SWEAT!!!

I used to be the kind of girl who would not want to work out too hard because I did not like to sweat. Over the past year I have learned to love my sweat (mmm that does not sound exactly like I meant it to). Today during an aerobics/strength training class we were doing leg lifts with barbells tucked behind our knees. She made us keep our legs up and still for a 12 count at the end of the set. My leg was burning and I could feel sweat trickling down my back. Instead of thinking about the pain, or the heat, all I could think of is how much stronger my body has become. I am still one of the biggest participants in the class, but I am not the weakest. I have learned that I am not weak - my body can take a lot. What is the point of spending an hour at these classes if I am not going to give it 110%? I was exhausted afterwards, and can honestly say I gave 110% for the whole class. As soon as I left the gym I called my DH and told him how strong I felt. Sweaty and Strong!!!

Oh, did I mention that the class was my second trip to the gym today?? As I promised yesterday I got up and hit the gym this morning. I did 30 minutes of interval training on the elliptical. I played around with my heart rate. I pushed until it was at the high end of the safe range, and then eased off a bit to lower it - and repeat. I am proud of how quick my recovery time is now - I can lover my heart rate in just a couple of minutes. This is a huge change from when I began running a few months ago - It would take me 30 minutes on the couch to recover from a 5 minute run.

After the elliptical I did 15 minutes of free weights and then 30 minutes of crunches and sit ups on the ball. After lunch I went for a walk with a girlfriend, my pup and her kids for about 30 minutes. And then the evening class I already told you about. So a grand total of 12 ap for today!

Food was good for today as well. I did eat 4 of the AP that I earned.

Breakfast: fresh pineapple and yogurt (4)

Snack: cranberries and chocolate (3)

Lunch: meatloaf and salad (6)

Snack: poppy love loaf (4)

Dinner: meatloaf in pita with veggies (7)

Snack: frozen yogurt with sf caramel (4)

I made a new ESBM recipe today with my friends little girl. 'Poppy Love' is a nice light lemony loaf that was so easy to make (perfect when teaching a 6 year old some cooking skills). Afterward we had a dish washing lesson as well :)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oat bran

1 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt

1 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup melted butter or veg. oil

1 egg

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar oat bran, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg, lemon juice, and zest. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 mins, or until loaf is light golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.Cool loaf on a wire rack for 10 mins. REmove from pan and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 loaf, 12 slices3 points per slice.

So - the plan for tomorrow: step aerobics class in the morning, cleaning out the closets, menu planning for rest of the week and grocery shopping, water aerobics class in the PM.

I am loving this staycation!!