cut & dry.
boy am i glad the day is almost over! all day today i thought it was wednesday. i had to keep reminding myself that it was only tuesday. and, unfortunately it was one of those days today. don’t you just hate those days?
i am physically and mentally exhausted, so this post might be a little whack. just the facts. cut & dry. no rambling. i am just warning you in advance ;)
meal 1: mighty maple chocolate protein oats @ 8:30 AM
it was great hearing what everyone likes to put in their bowl of oatmeal! today, my bowl had:
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 30g chocolate protein powder (EAS brand)
- 1 TB mighty maple peanut butter
- 1 TB polaner apricot preserves
the apricot preserves paired nicely with the peanut butter! that was a combo i’ve never tried.
340 calories, 33g protein, 32g carbs, 11g fat
i’ve been looking into killer upper body workouts and arm toning advice lately. i have a wedding coming up, in case you haven’t heard, and i need to get my arms in tip top condition! i found an article called “how to get the most out of your arm toning workouts” and i wanted to share it with you guys. i can’t repost it on the blog but check it out here.
these are some great tips. sometimes i forget to prioritize my larger muscles first, but i do believe this is a great strategy. i have been adding in a ton more variety to my workouts lately (both upper and lower body) in hopes to hit every angle of my muscles before the big day!
meal 2: turkey + egg white wrap & baby peppers @ 1:00 PM
for the wrap, i scrambled 3 egg whites and stuffed them in a tumaro’s garden wrap that was slathered with 1 wedge laughing cow light cheese and 1 tsp beaver creek hot & sweet mustard. i also put 2 ounce of low sodium turkey breast in the wrap for added protein.
paired with my favorite baby veggies! i am addicted to these.
total meal= 300 calories, 34g protein, 16g carbs, 6g fat
stress makes me lose my appetite. with that said, i wasn’t hungry for meal 3 but i also knew i needed something or i’d get all sorts of light headed during my workout. so i kept it simple..
meal 3: an apple @ 4:30 PM
i used to not be able to just eat an apple for my snack. i used to HAVE to pair it with a protein. i am getting a lot better about that rule. slowly but surely. i was OK with just eating the apple today with no protein to match the carbs. i wasn’t even hungry but the apple was just what i needed to get me through my super intense workout today.
today was a cardio/HIIT day and i made up a KILLER treadmill sequence. PLEASE try this.. it’s great!
triple threat jog/sprint interval workout:
set your treadmill to 1.0 incline and do the following:
- warmup 2 minutes
- determine your comfortable “jog” speed (mine is 6.0 MPH)
- you will base your sprints off your comfortable jog speed. the first set of sprints should be 2.0 mph higher than your jog (8.0 for me), the next set of sprints will be 2.5 mph higher than your jog (8.5 for me) and the final set of sprints will be 3.0 mph higher than your jog (9.0 mph for me)
- on the final sprint, try to go longer than the one minute. push as hard as you possibly can and go until you almost fall off the treadmill! hit your max!
- cool down until you get to 30 minutes
here is how my workout looked:
(incline=1.0)
| minute # | speed (MPH) | pace |
| 0-1 | 5.0 | warmup |
| 1-2 | 5.5 | warmup |
| 2-3 | 6.0 | jog |
| 3-4 | 8.0 | sprint |
| 4-5 | 6.0 | jog |
| 5-6 | 8.0 | sprint |
| 6-7 | 6.0 | jog |
| 7-8 | 8.0 | sprint |
| 8-9 | 6.0 | jog |
| 9-10 | 8.0 | sprint |
| 10-11 | 6.0 | jog |
| 11-12 | 8.5 | sprint |
| 12-13 | 6.0 | jog |
| 13-14 | 8.5 | sprint |
| 14-15 | 6.0 | jog |
| 15-16 | 8.5 | sprint |
| 16-17 | 6.0 | jog |
| 17-18 | 8.5 | sprint |
| 18-19 | 6.0 | jog |
| 19-20 | 9.0 | sprint |
| 20-21 | 6.0 | jog |
| 21-22 | 9.0 | sprint |
| 22-23 | 6.0 | jog |
| 23-24 | 9.0 | sprint |
| 24-25 | 6.0 | jog |
| 25-26:20 | 9.0 | sprint |
| 26:20-29 | 5.0 | cool down |
| 29-30 | 3.5 | cool down |
5 minutes of stretching
total distance=3.36 miles, total time 35 minutes, max HR 181 (!!!), ave HR 150, calories burned 275
wooooo! quite the max HR, eh?! i was dying during that very last sprint, but i was happy that i went for a whole 1 minute 20 seconds! i guess listening iron maiden makes me run pretty fast.
recharged with liquid love.
meal 4: my very favorite protein smoothie. ever. @ 6:15 PM
the supplies:
- 30g vanilla whey protein powder (EAS brand)
- 50g frozen blueberries
- 45g frozen banana (half of a medium banana)
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup light vanilla silk soymilk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (thickening agent)
- TONS of ice
i could drink this every day and never tire of it. the flavor is amazing. it is, hands down, my favorite combo when it comes to smoothies.
check out those blueberry specks!
243 calories, 29g protein, 27g carbs, 3.5g fat
i had to do some unexpected running around immediately after blending this, so i took it on the go. my impromptu errands also caused me to have a super late dinner!
meal 5: sweet potato + mozzarella omelet @ 9:45 PM
i still fail miserably at making omelets look pretty! oh well, practice makes perfect.. right?
i used my eatsmart food scale to make this omelet. the ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 whole egg
- 70g baked sweet potato
- 1/4 cup (28g) low moisture/part skim mozzarella cheese
- 1.5 tb reduced sugar ketchup
i have had a few negative comments regarding my use of a food scale. no, it is not something i typically do.. but i am trying to get into tip top shape for my wedding and i believe that it is important to be aware of my macronutrients right now. usually i use the eyeball/fist/palm method but more often than not this method makes my portion sizes larger than they need to be. i understand that weighing and measuring food out can lead to disordered eating habits for some, but for me.. it just keeps me in check. instead of throwing in a handful of cheese (which is always easily more than a serving) i am weighing out a serving and this way i am aware of my intake. this is not something i will do forever or even at every meal right now. but it is something i feel is necessary to keep my eats in check. for some, weighing and measuring is harmful. to others, it is helpful. to each her own and for me it is helpful. just wanted to clear that up :)
mmmm.. sweet potatoes are so flavorful that you don’t even need to season this omelet!
oh, omelets, why do you always fall apart on me?! anyway.. 277 calories, 26g protein, 20g carbs, 10g fat
and now we are current!
ratios today (with my BLTs that i will post below) ended up at 39% protein, 39% carbs, 22% fat. not bad! i am also pleased that even with my meal 3 being all carbs, my ratios are still right on the money. $chaching!$
guess what?!
we have decided to go camping this weekend! kind of last minute, spur of the moment. but i have been wanting to go camping this summer and i realized that every single weekend after this one is occupied!!
- next weekend=father’s day & my bestie’s 25th birthday party
- the one after that=wedding shower & 5k
- the one after that=4th of july
- the one after that=bachelorette party
- the one after that=WEDDING!
- the one after that=24th of july (holiday in utah)
- the one after that=finish up moving into the house/unpacking
- the one after that=arizona for another bestie’s graduation
HOLY BALLS!
anyway. if anyone wants to type up a guest post for me to throw on the blog this weekend, let me know. it would be stellar of you!
okay. sorry to not be more exciting! it is late and i gotta get some shut eye. like i said, kind of a cut & dry post. promise to be more entertaining manana! see ya then for waffle wednesday!
BLTs list! (edited to add, i forgot last night!)
- 2 orange segments
- ~15 grapes
- 2 apple segments
- 1 calcium chew
- 1 multivitamin
- ~1 gallon water
- 1 bite (literally!) BBQ beef @ my mom’s
- 4 pieces trident tropical twist
Qs~
1. what is your very favorite smoothie mixture? see above for mine! very favorite ever!
2. any upper body tips for the bride to be? i’m all ears :)
xo. janetha b.
meals & moves 
My most favorite is BSN chocolate coconut protein, a frozen banana, skim milk, and peanut butter. Tastes like dessert!
Upper Body toning tip:
Try doing negatives for your isolation exercises!
I don’t really drink smoothies nor do I have any upper body tips =)
I do, however, want to comment that you shouldn’t feel bad about using a food scale. I can totally see how it can become disordered, but you seem to have such a healthy relationship with food that I wouldn’t worry. You gotta do you and it seems to be working for you so you shouldn’t feel the need to justify it to anyone else!
Nicole G
Hey! Due to my knee injury, I have been creative with my cardio workouts. Yesterday, I did the arm cycle at the gym for 20 minutes and had my heart rate at about 140-150 consistently (also, it forces you to keep your abs activated so my core is sore today), and I have been doing swimming workouts with a pull buoy, meaning only using my arms.
PS I think your arms already look great!
I do the same smoothie jut because I saw it here! I aggree, it is yummm mcyum! everyday no fail, I make the same one…sometimes I use steamed Kale or Swiss Chard instead of Spinach, it’s still good!
Pushups! Nothing gets my arms toned like pushups – and they work your abs too… bonus!
I need a food scale because I think my portions are way off!
Busy bee! camping sounds like so much fun- I’m jealous! I’ve been trying to get Josh to go on a hiking & camping trip. Still working on him haha. That sweet potato + mozzarella omelet sounds incredible! Its hard to make eggs look pretty. And I love your smoothie on display haha.
I really enjoy your blog! I just wanted to say that I don’t think that weighing what you eat on a food scale is really all that different from measuring your food with spoons and cups. Just because a person is fit doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be aware of what they are putting into their body. You look fantastic and you are inspiring me to get a food scale (maybe) as well.
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!!
~Kristen
I LOVE chocolate banana berry smoothies. Chocolate protein powder & mixed berries & frozen banana & hemp/almond milk. Mmmm…
And I love body weight exercises. I find they tone even better than weights! Especially pushups, assisted pullups and dips. Hardcore, but they work!
Sent you an email, happy waffle wednesday!
xo
Kris
how do you decide which protein powder is best for you? .. I want to incorporate more protein, but I am totally clueless what type of powder or bars are actually good. I read that protein bars are just “juiced up” candy bars.. is that true?
hey kel! i just choose my protein powder based of the way it tastes and how it mixes into things. sometimes it takes trial and error! but luckily a lot of powders are sold in single-serving packets so you can try them out on your taste buds. some people buy powders according to their dietary needs (like if they are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, etc) but i don’t have any restrictions so i just choose a powder based on flavor and carb content. i try to go for low carb/sugar (less than 5 grams) and at least 20 grams of protein per serving. my favorites are EAS brand chocolate and vanilla. i use the 100% whey in my shakes and i use the triple belnd (whey/soy/casein) in my oats because the 100% whey clumps up in oats. i learned all this by trial and error! i also like the syntrax nectar powders for something fruity.
as far as protein BARS go.. some are like juiced up candy bars.. maybe even worse! you want to be conscious of the ingredient list and if it is all sorts of complicated and gnarly, chances are you shouldn’t be eating it. also if the sugar alcohols are high, it basically means that the bar is full of chemicals. i used to always eat cookie dough balance bars before i knew better.. and now i won’t buy them. i like to eat bars that have good ingredients and stats or i make my own. some brands i prefer are luna bar, kind bars and perfect foods bars.
You should try folding your omletes the French/Julia Child way–folding both sides into the middle so it looks like a wrap. It may be easier.
Either way, I be it was delicious.
Huh, I thought yesterday was Wednesday all day too. Such a letdown. I love apricot jam and nut butter. So good. Oh btw, does the EAS brand of protein powder have artificial sweeteners or an aftertaste at all?
The secret to a perfect omelete for me is a well-greased pan, medium l0w heat and lots and lot of patience. Oh and a giant spatula to flip it with.
My 25 birthday is the 22nd – so excited!
Your meals look sooooo yummy today! I don’t eat smoothies very often, but I am tempted to try yours! It looks delish! I bet you are getting soo pumped for your wedding!
Running has always helped with keeping the fat off…which makes them tone easier! Other than that, I steal some of your workouts for upper body or just make up random ones. I like to keep my muscles constantly guessing.
My only advice would be something you clearly don’t have a problem with: go balls-to-the-walls every workout! I get no results unless I almost elimante rest inbetween sets; but I don’t need to tell you that, your workouts are always KILLER!
Sprint intervals kill! Nothing gets me up to a sweat faster!
My favorite “smoothie” isn’t even really a smoothie. Its a Frosty! Actually, its really funny. I started making them a few months back before I started my blog… but then a few weeks ago you invented almost the EXACT same thing! A protein Frosty! We even gave it the same name! Weird, huh?
Today I had a strawberry/banana GM. I am still trying to find out what protein will work for me without making me feel weird (Hemp didn’t work out). Looking at Whey now. I really want to try the gums but I hear they can mess with effectiveness of bc pills. NO GOOD. Eeeks! I’m a big fan of chocolate/banana/pb GMs though!! :)
JANETHA!
Happy Thursday! I loved your ‘cut and dry’ post! Also, to piggyback what some of the girls above have said (Nicole G/Kristen) about you measuring your food- I’m all for it! I wouldn’t measure for the rest of my life, but if you’ve got to “lock and load” before a big event (I think a wedding constitutes this, don’t ya think?) then it’s perfectly fine to help aid your progress and keep you on track and accountable for every calorie. It is SO easy to “eyeball” food and end up eating twice the serving size (guilty as charged!)
Anyway, just want to say “thank you” for responding to my email the other day about BFL questions and about advice for starting my new blog. You’re a doll! With my husband’s blessing I’m going to train (aka, kick my own a**) to make it to the bikini stage in October. I’m currently doing BFL to drop body fat, but simultaneously going to make it my goal to stand on stage and look like I belong (somewhat, at least!) Your blog is a great inspiration! HUGS!
T:)
Push ups!! :)
Eek! You are busy! And you just reminded me that I need to buy my dad a birthday AND a father’s day gift. Eek!
Oh, I use my scale like there is no tomorrow! I’m not good at eyeballing.. keep doing what your doing if it works!
Upper body tip: lift as heavy as possible, and lift until failure!
1) Favorite EVER is banana, strawberry, blueberry, POM juice, and a bit of splenda.
2) Don’t do like I did and run into things that will cause lovely bruises on your upper arms days before your wedding!
I use the scale and measuring cups every now and then too. It lets me see what I should actually be dishing out and once I get into my brain, I don’t have to use the scale anymore, I just know. Nothing wrong with that girl!
My upper body tips are to increase your weights. Nothing fancy just lift heavier and you’ll see the cuts.
Upper body tips – Compound moves (more than one joint moves) like push ups, pull ups, military presses, bench presses, dips,rows, ect. Then do isolations (one joint moves) a few curls, kickbacks, side lat raises but I’m very much of the opinion isolations shouldn’t be the foundation of your workout. I wrote about this a year and a half ago on my blog. It’s called “Strong Little Piggy”.
I find it annoying and immature when people who don’t count calories think it’s a bad idea for everyone. Some of the best and most respected trainers out there advocate counting calories for the exact same reason you are doing it. Sure for some it may cause problems but for MANY MANY people it has been the key for reaching their goals. You are doing great Janetha!!!
First, I have to tell you that I think you have the best ideas for mix-ins for pretty much EVERYTHING..but especially in this post- with your different ideas with egg whites- Turkey..YUM! & sweet potatos?! yes please :D Do you cook your eggs at work?
Loved the website link- It reminded me of an article I JUST read @ lunch in the latest Oxygen magazine about working your triceps & the different heads. I had NO idea that triceps had three heads! (I mean, it’s kind of a given with the TRIcep…but I didn’t think too much into it :)
My upcoming weekends are lookin’ like yours too- there is something EVERY weekend. Every summer it’s always like this…crazy busy.
yum! that omlet looks delicious even if its not perfect. I get mine to flip really easily if I use a healthy spray of olive oil or any other non stick spray. Come out great every time with a huge spatula :)
Gah super jealous of your camping adventure!
I can’t wait till September! Utah has been calling me name long enough!
i thought it was wednesday ALL DAY yesterday too!!! gah but today is wednesday!!!! :) woo hoo!!
haha anywayyys your sweet potato omelet is epic! i think we were twins yesterday because my app was off too AND i had an omelet for dinner :) with pumpkin & laughing cow instead of sweet potates and mozz
<3 you girlfraan
Thanks for posting the interval workout – I’m missing the gym now, will try and copy it in the wild…:-).
Feel like I have such spaghetti arms after reading all the tips in the comments, hahaha.
Egg scrammble looks delish!
Holy cow!!
This is quite off topic, but I feel magical!
Today was my last day of school, so my friends and I went out to lunch to celebrate. Everyone but me picked IHOP as the place to go, which I generally dislike. However, I didn’t want to spoil everyone’s super excitedness and tagged along anyway. I’m glad I did, because I really had fun chilling with my favorite people!
The best part of today though, was ordering egg beaters and plain oats with sugarfree syrup!
Sounds only slightly familiar? I felt special, sitting at the table munching on oats while everyone else inhaled buttermilk pancakes for lunch. Haha!
Thanks, Janetha for being awesome and inspiring me not to turn down a fun time with my friends!
~ Tal Gomez =)
Upper body tips? Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders! Nice shoulder caps give you a nice upper body lift.
I don’t see any problem with weighing things out. For some it probably can cause disordered eating. I weigh pretty much everything out of habit. It’s easy for my eyeball portions to grown over time, so the scale keeps that in check. I would rather weigh everything than have to lose 100 pounds all over again, you know?
Your omelets are always such good ideas… I now immediately want to try that one.
I think a food scale could be bad for some people, but you are right that it’s a helpful tool. Use it if you need/want to!
You know something funny? Last night as I was preparing my nut butter coated carrot fries, my roommate asked me if I’d ever read the blog “Meals & Moves”. Yes!! I exclaimed. She said the way I eat reminds me of the blog. Probably all the delicious weird food combo us bloggies dream up :-) I had no idea my roommate read food blogs!! Anyways…
1. Pumpkin smoothies. And frozen strawberry smoothies
2. I LOVE kickboxing/punching workouts to tone my arms and back.
dude…ask ME!! i personal train for a LIVING I can help you get that HAWT upper bod :) i mean you already DO and I wish I could be there physically training with you but maybe one day!!!
some tips for you
1. always work your larger muscle groups FIRST (think chest and back and smaller would be triceps and biceps) These larger muscle groups can handle heavier weight and you want your arms nice and fresh to be able to lift heavy
2. Choose a heavy enough weight so that you can ONLY complete the desired number of repetitions (6-8 for muscle building, 10-12 for muscle/endurance and 12-16 for endurance). The last few reps…well you should be struggling
3.you can train pyramid style which is similar to BFL where you start light, end heavy, or start heavy and end light in a pyramid style. This will shock your muscles and work them to fatigue
4. never work the same muscle group back to back…you can divide it up by muscles that work with eachother (they are called agonist) this would be back and biceps, then chest and triceps…shoulders can be done on either of thsoe days!
Hope this helps you!! email me with any other questions PLEASEE!!!
how much do you LOVE the condiment spoon from crate and barrel!! i freakin LOVE it and also love that green bowl you have! (we are such food bloggers!!) i have been spending so much on cute little bowls cups and spoons lately!!
love you!
dude I am the queen of oooooogly omelets. Trust, mine make yours look straight out of a gourmet mag.
1. choc protein powder, banana, spoonful of pb – funky monkey holla.
2. uh, pushups? Yeah, I’m pretty much a personal trainer.
I usually eat “smoothies in bowls” my mixtures are boring :( I have no upper body tips ’cause I’m working on mine too! I look forward to reading tips from those who have ’em!
I’m so excited that I have ALL the ingredients to make your favorite smoothie. So excited. Breakfast tomorrow.
1. I bought a smoothie today that had pineapple, coconut, and mango – it was so dang good.
2. I did a lot of pilates before my wedding, and my arms/back look better than they ever have in my wedding photos.
I just bought those mini peppers at Costco.
No idea on the arm thing. My wedding is in two weeks and I think my arms look exactly the same as they did two months ago. Oh well.
Holy ball—-LMFAO—fabulous saying!
Love the arm tips people are leaving, I need those as well. And I love the egg white and sweet pot wraps but never thought to make an omelet. I wonder other cheeses would jive well with it? I am not a huge fan of shredded mozzarella so now the wheels are a turnin.
I need some new protein powder and get a little saucy with my smoothies but my fave so far has been chocolate protein powder, cold coffee, almond milk and peanut butter.
nose to ground pushups! dips! =D
no smoothie tips coz i ain’t got no blender!!!!!
We totally share the same smoothie favorite! In fact, that is the only smoothie combo I’ve made in months! I don’t use the gum, but other than that, I think I even use similar measurements for the fruit! :)
SMOOTHIE SOULMATES!
wow how do you make your smoothie so green like that even when you added blueberries? mine turned out a disgusting blue/brown color! it was delicious nevertheless :-)
SO jealous of your camping trip. I’m dying to go! Have fun.
1- My favorite smoothie right now is kiwi, spinach, half a banana, vanilla PP and a little bit of Almond Breeze
2- Tricep Dips!
Your green smoothie always looks so much better than mine :(!
Breathe deep, stay calm and carry on!! Xoxo