Good Morning Stair Circuits!

Yesterday in between my AM Physics class and PM Math class, I completed my first stair circuit. I got the work out from May 2012 Oxygen Magazine. I did one complete circuit on the top 55 steps. I was breathing very hard, and I felt the burn. The total workout was about 40 minutes, including the 1 mile run uphill to get there the shortcut way, and 1 mile run it took to get home (downhill).

                                   

After my PM class, I went to the pool and did a 40 minutes of swimming circuit, made up by me!

Swim Circuit

Warm Up!

100m breast stroke, 50m backstroke, & 50m freestyle

Circuit Time!

100m freestyle swim

Get out of the pool, and on a towel or blanket do 20 Push ups, 25 Crunches, 20 Seated bicycles, 25 Toe touches, 25 Flutter kicks, 50 Russian twists, Plank 30 seconds.

1 minute break

Do this circuit 5X

Cool down!

50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m breast stroke

Total Time: ~45 minutes

Total Distance Swam: 900 meters, which is a little over 1/2 mile

Today..

Early this morning I took the normal route to the stairs, which is a 1.5 mile run from my house, so total of 3 miles there and back! 

I'm now addicted to the stairs workout and its only day 2! I completed all 120 stairs through 1 complete circuit. It was hard, but doable and I could tell this was a great high intensity workout for me that was completely FREE! Combined with the 3 mile run and the 30-40 minute stair circuit, I would say I am definitely getting in a solid workout.

I'll post what the stair circuit includes later tonight!

Post Workout Mini Shake directly after my workout:

1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tsp Powdered Greens

1 Tbsp Vanilla Protein Powder

Combine ingredients into a shaker cup, and shake until fully combined. Enjoy!

Breakfast Time!

For breakfast, I made an egg white frittata (1 large egg, 2 egg whites) with 1 large kale leaf chopped and vein removed, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped zucchini and 1/2 cup cooked ground turkey breast. I topped it with 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 of a mashed avocado and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh green onions.

As a side to my frittata, I cut up half of a pear and half of a banana with 2 tablespoons raw crunchy almond butter.

It was such a beautiful morning I enjoyed breakfast on my back patio with 1 cup of Unsweetened Coconut Milk.

All around, I would say this was a successful breakfast! It is high in protein, low in fat with vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats from the avocado and almond butter.

Banana Almond "Crepe"

Yesterday and this morning were my days to hit the store! It was a big store run, since we just had our refrigerator worked on and had to get rid of most of our fresh food; which says a lot since most all of my food is in the vegetable and fruit drawers. 

I got most everything on my list with the exception of Coconut Flour and Chia Seeds. I also added Mangoes, they were 2 for $1 at Albertsons. I couldn't say no! My Uncle got my sweet potatoes and bananas also! I will be stoked up and ready for the next week.

Also, I couldn't find Ezekial Wraps BUT I found Ezekial tortillas, I am a bit obsessed now. The ingredients are clean and fresh. It tastes very similar to a regular whole wheat tortilla.

So with the tortillas in mind, I had a breakfast idea!

First though, I made a Kale, Onion, Turkey & Bell Pepper Scramble.

I sauteed onion in some olive oil, and added some spicy garlic chili paste (YUM!). I then added my orange bell peppers, kale, and turkey breast.

After the vegetables (and meat) were warm and cooked, I added 2 full eggs and 2 egg whites. I put the top on and cooked this over medium heat. I topped the final scramble with 1/4 avocado slices, and some medium Salsa Verde. It's just a simple scramble, but it was still good and filling!

While these were cooking away, my brain was thinking of a good way to use these tortillas. At first I was going to do a simple breakfast burrito, BUT I had just bought almond butter and I was craving it. Soooo... 

I present to you, Banana & Almond "Crepes"

Ingredients:

1 Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla

1/2 small banana, sliced

1 Tablespoon Raw Crunchy Unsalted Almond Butter

1/2 Tablespoon ground flaxseed meal

1/2 Tablespoon Agave Nectar (for topping)

Simple, get 1 tortilla, spread almond butter all over, sprinkle flaxseed meal evenly, add 2 rows of banana slices, roll into a "crepe" form. I warmed the crepe up in the microwave for about 15 seconds and topped it with extra banana slices and drizzle with warmed agave syrup!

Final product!

Now, note that these need to be eaten quickly after warmed because the tortilla will get hard relatively fast (which didn't ruin the taste, just made it more difficult to cut through). 

I got my first half gallon of Trader Joe's Original Unsweetened Coconut Milk this morning too! I must say, after having a glass this morning, it may now compete with my love of almond milk. Thank goodness I have both right now so I can switch off.

 

Final breakfast was great!

Scramble + Crepe + Coconut Milk

The perfect way to get your day going :)

Back to the Tropics!

I actually got up this morning before 8AM work and did a 2 mile walk with my dog. I was impressed with myself. Work today is short luckily so I will be able to do some legs and a light run after work!

I made a tropic breakfast shake this morning!

1 small banana
1 container Trader Joe's nonfat mango Greek yogurt
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 small orange, peel removed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2-3/4 cup water
Ice!

Blend until smooth, you can change up the water and ice amounts depending on how thick you prefer your shakes!