Leg Day

 Warm-up

 

15 minutes on the treadmill - varying speeds and incline

 

Go Time!

 

Leg Press - 70 lbs. - 4 x 20 (4 sets of 20 reps)

Hip Abduction - 40 lbs. - 4 x 20

Seated Leg Curl - 45 lbs. - 4 x 20

Barbell Squats - 20 lbs. - 4 x 12

Calf Raises - 30 lbs. - 150x (how ever may sets you want to break this up into)

Hyperextension - 3 x 10

 

Cool Down

 

Walk around/Stretch

 

*Adjust the weight and reps to your own level.

 



Walking Like An Old Man... / Gorilla

Okey dokey - so have any of you maybe skipped out on the gym for two months, then all of a sudden jumped into the same routine it took you three months to work up? Say, a leg routine? Not the smartest decision I've made. (I'll be posting that routine soon;)

 

Going on a quick rabbit trail here. As I was stretching in the corner of the gym after my workout, I got this awful cramp in my right foot. Those things usually go away if you stand on that foot, so I did. While I was standing on one leg, in excruciating pain, I realized I was making a rather awkward face - the pain still wasn't going away! So I started bouncing back and forth on both feet, but that didn't work. Then I decided to hop up and down on my right foot to see if that would work. Now, this whole time I'm starting to get annoyed at the cramp and its nerve to bug me for so long. Nothing I did worked. I limped from the back of the gym towards the entrance where my dad was waiting for me, hoping everyone was giving 110% focus on their own problems (I didn't look at any of their faces... ). Dad and I walk to the truck, and at first I couldn't even lift my leg off the ground without the cramp coming back. Anywho, I got in, and had to keep my foot in a certain position the whole ride home. THEN! Get this - while I was in the shower, both feet started cramping up! There's really no point to this story, and it ended up being longer than I wanted, but, "long story short", I had a miserable few hours.

 

Ok! The real meaning of this post. Last Saturday, the 17th, was Leg Day.

I picked up where I left off with my routine from a couple months back, and even added a few new things. That night, I wasn't feeling the pain at all! Lucky me! Just barely tight the next day, but that's understandable. However, Monday morning, when I tried to get out of bed, I nearly fell on my face! My calves were soooo tight and sore, it literally felt like a giant bruise covered the whole calve muscle. I had to walk on my toes!! and I was hunched over like an old man because my thighs and rear hurt too. The pain just got worse, and I had to go take an EOC test that day. I decided to take an ice bath, but that didn't really help. For the sake of my pride, I lowered my heels down to right above the floor and that's how I walked in and out of the testing site... pretty sure I got a few weird looks. On Tuesday, the pain was even worse. Just standing hunched over with my heels on the ground was a deep stretch. I applied heat for a few hours that night while I was watching tv, then when I went to bed. Finally, the pain started easing up on Wednesday. I was able to walk normally by the time we went to church, although my calves were still sore. Actually, they're sore right now... Leg day's punishment is kinda long this time.

 

This is sorta how I felt.

 

 

Can't wait to do it again ;)

 

 

*Pictures from Google Images

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I found a recipe for sugar-free, carb-free peanut butter cookies!! - but it had sugar substitutes (which I don't like), so I tweaked it just a little bit. Instead of Splenda I used honey, and I added oats to make them a little thicker. These are healthier than the normal, sugar-packed cookies you buy or make at home. The peanut butter I used does have a little bit of sugar in it, but I really want to try making my own or getting natural peanut butter. Here we go!

1 cup of peanut butter

1 large egg

1 to 2 tablespoons of honey (raw, natural, etc.)

1/4 cup of rolled oats*

 

*These are not the quick microwave oats, make sure they are rolled oats. Also, I never measure stuff when I'm experimenting, so just eyeball it. ;)

 

 First, pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Mix the peanut butter and egg together in a bowl. Then, depending on your preference, add honey (this is to sweeten the cookies, there isn't a dominant honey flavor). Once that's mixed in, add a handful of oats, give or take. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, and press a spoonful of dough into a thin circle. (They have to be pressed thin to cook through.) Repeat until pan is full; cook for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will be kinda doughy until they cool down. This recipe made 12 cookies last time I made it.

"Green" Smoothie Recipe

 So, for a brief summary of my new eating... choices...? Yeah, let's go with that. I've been avoiding the gym for a month or two, so that, combined with my obsession for junk food, hasn't exactly been beneficial to my "physique" ;). Sooo, I've decided to cut out all processed sugars, and most carbs. It's a bit of a challenge, especially when certain people (whose names will go unmentioned) keep pinning the most delicious looking chocolate cakes and cookies on Pinterest. Anyway, this means new recipes!

This was my first attempt on a Green Smoothie.


About a handful of strawberries
1 frozen banana
A couple handfuls of raw spinach
3/4 to 1 cup of water


Put the spinach in a blender, sliced banana and strawberries on top. Then, add the water (it's just to add some liquid, so use according to your preference). Blend all together. Done! So, mine didn't exactly turn out green; it sort of looked like a "chocolate" smoothie. Nonetheless, it was DELICIOUS!! You can't even taste the spinach. I can't wait to make another one. Mom just brought home a ton of fruits and veggies, so I'll be sharing more smoothie experiments soon. :)