3 Ways I Get Motivated in the AM and Feasting

I know it's not always easy to get up early for a workout. When I was working, Saturdays were reserved for those since my weekday workouts were after school.

To help make sure I got myself out the door, I developed a couple tricks to increase my odds of staying motivated.

I pack my gym bag the night before so that no matter how slow I'm moving in the morning, at least that part is ready to go out the door on time.

As soon as I get out of bed, I put on my workout clothes. Even though I might just be enjoying a cup of coffee, I feel ready to go. Eventually.

My favorite way to stay motivated in the morning is to read inspiring blog, Instagram, and Facebook posts. Nothing like seeing what you have been up to all day while I was sleeping in China to get me in the workout mood.

The workout for today was total body strength. The arm exercises are seriously killer for me (except maybe triceps dips) and with a bum knee, I have to modify some of the leg exercises. But I get it done and it feels good.

After breakfast mrC and I rode bikes to do some errands. I got a mani and pedi while he went to the bank. Then we rode to Charlie's, an international grocery here in Shekou, where I scored big. The best find was some granola (you'll see when you check out my lunch), but we got a bunch of goodies there.

What I ate on FEAST day

First, let me say that this was my best food feast day so far. It makes a big difference to feast at home.

Breakfast: banana pancakes, grapes, and coffee

I researched lots of recipes, pulled a little from one and a little from another, and crossed my fingers. They were really, really good. I can't wait until the next feast day to have them again.

Recipe:

1 mashed banana (I did not mind having some lumps)

2 whisked eggs

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 vanilla

Combine all ingredients.  The mix is very liquidity. I used approximately 2 tbsp scoops to make smaller pancakes. It was pretty easy to flip them this way. They cooked just like regular pancakes, about 1 minute per side.

The next time I might add some protein powder and see how they taste.

Lunch: leftover quinoa pizza bake and smoothie bowl

I've been thinking about this bowl ever since our weekend in NH with the girls. I just made my regular smoothie then added the toppings. Yum!

Dinner: gluten free spaghetti and meatballs, salad, water
mrC makes really good pasta. I wanted to be hungrier so I could eat more, but by this time I had nearly eaten my daily calories.

Macros: It was the most carbs consumed on feast day and I went over my calories, but not by 50% as is the goal.

It's crazy to think that just a couple of weeks ago, this was my normal day. Everyday. No wonder I wasn't seeing any changes even though I was working out everyday. Learning how to fuel my body has been nothing but positive, except of course, trying to be dairy free :)

How do you get moving for a morning workout?

Active Trigger Points, a Full Body Workout, and Regular Calories Day 2

After yesterday's workout, my problem knee was cranky. I think the cause is overuse of my quads. They've seen more squats and lunges this last week than in a long time. The overuse has activated the trigger points in my vastus medialis, probably because it's still a weak muscle.

I've had this happen before, so I know the self massage routine, (read about my pesky trigger point here) but this time I was also armed with peppermint essential oil. I rubbed it in and worked on my trigger points for about 5 minutes and then iced for about 20. I also found a great video with some vmo exercises. 

Fortunately, the knee pain didn't keep me from my full body dvd workout this morning. I replaced the high impact cardio portions with low impact alternatives and completed all the strength. I really liked it. The 45 minute workout looked like this: warm up, cardio, arms, cardio, legs, cardio, core, cardio, stretch. 

After the workout and some breakfast, we did some errands. My knee is still not happy when I walk, but I am totally happy with my linen dress from Gap. It was very comfortable and today it was near 85 degrees.

Regular calorie day 2 eats

Breakfast: protein pancakes, apple, coffee

I saw a picture of someone's protein pancakes online and woke up dreaming about them. So yea, pancakes (not dairy free...Greek yogurt). Soooo good.

Lunch: Kosmo toner smoothie, handful of grapes

We have been walking by this little healthy shop, Kosmo, for a year and were finally motivated to go in. The owner, "Alan" (he's Chinese) has been in Shekou for 15 years! He makes shakes, smoothies, and some food items. You can even buy protein in his shop. He modified the recipe to be dairy free: strawberries, soy milk, whey protein.

Dinner: chicken breast, green beans, water

I love a simple crock pot meal. Easy peasy and mrC cleans up!

While the chicken was in the crock pot, I decided to try a new recipe for peanut butter protein bars that I found on Run Eat Repeat.

Only I added two mashed bananas and 3/4 tbsp cinnamon Iike the recipe I already use (you can see it here). I could barely wait for them to cool off before having one. 

My calories and macros were pretty much on target today and other than my knee, it was a great day. I'm loving that I don't feel like I'm starving even though I'm eating less than I was a week ago.

Ever have active trigger points?

My Birthday Boy and Favorite Protein Sources

Happy 13th birthday to my retired running buddy (I guess we are both retired now). In a perfect world this guy would be living with us in China, but we know he is being spoiled by our family in Massachusetts. 

Today I warmed up with flow again, but I had coffee first. I like how this challenge adds a new pose to the flow sequence each day.

#RunnersLoveYogaFlow
day 3 - triangle
My muscles were feeling stiff this morning, maybe from staying up later than usual last night but waking up at my normal time.

After flow, I went right into my strength. I had two arm workouts today.

21-day Arm Sculpting

day 15 - 14 reps again

I'm in the home stretch and hoping to finish strong. The reps are getting harder to do after about 12. 

30 Day Pilates Body

day 23 - arms

After using 4 pound weights, you'd think weightless moves would be easy, but not so much. Death by repetition! 

I'm always looking for new ideas to stay motivated and focused on my fitness goals, so I signed up for a free webinar being presented by Robin from The Balanced Life. I'll be sharing the tips I plan to use, but you should check it out yourself.

It was raining when I went to yoga, but thankfully today's class is in the studio right across the street from our apartment. I still need to get a comfy pair of rain boots. It's on my US shopping list.

Mindfulness Yoga

The class was held in a smaller room today, but the light and the view (see the kitty in the window?) were so nice. The session focused on simple poses that build strength but don't require a lot of movement and more stretching which felt really good for me today.

I don't always eat enough protein, especially when mrC is on a trip (like the one he's been on all week), so I try to find easy ways to add it to my daily diet. Today I made a quick smoothie for lunch and some quinoa and tuna for dinner.

Berry Protein Smoothie Recipe:

1/2 c. frozen raspberries

1/2 c. frozen blue berries

1/4 c. almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder 

3 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 c. spinach

1/4 c. greek yogurt

Cheesy Quinoa and Tuna

Cook 1 cup quinoa, then add

2 tbsp. greek yogurt

2 cans tuna 

1/4-1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Do you have a running/workout buddy?

Ever taken a webinar?

What's your favorite source of protein?

Banana Peanut Butter Protein Bars

I'm not a fan of bananas. True story: a friend once chased me around the dorm lounge trying to make me touch the mushy fruit inside. Totally freaked me out.

Now that I'm miles away from that silly college girl, I love to use them in my homemade protein bars.

Making the protein bars was an excellent follow up to a morning climb up Nanshan mountain. It's been cold and cloudy in Shenzhen since I got back from the Maldives (yes, I love saying that!), but we made it to the top without getting rained on.

Banana Peanut Butter Protein Bars are one of my favorite homemade snacks. I haven't been making the best food choices lately, so I checked the ingredients for my recipe and figured I could still make them here in China. And they're still gluten free.

Here's my recipe:

2 cups quick cooking gluten free oats

1 cup protein powder (I use vanilla)

1/4 cup organic buckwheat flour

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 cup nut butter (I use almond butter)

1/4 cup honey

2 mashed ripe bananas 

1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix together. Spread about 1/2" inch thick onto cookie sheet lined with cooking-sprayed wax paper. 

Bake 350 degrees 15 min. 

Remove from wax paper. Let cool and cut.

I always have a couple right away. 

After the hike, I met mrC at the salon. He got a haircut and I got my nails done. They were seriously overdue. 

On our walk back to the apartment, I saw this scooter and now I think I want one. Except it would put a dent in my Fitbit stats. 

We didn't do the souvenir thing on our trip. We bought some incidentals: post cards, a disposable underwater camera, sunscreen. It was enough to earn a free gift and tonight we put it to use while making dinner. I love it!

Do you make your own snacks?
Souvenirs or no souvenirs when you travel?

New Tweak on Greek: Yoplait Greek 100 Whips!

This post is sponsored by Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! I earn a small compensation when you click on a link. All opinions are my own.

I like to keep things simple.

Running is simple.

After a good sweaty run, I like a simple treat.

Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! makes it easy to pick healthy snack choices after a good workout. It's perfect for dipping your favorite fresh fruits into the mousse-like texture and you can't beat 100 calories and 0% fat!

I also like to toss a Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! in my lunch bag and enjoy a nice treat before retreating back into the classroom after a 30 minute lunch break.

This new yogurt is light and fluffy, but packed with all the protein you'd expect from your Greek yogurt. There's is enough protein to help muscle recovery after a workout or satisfy your appetite until your next meal.

When I'm feeling more ambitious, I like to make gluten-free protein pancakes after a workout. Here's a fun twist on my recipe for a Valentine's Day treat you might make for your favorite person or your kiddos.

recipe makes 1 serving

Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! come in a variety of flavors to satisfy your favorite cravings. Take a look at the different flavors here. What's your favorite?

Planning to pick some up for yourself? Use this coupon for $1.00 off your purchase!

You can also use Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! to whip up some amazing treats. Find amazing recipes here.


Are you a Greek yogurt eater?
What's your favorite post-workout protein treat?

GNC PUREDGE: Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

The following post is written on behalf of GNC through my relationship with Linqia. All opinions are my own.

Over the past few months I have been coping with running injuries, recovering from knee surgery, dealing with digestive issues and overcoming fatigue. It hasn't been easy, to say the least.

However, the GNC PUREDGE line is easy to integrate into your every day life. The line includes a variety of products to meet several different needs: amino, energy, bars, and protein.

The GNC PUREDGE line is whole-food based and promises:

- No Gluten-added ingredients

- No GMO-added ingredients

- No banned substances

- No artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners

- No preservatives

- No wheat, yeast, fish, or egg

- No sugar alcohols 

GNC Complete Amino includes glutamine, so it was the first product I tried. Glutamine is known to help muscle recovery, fight illness, and improve digestion. It was recently recommended to me by a running friend. When I mixed with water it tasted a lot like the tropical punch Kool-Aid I drank as a kid. I have been blending it into my morning smoothies The tropical punch flavor overpowers the fruits and vegetables, but it is still good.

GNC Daily Energy is recommended to jumpstart your day or your workout. After days of hauling myself around school on a crutch, I was running on empty at the end of the day. Adding a scoop of cherry limeade to my smoothie gave me a boost, but the flavor didn't overpower my freggies.

GNC Complete Protein Bars are easy to toss into your lunch bag as I like to do. As much as I wanted to love these, both flavors tasted a little too much like vitamins to me. I'm very picky about my protein bars though.

GNC Complete Protein was my favorite product...maybe because it was chocolate! I had been looking for an excuse to make some sort of dessert and this product gave me a great excuse.

Inspired by an awesome recipe from Julie for chocolate mug cake, I made some modifications to make it gluten-free and protein packed so it can be a delicious post-workout indulgence!

I can't believe how easy it was to make cake…and in the microwave.

How do you use your chocolate protein?

Don't forget to check out all the GNC PUREDGE products here.

This post is also part of the #WIAW link up hosted by Jen

On-the-Go Egg Muffins

I'm all about making things simple.

The time in the morning before I go to work goes by the fastest. I like to try to enjoy a full cup of coffee while watching the morning news before I leave. No matter how early I get up, it never seems like I have enough time to do everything I want or need without feeling rushed.

I've made packing lunches easier by preparing on the weekends. You can see some of my favorite recipes here and here. mrC helps with breakfast by making smoothies when he is home, but lately I've been wanting something warmer. Hmmm, wonder why?

On-the-Go Egg Muffins

6 eggs beaten

shredded cheese

shredded ham

shredded spinach

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Grease muffin pan

Fill with ham, spinach & cheese

Pour egg mixture

Salt & Pepper to taste

Place center rack 20-25 minutes (to light brown)

Let cool before removing from muffin pan

So good. So easy to grab a couple and heat them up for a quick breakfast before I leave. I can even toss a couple in a baggie and heat them up at school if I want. In fact, they make a pretty good lunch option that way too.

Sometimes I don't always eat right after a run/workout because I don't feel like making something. On-the-go egg muffins also make an excellent post-run or workout snack because they're packed with protein which is good for muscle recovery. In my recipe spinach is good too because it helps muscle growth.


What do(would) you like to put in your egg muffins?

This post is part of the #WIAW link up hosted by Jen