Its Quite a Situation

First of all, thank you so much for the comments on my bathing suit! I wasn’t even expecting one! Want to know something funny? I forgot a bathing suit to the cape, so Saturday morning I went to Marshalls and found that suit for $10!!! It was originally $60 from Bloomingdales and it was a Marshalls STEAL! I do love it!

Ok, other exciting news of the day…
Yes, Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino will be on Dancing With The Stars I. Am. Psyched.

So about this heat….. I thought that heatwave back in July was hot, but today was pretty brutal. I made the most of it and stayed inside-the mall-some shopping. It was a good day for it, right? I am in DESPERATE need of some new clothes. I realized yesterday that 3/4th’s of my wardrobe is athletic/gym/fitness wear. Now, I am a personal trainer and wear workout clothes 5 straight days a week to work (which is a HUGE perk, in my opinion!) but the problem with this is I sometimes get so comfortable wearing yoga pants, tanks and zip ups, that I forget I am a 24 year old, young woman who deserves to wear real clothes when I am not at work! 

I have a ton of clothes that I also haven’t worn in so long because well, they didn’t fit me. Today, not only did I do some damage at the stores, but I shopped in my closet. I started trying on clothes I haven’t worn in SO long including a pair of $180 jeans that I just bought before the summer and had NEVER worn! I was psyched! I am writing this to tell you all to shop in your closet once in a while! You may find something you never knew you had or forgot about!
I want to talk about my current obsession in the veggie department. These mini cucumbers are UNREAL. I mean, I love veggies, all veggies really, but I am pretty much obsessed with these cukes! they are perfect for dicing up and throwing in a bag, taking on the go, or eating as is! They are sweet and seedless and just out of this world. Okay, enough cuke talk

I also enjoyed a juicy plum today! I LOVE the size of this plum because it isn’t too big or too small-just right for what I wanted
Juicy

I also enjoyed a greek yogurt with 1/4 C oatmeal and 4 blueberries as meal 2.  Two Mini cucumbers were eaten in 2.5 seconds as well.

Lunch time! I had a baby spinach salad with chicken breast, 1/2 C brown rice, and lemon water
The BEST. I only use a little bit because its very sweet, but its basically thick balsamic vinegar. Vinegar that has been reduced a whole lot and has the consistancy of watered down honey. Its so delicious!!

This chicken was on the bone, cooked in the oven, then my mom grilled it for the last 30 minutes. Wow, it was so tender and juicy! It was AMAZING. I was so happy to have leftovers for lunch today!
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Workout
Today was steady state cardio and LEGS. For my steady state I did incline walking and ellipticizing. Incline walking is HARD. Sure, I could run for 4 miles and have no problem, but incline walking? Thats a different story! If you haven’t tried it yet, I think you will be amazed at what a great workout it is!
I stay between 6-12% grade and between 3.4-3.8 speed. My leg workout ROCKED as well. I will be having some major DOMS tomorrow!

And now…
I GOT THE GUMS! OMG I was so excited when they came in the mail!!!

Post workout protein shake with 1/4 t guar and xanthan gums, 1/4 C oatmeal with cinnamon and 4 fresh strawbs

I think I have been under a rock because this stuff was just introduced to me! What a difference it makes! this shake was almost TOO thick! And delicious!

As were the fresh berries!!
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Lastly, I just wanted to share a question that I got from reader recently that I thought would benefit some of my readers!
  • “Naomi, when I am at the gym and I lift, how do I know if I am lifting too much or too little. I get confused when I am doing, say for instance 12 reps and choose a weight that I think is appropriate, but I really don’t know if its a good weight or not. Thanks!”


Well first of all, this is a GREAT question! I get asked this a lot! The answer to how much weight you can lift can be tricky and quite ambiguious. Everyone is built differently. I do not lift the same as Mary, Bobby or Sue (Made up names used in examples to follow), so when you read something in a magazine that says “12 reps of 8 lbs” this 8lbs may be extremely challenging for Mary but not for Bobby. When choosing an appropriate weight I would suggest choosing a weight for an exercise that allows you to maintain proper and correct form through the very last repetition. Each movement should be controlled and smooth, not jerky. If you notice that you are using your body’s momentum to help lift you or the weights you are lifting, that weight you chose is probably too heavy. I would start lighter than you probably think and perform one set just to start off. If this was too easy, the next set, move up in weights!

**You NEVER want to sacrifice form!**
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  • When you are bored what is the FIRST thing you do? I either read blogs, read the news or food prep!
  • What is the BEST BARGAIN you have ever found on an item that you purchased? This is a toughy for me, but for now I will say this new bathing suit of mine I found for $10!
  • Have you ever hunted in your closet and reinvented clothes?! I have! love it!