Here's to one of many more!!!! :)

What a great way to start a work week….Monday was my baby brother’s 8^th birthday and my one year celebration of meeting the love of my life!!  As I had mentioned before, most of my family lives back in Virginia so FaceTime REALLY comes in handy on special occasions.  Jared and I got to sing Happy Birthday while we were at dinner….it made my heart smile.

Just to give you guys some background into my relationship, Jared and I met a year ago at a local gym in Myrtle Beach; American Athletic Club.  Neither of us was looking for any type of relationship but if anyone knows Jared, he has a way with words.  We both had and still have pretty similar schedules so we were consistently at the gym around the same hour every day.  After passing each other a few times, Jared approached me with a corny pick up line that I still give him crap for today but I guess a year later, his cheesy one liner worked!  I do have to say, it is amazing meeting someone in a place such as the gym for several reasons but the one main reason is because I instantly knew that we both had something in common:  we love and are extremely passionate about working out and staying in good shape.  He has truly been a blessing in my life and I look forward to our bright future! :)

 Anyway, enough with the mushy stuff….

So to celebrate our one year anniversary, we went to one of my favorite restaurants….THE MELTING POT!!!  And boy was it delish!!

Of course the first dish....fiesta cheese!!  This was my favorite part :)

Then came the main course....the lobster was to die for.

And of course, Jared's favorite part of the meal....THE CHOCOLATE!!!

We were both completely STUFFED after this meal.  

Before our dinner, we got in a nice quick leg work out and I really pushed myself.  It’s nice to have a partner there telling you “YOU GOT 22 THIS TIME!!!”

Because my workouts were limited last week due to traveling, I still had to squeeze an additional 5 miles in this week on top of the 13 that I already have to do according to my half-marathon plan.  It probably wasn’t the BEST idea to do a 5 mile HILL routine on the treadmill the day after working legs but I got through it….panting….hopefully the people on the treadmills around me weren’t offended because I was definitely breathing hard on this one: 

You can of course adjust the speeds to fit your running level.  I’m not going to lie, once I got to the 4^th incline, I had to step off and grab a quick drink of water because I was DYING.  I did finish strong though!!  My goal on the treadmill is always to get to the mileage before the time says on my routine so during the last mile (minutes 40-50), instead of going 6.0 speed the entire mile, I increased my speed .1 every minute so I was up to 6.9 towards the end of the mile.  It was fun and I finished my 5 miles just under 48 minutes doing it this way and had a couple of minutes to spare at the end to walk and cool down.  I would STRONGLY suggest this workout, especially if you are used to running on flat land like me; it’s good cross training!  And not to mention, I was DRENCHED and I LOVE to sweat!!!!!

After my long run, I attempted to fulfill my shoulder day but as soon as I got about 10 minutes into my workout, I began to realize that I probably worked my upper body more than I thought with running up hill because I was WEAK when I tried to do strength training.  I got through some of this but I’m pushing it back to Wednesday since it’s my 3 mile run day and my upper body should have more strength to get through this tough shoulder workout:  

This morning I had a soft boiled egg on a extra fiber, honey wheat English muffin and a slice of American cheese with 2 pieces of turkey sausage.  I topped this off with a protein shake (one scoop with 8 ounces of skim milk)!

For lunch, tuna fish sandwich on health full bread (Arnold brand) with some not so good for you chips and dip!  Hey I have to treat myself somehow :)

Mid-day snack:  my FAVORITE women’s vitality trail mix from the Fresh Market in Pawleys Island w/ a Spark drink! 

My workout today consisted of a quick 3 mile run (finished in 27 minutes):

Followed of course by the shoulder workout that I posted above...and I am happy to say I got through the whole thing! You definitely can't work arms/shoulders really hard on long run days....you really don't realize the workout your upper body is getting when you run!

Now for dinner as my very special boyfriend is out pressure washing my house.  I definitely wanted to cook us something protein rich but quick at the same time!  We picked up these chicken burgers that are GREAT at Costco...21 grams of protein!  We each ended up eating 2 of them...42 grams of protein, WOW!

Do you guys remember this thing?!?!!?  Haha...I do have to say it is VERY handy when you are trying to grill a quick meal!!

Cut up some vegetables to make a side salad....

It actually ended up being a great meal! :)

And of course, you can't forget the wine....and yes, we don't mind the cheap stuff! :)

Question of the day:  Where did you meet your spouse/significant other?  Although this has nothing to do with fitness, I LOVE hearing these stories! :)  In fact, one of the first questions I ask when sitting down with potential clients is "how did the 2 of you meet" and then they just start reminiscing and telling me their love story.  It's beautiful <3  

Cheers for now!

Motivation from others...what gets you moving!?!?! :)

Surprise, surprise…I’ve been traveling once again which is why my blog has been abandoned but I’m here to catch you all up with a few good work out ideas and what I’ve been up to.  I want to first say THANK YOU to all of the AMAZING feedback I’ve gotten from family and friends.  I hope you all continue to support my blog and don’t forget…I’d LOVE for it to be interactive.  I’m going to try to have a question of the day and I would love to hear some of your comments.  Here’s just a few kudos I’ve gotten recently; you guys are AWESOME ;)

Last Tuesday I pushed myself at the gym because I knew I would be leaving for St. Louis for 3 days and while I always take my gym clothes on the go, it’s not always easy to hit the gym when you’re traveling.  After my tough leg work out that I had on Monday, I wanted to follow this up with a pretty difficult arm workout.  I started with a 3 mile run with a few intervals in between…here is one of my fun treadmill routines: 

Followed by my strength training work out which just focused on biceps and triceps:

Dumbbell Bicep Curls:  3 sets of 15 (15 pounds)

Barbell Bicep Curls:  3 sets of 25 (20 pounds)

Assisted Dip Machine:  3 sets of 25 (45 pounds)

Skull Crushers (w/ barbell):  3 sets of 20 (20 pounds)

Tricep Cable Pull-Downs:  3 sets of 20 (30 pounds)

…my arms were definitely feeling it!!!

For lunch, I had a chicken burger (21 grams of protein!) and a small side salad. 

And to get me through my afternoon I snapped into a slim gym and had a Spark drink!

After 4 long, tough years, I’ve finally made it through my development program at Merrill Lynch and in recognition of that, I was sent to St. Louis for a few days of business and fun.  This was my first time visiting St. Louis and I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  I spent my 3 nights in the beautiful Ritz Carlton..

…and was wined and dined! 

Overall my trip to the city was wonderful.  I met a lot of my peers and got to hear best practices and learn quite bit from the speakers they had lined up for us.  One interesting fact I’ll give you guys from one of the speakers:  if you take a cold shower (even if it’s just few a few minutes during your normal shower), there are several benefits…improves blood circulation, relieves depression, keeps your skin and hair healthy, strengthens immunity, increases testosterone (there you go guys!!!), increases fertility and increases energy and well-being.  I’ve actually done this for a while at the end of my showers.  I find it really refreshing and especially in the mornings it’s a quick way to get your motor running before a long work day!!  Give it a try :)

My workouts were on a pause this week but I did manage to get in a nice 3 mile run on Thursday morning with a few of my colleagues who also are runners.  We ran through a few neighborhoods with beautiful historical looking homes and also ran past a local university.  One thing I LOVE about city life is they really cater to walkers/runners/bikers, etc.  They had a bike/running path on the main road which was about the same size as the normal driving road; it was AWESOME to not have to worry about running on a sidewalk or watching out for cars. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take advantage of the hotel gym which was something that I was REALLY looking forward to.  Is it weird that the hotel gym is one of the first things I check out as soon as I get into my room? 

Question of the day:  What do you do in the form of exercise or trying to eat right while traveling?

Sitting vs. Standing

I’m back with my second blog post! :)  I went on a bit of a hiatus because I traveled back home to Virginia over the weekend as I had mentioned in my previous post; we are sending my little sister off to college.  It was an action packed weekend and the 5 hour drive each way can always be a little tiring but WELL worth every second of it!  Jared, his daughter Anyiah and myself hit the road on Friday afternoon only to be welcomed by a beautiful rainbow as we drove through Franklin, VA.   

Once we got to my parent’s house, Jared shot some basketball with my dad’s beast of a German Sheppard, Courage...

 ...and then we met my parents for dinner at one of our favorites (and only) local Italian restaurants, Anna’s.  For dinner, I tried to be good since as we all know, it’s so easy to pick up fast food when you are on the road.  I ordered a small grilled chicken salad with house dressing.  I was immediately regretting my decision once everyone else’s meal came out which were plates full of PASTA!!!  In order to compensate I treated myself with a couple of glasses of red wine so I was still a happy camper :) Once we were done with dinner, we were exhausted….there’s nothing like going home on a Friday night and putting in a movie and just enjoying each other’s company. <3 

  

Saturday was action packed with tons of friends and family over to wish my sister Lea the best of luck for a successful future as she starts this monumental phase in her life.  Straight from miss Lea Dee’s mouth…”she’s going to make us proud”.  GO HIGHLANDERS!!!

 So let’s get to the real meat and potatoes veggies of “No one ever drowned in sweat”!!!!  You will come to learn after reading my blog that I’m a very simple person, ESPECIALLY when it comes to food.  This is mainly due to the time factor that is involved in cooking extensive meals.  My day typically consists of waking up around 6AM, cooking a simple yet healthy breakfast because I truly consider this the most important meal I consume everyday; work from about 8-5 and go to the gym until about 7.  Once I get home and feed my animals…cooking dinner is the LAST thing on my mind. 

 

This morning I cooked a meal that you will see time after time on this blog….an egg and a half (soft boiled) with a drop of sriracha sauce (it can make ANYTHING taste good!!), one piece of turkey bacon and sausage and a piece of peanut butter toast on my favorite “health nut” Arnold bread.  I wash this down and drink throughout the morning one of the best tasting protein powders I’ve found; Gold Standard Whey Double Rich Chocolate:  one scoop with 8 ounces of skim milk (2 scoops if you need a little more protein)….I typically try to consume about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.  The EAS soy protein you saw mentioned in my first post is also a good protein but I use this more as a meal replacement because it has enough carbs to keep you full.  The Gold Standard is something I use as a meal supplement because it only has 4 carbs!  You can get the big tub for about $50 at any Vitamin Shop which will last you a couple of months depending on how many scoops you use.

 

Often times at lunch, we have representatives from different investment firms come in to take us out to lunch.  Today was one of those days so you know I couldn’t pass up sushi…especially at one of my favorite sushi spots in Myrtle!!!  

 

….tiger roll with a few pieces of tuna and smoke salmon sashimi and of course you can’t forget the edamame!!!  It was YUMMY!

 

After all of my traveling this weekend, I DEFINITELY had the 2 o’clock slump!  To get me through the rest of my afternoon as well as a tough anticipated leg work out planned, I mixed up a quick vitamin enriched energy drink:  one scoop of Advocare’s fruit punch spark mixed with 8 ounces of water. 

 And off to the workout....

Monday’s are typically my leg day which is the only day that I don’t do cardio…trust me, if you get through this workout, your legs typically feel like jello and it’s hard enough for me to climb the stairs to do abs more less stepping foot on a piece of cardio equipment:

Leg Presses: 3 sets of 25 (45 pounds on each side), 1 set of 20 (60 pounds on each side)

Leg Squats:  4 sets of 20 (25 pounds on each side)

Seated Leg Curl:  4 sets of 20 (60 pounds)

Calf Raise machine:  4 sets of 20 (95 pounds)

  

 

 

 

By the time I get home, I was EXHAUSTED for a Monday....my biggest challenge is trying to incorporate something healthy into dinner because this typically is the least thought out and fastest prepared meal of the day.  Tonight it was a quick hamburger helper type meal with turkey meat (99% fat free) substituted for ground beef, salad on the side and a glass of red wine!  

So you might be wondering the relevance to the title of this post “sitting vs. standing”….I thought I’d share with you a couple of the health conscious changes that have taken place in my office over the past few months.  More so recently, there has been an increased interest in encouraging people to switch to stand up desks.  In fact, in an article I read, of the 3,000 employees at Facebook, there are more than 350 standing desks available to the workers.  The company also receives 5-10 requests per week for this new trend!  Here's a good statistic for ya:  recent studies show that women who sat more than 6 hours a day were 37% more likely to die prematurely than women who just sat 3 hours a day.  A couple weeks ago, one of my coworkers decided to give it a try!  Out of the roughly 30 employees in my office, she has been the only one to convert but you can see the interest and curiosity increasing.  We have another co-worker who has tried the exercise ball/chair for her cubicle and likes this as well!  Here is a picture of a few health conscious desks throughout Merrill Lynch’s Myrtle Beach office. 

 

 

Random thought and question of the day:

 

For those of you who wear heart rate monitors, I would be extremely curious to see how many additional calories are burned from standing throughout the day compared to sitting….I think I may give it a try and let you guys know!  Of course, this study I posted is mainly for those who have office jobs and are sitting the majority of the day.  Have any of you incorporated stand-up desks in your office?  If not, do any of you try to make it a point to get up and walk around throughout the day?  What are some of the small things you try to do during the day to include exercise and healthy living into your office jobs? 

About my first blog!!

So you may be wondering what this blog is about....here's to day one on my journey in the blog universe and I'm very excited! :) 

I was inspired to start this blog after finding and consistently following a random fitness blog that I absolutely fell in love with.  For those of you who haven't heard, check out www.carrotsncake.com.  I was truly inspired.  In addition, I have amazing friends who are all very motivating when it comes to health which leads me to my second and most important reason for starting this health blog.  To give you some background about myself, I moved to Myrtle Beach about 4 years ago leaving all of my close family and friends behind to start what has been an unforgettable journey: I took an offer from my dream job @ Merrill Lynch, I bought my first house, I bought my first dog (<3 you Lils Nils), I got a brand new car and I have done more traveling in the past 4 years and met beautiful people along the way which have molded me into the strong female I am today! :)  Being that my friends live so far away, I thought what better way to motivate each other than to have a venue where we can share our workouts, eating habits and daily activities.  I may only have a few followers but I figured this to be a great way to not only motivate others, but keep myself disciplined to continue doing what I LOVE most.....running, working out and eating right!  I hope you enjoy getting a little insight into my daily life!!! :)

For those who don't know me well....my absolute favorite workout consists of running and lifting weights.  In the past 2 years I've run several small road races to get me to completing my very first half marathon in February of this year; my goal was under 2 hours and my dad, boyfriend and I all finished in 1 hour and 54 minutes!  I was injured shortly thereafter and had to take a 3 month break away from running....for any avid runner out there you know, THIS WAS TOUGH.  I'm back to where I was earlier this year and am starting to feel a little empty having not completed any road races in nearly 6 months.  At work today I ran across my half marathon training plan and decided to put this into action again!  My goal:  complete one more half marathon this year to help me to prepare for my first FULL marathon in February 2013.  I've completed my first week of my 12 week plan which consisted of:

1. Tuesday:  a very TOUGH leg workout thanks to my muscle man, J. <3
• 5 sets (25 each) of squats with a 25 lb weight on each side
• 5 sets (20 each) of calf raises (95 lbs)
• 5 sets (25 each) of leg presses (130 lbs)
• 3 sets (25 each) of leg extensions (50 lbs)  
2. Wednesday:  6 mile treadmill run in 55 minutes (start at 6 speed increasing .1 every .1 of a mile until you get to 7 and then decrease back down- repeat this for the 6 miles)
3. Thursday:  3 mile interval run (see below) + 3 sets of bicep curls (15 lb dumbbells), 3 set of bicep curls (20 lb free bar), 3 sets of skull crushers (20 lb free bar), 3 sets of dips (on assisted machine with 45 weight)

My dinner for the past 2 nights.....one scoop plus 8 ounces of skim milk!

Now time to go pack for the weekend....my little sister is leaving for Radford University (GO HIGHLANDERS!!) to follow in her big sisters footsteps.  Sending her off with the best of wishes in this very important phase in her life!

Cheers :)

-HP