Treadmill Turn Up: We Made It

I usually only post Treadmill Turn Up music on Tuesdays (for alliteration purposes), but this was too hot to wait for next week.  Here's Jay-Z and Jay Electronica with "We Made It". Enjoy!

Treadmill Turn Up: She Knows

It took a while for J Cole's latest single, She Knows, to grow on me, but eventually it did. Take a listen :)

Treadmill Turn Up: Right Now

Her 2012 hit album, Unapologetic, has had five successful singles so far, and even though today's Treadmill Turn Up selection was never released as a single, it's equally enjoyable. Check it out :)

If you have any suggestions for the next Treadmill Turn Up, please feel free to share in the comments section below :)

Treadmill Turn Up: White Noise

I absolutely love the electronic duo, Disclosure. They won me over with their catchy singles, "Latch" and "When A Fire Starts to Burn." Today's selection comes from their debut album, "Settle," named White Noise. Enjoy :)

Treadmill Turn Up: Dark Horse

I'm not a huge Katy Perry fan (or fan of hers by any stretch of the imagination), but there's no denying how infectious her latest single, Dark Horse is. Once the beat drops during the first chorus there's really no fighting it. Additional, while surfing the inter-webs, I found this cute squat infused exercise choreographed to the tune - check it out below :)

Treadmill Turn Up: Gucci Gucci

Without fail every time I jog, somewhere in the middle I start to lose steam: that's when my playlist starts to kick in. With the help of a great playlist, I'm usually able to power through the rest of distance. Today's treadmill turn up came courtesy of Kreayshawn's Gucci Gucci. This song isn't new by any means, but the blatant braggadocio motivates me to keep going. There's some colorful language, so it might not be safe for your work cubicle without headphones. Enjoy!

Monday Motivation: Get Bodied By J

I don't know if others are like this, but the more inspiration I have around me, the better.  I tend to spend a lot of time searching for fun exercises, great music, and inspiring people online. With a random scroll on Instagram I ran into Get Bodied By J (@getbodiedby_j).

The Polar Vortex Is Real!

This week has been a tough one. While waiting to hear back on a job I interviewed for last week, my confidence was starting to wane. That's the sucky part about the job search process, the constant need for affirmation starts to get old. While trying to stay prayed up and motivated on the job front, I totally gave into the pity party (no party is complete without chips and ice cream), and stayed firmly planted on the couch. To be honest I felt guilty the entire time. And with each passing day that I did nothing, I regretted the workout I didn't do the day before. What a slippery slope self-doubt can be. But one night I just got tired of feeling that way, so I started to pray my way out. And with the encouragement of my wonderful husband, things started to turn around :)

As the city braced for more snow (I'M SO OVER IT!), the hubby and I trekked out in the elements to hit the gym. Even though we don't work out in tandem, I love being on the same page and working toward a common goal. I don't mind working out at home, but with being stuck in the house ALL week, variety is welcomed.

 I am by NO means a licensed personal trainer or anything of the sort, but over time I've learned a few exercised that I really like, and as for what I did today the description is below :)

Can't go wrong with a funny work out tee.

Warm Up:
Stair Machine (moderate pace) - 7 minutes

Treadmill - 7 minutes jog (3.5 mph)
Burpees - 10 reps
Mountain Climbers - 20 reps

Treadmill - 7 minutes jog (4.5 mph)
Burpees - 10 reps
Mountain Climbers - 20 reps
Repeat twice

Weighted squats (15 pounds) - 20 reps
Weighted side bends (15 pounds) - 20 reps
Repeat twice

Cool down/stretch

These things are never loud enough for me

I pray for a better week ahead, but more importantly I'm thankful for all that God has done already.
Thanks for checking in :)

Mini Update

In progress: 40oz of water consumed so far. 40oz more to go!

30 For 30: Super Late Update

So I'm wayyyyy overdue in providing an update on my 30 For 30 goals (sorry!). I haven't really done but listen to Beyonce's album since it dropped in December, so I hope you forgive my delay. I've also decided to create a separate page to track my 30 For 30 progress so that my page doesn't become a jumble of topics. And let me apologize now for the length of this post (lots of catching up to do). ...Anyway, let's dig in!

November 2013 -
To be honest after posting my 30 For 30 goals, I didn't change anything. I kept cooking, eating, and living the exact same way. With being in the throws of the glutinous holiday season, I honestly didn't know how to start the process of change.

December 2013 -
Once or twice I was able to jog around my neighborhood just to get something going, but that was before the Polar Vortex descended on to Chicago (I'm so over winter).

Bring on Christmas! There's a lot of added stress that comes with preparing for Christmas. And with two seasonal jobs at the mall, my lunch routine became a choice between either cheese pizza or a turkey burger...everyday (smh). After work I would come home to this beauty...

I ABSOLUTELY love my mother-in-law's peach cobbler! It's sooo good! And until the day when she trusts me with the family recipe, I will continue to enjoy each and every crumb of what she bakes for us a couple times a year. Look at it! Who could say no to this? I didn't even try.

January 2014 -
New year, new you right? Well that's not how I was feeling at all. I wrote about this in the piece "New Year, Same You." Rather than being excited about the fresh start, I was weighted down by the idea of how much of myself I thought I needed to change in order to meet my lofty goals. We tend to think of ourselves in terms of have-nots, mistakes, and deficits, instead of embracing all of who we are and what we've done. So after listing all of the great things I accomplished within the last year, as well as the mistakes, and was able to use that as motivation for this year's goals and attitude.

I also signed up for a 21 day social media  fitness challenge that required working out everyday and sticking to a strict clean eating diet. It may sound a little extreme, but I actually really enjoyed it.  I needed a starting point to create new and better habits for myself, as well as the support and motivation to keep going even when I didn't want to. Here's a little look at what I was eating:

Low fat vanilla yogurt, strawberries, granola, and apricot slices

Romaine lettuce, strawberries, grapes and light balsamic dressing with two turkey meatballs

Morning smoothie of mixed berries, yogurt, and almonds.

Long grain rice and a romaine lettuce salad with green peppers and carrots

By week three I had lost four pounds, but had definitely reintroduced pizza back into my diet (what? I'm human!). Like I said, the point of this exercise wasn't to crash diet, but to create better habits for myself, and as a result I discovered will power that I didn't know I had...

Went out to dinner and didn't touch this tempting, warm, buttery bread

It was also super awesome having my husband make dates with me to the gym and following it up with a healthy dinner options. Doing this thing can be so difficult, but having support makes it a lot easier.

And that's pretty much it for now. I'm hoping the weather breaks soon so that I can jog outside just to mix it up a bit.

Stay warm! Stay well!
Chi Chick <3