(Source)

Good day dear readers!  (said in a horrible faux accent of unknown region) I hope you a restful weekend.

The above picture would so be me and and I know some of you too!  Ha!

Yesterday, Brent and I did this fun and fast workout.  We used kettlebells but you could easily modify it to work for dumbbells.

A. 5 Swings (Dumbbell Option: Jump Squats or Dumbbell swings)
B. 1 Clean and Press
C. 1 Overhead Squat*
repeat 4 x (2 on each side)

REST!!

A-C are back to back without rest (a complex).   Repeat complex 3x total.

*Overhead squats are an advanced move.  Beginners should stick with regular squats.

Ascending  Clean and Press and Squat Ladder

1 Clean and Press (each side)
5 Squats
2 Clean and Presses (each side)
10 Squats
3 Clean and Presses (each side)
15 Squats

Alternate with

Pull ups (maximum reps)

Rest and repeat ladder and pullups 3x.  I did negative pull ups, i.e., jumped up to the bar and lowered myself slowly.

Bodybugg Update!
I’m right on track and lost a pound last week.  It felt pretty effortless and I still ate lots of my favorite foods just not as much.  I’m getting used to the Bodybugg online tracking.  I’ve used The Daily Plate for years and LOVE IT!. I do not like the Bodybugg calorie tracking as well as the Daily Plate.  I also used my personal coaching session.  She was very nice and showed me a few things I didn’t know about the tracking system such as where to enter measurements to get a more accurate calorie burn.  Yesterday, I took my body fat measurements I was guessing I was going to be between 20-22% and ended up at 23%.  Not a bad guess.    I’m not at all bummed about that number.  Right now my eyes are on my goal of reaching my weight so I can test with the 12kg and loose jeans are just going to be bonus!

A look ahead into this week!
Brent’s High Protein Cream Filled  Swedish Pancakes (Get excited!)
Another Girl Hero
My burlesque workshop experience…oh dear!  

How was your weekend?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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The post Move It Monday appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I know this is a health and fitness blog but the last few days I’ve just been enjoying some simple pleasures.

I think that’s healthy too and I hope you’ll bear with me.

Today I enjoyed making pizzas with a friend and our kids.

Beautiful Laura.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Oh cheese how I love thee.

Thing 2 putting toppings pepperoni and cheese on his pizza.
(His sense of culinary adventure kills me.)

Thing 1 and 2 = Double Trouble + Double Pepperoni

I love it when my clothes match the decor or, in this instance, the plates.

Laura’s funky earrings.  Love them.

Napoleon.
(Check out his eyes.)

We weren’t the only one’s grubbing.

The lens I was using doesn’t have zoom so I couldn’t get a decent picture but there was a family of finches just outside Laura’s kitchen window.
That mama was feeding her babies too.

Making pizzas together is such a fun thing to do with friends.
I want to invite everyone I know over to make pizzas.

Bodybugg Update:
I have to say I’m loving the Bodybugg itself.
However, I’m not so keen on the software nor the customer service.
I’m having some technical difficulties with the software.
I sent them an email and have yet to hear back.
Annoying.
I’ll keep ya posted because I know it’s a lot of money to spend on something.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!
(I’m going to a burlesque dance workshop at Laura’s studio.)

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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The post Fluffy Friday: Simple Pleasures appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Update:  You can read my  FULL REVIEW of the Bodybugg V3 here!

I did something impulsive.

I emptied my sock drawer.  Not of socks but of the last of my birthday money.  I was planning on buying a pair of designer jeans.

Instead I got this.

See the black thing on my arm.
That’s my new Bodybugg V3 with the digital display.

(Mr. Bones is hanging out in the corner.  I’m not creepy. He is for our homeschool.)

I get to be obsessive YIPPPPEEE!!!!!!

I’m only sort of being sarcastic.  I’m a very unstable creative type so making charts and counting helps me to feel like I have it together grounded.
It’s even good for me. Ask my husband. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t mind counting.  It works well….

…when I do it.

Since August I’ve put on 12 pounds.  I’m NOT unhappy with the way I look BUT I have my RKC certification coming up in August.  One of the requirement is I have to be able to pass the snatch test (100 snatches in 5 minutes or less) with the 12K (26lb) kettlebell.  If I don’t meet the weight requirement I will have to test with the 16K (35lb) kettlebell.  If you have done kettlebells you know what a HUGE difference there is between the 12K and the 16K.  Fact of the matter is I won’t be able to pass if I have to use the 16K.  No amount of positive thinking will give me strength that is just not there.  I mentioned all of this a few months ago but instead of losing I’ve been gaining.  I know why.  I knew before I got the Bodybugg. Where did my motivation go?  I dunno.

I needed some motivation.

I’ve only been wearing it for two days this is what I’ve learned so far.

I sit way too much.

I have the metabolism of a slug.

Not really. I have an average metabolism.  Problem is I am now spending much of my day sitting in front of the computer or on the couch.    I first noticed a gain in weight last year when I started homeschooling.  Why?  Because I was no longer running back and forth to school and rushing to get things done before they get home.  Instead I spend a good chunk of my day cuddled up with my kiddos on the couch reading.  Good for the soul and brain.

Not so much for the body.

The Bodybugg serves as a fun little reminder to clean my house take the stairs.  Amazing how much daily activity “adds up”.

Truth be told, I’ve been wanting a Bodybugg V3 for a long time because I secretly hoped I wasn’t eating enough despite eating my body weight in nut butter more and gaining.

Crazy, I know.

I have read 5 million reviews and there were a few people who discovered they weren’t eating enough so they started eating more and lost weight.  I prayed that would be me even though all evidence told me otherwise.

One can hope.

What I’m really excited for are my plans to conduct “rogue experiments” and to write reviews for the world my readers about this fun little digital device oddly named the Bodybugg.

I also started a new food journal.  Accountability is key for me.  I’m going to be posting my meals everyday until I reach my goal.  I’m calling it “Operation Six Pack” although I should have called it “Dear God.  Please help.  I don’t want to fail the RKC.”

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind rebirthing The Abbeys though.

(That was so gratuitous.)

To all of you long time subscribers don’t worry, you will not be getting pictures of apples and almonds in your inbox.  I created a whole new exciting blog just for that because we all know the internet needs more pictures of food.

Update:  You can read my  FULL REVIEW of the Bodybugg V3 here!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Fast as a Slug. appeared first on Girl Heroes.