Hello! How was your weekend (Note: I meant to post this yesterday, just roll with it for me ok? Thanks)? I went to bed on Sunday feeling very rejuvenated, grateful and hot (it’s 104 here!). We stayed local and enjoyed all the activities around us, which was nice for a change. Saturday was spent on the lake, speeding around on a jet ski. It felt so nice to be back on the water- where I grew up. I will always be a lake girl at heart. I ventured over to Napa on Sunday to bike through the rolling hills with a friend. My legs appreciated the inclines and my eyes enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It’s amazing how much more you notice your surroundings when on foot or bike. Sunday ended with a delicious dinner, an ice cream run and the Game of Thrones season finale.
We have both been traveling so much, together and apart, that our weekly meal plan has been neglected. When Kevin leaves, I revert back to eating a veggie mush or eggs every night for dinner as a way to make sure we use everything in the fridge. As much as he tolerates and mostly enjoys the vegetables I make for us, the fridge’s leftover vegetable scraps aren’t necessarily his jam. Since we have a break from traveling, I was able to meal plan and even do some prep for this week! It felt wonderful to get back into the swing of things.
This Week’s Grub
- Sunday: Grilled zucchini taco boats (recipe coming soon!)
- Monday: Red snapper fish tacos with a mango salsa + corn
- Tuesday: Grilled sausage + corn, cucumber and cauliflower salad
- Wednesday: Picnic in the Park (Farmer’s market, live music & food vendors=Night off from cooking!)
- Thursday: Chinese chicken salad
- Friday: Pizza night! It’s our current weekly themed meal and has been quite fun!
I’ve been doing more HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts recently, because they are more time efficient. Research shows that if you really push and perform this method correctly (you should be going all out) you get the same positive health benefits in a fraction of the time as moderate-intensity (ex: steady state cardio) exercise. I also like that you are constantly switching exercises and get more variety in your workout. However, if you haven’t been regularly physically active, I don’t recommend jumping right into this type of exercise at 100% effort. Take things slower and listen to your body, then slowly increase the intensity.
HIIT Bodyweight Workout
30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest between exercises, 1 minute rest between rounds X 3-4 rounds. There are links for some of the exercises!
Tip: To ensure that I am truly pushing myself, I like to set a goal before each exercise. If I meet that goal, I keep going and set my goal higher for the next round. If I don’t meet it, I just try harder the next round.
- Push-Ups (get that chest to the floor!)
- Floor touch jump squats– focus on sitting your hips back and landing softly
- Crossover mountain climbers
- Push-Up to side plank
- Switch lunges
- Hollow rocks
- Shoulder taps
- Skaters
- Plank jacks
- Jumping jack toe touches
Try it and let me know what you think!!
lowering the bar 
Shantilley, Everything looks delicious – I can’t wait to try the Chinese Chicken Salad. Also, including the exercise links for your workout is really helpful – thank you!
LikeLike