Whipping My Butt Back Into Shape

I have a confession to make.  I do not belong to a gym.  Call me old-school or a cheapskate but I never have, and I don't expect I ever will.  Sure, during my time at my university I took advantage of the fitness center and worked out there, but to tell you the truth, I hated it.  Growing up we lived next door to my cousins and we exercised outdoors every day.  We used to play basketball, roller-skate, bikes, climbing, and even running.  

My Dad started running the L.A. Marathon when I was a kid and my Mom and I would go with him to the park to train.  Me and Mom would run/walk the 1 mile circumference of that park for a good hour and then go home and make banana/strawberry smoothies.  But I digress...the gym just feels unnatural to me.  As a grown up I have relied on jumping rope, workout DVD's and good, old-fashioned jogging.  In the last year, however, I've been a bum and I'm hating myself for it.  As of December 1, 2012 I've been working to get my old body back.  

I've devised a circuit-training system that I can do at home, in my garage or on the back patio.  I made index cards containing a variety of exercises to target the following: 

Arms/Chest

Legs

Abs

Glutes

Cardio

Combination Moves

Here is a sample of some of the Combo, Abs and Glutes cards.  The purpose of these index cards is to force myself to do a variety of movements to encourage muscle confusion.  I want to ensure that I'm not doing the same old tired moves over and over because our bodies adapt very quickly.

I had this cheapie shoe-organizer I got at the Dollar Tree a while back.  I knew it would come in handy!  I hung it out in the garage and all I have to do is pick various cards from each category to create a circuit I can repeat 3x.  

Here's my yoga mat, 5 lb dumbbells and a leather jump-rope.  I don't know if you can tell, but the handle broke from dropping it so many times and I had to mickey-mouse it with ghetto-ass duct tape!  

(Not shown: 3 lb weights, 5 lb medicine ball, an exercise ball and a weight bench)

Here's my lard-butt in my work-out gear.  Ok, I realize I am probably considered overweight and not obese or anything, but still, this is my personal highest weight.  I know its time to get my ass back in gear.  

You all may have different goals and different fitness levels, but this is me and I'm putting it all out there to hold myself accountable.  Shout out to Andee Layne at The Honeybee for keeping it real and showing that it takes work to be healthy.  

Thanks for reading, and to those of you with health and fitness goals for 2013--hang in there, consistency is key.  

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is what I whipped-up for lunch today.  I'm so proud because when I was a kid my Mom used to make lean ground turkey stuffed bell peppers and I managed to make a vegetarian version of that.  I'm not vegetarian, but my sister is, so its good to know I can modify recipes to suit her and other vegetarians as well.  Plus, its meatless Monday, right? Haha. 

I sauteed garlic, onion and carrots and added low-sodium canned corn, black beans and quinoa. 

Then I topped the little suckers with extra-sharp cheddar.  Hello, my name is Karolina and I'm addicted to extra-sharp cheddar.  You should know this about me now so that in the future when you see every other meal topped with cheese you'll nod and think to yourself, "ah yes, there's that sneaky aforementioned extra sharp cheddar cheese."  You guys, I have tried to quit this stuff. Really. I have.  I tried quitting cold turkey, low-fat cheese, and even Daiya vegan cheddar cheese.  Alas, there is no healthy equivalent to the rich flavor that is extra-sharp cheddar.  So you know what, I'm not switching.  But seriously, I know its high in saturated fat and not a health food so I have adapted and I use it sparingly, blah blah.  But I'm not gonna lie, I love this stuff.

Here's a quick peep at our little dining room and the lovely roses my hubby got me last week.  They're hanging on for dear life now but I still love them.  

Thanks for reading and Happy Monday!