A Cat, a Criminal, and a Run

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Today was another day to head into the office…hopefully the last for a while!

I wasn’t in the mood for much breakfast this morning, probably because I ate a two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups last night. But I started with a good breakfast anyways. Oatmeal with peaches and a glass of milk.

I brought my pumpkin spice coffee with me to work.

I wore my cat ears to work today. Nobody was really dressed up at work this year. There were a few here and there, but not much going on otherwise.

On my break, I ate light yogurt with strawberries and chia seeds.

I knew today was going to be a tough day at work with candy galore and cake for a retirement party. My plan was to avoid it all. I would allow myself a few pieces of Halloween candy at home if I could refrain from eating any all day.

Here’s how my day went:

Hey Alissa! Want some chocolate cake? No thanks.

How about some vanilla cake? No cake for me please!

How about a piece of cake with less frosting? As much as I want to…no thank you! Don’t tempt me so much!

Hey Alissa, did you get some cake? No, I don’t want any. Thanks.

Are you SURE?! Yes…

I saw you hesitate there for a minute!!! hahaha

Hey Alissa! Would you like a piece of cake? No thanks.

Seriously. That’s how many times I was offered cake and how many times I refused!! I’m pretty proud of myself too! lol

After work, I came home and found this on the door step!

Bet you can’t guess what it is. And I’m going to leave ya hanging for a bit!

For lunch, I ate leftover crock pot parmesan chicken.

Oh, that is so good.

I also had a side salad with baby romaine, tomato, crumbled blue cheese and pecans.

And since I was so good about the cake, I allowed myself a MUCH lower calorie dessert. A No Pudge! brownie with a dab of whipped topping.

Probably tasted better than the cake anyways!

And then It was time to head downtown for the Halloween parade. The elementary school kids parade down the streets in their Halloween costumes and the middle school marching band performs. I love my little small town. It was way cute.

There’s this little girl that I met covering an event probably back in July(?) and she asked me what my name was. And today I heard someone say, “Hi Alissa!!!” and wave, and here was the little girl. I was shocked that she remembered my name! Every time she sees me around town she says hi to me. Adorable. To a little kid, my job probably seems pretty cool and important.

Although I felt a little awkward when I realized I looked like I was dressing up like the unabomber.

Ummm poor outfit choice. lol. I hope people didn’t think I was trying to dress like him for Halloween! That would be in poor taste! In my defense, it was cold outside!!

When I got home, I brewed myself some coffee and got to work!

So, want to know what I got in the mail now?

I’ve been wanting one of these FOREVER and when my battery died in the Polar, I decided to upgrade. Know what it is yet?

Thankfully, the battery was FINALLY charged on this thing just in time for me to get my 40 minute workout in before trick or treating began.

I finally got my Garmin Forerunner 110…and the pink one, which I couldn’t find in any stores, so I ordered online…for a cheaper price!

Here I am pre-run:

I ended up running 3 miles straight and walking .1 for a total 5k distance. SO proud of myself for this one. And I have to say this Garmin really helps keep me going because I can see how I’m doing.

This is the COOLEST thing EVER. You can see your average pace, distance and heart rate while you’re running. When you get home, you can plug it into your computer and it gives you all kinds of interesting data!

Here’s my heart rate data:

This tells me that, on average, I exercising in the conditioning zone with is conductive to fitness conditioning, muscle building and athletic training. I will have to do more research as to what that really means for me.

I also found my pace per mile interesting. I’m fairly consistent. Consistently slow, but consistent.

I can definitely feel myself slowing down, and as I was running, I picked up my pace when I noticed my avg. pace increasing. If I had continued running that .1, I would have had a very good 5k time—for ME, anyways!

So, enough of that! Isn’t that awesome though!? So excited.

I sported my bright orange shoes in festive spirit.

When I got home, it was time for trick or treating, so I got the candy together.

While waiting for my supper to bake, I ate some baby carrots to get in my veggies!

I made a Flat Out pizza with low fat cheese, spinach, ham and onion.

It was tasty!

I was still hungry after that, so I ate an apple with peanut butter.

I ALMOST forgot that I needed to do planks tonight for the Best Body Bootcamp, so I got right on that! Those were a killer tonight. I feel it mostly in my biceps. Maybe I’m not doing it right?

I still have 7 points left, so that will allow me to have a couple pieces of Halloween candy tonight. Yay! I think I worked for it and don’t have any problems eating a couple pieces of candy on Halloween…it’s just about not eating piece after piece after piece like I used to do.

We only had 19 trick or treaters tonight. We usually have about triple that! I don’t know if it was the cold weather or what, but thankfully I bought about 4 lbs. of candy…lol At the end I just told them to grab handfuls.

I hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Alarm clocks, Intervals, and Strength

My alarm clock decided to fall back an hour today. Thankfully, I had allowed extra time this morning because I woke up about 15 minutes after my alarm was supposed to go off!

For breakfast, I ate light toast with peanut butter and a sliced banana along with skim milk.

I ended up having to go into the office for the 2nd time this week, I forgot to snap a picture of my coffee before I headed off to work.

While at work, I ate light yogurt with raspberries and chia seeds.

Work went well today. I got some good news, so that always makes the day go better!

After work, I headed over to the Pita Pit for lunch. I had a turkey pita and Baked Lay’s.

Delish!

And since I was near Starbucks…

That’s a coffee with nonfat milk and caramel syrup.

And then I headed over to a local school to work on a story I’m writing for job number two! It was a success. I’m all ready to start some additional research and write my story.

I headed home and relaxed for a bit before continuing to work for job #2.

I just wasn’t feeling the workout thing today. But I did it anyways, and I’m glad I did! It was such a bright and sunny day that I decided to head outside for my intervals A workout.

All stylin’ in my celebrity Oakley’s and black hat. More like I look like I’m about to rob a bank or something…lol.

I never used to wear hats when running, but I started to wear them last year and it helps a TON with my ears, nose and throat in the cold weather. I won’t run without something over my ears in the cold anymore. It really makes a difference. Simple, I know.

I completed 2.21 miles in 33 minutes. I have to stay I prefer running intervals on the treadmill! It’s hard to keep myself motivated to keep running at a faster speed…not to mention hard to track with just my smart phone AP! Although, when I was running, I think I may have been running faster than I do on the treadmill.

I came home, took a water break and then got started on Workout A—a strength workout. It took me about 30 minutes and my muscles were aching when I was done. This time, I used the foam roller on my legs. Hopefully that helps!

For supper, I made a salad with baby romaine, avocado, tomato, a boiled egg, crumbled blue cheese, sliced almonds, and BBQ beef. YUM!

I am right on track today.

Who’s excited for Halloween?!

#BestBodyBootcamp Week 1 in Review

Week 1 is complete! Each week, I’m going to do a recap of how I did so that I can track my progress. You can read about the Best Body Bootcamp, if you are interested!

Phase 1 lasts two weeks. Part of phase 1 requires that I choose 2 personal goals that I want to meet, in addition to completing at least 5 days of the workout schedule.

My 2 personal goals:

1. Drink 64 oz. of water.
2. Eat 3 servings of vegetables.

Overall personal goal analysis: I am proud to say that I met my personal goals all 7 days of the week.

Here’s how my workouts went:

Monday: I followed the workout schedule and completed Workout A and Intervals A (2 miles). The surrender squats absolutely killed my legs!! They look easy, but after 3 sets, done while holding a dumbbell at the chest, they are pretty tough!

Tuesday: I had a little soreness, but I completed a 9.5 mile, 40 minute bike ride and a planks workout. I found that my core needs some serious strengthening.

Wednesday: I was incredibly sore and so I decided that a rest day was in order. I have to remember that I still weigh about 220 lbs. and that impact isn’t good for my knees. I need to exercise caution when my knees hurt to prevent any damage.

Thursday: My knees were still hurting, so I took my optional cardio of choice day and biked 7 miles in 30 minutes.

Friday: I completed my second 40 minute bike ride, completing 9 miles, and a planks workout.

Saturday: My knees were feeling almost 100% FINALLY. I completed Workout B and Intervals B. Intervals B were a KILLER! My HR monitor is currently dead, and I am really excited to see how many calories I am burning on these workouts when I get my new one!

Sunday: I was pretty excited at this point that I only had one more workout to complete all 6 workouts on the plan, but I just wasn’t feeling it (why thank you, TOM).

Sunday was a very busy day for me, and Hubby was scheduled to leave for the week early Monday morning. I chose to spend time quality time lounging with Hubby instead of working out. Guilty as charged.

Overall  workout analysis: I completed every workout except for one day, which would be Workout C and either Intervals A or B. I met the goal to workout 5 days last week, so I guess it was a successful week, but I am still disappointed I didn’t complete every single day.

How I feel: HOPEFUL.

Doing the strength workouts make me feel hopeful that I can tone my body. While it has been practically impossible for me to lose weight lately for some reason, I am hopeful that maybe I will at least start to look smaller.

I am also hopeful that if I stay consistent with this exercise regime that I will start to see results on the scale, even if they don’t happen right away.

For next week: Stay diligent. Fit in the workouts around my schedule, which will be busy this week.

Aim for 6 days of working out, but be satisfied for completing the 5 workout goal. There will be weeks when fitting in 6 workouts will be easy, this week it might be tough, but I’m still going to aim for those 6 workouts!

I will also continue to focus on drinking 64 oz. of water and eating 3 servings of veggies. I have to admit, I really have to stay mindful about the veggies—I don’t do it intuitively! Looks like I need to work on making this a habit.

In other news, don’t miss our on my Chapstick giveaway going on right now!

If you’re following the Best Body Bootcamp, how was your week?

If you’re not following the plan, how do you adapt your workout plan when you have sore muscles?

Oakley Women’s Caveat Sunglasses Review

There are no other sunglasses that compare to Oakley’s.

I have a pair of black Oakley sunglasses, you know the ones that I refer to as my celebrity sunglasses, and I absolutely love them. They fit my face better than any sunglasses I’ve ever found in the stores, and they block the sunlight out so much better than any sunglasses I’ve ever owned—which is saying a lot because my eyes are very sensitive to sunlight.
Sunglassesshop.com offered to send me a pair of Oakley sunglasses to offer my honest opinion and I was curious to find out if I would like them as well as my black Oakley sunglasses.
I chose the Caveat style.

(source)

I have always loved the aviator like style of these sunglasses but could never find a pair in the stores that I could pull off.

But I really like these!!

And like my black Oakley’s, these do just as great of a job as blocking the sunlight and that’s because they filter out 100% of UVA, UVB, and UVC.
They’re also very light weight, yet maintain a sturdy frame that doesn’t break easily—which is important for me because I’m constantly dropping things!
I have worked with the SunglassesShop.com a few times now and I have to say they are always a pleasure to deal with! Check our their great selection of sunglasses!
Are you an Oakley fan? What’s your favorite style?

ChapStick® Giveaway

It’s that time of year again when your lips get dry and chapped. Using a good quality lip moisturizer is essential this time of year!

ChapStick® has come to the rescue and has offered to give a prize pack to one lucky winner.

Here’s what’s included:



Let me break that down for you so you can truly appreciate what a great giveaway this is!

First, you’re going to get a tube of the ChapStick® Moisturizer Raspberry Crème.



In essence, you will have kissable lips.

It contains SPF 15 along with aloe and vitamin E and even tastes delicious.

For those of you who workout outdoors, you’re going to love ChapStick® Sport Ready.

 

It features a unique clip top so that you can conveniently carry if with you whether you’re on a long bike ride, a run, or headed to the pool.

ChapStick® Sport Ready is designed with the active consumer in mind. It is water resistant for up to 80 minutes and contains broad spectrum SPF 30.

Both the ChapStick® Moisturizer Raspberry Crème and the ChapStick® Sport Ready can be found at the cough and cold aisle at food, drug, and mass retailers.

The prize pack also includes a Chapstick® beach towel and a very cute (and pink!) Chapstick® makeup bag.

How can you win?

Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Chapstick® flavor is.

This giveaway runs through November 2nd. Please leave your contact information in the comments. You will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

The ChapStick® product, information and gift have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.

Grilled Asian Chicken and Slaw Sandwiches brought to you by Nature’s Pride

This post brought to you by Nature's Pride Bread. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nature's Pride Bread is made the natural way with 100% natural ingredients. They will never contain artificial flavors, colors, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, or artificial preservatives. Now that's a bread you can be proud of!

Be sure to check out Nature’s Pride on Facebook to enter the Bread for No Bread contest to win free bread for a month.

Today's recipe is brought to you by Nature's Pride.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Nature's Pride^® Multi-Grain bread, toasted
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups shredded cabbage slaw mixture
• 1 green onion (white and green parts), finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions:

Pound chicken until even and about 1/2-inch thick. Place in a zip-top bag; set aside.

Combine orange juice, vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic powder, red pepper, salt and pepper; whisk to combine. Pour about half of mixture over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium high or allow coals to burn down to white ash. Drain chicken and discard marinade. Grill chicken about 5 minutes per side or until browned, meat is no longer pink inside and meat thermometer registers 170° F. When done, remove from grill, cover and allow to stand about 5 minutes. Thinly slice chicken breast into strips.

Toss slaw mixture with green onion and remaining orange juice mixture.

Spread one side of each slice of Nature’s Pride Multi-Grain bread lightly with mustard. Arrange chicken strips over mustard on four slices of bread. Top with about 1/4 of slaw mixture. Top with remaining slice of bread, mustard side down. Cut in half and serve.

Tip: If desired, cook chicken breasts on a contact grill or Panini press, according to manufacturer’s directions, about 5 minutes or until done.

You can also check out many other Nature's Pride sandwich recipes here. What's your favorite fall themed Nature's Pride Bread recipe?

Always count your points before you eat…

Can you believe I actually finished out the day yesterday with points left over? Me neither. But I did.

And this morning, I lost .2…I keep expecting a big drop on the scale but it’s just not happening. So far, I am .1 down since starting over a week ago. Patience…

For breakfast this morning, I ate oatmeal with pomegranate seeds and a glass of skim.

I love me some oatmeal!

And the day started off as usual with a cup of joe.

These cups are actually the Dixie disposable ones. I picked them up at Target a couple of weeks ago because the package was on sale for 2.99 and they had a coupon for $1 off. Hey, a little festivity in my life for $1.99. Why not?

On my break, I ate light vanilla yogurt with strawberries and chia seeds.

When it was the end of my shift, I literally shouted out “Whoohoo! It’s Friiiiday!” while doing a little dance in my chair. And then I felt slightly embarrassed to be talking out loud, all by my lonesome, but also thankful nobody saw me.

For lunch, I made an egg sandwich with a sandwich thin, an egg, ham and cheese.

I also had a side salad with greens, blue cheese crumbles, sliced almonds, and dressing.

I finished it up with an apple and peanut butter.

To keep on track with the Best Body Bootcamp, I decided to do a cardio/plank workout day. My legs were feeling much better, but my knees were still hurting. I decided to go with a workout that would minimize the impact on my knees.

I had to do the modified planks today. Wow—my core is so weak!

In the midst of my planks, Hubby got home early and asked if I wanted to go with him to drop some things off at the county dump and run a few errands. Of course I said yes. More time to spend with my hubby! I finished the plank portion of the workout and got ready to go.

I brought my afternoon coffee with me.

And snacked on a banana on the ride.

The dump is so gross. I refuse to get out of the truck. Although I thought this picture turned out kind of cool…

But I did help him load some tires up on a semi trailer, in a much cleaner part of the dump, of course.

At one of the stores, I took my blood pressure while hubby was standing in line. For once, it was normal! Thanks to a good doctor finally taking the time to get my meds figured out. My pulse is always fairly low. When I’m at home and totally relaxed, it’s often in the 50’s. Is that normal?

When we got home, I was absolutely starving, but I had to get my workout in. I biked 9 miles in 40 minutes. Got my cardio in and I am right on track! I really want to stay on track with these Bootcamp workouts.

Hubby was in charge of supper. I thought the note on my napkin was so sweet.

Hubby ordered pizza. I ate 3 pieces. This is why I count my points before I eat! I should have stopped at one or two, but I was sooooo hungry. Getting so hungry is dangerous. I wouldn’t have have eaten 3 pieces if I had looked the points up first…but it’s counted and I that will be my “splurge” meal for the week.

I also had a salad with lettuce, avocado, almonds and light ranch.

After supper, I had to head over to a Halloween party to take some pictures for job #2. So cute to see all of the little kids dressed up.

It was a COLD night!

Tomorrow, I will be back at my intervals workouts for sure. It will feel good to start running again. Hopefully my knees are feeling even better by tomorrow.

Have a good weekend!