tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91223618471180378242024-03-13T16:33:44.870-05:00Delight in Lifestyle ProgressionDelight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-41172659184166742942020-06-13T07:52:00.003-05:002020-06-13T08:04:21.304-05:00Colorado Day 7<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=14DaWnhNOaYjYWwuC5-WzBZTH8HZ0PnJ-" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=14DaWnhNOaYjYWwuC5-WzBZTH8HZ0PnJ-" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello Everyone! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Friday was our last full day in Colorado Springs. We knew we wanted to get a hike in, but needed to still get all of our stuff packed up and ready to go. So we hit up Palmer Park again. (This was the place we ended up impromptu hiking on day 4 the day it started out COLD and WINDY!) This park is in the middle of Colorado Springs and a very enjoyable hike. <span><a name='more'></a></span> I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’re ever in the area, but don’t have the time to drive 30+ minutes to a larger hiking spot. We enjoyed the rock formations and the views. We even found a tree that reminded us of a tree we found at Red Rock Canyon Open Space on day 3. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Gphn-nmX2OxqDHEgrMGSDxh-V3fjUfuC" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Gphn-nmX2OxqDHEgrMGSDxh-V3fjUfuC" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1hVoS_5tGQHbRhMTT4Won1QFu0U-xm4Kt" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1hVoS_5tGQHbRhMTT4Won1QFu0U-xm4Kt" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1NxyuygAU99HPlygqww_akj0gw7Et7ma_" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1NxyuygAU99HPlygqww_akj0gw7Et7ma_" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After we finished our hike, we headed to Amy’s Donuts to get some donuts to enjoy tonight, but also to take home to enjoy with the kida over the weekend. This was a place we hit the last time we were in town and we couldn’t miss it again. I might have gone a bit overboard on the donut buying, but I couldn’t help it...they looked so good. Lol. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1wbDHfHT9HbyXwh9W92rF0BdIAw4mEWjF" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1wbDHfHT9HbyXwh9W92rF0BdIAw4mEWjF" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then we headed home to take showers, relax and pack up our stuff before dinner. It was bitter sweet, knowing we get to head home and see the kids was exciting. However, leaving Colorado Springs isn’t very exciting. Can’t wait to come back again...maybe even as early as next summer and we can bring the kids too so they can enjoy the area. ☺️ </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner we decided to go back to a place we ate before. Really, we revisited our first dinner of Colorado by going back to Crave Real Burgers. Tony got the same burger as last time, Love Stinks, and I got the Popper. We split them in half again and it was all just as good as the first day we ate them. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1zeYV5JsBlxt3N8PaodkPSVdfWXyS_0Lf" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1zeYV5JsBlxt3N8PaodkPSVdfWXyS_0Lf" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We watched Vice for our last movie in town. It was very good, eye opening and educational. I read a lot about Dick Cheney throughout the movie. Geeze, that guy was an interesting person. Not really always for the best, but he learned how to play the political system. This is another one I’d highly suggest. Also, be prepared to be dumbfounded the entire movie as you watch Christian Bale’s performance for this role. He is a method actor and actually put on all the weight to play Cheney. 😳 6/7 movies were ones we enjoyed. Yay! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was also a beautiful storm that rolled through and I had to capture some pictures to share. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Ugq-2fq2fKZjU9utg4lBETmVJ62vXcu9" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Ugq-2fq2fKZjU9utg4lBETmVJ62vXcu9" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Wins: Mainly the fact that we ate lunch that we made and went for a hike. Other then that this was probably one of our worst eating days and being lazy. Haha!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you all for sharing in our fun adventures of our 2020 summer vacation back to Colorado Springs. It was such a fun week and I’m so thankful that we were able to spend this time together just enjoying each others company and a place we have both come to love. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Take care! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~Deanna~</div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-89317733540547054122020-06-12T09:54:00.001-05:002020-06-12T09:54:53.827-05:00Colorado Day 6<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1zcY7nKfIP5Oj-z4cEt9jAvAZ9nLEAdoM" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1zcY7nKfIP5Oj-z4cEt9jAvAZ9nLEAdoM" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello All!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We made day 6 our hardest hike of the trip. Barr Trail is one of the two trails you can take up to Pikes Peak. It is also the trail you would take down after climbing the Manitou Incline. Since The Incline is closed, we decided to take the trail up to the Incline Summit to eat lunch and then hike it back down. Barr Trail takes a longer amount of time to climb, but it’s just because it’s very windy. We had a blast enjoying the views and talking about our last time on the trail. I’m not in as good of shape as I was the last time, but still enjoyed it. During our time we found the bailing off point for The Incline. This is about 2/3 of the way up and is for people who got in over their head and need to get off and not try to keep going up to the very top. I don’t even remember this section when we climbed the Incline two years ago. When we got to this point, there were no signs saying it was closed and no one manning the entrance. <span><a name='more'></a></span>We discussed it for a few minutes and then decided to break the rules and go up it anyway. There were at least 7-10 other people on the Incline when we started and we saw many more on our way up. While we didn't climb the whole thing this trip, we at least got on it and made it up the 1000 remaining stairs to reach the Summit. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1C_e3CuU7VG6ZZAutGvolrzaeYEjZPVn8" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1C_e3CuU7VG6ZZAutGvolrzaeYEjZPVn8" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here are a couple shots of the amazing views we got to experience. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1AMbjl99xQaQN5k2HV4nHrUPYDzO0-tEu" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1AMbjl99xQaQN5k2HV4nHrUPYDzO0-tEu" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Sjs9LXjWU1pVxnJ2q-gxL__KyaNxECck" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Sjs9LXjWU1pVxnJ2q-gxL__KyaNxECck" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After four total hours of hiking we made it back to the truck and headed back to the Airbnb for showers and some epsom salt baths. Haha. Those are definitely enjoyable after such a long trek.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner we decided to just look on Google at the highest rated restaurants and found a Mexican restaurant that sounded so good! It’s called Mi Mexico Restaurant and we’d highly suggest checking it out if you’re ever in the area. We also picked out our dessert while we were out from i-Cool Thai Rolled Ice Cream. Another very delicious place to check out! They even give you unlimited toppings. 🎉🎉 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1WwPH8tJXYgier995_yccTYt1RCTJ5Bbx" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1WwPH8tJXYgier995_yccTYt1RCTJ5Bbx" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1swLNhkTbJjhzSCWl5zl8QjqDyzr-ByPq" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1swLNhkTbJjhzSCWl5zl8QjqDyzr-ByPq" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our movie of the evening was The Half Of It on Netflix. We both really enjoyed it and I’d suggest you check out the trailer, if it sounds good to you then definitely give it a watch! 5/6 movies have been hits this trip. That’s a great percentage if you ask me. 😃👍 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Wins: We ate a decent breakfast and lunch today. We drank a TON of water and even ended our hike with some Gatorade. We also hiked for 4 hours. Lol. I'd call that a win!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One more full day in Colorado Springs...looking forward to the adventures the day has in store for us. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Until my next post, take care and stay safe! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~Deanna~</div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-80146606579759506102020-06-11T18:45:00.000-05:002020-06-11T18:45:29.309-05:00Colorado Day 5<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1yiS3qJHrThMO-wXRNVuI1jQnIYcgHTNq" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1yiS3qJHrThMO-wXRNVuI1jQnIYcgHTNq" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello Everyone!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had a bit of a late start on Wednesday since our mortgage loan company decided to call to discuss refinancing our home. I guess you can’t escape reality the whole time you’re on vacation, huh?! In good news, we were able to cut 5 years off our loan and keep our monthly payments the same (actually slightly cheaper)! 🎉 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once that conversation was complete, we loaded up and headed to Seven Bridges trail. It was slightly funny because we kept talking about this steep winding road that we had to take to get up to a hiking spot a couple years ago, but we couldn’t remember which spot it was...but we were pretty darn certain it wasn’t for Seven Bridges. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Well...it ended up being for seven bridges. 😂😂 Taking a large pick-up to that hiking spot isn’t the funnest, but we made it safely and had a blast hiking the trail again. Listening to the water run was so peaceful. Seeing the sights and being surrounded by the forest and the smell of pine trees was very enjoyable. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1o0dHnYrPBPzrzP7ngROws06UBFMeR7GA" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1o0dHnYrPBPzrzP7ngROws06UBFMeR7GA" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After we finished our hike, we wouldn’t be getting back to our Airbnb until close to 4 so we headed straight back so we could take showers and relax before dinner. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner and dessert we tried a popular sushi place, Jei Sushi, and a dessert place called Decadent a Coffee and Dessert Bar. To get to Decadent we officially hit the upscale part of Colorado Springs. An area we’ve NEVER been in before. It was interesting and reminded me of a few places near Kansas City. Jei Sushi was also very good. The interesting thing about CO Springs is the fact that some places are allowing people to dine in while other places are not. Both of these places were allowing people to dine in, but we still opted to take our food home and eat it while watching a movie. We would definitely go back to Jei Sushi, but would probably skip Decadent just because it was pricey! For everything you see below it was $30...that's a dinner out for Tony and I. Yikes. But it was tasty, so if you have the funds go for it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1_-EDlsegz4d1aAm90MIwbbpB2KPQUpo-" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1_-EDlsegz4d1aAm90MIwbbpB2KPQUpo-" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1EJikF-QrVKHrBbIcRv1__XsYWRaZgpLz" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1EJikF-QrVKHrBbIcRv1__XsYWRaZgpLz" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For our evening movie we watched Man of Tai Chi. It was a great action packed movie. Probably not one of the best acting for Keanu Reeves, but he is always hit or miss on his movies. It was fun to watch and listen to Tony nerd out about the different martial arts styles used too. So far 4/5 movies have been a hit. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Wins: We ate a normal breakfast without any sweet additions. So we just stuck to two eggs, oatmeal and veggies. We packed our lunch for the hike and, well, we went on a 2.5+ hour hike. Haha. Lunch consisted of a banana, an RXBAR and a ham & guac sandwich. Yum. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking forward to our hardest hike for Day 6. We might not be able to do the Manitou Incline, but we are going to tackle a section of Barr Trail. ⛰💪</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Stay safe and we look forward to updating you on our Thursday adventures tomorrow. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~Deanna~</div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-13494727375039531422020-06-10T12:05:00.001-05:002020-06-11T11:00:09.214-05:00Colorado Day 4<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1-vF-ZCJ0k7gL0cR3Bg03eZ8RRIGst5E6" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1-vF-ZCJ0k7gL0cR3Bg03eZ8RRIGst5E6" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello All! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Day 4 started off COLD, dreary, rainy and w.i.n.d.y!! It had snowed overnight, nothing stuck in town, and it was 59 degrees inside the house. Burrr. 🥶 So we decided to have a lazy morning eating breakfast and watching Parks and Rec. After that we moved to being a little more productive and did a workout since we knew we wouldn’t be hiking when it was so cold and windy and we’d planned for the days to be in the 70’s at least. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One thing that Tony and I have made a tradition since our honeymoon in Kansas City is to find Vegan eateries and give them a try in different cities that we visit. I was surprised to only find two in this town, but one was a drive thru and the other more of a sit down restaurant.<span><a name='more'></a></span> So we decided to get crazy and make today our vegan meal day! First we ate at Santana’s Vegan Grill. This is the drive thru and was VERY good! We each got a cheese burger and the split a deal of buffalo chicken fingers and seasoned fries. The burgers were phenomenal. We’d highly suggest giving this place a try if you are vegan or feeling adventurous. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1tDK9h7y8qzMgngmyYfjCa1tg7FAkmgw3" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1tDK9h7y8qzMgngmyYfjCa1tg7FAkmgw3" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After grabbing lunch we tried to find a mall that would be open so we could walk it and get some steps in/stretch our legs. Due to COVID-19 the full mall is closed down, but almost all stores that enter from the outside are open. 🤷♀️ Their phases have GOT to be confusing. Lol. (Another example, most restaurants are carry-out only, but we’ve been to one place that had people dining in. 🤔) We ended up finding a Barnes & Noble near by that was opened so we enjoyed walking around and exploring different books that were available. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After we walked out of Barnes & Noble we discovered that is was sunny AND 60. We needed to kill about an hour before heading to our next destination, so we found Palmer Park near by and decided to go on a mini-hike in our jeans and tennis shoes. Haha! It was beautiful and I believe we will go back to explore more later this week too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1X8xYAT8OmshEfgKP7l7sonpS2--64eGp" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1X8xYAT8OmshEfgKP7l7sonpS2--64eGp" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our next two stops were the ones I was most excited for today. One was Distillery 291 which makes Colorado Whiskey. It is a winner of many rewards and is featured on a club called Flaviar which I gifted Tony for Father’s day. It was an early Father’s day gift that I gave him the first night of our trip. It was fun to go in and hear about their different whiskey’s, but we settled on two to try. We had to just pick two out based on how they were described and take them back to our Airbnb to try them. It was a bit nerve wracking, but I think we did a good job. I personally enjoyed the American the most. It had no real burn and was pleasantly subtle. Tony enjoyed both, so that was a win in my book. 😃👍</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1c8BY-MBUg8igQZ1vmjX-_o5ZxhC5-0pg" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1c8BY-MBUg8igQZ1vmjX-_o5ZxhC5-0pg" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After picking out our whiskey’s we headed to our second vegan restaurant of the day, Burrowing Owl. This place had great ratings and had quite a few good looking dishes. Tony ended up getting the McFib and I got one of their Mac n Cheeses. It was called The Works because it was a combination of their Sloppy Joe M&C and their spicy one that had jalapenos and green chilies. Both were good. We also ended up getting our desserts from there too, which were fun to explore. I personally liked my dinner and Tony’s cheese cake dessert the best. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1UzO9qyne6y6-GvcFKewBGNSenSRv3gbv" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1UzO9qyne6y6-GvcFKewBGNSenSRv3gbv" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The thing we were most surprised by at both vegan restaurants was their cheese. I’m not sure what they use to make cheese that seems to melt and be creamy like real cheese, but man have they perfected that ability. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To close off our night we watched The Wrong Missy on Netflix...it was an interesting movie to say the least. Not one that I would recommend. We were both in a laughing mood and while the movie did make us laugh a few times, the overall movie just wasn’t that great. Oh well, we’ve enjoyed 3/4 movies so far...I’d call that a win. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Wins: We still got a good 1 hour workout in with weights. We ended up going on an hour long hike, even when we weren't planning on it. Eating wise...probably not our best day, LOL!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking forward to the adventures that Day 5 brings...including some more hiking. ☺️ </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks for sharing in our adventures so far! It’s been a wonderful vacation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~Deanna~</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-4626770765820130762020-06-09T08:34:00.003-05:002020-06-11T11:08:47.010-05:00Colorado Day 3<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1aKpsxTwgWBewFHjqqoKosZWizCYVeiR3" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1aKpsxTwgWBewFHjqqoKosZWizCYVeiR3" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello All!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We started off day 3 by eating a late breakfast and adding one of our cupcakes from Smallcakes A Cupcakery to the menu. These were the cupcakes we bought to eat on Sunday, but then we were too full after dinner and decided to hold off. I am very glad that we did as they were very yummy to enjoy with some coffee. I had Wedding Cake and Tony had Lemon Drop. Both were very good. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1asGNcffAlb1LJh5ImJIsC_pk1yYXouS3" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1asGNcffAlb1LJh5ImJIsC_pk1yYXouS3" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After our cupcake and coffee we loaded up and headed back to Red Rock Canyon Open Space. <span><a name='more'></a></span> This time we went a different route and took several different trails and were very, very happy with the results. It was fun to explore and Tony and I had fun reminecing about favorite family vacations and sharing funny stories from our childhood. Along the path we found a fun area where people had been adding to a rock balancing park. We decided to add a couple more to the place, it was fun to see how many were there and some amazing balances people had been able to pull off. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15hpSCAYV1Zp4bwWXpvjSBIrqZBHeU548" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15hpSCAYV1Zp4bwWXpvjSBIrqZBHeU548" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1v__quxGOBf2YZfAr_1MwjwNrODvSbplv" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1v__quxGOBf2YZfAr_1MwjwNrODvSbplv" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> We ate lunch at the pavillion overlooking the mini pond and decided to loop back the way we came...only this time we took small little random routes calling out “adventure” everytime we decided to stray from the primary trail. At one point, we thought we might have made a mistake...we were definitely off trailing it, but we made it back to the path and had a good chuckle. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1kvhJuzTJN-ZtBvpe7OVl_khQN6D5Z5fj" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1kvhJuzTJN-ZtBvpe7OVl_khQN6D5Z5fj" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think my favorite thing was Tony spotting the Manitou Incline from Red Rock Canyon. (It’s that straight tan line on that lovely green mountain to the right of the picture). It was a bitter sweet moment, remembering back to two years ago when we conquered that thing, but also being sad that it’s currently closed due to COVID-19 and we will be unable to take that adventure again this go round. ☺️😢 Below is a flash back to help you share in heading down memory lane with us...that was literally making it to the top! We were so excited and so thankfulwe didn't have to climb any more stairs. 😆</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ltMHADsG8khLAzk_5WgIR-DX6gw4umk8" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ltMHADsG8khLAzk_5WgIR-DX6gw4umk8" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After our fun trip down memory lane we headed back to our AirBNB to get cleaned up and decide what we wanted to do for dinner. But first...we picked up slushies from 7-eleven since we don’t have those in KS. I was craving some “fruity goodness” as my PNK (Presbyterian’s of Northern Kansas) affectionately called them when we enjoyed them on an out-of-state trip. It’s the little things in life. ❤️</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner we wanted to go back to our favorite pizza place from our previous trip, Roadrunner Pizza and Pasta. It was so good that we ate it TWICE two years ago. Unfortunatley, it is over two miles from our current stay and they couldn’t deliver. So we found another pizza place that was closer called Colorado Springs Pies and Grinders. The pizza was NOT as good as Roadrunners, but their jalapeno poppers were VERY good!! We also decided to try this fun little bundt cake place for dessert. They were delicious! Tony got Raspberry Lemon and I chose Chocolate Chocolate Chip. This is another place I’d highly suggest checking out. Yum!! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1QJWPv9uQbIW6RtLm_h7fCOaosE4ouzZ1" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1QJWPv9uQbIW6RtLm_h7fCOaosE4ouzZ1" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1iIfay6PApwjFTGNqu-wljHXKpoQSJYjw" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1iIfay6PApwjFTGNqu-wljHXKpoQSJYjw" style="font-size: 12pt; height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For our movie of the evening we chose to watch Selma. It was very good and very relevant to what is happening in our country today. It gave us a lot to think about. While it showed how far we’ve come with Civil Right’s there is still a long way to go. It was also a good reminder that, that movement was only 60 years ago. So glad we watched it and so glad we are working on ways to educate ourselves. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Healthy Lifestyle Wins: We went on a 2+ hour hike. We did our weight workout before dinner to keep up with our strength training. We only ate 1/2 of our bundt cakes, opting to eat the other over coffee in the morning. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br /></span><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Day 4’s weather (Tuesday) looks to be very cold AND very windy. Yikes! We have some ideas on what to do, but not exactly sure yet. Looking forward to sharing what we end up doing with you all later! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br /></span><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Take care!</span><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">~Deanna~ </span></div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-59845930323188690032020-06-08T09:24:00.004-05:002020-06-09T08:48:55.365-05:00Colorado Day 2<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1vIZn5YcYmV_-C5z5D7DOLhwYLrQpgZDT" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1vIZn5YcYmV_-C5z5D7DOLhwYLrQpgZDT" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hey All!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today we tried to sleep in, but gaining an hour and being at the start of a vacation makes that a bit hard. We work up and ate a good breakfast of oatmeal and eggs. We followed that with a weight training session since we knew we’d be getting plenty of walking in through our hike. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We finally decided to load up and head to Garden of the God’s. This was our first hiking spot two years ago and we figured we should just make it a tradition and go back. It was just as beautiful, if not even more so than it was the last time we visited. <span><a name='more'></a></span>So beautiful and green. Of course we chose the day that was going to be completely sunny with no cloud cover and in the 80’s to hit this place up. Haha! But it was so fun. Both of our favorite parts was having lunch at the same place we had lunch the last time. We sat at the same place and ate the same lunch! Yum. For lunch we had turkey and guac sandwiches and a banana. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1wGqbbtU6m1PtitI4Aub8dft02b369jkF" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1wGqbbtU6m1PtitI4Aub8dft02b369jkF" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After about 2.5 hours of hiking we headed back to the AirBNB to shower off and get ready for our evening. We also spent time where Tony could focus on some of his writing, I could focus on a bit of blogging and pick up a good book. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner we decided to head back to a place we’ve talked about regularly since our visit two years ago. That place is Saigon Grill and is a Vietnamese resturant. It wasn’t nearly as good as we remembered, but I also think it was because we weren’t able to eat dinner in so we didn’t have the fresh-food and atmosphere to play into our overall experience. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XD1SgfqnvSxrU3o8QSURc0g98IJAI_Sk" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XD1SgfqnvSxrU3o8QSURc0g98IJAI_Sk" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We ate at our AirBNB while watching Rocketman on Hulu (Tony and I both picked this movie...our only overlap to the movies we secretly chose for our trip). It was very good and another that we’d suggest people check out. I’d mainly suggest this to people who like Elton John and/or Musicals. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Successes: We ate healthy at breakfast and lunch sticking with the food that we brought from home. We did a weight routine before going hiking to keepnup on our strength training. We had gone and bought cupcakes for dessert, but were so full we decided to save them for Day 3 instead of stuffing ourselves overly full! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We plan to hike another spot we hit in 2018 for day 3 and I look forward to seeing what we end up doing in the area of dinner as well! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Until tomorrow, stay safe! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~Deanna~</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-16881277765808025362020-06-07T17:14:00.009-05:002020-06-09T08:46:48.851-05:00Colorado Day 1<div class="separator"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1WxyFY04gcz7uI4vXS9c8WK8IF7Zylevk" height="400" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1WxyFY04gcz7uI4vXS9c8WK8IF7Zylevk" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="300" /> </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hey All! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today, Tony and I headed to Colorado. It’s been two years since we last visited Colorado and that is two years to many. Haha! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We hit the road at about 8 am CST and made it to our AirBNB by 3 pm MST. We were definitely ready to get off the road, but even more excited to be back and seeing all the awesome sights we missed. This town, well, really city, is a lot bigger than I remember. However, I still love it. ❤️ </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We decided to try a burger joint our AirBNB host suggested and it did not disappoint! It’s called Crave Real Burgers and it is made with 100% Colorado meat. <span><a name='more'></a></span>Tony and I decided to buy two different burgers and then split them in half. We tried the Love Stinks (garlic cream cheese, onion strings, candied bacon, roasted red peppers, onion, garlic mayo, ketchup and red aioli) and the Campfire (buffalo patty, raspberry bbq, pepper jack, jalapeno bottle caps and coffee-dusted onion strings). Both burgers were delicious! We also got shakes. Tony got the s’mores and I decided on the banana cream pie. Again, both very good. We were also very surprised. The portions online looked HUGE, but they were actually good portions that filled you up without overfilling you. This is definitely a place we are considering trying again before we have to head home. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1rWd92HYfhcyTEvcBFM2eIBTFd96SI17f" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1rWd92HYfhcyTEvcBFM2eIBTFd96SI17f" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One fun thing we did the last time we were here was pick out three movies each, without telling the other person, and then watch them throughout our stay. We decided to do that again, but our rules this time was that we had to pick one from Netflix, Hulu, Prime and I added Disney+. They had to come from our Queue and we couldn’t have watched them already. We decided to move forward with watching one of my choices from Disney+ which was Togo. It was very good! If you haven’t seen it, I’d highly suggest it. While so many people know the story of Balto...everyone should really know the story of Togo. 🐕 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After that we were pretty exhausted and decided to call it a night. Day 2 (happening right now) is set to bring our first hiking adventure and we were pretty excited about that! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Healthy Lifestyle Success: We had to eat out for Breakfast and Lunch and while we could have just gone crazy with our choices, we both tried to be sensible and stick with water and the main sandwich without adding on the extra sides. Yay! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We’ll be back tomorrow to recap our full Day 2 Adventures. </div>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-81678813849548982472020-06-03T15:25:00.004-05:002020-06-03T15:32:55.169-05:00Weigh-in Wednesday - Oh How I've Missed This...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><p class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/NcE3rhxd17Y0TLz5qM1zCkU1jvv4hHn_gCK4BGAsYHg/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/NcE3rhxd17Y0TLz5qM1zCkU1jvv4hHn_gCK4BGAsYHg/s320/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" style="height: 195px; width: 183px;" width="319" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;">Hello All,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's been a long time since my last post. There has been a lot that has happened since my last post. We've had a lot of adventures, a lot of ups and downs a lot of struggles and frustrations and a lot of fun memories that will last a life time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In my lifestyle, that's been a roller coaster. When my husband started school and I had to adjust my work schedule to accommodate our new normal, I cut out my lunchtime workouts and didn't make up for them anywhere. I gained between 15 and 20 lbs in 6 months and was out of control. I was eating everything in sight, not working out at all and just let myself spiral out of control. From August 2018 through January 2020, my weight was a yo-yo. It stayed around 15 lbs over my comfortable zone, but the worst part was I stopped lifting weights regularly and working on my cardio. I just let myself get lazy and stay that way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a name='more'></a> While many people commented that they didn't notice the change, I could not only see the change, I could FEEL it! Yet, it felt like Satan had this hold on me and the more I tried to focus on getting healthier, the further away from my goals and my commitment to my health I slipped. I read books, I prayed, I poured my heart out to God to ask for His strength...nothing seemed to stick. Even writing this I can't believe it's been almost two years since my spiral started.</div>
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I've been doing a lot of soul searching and a lot more praying. I've been trying to analyze why I've let myself get to this point and just can't seem to fully put my finger on one thing. I think it was a lot of things that really added up to my stumble, but there are some things I've really come to be thankful for throughout the past couple of years and those things are what I'm holding tight to. </div>
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I'm thankful for...</div>
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My God who is always consistent and loving</div>
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My husband who is always so supportive and loves me through it all</div>
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My kids who continue to remind me why I want to live a healthier life and be around for the long run</div>
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My parents who have recently been on their own lifestyle journey and are COMPLETELY rocking it! It's helped inspire me to get my butt in gear</div>
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A career at a company that is constantly working to support each other both personally and professionally </div>
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Colorado...a place I have found my soul longs for and loves, a place that in my ideal world will one day be called my home, a place that really brings out the fully happy Deanna. </div>
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The exercise that kept poking at me...I might not have been consistent, but it was always there reminding me where I needed to get back to. </div>
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I am happy to be feeling that full pull and focus again. The want to eat the right things, the need to be active, the desire to base my progress on my effort and advances and not on the number on the scale. I'm not sure how consistent I'll be in my posting, but I do know I want to get back here and get back to talking about my own journey and my own experiences and hope that helps to inspire others! Through the good, the bad and the ugly!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/NcE3rhxd17Y0TLz5qM1zCkU1jvv4hHn_gCK4BGAsYHg/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div></div>
<p></p>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-61937402423412654412017-08-15T06:00:00.000-05:002017-08-15T06:00:29.095-05:00imprompTuesday - We Upgraded Our Scale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcfFMmCoW4EPMHuTZN1Gne8QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcfFMmCoW4EPMHuTZN1Gne8QCPcBGAYYCw/s200/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hello All!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">I don't know about you all, but I do enjoy weighing myself on a regular basis. I know this can be a love-hate relationship and can even be done unhealthily depending on your mindset. My husband and I try to weigh ourselves only once a week to just make sure that we are staying on track, because focusing on the slight adjustments that can happen day to day is just a way to beat yourself up for no reason. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Recently we both hit our goal weight and started having the problem of over focusing on the constant fluctuation of a 1 or 2 lb change week to week. Weight only helps get you so far in your healthy lifestyle journey. So we decided to update our scale so that we could really get a better picture of our overall health, that is why we upgraded to...</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4plzz1HNI8/WYskjakiO0I/AAAAAAAAAdw/wIl1oVs11DAAGjEypZX2tf-LFdSEgJO6QCLcBGAs/s1600/Greater%2BGood%2BScale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4plzz1HNI8/WYskjakiO0I/AAAAAAAAAdw/wIl1oVs11DAAGjEypZX2tf-LFdSEgJO6QCLcBGAs/s320/Greater%2BGood%2BScale.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">...The Greater Good Scale. This thing tracks weight, BMI, body fat %, muscle mass, hydration and bone mass. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">It's a lot more motivating when you see your body fat dropping and your muscle mass increasing. We picked this thing up for less than $40 on amazon, but there are a variety of scales out there for you to choose from. Some even have apps that can sync with your smart phone so you can have all your information uploaded each time you step on the scale. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">I think the biggest mindset change for me has been going from seeing big number drops while losing weights to the numbers not changing very frequently while evaluating the other items. It takes time and effort to really lose that body fat and pack on the muscle...but it is fun to be focused on new goals and having the motivation to push myself in areas that I never would have pushed myself before. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">You can check this scale out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Accuracy-Digital-Accurate-Measurements/dp/B019928F74/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1502290940&sr=8-5&keywords=Greater+Good+Scale" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Do you have a fancy scale now? What do you like or dislike about them compared to the scales that just focus on weight?</strong></span> </span>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-80490171206072416932017-08-11T06:00:00.000-05:002017-08-11T06:00:12.245-05:00Fitness Friday - The Wonder Woman Workout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUyV-ZM8IDoa_qljgYjD_QNQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUyV-ZM8IDoa_qljgYjD_QNQCPcBGAYYCw/s200/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hi Friends!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">It's been several weeks since I was last able to come here and share some fun information or insights with you all. Life seems to constantly get away from me and between vacations, traveling, family activities and my active lifestyle it's hard to find time to fit everything into a day. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Getting back into the swing of things, I thought I'd share my current obsession and that is this awesome Wonder Woman workout. It is a KILLER, but so worth it in the end! Here we go...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So gearing up for the awesomeness that had to be the new Wonder Woman movie I started nerding out about the movie and our leading lady Gal Gadot. I wanted to know what she did training wise to get ready for the role and found the following video on YouTube:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/djGpIzqYyyU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/djGpIzqYyyU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">After watching this I knew I HAD to give it a try! So I found the workout and here it is:</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YpaAxQ-k0gg/WYocoq7AT3I/AAAAAAAAAdI/r-rxUFh1Cfs9yZD3OBZVAtmzGEo1U7nUgCLcBGAs/s1600/Wonder%2BWoman%2BWorkout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="691" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YpaAxQ-k0gg/WYocoq7AT3I/AAAAAAAAAdI/r-rxUFh1Cfs9yZD3OBZVAtmzGEo1U7nUgCLcBGAs/s320/Wonder%2BWoman%2BWorkout.jpg" width="307" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">I have officially completed this workout 10 times and have to do this at least 12 more times before the end of September to win my work Q3 Health Challenge. If I complete it then I get to choose a super hero shirt as my prize. Haha...I love my job!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Have any of you given this a try? If not, you should try it out and let me know what you think! My least favorite move is the backward bear crawls....they are the worst!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">P.S. In my nerding out about Gal Gadot I found a fun picture she'd posted on Instagram and thought I'd give it a try myself:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-khvId2ChE4Y/WYogB8oPzjI/AAAAAAAAAdg/CEGNYio6KnISfjzhn28yqFMbNJStVXGoQCLcBGAs/s1600/Balancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-khvId2ChE4Y/WYogB8oPzjI/AAAAAAAAAdg/CEGNYio6KnISfjzhn28yqFMbNJStVXGoQCLcBGAs/s400/Balancing.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-44851671753578220552017-05-30T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-30T06:00:39.928-05:00imprompTuesday - Foods We Keep on Hand at ALL Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcms6KKfPGnK7fw9FTs7Og9ACPcB/s1600/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcms6KKfPGnK7fw9FTs7Og9ACPcB/s200/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Happy Tuesday Everyone,</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I hope today isn't feeling like a second Monday for you!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Recently I was thinking about how everyone tends to have those staple foods that they always keep on hand. Sometimes these can be very healthy food options, other times not so much.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">As I've mentioned before, we have really adjusted our diet over the past few years and now have some healthier items on hand at all times. I wanted to share these items with you to give you some ideas of other items you can have on hand as well (if you don't already keep these on hand). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KOCUNmXU0Fg/WSMOvH2x6oI/AAAAAAAAAck/Cg9IvNGT6SMKn4fkhIKnZUNrrMXPbUyoQCHM/s320/blogger-image--1616043145.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Flat of Eggs</span></strong> - We buy these at WalMart and always buy in bulk since we eat eggs for breakfast and lunch...and even use them in a healthy dessert recipe we put together. Good source of protein. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Beans</span></strong> - I'm not talking canned beans, I'm talking bags of beans that you have to soak over night and cook for 1.5 - 2 hours. These are very healthy for you and don't contain the large amounts of sodium and additives that you get with canned beans. This is another thing that we'll eat for breakfast and lunch. We will also throw it into dinner depending on what we're making. (Chili, tacos, beans and rice as a side...)</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Brown Rice</span></strong> - We don't buy instant rice any more, we buy bags of brown rice and then cook about 6 cups each week to use for, you guessed it, breakfast and lunch. We'll also use it for dinners such as chicken and rice, Asian meals that utilize rice, etc...</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Squash & Zucchini</span></strong> - This has become a huge staple for us. We've been adding it to our breakfast and lunch bowls as well as for a side at dinner. We'll lightly salt them and add pepper and other seasonings to enhance the flavor. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Onions</span></strong> - We always buy about two nets worth at the beginning of the month and that will typically last us for the whole month. We'll utilize them for our breakfast and lunch bowls as well as adding them to almost every dinner recipe in some form or fashion. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Fresh Garlic</span></strong> - We tend to add minced garlic to almost all of our dinners to just add some flavor. Thank goodness my husband and are kids love the flavor of onions on garlic!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Sara Lee 45 Calorie Bread</span></strong> - We love this stuff! 45 calories per slice and they have a few options to choose from. We always get the 100% Whole Wheat with Honey. We don't eat sandwiches all the time, but will substitute the bread for our rice on occasion for breakfast or lunch. Plus, especially during the summer, sometimes you just want to eat a tasty cold sandwich!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Protein Powder</span></strong> - This one goes in waves...we'll hit a time period where we'll drink a lot of them throughout the week and then go through a period where we won't eat a lot of them. It really depends on our mood. We like the Body Fortress brand from WalMart and enjoy the fact that there are different flavors to choose from. </span></li>
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Now I'd like to hear from you, what foods do you like to keep on hand? What are your must-have items in your fridge, freezer or pantry?</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-2452673646714594362017-05-25T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-25T06:00:07.101-05:00Thankful Thursday - Being 31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R7PORf7QPoc/VgxNPKAyskI/AAAAAAAAAHc/uXVpgURL9m0GWRLbA7aD9Qij-vzry1fswCPcB/s1600/04%2BThankful%2BThursday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R7PORf7QPoc/VgxNPKAyskI/AAAAAAAAAHc/uXVpgURL9m0GWRLbA7aD9Qij-vzry1fswCPcB/s200/04%2BThankful%2BThursday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Happy Thursday Everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">One day closer to the weekend and a three-day weekend for that matter. :-) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Today I wanted to focus my thankful thoughts on being 31. I know this might sound weird to some of you, but last year turning 30 had me going through a mini-life crisis. It probably had something to do with the fact that everyone is so focused on their 20's and making the most of their youthful years...and here I was a mother of two not ready for the dreaded 3-0. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Today I have to say I'm happier to be 31 than I was ever happy to be 21 and here's why...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">At 21 my focus was on late nights, drinking, "living it up", eating whatever I wanted, hanging out with whoever I wanted and just doing whatever I wanted. I was so unhealthy in so many areas of my life, but I thought I was living the dream. Boy was I wrong...</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zc2ILxp2e30/WSWo_rMb-QI/AAAAAAAAAc0/o7frQCvF89I9xW1hEtnACntb78iAelFIACLcB/s1600/Mind%2BBody%2BSpirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zc2ILxp2e30/WSWo_rMb-QI/AAAAAAAAAc0/o7frQCvF89I9xW1hEtnACntb78iAelFIACLcB/s320/Mind%2BBody%2BSpirt.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">31 was a birthday that I embraced with open arms. This is literally the healthiest I've ever been in my life. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Here are the things that I've added to my life over the last few years that have really made this difference, I:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;">Put God first</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Attend church weekly</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Workout daily</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Eat to fuel my body</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Enjoy a nice splurge here or there</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Pray regularly</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Put others before myself</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Try to listen before speaking</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Stretch</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Take time to enjoy the day, not always thinking about tomorrow</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Respect and love my husband more</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Fight with people less often</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Focus on my mental health</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Get more SLEEP!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Drink 64 oz+ water every.single.day</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Drink alcohol on occasion (maybe once every couple of weeks)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Enjoy the simple things (the smell of rain in the air, the beautiful sunset/sunrise, etc...)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Lift weights</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Play with my kids</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">I know I still have ways that I can improve overall and continue to be healthier and happier and I'm discovering new things every day. Currently I'm working to add:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Getting a massage every month</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Stretching more regularly</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Getting into meditation or guided meditation</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Tweaking our diet to continue fueling our bodies appropriately with the increased activity</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Not defining myself by a number on the scale</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Dang, it feels good to be 31...I'm looking forward to what the next decade of my life has to bring and what additions/adjustments I will be making to continue living a healthy lifestyle.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What about you? Did you have a birthday that you were/are dreading? When you hit 30 (if you're there) did you embrace it with open arms or freak out a little? Why? </span></strong>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-29881911720608998762017-05-22T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-22T06:00:23.511-05:00Menu Monday - 5 Tips for Family Gatherings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s1600/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s200/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hello All,</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">This week is a strange one for us since we will actually be with family for the majority of Memorial Day and not making family dinners Thursday - Monday! So this week I'll share our mini menu and then my top five tips for leading a healthy lifestyle with family gatherings and all those tempting delicious foods!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Monday: Pepperoni Pizza</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Tuesday: Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Wednesday: Left Overs</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Thursday - Sunday: Eating with family</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So here are my five strategies for family holidays centered around food:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Use a Small Plate</span></strong> - When you have all this delicious food infront of you that you don't normally get on a regular basis, it is very easy to over eat. Using a smaller plate helps you keep your portions down so you can still enjoy the tasty treats, just not as much of them. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Make Your Own Breakfast</span></strong> - If you're staying the night at a family members, get up a little early and make your own breakfast. This will help to curve you away from eating those donuts someone decided to go pick-up or eating that bowl of cereal someone offers you.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Be Active</span></strong> - Just because you're surrounded by family and watching a lot of TV/Movies doesn't mean you should still do some physical activity. Go for a walk, do a brief version of your normal workout, even check out the local gym since they typically have a daily fee you can pay being an out-of-towner. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Get Fresh Vegetables</span></strong> - Make a trip to the local grocery store and buy some vegetables to get you through the trip. You can add veggies to your breakfasts and lunches to help with filler and to make sure you're still eating healthy vitamin rich food. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Drink Water</span></strong> - I think this is always a go-to for staying healthy whether you're at home or traveling. If you can keep up on your water intake it will keep you hydrated which is super important to not over-eating. A common side effect of dehydration is hunger, so you'll end up eating when you really should be drinking.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">You can also check out my post "</span><a href="http://delightinlifestyleprogression.blogspot.com/2015/11/weigh-in-wednesday-6-keeping-in-control.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Keeping in Control During the Holidays</span></a><span style="color: #990000;">" which highlights 10 things to also help you avoid putting on too many extra pounds during vacations, holiday's and family get togethers.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What are some of your tips and tricks to stay healthy during family gatherings?</span></strong>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-39826379495852342842017-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-19T06:00:04.044-05:00Fitness Friday - My Step Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s1600/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s200/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hello All,</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was going to share my personal step routine with all of you, but then I didn't. I finally got a recording of myself to share with you. This is what I do on a regular basis and some variations that I'll add in to just help keep it entertaining and help to keep my body guessing what I'm throwing at it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">This really does get my heart pumping and the sweat dripping! I hope you enjoy and take something away from it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Some background on this routine. I wanted to give something new a try winter of 2013 so my husband and I were perusing the fitness section at Target and came across their step platform. It was only $20 so we decided to invest in it. It was AMAZING! I came up with my own steps and combinations that helped to push me to a new level of my cardio fitness and still does to this day! This is my primary source of cardio and I improve my outdoor runs not by running, but by challenging myself to go longer and harder on this thing!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">I truly hope this helps to inspire others to give step outside their comfort zone and try something they may have never thought about or have avoided!</span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PKP_pDKQDPs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PKP_pDKQDPs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">As I pointed out, you don't have to invest a lot of money in a fancy step to make this work. Here is a link to Amazon to see "step platforms" that they have available. The only advice I'll give in this area is to buy one that has the ability to adjust the height. Once your body acclimates to the lowest height, you'll want to have that ability to increase the height to increase the intensity!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/step-platform-exercise-step/b?ie=UTF8&node=14329881" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Amazon Step Platforms</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What do you think about this routine? Do you do any types of step routines? If so, are there any moves that you'd recommend I give a try?</span></strong></span></div>
Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-10449762366891757282017-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-18T06:00:18.570-05:00Thankful Thursday - My Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R7PORf7QPoc/VgxNPKAyskI/AAAAAAAAAHc/uXVpgURL9m0GWRLbA7aD9Qij-vzry1fswCPcB/s1600/04%2BThankful%2BThursday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R7PORf7QPoc/VgxNPKAyskI/AAAAAAAAAHc/uXVpgURL9m0GWRLbA7aD9Qij-vzry1fswCPcB/s200/04%2BThankful%2BThursday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Happy Thursday Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">It's been a while since I've written a Thankful Thursday post and I'm sad to think about that. We should all find things that we are thankful for every day. Whether it's the beautiful sun rise that you were able to catch this morning or a nice gesture someone did for you. The more we can focus on being thankful, the more positive our lives will be.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">For this revisit, on such an important part in an overall healthy lifestyle, I wanted to focus on my faith and how thankful I am to have it as a core part of my life and my families lives.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">(This is our family bible verse motto. We have it posted in our bathroom to read everyday, multiple times a day, as a constant reminder that as long as we give it to our Lord our paths will be straight.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I am a big believer that you can't have true physical health that lasts without having emotional and spiritual health too. Part of the reason I think this past year has been so much easier to stick with my healthy lifestyle and keep the results has been having a much better relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I always grew up believing in God and His son Jesus, but I didn't have a true relationship with them. I didn't take time to pray or read my bible or try to lead a truly godly life. I was selfish and always out for what I wanted, what I "needed", what would make ME happy. I wasn't paying attention to how my selfishness could negatively effect others in my life and my own emotional health.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">In the winter of 2015 I went through a complete overhaul of my mindset. I turned everything over to God to let him guide my through some very rocky times and truly started to live my life as Jesus taught us to. I was amazed at how this shift positively effected all aspects of my life. How I treated my husband, my children, people at work, my friends and family.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">The more that I can turn my actions and thoughts over to God and the teachings that Jesus provided us, the happier I am in the long run. It's not easy and I do slip, but I can catch myself a lot quicker now, say a prayer, and get back on track. I turn to my bible a lot for answers and my family makes it a priority to go to church every Sunday to continue learning new lessons or being reminded of others that we might have let slip from our mind.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">If you don't have faith, or are struggling in your own journey, know that with prayer and reading the good word you can get back on track and grow your relationship with God. I'd highly suggest finding a church that you enjoy going to and that focuses on the word of the bible. Join a group within the church to connect with others who are faithful. You are heavily influenced by the people you surround yourself with, so surround yourself with positive, faithful people and it will work wonders in your life.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What other ways do you suggest people focus more on their faith? What questions do you have on this topic?</span></strong>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-47045935548172680472017-05-17T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-17T06:00:00.922-05:00Weigh-in Wednesday - 5 Recovery Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H8JpPrJoEt4VZK0jRnnyrl4O3xwzpCJfwCPcB/s1600/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H8JpPrJoEt4VZK0jRnnyrl4O3xwzpCJfwCPcB/s200/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Happy Hump Day Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Today I wanted to discuss recovery when it comes to all the pressure that we put on our bodies to transform. So many of us spend the majority of our time focusing on our training plans that we forget the most important element in working towards this healthy lifestyle, recovery.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Giving our bodies time to recover is key in becoming faster, stronger, better and even lose those pesky lbs you've been focused on for weeks, months and even years. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Here I share my top five go-to tricks for recovering from all the work I put in day after day.</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Sleep</strong> - This is the top thing that you can do for your body. During sleep you aren't just getting the rest you need to think clearly and function, but you're giving your body the adequate time to truly heal from the strain you put on it during your exercise routines. Torn muscles have time to heal and become stronger. If you like intense exercises, sleep will help to ensure that you have the energy to actually keep up with your next workout and not "gas out". <br /><br />Check out the video at the bottom of this post by PictureFit that gives you some additional great information on the importance of sleep with building muscle!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Drink Lots of Water</strong> - This is probably something that feels like common sense, but so many people don't drink enough water on a daily basis then throw in some exercise, and the need to increase that water intake, and it's definitely not happening. Rule of thumb (from the American College of Sports Medicine) is for every 30 minutes of exercise you should increase your water intake by at least 12oz. When you start calculating that, it can get very overwhelming...but so worth it! The more water you drink </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Listen to Your Body</strong> - This is something I have to constantly remind my husband and myself about on a weekly basis. If your body is telling you that it needs rest, then stop pushing yourself and give yourself the rest. You don't have to completely not workout, you can lessen your weights or just stick to light cardio...but pushing your body when it's screaming at your to stop is only going to hurt you in the long run. If you push yourself when you need to rest you will eventually hit a point where you have to take several rest days and that will really throw a wrench in your overall goals. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Stretch</strong> - I know there have been some recent studies that say stretching actually isn't something that NEEDS to happen. I will be honest and tell you that I was very excited to hear this when I wasn't really big into stretching...but now I've changed my mind and think it is very beneficial. Trust me, stretching is NOT my favorite thing...I really don't like doing it, but the way I feel after I'm done and then the next day is very worth it. I do believe that stretching helps to alleviate soreness from a workout and the added benefit is that you get to work on your range of motion!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Epsom Salt Baths</strong> - This is probably my absolute favorite and one that I go to when I'm having a really bad DOMS experience. (DOMS = Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). The first real experience I had with this was when I had really killed it during this specific workout that called for you to do as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in a 20 second time frame for 6 rounds of calf raises. I went all out and was feeling AMAZING until 2 days after and I could barely walk....literally. It took me a good 5 minutes just to stand up from bed and it lasted for DAYS. I had really over done it. Someone saw me waddling across a parking lot and asked me what was wrong, I explained what happened and she suggested I take a hot Epsom salt bath and the rest was history. It worked WONDERS!!! If you're ever having a sore day I highly suggest trying this out for yourself.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Now it's your turn...what are your go-to recovery strategies after a killer workout or an intense week of training?</span></strong></span></div>
Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-86594880981353420632017-05-16T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-16T06:00:11.053-05:00imprompTuesday - My Fitspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hello Friends!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Everyone typically has something that helps to inspire them and helps to keep them motivated. Something that helps them push towards their goals. This can be a person, an outfit, a sport, a specific goal, a quote, etc...really it could be anything for anyone.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Well today I wanted to share my fitspiration. The thing that has seemed to motivate me like nothing else. The thing that, frankly, I've become a bit obsessed with and I'm not even ashamed about it!</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e5oobHWQlVI/WRO60zIuclI/AAAAAAAAAb8/sfyQ6cCbZ8InUhL-zX03KN0Csae340d-wCLcB/s1600/Crossfit%2B01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e5oobHWQlVI/WRO60zIuclI/AAAAAAAAAb8/sfyQ6cCbZ8InUhL-zX03KN0Csae340d-wCLcB/s200/Crossfit%2B01.jpg" width="142" /></span></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3hc4kbx9JY/WRO60-7UVmI/AAAAAAAAAcA/PXv1JYimbnIiUTISmBmkkKTm4Cse86kWQCLcB/s1600/Froning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3hc4kbx9JY/WRO60-7UVmI/AAAAAAAAAcA/PXv1JYimbnIiUTISmBmkkKTm4Cse86kWQCLcB/s200/Froning.png" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">It's all about Crossfit for me these days. I honestly, and a bit embarrassingly, haven't started trying Crossfit myself. However, I can't seem to get enough of it. I completely nerd out by watching all the documentaries multiple times, I follow several of the elite athletes on Instagram, I follow Crossfit on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Tony (my husband) and I will watch past Crossfit recordings on YouTube from the 2016 games while we work out as motivation to push yourselves harder in our workouts. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Tony's fitspiration is really martial arts, but he kindly lets me nerd out about Crossfit and even has started nerding out with me. :-P</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I've come to know the athletes like people memorize their favorite sports teams. While I don't have any athletes that I'm not a fan of, I do have one Crossfit athlete that I tend to lean more towards then the others and that is Samantha Briggs. She is 35 and is competing in the Crossfit games along size all these 20-something year olds. As a 30, almost 31, year old myself, she truly inspires me to continue pushing myself knowing that my prime wasn't in my 20's...it's still ahead of me. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9h7601jgrjE/WRO6OSaz5TI/AAAAAAAAAbw/8_yXEH5Kk2IHGdmwcJjw7Cw0yTt9QotKwCLcB/s1600/Samantha%2BBriggs%2B01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9h7601jgrjE/WRO6OSaz5TI/AAAAAAAAAbw/8_yXEH5Kk2IHGdmwcJjw7Cw0yTt9QotKwCLcB/s320/Samantha%2BBriggs%2B01.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Tony and I haven't had a real vacation, just the two of us, since our honeymoon in 2014! So we have decided that we are saving our money to go to the Crossfit Games in 2018. We are going to nerd out and go for the full week and watch all the events and then just enjoy Wisconsin. The more I think about it, the more pumped I get.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So yes, my current Fitspiration is Crossfit and I'm so excited that I've found something that really motivates me to keep pushing myself. I will start delving into Crossfit more in the coming weeks and am excited for this new journey in my healthy lifestyle journey. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">So tell me, what inspires you? What do you consider your fitspiration?</span></strong>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-77926018148481218412017-05-15T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-15T06:00:06.496-05:00Menu Monday - Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s1600/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s200/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Happy Monday to Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">Spring time always seems to encourage even healthier eating with the extra delicious veggies and fruits that are available. I hope everyone is feeling the same way!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">This week we'll be enjoying:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Monday</span></strong>: Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Tuesday</span></strong>: Chicken Teriyaki Skewers</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Wednesday</span></strong>: Sloppy Joes</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Thursday</span></strong>: Spaghetti</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Friday</span></strong>: Simple Sesame Noodles with Pork</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Saturday</span></strong>: Left Overs</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Sunday</span></strong>: A friends wedding</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">This week I'm going to highlight another favorite of ours, Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken. Click the link below to see the recipe:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #38761d;">(I have to take a picture still...)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ay65hcdFj6E/WQ0lFuv8BuI/AAAAAAAAAa4/HpLmxtsR4PIuTlJ3kE5sXnjdK8qFkZ3vgCLcB/s1600/insert%2Bpicture%2Bhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ay65hcdFj6E/WQ0lFuv8BuI/AAAAAAAAAa4/HpLmxtsR4PIuTlJ3kE5sXnjdK8qFkZ3vgCLcB/s1600/insert%2Bpicture%2Bhere.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<strong><span style="color: #990000;">Ingredients:</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Chicken breasts (# depending on how many people you're cooking for)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Mozzarella string cheese (1 per chicken breast)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">1 - 2 garlic cloves minced</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Salt</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Basil</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Oregano</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Chili Powder</span></li>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">Directions:</span></strong><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;">Thaw your chicken breasts</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">If your chicken breasts are thick, you can cut them in half like a book leaving the very edge of one side still intact. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">If your chicken breasts are thinner, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to create a flatter surface to wrap your cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Season both sides of your chicken breast with Salt, pepper, basil, oregano and chili powder</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Spread minced garlic on one side</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Place the string cheese on top</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Roll chicken breasts and secure with tooth picks</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Check, if still slightly pink back for another 5 - 10 minutes</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">You can serve this with a side of parmesan sprinkled broccoli or asparagus. You can also make a small amount of spaghetti and serve this as your protein, whatever your preference. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Enjoy!</span>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-9088036226737795592017-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-12T06:00:15.702-05:00Fitness Friday - PictureFit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s1600/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s200/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hey Friends,</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">My Fitness Friday posts are not only to share various exercise routines, but it's also a way for me to share exercise, fitness and healthy lifestyle resources that I find very helpful.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">This week I'm going to share with you an awesome YouTube channel that my husband introduced me to, Picture Fit.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">PictureFit is a channel that breaks down health and fitness topics in a very simple and easy way to understand. He makes it fun too by utilizing dry erase boards and different colored markers to draw out what he's talking about. He does a good job of not putting his opinion into topics, but really letting the science of the body speak to what trends can be beneficial and what trends might not be the best to follow.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Here is one of the videos that he put together that I really enjoy. But I can tell you that I have a lot of favorites and watch a video or two of his every day...I'll eventually get caught up, but he does have a lot of videos to view.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xJBqbv8GRZ4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xJBqbv8GRZ4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What do you think about PictureFit? Do you have a favorite YouTube channel you enjoy watching?</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;">*Side Note* I do apologize to anyone who was expecting my step routine this week...I will PROMISE that I will put it up next week...I just have to ask my hubby to video record me. :-)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-33652745855901276002017-05-10T07:14:00.001-05:002017-05-10T11:34:46.636-05:00Weigh-in Wednesday - Workout Apparel and Mindset<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H8JpPrJoEt4VZK0jRnnyrl4O3xwzpCJfwCPcB/s1600/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEXB5ALToYE/VgxM3DOmXKI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H8JpPrJoEt4VZK0jRnnyrl4O3xwzpCJfwCPcB/s200/03%2BWeigh-in%2BWednesday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hello Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">This week I wanted to visit a topic that I had a different opinion on towards the start of my healthy lifestyle journey then I do now. The topic is, does your workout apparel affect your mindset when being active?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">When I first started my healthy lifestyle journey I would wear a t-shirt and some yoga pants. It wasn't anything special, but I'd always thought, "Why buy anything special to workout in when you're just going to get sweaty?" I couldn't understand why people would want to spend extra money on a ton of outfits for the sole purpose of working out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Well today, I definitely have a different opinion on this...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">I finally get why so many people invest in exercise clothes and lots of them for that matter. It's fun and motivating to be in outfits that make me feel strong, fit, cute and sexy. I get excited to pick out my outfit and work.it.out!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">In the past, the frumpy outfit really helped to emphasize the fact that I wasn't that excited about working out. Working out was all about something I HAD to do, not something I WANTED to do. When I finally started pushing myself to get some exercises specific outfits, my mindset really started to shift. Every girl wants to feel cute, and I can guarantee that if you invest in at least a couple outfits that are only used for working out it will help to motivate you in the gym, or wherever you are doing your activity!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">I also highly suggest that you only utilize these outfits for working out. Do not let these become your weekend lounge outfits that you throw on to be lazy. Again, this all plays into your mindset. If they start becoming your comfy clothes, when you put them on your mindset will be on wanting to veg out and not on working up a sweat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">This advice also goes for the guys out there! Guys need to have outfits that are motivating to them as well. From the feeling of showing off those muscles, lookin' good and feeling like it's helping to really emphasize your workout routine, you need to find outfits that get you excited/pumped to go to the gym. Whether it is a Rocky Balboa sweat suit or a pair of jersey shorts and sweat wicking shirt, if you have specific clothes that you only utilize for working out it helps to also get you in that mindset. It starts to become part of your ritual.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">So ladies and gentlemen, please go out and invest in some workout-specific clothing and get your sweat on. I promise, it will have such a positive effect on you in the long run!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">What are your thoughts? Do you agree, disagree? </span></strong></div>
Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-24395899200316647472017-05-08T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-08T06:00:07.948-05:00Menu Monday - Taco Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s1600/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s200/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hey All,</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">This week our family will be enjoying:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Monday</span></strong>: Taco Pizza</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Tuesday</span></strong>: Biscuits & Gravy </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Wednesday</span></strong>: Pork Stir-fry</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Thursday</span></strong>: Pork Loin w/Veggies</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Friday</span></strong>: Spaghetti</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Saturday</span></strong>: Tuna Melt Sandwiches</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Sunday</span></strong>: Mother's Day!!</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">One of our more "guilty pleasure" meals is taco pizza. It's not the worse food we could eat, but not the healthiest either. If you're looking for a meal that the kids will also enjoy, you should definitely give this one a try...</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Ingredients:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Thin crust, whole wheat pizza crust</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Shredded cheddar cheese</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1 lb ground beef or turkey</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1 chopped onion</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1 pkg low sodium taco seasoning</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Shredded lettuce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Sour Cream, optional</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Instructions</strong>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Sauté the onion and set aside when done</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Brown the ground meat</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Once the meat is browned, drain any fat</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Stir the onions into the ground beef and set aside</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Brush the pizza crust with olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Put a layer of salsa on like you would pizza sauce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Place the cooked meat on next</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Sprinkle cheese over the top and cook by the pizza crust instructions</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Once finished, place the shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes on top</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Serve with more salsa and sour cream based on preference</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Any favorite recipes you'd like to share?</span></strong></div>
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Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-19611793423099415642017-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-05T06:00:00.174-05:00Fitness Friday - My Current Weight Routine (May 2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s1600/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbfWKZ-ijYw/VgxN1mqrDKI/AAAAAAAAAHk/lQ8gsUlVOHUHMITYeor25RqCfJPVca1kACPcB/s200/05%2BFitness%2BFriday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;">Hey Everyone,</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Today I wanted to share with you my current weight routines that I do throughout the week to help give others some ideas on things they can start doing in this area, or add to the routine they are already doing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">I never was really big into weight lifting until the last year or so, I never really understood the true benefit that weight lifting has on your body...but I do now and I can't seem to get enough of it. From feeling stronger, seeing more tone to being able to challenge myself in ways that cardio exercises never could.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">If you haven't jumped on the weight lifting bandwagon, I highly suggest you give it a try. BTW, I'm not saying you have to lift heavy! Weight lifting, in my book, includes small weights, resistance bands and body weight exercises.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Ready to see what I do each week? Click below to see my Sat/Mon/Wed and Sun/Tue/Thur routines.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><u>Sat/Mon/Wed</u></strong> (3 sets):</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Bicep Curls</span></strong> - 12 reps, 12.5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Tricep Dips</span></strong> - 20 reps, using our coffee table</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Shoulder Raises</span></strong> - 12 reps, 5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Bent Over Revers Flys</span></strong> - 12 reps, 5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Weighted Squats</span></strong> - 20 reps, 15 lb vest</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Weighted Calf Raises</span></strong> - 20 reps, 15 lb vest</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Weighted Lunges</span></strong> - 10 reps per leg, holding two 12.5 lb dumbbells</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Standing Oblique's</span></strong> - 20 reps per side, 12.5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Push-ups</span></strong> - 12 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Weighted Crunches</span></strong> - 20 reps, 12.5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Chest Flys</span></strong> - 12 reps, 5 lbs</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><u>Sun/Tue/Thur</u></strong> (3 sets):</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Back Leg Raises</span></strong> - 20 reps per leg</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Side Leg Raises</span></strong> - 20 reps per leg</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Plié Squats</span></strong> - 20 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Plié Squat Pulses</span></strong> - 20 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">On the Floor, Ab Routine</span></strong>:</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 oblique crunches to the left</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 regular crunches</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 oblique crunches to the right</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 regular crunches</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 oblique crunches to the left</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 regular crunches</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 oblique crunches to the right</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">10 full sit-ups</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Chin-ups</span></strong> - 3 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Pull-ups</span></strong> - 3 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Negative Chin-ups</span></strong> - 3 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Negative Pull-ups</span></strong> - 3 reps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Plank</span></strong> 20 - 30 seconds</span></li>
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<span style="color: #990000;">I have been increasing my reps first and then will switch to increasing weight. For example, I had been bicep curling 10 lbs for 15 reps. When I moved up to the 12.5 lbs I started at 10 reps, have moved to 12 reps and will then move to 15 reps before upping to the next weight and restating at 10 reps. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">My full routine is to do one set of my cardio stepping routine followed by a set of weights and repeat that for three rounds. Doing my full program will give me a 1 hour and 15 minute workout and it feels SOOOOOOOOOO good. It's awesome coming out of my workouts with sweat dripping, heart beating and just the sheer feeling of accomplishment.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Next week I will share with you my stepping routine since I've been talking to people about it for YEARS yet haven't shared any video footage of it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Now tell me about yourself, what do your weekly/daily weight routines look like? Any suggestions on how to make mine more beneficial?</span></strong>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-27225478984016212942017-05-02T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-02T15:13:29.029-05:00imprompTuesday - Transformation Tuesday (Part Two)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcms6KKfPGnK7fw9FTs7Og9ACPcB/s1600/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HwR7IJfHXg/VgxMw5zJ6YI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ywbeMXbrQPcms6KKfPGnK7fw9FTs7Og9ACPcB/s200/02%2BimprompTuesday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Hello Everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">I hope that you are all having a great start to your May so far and are staying warm (especially in areas that have been getting snow at a very unusual time)!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">A very happy coincidence happened this weekend and I wanted to share with everyone ANOTHER awesome celebration. On April 30, 2016 I took a video of my chin-up and pull-up progress. On Sunday, April 30, I asked my husband to take some video of my chin-up and pull-up progress without even realizing that it was literally one year later. How crazy is that??!! I decided that it was a sign that I should share this awesome progress with you all.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Check out my progress videos:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mp56nQX72xs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mp56nQX72xs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">April 30, 2017:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e0ymati65dw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e0ymati65dw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #38761d;">(If you missed my first Transformation Tuesday post, you can check that out </span><a href="http://delightinlifestyleprogression.blogspot.com/2017/04/impromptuesday-9-transformation-tuesday.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;">HERE</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;">.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">You can tell that my form is a lot better in the more recent video and I have the stamina to do three sets of three for both chin-ups and pull-ups now using the pull-up assist. In the past I was lucky to get one rep of each using the assist.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">I'm still trying to progress to actually being able to do a full chin-up and pull-up without using the assist, but I still have a lot further to go. This is definitely where it tests my mental stamina because I can easily psych myself out. Here are a few tips that I have for anyone who wants to master these movements:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Invest in a pull-up assist band</span></strong> - This has been CRUCIAL in me getting started on this adventure. It helps me to work on my form while also starting to build the correct muscles that will help me get to the point that I'm doing this on my own. We have the </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/P90X-Chin-up-Max-Pull-up-Assist/dp/B005DA64QG" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">P90X Chin-up Max</span></a><span style="color: #cc0000;"> because it was what Dick's Sporting Goods had and love it! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Work on Negative Pull-ups and Chin-ups</span></strong> - This is when you stop at the top of your pull-up or chin-up and then as slow as possible, lower yourself down. I typically put a chair right by our bar, get into the position, tense my muscles and then lower myself down. When I first started, I almost dropped to the ground...try not to do that. LOL. <br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gbPURTSxQLY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gbPURTSxQLY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Increase your Lifting Weight</span></strong> - You can't expect to lift your body weight if you continue to use light weights and resistance bands during your workouts. Increase your weight gradually. I started at 5 lb weights, moved up to 8 and then 10 and now I'm lifting 12 lbs for my bicep curls. Slow and steady wins the race.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Don't Compare Yourself</span></strong> - If you're at the gym and you see a ton of other people doing pull-ups and chin-ups easily, don't let yourself get psyched out. You need to focus on yourself and your own journey instead of comparing yourself. The more you compare yourself the higher chance you have of giving up...remember, everyone had to start somewhere. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Stay Consistent & Don't.Give.Up</span> </strong>- Remember, practice makes perfect. You can't get better at something you don't work at in some degree. Work on strengthening yourself with weights, body weight exercise and practicing the pull-up/chin-up and you'll get there. It's going to take time so don't give up...please, it's such an amazing feeling when you start seeing the strives you're making over time.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Does anyone have any other tips or tricks? Are there any physical exercises that you're pushing yourself towards?</span></strong></div>
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Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-88062682578466456552017-05-01T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-02T15:12:40.923-05:00Menu Monday - Roasted Shrimp and Veggies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s1600/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOWxKTT0mTA/VgxMlym4MXI/AAAAAAAAAHE/9CiSiN-WilkNYkHw_0pstsFSLv1sP50HACPcB/s200/01%2BMenu%2BMonday.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;">This week our family will be enjoying:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Monday</strong>: Thai Peanut Butter Burgers</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Tuesday</strong>: Grilled Caprese Sandwiches</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Wednesday</strong>: Sloppy Joe Corn Bread Casserole</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Thursday</strong>: Roasted Shrimp and Veggies with Rice</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Friday</strong>: Chicken Cordon Blu Roll-ups</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Saturday</strong>: Taco Burgers with Guacamole</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Sunday</strong>: Left Overs</span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">This week I'd like to share with you a recipe that Tony and I discovered through Facebook. The original recipe had a vinaigrette lime dressing and you put the shrimp and veggies over a salad. However, due to the lack of calories we decided to put it over rice and get rid of the vinaigrette lime dressing because the seasoning on the veggies and shrimp were just right.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ingredients:</span></strong></div>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 C Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 C Carrots, Shredded</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 C Yellow Bell Pepper, Diced</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 C Red Onion, Diced</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 C Asparagus, Diced</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 lb Shrimp</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Olive Oil</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Chili Powder</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Oregano</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Salt</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Lime Juice</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 - 4 C Brown Rice (depending on if you want 1/2 C or 1 C serving per person)</span></li>
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Directions:</span></strong><br />
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees F</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Add cut veggies to a lined baking sheet</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Bake veggies for 10 minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Split veggies in half and move them a part to place the shrimp in a single layer</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Lastly sprinkle with lime juice.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Bake for an additional 5 - 8 minutes, until shrimp is fully cooked. Be careful to not overcook.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cut the veggies and shrimp into four servings and serve over brown rice. Make sure to drizzle some of the juices over the top to really encompass all the flavor from the olive oil and seasonings.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">If you give this recipe a shot, please let me know what you thought and if you made any tweaks!!</span>Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122361847118037824.post-43131956662179822972017-04-28T06:00:00.000-05:002017-05-02T15:12:32.565-05:00Fitness Friday - Improved Physical and Mental Stamina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">This week has become a week of celebrations and today's celebration really helps to reinforce a point that I made in a previous post about variety in your workouts. You see, I'm not a big runner, but I do enjoy going out and challenging myself to a wog (walk/jog) to just see how my training is going in my overall fitness/stamina. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">So today was one of those days, I just felt this need to run. I went out to the track near our house and just started to jog. The entire time I kept thinking, "If I could just make it to XYZ location, I will let myself walk for a little bit." Then it became, "Well, I'm feeling pretty good...so let's go one more lap." And then another and another. I just couldn't believe that I kept jogging without stopping. Since mile 1 was partially walked from my house to the track, I decided if I could just run one full mile without stopping it would give me an accurate picture of how fast I could now run a mile.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Here is what I found out...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Not only has my physical stamina improved significantly but so has my mental stamina. Where in the past I would have let my mind trick me into thinking I couldn't continue, I kept pushing myself forward. On top of that, I ran (well jogged) longer than I ever have in my life and at the fastest (in consistency) min/mile then I ever have as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Admittedly, tonight I obsessively stalked my MapMyFitness account to find a time that I had a min/mile as low as this one and the only one that came close was back in May 2013!!!!!!!!!! All others were 11:20+/mile! Check this out:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">May 2013 (Avg. Pace: 11:04, Best Lap: 10:19):</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2R44Bc6U7s/WQLAI2dCmAI/AAAAAAAAAZk/A9ouVUzi1vsBgrRy89-pO0jH5BSc4BwPgCEw/s1600/May%2B2013%2BRoute.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2R44Bc6U7s/WQLAI2dCmAI/AAAAAAAAAZk/A9ouVUzi1vsBgrRy89-pO0jH5BSc4BwPgCEw/s400/May%2B2013%2BRoute.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">April 2017 (Avg. Pace: 10:41, best lap 10:18):</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZKM6tgaMGM/WQLAKNL29aI/AAAAAAAAAZo/EUdDNWf68hgwNdmZz-Hu-I85W143RnVngCLcB/s1600/April%2B2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZKM6tgaMGM/WQLAKNL29aI/AAAAAAAAAZo/EUdDNWf68hgwNdmZz-Hu-I85W143RnVngCLcB/s400/April%2B2017.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">The largest difference between 2013 and now is that at that time I was wogging on a consistent basis. That was primarily the only exercise I was doing and I didn't have the right mindset to really push myself on a daily basis. Now I do weight lifting and stepping and really give it my all during each workout. I do about 45 minutes of stepping and 30 minutes of weight training 6-7 days a week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">So back to my point at the beginning of this post...even though I don't jog on a regular basis (the last time I jogged was <strong><u>April 2016</u></strong>, not kidding), I'm still able to do it from time to time and see the improvements in my physical and mental stamina. :-D</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Check out my "</span><a href="http://delightinlifestyleprogression.blogspot.com/2015/10/weigh-in-wednesday-2-switch-things-up.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Switch it Up</span></a><span style="color: #cc0000;">" post to read my thoughts on making sure to switch up your regular routine from time to time. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><br />Delight In Lifestyle Progressionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12945456797989360748noreply@blogger.com0