30 for 30 for 30: Day 2

Last night I was a super-green-multi-tasker...not only did I use my training run as my commute home from the office, but I snuck in a stop at Lowes to pick up an ethernet cable.  And yes, I recycled the packaging from the cable after I opened it.

I wore my awesome new Nike Frees (seriously if I weren't on a workout spending freeze I would own like two more pairs of these), my Nike Dry-Fit capris, and my Nike Dry-Fit neon "here-I-am-come-and-get-me" high impact top.

This outfit was the perfect choice for my outdoor run, since summer finally decided to show, and because of all the nifty pockets for ID, office badge, Lowes order confirmation, etc.

When I got home, I wanted to do core work and some light strength-training...but figured after an hour of running I'd need some sort of fuel.  I voted for simple:

Cantelope helped me rehydrate, fishies replenished my salt (hey, I sweat a ton), and walnuts served as my protein snack of choice.  The homemade iced tea Jared made this weekend was super refreshing.

Then I moved on to my workout.  Sometimes when I'm at home I find it tough to stay focused, especially when the kitchen is a mess and I have laundry to fold.  I try to do what gyms do to motivate people: think bright lights, big windows, peppy music.  I moved into the living room by our sliding glass door and pumped the film soundtrack from Footloose.

I started with my new favorite core workout from Shape magazine...it's especially awesome because it requires no equipment!

Here's the toughest move - you need to make sure you lift your shoulder blades completely off the ground on part A if you want this to work for you.

Keep your lower abs really tight through Part B:

I do the whole workout as suggested (2 sets total) but I add a fifth move of my own: a variation on oblique side v-ups since nothing in this core workout really targets the obliques.

I add a 4 pound dumbell and hold it between my feet.  I keep my upper body still and focus only on raising my legs (this move will work your inner thighs as well). 

The goal here is to really use your core to stabilize so you don't roll backwards at all.  Because you have the weight, you won't be able to lift your legs as high as the gal in the example.  Shoot for just a few inches with excellent form.  Do 15 reps on each side.

After abs, I did 2 sets of the kettlebell workout from Women's Health.  For some reason, the bright yellow kettlebell makes it really fun.

Then it was on to chores and dinner.  I recently finished reading Tina Haupert's Carrots 'n' Cake, and loved her point about using the food you already have as a way to save money on groceries, so I decided to use a recipe as inspiration and sub in food we had on hand...since it seems on Tuesdays I'm always trying to polish off the last of our veggies before we pickup our CSA box that night.

CSA crazy carrots...

We had bought peaches and goat cheese on Sunday, and I improvised the rest...

I made the balsamic peaches as directed, cooked up 1/2 cup (dry) quinoa, and steamed the green beans sitting in our fridge.  I also threw in the remaining green onions because I misread "shallots" as "scallions" in the recipe.  Whoops.

The final result was pretty fun.  Veggies, protein, fruit, whole grains, dairy, healthy fats, and killer flavor!  Plus it was done just in time for Jared to walk in the door from a long day at work.

Want the official recipe?  I'm sad to say I couldn't find it on their website...so you'll have to pick up a copy of the August edition of Shape magazine to try it out!