"Wifey" Day

Today was one of those days that I was actually motivated to do things around the house....Sad, that it took 5 days off for me to feel like that. I struggle with keeping up with household chores AND a full time job AND grad school. I know you may be thinking, "we all do," but I am pretty hard on myself about it. Maybe I will adjust and get used to it, or get better at it, but I have a really hard time relaxing when things are not picked up... mix that with not being very good at picking up, and you have a slightly stressed out chick on your hands. Regardless, this is something that I am working on and praying about constantly. I think if I stress too much about it, I am obviously missing out on helping someone or loving someone, so it is not worth it.

Clay left the house around 12:30 and I got to work. I hit up Publix, bought groceries and some Febreeze plug-ins....Ernest is starting to make the house smell like dog =( I am giving him a bath tonight...then grad school homework.

Here is the Big Easy Shrimp recipe from the South Beach Diet Cookbook.... This was great. I added more red pepper to spice it up, but you do not have to.

2 strips of turkey bacon or Canadian bacon
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 rib celery (this is apparently 1/2 cup...I looked it up)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 can of chopped tomatoes (I used no salt added diced tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce (I used Texas Pete)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I paid extra to get the frozen bag at Publix that was deveined, peeled and tail off)

I need to learn how to chop veggies better....

Added some greens underneath....eat your greens!!!!

I settled down to watch a chick flick while I ate dinner and folded more laundry. After dinner digested a bit, I did an upper body weight circuit while watching my movie =) I am hitting the treadmill tomorrow morning for a hard core run with Wendy, so I needed to get some strength training in. This vacation was great for my running schedule... not so great for core/weight training. BOTH are extremely important... especially for women. Weights can help you decrease your chance for osteoporosis, decrease your risk for diabetes, AND increase your metabolism... HELLO.... PUMP SOME IRON LADIES.

I am actually looking forward to diving into work tomorrow. This break was exactly what I needed. I feel very refreshed and I am so thankful for the family God has given me. Shout out to my parents who are driving/traveling this week!!! Love you guys. Have a great evening everyone.

Fit at Home

My husband is not a gym rat. His idea of exercise involves golf, frisbee, or dodgeball. He used to cycle with me while we were dating but the novelty of it expired. Consequently, placing a gym membership in our budget was not an option. I began going to the gym (YMCA or LIFESTYLES) when I was in 9th grade. A teacher from my highschool picked me up every morning a 4:45 to take me. That is when I became addicted to the gym. My sister states that it looks like "a bunch of gerbils running around on their stationary toys," but I love the community and health accountability that develops. Consequently, I have had to start working out at home. IT IS POSSIBLE! I record a few shows on FitTV (Cardioblast is my favorite), I use a Jillian Michaels Cardio DVD or P90X episodes. Also, sometimes I just put on a movie and do an arm circuit. For example, an arm workout for me would be pushups, tricep dips on my coffee table, arm raises for shoulders, and dumbell curls for my biceps. I have 15lb, 10lb, and 5lb weights. For a leg work out, my dog loves following me across the living room as I attempt to do lunges back and forth. For cardio, I will run with the dog or by myself. I HATE TREADMILLS so I have to go outdoors. Discipline is the hardest part. I can think of 20 twenty other things I "should" be doing around the house when I am working out. However, prioritizing my health now will increase my quality of life later.

I place the weights in a faux suede stool with a lid and place it in the corner; easy to access and yet, not obnoxious or tacky.

Get going! Love B.