Spin class, a shirt and a snack

Today is brought to you by… the letter S!

Spin!

Shirt!

Snack!

Shall we get started?

Yesterday’s workout involved a very intense cardio session on one of these babies:

 

I got there early, in order to try to get a spot underneath a fan.  I was successful!  However, it always means that I am hidden on the side of the room, so the instructor can’t really see me in the dark.

I found that out when I went up to talk with her after class, and asked if she had any tips for me on my form, etc.  She said “You’re going to have to be right in front of me and remind me before class starts to check out your form, instead of hiding on the side!”  Haha.  Whoops.  We also talked about cycle shoes and their benefits.  I’ve been contemplating getting some for about a month or so, and maybe I’ve been coveting the shoes others in the classes have – hehe.  She made a good point- you’re really only going to need one pair in your life (unless something happens, like ya get pregnant and your feet change size).  So it’s about $70-$80 for a pair with the indoor clip-in thingies.  I’m going to peruse the internet to see what I can find.

I also want to share a snack that is amazing!  Like, life-changing.

OK, maybe not, but it’s darn good.

Peanut butter, forever!

I didn’t have this after spin yesterday, but I wish I had.  Seriously, these packets of almond butter are addicting.  I’m glad that I haven’t bought an entire jar of the stuff, because that would get dangerous very, very quickly.

Also, this shirt?  Need it in my closet.

Adorable!

Happy Tuesday!

Hey hey! *photo heavy*

So I’ve decided to make more of an effort to fill out this piece of my space on the internets.  Since I’m gainfully unemployed at the moment, perhaps it would be a better use of my time than some other things I could be doing.  Like scoping out all the great sales!  Or the super expensive jeans that I’ve begun to covet this morning (but they’re on sale!).

So cute! And only $99 (plus tax… plus shipping… dang it.)

Anyway, you catch my drift.  I ain’t making the money, so I should probably stop drooling over these.

But I will admit that I went to check on some sales this weekend, because my shorts are basically drooping off me these days (hello, belt collection!  How ya been?).  And summer sales are on, now that stores are beginning to stock up on their fall stuff.  However, I could only find shorts (for a steal of a deal) in pink denim cutoffs and what I like to call “sherbet”.  Case in point:

Mostly I went to prove to myself that I could fit into a size smaller than I had previously been.  I didn’t walk out with any shorts, however.  Because I’m still a bit hung up on the whole “I should only get bottoms that match most of the tops that I own already”.

Last weekend, we also hit up the local fair.  Where I saw some cool sights!  For instance, I decided that I should probably try my hand at spinning yarn… and canning!

It seemed like a good idea at the time!

Also, some pretty delicious-looking lettuce came into view:

Why can’t regular old lettuce look like this at the store?  I might eat more of it.  Speaking of which, I should probably pick some up today because I’m running low.

Also, I think I need this stove in my life:

And maybe I should move to Alaska and live off the land… or not.

Oooh!  Last week I also did a treadmill workout that made me feel like a million bucks (and sweat a million buckets)!  Here’s proof:

It’s a little shaky, but you can kind of tell that I went up and down for a little over 4 miles.

I called it the “Treadmill Killer”.  Every 2 minutes, alternate 4.7-4.8 mph at 1.0 incline, with 3.7 mph with 6.0 incline.

This past Friday, I did a killer spin class.  Seriously, an hour of tabatas and hills will kill you.  Strangely enough, I felt more sore after my 3-mile WOG on Saturday…  I also discovered how you can tell that it’s Friday, if you have lost track of the days:

If the treadmills are empty!

I was alone on my cooldown after spin.

After I found this photo on the internet, I decided to get off my butt and go for a WOG on Saturday:

For my neighborhood walk/jog (aka: WOG)-  the first mile I walked, the second mile I jogged in 10:30 (and felt like a beast afterward that could demolish anything in my path!), and the third mile I did a walk and jog combination.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day in the kitchen, making this for my husband’s birthday:

It’s lasagna.  Made from scratch. Rookie mistake to put leftover noodles on top.

Next time, no matter how many noodles are leftover, I will not put them on top.  The first thing he said when he looked at it, “Where’s the cheese?”

Live and learn.

I also made a cake.  Which he requested to be German chocolate, with butterscotch chips.  Yes, the chips fell to the bottom during baking.  And also really overpowered the taste of the cake (not to mention would make even the sweetest tooth feel rotten).  I also didn’t have any candles for him to blow out.  That’s right, winner over here!

In light of the randomness of this post, I am also including a photo of what I’m thinking I would like to have done at my hair appointment this week.  Granted, I have never highlighted my hair, but I have dyed it a couple of times (on a whim, from a box at home).  Basically I have no idea how this whole thing works.  On the phone, the salon asked if I would be having foils put in.  And my crafty response was, “Ummm… I don’t know.  I’m kinda new to this whole thing?”  She graciously scheduled me anyway.  Whew!

Clearly not a picture of me.

I kind of want it to look “sun-kissed and natural”.  Hopefully this will occur, and not turn into some kind of crazy hair debacle.

I leave you with this photo, because it’s amazing.

Ha!

 

 

Still in it to win it!

It’s been almost 200 days since I started my new lifestyle.  I know that because My Fitness Pal tells me so 🙂

Since I graduated from my master’s program in May and finished up my internship in mid-June, working out on a consistent basis has been easier.  However, the eating thing is definitely a challenge.  Plus, I find that the more I exercise, the hungrier I am.  Or perhaps it’s my brain telling me that I somehow deserve more food?  Not sure.  Perhaps a combination of the two.

I find myself consistently eating around 1700-1900 calories.  That seems like a maintenance amount to me.  But I’m burning around 500-700 calories per workout.  I guess I just need to figure out what works best for me, because it’s different for everyone.

However, I am *this* close to the 20 pounds lost mark.  I am seriously 0.4 pounds away.  It’s like the scale is taunting me!  However, I am considering putting it away for two weeks, in order to just focus on listening to my body and not putting pressure on myself.

Some days, I’m not gonna lie, I feel like I “should have” lost more at this point.  This feeling/thought is at times fueled by seeing others’ drop more weight in less time.  However, I keep looking at my progress pictures, and that serves as a reminder that though I may not be as quick, I am still making progress.  And that’s the point, right?