10 Day Challenge - 2!

I had a lot of fun doing my first 10 day challenge and keeping myself in check that I thought I'd go for another 10! There is still a lot of food I want to try, exercises I need to push myself to do and just activities that I'm lazy and don't do haha this makes it written in stone and more of necessity to complete. 

Check out my new 10 day challenge, I hope some of you are trying this!



Challenge #8 - Try a new form of cardio!

My go-to cardio is ALWAYS the elliptical.  It's easy for me, but I can make it challenging and I always push for 200 calories to burn.  So if I'm being lazy, it doesn't mean I get off the machine at 20 minutes, I wait and push myself until 200 calories - that is my own personal trick to get me to

PUMP IT!  

But yesterday I challenged myself indeed.  I used to do the stair master with my BFF Lauren, she is a master at this thing, but when I wasn't with her I would usually give up on it half way through a workout or just not do it at all because it's hard! Naturally, I just didn't want to do it!

I challenged myself yesterday and succeeded! I ended up burning about 120 calories, but I can feel it today that it worked muscles! Either way, I was pleased.  I was sweating like a pig when I got off of it and felt really good.  I will probably try to work it into my workouts a couple times a week for the extra little push :).

[My new frienemy!]

Challenge #7 - Try for 5 more pounds/reps

Goal #7 - Try for 5 more pounds/reps at the gym

When I used to go to the gym I would always try for 20/25 reps of ANYTHING.  And then I learned that the number of reps isn't as important as using the right weight and doing the exercise correctly.  Then I became more aware of what I was doing, how my body felt doing it and if I was reaching the 20 reps then I should probably up my weights a bit and do less reps.

This has worked well for my upper body routines but since I rarely work my legs, I haven't applied this theory to my lower body routines.  Therefore, I took challenge #7 and applied it to my lower body routine, now that I am beginning to get back on board with working out my legs.

I did four different exercises, 3 on machines, and upped the weight on all of them and did as many reps as I could - mostly topping out at 15 reps.  Since I was using machines, I couldn't necessarily go for only 5 pounds more than usual since the weight increases at about 15 pounds per weight. And since I was working my legs, I know that I could go more than 5 pounds more than usual.

1. Leg Press - 100lbs
[I usually do this at 60/80lbs]

2. I'm not sure what to call these, but I'll explain the exercise!

Stand with legs hip-width apart.  With a weight in one hand, bend forward at the waist while lifting the same leg backwards so that you touch the ground with the weight.  For example, put the weight in your right hand, bend forward to touch the weight to the ground and as you bend forward lift your right leg backwards so that you're balancing on your left foot.

With this one I usually hold about 5-7.5 lbs - this time I held a 12.5lb weight.

3. Leg extension - 55lbs

[I usually do 40lbs]

I don't have a picture of this one because the machine was stolen from me mid-workout and I had to hurry to get it back and finish my workout as the gym got busier.. but here is a sample picture :)

haha, kind of a funny picture.  But anyway! These are pretty killer for me, especially with the added weight.  I did 12 reps of these and made sure my form was correct and I did these slowly and kept control of my legs.

4. Leg Curl - 55lbs

[I usually do 40lbs]

With these, I did 15 reps and, again, made sure I did these correctly.  Generally with these and the leg extensions I just try to do them fast and jump off the machine or I lift my butt up from the seat to gain momentum and taking the weight off my legs - which is pointless! Therefore, I made sure to keep correct form and only do what I could without losing the form and hurting myself.

I went through these exercises 3 times and had a tall glass of a protein shake to follow :)

Challenge #6 - Take a HIKE!

Goal #6 - go on a hike!

This was a bite challenging because we had quite a few bumps in the road before we actually made it on our hike.  I have a book of hikes, but I have already gone on the local ones and the others are about 45 minutes to over an hour away.  Therefore, David and I thought we'd go to Irvine Great Lake and hike around there... we drove down just to find out that the hiking trails aren't built yet.

BUMMER!

Then we decided to conquer the 1,000 steps in Laguna Beach.. and on our way there traffic was so terribly bad that David and I are now in an awful mood and this isn't fun anymore.  I turned my little car around and headed home.  We laid on my bed for about 5 minutes and then said ok lets go! and we set off to Santiago Canyon.

I have done this hike in the past, but that didn't stop the fun because there are so many different routes that there was no way that we went on the same exact trails as I had previously done.  We had so much fun! It took us about an hour or so to hike around the entire loop that we chose to follow.  It was definitely cardio for the day and we got a nice little tan while we were at it!

Challenge #3 - Create NEW Playlist

Challenge #3:

Create a new playlist!

Unfortunately, I failed this challenge :(

As soon as I got home and had dinner my eyelids got heavy and I was fast asleep by 8PM!! I hadn't been feeling the best and clearly my body was trying to tell me something and had me at rest incredibly early!!!

Today I will be doubling up on my challenges and pulling a kick ass new playlist that I will share next week with my weekend update AND I will be trying a new tea instead of my kicks of soda for the day.

I think that I'm going to try out Green Tea.. FINALLY! I have been told to get on this tea and I just haven't, but today this is going to be my challenge :)

To be truthful, I don't drink a TON of soda, but if David has it or it's just available I will have some.  BUT I do drink hot chocolate, not enough water, and probably too many sugary drinks.  Hopefully this will kick me into place to have a healthier drink to replace those that aren't good for me and when I'm not drinking that I'll be guzzling water!

Although this goal seems so easy, it's hard for me! I can have a full water bottle sitting in front of me all day long and I just don't drink it, not on purpose, but because I don't think about it and then I end up dehydrated and feeling weak and "ugh" by the end of the day.  I'm hoping this will change it around for me!

10 Day Challenge

Lately I have been talking to a good friend from high school, Courtney Bently, about fitness and eating healthy.  Let me just tell you, this girl is AMAZING!! She has given me workouts, food suggestions, recipes and of course tons, and tons, of motivation!

She has her own blog that you can access, here, to read all about her, what motivated her to become fit and how she has changed peoples lives!

Recently, she posted on Facebook about a 10 day challenge.  Immediately I wanted to try it!

What you do is you pick a challenge a day, for the next 10 days and stick to it!! By the end of the 10 days are you going to lose 50 pounds or have a flat tummy? No. BUT you will gain motivation and realize that bad habits are easy to overcome!

I wanted to share my calendar to show some examples of challenges:

Yesterday, my challenge was to try a new gym and a new workout routine.  On my way home from work I realized there is a 24 hour fitness that is literally right off the freeway and so easy to get to and is en route to my house.  I don't know why I didn't pick this up before, but HELLO ALEX!!! Before I was going to a gym that I was comfortable with but it is past my house, out of the way and doesn't have the best equipment.  But because I'm generally hesitant to try new things, I always stayed there.

Well this 10 day challenge gave me an opportunity to explore and when I did I was so pleased and felt much better!  The gym was much more up-to-date, has a pool and a massive weight section!! 

On top of trying a new facility, I also took up the challenge to try a new workout routine.  I HATE working my legs, hate it hate it hate it! I have terrible knees and I'm just always afraid that I'll feel more pain after the workout then necessary so I've always strayed away.  But, I did it! And it felt GOOD!! I went though 4 moves working out my hamstrings, calves, quads AND gluts! It was a pretty awesome feeling.

Today my challenge is to create a new workout playlist! I've been putting this off for some time and dealing with what I already have, but David and I have collected quite a few AMAZING CDs and I am going to pull them together and make a kick-ass playlist including Sublime, Linkin Park and Travis Barker! Great new CDs from these guys that are upbeat and get you in that workout mood :))

If you're interested in Courtney's 10 Day Challenge check out her post and get started!!!

101. Get engaged :))

Biggest goal! Number 101 is complete!!!!

David and I are engaged and couldn't be more excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is our story...

Lets just start by saying that David is not a planner! When we go out or do a day-trip somewhere you better believe that I generally have thought of the idea or took an idea from a conversation of ours and do the research that goes along with.  And for the record, I am in no way complaining about this, but that is just the way it is with us!

So, David tells me that he wants to take me to a restaurant down by Crystal Cove and I say "OK, when are we going?"  He nonchalontly says, "Whenever we're free I guess" and so I look at my calendar and suggest a date I see open and tell him "How about Sunday, May 20?" and he agrees and so it is set.  In the mean time I'm asking him what the plan is and he says that we'll have a picnic for lunch, hike around and then go to this restaurant for dinner so bring a change of clothes.

The date comes around, about two weeks or so later, we get everything together - I packed a picnic basket and David looked up directions and off we went! Once we got there we picked a parking lot, gathered the picnic basket and blanket and headed down to the beach.  It was quite a hike down but once by the water we parked ourselves on our blanket and started eating.  There were these cute little squirrels everywhere and I decided to feed them - as David is yelling at me not to :)

After lunch we put the food and basket back in the car and hiked around a little more just looking at the gorgeous view! Upon arriving we received a map of the cove so we took a look and David suggested going to this little spot on the far side of the beach.  We hiked over and I was getting pretty tired.  The sun was blazing right on us and we had climbed up and down trails for quite a while.  We came to a cave that we believe our good friend Dan Kintz took an award winning photograph at, so we decided to park ourselves for a while and play in the water and look at the tidepools.

While playing around with the sea life David asked if we wanted to do an exercise that we learned in counseling, we finish the phrase "When I say I love you I mean...." We took a seat on some rocks right off the water and did this exercise.  David was very into it and giving these long elaborate phrases while mine were pretty short.  We did this for a few times back and forth and David asks me if I want to play a game... I was not entertained by this idea, but I said sure.  He told me that I would have to stand up.  So I do, and as soon as I looked up at him I knew.. I completely started balling as he got on one knee and said "Will you marry me?" as he popped out that little black box and opened the lid.  I was so taken back that I didn't even see the ring and fell straight into his arms forgetting to answer his question.  I said yes and the rest is history!

This picture was taken after the proposal by a beachgoer that was walking behind us as we continued hiking up to an viewpoint.  We told her that we were just engaged and if we could do it over again so we could capture the moment! She was happy to and gave us this beautiful memory!!!

And here is a first look at our engagement shoot.  More to come..

85. Eat a meal at a restaurant solo

Generally, on the weekends Lauren and I try to get lunch together - as often as possible.  This weekend she was whisked away; which left me fending for myself.  Therefore, I thought, why not take up this opportunity to cross something off my DZP list. 

I had a craving for Fitness Grill and decided to take it upon myself to a tasty treat.

Unfortunately you can't see much of what I ate, but I had an amazing egg white omelet with asparagus and zucchini with a side salad and fruit.  It was fantastic! Although I missed my bestie sitting across from me, it was nice to enjoy a small portion of the day for myself.

57. Go Paddle boarding

For Lauren's graduation gift, I purchased two vouchers to go paddle boarding in Laguna Beach from Living Social.  We had originally planned to grab the paddle boards from the shop and take them to the Dana Point back bay about 15 minutes down PCH.  Little did we know that these boards are massive!! David has a short bed truck, and although his back window rolls down, the boards still did not fit into his truck at all. 

After trying to manage to squeeze them in, we gave up and decided to rough it out in the ocean and do our best.  Kyle and David dragged the boards down to the sand and the nerves set in.  We lathered up in sunscreen, missing a few vital spots, and watched as an instructor near by was leading a few girls out into the ocean.  We tried to mimic what he was doing, but just as doing so a huge set of waves came in, almost scaring us from even going out there.  But eventually we paddled our way out and started to get the hang of things.  It took a bit, but we did it. 

(Little hard to see, but we're out there. The pictures are so large, I'm aware, but they have to be to see us :))

My first attempt to stand, I fell right in.  And if you know me, I am insanely afraid of the ocean.  Of course I flipped out and scurried to get back on the board.  Lauren also took a fall right into seaweed, which was everywhere! 

For our first trip out, and onto the ocean, with no instruction - we didn't do so bad! One fall each.

 The experience was definitely one to never forget!

Here are a few other photos from the day:

Have to post this, because I'm in love with it.  A pink bejeweled bathtub.

One day...

96. Play a one-on-one game of basketball with David.

David and I took on the courts at Champion Park for a one-on-one game of basketball.

Basketball is definitely David's sport, but I almost went into NJB, I know how it works!  So I challenged him, we played up to 11 and you'll never guess who won.....

THIS GIRL!

Yep! That's right, I beat David.  At first, we were just playing around.  We played 'around the world' and 'Skate'.  But then it got serious; I was playing for keeps and I was going to dominate, and then I got tired and David was making some pretty good shots and all the rules went out the door.  I decided to create my own rules, and I was the only one allowed to break them... therefore, I won!

Here are a few more pictures of our brawl:

Very focused on our shots.

hahaha... David isn't even shooting a ball..

(Just Kidding, it was just out of shot.)

In the end, I guess we're still friends.. maybe even still boyfriend and girlfriend. 

But he's still bitter.

LOVE

37. Participate in a mud run

June 5, 2011

Camp Pendleton

4:00AM

This is when David and my alarms went off to get up and begin getting ready to drive to Camp Pendelton.

4:30AM

David arrives at my house and we take off to the mud run.

6:00AMish

We have parked and arrived at Camp Pendleton and the nerves kick in.

Shortly after, we catch a shuttle and move over to the site where all of the festivities are being held for the runners.  We grabbed our t-shirts, breakfast for champions, donuts, and laid out our beach towels to relax before the race.

8:30AM
David and I duct taped our shoes to our ankles, checked in our bag, and moved over to the race start line.

9:00AM

The announcer starts getting us pumped up and we're off!

10:30AM

We have gone through two river crossings, a lake crossing, two 5 foot walls, a tunnel, a mud crawl, a mud climb, a mud lake crossing, and 6.2 miles and we finished the race!!! It was LONG and very difficult, but it was well worth it!

We had a blast! And although it was difficult, we will be doing it again next year - and creating a team :)

*We didn't train for this race at all.  We actually forgot about it until about a week before it was taking place and finished with a decent time.  It is possible! Join us next year!

40. Go rockclimbing

While at the Race for the Cure there was a rockclimbing section for the little kids!

I took advantage of the opportunity to cross this adventure off my list and I had a blast!!!! It was a lot harder than I expected, but I completed it and rang that cow bell with pride!! 

{Thank you David for taking the video, unwillingly}

{Thank you Maddie for taking pictures!!!!}

29. Complete a 5K race

SAVE THE BOOBIES!!!

We had an amazing time at the 5K Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

The amazing team:

Me :)
David

Erin

Madalyn

Kyle (in place of Shannon)

Aunt LuAnne

Heather

Patricia - SURVIVOR!

Alex

Karen

Mommy

{I hope I didn't forget anyone}

It was a blast! Three miles doesn't seem too terrible but the uphill killed my knees and in the end I was stiffer than a board.. but I wouldn't have changed it for the world!

Kyle and I stuck together and ran half and walked half, weaving through the crowds while checking out the music and hilarious outfits! This is definitely going to become a tradition for me! It was worth the money, early morning, and heat.  I had a blast!!!

David and Alex supporting with pink hair and beard lol

i heart breakfast

On my DZP list I have to try a new recipe every month and I've began looking through a ton of recipes online and in books that I want to try - the White Bean Minestrone soup was my dish for August.  I figure that along with completing this goal I should make a habit of cooking.. I mean everyone needs to start somewhere, right??

I came across a recipe I may not try anytime soon, but that looks so amazing AND it's low in calories, fat, and sodium.. you'd never guess that its a BREAKFAST BURRITO!

When I used to work with a car company in Orange we'd get these breakfast burritos at least once a week, sometimes more, and they were incredibly high in calories but they were so good!! I had to get myself to stop eating them because they were so fattening and I haven't found one as good since - BUT my hopes are that this will top it and not make me feel like my insides are going to stop running at any moment.

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 cooked chicken sausage links, diced

1 red onion, diced

6 eggs, lightly beaten

4 whole-wheat tortillas

1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained, and heated

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Optional

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Salt and black peper to taste

Chopped cilantro

Salsa

Pickled Jalapenos

Directions:

1.  Heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat

2.  Add the sausage and onion - cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned

Turn the heat down low

3.  Pour the eggs into the skillet - cook slowly, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the eggs are firm but moist

4.  Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in cilantro (optional)

5.  Wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and heat in the microwave for 45 seonds (or heat them individually in a dry pan until warm and lightly toasted)

6.  Divide the eggs, beans, cheese, and avocado among the tortillas

7.  Roll into tight packages and top each burrito with salsa, more cilantro, and jalapenos (if using)

Bam! Once I try this I will definitely post my do's and dont's and preferences for this recipe.  If you try it, let me know what you thought and what you did!

Makes 4 servings / Cost per serving: $2.42

415 calories

17g fat

625 mg sodium

vs.

Fast food breakfast burritos:

799 calories

49g fat

2,427 mg sodium

The Bridge to Nowhere

This past Monday and Tuesday I went on a backpacking hike with a few friends and had an amazing time! I was pretty impressed with how well David and I did because we generally aren't the outdoorsy couple... but we had a BLAST! I went with David, Kyle, and Darryl.  Kyle is Davids best friend, who in the past 5 years that I've been with David, has developed into one of the best friends I've ever had.  And Darryl is our friend we met at CSUF more recently.

It was about 10 miles round trip and involved many river crossings, rock climbing, a campfire, Top Roman, a heavy backpack, and the best guys I could spend my time with! It was definitely a challenge to my body but I am so proud that I actually accomplished this hike.  In the end I feel in the river and scrapped up my knee a bit, but it was all worth it!

Here are a few pictures from the hike...

This hike is ALSO #27 on my DZP list!!!

27. Take a hike in the Azusa Pacific area

While on the hike I also completed:

65. Jump into a body of water fully clothed

Pretty successful trip if I do say so myself!

Catching up..

So I've completed a few of my goals already and thought I'd share what I've finished so far..

1. Track down a Moleskin and actually start using it.

I have been looking for a Moleskin from Borders for the longest time and I made a point to put it on my list so that I wouldn't give up on finding one.. and I DID! So excited! It has organized me so much since I've gotten it and I take it with me everywhere. It's perfect!

19. Take hot yoga.

I've taken yoga with my best friend Lauren at the gym for some time but once I heard about hot yoga I had to give it a try. It's the best 80 mintues I could ever spend in 103 degree room. Hot yoga gives my body an amazing stretch while also making me sweat like crazy - and surprisingly I love it!

36. Buy a pair of TOMs shoes.

TOMs are such comfortable shoes and have such a good cause behind them. My first pair is a bright metallic silver pair my mom bought me for my 22nd birthday. I fell in love with them right away because they're extremely comfortable so I had to get a seocnd pair in a more neutral color for everyday wear. This gray pair is exactly what I was looking for!

45. Take Pictures in a photo booth.

While Erin and I were at the fair not too long ago we had to hit the photo booths to mark a goal off of both of our lists. These are sooo much fun and make me laugh every time I see them! I love my sister soo much and we had a blast this day at the fair!

Sister time is my favorite :)

50. Give tomatoes another try.

I have never liked tomatoes since I was a young girl. Let me make something clear - I can eat tomato sauce and I like salsa and that kind of mix but it is tomatoes raw that I cannot stand. It's been some time since the last time I tried them and so I figured I'd give them another try andddd SURE ENOUGH they are disgusting! .. At least I tried.

64. Run a mile straight without stopping.

David and I have been running for a few months now and I must admit I'm the slowest runner on earth BUT at least I'm trying! Welllll I have such a hard time getting through one run without stopping so I knew I'd have to make it a goal to get through one mile without stopping and I finally did it! With the help of my love behind me, I got through a little over a mile in one smooth run and it felt amazing!

There are many more goals that are in progress...

5. Read 10 "Motion Picture" Novels

1. The Death and Birth of Charlie St. Cloud

2. A Walk to Remember

8. Watch 26 movies I've never seen all starting with each letter of the alphabet.

G - (The) Goods

I - Inception

O - (The) Other Guys

S - Shutter Island

66. Attend 10 Yoga classes - I've completed 5

70. Do not purchase anything from Forever21 for a month - about half way through this one!! I think I can make it!

I'm really excited to share these goals and post my success!! This is just the start!