Check out Week 1′s review here if you’re interested.

I’m still really enjoying getting my booty handed to me by Chalene.  :)

Although I’ve done the same workouts for the first two weeks, they haven’t become boring yet.  However, I’ve been choosing the “music fired up” option on the DVDs that I’ve done a few times, which basically raises the volume of the music and lowers the volume of Chalene’s voice, so you are listening to mostly music instead of her cues.

So far, I’ve completed the following:

• FireStarter Workout – the intro workout for TurboFire, which teaches you the basic moves (about 40 minutes)
• Fire 45 EZ Class – a longer cardio class without the HIIT intervals (45 minutes)
• Low HIIT 20 Class – low-impact, high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions, with 1 minute of HIIT sessions followed by 1 minute of rest / review.  This is the DVD with the “Booty Call” song on it, hence my blog title (20 minutes)
• Abs 10 Class – ab workouts!!  (10 minutes)
• Stretch 10 Class – a simple stretch routine to complete each day’s workout (10 minutes)

I’m slightly tempted to try other DVD’s in the pack ahead of time, only because I’m curious to see what’s different about them, but I’m forcing myself to stay on track with the suggested schedule.

The good news is that by the end of week 2, I didn’t feel like I was going.to.die at the end of each workout.  I can tell that my cardio is already improving!

Love this!

My progress after week 2 is 1 pound lost.  As I mentioned before, I’ll post (eek!) progress pics and measurements after the first month.

What are your favorite workouts this week?

On the other hand, some of my fitness faves, including Jillian Michaels and Chalene Johnson, talk a lot about how important it is to stay within a specified calorie range.  It makes sense – be aware of what you’re taking in, and burn more than that to lose weight.  I also like the idea of working a little harder the day after a splurge to keep yourself in balance – it’s OK to have extra calories from time to time, but just take note of it and burn those suckers off!

So, as I do my TurboFire workouts, I’ve decided that I’ll also count calories.  Not super strictly or obsessively, but just so that I am realistic about how much I’m actually consuming.  I use My Fitness Pal both on my computer and iPhone, and I love it!!  I also created a basic meal plan for my breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the week to make it easy.  I made sure to pick foods that I won’t get sick of and won’t mind eating every weekday.

Here is an example of a typical day on my current plan (totals courtesy of My Fitness Pal):

Breakfast is my green smoothie plus some coffee with Truvia:

Lunch is my favorite Greek Salad recipe and a square of chocolate because I always crave something sweet after lunch:

(In case you’re curious, the Greek Salad has: 2 cups of arugula or spring mix salad, 1/2 cup of chickpeas, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup reduced-fat feta, 8 olives (which is the reason for the high sodium content, but I don’t care, I’m addicted), a handful of pepperoncinis, 1/2 cup of chopped cucumbers, a squeeze of lemon and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. LOVE it.)

I usually have two snacks per day; one in the mid-morning and one in the late afternoon.  I have the apple and cheese as my first snack, and the grapes and goldfish crackers as my second snack:

Finally, dinner varies depending on the day. Below is an example of a typical dinner for us, but we may have chicken or pasta or leftovers. We also usually eat out at least once per week for dinner.

My totals for the day:
1314 calories
172 grams of carbs
44 grams of fat
80 grams of protein

I hope that gives you a little inspiration if you are looking for a meal plan in the range of 1300 calories!  

Do you track your calories or do you rebel against it like I have?  Do you use an app or an online program?  What works best for you?

Hey friends!  I mentioned recently that I purchased TurboFire and thought it would be fun to share my initial impressions of the program.

The program comes with a series of DVDs, a nutrition guide, some resistance bands, and a schedule to follow.  I hung the schedule inside of the closet in my basement where I’m doing the workouts, and I love being able to check them off as the days are completed.

You work out 6 days per week with the TurboFire schedule, and each session ends with a 10-minute stretch session.  I really like that, because I’m not always good about stretching, and this forces me to slow down and include stretching in my daily routine.  The schedule suggests Wednesday as your “rest day,” but I’ve switched it to Friday, as that works better with my schedule.

Although I’m technically doing the beginner DVDs in the pack, I gotta tell you, it is TOUGH!  Wow, it’s a great cardiovascular workout.  So far, I’ve only done a few of the workouts, including the 20 minute low impact HIIT, the 10 minute abs, the “FireStarter” session, and the 45 minute “EZ” class.  Yeah, right – EZ my ass!  I was a red-faced, sweaty mess when I finished that one!  I love that it’s so challenging.

I read a lot of reviews that said the choreography is tough to pick up on, and that it’s difficult to follow Chalene’s cues.  I totally disagree – maybe it’s because I have a dance background, but I think the choreography is explained in a way that’s easy to pick up on.  There’s also a “new to class” option if you want to take the choreography a little slower to learn the moves.

And seriously, Chalene is amazing.  She’s cheering you on the whole time, and you really feel like you’re in the class with her!  I just love her energy – she is awesome.

So – I plan on posting measurements and progress photos after the end of the first month, but I’ll go ahead and share my progress after the first week:  After doing TurboFire Monday through Thursday of last week, I was down 1.5 pounds by Friday morning.  Aaaand then I gained it back over the weekend, ugh!  I’m glad that I noticed that, because it showed me that I need to stay on track over the weekend in order to continue to progress towards my goals.

Check out my Week 2 review here.

Have you every tried TurboFire?  What did you think and / or what were your results?

We had a blast.  Basically, you bring your own wine and snacks, and the school provides the paint supplies, canvas, smocks, and instruction to paint a themed painting.  The theme of our class was “Circle Tree.”  Although the instructor gave us general guidelines, everyone picked their own color palette for their painting, and we had license to get as creative as we wanted with the painting.

Here are a few pics from the night:

Our final masterpieces:

And one goofy pic for good measure

I definitely encourage you to try out a painting class if you never have before.  For a type-A personality like me, it was challenging to just relax and get creative and paint with abandon.  But it was so fun!  This would be such a great idea for a unique date night, or a girls’ night out, or a bridal party activity.

How do you let your inner artist come out and play?  Do you consider yourself to be a creative or artistic person?

Although I am traditionally not the kind of girl that likes to eat the same meals day in and day out, I’ve really been on a smoothie kick lately for breakfast.  Green smoothies are nothing new to the blogosphere, but I thought it would be fun to share my favorite mix:

Green Super Smoothie:

• 1 cup cold water
• 2 BIG handfuls of spinach
• 1 scoop Perfect Fit Protein
• 1 scoop Green Vibrance
• 1 TB chia seeds
• 1 banana
• 1 TB almond butter
• ice

I like to blend the spinach and water together first, and then add all the other ingredients and blend again.  I think it mixes better that way.  I really like the ingredients in both the Perfect Fit Protein and the Green Vibrance powder, but neither of them are that palatable on their own…this smoothie masks the taste and keeps me full all morning!

Let me know if you try this recipe!

Longwood Gardens is located in Kennett Square, PA, and is known as one of the greatest gardens in the world.  They have different exhibitions throughout the year (including a beautiful holiday display that I’d love to see this year), and the weekend we visited was right in the middle of their “Orchid Extravaganza.”  Orchids are some of my favorite flowers, so I was so excited to go there with my friends!

My friend Joanne is an amazing photographer, and she not only was patient enough to teach us how to use our cameras, but she also brought along some really nice lenses for us to try.  I am definitely not a natural when it comes to photography, but I thought I would share a few of my favorite shots from the day:

It was such a fun day with the girls, and being surrounded by all of those gorgeous flowers made me forget about the dismal PA weather for a little while

Stay tuned for a post on our next adventure:  a wine + painting class!  (are you sensing a theme here with the wine??)

I’ve really missed blogging – the problem is, the more I put it off, the less I feel I have to blog about.  That being said, I gotta start somewhere with a new post, because I miss y’all, and I miss my little blog.  So here goes – my health and fitness update (with a little bit of spirit thrown in there for good measure).

I’ll start by saying that 2013 is turning into a year of self-realization for me – and we’re only 3 months into it

I’m not sure exactly when the turning point happened, but earlier this year, I realized that I haven’t really been living up to being my authentic self.  I’ve been reeeally good at acting like the girl that I imagine people think I should be.  I want to go further into this thought in another post, but for now, I’ll just say this:  I’m coming to realize that I don’t need to be anyone other than ME.  And I don’t need to do things just because I feel like others expect me to do them.  In fact, those perceived expectations are all just in my own head.

So, I’m making conscious choices to spend my time doing things that I truly enjoy and that nurture the real me; not because they are a chore, or a challenge, or because there’s some kind of prize waiting for me at the finish line.  This applies to my health and fitness choices too, as you can imagine.

That’s why I quit the gym.

What, what!?!  Well, technically I froze my membership.  And here’s why:

1. I love, love, love getting fresh air, walking my dog, and being outside (and dammit, it may be freezing outside here in PA, but spring will be here soon, I have faith!).  I want to start running and walking outside more as the weather gets nicer.
2. I’m trying to get myself back on track with my budget (that’s a whole ‘nother post) and I want to save a few bucks.
3. I really haven’t been inspired to hit the iron like I used to.  It just doesn’t seem like where my heart is right now.

Instead of the gym, I’ve been getting up really early in the morning and doing a short session of yoga before the sun comes up.  It feels glorious.

And, get this:  I’ve been meditating.  This is probably the most centering, enlightening thing to have happened in my life in years.  It’s amazing, seriously:  15 to 20 minutes a day of sitting in silence and quieting my mind has helped me to feel calm, centered, and confident for the rest of the day. The daily routine of meditation is allowing me to gain the clarity and focus that I’ve been craving.  It makes my spirit happy

*Note:  If you are interested in starting a meditation practice of your own, I highly suggest that you jump on the tail end of the free 21-Day Meditation Challenge for Perfect Health, hosted by Deepak Chopra and Oprah.  Amazing.  Trust me

Also on the fitness front, I’m excited to start TurboFire soon – I ordered the set a while back and am anxiously awaiting to get it in the mail!  I think it’s going to be a great way to get my booty moving and to lean out in time for summer.  The reviewers of TurboFire all say it is so fun  and I can believe it – Chalene Johnson is such a ball of energy!

*Another note:  Chalene wrote an amazing book called Push: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin’ Body, and the Life You Deserve.  I love this book!  In fact, it was the inspiration for this blog!  It’s written with a health focus, but Chalene so clearly outlines how to set and achieve goals that I recommend it for anyone looking to achieve a sharper focus in that area.

And the final thing, that’s not so related to fitness but is related to health, is that I’m planning to go off the pill.  NO, WE ARE NOT TRYING TO GET PREGNANT!  However, I am ready to stop taking synthetic hormones, which have been in my system for the better part of half of my life.  Crazy, huh?  Again, this experience will probably deserve its own post or two, so if you’re interested in my journey as I get back to living as the authentic “me,” sans fake hormones, let me know

*Final note:  I’ve been reading a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which is full of information and support for women wanting to take a natural approach to birth control (or getting pregnant).  

So…that’s where I am.  I guess I had a lot more to chat about than I thought I did

To anyone who may still be reading this little blog, please let me know:  Have you ever entered a period of your life where you had a shift in perspective?  Where you realized you were neglecting your authentic self?  How did you get back to center?

xoxo (missed you)

Go figure I got a flu shot for the first time in, oh, a decade, and I think I still got the flu.  What gives??  But fortunately, in the window of time before I became the completely useless, sniveling, fever-ridden mess that I am right now, I had the foresight to cook up some really yummy comfort food.

I think this would be a great recipe to make on the weekend, and then you’d have plenty of leftovers to reheat during your work week.  It’s a warm, yummy, healthy, stick-to-your ribs kind of breakfast – enjoy!

Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats
2 tablespoons of butter, divided
2 cups of boiling hot water
1 large apple, cubed (I used a Pink Lady)
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk would be fine)
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus some for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of salt
Optional:  brown sugar, nuts, granola, raisins, etc.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place your steel cut oats in a heatproof bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the butter:

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the oats, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes:

Meanwhile, melt the other tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add the apple pieces, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Let this cook down on medium heat until the apples are softened (this smells heavenly!!):

Mix together the almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt:

Now mix the almond milk mixture, apples, and oatmeal together and spoon into either a 8×8″ baking dish, or 4 smaller crocks.  Bake for 40 minutes (please excuse my dirty oven):

Et voila!  I sprinkled 1/4 cup of granola cereal over the top of the crocks in the last 5 minutes just to add some crunch:Please let me know if you try this recipe!  And stay healthy, friends.  xo

I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly satisfying to cross my “to do’s” off of a written list.  Even though I use my smartphone to keep track of work meetings and other tasks, I really like to have a paper planner for day-to-day use.  I’ve been working on creating the perfect planner for 2013 – and I think I’m almost there!

First of all, I purchased this notebook from the M by Staples line (from…duh…Staples):

I really like these notebooks!  Not only is this one a beautiful pink leather, but it is totally customizable, as the pages pop in and out easily and can be moved around as you like.  And, as you’ll see, I discovered that this notebook is compatible with the Martha Stewart line of planner products, also sold at Staples!  (Note: I changed out the 1/2″ discs on the original notebook, and purchased the 1″ size instead so that my notebook could hold more pages)

I added a zipper pocket to the front, which holds sticky notes and tabs from the Martha Stewart line:

Now for the calendar:  I purchased Martha Stewart’s discbound notebook calendar insert for 2013, which includes both a weekly and monthly format.

I use the monthly pages to keep track of appointments and things that I want to get done during the month:

And I use the weekly pages to keep track of my meetings and appointments in more detail:

Here are a couple of things I really like about my weekly calendar pages:

• Each day is broken up into morning, afternoon, and evening
• There are also two empty boxes at the bottom of each day.  One row is where I write down our meal plan for the week.  On the second row, I use these removable stickers to keep track of what things I want to get done around the house each day.  I dunno, I feel like if it’s on a colorful sticker, I’m more likely to complete the task
• I’m not sure if you can see this, but I use a sheet from this task pad daily to write down any “to do’s” and my meal plan for the day.  The task pad sheets also act as a page marker.

And finally, I use my tabs to separate the section of the notebook pages that I inserted behind the calendar.  I have reference pages, home-related pages, lists, blog ideas, health-related pages, and my to do list for work.  The Martha Stewart calendar does not have anything to separate each month, so I also added a couple of tabs to the monthly calendar pages.

I love how everything is conveniently in one small notebook that I can easily throw in my bag every morning!  I hope this post gives you a few good ideas, in case you want to create one of these notebooks for yourself.

Do you use a paper daily planner system?  Or do you prefer a digital calendar?