A day fit for a queen

A day fit for a queen

 

A workout fit for a warrior

I fell asleep early last night and slept in late this morning.  Well, not straight through, but it was late by the time I finally rolled out of bed and showered.  I was a little bassackwards about my game plan.  I knew the shower would wake me up fast, in addition to the coffee my hubby had ready and waiting for me post-shower.  (That's love to me!)  But as I calculated in my head the amount of time before I had to leave, I realized there was plenty of time to work out, too.  Since it was in the 60s in our living room (who else hates vaulted ceilings?!), I figured I could remain pretty stink-free during my workout.

I stretched for several minutes to warm up.  Since Averie gave her challenge words of encouragement, this is day 2 of me holding as close to the splits as I can.  If I remember tomorrow, I plan to get pics of my day 3 splits so we can compare as I go along to see if I really make any progress.  I also did the typical stretches for the legs, arms, and my required DFD-- my day is off kilter without a downward facing dog.

I then did about 17 minutes of strength workouts.  Considering I try to do big bang for your buck strength moves as it is, this was an impressive amount of time.  I did several WMM2 moves because my quest for sexy abs was way less disciplined that Miss Angela's and, therefore, did not end on 1/31.  I can see myself continuing many of the moves even when my abs reach their sexiest, though, just for maintenance sake.  A strong core is so important.  I also lifted weights for my arms.  I love seeing my arms flex in the mirror as I get ready in the mornings because I've always had puny little arms.  Muscle is hot!

I really felt the need for punishment, because I topped all of that off with 30 min of cardio.
Confession time:

1. I hate cardio.  
2. I'm a wimp in the winter and don't like going out in the cold.  
3. I don't like going on long walks or runs on my own and Irish's motivation got lost several months ago, so I have to get creative with cardio within 4 walls without a treadmill, elliptical, spin bike, or stair climber (or even stairs!). 
4. I could REALLY use ideas on how to do cardio within those constraints! 

So my solution was to mix some jogging in place, jumping jacks, and jump rope moves, and kickboxing (with a DVD) together for a half hour.  It worked well, but either my endurance for cardio has gone down the toilet or I had ramped the level up higher than I anticipated.  I cooled down quickly, but we'll see what the verdict is when I try to get out of bed tomorrow morning.  For today, I feel good.

A breakfast fit for a CCV

So after my exercise, I was very ready for a good breakfast.  Lots and lots of water and then the delish coffee were my first rewards post-workout.

 

Initially I thought that I would test out my hemp protein with a frozen banana and an apple.  I double-checked the stats and decided that I wasn't brave enough to have 14g fiber from the protein powder (plus some additional from the fruit) and then head out for a girlie outing.  I don't exactly know what 14g fiber will do to my body, and that wasn't how I wanted to find it out! 

So my challenge was to have a delicious breakfast that would satisfy my protein requirements.  I munched on some raw almonds as I perused the pantry.  Here's what I came up with.  Truly, a CCV-inspired smorgasbord:

 

Cocoa-flavored coffee, my chocolate PB ants at the picnic banana hammock, cocoa roasted almonds (I'd already eaten a big handful of raw almonds as I prepared the rest), and 3 squares of Green & Black's 85% cocoa dark chocolate.  

 

Very chocolatey, but also packed about as much protein as the protein shake would have, and without the anxiety-inducing amounts of fiber.  (Yes, I know that fiber is a very important part of our diets, but I know it needs to be added gradually or the side effects can be quite uncomfortable and embarrassing.)  

 

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how delicious, chocolatey, and divine this breakfast tasted.  It was delightful!

An afternoon fit for a girlie girl

After this fantastic breakfast, it was time to get ready for my girlie outing.  Since I don't have any family that lives nearby anymore, one of my dearest friends' mom's offered to be my "adoptive" mom.  She invited me to come with her and a bunch of friends to a yummy girlie restaurant nearby.  I got all dolled up and bravely wore heels after that intense A.M. workout.  Despite my left butt cheek falling asleep on the hard chair, I had a lot of fun.  It was great to have some girlie bonding time and nab a few hugs from my faux mom.

An early evening fit for a neat freak

I came home and cleaned up the closet, folded some laundry, went through the mail, dusted, and organized.  I tackled a few things that were loafing in the back of the closet because I hadn't felt like dealing with them up until now.  With the bold attitude that it was "now or never," I found a home for all of it (mostly in the trash).  I love how satisfying it feels to get something cleaned!

A dinner fit for a veggie

Dinner included the leftovers from lunch, a big bowl of Kabocha Apple Soup, and veggies with hummus.  I decided to try a spicy version of the soup tonight.  It was a little bit of an adjustment for my brain to have the thick creamy texture of something soothing with the big bold kick of spices.  I added a savory salt-free blend, garlic pepper, dry minced onion flakes, and vindaloo masala curry.  It was actually a very good blend!

 

An evening fit for a blogger

That brings us up to now.  Blogging on the couch with my puppy in tow.  Ahhh, what a great day!  With any luck, I'll wake up tomorrow morning feeling rested and ready for more fun.  So far, this is shaping up to be a great weekend!  How about you?

Anybody have suggestions on getting cardio indoors?  Do you try to consciously get a mix of workout elements (stretch, strength, cardio, endurance, etc)?  What was the best Saturday you've had lately?

P.S. Katie's giving away a stash of stevia!  It's been on my wish list, but since I haven't been baking all that often, I haven't been able to justify the purchase yet.  Cross your fingers that I win!