A Healthier Version of ME and YOU: Workout Day 37 of “Build Your Best Body” and MORE…

I must apologize for being silent over this past week. It has been crazy busy with March Break and all. And all has made me tired and wanting my bed earlier at night. The daycare kids, my children and I capped off the March Break yesterday by doing our own version of the Harlem Shake. I am hoping to share it with you, but I am still waiting permission from one of the families to be able to post it to any form of social media. But here is a glimpse of my two crazy kids…

For some reason at lunch time yesterday I started singing the Harlem Shake song and then I thought we should make our own video. The kids were super excited and wanted to know if it would go on YouTube…<<<this is coming from children all under the age of 7 years…too funny. I explained to them that I needed to get permission from all their parents first before I could post it, so we shall wait and see. I will keep you posted on this. It’s quite cute and funny.

The last few days of workouts, I have upped my weights quite a bit. The last two sets of Triceps Kickbacks on Workout Day 35; I used 10 lb dumbbells and continued to use them through day 36 & 37. I tried doing both arms at the same time…but that didn’t work, so I just did one arm at a time…success. I also started using two 12 lb dumbbells for a total of 24 lbs for my Plie Squats; this also began on Day 35. That day seemed to be the day to push the UP button. I also started using 15’s for my Floor Press, Floor Flyes and Bent-over Row. And for my Weighted Crunch…24 lbs.

Today I pushed the UP button again on one other exercise. Biceps…on my last two sets I curled 15 reps with 15 lbs in each hand.

I think I am going to have to buy myself some heavier dumbbells soon.

Today I picked up a pair of gloves to wear while lifting. My hands were getting sore and calluses were starting to form. The gloves were my little reward for completing Week 2 of Month 3.

This past week I kind of got off track with the “Build Your Best Body”, “Time Your Meals” meal plan. It was busy with the daycare and I got a bit lazy with making my own food because I was tired and stressed. But I am not going to let one week ruin my plan, my journey. My workouts were great and the food was still fairly clean. Tomorrow I will be grocery shopping for next week and prepping some meals in advance.

I made some Banana Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream from a recipe I found through Facebook the other week. I had all the ingredients in the house and decided that it would be a great treat for the children. Only problem was, it wouldn't be ready until later in the evening. It will be great for next week’s after school snacks. I heard my daughter and another girl talking about how someone at school had cut an avocado for them to try and they didn’t try it. Well I am not going to tell them that this chocolate ice cream is made with avocado.

Here is the recipe for the ice cream…

BANANA CHOCOLATE AVOCADO ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe avocados

2 ripe bananas

2 cups of coconut milk

¾ cup raw honey

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

INSTRUCTIONS

ONE: Place all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and pulse until you have a smooth mixture.

TWO: Put into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

(I don’t have an ice cream maker)

So, if you don’t either…

THREE: Pour the mixture into a seal-able freezer-proof container and place it in the freezer, for at least 4 hours, stirring every hour to avoid the ice crystals from forming.

This morning I made myself a protein shake to drink before my workout. I used some of the ice cream that I made. It was so good.

I had the shake as Meal #1, before my workout.

Then I made myself some French Toast as Meal #2 from the meal plan.

For lunch, Meal #3, I made myself a Chicken Pizza on a tortilla with salsa as the sauce, and Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella.

After my pizza, I indulged in some of my newly made ice cream. I had to try it.

Yummy!

You would never know that it has avocado in it. Would you????

Then it was off to add to my tattoo…

I first got this tattoo 4 years ago...

I wanted to have both my son and daughter’s names included in this tattoo. I was just going to have it done in a fancy font, but something wonderful changed it, 5 days before my appointment.

My appointment was on a Tuesday in July 2009, this was the summer before my son was starting JK. I was putting him to bed on the Friday night before the week of my appointment, he was drawing in his little note book. I asked him to print his name, which he had been trying to do, and he asked me to print it out for him and he copied it and printed it himself for the very first time. And yes of course, it brought tears to my eyes. I was so proud of him. And that’s when it dawned on me that I would get THAT tattooed on my skin, and not some fancy font. So since my daughter was only just over a year, I would have to wait to add her name. Well last September before she started JK, she also printed her name herself for the first time. I saved it and then just a few weeks ago I called to make the appointment. Thankfully with the design being so small they were able to fit me in only a few weeks later. So today, her name was added to my tattoo and both my children will be with me always. I had to do a little bit of cut and paste with her name as the letters were spaced out quite a bit. I would have had to get a full sleeve if I had left it the way it was. She has since printed it smaller and neater but it wasn’t the “first” time. So I took the "first" one and that is what makes this tattoo SO special and SO very personal. I love it!

Me waiting..............Me getting poked...................Me all wrapped up.

After getting my tattoo there was a health food store close by and I picked up some more Coconut Butter, Raw Honey, some natural Root Beer for my husband and some organic jelly beans for the kids.

We then ventured to the new Target store that opened up in Guelph, ON. This is where I bought my weight lifting gloves.