Lottery Please?!

Right about now I wish I had the new amazing piece of technology that Iowa Girl Eats mentioned in her blog yesterday!  I loath taking my memory card out of my camera and putting it into my computer whenever I need to download pictures (I know, how lazy of me!).  Prior to reading her post I don't think I loathed this process, I think it just annoyed me, but now that I know there is such a thing that just automatically loads your pictures to your computer, I loathe the process.  Lord, please let me win the lottery so I can buy one of these and lots of other neat toys!!! *fingers & toes crossed*  Really, if you haven't checked out her post, do it now... the camera accessory appears to be life changing! 

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Moving on, can anyone else not believe it is the last day of August already!?!  The weather is definitely starting to show that too. I love the summer heat, but the fall/spring temps are much nicer to run in!  This morning I hit the road for a quick 3 mile run and was planning on going to the gym to get my lift on, but my sister called to see if I wanted to go for coffee... I couldn't turn her down :)  Not only is coffee hard for me to turn down, I don't get much time with just her without the kids around, so I had to take her up....not to mention I wasn't really feeling the lift today.  But, not to worry I will have time to do it tomorrow!

Eats
I made a batch of "energy" bars yesterday, but wasn't totally please with them, so I'm not going to share the recipe...Once I get the perfect combination of ingredients put together I'll share :)  Even though they aren't the greatest, I am still going to eat them because I don't like wasting things, so I had one pre-run this morning.

Last night I also made some sweet tea with pomegranate green tea, I haven't tried this flavor yet, but it's not too shabby!  I had a glass of this with my lunch today, which was a sweet and sour chicken wrap... I think McD's sells snack wraps like these, but mine totally kicks its butt!  (Not pictured, sorry)

Remember when I met up with my friend to go running and she gave me a sample of some protein powder she sells? Well, I loved it, and I got a tub myself! Here are the stats:

Serving size: 2 scoops (49.3 g)

Calories: 200 

Total Fat: 6 g (1.5 g saturated)

Total Carbs: 18 g (10 g fiber)

Protein: 18 g 

A variety of vitamins & minerals are present as well

Cost: $29.95... not too bad right?!

I whipped up a 1 scoop batch of protein pudding with peanut butter and ate it on a couple of graham crackers... totally curbed my sweet craving!  I'm really planning on only using this as a post workout fuel, but every now and again I'm sure it'll show up as a dessert for me. Do you use protein powder?  What is your favorite way to eat/drink it? 

Yoga
The new YMCA group fitness schedule just came out yesterday for September and I am super excited because there are yoga and pilates classes (which I prefer) at times I am available!  There are two days I have my eyes on... Monday at 10am (Yoga II) or noon (Mat Pilates) and Thursday at 9:40am (Fusion- Pilates & Yoga) or Noon (Yoga).  This is my pledge to myself... I will go to at least one of these classes a week! If I don't make at least one, I am cheating myself, because I am totally available during all four of those times.  Ready. Set. Stretch. :-D 

VO2 Max

Human Performance Lab

In my lab today, we were testing aerobic capacity through VO2 max testing.  We used the Bruce Treadmill Test protocol, which is described below...

MPH     Grade     Time (mins)

1.7        10           0-3

2.5        12           3-6

3.4        14           6-9

4.2        16           9-12

5.0        18           12-15

5.5        20           15-18

6.0        22           18-21

6.5        24           21-24

7.0        26           27-30

In this test you try to go as far in the procedure as you can, I made it about 13 minutes into the test (5.0 mph).  There was only one person in the class who made it to the 5.5 mph level.  This test is seriously tough with the enormous grade levels (and a mask used to capture expired air).  Even if you do not have the equipment to measure VO2 Max and other measures, you should try the protocol.  Let me know how far you make it. My VO2 max was 44.7 ml/kg.  Have you ever taken a VO2 max test? 

Workouts

Tuesdays are always crazy days full of classes and work for me.  So today I split my workout into three different parts.  1.) 20 minute bike ride when I woke up  2.) VO2 max test (only about 15 minutes of activity, but I worked up a little sweat)  3.) Pilates in the afternoon

Eats

Breakfast: Smoothie (yogurt, blueberries, peanut butter, clementine)

Lunch: Salad with Tuscan Italian dressing (best flavored Italian ever!), carrots, egg and cheese practice \

Snack: Strawberry fruit snacks 

Dinner: General Tso's chicken and rice, peas and cheese, cookie dough (sans eggs)

When I went to the grocery store the other weekend I picked up a bottle of General Tso's sauce!  General Tso's is my favorite Chinese entrée that I always order whenever we get Chinese food.  Today I decided to bust open the bottle!  I grilled up chicken and cooked some white rice and then poured a little sauce over the chicken and rice... Heaven in a bowl!  I'm super happy that I have left overs for lunch tomorrow!!  

My Newest Purchase

Check this out!

Looks like just an ordinary bag, but it's not just some plain ol' bag... it's a purse lunch box!  I'm such a nerd for being so excited about this, but for someone who packs a lunch EVERYDAY for work, it's very exciting!  It is insulated on the inside and has a little pocket to hold silverware or other small items.  

In other news I did the treadmill wingate test today in my class, and it was exhausting!  I could not catch my breath for about 10 minutes afterwards and the sprinting part of the test only lasted 3 minutes!  Compared to the bike wingate I think the treadmill wingate was harder, but overall people seemed to feel better after the treadmill test versus in the bike test.  I was personally a bigger fan of the bike wingate, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I spin more than I do sprint/speed running.  If you are interested in what the protocol is for the treadmill wingate test feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment and I will get it to you.

My pilates class today kicked. my. butt.  We did a solid hour of abs and hip strengthening exercises.  The hip moves were killer since most people do not have strong hips (including myself).  I have taken both yoga and pilates over the course of this year, and I have found that I like pilates more.  To me it feels more challenging, it clears my head, stretches my muscles and leaves my body more refreshed than yoga does. Have you taken yoga and pilates?  Which one do you prefer?