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

Dog Food

Random fact..... My lower lip is currently trembling uncontrollably and I can't get it to stop..... ???

Moving on.....

Today has been like a walking dream (or was it a nightmare?). I could NOT get to sleep last night because of daylight savings time. Why can't the time just stay put? Why must we meddle with it? Let things be babies! Let things be!! My lack of sleep naturally translated into irritable, whinny, bitchy, insane ME in the morning. I know Ann was appreciative of my chipper "sense of humor" this morning. Weren't you Ann? HA!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

The usual gooey bowl of oats. Am I boring you guys with these yet? Because if I am, I refuse to apologize. Oatmeal is good for you, healthy and I love it so DEAL with it. ;)

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice
• pinch salt

Microwaved to perfection at work and topped with...

• 1 tbs flax
• 2 tbs sugar free apricot preserves (Smucker's)
• 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter

Guess what I did while feasting on this mess? I played on Facebook. Oh super! Just one more online thing I am officially addicted to. I had an account about 2 years ago which I cancelled and people kept asking me to come back so I caved. This may have been a dangerous decision!

By the way, I also worked. Seeings how I was AT work! Please don't take me for a lazy bum. I'm an excellent multitasking genius! Also, work was a bit slower than the norm today. ;)

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I packed one of the leftover homemade black bean burgers from the other day and made a delicious salad out of it.

• Spinach
• Sweet Butter Lettuce
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Corn
• Black Bean Burger, crumbled
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Spray Butter (I know this grosses some of you out but I LOVE IT!)

Ann and I escaped the office for a bit this afternoon. The florescent lights were starting to melt my brain! I ran her to the post office. Baby sis-sis is FINALLY moving out of her teeny tiny one bedroom apartment and into a two bedroom upgrade. SO happy for her! Long overdue!! She needed a change of address form though. EXCITING way to spend our break right? I know, but please do try and calm down!!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00.

I devoured this tasty plain Dannon Greek yogurt like it was my job. I topped it with a bit of pomegranate granola per the usual and a sprinkle of cinnamon.


After work Ann and I hit the gym. For those of you who don't know, I've once again revamped the workout schedule a bit (you can read about that here) and today was day one of the new schedule. I'm dedicating two days to biceps, triceps and shoulders instead of one. Yeah, I want ripped arms and shoulders. DEAL WITH IT! ;)

WORKOUT!

Inch challenge

We tried to do a pullup, I FAILED as usual

Bicep Curls (barbell)

40lb x 15

40lb x 12

35lb x 15 (2 sets)

Tricep Pushdown (cable)

80lb x 15

70lb x 15 (2 sets)

Standing Military Press (barbell)

35lb x 15 (2 sets)

30lb x 15

Skull Crushers (barbell)

25lb x 15 (3 sets)

21's (barbell)

20lb curls (3 sets)

Upright Row (barbell)

35lb x 15 (3 sets)

Front Raise (barbell)

20lb x 15 (3 sets)

Elliptical Cross Trainer

30 minutes, 2.64 miles, 2 minute intervals of levels 8-10

Total time spent at gym = 1:18

Total calories burned = 667

Max Heart Rate = 169

Average Heart Rate - 143

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:20pm.

I recovered with a sweet and delicious frozen dream as soon as I got home. My wimpy little arms were quivering for nourishment. HA!

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter whey protein powder
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tbs maca powder
• 2 cups ice

Blend like a MAD MANIAC until you get a nice big glass of this!


Which makes you do this!


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

Please help me welcome back an oldie but goody. I'm sure you've missed him, as have we, so let's make him feel welcome. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you TACO SALAD! Awe snap!

We haven't made the traditional Friday night taco salad in forever. I think we were having it so often that it just became less "special". THE HORROR! So tonight I decided to bring my old love back, for a special Monday night love affair! I've missed you Taco. I've missed your fiery and spicy ways!

You can find the recipe on my recipes blog ***HERE***. It never really changes, though sometimes I use different beans. Of course I make Nick's with ground beef in place of my "dog food". Nick always refers to Morning Star Farms grounds as dog food. PSSSH! It's delicious! Topped with sour cream avocado and red pepper flakes. So SO good!


My lip is still trembling! Maybe it's a side effect of all the time I spend in front of a mesmerizing, mind sucking, glowing and amazing computer screen!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm off!

XOXOX
Ildie