Yoga: It’s What You Put Into It

I am by absolutely no means a yoga guru, but as someone who all but hated yoga less than six months ago, I had a revelation during today’s morning class.

Yoga is all about what you put into it.

You can make each and every yoga class a walk in the park. You can day dream your way through it and do the bare minimum.

Pigeon Pose???

Or.

Or you can push yourself further into every pose, stretching your muscles and making your body work.

Today I pushed myself and it was definitely a workout.

I’ll be 100 percent honest when I say that I used to think yoga was not a work out. I now know I wasn’t pushing myself and I wasn’t immersing myself in the stretches and sun salutations. Yoga is not the same kind of workout as a BodyPump class or intervals on the treadmill, but it is a workout.

Breakfast

After yoga and a long walk with Sadie, I was more than ready for a cold breakfast!

Apple Yogurt Bowl

I made myself an apple yogurt bowl by combining the following:

• Vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 sliced Granny Smith apple (the other half went into my mouth)
• 1 c. cooked Flax-Z-Snax butter pecan hot cereal
• Three dashes nutmeg

Nutmeg Makes Things Prettier... And Tastier

Well Hello There!

What It Really Looks Like When I Eat It

I love the serious staying power that I get from a breakfast that combines high-protein Greek yogurt, whole grains and fresh fruit.

Sch-weet!

Question of the Morning

It’s an open-ended one…

What are your thoughts on yoga? Love it? Hate it? Think it’s a bunch of boo-hockey? Think it’s life-changing?

Share away! 😀

Girl I Want to Make You Sweat

“Girl I want to make you sweat,
Sweat ’til you can’t sweat no more…”

(If you’re looking for a super-fun workout song, definitely check that one out! Sweat by Inner Circle… So catchy.)

As you may have gathered from the above lyrics, my workout this morning was super schweaty!

I did a 30-minute treadmill workout that included 20 minutes of intervals that made my face turn bright red and a sweat ‘stache form more times than I could count.

30-Minute Treadmill Workout

I followed up this heart-pumpin’ workout with 10 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical and a one-mile walk with Ryan and Sadie.

Tastes Like Chicken!

It was such a treat to have Ryan join me and Sadie on our walk! He’s been working some crazy hours at work lately and was able to spend a little extra time at home this morning. Sadie made sure to show him what he misses on our walks every morning by picking up every other stick to try to entice him into playtime mid-walk. She’s like a real woman: Never satisfied. 😉

Breakfast

Ooooh breakfast. You are simply fantastic. Hitting the gym so early in the morning is a little bit easier knowing I get to come home and stuff my face with you. 😀

Today’s morning meal included:

• 1 c. Greek yogurt
• 1 large sliced peach
• 1/2 c. cold Butter Pecan Flax-Z-Snax hot cereal (Now discontinued from Netrition.com because of faulty nutrition facts – eek!)
• Honey

Peach + Yog

Peach + Yog + Hot Cereal

Makes Mouth Happy

What a tasty treat!

Honeymoon Update

Stay tuned for the big HONEYMOON announcement! Ahhh! 😀

Of Possible Interest

• Thwart Thunder Thighs in 3 Steps (FitSugar.com)
• Exercise Can Offset Obesity-Linked Genes (LATimes.com)
• Water Fitness Workouts (FitandFabLiving.com)

It’s Just a Little Crush

Sometimes I hate that I never update my iPod and delete songs that have been on there foreverrrr.

Other times I love it and enjoy jammin’ out to random old school tunes that I’ve listened to for years.

Old songs I was lovin’ today include:

• How Will I Know – Whitney Houston
• Crush – Jennifer Paige
• Don’t Turn Around – Ace of Base
• As I Lay Me Down – Sophie B. Hawkins
• Ghetto Supastar – Pras

I remember listening to “Crush” over and over in my bedroom in junior high (okay, high school, too 😉 ) and thinking the words were so true.

“It’s just a little crush,
Not like I faint every time we touch,
It’s just some little thing
Not like everything I do depends on you…”

Didn’t it seem like back in junior high and high school people made the biggest deal about fleeting crushes? I’d have a silly crush on someone one week and then have a crush on someone else the next week… No big deal… Only to other people it was huge news when someone “liked” someone else. Who knew Jennifer Paige was so wise? 😉

Breakfast

Even though I’ve been crushin’ on Ryan for more than six years, I developed a new little crush this morning… on my breakfast.

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

I made my breakfast parfait by layering vanilla Greek yogurt with Flax-Z-Snax butter pecan hot cereal that I made last night and let chill in the fridge until this morning.

On top of the now-cold hot cereal, I added nectarine slices.

Yog + Nectaring + Cold Hot Cereal

Of course half of the nectarine went directly into my mouth before even making it into the parfait.

Side Tracked...

Seriously Delicious

It may seem ridiculous to take the time to make a parfait in a wine glass in the morning, but being able to see such pretty layers of delicious foods makes me smile… And who doesn’t like starting the day with a smile? (I know Annie does. 😉 )

Can you see why I’m crushin’ on this breakfast? 😀

Question of the Morning

Speaking of crushes… Who is your celebrity crush? If you have a significant other, who is their celebrity crush?

My celebrity crush is Ryan Reynolds (apparently the name “Ryan” is a pre-req in my book). Ryan’s celebrity crush is Jessica Biel.

And just in case your morning is off to a negative start, here’s a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ to make you smile:

The Other Ryan I Love

Brace Face

I never had braces growing up.

I was given the option to have braces, but being 14 years old, I figured it didn’t matter and I decided against being a metal mouth.

Fast forward 10 years and I was self-conscious about my “fangs.” I had two teeth on either side of my two front teeth that stuck out a bit. It bothered me for years, and once I saved up enough money, I paid a visit to the orthodontist to see if I was a candidate for Invisalign (clear braces). Thankfully I was, and now, a little more than a year later, I’m almost done! Phew!

This morning I have my last appointment before we enter the “refinement” period where my orthodontist said she’ll work with me until I am 100 percent satisfied. She’s the best!

Workout

Today’s workout was all over the place! Clearly my mind was racing this morning and I couldn’t stand to do one cardio machine for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Here’s my cardio breakdown:

• 15 min. stairmaster
• 15 min. elliptical
• 1 round of the At Home Cardio Blast circuit
• 5 minutes arc trainer
• 5 minutes elliptical

I was hoppin’ around like a crazy lady!

Breakfast

Post-workout I came home craving a hot breakfast which was odd considering I was sweating like mad.

I guess the body wants what it wants!

A bowl of strawberry shortcake hot cereal sounded perfect.

Frozen Strawberries

Dry Ingredients

Into the mix went:

• 1 serving Flax-Z-Snax butter pecan hot cereal (Just FYI, according to Netrition.com, Flax-Z-Snax’s nurtitional information is a little sketchy…)
• 1 scoop All the Whey cup cake batter protein powder
• Three large frozen strawberries

After adding water and microwaving the mix for a minute (stirring regularly to prevent overflow), my breakfast was ready for eatin’.

Strawberry Shortcake Hot Cereal

Yummy Berries

Thursday Breakfast

I wolfed this down in quite the un-ladylike manner. 😉

Aaaand I’m off to my Invisalign appointment. Catch ya lata!

Question of the Day

Did you ever have braces?

Goodness, Gracious, Great Bowls of Chocolate!

“Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!”

Love that song and love that scene in Top Gun! Goose warms my heart. 😉

Today’s lunch was a great bowl o’ chocolate, in the form of brownie batter hot cereal.

Coco-Tastic

Into the mix went:

• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 scoop All the Whey chocolate peanut butter cup protein powder
• 1/2 serving Flax-Z-Snax chocolate cream hot cereal
• Water

Flax-Z-Snax Chocolate Cream Hot Cereal

After nukin’ it up for about a minute and a half (and stirring regularly), I had one heck of a rich and chocolatey lunch.

Brownie Batter in a Bowl

This concoction seriously reminds me of brownie batter. Love it.

Speaking of sweet treats, I see a trip to Mochi for some frozen yogurt in my near future… It’s becoming a bit of a Friday staple, I think.

Weekend Plans

Another weekend is upon us (Hooray!) and I can’t wait to get the fun started!

My plans include:

Friday:

• Drive to St. Pete with Ryan and Sadie for dinner with my parents

Saturday

• Spend all day on the boat!!!
• Meet with potential wedding DJ
• Birthday dinner with my family (My actual birthday is on Tuesday)
• Eat my mom’s homemade red velvet cake with the best cream cheese frosting EVERRRR

Sunday

• Meet with potential wedding officiant
• Drive back to Orlando
• Surprise birthday dinner with Ryan

What are YOU most looking forward to this weekend???

I am so excited to get out on the boat! I can’t wait to have some fun in the sun!

Of Possible Interest

• Become a Faster Runner in 6 Weeks
• 6 Eating Rules for Faster Weight Loss
• Exercises for a Better Butt