Day Job Blues

I'm back! My day job is really getting in the way of my blogging time. We have been going through an audit this week and it has forced me to work a lot of overtime and it added a whole lot of stress to my week. But the good news is that its OVER and went great! So now I can regroup and get back to blog land where I belong! One day I dream of being able to spend my days sitting at Starbucks (in my yoga pants and sweatshirt) dreaming up amazing blog posts and writing everyday.... But until then I must keep this as a part time gig and focus primarily on my day job.. Boooo!!! A girl can dream right???

Its been a bit crazy around here but to recap my last week has looked like this:

work

run

work

work

run run run 

get sick eating dairy

run

work 

work overtime

work some more

Yup! Welcome to my world. You are probably glad now that I wasn't blogging all week about all of THAT fun now aren't you?? I logged 20 miles of running last week (which was my goal woop wooop!!). And my last run of the week, Sunday, I did at the beach and took some obligatory photos after to share with ya'll! It was an amazingly beautiful day. You could see Catalina so clearly which is not always the case. Taking pictures of yourself while running on the beach is awesome embarrassing to say the least so I hope you all enjoy these!! The things I do for you :) 

I really feel like today is going to be a great day! I feel refreshed and ready for new things! Do you ever get like that? Like when you have been so buried under busyness and all of a sudden you come up for air you feel so refreshed and revived! That's me today! Yesss! I am going to conquer the world! Heal the sick! Solve the political dramas going on! Raise money for the poor! And travel to other countries to rescue orphans!!... But for now I am going to go back to dreaming of my future full time blogging career and go buy a lotto ticket get to work on some really awesome posts for you all!!  ;)

xoxo

Katie

Unexpected (but very welcome) Guests

Happy Friday ya'll!

...Oh wait its only Thursday.. That short week last week is all sorts of messing me up! Ok then Happy Thursday! 2 more days until another hot weekend here in SoCal. The past few days we cooled down a bit here which has been heaven sent. I am more ready for Fall than ever. I went to a friends house at the beach on Tuesday night and was able to wear my UGGS and a sweatshirt!!!! It was glorious I tell you! And the little taste of cool weather only made me want it more.

View from my dinner at my friends on Tuesday :)

So something in the blog world happened to me yesterday. Something I was so not prepared for. The oh so famous blogger Skinny Meg mentioned one of my posts "Lunch Break Workout" in her weekly workout posts!!! You guys I was shocked. I was minding my own business just doing my usual morning blog reading loop. And BAM there was MY picture on her page! I was confused for a second because hello that must not be right. I am new to blogging and was so not prepared for the traffic that would bring. Don't get me wrong I was jumping for joy all day! But at the same time it was like OMG I am so not ready for this moment (in a good way)! Like when you move into a new house and haven't gotten to unpack quite yet and ALL of your new neighbors stop by. You weren't expecting guests or else you would have thrown some pictures up on the wall or something! That's how I felt. Since starting the blog I have wanted to make sure that everything on here I was proud of (well except for that awful picture of Zoodles haha!). I didn't want to just post something to fill space. Which is why I haven't quite gotten to write my "About Me" page or spruce up some other things I'd like done. I want this blog to be genuinely ME and no one else. That being said I hope that anyone who stopped by my page was not wondering where the rest of my site was. If you came back today don't fret! It will be up very soon!!! Don't leave me! :) If you want to check the Skinny Meg blog post I am referring to please go check it out here "Workout Wednesday". You should really read her page daily if you don't already. Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg were some of the first blogs I was reading regularly and they never fail to inspire and entertain!!

In other news I had a great run last night. It was the first time in a while that I have felt loose, not sluggish and not achy the whole time I run. My workouts go back and forth between weight training with heavy weights and running with body weight exercises. So I will go about 2 months doing heavy weights with short cardio warmups (10-20 minutes light jogging) and then for the next 2 months I do a lot of running and body weight training. So right now I am in my running / body weight training phase. More specifically I do one week of only running where the mileage is key. The more the better. Then the next week I will run about 2 miles then do a 30 minute circuit workout (usually at the beach or a local park to keep the scenery nice). I go back and forth between those two each week.

So this week is the mileage week. Ever since my last round of weight training my legs have felt so heavy and well... heavy. That's the best way to describe it. Its like I was lugging around two bricks with me. I'm not sure if the weight training had tightened me up or what but last night was the first night they felt almost back to normal. I know I need to be better at stretching during all phases of my workouts. Maybe that would help the transition from one phase to the next be a little less painful? Does this happen to any of you??

Are you one of the people that are visiting from skinny Megs post? Leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you!

Until Next Time,

xoxo

Katie

Lunch break sweat & Work Out Wednesday {WOW} Linkup!

I am soooo thrilled to be a part of Skinny {Preg} Megs weekly workout link up! She is one of the first blogs I started reading regularly and I love her positive outlook and hilarious spin on things! 

Today I wanted to talk about fitting in quick workouts during your work day. I have some great tips and fast workouts that will get your heart rate going and the calories burning fast!

If you get a ten minute break each day this is a great time to get your body moving!
   -You can go for a quick walk outside and get some fresh air (BONUS: also great for your mind and can help you refocus when you get back to work!)
   -Stretching! This is a great idea especially if you are sitting at a desk all day! I love to stretch on my breaks at work because I am usually so tight from a workout the night before. It also saves me time from having to do it later.
   -Quick circuit workout. Everyday a few people from my work and I gather in an office and bust out some fast body weight exercises. Its quick, effective and you don't sweat much! I bring a 10 pound weight and keep it at my desk for optional extra resistance. This is just one of the workouts we do!

Sometimes I also do lunch break workouts which give me a little more time to complete a full workout. I usually start my workout by running a half mile to the parking structure near my work... well lets be honest I walk until I am sure that no one from my work can see me and then I run :)  I run to the top of the structure (BONUS STAIRS!) where there are no cars. 

I start by running 1 lap around the border of the entire parking structure which is about a quarter of a mile. Then I start my 3 rounds of body weight exercises and after each round I do another lap of the parking structure border. So I do a total of 4 laps around the structure which is a full mile by the time I am done. Then I run the half of a mile back to work and I am done! I always am changing up what I do for my exercises but this is one workout in my rotation. 

So in total I end up running 2 miles and getting in a killer 20 minute calorie burning workout! This is me doing a wall sit in my parking structure of choice :) 

The key to making this all happen is to be prepared!! Here are a few key things not to forget:
  1- Make sure you pack a quick lunch so that you have time after your workout to eat.
  2- Deodorant! This is a must if you sit with other people. Don't forget this!
  3 -Dry Shampoo. This is a life saver after I workout and need to look presentable. I love this brand Suave Dry Shampoo
  4- Pack your clothes the night before. This helps prevent early morning mental moments :)
  5  Be excited to fit in a great workout in less time!

What are some of your lunch break quick workout tips??

Be sure to check out the rest of the gang participating in the link up today! Work Out Wednesday {WOW}


xoxo
Katie