First off, yesterday's comments were interesting. It seems like most of us like to plan. I wonder if there is something in the personalities of people who blog that leans toward the organization and planning side? Or maybe we are just all super cool and like to stay on top of things. I like option dos! 😀 And speaking of blogging - check out this awesome giveaway at Be Fit. Be Full.

Today was a day of 'full'. I'm sitting here with a happy and full tummy after some deliciousness such as this...

shredded pork on sandwich thin & peas

I cooked 1/2 a pork tenderloin in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. 2/3 c low sodium beef broth, 1/3 c cider vinegar, 3T brown sugar, 1/3c ketchup, and 1/2 of a bbq pork seasoning packet chilled with the loin in the pot. Made some flavorful yumminess. And of course, you have to top it off with some extra BBQ sauce. 1 Tablespoon is plenty of flavor when you use the good stuff (aka Jack Daniels sauce). And as if that wasn't enough goodness, Peter brought this baby home from work for us to share for dessert.

oh white chocolate macadamia how I love thee

look how big!

My mind was also "full" today. My morning Bible reading really got me thinking. I've been asked previously what I am currently reading in my daily Bible time. Well, I am signed up for two plans that get emailed to me through the BiblePlan website. Seriously, how easy to get updates through email? Keeps me on top of things since I spend too much time on enjoy the computer. Recently, my plan has me reading a few chapters each day from the books Acts and Exodus. Today I really started pondering (picture me with my hand on my chin thinking hard - ha!). In Acts, Paul is constantly traveling to surrounding areas to proclaim the love of Christ to as many people as he can. Even though he knows he will be persecuted, stoned, imprisoned, and almost killed over and over and over again. Yikes! I couldn't handle that! But he endures. Hmm? Perhaps I shouldn't complain about oh, the doctor office taking flipping FOREVER today (M had her 15 month checkup and all is well :)). Perspective. Gotta have perspective. Because I don't want to end up like the Egyptians in Exodus who refused to trust and believe in God and ended up with rivers of blood, dead animals & family members, and tons and tons of bugs surrounding me. Eww. Faith = good. Trying to do things my own way & ignore God = not gonna work for me in the long run. Got it God! You spoke loud and clear to me today. Moving on now...

Lastly, I was "full" today with another awesome full body workout! I love love love full body workouts. They have so many benefits. What is a full body training split? It's where you work all of the large muscle groups in one workout. So instead of doing biceps & triceps one day, legs one day, and chest & back one day, you are able to get almost every muscle in one workout. Here are some benefits I have found with full body training:

• Ability to work each muscle more than once per week without over-training. With a well set-up program you can work out legs, chest, back, etc 2-3 times per week. This can help you make progress quicker.
• Greater calorie burn per workout. Think about it? When do you feel more beat? After some squats  or after doing some bicep curls? Full body workouts have you working out the larger muscle groups (legs, back, chest) throughout the workout, which will keep the calorie burn high. Also, with full body workouts it is easier to set up supersets and giant sets (exercises done back to back) which keeps you moving. Which = more burn than sitting around for a couple minutes between sets.
• Never ending options for routines. When you are doing only 1-2 moves per body part in each workout, there are endless options and ways to mix and match routines. For example: You might still do the same 4 or 5 back moves throughout the week, but it can be split up differently each week with a full body plan instead of being the same moves every week on your back day.  Added bonus - when you mix things up in your routine regularly, your body doesn't adapt as much so you continue to see progress.
• Less time in the gym. Full body workouts usually focus on larger, compound movements. Like bench presses and pull-ups versus overhead extensions and curls. When you do the big moves, there isn't a need to do as many of the smaller moves because those muscles are already worked in the big stuff. Like, you will work your triceps during a bench press and your biceps during a pull-up or row. And like the supersets I mentioned above. Those help cut down on time too, because you can hop from one exercise to the next. AND you only have to do weights 2-3 times per week.

Some things I keep in mind for a full body workout - don't overload and do too many exercises. Usually one exercise per body part is sufficient. Try to vary the exercises from workout to workout. Incorporate more compound moves and large muscle group exercises (back, legs, chest) and less accessory or isolation work (bis, tris, some machines).

These are some setups I have used for fullbody with each line being a superset and subbing in different moves:

Setup One

Legs/Chest

Legs/Back

Shoulders/Bicep/Tricep

Setup Two

Legs/Back

Legs/Chest

Isolation Legs (hamstring curls or leg extensions usually) / Chest OR Back (switch off each workout)

Shoulders/Bicep OR Tricep (switch off each workout)

Disclaimer: Even though I hope to one day be one, I am not a certified trainer. These are simply ideas and things I enjoy in my workout plans. Always do what works for you and consult a trainer or doctor to see if something is right for you and your goals. I simply enjoy sharing what works for me. With that being said, here was my specific workout I did today.

• Warmup on Elliptical 10 min
• Squat 4 sets & Machine Low Row Back 4 sets
• Incline BB Bench 4 sets & DB Bicep Concentration Curl 2 sets & DB Rear Delt Raise 2 sets
• Walking Lunges 3 sets & Side Cable Shoulder Raise 3 sets
• Straightarm Pulldowns 2 sets & Back Extensions 2 sets
• Incline Walk on Treadmill 20 min
• Stretch

In this workout I incorporated a larger muscle group in each superset in order to keep my workout challenging. The exercises being grouped together helped my workout go quickly. I had an extra back move and a bicep exercise in this workout. In the next one it will be a chest and tricep to keep the balance. Once again, I am not a trainer and this is just a setup that works well for me.

So there was my full day. 🙂

• Do you lift weights? What workout splits do you enjoy? Or do you prefer to just use gym classes for your weights?

What did my day look like today? Plan, plan, plan! But it was all good and enjoyable planning. The bulk of my day was having lunch at my friend's house while we planned one of our best gals' baby shower. Our Sunday school class is a baby making MACHINE! Let's see. 6 women, 5 tots under 2, and 2 more on the way. Yea. We are popping them out like a log flume ride. Although it's insanely awesome that we get to go through it all pretty much together and have our kids grow up together. Here is a picture of all of us at my own baby shower.

September 2008

I have to say that I am so so so excited to be helping to plan this shower. My good friend Angie (on the far right) and her husband waited a long time (2.5 years) for this to come. With patience and faith, God blessed them naturally with the little girl they are awaiting. It's so amazing and it brings me pure joy to help celebrate this special time in her life.

Other planning that occurred was preparation for this Sunday's lesson and discussion for our Goodlife class. This planning is fruitful because it serves as a way for me to learn more and grow my own faith. I will be sharing about this in my Goodlife Sunday post this weekend, of course. 🙂

The final part of my plan plan plan day was preparing some practice lessons for the kid I tutor. Before my stay at home mommy days I was a Spanish teacher and tutor now on the side for some easy extra dough. Luckily, I didn't spend TOO much time working on today's practice cards and drills because I got a call about 5 minutes before the student was due to arrive saying he wasn't going to make it. At first I was annoyed, but then I looked at it as an opportunity to play with my family.

We rolled the ball and scattered flashcards,

hung upside down,

and laughed. A lot.

Now, that M is exhausted she is off to bed. And now that I am done planning, time to relax with some blogs and my book. As much as I love my Monday night Bachelor and Tuesday night The Biggest Loser and all the drama they bring, I do enjoy having a non TV night. I hope each of you have just as relaxing a night!

• Do you have any nights that you don't have anything to do or watch? How do you occupy your time?
• Do you like planning and organizing things? Or does it stress you out?
• Do you know any foreign languages? Spanish is all I got, but I would love love love to know French or Italian.