July 2019 Fitness/Wellness Update

August 5, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I can’t believe it is August! My older two kids are back in school and I miss them so much during the day but know they are having such a great time learning.

In July I tried to focus on drinking 96 ounces of water each day. I had to pee so much. Yikes. I need to keep doing this because I feel so much better when I am hydrated.

I am not really using the scale anymore because my clothes are fitting better and I just feel more confident in general but decided to check what my weight currently is. When I started documenting this monthly updates I was weighing in at 150 and by March I was down 135. I was doing lots of cardio and walking everyday. These last few months I haven’t done cardio and have just been lifting weights and I am weighing in at 144. It just goes to show muscle weighs more than fat.

Eating

I am still eating lots of salads and because it has been so hot here I am using my Instant Pot to cook the majority of our meals. Our kitchen and living room become so hot in the summer that I try not to turn the oven on in the afternoon. If I know I need to use the oven for anything I do it early in the day. Here are a few of our go to Instant Pot recipes.

Workouts

I wrapped up my last workout for the 12 week weight lifting program I was following this month. I enjoyed it but am ready to start adding more cardio back into my programming. It was a nice change to workout 3 days a week and only lift. I am going to be doing a kettle bell program next and just started learning the basics this last week. So far I have worked on deadlifts, swings, and snatches and my legs and core have been so sore.

We went up to the mountains with my parents in July and had a fantastic time enjoying the cooler weather. While we were there I was able to take a HIIT class that was super fun but also super challenging because of the altitude. It was also really hard because it was the first time I had done any type of cardio in weeks.

Wellness

I had my bi-yearly skin cancer check with my dermatologist and it was the first time in a long time I haven’t had anything biopsied. Such a relief. I know that next time I go in this will most likely not be the case but I counted it as a huge win! If you haven’t made an appointment to get your skin checked recently please do so. It is so important.

I am also still plugging away on my bible reading plan for the year. Currently I am in Chronicles. And honestly this section of the Old Testament always gets really hard for me to read. I have to focus so much but I know it is worth it to put the time into reading the bible.

Josh and I made it out of the house for an amazing date night and saw Hugh Jackman’s THE MAN. THE MUSIC. THE SHOW. He performed so many amazing songs and is so talented! It was awesome and worth the money. It made my heart happy.

And that is what has been going on since my last update. Thanks for reading!

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June 2019 Fitness/Wellness Update

July 2, 2019 by 2 Comments

I have been sharing these updates in order to motivate myself to eat better and exercise more consistently in 2019. In case you missed the other posts in this series here are February, March, April and May.

Taking these pictures each month is not something I look forward to doing. I feel so silly standing in front of my mirror with my camera. But I am so glad that I have this documentation because it is great motivation to see how far I have come since January.


My wavy and high volume hair is thanks to chlorine and dutch braids. We recently purchased an above ground pool for our backyard and have been spending time in it everyday. It has been the best $100 purchase! If you are on the fence of getting one do it. It is so nice to be able to step out in our backyard instead of loading all 4 kids in the car to go to the public pool.

Eating

I have been eating lots of salad. Be sure to check out my mom’s Asian Chicken Salad recipe if you haven’t already, it is a winner. I am really loving the Green Goddess dressing from Tesserae’s.

Josh sampled this powered vitamin at Costco and we have been using it for the last few months and really like it. A scoop in the morning added to my 32 ounce hydraflask gives my water so much flavor that I feel like I am drinking kool-aid.

Workouts

I am still plugging along on my 12 week week weight lifting program. I am on my third and last week of phase two. This phase focuses on muscle fiber growth. Training for pure muscle growth calls for training in a higher rep range of 8-12 reps with a rest period of one to two minutes between sets. 

I really try to shoot for 12 reps on each set if I can. It is so cool to see how my body is adapting and changing to lifting heavier weights. Here is a sample of what a workout looks like.

I am lifting like this three times a week. Because these workouts have been getting longer I have started exercising at night after the kids go to bed. I have found an added benefit to this is that I don’t start getting sore until the next evening right before bedtime and I can sleep it off as my body recovers ;). I still would prefer exercising in the morning just to get it done but night time workouts aren’t so bad.

Wellness

There isn’t much to report on in this category. I am still exercising consistently and eating well. So that is a win for me! My main focus over the next month is to try and drink at least 96 ounces of water a day.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today and reading :). Have a great week and a safe 4th of July!

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Egg Free Banana Muffins

June 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I have been making these egg free banana muffins on repeat over the last several months. This is the best banana muffin recipe. Even if I was able to consume eggs without having horrible skin reactions this would still be my go to recipe for muffins.

These are quick and easy to make. It should take you 30 minutes from when you start this recipe to when you are taking them out of the oven. My kids love them too and that also makes it a winner. Be prepared to use a large mixing bowl. This recipe makes a lot of muffins. I usually get 18 large muffins out of this recipe. I fill the tins to just below the top and put a 12 and 6 count muffin pan in the oven at the same time when baking.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in large bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until just combined. Grease muffin tins and fill with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of muffin comes out clean.

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