Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

Protein is an important part of your daily food intake. There are many uses for it in your body such as build and repair tissue, and it is literally in every cell of your body! 

With that here is a quick and easy protein smoothie that is protein rich and also tastes delicious! 

1 Banana

1 cup ice (about 6-8 cubes)

1 Tbsn peanut butter

1 scoop of protein powder (I recommend either vanilla or chocolate)

1/2 to 3/4 cup (depending on how thick you want) 1% or skim milk

Put everything in a blender and then mix to your desired consistency.  

This is great as a snack in the middle of your day or even in the morning when you are in a rush and don't have a lot of time to make anything else.

Wednesday Workout - Legs!

Legs day at the gym is one of my most absolute favorite days because of how many different exercises you can do. You can isolate muscles and just do quads, hamstrings, glutes or you can do it all! But most of all who doesn't want to look good in a cute pair of shorts this summer!

I typically change up my workout routine every few months so my muscles don't get used the same motions and repititions. So here lately this past month this is what i have been doing.

Goblet Squats- 3 sets of 10-15 reps

This is one of the easiest squats to do and it provides a good warm up for your quads and hips.

Leg Press Machine- Single Leg Presses 2 sets of 10-12 reps and 3rd set to failure

Good Mornings- Use a 20-30lb barbell and set it on your shoulders behind your neck. While slightly bending you knees bend down until your back is parallel to the floor. Do this for 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Glute Kickback Machine aka the Booty Blaster- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
One of my most favorite machines because it gives a good leg workout but it also works your glutes really well! I use 35-50lbs but please start lower and then work up if it is too easy.

Hack Squat Machine- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Calf Machine- 2 sets of 10-15 reps and 3rd set to failure Depending on your gym there may be a few different machines (ie. seated calf raise, standing calf raise) so pick which one you feel works best for you.

Lying Leg Curl- 3 sets 10-12 reps
One of the reasons I like the lying leg curl is that you can isolate your legs and do one at a time. You naturally have a dominate leg so by isolating and working each leg individually you are getting the equal amont of work for each leg.

These are just some of my favorite leg exercises. You can mix and match (ie quads, calves, hamstrings in one workout) or you can isolate and just work quad or just work hamstrings and you will still get a good workout.
One of the biggest things I stress when lifting is form is the key! If you don't have good form you are setting yourself up for injury! Also go slow if you feel like you need to rush through the reps maybe take it down in weight so that way you can go slower to work on form and feel the burn just that much more.
Also if you aren't sure of what these exercises are go check out Bodybuilding.com as they have a workout section that goes over exercises for any part of the body. It is good to use to find new exercises so your muscles don't get used to the same 5 moves every time you work out!
So go enjoy the workout!

*Editors note- I totally work this like 2 weeks ago but has had such a crazy schedule and didn't realize i didn't hit send! 

Finding the Right Babysitter

The time has come that we have started to look for a babysitter for the girls. It will be nice to have a night out every once a month or so but also with our work schedules getting only crazier it is good to have someone that we can count on. Sure we have lots of friends here that watch the girls for us but I don't want to strain any friendships over it as it has happened to me (the one being strained) in the past.

So with this babysitter thing officially decided I need help! What questions do you ask your potential babysitter? I know obvious ones...Are you CPR/First Aid certified?  Do you have any references? etc. But what are some good ones you have used or can think of?

We are also looking to go through Care.com to find one but has anyone else found one a different way? I am not looking for a teenager in high school because if for some rare situation I need them during the week and I'm at work til midnight I know they wouldn't be available.

I am excited to have a more permanent sitter that the girls will get used to and have fun with but let me tell you this overprotective momma sure is nervous! Makes me wanna put some nanny cams all over my house when I leave!

So please pass along any advice you may have! 

New Year New Blogging Ideas!

Welcome to 2014!!!

You may have noticed I took a leave of absence from the blog but I am back! I got back from my deployment at the end of November and needed some quality time with the family and to also re-adjust to mommy life again and it can take some getting used to after 7 months of just fending for myself.  

This year I have taken on a different perspective for a New Years resolution. Instead of trying to do one or two things better why not just strive to make 2014 better than 2013?!lets be honest anyways when you make a specific resolution most times within a month you have already forgotten but I think just trying to make the whole year better in general doesn't quite put as much stress on it.

So here's to new blog ideas and a great new year!!

Weekend Workout - Crazy Cardio!

So everyone knows why making cardio apart of your weekly workouts is good for you (heart healthy, builds endurance, speed up metabolism, etc) but I always get bored halfway through my workout so I combined a few together to always keep you on your toes.

I mixed plain ol running, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and incline walking all in one. It's super easy and because it is always changing there is no time for boredom and it is done in 35 minutes!

So here's the breakdown in minutes:

0:00-1:00- walking at 4.0

1:00-7:00- running at a steady running pace (I am slow like a turtle and run about a 6.5-6.8) but run at a 1.0 incline

7:00-9:00- walk at 4.0 

9:00-10:00- run at a 6.5

10:00-12:00- walk at 4.0

12:00-13:00: run at 7.0

13:00-15:00- walk at 4.0

15:00-16:00- run at 7.5

16:00-18:00- walk at 4.0

18:00-19:00- run at 8.0

19:00-21:00- walk at 4.0

21:00-22:00- run at 7.5

22:00-24:00- walk at 4.0

24:00-25:00- run at 7.0

25:00-27:00- walk at 4.0

27:00-28:00- run at 6.6

28:00-31:00- walk at 4.0 at a 8.0 incline

31:00-35:00- walk at 4.0 at a 15.0 incline

These are the speeds that I use when I do this workout of course you can adjust higher or lower for your workout based on what is comfortable. But I can say that you will be exhausted when you are done! 

Happy Cardio!

Negative Nancy No More!

I am so over being negative.

Seriously it is like a fire that continues to spread as more and more people around you are negative and then next thing you know it has consumed us all. 

Well I am putting a stop to it in my life.

I have noticed lately that I have been more negative lately. I am not sure it is because this deployment is taking a toll on me or if it is just me letting society in general attempt to take over my life. What I mean by that is if you read this news what do you read? Negativity. There are so many things people are critical of on social media or people who just spew absolute hatred on there as well. And then there are people at work who are negative or "Debby Downers" and their infectious attitudes take you over too before you know it. 

Besides why should I be so negative when I have so many positive things in my life. I have a perfect family, great friends, a job (while it takes me away from my family it most definitely provides for my family), and so many other positive things. So with all that being said I am officially calling September, the month of Positive. Every day I am going to find something to be that helps me be positive. Even when I am sure there are going to be days that will test my patience on this I know there will be something good that I can think of! 

So follow me on Instagram and Twitter and use the hashtag #positive4life

So if you're having a bad day let little Miss O cheer you up with her sweet smile!

Weekend Workout

Since I have been deployed I have struggled with what to write about because I feel like there is only so much to say before it seems like every day is Groundhog's Day here. And then it dawned on me...

Why not write about fitness! I became a certified personal trainer in June of last year and I truly enjoy working out so why not share the knowledge with you guys!
One of my favorite things to do is work my core. It is one of the most important parts of your body to keep strong because you use your core more than you think you do; from proper posture to carrying kids around the house! So here are my top 5 core exercises.

1. Heel Touch

Keeping your legs as straight as possible lift your shoulders and your upper back off the ground to touch your heels. Do this for 30 seconds and try to get 15-20 reps.

2. Reach for the sky
Start lying flat on your back with your arms extended past your head. Then bringing your arms up start to come up and lift your shoulders up. Continue keeping your arms straight until you are fully upright. You can do this with or without a weight. Do this for 60 seconds and try for 30 reps. *Note I only have photos of the 2nd and 3rd steps as I couldn't zoom out enough in my room to get the first step in.

3. Boat

Extend your arms straight out and keep your legs out as well. It is important to keep your back straight and not slouch. Hold this position for 30-45 seconds. This works all the core as it is a good balancing exercise too.

4. Russian Twist
Assuming the position twist from side to side touching the ground as you do it and do this for 30-45 seconds. You can also use a weight instead of clasping your hands together.
 

5. Plank
Hold this position and it is very important not to let your back sag as that can cause some lower back pain. You can do this on your elbows as shown below or also on your hands will your arms fully extended. Hold this for 30 seconds. Alternate dropping one knee lightly to the ground for another 30 seconds if you want to kick it up a notch. This will also work your shoulders and triceps.

6. Side Plank

This can also be called a side bridge. Hold this position below for 30 seconds. Then alternate to the other side and hold for 30 more seconds. You can do this in conjunction with a regular plank. This works your side obliques and shoulders too.

These are just some of the many ab exercises out there but they are easy to do at home and don't take very long to do at all. And you can always increase your time or reps if you want to increase the intensity of the workout.