High Five Friday: More energy!

High Fives to...

• Healthy Diva Katie for getting her body back to normal. I had the exact same struggle. I didn't have my period for a whole year and some change. I've had it back since January and am starting to see changes in my body. I'm losing weight a little bit here and there. :)

• My friend, who I just talked to at the gym, for quitting a job and having faith. He found a new job in just 3 weeks and it's the job of his dreams. He never thought he was qualified enough. Well, he was, and now he works at one of those companies that have happy hours. Um, awesome.

And this week I'm High Fiving myself too!

• Being awesome at work. Okay, that's my own boast, but I've been in the classroom and running around the school helping all the teachers.
  
  I'm getting more comfortable this year in conversations with the teachers and I love the classes I'm working with. Remember when I said I wasn't? I always come around. I love working with students!

• Eating more! I'm always concerned about staying within 1200 calories. I've been upping my protein again but making sure I have enough fiber as well so I don't get indigestion. Thus, more food. 

Extra protein and caffeine in Click mocha protein

Salsa for super cheap!

Baked salmon over Power to the Greens with avocado and salsa for din din.

I was excited about this tea, but the caramel makes this darker than expected. It's growing on me though.

I've made it a conscious effort to eat more in the morning. An after dinner snack is really important to me because otherwise, I'm starving as I go to bed and can't sleep.

• New workouts! I used kettlebells and tried Blonde Ponytail's Can I Get Some Credit? HIIT workout tonight.

Normally, I stick to classes so I don't have to think about it. I've cut down the amount of TurboKick I do per week - once or twice is enough - because I get bored/my body gets used to it. Or I'll take BodyPump.

I did try the LiveFit Trainer where I had workout splits. I liked lifting heavy but really burnt out my body. I got bored towards the end.

But for my goals, circuits are the best. I want to incorporate weights into my cardio. I hate machines now - I used to be able to do an hour on a cardio machine and now I can barely stand 10 minutes.

That said, I love a mix of everything, and will probably just continue to do what works for me and my body week to week.

• MORE ENERGY! I had trouble sleeping the past two nights - only 6 or 6.5 hours of sleep! However, I was okay for the most part.
  
  I tried to sleep in this morning and work out in the afternoon, but I could not sleep in. When I did take a nap, it was for a reasonable amount of time: 45 minutes instead of um, 2 hours!
  
  Not sure if it's my morning coffee with pumpkin syrup. Either way, I love being so alert and present in everything I do.

I'd give myself another High Five if I got to studying... I haven't studied since Tuesday! No excuses!

What are you proud of this week?

What's the optimal amount of sleep for you?