Lift me up

So, today I went to the gym for the first time in.... 6 months. I did NO cardio, only weights and machines. I really loved it!! That was my problem - if I don't enjoy something, I don't have the willpower to push through it. So, like I did with hiking several years ago, I had to find something I actually enjoyed.

The routine I followed was based off this. I dragged my niece along with me (I'm also the type of person that does better with support) and we spent the evening just learning the machines and trying the exercises. I'm sure the bodybuilder guy that was there was laughing at us, but because I had support I didn't care. We were there for about an hour and we tried everything... I was really proud of us. Now, we can come back and (kind of) know what we're doing. I split the schedule like this:

Monday: arms
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: legs
Thursday: rest
Friday: abs
Saturday: rest
Sunday: cardio

My hope is that on Sundays, my family and I will do something active together. Hiking, jump-type place where toddlers go nuts, swimming when it gets nicer out.

OH! I also bought an Instant Pot. Sundays are my meal prep days so I was pumped to try this thing out. I've heard so much about it online, especially on Pinterest. After one success (family said it made the best potatoes they'd ever tasted) and one fail (a Pinterest recipe called for NINE cups of water with rice and beans and it turned out gross) I think I'm getting the hang of it. Now I gotta go to Costco and buy life-sized bags of ALL THE THINGS!

So, taking what I learned from my nutritionist, I made 4 lunches and 4 snack boxes.

Lunches:
1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans
4oz grilled chicken
and 1 avocado and 2 tbsp tortilla strips added when it's time to eat

Snack boxes:
4 whole grain crackers
1 laughing cow swiss cheese wedge
1/8c almonds
4 strawberries OR 1/2 apple
1 dark chocolate square

Tried and true, this keeps me full until I get home, avoiding those mid-commute drive through stops.

Now, as for breakfast... I'm not a breakfast person AT ALL. I struggle with it because I like to get up and go in the mornings, so I need something portable. BUT... I also want to try "intermittent fasting", which means you don't eat for 15 hours. This gives your body a chance to burn stored fat. So I plan on not eating from 7pm-10am. This is totally fine since I love to sleep anyway ;) Maybe I'll allow myself to have some coffee on the way to work? I'll let you know how it goes this week...