A Gym-Free Workout?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

So, my school gym plan expires on June 30th; I am moving into an apartment with a gym in the building on Sept. 1, so I've got a 2 month gap, too short to really start a gym contract somewhere. I can renew the school membership for July for $75/month, which I was going to do, but now I have come up with a new plan. I'd say it's high risk, high reward - I will either fail miserably or become a much better runner, lol! As for strength training, I have Jillian Michael's workout video at home, along with a mat, free weights, a weighted exercise ball, etc. - not to mention squats, lunges, etc. don't need equipment. So I am good there, I just needed to figure out cardio.



I had gotten decently okay at doing running on the treadmill - I definitely am not good, but there is improvement. However, I am terrible at running outside. So, I have decided to use this time to do some running outside. There is a Target 2 miles from my apartment, and today, Andrew & I ran there (well, I ran 1/2, walked 1/2) and then walked back. Obviously, I am nowhere near being able to run 2 miles outside without stopping, but this is Day #1, so I am planning on trying to run there and back 5 days a week - well, run as much as I can, and walk the rest. Either way, I'll need to get back, so I'll be forced to do 4 miles of some kind of exercise!

Weight Watchers Online: New & Improved!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

I have decided to recommit myself to really using my Weight Watchers online membership because, heck, I am paying for it, right? And they have actually got a ton of new tools and stuff on there, I really like it much more now!

Here's the basic screen where you track what you ate for the day, and your physical activity as well:

And they now have a customized weight loss chart, and you can also make a chart of your change in dress size, and in a variety of body measurements.

In case you can't tell, I really haven't tracked my weight at all since the end of March, lol - the chart after that is a big blank - I told ya, I am starting to get back into it.

They also have a restaurant finder where you can find calories for all sorts of restaurants.

They also have a recipe builder where you can either look up recipes or insert in what you used to make something, and then have them give you all the nutritional info for it.

Overall, there's a lot of new features, I am glad I still have my membership, and vow to use it every day :)

Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I love sweet potato fries, and today I discovered the chip version in a vending machine - Route 11's Sweet Potato Chips.




They are just sweet potatoes cooked up and lightly salted, not a lot of artificial flavoring or anything. I'd recommend them!

Easy Veggie Stir Fry Recipe

Monday, June 22, 2009

I have started trying to just make up my own recipes so I don't have to go out and buy tons of specific ingredients; and instead, I just make stuff with what I have. Tonight, I made veggie stir fry with brown rice.

I made mine with:

3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup snow peas
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
2 cups cooked brown rice (1/4 cup dry rice, 1 cup water)

It was so easy, I just cooked all the veggies, along with 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, in a pan together; cooked the instant brown rice; and then combined it all together, and topped it with another tbsp of soy sauce. It made a big portion, and only had 340 calories. Obviously you can make this with any veggies you want, and add in other Asian spices as well.

New Yummy Weight Watchers Dessert

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I tried a new Weight Watchers frozen dessert this week - the frozen candy bar - they're basically WW's version of the Snickers ice cream bars.



They're really yummy, and only 3 points - I recommend them :) Obviously the pic above is of the Snickers version, I couldn't find a pic of the WW version.

Easy Caprese Breakfast Pizzas

I made this HG recipe for lunch today and it was so yummy - it reminded me of Au Bon Pain's Caprese sandwich, but WAY better for you! It's super simple, and only 185 calories!


Ingredients

1 light English muffin
2 large tomato slices
1 tbsp spreadable margarine
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 piece low-fat or fat-free mozzarella string cheese
6 leaves fresh basil

Cook the two slices of tomato on a pan on the stove until slightly blackened.

Mix together the garlic and spreadable margarine.

Spread the garlic butter mix on each side of the english muffin. Top each side with cheese, 3 basil leaves and one slice tomato. Put into the oven at 350 for 5 minutes/until cheese melts.

Kitchen Sink Salad Recipe

Friday, June 5, 2009

Well, perhaps more a suggestion for a meal as opposed to a true recipe, but you know what i mean. Like a lot of you, when I am hungry, and someone suggests a salad, I'll often be like, really? That's all I am gonna eat? Don't get me wrong, I like salads when they are done right, but too often they are just veggies and fat-free italian dressing, and I need more than that for it to be a meal (which is kinda hard when I don't eat meat, I know). So, lately, to encourage myself to eat salads, I try to always keep spinach leaves and hearts of romaine around, and then from there, I make what I like to call a "kitchen sink salad" where I essentially throw anything I can find around my fridge & cabinets into a big salad bowl with the greens. Today, this was my salad:



Fresh spinach leaves
Hearts of romaine, chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
5 baked tostitos, crushed up (to add some crunch to the salad, it really adds to it)
4 tbsp. Kraft Free bleu cheese dressing


I ate the whole giant bowl of salad (I eat salad from like a mixing bowl, not some wimpy soup bowl, cuz I mean, for WW, you can have unlimited veggies, so why not stock up?) and it was all for about 300 calories. So, it's a good way to eat healthy and get rid of random stuff in your fridge!

$10 a Month for the Gym?!

I have never really had an official gym membership, since I have always used the gyms at college/law school or in my apartment buildings. However, my membership to the law school gym expires at the end of this month, so I am considering joining one. There is a cool all women's gym, Healthworks, but at about $80/month, that is so not happening.



My sister-in-law recently joined Planet Fitness and loves it, and says it is an amazing deal. They recently opened one by me, and it is only $20/month (with no start up fee); and they also have a deal for $10/month(but that one has a $60 start up fee). Any one else go to Planet Fitness/if so, do you like it? My needs aren't super high, I do the elliptical and the treadmill, and for lifting/strength training, I mainly do free weights as opposed to machines.

Lululemon Love

For my birthday, April got me a pair of awesome workout pants from Lululemon (http://www.lululemon.com/) and I am so in love - I usually only wear shorts or capris to the gym b/c work out pants are not really made for people 5'11" (neither are pajama pants or evening gowns for that matter!). However, Lulu Lemon's pants come in short, regular or tall - and the tall are even a little long for me, which is awesome, that never happens!



And the best part? They have a pocket in the waistband where you can hold your gym membership card - perfect for me, since I have to have my student ID for the gym, and always come to so close to leaving it on the elliptical or on the gym floor. Now, they are definitely way expensive, but I figure I may splurge on a couple pairs for myself when I start my job :)