I have a beast of a workout to share with you all this morning. Hold up. Let me clarify. This workout will not make you look like a beast. It will make you feel stronger than a beast. It will give you a hunger beast (aka that super hunger that sets in after hard training). A strong body to kick butt on my fitness endeavors? Me likey. A strong appetite reflecting a fired metabolism? Me likey that too.

I have only so much time to milk all I can out of my workouts. I like to go big or go home. Balls to the wall. Squeeze out every last drop. Okay, you get the picture.

I began my workout yesterday with my short, steady 2 mile run from my training plan. That run where I sorely missed my revamped workout playlist? Yea, that one. While completing my run, I dreamed up a circuit workout with a new mix of moves I wanted to try. I hopped off after my 20 minutes and got my self all set up in the weights area to bust out the little routine I came up with on my run.

My subconscious apparently had something against me. It had it out for me when dreaming up this circuit. Clearly…

• Speed Skaters – 20 reps per leg
• Kettlebell Swings – 15 reps total with 20 # kettlebell
• Wall Squat with Resistance Band Chest Presses – I grabbed a heavy resistance band and looped it around these wood columns we have in our gym. I did 45 seconds of a wall squat up against the column while simultaneously doing chest presses with the band.
• Planks with Spidermans – I held a straight arm plank for 15 seconds, then completed 10 “spidermans” (pull knee out and up to the chest) on my left side. I held a plank again for 15 seconds and did the final 10 spidermans on my right side.
• Toe Taps on the Step – A drill where I shuffle my feet quickly, tapping my toes up on a step. 45 seconds.
• Kettlebell Cleans – 10 reps per side with 20 # kettlebell
• Wide Stance Squat with Upright Row – 12 reps with 10 # dumbells

The combination of complex moves that work the entire body, plyometric style drills, and new-to-me equipment (kettlebells!) gave me a much tougher workout than I expected. I went through the circuit three times…and still finished in around 20 minutes! Wham, bam, thank – you – ma’am subconscious!

I felt the effects of this workout later in the day when I craved a hearty and filling dinner. I wanted my favorite enchiladas!

Kill the Hunger Beast Enchiladas

• 6 oz lean ground beef (or chicken or turkey)
• 1/2 can refried beans
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• 1 can 98% fat-free cream of chicken/mushroom soup
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice

Preheat oven to 350. Cook your ground beef/chicken/turkey. In a large bowl, mix the filling ingredients (meat through grated carrot). In a separate mixing bowl, stir the enchilada sauce, soup, and diced chilies to create the sauce. Pour 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Place approximately two large spoonfuls of filling mixture into center of corn tortilla. Roll and place seam-side down in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Repeat until you fill all your tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble.

You can easily make this recipe without the beef and simply use the full can of refried beans. We use the beef on occasion for added texture. You can also use your personal favorite enchilada sauce. I do the soup mix in mine to create a thicker sauce because I’m a freak about thinner sauces making my enchiladas too soggy. Overall, lots of ways to mix this up and I’m sure they will all taste good. Unless you add some chocolate covered grasshoppers or something crazy like that. But I trust you’re smarter than that.

• Do you like enchiladas? Green or red sauce? What fillings?
• Of Possible Interest: Check out my interview as the “Fit Blogger We Love” over on the Fitness Magazine site this week!

Do you want to know what motivates me the most to continue a healthy lifestyle? It’s not the number on the scale. It’s not the way my butt looks in jeans, my arms look in a tank top, or my legs look in a skirt. It’s not the time I can achieve in a race. It’s not the number of push-ups I can handle. It’s the feeling – the feeling of health. Knowing how good I feel when practicing healthy habits will get my butt off the couch and get those veggies on my plate every time. You know what I’m talking about…and just how addicting that feeling is.

By the end of my vacation, I certainly felt happy about all the time I had with family. I relished the opportunity to not cook dinner every night and to indulge in an abundance of frozen yogurt. However, I also didn’t feel as healthy as normal – still good, but not quite as energetic, strong, and fresh. Wanting that feeling back had me hopping right back into my regular habits. I gotta say – the feeling of health feels good. Just two days of my standard meals and workouts has catapulted me back to that rejuvenated essence of health. I feel like screaming how good I feel at the top of my lungs! Just as this salad screams “healthy and scrumptious” at the top of its lungs.

In the mix, I have white beans, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onion, avocado, goat cheese, mango, and Annie’s Naturals honey mustard dressing atop super fresh lettuce. When I say super fresh lettuce, I mean super fresh. Straight from my sister-in-law’s garden.

Who needs a green thumb when you have loving family only 2 minutes away? 😉

Another thing I don’t need – meat. While I still like grilled chicken or steak with my salads (and eat meat without worry a few times a week), I don’t have to have them anymore. And I have finally convinced Peter of the same! When I originally planned this meal, he asked if there was chicken involved. But then, HE suggested beans and the cheese as our protein sources when I brought up our grocery budget. Score for the budget opening Peter to more vegetarian meal options in this household! The veggie packed meals definitely contribute to my feeling of health.

Just as workouts that make me want to die from their hardcoreness add to my feeling of health. I completed one of the toughest strength workouts I’ve had at the gym in awhile yesterday. The workout focused on my back and biceps, with some legs and abs thrown in for good measure. I felt sore by the time I left the gym. Mission kick-my-own-butt = accomplished. 

Give this one a shot for a fantastic Pull Workout (hamstrings, back, and biceps). Or mix and match some of the moves from my push workout I shared yesterday to score a full body workout that will make you beg for mercy. Let me know if you use any of it!

Well, time for me to hit the ground running. Quite literally, in fact. Catch you later!

• What screams healthy to you?
• Of possible interest: If you entered the Physique 57 Giveaway and still want to try out the workouts, check out this great deal on their Facebook page!