Yesterday’s less intense workout apparently left me feeling rejuvenated because today’s workout was sweaty, intense and awesome!
I began my time at the gym with 20 minutes of steady state cardio on the elliptical before completing the circuit workout on the agenda for today through the Best Body Boot Camp program I’m following.
It was definitely challenging, but in a good way. I find it so much easier to push myself during circuit workouts because I know I’ll be done with a certain exercise in no time at all since the bursts are often quite short. It’s easier to pound out a ton of mountain climbers or burpees if you know you only have to do them for 40 seconds!
Breakfast
Breakfast was another waffle extravaganza!
Perhaps the word “extravaganza” is a little excessive, but I adore this combination!
I topped two toasted Van’s multigrain waffles with a mixture of ricotta cheese and cottage cheese, a sliced pear and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Don’t forget the spice! It adds so much!
April Book Club
Time to select the book for April’s Book Club!
As always, the following books were taken from your recommendations on the PBF Facebook page.
Please vote on the book you would most like to read below. On Thursday, April 26 I’ll post my review of the book along with discussion questions for us to talk about in the comments section of the post.
Also, if you post a review of the selected book on your blog before April 26, please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com and let me know so I can be sure to include your review in the link up of book reviews that will be included in that post as well.
The contenders for the month of April include…
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long.
Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness — featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess,a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
January 1946: Writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
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Please vote for the book you would most like to read. The winning book will be announced tomorrow!
[polldaddy poll=6111051]
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I completely agree about circuit workouts! The same goes for HIIT sessions…that one minute or so at a ‘near death’ speed is only bearable because I know it’ll be over soon enough (and repeated soon enough but that’s okay as long as i get a breather)!
The Book Thief because I have it there waiting to be read already! 🙂
All such good choices! My book group have done all three and they all scored really well.
Thirteenth tale is great but creepy in places. Don’t read it on your own if you don’t want nightmares!
The Guernsey one is the lightest and made us all want to visit the island.
The book theif is great but traumatic. Similar stress levels to a thousand splendid suns. Prepare for tears if you pick that one.
Just my humble opinion though!
awesome! thanks for sharing your thoughts. i voted for the book thief. i loved sarah’s key and the kite runner (written by the same author as a thousand splendid suns) and really loved both. and if i read it, i’ll be sure to grab a kleenex!
Sarah’s key. Not done that one. Onto Amazon then…
oh my gosh, i loved that book. if you enjoy WWII historical fiction, you will LOVE it.
The Guernsey Literary and potato peel society is such an amazing book as is The book theif, you will fly through that book for sure!
I’ve read The 13th Tale & The Book Thief. Both are now favorites of mine for very different reasons. Both would be winners to me!
Props to you for making it to the gym! I’m in the US right nw and am about to go, but procrastinating a bit!
The 13th Tale is so good, I think you’ll really like it! It sounds like you have 3 awesome books this month so it really doesn’t matter which wins!
I love circuits because time flies by so quickly! You are changing up your exercises so often .. and any given exercise (liked or disliked) goes by fast!!
Excited to see which book wins!
I voted for The Thirteenth Tale because I already read the other two (The Book Thief was INCREDIBLE), and a friend at work JUST lent me The Thirteenth Tale…so it would be perfect!
I agree on the circuits too! Lately I’ve been preferring them so much more than any other sort of in-the-gym workouts. I still want to get outside and run more, but when the weather is chilly (and it has certainly been this way lately!) I’m all about the circuits indoors.
Good choices!…wanted to say that I looove reading your blog. It’s my morning ritual 🙂 Fresh cup of coffee, today show and blogs! I tried your waffle extravaganza the other day and turned out sooo yummy. Trying to get the hubby to start eating it. It’s so healthy for you 🙂
thank you for such a nice comment, agnes! i love starting my day with coffee and blogs, too. 🙂
I actually JUST finished Guernsey on the suggestion of my Aunt and I adored it! So many great lines & I just loved the premise of it. I hope you end up reading that one! 🙂
Trainer tip! Try to swap your pre circuit cardio stint for an active dynamic warmup (jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, glute bridges, etc.) and finish your workout with cardio instead. So happy to hear your active rest day helped!
I haven’t heard of any of these books! This will be an interesting month, I like getting out of my “box” with books!
The Thirteenth Tale is terrific! I am just finishing it up for my April book club. It’s different from what we normally read, but I’ve found it to be really interesting.
I read the book theif a few months ago. If thats what gets picks you will LOVE IT!
Hard choice they all look good!
I loved the 13th Tale! I’d recommend it to anyone.
I’ve read both the Thirteenth Tale and The Book Theif – both are excellent! If neither of those are picked, I highly recommend them both anyway.
The Thirteenth Tale is really good.
ahhhh you HAVE to read the book thief. one of my top 10. i criiiiiiied all the way through it, but it is so so so good!
All of these choices look really good! I would like to read the book thief, I just started Wither per your recommendation. I’m already totally getting sucked in!
The Thirteenth Tale is absolutely amazing, I read it over the summer. I highly recommend it even if it isn’t chosen for this months read!!!
I’ve already read The Book Thief but I vote for that because it is beautifully written and has a story everyone should read!!
BTW I made your rice krispie treats last night (delish!) and these yummy little cookies- wanted to share the recipe with you – Peanut Butter and m&m cookies!
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/03/27/peanut-butter-mm-cookies/
YUM!!! thanks so much for sharing, caitlin!
I voted for the Potato book, I’ve already read the Book Thief and it is really good!
I just read online that Kate Winslet has signed on to be in “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” movie!
i’ve read all three (and reviewed on my blog and goodreads). book thief is amazing and def a favorite and thirteenth tale isn’ far behind. not such a fan of guernsey though…
if people are curious:
book thief — http://clg1213.blogspot.com/2010/10/bonus-book-reviewthe-book-thief.html
guernsey (only posted on goodreads) — http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/132714888
thirteenth tale — (apparently only did stars, not a review) http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42454894
Just came across your blog via Apples and Optimism, and I love it! Also, I have to tell you that I just read your whole wedding series and CRIED MY EYES OUT the entire time. You’e a beautiful writer!
It may be a good thing that we don’t have a toaster…if we did I would constantly buy waffles. Your breakfast always looks super good
Guernsey is an awesome book! So sad that one of the authors died so that there will be no more like it….
I might ALWAYS be blown away by how speedy of a reader you are!
The Book Thief!! I admit…I’ve read it, but I’d love to have an excuse to read it again! It is absolutely exquisite writing and story-telling, one of the best books I’ve read in years.
I voted for 13th Tale because the description sounded interesting. But the Book Thief is my FAVORITE. book. ever. I hope you & the rest of the PBF book clan get a chance to read it because it is a beautiful novel.
the book thief is AWESOME. definitely read it! 13th tale sounds great.. i might pick that one up..
The book thief is absolutely fantastic, definitely a tear jerker but it just touches the heart..loved it!
Great choices! I read “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” a few years ago and LOVED it. Passed it around to all my girlfriends.
I’m not even going to vote because these all seem amazing! I’m so psyched to read whichever book is picked!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is SO good! It totally draws you in. I wasn’t very excited to read it, but my mom talked me into eventually and I ended up loving it.
Ohh the Book Thief sounds great! I read the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for my book club and truly thought it was so boring I could barely get through it! But I know lots of people like it!
I read the 13th Tale and it is amazing so that is totally my vote so I will re-read it again.
I didn’t vote for The Book Thief because I’ve read the Potato Peal Pie Society and it’s a must read! BUT I saw that TBT was winning in the polls so I got a copy from the library! So excited! P.s- Circuit workouts are the best. Anyone can endure anything for 30-40 seconds!
The Book Thief is magical and will rip your heart out!
The book thief is one of my all time favorite books!! I so hope you read that because I want everyone to read it!!
The Book Thief and The Thirteenth Tale are two of the best books that I have read in the last 6 years or so. They are in my top 10 favourite books ever! Both are exceptionally written and had my attention from the start.
The 13th Tale is in my top 5 favorite books ever. It looks like The Book Thief is winning in the poles, but I highly recommend reading The 13th Tale even if it doesn’t end up being this month’s pick!
It was so good, that I took it with me while I was driving so that I could spend my spare minutes at the red-light reading it… Yes, I am a bit of a nerd.
LOVE the Book thief!!! It’s one of my favorite books!
The Book Thief is probably one of the best works of fiction I’ve ever read—and I’m an English teacher!
I read The Book Thief over the summer and I can confidently state that it’s one of the best fiction pieces I’ve ever read.
The author is a beautiful writer, and he gives the story a decadent spin with the structure of the text. Oh, and the fact that the story is told by Death himself makes it that much better.
Please read it. I’m begging you. It’ll change your perspective on a lot of things, including the art of living.