1st Social Sunday and back to life!

Speaking of being social, I actually got out of the house today! Woohoo! My neck wasn't stiff when I woke up and after breakfast, I biked to the gym.

I tried a set of 10 kettlebell dumbbell snatch lunges, single leg deadlifts, and Bulgarian split squats before getting sweaty in yoga. Chaturangas happened!

Onto this week's questions:

1. What do you miss most about being a kid? Playing outside with the neighborhood kids and enjoying it.
2. Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it? Julie Boolie was given to me by my Spanish teacher. My family also called me by my first and middle name: Julie Ann.
3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess? When I was young, I liked to play basketball while the girls jumped rope.
4. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a basketball commentator.
5. What was your favorite toy? I had almost 20 Barbies and a suitcase filled with clothing.
6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about? My parents don't have any fun stories.

While I'm at work, I found a few articles to consume yourself into:

• How to Live Healthily in a 24-Hour Day
• Metabolic Damage
• Today We Have A Choice
• 5 New Reasons to Take Yoga
• 174,203 Ways to Measure Health (Besides the Scale)
• Train Hard, Recover Right
• Away Message - away from the internet??!

What do you remember most from your childhood?

What's for dinner?: My own "survive on $35"

I mentioned that I'm budgeting. So far, so good. I'm sticking to $100 per week.

I have $40-50 for gas, which will vary depending on my needs.

$35 goes towards food. I never thought I spent that much but after looking at what I buy at $35, I realized I go far beyond. I might even go 1.5-2xs this budget.

Does the $35 look like a familiar number? The number is based off of FitFluential's Survive on 35 challenge. $35 is just about the amount given to those on food stamps, and it is actually pretty reasonable for one person. However, for a single lady, it's tough without the things I already had on hand.

The leftover is either saved, hopefully.

As for bills (loans, credit card, car insurance, cell phone), I will use my paychecks from my nighttime job. The paycheck from my morning job will be used for the $100 per week and then saved. On average, I should be able to save a huge chunk.

Already on hand

• Rotisserie chicken breasts
• Avocados
• Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese
• Sonoma tortillas (1)
• Chile lime chicken burgers (2)
• Cauliflower
• Eggs
• Salsa
• Peanut butter
• Hemp waffles (2)

Trader Joe's

• Vanilla cake mix - $2.49
• Canned pumpkin - $1.99
• Pink Lady apple - $0.69
• String cheese - $3.99
• Power to the Greens x 2 - $3.98

Mother's

• Oat flour - $3.49 

Ralph's

• Designer's Whey protein powder - $13.39

Target

• Cottage cheese x 2 - $5.28

Total: $35.30 + tax (on protein only)

Monday
m1 Nature's Path hemp waffle + 2 egg whites
m2 chicken salad
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 (at work)
m5 [Trader Joe's pumpkin Greek yogurt]

Tuesday
m1 hemp waffle + 2 egg whites
m2 chicken salad
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 tuna with cauliflower rice
m5 KIND bar

Wednesday
m1 oatmeal protein pancake
m2 chicken salad
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 tuna nori roll
m5 pumpkin cheesecake mousse

Thursday
m1 sweet potato protein pancake
m2 chicken & garbanzo bean salad
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 tuna nori roll
m5 pumpkin cheesecake mousse

Friday
m1 oatmeal protein pancake
m2 chicken & garbanzo bean salad*
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 chile lime chicken burger
m5 kind bar

Saturday
m1 oatmeal protein pancake
m2 chile lime chicken burger lettuce wrap
m3 apple, string cheese
m4 shrimp spring rolls + sweet potato
m5 pumpkin cheesecake mousse

Sunday
m1 oatmeal protein pancakes
m2 chicken wrap + salad
m3 KIND bar
m4 shrimp spring rolls + sweet potato
m5 pumpkin cheesecake mousse

Workouts
Monday - TurboKick
Tuesday - athletic training class
Wednesday - yoga
Thursday - strength, class
Friday - strength
Saturday - TurboKick, Zumba
Sunday - yoga

*I add in strength training before some of the classes.

How much do you spend on groceries per week? How many people do you feed?

Day in the life of a girl with an injury

Friday and Saturday off. Sounds like a dream, but its been torture too. I haven't worked out and the kink in my neck is pretty darn painful. It is getting better and I'm excited to return to some more intense workouts tomorrow.

Oatmeal protein pancakes with yummy pancake syrup. I smelled like pancake syrup all morning; it was glorious.

Fancy lunch with a salad with cauliflower, carrots, and some salsa.

Inside that tortilla? Laughing Cow garlic and herb wedge, avocado, and chicken.

My favorite gummy bears!

Part of what my budgeting will look like: saving receipts.

Plans of a person who is injured:

• Spend the first 20 minutes awake with a hot pad on my neck.
• Do this 20 minute at-home circuit. It doesn't have much neck movement and got my heart rate up.
• Eat breakfast. This is the only meal I write about...
• Meal plan.
• Ride bike to bank.
• Study chapter 11 of 12.
• Read Life of Pi. 
• Watch "Pretty Little Liars." I've already watched 8 episodes! If you haven't watched it, you need to start!

I've finished the whole first season now, and I'm in love with this guy: Caleb played by Tyler Blackburn. Of course, he plays the bad boy with a big heart. Swoon!

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Have you watched "Pretty Little Liars?"

How do you handle forced days off? Sometimes I'm okay then I get upset that I've done nothing all day.

Friday's Letters: If in doubt, bake a cake.

Dear Neck, You still hurt but not as much as it did before. I'll take more Advil. I don't want to see the doctor and I want to be able to work out tomorrow.

Lesson: Don't try to get things from your back seat.

Dear Rest of My Body, At least you got to take a nap. You're getting a walk in later though. It's part of recovery.

Dear Trader Joe's, I wish I bought your vanilla cake mix with the vanilla bean flecks because I want cake ASAP. Check out all these 2-ingredient cake recipes.

 

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I used half the mix with 1/2 can of diet Hansen's root beer and half with 1/2 cup of Fage 0% Greek yogurt + 1/2 c. water.

On the left is the diet soda cake; on the right is the yogurt cake. The yogurt cake is prettier.

However, it was doughier even though I left it for a little longer. The soda cake was tastier and looked more like a cake.

I don't usually make cake because they're so much work. Plus, there was that whole cupcake craze.

I also failed at making a tres leches cake so many times until I found the best pastel de tres leches recipe... and it used a cake mix.

However, the best cakes I've ever made are from Sweetapolita. I succeeded in making the triple lemon-blueberry layer cake! Her photos are gorgeous too.

Sprinkle Bakes is another great resource, especially her fun sprinkle cake.

Now to find a healthy or high-protein frosting recipe...

Dear Asheville, I miss Bake It Pretty though it's closed and sold to another. Still, I follow the former owner who is a sweetheart. She continues to bake over at Sweet as the Punch and renovate her camper in a cool designed blog, Out Like Bandits.

Try her ginger tea bread recipe!

Dear Pretty Little Liars, I'm finally watching you. Don't make me regret it.

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I've been watching a lot of hulu lately. Here are some interesting goodies for you:

• New Girl's newest episodes
• The New Normal
• fling

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• My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

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What's your favorite cake to make?
What are you watching?

It's Ok [To Eat] Thursday

 It's ok... 

To try your own recipe and fail. I still ate them: cinnamon roll protein pancakes (4 egg whites, 1/4 c. oat flour, cinnamon then a cinnamon cream cheese Laughing Cow wedge).

Sure was pretty though.

To get some froyo. It's within my budget, which I will introduce this weekend!

To be obsessed with Walden Farms' pancake syrup. Yes, Walden Farms has chemicals, but sometimes that's okay. The rest of my food is typically chemical free.

To crave and eat a waffle before bed.

To take stevia packets meant for coffee drinkers. I didn't buy coffee, but I stocked up. Is that horrible? Stevia is expensive!

To buy more kind bars. They're only $1 and there are so few left now that everyone has picked at them.

To have pie as your wallpaper. :)

 

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To not be all that interested in InStyle. I'm not a fashionista, but I try with my $5 subscription...

How did you live your day to the fullest, or in slang terms, YOLO your day? Not sure how YOLO is supposed to be used by the way. I think it's similar to a noun.

Kettlebell lovin' & some links

I remember the first time I heard about kettlebells. I was in college and my roommate and I were into MMA. We watched a training video with Roy "Big Country" Nelson.

Yes, this is him. The guy on the left.

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He's actually quite strong and has amazing cardio.

Both he and his wife use kettlebells. Results vary.

 

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So how is he "Big Country" with such training? He likes fast food. Plain and simple.

His wife, on the other hand, is more inspiring. Today's workout was a kettlebell workout from, yes, The Hybrid Athlete.

Kettlebells Are A Girl's Best Friend

Warm-up

2 rounds, 30 seconds each

Body weight squat

Jumping jacks 

Arm circles Front kicks

Alternate lunges

Training

5 rounds

20x kettlebell swings

15x deadlift high-pull

10x 15x thrusters

15x weighted sit-ups

5x push-ups

5x burpees

Then, 10 minutes stair climber at level 10-11.

Cool down

~5 minutes foam rolling

10 minutes on the stair climber was done with ease. 10 was slow so I upped it to 11. Then I gave myself an adequate amount of time to foam roll.

Kettlebells have been a favorite of mine for a long time. I feel so hardcore.

I have a boxing glove on my keys, but I really don't "kickbox" as much as I TurboKick. I want a kettlebell instead. :)

 

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This is less intimidating. The designer is local so I'll get this in person at the next Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival.

 

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More healthy stuff

Workouts

• 20 Minute At-Home Circuit from She Rocks Fitness

Other reads

• Training or Draining? from Carrots 'N Cake
• What stress does (Stress Addiction from Whole9)
• Whole9 Health Equation from Whole9
• Being Fat & Healthy from Tales of One Happy Mother Runner
• Just listen to these Balanced Bites podcasts!

How I had a productive day/a bill becomes a law

Yesterday I talked about "How to have a productive day" in my book, and talking about it made me do it.

• Drink a little coffee.
• Eat a slow breakfast. I made Sarah Fit's Halloween pumpkin cheesecake protein pancake. Due to the protein powder, the pancakes burned up.

• Start the day off with a workout. It was yoga, but nonetheless, it was a workout. I did some a round of booty to warm up a la Tone It Up. And after dinner, I took a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood.
• Pack lunch and dinner, if necessary. I packed another chicken salad. Its been salads galore over here. I bought kind bars as snacks - they were on sale for $1 each!

• Study. I studied a whole chapter after work today! I have 2 more to go and intend to finish it by Sunday night. Then it'll be reviewing until November!
• Read for fun. I borrowed Life of Pi from the school's library to read along with my student. I'm sneaking in an hour of reading after I watch "The New Normal" and "The New Girl." 

• Keep hulu to a minimal. See above.
• Sleep 8 hours. This didn't happen. I slept maybe 6.5 hours, but I didn't succumb to a nap. I drank tea and did dishes to stay up. Wow.

I had an extra hour to do some work too. My students are working on an assignment in which they make a board game on "How a bill becomes a law."

 

Of course the first thing that comes to my mind is the Schoolhouse Rock.

What's your favorite Schoolhouse Rock video? "I'm Just A Bill" is my favorite or "Conjunction Junction."

Oh How Pinteresting: Magic

I don't want salty food that often, but yummy Greek 5-layer dip!

Source: thelovelycupboard.com via Julie on Pinterest

This is more like me!

Source: bakersroyale.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: spoonforkbacon.com via Julie on Pinterest

Soon we will find a home...

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via Julie on Pinterest

And, in all honesty, my room will be more like this than anything. Without that weird picture.

Source: toby-scott.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Listen up!

Source: minnamayblog.com via Julie on Pinterest

I'm not all lovey-dovey, but this is magical.

Source: Uploaded by user via Julie on Pinterest

Or give me these legs. I'll be happy too.

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.

The Hybrid Athlete's Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

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.