Tag Archives | Green Monster

I’m a Hypocrite!

By on September 23, 2011 in green monster, weight, workout

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It seems as though as soon as I decide to announce something on the blog and go to great lengths to warn you all that things are going to change around here..well I find myself wanting to revert to old ways. Call it what you will but I am a creature of habit and I enjoy sharing my workouts despite my posts telling you the exact opposite.


(Post workout smoothie: frozen spinach, 1/2 banana, ice, water, Vega, and 1 cup Organic Wheat Waffles)

So right, back to this morning. I had another leisurely breakfast on the patio (as if I have a choice because our furniture has still not been delivered) and then hopped downstairs to the gym.


(Banana, cinnamon, drizzle of almond butter and honey)

I took inspiration from Julie’s blog but added in 5-15 minutes of elliptical-izing in between watch set. So here’s the drill:

15 Squats

15 Reverse flies

10 Burpees

15 Deadlifts
15  Upright rows
10 Burpees

15 Lunges (each leg)
15 Chest press
10 Burpees
15  Bicep curls
15 Tricep extensions
10 Burpees
45 sec. Plank hold

An ass kicker for sure.


(#polar proof)

I love that it hits most of the major muscle groups and that one round takes less than 15 minutes (probably less for you! I took some time to wheeze!) I completed two rounds before throwing in the towel.

And with that I am off to work. It’s finally Friday! Working 6 days in a row has been a doozy but a break is in sight! Tomorrow if I am not too ahem…tired…infer from that what you will…I plan to run around the monuments and/or hit up yoga with Heidi!  hit up DC Vegfest! Is anyone else going??

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Having control

By on July 28, 2011 in green monster, random thoughts

The facade of having control is a funny thing. Just as soon as you feel like you’ve got it all figured out something changes and youre left surrounded by unknowns once more.

It can be the smallest of changes that makes you realize that control is just a notion that pacifies us. For me, it was the commute that took an hour instead of 40 minutes because the bus was late. As I was standing there waiting it struck me that there’s nothing I can do about these sorts of things so I may as well just deal with it.

(Green Monster: frozen banana, frozen strawberries, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup almond milk, fresh spinach, Vega protein powder, and ice.)

On a grander scale, I can’t help but think we are all just products of dumb luck and a bit of foresight. In the past month everything in my life has changed. It’s not all good, but it’s certainly not all bad either. It just simply is. And as much as I would love to plan for where I will be in a year, what my role will be within my company, who I’ll be dating, where I’ll be living…I just can’t because there is no way to know other than to just ride it out.

It’s not an easy thing to accept. I like control and I like knowns of life. I like to anticipate what comes next. But if I’m learning anything these days its that life is just not that black and white. It’s messy and complicated and sometimes downright frustrating.

(Dinner: 1/2 cup quinoa, Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger broken apart, nutritional yeast, and hummus.)

But for all of that there is certainly a silver lining. With no control comes the ability to adapt and embrace the craziness. I mean you might as well right?
That’s all the deep insight I have for y’all today. This is probably nothing more than gibberish and I’m not going to edit it because I much prefer typing stream of consciousness (read: I’m lazy).

Question: Thoughts on this topic?

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3 Reasons to run.

By on March 11, 2011 in bucket salad, green monster, Little Rock Half Marathon, Personal Training Certification, quinoa, running, smutha mutha, veggies, workout gear

Waking up at 6:45 AM each day this week had significantly improved my life. Shocker, right? But seriously, I have so much more time to get my endless to-do lists accomplished before work. Smutha Mutha is on to something with these early mornings.

(Magic Combination: 1 cup frozen mango, frozen banana, an orange, spinach, almond milk, water, chia seeds, and a scoop of protein powder.)

I mean its 11:30 and I’ve already worked out, folded and put away 2 baskets of laundry, showered, made lunch, and packed my food for dinner. Who am I?!

(Dinner from last week that I never posted about: 1 cup red quinoa, chickpeas, an entire package of frozen vegetables, and 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce)

Overall, I just feel like I am in a really good place right now. Granted I have had one heck of a great week between the Half Marathon PR and becoming a Certified Personal Trainer, but despite those things I am just really content with my life right now.

(Bucket salad that legitimately included everything but the kitchen sink.)

After watching the news this morning, how could I not feel fortunate with my surroundings. My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Japan and those soon-to-be affected by the residual affects of the earthquake.

On a different (way less serious) note, I had a great workout this morning that inspired 3 Reasons to Run:

1. Because free race t-shirts make you look like a badass even when they are two sizes to big.

(One day I will snag one that fits…one day)

2. Blasting my Little Rock Half-Marathon playlist at 8 AM fills me with happy memories.

(Anything I am missing? Leave song suggestions in the comments, I am open to anything.)

3. Every workout presents an opportunity to challenge yourself and push a little harder. That said, you can also see your hard work paying off. Today’s Work It Out is proof positive of this point:

3.60 miles in 40:00 minutes: 10 min light jog, 10 minutes at 9:22 pace, 4 min walk, 10 minutes at 9:22 pace, 6 minute cool down

10 minutes on the bike, abs, foam rolling, and stretching.

Questions: Am I missing any good songs? What is you favorite reason to run? What is your workout looking like today?

 

Comments { 6 }

The Culprits

By on February 20, 2011 in green monster, grocery shopping, Oats in a Jar, running

With a little distance between me and my latest run from hell (cough, pun, cough), I’ve had a bit of time to think things over, cool down, and assess why I felt like throwing up pretty much the entire time I was running.

I’ve come up with three major culprits:

1. Exercise-induced Asthma: A problem diagnosed many years ago that surfaces in extreme weather changes and humidity.

Eff that. Imagine running with a 30 lb weight on your chest and you’ve got an idea of how I felt this AM. It was not pretty. My heart rate elevated to my maximum range within the first two miles. I knew I was in trouble.

2. Food choices: Probably not the smartest idea to eat 2 entire heads of broccoli the night prior to a long run. But honestly, that was not the real issue. We all know I can handle a ridiculous amount of fiber.

Pretty much immediately after I started running, I knew that my breakfast and coffee had not fully digested.

I normally sit around for at least an hour after I eat, and I cut that time a bit short in lieu of getting the 11 miler over with.

3. Self-Doubt: I tried every trick in the book to get myself pumped up for this run, but I never really felt excited about it. That is a deadly factor on its own, and when combined with feeling sluggish/nauseous right off the bat…well the mental fatigue really just pushed me over the edge.

(source)

I beat myself up pretty hard when I stopped and turned around at mile 4.5. I needed to do 5.5 out and back to get to the necessary 11 total, so early on I knew I wasn’t going to finish the distance. I walked A LOT on the way back, and only ran when I could catch my breathe enough to feel comfortable. For the most part I ran so that I could get back to my car quicker, not because I cared what my time or pace was. In my mind, I had already failed.

~

Needless to say, I was pretty down when I arrived at my car at mile 9.2. So I drove home, ate a little snack, and headed to the gym to finish what I started. I completed the last 1.8 miles in an angry, yet focused, mood. I was so relieved to be done.

In an effort to fix my mood and not dwell on the sh!tastic events of the morning, I also took 1/2 a spin class, made a big green monster, and treated myself to a trip to my favorite grocery store for this week’s haul.

Now I’m off to make Elise’s Lentil Loaf. I feel like a little kitchen time can cure all…pending I don’t blow it and waste a bunch of ingredients.

Comments { 4 }

Official Snow Day!

By on February 9, 2011 in Amazing Grass, Biggest Loser, green monster, oat bran, smutha mutha, studying, weight lifting, Whole Foods

Well isn’t this an interesting change of events.

Last time it snowed in my little state, there was no major effect in my life except for the nuisance of not being able to drive my car. But today, well let’s just say it is a whole new ball game.

(Source)

It’s like my very own Syracuse winter wonderland, all within the comforts of my own home. Seeing as the parental units do not own a car with 4 wheel drive, I will be sitting pretty today, enjoying my first (and likely last since summer comes quickly here) snow day!

As much as I need this day to catch up on blog things and studying, I can’t help but want to go to work a little bit. I told you, I am a weird one, but I really do like it there. But let’s not dwell, and rather embrace this time to catch up and move forward!

(Monday’s Lunch: 1 slice Ezekiel break, 2 egg whites, 1 egg, broccoli, onion, nutritional yeast, and ketchup.)

So yesterday was a bit hectic, but in a good way. I woke up around 7:30 voluntarily (what is that about?!) and quickly coffee-d, ate, and changed into workout clothes. Per my training schedule, I was supposed to run 4.5 miles, but that honestly sounded like torture to my poor, aching calves (and that was after a much needed rest day on Monday!)

Now I know I should have probably run, since this is peak training time, but I said ‘screw it’ and completed 40 minutes of intervals on the bike instead. I definitely still had a sweaty cardio session, and it was nice to do something other than running.

(Tuesday Breakfast: 1/3 cup oat bran, 1 cup water, cinnamon, peanut butter, and love.)

After cardio, I hit the weight room, where I completely zoned out for an hour while doing back, chest, a bit of abs, and some secondary arm work. Watching other people lift weights all day has given me the itch to get back into a dedicated lifting routine, so I went with it. Between sets, I ran the track, completing about a mile in total. It was a very strong workout overall.

From the gym, I rushed home in a tizzy, showered, groomed, and was out the door in the blink of an eye to take Smutha Mutha to the doctor. She has a killer ear infection, and she is my Smutha Mutha. Enough said. To the doctor we went.

Fortunately, the appointment didn’t take to much time, and I was able to sneak in a run to Whole Paycheck Foods to forage for a to-go dinner for later that evening. What I left with was nothing short of scrumptious.

(Winner, Winner $10 Dinner: I don’t remember everything I put in there, but I was a member of the clean plate club last night, so that was definitely money well spent.)

Before I went to work, I had time to reunite with an old friend. Packed to the brim with nutritious items like Amazing Grass powder, 3 generous handfuls of spinach, and vegan rice protein powder, my Green Monster (along with unpictured PB banana toast) fueled me through the first couple hours of my shift.

I actually took the smoothie in with me for sh!ts and giggles. Their reactions were priceless. :) I offered to let my co-workers taste it,and a couple of brave souls were actually ballsy enough to do so. And what do you know…they liked it! Maybe I’ll start making Green Monsters for everyone! Haha!

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, and I was home watching The Biggest Loser before I knew it. All I can say is that I stand by my original thoughts on the program. Dropping double digit amounts of weight in a ‘week’ is not safe. Stepping off my soapbox…

I’m off to go figure out some way to exercise in this weather. The gym is closed, so I am going to need to get creative. From there, it is time to hit the books. Test date it looming, and I am getting nervous!

Questions: Do you have a snow day today? What is your favorite item to buy at Whole Foods?

Comments { 5 }

Wet and Windy Wednesday

By on November 17, 2010 in green monster, Syracuse, weather

In true upstate NY fashion, the weather has done a complete 180 in the past two days. Gone are the days of sunshine and mild temperatures in lieu of whipping winds so forceful you feel as through the pouring rain will surely break through your jacket. Winter has truly arrived.

(Green Monster: A lot of kale, 1 cup frozen mango, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 scoop Amazing Grass powder, 1 scoop protein powder, and ice)

Yet this is the way I always want to remember school in November. The trees are barren, the sun is nowhere to be found, all while students scuffle across the quad seeking the warmth of the nearest building. Smutha Mutha (an alumni of my school) warned me of the treacherous winters and as I entered school as an indestructible freshmen.

(English muffin with 2 tbsp peanut flour PB and 1 tbsp strawberry jelly.)

When the first day of whipping winds and rain hit (reminiscent of today), my naivety disappeared as quickly as my hoodless jackets. I put my game face on and buckled down for the impending snow. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

(Dinner: Sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp butter, and garlic salt. Mountains of ketchup were added post photo).

Walking across the quad today, I smiled and reveled in the weather. Mother nature has a way of lulling us into a comfort zone before quickly changing course. With a few years under my belt, I have come to appreciate this weather. Oddly enough, it is part of what you sign up for when you decide to pursue higher education at this university. It is a package deal.

(Snack: Microwaved Clif Kid’s bar= my version of a warm cookie!)

So rather than complain, we adapt. Flip flops turn to Ugg boots as Ugg boots fade to indestructible snow boots. A heavy fleece morphs into a down jacket that comes all the way to the knees.  And an appreciation forms for that which we cannot control. I’m soaking it all in, because soon enough spring will arrive, and the time will come to move on.

(Pre-yoga breakfast: 1 container honey Greek yogurt, cinnamon, and a large green pear.)

And to the man running in shorts today through this weather, I salute you. You are commendable and it almost makes me want to throw on some running clothes. But sometimes, I just like to step back and observe. So let’s call it a rest day. :)

Until next time,

~Jenn

Questions: Do you ever find yourself wanting to just soak up a moment and not let it slip you by? I couldn’t help but feel that way today, as this weather is so much a part of my school.

What are some of your fondest college memories?

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