Leftovers & Spin Natzis!!!

It's a brisk morning here in So Cal, kinda reminds me of the south...kinda

Recap of last night:

Women's study was great, I love sharing life with these women. I am learning so much wisdom, and I am also learning so much about myself too. We laughed a lot last night, and I love that! You can never laugh enough.

We had so many blackeye peas left over, I decided to make Kath's black eye pea burger, I basically followed her recipe, I just had cheese and a tomato on top instead of ketchup and mustard. On the side I had my leftover Anni es sweet potato fries, and some brussel sprouts with pepper and light butter. This meal was so simple because it was a mix of all leftovers.

The burger was delicious, I will be making another one soon :)

I crashed early last night, because I had a 4:30am wake up call, to get to spin class at 5am. Once I had a cup of Joe I was ready to go! This mornings class was intense, I think I will call this teacher the SPIN NAZI! She kicked my bootie! Which is a good thing, but my heart rate didn't seem to pass 160? I wear my Garmin heart rate monitor and I just don't know how accurate it is. It says my average heart rate was 145 and my max was 160, it had to be higher!!!

I did a little research on heart rate zones:

"To find your maximum heart rate, take your age and subtract it from 220.
Maximum Heart Rate = 220 - Age

It is recommended that one should work out at 55 - 90% of maximum heart rate. So, to figure out what intensity is right for you, chose what percentage of intensity you should work out at and calculate your target heart rate during exercise from your maximum heart rate.

Target Heart Rate = Maximum Heart Rate X ( 55% - 90%)
Beginners should work at the low end of this recommendation and increase intensity as appropriate. Thus a good target heart rate for a beginner should be 60% of the maximum heart rate.

Thus for a 45 year old person just starting an exercise program the appropriate target heart rate during exercise should be.220 - 45(age) = 175 Maximum Heart Rate175 X 60% = 105 Target Heart Rate During Exercise"-About.com

My Statistics:

Well I am 26, so 220-26=194 so this is my maximum heart rate.

194x85%=around 165

Today I worked at about 80% of my maximum heart rate, which is good right?

I don't really know how accurate my Garmin is either, all I know is I was breathing A LOT!!!

When I got home I made a big bowl of protein packed Oats!

The BIG Mix:

1/2c oats
1/2c H2O
1/2c hempmilk
1/4c pumpkin
1/2 banana
handful of flax seed
hand full of peanut butter granola
handful of Bare Naked Trail Mix(which I got for free at Skirtchaser)
1/2scoop banana protein powder
drizzle of agave nectar

I had a small piece of leftover whole wheat banana bread with pumpkin butter.

and a shot of Monavie.

BATTLE OF THE YOGURTS!

Well as for battle of the Yogurts, I tried my second yogurt yesterday. Rachel's calm plum honey lavender blend. Click here for nutritional info. It has only 150 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein, but only 1 gram of fiber. There is a small list of ingredients which is great, but I am not really buying into the whole "Blissful blends custom-crafted to suit your mood." I don't think I felt more calm because of the yogurt. But I like the taste it was not as liquidity as some yogurts. What do you all think have you tried this brand before?

Today is kind of like a Friday because our couples group got canceled tonight, and we have teacher in service tomorrow!!! YEAH! I have kickboxing, and get to do a new Yoga class!!! I also need to work on my BSI recipe, hopefully it will turn out wonderfully I am a little nervous I have never cooked eggplant! Have a great day everyone!

First Day at The New Gym & Voting DAY!!!

Happy Voting DAY! Or shall I say happy liberty day, because voting is just that!!!!

So this morning I woke up at 4am, for a spinning class at my new gym. WOWZERS that was early, the class actually started at 5am, but I wanted to get up and have a bit of coffee first, that didn't happen but I did get up early. The class rocked, it was all ladies, where were all the men? It was a 45 minute class with 15 minute ab workout. Then I got a free 30min training session from a personal trainer at the gym, it was some refreshing and good information. I know a lot of things to do with the weights, but it's never a bad idea to get a refresher course. I have done weights at home now for a year, but I haven't belonged to a gym(other then the kickboxing gym I work at) for a while. It was a great first time!

It's raining here in So Cal, all I have to say is that it's about time! On my way home from the gym I tried to go vote, but because of the rain and long line, I decided to try back in an hour or so. We needed some rain, and that means it actually feels a little like fall today. So I made some pumpkin oats, and had a small piece of whole wheat banana bread I made last night.

Pumpkin Oats are just the best!

Well off to hit the polls have a great day!

Make a difference Mondays!

Spin class rocked this morning! I wore my hear rat monitor so I was able to see how hard I needed to push myself. My legs burned, and I have never sweat that much in a spin class!

Here are my statistics:

• Duration: 45:00 minutes
• Average Heart Rate: 150 bpm
• Maximum Heart Rate: 196bpm
  
  26 year old target heart rate:
  98–166 beats per minute 50%-85%
  195 beats per minute 90%-100%

I came home and made a large bowl of Cranberry Oats!

I want to stop and take a break from my normal posts about food and exercise and talk about Make a Difference Mondays! My local radio station always does this thing on air where they talk about doing something big or small for someone else on Mondays, just because. This could be anything for buying the person behind you in line at Sbux a coffee, or even paying for a strangers dinner bill. Mondays are rough for a lot of people and they don't need to be. My challange to you readers and myslf is to pass the torch of love on to others. Being intentional about making a difference every day, but thinking about it every Monday. I would love us to share our Monday stories with one another! How can you make a difference in someones life today, how have you made a difference?

Face Behind the Counter
The face behind the counter
paints a portrait very clear
This life which God created
Has real hopes, real hurts, and fears
Will I take a moment
From the pressing day ahead
And listen to my spirit
To serve a soul that might need fed
I see within their eyes
The need for something true
Will I let them see my faith
By what I say and do
Can I spare a tiny piece
From life's giant block of time
Will I take these seconds given
And from my own world, choose to climb
A chance to be a blessing
A chance to show some grace
With hope, they just might see
A glimpse of God's face.
-Doug Cox