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?

Well, lookie here! I've done it!!! I've transferred my old Blogger blog over to the cool WordPress world. Word! I really hope that my wonderful friends will continue to follow me. And hey, new ones too would be just awesome. 🙂

Now onto my first post. The past couple of days have been fairly normal and uneventful, so I won't bore you too much with all of that. The highlight of Monday was a great full body workout and a good sweat session on the elliptical. The workout looked like this:

• Superset One - leg press & 1 arm DB row
• Superset Two - DB reverse lunge & DB bench press
• Superset Three - leg extension & upright row
• Superset Four - front BB shoulder raise & tricep dips

I did 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise. It still worked me out well, even doing less weight than my normal. I have really been cutting back on some of the intensity of my workouts for I guess you could call them personal and health reasons. My workouts have been just challenging enough to really get me working, but not leave me exhausted. A good balance. And I am able to be in, out, done in around an hour every single day. Love that! 🙂

Yesterday was absolutely nothing special. I don't even really remember what I did! I know when Peter got home from work he helped me fiddle around with this new blog world and set things up. During the day, I guess I just was entertained by this face...

Oh, now I remember! Yesterday's highlight was enchilada night. I made some lowfat, delicious chicken enchiladas. Here is the recipe. And please bear with me and the nastiness that is my camera. I would love love love a nice camera to get good foodie pictures!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1/2 - 3/4 c low fat sourcream
• 12 oz green enchilada sauce (1/2 the big can or 1 small can)
• 1 small can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 1c shredded low fat mexican or cheddar cheese
• 10-12 corn tortillas

Step 1: Cook & Shred 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Step 2: Mix 1/2-3/4c low fat sour cream with chicken

Step 3: Mix the enchilada sauce, chilies, and chicken soup

Step 4: Pour 1/3 of sauce into bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

Step 5: Spoon chicken mixture into center of corn tortilla

Step 6: Roll tortilla and place seamside down into pan

Step 7: Pour remaining sauce over and top with shredded cheese

Step 8: Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cheese melts

Step 9: Enjoy!

Now for today. Today will be a bit more exciting. It is an off day from workouts since I slept like poo last night and won't really have time. Wednesdays are my scheduled optional workout days so it's cool. Makenzie & I will be heading out around lunchtime to go have a playdate with our friends - mommy Clare and baby Jack. It will be nice to catch up with a girlfriend I haven't seen in a few weeks. I'll be back later!!!