Never skip a Monday!

I firmly believe that every person that is devoted to being fit should follow a couple rules as much as they can: 1) Never skip a Monday and 2) Never go longer than three days without some kind of workout. I would have to say that nine out of ten mornings my alarm goes off at 5:04 and I absolutely dread working out. I prep my coffee maker the night before, so that all I have to do is sleepily hit the brew switch and get comfy on the couch while I wait for it to brew. Some days it seems crazy to get up so early with nothing to do but wait until 6 am for my workout, but by the time 5:30 rolls around I truly appreciate my little quiet space with a cup of coffee and my time for Pinterest and Facebook!

I follow Chris and Heidi Powell on Facebook and Instagram and if Pinterest doesn't offer me the motivation boost or workout ideas for the day, I can usually count on one of them posting something great. This morning was no let down, they had both posted their partner workout from this weekend which included some snatch work and then a 20 minute As Many Rounds As Possible with one partner doing weighted lunges and the other running a 400 m sprint. So, that's what I decided to do! 

Post shoulder surgery and my fifth dislocation, I have decided that I will NEVER do another snatch. It's just not a movement that I will die without, but I do love some good power cleans. I've been working at about 60% of my previous normal weight for cleans, which feels good and doesn't make my shoulder feel to crunchy or uncomfortable, this comes out to just shy of 70 pounds. I wish I had more on there, but for now, that's what I need to get work done and keep my shoulder from killing me. Sometimes, you just have to trust your instincts when it comes to the weights you choose! The reason I jump from shoulder press to bicep curls to bent over rows is because a) I wanted to work on my upper body and b) the shoulder presses were super uncomfortable and I hadn't quite decided what my goals were for the morning! It was enough to get me feeling good before the meat of the workout...

I did the lunges with 50 pounds on the bar and man, that was a crazy idea. By the end, I was losing balance because my legs were so dead from the sprints! The lunges slowed me down, but I tried to make sure every sprint was at or above 7 miles per hour. I had just enough time before physical therapy to roll out my legs and get ready for the day! Let me know if you give this one a try, it's a scorcher! 

Cool Weather Wishlist

I am so in love with the new clothes that Carter's has in for the cooler weather! We have always shopped for Ryker there because we get so much bang for our buck, those coupons they give you on your receipt are so tricky! Nonetheless, here are some of my favorites for when the weather decides to stay with being chilly, and not be in the 60's one day and the high 70's the next! Come on, sweater weather! 

1. Vest 2. Handsome Sweat Set

3. Boots 4. Toggle Cardigan Set 5. Trail shoes

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Ever since we got a legit crock pot as a gift I have been doing my best to make as many meals as possible using it. Crock pot meals are just so convenient and anything you make in there typically tastes better and better as left overs. Today, I have a ton of work to do for my final projects for my Strength and Conditioning course and my Topics in Sports and Health Sciences, so our dinner is cooking away for the next eight hours. Tonight will be taco night, starring Salsa Chicken! It is super easy and you can make a ton of left overs for taco salads and chicken to use with eggs for throughout the week. Here's the quick throw together idea:

We always buy our chicken from Whole Foods in the giant packs because you get a discount for buying more than three pounds at a time! I just dumped a whole package in the crock pot. You could probably add another pound or so for weekly food prep, just be sure to mix it up so that it cooks evenly. 

We also get out diced tomatoes from Whole Foods, I got a giant can of their diced tomatoes and just poured the whole can in, no need to drain. 

I love the Salsa Verde from WF, it's perfect with eggs, as a salad dressing or just with chips. I poured about a cup over the diced tomatoes. 

Then, I added two tablespoons of chopped garlic, about a tablespoon of chili powder, and then 5 drops or so of liquid smoke. The liquid smoke helps to make it taste like you grilled everything first, it is really helpful with BBQ chicken also! I normally would add a hefty dose of cumin, but I'm out today. I would add about a tablespoon as well if you have some. 

And there you go! Just let it hang out it there for about six hours and serve over greens as a salad or use it for tacos! I think we will be giving the wraps from Against All Grain a shot. Now, back to my homework!

Behavior Modification

Part of my work for this week was to investigate various research studies on behavior modification within the health and wellness realm. There is so much interesting research out there and the different ways in which people have attempted to be successful at leading people in the right direction! 

Behavior modification practices are a major portion of a successful program that leads someone on the right direction towards health and wellness. Generally, when working with a new client, a trainer or coach is presented with the task of trying to alter a lifetime of poor eating choices and a lack of fitness or activity. Having behavior modification tools at their disposal can assist a trainer or coach in designing a lifestyle with their client that is both successful and sustainable.

In Korea, a study looked at whether or not SMS text messages and information brochures were effective at influencing a weight loss program. 433 participants completed a 12 week program. Throughout the program they received text messages with information about diet, exercise and behavior modification techniques once a week. Following the 12 week program, the participants filled out a survey, majority of the participants indicated that the weekly informative text messages were satisfying and helpful, indicating that these types of campaigns may be helpful when implemented on a large scale. (Joo and Kim, 2007)

Researchers in Australia recently spent time looking at the effects of cognitive bias modification in order to trigger adaptive behaviors in regards to health. The study cited the general lack of concern that is sometimes seen in large populations when it comes to health risks and aimed at understanding if inciting worry may help influence people to make better health decisions. Participants were given a questionnaire to analyze situational anxiety and dispositional anxiety, along with a worry questionnaire. They were also given interpretation bias training, which aimed at triggering either positive or negative responses for ambiguous situations, followed by a filler task to try and attenuate any biased emotions following the training and then shown a video about melanoma. Behavioral assessments and another questionnaire were then used to gauge the effect of the video. The researchers found that influencing a positive interpretation bias actually led to more worry when watching the video, indicating that the positive bias may have actually led to adaptive worry and action rumination. The results went against the researchers hypothesis, and there is still plenty of research to be done on the effects of these types of campaigns. (Notebaert et al, 2014)

In summary, there are a number of ways that you can incite behavior modifications, from reminder messages, sending out information, and even trying to scare them into more positive behavior. Human behavior and psychology is a huge, always changing topic and it can be extremely difficult to try and nail down a solution that will equally affect a population. Continued research can help form a campaign that provides various methods to try and incite positive health changes!

Is there anything in particular that has helped you continue on the road towards positive changes? Do you think that something like a text messaging campaign or regular check ins via email would be helpful for you or do you need face to face interaction to remain accountable? 

References:

Joo, N., & Kim, B. (2007). Mobile phone short message service messaging for behaviour modification in a community-based weight control programme in Korea. Journal Of Telemedicine And Telecare, 13(8), 416-420.

Notebaert, L., Chrystal, J., Clarke, P. F., Holmes, E. A., & MacLeod, C. (2014). When We Should Worry More: Using Cognitive Bias Modification to Drive Adaptive Health Behaviour. Plos ONE, 9(1), 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0085092

A Perfect Wednesday

I had asked for today off so that I could write my ten page research paper for my Motor Control and Learning course. I got up earlier than I had planned, but got to see Vic off, looking all sexy in his suit. He had a breakfast meeting this morning, put together by his department at ODU with a bunch of local executives for some networking. Since he's such a badass at ODU he gets to hang out with all the cool kids, talk to CEO's and bank managers and create some great connections. Getting up to see him off meant I had nearly two hours to sip my coffee before Ryker got up. That was just a little bit before Jayme got here and I locked myself into my room to start my paper.

About five pages into my paper the power went out. Ryker went down for a nap and I let Jayme head out since no power meant no research to be done. Luckily, my recumbent bike has battery power, so I jumped on there and got in a good seven and a half miles before Vic got home to tell me all about his morning and then head back out.

Every now and then I will hear crazy people say things like "ugh, I could never take that much time off work and stay home" (that was in reference to maternity leave or the convalescent leave I got after my shoulder surgery) or "I would never want to work from home or be a stay at home Mom, I'd go crazy". Well, this is my happy. I got to make my son's breakfast this morning and hang out while he finished. I didn't have to get up at 5 am to workout, I was able to fit it in when I was actually excited to work out. And guess what? I just might do my lifting later! Two separate workouts in one day, what?!

I made a beautiful omelette for lunch with fresh spinach and got to eat it warm out of the pan, not heated up in a dingy microwave at work, in Tupperware that has to be on its last plastic leaching leg. The sink is empty of dirty dishes, my windows are open and I'm able to see the rain storm instead of spending all day in a building with no windows, where I have to escape to the smoking section to get a breath of fresh (cigarette smoke filled) air.

When I was a kid, I always dreamed of being a powerful business woman. Other girls wanted to be a princess, I dreamt of being Barbara Walters (no joke, ask my mom, I was obsessed). Today, I want to be around. That does't necessarily mean I want to never work. I just want to be available. I want to take care of my family. I want options. I know, I know, everyone does, sometimes you have to suck it up and make do. Well, here's to hoping that as Vic and I start a different chapter with the end of school and the military next year that we can each find a way to go about our days feeling happy and fulfilled. I'm learning that some sacrifices that come with not getting a high paying job are totally worth it and we're starting to get used to that idea more and more.

It's time to eat my warm omelette and get the baby up from his nap, there is nothing like the smile you get when you rescue him from his crib after a good nap. I'm excited for us to share a week day lunch and listen to the rain and wait for Daddy to get home. I've got dinner simmering on the stove, pumpkin chili, it always turns out so good and it will be perfectly comforting for this drizzly day!

Boobs. Yep....boobs.

Here's a new kind of post! So, as my last year in the Navy has started I'm making sure to tie up any loose ends now, as far as health care is concerned, so that I don't have to worry about anything crazy popping up later that I didn't know about. This doesn't mean I'm trying to find random ailments or anything, just want to make sure any possible dental issues are good, skin cancer recheck (another thing I forgot to reschedule after a surgery, whoops...) my physical therapy is successful and stuff like that. On that note, I went to the plastic surgeon at the Naval Hospital a week or so ago. Yep, plastic surgery. I got my boobs done back in 2007. I met my doctor one day after some fairly extensive Google searching and in all of my 20 year old wisdom I decided to sign up for a surgery later that week. Don't get me wrong, I made sure my family knew what was up and he wasn't some hack doctor, but I probably could have spent more time on the issue. I like what he did, so that worked out nicely, but...

Did you know you're supposed to get those suckers checked out via MRI every two years? Probably would have been good information to have, right? It's been seven years and until that appointment this month there has been zero medical attention paid to my boobs. I went in there because one feels like it wants to check out the surrounding area, movin' around a bit, so I figured it would probably be a good idea to see what was up. That's when I was informed that apparently that one isn't even the one that they would be concerned about looking at via MRI, the other one is. Great. Moral of the story...boob jobs aren't a set it and forget it kind of deal, you need to get them checked more often than you think!

Other things to get covered before I'm out, I've got to go to the Navy's "how to get out of the Navy and not wind up in the employment line" class. I've heard good and bad things about it. I'm still in Physical Therapy twice a week for my neck and my shoulder, turns out my surgery recovery has been all wonky because I'm out of whack from the feet up. Good news is, they're figuring out and I'm on the mend. I've never been so uncomfortable before. I'm not sure if I'm noticing the pain because it's new or if it has always been there and all of the physical therapy is teaching me to notice little things like that. I do get a kick out of using what I learn in school in my PT, I love talking to the girls about how everything works!

Speaking of school, I've got way too much work to do tomorrow in too little time. Three classes may not have been the best idea, but now I'm almost half way done with my graduate degree in six months!

Fall Bucket List

Since we have a little less than a week until the start of Fall (September 22!) I thought I would put together a little Fall Bucket List of activities that I am oh so excited for! So, let's get rollin' with some sweater wearin', pumpkin eaten' activities! 

1. The Pumpkin Patch of course! We went to Hunt Club Farms here in Virginia Beach last weekend to try out the Petting Zoo. We've gone there for years for pumpkins and mums and their haunted hay rides, but it was so fun getting to see our toddling guy wander over to goats and laugh his little butt off when they ate feed out of his hand. I can't wait to have him help us pick out some colorful pumpkins and mums for our favorite decorations! I really love the green and pink speckled pumpkins and the itsy bitsy ones, too cute! 

2. Find an Apple Orchard, pick our own snacks. Much to my happiness, Ryker has been an apple slice fiend lately. Heck, he took an entire apple out of my lunch box a few weeks ago, sat down on the kitchen floor and ate 75% of the thing, just chomping away! He probably would have eaten it all, but him and Sam (our Bernese Mountain Dog) have some "I take a bite, you take a bite" thing going on and Ryker fed him the last portion of the apple like a good friend. I've been warned about dogs and apple seeds, gotta keep an eye out for that. But, I digress....I really want to go pick some apples! Luckily, my good friend Google gave me information on a couple of farms and orchards up in Williamsburg that offer all sorts of fun and I can't wait to take them up on it!

3. Burn, Baby, Burn! A.K.A., use our fire pit. I don't remember when we bought our fire pit, sometime in the last year or so, but I do know that we haven't used it nearly enough, maybe like three or four times? I'm hoping that maybe Ryker is old enough to sit on our laps and hang out, or maybe I will just move his high chair outside so he can hang out, or better yet- we'll put him to bed and then light up the fire pit with our Apple Pie Moonshine and Apple Cider, yum! 

4. Hike ALL the hikes. Some people look forward to summer for activity. Our family, with two outrageously hairy mountain dogs and a husband that would be happy as an eskimo, need Fall and Winter to roll around to be caught outside being active. I love the colder seasons for outdoor runs, hiking at First Landing and other state parks and just being outside in general. I'm a sweatshirt and leg gins kind of girl, if I don't want to sweat that means I need cool weather! We've got First Landing routes down to a science, now it's time to start investigating a few other parks. We tried one new one last year, I say we try at least two new parks this year! 

5. Camp, like with a toddler...I mean it! I know my husband is rolling his eyes at this one because the idea of sharing a tent with our toddler sounds insane, but I have faith that if my good friend Lauren can get their adorable little guy to do it, we can too! There are a few campsites on the beach that are within 15 minutes of home, so worst case scenario we come home! I vote yes on this one, I'll let you know for sure if it ever ends up happening. Even I think its a relatively bad idea, but one I want to attempt. 

6. Farmer's Market. Another outdoor activity that just hasn't happened and I'm hoping we will be able to pull ourselves out of the house before the close up shop in November. There is one near one of our favorite breakfast spots, maybe that will help our success. I've been to the Farmer's Market in Santa Barbara, when I was in college there, and it was AMAZING. 

7. Find costumes for the Wicked 10k. This is the last year that I get to run the Wicked 10k, since we are planning to move out of the area next year, so I really want to run it in costume with Ryker in his stroller. I started looking online and found a really cute set of Miss Piggy and Kermit, I'm so excited to get all dressed up with him! Now to find Vic a costume too...

8. Make so many pots of pumpkin, bacon chili. I promise to post the recipe, it is SO good. Posting a recipe really just means that I'll have to pay attention to what I do with it, because I basically throw some random spices in with two cans of pumpkin puree, ground beef, chopped bacon and two tablespoons or so of bacon grease and some spinach. Oh man, it is amazing. I usually make a giant pot at the beginning of the week and then take it for lunch forever. 

9. Scary movie marathon. Every year, there are a few movies that Vic insists on watching: Silence of the Lambs and the associated movies and one year he got me to agree to watch Paranormal Activity. Worst. Idea. Ever. I was terrified for weeks and this was when he was still in the Navy and would have to leave me home alone. The Silence of the Lambs doesn't bother me, but I'm thinking that this year I get to use Ryker as a reason to add in some of the more kid friendly Halloween movies! 

10. And finally....carve pumpkins! We've never actually gotten around to carving our pumpkins, even though we have all the necessary carving stuff! So, this year I am excited to do that and maybe let Ryker make a huge mess of pulling the pumpkin cuts out and maybe I'll even roast some pumpkin seeds! 

15 days until Fall

If you have ever been to our house before, you know that Vic would like us to keep it like an igloo. During the summer, I am most successful at keeping it at a reasonable temperature, we compromise at 70 degrees to keep our bill from being over $300 during Virginia's ridiculous summer. Some days, the cool house is a blessing, most of them it means that I am in sweat pants and a sweater, with socks and Ugg slippers, sipping tea trying to stay warm. Today, on this first Sunday of the NFL season, we decided to play with our cold house and pretend that it was fall!

We made it to the grocery store bright and early this morning, we walked in at about 9:15 (that's early for a Sunday!) and we sat down in Whole Foods' little restaurant, The Porch, and had a great breakfast and mimosas. Vic had a huge breakfast, I left hungry because our little guy ate half of my breakfast burrito, taking bites that blow my mind because where does he put all that food? We've been making a point to only buy exactly what we need for a week, no more getting excited about stocking up, and it has really helped keep our bill down. Our food budget still rivals our mortgage, but we are getting better at keeping it down. We decided to shop for week 6 of the meal plan in Danielle Walker's newest cook book, you can find it here. I'm obsessed with it and super stoked for this week's dinners. We were able to get ground beef, steak, chicken and all the needed produce for just over $200, keeping us under our $250 budget. Don't have a heart attack, that makes our lunches, too! I've also decided to participate in meatless Monday's which is helping our meat supply not diminish so quickly. Today we made football buffalo chicken bites that turned out amazing, you should totally google her recipe.

Before I started cooking today, I ran out to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get our favorite Fall Yankee Candles to get the house smelling like the upcoming season. I just can't help it, with football being on today, it is totally Fall, whether or not it doesn't start until late September! I went a little crazy and got two giant candles and let me tell you, our house smells AMAZING. After our football meal, a day of playing cards and watching the Bears lose (damn it!), we settled in with some hot apple cider with a shot of Firefly Apple Pie Moonshine. We got the moonshine while we were on our Southern Vacation this last March and have barely touched it. Thank goodness, because it was meant to be served in cider and it is amazing. You really should be jealous, and I'd invite you to have some, but I don't want to run out of the moonshine too quickly!

Ryker is a walking monster, literally, he's half monster. He's into everything, and he whistles! The kid walks around purposely whistling. A story about whistling...Vic loves to whistle. He's a whistling machine. So is my little brother. I hate whistling. It might be the most annoying sound ever. I can appreciate it in a song, but just around the house drives me nuts. But, now that my little guy can whistle I think it's pretty cute. Vic is literally whistling that "I got one less problem without ya" song right now. Ugh.

Well, there's a minute and forty two seconds left in the San Francisco/Dallas game, and my Fantasy team is getting killed. Time to put the kiddo to bed, have a good night!