Wednesday, September 26, 2012

WIAW: How to have a productive day


I've taken a nap or slept in three days in a row. Not a good habit. I was doing soooo well, but I haven't felt 100% lately.

But as with all things, I'll bounce back and will fight the urge to nap tomorrow afternoon.

How does one have a productive day?

Drink a little coffee.

Eat a slow food breakfast/oatmeal protein pancakes. I'm out of cottage cheese so I subbed in Greek yogurt. It's not as good, but I added a microwaved Granny Smith apple with cinnamon to both use up the apples and give myself a little sugar in the morning.

I also added microwaved cinnamon apple to my nighttime Greek yogurt.

Start off the day with a workout. I worked out Monday night and did a short short Tuesday night burner.

On Monday, I did The Hybrid Athlete's Strength Training for Endurance Athletes (~20-25 minutes with dynamic stretching) and then TurboKick class.

4 rounds, 12 reps each
  • squat, curl, press
  • single leg deadlift (each side)
  • lateral lunge
  • plank row (each side)
  • reach & pull (each side)
I got my oil changed on Tuesday morning and worked at night. When I came home, I did Blonde Ponytail's GNC Get Strong & Lean Home Workout plus step-ups on the stairs with weights in my hands.

Blonde Ponytail's GNC Get Strong & Lean Home Workout
5 rounds, 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
  • dumbbell swings
  • push-ups with toe tap
  • single arm reverse lunges
  • skull crusher in bridge pose
Pack lunch and dinner, if necessary. I chose a chicken salad for lunch, shrimp salad with nori snack for dinner, and an apple & string cheese for snack time. 

I had Walden Farms' balsamic dressing but picked up chipotle ranch today after a quick search on the best of their dressings. I liked this one more than the balsamic. I also like their chocolate syrup but not their PB&Js. Have you tried them? If so, what's your fave?

I proceeded to have Trader Joe's pumpkin Greek yogurt to get in my pumpkin for the day. I bought 3 to stock up a little.

Study. This didn't happen tonight but I finished chapter 9/12 last night and will do all of chapter 10 tomorrow. You heard me!

Read for fun. I'm reading Shanghai Girls. Kind of. It's a tad depressing...


What I really want to read now is Life of Pi. One of my students is reading it and it's just the motivation to get me going. I read the first couple of short chapters and will read that in conjunction with Shanghai Girls. Yes?

Though studying comes first!

Keep hulu to a minimal. I'm watching "Castle" and "Bones" tonight. So excited! I have to block out some quality time for it.

Sleep 8 hours. 7 is okay, but 8 is king.

Another good habit I'm cultivating: budgeting

I suck at budgeting. If I have money, I spend it. On the other hand, if I don't have money, I don't use it. I live within my means. However, my savings has taken a beating. A big giant beating.  

After working for two years, I have nothing to show for it. So it's time to get real and there's only one way. I'll share it in the next post. Stay tuned!

P.S. This is the glory that happens when you leave gummy bears in the car on a warm day. I love these 12-fruit flavored gummies! Cheat treat! :)


What constitutes a productive day for you?
What are your favorite sources for workouts? I like less complicated moves. The Hybrid Athlete and Blonde Ponytail have been favorites of mine lately.

3 comments:

  1. I have to start my work day with a cup of coffee; otherwise, not much gets done!

    A little suggestion I have for your budgeting is to create a spreadsheet with a month to month comparison. Maybe start with the last 6 months. Separate your costs by categories i.e. groceries, dining out, travel, whatever else you spend money on. Usually you can log into your credit card's website (if you have one) and you can pull a report that can summarize this info for you. Look at what you spend the most on and what you realistically believe you can cut down on. My husband and I started doing this when we got married 3 years ago and look at our expenses every month. It can really be eye opening and we've saved a lot.

    We also have a percentage of our paycheck deposited directly into our savings. It saves you remembering have to do it and also, you don't ever see the money in your checking so you're less likely to spend it! It's like it never existed. =)

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  3. Eating healthy is very necessary to keep yourself healthy all the time. Thank you for posting the great content…I was looking for something like this…I found it quiet interesting, hopefully you will keep posting such blogs….Keep sharing. poppers nz

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