What to Remember When Contemplating Morning Workouts

I am slowly but surely getting acquainted with the new phone. The alarm was set super loud this morning which definitely woke me up fast. I set it for 5:30 am with the intention of getting up and working out first thing.

The alarm went off, I fumbled to figure out how to turn it off, and then laid in bed for four minutes playing the contemplation game with myself like I usually do. After four minutes, I rolled myself out of bed and got moving. I will say that is the hardest part for me of getting a workout in before work; the initial getting out of bed part.

I dress up in my workout gear with my eyes closed and stumble down the stairs. I begin my treadmill workout with a walk, to start to get the blood flowing and to wake me up. Before I know it I am increasing the speed and eventually crank out 3 miles at an easy slow pace. As I was running I was thinking of all of the reasons why I like to run before work. I decided I needed to write these down, and maybe print them off so that I can look at them while I am feeling like I don’t want to get out of bed.

Reasons why I like to workout in the morning before work:

  • It means I don’t have to workout AFTER work
  • It gives me extra energy throughout the work day
  • It helps me to make healthy food decisions
  • It jump-starts my metabolism and helps me to burn more calories throughout my day
  • It gives me more time after work to hang out with the boys or get things done around the house
  • It gives me more time to RELAX after work
  • I get to start my day knowing I did something great for my body

Reasons why I don’t like/it’s hard working out in the morning:

  • I like to sleep
  • It is dark in the morning
  • It is cold outside of my warm bed
  • The thought of heading down to the gym seems torturous sometimes

There’s no comparison! The reasons why I like to workout before work totally outweigh the reasons why I don’t. Who would have thought? I know that once spring rolls around and it is a little bit warmer outside and when the sun starts rising a little earlier again, it will be easier. The winter is always hard in Minnesota. We have been very lucky so far with a mild winter though! I really can’t complain about the weather.

After my run I made myself a bowl of creamy pumpkin oatmeal.

In the mix:

  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

Microwave for 2 minutes watching carefully for explosive messes in the microwave. Remove, add stevia and cinnamon, mix. Top with a Tablespoon of PB2 and a drizzle of light maple syrup. Devour. I am off to start my day. Workout complete and all!

Continue Reading What to Remember When Contemplating Morning Workouts

A Taste of Tuscany

First and foremost I have to say that my husband is a genius. He fixed my computer and I can now transfer pictures onto my computer from my camera. THANKS BABE!

This morning I actually got out of bed early to do my workout before work. When the alarm clock went off at 5:30 am I thought meh, I don’t know about this. I laid there playing the contemplation game in my head. Should I reset my alarm and sleep for another hour? Should I get up and just do it  Nike style? I don’t want to get up. Remember how good you feel after a workout and how much energy it gives you throughout the day? After about five minutes of contemplating I realize I am still lying there awake. Just get up. So I did.

I headed downstairs to the treadmill and started off with a nice little 4.0 walk. I slowly began cranking up the speed to 5, 5.5, 6.0, then felt comfortable at 6.4 for a while. I decided to run spurts of increased pace, I believe they’re called fartleks. I would crank up the speed to 7.4 and run at that pace for a song, then bring it back down to 6.4, and I did this little combination for 3.5 miles. I got real sweaty this morning and I am SO happy I got out of bed early! Now I don’t have to go to the gym after work.

******

Breakfast

Breakfast was a success. I attempted oatless oatmeal again this time with a couple of modifications.

I mixed together 3 tablespoons egg white, 3 tablespoons almond milk, 1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, a dash of cinnamon and 1/2 frozen banana that has been thawed. I cooked this mixture on the stove top on low-medium heat for about 3 minutes. I removed from heat and added 1/4 cup blueberries, a little stevia to sweeten, and a touch of brown sugar (because I love the flavor of brown sugar). Voila. The consistency was great and the flavor did not taste like eggs one bit. I also had a small handful of almonds for added protein.

Tasted way better than it looks

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go…

Lunch

I decided to stop home for lunch because Dana was going to be home. I ate my packed lunch. Any guesses what it was? Sorry to bore you. But yes, peanut butter banana wrap.

I love seeing him at lunch break!

To jazz up the afternoon at work I brought some Celestial Seasoning’s Black Cherry Berry herbal tea  to sip on. I had never had this kind before but it was GOOOOD! It tasted kind of like fruit punch. That reminds me of kool-aid mustaches as a kid. 😛

Dinner

Another easy dinner tonight. I decided to pull some Rubollita soup out of the freezer that I made about a month ago. Since I made this soup before I started the blog, I didn’t write down the recipe, therefore don’t have a recipe to share with you. However, I will make it in the future again and will no doubt write it all down!

I discovered this wonderfully veggie filled soup when we were in Italy. Julie, a friend of mine, told me I had to try this soup when I was there and I am so glad she recommended it. Rubollita is a hearty Tuscan soup made with bread and lots of veggies. We were at a little Tratorria (a more casual type of dining restaurant) in Florence when I spotted it on the menu and decided to give it a go. It sounded like it was right up my alley. I topped it with fresh parmesan and devoured that bad boy. It was UNBELIEVABLY delicious, healthy, and very filling! I knew this was one I needed to recreate once I got home. So that’s just what I did. To give you an idea of the components of the soup, here are some components of the soup:

  • cabbage
  • tomato
  • onion
  • kale
  • carrot
  • beans
  • chicken stock
  • garlic
  • whole grain bread that has been dried in the oven

The process involves cooking all of the veggies in the stock, simmering, and then adding the bread at the end of the cooking process. You let the bread soak in for about 20 minutes then use an immersion blender to slightly blend the mixture. The outcome does not look the prettiest but it sure does taste good!

Don’t spill….don’t trip….

My bowl was filled to the brim. It tasted just as good as the first time if not better this time around. I love easy dinners like this. I’m thinking I need to whip up a batch of soup this weekend! What kind should I make? Hmm…..Creamy tomato? Pumpkin carrot? We shall see what this brain conjurs up.

I have a raging appetite today so I will no doubt be eating a snack later tonight. I’m off to relax and watch a little Wheel of Fortune! Good night!

Continue Reading A Taste of Tuscany