Your Opinion

Have you been consuming your weekly doses of pizza? Because I have not. It's been a long dry spell (about 6 weeks now!) and I'm beginning to have pizza withdrawals. 

I guess I can't say I've been 100% pizza free; there was one instance where the husband and I dropped into a pretty good smaller pizza chain in Las Vegas. Then another weekend spent drinking and carrying on with friends landed us in a fantastic little New York style pizza place in Hermosa Beach. And finally, I dabbled in a bit of the local Pizza Hut fare one delirious evening and instantly regretted it because that was by far one of the most disappointing pizza experiences I've had yet. 

I won't go on about those pizza endeavors, but I can say that I've missed making my own za in my own oven with my own pizza stone. The good news is that I will have all my pizza paraphernalia back in my possession by this weekend! My husband and I have been patiently waiting to move into our house and get our stuff out of storage (adios, living out of a suitcase!), and alas, the weekend has arrived during which we will be transitioning from temporary house to permanent home. And I will personally be transitioning from the pizza-withdrawl-shakes-syndrome to fat-kid-at-heart-gets-her-pizza-tools-back-and-dives-headfirst-into-mozzarella-and-dough-recovery. Praise the Lord! Sure, I'm looking forward to having a real address, decorating the house, and sleeping in my own bed again. But I must say, the weekly pizza binges are a thing that I value highly in my life, and now that I've started, I simply see no end to the tradition.

So, pizza eater. The wait has been long. But it is almost over. You've demanded pizza and I intend to provide it. So set aside a calorie allowance for some choice za, and stay tuned.

Isn't that just one witty little t-shirt? It brings a smile to my face. I found it on Jac Vanek but have no intentions of buying it. ($44 for a spool of cotton and some iron-on letters? Puh-lease. I could craft that up in 20 minutes for less than $5.) But hey, that's just my opinion. 

Post-Turkey Day Recovery Workout

The turkeys and cranberries have been eaten, I'm stuffed with stuffing, and the pumpkin pie is long gone. Another Thanksgiving success and as usual, I have friends and family to thank for it all. However, the workout routine took a minor hit during vacation time and today was day one to get back into it.

Did it hurt? Yes. More than a little.

Was it fun? Sorta. But not entirely.

Did it completely cancel out a weekend of Thanksgiving bingeing? Not even close, but it's a start.

For some workout inspiration today, I headed over to LaurenConrad.com and searched for something fast, simple, and effective. Miss Conrad did not disappoint!

I have been a fan of LC since her reality TV debut, and I enjoy seeing the cute and pretty things found on her website. Although she may not have gained fame for her fitness expertise (more so for the cute and pretty things), she endorses workouts and nutrition tips that are balanced and sound. The workout of hers that I did was intended to be a treadmill workout. However, since I have a slight disdain for treadmills and the weather today permitted an outdoor workout, I hit the outdoor track to complete all this.

LC's workout goes as follows:

I modified the workout so I could do it on the track. Also, I'd never be able to do some of the exercises for 3 minutes straight without modifying (like jump lunges and push-ups…that's just whack). Here's how it all went down:

• Warm-up: 5 minute jog
• 25 regular push-ups (not modified/on knees)
• 1 set of 15
• 1 set of 10
• 800m run at 7:30 per mile pace (2 laps on 1/4 mile track)
• 2 sets of 20 jump lunges
• 800m run at 7:30 per mile pace (2 laps)
• 3 sets of 10 sumo squats
• 800m run as fast as my feet would carry me (about 7:00 per mile pace)
• Abdominal workout - 2 sets of each:
• 10 crunches with feet off ground, knees bent to 90 degrees
• 12 bicycle crunches (24 per side, rotating)

Then I rounded out the workout by jogging the long way home, which took about 16 minutes going at a moderate pace. If you're not up for the jog or just don't have time, be sure you get at least a little cool down jog or walk in before you call it quits. 

After a good stretch and plenty of water, I feel ready to get back into it. At least until Christmas.