Hey guys! Before I get into today’s content, a heads up that a few of my posts have gotten a little photo upgrade for Pinterest (are you on Pinterest? Let’s connect!) so while I was looking at the posts I figured I’d re-share them in case you missed them previously:
- Simple Tweaks for a Healthier Life
- 10 Healthy On the Go Snack Recipes
- How to Make a Quick and Healthy Weeknight Dinner
- How to Make Oatmeal More Filling and Satisfying
Speaking of oatmeal, I’ve discovered a new yummy breakfast – it’s basically a cross between my two favorites: Microwave Banana Oatmeal and my Flour Free Breakfast Pancake!
To make it, just put the ingredients for my Flour Free Breakfast Pancake in a bowl, whisk together, and then pop it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes (instead of cooking it on the stove). Then, top it with goodies! This week I’ve been loving my usual Microwave Banana Oatmeal toppings on it – cottage cheese and yogurt, along with nuts/seeds and berries. So good! Super filling, too. You can also leave out the dairy if you want – whatever works!
I had the variation with cottage cheese on top yesterday after a great morning workout at Definitions in Georgetown via ClassPass (<—get $20 off with my affiliate link) with my friends Chelsea and Kathleen. We were SUPER sweaty after this one – lots of kettlebells, wallballs, squats, etc! Whew! Kathleen raced off to the showers but Chelsea and I snagged a post-workout sweaty pic for your viewing pleasure. 😉
The sun finally came out to play mid-day yesterday! I celebrated by treating myself to lunch at Glen’s Garden Market in Dupont. It’s a nice stroll up there from my co-working space and I love their $10 lunch plate – you pick 4 prepared food salads and they have all sorts of good stuff to choose from!
On my way home from the office last night, I stopped by a farmer’s market! Last Thursday while working from home and out on a walking break I discovered that there is a farmer’s market near our place on Thursday evenings. I didn’t have my money with me last week when I was out (such a bummer!) so I decided to come back this week. I was so excited to find this – love supporting local farms and businesses!
I had a blast checking out all the goodies and ended up buying a big assortment of stuff. First up: produce! I bought a bunch of greens from one of the organic farms, plus some beautiful strawberries, a cucumber, and that crazy purple asparagus. The farmer said they aren’t tough even though they are really thick – and that they are a bit sweeter than green asparagus. Cool! Have you guys ever tried purple asparagus before? 🙂
I also picked up a few products from local companies – pickles, balsamic pickled beets, and curry pickled cauliflower, a green juice, and some hot sauce for Matt. 🙂 I’m obsessed with pickled veggies – so delicious!
Matt was out playing soccer last night so I was flying solo for dinner and rocked some leftovers! We made a Blue Apron coconut shrimp noodle stir fry dish earlier this week (the yellow pepper was our addition) that made a ton of food:
So I pulled the leftovers out of the fridge and added some of my farmer’s market greens to the mix to amp it up a bit. Yummy and easy!
I kicked this morning off with a workout at home with Paul Medina from Capital Energy Training. My hip is still feeling much, much better than before working with him – it doesn’t hurt at all anymore actually which I’m kind of incredulous about. (More on our partnership in this post.) Since I have the Fit Foodie 5k tomorrow morning we focused on some lower body stretching/activation and some upper body stretching/strengthening. Last week and today we have started to focus in on my next insanely tight problem area: my shoulders. Do you guys remember how I always had problems doing the power lifting moves in CrossFit because of my shoulder mobility? I don’t do CrossFit much anymore because I love my boot camps (they basically do my favorite of the CrossFit moves without the power lifting), but I’m still excited to work on getting my shoulders/neck more mobile and limber.
I’m pictured above doing a move you can try at home with a band if you have tight shoulders, too! Hold the band with your hands spread about shoulder distance (or a little closer if you have better shoulder mobility than I do), and keep your arms straight and active by pulling out laterally. Then move the band up and down as pictured, starting with it at your waist and ending with it above your head.
Here’s another one to try – sit on a bench tilted back a bit and hold a weight in each hand, then rotate your hands alternating between having them facing down towards the ground and then up towards the sky. This will work on rotation in your shoulders.
I’m excited to see if we can make some progress with my shoulders! I will keep you guys updated. 🙂 I have really been enjoying working with Paul – I like that he always explains everything we are doing in technical terms, sharing which muscles/specific areas we are targeting and how everything is interconnected. It’s fascinating hearing how something in my shoulders/back is actually also affecting areas in my chest, core, and hips, or how my hips are affecting tightness and mobility in other areas of my lower body. If you are looking for a good trainer, make sure to find someone who understands the importance of coaching in that they are explaining what they are doing as you go! It’s also important that they challenge you both mentally and physically and pay close attention during the session. Paul can always tell immediately when I’m phoning it in or very slightly shifting to make something easier for myself at the expense of good form. I’ve gotten used to doing that, apparently, and I appreciate that he doesn’t let it slide. 🙂
Anyway. Back to work and to enjoy some of this beautiful day – hooray for more sunshine! I’m working from home today and planning to take my laptop outside in a bit and have some errands to run later this evening I think I’ll do via bike. It’s Bike to Work Day in DC, actually – so that will be my way of participating! 🙂 Who biked to work today for Bike to Work Day? I biked to and from the metro most of the week which I always enjoy – saves a lot of time!
Have a fabulous day and weekend, my friends! And before I go, a quick heads up:
Want to start a blog or website?
Bluehost, who I hosted with for many years, is offering a special deal on hosting (as low as $2.95 per month for 36 months, which is insanely cheap) if you sign up for hosting TODAY only using my affiliate link – so if you have been wanting to start a blog/website, do it today/right now! 🙂 I have a post on how to start a blog on wordpress that guides you through the entire process.
Weekend reading:
- Eat: Best Blogger Dessert Recipes // Summer Superfood Salads // Blueberry Chia Seed Jelly // Easy Watermelon Pineapple Popsicles //
- Move: Relaxing Bedtime Stretch Routine (love this!) // One of my college friends is leading a free yoga in the park session tomorrow (Saturday) morning for DC Yoga week – sign up here. If I didn’t have my Fit Foodie 5k I’d be there! The official DC Yoga week free “Yoga on the Mall” is also happening this weekend on Sunday. Hoping both events don’t get rained out!
- Think: The Unhealthy Truth Behind Wellness and “Clean Eating” // How to Be Okay with Gaining Weight
