Monthly Archives: August 2014
Throwback Thursday – Blog Post Style
This morning I loved waking up to Instagram posts of baby pictures, parents’ wedding pictures, embarrassing elementary poses. It must be Thursday! (side note: does it constitute a “throwback” if it happened less than a month ago…?)
After over 2 years of blogging, I have an archive of 250 blog posts. Most of which are bound to go unnoticed by new-to-the-blog readers, and lay under the radar in the giant info-overload that is the internet. Instead of leaving them in the cobwebs, I wanted to pull some back into the frontlines for a second life. Starting this week, I’m bringing #TBT to SLMC! Thursday’s will now include a favorite forgotten workout, recipe, or recap post. :)
This was originally posted on September 17, 2012 during the first few weeks of sophomore year (when the blog was still a baby, awww…). Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of NEW goodies to share in the coming days too. In the meantime….THIS FROZEN YOGURT. Omg.
Enjoy!
SUMMER’S ENDING, MAKE FROZEN YOGURT
(September 2012)
“It’s already the middle of September, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte is already back at Starbucks. I guess that means summer is wrapping up, huh? Well it hasn’t completely started cooling down yet, so I think we can get away with one more batch of frozen yogurt before switching pumpkin-and-apple-flavor-everything.
This weekend has been the most productive couple of days… There was the first home football game of the season, a complete shut out by our boys! My suitemates switched up roommates, (lots of heavy furniture moving involved) and now I have a wonderful new roomie! The Price is Right Live show was a fun and different way to start a Saturday night, but I sadly walked away empty handed. Then there was my first strength training workout, my first James Bond movie (a homework assignment- I would rather be watching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy) and a ridiculous amount of homework plus some other fun stuff here and there. I wasn’t ready for this Monday morning alarm clock but here I am, hair curled and all, ready to share a super-healthy-super-sweet-summer-dessert : )
You will need:
1 1/2 Cups Vanilla non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 Cup fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar *could substitute 1/4 cup with stevia
1 dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces
6 graham crackers, broken not crushed
*An ice cream maker
1. Heat diced strawberries, water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until they start to soften. Drain and refrigerate until cool.
2. Once the strawberries are cold, stir in the greek yogurt.
3. Pour yogurt mixture into the ice cream maker and allow to mix together in the machine for 20 minutes.
4. By hand, mix in the graham cracker and chocolate pieces; place the whole bowl in the freezer for at least 60 minutes before serving.
If you like greek frozen yogurt, you may also want to try: Peach n’ Pecan Greek Frozen Yogurt
Now we can welcome autumn. Onto all things cinnamon & spice.”
:)
Extra-Credit Exercise
Just checking in on this summer Tempo Tuesday! This morning I swear the moon was running along side me. So big and bright, it actually felt like I was running in the middle of the night. My especially-dark run this mornng included 3 x 1 mile at tempo pace with 1 minute recovery between. We don’t mess around on Tuesday mornings!
On Sunday, I got back into my regular weekly routine with long runs, recovery runs, HIIT workouts, and speed workouts. But last Wednesday – Saturday? Completely different story. Major vacation mode with ice cream, cocktails, Sprout’s chocolate-covered pretzels and absolutely zero gym-time. NOT THAT I REGRET IT. I enjoyed it to the fullest, actually :)
However, I believe balance is most important in a healthy lifestyle. So this week is about working to offset the “extras” with what I call the “Extra Credit” exercises.
Getting back into your regular routine is enough to maintain but if you are trying to “undo” a few splurges then you gotta go ABOVE AND BEYOND!
So in addition to my usual running routine, I incorporate a few extra exercises all week. Starting with some more dynamic warm-ups while I get ready for the gym.
- Warm-up —> 50 jumping jacks, 5 burpees, 10 rounds of kickboxing punches on each side. Repeat 3x.
- After Cardio/Before cool down —> 25 walking lunges each leg, 10 split squats (JUMP), 20 Plie Squats
- Added core routine before stretching —> Hip Bridge (1 minute), 20 leg lifts, 10 push-ups, 100 crunches, planks with leg lifts, back extensions.
- And each night after dinner, I swap an episode of House Hunters for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood at dusk. (My faaaavorite time to be outside.)
It’s the little things that all add up, if you’re not used to doing them!
Another tip: start early to reap the metabolic-effect benefits all day long. Strength-based exercises create a slight increase in our metabolism for a brief period after we are done exercising. Think of the most intense exercises you love to hate and promise yourself to commit at least 5 minutes to them before you even jump in the shower in the morning. For me, that would be Squat Jumps, Mountain Climbers, Plank with Leg Raises, and Russians with a medicine ball.
As if the 4:36am alarm clock didn’t tip me off, it is crystal clear at the office that vacation time is O-V-E-R.
My friend at work insisted I read the last 100 pages of Beautiful Disaster last night so that we could talk about all the juicy details at work today. It’s like office gossip that is totally A-OK because it’s about characters, not co-workers. ;) Isn’t it so funny how a good book can make you feel so strongly about a fictional situation? I won’t spoil this novel in case you’re reading too, but I would just like to tell Miss Abby Abernathy that when a boy gets your name tattooed after two months….run, girl, run!
Time for some *extra* coffee :)
Summer Done Right // Day & Night
Nothing blatantly “health-related” about this post because I haven’t done a whole lot that is health-related in the past few days…and I am perfectly happy with that. My roadtrip back to school for the Eli Young Band kickstarted a whole summer weekend with all the cliche activities that everyone should have on their to-do list. 
The Simple Summer Checklist:
- Dairy Queen Blizzards
- A picnic is the grass
- Read in the grass and sunshine
- Minor flip-out over aggressive grasshoppers
- Explore the the forest and trails (which results in picking wildflowers. Which leads to subsequent selfies with the best friend.)
- Sunset photos with a picture-perfect water tower
- Coffee shops for breakfast
- Lazy afternoons with sangria
- BBQing for dinner (grilled zucchini and sweet potatoes are a must)
- Back to school shopping with a bestie
- Staying outside as long as possible
Aaaand after a full day, it would be a shame if we ended the night quietly at home. A little group of us headed downtown, replaying Chase Rice’s “We Goin’ Out” no fewer than 8 times as we got ready.
To add to the perfection of the weekend, Friday night is Country Night at my favorite bar :) Country music, line-dancing, yard jar drinks. People in cowboy boots and hats.
Why does a cocktail taste so much better in a mason jar?!
When everyone else seemed to know every step of the Footloose choreography to Big & Rich’s “Fake ID” we agreed that we would Youtube instructions before going out next time so we could join the fun ;)
This summer weekend was stereotypical in every way and my heart was so happy :)
On Tuesday I’ll have to share some of my “Extra-Credit Exercises” for the week after an extra-fun-but-not-so-healthy weekend like this one. Speaking of which, it’s time for SUNDAY LONG RUN.
What’s on your Summer Bucket List?
