember that song? It's so old. Makes me feel old to admit that I used to jam out to it. HA!


What the title of today's post really means is that I'm back ON TRACK as of today. Wild weekends, Birthdays, Wineries, Bars, Cookouts, Parties and Events are done and over with and I need to get my sloppy ass back into gear. I'm feeling super motivated and I'm excited to tackle this CLEAN MONTH of no drinks, no bad food, no slacking and no excuses. It will be hard but I'm feeling pumped!! I will let myself have ONE MINI SLIP for one day on July the 4th. THAT'S IT! And you can quote me on that! :)

To start things off right, I once again did a mini-re-vamp of my weekly workout routine.

Monday - Back and Biceps + Cardio
Tuesday - Chest and Triceps + Cardio
Wednesday - Light leg day + Cardio
Thursday - Shoulders + Cardio
Friday - OFF
Saturday - Heavy leg day + Cardio
Sunday - OFF

This will be the "typical" week for me. Of course things come up forcing me to change my days around but that's life. This week will already be a bit different because I have a hair appointment late afternoon on Thursday and me and my nappy, thick head of hair will probably be there ALL NIGHT! So I'll probably do something to make up for it on Friday. Weather permitting, Ann and I are talking about hitting up a park close to her apartment for an attempt at trail running. We're both off from work that day. And yes, I AM scared. As you all know, I AM NOT A RUNNER but by golly I'll give it a try!

BIRTHDAY RECAP!
Ann and I had a blast, minus the table of annoying humanoids that were directly behind our table. It's AMAZING how much time people spend talking about and making fun of others. To me it just means that they are insecure and I think that behavior to be incredibly disgusting. It took all of my energy to not comment on the obsessive manner in which they spent HOURS laughing at the expense of others.

Okay, moving on. We drank, we played games, we snacked, we drank, we snacked some more until I felt like my insides would explode. UGH! Sometimes I wonder about my ability to self control during merriment-having. When I'm sipping wine and in a good mood all good decisions go flying out the window. Bye-bye common sense, hello cheese ball and dessert.


It was an amazing afternoon though. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN ANNIE-BOO! LOVE YOU!

Today has been spent making up for my overindulgent weekend escapades.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

I'm cutting down portion sizes. And you know what? I WAS STILL FULL! Who knew?

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 small banana

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

I had a small Nectarine and cooked broccoli slaw which also included leeks, sweet mini peppers and soy sauce. I also added a Boca Burger to the mix for a bit of protein.


SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I had a small bowl of strawberries and raspberries and a protein shake with just 12oz water and a scoop of Vanilla Whey powder. I forgot to photograph both. HEY, It's been a while since I've had a regular post. I'm still getting back into the swing of things. :)

And then it was time to SWEAT!

WORKOUT

10 Min. Warmup on the Elliptical (level 6)
Lat Pulldown (cable)
50lb x 12
60lb x 12
70lb x 12
Low Row (plate loaded)
50lb x 12
70lb x 12
80lb x 10
One Arm Dumbbell Row
20lb x 12
25lb x 12
25lb x 12
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
70lb x 12
80lb x 12
90lb x 12
Barbell Curls
35lb x 12
45lb x 10
35lb x 12
Bicep Curls with straight bar (cable)
30lb x 12
40lb x 12
50lb x 10
Hammer Curls
10lb x 12
12.5lb x 12
15lb x 10
Elliptical Cross Trainer
20 Min. at level 6

Total Time at gym = 1:24
Max Heart Rate = 170
Average Heart Rate = 137
Calories Burned = 649

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

When I got home I refueled with another protein shake. This time I made it in the blender with some chocolate whey, almond breeze, frozen cherries and a large handful of Spinach. YUM! I've missed these!! Forgot to take a picture again..... Sorry..... :-o

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

I wish I could avoid eating so late every night but with doing the gym after work, it seems next to impossible. I decided to make an open face tuna melt sandwich. I added fat free miracle whip, mustard, relish & green pepper to a can of tuna. I topped an Ezekiel bun with the tuna and split a single slice of cheese between the two halves. I popped them into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. It was SO damn good. I also had some tomatoes and peppers on the side.


I also snacked on an apple a bit later.


And there you have it. A regular, good old fashioned post. Did you miss them? :)

Have a GREAT night!
XOXO
Ildie

Hodgepodgery gone wild!

With thoughts running wild, I bring you another brilliant and alluring installment of "Hodgepodge Posts Of Randomness". Fueled by my trusty, massive cup of coffee and with knuckles freshly cracked, the words will now incessantly flow from my fingertips. You have been warned.

FIRST of all - HI! I know I haven't been around much. I suck!

SECONDLY - I currently have heartburn/weird stomach pains going on. This sucks even more!

THIRDLY - I am thinking of revamping my "healthy lifestyle habits" a bit. Starting on Monday the 14th. Some of the changes (some done before, some new) are listed below. I feel like I'm in a slump, both with my eating and with my workouts, and I need to SLAP THE HECK OUT OF IT!

• No carbs for dinner 3x a week!
• Up the veggies because I've been slacking a bit lately!
• Start drinking protein shakes for my pre-workout snack with a piece of fruit for some carb kick!
• Cut back on dairy. NO MORE GREEK YOGURT! Oh my! (not every day that is, on occasion is fine...)
• Drink a gallon of water a day! (this one seems so difficult for me...sigh...)
• Start taking multivitamins again!
• Change up workout routine a bit. Sort of sick of the repetition. I have NO definitive plan yet though!
• Attempt a few runs outside at the local park. I'm curious to see how much I can handle.
• Up the cardio again. I've been slacking on this more than anything else!
• Buy new gym clothes. My current "fashionable" vomit inducing selection is disturbingly AWFUL! You look good, you feel good, you're more confident and you work out harder. SIMPLE!

FOURTHLY - Ann's Birthday is this Sunday and we are celebrating on Saturday. This brings on mixed feelings of dread, fear, joy and anticipation. Fear and dread because I know we will be naughty. We're going to the winery with snacks in tow for Pete's sake. There's obviously also anticipation and joy for the exact same reason. I think the following pictures will sum up the usual mischievousness of Birthdays spent at the winery. We go there for her Birthday every year! HA!

Ann's Birthday, 2008...

Ann's Birthday, 2009...

(Whew, I was a plump little bunny back then wasn't I?) :-O


FIFTHLY - After 3 straight hours of discomfort, the heartburn/weird pain has finally resided. Thank goodness. That was horrible! My body has been acting so weird lately.... ???

SIXTHLY - The horrible and disgusting "skunk panther" (as I have lovingly named it) tattoo on my chest is going to be covered up. Nick's brother will be hooking me up with a sweet new tattoo just as soon as we decide on an exact design. I was 16-17 when I got that HORRIBLE thing permanently attached to my body and I've basically hated it ever since. I'm SO excited about this! The styles of sparrow I like are below. Obviously we will have to work with something that can cover up Mr. Skunky the best. I have high hopes though. And I know what you're thinking (perverts) but NO, Nick's brother will NOT (repeat) NOT see me topless. The current tattoo is high enough that I can just wear a tube top or something. Thank you very much!


SEVENTHLY - Threadless.com has their $10 t-shirt sale going on and I finally placed an order with them. I've pondered it for years for reasons beyond me without ever actually placing an order. Today was the day. I got 2 sweet T'shirts (below) at an awesome price and they should arrive in a week or so. Yay.


Nick tried to talk me into getting this one as well. He wants us to have matching ones to be super SPECIAL! HAHAHAHA! I think he talked another one of his friends into it as well. Can't wait for this group outing. How can I pass that opportunity up? I mean just look at its awesomeness. Cats playing pianos in space!! DA DA DAAAAAA! It's PERFECT! But sadly, it was out in my size. NOOOOOOO!! It's a T'shirt Kitty Tragedy!


EIGHTHLY - I'm all out of words now. My fingers are numb so it's time to say bye bye. Be back in a few days my lovelies. Don't fret. I'll have a full Birthday update post for your reading pleasure soon enough.

XOXO
Ildie

Under Pressure!

Why hello there!


SO, it has come to my attention that I haven't blogged in a while. Apparently some people find this to be simply unacceptable. I'm under pressure to perform, blog, whine, share, complain and jibber jabber until all the words fall numb on my tongue. SO here I am in all my splendor, ready to do just that.

I've been a naughty little busy girl lately. Every weekend has been jam packed with fun, friends, events, cookouts, wine, beer, snacking and tomfoolery. So in other words, not the healthiest decisions have been made. HOWEVER, I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Does anyone else find it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle during Summer months? I swear it seems like there's always something going on!

First we went on vacation. The following weekend included a night out with Annie-Boo,

a house party (This is Nicks brother Dan doing a shot of Hot Sauce... I have no explanation! Please notice all of the beer in the background. CLASSY!)

AND 2 different cookouts. The following weekend included me and Nicks 2 year Anniversary, Game night with friends AND a cookout/slash housewarming party. Next weekend is Ann's Birthday and so on and so forth. AGHHHHHHHHHHHH! So much fun having should be illegal! I'm feeling sluggish to say the least. Not at all like my self.

So what do I have to show for all of this fun-having-marathon-like-lifestyle? Weight gain babies, weight gain. SIGH! I won't even discuss numbers. Let's just say I'm working on "sweating" it back off. It's not some absurdly scary high number or anything. It's plenty to PISS ME OFF THOUGH! BAD ILDIE! BAD!!!!!!!

There has been healthy eating as well. Don't worry, I haven't lost COMPLETE control. :)
(Random Hummus plates)

(Berries galore)

(Healthy vegetarian burritos)

(Greek Yogurt messes)

(And I finally tried overnight oats for the first time, LOVED IT!)


And of course, I'm still hitting the gym, though 2 weeks in a row I've only made it 4x. Things keep coming up. Less fun filled (how sad does that sound) weekends are on the horizon though. This coming up weekend we will celebrate Ann's Birthday and after that there will be a nice and MUCH NEEDED break in events.

Now it's time to focus! FOCUS DAMN IT! FOCUS! ;)

Stay healthy!
XOXO
Ildie

Salmon Spell

Well I didn't stay away for long did I!! I have a slight (severe) addiction when it comes to blabbing about my thoughts. I have to let it out or I get all fidgety and anxious.


Sooooooooo here we go....

While on vacation I didn't exercise at ALL. There was no sexy, slow motion running on the beach. No strength training on the deck with my ocean view. No yoga poses, no stretching, no NOTHING! On one hand, it was glorious, on the other hand, I've felt like a HEAVY SLUG ever since I got back.


I think the combo of stuffing my greedy little face with whatever I wanted and not working out for 11 days straight really did a number on me. I feel better today than I did on Sunday but I still don't feel like myself. I went back to the gym starting Monday and I'M SORE AS ALL HECK! Like I just started working out for the first time EVER! I don't feel weak (thank goodness), I just feel SUPER sore!

So strange how our bodies get used to the foods we eat regularly and the exercise abuse we inflict upon it. It's almost like I collapsed physically without it. Would I do things differently next time? Probably! I would perhaps only indulge ONCE a day instead of at EVERY MEAL and I would probably try and squeeze in a little exercise here and there.

Okay, moving on. Don't you just LOVE random posts?

I have not been taking photos regularly. THE HORROR! BUT, here are some of the things I have enjoyed since getting back into the swing of things.

Oh oatmeal, how I missed your gooey goodness. I've had the same exact breakfast since Monday and my body thanks me for it. ;)


Fruits. LOTS and LOTS of fruits. Apples, Kiwi, Berries, Bananas etc... I can't seem to get enough!


Wrap your brain around this wrap. Spinach, bread and butter pickles and ham. I seriously LOVE bread and butter pickles! They are the BEST in my opinion! I even add them to my salads. SO GOOD!


Smoothies to cool down and refuel with after my workouts. It's been HOT around here lately. Mid 80's since I got back. Above average for this time of year in Ohio I do believe.


And of COURSE, Greek yogurt. I missed this while I was gone. I missed it severely!


And I MUST talk a bit about my dinner last night. Nick had dinner at his moms the night before and brought me home some recently fresh caught and grilled Salmon. UN-BELIEVE-ABLE! It was the most tender, juicy, perfectly cooked Salmon I have ever had in my entire life!!!! EVER!!!! I cooked up some fresh green beans, seasoned them with soy, spray butter, black pepper and minced garlic. I placed the Salmon on top and topped it all off with a drizzle of creamy horseradish sauce and fresh Wasabi paste. I also had a toasted English muffin on the side. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I can't say that enough.


My nose was on FIRE. I adore Wasabi!

Alright lovelies. That's it for now. Be back when I have something new and exciting to yap about. :)

XOXO
Ildie

And she's BACK!

I've been back for three days and I'm still dreaming of my quiet, relaxing, sunny little Island paradise. I wish I could go back there right now!!!


AHHHHHHH. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT! If you're looking for peace and quiet as opposed to a popular, packed, tourist driven, bustling beach with a killer nightlife, I highly suggest Ocracoke, NC. It's quaint, everyone is lovely, the food is great, the scenery is ridiculous, the beaches are never packed and you can walk everywhere, or rent a bike or golf cart or scooters (one of which we plan to do next time).

I know I have't had a real blog post in a while. I think vacation spoiled me. I realized that it's sort of nice to not HAVE TO do something every single night. Maybe HAVE TO is the wrong choice of words because I CHOSE to do it every night. My point is that though I enjoy blogging, I also enjoyed not blogging and doing other things with my time. Does that make sense? I have missed you all though!! I will keep blogging and posting for your reading pleasure but I'm just not sure that I can/want/will do it every day like I used to.

To end this sort of all over the place pointless ramble of a post, let me leave you with some food porn from the trip. I'll only show you meals that are worthy of mention because they were FANTASTIC! :)


The BEST pancakes ever, enjoyed on the deck while gazing at the ocean. It was Kodiak Pancake mix and Kodiak raspberry syrup.


Yeah, that's right. I made burgers one night and I used BEEF not turkey. OH NO SHE DIDN'T! Hey, I was on vacation, it's OKAY! :)


Hot dogs and I swear, the best macaroni salad ever! We ate that salad until every little last drop of it was gone.


Omelet with ham, onions, green peppers and colby jack cheese. YUM!


Penne with meat sauce and of COURSE, a glass of wine. :)


Spicy sausage with sauteed onions and peppers and coarse ground mustard.


My FAVORITE meal on the Island was at a little place called Dajio. The shrimp and scallops were spectacular. The sweet and sour cucumber slaw was SPICY and amazing! And the chips... Oh the chips.... They were homemade and ridiculous!

And that would wrap up all the photos I took of food while on vacation. We also had ice cream, fresh local fish, chips and cheese dip, crab cakes, hush puppies, pretzels, wasabi peas, cheese and crackers, beers, wine, mixed drinks and all sorts of other vacation MUST HAVES! Yeah, I was bad! I was REAL BAD! Since I've been back I've cleaned up the eating and finally went back to the gym yesterday. It felt great to get a workout in. I actually missed the gym. WILD RIGHT!? :)

XOXO
Ildie