Fitness Friday

I'm sure you guys are just as glad for the holiday weekend as I am, so I'll keep today pretty short and sweet.  This week was okay for me, although I definitely went out a few too many times.  I'm also going out of town this weekend, so I'm not sure how that will go, but I'm going to try and get in a workout or two and make decent choices.

Food

I made my weekly dinner frame thing (top left) and it's been working out really well!  I got this cheapie frame from IKEA for $4, so it was a really cheap project too.  I use a dry erase marker on it to list what we'll make for dinner, and it's easy enough to change if we need to.  Love it!  I've also been eating a lot of the old standbys, like wraps, carrots, and fruit for lunch, Green Monster smoothies* and cinnamon toast for breakfast, PB&J, and turkey meatloaf.  All decent, all easy.  Works for me.

* If you've never had a green monster smoothie, allow me to introduce you to the concept of putting spinach in your breakfast.  Don't be afraid, you really can't taste it!  Here's how I usually make mine:

- Blend 1 c. milk of choice (I use almond milk), 1 T almond butter, 1/2 scoop protein powder, and a few handfuls of spinach until smooth
- Add 1 frozen banana (I usually buy a few extra bananas to let them overripen, then freeze them for smoothies!  One tip - peel before you freeze, otherwise they're impossible to peel) and blend until smooth
- Drink! 

My husband can't get past the green color, but I promise you can't taste the spinach if you add the banana and almond butter.  You can switch it up and use peanut butter too, which is really delicious with banana.

I have to be honest though, I am not really losing pounds/toning up like I want to, and I know that it is because I have not been making the time to work out like I should.  Which leads me to

Workouts

I ran 4 miles on Monday and 4 miles on Wednesday, but that's about it.  I'm still hoping to get in my long run this weekend, so that's decent as far as running is concerned, but (a) I really need to do some cross training because my IT band is bothering me again, and (b) I really need to get back into strength training seriously for many reasons, among them that my IT band is bothering me again!  I know that my IT band issues stem from weak hips, so I really have to work on that if I want to run without pain.  I've been doing a lot of stretching and foam-rolling, which definitely helps, but strengthening my hips and other muscles is really the only thing that will fix it long-term.  Do you have any running/athletic injuries that you have to deal with?

This week's goal is to try and schedule my workouts, including strength training, at a specific time and with a specific workout so I have no reason not to follow through.  Do you schedule your workouts in advance, either timing-wise or content-wise?  If so, do you think it helps you, or do you find yourself having to reschedule for other priorities too?

Tell me how your week has been!  How were your workouts?  Have you made any fun new recipes?  And more importantly, what are your plans for Labor Day?  Have a great holiday weekend1!