Ball of Fitness

Does anyone have one of these?  Ok, I'm sure most of you do.  Recently I have been very interested in purchasing one of these lovely fitness orbs.  I heard that they are great to simply sit on while your at the computer, helps tone your core.  How great is that?  Blogging and toning?  Can life get better?  I submit that it cannot!  Add that to it's magnificent way to help with sit-ups and the like...I'm totally on board.

Well, I'm back at the track tomorrow - and I'm there to stay.  I don't mean that my mail will be forwarded there or anything, but I'm creating a schedule now which means I have certain days that I am there - no more excuses.  To be honest?  I'm very pumped!  I can't wait to listen to my fitness playlist and use my new headphones (thanks girls!) and slip into fitness oblivion.  Rock star body, here I come.

OH!  Before I sign off, I must pass on this uber-easy recipe that Cody and I have enjoyed whilst being in 'The Zone'.  It's so easy and you can alter it to your liking, but recently we have been enjoying pineapple chicken for dinner.

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Can Pineapple Chunks

Slivered Almonds

...yeah, that's it.

Cut up the chicken breasts and place in saucepan with a little olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add some of the juice from the can of pineapple, drain the rest.  When chicken is nearly cooked through, add pineapple chunks and a palmful of slivered almonds.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes, serve warm.  YUM.  

PS - have you noticed that there is a recipe etiquette?  Like, there is a certain way you have to talk (or type) when giving a recipe?  "Add pineapple, stir occasionally.  Cook until brown, serve warm."  What is that?

Balance

I believe Cody and I are on day 5 of 'The Zone' and it's going well! Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Cody brought home a bunch of info on what we can eat and some recipe ideas. I was pleasantly surprised, lots of things to choose from. I will admit, there are times that I just want salty chips, cookies or some other kind of treat. And truth be told, we really can eat anything we want, we just have to eat the right amount of carbs, fats and proteins. Basically, we have to balance. Cody has been great at keeping us on track. It's sort of strange - after we eat, I feel full but I don't feel like I just ate a gut bomb, you know what I mean? I feel...light. It's great! I just love that it's not totally limiting, since we're all aware that I have absolutey no self-control. It helps that Cody and I are doing this together, we keep each other in check. Tomorrow we're planning on going shopping and getting some more healthy stuff and we're stoked to see the results. After all, bikini season will be here before I know it!

Calorie counter

Food is around us all the time, right?  Driving around you can pass loads of fast food joints that smell delicious and beckon you to partake of their salty, deep fried goodness.  Since I have decided to take on 'the zone', I'm actually excited about filling my house with more fruit and vegetables and cooking healthier meals.  Are you aware of the Schwann's Man?  The ginormous truck that comes by twice a month and sells frozen foods?  Anyway, our Schwann's Man came by last night with a new catalog of meals.  Normally Cody and I just purchase their ice cream because it's Heaven, but I flipped through the pages last night and noticed they have this low-calorie line of foods for those who are wanting to be healthier.  To my surprise, some of the things looked pretty good!  Vegetable blends, green beans, fruit, chicken, etc.  I was reading the nutritional info and then it hit me - oh my, am I going to be that person who is obsessed with reading the nutrition facts of everything I eat?  Will I be adding up calories in my head all day long?  I think in a way I have to be, but I also think there are two kinds of calorie counters.  There is the overly obsessed person who checks every. single. label and forbids an extra calorie to be put in their mouth.  Then there is the other person who simply keeps track of what they have been eating during the day, being smart about what they eat.  I have met the crazy calorie counter and it's not a pretty site - I watched and she meticulously went through labels of cottage cheese, ketchup, wheat crackers and everything else that was in the fridge.  Calling out every few minutes, "This is so bad for you!  How can people eat this?!  250 calories for that??  This is awful for you, that's 45 minutes on the treadmill right there".   No thank you, I don't want to be that crazy.  But being sensible about the kind of fuel I'm putting in my body...I think I can be that person.

In the Zone

Whoa - I promise I won't slack at my posting duties anymore.  So guess what I get to do today?  Start "The Zone" diet.  Yep.  I actually hate the word 'diet' because it reminds me of rice cakes and water, but Cody is starting 'The Zone' today and I thought I would do it with him.  His entire crew at the Fire Department is starting a huge fitness regimen today, a contest of sorts, that will last for 3 months.  They will all be working  out and eating better - pretty good idea for a Fire Department, I must say.  If those yummy uniforms weren't enough, now they'll all be fit and dreamy!  

I'm very much looking forward to this.  Having Cody do this as well will make it easier to stick to!  Has anyone out there done it?  Have any tips or great recipes you would like to share?  Please do!  In the interim, I still do some fitness things here and there...but not as much as I would like or need to.  It's tough to get motivated, but I know I can do it.  I know I can!

Resolushons

Hello?  Anyone out there?  I'm baaack!  After a far too long hiatus, I have returned.  So shameful, my behavior.  I certainly didn't plan on being the biggest slacker ever, but it turns out I am very open to distractions.  I was crazy busy with Holiday frivolity and let time get away from me.  But nevermore!

It's a new year and that calls for a refreshing update in my fitness plan.  Naturally, I did nothing but bad things to my body this past month.  I ate like a horse and I saw very few vegetables.  My poor running shoes are begging to be worn and my work-out clothes are clean and laying neatly in my closet...waiting.  I realize that after being away from my routine for so long it will almost be like starting from scratch and yet, I'm hoping that I can get back into the swing of things without much trouble...who am I kidding.

Cody's work schedule is much more dependable and he will be home more, which gives me more opportunities to get myself back to the track.  So here we go!  Get up, dust of the party confetti and lets get to work!