Monday, November 5th, 2007

Kitchen Sink Smoothie & The 7 Mysteries of Life

by Kristen in green smoothies, gym, Kristen Suzanne, Reading, SBUX, smoothies

Today I made a smoothie that had pretty much everything in it but the kitchen sink; hence, the name (I am creative, aren’t I – ha ha). I threw in spinach, carrots, cranberries, kiwis, apples, dill, red jalapeno pepper (of course!), red bell pepper and water. When I had all the fruits and veggies in the blender waiting to get blended, I thought to myself, “Damn, it’s so pretty! All that vibrant, fresh produce.” Then, I blended it and it looked kind of like…well, something from a swamp. Oh well, it was soooooo tastey.

Workout: I’m going to the gym today for my legs/shoulder workout…working on building more muscle, building my bones and burning fat all day long. (I like to keep a toned body shape.)

Reading: I love to read. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend time. I used to frequent places like SBUX (ticker symbol for Starbucks) while reading for hours on end…sipping a soy cappuccino…hhhmmmm, the memories. Nowadays, I indulge in Starbucks on very rare occasions, so I don’t visit them for reading as much. However, I really love reading at places outside of my home, so I found new experiences. In Arizona, this is fun and easy because we’re surrounded by big sassy hotel resorts with beautiful gardens, bonfire pits, golf courses, pools, and fancy lobbies with comfy couches – all perfect for curling up with a good book. So, after my workout tonight, I’m going to one of my favorite spots in Scottsdale to sip some herbal tea while reading a great book, The Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie.

What are some of your favorite books? Anything really great that changed your life and that you recommend?

Find your self a new nourishing spot.

~Juicy Living Cards by SARK

Back in the Gym

by Kristen in energy, exercise, fitness, gym, health, jumprope

I’ve taken a couple of weeks off from going to the gym because my schedule was jam packed trying to get my Raw recipe ebooks out on my website. Yay! The first series is done. I always like to still do some form of exercise when I’m not able to get to the gym, so here are the things I do when I’m in that position.

Push-ups! I drop to the floor and crank out as many as I can…just until I’m about to fall flat on my face. Push-ups are great because they pretty much work your entire upper body and abs. Then, I go out into the street in my neighborhood (wearing ankle weights) I do walking lunges. Sometimes it’s just one set, but hey, it’s better than nothing. I keep my ankle weights on while I’m at home so I can get all the help I can get.

I also have a jump rope hanging by my desk. Jump rope is phenomenal exercise…hard core and only takes a minute of doing it before your heartrate is way up. Jump rope is so great for your body that you can do about 15 minutes of it (doubt you’ll do 15minutes straight though, it’s too hard!)…anyway, it’s comparable to doing other forms of cardio for 30-45 minutes. This makes jumproping awesome for people who are short on time. So, what I do is about 2-5 minutes of jump rope 2-3 times a day. This keeps me in great shape!

I also have dumbells in my bathroom, on the floor by my sink. (I do everything I can to make it easy on myself to exercise, so having the stuff there and ready, makes it hard to say no). Every other day or so, I grab my dumbells and do some bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and shoulder triangles. All of this keeps me in great shape when I can’t get to the gym or if I’m short on time.

Anyway…all that to say that I’m going to the gym today (and getting back to consistency with that) and I’m psyched! I feel so empowered and awesome after leaving the gym. Physical exercise does just as much for your mind as it does your body. Today, I’ll focus on cardio and spend time getting my heartrate up. Then, tomorrow, I’m hitting the free weights.

My quote for the day:
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~author unknown