Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I'll take some good with some bad

After work I attended a meeting at church to discuss our vision for our small bible study groups. I met some new people, and may have some new people join my home group. Praise God! It was really great being able to hear testimonies of other group leaders in our church. We all have the same vision basically; to create real relationships with other people and encourage one another in our faith.
You know with all church gatherings there are sweets and other unhealthy foods. Sweets is a HUGE obstacle for me. However, tonight there was a large table of amazing looking brownies. I, however, did not partake. I decided when i walked in that I wasn't going to have anything because I had just eaten dinner and I was not hungry. I decided to be a social butterfly and go around the room, ignoring the table of chips and brownies. Anyone who knows me, knows this is a great big step. I can hardly ever resist chocolate. But I did and it was somewhat empowering to be able to say NO and stick to it.
I'm going to go over my new exercise program here at home a few times before I do them in the gym. I'm contemplating doing m workouts in the morning. This would mean a 5am alarm clock. Y'all know this ain't me. However, if I know if I can get in the habit of an early morning workout I would be more consistent. Often in the afternoons there are way too many distractions. Either the gym is way too packed, or there's somewhere I have to be after work, or whatever else. So.... any feedback on this would be great. I could really use some positive thoughts and encouragement on that.
Well, it's past my bed time. Me and the pups are goin to bed!
(brad's on his way to Vegas)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

New Workout Program

I’m putting together my grocery list, here’s what I have so far:
Sugar for tea
Oatmeal
Peanut butter
Bananas
Pita
Brown rice
Can tomato sauce
Can stewed tomatoes
Apples
Salad stuff
Broccoli

Here’s my new workout plan. I have to do each exercise 4 times before moving to a new program. So, basically I have to do Workout A 4 times, and Workout B 4 times, alternating them on my weight lifting days then I get to move to something else. I do 15 minutes of cardio intervals after each lifting session, then on my non lift days I do a full session (35-45 mins) of cardio. Lately I’ve been favoring the bike or cybex trainer. It’s like an elliptical. Here are the workouts:

Workout A

Front squat to a push press
This is basically the movement you see alot of Olympic lifters doing. I'm a little scared.

Step up
Yay. I can’t tell you how much I hate these. But I do them anyway. Dot would be proud.

Dumbbell one-point row
I couldn’t find the correct illustration for this, but basically you are balancing on one foot, making a T with your body. Stomach and one leg is parallel with the ground. You pull the dumbbells to your waist in a row motion. This will be interesting to see people’s response.

Static lunge, rear foot elevated
Um, I hate lunges too.

Push ups
I actually like push ups.

Plank
I love these!

Cable horizontal wood chops
I really like that I can do an exercise called a wood chop! Basically this is where you stand next to the big cable machine thing and in motion pull the cable away, twisting your body. These will be fun.

Workout B

Wide grip deadlift

Bulgarian Split Squat
What makes this a Bulgarian? Well, it's just a nice term for the worst lunge you'll ever do.

Underhand grip lat pulldown
I love exercises for my back!

Reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach
Yes! More lunges… ((groans))

Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch
Um, yeah, I don’t really know what this is either. There’s a picture in my book somewhere..

Swiss ball crunch
Reverse crunch
Lateral flexion


And that’s it!
So you may be wondering… What are Paige’s goals? Great! I’ll tell you. It’s basically what a lot of people are on the constant search for:
Stronger muscles
Leaner body
Less fat
Stronger bones
….well basically I just wanna get ripped…in a feminine sort of way.

This will be interesting.

Another busy week




This will be another busy week. Yesterday after work, I went to the YMCA, home, showered, then Brad and I went to the Kidd's house (Anthony and Anna) for dinner. Anthony is the keyboard/piano/saxophone player for Seraph. His wife, Anna, and I have become good friends. They just bought a house last week and rescued two kittens from a shelter yesterday. So I had to go see them. One is black the other is silver tabby. We believe they're about 8 weeks old; simply adorable. Anna's chicken stew over rice was amazing! I'm going to try to recreate this later in the week. We played the Wii and I ALMOST beat Anthony in bowling. After that Brad and I fueled up the truck for the long trip he's taking today and stepped into Walmart for a few things, tapes and batteries for the cameras. Seraph is taking a trek over the Las Vegas. Um, yeah, I'm a tad jealous.





Now for the rest of the week:





Today (Tuesday) after work I'm meeting Sarah Beth and the two Laura's for coffee at Moka's to discuss a bridal shower and other details of SB's wedding, taking place in late June. I expect by dress will be in by May 5th. I had to guess on the size since we're ordering online. Depending on how long we meet I may or may not go to the gym to lift. I get my new program today! Yay!! At 7pm every Tuesday Brad and I host a "small group" at our house, which is a bible study organized through our church, People of Mars Hill. We've been doing this for 3 years now and 4 of our small group members have been attending from the very beginning. I'll post more about my small groupies later. I truly LOVE them! Oh, and I need to buy groceries at some point today. I'm out of oatmeal. ((GASPS!!)) I know... it's terrible.





Wednesday I will work, of course, like everyday. We can make work an assumed task. The days after I lift are designated cardio days. After that I will go to the Mars Hill Cafe, where my church meets on Sundays, for a small group kickoff meeting. I'm going to share about the small group I host to the people who are interesting in either starting one or attending one.





Thursday I pick up the Love children (my neices and nephews) to take them to soccer practice. They practice on the field behind the Y, so while they're doing that I'll go inside for about half an hour or so and get my workout in. We'll go home and hopefully I'll be able to catch a new episode of Scrubs. Oh, how I love that show.





Friday I'm going to attend the Nasser Spring Festival to watch Mikayla (my sweet baby sis) for her gymnastics 'recital'. I. cannot. wait. She really has an amazing talent for gymnastics. It must be in her blood.






Saturday is pretty open, I'm not sure what's going on that day. I'm scheduled to lift that day, I'd like to clean house too.

Sunday Anna and I have coffee service duty at our church for the evening service. I'm pretty sure I'm going to sleep in that day.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Cooking and such

My fajitas yesterday turned out well. I steamed chicken breast, seasoned with chili powder. Then I cut them into bite size pieces, sautteed with green peppers and onions. I added ground cumin and juice of half a lime. We put that in a flour tortilla with some salsa. I liked them. It would have been better if I had some black beans, avacado and sour cream, though. Ah well.



I tried to bake some Mahi Mahi filets last night, but as soon as they started to cook I knew I had to throw it out. It smelled way too fishy. I need to buy some more salmon. Brad and I are trying to eat more fish through the week and so far I know we like salmon and red snapper. Red snapper is more expensive, but is so worth it! I can tolerate tilapia, but I heard they were bottom dwellers. I'll need to look into that.



I found a great recipe for brown rice by Alton Brown. I'm never making my rice a different way again! It turned out perfect:

Baked Brown Rice

1 1/4 cup brown rice (med or long grain)

2 1/2 cups water

1 tbs butter

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pan, boil water, butter and salt. Pour hot mixture over rice in a glass baking dish. Mix and cover with tin foil. Bake for an hour. Fluff with a fork, and serve. You can also add garlic instead of salt and herbs bake nicely in this too.



Brad bought me a bamboo steamer for Valentine's Day. The other week I put some salmon filets marinated in a citrus vinaigrette on the lower rack, and squash, carrot and onion on the top rack. Man, it turned out fantastic! Oh wait, I had green beans in there too.



I'm glad it's warm again because I've been craving some good berries. Strawberries are my favorite, then blackberries and raspberries. I love blueberries in things, but not by themselves. It's so much better shopping for food now that it's warm; especially at mom n pop stands.



I'm going to Anna and Anthony's new house tonight for dinner. She's making a dish that is something like a chicken and tomato stew served over rice. She's using the baked brown rice recipe that I posted. They brought home two kittens from the shelter today; I can't wait to play with them! I'm bringing dessert...Breyer's Natural Peach Ice Cream.



Y - M - C - Hey!!! Get off that treadmill!



I've been going to the "Y" for 2 months now, I think. I have worked out at gyms before, never really noticed anything strange. I mean, you always see strange things at the gym, but I didn't pay attention to how the genders worked out. I went on Thursday after work to lift weights and do some cardio on the elliptical machine. It was then that I had noticed something I had never realized before. ALL the women at the gym were in the cardio area (treadmills, bike, elliptical, stairmaster) or they were in spinning class. I was the only female in the weights area. Now that I was thinking about it, I'm always the only female there. Yeah, I'll see women on some of the machines and ab devices, but it's rare. My mom works on those when she can, so I'm excluding you from this thought, m'kay? Love you.
So, why don't more women pick up free weights, plates on barbells and do some REAL push ups? Those aren't just men exercises. They're just exercises. I understand that intimidation could easily be the factor. Well, that and the fear of a woman getting 'all jacked up'. I too get intimidated, but I have to get over it if I'm going to workout like I want to. I usually stick to the cardio area on Mondays and Tuesdays because the weights area is so packed, I am too impatient to wait. But later in the week I am over there 75% of my time. I love cardio, it's so good for you, so definitely do it! But don't let the men intimidate you. Get in there and do this for yourself. That's what I have to tell myself. I'm not there to impress anyone. (The only person I want to impress is my husband, anyway.) Me being there isn't going to make someone think I'm weird. I'm there because I want to be in better shape. There are studies out stating that lifting weights regularly DO aid in stronger bones in women. That's pretty good motivation, I think. I'm short already, I don't want to be even shorter as I get older. I'm sure it's inevitable to some extent, but I'd like to halt it as much as possible, you know?
I know that for myself, I just feel better after lifting weights. It's like I get an ego-trip or something. After doing a set of push ups I want to flex my arms and Ggrrrrr!!!!!! But I don't. That would be weird.
But, going to the gym is a great way to meet people and make friends. It's definitely an "exercise" in social skills. At first I went in a little on the defensive, not making eye contact, avoiding conversations, but now I want to enjoy it more so I talk to people in between sets and it's more fun that way. It also helps me relax when I'm initially intimidated. I would recommend lifting weights to any woman, unless her doctor said, "no". It's good for the heart, it's good for the bones, it's good for your muscles and overall physique, and it's good to just make new friends.
Right now I'm going through the New Rules of Lifting for Woman program. It's a good book, I recommend it. There's a wonderfully illustrated section in the back of exercises and it's puts the reader on a lifting schedule, moving in phases. I'm starting phase 2. You do a phase for 4 weeks, increasing your weight to be lifted each week. I think there's 6 phases total. It also includes cardio if you want faster results, which I would feel odd going to the gym, lifting weights and going home. I mostly feel like I need to do something else.
Now hear this, I'm not downing any woman, or man, for that matter who sticks to the treadmills or bike. Some people simply prefer that. Maybe building muscle or losing weight isn't a goal for you. I'm really putting this thought out there for those who have thought about lifting, or would like to, but are too afraid too. After researching some benefits, you're going to want to. The hard part is getting past some initial intimidation. At least, that was (and still is) my issue sometimes. I think all people should involve themselves in some type of activity (socially is possible) on a regular basis. I think it helps clear our minds and shed some stress. I'm thinking about joining a tennis league. My sister has inspired me to do it. She really has a great time doing it, and I know she's been able to meet some people doing it too.
That's just my thought for the moment. Maybe you disagree, that's fine. Trust me, I'm not always right. You may leave a comment, but please make it nice, I'm a little sensitive.
I don't know...maybe these cardio people know something I don't....

A somewhat quick introduction...not really.

So, it's like this: I get up around 6am Monday thru Friday, get to work by 8am and I leave around 4:30pm. My morning schedule is very specific. I won't bore you with the details, but I am finding that I am, indeed, a creature of habit. After work, I mostly go to the gym, then home to shower, cook dinner and do whatever necessary work there is to be done around the house. I'll try to catch up on some tv shows if I can. I love Scrubs, Heroes, CSI, Good Eats and a few other shows, but that's mostly what I watch.
I eat the same thing every morning. Oatmeal. Yummm. I HAVE to put a banana and peanut butter in it. If I have raisins, then that's a plus. I cook a lot, so I usually have leftovers for the lunch the next day.
My husband, Brad, travels quite a bit with his band, Seraph. So, I try to fill my schedule with things to do. I visit my family quite a bit, going to the gym gives me something to do as well. I have a great group of friends, too. We mostly enjoy watching a movie or sporting event at someone's house or going to Callaghan's, this great Irish pub in downtown.
Brad and I enjoy working in the yard. Right now he's battling the dirt and our overzealous pups so we can have grass in the backyard. It's starting to grow now, it may take some time before it's lush like we want it. We've just planted some herbs and a tomato plant. Next I'd like to grow some peppers.
I love to cook. Mexican dishes are my favorite, Asian is my second favorite. I made some great fajitas for Sunday lunch yesterday. I love to bake, as well. Cakes are what I do the most. I made a killer orange angel food cake last week. I think I'll make it later this week and bring it to work so the coworkers can be impressed with my baking skills. Actually my skills in the kitchen are mediocre. But it's something I enjoy doing, it's sort of my release. Well, that and lifting really heavy weights. Which, I may talk about weights in my next entry... there's just some things I've been pondering lately. But I'll save it for later. Right now I'm writing about how exciting my life is.
I have two dogs, two cats and one ferocious fish.


Arwen - Golden Retriever, female, 5 years old. She's a cuddler and a genuine sweetheart. She likes to talk, too.
Batman - Black Labrador Retriever, Male, 3 years old. He's huge and very handsome. He's moreso the English style lab; tall, lean, and mild mannered. He's not high strung like most labs you hear of. He's obedient, but thick-headed. He loves me more than his own life, I believe.
Lucille - gray cat, half Himalayan, 5 years old. She's the kind of cat all my friends want to take home. She loves to be held and she doesn't know a stranger. She's the most lovable cat on this earth.


Robin - silver tabby, male, son of Lucille, 3 years old. He's the cat in the neighborhood which ALL squirrels, birds and other animals under a pound fear. I actually have arterial spray in my garage from a squirrel he dismembered last summer. I know that's gross, but it's amazing to watch him hunt.


Last but definitely not least is Rocky - Black Tiger Oscar - gender unknown, age uknown, he's big though. I named him/her/it Rocky because it's jaw hangs to one side. So, naturally we give him a Sly Stone accent. Don't put your fingers in the aquarium, he may come after it. We also have a baby algae eater but we never see it. It's hiding from Rocky.


Brad and I met in the summer of 2000 while at college at UM. (which is where I work now) We hit it off right from the start, I pursued, he didn't run, next thing you know we've been married 4 and a half years. He's an interesting character and I love him for it. He's a very talented musician and song writer. He also has a knack for woodworks, fly fishing and training pets. Our relationship has been an adventure and I'm sure it's going to get even better. Yeah, we have our moments where we don't agree, or someone has hurt the other's feelings, or said something wrong and the wrong time, and we've gone through stress filled times, but we try to keep each other in check. When he's down, I'm the positive thinker and vice versa. He's very good to me, though. He gives me positive affirmation, which I is very important to me. I'm the kinda girl that needs ALOT of that. He's trustworthy, integritous and faithful. I love that we love the same movies and tv shows. It's rare that we don't agree on what to watch. The only time that happens is if he wants to watch a war movie. I rarely watch war movies. They're too real for me and I find them disturbing. I'll watch anything once though. He's a Star Wars and Lord of the Rings nerd with me. After he reads Harry Potter he'll be officially a dork in that subject too. He loves the movies, though. I guess he would have an associates degree in dorkology for HP. I'm working on my doctorate. ;) I've enjoyed being married and I am looking forward to starting a family with him too. I know he'll be a great dad. He's really good with kids. Hmm...kids. There's alot of kids in my family but I'll have to talk about them later, and my great sisters, brother, mother, father, in laws, grandmothers and such. There's never a dull moment with any of us. Ah, those stories will come later, do not fret.
I will also be sharing about my friends. My best friend Whitney has been with me since the 7th grade. Too many stories with that girl, I have. (that was my Yoda sentence for the day) So, that's that for now. Tune in later for more exciting posts about my life.

A somewhat quick introduction...not really.

So, it's like this: I get up around 6am Monday thru Friday, get to work by 8am and I leave around 4:30pm. My morning schedule is very specific. I won't bore you with the details, but I am finding that I am, indeed, a creature of habit. After work, I mostly go to the gym, then home to shower, cook dinner and do whatever necessary work there is to be done around the house. I'll try to catch up on some tv shows if I can. I love Scrubs, Heroes, CSI, Good Eats and a few other shows, but that's mostly what I watch.
I eat the same thing every morning. Oatmeal. Yummm. I HAVE to put a banana and peanut butter in it. If I have raisins, then that's a plus. I cook a lot, so I usually have leftovers for the lunch the next day.
My husband, Brad, travels quite a bit with his band, Seraph. So, I try to fill my schedule with things to do. I visit my family quite a bit, going to the gym gives me something to do as well. I have a great group of friends, too. We mostly enjoy watching a movie or sporting event at someone's house or going to Callaghan's, this great Irish pub in downtown.
Brad and I enjoy working in the yard. Right now he's battling the dirt and our overzealous pups so we can have grass in the backyard. It's starting to grow now, it may take some time before it's lush like we want it. We've just planted some herbs and a tomato plant. Next I'd like to grow some peppers.
I love to cook. Mexican dishes are my favorite, Asian is my second favorite. I made some great fajitas for Sunday lunch yesterday. I love to bake, as well. Cakes are what I do the most. I made a killer orange angel food cake last week. I think I'll make it later this week and bring it to work so the coworkers can be impressed with my baking skills. Actually my skills in the kitchen are mediocre. But it's something I enjoy doing, it's sort of my release. Well, that and lifting really heavy weights. Which, I may talk about weights in my next entry... there's just some things I've been pondering lately. But I'll save it for later. Right now I'm writing about how exciting my life is.
I have two dogs, two cats and one ferocious fish.
Arwen - Golden Retriever, female, 5 years old. She's a cuddler and a genuine sweetheart. She likes to talk, too.
Batman - Black Labrador Retriever, Male, 3 years old. He's huge and very handsome. He's moreso the English style lab; tall, lean, and mild mannered. He's not high strung like most labs you hear of. He's obedient, but thick-headed. He loves me more than his own life, I believe.
Lucille - gray cat, half Himalayan, 5 years old. She's the kind of cat all my friends want to take home. She loves to be held and she doesn't know a stranger. She's the most lovable cat on this earth.
Robin - silver tabby, male, son of Lucille, 3 years old. He's the cat in the neighborhood which ALL squirrels, birds and other animals under a pound fear. I actually have arterial spray in my garage from a squirrel he dismembered last summer. I know that's gross, but it's amazing to watch him hunt.
Last but definitely not least is Rocky - Black Tiger Oscar - gender unknown, age uknown, he's big though. I named him/her/it Rocky because it's jaw hangs to one side. So, naturally we give him a Sly Stone accent. Don't put your fingers in the aquarium, he may come after it. We also have a baby algae eater but we never see it. It's hiding from Rocky.
Brad and I met in the summer of 2000 while at college at UM. (which is where I work now) We hit it off right from the start, I pursued, he didn't run, next thing you know we've been married 4 and a half years. He's an interesting character and I love him for it. He's a very talented musician and song writer. He also has a knack for woodworks, fly fishing and training pets. Our relationship has been an adventure and I'm sure it's going to get even better. Yeah, we have our moments where we don't agree, or someone has hurt the other's feelings, or said something wrong and the wrong time, and we've gone through stress filled times, but we try to keep each other in check. When he's down, I'm the positive thinker and vice versa.
We don't have children yet. It probably won't be too much longer until we get to that point though. But for now, we're satisfied with our pups. They really are the best dogs in the world.