Author: Jessica Marie

Professional copywriter, NASM certified personal trainer, mom of 2

July 16, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

40 min AM run, 3.1 miles
25 min Tracey Mallett FIT in PM

Tuesday:

35 min AM run, 2 miles
30 min brisk walk at lunch

Wednesday:

40 min AM run, 3.2 miles
20 min Maybe Mudder

Thursday:

30 min brisk walk at lunch

Friday:

20 min Maybe Mudder

Saturday:

60 min TurboFire

Sunday:

Rest

You’ll noticed I added something a little new to my routine this past week. My lunch workout buddy is training for a Tough Mudder this coming September, so we’ve been incorporating the boot camp training plans into our routine. I don’t mind. They’re actually pretty tough. You start out as a Mudderling, grow into a Maybe Mudder and emerge as a full-grown Tough Mudder.

Since the Tone it up Bikini Series is over, I’ve been toying around with what I want to do next. Until I decide, I’ve been blending different programs like TurboFire, Barre and Insanity into my daily routines. I like to think that this plan provides really good cross training for my body.

I recently purchased Tracey Mallett’s FIT program after reading this great review. I really like it. And it does get your heart working. I’ve loved Tracey Mallett ever since I picked up a VHS tape of her boot camp at a rummage sale several years ago. It was the only video I could justify substituting for running because of its intensity.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to spend my days being more present, really focusing on summer traditions and giving my son some full-on attention. While I was busy studying for my NASM test, I was still doing things with him, but not giving him my undivided attention. He played outside while I studied in a lawn chair. So, it’s time to actually throw a few pitches and hit a few baseballs instead of just handing him the T-ball stand.

I was going to do a separate weekly food prep post, but really the menu this week was quite easy and can be explained quite simply. I felt that I needed to go light this week, and this menu definitely delivers. It’s piled with colorful fruits and vegetables and aside from the syrup, contains absolutely no processed foods.

Breakfast: Whole wheat pancakes Hubster made from scratch + a small handful of blueberries + sugar-free syrup.
Snack 1: Vanilla Greek yogurt + a small sprinkling of sliced almonds
Lunch: Giant helping of Power Greens + a few dried cranberries + a few walnut pieces + 1/4 sliced avocado + this fabulously easy and tasty strawberry vinaigrette.
Snack 2: A pile of veggies (broccoli and beans from the garden!) + artichoke hummus

I just read that probiotics might have a positive effect on anxiety and depression. Isn’t that fascinating?! I’m sure there needs to be more studying done to confirm that, but in the meantime, it can’t hurt to add Greek yogurt into my repertoire more often.

Any good workout program suggestions for me?

July 13, 2013

Summer So Far

Here in Wisconsin, it didn’t warm up for summer until about four weeks ago. Although we live in the “Frozen Tundra,” this is pretty unusual even for us. Add to that the fact that at the office where I work, they keep the thermostat set at “purple lips.” So, it just hasn’t quite set in yet that it’s summer. That doesn’t stop Peanut and me from having fun though.

We’ve been busy.

Our town holds a yearly festival called Sawdust Days which is really something to see. It’s not just a small little festival, it’s quite spread out and full of things to do. It always coincides with the Fourth of July too, so fireworks are held there every year. I myself make a beeline for the roasted corn. There are amusement park rides, games, food of all kinds and ethnicities, bands, a flea market, and an old world style camp/market area. I once needed a leather hide for a drum project and I actually found one there! Peanut even snagged a cute little crossbow with rubber arrows for his birthday so he can be Daniel Boone.

You can buy arrowheads, dragon feet (crocodile feet), leather items, animal furs, fresh-brewed root beer, and all sorts of old world items in this little campout trading post. The vendors usually come in full costume and actually sleep in their tents and tee-pees.

You can even hold teeny little monkeys at Sawdust Days:

And feed and ride huge camels:

Aside from that one week of festival goodness, we also like to find things to do around our house and town that don’t cost much, if anything.

Storage tubs make great “hot tubs” in the summer. We make our own fun!

We do a lot of Lego-playing outside with the big blocks:

Climbing on old army trucks was Peanut’s reward for doing so well at the dentist’s office right down the street. He actually used the words “I love going to the dentist!” I couldn’t be any more pleased.

Playing at our town’s splash pad with some friends:

And hitting up the rides at the city park:

I’m really loving that my almost-5-year-old is so active. Anything to keep him away from the TV or computer lifestyle is what we strive for. I mentioned before that I’d like to do a summertime version of the Advent calendar and I might just do that. I’ve got some other simple ideas up my sleeve that will keep Peanut and I productive and happy and also hopefully give my Peanut more pleasant memories from his childhood. I just think I need a more structured plan to actually carry it all out, and a calendar would be just the thing. Do I smell another DIY brewing? Maybe, just maybe…

July 12, 2013

A Message of Thanks

I just have to give a shout-out to Hubster to let him know how much his support of my dreams means to me. This week we celebrated 7 years of wedded bliss, so what better time than now.

Sometimes, I have those moments where I’m in full-blown creative mode. I could think of 100 ideas off the top of my head, my eyes get really big and my voice gets quite animated. Not many people see that side of me (and it doesn’t happen that often), but Hubster does. When I get overcome with dreams, projects and ideas, he always nods his head in full agreement. And it’s not the kind of nod and smile that’s dismissive. It’s the real thing. The “I’ll build that for you” or “I’ll take you there” type of nod.

He’s offered to help me with DIYs that I’ve come up with for on here. The type that would normally have me putting supplies back on the shelf not knowing quite how to implement the project. Hubster even gives me more ideas than I started with and works through them with me to make them work or make them better. He sits in the hardware store for longer than he had anticipated to try and bounce around ideas with me. He even offers to check a different store for me when we don’t quite find what we’re looking for.

When I went in for my NASM test, he actually told me he said a prayer for me. I mean, this brings water to my eyes just writing about it. The man of quiet faith who rarely goes to church or talks about religion. I know he’s a believer, but he rarely shows it or speaks a word of it. He actually prayed for me, and told me that he prayed for me. I mean, I was so flabbergasted and grateful at the same time.

When I spout off ideas about workout videos and projects for this blog and my new personal training career, he obliges the role of photographer. He even spent an entire day alone in Chicago with Peanut while I went to an NASM workshop. He even agrees when I want to spend money on this stuff. Some of it comes from my own stash, but he’s super supportive of my spending–but he knows I am super diligent and super-conservative about spending so he trusts my decisions.

Hubster, thanks for being behind me on this one! It’s these things that make me remember how much I appreciate you and just how lucky I am. It makes a world of difference to have someone who supports you with his heart and soul. Mwah!

July 12, 2013

Barefoot Cardio Review

“Exercise can actually feel good”

I have loved Ellen Barrett ever since I picked up her Pick Your Spot Pilates VHS (yep, a tape) many years ago. I seek out her workouts on Amazon every now and then, and when I came across this one, I quickly threw it into my virtual shopping bag and checked out. How could I resist something called Barefoot Cardio?

Ellen Barrett is so easy to listen to. Her voice, her non-use of trite phrases, and her cheerful teaching style are all very refreshing. Doing a fresh workout barefoot makes it feel kinda like you’re playing rather than exercising. For me, this is a great DVD to do for lower intensity days when I want an effective workout without the risk of over-training.

Here’s the breakdown:

Minutes: 45 min

Heart Rate: for me, I averaged 106bpm with a high of 137bpm

Calories Burned: my personal calorie burn was 348

The moves:

Barrett fuses aerobic moves with standing Pilates and barre-style moves that are completely reliant on body weight. Even the arm exercises don’t require weights, but your arms will still feel the burn. Be prepared to do a lot of moves in a wide squat (plie) position. In between circuits, you always return to the pony move where you do a side-to-side 1-2-3 move with your “elegant arms” straight out to the sides.

Through the entire video, you will be upright, doing moves from a standing or hopping position. This may be really good for those who have contraindications to moves that are on the back or stomach.

From my own experience, I find that the moves are super effective at countering jobs and lifestyles that require you to sit all day. There is a strong focus on toning the posture, balance, squeezing the shoulder blades together and finding length in the body. In addition to experiencing that long, straight feeling, the video also focuses on the mind/body relationship. Barrett gives plenty of cues on paying attention to breath, shaking out tension, calming down, and not wasting any energy on stress. I can definitely get behind that!

From Barrett’s own description on the video, she intentionally includes linear moves that balance the body from different angles. Runners and bikers often only move straight forward and in daily life we do a lot of front-based movements. So, in order to balance out the body, Barrett includes a lot of side-to-side movement.

Pros:

No equipment necessary, not even shoes!
Being barefoot is not only fun, but it increases strength and allows for full expression in the feet and ankles. This would be a great way to ease a person into barefoot running by building up foot strength.
Helpful cues are given by Barrett at all times, so you know how to increase the effectiveness of the moves.
Barrett explains things in a way that’s easy to understand but yet explains them in a truly fresh way. For instance, instead of saying to tighten your muscles she says to squeeze your muscles against the bones.
Not only that, but she also has a wealth of pleasant mantras and affirmations to keep you going.
Such a playful, refreshing way to exercise.
One of the exercisers gives modifications to most of the moves, so even if the video is too tough you can tone it down.

Cons:

Didn’t keep me in my target heart rate zone, but like I said, it’s a good workout for “active rest” days. The amount of calories burned was pretty darn good for a 45-minute low-impact workout. It would also be great for a beginning exercise because it really eases you in.
Not much ab-specific work, but I’m OK with that. Plus it’s called Barefoot Cardio, not Barefoot Strength Training. The focus is mostly on cardio.

Favorite quotes:

“Pig out on air!”

“Exercise can actually feel good!”

If you’re a beginner, this video might be the perfect place to start since it’s a nice easement into exercise and requires no preparation or equipment. If you’re an experienced exerciser, the video would still make a great addition to your cross training days, active rest days, or days when you’re just not feeling it but still want to get a workout in.

*I was not compensated in any way for this post. The opinions are all my own and based on my own experience with the workout.

July 10, 2013

Weekly Food Prep

This past week, I prepped all of my meals on Sunday, which is becoming quite a regular habit for me. For a little something different, I used the Quesadilla and Crepe recipes from Blogilates. I kept my snacks pretty simple.

Breakfast: Crepes with banana and strawberries
Snack: Grapefruit
Lunch: Quesadilla with pico de gallo
Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs (one yoke removed)

Making the crepes and the quesadilla tortillas at the same time was a little bit time-consuming, but it was totally doable. I had to make two crepes per day and two tortillas per day for five days, totaling 20 circles. You can see how that might take awhile. Usually, while the batter was cooking, I was busy working on something else, like cutting veggies or boiling eggs. Seriously though, for the time it takes to prep one day for an entire week, it’s more than worth it. I’m eating super clean and healthy AND making it to work on time because all I have to do is throw my pre-portioned meals in my bag and go.

I’m really loving Cassey’s Cheap Clean Eats series. If there’s anything about food prep that I love, it’s when the food is affordable, easy, fast, and clean. This can sometimes be quite a lot to ask for, but with resources like Cassey’s and Tosca Reno’s, it certainly is possible.

I hope to continue building and sharing meal plans like this in the hopes that I might be able to inspire clean eating in your meal schedule too. Seeing what resources I’m using, what snacks I’m munching on, how I’m prepping meals, and how I’m spacing out meals, I hope that you might be able to help you make food prep a normal part of your schedule too. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

How do you prepare for the week?

July 6, 2013

The verdict

Friends, I have successfully passed my exam! I am your newest NASM certified personal trainer. I just had to pop on and share, because I’m just so excited!

I have already celebrated with the best cupcakes in town, lunch with my family and the one thing I had in mind to reward myself after I passed, which I’ll share more about later. It’s going to be a good weekend! Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement these past few days. It really means a lot.

July 3, 2013

Time Out

In the midst of my huge upcoming test for my NASM personal training certificate (in less than 40 hours) and the hustle of the holiday, I will be taking a short break from here, but I’ll be back at it on Monday or maybe even the weekend. My time has been spent fervently studying my notes, online materials, and huge stack of flash cards after work. I’m really doing this! Eeeeps!

On that note, have a fabulous and safe holiday weekend. Have some watermelon, watch some fireworks, attend a hometown festival and revel in the spirit of freedom that Independence Day stands for.

I hope to bring some good news back here on Monday. Wish me luck!

June 26, 2013

How to Re-Subscribe to Boun-See

If you haven’t heard yet, Google is shutting down its feed on July 1st. That’s like, next week. So, if you wouldn’t mind, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog via another feed. I just used Feedly to transfer all my own personal subscriptions over. Let me tell you just how easy it is–it’s easier than signing into your email or making a bowl of cereal. Really, it is. You simply give them your email address and they’ll transfer every single one of your feed subscriptions from Blogger/Google over to Feedly in like a matter of seconds. It’s one-click-simple. If you don’t want to use Feedly, there are plenty of other news feed options out there you can find with a simple Google search.

So, please take a moment to re-subscribe to my blog via a different feed or another means. I’m also on Bloglovin’ (do a search for Boun-See) and you can sign up for an email subscription on my sidebar. I would hate to lose any one of you in the transition.

I truly appreciate every one of you, dear readers. I plan to be around for awhile, blogging about health and fitness, DIY, family and thrift shopping. But most of all, I’m here to connect with and maybe even help you in some way, whether it be with health, family or making each day a little brighter. Let’s stay connected.

Thank you!

June 25, 2013

Weekly Workout Rundown

Monday:

40 min AM interval run, 3.33 miles
15 min Beach Barre
15 min ZWow #68

Tuesday:

40 min AM hill interval run, 3 miles
20 min Beach Yoga
25 min PM run, 2.3 miles

Wednesday:

40 min AM interval run, 3.25 miles
20 min circuit training at lunch (my workout)

Thursday:

30 min walk at lunch with mom, 2 miles

Friday:

45 min AM run, 3.6 miles
20 min circuit training at lunch (my workout)

Saturday:

62 min run, 5 miles

Sunday:

45 min family kayaking trip

This was the last week of the Tone It Up Bikini Series. I finally made my #100bySummer miles on Sunday. And as much as I hate for all the excitement to end, I’m excited to change and charge up my routine this week a bit, perhaps trying out a new challenge. Any 30-day challenge suggestions would be well-received, friends.

I’ve said it before, but kayaking is one of my favorite active things in the world to do. Not only is it active, but it’s so rejuvenating and rewarding. In our kayaks, we can get down little shallow channels that other boats can’t get down. Which means: 0% boat traffic and 100% natural surroundings. I’m so glad I let Hubster talk me into buying kayaks when we were first married. After kayaking, we hit the beach for a little while where it looked like the whole hot city was hanging out.

Overall, we had fun this weekend. I finally got me a new laptop, made Creamsicles with Peanut, prepped food for the week (menu to come) and gathered some supplies from the hardware store for some more fitness-related DIYs. You’ll have to stay tuned for those! They’ve been cooking in my mind for awhile now, but I finally scoped out and purchased the supplies, working out some of the details by bouncing ideas off Hubster. Let the creativity begin!

What did you do this weekend?

June 24, 2013

If You’re Ever in Door County…

…You must do the following things:

1. You must either tour a winery, taste test some wine, or at the very least peer out the window at all the orchards, wineries and specialty wine shops that you pass by. Wine is kind of a big thing in Door County. I did not hesitate to partake in this little tourism draw. I bought the lightest, sweetest moscato (my pick of poison) ever and Hubster actually found a wine that he enjoyed. Mind you, Hubster has never drank a glass of wine in his life. He’s a beer-only guy. The fact that he actually found a wine he liked was jaw-dropping.

My super yummy moscato

Hubster liked the cranberry cherry wine. We’re also gonna

give a new beer and caramel apple sauce a shot.

All from Fat Louie’s

In addition to every olive oil ever, you can also sample vinegars,

jams, salsas, and other specialty items at Fat Louie’s

Just check out this shelf of preserved goodies

2. Participate in some kind of cookout: The fish boils in Fish Creek are a form of entertainment in themselves and have been going on for decades. Campground fires and freshly grilled fare abound in the summer, so there’s no reason to eat “indoor food.” My special birthday request for my mommy was healthy chicken and veggie skewers with honey mustard sauce. It was soooo good. Thanks mom! And thanks dad for manning the grill.

Fish Creek fish boil

Fish boil in action

3. Climb or at least admire the bluffs and shoreline. There are a lot of public swimming beaches and nature pathways to enjoy in Door County. We didn’t have enough time to explore more, but we did take walks out onto the docks and took time to admire the beauty around us.

4. Visit a few specialty shops. Almost every little town in Door County is littered with the cutest specialty shop you could ask for. You’ll find a collection of bookstores, clothing shops, cooking stores, art shops, and so much more at every corner. You will find nary a Walmart or McDonald’s in the “thumb” of Wisconsin. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were up there, even nabbing Hubster a pair of deerskin summer riding gloves.

Artist at work painting mural

Only in Wisconsin are the flamingos still wearing winter boots.

Even the hardware shops are charming.

5. Try the ice cream and coffee. Likewise, ice cream parlors and coffee shops abound. Not only was Fat Louie’s a specialty wine and olive oil shop, it also had the cutest ice cream parlor connected to it. Yes, we had ice cream for lunch. Don’t judge. It was my birthday weekend after all.

We also stopped in the Linger Coffeehouse for a little pre-dinner snack. We all ended up full on their fresh bagels and cheese and fruit platter. You should see how they brew their coffee. Talk about fresh-brewed. I don’t even know what this process is called, but they put the coffee in these specialty filtering cones, poured hot water over the top, and let the coffee drip directly into the coffee cup. Cool!

A corner of the Linger coffee shop holds a guitar signed by

Keith Urban!!! It said “play me.” I thought, don’t mind if I do!

Fresh bagels and pastries

Our generous cheese and fruit plate that filled us up.

6. Go to an outdoor movie: Outdoor movie theaters are getting pretty rare these days, as would be expected. However, one totally retro one is still in operation in Fish Creek: The Skyway Drive-In. Although this was in our itinerary to do, it downpoured on Saturday night, keeping us indoors for the evening. I have been to this theater in the past as a kid though, so I know what a great old-school experience it is.

For our overnight trip, we stayed at one of the cabins at Beantown Campground in Bailey’s Harbor. Beer fest was happening in Bailey’s Harbor, which we happily lingered through. Watch out for those sea gulls though. Bird poop in the hair is not fun. Just sayin’. Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies were playing when we were there. They are the cutest, most folksy bluegrass band I’ve ever heard at a local festival (well, with the exception of The Pegs). I’ve been listening to them on Spotify ever since. Look them up!

I bought Peanut a mini guitar. Ok, I admit, I’m harboring four guitars in his large closet already because I don’t know where else to store them. However, I’m super protective of them because Peanut, well, he’s 4. He’s not as gentle with them as I would desire. Now he’s got one that fits him just right and he can do what 4-year-olds do to it.

He just adores his brand new guitar, and I couldn’t be any more delighted. He played around the campfire for us and even played outside of some of the shops while grandma browsed. My little street singer even got claps from passers-by. Adorable!