Strength Training

I used to be able to sleep til almost one on Saturdays...and now those days are loooong gone. My body is so accustomed to getting up early every day that I can barely sleep past nine even if I try! So for a little over a month now I have been going to a 9am strength training class at our local YMCA. (I figure if I am going to be up so early I might as well do something productive!) And it really is a great way to start my day. What I love about strength is that it is unpredictable. Everyone needs a change up in their workout now and then to hit muscles you may be missing and just to keep things fresh. Well Saturdays do this for me. I walk into the class never knowing what equipment we are going to be using that day, and am still running into things that are new and I  have never used before. Some of the different things we use to train our bodies are

Body bars

Bosu Ball

small weighted balls

Exercise Ball

Gliders

Steps

Free Weights

See any that you didn't know what they were? Don't feel bad, I have felt that way several times going into class and seeing some new equipment for the day. All these things combined make for some fun and challenging workouts! Strength is also great because it is a perfect balance of strength, cardio, and abs. Training multiple muscles at once (like combining bicep curls with lunges) is a wonderful way to get a more intense workout in a shorter period of time.Your body will thank you!

On a completely different note our HALLOWEEN PARTY is tonight, and I have GOT to go clean, decorate, and prepare food! Enjoy your Saturday!

JORDAN

Party Craze

This morning for two hours was my daycare's Halloween party. Just me and fifteen kids. I normally don't have more than 10 kids a day (several part time kids take up spots on different days) but for the party they are all allowed to come and whoooooa am I worn out! It was fun but in an oh-my-goodness-these-kids-will-never-calm-down-again kind of way. From the first moments of the party when all I had to do was say "Now we will light our pumpkin" and was drowned out in SCREAMS of crazed sugar-hyped excitement, I knew I was in for a long morning. Tomorrow night Zach and I are hosting a Halloween party, and hopefully it will be much less tiring and much more energizing!


JORDAN

It's Thursday!

Thursdays are one of the best days of the week! This is because every Thursday I get to have Thursday Night Dates!! No, not with my husband, our date night is a different night of the week. Thursdays are reserved for one of my favorite people in the world - Kori Brinson. Every girl needs a girl's night (even a happily married girl!) and I am a firm believer in that. Kori and I started having Thursday Night Dates on February 18, 2010 and have had them EVERY Thursday since! Even when Zach and I were in the Caribbean (a post for a later time) we managed to have a "date." We wrote letters to each other before I left that were not to be opened until that Thursday at a specific time. We have done some crazy, fun, and creative things over the past 35 (?) or so weeks and I ALWAYS look forward to Thursdays! Tonight is no exception and we are headed to have some of our favorite food ever!!

Sushi!! Absolutely cannot wait!

Ko and I doing one of our "fashion shoots" we love so much

JORDAN

Water

Water is one of my best friends. I have never been a pop person, so in trying to be healthy that was an easy thing to cut out of my life completely (other things not so much...). I have never been a beverage person in general, not crazy about tea or milk or flavored things like Gatorade, etc. I used to often eat meals without a drink at all, and could go through the entire day without having more than a cup of water. This was one of the biggest adjustments in my routine over the past few years as I have started becoming more concerned with health and fitness. I started out setting goals for myself such as "Drink 24oz. of water in a day." It may not sound like much, but for me it WAS! At first I didn't enjoy drinking water and had to make myself, but over time I grew more and more accustomed to it until now I am at the point where I will crave water. I drink a minimum of two and a half of these...

in a day. This is a 24oz. bottle- so I know I am getting at least 60oz. daily, and it is generally more than that.

*SIDE NOTE: My best friend bought me this exact

Nathan water bottle for Chrismas last year

and it is a miracle worker! It keeps your water so

much colder than a plastic bottle, because it is made

out of stainless steel. The silicone sleeve is great

for grip, especially when your hands are sweating!

The best part is the built in straw mechanism- I

am not one of those coordinated people who can 

run on the treadmill and tip back a bottle of water, so

to be able to easily flip up a straw and drink right out

of it, is sooo convenient!*

On the same page with water, having a bottle you constantly refill is so important! Some 38 billion disposable bottles end up in landfills every year. WHAT?! That is so ridiculous when you consider the fact that you can easily purchase a reusable bottle and voila! no more plastic water bottle waste from you! Besides, it is such a money saving option too! I have three water bottles and two of them are always full and in the fridge. As soon as one is empty, just refill it, pop it in the fridge, and pull out a nice cold bottle!

Think I'll go have some water now...

JORDAN

Shredding

This workout TOTALLY kicks my butt! I am fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to work out of my home, so I have time each day to literally work out at home. I head to the gym in the evenings, but in the afternoon when my energy is flagging and I need that extra boost, it is great to squeeze in a workout while the kids have nap time (daycare kids, we DO NOT have any of our own...yet :) ). I bought this DVD a while back because I thought I could use a change from the push-ups and jumping jacks and crunches that normally occupy that time. WOW! It is NOT easy, but totally worth it. There are three different levels of workouts, and you are supposed to do one for 10 days, move on to the next and then in another 10 days go to the final one - hence the 30 day workout. But just let me say I am on the first level, and it has been more than 10 days! It is a great workout, with a fast paced mix of strength, cardio, and abs. I love the circuit routines and it gives you such a feeling of accomplishment when you are done!

P.S. The Biggest Loser is one of my favorite TV shows, and if I could chose a personal trainer to work out with, it would definitely be JILLIAN!

JORDAN

Welcome to the World of Blogging

For several months I have been reading other people's blogs and becoming totally enchanted with the idea! Thing is, I feel like a lot of people blog about a specific topic, or just make their blog more like a personal journal. Well, being the difficult person I am, I wanted to do both! I want to be able to record events in my life and also blog about specific things. The title of my blog comes from a few of the things that I really enjoy or mean a lot to me: 

Food- a big part of both my husband's and 

my life. We are constantly in pursuit of food that is unique and delicious! I tell people there is not a food I don't love except for refried beans, and so far this proves true! I am especially passionate about baking.

Fitness- this falls in line right after the love for food, because 

with such an appetite, comes the NEED to have a tight workout schedule. Fitness is not just something to keep pounds off for me though, it is an important part of my health, balancing my routine, and keeping me sane. Some days I don't think I could get by were it not for the gym! 

Fashion- This is just a joy of life to me! :) I really

enjoy creating outfits, finding new pieces, and generally just trying to be a living piece of art. I love the changing of styles each season almost as much as I love the changing of the seasons themselves!

Frivolity- And finally, what's life without some fun! 

                                          Frivolity (n): the trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible

While I am all for sensibility and seriousness, it is the small fun things that really get me through the day!

I will blog more on each of these topics at various times, and also give you some of my background over time!

 

JORDAN