What I Love About Working Out

For the few of you that are regular followers of my little blog, you know that I have been working on losing a few pounds and making my life a bit healthier.  I've mentioned it here and here and here.

Now that I am officially 10 weeks into my fitness regime, there are a few more things that I'm discovering.  First and foremost?  I still do NOT like running.  I've been doing it 3 times a week for 10 weeks and am almost done with my Couch to 5K training.  I will be doing a 5K in May with my sister, but for as much as I tried and wanted to love it, I still dislike running.  But.  Disliking it doesn't necessarily mean I'll quit doing it.  That's still yet to be determined.

Secondly?  I still love my sweets.  If anybody knows a way to not like them, I'd love to hear it.  Anway.  Here are a few things I LOVE about working out.

I posted this photo on Instagram on Sunday.  This dress I wore on my wedding day (for the luncheon).  It doesn't fit the same now as it did then, but the fact that I can get it on and get away with wearing it is a huge step in the right direction!

1.  I love that I am setting a good example for my children.  They know that every morning, I am going to be exercising. Sometimes they do it with me.  Sometimes I find them doing it on their own.  They know that exercise makes you healthy and strong and it is a frequent discussion in my house.

(Side note? My 3 year old son likes to step on my bathroom scale every time he's in my bathroom. And he always has a response to his "weigh-in".  Sometimes he'll cheer and do a little happy dance, other times it's a disgruntled growl.  Hehehe!! They really do watch every single thing you do! :) )

2.  I love the girl bonding time I get with working out.  I love my workout buddies!  I love the fun girl time, the chatting and the motivation they give me.  I fear for the day when I no longer have my "sweat buddies" to cheer me on.

3.  I love that I feel stronger.  I still don't really look that different (well, except for my calves.  I can totally tell a difference in my calves.  But you know what? I could care less about my calves...), but I totally feel different.  I feel stronger.  I feel healthier.  I love it.

4.  I love accomplishing my goals.  Most of the time, they are only significant to me.  But I love when I can cross a "huge" milestone of my list.  An example. For the last few weeks, I have been trying so hard to get my 3.1 miles done within 36 minutes.  I finally accomplished that goal this week.  Not that big of a deal to anybody else, but a HUGE deal to me.  

5.   Last but not least? I LOVE watching the scale go down and the numbers on the measuring tape getting smaller.  From the time I stepped on the scale checking into the hospital to have my baby girl on October 8 until today, I have lost a grand total of 36 pounds.  Granted.  30 of those pounds were just from this last pregnancy.  However, 6 of those pounds were from Baby Numero Uno.  I'm glad to see them gone!

If you are just starting your weight loss journey, or are discouraged and feeling like it's not worth it.  Stick to it!  It does take a long time.  It is super hard.  But it is worth it!!

Need another fitness pal?  Come join me on MyFitnessPal!  I can always use more people to hold me accountable!

Breakfast Cookies

On Instagram over the weekend, I posted this photo:

Healthy Breakfast Cookies.  

And, since I was asked by several to post the recipe, I figured this would be the easiest way to do it!

So, here you go!

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

(adapted from The Sneaky Chef)

First:

Make a flour mixture using equal parts all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and wheat germ.  I always do a minimum of a cup each, but I use this flour mix for lots of other things.  You only need 1.25 cups total for this recipe.

Then, puree (making as smooth as possible)

3 cups raw baby spinach leaves

1.5 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 t. lemon juice and

1-2 T water 

I usually will double or triple this (especially when berries are on sale).  I then freeze it in 1/4 c. amounts.  One batch makes 1 cup.  You need 3/4 c. for the recipe.

Then combine in order:

1 1/4. c flour mixture

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

6 T. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3/4 c. puree mix from above

6 T. canola oil

Powdered Sugar for dusting

(I also like to add a handful of chocolate chips to the recipe.  It's not necessary, but helps my super picky eaters believe they really are eating chocolate chip cookies for breakfast)

You could also easily add a few tablespoons of protein powder to the mix as well.  I may have to try that next batch...

Once everything is mixed well, drop by spoonfuls on a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.  Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!  

I seriously let my children eat as many of these as they want.  I have one child who will willingly only eat peanut butter sandwiches with an occasional applesauce.  So for him, getting spinach AND blueberries in him is a BIG deal.

And word to the wise?  DO NOT EAT THE DOUGH.  It does not taste good.  Well, according to my husband anyway.  Once baked though, he scarfed down 2 or 3!  :)

What do you think?  How do you sneak healthy food into your super picky eaters?