Rest week on the fitness front... well, kinda :-)

 

So, this week is my "Take a step back week"... I have read that every three to four weeks you should give your body a chance to rest. You should drop your mileage by 10 percent to help your body recover and keep you from hitting a plateau. This is sometimes tough for me... I know that my body needs a rest week by just cutting back on my normal routine. This week is my "take a step back week" with INSANITY. I have Core Cardio & Balance all week (sort of like a rest week from the intense jumps and cardio) and i'm going to make myself slow down and cut my mileage back... I'm also going to go a little easier on the weights. This will do my body and my mind some good :-)

 

On the hair front.... The month of October is my 5 yr Natural Hair Anniversary!!!  Woo hoo!!!  I've been so super duper busy that I just didn't have the time to do antyhing elaborate in celebration.  However, I was able to make some time to put together a little slide show showcasing my hair journey thus far.  Take a look at it and feel free to ask questions or leave a comment.

 

 

I'll be back soon to share more details about the kiddos as their soccer and football seasons are coming to an end.  My sons team won their playoff game this weekend in a CLOSE overtime battle.  This weekend is sure to be another intense game as they take on their rival team.  My eldest daughter's soccer team has 3 scheduled tournaments (2 in November an 1 in December).  Each tournament is 4 games (2 on Sat and 2 on Sun) so she will need all of her energy in order to compete at a high level.  Baby girl's last soccer game is this Saturday so we'll enjoy that and try to convince her to take a break for the winter... i'll keep you posted!

 

 

 

Lot's to share... School Pics, Lunch Date, Fitness and Food!!!

Hi All!  I've been super busy as usual but life is good and I am totally blessed!  The kids are still in full swing with soccer and football throughout this month.  November will be a tournament month and a close to another season for them.  Next up.... basketball for all 3 kiddos!  Should be REALLY good!  Stay tuned for that.  Sooooo, my super wonderful kiddos had their school pics taken a few weeks ago and I recently received their proofs!  I was immediately surprised when I clicked on the link and viewed their pics.  I fell in loooooove with them!  All I could do was oooooooh and ahhhhhhh when I saw their smiling faces.  They are growing up before my eyes.  We may actually order some pics this year.  Normally we skip that process due to being unsatisfied with the quality but this year it's a different story :-).  Take a look...

 

(Left to Right... Baby girl~Kindergarten, My eldest daughter~3rd Grade, My Son~5th Grade)

 

Sooooo, on a fitness level i'm continuing with Insanity!!! I'm currently on day 9 and i'm breezing my way through it!  This time around it's much easier and not much of a challenge.  I have to make sure that I just stick with it and push myself as much as possible in order to get a quality calorie burn with good results. I am making sure I get in some extra cardio both on my treadmill and outdoors with a variety of activities. I am also maintaining my current strength building regimen.  I lift weights at least 2x's a week (upper body and lower body) and I try to do a walk/jog combo at least 3x's a week.  So far, so good!

 

 

Hubby has been fortunate to be home/in the country for the past several weeks.  We've been making the most of it by finding time to spend quality time together whenever possible.  We do quite a few lunch dates (while the kids are in school) and find that it's the best way to fulfill our need to get out and about and have adult time :-).  Yesterday, we were able to see a movie (Taken 2) and indulge in a delicious lunch with dessert to top it off.  Take a look at our yummy dessert....

 

 

Hot fudge, molten lava sundae with vanilla ice cream, caramel, nuts and whipped cream!!  I only ate a few spoonfuls but it was simply DELICIOUS!!!!

 

Ok, lastly i'd like to share a pic of my delicious crockpot spicy 3 bean turkey chili!!!  I served it over white rice with a side of my homemade cheesy mexican cornbread.  The chili simmered in my crockpot for 5 hours and it was here waiting on us as soon as we got back home from a chilly soccr practice.  The kids had turkey chili dogs and thanked me over and over for making this chili.  It's always a hit and we always have left overs to enjoy the next day. 

 

 

I don't have an exact recipe or measurements for my chili or cornbread BUT here's what's in it...  its lengthy but simple. I basically browned my turkey in a separate pan and threw it in the crockpot with crushed and whole tomatoes, sauce, chili powder (you can also use a chili package by McCormick and add whatever else you'd like), onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, green chili's, a little sugar (to take away some heat) and whatever else I had in my spice cabinet.... added a little water, stirred it .... added in corn (frozen), washed and cooked black beans, pinto beans, chili beans (u can use kidney beans too)... canned beans work just fine if your pressed for time or frozen beans. I put a lid on it and left it alone. Made my rice and homemade cornbread (1 egg, cornmeal (about 1 1/2 cups), diced green chili's, tomatoes and onions, a pinch of salt and sugar, oil and 2% milk (1 cup), a handful of shredded low fat cheese both in the mixture and on top).. baked at 425 for 15-20 minutes and that was it. I may have left out something but u get what I'm saying. Have fun with it and make it your own :-)

 

 

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Well, today is the day God placed me on this earth for his divine purpose and i'm overwhelmed with happiness!  I've been celebrating all weekend with family and friends (shopping, eating and spending quality time together) and I feel soooo spoiled, yet BLESSED!  Hubby outdid himself once again!  He did whatever it took to keep a smile on my face and for that I am grateful. I got my day started off right by holding true to my promise of another round of INSANITY!!!

Woo hoo!!! I did a nice warm up and then completed the fit test.  It felt REALLY good!  I'm hoping to crush all of my precious numbers and go extra hard this go 'round.  As you can see from the above pic, i've started to pack on a little more muscle due to my increased weight lifting in my little homemade garage gym.  I'm feeling soooo much stronger so hopefully the added muscle will give me a little more endurance over these next 59 days of INSANITY!

 

 

This afternoon, hubby and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch date to one of our favorite restaurants where we dined on crabcakes and tilapia!!!  I also indulged and some carrot cake :-).  Later, we spent the evening taking the kids to soccer practice... then we picked up my birthday cake and headed home to have a nice meal with dessert to follow.   I've enjoyed my day to the fullest!!!!

I cannot wait to get back into the swing of things with Insanity Day 2 (Plyometric Cardio Circuit) to see how quickly my body will adjust.  Ohhhhhhhhh, I finished the month of September with 116.3 miles for the 100 mile challenge.  I far exceeded my goal and I am beyond thrilled!  I've decided to put my half marathon training on hold until December.  I found another race that i'd like to run for my first half marathon (The Diva Run) and race day is in April.  This is a race for ladies only and it will be held in Myrtle Beach along the coast.  I'm sooooo excited about running it!  I'm going to continue to focus on building more strength, losing a few more pounds and gaining more muscle.... while increasing my speed and endurance.  I CAN DO IT!!!!