The Boy Next Door

Happy Monday!  In my "work week" this is actually my Thursday :-) Tomorrow after work, I head back to Wisconsin where I will spend the next 5 days.  I'm happy because I'll get a break from my regular 9-5 and I'll get to spend time with my mom + friends, but also sad because I won't get to see my boys all week :-/ A few skype dates will be in order. 

Speaking of boys, guess who just moved in next door? 

  

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That's right my friends, I now share a backyard with the hottest guy on the block :-) This will come in handy, when I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store for dinner (like tonight).  I can't wait to explore!

I'm jumping back on the Say It Do it wagon.  This week will be a little crazy with not being at home, but I'm determined to make it work.

Monday: 3 mi run w/hubs + upper body & core
Tuesday: Bar Method
Wednesday:Turbofire workout + run
Thursday: Air Force fit test (goal is to beat last year's scores)
Friday:Run 3 miles
Saturday: Bar Method DVD
Sunday: Rest

I'm off to do some grocery shopping, work out with my hubs and pack for WI! Have a good night :-)

My Green Weekend, Wieners & SIDI for the Week

This past Friday, I completed my last long run before my 1/2 marathon this Saturday (EEK!)  10 miles.  It wasn't the easiest, but I'm glad it's behind me.  In my opinion, the hardest part about running a half marathon, is the training.  Once race day is here, it's a completely different feeling. A high that only 13.1 miles can provide. 

On Saturday, my mom rolled into town, just for the day.  We brunched at a new place in Wicker Park called Prasino. Prasino means "green" in Greek.  I picked out this restaurant because they are a gluten-free friendly restaurant (my mom can't have gluten) & it was a healthy brunch option.  My mom had a delicous looking omlet and I had the French eggs benedict and a kombucha mimosa.  The eggs benedict was okay, but a little bit salty for my taste because of the ham.  The drink was very tasty! I wanted another one. 

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I love venturing around the different neighborhoods of Chicago.  I don't get to the Bucktown/Wicker Park area as often as I'd like to.  But when we're ready to purchase a home, LC and I have pretty much decided, that this is where we'd want to live.  After brunch, we walked around and went into some little shops.  One of my favorites we went into was Green Heart.  They're a fair trade shop and they have awesome stuff! Jewelry, clothes, home goods, etc.  If you're unfamiliar with Fair Trade, look it up *here*.  It's a pretty amazing way to help out communities.  The gist of Green Heart is they sell handcrafted goods made by people from all over the world.  The workers are all volunteers & the money goes back to helping that community from which the item came.  I bought a supercute bracelet from India for $10!  If you're in the Chicago area, definitely stop by.  

      

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After brunching & walking around, we went back to my apartment and relaxed a little bit before my mom left to go back to WI.  Oliver & I love when she comes to visit, and we're both in agreement that her visits are always too short.   

On Sunday, I went to my happy place, and boy did it feel great :-) Especially after my 10 mile run on Friday.  

Yesterday, hubs treated me to my first ever Superdawg experience!  I've lived here for over 3 years, and have never had Superdawg.  This year, I put it on my Summer 2011 to do list and we finally got to it yesterday.  The concept of it is a lot of fun.  It's a drive-in where they bring the food to your car :-) The hotdog was good, but I've had better in Chicago.   

Last but not least, I've hopped back on the "Say It, Do It" train.  So here's this week's workout line-up. 

Monday: Rest day (aka-very busy day!)

Tuesday: Run 4 miles + abs

Wednesday: Run 3 miles + upper body

Thursday: Run 2 miles

Friday: REST!

Saturday:Lake Country 1/2 Marathon!!

Sunday: Rest :-) & enjoy Carried Underwood at Ravina, thanks hubs! 

I hope everyone's having a great week so far! I'll be back tomorrow with my 2nd "Wedding Wednesday" post. You can read the first one *here*.

LC's Tough Mudder Recap + SIDI for the Week

Sorry this posting is a day late, but I hung out with my parents all day on their boat yesterday & the time just got away from me :-) It was a glorious way to end the weekend and I didn't want to leave.  We didn't get back to Chicago until after 9pm, and after sunning & swimming all afternoon, I was beat.  But not as beat as this guy...

Hubs had his tough mudder race on Saturday and he completed it like a champ :-) I'm not going to lie, I had my doubts about him finishing only because this race sounded so intense & the night before, we were laying in bed and I asked him when the last time was that he ran 10 miles.  He told me 8 or 9 years ago...EEK!   

We woke up EARLY Saturday morning to get ready and drive up to Devil's Head in WI.  We got on the road at 4:30 a.m. and guess what...there was a traffic jam!  At 4:30AM!!!! To be honest, I was not the least bit surprised...it's Chicago.  But we later found out that the highways had standing water and there was a part of the highway that was closed all together.  Needless to say, we made in there just in time for LC to start his race.  

Pretty much, he had to complete run/walk/ crawl :-) 10 miles and complete 25 obstacles.  I tried to make it to as many obstacles as I could, but being a spectactor at these things are no joke.  One, I definitely wore the wrong kind of shoes.  My old school Adidas flip flops are shot :-(  And two, the maps were not helpful at all.  I pretty much just walked around, asked the people what obstacle # it was and waited for him to show up. (Tough mudder, get better maps and some guides out there to direct you on where to go.)

This was obstacle #10.  But the first one that I saw him at.  I was so happy to see him alive & not hurt.  And I'm pretty sure he was happy to see me :-) 

  (No thanks buddy, we'll save the hugs for later.)

Some of the obstacles included runnning through walls of fire (so mad that I missed this), climbing up a wall, carrying logs, jumping into pools of ice water, low crawling through barbed wire in the mud, and last but  running through yellow tenticles that had electrcity running through them.  Most people made it out of that unharmed, but hubs was not so lucky.  He got shocked with a BIG one and, therefore, fell into the mud.  This was the very last obstacle and why he looks so dirty compared to everyone else...

I think he's still feeling the effects of that shock!

After they finished the race, they got a beer, a clean t-shirt and those groovy sweatbands :-) Oh, and a facebook badge that says you complete Tough Mudder.  He keeps asking me to do it with him next year, but I told him the ONLY way he could get me to do it is if we get to do the one London or Syndey Australia ;-) If I'm going to put myself through that kind of punishment I want a sweet vacation out of it, or at least a medal :-)  The money went to a great cause & I was just so happy he finished successfully AND injury- free.

So below is this week's Say it Do It.  I saw one of my BFF's for a bit yesterday and she roped me into doing a 1/2 marathon with her.  It's her first one and I thought it would be nice if she had a buddy to run it with her.  Did I mention that it's over Labor Day weekend? 6 weeks to go, so I better get running! I also got my turbo fire DVDs in the mail.  So far I LOVE them.  They're so much fun :-)

Monday: Fire 30 + Stretch 10

Tuesday: Run 4 miles + Turbofire workout

Wednesday: Run 2 miles + Bar Method+ Volleyball playoffs!

Thursday: Run 4 miles + Turbofire

Friday: Turbofire workout

Saturday: 5k Race to Zumba in the Park :-)

Sunday: Yoga!

I'm off to the grocery store & to grill out with hubs.  Grilling has become our Monday ritual since it's his day off and the only day he gets to perfect his grilling skills this week ;-)

Say It, Do It + Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  LC & I had the perfect summer weekend.  It's been a while since we've been in Chicago for a full weekend where he didn't have to work.  We took full advantage. 

Friday, we went to the Taste of River North.  I much prefer this than the taste of Chicago.  The crowd was much different and the environment was much more relaxed.  I sipped sangria, while LC drank beer.  We ate good food, walked around and listened to fun 80's music.  Perfect way to end the week. 

taco platter from Zocalo

Sangria + Summer = happiness

On Saturday, we got up early and ventured to Lincoln Park to go to the farmer's market.  We picked up some tasty produce, lovely flowers and I discovered that I do actually like cherries :-) As a kid, I hated them and that always stuck with me.  But now, as an adult, I decided to give them another try and I can't stop eating them.  Me gusta! After the farmer's market, I went home and got  into some trouble with my Kitchen-Aid mixer. LOVE this thing! It was a wedding gift from my grandparents and probably one of my favorite gifts.  I decided to make a first attempt at gluten-free/vegan chocoloate chip cookies.  I got the recipe from my cookbook, BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery.  Now, I don't have any known food allergies, but I do know that my body doesn't love dairy, so I'm trying to steer clear of it as much as possible...with the exception of cheese.  I love cheese.  These cookies turned out amazingly! Even LC thought they were good and had no idea that they were GF/Vegan.  I will definitely be making them again :-) I was surpised at how well they turned out because 1, gluten free baking can be trickery and 2 I can't remember the last time I baked from scratch.  The last time I baked anything was when LC was overseas and I sent him a care package (back in December).  And even those cookies were pre-made.  Oops!  Later that night, we met up with some friends and went out to celebrate a birthday.   

On Sunday, LC & I ended our weekend with a Cubs game :-) Pefect summer time activity!

Now on to talk about some fitness.  Since the wedding, I've been lacking major motivation to do anything really.  I did workout last week, but not to the extent I wanted to.  So I'm hopping back on the 'Say it Do it' train and posting my workouts for the week in hopes that I stick to it and find my motivation again.  

Monday: Treadmill or Elliptical + a Fitnessista ab workout

Tuesday: The Bar Method  woke up too late but did a bridal bootcamp dvd :-)
Wednesday: The Bar Method + Volleyball

Thursday: The Bar Method + 30 minutes on the elliptical with intervals
Friday: Run 3 miles

Saturday: Cheer on LC at his tough mudder race!!!  

Sunday: Maybe some turbofire? I ordered the DVDs today so hopefully they're be here!

I'll be back later to talk about the 3rd & (final) honeymoon recap.  Here's Part 1 & Part 2!

Say It, Do it + Grocery Store Find!

Good morning! I have a feeling today is going to be a great day.  Yesterday, I had a wicked case of the Mondays and the weather did not help that at all.  Today, I started my morning off with a good Bar Method session & a coffee from Starbucks.  I'm a sucker for iced caramel macchiatos, my official summer coffee drink.  Muy bien! 

It's been awhile since I've done a "Say it, Do it" post.  The past week I've been seriously slacking on cardio, and just sticking to Bar Method.  I only ran twice and did went to Bar Method 3 times last week.  Since putting the marathon training on the backburner, I've been more focused on strength and toning, but I definitely need to add some cardio back into my life and get my heart pumping!

So to keep me accountable for my workouts from now until the wedding (and after of course) here it is!

Monday: Rest-work on wedding programs
Tuesday: Bar Method & take Oliver for a long walk
Wednesday: Bar Method & ride bike to and from Volleyball
Thursday: Bar Method/run 3 miles
Friday: Bar Method & head back to Milwaukee for drill weekend 
Saturday: Fitness testing (maybe, I'm not due yet but LC's doing his so I might just go and get it out of the way).
Sunday: FINAL dress fitting!!!!!!! 

Yesterday, LC and I were at the Super Target, just picking up a few things and I stumbled upon this:

I usually try to stay away from creamers because the majority of them are artificially flavored and I will use almond milk as my creamer.  But Coffee-Mate has come out with a NEW creamer that has no artificial flavors at all.  I can't wait to try it and report back!  Happy first day of summer! I hope everyone gets outside and does something fun :-)

Say It, Do It {Wedding Countdown Edition}

48.  The number of days until THE BIG DAY!

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 I started this blog as a way for me to write about working out & eating healthy, partly in preparation for the wedding and mostly because I was just tired of the way I looked and felt.  Since February, I haven't lost as much weight as I would've liked to by now {majorly discouraging}, but I've lost inches and my clothes are fitting more comfortably {So I must be doing something right}.  Final count will be revealed a few days before the wedding.  I blame this little weight-loss set back on my ankle injury & lack of calorie counting.  The fact is that I love to eat.  And sometimes I would prefer a cheeseburger and fries over a salad.  And some days, catching up with my DRV'd shows (you know, the ones I missed because I was busy working out) takes priority over exercising. Those are just the facts of my life.

In order to make the most of these last 48 days I've made some adjustments to my diet/habits.

*I will drink at least 2 nalgene bottles full of water during the workday.  I need more water in my life. 
*Eat more veggies & fruit and less carbs. 
*I will NOT go to sugarbliss between now & wedding.  Best cupcakes in the loop; I usually end up getting two. One being their special flavor.  Two being a red velvet {you know, just in case I end up not liking the special flavor}. I normally eat both :-/ This a rare occaision, but something that really needs to stop.
*Limit myself to one night of adult beverages.  If I could, I would drink wine every night of the week.  I absolutely love it.  BUT more than one glass leaves me feeling sluggish and tired the next morning, therefore canceling my AM workouts. 
* I will attend Bar Method 4-5 times per week.  I pay a pretty penny for unlimited classes, I need to go more.  The first month, I saw a big change in my body just by going 3 times a week, that has come to a standstill so it's time to up the BM workouts.
*I will run/do other forms of cardio 4 per week.  I've been pretty good about this since being able to run again.
*I will count calories using myfitnesspal.

Hopefully these little changes will help give me the results that I'm looking for.  I think the hardest one for me will   

Now for this week's Say, Do it! {AM workouts might change according to the weather}
Monday- Rest; I just had a long weekend of early morning drills mixed in with Bachelorette party fun. Rest is much needed today.
Tuesday- Morning cardio/Bar Method level 2
Wednesday- Bridal bootcamp/Bar Method Whoopsies! Slept in; no bridal bootcamp today.
Thursday- Run /Bar Method; Did the elliptical instead-the sky looked sketchy this AM
Friday- Morning cardio/Bar Method
Saturday- Bar Method/Self's workout in the Park
Sunday- Fitnessista's Spring Ab workout/Bridal shower #2! (Chicago Edition)  

Say It, Do It

Here's this week's scheduled workouts.  I already had to cancel my bar method class for tomorrow because Oliver pup needs a haircut very badly.  He looks like a scrappy little dog.

Monday- Walked to work (30 minutes) Rest, stretch, & iced my ankle.
Tuesday- 30 min. on the elliptical, 30 minute walk to work, Bar Method (level 2!!)
Wednesday- 30 min. walk to work  Fitnessista's Spring Abs Workout
Thursday- 30 min. cardio in the AM; walk to work (weather pending) /Bar Method
Friday- Bar Method
Saturday-Back to Milwaukee for drill/BFF's Bachelorette Party
Sunday-Rest and rehydrate :-)

Say It, Do It

I will try posting this in the begining of the week.  I can't believe it's Wednesday already, time is just getting away from me.  With two months left before the wedding, I've been super busy. This past weekend was my wedding shower & it was amazing. My sister did an awesome job.  Pics to come as soon as my computer decides to speed up its downloading.

Monday: No workout; cleaned our new pots, pans & glasses. Out with the old and in with the new!
Tuesday: Doug Rice's Bridal bootcamp; Bar Method
Wednesday: 30 minutes on the elliptical; Bar Method
Thursday:  Elle Cardio Blast; Attempt to run since ankle sprain; enjoy a margarita :-)
Friday: Bar Method in the AM!
Saturday: Walk around the city with my mom; weather pending
Sunday: Yoga

Take Me out to the Ball Game!

Tonight, LC & I are attending our first baseball game of the season at Wrigley Field.  I'm usually pretty excited for our first game because it means that summer isn't too far off.  But as I look out the window, I'm not really thrilled about going to a baseball game on a rainy day.  Last year we went to a game around this time & it was freezing cold. At least the temperature is decent today.

Here's a few of my favorite "Mar & LC's baseball adventures" pics :-)

Busch Stadium April 2007

Wrigley Field (I'm thinking of going short again after the wedding. I'm dying to chop my hair!)

typical behavior...

Our first game of the season 2010

When it comes to baseball, I could honestly take it or leave it.  I love going to the games to drink, socialize & eat.  I don't even know who the Cubs are playing tonight :-/  BUT when the Brewers & The Cubs play each other, you will always find me in Brewers gear.  I have to support my home team after all.  Other than that, LC always buys me Cubs' shirts to wear to games.  Football on the other hand...you will never catch me dead in anything Bears related. ICK! I'm a Packer girl at heart.

Tonight's game eats will be a little different.  I'm trying to lay off of the carbs this week since my first offical dress fitting is Friday, I want to actually feel good and not bloated.  So no bread & no beer :-(  Just some salad and bacardi & diet...I don't know how good of a plan that is either.

Last week, I did a posting called Say it, Do it.  It really helped me stay accountable for all of my workouts.  I did everything I posted & then some!  I didn't post anything on Monday and guess what?? I canceled bar method yesterday.  Major fail. So here's my workout plan for this week.

Monday: Free weights & ab work
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 30 minutes of cardio/Bar Method
Thursday: 45 minutes Elliptical/Bar Method
Friday: 30 minutes cardio/Bar Method
Saturday: Go for a walk if it's nice (I'll be in WI ask still can't do workout videos b/c of my ankle injury)
Saturday: free weights & ab work and....Attend my first bridal shower!!!