For the Love of Pain

So I'll admit, I might be a little weird, especially in the sense that I LOVE to be sore. I bet there are some of you out there nodding your head in agreement, thinking finally someone gets me, but the majority of you probably think I'm crazy. Think about it though. Soreness is like a reward, a constant reminder for a day or two about how hard you worked and how your muscles are getting stronger. A lack of soreness to me is an indicator that I'm not working hard enough, or I need to change up my routine. So you see, soreness is really a great thing.

So what got me sore you ask? Well my past two strength workouts have been based on some posted on my favorite blog, Peanut Butter Runner.

For my workout on Monday I started out on the rowing machine and pushed myself in a 5000 meter row. I challenged myself to keep the same pace the entire time, instead of slowing down like I normally do. For the most part this worked and I took two minutes off my normal time! Then I went downstairs to the basketball court and did this workout from PBR blog.

This workout was much much harder then I expected. It had me dripping sweat, heavy breathing and exhausted. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Wednesday I tried out another workout from PBR, the one that currently has me clenching in pain. I started out with a ten minute running warmup and then went straight into the circuit. I did some abs after words to fill up a little over an hour of gym time.

I hope you guys enjoy these workouts and check out PRB's blog, it's fantastic and I'd have to say she's my inspiration to becoming a better blogger. Let me know what you think!

One last note: it's Food Day, check out the website!

Back At It

Hey Guys!

I hope the beginning of your September is going great! I've been so busy getting back into the swing of things at school but I couldn't be happier. The days go by so fast now that I'm so busy and classes are really interesting this year!

Lately the morning weather has been a little chilly, making me dream about fall. All I can think about is apple picking(and I'm going this weekend!) and eating everything pumpkin. I'm craving pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin oatmeal, my mom's famous pumpkin cookies, pretty much anything with pumpkin in the name. I may have to take a bus ride to Wegmans to buy some pumpkin puree this weekend!

Other than craving pumpkin, my life has been crazy. I have hours of classes and even more time spent working on homework, gym time, frisbee practice, and of course time to socialize. Being so busy all the time, on top of several hours of exercise every day has left me feeling incredibly sore, and a possible strained hamstring. So, this morning I got myself up and out of bed at 6:15(WHOOO!) and went to take a yoga class at the fitness center. Now normally I have a love/hate relationship with yoga (I like to say it hurts so good) but today I absolutely loved it. We started out with a sequence I had never done before and I liked it better. Of course we did sun salutations, but I even enjoyed those! I felt so relaxed after that I have decided I'm going to take the class every week.

Are you guys fans of yoga? What are exercises you have love/hate relationships with?

Foodie Pen Pals!

So this month I decided to take part in an activity put on by "The Lean Green Bean" blog called Foodie Pen Pals. Basically you sign up to be a part and get matched with two different people, a sender and a receiver. Then you put together a package of yummy treats and send it to your receiver, and as you can probably guess you receive a package of deliciousness from your sender.

I was so excited to receive my package from Fiona Boger and it was incredible. Inside was a almonds and sea salt dark chocolate bar, three one serving packs of Justin's nut butter, chocokalet chips (made with carob powder), roasted seaweed crisps, a Two Mom's in the Raw bar (which I've wanted to try), and a local BoBo's Oat Bar. The only thing I have tried is the chocolate bar and man was it delicious! The others I'm saving for before stressful physics tests and frisbee tournaments!

I am so glad I did the program this month and I would encourage you all to check it out!!

Tondu, Soussus, Glissade and Repeat

I decided at the beginning of the summer that I was going to pick something to do for pure fun, since social time is mostly out of the question between working and most of my friends being gone for the summer. I finally decided on taking dance classes again. Dance used to be a huge part of my life. I danced competitively for four years, up until high school when I chose running and skiing over dance. Now, this summer I'm excited to get back into it.

Tonight was the second class out of eight, and we definitely turned up the difficulty level. I did feel much more natural this week though, and even received a few compliments from the instructor (yay!). Speaking of my instructor, she's great. She's just strict enough so you know to listen to her but it also feels like encouragement when she corrects you then disheartening. I think I'm really going to love taking her class. And my buns and thighs will love it too, as they start to tighten up from all the grand battements!

Also, I couldn't be more proud that my 47 year old aunt is joining me in the class, after being out of dance since her teens. She felt completely out of place tonight, but she pushed herself into trying it, and secretly I think she enjoyed it. I think she embodies the attitude more people need to have, that if you want to try something don't let anybody hold you back regardless of your age, ability, experience and so on.

Anyway, on a completely different note it's my day off tomorrow and I plan on making Blueberry Ketchup, courtesy of this blogger: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/07/blueberry-ketchup/

Fun FAQ's Friday

Happy Friday everybody! I hope you all had as busy and great week as I did.

I've decided to do some ABC facts so you guys can get to know me a little better, and let's face it-I like to talk about myself. So here it goes:

Age- 18, but 19 in September
Breakfast- I made protein pancakes (a banana, an egg and a scoop of protein powder)
Dream Job- A physical therapist with an elite XC Ski team
Essential Items- Running shoes, spinach, my computer and hair ties
Food- fruit salad or eggplant parm (depending on the mood)
Gold or Silver- I prefer pearls, but I guess silver
Height- about 5'5" give or take
Ice Cream Flavor- piece of cake, peppermint or chocolate moose tracks!
Job- hospital dining, and physical therapy aide
Kids- baby-sit them- yes, have them- not for a very long time
Least favorite chore- stacking wood
Movie- well I really want to see Monsters University...
Nicknames- Liz, Lizzy, Lizzilu, Lizard, Chatterbox, Radio
Overnight Hospital Stay- nope!
Pop- I don't drink soda, but my dad is pretty cool!
Quote- "Reach for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars"
Righty or Lefty- Lefty
Siblings- Older bro
Time you wake up- tomorrow...5:30 :/ Normally 7-7:30
Under your Bed- container of workout clothes
Veggie- Kale! Spinach! Sweet Potatoes! Broccoli! and the list goes on...
Where are you- VT, my bed
X-Rays- never
Yummy food I make- my carrot cake is to die for, and stir drys
Zoo Animal- sloth!

What are some fun facts about you guys? Questions for me-ask away

Smoothie Love

So I pretty much have a green smoothie every morning, but I need to share this new creation with you. It is probably the most delicious one I've ever made. That is because I used about a tablespoon of fresh mint from our garden. Combine that with the pineapple and raspberries and yum yum! I was a little worried because we ran out of spinach (sad face), but red leaf lettuce worked just fine. And of course I added protein powder and chia seeds to keep me running till my lunch break. So here it is, a revelation of flavor in my green smoothie experience.

Minty Pineapple Raspberry Power Smoothie

1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 Cup Frozen Rasberries
2 Cups of Greens (I used red leaf lettuce)
1 Tbs Fresh Peppermint Leaves
1 Tbs Chia Seeds
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I uses Terra's Whey Vanilla)

Blend, Sip, Enjoy

Mother/Daughter Time

As I'm home from college, I realize it's important to spend time with my family because while I'm away they really miss me, especially my parents. That's why yesterday I invited my mom to hike Mt Mansfield with me, the tallest mountain in Vermont. Why she didn't decide to tell me she's petrified of heights until we were halfway up the mountains I'm not sure. But nonetheless we made it to the summit, and not in bad time either.

We did face a few struggles along the way though. First of all my mom got pretty scared when we had to climb up steep, open rock with nothing to hold on to. I wasn't quite sure she would make it. Then, right about when we broke tree-line it started to rain. By the time we reached the summit we were soaked, despite our "rain coats" and the wind picked up, making it almost unbearable. We snapped a few photos and then started our way down, largely above tree-line and freezing cold needless to say. Four hours after we embarked we were back at our car, eager to get some dry clothes on and head home to a nice cup of tea. We found a place to get coffee and a snack (pistachios!) on the way home, so comforting!

Mommy made it!

Mother/Daughter love

I'm Back!

Wow, so it was one crazy year for me, and I pretty much forgot about ever posting. I have made a commitment though to start posting again, and using it as my motivation. Now that I'm home (and working in a kitchen, completely surrounded by food all day) it has been a little bit harder. Plus, it's much harder to work in time to exercise around work schedules than it is classes. These postings are mainly to keep me on track, but feel free to follow along.

The Commitment- This summer I have decided to make a commitment. That is to focus on clean eating, and make that the majority of my diet. Of course there will be treats involved sometimes, but often those can even be reworked into being clean. I have already started with a new obsession with green smoothies. These are my new favorite breakfasts, as it is an easy way to get vegetables in the morning, and not overload on carbs. They are also really yummy and filling. Here's the recipe for my favorite one:

Pineapple Blueberry Green Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh kale
2 Tbs PB2 (powdered peanut butter- I used the chocolate peanut butter)
3 ounces plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 serving protein powder (for me that's one scoop)

Blend it up, sip, and enjoy!

Well I'm headed outside to catch some rays of sunshine before it's off to work as a PT Aid, but here's a snapshot of what my day will be.

Eats and Runs:

• I already had about 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt with a spoonful of PB2 powder and a few spoonfuls of my homemade quinoia granola (yum!)
• On my way to work (11am) I'm going to sip on a green smoothie, but a simple one with just fruit, greens and water since I already ate today
• For a quick lunch at work I'm having leftover grilled eggplant with herbs and feta and a light homemade lemon vinegrette
• After work I'm going to run hills at Hard'ack hill (a popular, free ski hill)
• I'm not quite sure about dinner, but I'm considering a spinach salad or portabella stuffed mushroom pizzas.