Greek marinated chicken

I don't really measure unless I'm baking. So...

I made this new chicken and I loved it.

I mixed 1 cup plain greek yogurt with juice of one lemon and a little bit of the zest, lots of garlic (I assume fresh or not would work), parsley, salt and pepper, about two tablespoons of olive oil and a little bit of oregano.

Put it in a container with chicken, making sure all the chicken was coated. I let it marinate for two days and when I pulled it out it smelled AMAZING. I had to use a spoon to take out the excess and spread it over the chicken.

I baked at 375 (boneless skinless) for 30 minutes and the texture wasn't what I wanted so I turned on the broiler and put it back in for a good 5-7 minutes. It got nice and brown and made the mixture more solid on top of the chicken instead of slippery.

It was awesome! It's supposed to be a good grilling recipe and I don't usually grill with dairy so I'm interested to try it.

Hybrid Day 3

3 sets, 12-15 reps each:

Barbell Stiff-Leg deadlift
Dumbell flyes (incline)
Wide-grip lat pulldown
Push ups
Dumbell alternate bicep curl

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To be fair, I read my workout wrong when I was setting up my weights so I also did 3 sets of incline bench press as well. I did my ab workout too:

Hover on all fours
Plank
Side plank

This time I actually added it into the workout instead of doing it separately and really enjoyed the core workout alongside my weights.

Yesterday I had TOO much food. Still finding the balance between my meals and my day so I overpacked. I had my Ionix Supreme and shake for breakfast. Pre-workout I had my boiled egg and spinach brownie but after my workout it was lunch time. So I had my leftover salmon and saffron rice from dinner, but was not quite hungry enough for my salad or my green beans. I'm out of almonds so my morning snack was just my apple.

We had a birthday party at work in the afternoon and I had piece of cake. About halfway through it I KNEW it was too much sugar and put it down. I love cake but this was too sweet and it make me feel gross.

Because I had eaten enough all day I wasn't starving when I got home for dinner. I ate chicken with roasted red pepper dressing as a marinade, green peas and 1/3 cup mashed potatoes. I don't think I quite hit my goal on water yesterday but I did put down a pretty good amount.

My cake-a-palooza pushed me right over the edge to a Cleanse day. If you read my blog during the challenge, you know I hate a cleanse day and REALLY couldn't see the benefit of doing on. I learned a lot during my challenge but so much more afterwards. One of the things I learned is that it really is a good way to reset your body and I've had a long three weeks of junk-then-getting-back-on-track. I have been thinking about doing one for a week and committed to doing it for Thursday this week.

I would like to be clear that there's nothing wrong with cake! I haven't cut the fun stuff out of my life, I'm just more mindful of it. And this stuff was way way too sweet. I love a couple of Skittles from my candy jar, a glass of wine, a cupcake...I'm not giving up any of that stuff for good like I did during my challenge. I'm just in a much better place with it mentally and paying attention to what I eat!

Hybrid Day 2

Tuesday's workout:

3 sets, 10-12 reps:

Barbell deadlifts
Plates raise
Cardio sprints (25 seconds)

3 sets, 10-12 reps:

Barbell full squat
Barbell bench press
Cardio sprints

3 sets, 12-15 reps:

Dumbbell bicep curl
Cable tricep pushdown

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Tuesday I packed more food (ha) and it seemed to workout better. I did have a random midday visit that kind of threw me off but luckily I had almonds in the car. So this looked like Ionix supreme early morning, shake and 80 oz of water before noon. I had an apple at 930 and then almonds. For my pre-workout snack I had a boiled egg and a spinach brownie. I worked out at lunch and then had my soup again, salad later. For the afternoon I had a spinach brownie and more water! This time, when I got home I wasn't starving.

For dinner I had a chicken breast that had been marinated in greek yogurt, lemon and spices (recipe later!), green peas, 1/3 cup of alfredo noodles (the kind in the little bag that are like 10/$10...don't judge, I'm a busy mom) and I thoroughly enjoyed my yeast roll! Again, I'm not in competition prep. If my challenge taught me anything it's to be mindful of what I'm eating but not to restrict myself to the point that what I'm doing isn't fun or sustainable. I love bread. No regrets.

I totally planned on doing a second workout but HOLY COW I was so sore and tired. So I took a cue from my muscles and rested instead. My first workout (above) was a BEAST with heavier weights than I'm used to and I really felt accomplished when it was over. It feels so good to be back on a manageable schedule where I'm making time for myself!

Hybrid Day 1

My typical Monday workout:

3 sets, 10-12 reps each:

Dumbbell squat
Incline bench press (barbell)
Cardio Sprint (25 seconds)

3 sets, 10-12 reps each:

Leg press
Standing straight bar military press
Cardio sprint (25 seconds)

3 sets, 12-15 reps each:

Plates raise
Close-grip lat pulldown

*I also do Abs on Monday which was 3 sets of 30 seconds each:

Hover on all fours
Plank
Side plank (both sides)

I try to work past 30 seconds for each rep and in some places (side plank) I can get up to 45 seconds.
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This week I've been really inspired by some of my fitness friends and their success at the competition level last weekend. While I don't want to compete myself, I'm so proud of their progress, hard work and confidence. So they are really motivating me to be strong and on track!

Monday I added weight to every set, went the full 12 or 15 reps on each exercise and really pushed myself. For cardio sprints I did jumping jacks, high-knees and jump rope.

Monday also began my "normal" schedule, aka not traveling so I'm able to pack my own food again. I started with Isagenix Ionix supreme in the morning, which really sets the tone for my day and speeds my metabolism up. I have SUPER slow metabolism so every little bit helps. I had my Isalean chocolate shake and started in on water, which I'm trying to get back up to speed with.

I had an apple for a snack and 12 raw unsalted almonds. For lunch I had a cup of homemade chicken noodle soup. I love soup weather! I also had a "spinach brownie" which isn't a brownie at all of course. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. Let's be clear that this is more of a treat than a clean meal, because of the butter and milk, but it's a good way to get more spinach in my diet and it also tastes delicious. This is when I realized I didn't have enough food, because I needed post-workout fuel.

I was definitely starving when I got home and realized I needed a bit more food throughout the day. Small meals for me speed up my metabolism so I essentially eat all day. I got home and ate a handful of everything in sight, which was not in my plan but I felt SO hungry! I remember a Reese cup, handful of Gardetto snacks, 7-10 skittles and a spinach brownie while I was cooking. Oops. For dinner I had 6 oz of grilled salmon, 1/3 cup saffron rice and green beans, as well as a small spinach salad.

I opted for a second, short workout Monday night that was part of my usual Friday workout. It's simple, quick and I can do it at home.

3 sets, 8-10 reps

Dumbbell side lateral raise
Dumbbell front raise
Dumbell Bent -over raises
Dumbbell shoulder press

3 sets, 8-10 reps

Dumbbell zottman curl
Dumbbell bicep curl
Dumbbell hammer curls

I only have 8 lb weights at home but it was a good way to end the day. Here's to being back on track!

Sarah, this is exactly how I worked out and exactly what I ate :-)

30 days past due

Some days you don't have time. You make time. Today I only had 30 minutes. So I used every second. Every rep, every pound, every movement was intentional and intense.

It's for me. Not him not them not pictures or scales or tape measures or checking boxes. It's for me. and today I gave it all I had for 30 minutes. 

30 day challenge wrap up

So the last week of the challenge was an absolute blur. I know I drank shakes, went to the gym, drank water and continued to have no caffeine, sugar or alcohol. I think I started to realize by the last week that it wasn't about the 30 days, it was about after!

The challenge ended quietly with no fan fare or finish line or prizes or trophy. Just a month of learning about myself and my body and moving FORWARD. 

Day 31 came and it was no different than day 30. I had some shakes left over (the only perk to a 30-day supply and having four cleanse days!) so I kept up with shakes for breakfast and lunch to finish out the week. I had also set up some products on auto-ship and they arrived just as the challenge ended. Now I'm prepared for breakfast for at least a few weeks. I've really learned to love and appreciate the nutrition and convenience of them for breakfast and when I have an on-the-go lunch. 

I'm still going to the gym and drinking water and paying attention to the eating habits I developed during the challenge. More fruits, veggies and lean protein. 

I plan to keep doing the workout plan from my challenge for about the next month. Then I'll consult my coaches and see if I'm ready for something new. I already have a great at-home workout plan for when life gets crazy and I don't have access to the gym. Next blog I'll talk about the things I accomplished and the things that were unintended results of the challenge. 

But I completed the challenge! I didn't do every workout, I skipped a cleanse day, had one coffee the last week and even a slice of pizza. The real kind. But the challenge wasn't a points system of checking boxes and making red X's where I fell short. It was about creating healthy habits, making time for myself and changing the way I think about food. 

Day 30

It's here! The last day of the challenge! Sort of. 

This is the last day of the program I paid for. The last day of prescheduled workouts, measured protein, snacks in portions. The app that measures my progress. The coaching calls. The 30 day routine. 

Tomorrow starts a new challenge. Moving forward on my own. Planning meals and scheduling workouts with no one to check in on me. No reminders. Just what my gut tells me and what I've learned. 

Tomorrow I'll talk about the things I've learned, tonight I celebrate my success with Netflix all to myself! 

Finishing strong!