Got Your Back

As spring break continues Ela and I have spent most of it in the gym. Yesterday was all about the biceps and back muscles.

We even tossed in some clapping planks for fun! (I know planking doesn't sound all that fun but when you're high-fiving your partner the whole time it tends to take your mind off the strain of muscle against gravity.

Legs for Her

Today I had a wonderful surprise when my best friend, Ela, stopped by work to visit me after she had finished with her finals. And although we didn't get the chance to work out together I did write up a little something for her to do while I was busy.

Calf Burner

One of my favorite machines at the gym is the calf raiser. Not sure why but a well toned calf muscle has always been important to me. Maybe it's because they look so much better in high heels when there's a bit of muscle showing. Whatever the reason, they're one of my favorites to work on (part of leg day, after all). Sadly, being sick lately meant I hadn't been running and my normally muscular calves had shrunk down to a very average looking leg. Not cool. I was determined to remedy it, stat.

I did the calf raises with 55lbs of added weight. My workout proved to be a killer when I had trouble walking the next morning. The up side? being able to see definition in my lower legs again!

Buns of Steel

I hit the squat rack after work today and kept it short and sweet. Alternating working on the booty and the core I got in a nice post-work energy boost.

I did the ab rollers from my knees but if you want to increase the intensity you can start from your feet!

Just Keep Swimming

With all the glorious weather we'd had the last couple weeks it had started to feel like summer. I was loving the chance to pull my shorts and sunglasses out of hibernation. But it went back to raining this morning. In an attempt to keep that summer feeling I spent this morning's workout in the pool.

I grew up swimming but only ever for fun and never competitively. So, when it came to creating a water workout I was at a bit of a loss. Lucky for me I've got some wonderful friends who are always willing to help a girl out. This workout was made for me by my dear friend, Chara, who knows what she's talking about when it comes to the pool.

If you are looking at that unsure of the difference between the swimming, kicking, and pulling, never fear! You are not alone! Swimming is exactly what you think of when you get in the pool, nice clean strokes, and going at a pace that works for you. Kicking is when you're holding onto a board and propelling your body through the water using only your legs. Make sure you're using the entire leg to kick and not just knees down. Pulling means you're pinning a floating device between your legs and using arm strength alone to travel down the lane. Pulling was absolutely the hardest for me because of my serious lack of arm strength. Didn't realize how weak they were until I tried it! Swimming 100 means you go down-and-back the length of the pool, whereas 50 is just one way.

I was pretty exhausted by the end but I know with time that will improve as long as I keep at it. Good luck to everyone out there trying this one!

Running with Friends

After months of nagging I finally convinced some friends to enter a race with me! 5am Sunday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed for the Seattle Hot Chocolate 5k. We had picked up our packets earlier in the week and were all ready to go as we made our way to the Seattle Center for the start of the race.

Ela, myself, and Chara at the Space Needle before the race

The sun didn't rise until after we were in our starting corals but it never really shone; it just got a little less dark out. The clouds gathered overhead but didn't let loose until after we finished, thank goodness!

The race started at the Seattle Center and wound around the downtown area. We went through the Battery Street Tunnel (totally closed down the city this weekend - oopsie) and our turn around point was after we had passed through Pike Place Market.

We crossed the finish line on the other side of the Space Needle, next to the EMP. We were ushered into the finishers' party where we each got a new mug filled with hot chocolate, chocolate fondue, a banana, graham crackers, pretzels, rice krispie treats, and a wet wipe for after. It was a scrumptious way to end our first race together.

Me:
Windbreaker: The North Face. Top: Old Navy (also featured, here). Tights: RBX. Ear Warmer: Target (old, also featured here. Similar here)
Chara:
Fleece: Paradox. Tights: Vintage Insport (similar here). Belt: Tune Belt. Ear Warmer: Turtle Fur. Earbuds: Yurbuds.
Ela:
Fleece: The North Face. Tights: Lululemon. Headband: Lululemon (old, similar here).

Dinner for Three

Three of us met up on Saturday night to start our weekend off right. Though us girls are thick as thieves and on the phone to one another constantly we're not all that great at actually getting together (we only just exchanged Christmas presents this week). Between school, work, the gym, eating and sleeping, we have trouble finding a time when everyone is free, no matter how often we promise to be better about it. Lucky for me, I've got the greatest friends and whenever we're together it seems as though we've never been apart.

We were having a sleepover before our race in the morning so we knew we needed to carbo-load. However, with dietary restrictions that eliminated lactose, gluten, and shell fish, dinner was a little more creative than a simple bowl of spaghetti.

Chara and I stopped by the store and picked up two boxes of quiona, a bin of mixed greens, four bell peppers, and a half pound of shredded chicken before meeting up with Ela.

Chara cut the tops off three peppers and diced one while I got the quiona ready on the stove and tore up the shredded chicken.

This is a super simple recipe I came up with a few years back. It is one of my favorites to make because it only takes about 20 or so minutes but tastes fantastic! We cooked up the diced peppers with the chicken and some olive oil while we waited on the quiona to finish.

Finally, we mixed everything together and stuffed it into the bell pepper bowls.

Ta da!! A delicious dinner for three.



Cardigan: BP.
Blouse: Vans (old, similar Here)
Jeans: 7 For All Mankind
Boots: Born (old, similar here)