Sweating at Home

There's nothing like getting sick to stop you in your tracks.

In fact when I get sick, I live in denial about it for a while. If I don't admit I'm sick, it will just go away, right? Um, nope.

Thanks, I believe, to clean eating and supplements (especially probiotics and apple cider vinegar), I don't get sick too much. But every spring and fall brings on a wave of sinus infections. I've been successfully fighting them off until this week, when the infection finally won. I gave in, went to the doctor, and picked up some antibiotics. :( I hate antibiotics. :(( They completely throw my body, especially my stomach, off balance. I've had chronic sinus infections for as long as I can remember, but since I moved to Houston, they've gotten way worse.

Weather that goes from 85 one day to 55 the next, and then back again two days later, will do that to you. Sigh. I miss real fall.

ANYway, I got my Tone It Up DVD this weekend in the mail, which I was SUPER pumped about. I'm considering dropping my current gym membership to try and save some money, so I'm looking for more ways to get a GOOD workout at home, as well as a decent cheaper gym closeby so that I don't have to store a bunch of equipment at my house. (There's no room for my toys, the kids already have too many.) Despite some major congestion, I managed to do the 5 Minute Plank Workout followed by the Tone It Up  HIIT workout. Combined, the workout took 23 minutes. And I was sweating like a mother. Yup, it passed the test!

I know, I know...when you're sick you should take it easy. But unless I feel can't-get-out-of-bed sick, I get antsy not doing anything. My litmus test for working out when sick is that I don't do it if I know I will feel worse afterwards. And yesterday, I didn't (feel worse afterwards, that is).

So, I did my workout, went to the doctor, got my meds, and went on to work!

Picked up some snacks at the store to help fuel by body's recovery (from both workout and illness).

 

My Starbucks habit has been changed to a Kombucha habit. Much healthier, but holy expensive! Oh, and this was the first time that I've tried a Raw Revolution bar, and it was SO good. I highly recommend, especially if you're a fan of Larabars.

 

This morning, I was feeling well enough to head to the gym for an interval sweat session and some weights.

 

Have you ever tried the Stepmill? I swear, you will never sweat so hard in your life. I did a 20 minute interval session and looked like I had just stepped out of a sweat box. For real.

 

Followed that up with a little chest (bench press, push-ups, chest flyes) and triceps (skull crushers, presses, and overhead pulldowns).

 

And, since I said I'd post my progress, I did a little flexing for the mirror.

Tickets to the gun show?



This was awkward for me, in more ways than one. First, I've never taken a picture of myself flexing. I am now officially a weirdo.
Second, there is NO good way to hold a camera for this. It seriously took me about 5 minutes just to get this shot.
But I also wanted to prove that you can be vegetarian and still build muscle. I have not lost an ounce of muscle since I went vegetarian. I truly believe that, unless you're some super endurance athlete or bodybuilder, we don't all need as much protein as we think we do. Too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing! And, you can get all the protein you need from plant-based sources. No joke.

So, for the closing shot, my delicious #plantpower lunch today! (Sidenote: I have never been on Twitter in my life, so I just throw hashtags around. Does it make me look cool?)

This beauty is roasted vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, and broccoli), roasted acorn squash, tahini nooch sauce (see the recipe from @powercakes here), raw sauerkraut, sun-dried tomatoes, and Sriacha. So. Freakin'. Good.

And the YouVersion verse of the day:
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness...." (Micah 6:8)

Have a blessed day!