Grain Free, Paleo Christmas Baking

     Wow I just got back from a HIIT sprinting workout and I haven't done one of those in a 

while.  It was intense.  I always jog for 5 minutes to warm up before I start sprinting to hopefully prevent injury.  Today I did 8 sets of 2 minutes walking/20 seconds sprinting with some walking lunges thrown into the 2 minute walking portion.  I finished up with a light jog for 4-5 minutes to cool down.  People must wonder what the heck I'm doing out there. My legs are like jello!

    I other news, I have been doing a lot of Christmas baking as of late.  I made these yesterday and they are amazing.  I found the recipe here so a big thank you to Megan for posting such a good recipe.  I do find them a very sweet though because they have dates and dark chocolate in them.  It's probably because I don't eat very much sugar.  Any suggestions on how to tame the sweetness would be appreciated.

  

     I also made Megan's healthier peanut butter balls, recipe here, which when thrown in the freezer make a nice two bite dessert.  I used creamy natural peanut butter in mine though, a personal preference.

     I made a bunch of Adam's Oma's old German Christmas cookies as well.  I have to weigh all the ingredients for those and I will post some recipes and pictures after the holidays.  Right now they are safely stored away in the freezer away from hungry husbands and children. 

     I have some last minute wrapping to do today and two presents left to pick up from my Mom and Dad's place.  We are hosting the Christmas festivities for Adam's family here tomorrow so I have to make sure everything's picked up and dusted.

Fitspiration

http://lovehatefitness.net/fitspiration-motivational-fitness-quotes/

http://www.marvelousmommy.com/2012/01/my-fitspiration-pin-it-tuesday/

http://fitbie.msn.com/2012/08/31/friday-fitspiration-never-give

http://www.southerncharmnola.com/2012/08/09/fitspiration/

Fitspiration

http://twoscoopsofbitchy.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/fruit-fat.jpeg

http://neversaydiet.tumblr.com/post/33620778330

http://kateispinupstrong.tumblr.com/post/32093368442

http://mon-corps-est-pret.tumblr.com/post/32091298185

Workout - Sept. 1, 2012

Today I broke my workout into 4 parts.

Part 1                            Set 1     Set 2     Set3

TRX rows             -          11         10        10

Push Ups              -           10         10         9

Dips - straight legs  -          13         12        10

Bicep Curls - each  -          15         15        13
  15 lb dumbbells

Using my Gymboss I did 30 seconds workout/ 10 seconds switching/writing down how many reps done.

30/10 x 3 sets = 8 minutes


Part 2                            Set 1     Set 2     Set 3

Plank                        -       x          x            x

Side Plank- right side  -       x           x            x
                - left side   -       x           x            x

Reverse Plank            -      x           x            x

Using my Gymboss I held each plank for 45 seconds each for a total time of 9 minutes


Part 3                                       Set 1     Set 2     Set 3

Pistol Squats - left side           -     10          11         9
                   - right side          -     10          11         9

Bulgarian Squats - left side     -      14          14        14
   12kg kettlebell - right side    -     14          14        14

One Leg Deadlifts - left side   -      10          11        10
    12 kg kettlebell - right side  -     10          11        10

Using my Gymboss I did each exercise for 40 seconds and 10 seconds between for writing down and getting ready for the next one.

40/10 x 3 sets = 15 minutes


Yoga/Stretching -  45 seconds each pose - Total time of 14 minutes


Total Workout Time - 46 minutes  (That's pretty long for me I usually try and keep it under 30 minutes a day.  Did I mention I LOVE my Gymboss!

Workout                                Set 1     Set 2

Hanging Leg Raises -                 11         11

TRX Rows -                             11         11

Pistol Squats - right leg -              7          7
                      left leg -                7          7  

Hanging Knee Circles -               12         12

Push Ups -                                10         11

Bulgarian Squats - right leg -       12         12
        12kg             left leg -        12         12

Reverse Plank -                        yes        yes

Dips - straight legs -                   12         13          

Lunges - 12kg - right leg -          12         12
                         left leg -          12         12

Back Extensions -                     10         11

Lat Pulldowns - 30lbs -             10         11

One Legged Deadlifts - right leg - 10       10
            12kg                  left leg- 10       10

Side Lat with Lunge - 10lbs -       12       12

Bicep Curls - 15lbs - right arm -  15        15
                                left arm -   15        15

Shoulder Press - 30lbs-               10         9

Sumo Squat - 16kg -                   12        12

Total Time 21 minutes


Yoga/Stretching 22.5 minutes

Grand River Rocks!

What an awesome day!  We went to Grand River Rocks indoor climbing gym yesterday and we had a blast.  We were there for 5 hours, so it's a good thing we brought snacks.  Everyone has achy hands today and I'm missing a good chunk of skin from my finger.  Apparently you're not supposed to hold on so tight sometimes.

Summer So Far

A little of what we've been up to so far this summer.

Whole Body Workout in 30 Minutes

I have been really getting into the BodyRock type workout since last winter.  Although I've never actually done one of their workouts I do like to borrow ideas from the site.  They are short intense interval type workouts that really get the blood pumping in a short amount of time.  I have a GymBoss interval timer and I love it!

Today I did this workout.  30 seconds working out, 10 seconds rest/transition.  For a total workout time of 18 minutes.

Set                                          1             2            3

Jump Rope                              yes          yes         yes

Hanging Leg Raises                   9             8           10

Push Ups                                10             9           9

Sumo Squats - 12kg kettlebell   10            12          11

Burpees                                   12           13          12

TRX Rows                              10           10          12

Bulgarian Squats - right leg        11           10          10
   12kg kettlebell - left leg          11           10          10

Hanging Knee Circles               12            12          12

It was so intense, I was dripping with sweat when I was done.  I finished my workout off with 12 minutes of yoga/stretching that made me feel great.

30 minute workout and I'm now I'm ready to face the day!

24 Hours of Summer Solstice 2012

This past weekend we had the pleasure of competing in the annual 24 Hours of Summer Solstice.  What a fantastic event this is, we have a blast every time we do this race.  It's run by Chico Racing who are a well oiled machine when it come to running these events.  It's a chance to get outside, be active and see friends.

The more we race at these type of events, the more people we get to know.  This year we were able to secure 2 sites close together for 3 - 5 person teams to share.  On one site we set up the pop up shelters and had that for the cooking/hang out area and on the other site we put the tents for sleeping.  It worked out great.  With 3 teams on the go there was always someone to chat with between laps.

There were 2000+ riders at the race Saturday.

The course was 17km long and had a large amount of double track which was great for passing although I do love the challenge of singletrack.  I remember the first year we raced a 24 hour at Albion, that first hill seemed so big and I was so out of breath by the time I reached the top.  This year it seemed small... I guess that Moab trip paid off in fitness.

I rode around the mud pit, amid the protests of the spectators.  I was not going to get my bike dirty.    Lol, I was worried about my bike getting dirty when it started to sprinkle a small amount of rain.  There was no way I would deliberately ride into the "e coli laden" mud.

Tim Morrison - 3rd place in the Men's Solo 50+ category and a great friend showing off his winnings.

I improved my lap times from last year by quite a bit.  I did 5 laps and posted lap time of 56, 57, 1:02(night lap), 59 and  59 minutes.

Our team ended up in 6th place.

All in all it was a fantastic time and we will be returning next year for some more fun!

Ponds and Strawberries

A few years ago when we moved into our house we ripped up all the grass in the front yard and mulched it planting plants and shrubs.

6 years ago it was pretty barren.  A friend who I didn't know at the time has since told me she wondered what the heck we were doing to our yard, she thought all the mulch looked terrible.

The recyclers made a big mess one morning but the picture shows what the yard used to look like.

This year the front yard is looking lush.  BTW, my friend loves the yard now.

The dreaded annual pond clean up.

I did it last year, your turn.

Blooming right now.

The strawberries are starting!

I planted a few strawberry plants in the front yard 3 years ago and they have spread like mad.  It should be a good crop this year.