Alright people. It took every once of my being yesterday to get to the gym yesterday morning before work. Want to know why?
It was cold. Like really cold. Like –20 degrees wind chill cold. I warmed up my car for a good 10 minutes before getting in it, but it was still a chilly ride to the gym. I got there a bit later than I wanted to, about 7:20. Weirdly, there was only one other person there besides me! After looking at my strength training exercise program, I decided it was a bit too easy – and the Kris Gethin one is too hard, so I am back at Week 1 Day 1 of Jamie Eason’s 12 week strength program. Yesterday was chest and triceps. I started out with a half mile walk to warm up.
The strength portion took me 20 minutes, then I finished off with a 1.5 mile hill walk – 3.8 mph at 8% incline.
After only working out twice last week, it’s amazing how out of shape I felt. But, I just have to make the effort every.single.day if I want to see results.
I had a Balance Bar and a cup of coffee as my pre-workout fuel. Breakfast – shocker!! Egg white breakfast tacos! And some amazing pineapple my Mom and I got at Mariano’s last week. So good!
Before I knew it, it was time to head back to the gym – to swim! OMG, the pool room and pool are so warm – it’s amazing. Just the walk back to the locker room sucks ass. Most of the schools were closed yesterday and today because of weather, so there were kids swimming in the next lane. Obviously they belong to a swim club, because they were really great swimmers. The girls looked to be around 12 or 13? It was as if they were floating on top of the water they were so fluid and fast. Made me a bit jealous that I am not a better swimmer.
When I got back to the office, my office supplies were delivered. Every time I order more than $100 worth of products, we get a free bag of Matt’s cookies. If you have not had a Matt’s cookie, you are missing out – they are so soft and delicious. The oatmeal cranberry is my favorite, but the chocolate chips are a close second. But with two workouts under my belt for the day, I just walked away. NSV!!
And over the weekend I made batch #57 of lasagna soup! This time with bow tie pasta. If you make a pot of this, cook the pasta separately. I added both the raw spinach and cooked pasta to the soup right before heating up for 3 minutes. Perfect!
I had my meal plan all written out, and conveniently threw it out while I was cleaning up yesterday. I knew I had ground beef, so I ended up making burgers. On the side I thought I’d try to make tempura zucchini fries. Um, no – these tasted like ass – like baby puke covered in tempura batter. I guess I needed the strength of bread crumbs to not cook the inside to shit?
But the fried jalapenos were amazeballs! And then I added hot sauce to the burger and Tony said “you are putting hot sauce ON TOP of your jalapenos?” To which I said “don’t worry about it, it’s not your burger!”
I logged all my food, but for some reason my spark people log in isn’t working and the password is on my home computer – I’ll update my stats later today.
UPDATED STATS:
- 1432 calories, 43 fat, 175 carbs, 69 protein, 12 fiber
- 51% of calories from carbs, 28% from fat and and 20% from protein
- 35 minute cardio before and after strength
- 20 minutes of chest and triceps
- 30 minute swim at lunch
- NO WINE!
And here I am about to leave for the gym, Week 1 Day 2 – back and biceps. Right now the air temperature is . . . .- 14! And with the wind chill feels like –30. If I wanted to live in Alaska, I would have moved there! I AM SO DONE WITH WINTER!
Make it a great day!
I was reading this during a webinar and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. LOVE the tempura story. (Meredith was here and laughed with me) 🙂
Ha – love that I could make you guys laugh during a Webinar!! Tell Meredith I said hello!
Oh my gooosh, I don’t know how you deal with that cold! I struggle when the temperature is in the positive teens! Good for you for getting out and to the gym… I think it’d be sitting under a pile of blankets! 🙂
You rock! You didn’t let the cold interfer with your plans.
I’m done with Winter too but the reason is different. You know I have the Beebox with veggies of the season and from Holland. And in Winter there is little variation in veggies (unless you buy at the grocery store where you can buy everything) and I’m bored with the pumpkin and the cabbages. I look forward to the Spring veggies.
Oh, Biz, it sounds so easy, but that “No wine Monday-Thursday” is really hard to manage! Yes for swimming…I so miss getting into the pool.
Fried jalapenos. I’m in love!!
Yes, I am also jealous of your swimming! My swim strokes would probably look like a cat trying to get out of the water! Lol
We had snow today. Only a few inches but it basically shut the whole place down! Schools are closed and my office is closed. Roads are impassible. I wouldn’t make it up north! lol 😀
Um, that’s not me in the pool Sherry – I too look like a cat trying to keep it’s head above water, but I do have to say it’s a workout – I keep moving for 30 minutes, but not very fast!
I don’t even think they would plow for only three inches of snow here!
2 workouts = 2 cookies. Right?
Fried jalepenos sound like the key to my soul right now. I can not get spicy enough food this pregnancy!
I like the way you think Jen! Pretty soon your baby will be here – wouldn’t it be weird if the baby is born on your Dad’s bday??!!
So when is retirement so you can escape from the extreme cold? Matt’s cookies??? I have never heard of them. Our office supply company only gives away Mrs. Field’s cookies and they aren’t so great (no offense to any fans of Mrs. Field’s)
Well, as I am only 45 and Tony is 53, we have some time! Unless we win the lottery of course, or I win the HGTV Dream House – whichever one comes first!
I agree with Mrs. Fields – way overrated!
Um, I have gone through the cabinets several times and I don’t see any Matt’s cookies. WTF??
Ha – if I brought them home honey, we would both eat them! (although next time I get a fresh bag, I’ll bring you ONE) 😀
You are a workout maverick. Many of us would hole up inside and not go for the workouts. Yay you Vat!!!!
Thanks Roz – I am jealous of the glimmers of green grass in your recent photos! Not sure we’ll see that until April!
Walking away from cookies is a great NSV. Go Biz!
My daughter just got to work in Austin after scraping ice for 30 minutes and wrestling with the door to get it open. She has a little pickup truck which is terrible for bad weather. I hope your brother is OK driving around too. There were over 100 accidents early in the day already. Yuck.
Yep, he sent me a link to a pile up on one of those high expressways – no thank you! Hope she stays safe!
And yes, those Matt’s cookies have already been deemed insulin worthy, so that’s an extra NSV!
I just love the lasagna soup…only on batch #16 but I know another batch is in our future!!! Right now I am loving your recipe for the vegie marinara sauce. We just love that. I roasted peppers, garlic, ONIONS, carrots, zucchini, celery and cabbage tossed with a little olive oil and seasonings. Added to crushed tomato sauce…..gosh that was a good pot of sauce. JP reframed from having two big dishes of pasta and the sauce. I even made a small pizza using the sauce…..oh yum was that good!!! Oh and another loaf of rustic bread.
See how you inspire me with your cooking???? Wish I could lose the weight you have…..it doesn’t come off as easily in the older years though as much as I try. Oh well, I will keep plugging along and keep on cooking and watching what goes into the mouth.
What I love about that roasted marinara sauce is it’s a great way to use up any leftover veggies for the week – so glad you like it!
I love how I have turned you onto eating hot sauce too! 😀
I do not miss the chicago wind chill. Or the wind. Or the chill. you are doing great!
Thanks Abbe! Thanks for being such a great cheerleader!
I printed up the lasagna soup recipe. I have to make this because I think it will help my italian food cravings that I get so often. Your fries looked good, sorry that they tasted so lousy. Do you ever make pasta carbonara? I saw this recipe on the chew yesterday and it looked really yummy!
Hey Jan – as a matter of fact, I have made that dish in the past – it’s been a few years though!
http://www.mybizzykitchen.com/category/pork-2/pasta-carbonara/
Because I try to make healthier versions of Tony’s favorites, let’s just say that he could tell this was a “light” carbonara – but this was still tasty!
Good job getting to the gym so early and when it’s so cold. The soup sounds good. I thought “cheesy goodness” was your term (sounds like something you’d say, LOL), but that’s what the recipe says! 😀
Um, all cheese is cheesy goodness, but that is not a direct quote from me! 😀
I wish I could send you some warmth. My mother in law bought me two new sweaters for Christmas, and they still have the tags on them, because it really hasn’t been below 70 except for one day.
You are killing me Marcia! 😀 Loved the post your niece’s blog post about having NO MORE EXCUSES – loved it! 😀
http://mrspetridish.blogspot.com/
My car said -5 when I drove to the gym this morning at 5am. Thank goodness for seat warmers!!
Ah, seat warmers – about the only bell and whistle I don’t have on my car! Keep warm too!
Seriously, I wouldn’t even leave my house in that weather, much less think about SWIMMING. You are either crazy or dedicated…or both? 😉
I think both would be appropriate Shelley! Great job on your half too! 😀
I love that you swim – I’m an awful swimmer and have never thought about doing it for exercise.
And, I’m over winter, too – it was 1 degree when I took the boys to school – not as cold as your temps but far too cold!!!
Well, that’s super cold for your neck of the woods! 🙁
Anyone who goes to the gym period is an inspiration, but those who go in winter are truly heroes!
Thanks Suzi – I should make a cape! 😀
oh my gosh! I cannot believe how cold it is there! YIKES! We’re actually suppose to get ice and a little snow today…nuts for SC. Good for you for forgoing the cookies. Whoop. How have I not made that soup yet???
Well, maybe the bad weather kept you inside today so you can make that soup! Swear you’ll make it all the time once you try it. 😀
You went to the gym twice in below zero weather? You are my hero.
Ha – thanks Kitch. 😀 Hope you are having a great week!
Great job making it to the gym yesterday morning, Biz! And great job going again today!
Have a wonderful day, and try to stay warm!
Thanks Andrea – I will still dream about your weather though! And CSA boxes year round!
Ugh stay warm. I’m about to leave the house and it’s -8 here. No wind chill, just super f*cking cold.
Good on ya for getting back to the gym. Consistency is key! I am still working on that …
It’s amazing Erin, that just by doing what I know I should be doing makes each day a bit easier to keep going! 😀 You can do it!
Its funny – it’s all relative. Every time you talk about swimming I get a little jealous because I don’t know how to swim and there you were with a little twinge of envy because you thought those girls were so much better than you! Everybody can be someone else’s hero – you’re my swimming hero! Have a great day and STAY WARM! EEK!
Aw, thanks Lynne! We need to meet up sometime this summer – I think half way between us is only an hour or a little more??
Yeah, I’m all set with winter too. It’s fun when us die-hards get the gym to ourselves because everyone else wants to stay home in their cozy beds. 😉
Yep – let’s continue to be bad-asses Courtney! 😀
I want to try the lasagna soup. Do you know the serving size and point value? Thanks
I love your recipes!
Here is the nutritional breakdown – and the addition of the cheesy goodness which I normally leave out – 1.5 cups of soup, with 2 tablespoons of the cheesy goodness is 270 calories, 7.8 fat, 31 carbs, 3.4 fiber and 16.9 protein. I am not sure how the WW program works these days, but my guess is that the soup would be 6 points. 😀
http://www.preventionrd.com/2012/11/lasagna-soup/?printthis=1&printsect=1
Oops – here is the link!