Exercise TV

I successfully exercised last night, and I didn’t even need to leave my apartment! (Thanks for those little pushes, by the way!) Actually, I did leave my apartment to workout in our building’s gym, but it was packed! (Well, I considered “packed” more than 5 people!) I wasn’t in the mood to wait for a treadmill or elliptical… I just wanted to get my workout started, so I could check it off my list. I own various pieces of exercise equipment (dumbbells, Bosu, resistance bands), so I decided to exercise in my apartment.

I’ve used Comcast’s Exercise TV on demand workouts in the past, but usually they’re not that challenging for me. Last night, however, I discovered a quickie 20-minute bootcamp workout that was tough! It was called “Cardio Mix” from the Biggest Loser. (You can find it under ‘Popular’). Description: Rev up your fat-burning engine with Bob’s bootcamp workout that challenges every major muscle for a total-body slim down. It was much harder than I expected it to be! I was dripping with sweat by the end!

I followed-up the Cardio Mix workout with 10 minutes of core work, and 20 minutes of Hatha Yoga from yogadownload.com. It was a pretty good workout, especially since I seriously considered skipping it!

About Exercise TV

Working out at home just got easier with ExerciseTV on demand! ExerciseTV is a free television service, available to digital cable subscribers. Each month you can select from hundreds of workouts from top trainers and across all fitness categories, like abs, dance, cardio, yoga, walking and more! Just go to your on demand menu to find ExerciseTV. If you’re having trouble locating ExerciseTV contact your local cable provider.

Breakfast

My morning bowl of oats was a wonderful blend of banana, raisins, oat milk, ground flaxseed meal, and Barney Butter.

In the mix:

• 1/2 cup dry oats
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp gound flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup oat milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 scoops BB

I’m also brewing some hot coffee to go. I’m trying out a new flavor this morning: New England Coffee’s EyeOpener Blend. Sounds like it will perk me right up!

Question of the Day

Do you use exercise DVDs/programs to guide your workouts? If so, what are your favorites?

Ugh. Rough workout. Let’s just say my run was less than enjoyable this morning– I struggled through the entire thing! Mentally, I just wasn’t prepared to exercise this morning (I think I was still in dreamland), and physically, my legs felt like a million pounds– I pretty much dragged them along for almost 4.5 miles. On the bright side, the 20 minutes of Power Vinyasa Yoga that followed my run were awesome! My hamstrings and hips feel like a million bucks now! This morning’s workout reminded me a lot of HW’s Running into Yoga class that I took a few months ago.

Run stats:

• Distance: 4.40 miles
• Time: 40 minutes
• Pace: 9:04 min/mile
• Calories: 432

Breakfast

Bad workout, but good breakfast!! I love this new combo: oats, wheat berries, dates, vanilla soy milk, and shredded coconut.

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup dry oats
• 1/2 cup wheat berries
• 5 dates, chopped
• 1 tsp sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup water
• Shredded coconut

With H20 and morning reading material…

At the office, I made myself a mug of Sumatra with soy milk and agave nectar.

I’m sure going to miss my morning coffee ritual next week! I’ve had the luxury of making a different variety of coffee everyday for the past 3 years. I’m going to miss the office coffee machine… and, of course, my coworkers and cute, little desk. Awww, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic this morning. I am SO excited to start my new position at the College, but at the same time, I know I am going to miss my current job.

To add to the nostalgia, a coworker stopped by my desk this morning to say goodbye (she’s out tomorrow) and give me a card. Inside was the sweetest message. *Sigh* I just need to keep reminding myself that bigger and better things are to come!

“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”

Frederick B. Wilcox

Question of the Day

What risk have you taken in your life (any aspect) that has paid off tremendously for you?

Good morning, blog world! Happy FRIDAY!!! I can almost taste the weekend! I hope your Friday is off to a fantastic start!

Workout

My morning run was one of my favorite treadmill workouts (for both walking and running): 45-Minute Treadmill Workout. This workout keeps you interested with its ever-changing speeds and inclines, and challenges you with intervals and uphill running. The walking is an excellent workout, too– great for your buns!

Run stats:

• Distance: 5.11
• Time: 45:05
• Pace: 8:49 min/mile
• Calories: 499

Breakfast

Breakfast was also full of favorites today: oats, granola, banana, Barney Butter, and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.  

Yum!!! This was an awesome Friday morning breakfast! (I am especially loving the Zoe’s granola mixed into my oats. So good!!) 

Question of the Day

Have you ever had a nickname(s)?

I have a bunch! My sister calls me Peter, Mal calls me Llama (as in “Tina eat your dinner!”), my mom calls me Christine (even though my name is Christina), my father-in-law and my friend Anna call me Tiner, Erin sometimes calls me Teen Teen, and the people at Starbucks occassionally call me Trina.

I’m so happy that it’s fall (and Friday)! The cool, crisp mornings and sunny afternoons make me feel so alive. I feel so peaceful, but energized at the same time. Does that make sense? It’s such a nice feeling. Anyway, not sure where that came from, but onto breakfast!

Breakfast was my usual favorite: oats with oat milk, banana, ground flaxseed meal, and Barney Butter (2 scoops like always).

… from above with the newest edition of Real Simple, which is easily becoming my new favorite magazine. It’s so smart and definitely makes life more simple!

Breakfast also included a mug of coffee brewed in the office. Our office Keurig machine is where all of the coffee magic happens! Keurig makes single cup coffee makers for the home and office, and they brew a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea, one cup at a time in seconds. I love this little machine!

More than a year ago, Mal and I attended a bridal event where we learned all about these Keurig coffee machines. We really, really, really wanted to add one to our wedding registry, but when we thought about how much we’d really use it (Mal only drinks iced coffee and occasionally espresso), we decided against it.

However, I decided that it would be fantastic to have one at work in our office. Our office is small-ish (9 people), but we all have different tastes in coffee. So, I did a ton of research on these machines and wrote up a proposal (including a cost analysis and recommendations) for my boss to consider. When I crunched the numbers, it turned out that each cup was a fraction of what it would cost to buy a regular fresh cup of coffee. My boss loved that! She also liked the idea of having so many coffee options. For instance, she likes dark roasts, but can’t stand flavored coffees like some of the other people in my office. After seeing all of the benefits of the single-cup coffee machine, she was all about it, and we ordered one! I’m a dork, but when I really want something, I can usually make it happen!

We have a number of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa selections to chose from. The flavors change every other month or so… and I do the ordering, so sometimes I will pick flavors that personally interest me!

Today’s pick was “Rainforest Espresso.” Exotic-sounding, huh?

I added soy milk and agave nectar to my brew, which made the end result dark, intense, and a tad sweet.

And while we’re talking about my office, the first ever healthy treat passed through our doors this morning! A lovely bowl of apples was leftover from a meeting yesterday afternoon, so a coworkers brought them to our office. I already snagged a couple of them to take home and my boss was talking about making some into apple sauce for the office. Yay to healthy office snacks! The true, sweet treats are soooo tough to avoid, but you guys had some great tips for avoiding office temptations that I utilized quite often!

Question of the Day

I’m headed to a “Pamper Party” hosted by my sister and her friend this evening. I don’t like showing up to a get-together empty-handed, but I didn’t make anything for it last night… mostly because I didn’t want to truck-around a dish all day since I am going to the party right after work. I’m planning to bring a bottle of wine, but I also wanted to bring a simple, easily-transportable, and crowd-pleasing appetizer. What would you bring?