Switching it up ~ Gym or Jazzercise!

I'll start off by saying I'm sorry for getting to behind on my blog but here it goes.  Another year is right around the corner and I'm going to try something new and switch things up.  I've belonged to my current gym for approximately 5 years.  The past several months I've been throwing this around and finally decided to take the plunge.  

Reasons why I'm leaving the gym: 

HMMM, they don't clean it very often is a huge factor.  

I lost my workout partner back in August and haven't seemed to get into very good groove on my own.  

They are no longer going to have classes, as they are moving to a smaller building.

Trying something different.  I'm not going to be working out a typical gym anymore.  I'm switching to Jazzercise.

Reasons to stay:

They are moving into a new facility, so it will be clean and hopefully they will keep it clean.

The new location is just as close as the old location.

It will cost the same amount as the deal I'm getting at my new workout place.  

I got a flyer in the mail the other day from Jazzercise about an end of year deal and decided to give it a try.  It's good to switch up your exercise routine and do different things.  Otherwise your body gets in a rut and doesn't do what it's supposed to do.  

Check out Jazzercise here!

I've been to 4 classes now since I've signed up and am still learning the ropes of Jazzercise.  I know that I just need to keep moving even though I'm not doing all the steps right.   Today after class I talked with the instructor and she told me to check out the website and learn the moves.  That's exactly what I'm doing after I type this up.  Checking out the Jazz dance routine moves and all the other moves I need to learn as well for the different classes they offer.  

If your needing a change in your exercise routine I recommend trying a class today.  

My arms and back are rather sore today as we use individual dumbbells instead of a bar or machines.  So my stronger arm can't do all the work anymore for my weaker arm.  Feelin' the burn!

Get up and move!

Thanksgiving eating and exercise!

I know it's been a while and I'm just going to be honest I've had the winter blues with the sun behind the clouds everyday.  Plus, we had the flu here at our house and it went through all 5 us feeling like crap with fevers.  Of course, I push myself to the limit and go to work during the day when I feel OK and then by 3pm the fever comes back and I feel like crap.  After doing that for two days it finally kicked my butt and I had to stay home for a day.  Along with two kids at home sick and then a snow day we finally all recouped from the flu.  I'm just glad all we had were fevers as it could of been so much worse. 

BTW - I have been working out since Thanksgiving just haven't been posting them.  It's been the same old, same old, which leads me to my next post that I'll be working on.  

Anyway, let's go back to Thanksgiving time.  Over Thanksgiving we traveled back home and saw our families.  It was nice on a couple of the days so we all got out and walked/ran the dogs and took advantage of the sun being out!  YEAH, for sun!   I grabbed my phone and tracked our walking/running with runkeeper.com which I've been using for a while now.  Over the years my Dad has put on a few extra pounds but since I introduced him to this new app he has found the motivation to get moving again.  

It's good to have more than one person pushing you along to get moving.  I'm friends with my Dad on runkeeper.com along with other people but seeing my that my Dad is using it makes me very happy.  Now, when he goes out for a walk I get a message when he's done saying he just completed an activity using runkeeper.  Heck, he's motivating me to get out and exercise on days I don't feel like it.    

                        

Walking or running, walking or running?  Just get up and do something to help your body stay healthy or get healthy.  This is a choice we all have to make everyday.  Whatever your motivation is, use it, find it and do it.  When I introduced my Dad to runkeeper.com  he started using it and took off with it.  He loves that it keeps track of your distance, time, average pace and calories burned.  It's a great motivator to see the calories adding up and melting away.  

Get up and MOVE!

Danielle Stewart did it again!

I'm ready for another one.  I read this book about a month ago and forgot to share it with you at the time.  Life has been crazy.    

Battling Destiny by Danielle Stewart (Piper Anderson Series Book #6)  

I gave this book 5 stars (It was amazing!) on Goodreads.com.  This book was about Chris and his character and what his life was all about growing up.  Along with all the other character doing their part as well.

Here's what you've been missing if you haven't read this series yet.  

Piper Anderson series in order:
1. Chasing Justice - Free from the authors website.
2. Cutting Ties
3. Changing Fate
4. Finding Freedom
5. Settling Scores
6. Battling Destiny

Others great books from the Piper Anderson series are:
Choosing Christmas
Betty's Journal - read after book #4
Saving Love

Goodreads.com preview:Michael Cooper has his life together. He is the successful lawyer all his friends turn to when they find themselves in trouble, and he and his beautiful wife just welcomed their newborn daughter to the world. In just under two years, he went from a cocky bachelor to a quintessential family man with a close-knit group of friends. Yes, Michael Cooper has his life together. Until the news that his father has died forces him to return to his hometown in Ohio. 

Read the book to see what happens!

#lovetoread #books 

#pickupabookandread

Plan your meals with this great program!

I just recently came across this website via facebook, I think.  I'm not for sure where I found it but it popped up on my computer and I've been wondering how it works ever since.  I finally got on it the other day and it is a wonderful meal planner with many features.  I've tried other websites and ideas for meal planning and they just didn't work for me.  This is the best I've seen so far. Hope it helps you like it's been helping me.  

1st you get to try it FREE for 30 days.  

What it does:

1.  It supplies you with some recipes that you can play around with and then you can put your own recipes in the program from pinterest, other websites or your own recipes on your computer or on a recipe card (just type it in).  

2.  Then you go to the planner tab at the top and it brings up a calendar.  You can drag and drop your recipes into the days you want to have them.  There you have it your meals are planned PLUS....

3.  It will make your shopping list.  Select the dates you want to shop for and it will pull up all the ingredients you need for the recipes you selected on your calendar/planner.  VERY COOL!  I have tried other methods but this one is the easiest by far.  

Watch the video here!  Boo, hoo we missed the Black Friday deal but I think it's still worth it to get meal planning under control.

Click here to accept my invitation and start sharing recipes. If you don't have a Plan to Eat account, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial after following the link above. 

Plan to Eat is a simple meal planning website that helps you keep all of your recipes in one place and plan your meals and shopping lists so you can eat well and save time and money.

Number the Stars

I ran across this book because my daughter, Jamie whose in 6th grade is reading it in her ELA class (English, Language, Arts).  Back when I was in the 6th grade it was just called English class.  That's going way back and I so remember not wanting to read the books they wanted us to read.  I still haven't read in it's entirety To Kill a Mocking Bird, Pride and Prejudice or some of the others books they required us to read.  That's what cliff notes are for, right?!?  Those books put me to sleep.  Now that I'm older I can appreciate a good book and love to read.  The reason why I'm reading this book is because she didn't do so well on a couple of quizzes she took on the book.  So she had to reread the different chapters and was able to retake the quizzes.  Well I couldn't help her out and quiz her over the chapters without reading the book myself. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down.   I might have to give those other books a try one of these days.

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry is about a family that lives in Denmark in 1943.  It's about the Nazi's coming to Denmark and relocating the Jews.  At the end the author explains that the book it fiction (fake) but uses real facts in it from the time period.  I loved this because she made up the people but brought in facts from the era for the reader to learn about along the way.  I even checked out some websites about King Christian X from that time period to learn more.  Check them out here for more history!  I read another book in 2013 about a another holocaust - (True story, this book is truly amazing!)

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust 

By Immaculee Ilibagiza

Encyclopedia Britannica

Holocaust Encyclopedia


I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.  It was amazing!  It kept me interested the whole time.  Heck, I finished it before my daughter and she started it before me.  The story was easy to follow and I learned something along the way.  

Goodreads.com preview:

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life

10/20-10/26 workouts

Another crazy week trying to get my workouts in and everything else done that I seem to add to my plate of things to do.

Monday, 10/20  

Runkeeper - Run

MI

3.83

DURATION

48:25

AVERAGE PACE

12:38

CALORIES BURNED

311

Tuesday, 10/21

Group Power class at the gym (1 hour).  I love this class!  Feel the burn every time.  Lots of calories burned!

Elliptical - 10 minutes, 1 mile 123 calories burned!

Wednesday, 10/22     

Runkeeper - Run

MI

1.66

DURATION

19:35

AVERAGE PACE

11:48

CALORIES BURNED

136

Thursday, 10/23

Stationary Bike - 8 miles, 34 mins., level 5&6, 223 calories burned!
Assisted dip/chin 3x15 55 lbs
Weighted squats - 3x15 25 lbs
Biceps - Full 1x15 30lbs
              Full 1x15 20 lbs
              Top 1x15 20 lbs
              Bottom 1x15 20 lbs
Nautilus Plus Leg Press 1x15 180 lbs & 2x15 200 lbs
Walking plank - 1x15
Regular plank - 1 minute
Push-ups - 1x15 on knees & 1x15 on toes
ABS - 1x25 each of the following:
Crunches 
Bicycle 
Russian twist
Reverse crunch
Seated bicycle
TOTAL ABS - 125

Stretch

Friday, 10/24 - NONE

Saturday, 10/25 - NONE

Sunday 10/26 - NONE; Yikes, 3 days of no exercise, what was I thinking?!?

In the end I did 4 days on and 3 days off.  Better to only take a couple days off instead of three in a row.

Get up and move, even if just a little bit! 

Oils, oils and more oils

Well I bit the bullet per say and finally ordered my YOUNG LIVING OILS for health and wellness!  I was introduced to these last February and have been hemming and hawing over it until now.  I went to another party the other night and learned more about the oils and decided it might be time to order.  They were going on and on about the Thieves oil which is great for the immune system.

After coming down with my first cold of the season over the past 2 weeks.  (I want to put it out there that I work at a preschool part-time so this is an endless battle for me.)   I'm willing to try the Thieves oil and see how it works. They say a cold can last 7-14 days like a fever.   I'm one of the lucky ones that gets colds for the whole 14 days, yippee for me.  After coming down with my cold I decided it was time to place my order and get the premium starter kit with home diffuser.  I might as well do it right and gt it ALL! (The starter kit currently has Thieves in it but they are switching it out for another great oil, not for sure which one.)
  

When my doorbell rang earlier today I wasn't for sure who to expect at my door.  But low and behold it was the UPS man with my box of Young Living Oils.  I was so excited to see that it was already here.  As soon as I got the package I ripped it open so I could get started.  I wasn't for sure where to start so I read about each of the different oils and decided to have a glass of water with a couple of drops of lemon oil.   

Lemon oil is good for.......protect, cleanse and invigorate!

• Freshens, sanitizes and cleans
• Enhances the flavor of foods and beverages
• Powerful detoxification properties

Next, I opened up the HOME DIFFUSER box put some water in it and a couple of drops of purification.  Wow, it said to put 8-12 drops of the oil in but 2 was plenty.  Our whole house smells great and my girls even commented on how it smelled so fresh.  

Purification oil is good for....neutralizing odors and leaving a fresh clean scent.  

• Also, great for cuts, scrapes and bites
• Can help with sore throats and ear aches
• Diffuse into air to detoxify & eliminate odors

Can't wait to try out more as I need them.  Follow along and see what I try next!

If you decide you want to try the Young Living Oils let me know and I'll send you more information.   Commet in the comment section below.

#health # wellness #younglivingoils

Yummy, Yummy Greek Yogurt!

Wow, just got home from a great workout at the gym that included both cardio and strength training.  I hope you all know that after a good workout especially one that has strength training you should have protein at least 30 mins afterwards to help repair your muscles.  

I just bought some Yoplait Greek Yogurt at the store the other day that was on sale.  Picked up some new flavors that I haven't tried before and have to share a couple of them with you.  Today I'm having Pumpkin Cheesecake with a tablespoon of granola mixed into it, and it's delicious!  The other day, well Tuesday after my last workout I had the Caramel Apple and it was delicious as well!  I really need to get back to the store and get more of these two flavors before they are gone.  

One of my other favorites is the Key Lime Greek Yogurt but in the Oikos brand.  I've had it in other brands but it just doesn't taste the same as the Oikos.  Plus, the only way I can buy it is in a 4 pack at the Wal-Mart.  I can't find it seperately so have to get 4 of at a time when buying it which isn't a bad thing since I like it.   I just like to switch up my flaovors when eating yogurt and not have the same flavor all the time.   

BTW, I'm not selling these yogurts for them just recommending them.  Not getting paid to do this either.  I just love them and they are healthy for you. Try some greek yogurt today! 

Yogurt facts:
All yogurts have calcium, potassium, protein, zinc and vitamins B6 & B12.   But greek yogurt is better for you because it has more protein in it than regular yogurt.  It's also thicker and creamier than regular yogurt.  The protein will also help keep you fuller longer. 

#gethealthy #health #yogurt

Finally! 10/13-10/19 workouts

Here it is finally! Almost a month behind but better late than never. October was a busy month for me.  

Mon 10/13 - My husband is my motivation to workout and stay in shape.  Plus, I just feel better after a workout.  He's been trying to get back into a workout schedule, so we did a workout together.  Here's what we did.  1/2 hour workout at home.  We started off with one of my daughters workout plans from her gym class.  Her gym teacher makes a up a calendar each month with different exercises to do each day.  She is actually supposed to do this each day at home for extra credit but opts out of it, since her grade is already an A.  What the heck, I'll use it instead!  I should use it more often though especially on days when I don't get to the gym.    

20 mountain climbers
40 jumping jacks
25 knee highs
5 burpees
Repeat all 3x each.  This maybe took us 10 minutes total to do all this 3x.  My husband was ready to stop but I talked him into a half hour workout.  This is what I came up with.

15 squats with 10 lb weight
15 push-ups
15 triceps w/10lb weight
15 biceps with 10lb weights
15 shoulder presses w/10lb. weights
Repeat all 3x just like above

ABS:
25 crunches
25 bicycles
25 Russian twist
25 full sit-ups
100 total crunches 

Tues 10/14 - Went to the gym and did the following:

Group Power was cancelled today as the instructor was sick.  Boo hoo, it's my favorite class! 
Stationary Bike - 32 mins., 8:53 miles, level 8 random & 170 calories burned!
Biceps: full, top, bottom 3x15 each 20lb bar
Bicep - drag to bellybutton 30 - 20lb bar
Shoulder press 3x15 - 20 lbs
Treadmill 2x 1/2 mile:
     7:14 minutes, .50 miles, level 6 random & 40 calories burned!
     7:00 minutes, .50 miles, level 6 random & 37 calories burned!

ABS:
25 crunches
25 bicycles
25 crunches
25 Russian twist
100 total crunches

Stretch

Wed 10/15

Used runkeeper and took the dog out for a run/walk.

MI

2.48

DURATION

28:00

AVERAGE PACE

11:17

CALORIES BURNED

204

Th 10/16

This was a short trip to the gym as I went during my daughters dance class, had less than hour with travel time back and forth to pick her up.  At least I made it to the gym though! 

Elliptical - 10 minutes, 1 mile, 129 calories burned! 
Stationary Bike - 32 minutes, 7.40 miles & 200 calories burned!
(Oops, forgot to write down what level but probably level #6 on each)

Fri 10/17  - None, Mom and Dad in town.

Sat 10/18  - None, Mom and Dad in town.

Sun 10/19  - None, Mom and Dad in town. (This is not an excuse to go to the gym!  Don't use it like I did.)

Get up and move!

For the Love of Books ~ Put Cinder on Your Reading List!

Here's another book recommended by my daughter.  Check out the first one she recommended to me that I loved as well right here, takes you back to your youth.  This particular book is part of a series.   Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a wonderful book and once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down.  It started off a little slow for me as I really wasn't for sure what to expect out of it but my daughter kept telling me it was a great book so I kept on reading.  After I read the first 3 or 4 chapters it finally sucked me in and I couldn't put it down.  I wanted to pick it up and read some more whenever the chance came about.  I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.com which means IT WAS AMAZING!  More about Goodreads.com here!  I say this because it ends and I immediately got online through MCPL which I should of done sooner and got on the wait list for the 2nd book of the series which is Scarlet. 

These books are kind of like Cinder as in Cinderella and Scarlet as in Little Red Riding Hood etc. but different in a huge way. It's like going back in time with a plague spreading.  And going into the future with people from the moon and humans are being turned into cyborgs on earth.  

Kind of crazy but it's amazing what different authors come up with.  The imagination is a wonderful place to go if you are stressed out and need to forget your problems.  Read a book!


Goodreads.com preview: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness.   

Read the book to find out what happens!

More on Marissa Meyer here.

#LOVETOREAD!

Energy Bites!

Who doesn't need an extra energy boost once in awhile.   I can't guarantee you that you will get tons of energy from these but they are healthy and delicious.  

What's really scary is all 3 of my kiddos liked them.  Side story: My daughter came home from school the other day with an assignment from her FACS class (Home Economics in my day).  She needed to make a recipe and it required them measuring 5 things.  I have to admit a lot of my cooking/baking is out of a box but not this.  The energy bites have 7 ingredients to measure, this is what she made, she did a great job!

I got this recipe from a cousin of mine about a year ago and finally decided to make them.  Quick and simple to make.  

Energy Bites recipe:

Ingredients ~

1 C Oatmeal
1/2 C Peanut Butter or any other nut butter
1/3 C Honey
1 C Coconut (toasted optional)
1/2 C Ground Flax seed
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I used 1/2 C)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions ~

Toast coconut nut if desired.  Then combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, mix with spoon, roll into bite size balls, chill and eat!

Make sure you don't burn your coconut.
This batch went in the trash, Oops!

Energy Bites!

Workout time - 10/6 - 10/12

If your wondering how to do any of the things mentioned in my workouts, click here to go to the post that has all the examples of how to do each exercise.   They are YouTube and other website videos I have found online to help each other out in learning how to do different exercises. 

Keep this in mind
from WWW.LIVELIFEHAPPY.COM

Don't wait until tomorrow, exercise today.
Get Up & Move!

Monday, 10/6 -

Run/walk (outside) - used runkeeper and took the dog with me. Well I always take the dog with me when I run outside.  
1.64 miles, 19:11 minutes, 11:43 average pace & 145 calories burned!

Tuesday, 10/7 -

Work meeting this morning - 15 minutes late for class but still went and got in 45 minutes of it.
Group Power class at the gym!
Bike (outside) - used runkeeper to get my stats 5.24 miles, 26:42 minutes, 139 calories burned!
Run/Walk (outside) - used runkeeper again, 2.57 miles, 30:01, 11:25 average pace & 209 calories burned!

Wednesday, 10/8 -

Took the day off - no workout today, recoup from the power class!

Thursday, 10/9 -

Woke up to a rainy day, so I went straight to the gym after taking my son to school.  Here's what happened in 1 hour:

Stationary bike - 32 minutes, random - level #7, 8.07 miles & 234 calories burned!
Biceps - 30lbs 3x15
Push-ups (on toes) - 3x6
Triceps (on bench) - 3x15
Overhead press - 20 lb bar, 3x15
Drag - 20 lb bar, 3x15
Squats with weights - 15, 20 & 25 lb weight 1x15 ea
ABS:
  Hammer strength knee-ups 2x15 & 1 x20 = 50
  Crunches - 1x25
  Bicycle  - 1x25
  Russian twist - 1x 25
  Full abs - 1x25
Plank - 1 minute on hands (not arms) and toes
Stretch machine - THE END!

Friday, 10/10-

Took the day off - no workout today, recovery day!

Saturday, 10/11 - 

Oops, no workout again!  Try to make sure you don't take more than two days off in a row.  Get yourself moving and workout.  

Sunday, 10/12 - 

Stationary Bike - 30 minutes, 7 miles, level 7 random, 234 calories burned!

Row machine - 3x
1st - 2:08 minutes, 500 meters & 28 calories burned!
2nd - 2:15 minutes, 500 meters & 28 calories burned!
3rd - 2:30 minutes, 500 meters & 28 calories burned!

Side steps off of bench ~ 15 - 2x
Step off off of block ~ 20 - 3x

Kettleball squats - 3x15

Abs: 1 x 25 of ea
Reverse Crunch
Crunch
Russian twist
Crunch
100 total ABS

4 days of working out this week, not bad.  Another week finished!  

GET UP AND MOVE!

Types of Exercises & how to do them!

Here are the links, to all the different exercises that I have listed in my posts.  This way if I have a link in one but not another you can find them all here.  Happy exercising!  

CARDIO:

Trainer Stand - You attach an outdoor bike to it so you can ride indoors!  Great for cold weather.

Swimming

Biking (Outside)

Biking (Inside with a trainer stand)

Stationary Bike
Running/walking

Treadmill
Elliptical
StairMaster


WEIGHTS:

Arms -
  Bicep curls
  Tricep dips (on bench)
  Push-ups

Legs -


ABS:

Crunches
Leg Raises
Reverse crunch
Sit-ups vs. crunches
Bicycle
Full sit-ups
Russian twist
Hammer Strength - Knee-ups OR hanging knee raises & side to side knee raises)
Plank    Side Plank     Plank Twist
All different AB exercises (leg raises, bicycle, reverse curl, Russian twist  planks)



GYM CLASSES:

Body Training System Group Power



This page is a work in progress, please let me know if I'm missing something.  Will be adding to it as need be.

GET UP AND MOVE!