Prepping

I did it!! I finally got my meals prepared! For 5 nights I barely slept... so frustrating. However, Excedrin PM was my friend last night. Today proved to be a productive day. Great cardio and legs workout today! Now, on to my real accomplishment- I COOKED! Yes, hard to believe I know. (My husband was slightly confused too.) :) For dinner I cooked salmon patties made with oats and a side of broccoli and cauliflower with garlic salt on it. For the first time ever, my husband liked broccoli. (He loved the salmon patties too!) Score 1 for me!

As far as prepping, as I did the following: boiled 10 eggs for snacks. Put the additional salmon patties and veggies in easy to grab plastic ware. My husband and I prepared 6 chicken breasts. Four of them were baked in nonfat Italian dressing and 2 breasts that were cut up and cooked on the stove top with  a concoction of BBQ type rubs. I went ahead and measured out 5 oz of chicken each in their own plastic container. (I already had all my veggies cut.) It was honestly A LOT easier that I thought it would be. (I see a trend starting!) I just hate I took so long to finally do it. So, if you find yourself with a spare hour (or while you are watching your favorite tv show) put some eggs in water and some chicken in the oven. I dare you. :)

Numb feet

I did 60 minutes on the elliptical today! Woohoo!!! However, by the end, my feet and toes were numb. I text my trainer and asked about this. Come to find out, it just happens. Another thing I have learned is that a higher heart rate does not always mean more fat burn. Cardio HR should not exceed 70-80% of my maximum HR. (To find your maximum HR, subtract your age from 220.) My HR always goes up quickly; therefore, I had to keep a check on it constantly. It was harder than I thought it would be. The handles on the elliptical for the HR do not always work properly. I see a HR monitor in my future. :)

Tomorrow, I plan on trying to prep some food for the week. Wish me luck. Cooking, prepping, all that food stuff- I typically just do not like it. People keep telling my husband there is still hope for me to learn to cook. Haha!! We will see!

First couple of days

First day of blogging, 2nd day of my new lifestyle. For the past 15 months, life has been crazy with grad school, marriage, work, and all the other things in between. So, I decided to do something for myself and hired a personal trainer, Casey Nelson. It's not one on one; however, it is personalized workout plans, meal plans, constant contact, and logging of all foods and workouts for accountability for 12 weeks. I gained 40 lbs over a year and then when school started, I put trying to get back in shape on the back burner.

Yesterday, my schedule started with abs and cardio. My out of shape butt was exhausted after 47 min on a level 8 on the elliptical (I was supposed to go 60 min). I also did great on my first day of 5 clean, healthy meals! (Not having my daily dose of sweets is going to be a tough habit to break!) Today was even better! Backs and biceps (already feeling it) and cardio again today-30 minutes on elliptical.

After going to the grocery store yesterday and stocking up on healthy meals to cook and veggies to snack on, my husband and I did a deep cleaning of the pantry, fridge and freezer- 3 garbage bags total!!! They were filled with out of date sodium filled boxed meals, crackers, junk food, frozen fries, etc. If the junk is not in the house, I am less likely to eat it. Especially to run to the store on a rainy, cold day like today! Out of sight, out of mind!

So, why am I starting to blog? Glad you asked. :) I like accountability and sharing things I learn- in many aspects of life- fitness, health (I'm almost a Nurse Practitioner!! Just waiting for the ok to take boards.), crafty things, etc. I just hope to have a positive influence on anyone who decides to read this.

-Jamie

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt