Hello, hello! I hope you’re having a wonderful Wednesday!
Breakfast
I started my day with a very pumpkin-y breakfast: Sweet Breakfast Scramble in a jar (SBSIAJ) with canned pumpkin, TJ’s Pumpkin Butter, and an extra scoop of Teddie Peanut Butter in the mix. The combo of pumpkin butter + peanut butter was de-lic-ious!
I also drank a glass of iced pumpkin spice Dandy Blend with almond milk.
After breakfast, I got my plank on! Here’s the first workout of the Plank Challenge!
If you’re unfamiliar with any of the exercises listed above, here are some links to demonstrate each of them:
Once I went through all of the exercises, I repeated them from the beginning. It took me about 8 minutes to go through all of the exercises twice (approximately 4 minutes each round). For the Up/Down Planks, I stayed on one side (right arm) for the first 10 reps and then switched to the other side for the next set of 10 after the Straight Arm Plank. The video shows the woman alternating arms on the Up/Down Planks, but I find it easier to count reps when I stick to the same side. Feel free to do two sets of alternating arms if you prefer!
You probably noticed that I incorporated some rest intervals into this workout”¦ let’s just say it’s a tough one! I needed to rest a couple of times to catch my breath. Plank exercises are hard! Be sure to rest as often as you need to during this workout.
Lunch
I tried something new for lunch today: Trader Joe’s salmon burgers””and I liked them a lot! They’re frozen patties, but when I cooked them up, they seemed quite fresh and not all weird and rubbery like some frozen fish.
While they cooked (I pan-fried them), I sprinkled some “seafood magic” on top of them. (I think this random packet is from Fitbloggin’?) It was a blend of salt, spices, dehydrated garlic and onion, and paprika. It was tasty on the salmon burgers.
I added the salmon burgers to a bed of spinach and peas and topped everything with a drizzle of truffle oil.
On the side, I had an orange since vitamin C helps boost iron absorption!
Health News & Views
It’s that time of year again for me: I like to call it “workout no-man’s-land.” The sunny summer weather is long gone, but my New Year’s motivation hasn’t kicked in yet. I lose my exercise mojo and end up skipping a number of my regularly scheduled workouts. If I don’t get my butt in gear, I’ll celebrate the holidays a few pounds heavier, so instead of slacking on my workouts, I use a number of strategies to overcome my declining motivation. Use them from when you’re feeling particularly ho-hum about exercise, whether you are trying to fit in a workout in the morning, after work, or on the weekend.
Ditch the Exercise Excuses Any Day of the Week
Question of the Day
What’s your #1 excuse for skipping a workout?
P.S. Check out my Tuscan Chicken Dip over on the Pretzel Crisps blog!