Good morning! How’s everyone doing with their Monday so far? I’m not gonna lie…I was kinda sad to see Monday come back so soon. There was plenty of low-key fun, good food, and good news this weekend, and I didn’t want to see it end. Here’s the lowdown…
- Your Neighborhood Party Animals
- A Reliable Standby
- Good Beer, Good Food, Great Company
- The Most Unique Brunch Item I’ve Ever Seen
What were the highlights of your weekend??
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Last Night’s Dinner
I told you all last night that I had a feeling dinner was going to be super simple…
Well, it doesn’t get much simpler than a bowl of cereal, now does it?
I honestly wasn’t craving a whole lot of anything, but you can never go wrong with a bowl of cereal – especially when it’s made with three kinds of cereal, banana slices, and PB2 on top.
It worked.
Workout
This morning officially kicked off phase 3 of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp! She emailed our workouts to us over the weekend, and I’d been SUPER excited to get started ever since. It’s so nice to have a workout you actually look forward to, isn’t it?
Phase 3 of bootcamp is definitely kicking things up a notch, focusing on strength, power, and functional training. We have four days of weights (YAY!), broken up into a split routine of “push” muscle groups and “pull” muscle groups:
- Push muscle groups = quads, chest, triceps, anterior deltoids
- Pull muscle groups = hamstrings/gluetes, back, biceps, rear deltoids
Today’s workout consisted of 30 minute sprint/hill intervals on the treadmill + a “push” workout. My intervals on the treadmill pretty much, well, sucked. I started out strong, but my asthma kicked in and I wound up having to complete the rest of them with a power walk. Not a huge deal (still worked up quite a set), but just frustrating when that happens.
The “push” supersets, on the other hand, were awesome and actually incorporated another type of training that I had yet to try for myself, Pyramids. With the pyramid system, you increase (or decrease) your weight with each set; today’s workout used the “light-to-heavy” system, which looked something like this:
- Set 1 = 15 reps, light weight
- Set 2 = 10 reps, moderate weight
- Set 3 = 6-8 reps, heavy weight
This system of working out is great because you’re challenging your muscles differently the entire time. The only downside can be having to find three sets of weights/dumbbells for certain exercises. Overall, I was definitely a fan.
Has anyone else ever tried this system of working out? What did ya think?
Breakfast
By the time I got home, it was time to fuel up.
Coffee + a batch of Mixed Berry French Toast Oatmeal.
Topped with some Love Grown Foods granola and a drizzle of sugar-free maple syrup.
Always a winner. Always.
*****
Before signing off for the morning, I have to give a quick shout out…
Today is a very special day for a very special person, who I like to refer to as “Aunt Kelly.” Aunt Kelly (better known as Kelly Olexa) is the mastermind behind FitFluential, and she has seriously got to be one of the most hardworking, driven, and inspirational women I have ever met. She never ceases to amaze me, whether it’s with her super informational (and humorous) vlogs, or her wealth of knowledge on social media. I have learned SO much from her, and through FitFluential, she has provided me with opportunities that I’m sure I would have never had otherwise.
So today is Kelly’s birthday, and because she is such an amazing gal and I think so highly of her, I’m sending her a virtual birthday gift with two of her favorite things:
Hunky Ryan Reynolds & some Starbucks. Happy Birthday, Kel!
And since you’re all sharing in this virtual birthday gift as well, I hope Mr. Reynolds has gotten your day off to a good start. Happy Monday to YOU.
Caitlin @ This Bride's Joyride says
I had cereal for dinner too last night! Heart to Heart + Raisin Bran, yum.
Haha, that is the best birthday present ;)
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
you can never go wrong with cereal for dinner! or any meal or snack for that matter. ;)
i love me some ryan reynolds and starbucks too! happy birthday kelly!
Mary says
Thanks for the gift!!
Amy says
I guess that’s a pretty great way to start the week :) :) :)
Happy Monday!!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
Thanks for giving us ALL a gift this morning! Haha! ;)
Andrea @ Andrea Out Loud! says
Oh ryan reynolds… DROOOOOOLL
Coco says
Why am I the only person on the planet who thinks Ryan Reynolds is just “ehh”…he’s definitely not UNattractive, but he’s not my cup of Starbuck’s.
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
What a great way to start off a Monday, thank you for sending your friend the virtual gift. I love Ryan Reynolds. He’s so hot!! I love your dinner! I have nights like that, super simple but tasty.
I should of joined the boot camp. I decided to today that I would order ChaLEAN EXTREME from Amazon. I need help, as much as I work out, and eat healthy, I keep gaining weight. So I thought with this workout I would have better faster results. Have a great week!
Jana @ Newly Wife Healthy Life says
Love the idea of pyramids! A great way to mix it up and push yourself without overdoing it! Although he is not my favorite Ryan (Ryan Gosling takes the win for me!), Mr. Reynolds is still hunky and nice to look at on a Monday morning! Ha ha thank you :-)
Heather says
I heart Ryan reynolds. sigh.
Laurie says
Kelly and I are twins — my two favorite things! Thanks for getting my Monday off to a good start!
Yellow Haired Girl says
Mmmmm Happy Birthday to all of us ;)
Khushboo says
I’m still doing Body For Life, and all the weights workouts are pyramid-based. I love this style of weight training and will definitely keep up with it even once the 12 weeks are over! Have a great Monday, Courtney :)
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
Pretty sure my Monday just got off to a great start ;)
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries says
I’d like Ryan Reynolds for my birthday.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers says
Awww, I’m sure Kelly will love those! :D
I love pyramids. They really help me increase strength.
Laura @ LauraLikesDesign says
Seriously, sometimes cereal is the best dinner ever–especially with almond milk and a mix of cereals and fruits.
Alyssa @ fit and fun in third says
Ryan Reynolds shirtless…. Perfect way to start a new week! ;)
michelle kim says
Oooh I love the pyramid system using weights, too. I have been doing them at home so I kind of cheat and only use the same 12 pound dumbbells. I should probably go to the gym to actually bump up the weights each set.
Hahaha, love the virtual birthday gift :D
Angela says
Can’t go wrong with cereal for dinner! and I’d love Ryan as my birthday gift..YUMMM lol :)
Kelly Olexa says
OH heavens. That is lovely. ;-) As you are. XOXOXO can’t wait to see you soon!!
AlexandraFunFit says
I love cereal for dinner, although I never thought of putting peanut butter on it. But why not?
http://funandfit.org/2012/03/giveaway-lesserevil-the-greater-good/
Lauren says
I swear I choose cereal every time I don’t want to make dinner. No wonder this was my go-to meal in college. :)
Alaina says
Seriously, cereal bowls like that are the best!
I’ve done a pyramid workout from Nutrition Nut on the Run and I LOVE it! It’s mostly body weight so no worries about finding different weights.
Cheryl Mosley says
Boo for Monday, but yay for Tuesday when I get to try your Mixed Berry Frech Toast Oatmeal!
Brandi says
I had a bowl of chocolate cheerios for a snack last night! Yum!
Nescett @ bananaoats says
You are a very good present giver! ;)
mary @ minutespermile says
Looks tasty! Hills on a treadmill sound tough! Stairmaster is worse imo though. Workout plan looks interesting!
Tamara says
I’ve known about pyramid training for awhile, but some how have never incorporated it into my workouts. Something similar that I like to do at the end of an upper body workout is ‘dropped sets’, particularly for bi’s and tri’s. I use the rope attachment on the cable and pulley machine and pick the heaviest weight I can bicep curl (or triceps press down) for 10-12 reps. Then I immediately pull the pin and drop the weight by 5-10% and go to fatigue. Drop pin again, go to fatigue. And one more time. Holy burn batman!
Annette @ cookie crumbs and carrot sticks says
‘*ceases* to amaze me’
;) Sorry, had to correct, it’s my ‘thing’.
Courtney says
Oh crap.
Haha, thanks Annette! I’m usually pretty good about picking up on that sorta stuff. ;)